Li Xuan sat in his chair, appearing carefree and at ease, but a trace of worry stirred in his heart.
It had been so long, yet Xu Yan still hadn't cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm. Could it be that he had made it too vague, making it difficult to comprehend?
"Don't rush. The fact that I can see progress means there's still hope."
Li Xuan consoled himself inwardly.
"Even if he fails to cultivate the Dragon Subduing Palm, as long as his cultivation continues to improve, and as long as he can cultivate the Innate Realm, that'll be enough. At worst, I'll just say he doesn't have the talent to cultivate the Dragon Subduing Palm.
"Should I teach him swordsmanship?
"That should be easier to cultivate, right? Xu Yan probably has more talent in the way of the sword?"
Li Xuan pondered inwardly. If he were to teach Xu Yan swordsmanship, how should he make it up?
Xu Yan always wore a treasured sword at his side, so it was clear that he was fairly interested in sword techniques. This indicated that his talent in the way of the sword should be quite strong.
How to teach him swordsmanship was a problem.
After all, Li Xuan didn't know any sword moves or sword techniques. He could only wave his arms around blindly.
The real problem was how to fabricate a theory of swordsmanship that Xu Yan could comprehend.
"Let's wait a little longer. Maybe one day, he'll suddenly have a flash of inspiration and cultivate the Dragon Subduing Palm."
Li Xuan focused his mind and tried to explore that mass of golden light, but once again, he gained nothing.
"What's going on with this golden finger? Can it only appear passively?"
He turned onto his side, making himself lie a little more comfortably.
Originally, Xu Yan had planned to move away after returning this time.
But now that he had to teach Xu Yan martial skills, he could only continue living in the little village.
"Your disciple has cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm you fabricated to the introductory level. Your Dragon Subduing Palm has reached mastery, and its power is ten times that of others in the same realm."
Suddenly, golden light emerged.
Boom!
The true meaning of the Dragon Subduing Palm appeared in Li Xuan's mind. In an instant, it rose to the realm of mastery, and its power was ten times that of others in the same realm.
In that instant, an image seemed to appear in his eyes: eighteen hundred-zhang giant dragons roaring and spiraling through the air!
"Fuck!
"My disciple came through! He actually cultivated it!"
Li Xuan was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.
He sprang up from the chair and left the little village at once.
He arrived at the hillside where Xu Yan cultivated. From far away, he saw two crimson dragons, each seven or eight zhang long, spiraling and dancing through the air with incredible agility. When they slammed into the ground, they left behind enormous pits.
His heart began to itch with anticipation.
"Disciple, not bad. Your Dragon Subduing Palm can barely be considered to have reached the introductory level."
Li Xuan walked leisurely, his tone carrying a hint of gratification.
"Master!"
Xu Yan withdrew his power and respectfully saluted. "It is all thanks to your excellent guidance, Master."
Li Xuan looked at the countless pits of various sizes scattered across the ground. The surrounding plants had all been destroyed, vanishing without a trace.
"Although your Dragon Subduing Palm has taken shape, it lacks vitality.
"Since you've managed to cultivate it, I no longer need to worry about affecting your cultivation of the Dragon Subduing Palm. Today, I'll show you a thing or two. Watch carefully and see what the Dragon Subduing Palm looks like when it reaches mastery in the Qi and Blood Realm."
Li Xuan emphasized that this was the Dragon Subduing Palm of the Qi and Blood Realm, not his true strength.
"Yes, Master!"
Xu Yan was so excited that his heart pounded.
His master was about to display the Dragon Subduing Palm at the Qi and Blood Realm. He hoped he could comprehend something from it as well.
"Watch closely!"
Li Xuan raised his hand and struck with his palm.
Roar!
A dragon's roar thundered out. A golden hundred-zhang giant dragon burst forth, throwing back its head and roaring as if it were alive.
Boom!
The golden dragon flew out. With a probe of its dragon claw, it tore a large tree to pieces.
Its dragon tail swept across, cleaving a ravine into the ground.
Boom!
Finally, the golden dragon slammed fiercely into the earth, leaving a huge pit behind!
Li Xuan's expression remained calm, as if he had merely slapped out casually and it was nothing worth mentioning.
