Chapter 94 Sculpting the Sun
In front of Zhong Yue’s cave dwelling stood a young man and Ta Wuyou. The young man then asked, “Is this the place?”
“Yes, this is it!”
Looking ashamed, Ta Wuyou nodded his head and said, “Wulu, I was beaten by the Zhong Shan Clan member here. He mustn’t be underestimated….”
“I will not make such an amateurish mistake. Although we, the Ta Lin Clan are not one of the top ten clans; but as your elder brother, I will avenge your defeat and reclaim the honor of the Ta Lin Clan.”
Ta Wulu placed his hands on his back, his voice was indifferent, “He was the one who could stand equally with Shui Qingyan, they were both listed as the strongest disciples in the Swords Gate upper house. Shui Qingyan has already manifested her spirit and coalesced it with her soul, her improvements are staggering and she is now a Rebirth Qi Practitioner. How could I underestimate them when he was someone who could stand toe to toe with Shui Qingyan? I’d once dueled with Shui Qingyan, her skills were undeniably strong, and she is deserving of the accolade of the top on the inner hall Dragon and Tiger Challenger List.”
“Ta Wulu of the Ta Lin Clan, what are you doing here?”
Before Ta Wulu could sound a word, two young ladies walked over; the face of one of the young ladies was badly beaten up, she was the same person who got stomped into the ground by Zhong Yue. The other young woman appeared to be slightly older than her.
“Huang Luoshi of the Huang Zhang Clan?”
Ta Wulu frowned slightly, and said, “ What are you doing here?”.
“My sister was humiliated in public by the Zhong Shan Clan member, I obviously have to seek justice for her, or otherwise the Huang Zhang Clan will be disdained on by others, they would say that the Huang Zhang Clan has no strong cultivators.”
Huang Luoshi grinned and said, “At first, my sister wanted to have a match with the Zhong Shan Clan member to claim the sword token, at first I was of the mind that they were being frivolous in trying to fool around with their newly promoted junior martial brother. But now it seems like the Zhong Shan Clan member has quite some skills under his sleeves, he alone is worth my journey here. Sister, go ahead and knock on the door, let us meet with this Zhong Shan Clan’s member.”
The young lady whose face was badly beaten up stepped forward and knocked on the door, but there was no response. All of a sudden, a black bull appeared from the woods around the Zhong Yue’s abode, it opened its mouth in fear and trepidation, “Dear masters, the Zhong Shan Clan member has went out and has yet to return”.
“This bull looks like Brat Tan Xiao’s mount.”
Ta Wuyou looked at the black bull and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I have received orders from Master Tan’s cousin, Master Tan Zhen, to keep an eye on the Zhong Shan Clan member’s movements, and to immediately report back to Master Tan Zhen as soon as he returns. Master Tan Zhen then plans to storm over to reclaim the honor of the Han Tan Clan,” said the black bull while smiling.
Tan Zhen wants to seek revenge from the Zhong Shan Clan member too?”
Ta Wuyou was startled and thought to himself, Tan Zhen, ranked 32nd in the inner hall Dragon and Tiger Challenger List, he is even higher than my elder brother.
“Sister, the Zhong Shan Clan member is not here, what should we do?” asked the young lady with the bruised face.
“We wait!” Huang Luoshi answered.
Outside of Zhong Yue’s abode, a few Qi Practitioners sat in the lotus position with their heads lowered awaiting Zhong Yue’s return. But after days of waiting, Zhong Yue was still nowhere to be seen.
Ta Wulu and Huang Luoshi clenched their teeth, they thought in their hearts, Where on earth is this Zhong Shan Clan member?
In the jade forest, Zhong Yue was stunned and he asked, “Me? Sculpting? Elder, is sculpting also a way to cultivate?
Although the elderly man looked old and was as skinny as a toothpick, his eyes were bright, deep yet gentle. He laughed and said, “Even walking, eating and sleeping are considered a form of cultivation, how is sculpting any different?
“Walking, eating and sleeping are also considered cultivating?
Zhong Yue’s heart skipped a beat, the underlying meanings behind the words dawned on him; what the elder alluded to were not the conventional modes of cultivation, but rather the states of subconscious and unconscious visualization!
