Clear Mind State

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On the stage, Lu Yuling's white dress resembled snow, fluttering gently under the breeze, and her entire person exuded a detached and icy aura, like a lonely moon in the sky or a snow lotus on the peak of an icy mountain.

Before her, Ling Wufeng stood tall and straight. Though only around fourteen or fifteen years old, Ling Wufeng's figure appeared more slender than ordinary people's, and a pair of white hands were enough to make most women envious. Between his fingers, a glistening flying dagger spun flexibly, his fingers and the flying dagger dancing in unison.

Zhuge Xiang looked earnestly at Lu Yuling. Because of his recently breakthrough in cultivation, the consumption of Qi Energy was not particularly large. Having two duels to let him rest, with his current 130 points of MP, he had only lost less than 20 points, which would soon recover on its own. For Zhuge Xiang, the most important thing right now was still to observe Lu Yuling; what methods did she actually possess? This Lu Yuling, who was called one of the most dazzling top geniuses, had performed quite well up to this point, but it was conventional and steady. Zhuge Xiang had a hunch that she seemed to be hiding something.

The cultivation of the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer was decent, but there were a full twelve people in this generation who had reached this level. Her Clear Wave Palm being at the Proficient Level was also decent, but which of those disciples at the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer had not practiced their own martial arts to this realm? Walking all the way here, Lu Yuling had no particularly brilliant points, and upon careful thought, she did not seem to have a status particularly stronger than others, yet why could she walk to this step? What she relied on seemed to be purely combat experience and methods. Could it be? Was Lu Yuling truly only at the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer and the Proficient Level of the Clear Wave Palm, and nothing more?

"Lu Yuling, your great name is like thunder piercing the ear, the disciple of this generation who first comprehended Qi Energy." As glistening flying daggers continually fluttered and flashed, Ling Wufeng stared earnestly at Lu Yuling and spoke.

"You are not bad either. It seems only about ten days after me, you and Lei Potian and a few others successively began to comprehend Qi Energy, right?" Reaching into his robes, Lu Yuling remained detached and icy.

While speaking, Lu Yuling pulled a small ball of silk thread from her robes, which was precisely the silk thread that had all along assisted her Clear Wave Palm. Used occasionally, it amounted to just a few strands, and this was the first time Zhuge Xiang saw her pull out all the silk thread.

The silk threads fluttered as if they possessed spiritual intelligence, and within a mere moment, these silk threads actually transformed into a glove. A glove as thin as cicada wings, Lu Yuling slowly wore it on her right hand, looking quite striking. However, clearly this glove could not possibly be just for looks alone.

"Three months ago in the Endless Mountain Range, I accidentally obtained a Mind Blade Secret Manual. With my mind guiding the flying daggers, not a single one misses its target. Through bitter cultivation, I have reached the Proficient Level. The martial art I cultivate within the sect is the Bone Softening Palm, and they complement each other. You had better be careful." Staring earnestly at Lu Yuling, Ling Wufeng spoke indifferently.

"Bone Softening Palm? So Ling Wufeng himself cultivates the Bone Softening Palm within the sect? Guiding flying daggers with the mind? And there is such miraculous flying daggers? No wonder nobody could block them." Following Ling Wufeng's words, the people below instantly broke into discussion.

Ling Wufeng was strong with a unfathomable mystery. If he hadn't taken the initiative to speak out today, others truly wouldn't have known that his flying daggers were actually guided by the mind, nor did they know that what he cultivated within the sect was the Bone Softening Palm.

"Uh, what kind of situation is this? Before a duel, stating one's own situation first? Could this possibly be the advantage of beauties?" Hearing Ling Wufeng's words, Zhuge Xiang below couldn't whether to laugh or cry. Looking at Ling Wufeng's demeanor, he didn't seem like the kind of blockhead; viewed this way, it seemed it could only be explained by Lu Yuling's charm.

Frowning slightly, Lu Yuling clearly had not expected Ling Wufeng to expose his own strength. Such a gesture of goodwill was something Lu Yuling could not accept. Silent for a moment, she spoke with a detached chill: "My cultivation is likewise at the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer, and what I cultivate within the sect is the Clear Wave Palm, already reaching the Proficient Level. In addition, during an adventure in the Endless Mountain Range, I accidentally obtained an Ice Heart Art cultivation method, which I have practiced ever since, and I collected Ice Silk to weave a pair of gloves, which are indestructible."

"Ice Heart Art cultivation method?" Zhuge Xiang was slightly startled. Cultivation methods and martial arts were different concepts. Martial arts were merely pure skills driven by Qi Energy, but cultivation methods were different; those were Qi-refining methods, and with special cultivation methods, the Qi Energy produced also differed.

Although the Martial Arts Pavilion had Qi-refining methods for the Qi Cultivation Realm, those were merely the most basic ones, and the Qi Energy produced had no special traits. Of course, when subsequently choosing other cultivation methods, the exclusiveness would also be smaller.

Various cultivation methods had completely different effects and attributes. The Qi Energy produced by some cultivation methods carried an icy aura, some were fiery, and some were violent. He had not expected that Lu Yuling had actually obtained a cultivation method, only he didn't know what effect her Ice Heart Art had.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yuling would also expose her own strength. Ling Wufeng was slightly startled, then nodded and said no more, his expression remaining cold and grim. Raising his hand, a flying dagger flashed and vanished in a flash—Ling Wufeng finally made his move.

With ghostly and unfathomable flying daggers, all the way here he had repelled enemies with a single blade every time, never using a second blade. How would it be now facing Lu Yuling?

