Cold River Reflecting Moon

The next day, the sky was barely lit, and the morning mist draped over Listening Tide Courtyard like a light veil, not yet scattered by the rising sun.

Chen Yuan had already stood silently in the courtyard for some time.

His blood and qi were calm and steady, but his mind surged like the tide, replaying the astonishing gains from last night's "Ebbing Tide."

Only thanks to his two-life mental fortitude had he obtained that life-or-death heavenly revelation, the mysterious and unfathomable "Mist Manipulation" divine ability, and the "Scarab Fish Secret Pouch" that held hidden wonders.

He forcibly suppressed his surging emotions, focusing all his attention on the upcoming guidance from his master.

The secret pouch was tucked close to his body, and the related information was buried deep in his heart, with not a trace revealed.

At the exact hour of Chen Shi, a steady figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

Martial Hall Master Zhao Canghai was still in his simple, dark blue Martial Robe. He bore no sharp aura, but naturally carried the bearing of a grandmaster, as steady as a mountain and deep as an abyss. When his eyes opened and closed, occasional sharp glints flashed through, as if he could see through everything.

"Master."

Chen Yuan immediately set aside all stray thoughts and bowed respectfully.

Zhao Canghai nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yuan like a tangible force, as if it could pierce through skin and clearly "see" the flow of blood and qi within, as well as the toughness of his dermis.

"Your aura is more condensed than the day before. Your blood and qi are lively yet restrained, your skin tight and resilient with a faint sheen. The 'Crimson Blood Pill's' medicinal power has dissolved well. The Minor Accomplishment stage is fully stabilized, and your foundation is solid."

He stepped into the courtyard and cut straight to the point: "The 'Cold River Spirit Blade Saber Canon' and the 'Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method' you cultivate complement each other, like a boat and a river."

"'Mysterious Vortex' tempers your physical foundation—it is the 'vessel' that carries everything, the ceaselessly flowing river."

"'Cold River,' on the other hand, teaches you how to harness that 'vessel,' how to take the river's power and, through a blade, condense it into a 'lonely boat and sharp edge' that can split ten thousand waves. It is the method of 'use.'"

"The two are one internal and one external, one substance and one function. They proceed without conflict and complement each other, allowing you to travel far and steady."

"Yesterday, when you first practiced 'Cold River Reflecting Moon,' where did you feel the greatest obstacle?" Zhao Canghai asked.

Chen Yuan's expression turned serious, and he spoke frankly: "Master, your disciple is dull. When I pondered it on my own yesterday, I only felt that the saber technique's required method of channeling force was extremely peculiar and strange. It was completely different from the surging blood and qi and the spiral grinding momentum of 'Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method'—in fact, it could be said to go in the opposite direction."

"It demands extreme condensation, compression, and a kind of... precise control, as if forcing a roaring river to be restrained and condensed into an indestructible line of ice."

"My blood and qi instinctively resist this extreme restraint. When channeling, it feels rough and sluggish, and there's even a faint tearing, stabbing pain in my meridians."

"When I strike, I only manage a clumsy outer form, far from grasping even a fraction of its true essence. I can't even begin to comprehend the artistic conception you mentioned, Master. It feels like I have only the shell, unable to find the door to enter."

Hearing this, Zhao Canghai's eyes showed no disappointment, but instead a faint, barely perceptible hint of approval.

"To clearly sense the 'resistance' and 'roughness,' and to accurately describe its essential difference from 'Mysterious Vortex's' force, shows that you aren't just imitating moves. You're truly using your body and mind to experience and think. That is rare."

"'Cold River Spirit Blade's' unique method of channeling force goes against the normal surge of blood and qi, pursuing extreme condensation and instantaneous burst—like forcibly compressing ten thousand waves into a single drop of 'true water,' heavy as a thousand jun and sharp beyond compare. Its difficulty in cultivation is naturally immense."