Zhong Yue had achieved the stage of unconscious visualization, his cultivation was unremitting, even in his sleep!
Daily routines such as walking, eating and sleeping may have seemed to be very usual and mundane, but they are all potential avenues for cultivation, so maybe sculpting really does also have some profundities in and of itself.
Zhong Yue settled his mind and immersed himself in his thoughts. After some time, he picked up a jade the size of a washbasin from the ground; the Xiang Dragon Sword Qi flitted out from his fingertips as he imitated the old man and started sculpting the jade.
Chi——
He exerted too much force, chipping away a big chunk of jade, he quickly reigned in the force he used; but this time the force was too weak, resulting in only a fine white nick on jade’s surface.
He used to think that sculpting was hard, but as he started sculpting, he realized that it was actually way much more difficult than what he ever imagined. It required a very fine control over the sculptor’s strength, as every single strand of strength of the Sword Qi needed to be precisely exerted.
After a short while, there was already quite a number of trashed jade chunks below Zhong Yue’s feet.
“When we Qi Practitioners visualize something, it is equivalent to the process of sculpting.”
The old man smiled and said, “Tales and legends were recorded down by our ancestors, so that we can visualize the godly figures in the records. In fact, it was nothing more than using our psyches to create sculptures in the image of these godly figures, and deriving the exceedingly exceptional power from within them. The psyches move like dragons and snakes, and so would the Sword Qi move like the dragons and snakes accordingly.”
Zhong Yue seemed to have understood something and said, “What you are saying is that, when I visualize the godly figures in my psyche ocean bit by bit, my Sword Qi will also follow suit, essentially simultaneously sculpting the image of my visualizations. Visualizing and sculpting at the same time will allow me to precisely control the strength and direction of my Sword Qi.”
The elderly man nodded and smiled, “This is a method used to discover the hidden potential hidden in one’s body through the control of Sword Qi during the level of the Spirit Nurturing. In the level of Spirit Nurturing, Qi Practitioners spend all their time and energy to elucidate the abstrusity and thereby comprehend them. But sometimes, what they were seeking could have been found in the places they often neglected.”
Zhong Yue thought pensively, after a long time, he started to try and sculpt a thunderbolt that struck from the clouds residing at the upper reaches of the sky; the thunderbolt sculpture was entirely filled with the thunder totem carvings, there were a total of twelve thunder totem permutations. And all of these twelve thunder totem permutations would merge together and form the first style of the 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】 – the Thunderbolts of Nine Heavens.
He shut his eyes and cleared his mind of the memories of the Thunderbolts of Nine Heavens that he had once learned; he started a round of visualization on the first moment where the thunderbolt bursts through the clouds; meanwhile, the Sword Qi in between his fingers shifted, it was imbued with the power of his psyche and brandished at the man-sized jade rock, revolving around it like gusts of wind.
He reconstructed the thunderbolt and the twelve thunder totem permutations; slowly, the jade rock in front of him gradually transmuted into the image of the thunderbolt he was visualizing in his mind; it looked like an upended pine tree dangling in the air. The totem carvings were indelibly branded onto the jade rock.
After a long time, Zhong Yue had entirely reconstructed the Thunderbolts of Nine Heavens. As the visualization was completed, the sculpture of a thunderbolt appeared in front of him, evoking the image of an actual thunderbolt that was viciously descending from the nine heavens, it was simply dazzling.
Not only that, but the surface of the thunderbolt jade was also engraved with twelve thunder totem permutations, the totem permutations were fine and potent and within them, was contained the mighty force of thunderous lightning.
“A soul weapon?”
Zhong Yue was startled, his psyche surged into the jade; a sudden burst of blinding lightning emanated from the jade, and a thunderbolt bolted out – Ka-cha! A loud burst could be heard!
“Did I just forge a soul weapon?”
He could not believe his eyes, he had never learned the ways of soul weapon forging and yet, he had just sculpted out a soul weapon!
However, the power imbued in this soul weapon was not very strong, and it was not as nimble when compared to other soul weapons; if activated, it could only release a surge of Spring Thunder Sword Qi.
Not only that, he realized that while he was using his Sword Qi to sculpt the jade, the unyielding will of the thunderbolt was also imbued into the jade!
