Even if one really ignored all disturbances and cultivated only one move, it would be normal to end up going astray.
Of course, there were also successful cases. That led to the saying, “one skill to eat your fill.”
I need a clear direction to ensure I’m progressing. By heading forward without any turns or detours, I’ll go further every day. In the end, I’ll be able to truly reach my destination a thousand miles away.
Why do I like the swift saber? It’s because it’s fast! So the direction I can confirm is speed!
…
Training grounds.
“Young Master, shall I begin?” A guard stood on a tree branch with a crossbow aimed at the ground.
“Begin.” Meng Chuan stood still.
Swoosh.
The guard pulled the trigger and an arrow immediately shot downwards.
Meng Chuan instantly drew his saber and slashed out.
Pfft!
The flying arrow was sliced into two and a saber beam cut across the thick tree, leaving a mark on it.
As long as the mark left on the tree by the saber beam continues moving upwards, it will mean that my saber is getting faster. I will be able to slice the flying arrow in half earlier!
Killing enemies, defense, and escaping.
He only practiced a single move for killing. Following his intuition and what he liked the most, he chose the Saber Drawing Stance! He enjoyed the silence when he drew his sword and the hum when it sliced through the wind! Such a saber move was so beautiful that he was enamored by it every single time. He found the sound of wind being sliced through more pleasant the faster he drew his saber.
He only practiced one move in pursuit of speed!
Speed. He liked it since he was young.
The faster the better.
Swish. The guard on the tree shot another arrow again. The advantage of crossbows was that their shots were stable. Each arrow’s speed could be guaranteed to be uniform! Only by doing so would Meng Chuan be able to confirm that the speed of his saber was increasing. Not only was he pursuing speed, but also accuracy. In that split second, he needed to split the flying arrows with one strike.
Every day, Meng Chuan cultivated the first stance—Saber Drawing Stance! He would draw his saber and strike the flying arrows for six hours, nearly eight thousand times.
The Saber Drawing Stance originated from the Falling Leaf Saber’s Saber Drawing Stance. It was part of the syllabus decided by Archean Mountain for all of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s Dao Academies because its moves were perfect.
Chapter 20
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
There were a total of three guards in charge of firing the crossbow in rotation.
At the same time, five guards were responsible for the loading of flying arrows into empty crossbows. These crossbows were rather intricate, allowing for ten arrows to be loaded at a time.
Fortunately, the flying arrows were easy to make. Every flying arrow was the length of a palm, and the wooden shaft came equipped with arrowheads. Every day, Meng Chuan needed to snap eight thousand flying arrows, so the craftsmen needed to create enough wooden shafts and install arrowheads on them quickly.
“Hurry up.”
Every day, the servants would send a bunch of arrows to a workshop.
The workshop arranged for ten apprentices to be in charge of making the wooden shafts and installing the arrowheads. According to Meng Chuan’s orders, these wooden shafts needed a red dot imprinted on them! When the time came, he would draw his saber and slice the red dot on the wooden shaft. It wasn’t difficult making wooden shafts other than it being time-consuming. Over time, those crossbows would have to be maintained and even changed.
Whoosh.
Standing there, Meng Chuan instantly drew his saber. With a saber flash, he split a phantom-like flying arrow. It hit the wooden shaft’s red dot! The remnants of the saber flash landed on the tree trunk that was wrapped in metal, leaving a mark.
I need to be faster. He sought speed with every slash.
His physical body, Quintessential Energy, and saber art fused. Under his mind’s intense desire, he constantly excavated his potential as he constantly pursued higher speed.
A person’s body had immense potential. The more potential one excavated, the greater the power one could unleash. Cultivating through repeated practice was more effective than just visualization. During the process of striking out repetitively, his body, Quintessential Energy, and saber art began to meld into one, becoming more tightly bound together.
Although the improvement was very subtle, Meng Chuan could tell that he had improved from the marks left on the tree’s metal skin.
The traces left by the saber beam would slowly move up every day. Even the slightest improvement delighted him. He knew he was improving! His saber arts were getting faster!
I have to be more accurate and faster. Meng Chuan’s form of cultivation was extravagant, but the few Seamless realm cultivators who were supposed to be his sparring partners were no longer needed. The amount of money spent every month ended up reducing a little. The cost of hiring a few Seamless realm cultivators was too high.
The present Meng Chuan had already figured out the secret technique. The few Seamless realm experts who had figured out the secret technique were of little help to him.
…
The second focus of his daily cultivation were movement techniques and defensive saber arts!
“Fire!” A servant ordered.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Ten Marrow Cleansing guards and two Mortal Shedding guards simultaneously fired their arrows! The arrow shafts were made from Scarletblood Blackiron, but there were no arrowheads. The arrowheads were covered with cloth.
When the twelve arrows shot out from a hundred feet away, the force delivered by a Marrow Cleansing guard reached 500 kilograms of force. Needless to say, the Mortal Shedding guards delivered even greater strength. It was obvious how fast the arrows were. As a dense cluster of arrows shot over, Meng Chuan was to use a movement technique to dodge as best as he could while using his saber arts to block them.
