Clear Mind State

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On the stage, Lu Yuling's white dress was like snow, gently fluttering in the breeze. Her entire being exuded a cold, aloof aura, like a lone moon in the sky or a snow lotus atop an icy peak.

Before her, Ling Wufeng stood tall and straight. Though only fourteen or fifteen years old, his build was noticeably slenderer than most. His fair hands would make most women envious, and between his fingers, a gleaming flying dagger spun nimbly, his fingers dancing in sync with the blade.

Zhuge Xiang watched Lu Yuling intently. Since he had just broken through to a new realm, his Qi Energy consumption hadn't been too severe. With two matches to rest, his current 130 MP had only lost less than 20 points, which would recover quickly on its own. For Zhuge Xiang, the main focus now was observing Lu Yuling—what tricks did she really have? This so-called one of the most dazzling top talents, Lu Yuling, had performed decently so far, but nothing extraordinary. Zhuge Xiang had a gut feeling she was hiding something.

A Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer cultivation was impressive, but there were twelve people at this level in this batch. Her Clear Wave Palm had reached the Proficient Level, which was also good, but which of those Third Layer disciples hadn't trained their martial arts to that stage? Throughout her journey, Lu Yuling hadn't particularly stood out. And thinking carefully, she didn't seem to have any special advantage over others, so how had she made it this far? It seemed to rely purely on combat experience and tactics. Could it be that Lu Yuling was really just Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer and Proficient Level Clear Wave Palm, nothing more?

"Lu Yuling, your reputation precedes you—the first disciple in this batch to comprehend Qi Energy," Ling Wufeng said, his gleaming flying daggers flashing continuously as he stared at her seriously.

"You're not bad either. About ten days after me, you and Lei Potian and the others started comprehending Qi Energy, right?" Lu Yuling reached into her bosom, her tone still cold.

As she spoke, Lu Yuling pulled out a small bundle of silk thread from her chest. This was the thread that had always aided her Clear Wave Palm, used occasionally in just a few strands. Zhuge Xiang had never seen her pull out all the thread at once.

The silk threads flew about as if alive, and in moments, they formed a glove—a glove as thin as a cicada's wing. Lu Yuling slowly slipped it onto her right hand. It looked beautiful, but clearly, this glove wasn't just for show.

"Three months ago, I stumbled upon a Mind Blade Secret Manual in the Endless Mountain Range. My mind guides the flying dagger, and it never misses. After hard training, I've reached the Proficient Level. In the sect, I practice the Bone Softening Palm, and the two complement each other. You'd better be careful," Ling Wufeng said seriously, staring at Lu Yuling.

"Bone Softening Palm? So Ling Wufeng's sect training is the Bone Softening Palm, and he guides his flying daggers with his mind? Such a miraculous flying dagger technique? No wonder no one could block it," the crowd below buzzed with discussion as Ling Wufeng spoke.

Ling Wufeng was mysteriously strong. If he hadn't revealed it himself today, no one would have known his flying daggers were guided by his mind, or that he practiced the Bone Softening Palm in the sect.

"Seriously? Before a duel, he just blurts out his own abilities? Is this the advantage of being beautiful?" Zhuge Xiang found it both amusing and baffling. Ling Wufeng didn't seem like such a simpleton, so the only explanation was Lu Yuling's charm.

Frowning slightly, Lu Yuling clearly hadn't expected Ling Wufeng to reveal his strength. She couldn't accept this gesture of goodwill. After a moment of silence, she spoke coldly: "My cultivation is also at Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer. In the sect, I practice Clear Wave Palm, which has reached the Proficient Level. Additionally, during my adventures in the Endless Mountain Range, I obtained a manual called the Ice Heart Art, which I've been cultivating. I also gathered Ice Silkworm Silk and wove this glove—indestructible."

"The Ice Heart Art?" Zhuge Xiang was taken aback. Techniques and martial arts were different concepts. Martial arts were mere skills, driven by Qi Energy, but techniques were methods of Qi cultivation. Special techniques produced Qi Energy with distinct properties.

Though the Martial Arts Pavilion had basic Qi cultivation methods for the Qi Cultivation Realm, they were the most fundamental, producing Qi Energy with no special traits. Of course, this made it easier to switch to other techniques later without conflict.

Various techniques had different effects and attributes. Some produced cold Qi Energy, some fiery, some violent. He hadn't expected Lu Yuling to have obtained a technique. He wondered what effect this Ice Heart Art had.

Ling Wufeng was also surprised that Lu Yuling had revealed her strength. He nodded and fell silent, his face still cold. Raising his hand, a flying dagger flashed and vanished—Ling Wufeng had finally made his move.

