Chapter 664 - 415: The Realm of Emptiness

On a barren Gu Mountain, devoid of any vegetation, Wu Shidao suddenly appeared, following the stone path from afar. He walked straight to the entrance of the cave and showed the guard his slip and Sect Cloud Scroll.

Wu Shidao was the second disciple of Zhu He, and many matters within the Internal History Department were entrusted to him by Zhu He. Getting a slip from the Historian was no trouble for him at all.

Moreover, he wasn’t actually there to take another weapon!

Wu Shidao entered the cave and stood at the entrance of the stone chamber, where he saw the figure of Duan Rong inside.

Duan Rong was holding a long-handled Gourd Hammer, his eyes bright and focused. After a while, he placed the Gourd Hammer back in its niche, seemingly shaking his head in disappointment, and then walked to another niche beside it.

Wu Shidao watched for a moment and indeed, as Lu Geng had said, Duan Rong was truly observing each weapon one by one?

Wu Shidao was puzzled, thinking to himself, "Looking at how Junior Brother is doing it, it doesn’t seem like he’s searching for something!"

He watched closely as Duan Rong took out the weapons, merely glancing at them without even testing their feel, and without inspecting them closely, just holding them briefly before putting them back.

However, these seemingly meaningless actions made by Duan Rong were apparently done with great focus.

Wu Shidao watched for a while but couldn’t discern any pattern, so he moved toward Duan Rong deep within the stone chamber.

Duan Rong had just devoured the Artifact Spirit of a weapon when his data panel flickered and dissipated. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure walking toward him.

Duan Rong looked up to see Wu Shidao approaching with a smile.

Wu Shidao glanced at the Deer Horn Saber in Duan Rong’s hand and smiled, "A handy weapon is extremely important for a Martial Artist. Junior Brother, your meticulous selection shows you’re a thoughtful person. Martial Arts is about the subtle differences."

Duan Rong didn’t quite understand the abrupt and seemingly random comment from Wu Shidao, but he smiled in return, "Senior Brother’s insight is indeed profound; Martial Arts is truly about subtle differences."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he just looked at Wu Shidao, waiting for him to continue.

Wu Shidao, noticing Duan Rong’s gaze, paused briefly and said, "Junior Brother, I heard from your Senior Brother Lu that you plan to observe all the hundreds of weapons in this stone chamber. To be honest, I was a little worried and came to check."

Duan Rong scratched his head and said, "Senior Brother, do you find it strange for me to do this?"

Wu Shidao: "It is somewhat unusual."

Wu Shidao looked expectantly at Duan Rong, seemingly waiting for his explanation.

Duan Rong was really a bit troubled; he was just touching weapons, and he didn’t think it was anything significant. Why did this second senior brother seem determined to get to the bottom of it?

After a brief thought, Duan Rong suddenly said, "Senior Brother Wu, there is this strange ability I’ve had since I was young."

"A strange ability?!" Wu Shidao’s eyes widened upon hearing this from Duan Rong.

Duan Rong said, "I can sense certain things and immerse myself in an indescribable state. In that state, my six senses are far sharper than usual, and I’m completely free from emotional and subjective interference, entering a perfectly serene and empty state. My thoughts and judgments merge into a highly sensitive intuition. In this state, any Martial Arts techniques I use would have a qualitative leap in power!"

Wu Shidao gazed at Duan Rong in astonishment, "Junior Brother, you possess the Void Realm!"

Wu Shidao, well-read and familiar with the Taoist Collection, immediately understood what Duan Rong was describing.

Duan Rong feigned surprise, "So this is what’s called the Void Realm?"

"Yes!" Wu Shidao nodded, then a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, "However, while the Void Realm is indeed powerful, from what I know, its activation is random, not controllable by the subject’s consciousness, and has no discernible pattern. Moreover, it usually fades as one ages."

What Wu Shidao said was actually known to Duan Rong; he’d read about it in the Taoist Collection at the Scripture Repository. The Void Realm he possessed was an innate ability inherited when he crossed over.

Duan Rong said, "I’m not sure about that. I discovered through repeated attempts early on that my Void Realm is related to weapons. When I become spiritually heightened through certain weapons, there’s often a great chance to trigger the Void Realm."

"Really?" Wu Shidao was surprised. "Spiritual connection?"

He had never heard of such an explanation.

However, despite the wondrous nature of the Void Realm, it’s generally considered useless because those who possess this ability are as rare as phoenix feathers, and the ability usually disappears before a Martial Artist turns twenty.

Thus, there were hardly any detailed and in-depth studies on the Void Realm. Wu Shidao’s knowledge came only from reading notes written by a few young Martial Artists who had possessed this realm.

Moreover, he had doubts about some of the records in those notes.

Duan Rong’s case was clearly a special exception of the Void Realm because if a specific weapon could significantly increase the chance of triggering the Void Realm, then this otherwise somewhat impractical Void Realm could become a very formidable ability, couldn’t it?