Chapter 336: The Path of the Master, No Room for Argument

The Fisherman's words fell, and his finger landed on Li Guanyi's brow.

Li Guanyi was startled, his body shifting instantly as he unleashed his evasion technique, while at the same time, the wooden sword Longtu stabbed upward with astonishing lightness and speed toward the Fisherman's wrist.

The blade touched the Fisherman's wrist but passed through like mist and clouds.

The Fisherman flipped his five fingers, seizing Li Guanyi's sword-hand.

In that instant, illusion became reality—this transformation was exquisitely subtle, fully revealing the Array Master's art; with a single sweep of his arm, he yanked Li Guanyi's entire body into the air, leaving him suspended.

"Ha, without a hundred thousand troops, your edge is weakened more than tenfold."

"This is the weakness of battlefield formations."

Li Guanyi did not answer; he was not worried the Fisherman meant to kill him, only smiled: "Master, are you here to guide me in Wu Gong?"

"How fortuitous—I've been pondering swordcraft these past days and wished for your guidance."

He raised his hand and unleashed the sword manual left to him by Elder Murong.

Continuous, unbroken, rising and falling without pause.

The Fisherman chuckled at the array's transformations: "The Murong family's swordplay is ordinary to begin with; to reach this level, there's some merit indeed. Come then—I've clashed with your great-great-grandfather a few times. His swordplay wasn't strong. Watch closely."

With that, he advanced on Li Guanyi with a straight, smooth wooden stick.

Li Guanyi wielded his sword technique, continuous and unbroken; he felt the Array Master's sword art was profoundly subtle. In their struggle, Li Guanyi deployed every skill he knew, yet was still suppressed by the Fisherman's single hand holding the wooden stick.

Suddenly, the Fisherman flicked his wrist—the sky above pressed down, and the clamor of spears and swords echoed, as if thousands of cavalry and infantry surged forth in haze; Li Guanyi felt overwhelming suppression, then heard a soft command—the Fisherman seemed to transform into a great general.

Dressed in heavy armor, riding a strange beast, wielding a long-bladed battlefield weapon, he swung down at Li Guanyi with majestic might.

In an instant, Li Guanyi's pupils contracted.

Instinctively, he stepped back, raised his hand, fingers spread.

Crimson-gold flame burst forth instantly in his palm, coalescing into a long sword with golden-red patterns—the Divine Weapon, Chixiao Sword; as Chixiao Sword came into his grip, a low dragon's roar echoed beside him, and the Crimson Dragon Manifestation appeared.

Around him, fire seemed to explode, fierce and blazing; his ink-black pupils were stained with faint golden flames, growing cold, distant. He slashed forward with his sword—his technique was peerless in refinement, his spiritual essence overwhelmingly potent.

It was the very swordstroke that severed the Xiangxiang Kingdom's destiny.

【Slashing the Snake】!

In an instant, all surrounding noise seemed to halt.

The battlefield, weapons, and carnage Li Guanyi had seen dissolved away; all that had come before seemed but an illusion—he was still in that courtyard, hearing birdsong, the dry June sun of the Western Regions falling straight and harshly upon him.

Li Guanyi's hand rested on the wooden sword; Chixiao Sword remained sheathed.

The Fisherman's finger pointed at his brow.

The bitter battle, the slaughter, the battlefield—had all been but a great dream.

Li Guanyi's eyes were calm. "Array?"

The Fisherman withdrew his finger, staring at it, murmuring: "The Son of Heaven's sword art is indeed as powerful as legend claims. I meant to teach this brat a lesson, but this array… you broke it."

He kept his expression unchanged, clasping his hand behind his back, speaking with calm composure:

"What I just demonstrated was Yu Langwang's former assault."

"Your techniques are numerous, but before a famed general who has spent decades in battlefield slaughter, whose skills have been refined to perfect harmony, quantity becomes clutter. Of all you've learned, only your self-created 【Slashing the Snake】 holds any real merit."

"Yet the Yu Langwang I simulated is far inferior to the real one."

"A Ninefold Heaven general commanding a hundred thousand troops—I, the Dao Sect, even your great-great-grandfather—all must avoid his sharp edge. If we stepped onto that battlefield, we risked death."

"And if that general were in a state of national annihilation…"

The Fisherman paused, then said:

"Then he is destiny incarnate—unrivaled under heaven."

"You led a hundred thousand, yet only a third were combat-capable, and even those cannot compare to Yu Langwang's hardened veterans who fought a two-year-long war of annihilation."

"Your own martial skill is insufficient."

