Chapter 189: with translation of chapter title

The next day, early morning.

Tian Ling'er landed lightly in a courtyard, suddenly stunned, seeing a youth leaning against the wall, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth:

"Junior brother, you really got up early."

"Perhaps it's because today the senior brother will impart the immortal sect's Daoist arts, so I couldn't sleep and woke up early."

"I hope you can keep this excitement when you do your homework later." Tian Ling'er handed over the hatchet in her hand:

"Hold your hatchet properly, let's go."

Zhuang Buran followed Tian Ling'er out of the courtyard and saw a large yellow dog, about half a person's height, its fur gleaming brightly.

Soon after, the two of them and the dog walked along the path toward the back mountain.

After about an hour and a half, Tian Ling'er clicked her tongue in wonder:

"I didn't expect you to walk so well; yesterday the senior brother brought you here, you barely walked at all, yet today you're able to follow behind me."

"Perhaps it's from running aimlessly over the mountains before, which trained you to have excellent stamina."

A fine layer of sweat appeared on the youth's forehead, as if he had just started moving, feeling somewhat refreshed, he said.

"Don't you want to ask why our sect has newcomers chop bamboo?" Tian Ling'er laughed.

"It's nothing more than that cultivating the Dao requires an excellent physique."

"That's exactly what you said; our Qingyun Sect originates from Daoism, placing great emphasis on nurturing life and strengthening the body. When Daoist arts are practiced to a deep level, the body becomes even more important—all sorts of mountain‑suppressing secret techniques require a superb physique, otherwise they will backfire from the true teachings."

Afterward, Tian Ling'er led Zhuang Buran into the bamboo grove and found a piece of black‑joint bamboo as thick as an infant's arm.

"Junior sister, I think this bamboo is still a bit thick; I'll go look for some as thin as a finger," Zhuang Buran said solemnly.

Tian Ling'er let out a laugh like silver bells:

"Hahaha, you're really sly, but unfortunately over the past two years I've already chopped most of the finger‑thick black‑joint bamboo."

"Truly, there are always people better than you and skies beyond the sky."

Zhuang Buran found a clean spot to sit, leaning on his hatchet, and quietly examined the black‑joint bamboo before him.

"What are you doing?"

"I intend to take advantage of the bamboo's inattention and cut it down with one stroke."

Zhuang Buran casually waved his hand:

"Junior sister, go finish your own homework first."

"Uh"

Tian Ling'er seemed unable to believe what she heard, and said:

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, and please don't disturb me while I do my homework," Zhuang Buran said without looking aside.

Tian Ling'er pondered slightly, then said contemptuously:

"You must have guessed you can't chop the bamboo, so you're making up such a lame excuse."

"Please don't disturb me while I do my homework," the youth repeated.

"Fine, I'll see how you finish your homework within two hours; if you slack off, get ready to be punished—I won't plead for you."

Tian Ling'er rolled her eyes, turned and left, going elsewhere to chop the black‑joint bamboo.

In the blink of an eye, two hours passed; after finishing her homework, Tian Ling'er immediately ran over.

She then burst out laughing in anger, seeing at a glance the youth leaning on his hatchet, seated, dozing off and slacking.

"Hey, I

Zhuang Buran sprang up, hatchet raised and fell, the blade whistling through the air, and the black‑joint bamboo toppled with a crash.

Tian Ling'er stood frozen like a wooden chicken, mouth slightly open, as if shocked and unable to close it.

After a while, she approached and repeatedly examined the bamboo the youth had cut down, finding nothing amiss, then snatched the hatchet he had used to cut the bamboo, discovering it was just an ordinary tool.

But the more normal it seemed, the more wrong it felt, for she had chopped bamboo for two years, her cultivation at the fourth level of Jade Clarity, yet still needed four strikes to cut through bamboo of this thickness.

Tian Ling'er turned her gaze to the utterly ordinary youth who had not set foot on the path of cultivation, and three words sprang to mind:

"How dare you!"

Immediately, she asked, bewildered:

"This bamboo is extremely tough; at first chopping it feels like striking a rock with a blade, shaking your palms numb, and if you're not careful the bamboo strips lash you badly—how on earth did you manage it?"

"Didn't I already say? You just need to catch it off guard," Zhuang Buran said nonchalantly.

Tian Ling'er's mouth twitched:

"Such deceitful nonsense—do you think I'd believe it?"

"Believing it won't cost you a piece of flesh, so why won't you believe it?" the youth chuckled, retorting.

Tian Ling'er stared at the youth's faint smile, then suddenly circled him a few times, poking his back, chest, and arms, utterly perplexed, she said:

"Just an ordinary flesh‑and‑blood body, nothing wrong—how could you cleave the black‑joint bamboo with a single stroke?"

"Junior sister, have you had enough fun? It's time to go back and eat."

The youth smiled, turned, and strode toward outside the bamboo grove.

"Junior brother, just how did you manage that?" Tian Ling'er hurried after him.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand; just think I seized the moment when it was unprepared," the youth replied leisurely.

"Well done, Zhang Xiaofan—you start looking down on your senior sister the very next day; is this how you behave as a junior brother?"

"You call me seventh senior brother, I'll tell you."

"Damn, you actually harbor a heart that overturns the cosmic order—keep dreaming!"

The two figures gradually faded into the distance, their faintly audible exchange revealing one growing increasingly irritable, the other ever more calm.

After about an hour and a half, it was exactly mealtime.

As soon as the two entered the dining hall, Tian Ling'er saw that everyone was present, without a hint of hesitation, and began to complain to her father.

"What, a single chop severed bamboo as thick as an infant's arm!"

Du Bishu said, eyes wide and mouth agape.

The others also looked at the perpetually calm and breezy youth with shocked eyes, and the same thought simultaneously arose in their minds:

"Could my little junior brother actually be a genius?"

Tian Buyi carefully examined the youth who had only broken a light sweat, and muttered to himself:

"Could it be that this kid, like me, is also a genius with hidden talent?"

Compared to Tian Buyi's laxness, Su Ru is more strong-willed and fond of martial arts; previously, after the former imparted the Daoist techniques, he would ignore them, letting disciples cultivate on their own, but the latter could not tolerate the Big Bamboo Peak disciples repeatedly losing in the Seven Meridians Martial Assembly, thus becoming a laughingstock up and down the Azure Cloud Gate.

Thus, she often took it upon herself to reprimend these unpromising disciples on Tian Buyi's behalf, and immediately spoke up:

"Lao Qi, how did you manage to chop through the dark-joint bamboo with a single strike?"

Zhuang Buran said respectfully:

"The spirit is the heart's spirit, the intention is the body's intention; with each strike, the whole body follows, spirit and intention unite—nothing more."

Everyone listened, faces full of confusion, yet saw Tian Buyi suddenly speak:

"Lao Qi, do you know martial arts?"

"I, the disciple, also don't know whether I know martial arts; I only realized that after my parents and the uncles, aunts, and elders in the village died tragically, my whole person became much more clear-headed than before."

The youth's eyes dimmed.

"It's just like the scene of dawn light breaking through the mist that I once saw, even more like the fog in my heart suddenly dispersing—everything in my sight is clear."

(End of chapter)