Eidetic Memory

"Demon subduing, demon subduing—what is subdued is not only external demons, but Inner Demons as well... The so-called seven emotions and six desires of man are all demonic poison. Fear, too, is itself an Inner Demon. Living in an environment fraught with danger requires constant vigilance toward the outside world, and that vigilance is rooted in fear. Over time, one may seem to grow accustomed to remaining alert, but in truth, one is controlled by the Inner Demon, with the mind stretched taut and ceaselessly draining itself. Naturally, it can never grow stronger."

"And by holding to the 'Lin' mantra, both body and mind become settled, ten thousand demons scatter, and one's thoughts turn without rest or sleep. There is naturally no need to fear external things. It is equivalent to eliminating one Inner Demon, and over time, the power of the soul will naturally grow stronger."

These thoughts flashed through Wu Ming's mind. He then let out a long breath and slowly rose to his feet.

His body's Qi and Blood had yet to fully recover, but his ability to move was largely unaffected. It was time to make another trip to the martial academy. He wanted to look through those Martial Path texts again and see whether he could find anything concerning spiritual will.

Seven Martial Alliance.

Behind the martial academy, before a secluded little courtyard.

Hong Jiu was still dressed in that black cloth jacket, reclining leisurely in a grand chair.

"Old Hong."

Wu Ming arrived before the courtyard and saw Hong Jiu resting with his eyes closed. Rather than simply passing by, he respectfully bowed as usual and offered a quiet greeting. Only after finishing did he prepare to turn and enter the rear courtyard.

"Wait."

But just then, Hong Jiu, whose eyes had been slightly narrowed, suddenly opened them.

He looked Wu Ming up and down, his brows knitting slightly as he said,

"Why is your Blood Qi so unstable?"

Others might not have noticed the change in Wu Ming, but Hong Jiu could naturally see it at a glance. Wu Ming appeared unharmed on the surface, yet the Qi and Blood within him had been depleted. Qi and Blood were exceedingly important to martial artists, especially young men like Wu Ming.

Those who wished to pursue advancement on the Martial Path generally had to restrain their desires during this period and could not indulge themselves freely. After all, the younger one was, the more easily one's Qi and Blood could grow strong. Once that period had passed, further progress would become extremely difficult.

Why could aptitude determine a person's upper limit?

It was because those with high aptitude, when nurtured with all manner of resources, could reach the threshold of Third Blood Forging in only a few short years. Then, while they were still young and their Qi and Blood was vigorous, they would have several chances to break through to Third Blood Forging.

But if one indulged wantonly in the process and caused one's Qi and Blood to languish for long periods, one would be severing one's future hopes bit by bit. Wu Ming's aptitude was already merely average, and he had only the slimmest chance of reaching Third Blood Forging.

Had it been anyone else in the martial academy, Hong Jiu would not have bothered. But Wu Ming had received his guidance, and he had never once been lax in his manners. Seeing Wu Ming's Blood Qi so unstable, as though he had overindulged himself, naturally made Hong Jiu somewhat displeased.

"Reporting to Old Hong, it was like this..."

Since Hong Jiu had taken the initiative to ask, Wu Ming briefly recounted what had happened earlier. He omitted the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram and the matter of refining Blood Qi, saying only that, like Hu Yong and the others, he had injured his Qi and Blood while fighting off evil spirits.

Hong Jiu had also heard of the disturbances caused in the city by evil spirits and ghosts during the recent time of extreme yin. Hearing Wu Ming's answer, he immediately understood. He nodded and said, "Mm. If that is the case, then it is nothing serious. From the look of you, you should have taken some medicinal powder to nourish yourself. You are recovering quite well."

Seeing that Wu Ming had not damaged his Qi and Blood through wanton indulgence, Hong Jiu's mood eased. The harm from indulgence accumulated over time, while harm caused by evil spirits was only temporary. With nourishing medicinal powder, recovery would come in a few days, and the impact would not be great.

