Chapter 342 - 161: Reforging the Spirit of Contention

And in his later years, Crossing Sea Master had already begun to touch upon the threshold of the second realm.

’No wonder my Fist Intent has progressed so much faster than my Blade Intent. It’s all a gift from Crossing Sea Master.’

He took a deep breath and continued his studies.

He remained seated like that for three days and three nights.

...

「Three days later.」

Liang Cheng set down the final Jade Slip and slowly rose to his feet.

After three days of intense study, he had read through every sage’s notes on Martial Dao True Intent on the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Sword Fool, Mad Saber, Master Wu Xian...

The insights from each of these sages flowed like trickling streams into his Sea of Consciousness.

Combined with the seven hundred years of memories from Crossing Sea Master that he had obtained from the Evil Thought, many things that were once vague gradually became clear.

"So that’s how it is..."

He murmured to himself.

There were truly no shortcuts in the cultivation of Martial Dao True Intent. Every step of progress was incredibly difficult. If one encountered a bottleneck, it was possible they would never advance again in their lifetime.

’But I have the Mayfly Life Chart, so I don’t have bottlenecks. As long as I keep fighting, keep gaining insights, and keep polishing my Dao Heart, I will succeed. What’s more, I now have the experience of the Penglai Sect’s sages as a reference. I can avoid countless wrong turns. I know when to advance aggressively, when to let things settle, and what kind of mental state corresponds to what kind of True Intent. This is what it means to have the resources of a Sect—to learn its methods and use its sages as a mirror to see my own shortcomings.’

Liang Cheng walked out of the Scripture Pavilion and gazed up at the sky. The sky was already dark, and a bright moon hung high above.

He suddenly had an impulse—

’I want to fight someone and test out what I’ve just learned.’

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

’Now is not the time.’

Four of the seven days had already passed. In three days, he had to go to the Artifact Refining Hall to retrieve his saber.

’It’s better to go into seclusion first to consolidate my gains. There’s no rush.’

...

「First Peak, in the Quiet Chamber of his private courtyard.」

Liang Cheng sat cross-legged in a meditative pose, his palms and the soles of his feet facing the sky.

"The heart is moved by circumstance, and intent is moved by the heart..."

Liang Cheng murmured to himself.

"When Crossing Sea Master was young, his heart was set on victory, and his intent was sharp and aggressive."

"In his middle years, his heart was set on preservation, and his intent was steady and stable."

"In his later years, his heart sought transcendence, and his intent was in the void."

’Then what about my own heart?’

He closed his eyes and began to look inward.

His path had taken him from a laboring youth in Linhai Town to his current station as a Direct Disciple of the Penglai Sect.

He had wiped out the Sea Snake Gang and joined the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall.

He had slain Black Fish and killed Small Shrimp.

He had taken first place in the Three Towns Grand Tournament and seized an Iron Order in the spring hunt.

The Martial Arts Academy, the Main Courtyard, the Penglai Sect...

Every step had been a struggle.

He fought to prove his worth, fought for a path to survival, fought for every sliver of opportunity.

A mayfly fighting for its moment, with ambitions that reached for the sky.

To fight, to strive—that was his heart.

’Since my heart is to strive, then my intent must be—’

’The Intent to Strive!’

Liang Cheng’s eyes flew open, a brilliant light flashing within them.

He raised a hand, his fingers curling into an empty grip.

Without using a saber, he made a chopping motion with the side of his hand.

A saber’s ring echoed out of thin air in the Quiet Chamber!

The sound was clearer and purer than ever before.

His Intentional Movement had advanced another level.

Crossing Sea Master had Entered the Dao through his physical body, so his comprehension of Fist Intent was already profound. Now, Liang Cheng just needed to consolidate it.

Blade Intent, however, was his own path. He had to walk every step of it himself.

[Blade Intent: Basic Level (9854/100000)]

Three days of meditation, cross-referencing the wisdom of the sages, had allowed him to identify and fill the gaps in his own understanding. His prior accumulations came together at once, and his Blade Intent surged by nearly ten thousand points.

This was the result of cross-referencing the sages’ wisdom and patching his own deficiencies.

Liang Cheng didn’t stop, continuing his meditation.

This time, he circulated both the Ice Soul Scripture and the Heaven-Burning Scripture simultaneously.

Two streams of Pill Qi, one ice-blue and the other fire-red, intertwined within his body, yet remained clearly distinct.

This was precisely why Lie Mountain had him cultivate both ice and fire.

If ice and fire could be merged, their power would more than double.

For an ordinary person, even just cultivating them separately was inefficient, let alone merging them. The two elements naturally clashed and were difficult to harmonize.

But with the Crossing the Sea True Intent circulating within him, Liang Cheng could control them perfectly. He used the will of his physical body as a furnace and his True Intent as the flame to slowly refine the two streams of Pill Qi.

He let them grow accustomed to each other through their opposition, and draw closer through that familiarity. It was a slow, grinding process, but they would gradually learn to complement one another.

...

「Three more days passed in the blink of an eye.」

In the Quiet Chamber, Liang Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

Though he hadn’t achieved any major breakthroughs in the three days of cultivation, his foundation had grown much more solid.

His Blade Intent had grown steadily, and his Fist Intent had been consolidated.

More importantly, he had gained a deeper understanding of the relationship between the "heart" and "intent."

’Intent following the heart’s movement is just the first stage.’

’The true mark of mastery is—’

’Intent preceding the blade.’

Liang Cheng raised his hand. Without drawing a saber, he simply held his fingers together like a blade and swiped lightly.

Though his fingertips were empty, a three-inch-deep gash appeared out of thin air on the wall of the Quiet Chamber.

The blade was not drawn, but its intent had already struck.

This was ’intent preceding the blade.’

He was another step closer to the second realm, ’Thoughts Follow the Heart.’

[Fist Intent: Basic Level (15768/100000)]

[Ice Soul Scripture First Layer: Beginner Level (1651/50000)]

[Heaven-Burning Scripture First Layer: Beginner Level (1620/50000)]

[Blade Intent: Basic Level (10154/100000)]

[Cloud Soaring Step: Beginner Level (1682/10000)]

[Turtle Breath and Spirit Concealment Technique: Beginner Level (1793/10000)]

Liang Cheng rose and pushed open the door.

The seven-day period was up.

It was time to retrieve his saber.

...

In the private courtyard, Lady Ning was hanging clothes out to dry while Yang Wei sat in the shade of a tree, holding Yang An.

Seeing Liang Cheng emerge, Lady Ning smiled. "Cheng’Er, you’re out of seclusion? Are you hungry? I’ll go make you some food."

Liang Cheng shook his head. "Mother, I’m going to the Artifact Refining Hall to get my saber. I’ll be back soon."

Yang Wei watched him, his gaze filled with gratification.

"Go on."

Liang Cheng nodded, then stepped forward and soared into the air.

Behind him, Yang Wei watched his retreating figure and spoke softly to Yang An in his arms.

"An’Er, do you see him? That’s your Uncle Liang. In the future, you must take him as your role model."

Yang An looked on with a blank expression, waving his little hands and babbling incoherently.

...

「Artifact Refining Hall.」

Before Liang Cheng even touched the ground, he saw Mo Yan waiting outside the Artifact Refining Hall. Mo Yan’s face lit up with a grin when he saw him. "Hahaha! Direct Disciple Liang, you’ve come at the perfect time!"