Chapter 19: Swallow Cry Strength, Celestial Master Seal
The daoist boy’s blue daoist robe had wide sleeves that fluttered, and his crossed collar appeared somewhat free, yet he wore a ferocious bronze ghost mask and held a beast-slaying blade nearly ten feet long. The long hilt of the saber was propped on his shoulder, making him appear somewhat lazy and relaxed as he walked.
This was precisely the daoist boy Ning Xuan.
At this moment, having retrieved his weapon, he was walking with Celestial Master Chou Nu in the old mountains outside Xinghe County.
Suddenly, Chou Nu stopped and glanced into the distance. It was a mountain, and beyond it should be a gorge. But what lay within the gorge, no one knew unless they climbed the adjacent mountain or entered it. Yet Chou Nu seemed to directly see through the mountain to the scene on the other side and stated, “In this gorge, there is a wolf pack to the east, currently resting by the water, and a python nest to the west, devouring some unfortunate prey. These two… have harmed many passing common people over the years; they are truly detestable. Qing Feng… go and eliminate these two threats.”
Ning Xuan knew his elder brother was still worried about him and insisted on testing him, so he replied, “Yes, Celestial Master.”
He didn’t take a detour. With a step, he ascended the mountain, his arms extending like a spirit ape in the deep mountains. In a few bounds, he crossed over ten zhang, and in a few more, he reached the summit. He then surveyed the gorge below. The gorge was densely forested, lush and verdant, obscuring much of the sunlight, making the depths appear dark and oppressive. Faintly, the sound of flowing water could be heard. He observed carefully. Finally, he had to admit, he could see nothing.
Ning Xuan turned back and saw a golden light surging from below the cliff beside him. Chou Nu suddenly appeared by his side. He became even more curious. Because he could sense that Chou Nu’s vital energy and blood were incredibly sparse. To put it simply, if it were just about physical strength, one wouldn’t even need a strong courtyard guard; any household servant could beat Chou Nu soundly. In other words, Chou Nu’s extraordinary sensory abilities and travel capabilities had nothing to do with his own strength.
Sensing Ning Xuan’s curious gaze, Chou Nu said, “Do not be distracted.” Ning Xuan grunted and charged directly into the forest below. He was already very familiar with these wild beasts. If he were to unfurl the Heavenly Demon Scroll, he would emanate demonic energy, and these beasts would sense his intrusion like demons through a communal aura and flee. However, if he did not unfurl the Heavenly Demon Scroll, no matter how strong he was, these beasts would not act prematurely. Instead, they would gather upon smelling human scent, preparing to devour him.
With a swift and decisive onslaught, the wolf pack was routed. The alpha wolf was slain, and the pack scattered. Ning Xuan pursued them as they fled, slaughtering them. The pythons, drawn by the scent of blood, came from afar. Ning Xuan, viewing these serpentine creatures that were usually his “training ropes,” easily cut them in half. For someone who had exterminated an entire nest of Mountain Crushing Bear Demons, such a task was child’s play.
However, there were still gains. Ning Xuan usually did not engage in large-scale slaughter of wild beasts during his own training. It was only after acting today that he discovered there were benefits. He realized that although beasts were beasts, their every strike, every retreat, and every dodge actually contained the most rudimentary, most effective, and most direct killing techniques. When he faced these techniques, if he deliberately suppressed his own strength and responded purely on a technical level, the gains were considerable. For example, during his charge just now, for the first quarter of an hour, he had the mindset of “completing the mission” and wanted to finish quickly. But after discovering this, he changed his approach. He wanted to cherish these beasts that were giving him their lives as training.
The battle lasted a full hour and a half. When he returned to the cliff, Ning Xuan felt that his “Swallow Return Four Blades” had a “blurred edge.” Ning Xuan looked up at Chou Nu and cupped his hands, “Celestial Master, you have waited long.” Chou Nu looked at him with a strange expression and then said, “It is rumored that the world’s strongest killing technique is a casual strike by a General after a hundred battles. I used to doubt it, but today I have seen it. Qing Feng, since you have gained insights, sit down and ponder them slowly. Do not be in a hurry to travel. Moving forward is merely the instinct of a muddled body; only by sitting down can one seek the Dao. Once the Dao is found, one is on the path, and then one is truly traveling.” With that, he stroked his purple robe, sat down cross-legged at the cliff’s edge, and pointed to the distance, saying, “Sit.”