"When you first practice, blood and qi discomfort and meridian pain are all necessary processes. But this is precisely its key point, and also where its power lies."

He paused, then delved deeper: "You must understand that the vast blood and qi and tough dermis forged by 'Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method' are the solid foundation that will support your future execution of 'Cold River' saber techniques' extremely condensed force."

"Without a strong physique and abundant blood and qi, you simply couldn't bear the terrifying backlash of such extreme compression."

"Conversely, the cultivation of 'Cold River' repeatedly tempers your ultimate control over your own power."

"This control will greatly benefit your further deepening of skin grinding, tempering of fascia, and even future tendon and bone forging. It will let you command every ounce of your strength as easily as moving a finger."

"Letting you ponder on your own yesterday was meant to make you personally experience this 'gap' and 'difficulty.' Only by knowing its hardship will you cherish the true method, and only then can you more deeply understand the key points to come."

"Today, your master will explain in detail the true force secrets and essence of the 'Cold River Reflecting Moon' stance."

With that, Zhao Canghai did not draw a saber. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, fingers together like a blade, and in a posture unlike the starting stance of "Cold River Reflecting Moon," casually made a light slash forward.

The movement seemed slow, plain, even a little careless.

But the moment he moved, Chen Yuan's entire body stiffened.

An intangible, yet bone-chillingly cold "intent," as if it could freeze the soul and solidify thought, instantly enveloped the entire Listening Tide Courtyard like a tangible cold tide.

It wasn't a real drop in temperature, but a feeling of "icy stillness and extinction" that pierced straight into the depths of the mind, freezing all vitality.

Chen Yuan felt the scene before him twist and warp. It was no longer the early summer morning training courtyard, but as if he had been suddenly thrown into the bottom of a ten-thousand-year-dead cold river.

Above him was the cold, dark river water. A lone, desolate crescent moon reflected on the surface, casting a bleak, cold light. Between heaven and earth, there was only deathly stillness and ice.

That biting chill ignored the formidable defense of his Skin Grinding - Minor Accomplishment physique, piercing directly through his dermis, invading his marrow, and even threatening to completely freeze and solidify his surging blood and qi, his flowing force, and his active thoughts.

The blood and qi racing through his body instantly became sluggish and heavy, as if trapped in ten-thousand-year-old profound ice. Even breathing became extremely difficult, and his thoughts seemed on the verge of freezing to a halt.

He had no doubt that if his master's finger's "intent" were directed at him, he wouldn't even be able to raise a single thought of resistance before being utterly frozen and disintegrated, from spirit to flesh.

So this... was the power of artistic conception? It completely transcended the realm of strength and speed!

"This is the fundamental artistic conception of 'Cold River Reflecting Moon.'"

Zhao Canghai spoke calmly, withdrawing his finger.

The suffocating, despairing, terrifying cold instantly receded like a tide, dissipating without a trace, as if everything just now had been a breathtaking illusion.

The sunlight was warm again. The morning mist remained light.

Chen Yuan gasped for air, his forehead and back instantly soaked in cold sweat. His heart was shaken beyond measure. In that moment, he had truly understood what "insignificance" and "a chasm like heaven and earth" meant!

"Intent precedes force. Spirit governs form. Before force arrives, artistic conception strikes first."

"If you cannot first envision its intent and comprehend its spirit, then even if you channel the force ten thousand times, you will only obtain its dry bones, not its soul."

Zhao Canghai's voice pulled him back from the shock. "Now, calm your mind and focus."

Then, Zhao Canghai began an extremely detailed analysis and explanation of the "Cold River Reflecting Moon" stance. Starting from the several subtle meridians involved that had never been opened before, he explained in detail the specific techniques for using a unique mental method to guide the vast blood and qi cultivated by the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method through compression, refinement, and transformation.

He explained the key points of subtle coordination in the arm, wrist, waist, abdomen, and even the muscles and bones of the feet at the moment of the slash—how to concentrate the power of the entire body into a single line. Finally, and most importantly, he taught how to perfectly fuse the artistic conception held in visualization with the blood and qi force, granting it the true quality of bone-piercing cold that freezes life itself.

