Chapter 4

Unlike in the original story, Nangong Wentian did not start learning the Heavenly Freedom Canon from Beiming Zheng after the plot began. Due to Dugu Feng's intervention, Nangong Wentian began learning the Heavenly Freedom Canon from a young age and, under Dugu Feng's guidance, combined the spiritual power of the green pearl transformed from the Nüwa inner core with his true qi, refining himself. His internal strength advanced at an incredible pace, even surpassing Dugu Feng.

In less than ten years, Nangong Wentian had fully mastered the Heavenly Freedom Canon and the Bodhi Enlightenment Heart Technique. His internal strength was already close to the level of the original story's Wu Di Huang Ling battle, making him, apart from Dugu Feng, the undisputed first expert of the Beiming family.

The tremendous commotion caused by Nangong Wentian naturally alarmed everyone in the Beiming family, who looked up and felt the immense pressure from the surging qi.

"Such a powerful aura!" Beiming Zheng, the most skilled in martial arts among the Beiming family, felt Nangong Wentian's strength the most deeply and found it even more unbelievable: "This, this is impossible? Even mastering the fourth chapter of the Heavenly Freedom Canon, Limitless Freedom, doesn't produce such a powerful aura. Could it be, could it be that the fifth chapter, Forget the World, which Xue'er deduced, can really be cultivated?"

The Heavenly Freedom Canon of the Beiming family is divided into four levels. The first three levels are only considered six-star martial arts, and only mastering the fourth chapter, Limitless Freedom, qualifies as a seven-star level. However, like the Six Pulse Sword Technique of the Dali Duan family in *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, mastering the fourth chapter requires an extremely deep foundation of internal strength.

The ancestors of the Beiming family lacked sufficient power and could not follow the normal path of cultivation. They had to take a different route, using the Asura Annihilation Demon Technique to break through. Although they successfully cultivated Limitless Freedom, it left a significant隐患. Not only was there a risk of demonic transformation in daily life, but there was also a danger of true qi losing control and backfiring during battles. In the original story, Beiming Zheng used Limitless Freedom in a risky move against the fierce King of Hell, leading to his defeat due to true qi backfiring.

After Dugu Feng was reborn, she showed an early interest and talent in martial arts and learned this secret technique of the Beiming family from Beiming Zheng at a young age. In less than a year, she had thoroughly mastered all four chapters of the Heavenly Freedom Canon. She then revised the technique based on her supreme martial arts realm, not only clarifying the correct method to cultivate Limitless Freedom but also deducing the fifth chapter, Forget the World, based on the fourth chapter. Her brilliance was so remarkable that Beiming Zheng was astounded, almost believing she was a divine being.

"Wentian's talent is no less than Xue'er's. Although Xue'er is naturally wise and has a profound realm, she can learn any martial art and even innovate, her internal strength still needs to be cultivated step by step. Wentian, on the other hand, has a unique talent, and his internal strength has advanced far beyond the norm. Now that he has cultivated the fifth chapter of the Heavenly Freedom Canon, his power may already surpass mine."

Beiming Zheng was an ambitious person. However, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Heavenly Earth Alliance's Heavenly Venerable Envoy in his early years and was told by the world's greatest fortune-teller, Guiguzi, that he would face a great calamity, forcing him to retreat from the martial world. Seeing his daughter and Wentian both so outstanding, his ambitions were rekindled, and he began to consider how to further bind Nangong Wentian to his cause of supremacy.

Compared to Beiming Zheng's amazement and praise for Nangong Wentian, Dugu Feng shook her head in disdain. The Heavenly Freedom Canon is derived from Zhuangzi's "Free and Unfettered Excursion." On the surface, it takes the meaning of freedom, but it actually contains the profound truth of the transformation of the Kun into a Peng, soaring to the heavens. The key to the transformation of the Kun into a Peng is accumulation, so the first three chapters of the Heavenly Freedom Canon are actually about using one's will to draw in the elemental energy of heaven and earth and transform it into internal strength. The fourth chapter, Limitless Freedom, is the key to this transformation. Just as a person traveling a hundred miles needs three months of provisions, the Kun's migration from the Northern Abyss to the Southern Sea requires a vast accumulation of power.

Therefore, the key to mastering Limitless Freedom lies in accumulating a substantial internal strength. Unfortunately, the founder of the Heavenly Freedom Canon only saw the meaning of freedom in "Free and Unfettered Excursion" and missed the part about accumulation. Thus, the Heavenly Freedom Canon only has the method of merging with heaven and earth and controlling external qi, lacking the principle of internal and external unity and self-nourishment. As a result, the fourth chapter, Limitless Freedom, became a purely theoretical martial art, like the seventh level of the *Nine Heavens Shift*, which even the founder could not master through the normal path. In the original story, Nangong Wentian's internal strength was never cultivated by himself but advanced rapidly due to the Nüwa spiritual power, not through the normal path.

If we only consider the realm, the first three chapters of the Heavenly Freedom Canon are slightly above the level of the Great Masters in *Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty*, capable of merging with heaven and earth but lacking the principle of transformation. With Dugu Feng's martial arts realm and experience, it was easy for her to add the content of internal cultivation and transformation to the Heavenly Freedom Canon and deduce the fifth chapter, Forget the World, from the fourth chapter, Limitless Freedom. This chapter takes the meaning of "Better to forget each other in the river and lake than to moisten each other with saliva," emphasizing forgetting emotions and merging with the world, controlling the six qi and wandering in the infinite void. This is the true "Heavenly" freedom.