Ning Xuan found it quite amusing and thought to himself, “As expected of my elder brother, the Celestial Master. Even his words are so profound. He is clearly a righteous person who doesn’t engage in drinking, gambling, or womanizing. Perhaps he has lived for so long and never even had a wife. Alas, my elder brother lives such a life; it’s truly pitiful.”
However, there was one thing his elder brother was right about. He had indeed gained many insights. Last time, when battling the bear, he had almost exclusively used “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain.” Today, it was spontaneous. The former was tense, the latter relaxed. Coupled with facing different techniques, he truly felt he was “nurturing” something. He was not being pretentious either. His elder brother told him to sit, so he did, and entered a state of contemplation. In his mind, the three stances of “Swallow Chasing Wind Saber,” along with the Swallow Return Step, and his self-悟d fourth stance, “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain,” which could be integrated into any stance, began to merge.
He discovered that techniques had two purposes. First, to gain the initiative and catch the enemy off guard. For example, “Flying Swallow Chasing Wind” sought speed; “Swallow Piercing Raging Waves” converted speed into ferocity, aiming to surprise and catch the enemy unprepared; “Skillful Swallow Soaring” served the same purpose. Second, it was to unleash a certain kind of power. For instance, when fighting the bear demon before, he needed to maintain high stamina consumption and a state of high-speed explosive movement to unleash “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain.” If one could enhance their reaction speed and hide their intentions in every casual strike, then even if they struck later, they would have the initiative. If one could unleash maximum speed over the shortest distance, they could avoid large movements and motions, thereby progressing further.
Ning Xuan recalled the postures of the wolf pack and the pythons. His flesh began to contort. All contortions were aimed at unleashing the subtle power of “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain,” which was derived from demonic arts.
After a long time… and then a long time more… a soft hum suddenly emanated from Ning Xuan’s arm. The hum was fleeting, but the air around his arm seemed to be struck by a violent impact and abruptly expanded.
Boom!
A resounding explosion. Chou Nu also opened his eyes and looked at him. Ning Xuan said, “Swallow Cry Strength.” He had given his self-悟d secret technique a name. Chou Nu asked curiously, “Swallow Cry Strength?” Ning Xuan walked to a large boulder, embraced it with both hands, and tossed it upwards, then stood directly beneath it. As the boulder fell, he abruptly stepped forward. His flesh contorted, and this contortion, accompanied by the step, instantly transmitted a rapidly flowing force to his left shoulder, enabling him to unleash a “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain” at an extremely short distance. The boulder fell, and the moment it touched his left shoulder, it was suddenly torn apart by an unbelievable force.
Bang!
The boulder shattered, dust billowing. From the need for a run-up in “Bear Demon’s Innate Technique” to the short-distance acceleration of the “Swallow Return Step,” and now the “Swallow Cry Strength” that could be used with flesh and blood alone, even without unfurling the Heavenly Demon Scroll, Ning Xuan felt he had indeed gained a lot.
Chou Nu looked at him for a long time before commenting, “I don’t know what realm you are in… because you don’t seem to be within the realm system I recognize.” Ning Xuan asked, “May I ask, Celestial Master, what realms do you recognize?” He had been curious about this question for a long time. Chou Nu replied, “Alchemist Realm, where one can crudely invoke Dragon Qi. Externally, they are usually called True Masters. After that is the Celestial Master Realm. The Celestial Master Realm is divided into three minor realms. The first is the Mountain Moving Realm, which is not about actual mountains but about making one’s body and soul feel as if they are suppressed by a mountain, rendering them immobile, a soul-suppressing mountain. The second is the Earth Evasion Realm, where one integrates with the Dragon Qi of mountains and rivers, shrinking the ground so an inch becomes a mile, a hundred steps encompasses a hundred miles, and simultaneously having foreknowledge of distant scenes on earth. The third is the Celestial Master Seal. Different people have different great seals, but in reality, only by possessing one’s own seal does one truly become a Celestial Master. I… have barely grasped my own Celestial Master Seal.”
Ning Xuan asked curiously, “Then, Celestial Master, what do you think of my potential? Can I also cultivate this?” Chou Nu shook his head, “You cannot cultivate it. Your vital energy and blood are too potent, your physique too strong; you cannot touch Dragon Qi.” Ning Xuan then asked, “Where does Dragon Qi come from, and where is it?” Chou Nu replied, “After the mission is completed, Master Taiyi will tell you personally. Let’s go…”
(End of Chapter)