His explanation was profound yet accessible, every word a gem that cut straight to the essence. Many of the critical obstacles that Chen Yuan had been unable to solve yesterday—or had not even realized existed—were now pointed out one by one, along with solutions. This suddenly enlightened him, like clouds parting to reveal the sun.

After the explanation, Zhao Canghai had Chen Yuan take up the "Cold Ripple Blade" again to experience it through practice. Chen Yuan closed his eyes, focused his mind, took a deep breath, and strove to cast aside all distractions.

First, he visualized intensely in his mind, recreating the artistic conception of "all sounds silent, a lone moon over a cold river" that his master had just displayed. He worked to immerse his own consciousness, blending into that aloof, cold, and sharp artistic conception, using his spirit to simulate and align with that "cold" capable of freezing all things.

Only then did he slowly raise the blade, guiding his blood and qi with intent. Following the unique secret method his master had taught, he attempted to channel the surging, tide-like blood and qi within him along the newly opened, still fragile meridian pathways.

A wondrous thing happened. Perhaps thanks to the extraordinary comprehension brought by the Tidal Stele and his mental strength from two lifetimes, or perhaps because he was naturally highly attuned to this type of artistic-conception-based technique, what had been obscure and conflict-ridden yesterday—the flow of force—became clear and controllable today, though still difficult, after his master had pointed out all the key points.

The vast, restless blood and qi, under the powerful guidance of the "Cold Silence" artistic conception and the restraint of his highly concentrated will, began to obediently flow, compress, and refine along the specific pathways.

He slashed out. The speed was still not fast, but the trajectory had become much smoother and more fluid. As the blade edge cut through the air, it produced a clearly audible, cold, and sharp whistling sound.

A few fresh leaves falling in the courtyard were swept by the residual force of the blade wind. In an instant, they were covered with a visible layer of crystalline white frost, then silently shattered into countless ice crystal particles.

The cold penetrated the bone! Though far from his master's terrifying level of directly freezing blood and qi or altering heaven and earth, it was no longer an illusory artistic conception—it had a tangible, combat-effective freezing effect.

Zhao Canghai stood by with his hands behind his back, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes, a hint of barely concealed surprise passing through. He had previously thought Chen Yuan had good comprehension, but he never expected the boy to possess such astonishing talent in the way of the blade!

With just one detailed instruction, his "Cold River Reflecting Moon" had already taken on a preliminary spirit. Though the flow of force was still immature and clumsy, it had accurately found the right path—far surpassing the months of hard work of ordinary disciples. This boy... was born for the blade!

"Good!" Zhao Canghai praised him, a rare occurrence, his voice carrying a hint of genuine pleasure. "The artistic conception has entered the threshold, and the force flow has found its method. Maintain this feeling—unite intent with force, spirit with blade—and keep practicing!"

Chen Yuan's heart surged with excitement, but he dared not show the slightest pride or slack off. He knew this was only the beginning, and he was still far from true mastery. He once again calmed his mind, cast aside all distractions, and threw himself wholeheartedly into this wondrous blade technique practice.

He practiced over and over, each swing striving to be more precise, more fluid, and colder than the last! He constantly adjusted the subtle angles of force output, deepening his insight into the "Cold Silence" artistic conception. The Cold Ripple Blade hummed clearly in his hand, its light flowing like a cold moon hanging in the sky. The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop a few degrees due to the wisps of chill constantly radiating from it.

Zhao Canghai said no more, merely watching quietly with deep eyes, though a stir arose in his heart. This boy's comprehension was high, his will firm—rare in all his experience. Especially in the way of the blade, he seemed born with an extraordinary affinity for it. Given time, he would surely cultivate the Cold River Spirit Blade Saber Canon to the highest realm, and perhaps even... surpass his master.