Chapter 648: The Second Questioning of the Heart

Early the next morning, Xu Wuyi arrived at Lin Jianyi’s small courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, the snow on it already swept away. The ivy on the walls was covered with a thin layer of snow, gleaming crystalline in the morning light. Xu Wuyi stood outside the gate for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

In the courtyard, Lin Jianyi sat by the stone table beneath the ancient pine tree, holding a cup of hot tea. He still wore those cyan cloth garments. His aura was so peaceful that he seemed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding snowy landscape.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Jianyi looked up. His gaze landed on Xu Wuyi, examining him from head to toe and back up again. Then, he gave a slight nod.

"You’re back?"

His tone was calm, as if asking a neighbor who had just returned from a walk.

Xu Wuyi stepped forward and offered a deep bow to Lin Jianyi. "Teacher Lin, I’ve come to disturb you again."

Lin Jianyi waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit. Xu Wuyi sat opposite him. A cup of hot tea had already been prepared on the stone table, still emitting steam.

"Drink your tea first," Lin Jianyi said.

Xu Wuyi picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was clear and crisp, carrying a faint hint of sweetness. It tasted exactly the same as it had eight months ago. The two sat facing each other, drinking tea in silence. Neither spoke a word.

The ancient pine in the courtyard was covered in white snow. Occasionally, clumps of snow would slip from the branches, emitting a soft RUSTLE. A few bird calls drifted from afar, sounding exceptionally crisp in the post-snow morning.

A long while passed.

Lin Jianyi put down his teacup and looked at Xu Wuyi. "You’ve traveled to quite a few places these past three months?"

"Yes." Xu Wuyi nodded. "I’ve traveled through twenty-three provinces and five war zones, and visited twenty-seven Quasi-Grandmasters."

"And how was your harvest?"

"Immense," Xu Wuyi said. "I’ve witnessed many different Martial Arts and learned a lot of things I previously didn’t understand."

Lin Jianyi nodded and said nothing.

Xu Wuyi fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "But I am also confused."

"Confused about what?"

"I don’t know what my purpose is for cultivating Martial Arts."

Lin Jianyi looked at him, his gaze serene. "You don’t know what it’s for?"

"I don’t know." Xu Wuyi shook his head. "Three months ago, I thought I knew. But after traveling these past three months, I realized I actually don’t."

He paused, then continued, "Someone told me that my Heart Image lacks compassion. Someone told me that I lost to myself. Still others told me that I rely too much on the strength of my Heart Image."

He looked up at Lin Jianyi. "I would like to ask Senior to strike with your sword again, to help me see my true self once more."

Lin Jianyi did not reply immediately. He picked up his teacup and drank slowly, his gaze drifting to the snowy scenery in the courtyard. His eyes were calm and distant, as if he were looking at the snow, yet also looking at something far beyond it.

Xu Wuyi did not rush him, simply waiting in silence.

CLINK. The teacup made a soft sound as it was set down.

Lin Jianyi turned his head, looking back at Xu Wuyi.

"Questioning the heart is not absolutely safe. With your current Heart Image Cultivation, if your mind falters, this sword strike will directly sever your Heart Image, turning a lifetime of Cultivation into an illusion.

"Given this, do you still wish to question your heart?"

Xu Wuyi replied instead, "Of course. Teacher Lin, I haven’t been practicing Martial Arts for that many years. If I really have to start over from scratch, it wouldn’t be a bad thing."

This time, Lin Jianyi couldn’t help but chuckle. Shaking his head, he said, "I almost forgot... Come with me."

He stood up and walked beneath the ancient pine. Xu Wuyi rose as well and followed.

Lin Jianyi stood before the ancient pine with his back turned to him. His figure wasn’t tall or broad, yet it exuded an indescribable sense of security, as if as long as this figure was there, there would be nothing to fear even if the sky fell.

"You’ve seen much on your journey." Lin Jianyi did not turn around, his calm voice drifting over. "You’ve met many people, fought many battles, and thought for a long time."

"Yes," Xu Wuyi said.

Lin Jianyi turned around and looked at him. His gaze was still peaceful, but Xu Wuyi could sense a trace of seriousness beneath that serenity. It was not directed at him, but at what was about to happen.

"This questioning of the heart will be deeper than the last," Lin Jianyi said. "Last time, I only illuminated your surface consciousness. This time, I will delve into the undercurrents."

He paused. "There are things there that even you are unwilling to face."

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. "I understand."

Lin Jianyi looked at him, remaining silent for a few breaths of time. Then, he nodded. "Good."

As his voice fell, Lin Jianyi pressed two fingers together like a sword and raised them in front of him.

The movement was exactly the same as eight months ago—casual and natural, without any deliberate accumulation of Momentum or preparation. But the moment he raised his fingers, Xu Wuyi felt everything around him change. The snow stopped. The wind stopped. Even time itself seemed to cease flowing. The entire world plunged into absolute silence.

Then, a sword light flared.

This sword light was different from the last. The previous sword light had been a radiance that illuminated the soul, warm and bright, allowing him to clearly see the deepest desires of his heart. This sword light, however, was cold and sharp. Like a real sword, it slashed straight into his sea of consciousness, cleaving toward the deepest undercurrents.

BUZZ—

Xu Wuyi’s mind roared, and his consciousness instantly plummeted into boundless darkness.

Darkness. Endless darkness.

Xu Wuyi floated in the dark. There was nothing around him—no light, no sound, no temperature. There was absolutely nothing that could be perceived. Only himself.

He floated like this for an unknown amount of time. Time had lost its meaning here; it could have been a few seconds, or tens of thousands of years. Then, images began to emerge in the darkness.

The scenes were blurry, as if separated by a layer of mist. But as time passed, they became clearer and more concrete.

He saw himself from eight years ago.

Fifteen-year-old Xu Wuyi—thin and silent—stood in the training room of Red River Middle School. The training room was old, its wall paint peeling, with a few rusted iron rods resting on the equipment rack.

It was the starting point for children from the Lower Class to practice Martial Arts—crude, shabby, devoid of any surplus resources.

In the vision, he was practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique, repeating the most fundamental Pile Skills over and over again. Sweat soaked through his training clothes, pooling into a small puddle on the floor.

From outside the vision, a voice drifted over.

"Did you know? Lin Yuanshan from Class 3 had his family buy him nutritional supplements. A single bottle is equivalent to what we eat in a month."

It was the voice of a fellow classmate from the same batch, laced with undisguised envy and disappointment.

Fifteen-year-old Xu Wuyi did not reply. He simply continued his training.

But that voice had already been carved into his heart.

The vision shifted.

He saw his sixteen-year-old self standing in front of the school’s scoreboard. His name was ranked in the middle, followed by a long string of numbers—his scores for various assessments.

Someone walked past him, whispering.

"Did you hear? Lin Yuanshan’s family hired a private Martial Artist tutor for him. Three times a week."

"Tsk, tsk. It must be nice to be rich."

Xu Wuyi remained silent as always, simply staring at his name on the scoreboard.