Chapter 16

In the early morning, sunlight filtered through the wooden window into the room, carrying a touch of the unique chill of dawn, yet it brought warmth and hope.

The first thing Tang Tian did after getting up was to write a letter to Chiharu.

"Chiharu: I've recently made a friend named Amori. He's a very interesting person. Although he looks ugly and fierce, he's actually a very kind person. He's a chatterbox, not very smart, and even dumber than me. Sometimes he's a bit annoying and often bothers me, so I call him 'Fly Cow.' His ideal is to pursue his own martial path. I'm a bit worried about his intelligence, but I will help him because he said I'm a god-like man. Hmm, I think this nickname really suits me. Chiharu, I have some good news to tell you. I've started practicing the second-level martial technique. I just went through a very intense ten-day training, which was quite difficult, but for a god-like man, all training is a piece of cake. I completed it very easily, but I won't be arrogant. My time is limited, and I can't waste it. The new principal, although he looks a bit perverted, is actually a good person. He gave me a silver heart method soul card, and it's even an ancient soul card. I will soon go to the Perseus constellation to find you. You have to take me to eat the Golden Coconut..."

Tang Tian wrote each stroke with focused attention.

He was pouring his heart out, telling her about his life.

When Chiharu receives this letter, she will surely become even stronger!

He must make up for the five years of lost time, work hard, and find Chiharu, and the Heavenly Path.

Carefully sealing the letter, Tang Tian, having completed the most important task, felt free from worries and decided to start practicing the Crane Qi Technique. The silver card and the ancient soul card, either one alone, were of great value, and together, even Tang Tian, who had little business acumen, could sense its exorbitant price.

He carefully took out the silver card and injected true energy into it.

The soul card suddenly burst with light, and the room was filled with dazzling silver light. A clear crane cry echoed in Tang Tian's heart.

Tang Tian's mind trembled, and the clear crane cry seemed to contain something.

The silver light in the air turned into a light arrow and entered Tang Tian's body.

Tang Tian's palm felt warm, and the light arrow seemed to be attracted to his palm.

Indeed... the South Cross training card...

Tang Tian approached the light door, and sure enough, a crane spreading its wings was vividly depicted on the door. The crane's eyes were sharp like arrows, its claws were like steel, its body was elegant, and its beak was sharp.

"It seems a bit intimidating," Tang Tian muttered.

He passed through the crane on the light door, and as he crossed the door, his body trembled, and the crane on the door shattered.

A strange feeling filled his body, and a force suddenly arose in Tang Tian's fully formed second-level dantian pool.

The wall of perfection shattered instantly.

Above the dantian pool, a powerful suction force emerged, and the true energy in the dantian pool turned into a fine stream, rising against the current. In a blink, a new dantian pool formed above the second-level dantian pool.

The new dantian pool had a capacity several times larger than the lower one. If the second-level dantian pool was like a small teacup, the third-level dantian pool was like a small basin.

The edges of the third-level dantian pool were connected to countless fine meridians, which were the routes for the third-level heart method. The meridians involved in each level of the heart method were different.

At this moment, with the soul card attached, the various techniques of the Crane Qi Technique rapidly flowed through Tang Tian's mind. He moved his heart, and began to activate the Crane Qi Technique.

Only then did Tang Tian understand why Old Wei said the Crane Qi Technique was difficult to practice.

The route of the Crane Qi Technique was incredibly complex. Compared to the Crane Qi Technique, the Qi Cultivation Technique was as simple as a blank sheet of paper.

Tang Tian couldn't help but marvel at the ancient martial artists' prowess. Such a complex thing made him feel dizzy.

However, since he had already boasted, Tang Tian gritted his teeth and began to cautiously activate the true energy according to the route of the Qi Cultivation Technique.

The complex route made Tang Tian's head spin.

He stared at the route, lost in thought, and suddenly exclaimed, as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Isn't this just the shape of a crane?"

The more he looked, the more it seemed like it. Ah, I am indeed a genius, able to see through the essence at a glance.

Tang Tian's spirit was greatly invigorated. He practiced the heart method back and forth several times, becoming increasingly convinced that the route of the Crane Qi Technique precisely outlined the shape of a crane.

No wonder it felt so complex. That Crane Immortal must have been bored out of his mind to come up with such a bizarre route.

The decline of the Crane Sect was well-deserved!

If he hadn't recognized it, such a complex heart method would have been a death sentence.

Tang Tian was quite dismissive of the Crane Immortal. In his view, the simplest things were the best. Tang Tian had guessed part of it right; the complexity of the Crane Sect's heart method was indeed a significant reason for its decline.