“Fire.” The first unit of guards all retreated. The second unit of guards also included ten at the Marrow Cleansing realm and two at the Mortal Shedding realm. They released their arrows as well.
“Fire.” Soon, a third unit—consisting of the same makeup as the first two—fired simultaneously.
The three units took turns! After the third unit finished, the first unit would be ready.
One unit after another, each volley was released in unison! And each time, two arrows came from Mortal Shedding realm guards. The two arrows were faster and more powerful! They posed a huge threat due to the short distance. Under the hail of arrows, Meng Chuan would occasionally be hit.
He, too, would fatigue and tire.
But he had to persevere. The more exhausted he was, the more determination he needed.
By tempering one’s body and mind as one, the fusion of body and mind would be deeper—this allowed his movement techniques to be even faster! It would be even more agile! This also sped up his saber defenses!
This form of training required a total of thirty Marrow Cleansing realm guards and six Mortal Shedding realm guards to aid him. This lasted an hour each day.
Shooting arrows continuously for an hour exhausted the guards despite having rotations. Meng Chuan also reached his limit.
…
When it was late at night, Meng Chuan—who would have fully recovered his Quintessential Energy—would undergo his final training for the day—Ultimate Saber Drawing Stance!
Meng Chuan stood there alone without moving.
Suddenly—
His body transformed into a phantom, and he instantly traveled a hundred feet and sent out a saber beam. This time, his movement technique was even fast, and his slashes were even faster! He was much faster than he was during the day.
Why were his movement t
echnique and saber art faster?
This was because the Ultimate Saber Drawing Stance released with the maximum amount of Quintessential Energy! He would feel swelling and pain from reaching the limits of his meridians. If he circulated additional Quintessential Energy into his meridians, he was sure they would suffer damage. By pushing himself to the limits, his movement and saber arts were naturally faster.
However, his Quintessential Energy would be expended at an alarming rate whenever he used the Ultimate Saber Drawing Stance. But despite the flaw, it was very powerful!
Once, twice… Meng Chuan pushed himself to his limit over and over again.
His figure turned into phantom images as he left behind ethereal saber flashes.
Thirty-one times! Meng Chuan stopped. The meridians his Quintessential Energy passed through were aching, but there was no stinging pain.
I can only execute the Ultimate Saber Drawing Stance 31 times after pushing my Quintessential Energy to the limit. According to the Dao Academy’s teachings, the body is very magical. Muscles and bones will become stronger under training. If my meridians are trained to their limits, they will slowly become broader and tougher. The circulation of Quintessential Energy will also stimulate my meridians to adapt.
I want my meridians to withstand even stronger bursts. In that case, when a true life-and-death battle does break out, my movement technique and saber arts will be faster at full force.
To force the body to adapt to more Quintessential Energy was another method to fusing one’s body, mind, and technique. He could become stronger by combining both methods.
…
These three types of cultivation—together with standard medicinal baths and medicinal pills to speed up his Marrow Cleansing—were Meng Chuan’s daily cultivation routine.
He persevered.
Days passed.
His father had left Eastcalm Prefecture. His father’s restaurant could be said to be number one in the Eastcalm Prefecture because it had a single condiment: lotus fish powder! It was a very special type of powder ground from dried fish. Used as a seasoning, it made ordinary dishes absolutely delicious. The restaurant became the best in all of Eastcalm Prefecture by relying on the lotus fish power.
However, just what sort of fish was this “lotus fish?” The other Godfiend clans in Eastcalm Prefecture wanted to know as well.
However, it was clear that the Meng family kept it a secret. This was a mysterious little fish that Meng Dajiang had discovered. He went out of town twice a year, with each trip taking one to two months so he could bring back the mysterious lotus fish powder.
It wasn’t that terrible either. Meng Dajiang spent three to four months away from home, but Qiyue’s father—Liu Yebai—would spend most of his time outside.
…
Night.
Two figures passed through the wilderness like ghosts.
“We have arrived at the Yufang Prefecture that’s inside the Wu State. Let’s rest in Yufang Prefecture. You must give your injuries adequate rest. You can’t travel any further.” Two figures came to a halt. One of them was a somewhat dissolute and elegant Liu Yebai, while the other was Meng Dajiang—who had lost weight.
Meng Dajiang was dressed in black. After he lost weight, his figure was similar to when he was young. He also became much more handsome.
His face was pale, and he couldn’t help coughing softly. “Cough, cough.” Meng Dajiang covered his mouth as he coughed. However, there was blood in his hand.
Liu Yebai couldn’t help but say, “You really are going all out.”
“Chuan’er is about to enter the Mortal Shedding realm. I have to accumulate enough credit,” said Meng Dajiang.
Liu Yebai shook his head and said, “You’ve been risking your life for so many years. All your efforts have been exchanged for an Iceheart Fruit. Was it worth it for your son’s Godfiend foundation?”
Meng Dajiang smiled exhaustedly and said, “My greatest pride in this life is my son. As long as it’s for Chuan’er, it’s worth it no matter how much I pay for it!”
Chapter 21
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
“I really have no idea what to say about you.” Liu Yebai shook his head and smiled. He was rendered speechless by his good friend.