His flying daggers were unpredictable. Throughout his matches, he had always repelled enemies with one blade, never needing a second. How would it go against Lu Yuling now?

Lu Yuling's fair hand, wearing the Ice Silkworm Silk Glove, had somehow already risen. In her grasp, she held a flying dagger.

The unpredictable flying dagger—no one had seen how it was thrown—but Lu Yuling had caught it?

Zhuge Xiang's eyes narrowed from below. Lu Yuling had caught Ling Wufeng's flying dagger, revealing something to him. He had barely tracked the dagger's trajectory, but Lu Yuling's reaction was incredibly fast, unnaturally so. The moment Ling Wufeng released the dagger, her hand was already raised, and the dagger landed in her palm as if flying into it on its own.

"Was that a coincidence? That can't be explained by fast reflexes alone," Zhuge Xiang muttered to himself, staring intently at Lu Yuling.

"Caught? Ling Wufeng's flying dagger was caught?" The one-blade-repels-enemy Ling Wufeng, who had never needed a second strike, had his flying dagger blocked for the first time—and caught in Lu Yuling's hand.

Frowning, Ling Wufeng clearly hadn't expected his dagger to be caught. But he reacted quickly. Somehow, he now held a dagger in each hand. With a sweep of both arms, two daggers shot out.

One flew straight like an arrow, while the other spun rapidly, arcing gracefully to appear behind Lu Yuling. The miraculous daggers attacked from front and back simultaneously. Zhuge Xiang felt that aside from his Explosive Steps, he couldn't dodge this, but Explosive Steps had a 10-second cooldown...

Clang...

With a crisp sound, Lu Yuling caught the oncoming dagger with her Ice Silkworm Silk Glove. Without even turning her head, she used the dagger she had just caught in her left hand to block the one from behind.

"Four daggers at once," Ling Wufeng frowned, producing two daggers in each hand. He flicked them out, and the four daggers collided mid-air, changing direction to strike Lu Yuling from four blind spots.

Her skirt fluttering, Lu Yuling leaped lightly, twisting her waist mid-air in a graceful motion. Two daggers grazed past her clothes, while she used the daggers in each hand to deflect the remaining two.

Four unpredictable daggers, colliding mid-air to change direction—this would catch anyone off guard. Even Lei Potian would struggle to handle such a move. Yet Lu Yuling had already assumed a dodging posture in advance.

"Is this her ability? Prediction?" Zhuge Xiang's brow furrowed. Lu Yuling's performance put pressure on him. This eerie predictive ability was hard to explain.

Four daggers shot out, but Lu Yuling had already positioned herself to dodge. If Zhuge Xiang hadn't seen Ling Wufeng's serious expression, he would have thought they were putting on a show. Lu Yuling dodged first, and then Ling Wufeng's daggers just barely missed her—the near-simultaneous attack and evasion couldn't be explained by quick reflexes alone.

With light steps and flowing skirts, Lu Yuling either dodged or blocked. Though Ling Wufeng's daggers were swift, she moved like a butterfly through flowers, her body brushing past the blades. In moments, Ling Wufeng had thrown over a dozen daggers without a single hit, while Lu Yuling had closed in on him.

With a wry smile, Ling Wufeng said, "My daggers are spent. I concede."

Just as Lu Yuling was about to unleash her Clear Wave Palm, she stopped upon hearing his surrender. Ling Wufeng's daggers hadn't landed a single blow, making the duel seem like a solo performance by Lu Yuling.

"I need to know—how did you dodge my flying daggers?" Ling Wufeng couldn't bear the thought that his mind-guided daggers had missed entirely, so he asked as Lu Yuling turned to leave.

Lu Yuling paused briefly, hesitated, then said coldly: "The Ice Heart Art lets me reach a Clear Mind State. I saw through the trajectory of your daggers."

"Clear Mind State? I see." Ling Wufeng didn't watch her leave, his face filled with admiration.

The Clear Mind State was a state akin to forgetting oneself and the world. The five senses, including thoughts, all consumed mental energy. By focusing all one's mind on a single point during battle, one could see through an opponent's attacks.

Though Lu Yuling implied the Ice Heart Art enabled this Clear Mind State, it must have required intense training. Cultivation was easy to gain, but mental focus was hard to train. Cultivation only required effort to improve, but mental focus wasn't something you could achieve through effort alone—it demanded insight. That was why Ling Wufeng admired Lu Yuling. She truly deserved to be the first in this batch to comprehend Qi Energy.