Now that he had discovered the "secret" of the Crane Qi Technique, it was no longer a problem for Tang Tian. After a few attempts, he memorized the heart method route.

The third-level dantian pool gradually stabilized, and Tang Tian persisted in practicing the Crane Qi Technique. This training lasted for two hours before the dantian pool was refilled.

Entering the third level, the surge of true energy made Tang Tian feel invincible, more powerful than ever before.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed a line of text behind the light door.

"First round of training completed, completion level good, second round of training activated, duration ten days."

Tang Tian was pleasantly surprised. Indeed, good things come one after another. Since the last training, he hadn't come here, and he didn't expect there to be a second round of training.

It seems I did a good job!

However, Tang Tian didn't immediately start the training. The last training had left him with lingering fear. Continuous intense training was a form of torture. He barely remembered how he had managed to get through it, but the training was truly terrifying.

Even a god-like youth couldn't handle it.

When the corner of Tang Tian's eye caught a line of text, his whole body stiffened.

"...You have no time to waste..."

Tang Tian stood up, and the hesitation on his face vanished, replaced by determination and resolve. Yes, he had no time to waste. If he couldn't endure this pain, what kind of dreams could he talk about?

He thought of Chiharu, their agreement, and the vows he had made.

The simple-minded Tang Tian immediately felt reinvigorated, full of fighting spirit.

"Wow, Tang Tian is fearless! Charge, charge, charge!"

Tang Tian raised his arms high, shouting like a hero.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

"Do you know why you are always suppressed by Tang Tian?" Old Wei, holding a broken sword, looked unusually serious.

Amori immediately perked up. "Why, why?"

He also found it strange. Whenever he faced Tang Tian, he was always suppressed, and he couldn't figure out why.

"You are too fixated on meaningless things. For example, last time, why did you fight bare-handed? Your main focus is on the sword, yet you fought Tang Tian bare-handed. Don't you think that's wrong?" Old Wei squinted his eyes.

"It does seem so," Amori said, deep in thought.

"This shows that you don't take Tang Tian seriously enough," Old Wei said pointedly. "I heard Liang Qiu is your goal. Would you fight Liang Qiu bare-handed?"

Amori pictured the oppressive figure of Liang Qiu and shook his head without hesitation. "No."

"Exactly. You need to learn to give your all to every opponent. This is the respect a martial artist should receive. You shouldn't be like this. Moreover, although your talent is stronger than Tang Tian's, you lack his determination," Old Wei said.

"Determination?" Amori murmured.

"Exactly, determination," Old Wei said, squinting his eyes. "If Tang Tian had a goal like Liang Qiu, he would charge forward without hesitation. If he were defeated, he would come back after a few days, and if he failed again, he would come back again. He would fight until he won."

Amori was silent, and he had a deeper understanding of Tang Tian's determination.

Indeed, although he admired Tang Tian's fundamentals, he didn't take him seriously enough. Without Tang Tian's determination, he would naturally be suppressed.

"Tang Tian's greatest strength is his fearlessness. He seems to be born without knowing fear. You can't do that. Fear is not shameful; it's a human instinct. But to become stronger, you must overcome it," Old Wei said, his tone unusually stern. At this moment, he looked nothing like his usual sloppy self, like a mad sword out of its sheath.

"Your talent is outstanding, and your character is simple, making you very suitable for sword techniques. This is why I value you. You are more suitable for sword techniques than Tang Tian, who is a natural expert in hand-to-hand combat," Old Wei said solemnly. "I know you are determined to create your own martial path, a great ideal. Many people will mock you for being overambitious, but in my view, this dream is great. Those who mock you are people without ideals. They are cowardly, standing on a low hill, looking at the distant mountain peak, without the courage to even think about it."

Amori's eyes instantly reddened, and his fists clenched tightly. For the first time, he felt so understood.

"All great dreams sound ridiculous, and all great paths are destined to be bumpy. So what? The only way to avoid being tripped by stones on the road is to stay in one place. In this world, there is no smooth path. Life is destined to be difficult. Without dreams, life would be bleak."

"We are the same kind of people, Amori. I had the same dream when I was young. I didn't achieve it, and that's not regrettable. What's regrettable is that I am old and can't move anymore. Amori, I hope you can go further than I did. I hope you can achieve this great dream, which is also my dream."

"I will pour all my knowledge into you. I don't care if you carry on this school. I only hope you can avoid some detours. This great dream, this path destined to be full of hardships and difficulties, I have only walked a small part of it. I can only provide you with this small amount of help."

Old Wei seemed like a different person, standing tall with his sword, his aura fierce and indomitable, his white hair flying wildly in the air.

"Earth Mad Sword, Amori, are you willing to learn?"