Chapter 287: The Unreliable Great Void Realm

Duan Rong swept his Divine Sense across and discovered that it was Zhu Xiaoqi standing outside the courtyard gate; he immediately returned his blade to its sheath, gave a leap, pulled back the bolt, and opened the courtyard gate.

The spring sunlight shone on Zhu Xiaoqi's profile; she looked at Duan Rong, a faint, shimmering light in her eyes.

After a few breaths, Zhu Xiaoqi finally beamed and said, "Oh my... whose young master is this? I almost didn't dare to recognize you!"

Duan Rong said, "How is it? This outfit isn't bad, right?"

Zhu Xiaoqi blinked her eyes. "Not bad! It really is true that a person relies on their clothes!"

Duan Rong said, "I'm going on a long journey soon, so I got this outfit to boost my presence! Xiao Qi, what did you need me for?"

"Almost forgot! The old master said to have you come over for a meal at noon!"

"A meal?"

"Yes. You and Miss Xiao Yu are leaving tomorrow. He called you over to have a farewell meal!" As Zhu Xiaoqi said this, she turned to leave and said, "Remember to come!"

Duan Rong watched Zhu Xiaoqi walking and talking at the same time, and said, "What are you rushing for?"

Zhu Xiaoqi pointed at the sun overhead and said, "Look at what time it is? I have to go back and prepare the dishes!"

Duan Rong smiled faintly and closed the courtyard gate; he looked at the willow branches dancing in the wind within the courtyard, his gaze surging.

After the Hero Selection Meeting, he had obtained the Ice Toad Paste, and since he also wanted to avoid the visits and social climbing from various parties, he went straight into Wild Boar Mountain and began his closed-door cultivation.

Duan Rong was an orphan; he had always envied those with well-established clan relations.

Especially at times like this, when others encountered such awkward situations, they would have their elders step forward to block the social interactions for them—which were shallow acquaintances, which were deep, and which could be ignored—the older generation had a scale in their hearts.

Yet he lacked this connection!

Furthermore, just after he returned to the city from Wild Boar Mountain, he encountered the matter of Xie Daohan tracking him; the delay meant he hadn't visited people he should have, like Xiao Zongting and Ximen Yong.

In terms of human sentiment and social etiquette, he had somewhat failed in his manners.

Duan Rong immediately went out, first going to the Raw Medicine Shop to buy two stalks of old mountain ginseng and two lingzhi mushrooms. He then went to a jade shop to buy a pair of high-quality Jade Ruyi, which he packed in a wooden box.

Seeing that it was almost time for the meal, Duan Rong carried these items and headed toward Xiao Zongting's courtyard.

Xiao Zongting and Xiao Yu were in the main room drinking tea and chatting; both were startled the moment they saw Duan Rong enter.

Duan Rong had previously always been unkempt and sloppy, but that look had been very pleasing to Xiao Zongting's eyes; today, however, Xiao Zongting truly frowned at this outfit, because he felt that Duan Rong in this attire lacked any of a martial artist's roughness and ferocity.

But when Xiao Yu saw it, she found it very pleasing to the eye and smiled, pursing her lips: "Where have you been these past few days? I looked for you twice and didn't see a shadow of you."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I went into the mountains to practice my skills."

As soon as Duan Rong said this, both Xiao Zongting and Xiao Yu's expressions shifted.

They hadn't expected that Duan Rong, having already advanced to a Sect Registered Disciple, would still be so diligent.

Especially Xiao Zongting; the look in his eyes as he gazed at Duan Rong clearly deepened. He praised him in his heart: this is the true nature of a martial fanatic!

Xiao Yu took the gifts Duan Rong had brought for Xiao Zongting; she stood up to pour a cup of tea for Duan Rong, and the three of them sat in the main room and began to chat.

At this moment, there was no resentment in the hearts of the three, and they soon began to chat warmly. Xiao Yu was all smiles, her beautiful eyes glancing at Duan Rong from time to time.

