Sage's Stillness

The moon rose over the eastern mountain, and a gentle breeze swept through the hall.

Xu Yi, bare-chested, squatted in a horse stance, his arms spread wide, palms flat, each supporting a stone lock weighing over fifty pounds.

After sending Jiang Shaohuan and his group away, eating lunch, taking a nap, and taking a cold shower, Xu Yi, feeling restless, turned his attention to the two stone locks in the courtyard.

His cultivation had now reached Body Tempering Peak. When he exerted himself fully, each strike carried the force of one and a half oxen. The two fifty-pound stone locks, which would normally be too light to provide any training benefit, were being used by Xu Yi in a unique way he had devised.

As everyone knows, an ordinary person can lift a hundred-pound sack of grain, but it's extremely difficult to hold even ten pounds horizontally with one hand.

As for holding an object flat and open-palmed, it's hard to maintain even five pounds.

Yet, Xu Yi maintained this incredibly difficult posture, supporting fifty-pound stone locks with both palms. The stone lock's crossbar was round and thin, making it extremely difficult to balance.

Furthermore, the crossbars were long and thin, so to support both stone locks simultaneously, he had to position his arms at different heights.

This pose was exceptionally challenging. Even with Xu Yi's astonishing stamina, after an hour, he began to feel utterly exhausted.

For the next hour, he relied entirely on his incredible willpower to persevere. His arms were numb with pain, and his body went from sweating profusely to having no sweat left to give.

As he held on, suddenly, he felt a lightness throughout his body, his mind became clear and empty, and a joyous elation surged from the depths of his soul.

Xu Yi could feel that whenever his body was pushed to its absolute limit, there was an indescribable sense of satisfaction deep within his soul.

He speculated that as his physique strengthened, his soul also grew stronger.

The logic was simple: people with stronger bodies often possess more robust spirits and energy, and spirit and energy are direct reflections of soul power.

While Xu Yi's thoughts were not entirely wrong, he only understood part of the truth.

His current state, according to Zen Buddhism, was entering "Warrior's Stillness."

Zen masters, while meditating, could remain motionless for days, transcending self-awareness and entering a wondrous spiritual realm known as Sage's Stillness.

Xu Yi, however, could enter a state of self-transcendent mental focus during high-intensity training, allowing his spirit to command his body to continue the strenuous exercise. This was known as "Warrior's Stillness."

Legend had it that the Zen Battle King Buddha could enter this state of stillness even during combat, fighting endlessly.

By chance, Xu Yi had entered Warrior's Stillness today.

On one hand, his body underwent intense tempering, nourishing his soul.

On the other hand, his soul refined and strengthened his body, free from pain or fear.

Just as Xu Yi was immersed in this profound state, experiencing the wonders of his body and soul, a sharp voice suddenly cut through the air, "Bearded Uncle, how much longer are you going to practice? I want to eat!" It was Qiu Wa, poking her little head out from a nearby couch and shouting loudly.

The sound pierced his ears, his soul trembled, and all the pain rushed back. The two stone locks slipped from his grasp one after another, and Xu Yi's body went limp, nearly collapsing to the ground.

The fortuitous Warrior's Stillness was thus interrupted.

Xu Yi steadied himself, recalling the previous profound state. He reached out and touched his arm, finding nothing outwardly different, yet he felt an inexplicable change deep within.

"Bearded Uncle, I'm hungry!"

Qiu Wa, unable to bear it any longer, finally darted out from the room and hugged Xu Yi's long legs, shaking them vigorously.

"The person bringing the food is at the door. Go get it quickly."

As soon as Xu Yi finished speaking, the sound of a brass ring knocking on the main gate echoed.

Qiu Wa immediately let go and, with a cheer, darted out.

"No!"

Xu Yi muttered to himself, a surge of elation rising in his heart.

He knew what had changed: his perception had become even more powerful.

Previously, he could sense activity within a radius of about ten feet, but this perception was crude. With his eyes closed, he could only tell that someone or something was in a certain area.

Now, although his range of perception hadn't expanded, it had become infinitely more refined.

Take the sound of the knock just now, for instance. In the past, he could at most sense that someone was approaching the door, but he couldn't determine their direction.

But now, he not only clearly sensed someone about to enter, but he also precisely detected the faint sound of them grasping the brass ring.

Xu Yi closed his eyes, spread his arms, and released his entire consciousness. In this moment, the world became vivid, transformed.

In the eagle's nest atop the ten-foot-tall old locust tree by the gate, a young eagle was opening its small, yellow beak, waiting for the mother eagle to bring it insects.

In a snake's burrow in a ditch, the shell of a snake egg was cracking inch by inch.

In the fish tank in the center of the neighboring yard, three golden carp were surfacing, breathing and blowing bubbles.

The evening breeze whispered, bamboo leaves rustled, petals fell like stardust. Xu Yi's every pore was reading the world.

After dinner, Xu Yi helped Uncle Mu take his medicine and lie down, then moved a bamboo recliner to the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening air.

Qiu Wa, who loved excitement, pestered him with two stories before falling asleep on his lap.

Under the faint light, Xu Yi read for a while, then tilted his head back, gazing at the distant sky.

The vast Milky Way, the stars shining brilliantly, the Big Dipper like a ladle, the moon half-hidden. As he watched, Xu Yi couldn't help but drift into thought.

Alone in a foreign land, perhaps only the boundless starry sky could allow him to vaguely recall the shadow of his past life.

"To soar with flying immortals, to embrace the bright moon until the end. I wonder if, by cultivating to such a level, I can transcend reincarnation and return to my original world."

Xu Yi murmured.

Just as Xu Yi was indulging in homesickness, there was a heavy banging on the door. With a slight thought, Xu Yi knew who had arrived. He quickly carried Qiu Wa back to her room, then hurried back to open the door. "It's late, why aren't you resting at home? You've come to visit me."

The person who arrived was Master Zhou, his clothes disheveled and panting, clearly flustered.

Before Master Zhou could reply, another person burst through the door, grabbed Xu Yi's shoulder, and shouted, "Master, it's a great opportunity, a heaven-sent chance! Hurry and give me the money, I'm going to place a bet. If I miss this, I'll lose big."

The newcomer was gaunt with a large face, carrying a huge pack on his back. It was none other than Yuan Qinghua, whom Xu Yi had hired in East City that morning.

Master Zhou and Yuan Qinghua arrived simultaneously. Both were anxious, and Xu Yi had a rough idea of why they were here. He first stopped them from speaking, introduced them to each other while ushering them inside, and they sat down by the stone table in the courtyard.

Half an incense stick later, Xu Yi understood the situation.

It turned out that in the evening, news of a Purple Banner duel had broken out in Guang'an City.

Purple Banners were specifically hung for duels between Body Tempering Peak experts.

In recent years, as the influence of the Three Great Sects deepened in Guang'an City, their mediation had led to increasingly fewer expert duels.

This time, the announced duel between Body Tempering Peak experts was actually the first high-level duel in Guang'an City this year.

The news shocked the entire city upon its release.

Guang'an already had a thriving culture of gambling on duels. As soon as the news of the upcoming duel between Body Tempering Peak experts broke, all the gamblers in Guang'an City were in a frenzy.