Chapter 281: Returning to the City

Duan Rong slept until the afternoon before waking up.

He rolled off the bed and felt a dryness in his throat. Duan Rong picked the sleep from his eyes and sighed, "I've been running a bit hot lately."

He walked slowly to the entrance of the cave, crouched down, and picked a large bone-in rib from the several pieces of venison drying there.

Holding the rib in one hand, Duan Rong leaped along the cliff face to the side of the stream.

He first gathered some dry branches, lit them with a Fire Folder, and placed the rib over the fire to roast, then strolled to the stream to wash his face and drink a few handfuls of clear water.

Duan Rong wiped the water from his mouth with his sleeve and looked up; at this moment, there was no wind in the valley, and it was exceptionally tranquil.

The faint chirping of birds and the babbling of the stream came through clearly, further highlighting the serenity of the mountain forest.

Duan Rong suddenly drew his saber and stood on a large rock by the stream!

The warm afternoon sun shone on his face; his eyes were tightly shut, and a droplet of water still hung on his eyelashes from his recent wash...

Duan Rong held the saber in his right hand, pointing straight ahead, held before him, motionless!

He kept his eyes closed, recalling that feeling of absolute emptiness from the night before!

Duan Rong could be certain that in that state of emptiness, he had briefly reached the realm of Great Perfection!

Duan Rong stood there as if petrified for a full half-stick of incense's time before his figure suddenly flashed and the saber light danced...

Duan Rong's eyes remained closed, but after performing a few sets, he stopped; he had not entered the state of emptiness from the previous night.

Duan Rong opened his eyes and looked at his Ox-Tail Saber. The Ox-Tail Saber emitted a cold, chilling gleam in the spring sunlight.

After pausing for a few breaths, Duan Rong moved his body again, the saber light dancing; this time he did not deliberately try to enter the state of emptiness from the night before, but instead cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and immersed himself in the momentum of the saber!

As Duan Rong practiced, he discovered that his perception had changed!

He had not entered that state of emptiness, but had instead made a direct breakthrough!

It was like popping out of the water with a "plop"—everything before his eyes became clear in an instant!

So that was it!

Consummation is Round and Harmonious!

Round and Harmonious is selflessness!

At this moment, Duan Rong finally grasped the true meaning of the Great Perfection realm!

At this time, his saber momentum was neither fast nor slow, and one could not say it felt like flowing clouds or running water!

On the contrary, every strike looked extremely ordinary, much like an old farmer harvesting rice.

Duan Rong's eyes were also filled with peace!

A saber has never killed anyone; it is merely a fact, devoid of killing intent!

It is simply your friend!

It merely slices open your throat and, with full compassion, takes away your life!

It has no intent to kill; it simply completes the fact of killing amidst a state of peace!

Killing intent only obstructs your clarity, making you narrow-minded and irritable, whereas a true killer is compassionate and peaceful!

Only in compassion and peace can one command everything!

This is the true meaning of selflessness!

Duan Rong remained immersed in the Great Perfection realm, performing the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber set after set!

Only now did Duan Rong truly understand the final layer of meaning in Xiao Zongting's initial words!

Martial arts use Martial Technique as the method of combat, Internal Cultivation Method as the foundation, and Mental Power as the core!

And the ultimate realm of martial arts is to command everything with Mental Power!

Moreover, this command is not a forceful drive, but a response of being Round and Harmonious as one!

Duan Rong practiced for nearly an hour before suddenly sheathing his saber and standing still!

The sun had already dipped lower; the lazy sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting tree shadows onto Duan Rong's face. Duan Rong smiled slightly; after practicing for an hour, he had thoroughly grasped the realm of Great Perfection.

Just as Duan Rong sheathed his saber and stood still, he suddenly smelled a burnt odor.

"Oh no!"

Duan Rong's heart jumped, and he leaped fiercely onto the large rock by the stream, only to see that the pile of pine branches had burned out, leaving only a heap of ash, and that piece of mountain venison rib had long since turned black as charcoal.

Duan Rong rubbed his rumbling stomach, stretched his limbs, and sighed, "What a waste of good meat!"

With no other choice, Duan Rong had to return to the cave, take another piece of meat, build a fire again on the large white rock, and roast the venison over the fire.

While roasting the venison, Duan Rong pondered the marvelous feeling after breaking through to the Great Perfection realm!

As he thought, his hands grew itchy; he flipped the venison in his hand, drew his saber again on the large white rock, and began to perform!

This time, what Duan Rong performed was not the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber, but the Thunder Smoke Saber technique of the Ximen Family.

He had previously used the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber to penetrate the Great Perfection realm, and now he was using that achieved Great Perfection realm to penetrate the Thunder Smoke Saber technique!

In just a few breaths, Duan Rong had already completed the breakthrough of the Thunder Smoke Saber!

At this moment, here by the stream in Kong Jue Shan Gu, what he was performing was the Great Perfection realm of the Thunder Smoke Saber technique!

