Cloud Dwelling Gathering, Lifting the Light as if Heavy

The Cloud Dwelling Courtyard had been bustling these past few days.

"Senior Sister, would Moonflow Flowers look good here?..."

"I think May irises would be lovely, too."

"Why not plant both?"

"Let's plant peach trees here, and here..."

"Exactly, exactly. Let's do that..."

"Oh, Senior Brother, you're so clumsy!"

"..."

Chen Qinglin watched helplessly as the courtyard where he lived was transformed.

Rare and exotic flowers and plants, seldom seen in the secular world, along with peach groves and apricot trees transplanted from who knew where, had been planted around the courtyard by the Senior Sisters, who had taken a sudden interest in gardening.

Then they divided up the surrounding land to suit their own tastes, each planting the exotic flowers and strange trees she liked best.

If you had that kind of energy, wouldn't it be better to plant them around your own courtyards?

Chen Qinglin really wanted to complain.

What was the point of planting them at my place? Were you planning to drop by every few days to admire the fruits of your labor?

Xie Jingyun, Chang Yan, and the other Senior Sisters from Qingzhu Peak;

Liu Qing and Senior Sister Zhu Zhu from Qingjing Peak, who had come with Senior Sister Su Yuexing;

Senior Sister Shen Yutao from Green Lotus Peak, who had somehow heard about this and got in touch with Ling Ling on her own;

And, of course, Ling Ling, the Junior Sister from Qingyun Peak, along with Second Senior Sister Yun Yue and Third Senior Sister Shui Qingqian, who joined in later after deciding the gathering sounded like fun.

The courtyard where his Junior Junior Sister lived had been undergoing extensive renovations these past few days.

When Fu Shenxing noticed, he came over specially to take a look.

After learning what Ling Ling and the others were up to, he let the disciples do as they pleased.

Seeing that there were so many Senior Sisters, with women vastly outnumbering men, Chen Qinglin took it upon himself to call over their Senior Brother.

And then Senior Brother Ji Yangchun...

Was roped in by the Senior Sisters to do the heavy lifting...

He had only come to take a look for his Junior Brother's sake. When he arrived, he saw that so many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters were there, too.

At first, he'd thought it was a lovely sight—until the Junior Sisters all begged him to help plant trees...

That night, he complained to Chen Qinglin and asked him to talk to the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters outside. Couldn't they invite a few more Junior Brothers over?

After all, the gathering had been Chen Qinglin and the other two's idea. It wouldn't make sense if it consisted entirely of female disciples.

If that was the case, why did they need Chen Qinglin? They might as well start a women-only gathering themselves.

So the Senior Sisters readily agreed, but asked that Chen Qinglin and Ji Yangchun not bring along any troublesome Senior Brothers or Junior Brothers.

There were a few people like that on nearly every peak. People came in all kinds, and with so many on each peak, it was only natural that some would have unusual ways of doing things.

Senior Brother Ji Yangchun said he only wanted to bring a few good friends over to enjoy themselves. Chen Qinglin, meanwhile, would have preferred as few people as possible, so he had no objections.

This wasn't a disciple gathering organized by Qingfeng Mountain. It was just a small martial arts discussion, tea tasting, and chat session that they had arranged themselves.

They could invite whoever they wanted!

Ling Ling had even come up with a name for it: the Cloud Dwelling Gathering.

Chen Qinglin: "..."

Wait, did that make me the organizer? All I did was provide the venue, and I hadn't even volunteered for that...

In the end, it had been easy to find several outstanding male disciples on Qingyun Peak.

When they heard that a host of beautiful Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters would be there, the Senior Brothers excitedly agreed without a second thought.

That is, until they arrived...

Chen Qinglin watched the Senior Brothers trying to impress the Senior Sisters, their faces caught between pain and pleasure, and silently shook his head.

What a mess!

Then he quietly left the courtyard and went somewhere to practice.

He had already reached the realm of Lifting the Heavy as if Light, as Master Yun Tianqing had described, but he had yet to master Lifting the Light as if Heavy.

The realm of Lifting the Heavy as if Light was about precisely controlling one's own martial arts and bringing out the full power of the techniques one had learned.

When he had broken through Body Tempering and reached Inner Qi, he had already been able to control his Blood Qi perfectly, giving him a solid foundation for Lifting the Heavy as if Light.

A Cognitive Obstruction had stood in his way. Only after Yun Tianqing explained it, and after this period of practice, had he been able to swiftly master that realm.

Lifting the Light as if Heavy, on the other hand, was the realm closest to comprehending Weapon Intent.

Going by the literal meaning, Chen Qinglin thought it involved using a certain method of exerting force to make a small amount of strength unleash power beyond its limits.

Master Yun Tianqing had once told him:

"This is the profundity of martial arts, and the realm of the heart."

