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

The biting blade qi swept out, ripping a ravine across the ground.

Because Chen Duan had practiced his techniques here for so long, the courtyard's green stone slabs had long since been unable to bear the strain. Now they were even more unrecognizable, new scars layered over old ones, making the ground look like a field that had been plowed.

Chen Duan did not care in the slightest. It was his own courtyard, after all, so he could do as he pleased.

[Severing Nothingness Blade Fifth Level +7%]

[Severing Nothingness Blade Fifth Level (93%) → Severing Nothingness Blade Fifth Level (Perfection)]

["Severing Nothingness Blade Fifth Level" broke through to the Perfection Realm. Potential +1910]

[Potential: 26470 + 1910 → 28380]

Chen Duan flipped his wrist, and with a clang, the long blade slid back into its sheath.

[Cloudy Glow Palm Fifth Level (Perfection)]

[Severing Nothingness Blade Fifth Level (Perfection)]

[Falling Eagle Fist Fifth Level (Perfection)]

[Ten Hearts Sword Fifth Level (Perfection)]

Of the six true arts of the provincial capital, four had already reached the Perfection Realm.

At present, he could circulate five types of true qi within his body with ease, and his offensive methods emerged one after another, endlessly varied.

This method was simply too easy. It was equivalent to directly inheriting the achievements of those who came before him, even skipping the most mentally taxing step—the "visualization."

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

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

Looking at this progress that had been stalled for so long, Chen Duan could not help feeling conflicted.

This leg technique had been stuck at this bottleneck for some time. Every time he tried to carry out the final visualization, he would fall into a bizarre "death loop" and find it impossible to escape.

To this day, he had experienced no fewer than a hundred kinds of death in the visualization world of Moon Grasping Leg, each in a wildly bizarre manner.

He had fallen into the Desperate Situation of an artistic conception known as "death," becoming utterly trapped and unable to break free.

According to the Secret Manual of Moon Grasping Leg, to break through this bottleneck, a cultivator had to truly comprehend from the depths of his soul that ultimate despair of "being on the verge of death, with no way to turn things around." Only then could he glimpse a thread of opportunity and take that final step.

Yet this was precisely Chen Duan's greatest weakness.

Who was Chen Duan? He had always trusted the fists in his hands, never the calamities written in his fate.

If he did not even know how to write the character "death," how could he possibly feel the "despair" of "death"?

Back when he had been at the Third Level of Moon Grasping Leg, he could still force his body to its limits and artificially create a near-death experience, allowing his body to remember the taste of superficial despair.

But the bottleneck of the Fourth Level required insight into one's state of mind, which was completely different from before.

Fuhu Fist pursued the release of the ultimate intent to "kill," while Moon Grasping Leg required comprehension of the ultimate Desperate Situation.

These two arts, which shared the same origin, both had such devilishly tricky cultivation methods that they were genuinely giving him a headache.

Still, Chen Duan now had numerous methods and an endless stream of trump cards. He was not in a hurry to conquer this art immediately, so he set it aside for the time being and waited for an opportunity in the future.

Aside from that, the subsequent cultivation of Wood Element Art was also temporarily placed on his list of things to proceed with slowly, due to the complexity of its visualization process.

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

Since breaking through to the Fifth Level, he had been busy cultivating all kinds of newly acquired techniques and constantly accumulating strength, yet he seemed never to have truly quieted his heart to think.

What path should my martial way truly take?

Everyone's "ultimate martial path" was different. If he failed to clarify this fundamental question, it would undoubtedly become a tremendous obstacle to his future development.

Once this thought arose, it took root and sprouted like a seed. All kinds of thoughts came rushing in, and for a time, he could not stop them.

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

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

Without even announcing himself, he casually took a chair and sat down, beginning to appreciate the music.

Dressed in plain robes, Yan Lingwei was wholly focused on the pipa in her arms. Even after Chen Duan's sudden arrival, her fingers continued plucking the strings without the slightest disturbance.

After spending these days together, she had basically determined that this lord had truly come only to listen to her play the pipa, with no other intentions whatsoever.

The pipa's notes trickled into his ears. Chen Duan felt the tangled thoughts in his heart fall away, while all the internal force in his body, including Righteous Qi, seemed to be smoothed by an invisible hand.

His entire being felt as though he had set down a thousand-jin burden. For a moment, he had changed from a martial expert back into an ordinary man.

Through this period, he had come to understand something: if the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique wished to advance further, the opportunity might lie in this pipa, in these brief moments of "stillness."

After realizing that this matter could not be forced and that haste made waste, Chen Duan gradually relaxed his mindset.

Now he merely came over each day to listen for a short while, like spring rain moistening all things, imperceptibly polishing his state of mind.

For a time, it was as though he had returned to the state of following nature when he had first cultivated the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique.

The final lingering note of the pipa faded into the courtyard air like ripples spreading across water.

Chen Duan rose from the bench and walked toward Yan Lingwei.

Yan Lingwei lightly pressed her lips together and carefully handed the pipa to Chen Duan with both hands. Her fingertips brushed against his rough hand by accident, bringing with them a subtle sensation.

The sight of a burly martial expert attempting to play such a delicate instrument was truly abrupt and discordant.

Yet there was not the slightest trace of mockery in Yan Lingwei's heart. Her eyes held only focus and seriousness.

Then she began to instruct Chen Duan in detail.

Chen Duan followed her directions. His large, knuckle-pronounced hands settled on the slender strings, unexpectedly displaying a lightness and gentleness completely at odds with his build.

He plucked the strings again and again. At first, there were only scattered single notes. Then they began linking into a smooth and beautiful tune, eventually converging into a complete melody of graceful turns.

Just then, a breeze that seemed to come from nowhere swept through the courtyard, stirring the wind chimes beneath the eaves and carrying several withered yellow leaves into the air, where they rustled down.

The faint sound of the leaves rubbing together blended harmoniously with the music flowing from the strings, adding several more strokes of exquisite atmosphere.

Seeing that Chen Duan had gradually entered the proper state, Yan Lingwei stopped speaking and simply stood to one side, listening in silence.

Looking at the burly man before her, absorbed in playing the pipa, she felt a storm of emotions. Compared with the fear and prejudice she had felt upon first meeting him, her view had changed greatly. She had indeed judged him by his appearance.

Chen Duan looked rough and rugged, but he was actually meticulous beneath that exterior. After all, how could a violent and unpredictable person calm his heart enough to play such a delicate and beautiful tune?

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

Only a few days ago, he had known nothing about musical modes and rhythms, yet now he could already play a complete piece with ease. Though his grasp of the music's flavor was not on par with renowned masters, it had already far surpassed that of ordinary practitioners.

She herself had practiced the pipa painstakingly since childhood and knew all too well how difficult it was. Without more than a decade of unbroken effort through winter and summer, it was impossible to achieve anything.

Could this Lord Chen simply be a musical prodigy whose gifts had been delayed by martial arts?

She could not help forming this thought.

When the piece ended and its lingering resonance dispersed, Yan Lingwei could not help praising him sincerely:

"Lord, your talent in music is truly extraordinary. In all my life, I have seen no one like you. If you devoted yourself to studying it, you would certainly become a great master of the musical world."

"Hahaha!"

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

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