After Zhu Xiaoqi finished preparing the dishes, she called them to take their seats in the side room.

During the meal, Xiao Zongting unsealed a jar of aged wine.

Zhu Xiaoqi could not hold her liquor; after one bowl of wine, she began to feel dizzy and started talking nonsense.

"The silly boy is leaving too! Miss Xiao Yu is leaving too! It'll just be me and the old master left all alone in this courtyard..."

After they finished eating, Xiao Yu helped Zhu Xiaoqi to the bed in the Inner Room to rest.

Xiao Zongting sat on the grand armchair in the main room and called Xiao Yu and Duan Rong over.

Xiao Zongting's expression was grave; he looked at Xiao Yu and Duan Rong and said coldly, "Both of you, kneel!"

Seeing her father's solemn expression, Xiao Yu turned her head to look at Duan Rong, then knelt down on her own.

Duan Rong saw Xiao Yu kneel; since he and Xiao Zongting had both the name and the reality of master and disciple, Xiao Zongting was worthy of a kowtow from him.

Duan Rong also knelt down respectfully!

Xiao Zongting looked at Duan Rong and nodded; he took three Secret Manuals from his bosom, placing two in Duan Rong's hands and one in Xiao Yu's.

"The Secret Manuals in your hands are a Middle Vehicle martial art I practiced when I was young: the Soul Severing Thirteen Forms."

"This martial art is open and broad, rigid and fierce; it may not be suitable for Xiao Yu to practice. Once you arrive at the Taiyi Sect, you can choose other martial arts that suit you. This martial art can serve as a reference for each other; study it in your spare time."

"Duan Rong, in my view, this Soul Severing Thirteen Forms is quite suitable for you to practice. But as for what martial arts you will choose in the future and how you will practice, I can no longer teach you; you must rely on your own exploration!"

"There is also a Lightness Skill called the Cloud Snake Step, which I also obtained while wandering the jianghu in my early years. I pass it to you as well!"

"Duan Rong, I have no son; passing these things to you can be considered leaving myself some thoughts. But I understand that you will surely have your own ideas about the path you take in the future!"

Xiao Zongting clearly had more to say than what was spoken!

As Xiao Zongting spoke, his gaze drifted toward Xiao Yu. He already knew of Xiao Yu's feelings for Duan Rong, but both were still young, and now they were going far away to the Sect; who could know what the final outcome would be?

Passing these two martial arts to Duan Rong was also his hope that he would understand his intentions and, one day, not let Xiao Yu down.

Duan Rong looked at the two Secret Manuals in his hands, his eyes turning slightly red.

He had once read the Weapon Spirit of Xiao Zongting's blade.

For Xiao Zongting to pass these two martial arts to him was already giving him everything he had; he had held nothing back and taught him everything.

Duan Rong's heart was touched, and he knocked his head against the floor. "Duan Rong will never forget the grace of Xiao Lao's instruction!"

Xiao Zongting said, "Get up. Duan Rong, you have grace toward my Xiaojia; there is no need for this."

Duan Rong remained unmoved.

Xiao Zongting said, "Xiao Yu, you get up too! Help Duan Rong up!"

Xiao Yu's face flushed slightly; she felt that for her and Duan Rong to kneel before Xiao Zongting like this was almost like bowing to one's parents.

Xiao Yu helped Duan Rong stand up.

Xiao Zongting watched the two standing before him, thinking that tomorrow his beloved daughter and his disciple would both be leaving, and he suddenly felt empty inside.

Xiao Zongting waved his hand and said, "I am tired; you two may go."

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu walked out of the main room.

At the doorway, Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and said, "We leave tomorrow. You should spend some good time with the old man."

Xiao Yu nodded and gave a soft hum. Duan Rong then walked out of the courtyard, and only after watching Duan Rong's back disappear did Xiao Yu withdraw his gaze.

Duan Rong returned to Liu Lu, closed the courtyard gate, and sat in the pavilion within the courtyard.

He first set the Soul Severing Thirteen Forms aside and carefully began to flip through the Cloud Snake Step.