"To stand at this table and fight the top five divine generals of the realm, you need a hundred thousand hardened troops, a peerless divine weapon, favorable heaven and earth conditions—and your own foundation must reach at least the Master Realm."

Li Guanyi asked: "May I ask, Master, how does one achieve the Master Realm?"

The Fisherman replied: "It depends on what kind of Master you seek."

The silver-haired man, his right hand behind his back, his left holding a falling leaf, said calmly: "If you seek an ordinary Master, then refine your will to its utmost, and Break Through the Realm."

"Like condensing clouds into water, water into ice."

"For your foundation, it is merely a matter of patient effort."

His fingers twitched slightly; threads of moisture gathered in his palm, coalescing into mist, swirling into a pool of water, then into a single ice crystal. He flicked it with his finger—it landed before Li Guanyi, who reached out and caught it in his palm.

"Like your subordinates, Ximen Hengrong and Kou Yulie—they achieved it this way."

"After Breaking Through the Realm, through relentless daily cultivation, they might advance one more step—to the Eighth Heaven."

"As for the Ninth Heaven Grand Master? Don't even dream of it."

"As for the martial legends? Do such mediocrities dare speak those four words?"

Li Guanyi pondered, then asked: "What of a better path?"

The Fisherman frowned. His nature was wild and defiant, yet he repaid kindness.

Yao Guang had regained her current state largely due to Li Guanyi's efforts.

Yet he found the boy deeply irritating.

This made the Fisherman's disposition twist into a knot.

Though deeply displeased, he said: "Such questions are secret teachings of Gejiage Sect—never disclosed even within the Imperial Academy. Why should I tell you?"

But after a pause, he turned his head away and gritted his teeth to answer:

"Refine your Wu Gong and art to their absolute limit; your own ability must break through under special conditions—such as heaven's timing and earth's advantage. Like Gongyang Su Wang, who sat motionless for ninety-nine days on the ancient Confucian path; like the Living Buddha of the Western Regions, who bore the will of a thousand-year Buddha."

"The old Monk of the Central Plains broke through the Zen barrier."

"All such cases align with the subtle transformations of heaven and earth, resonate with the hidden depths of sun, moon, and human heart—breaking through in harmony, allowing one's primordial spirit to grasp even a fragment of the myriad laws of heaven and earth."

The Whale Fisher paused, seeing Li Guanyi lost in thought, and sighed dejectedly:

"I almost forgot—you as a kid wandered everywhere, no better than a beggar. You probably can't understand this kind of thing, can you?"

Li Guanyi fell silent.

Li Guanyi lifted his head, his expression earnest and sincere:

"I have an aunt."

"I wasn't a street beggar."

The Whale Fisher's sneering mockery was instantly pierced through—he turned black in the face: "You!"

He seemed ready to rage, but finally suppressed it, saying:

"Forget it, forget it. I won't recite all this anymore."

He extended a finger, impatiently:

"When celestial phenomena manifest, find a matching opportunity, a fitting celestial phenomenon, and break through with the flow—most likely you'll succeed. If you train diligently afterward, you might reach the Ninth Heaven, where the founding ancestors of major sects dwell. Chen Chengbi, that old madman, is nearly there."

"If you still have fortune, you might reach the level of the Six Palace Masters of the Imperial Academy."

Li Guanyi said: "Then how did you break through?"

The Whale Fisher looked at Li Guanyi and said: "You're cunning indeed."

Li Guanyi said: "Please, Elder, enlighten me."

The Whale Fisher fell silent for a long while, then said:

"Our methods of breaking through differ. For me, I mastered all the great arrays of the world, defeated my full-strength self within an array, understood how to break through with 【Human Heart Shattering Fixed Patterns】, and awakened the Dao of 【Infinite Arrays】—then I broke through."

"Your great-grandfather wielded his sword across the land, undefeated in hundreds of battles."

"That's how he broke through."

"The Dao Sect scholar absorbed all worldly changes into a single volume, the 【Imperial Supreme Classic of Worldly Order】, and thus broke through. Zhang Ziyong, the Green Robe Guest, forged his indestructible body by refining the Immortal Dragon Essence through an unyielding obsession with immortality, shattering the Master Realm."

"As for Jiang Su…"

The Whale Fisher paused: "He led armies to conquer nations. When the martial spirit of warfare reached its peak and the dynasty's fortune waned, he fought countless battles, invincible in all directions, and thus attained the Master Realm."

"Each of us broke through to the Master Realm in our own way."

"If you wish to reach our level…"

"There are only two ways."

"Either follow the paths we took, or forge a path of equal rank beyond ours—only then can the Master Realm you carve lead you to the legendary summit."