Moreover,

Fighting evil spirits was, in fact, somewhat beneficial for young people like Wu Ming.

Evil spirits were terrifying, but the more martial artists faced danger, the more easily they could awaken the potential buried deep within their bodies. Many martial artists only achieved breakthroughs amid life-and-death crises and countless trials. Someone like Wu Ming, whose aptitude was not particularly high, had to endure all manner of tempering and hardship if he wished to advance on the Martial Path.

Seeing Hong Jiu's attitude soften, Wu Ming's thoughts turned. He casually said, "That evil spirit was indeed difficult to deal with. Blades and swords could scarcely harm it; only pure yang Qi and Blood could barely restrain it. Aside from pure yang Qi and Blood, is there any other way to deal with such evil spirits and Demons?"

Hong Jiu glanced at Wu Ming and said flatly, "Pure yang Qi and Blood makes all evils retreat. The thing that best restrains evil spirits and Demonic Beasts in this world is the pure yang Martial Path. Master your martial arts, and you will have no need to fear those evil spirits."

"The Martial Path reigns supreme and can break ten thousand methods. As for everything else, they are merely crooked side paths, not worth mentioning."

Having said that,

Hong Jiu casually waved his hand, signaling that Wu Ming could leave. His words were filled with reverence for the Martial Path and disdain for all other crooked side paths.

Wu Ming could only bow respectfully, then turn and take his leave.

Other than the Martial Path, everything in this world is a crooked side path?

That may not be so.

Wu Ming shook his head inwardly.

The Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram in his mind was absolutely not a weapon of the Martial Path, but a supreme treasure that fostered Daoist arts. The Black Emperor depicted upon it stood with the sun, moon, and river of stars beneath his feet—how could he belong to the mortal world?

Especially that secret art of the 'Lin' true mantra. To Wu Ming, it seemed infinitely profound and mysterious, far surpassing the martial spear techniques he practiced.

Perhaps,

Martial Path cultivation, once powerful enough, truly could crush everything beneath it and break all methods. But the inheritance evolved from the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram was certainly not as worthless as Hong Jiu had claimed. At the very least, among the Martial Path cultivation methods Wu Ming had encountered thus far, none contained mysteries that could compare with the Demon Subduing Diagram.

And judging from Hong Jiu's tone, methods that ran parallel to the Martial Path did indeed exist in this world. They simply were not spread among ordinary people, who knew nothing of them.

Like Chen Gui. As the son of a wealthy household, Wu Ming had previously tested the waters indirectly, yet Chen Gui likewise knew nothing about cultivation on the level of the soul.

He stepped into the rear courtyard.

Wu Ming entered the room where the Martial Path manuals were stored.

He had already completely mastered the Falling Leaf Spear Technique. Now, with his powerful perception and fine-grained control, he could wield it with smooth and consummate ease. It would not be an exaggeration to say he had reached the level of mastery.

Even a martial artist at the mastery level would be unable to gain the slightest advantage over him in terms of techniques. They would inevitably fall short of him.

Wu Ming had naturally not come this time to read the Falling Leaf Spear Technique again. He intended to examine all the other spear techniques as well, hoping to comprehend the essence of spear techniques from them and glimpse the realm of Unity of Skill and Art.

Very soon,

Wu Ming had flipped through each of the remaining spear manuals.

After his soul had grown stronger once more, he discovered that aside from his spiritual perception improving further, his memory had also risen dramatically. He had truly gained the ability to remember everything at a glance.

Even complicated manuals and diagrams needed only a single glance for every detail to be imprinted in his mind, without the slightest omission.

"With my current perception and memory, perhaps... I could go to North Street and find some crooked side path to earn a little silver?"

Wu Ming pondered inwardly.

North Street was the place of pleasure in this part of the city. It was home to pleasure houses where one could listen to songs, as well as gambling dens and all manner of entertainments.

Chen Gui had taken him to North Street once before, but for the sake of his Martial Path cultivation, so that his Qi and Blood would not be harmed, Wu Ming had not gone inside.