In truth, his heart was surging with excitement.
He had unleashed that palm with all his strength.
The Dragon Subduing Palm at the realm of mastery already possessed a hint of a "living" form. Combined with its tenfold power over others in the same realm, that strike displayed an aura of supreme yang and supreme hardness, mighty beyond compare.
Even if Xu Yan cultivated it to mastery, it would still be nowhere near this powerful.
This was precisely where his master's strength lay!
After all, Li Xuan's Dragon Subduing Palm was ten times more powerful than others in the same realm.
Xu Yan's eyes widened. He was utterly shocked.
"That was merely the Dragon Subduing Palm performed at the Qi and Blood Realm? It's terrifying! With such power, defeating ten thousand troops alone would be effortless.
"Master merely slapped out casually, yet it had such astonishing might.
"Moreover, Master's Dragon Subduing Palm can actually roar, as if it were a living dragon.
"I'm still far too weak!"
Xu Yan was deeply shaken.
He realized his own shortcomings.
His Dragon Subduing Palm lacked vitality.
Compared to his master's, it still appeared stiff!
"Dragons possess divine abilities and transform according to circumstances. So this is what the incantation is truly supposed to look like! This is merely a dragon of the Qi and Blood Realm. If the realm were higher, would the dragon struck out really possess divine abilities?"
The deeper he thought, the more he filled in the gaps with his imagination, and the more Xu Yan felt the Dragon Subduing Palm's strength and profoundness.
As for himself, his comprehension of the Dragon Subduing Palm's incantation was still only at the level of its skin.
Seeing his disciple's look of shock, Li Xuan felt immensely pleased. With his hands clasped behind his back, he left with leisurely steps.
"Disciple, don't let my palm power influence you. You must comprehend your own intent of the Dragon Subduing Palm."
"Yes, Master. This disciple understands!"
Xu Yan bowed in salute.
"Mm. Since your Dragon Subduing Palm has reached the introductory level, spend more time comprehending the Bagua as well."
Li Xuan nodded.
Now that Xu Yan had successfully cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm, he would have him spend more time comprehending the Bagua. If he managed to comprehend something from it as well, Li Xuan would receive another powerful feedback.
His definition of the Bagua was extremely lofty and profound.
It wasn't something that could only be cultivated in the Qi and Blood Realm. Instead, it could be comprehended and cultivated continuously.
At every stage, one could gain different insights.
Of course, all of this depended on whether Xu Yan could accomplish it.
"Yes, Master!"
The weather gradually turned colder. Late autumn had arrived, and the chill had grown increasingly intense.
For Li Xuan, however, this winter would pass in great comfort. Even wearing only thin clothes, he still wouldn't feel cold.
During this period, Xu Yan spent more time on the Bagua.
He moved back and forth across the Bagua diagram, dodging and shifting. His movement had long since become much more agile, and his speed had also increased considerably. However, he still hadn't comprehended a movement technique.
Li Xuan watched Xu Yan stepping on the Bagua, his figure nimble and his speed greatly increased, and fell into deep thought.
"Is he unable to comprehend it because there's no incantation?"
"The Bagua I explained contains too much. It isn't limited to movement techniques.
"Could it be that because I didn't teach him an incantation related to movement techniques, he hasn't been able to comprehend one?"
With that thought, Li Xuan couldn't help pondering it.
"I'll make up a couple of lines and give it a try."
Li Xuan recalled that the reason his disciple had broken through the shackles of the Copper Bone and tempered Golden Bone was related to the Bone Refining cultivation method he had fabricated on a whim.
And the reason he had successfully cultivated the Dragon Subduing Palm was that Li Xuan had fabricated an incantation for it.
Xu Yan had also comprehended the Dragon Subduing Palm from that incantation, and thus cultivated it successfully.
Therefore, possessing only a theoretical framework did not necessarily mean one could cultivate it. If it were paired with a cultivation method or incantation, the odds of cultivating it successfully would increase greatly.
"How should I fabricate an incantation for a movement technique?"
Li Xuan fell into thought.
A gust of wind swept past. In the distance, a sparse handful of yellowing leaves drifted down from the branches, carried away by the breeze.
A flash of inspiration struck Li Xuan's mind. "I've got it!"
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