The Whale Fisher extended a finger, pointing vaguely at Li Guanyi's third eye:

"I've left the array of battling the self upon you."

"You may enter it with your soul, and often fight against yourself. Remember, this is merely a means, not the goal. When you finally comprehend 【I am not I】, perhaps you'll catch a glimmer of sudden enlightenment."

"Of course, it's only a glimmer—no guarantee of success."

"All great generals are extraordinary talents; those who rise to the Divine General List in this chaotic age are steadfast in will and solid in Wu Gong. Yet even among them, only three in ten can break from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh."

"The Ninth Heaven is already among the top ten."

"No one can walk this path for you."

The Whale Fisher sighed, gazing into the distance, his expression growing calm: "Your studies include the true transmission of the Sword Madman's techniques—you've forged your own path. You've learned several volumes of the 【Imperial Supreme Classic of Worldly Order】 from the Dao Sect, and through Hou Zhongyu's Elixir of Immortality, you've cultivated Zhang Ziyong's Indestructible Body."

"And you yourself are a young general."

"I've thought long and hard—"

"If you can integrate all five of our paths and synthesize them, forging your own direction, perhaps that too could be a path."

Li Guanyi sincerely thanked him.

The Whale Fisher said: "I'm fundamentally a wanderer, not one who settles. Though I feel deep regret for that child, I won't stay here forever. If you become a Master, I can rest easier."

Li Guanyi thanked him, then paused and said solemnly: "Thank you, Elder, for your guidance."

The Whale Fisher was about to leave, so Li Guanyi did not resist him.

He decided to honor his wishes.

The Whale Fisher's eyes widened, staring at him, then erupted in fury:

"What do you mean 'Elder'?!"

"Are you my peer? Do you call me 'Elder'?!"

"You insolent brat!"

After Li Guanyi fled in embarrassment, the Whale Fisher's anger slowly faded. He stood with his hands behind his back, thinking for a long while, then suddenly said: "Old man, you've watched this play long enough—come out."

"Or would you rather I drag out your Black Tortoise Manifestation and chop it into soup? A nice tonic, wouldn't it be?"

A rustling sound came from the bushes by the wall.

Master Siming chuckled nervously:

"Ha ha, little brother, what's all this anger for?"

He was being pushed forward.

The old Black Tortoise hid behind Master Siming, using him as a shield against the Whale Fisher.

The Whale Fisher said: "I'm leaving too. The situation in the Western Regions looks calm, but storms brew—Yu Langwang leads a hundred thousand troops; I must avoid his sharp edge. This boy's martial arts are only at the Sixth Heaven realm—he's still unstable."

"He couldn't withstand even a few blows from Yu Langwang in direct combat."

Sixth Heaven is merely a martial warrior; Seventh Heaven is a Master.

The gap between them seems only one Heaven, yet it is truly a chasm.

Master Siming said: "He's only seventeen."

"I never expected you'd reveal so many methods to that boy."

The Whale Fisher said: "I find this boy annoyingly glaring."

"But his Wu Gong Realm and foundational skills are quite decent; moreover, achieving the Master level, like us several, though difficult, is by no means impossible..."

The old Master Siming was startled.

But the Silver-Haired Whale Fisher raised his right hand, which had been resting behind his back, opened his palm, and suddenly a sword cut split open on the fingertip that had pressed against Li Guanyi's forehead—blood, deep red, slowly trickled down.

Seeing this, the old Master Siming's expression grew slightly tense.

The Whale Fisher's expression remained calm. "Though I did not evade, to leave even a mark with a single sword—given his foundational realm, he has reason to be proud."

"The 'Serpent-Slicing'?"

"If this sword manual is completed, it may be remembered through the ages."

The Whale Fisher clenched his fist, and the wound healed.

The man's expression finally softened slightly.

"Perhaps within three to five years, he can break through the threshold to Master level."

"Then we shall depart."

"Only then can we rest easy."

……………………

"Defeating all foes with the sword, evolving myriad arts through the Dao, the array path beyond self, eternal life and long vision, annihilating armies and toppling nations..." Li Guanyi murmured to himself, feeling all five paths were distant, yet he seemed to have the potential to walk each one.

He also faintly sensed that if he pursued these paths,

he would ultimately be stuck at the Ninth Heaven.

Others had already gone ahead.

Li Guanyi murmured: "Then where is my own path?" This question was too profound; his thoughts drifted, he grew dazed. The June heat of the Western Regions was scorching—even afternoons left one sluggish and listless.

Li Guanyi lay down in the shade, arms crossed behind his head as a pillow.