However, wasn’t it because they appreciated each other that allowed them to be such good friends?
“Let’s enter the city,” said Meng Dajiang.
The two of them silently arrived at the Yufang Prefecture. It was late at night, and the city gates had already been shut. Guards patrolling the city walls. However, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai phased into two blurs, and gently leaped over a hundred feet high—over a hundred feet higher than the city walls! Furthermore, a faint black fog surrounded them, making detecting them in the dark harder.
Just like that, the duo silently glided a hundred feet over the city wall.
“My lord.”
“My lord.” On the city walls, Wang Qianfan led several subordinates to inspect the city walls. The guards were very respectful.
Wang Qianfan suddenly frowned and raised his head. “Oh?”
“My lord, what’s wrong?” a deputy asked curiously.
“Make sure everyone is careful. Don’t let the demons sneak in,” said Wang Qianfan with a frown. He felt something was amiss, but he couldn’t explain why. He was a Seamless expert who had comprehended “Force,” and was part of Yufu Prefecture’s garrison. Nobody below the Godfiend realm could escape his senses. If it really was a Godfiend or a Demon Monarch…
It was meaningless for mortals like them to stop those existences.
“Yes,” answered the deputy immediately.
Swoosh.
Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai snuck into Yufang Prefecture City.
“The leader of the city gates’ garrison was actually an expert who achieved “Force.” If we had been careless, we would’ve been discovered by him,” Liu Yebai said with a smile. “If we did get discovered, we can’t stay here for long.”
“I’ve implicated you,” said Meng Dajiang.
“Why say such things between us?” Liu Yebai asked.
…
The servants of a mansion in Yufang Prefecture City were all aware that two good friends of their master had visited, and their master was hosting them warmly.
“Alright, you are dismissed,” Liu Yebai ordered.
“Yes.” The wealthy businessman was very obedient.
Only Liu Yebai and Meng Dajiang were left in the hall. Meng Dajiang was staring at a roasted goat as he ate. Beside him was a large amount of beef.
Kacha! Kacha! Meng Dajiang opened his mouth wide and—no matter how hard the bones were—easily crushed them to pieces. He ate the meat and occasionally picked up a gourd to drink the alcohol within.
“Dajiang, seeing you eat like this has me craving.” Liu Yebai sat there and poured himself a glass. He drank slowly and smiled. “Speaking of which, your appetite is definitely the best in Eastcalm Prefecture. You can completely finish a whole lamb and over fifty kilograms of beef and pork.”
“Are you envious of me?” Meng Dajiang obviously gained some weight. He picked up the jar and filled his gourd. When it was full, he took out a porcelain bottle and placed three pills into the gourd.
“No matter what, I have never heard of your cultivation formulation before—becoming stronger by eating,” Liu Yebai said with a sigh.
Meng Dajiang drank while eating.
After finishing the meat, he gained about five kilograms.
“This makes my recovery speed fast. I’ve recovered from most of my injuries today,” said Meng Dajiang. “I’ll be completely healed by tomorrow. However, I burned too much weight in the previous battle. To recover to my peak state, I still have to eat for five to six days.”
“Eat slowly; there’s no rush.” Liu Yebai smiled. “The earliest Meng Chuan enters the Mortal Shedding realm is May. There’s still ample time.”
“Okay.” Meng Dajiang nodded.<
br />
…
While staying in the manor for six days, Liu Yebai secretly managed matters. Meng Dajiang ate, drank, and cultivated daily. After six days, his weight had increased by about forty kilograms. He turned back into a fatty from his previous handsome appearance.
When his strength returned to its peak, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai quietly left the Yufang Prefecture City.
“What happened?” The wealthy merchant and the six servants in the luxurious manor snapped awake. They felt as if they had been dreaming for the past six days. As to what they dreamed of, they couldn’t remember anything at all.
…
On 2nd May, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai returned to Eastcalm Prefecture.
“We’re back.” The two felt extremely happy looking at the Mirror Lake Meng Manor in front of them.
Meng Dajiang touched the jade box that he kept near his chest. Inside it was an Iceheart Fruit. He had exchanged for it using his years of life-and-death adventures’ credit.
“Master, Master Liu.” The guards at the door revealed looks of delight.
A servant immediately rushed over to report. “Young Master, Miss. The two masters are back.”
Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai entered the residence together. It was currently noon. Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were having lunch. They were pleasantly surprised to see their fathers returning.
“Dad, you’re finally back. It’s been almost half a year since you left.” Liu Qiyue ran over and hugged her father, Liu Yebai, with tears in her eyes.
“I’m back.” Liu Yebai smiled as he stroked his daughter’s hair. “Qiyue, you’ve grown taller again. It won’t be long before you catch up to me.”
“Dad.” Meng Chuan walked towards his father.
“I’ve been out of town for some work. I’ve brought back the lotus fish powder as well.” Meng Dajiang’s chubby face was full of smiles as he patted the bag on his back and chuckled. “Catching the fish, drying it, and then grinding it isn’t difficult. It’s just time-consuming.”
Archean Eon Art c1-766 Page 15