If Ximen Yong were to see this, he would surely be moved to tears, for no one in the Ximen Family for generations had been able to practice this saber technique to such a peak realm!

Duan Rong practiced for nearly half a stick of incense before stopping; he stood with his saber held horizontally, a look of deep contemplation appearing in his eyes.

"Blast it!"

Duan Rong's nostrils flared slightly; he smelled the faint burnt odor again...

Duan Rong leaped and arrived beside the fire on the large white rock; with a flick of his saber tip, he pried that large piece of venison out of the fire.

The blackened venison fell onto the shimmering white rock, splashing a shower of sparks.

Duan Rong looked at the venison; one side was charred, but fortunately, the other side was not burnt.

Duan Rong used the saber in his hand to shave off the charred side and began to eat the remaining venison.

The fragrant, tender venison was mixed with a faint burnt taste, giving him the illusion of eating cured meat.

Duan Rong sat on a rock by the creek, eating venison while watching the sun gradually sink in the west; his gaze was profound and spirited.

Only after Duan Rong advanced the Thunder Smoke Saber to the Great Perfection realm did he thoroughly understand the meaning of Xiao Zongting's other remark.

The power of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber can only be truly unleashed after achieving the Great Perfection realm!

The most prominent feature of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber is balance, or rather, when Xiao Zongting first set out to improve this saber technique, he did so with the goal of reaching the Great Perfection realm in mind.

At the Great Success realm level, the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber and the Thunder Smoke Saber could be said to have their own merits, but once the Great Perfection realm is broken through, the Thunder Smoke Saber wouldn't even be able to catch the dust left behind by the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber.

The original balance of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber, in the Round and Harmonious state of Great Perfection, formed a perfect fusion!

Duan Rong could be almost certain that this was some kind of limit level for the Great Perfection realm, and this was also where Xiao Zongting had poured his life's blood!

The Great Perfection realm of this saber technique almost exhausted the limits of the Inner Breath Realm!

It could not advance even a hair further; one hair further, and it would be the True Qi Realm!

Duan Rong had originally wanted to use the Great Perfection realm to master a few more saber techniques, but after he finished the piece of venison in his hand, he changed his mind.

Because he was already convinced that at the Great Perfection realm, no other saber technique could compare to the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber!

During the few days Duan Rong was away, Ximen Kankan had come to look for him several times, but never saw a shadow of him; after the Selection of Heroes Meeting, Ximen Yong had completely relaxed his restrictions on Ximen Kankan, and Ximen Kankan was just looking to have some fun during these ten days of public notice, so he came to find Duan Rong, hoping Duan Rong would take him to the gambling den to have a big killing, but Duan Rong was not there each time he came.

The last time, Ximen Kankan even took advantage of the lack of people around to climb into Liu Lu, and after checking around and confirming Duan Rong was not there, he sighed and left dejectedly!

On the afternoon of this day, Xiao Yu also walked slowly to the gate of the Liu Lu courtyard.

Xiao Yu looked at the gate of Liu Lu, which was piled high with various gifts and calling cards, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She still went up and knocked on the gate, and seeing no one answer for a long time, she said, "This guy, who knows where he went to hide for some peace and quiet?"

In the life-and-death battle against the segment, Xiao Yu had almost squeezed her Internal Breath dry; after this life-and-death tempering, upon returning and recovering and digesting over these few days, she had unexpectedly, as if by natural course, suddenly broken through the Great Success realm that had trapped her for so long!

Xiao Yu had broken through the Great Success realm, and her leg injury was also mostly healed, so she felt an itch to find Duan Rong to spar and hone and consolidate her newly broken-through Great Success realm, but she hadn't expected Duan Rong to be absent.

In the valley of Wild Boar Mountain, Duan Rong suddenly sneezed twice in a row!

Duan Rong rubbed his nose. "There's no wind here, so why on earth am I sneezing?!"

Duan Rong executed his movement technique, flashing and leaping between the steep rock walls of the valley!

He still remembered that it was in this valley that he had broken through the Small Success realm of the Cloud Snake Step, leaping freely and having an occasional realization!

But at this moment, Duan Rong was using his achieved Great Perfection realm to re-master the Cloud Snake Step!

Duan Rong's figure was as fast as a ghost, like a mountain demon or a wild spirit.

After the Great Perfection realm, his understanding of martial arts was completely different; the Cloud Snake Step he executed at this time, amidst the mountain cliffs, already had a sense of misty clouds.

After Duan Rong re-practiced the Cloud Snake Step, he began to try using the Great Perfection realm to master his hidden weapon techniques!

His hidden weapon technique was originally a fusion of the Plum Blossom Needle technique, the Thousand-Hand Arhat, and the Thousand Leaf Three Transformations—three completely different techniques; within this fusion, there were actually many places that were not sufficiently Round and Harmonious.

After Duan Rong re-mastered it with the Great Perfection realm, he cleared many bottlenecks.