The sky grew slightly dim, a dull yellow hue slowly spreading.

Li Guanyi counted the drifting clouds and auroras in the sky.

That one looked like a sheep; that one over there resembled a tiger.

Clouds rolled and unfolded.

With half-closed eyes, he heard many sounds: Yao Guang was diligently studying Western Region naan; Shi Dalin and Lei Laomeng were passionately debating how best to beg the Divine Deer Majesty for some gift.

Saliva, deer antler shavings, tears, blood—anything would do.

Shi Dalin earnestly suggested:

"Why don't we kneel down and beg her to share some with us?"

Lei Laomeng frowned: "What do you mean by kneeling?!"

He spoke with righteous sternness: "We must build a high altar to enshrine her!"

"I've ridden divine dragons, seen the Divine Deer—when we return to the sect, I'll throw out all the ancestral tablets."

"What kind of experience, what kind of ability could make them my ancestors!"

The townsfolk lived their lives; commerce was slowly taking root. People walked the streets. Too hot to bear, some carried woven baskets of fruit balanced atop their heads. In the distance, fruit trees swayed gently, branches bowed under the weight of summer's ripe harvest.

Xu Tiange was energetic, refreshed and invigorated.

Children played in the shade beneath the fruit trees.

Among them were children of the Western Regions, and also Han Chinese who lived there.

Fan Qing was holding one of his periodic discussions.

Li Guanyi squinted and murmured softly: "So leisurely..." Amid the noisy bustle, he felt inexplicably relaxed, as if the matter of his Martial Path Realm could be set aside for a while.

Perhaps... this peaceful life is what I truly seek.

Li Guanyi suddenly realized this.

He extended his hand, gazing at the sky through the gaps between his fingers, murmuring:

"Arrays... eternal life... sword techniques..."

"Legends are not my intent; I only wish the sea's waves to calm."

"I ask only that in this life, the world be at peace—that is best."

"Is such a wish too arrogant?"

Changsun Wuchou had received a falcon message back, saying the alliance had proceeded smoothly.

Many problems in Aqi Ni City had been resolved; what remained was the lack of a commanding general and mounted archers. Li Guanyi thought of the mighty general who had once been the top archer of the Taiping Army, wondering when he might go seek him out.

A voice suddenly came from beside him: "Indeed arrogant."

Li Guanyi startled, turned his head, and saw sunlight falling upon a pair of soft, beautiful pupils—a lovely creature whose posture and aura carried an innate, effortless elegance.

Hmm. It was a beautiful deer.

Li Guanyi smiled lazily: "When you come up, you should announce yourself. Suddenly speaking while someone's daydreaming? That's startling."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer's voice was gentle: "I apologize for startling you."

"Unfortunately, I cannot take human form."

Li Guanyi smiled teasingly: "I'm no Master Siming."

The old Master Siming's joke never grew old.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer's voice remained gentle: "You wish for peace throughout the world? Such a wish is immense—and for one your age, it is indeed arrogant. But who among those who accomplish great things lacks a touch of arrogance?"

"Isn't there a saying in the Central Plains? 'A youth's heart holds boldness.'"

Li Guanyi laughed: "You're good at comforting people."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer said gently: "Yet after watching humanity for thousands of years, I see another meaning."

"As long as one still holds a spark of spirit, even an old man with white hair remains a youth."

Li Guanyi said: "Then thank you."

"But, Elder, has your injury improved somewhat?"

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer twitched its ears and said, "Thanks to your care here—if only those children would stop wanting my saliva and such, it might be better."

Li Guanyi winced and said, "Just ignore them, Elder."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer said, "By the way, what was that thing you mentioned the Ancient Taigu Chilong helping you with?"

Li Guanyi said, "I need to cast a cauldron—but now, I fear I cannot succeed."

He briefly explained, and the Nine-Colored Divine Deer said, "The Son of Heaven's divine martial arts are not about gathering the world's qi to concentrate it upon oneself, but about collecting the scattered qi of the realm and bestowing it upon all. You are a compassionate child, unlike that old dragon."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer smiled and said, "I'll help you."

Li Guanyi was startled and thanked her. The Nine-Colored Divine Deer said, "I haven't fully recovered yet, and you haven't taken control of the Western Regions. What I call 'helping' is merely a trial—but I also wish to see if I can repay you in some way."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer thought for a moment and said, "You have the Wang Yin of the Tuyuhun child."

Li Guanyi nodded and pulled out the Tuyuhun Wang Yin.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer lowered her head, and her magnificent antlers gently touched the golden Wang Yin.