By jettisoning what he had once learned and revisualizing the insights from nothing, his understandings towards the twelve thunder totem permutations grew more profound; the use and control of the force of thunderous lightnings had gotten stronger and more malleable!
He used to think that he had already gleaned the quintessence of the 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】, thinking that he had developed the 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】 to the peak of its potential power. However, it was only now that he realized that he was quite a ways from perceiving the true essence of the 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】!
Zhong Yue smiled, he decisively relinquished every morsel of knowledge and insight he had gained on the 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】, and started visualizing from scratch. Sword Qis danced on his fingertips and slowly, the twelve sword styles of 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】 manifested in between his fingers. Sword Qis shot out into the air and proceeded to carve twelve jade sculptures, while the process of sculpting resembled the castings of the twelve sword styles of 【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】.
After the twelve sword styles, Zhong Yue did not stop there; he progressed onto the Jiao Dragon Winding Body Totem Art and immediately cast away his previous comprehensions into oblivion and started to reconstruct and revisualize it. The abstruse quintessence of the physique refining art was recreated from his fingertips.
It did not take him long to sculpt eight figures of Jiao Dragons each in different stances. One had its body coiled as if waiting to erupt, another was lying down languidly, one was parading forward boldly, one had its head held high indomitably, and another appeared to be soaring the limits of the skies atop rails of lightning.
He was like an artist lost in a kaleidoscope of insanity, his mind was filled with endless inspirations as he expressed his will into a masterpiece.
All the insights and comprehensions he had arduously accumulated since the start of his journey were completely obliterated to be rebuilt anew. The Xiang Dragon, the 【 Xuan Wu Visualization Art】 ... the essence of his new insights from the revisualization of each of these techniques was distilled into exquisite sculptures, formed with the chisel of his Sword Qi.
Through the process of sculpting, he had learned more of the techniques which he had ostensibly mastered before; more nuances were discovered, and more profound transformations were explored!
No one knew how long it had been, the jade sculptures of different sizes seemed to fill the small space around him. And Zhong Yue was still trying to sculpt out a Sword Gate, it was the carvings of the sword totem he had acquired from the Geng Jin sword token.
This time, his sculpting speed was gradually decreasing, but the sword will be imbued in his Sword Qi was getting stronger; it was the unrestrained will of the sword, a will that detested any constraints or boundaries; the will of a sword that was fearless to the gods; a will that defied the shackles of this heaven and earth. It was the sword’s heart, a Sword Qi that reflected one’s inner heart!
The elderly man gently nodded, he left quietly and praised, ”What an outstanding disciple he is, Old Pu certainly has good insight.”
Zhong Yue’s sculpting speed was getting even slower, and his sword will be getting purer and stronger. He had not slept nor spared a single second for more than ten days, and now, he had finally completed the sculpture of the Sword Gate.
All of a sudden, Zhong Yue had awoken from his enthusiasm, he stared at then Sword Gate upon him, and felt as if he was sanctified, not only were his understandings more thorough towards the things he had learnt, his psyche had never been any purer than now, and his soul and spirit integrated into a more perfect harmony!
Those abstruse principles behind the totem permutations which had hitherto eluded his grasp were all perceived and comprehended through all these sculptures!
And most of all, the control he had towards his Sword Qi was stronger and more nimble, the changes of his Sword Qi was more mutable, and the control of strength grew increasingly fine!
Xin Huo once taught him hiking skills to train his control towards his own strengths, but this sculpting lesson by this elderly man required a finer control at a higher degree!
Unwittingly, this elderly man had taught me how to eliminate the hidden dangers of not going through the Spirit Nurturing level, and taught me so many things; what a strange man, what a peculiar man!
Zhong Yue reclaimed his thoughts, he was overjoyed and felt surprised that the unstable foundation he once had was gradually getting stabilized after going through three simple steps — relinquish, revisualize, sculpt.
Although the reticent elderly man was of few words and did not provide any guidance during their time together, he had undoubtedly allowed Zhong Yue to learn so much!
If I do the same with the Great Sun Totem and the Golden Crow Totem, it will be a great opportunity to unravel their abstrusity! The elderly man’s end goal was to teach me the ways on how to grasp the abstrusity of the spirits!
Rays flashed in his eyes, he picked up a jade, and prepared to sculpt a shining and bright sun.