Chapter 41: True Explanation of Martial Dao

The boy sat dazed by the campfire, muttering those four words over and over, his eyes flickering between confusion and clarity, entirely lost in a wondrous state of sudden enlightenment.

Su Chen looked at him but said nothing more.

He knew his words had sown a seed deep within this extraordinary boy’s heart.

Whether that seed would grow into something grand would depend entirely on the boy’s own destiny.

Su Chen returned to his corner, closed his eyes, and began meditating to regulate his breath.

Yet his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

“Did I speak too much just now?”

He reflected inwardly.

The Patriarch Bodhi had once warned him that a great calamity was coming, and he must not enter the fray lightly.

Today’s conversation with this boy seemed merely casual musings, yet it carried the great ideals of a legendary figure from his past life.

Was this not entering the fray?

He was uncertain.

But he felt no regret.

Seeing this boy reminded him of his own younger self, single-mindedly seeking the Dao.

Both had been lost; both had groped in darkness.

He had been fortunate—he possessed the Heavenly Mechanism Mirror, which gave him a glimmer of hope in despair.

Perhaps this boy, too, needed someone to light a lamp for him.

“Very well. To meet is to have fate. I have fate with him.”

Su Chen’s mind settled, and he ceased pondering further.

He sank into stillness, silently contemplating the “True Explanation of the Chaotic Golden Core,” continuing to refine his cultivation path.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the rain had cleared and the sky was bright.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced the temple window and fell upon the main hall, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He exhaled a breath of turbid energy, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

He turned his head and saw the boy still seated in the same posture as last night, motionless.

Though no spiritual power radiated from him, Su Chen could clearly sense a profound transformation in his essence, energy, and spirit.

If last night’s boy had carried a trace of confusion and hesitation,

Now he was a sword drawn from its scabbard—sharp, radiant, brimming with resolve and confidence to cut through all obstacles.

He had found his Dao.

At that moment, the boy slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing Su Chen, he immediately rose to his feet and bowed deeply before him with solemn reverence.

“Student Li Chengqian thanks Master for last night’s guidance. Your words have opened my mind like a sudden revelation, as if I heard the voice of the Great Dao. I shall never forget this grace and virtue!”

He called himself student, treating Su Chen as his teacher.

Su Chen came back to himself and gestured for him to rise. “I met you by chance. Last night’s words were merely spontaneous musings—not true guidance. You need not call yourself my student.”

Yet Li Chengqian was a man of unyielding conviction.

He said firmly, “Those who attain mastery become teachers. Your words have shown me the path ahead—you are my half-teacher. I dare not show disrespect.”

Saying this, he prepared to bow again.

Su Chen, seeing this, gently restrained him with a soft force.

“Enough, enough. Do as you wish,” Su Chen chuckled, shaking his head.

Looking at the boy before him—though destitute, his eyes ablaze with fire—Su Chen suddenly conceived a bold idea.

“You said you seek power to protect all living beings?” Su Chen asked Li Chengqian.

“Yes!” Li Chengqian nodded without hesitation. “I thought all night. I understand now: seeking immortality and the Dao is but a mirage. Only by strengthening oneself can one truly seize one’s fate! Only when the human race grows strong can it stand tall in this universe!”

“Excellent—humanity’s self-strengthening!” Su Chen clapped his hands in admiration.

He looked at Li Chengqian and found him increasingly pleasing.

“Then today, I shall grant you another boon.”

Su Chen had made his decision.

He would not merely light a lamp.

He would pour water upon this sprouting seed.

“A boon?” Li Chengqian’s eyes filled with confusion.

Su Chen offered no explanation.

He simply extended a finger, using it as a brush and his immortal essence as ink, and began writing in midair upon the empty ground.

Golden glyphs flowed from his fingertip, coalescing and arranging into an exquisitely profound scripture.

“I observe your physique is exceptional and your will unyielding—you are a natural martial genius. Yet the arts you’ve learned are merely battlefield killing techniques: forceful, yet lacking finesse, and they drain your lifespan.”

“Today, I shall impart to you a supreme martial path I created. This method does not cultivate immortality or refine elixirs—it seeks only to unlock the human body’s full potential. If perfected, though you cannot achieve eternal life, you shall wield strength capable of lifting tripods, your breath piercing the heavens. If you truly comprehend the Way of Martial Arts, extending your life a thousand years will be no challenge.”

As he spoke, Su Chen reorganized the “True Scripture of Seeking the Dao” he had left behind in the Su family, blending it with his insights from his own woodcutting axe technique and his understanding of the human body’s qi and blood circulation, all woven into this scripture.

He named it—the “True Explanation of Martial Dao.”

As the final character settled, the entire scripture blazed with radiant light.

Golden glyphs seemed to come alive, transforming into tiny figures wielding swords, spears, halberds, and daggers, demonstrating intricate martial forms in midair.

Li Chengqian stared, utterly awestruck by this divine spectacle.

“This scripture may grant you power without seeking gods or immortals.”

Su Chen finished speaking and flicked his finger.

The golden-character scripture, “True Explanation of Martial Dao,” became a streak of light and instantly sank into Li Chengqian’s third eye.