Chapter 42

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"Follow the will of heaven, suppress evil and promote good..."

Su Qinnian retracted his gaze and mused, "This is the general principle of the 'Resting Fate Saber.'"

"These words come from the *I Ching* (*Book of Changes*), specifically the *Hexagram of Great Possession*. There should be another line before it, which says, 'Fire in the sky, Great Possession.' The entire hexagram means that Qian represents heaven, and Li represents fire. Fire in the sky illuminates all directions. The gentleman observes this hexagram, takes the fire as a model, discerns good and evil, suppresses evil, and promotes good, thus following the will of heaven and praying for good fortune."

"Fire in the sky... Fire in the sky, this means that the gentleman should be like the sun in the sky, nourishing all things, illuminating all directions, and purifying all evil and malevolent thoughts! I understand!"

Su Qinnian's eyes shone brightly. He vaguely understood the young Taoist's meaning. The 'Resting Fate Saber' was indeed profound, not just a set of techniques but a will, a will of perpetual light and the purification of all evil.

Striking at the sun in the sky, facing oneself, is also a form of mental cultivation. Facing the brilliant light, if one is not intimidated, it shows that one's spirit is strong and one's heart is bright, naturally dispelling all illusions. A straight heart leads to a straight body, a straight body leads to a straight saber, and a straight saber repels all evil!

It involves mental cultivation!

Su Qinnian sighed. Although the 'Resting Fate Saber' is not a mental martial art, this kind of saber cultivation is no less effective in cultivating a martial artist's spirit.

Now, understanding the cultivation method of the 'Resting Fate Saber,' Su Qinnian put aside all his contempt. He took a deep breath, raised the green iron saber again, and aimed it at the golden sun in the sky. At the same time, he pushed the first level of the *Mystic Soul Technique* to its limit, focusing his mental energy in his eyes. Indeed, the sun's light was the most powerful and grand. Even with his mental energy at its peak, Su Qinnian could barely withstand it. After a few breaths, light halos and illusions began to appear.

Under this mental pressure, Su Qinnian let out a long whistle. The accumulated qi and blood surged upward. He intended to use this pressure to push through to the second level of the *Mystic Soul Technique* in one go.

The second level of the *Mystic Soul Technique* has a star position in the eastern part of the Zujiao Shenting (the spiritual court). However, it is not just two star points but four. Only by penetrating all four star points can this second star position be fully illuminated.

Boom!

The powerful qi and blood from the seventh level of the *Turtle Snake Technique* surged upward like a giant dragon, breaking through the first star point of the second star position.

Mental energy surged, increasing by more than double in an instant. Su Qinnian clearly felt a cool current descending from the sky, entering the Zujiao Shenting. The illusory mental energy seemed to have a tendency to become tangible, though it was still just a tendency, far from truly manifesting.

Even Su Qinnian had a vague feeling that his mental energy began to emit a subtle heat, like the sun above his head.

However, this feeling was fleeting. Immediately, the qi and blood, still full of momentum, rushed toward the second star point.

Clang!

This impact was like striking a heavenly bell. A resounding chime echoed, and the qi and blood were blocked. Su Qinnian's entire body shook, and he realized that the second star point still needed more cultivation. Perhaps when his seventh level of the *Turtle Snake Technique* was fully perfected, he could try again. For now, forcing it would likely result in backlash, injuring his internal organs.

Despite this, Su Qinnian felt a transformation in his mental energy. Reaching the second level of the *Mystic Soul Technique*, the various wonders of the soul-controlling technique that he could not previously use now came to mind.

Quickly, Su Qinnian cleared his mind. The newly enhanced mental energy enveloped an area of about fifteen feet, more solid and controllable.

Facing the sunlight, Su Qinnian raised the green iron saber high. His eyes were bright, even the brilliant sunlight could not overshadow them. He resisted the illusions and firmly and resolutely struck a single blow.

Whoosh!

A simple basic saber technique, without using excessive force, but as Su Qinnian's saber fell, a gap about twenty feet long and a few feet wide was torn in the mountain mist, accompanied by a deep, resonant saber sound.