A white palm, the right palm with which Lu Yuling wore the Ice Silkworm Silk Gloves, rose up at some unknown moment, and in her hand, she shockingly grasped a flying dagger.

Ghostly and unfathomable flying daggers—nobody saw how it was shot out, yet Lu Yuling actually grabbed it?

Zhuge Xiang's gaze flashed in the audience. Lu Yuling caught Ling Wufeng's flying dagger, which allowed him to see some clues. Just now, Zhuge Xiang had barely seen the trajectory of Ling Wufeng's flying dagger shooting out, but Lu Yuling's reaction was fast, fast to an unusual degree. Just as Ling Wufeng's flying dagger had barely left his hand, Lu Yuling's palm had already risen, and afterwards the flying dagger fell into her hand, as if it had actively flown into her palm.

"Is it a coincidence? This simply cannot be explained by fast reactions." Zhuge Xiang stared earnestly at Lu Yuling, muttering inwardly.

"Caught? Ling Wufeng's flying dagger was caught?" All along, Ling Wufeng had repelled enemies with a single blade and never used a second one; his flying dagger was blocked by someone for the very first time, and furthermore caught in Lu Yuling's hand.

Frowning, Ling Wufeng clearly had not expected his flying dagger to be caught, but his reaction was fast. At some unknown moment, both his left and right hands each wielded a flying dagger. Waving both hands, two flying daggers shot out fiercely.

One resembled a fiercely shot sharp arrow, shooting straight ahead, while the other rotated at high speed, tracing a graceful arc to appear behind Lu Yuling. The miraculous flying daggers actually pincered Lu Yuling from front and back. Against such swift and unfathomable pincer-attacking flying daggers, Zhuge Xiang reckoned that aside from Explosive Steps, he simply couldn't dodge, but Explosive Steps required a 10-second cooldown time...

Clang...

With a crisp sound, the flying dagger shooting straight ahead was once again caught by Lu Yuling using the Ice Silkworm Silk Gloves. As for the flying dagger from behind, Lu Yuling didn't even turn her head; the flying dagger she had caught earlier landed in her left hand, and with a backhand movement behind her back, she precisely blocked it.

"Four blades fired simultaneously." Frowning, Ling Wufeng flashed two flying daggers in each of his hands, clamped between his fingers, and flicked them out. The four flying daggers collided in mid-air, then changed direction, shooting toward Lu Yuling from four blind spots.

With the hem of her skirt flying, Lu Yuling's body leaped slightly, twisting her waist in mid-air with an exquisite posture. Two flying daggers grazed past her clothing, while simultaneously she held a flying dagger in each hand, blocking the remaining two flying daggers away as well.

Four flying daggers, ghostly and unfathomable, and after colliding in mid-air they changed direction, making it even more catch-guard off-guard. With such methods, he believed even Lei Potian would be hard-pressed to cope, yet Lu Yuling had actually prepared her evasive posture long in advance.

"Is this her ability? Prejudgment?" Zhuge Xiang's brow wrinkled slightly, Lu Yuling's performance making him feel pressure. This bizarre prejudgment ability was difficult for even Zhuge Xiang to explain.

Four flying daggers shot forth, yet Lu Yuling had long since prepared her evasive posture. If not for seeing Ling Wufeng's earnest expression, Zhuge Xiang would have even thought the two of them were acting out a play. Lu Yuling made her dodging movements first, and then Ling Wufeng's flying daggers happened to graze past Lu Yuling's body. After all, the two of them attacking and dodging almost synchronously truly could not be explained by agile reactions.

Lotus steps shifted lightly, skirts dancing, dodging or blocking. Although Ling Wufeng's flying daggers were swift, Lu Yuling was like a butterfly threading through flowers, her body brushing past those flying daggers. In less than a moment, Ling Wufeng had already shot out a dozen flying daggers without hitting the target a single time, while Lu Yuling had already closed in on him.

Bitterly smiling, Ling Wufeng spoke, "My flying daggers are exhausted, I admit defeat."

Lu Yuling, who was just preparing to unfold her Clear Wave Palm, naturally stopped upon hearing Ling Wufeng admit defeat. Ling Wufeng's flying daggers hadn't succeeded a single time, making this duel seem like Lu Yuling's solo performance.

"I want to know, how on earth did you dodge my flying daggers?" Watching Lu Yuling turn to leave, Ling Wufeng found it truly unbearable that his mind-guided flying daggers hadn't hit a single time, and couldn't help asking.

Lu Yuling's body paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and coldly spoke: "The Ice Heart Art allows me to reach the Clear Mind State. I saw through the trajectory of your flying daggers."

"Clear Mind State? So that's how it is." Regarding Lu Yuling's departure, Ling Wufeng didn't watch, his face only carrying an expression of admiration.

The Clear Mind State was a state similar to forgetting both oneself and the external world. The human five senses, including thoughts and so forth, all consumed mental effort. If one could concentrate all of one's mind onto a certain point, during combat one could insightfully perceive the opponent's attacks.

Although from Lu Yuling's meaning it seemed she could only reach the Clear Mind State because of the Ice Heart Art, it unquestionably involved her bitter cultivation. Cultivation was easy to attain, but the mind was difficult to cultivate. As for cultivation realm, one only needed to put in effort and could always improve, but this sort of mental aspect was not something that succeeded just by working hard; what it needed most was comprehension ability. Precisely because of this, Ling Wufeng held deep admiration for Lu Yuling, deeming her truly worthy of being the person among this generation of disciples who first comprehended Qi Energy.