However, Nangong Wentian clearly did not understand the meaning of forgetting emotions. He was merely using his will to forcefully control the elemental energy of heaven and earth, turning the perfect Forget the World into "Only I in the World." He had twisted the Heavenly Freedom Canon to the extreme.

Nangong Wentian was unaware of Dugu Feng's disdain. With the Nüwa spiritual energy spreading throughout his body and the boundless elemental energy of heaven and earth surging in, his internal strength was surging. The Nüwa spiritual energy and elemental energy continuously merged, transforming into his unique Heavenly Freedom true qi. His will spread through the world, making him feel like a vast Kun Peng, riding the wind and controlling the qi, where every thought and movement could stir up endless storms. This feeling was incredibly exhilarating, and he was filled with confidence to challenge Beiming Xue again.

"Ale, do you want to see your brother do somersaults?" Feeling the strong fighting spirit transmitted through Nangong Wentian's surging qi, Dugu Feng smiled and turned to ask another girl in the room.

Nangong Wencai, Nangong Wentian's younger sister, was a year older than Beiming Xue. However, due to the radiation of the Tianjing spiritual energy at birth, her intelligence and physical development were affected, making her look like a seven- or eight-year-old girl at fifteen.

Wencai was talking to a bird in her hands. Hearing Dugu Feng's question, she replied with a smile, "Sure! Hee hee! Brother doesn't do as many somersaults as Rice!"

Dugu Feng waved to Wencai, "Come on! Let's go play with your brother!"

Wencai nodded and, before leaving, continued to talk to the bird in her hands, "Little Qing, Little Qing, don't run away secretly again. It's so cold outside, and you can't find food..."

Dugu Feng smiled as she watched Wencai's innocent conversation with the bird. If it were anyone else, they might think Wencai was a child's imagination. However, Dugu Feng knew that Wencai had a natural ability to communicate with animals. Over the years, from the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep in the manor to the deer and goats in the mountains outside, they were all Wencai's good friends.

Wencai, with her bright eyes, skipped to Dugu Feng and asked happily, "Sister Xue, are we going to make snowballs? Hee hee, last time Brother made a snowman that looked just like Sister Xue! Unfortunately, Brother broke it..."

Dugu Feng's eyebrows slightly raised. Nangong Wentian had the nerve to defame her behind her back. It seemed this disobedient disciple needed some discipline. Thinking this, Dugu Feng asked Wencai with a gentle smile, "Wencai, what does your brother usually say about Sister Xue?"

Wencai blinked her cute eyes, scratched her cheek with her small hand, and said with some distress, "Sigh~ Brother doesn't let me say."

Dugu Feng smiled and did not press Wencai further. Instead, she turned to the window and called out to Nangong Wentian, "In one moment, at the snowy plain behind the mountain." She then picked up Wencai and flew out the window, heading towards the snowy plain behind the mountain.

The Beiming Manor was built on an active volcano to harness the earth's fire for weapon forging. Behind this volcano was a vast snowy plain, not too large, about ten miles in diameter, surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains. The fierce cold winds were blocked by the mountains, making the snowy plain peaceful and warm, a haven for herbivores like deer and goats during winter.

Dugu Feng and Wencai landed by a gently flowing ice river. Wencai cheered and excitedly went to talk to her deer friends. Dugu Feng stood by the river, appreciating the beautiful snowy landscape. This snowy plain, about thirty miles from the manor, was rarely disturbed, making it a good place for Dugu Feng to practice and teach Nangong Wentian.

Nangong Wentian did not keep Dugu Feng waiting long. As she was just surveying the surroundings, she saw a figure flying towards her at lightning speed.

In a few leaps, the figure stopped three zhang (about ten meters) in front of Dugu Feng. It was a very heroic young man with striking white hair, slightly curly and hanging loosely behind him. His eyes were sharp and clear, meeting Dugu Feng's gaze without hesitation. He said confidently, "Miss, this time I will definitely defeat you! You will call me master!" As he spoke, he clenched his fists, and his body was enveloped in a burst of spiritual light, especially his right arm, which turned into a green crystalline state.

Seeing the battle-ready Nangong Wentian, Dugu Feng couldn't help but smile. This Nangong Wentian was somewhat similar to her disciple Kou Zhong in the *Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty* world, both proud and lazy. However, Nangong Wentian was even more self-respecting and proud. Kou Zhong, born into poverty and having been a beggar, understood the hardships of life. Although he was proud, he kept his sharpness hidden, developing a round and square personality, able to lower himself and be humble when it didn't involve principles.

Nangong Wentian, on the other hand, was born into a distinguished family and, as the eldest son of the Nangong family, lived a carefree and comfortable life, even while hiding his identity at the Beiming Manor. Influenced by his grandfather, he developed a self-respecting, confident, and independent character. In the original story, he and Beiming Xue, who grew up together, often had conflicts due to her spoiled nature, nearly missing their chance at a relationship.

Now, with Dugu Feng as Beiming Xue, although she no longer had the original Beiming Xue's spoiled nature, Dugu Feng, as a supreme martial arts master and a person of high birth, naturally had a lofty and proud demeanor, which clashed with Nangong Wentian, a world-force-favored protagonist.

Dugu Feng was not willing to lower herself to improve their relationship. Even her martial arts guidance to him was through this highly combative method. However, this stimulating educational approach unexpectedly worked well. Nangong Wentian's martial arts advanced rapidly, and his natural pride helped him develop a resilient and indomitable character, benefiting Dugu Feng as well.