Li Xuan had never imagined that Xu Yan would ask such a question.
All he could say was that Xu Yan truly lived up to someone who could successfully cultivate a fabricated martial art. Both his train of thought and the things he focused on were far beyond ordinary people.
But this question could not stump him!
At once, he looked at Xu Yan with a gratified gaze, his face filled with satisfaction toward his disciple.
"Disciple, the fact that you can ask this question at this time shows that your comprehension is not bad. You have already caught your first glimpse of the path to the Dragon Subduing Palm.
"There is a saying: use poison to attack poison. Have you heard of it, disciple?
"The Dragon Subduing Palm is the same. Use a dragon to subdue a dragon.
"The dragon is the supreme divine beast, born with divine abilities. How could it be easy to subdue?
"And the Dragon Subduing Palm uses a dragon to subdue a dragon. It subdues not only the dragon's body, but also the dragon's heart. It attacks both its body and its will!"
Li Xuan began spouting nonsense on the spot.
"Subdue the dragon's body, and subdue the dragon's heart as well; attack both its body and its will?"
Xu Yan was deeply shaken inside. He only felt that the Dragon Subduing Palm was truly profound and unfathomable.
Although he had not understood how to subdue both body and heart, or how to attack both body and will, that did not diminish his shock at the Dragon Subduing Palm in the slightest.
He was tremendously exhilarated. I must master the Dragon Subduing Palm. If I ever encounter a true dragon one day, I'll use this palm to subdue it!
"Master, I understand. I will definitely master the Dragon Subduing Palm. I will definitely comprehend its true meaning!"
Xu Yan spoke with a resolute gaze.
"Mm, this master believes in you!"
Li Xuan was greatly gratified.
"Disciple, make sure you remember the Dragon Subduing Palm formula. This is where the true meaning of the Dragon Subduing Palm lies. If you can comprehend one or two parts of it, the Dragon Subduing Palm will reach the entry level. If you comprehend its true meaning, then it will become a divine martial art."
For the sake of this Dragon Subduing Palm, Li Xuan had racked his brains and made up the formula.
As for whether it would work, that would depend on Xu Yan himself.
"This disciple will engrave it in his heart!"
Xu Yan spoke respectfully.
"Listen carefully."
Li Xuan straightened his expression and said, "The dragon possesses divine abilities and changes according to circumstances; its movements awe the world, and its fury startles Heaven and Earth; enraged, it summons wind and thunder, and in hiding, it leaves no trace; it strikes across ten thousand miles, supremely yang and supremely hard, with nothing it cannot shatter; it twists and turns, soft as water, ever-changing and unfathomable, following its heart whether it advances or retreats."
Xu Yan murmured the words once, his eyes filled with thought. A flash of inspiration seemed to flicker through his mind, and vaguely, he felt that he had comprehended something.
Yet he could not quite grasp it.
"Come along with me."
With his hands behind his back, Li Xuan walked toward the flat area where the Bagua had been drawn.
"Yes, Master!"
Xu Yan respectfully followed behind him.
"Do you see it? This is the Bagua!"
Li Xuan pointed at the Bagua diagram on the ground.
"Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui..."
Li Xuan explained to Xu Yan, one by one, everything he could remember about the Bagua. At the same time, he also elaborated on some theories he had fabricated himself—ideas that sounded rather profound and powerful.
"The profound changes of the Bagua are endless. How much you can understand and comprehend will all depend on yourself... Movement techniques, footwork, and the like can all be comprehended from the Bagua."
"The master leads you through the gate, but cultivation depends on the individual. You must be good at grasping those fleeting flashes of insight. Today, this master will pass the Dragon Subduing Palm and the mysteries of the Bagua on to you. Study them well."
After he finished explaining, Li Xuan spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes, Master. This disciple certainly will not disappoint you!"
Xu Yan respectfully nodded.
At this moment, his mind was filled with discussions about the Bagua. The more he thought about them, the more endless their mysteries seemed. He felt as though he could continue comprehending them forever.
This is the supreme martial path!
Xu Yan thought, his heart surging with excitement.