This Secret Manual of the Cloud Snake Step was a complete copy, whereas the Proficiency realm of the Cloud Snake Step that Duan Rong practiced had been obtained directly from Devouring the Artifact Spirit of Xiao Yu's anklet; this was the same achievement as practicing the original Secret Manual.

However, the subsequent realm, the Small Success realm of the Cloud Snake Step, came from an accidental realization he had while sprinting and leaping within Wild Boar Mountain.

At this point, the Cloud Snake Step was already vastly different from the original Secret Manual.

And the subsequent improvement came even more from the breakthrough he achieved after reaching the Great Perfection realm; this was a forced elevation where "stones from other hills can serve to polish the jade of this one," lacking the layer-upon-layer, natural accumulation of realms found in the original Secret Manual.

As Duan Rong looked at the Cloud Snake Step Secret Manual now, he felt a sense of the clouds parting to reveal the sun.

Many details that were rough or off-target suddenly became clear.

Some footwork he had been forced to bypass due to gaps was recorded completely and in detail within the Secret Manual.

"So that's how it is!..."

The more Duan Rong read, the more delighted he became, and holding the Secret Manual, he began to walk through the footwork in the courtyard.

His body left afterimages, his steps were drifting and elusive, and his eyes grew increasingly clear and bright.

"The brilliance of this Cloud Snake Step lies entirely in the details!"

Duan Rong suddenly followed a willow tree, walking straight up to the treetop, and then he stepped onto the tender branches at the tip, his body leaving afterimages as he drifted back and forth.

Duan Rong suddenly lunged, leaping from the treetop onto the roof of the kitchen.

Duan Rong's figure was as fast as a ghost, running across the overlapping roof tiles, yet this long-neglected roof did not emit a single strange sound.

Duan Rong suddenly drifted, landing lightly and standing steadily in the middle of the courtyard.

And the moment he landed, he still kept his head bowed, looking with focused eyes at the Cloud Snake Step Secret Manual in his hands.

Just like this, Duan Rong studied the Secret Manual with focus, and whenever he had a realization, he would practice it in the courtyard.

By dusk, Duan Rong had already completely re-practiced the second half of the Cloud Snake Step!

In fact, this Lightness Skill is extremely difficult to practice if one follows the normal path!

However, Duan Rong had already laid a solid foundation by obtaining the Proficiency realm of this Lightness Skill directly through Devouring an Artifact Spirit.

And in his subsequent cultivation, he had also achieved the later realms through his own methods.

At this moment, looking at the original Secret Manual again was equivalent to organizing and verifying, checking for gaps and making up for deficiencies; all the adjustments were actually adjustments to the details.

As the sunset dipped below the mountains and a streak of residual rainbow spilled into the courtyard, Duan Rong finally finished reading the last page of the Cloud Snake Step Secret Manual.

Duan Rong closed the Secret Manual, his heart overflowing with the joy of harvest.

The re-practiced Cloud Snake Step was clearly much more powerful!

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he looked at another Secret Manual on the Stone Table in the pavilion; although he had been focused on hard cultivation all afternoon, Duan Rong already felt tired.

However, he did not want to rest at all, because he still had a major question he wanted to investigate.

It was already mealtime, but Duan Rong had no time to eat at all, and he felt that after eating so many heavy dishes at noon, he should be able to hold out.

Duan Rong picked up the Secret Manual from the Stone Table and went into the Inner Room.

At dusk, the light in the Inner Room was already dim.

Duan Rong lit an oil lamp and sat cross-legged on the bed!

He wanted to study the issue of the True Qi Realm!

Through Devouring the Artifact Spirit of Xie Daohan's barrier-breaking saber, he had already gained the First Layer realm of the Ku Rong Ban Ruo Dao in terms of knowledge.

Moreover, he still had the Secret Manual of the Soul Severing Thirty Forms given by Xiao Zongting in his hand.