The profundity of martial arts would let him draw closer to the power of sword intent, while the realm of the heart would benefit him for the rest of his life.

If you think this book is any good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.

He had grasped the first half to some extent. The second half had given him food for thought, yet it was like the moon reflected in water—visible, but impossible to grasp.

Sitting cross-legged beneath the waterfall, he listened to the ceaseless roar of water crashing against the rocks.

Yet in his mind, everything grew calmer.

He had to seek stillness amid motion!

He had to unite himself with heaven and earth, with nature!

Over at the Cloud Dwelling Courtyard, everyone was busy remodeling the place.

The commotion drew many Qingyun Peak disciples over to watch, thinking something had happened.

Once they found out what was going on, many wanted to join.

But Ling Ling turned them away, saying that Chen Qinglin, the courtyard's owner, wasn't there, so she couldn't make the decision.

Besides, several of Fu Shenxing's disciples were present, so nothing got too out of hand.

Instead, after those disciples spread the word, a wave of enthusiasm swept through Qingyun Peak, with people forming all kinds of groups for gatherings.

They invited friends from various peaks of Qingfeng Mountain to join them.

Qingyun Peak, usually rather quiet, had become almost too lively.

Most of the Senior Brothers whom Senior Brother Ji Yangchun had invited earlier couldn't refuse their fellow disciples and eventually left the Cloud Dwelling Courtyard.

In the end, only Ji Yangchun, Yun Yue, Shui Qingqian, Ling Ling, Xie Jingyun, Chang Yan, Su Yuexing, Zhu Zhu, Shen Yutao, and Ji Yangchun's friend Feng Xiaoge remained.

Including Chen Qinglin, who had been away for the past few days, there were only eleven of them.

Compared to the lively crowd of forty or fifty at its peak, things had become much quieter.

As the idea of forming gatherings caught on, disciples from every peak on Qingfeng Mountain grew interested and began setting up gatherings of their own.

Some even had Elders show up to teach and share their knowledge.

By contrast, the upcoming New Student Competition in May and Outer Sect Competition in June had drawn hardly any attention.

In the end, even the Sect Master of Qingfeng Mountain, a figure of such standing, had been alerted.

But after learning how it had all started, he praised the idea, saying it benefited the martial path. He even encouraged the sect's disciples to exchange ideas and hoped they would advance further in their martial arts.

Needless to say, this was beyond anything Chen Qinglin, the instigator, had expected.

But he didn't care. At that moment, he was immersed in a profound state of comprehension...

Seeing the small in the great...

Glimpsing the whole through a part...

Noticing what was unusual in the tiniest details...

This was a realization different from Lifting the Heavy as if Light.

Chen Qinglin drew his most ordinary sword and moved freely beneath the waterfall. He didn't use True Essence, just as when he had first started practicing martial arts...

The splashes from his sword were invisible amid the waterfall, and the water could fall freely onto the rocks and spray much higher...

For the past few days, he had practiced this way, unhurriedly.

Immersed in his own world, he repeated the Iron Sword Sword Art over and over, just as he had when he first started training...

Iron Sword Horizontal Slash, Reflected Light Illuminating Shadow, Chasing Wind and Pursuing Lightning,

Sword Light Leaping, Clear Wind Brushing the Top, Sword Shadows Overlapping,

Linked Flower Slash, High Mountain Falling Rocks, Sweep Across the Mountains.

Over the past few days, this sword art had grown more and more refined, as if it were about to break free of its original limits and shatter its shackles...

At one moment, his sword followed his heart...

As inspiration struck, he sent out a single slash with the ordinary move Iron Sword Slanting...

It was an ordinary sword strike, without True Essence or any other force behind it, yet it cut off the waterfall's flow, leaving a brief void.

He let the severed water fall over him again, then stream down through his hair, which had already come loose.

He closed his eyes tightly and recalled that moment...

Only then did he leap out of the waterfall, comb his hair back into place, and casually secure it with a wooden hairpin.

In that instant! He had found the realm of Lifting the Light as if Heavy. Thanks to his innate talent, he could remain in that state and immerse himself in the realm whenever he wished.

The Iron Sword Sword Art had also broken through its former confines and become a Human Grade Low-Rank Swordplay.

Though it was only a Human Grade Low-Rank Swordplay, it held a special meaning for him.

His gaze swept out like white silk; the green mountains became one color.

Joy welled up inside him, along with the boldness of someone standing between heaven and earth, free to roam wherever he pleased...

After a long while, he finally returned to his usual state of mind.

He looked at the waterfall behind him, then toward the Cloud Dwelling Courtyard, and thought that this period of cultivation had come to an end.

It was time to go back and see how the Senior Sisters' renovations were coming along.

Hopefully, my courtyard was still there...