"Arrange your cultivation time properly. Cooking, feeding the chickens, and the other chores only need to be done once a day."
Li Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking.
He had to give his disciple more time to cultivate, rather than let him waste it feeding chickens, planting vegetables, and cooking.
At his current realm, going several days without food or water would not cause any problems.
One meal a day was enough.
"Yes, this disciple understands!"
Xu Yan replied respectfully.
"Mm, cultivate well."
With his hands behind his back, Li Xuan left at an unhurried pace.
After returning to the village, Li Xuan sat down on a chair beneath the large tree and sighed. He had no idea whether his disciple would be able to cultivate successfully.
He focused his consciousness, trying to investigate his golden finger.
Yet he found nothing at all.
The golden finger would only appear when Xu Yan gained something from cultivation and he received feedback.
Could it be that my strength is too low, so I can't see the golden finger on my own?
Li Xuan guessed inwardly.
The golden finger's function should be to make the martial arts and theories I fabricate theoretically cultivable by others. Of course, there must be restrictions. For example, the cultivator's comprehension cannot be too poor.
This foolish disciple Xu Yan has an astonishing ability to fill in the gaps with his own imagination, and his comprehension is also peerless. That's why he can cultivate successfully.
My golden finger should have been activated because Xu Yan successfully cultivated the martial art I made up. Thank goodness this monster took me as his master. Otherwise, I'd have to remain alone in this little village, unable to go anywhere!
Li Xuan sighed inwardly.
Taking Xu Yan as his disciple back then had truly been an extremely wise decision.
Xu Yan walked around the Bagua once, sinking into deep thought. It seemed that he had vaguely gained some insights, yet he could not give them concrete form.
I'll arrange my cultivation time first. I'll cultivate the Dragon Subduing Palm in the morning and comprehend the Bagua in the afternoon!
Today, I'll cultivate the Dragon Subduing Palm first.
Thinking this, Xu Yan returned to the hillside where his master had taught him the Dragon Subduing Palm.
He drew a deep breath and suddenly struck out with one palm. Vital Energy erupted like a scorching torrent, blasting forward.
"Wrong! This is only the power of my Vital Energy. It isn't the true power of the Dragon Palm at all!"
Xu Yan furrowed his brows and sank into thought.
He repeatedly pondered the formula of the Dragon Subduing Palm.
"The dragon possesses divine abilities. The dragon's divine abilities are naturally fierce and unmatched. To be fierce and unmatched, one must be violent and unyielding, condensing power in a single instant...
"My realm is still low, so I cannot demand too much. I should lower my requirements...
"The dragon possesses divine abilities. How can I unleash palm power that is like the dragon's divine abilities?"
Xu Yan entered a state of comprehension in which he forgot both himself and the outside world.
At a certain moment, legends about true dragons from stories he had once read surfaced in his mind, along with images of true dragons.
In an instant, it was as if some understanding had arisen in his heart.
Boom!
Vital Energy gathered in his palm. In the blink of an eye, it compressed, refined, and fused into one before he suddenly struck out.
A torrent of Vital Energy with doubled power violently slammed into a tree not far away.
Crack!
The tree broke and collapsed in an instant.
"I understand! I understand how to make palm power fierce and unyielding, and how to make it soar beyond all reason!"
At that moment, Xu Yan opened his eyes. A flash of inspiration seemed to burst through his mind, and he understood how to unleash fierce and unyielding palm power.
His chest and abdomen suddenly heaved. As he thrust out both palms, the torrent of Vital Energy instantly became ferociously violent and thundered forth, its power doubling once again!
Boom!
It blasted a small pit into the ground.
"I've finally comprehended a little of its surface. This is only the beginning. This palm is more than twice as powerful as my full-strength strike before I cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm. This isn't the limit—it's only the start!"
Xu Yan was immensely exhilarated.
"I've only comprehended a little of its surface, yet I can already unleash such powerful palm force. The Dragon Subduing Palm is truly incredibly powerful!"
After gaining this insight, the next step was to consolidate it, practice constantly, and then continue comprehending it until he perfected it.
P.S.: Please add this to your reading list, and support me in every way you can ^_^
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