Thus, Su Qinnian swung his saber again and again. By the time the golden sun began to set, a clear sky had been opened up in the mist in front of him, spanning several dozen feet.

Clang!

The green iron saber rested on the ground, and Su Qinnian panted heavily, but his eyes shone. In half a day, he had swung the saber thousands of times, gaining a deep understanding of the will contained in the 'Resting Fate Saber.' Of course, although he had swung the saber thousands of times, they were all the same move, not the thirty-six moves or the forty-nine moves of the complete form as the young Taoist had mentioned.

Even so, Su Qinnian was secretly amazed by the first move of the 'Resting Fate Saber.' He looked forward to the day when he would successfully lay the foundation and generate internal true qi, and see what great power the 'Resting Fate Saber' would display when driven by true qi.

Shaking his head, Su Qinnian gathered his thoughts. He tore a piece of his clothing, wrapped the green iron saber, and began to descend the mountain.

The sun had just begun to set, but he could not continue practicing. The cultivation of the 'Resting Fate Saber' was extremely draining on qi and spirit, requiring blood food and meditation to recover energy. He had already reached his limit, and continuing would be overexertion, not worth the cost.

...

Entering the Qingyang Palace, Su Qinnian passed by some disciples, his brows slightly furrowed. It seemed that apart from the four people, including Jiyuan Zhenren, the others were not real, like the illusions he created with the soul-controlling technique, mere objects, moving according to his will, without their own life or thoughts.

"What is the world of the spirit?"

Su Qinnian had many speculations, but they were all baseless, without any foundation. He knew his realm was too shallow. If the martial realm of the top figures were so easy to speculate, achieving the spirit would not be described as 'attaining the Dao.'

By 'attaining the Dao,' as Laozi said in the *Tao Te Ching*, "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao." The *Tao Jing* also vaguely explains that the Dao is the rule of the universe's operation. 'Attaining the Dao' is not about proving, but about verifying. Being able to verify the rules of the universe's operation leads to the achievement of the spirit.

Such a realm was too distant for Su Qinnian to comprehend even a fraction.

Qingyang Hall.

The long-burning lamps flickered at the entrance. Su Qinnian saw Jiyuan Zhenren's back, gazing at the open hall.

Inside the hall, incense smoke wafted. A long table several feet long was adorned with fruits and pastries. Behind the table stood the towering figure of the Great Emperor Zhenwu, over thirty feet tall.

The figure was carved from thousands of years of purple sandalwood, exuding a fragrant aroma and shimmering with golden stars. From a distance, it looked like a vast starry sky, with a great emperor floating in the sea of stars, his Dao boundless.

At this moment, Su Qinnian felt that Jiyuan Zhenren's figure seemed incredibly distant, as if separated by layers of time and space, unreachable.

At this time, the fat man, tongue out and drenched in sweat, almost crawled to the entrance of the Qingyang Hall.

Seeing Su Qinnian, he wanted to speak but quickly turned his head, his face turning grim, because not far away, the towering young man was nodding at him with a simple smile.

After half an incense stick, Qingyu also entered the palace, his face dark, holding a broken sword in his hand. Not far behind, the beautiful female Taoist walked with her hands behind her back, her eyes cold, saying nothing.

After half a cup of tea.

Su Qinnian raised an eyebrow, as Jiyuan Zhenren seemed to have no intention of letting them leave immediately.

The fat man slowly caught his breath, seemingly thinking of something, and chuckled, earning a fierce glare from Qingyu.

At this moment, the young Taoist arrived. His gaze swept over Su Qinnian, his eyes brightening, and he threw over a thick stack of old yellow paper.

"This is..."

"Deed of land!"

In front of the long-burning lamps, Jiyuan Zhenren finally turned around and spoke. (First update of the day, please support with recommendations. New readers, please click to add to your bookshelf and collect. If you have any thoughts, feel free to post in the review section. Although I may be busy writing and unable to reply, I will read most of them.)