At this time, Duan Rong's hidden weapon technique was more Round and Harmonious and natural; in the forest with mottled tree shadows, Duan Rong's figure flashed, and where a Plum Blossom Afterimage bloomed at his hand, a Willow Leaf Knife flew out silently, piercing through the forest and striking the leaves!

For the next few days, Duan Rong practiced bitterly in the mountains and wilds!

After achieving the Great Perfection realm, it was equivalent to having entered the hall and reached the inner chamber.

The first thing to do after entering the hall and reaching the inner chamber was to do a deep cleaning, sweeping away the discarded things and reorganizing what could still be used.

Through these few days of bitter practice, Duan Rong had climbed several rungs in his saber technique, Lightness Skill, and hidden weapon technique; his overall strength could be said to be brand new!

This morning, Duan Rong sat on a large rock by the creek, gnawing on venison that was roasted to a charred yellow, but was actually already a bit stale.

Although there was game everywhere in the mountains and wilds, Duan Rong did not want to kill wantonly; to eat a piece of fresh game, he would have to hunt a wild spirit beast every day, which in Duan Rong's view, was truly contrary to the harmony of heaven!

While chewing the venison, Duan Rong's eyes revealed a profound look of contemplation.

After these few days of bitter practice, his understanding of the subtle relationship between Mental Power and martial arts had become even more profound.

The reason why Mental Power is the core of martial arts is that it is the supreme commander!

Duan Rong suddenly thought of an allusion he had learned in his previous life, called Li Guang Shoots the Tiger!

This allusion comes from the Records of the Grand Historian: "Guang went out hunting, saw a stone in the grass, thought it was a tiger and shot at it; the arrow sank into the stone up to the arrowhead, but upon looking, it was a stone. He tried to shoot it again, but could never make it enter the stone again."

The meaning of this allusion is that Li Guang went out hunting, saw a stone covered by grass, thought it was a tiger, and shot an arrow, which sank into the stone up to the arrowhead!

But when he knew it was a stone, he wanted to shoot the arrow into it again, but could never make it enter the stone again.

In this allusion from the Records of the Grand Historian, the Grand Historian used the pen of the Spring and Autumn period to prove the commanding role of Mental Power over martial arts!

When Li Guang thought it was a tiger, his internal and external were connected, focused and singular, so he could sink an arrow into the stone!

When he knew it was not a tiger, but a stone, even if he wanted to pretend it was a tiger, his subconscious already had a will telling him it was not a tiger, it was a stone.

When your Mental Power has flaws, its ability to integrate and command martial arts will decay.

Therefore, Li Guang shot again, and could never make it enter the stone again.

So, it is still that saying: the reason why Mental Power is the core of martial arts is that it is the supreme commander!

After Duan Rong finished the last piece of venison, he flashed back into the cave!

After several days of bitter practice, his training in the mountains had come to an end! And the ten-day public notice period was about to arrive, so it was time for him to go back.

Duan Rong stood at the entrance of the cave, his Divine Sense Projection active, probing every inch of the cave, frowning and pondering...

Once he goes to the Taiyi Sect, it will be three years at the shortest, and he might never come back at the longest!

This cave stronghold he inherited from the evil doctor Shen Ping could be considered quite hidden; at this time, Duan Rong had to practice letting go, taking only what was necessary to take, and leaving everything else in this cave.

Once he had any accidents outside, or never returned, this cave and the various rare items within it would likely become ownerless ruins...

In Xiangu County, at a street corner inside the East City Gate, in the corner of a tea shop, Xie Daohan sat there with his felt hat drooping over his head.

The owner of the tea shop wiped the counter, his eyes glancing from time to time at Xie Daohan's back, a strange look of curiosity flowing in his eyes.

This person had been sitting here for several days in a row! Each time it was a pot of tea and a plate of peanuts.

The owner had carefully sized him up, but his hat brim was pulled very low, and the owner could not see his face clearly.

The owner's gaze swept toward the saber at Xie Daohan's waist; although the owner was curious, he did not dare to go up and ask. Recently, many major cases had broken out in Xiangu County, and this person was acting so strangely, so why should he bring trouble upon himself?

Ancient wisdom told him that it is better to avoid trouble than to invite it.

He ran a tea shop; if others sat there idly drinking tea, it didn't disturb his business, so why should he bother with so much meddling?

Xie Daohan pinched a peanut, chewed it slowly, and only after the flavor was gone did he slowly take a sip of the tea.

The tea had been ordered in the morning; it was piping hot back then, but now that it was dusk, the tea had long since turned ice-cold, and it made his teeth ache the moment it touched his mouth!

Xie Daohan had waited here idly for several days, yet he still hadn't seen the figure of Duan Rong, but Xie Daohan wasn't anxious at all, because two days later would be the end of the ten-day public notice period, and Xie Daohan reckoned that within these two days, Duan Rong would definitely return to the city!

Just as Xie Daohan took the ice-cold tea into his mouth, he saw a desolate figure riding a date-red horse, looking weary as he whipped his horse into the city!

Seeing that figure, Xie Daohan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his head!

The one whipping his horse into the city was none other than Duan Rong!

(End of this chapter)