Then a radiant light surged—and before Li Guanyi stood the giant Divine Deer in her true form, her eyes calm and gentle. She lowered her head, her antlers resting upon the Wang Yin in Li Guanyi's hand, and the golden Wang Yin suddenly emitted flowing light.

The power of the golden Wang Yin flowed into the Nine-Colored Divine Deer.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer could now also channel this kind of qi movement.

She lifted her head, soared into the sky, and released nine-colored divine light during daylight.

In this Western Region, summer was dry; when the desert winds blew, countless hot sands would lash the face—a wonder of the Western Regions. As temperatures rose, the river basins formed by melting spring snows from the mountains gradually shrank.

This was why the Batu'er clans and others moved with the water.

Today, a great storm of wind was approaching around Nicheng, but as it neared this place, the yellowish-hot sandstorms suddenly lost all momentum and fell to the ground.

Xu Tiange suddenly noticed that the previously dried-up river basins were beginning to recover.

Grass and trees grew more vibrant and alive.

The Agricultural Sect disciples rejoiced wildly!

The sky turned a deep blue, water and grass lush and rich, the yellowish haze gone, replaced by clear, distant heavens. The people of Nicheng stared in awe, looking up to see nine-colored radiant light streaking across the blue sky like a rainbow spanning the heavens.

The old Master Siming looked up at the sky.

"The Nine-Colored Divine Deer—one of the origins of Buddhist legend."

"In legend, when the nomads of the Western Regions coughed from the sun's scorching heat, when winds tore their skin with hot grit, when the sun dried the rivers and all life fell silent, a divine being descended from heaven as a nine-colored deer."

"She brought the waters of the Snow Mountain Goddess, stilled the sandstorms, and restored life to the earth."

"The first city of the Western Regions was built by the earliest people around the Divine Deer."

The old Master Siming squinted: "An omen..."

"Though using such power demands a 【Devout Heart】, and though its combat ability is ordinary, it is still a born divine spirit."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer's voice, weary yet gentle, rose within Li Guanyi's heart:

"Try it, child."

Li Guanyi raised the golden Wang Yin, and within him, the Nine Cauldrons of Jiuzhou finally roared violently.

Li Guanyi felt patterns emerge upon the Nine Cauldrons of Jiuzhou—bright, luminous lines, like the topographical maps of Jiangnan Shenzhou on the Nine Jiangnan Cauldrons. The newly added topographical map of the Western Regions centered precisely on Nicheng.

Within Li Guanyi, the Nine Cauldrons of Jiuzhou roared. He had pacified Jiangnan, led a hundred thousand, shattered Nicheng, and subdued the four quarters. Within these two domains, popular support was at its peak. Li Guanyi closed his eyes and faintly sensed the essence of the golden Wang Yin rising.

Drawing upon the accumulated power of the Mo Sect over centuries.

Within the Nine Cauldrons of Jiuzhou, the fire of human qi burned fiercely.

Li Guanyi suddenly sensed the presence of the Nine Jiangnan Cauldrons, far away!

Almost instinctively, he attempted to activate both the golden Wang Yin and the Nine Jiangnan Cauldrons. At the Nine Cauldrons, the Mo Juzi, resting with closed eyes, suddenly felt the void tremble—he snapped open his eyes to see golden patterns glowing upon the ancient, simple cauldron.

The Tiger Wang Yin and the Nine Jiangnan Cauldrons resonated together!

One was the pillar of qi rising from Jiangnan Shenzhou; the other, the nine-colored divine light aided by the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, stretching across the vast distance, about to touch. In this process, Li Guanyi's aura began to transform.

The hearts and thoughts of millions converged around him.

Li Guanyi's own path suddenly became clear in his heart.

His pupils widened—he seemed to see the entire world: the vast Western Regions, the Central Plains, the North, the steppes, the Southwest—all shrouded in ink-black darkness, yet only two regions had become radiant light, crimson flames soaring into the heavens.

Li Guanyi slowly extended his hand. The human qi of these two lands gathered before him, forming in his grasp a phantom jade seal—the very thing he had long sought, struggled for, refused to surrender, the purpose of his cultivation of Wu Gong, the goal of his conquests, the ideal he would not abandon.

His five fingers closed. The roar of millions echoed in his ears.

Jiuzhou stabilized, the four seas calmed, the world unified, peace reigns on earth.

See how I mend the torn heavens!

My Dao is not the Jianghu.

Li Guanyi's aura began to shift violently.

The Whale Fisher, who had been preparing to leave Nicheng, froze mid-step.

He snapped his head up, staring toward Li Guanyi:

"This is—"

"The aura of a Master Realm?!!"

"Is he breaking through?"

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