If he weren't leaving for the Sect tomorrow, he would really want to go into seclusion for a period of time to study it properly.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the bed and immediately began to refine True Qi from his Internal Breath according to the True Qi refining method of the Ku Rong Ban Ruo Dao!

Unlike practicing Internal Breath, practicing Internal Breath requires standing in the Hunyuan Stance, because Internal Breath arises from Qi and blood, and is condensed from the surging of Qi and blood.

But practicing True Qi is already different!

Its method of circulating Qi does not require you to stand in a stake, but rather to sit cross-legged!

Although Duan Rong had already obtained the First Layer realm of the Ku Rong Ban Ruo Dao in terms of knowledge, truly achieving it still required the effort of grinding a pestle into a needle.

He had to refine True Qi bit by bit from his Internal Breath!

Duan Rong himself did not expect that he would just sit cross-legged like this for an entire night!

It was not until the rooster crowed that he suddenly opened his eyes; after a night of hard cultivation, there was only a faint, imperceptible wisp of True Qi in his dantian!

Duan Rong could not help but feel dejected; he had become accustomed to a skyrocketing cultivation speed, with almost every day of cultivation yielding obvious results.

To cultivate hard for a whole night like this and only refine a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of True Qi, he really found it hard to accept!

"With this kind of progress, when will I ever achieve the First Layer?"

Duan Rong also understood that this kind of progress was without the aid of medicinal supplements; if medicinal supplements could keep up, the cultivation speed would definitely be much faster.

However, this problem would have to wait until he entered the Sect to find a solution.

But at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly thought of a question.

That is, this morning, while he was practicing in the courtyard, he suddenly entered that state of Great Void Clarity again!

At that time, in his dantian, True Qi was actually being refined rapidly from his Internal Breath; in just a few breaths, the refined True Qi was actually much thicker than the True Qi he had refined after a night of hard cultivation!

It was just that later, as soon as a thought arose in his mind, the state of Great Void Clarity dissipated!

At that time, he hadn't had time to ponder it when Zhu Xiaoqi arrived, and his train of thought was broken.

Thinking about it now, that state of Great Void Clarity had quite a miraculous aspect to it!

In the state of Great Void Clarity, one could briefly step into the next realm, almost achieving it directly!

But its drawbacks were also very obvious; as soon as one's mind stirred, it would immediately dissipate, having almost no value in actual combat.

Duan Rong suddenly recalled that last year, at around this very same time, he had participated in the Apprentice Escort examination!

During that time, he had momentarily lost focus and actually swung his blade at the Chief Instructor, Xiao Zongting.

At the time, it had scared Zhao Mu so much that he jumped up and cursed at him!

Thinking back on it now, what he had entered at that time was this state of Great Void Clarity!

Duan Rong felt that this ability to occasionally enter the state of Great Void Clarity was not like the ability of the Devouring Artifact Spirit, which had come with him through his soul transmigration!

This ability was actually something the original body possessed itself.

He had merely inherited it!

Because, when Duan Rong recalled the memories of the original body, he discovered that it had already had several similar experiences during its childhood!

However, this ability was also quite useless; it was completely uncontrollable, and one never knew when it would be triggered!

Furthermore, even if one accidentally entered it, as long as a single thought stirred, it would immediately dissipate.

When the original body was a child and experienced this state, it only felt a wave of trance, then suddenly woke up in a start, thinking it had contracted some kind of illness, and was quite frightened!

Duan Rong connected some old memories from the depths of his mind and couldn't help but smile slightly; he then cast this state of Great Void Clarity to the back of his mind, as this thing was too unreliable, uncontrollable, and could not be depended upon!

Seeing that the sky was about to brighten, Duan Rong immediately blew out the oil lamp, wrapped himself in a blanket, and lay down; he was leaving Xiangu County today to travel far to the Sect, so he might as well sleep a little to restore some energy!

Thanks to book friend "Holding the Moon and Saying Goodbye" for the generous tip! This humble Daoist has nothing to repay you with, I can only offer myself!

Pounce!

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(End of this chapter)