Fourth Level Skills Attain Perfection, Blade Edge Forms; One Leg Traps the Heart, Deathly Realm is Born

Fierce blade energy swept out, tearing a gully across the ground.

Because Chen Duan had been training here for a long time, the bluestone slabs in the courtyard were already beyond their limit, and now they were even more battered and bruised, new marks overlapping old, resembling a plowed field.

However, Chen Duan paid no mind to this. It was his own courtyard, after all, so he could do as he pleased.

[Severing Nothingness Blade Five Levels +7%]

[Severing Nothingness Blade Five Levels (93%) → Severing Nothingness Blade Five Levels (Perfection)]

["Severing Nothingness Blade Five Levels" has broken through to the Perfection realm, Potential +1910]

[Potential: 26470 + 1910 → 28380]

Chen Duan flipped his wrist, and the long saber returned to its sheath with a clang.

[Cloudy Glow Palm Five Levels (Perfection)]

[Severing Nothingness Blade Five Levels (Perfection)]

[Falling Eagle Fist Five Levels (Perfection)]

[Ten Hearts Sword Five Levels (Perfection)]

Of the Prefecture's six True Skills, four had already reached the Perfection realm.

Now, he could circulate five types of True Qi within his body with ease, his offensive techniques endless.

This method was truly too easy, equivalent to directly inheriting the achievements of predecessors, even skipping the most mentally taxing "Visualization" step.

However, when his gaze fell upon the progress of another technique.

[Moon Grasping Leg (99%, Fourth Level)]

Looking at the progress that had stalled for so long, Chen Duan's mood was inevitably complex.

This leg technique had been stuck at this bottleneck for some time. Every time he attempted the final visualization, he would fall into a bizarre "death loop," unable to extricate himself.

To date, he had experienced no less than a hundred ways of dying in the visualization world of Moon Grasping Leg, in all sorts of strange and varied ways.

He had fallen into a desperate state known as "death," completely trapped and unable to break free.

According to the Moon Grasping Leg manual, to break through this barrier, the practitioner must deeply and truly comprehend the hopeless "despair of impending death" from the depths of their soul, only then could they glimpse a sliver of opportunity and take that final step.

But this was precisely Chen Duan's greatest weakness.

Who was Chen Duan? He had always believed only in the fist in his hand, not in the predestined trials of fate.

He didn't even know how to write the word "death," so how could he possibly feel the "despair" of "death"?

Previously, during the third level of Moon Grasping Leg, he could still artificially create near-death experiences by pushing his physical body to its limits, allowing his body to remember the taste of superficial despair.

But at the current bottleneck of the fourth level, what was required was a spiritual comprehension, entirely different from before.

Fuhu Fist pursued the release of extreme "killing" intent, while Moon Grasping Leg required comprehending extreme "despair."

These two techniques, originating from the same source, had such tricky cultivation methods that it was quite vexing.

However, Chen Duan now had many means and endless trump cards, so he wasn't in a hurry to conquer this technique immediately. He would set it aside for now, awaiting a future opportunity.

Besides this, the subsequent cultivation of the Wood Element Art was also temporarily placed on hold due to the tedious visualization process.

Chen Duan walked to a stone bench in the courtyard and sat down, calming his mind.

Since breaking through to the Five Levels realm, he had been busy cultivating various newly acquired techniques, constantly accumulating strength, but he seemed to have never truly sat down to think.

What kind of path should his Martial Path take?

Everyone's "Martial Path Apex" was different. If this fundamental question was not clarified, it would undoubtedly be a huge obstacle to his future development.

Once this thought arose, it took root and sprouted like a seed, and various thoughts flooded his mind, unstoppable for a time.

Until a clear and melodious pipa sound pulled Chen Duan back.

His figure moved slightly, and he silently crossed the high wall, landing in the small courtyard opposite.

Without a word, he took a chair and sat down, beginning to enjoy the music.

Yan Lingwei, dressed in simple clothes, was focused on the pipa in her arms. Chen Duan's sudden arrival did not disturb her, and her finger continued to pluck the strings.

After these days of interaction, she had basically confirmed that this Master was genuinely just there to listen to her play the pipa, with no other intentions.

As the pipa music flowed into his ears, Chen Duan felt the chaotic thoughts in his mind subside. All the internal energy within him, including Vast Qi, seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand.

He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, temporarily transforming from a martial arts master back into an ordinary person.

Through this period, he had gained some insight: if the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique was to advance further, the opportunity might lie within this pipa, within this moment of "stillness."

Realizing that this matter could not be forced and that haste makes waste, Chen Duan gradually relaxed his mindset.

Now, he simply came to listen for a short while every day, like spring rain nourishing things, subtly refining his state of mind.

For a time, it felt as if he had returned to the initial state of practicing Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique, that state of going with the flow.

The last lingering note of the pipa, like an expanding ripple, dissipated into the courtyard air.

Chen Duan stood up from the stool and walked towards Yan Lingwei.

Yan Lingwei pursed her lips slightly and carefully handed the pipa to Chen Duan with both hands. Her fingertips inadvertently brushed against Chen Duan's rough hand, bringing a subtle sensation.

A burly martial arts master was now plucking at this delicate instrument, a sight that was truly jarring and out of place.

However, Yan Lingwei felt no mockery in her heart; her eyes held only focus and sincerity.

She then began to instruct Chen Duan in detail.

Chen Duan followed her words, his large, well-defined hands landing on the slender strings, exhibiting a lightness and gentleness that was the complete opposite of his physique.

He plucked the strings again and again. At first, it was just scattered single notes, then they began to connect into a smooth and beautiful melody, finally converging into a complete tune with a winding rhythm.

Just then, a gust of wind, from no one knew where, swept through the courtyard, rustling the wind chimes hanging from the eaves and stirring up a few withered yellow leaves, which drifted down with a rustling sound.

The faint sound of the leaves rubbing together blended harmoniously with the music flowing from the strings, adding a unique artistic conception.

Seeing that Chen Duan was getting into the groove, Yan Lingwei stopped speaking and stood quietly to the side, listening intently.

She looked at the burly man concentrating on playing the pipa before her, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Compared to the fear and prejudice she felt when she first met him, her impression had changed considerably. She had indeed judged him by his appearance before.

Chen Duan appeared rough on the outside, but he was actually meticulous within. After all, how could a violent and unpredictable person calm down enough to play such a delicate and beautiful piece of music?

What shocked her even more was Chen Duan's learning ability.

He had known absolutely nothing about music just a few days ago, and now he could play a complete song fluently. While his grasp of its nuances wasn't on par with famous masters, it was far beyond that of an ordinary practitioner.

She herself had practiced the pipa since childhood and knew how arduous it was. Without more than ten years of continuous, unremitting effort, one could not achieve such a level.

Perhaps this Master Chen was a musical prodigy who had been sidetracked by martial arts?

She couldn't help but have such a thought.

When the song ended and the lingering notes faded, Yan Lingwei couldn't help but praise him sincerely:

"Master's talent in music is extraordinary, something Lingwei has never seen before in her life. If you were to dedicate yourself to its study, you would surely become a great master of music in your generation."

"Hahaha!"

Chen Duan let out a hearty laugh upon hearing this and returned the pipa to Yan Lingwei.

Then, he naturally raised his hand and reached towards her head.