No-Self Style

Qingcang Academy, deep within the Inner Court.

An old-fashioned pavilion with blue tiles hung beside a sheer cliff, its eaves curling upward as if it might break through the air and fly away. Inside, sandalwood incense curled through the air. An old man sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes half-closed, seeming to have become one with the world around him.

Suddenly, the old man's brow twitched. His aged voice slowly rang through the empty pavilion. "Since you're back, come in."

The pavilion's doors opened of their own accord, though there was no wind. The visitor was Lin Xiuyuan, an Outer Court steward.

"Disciple Lin Xiuyuan pays his respects to Elder Zhou." Lin Xiuyuan bowed, his manner respectful.

Elder Zhou opened his eyes, a flash of keen light glinting in his cloudy gaze.

"How are preparations for the Outer Court Grand Competition coming along?" Elder Zhou lifted his teacup and took a small sip.

"We're making preparations now," Lin Xiuyuan replied. "This time, we plan to put a little pressure on those youngsters."

"Oh? Handle it as you see fit." Elder Zhou set down his teacup. "I've given the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit you brought back from Silver Moon Bay last month much thought. I've decided to make it the prize for first place in this Outer Court Grand Competition."

Lin Xiuyuan's heart stirred. "Elder, you mean..."

"There are only three years left until the next Skywind Martial Dao Grand Competition. Our Qingcang Academy has placed last for two consecutive competitions. We can't afford to lose again."

The Skywind Martial Dao Grand Competition.

Lin Xiuyuan fell silent.

It was a premier competition jointly held by Skywind Martial City and several neighboring cities, taking place once every five years. Its participants were the top geniuses from the various academies, clans, and sects. They had to be no older than twenty-five and their cultivation could not exceed the third level of the Nascent Core Realm.

Every one who stood out in that competition was a true monster.

And Qingcang Academy had placed last for two consecutive competitions.

"By the way," Elder Zhou said, as if he'd just remembered something, "you've guarded the Outer Court for years. Are there any promising young talents in this year's Outer Court who can shoulder the burden?"

Promising young talents?

A simply dressed figure instinctively surfaced in Lin Xiuyuan's mind.

After a moment's thought, he slowly replied, "The top ten on the Outer Court Battle Ranking, like Xiao Ting Yuan and Chu Hanjiang, have solid foundations and excellent talent. They all have a chance to compete. As for the others... a few have shown promise, but they're not ready yet. They still need to be tempered."

Elder Zhou didn't notice what was on Lin Xiuyuan's mind. He merely shook his head in disappointment. "I hope there's still time. That youngster from Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy, and one of the three sons of Zhanfeng Academy, have reportedly already touched the threshold of the Ultimate Form. Our generation can't afford to lose again."

The Ultimate Form!

Lin Xiuyuan's heart tightened.

It was the highest realm of martial skill cultivation: a unique move of one's own, grasped after pushing a martial skill to its utmost limit. Every Ultimate Form contained a martial artist's ultimate understanding of the Martial Dao, and its power far surpassed that of ordinary moves.

Every person who comprehended an Ultimate Form was a true prodigy.

And now, someone at both Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy and Zhanfeng Academy had already touched that threshold.

"What about Pei Xuanjing of the Inner Court?" Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help asking. "Hasn't he been trying to break through to the Ultimate Form all this time?"

Elder Zhou shook his head, regret in his voice. "He gave up."

"Gave up?"

"Mm. Lately, he's been challenging the Dao Shadow Tower like a madman, hoping to find a chance to break through in the Martial Dao of those geniuses."

The Dao Shadow Tower was one of the cultivation sanctuaries of Skywind Martial City. The tower preserved Martial Dao Imprints left behind by powerful figures of past generations. It could manifest projections at the peak of the challenger's realm for them to fight.

Everyone whose name was engraved on the tower had comprehended an Ultimate Form; each was an unparalleled genius.

"Unfortunately, after trying for several months, he still couldn't get his name engraved on the tower. You know the rules of the Dao Shadow Tower. The projections adjust to the challenger's realm. When he's in the Hundred Refinements Realm, the projections are also suppressed to its peak. Only by fighting them again and again at that level can he force them to use their Ultimate Forms and grasp that sliver of insight."

He paused, his voice sinking. "But once he breaks through to the Nascent Core Realm, the projections' realm will rise as well. By then, the gap in cultivation will be too great. He won't be able to force figures like those to use their Ultimate Forms."

"Pei Xuanjing chose the surest way to improve his strength, and advanced straight to the Nascent Core Realm."

Lin Xiuyuan fell silent.

Pei Xuanjing was widely recognized as the Inner Court's top genius. His mastery of the blade was extraordinary, and great hopes had once been placed on him. But now, even he had given up trying to reach the Ultimate Form.

What did that mean?

It meant Qingcang Academy truly hadn't produced a dazzling monster of genius in a long time.

"So for this Outer Court Grand Competition, we have to find young talents with real potential." Elder Zhou's voice turned serious again. "The Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit is just an appetizer. The real resources will be allocated after the competition."

Elder Zhou waved his hand. "Go. Give the Outer Court Grand Competition your full attention."

"Yes."

Lin Xiuyuan cupped his fists in salute, then slowly withdrew from the pavilion.

Deep in the purple bamboo grove, the morning mist had yet to clear.

Qin Jue sat cross-legged on a thick bed of dead leaves, his breaths long and even. He seemed to have become one with the surroundings.

"Breathe... in... out..."

He was adjusting his breathing and recalling the method for the first layer of the No-Self Style, "Mind Mirror." He had to cast aside distracting thoughts and let his consciousness sink into the Sea of Consciousness, sensing rather than "looking."

For him, the Tide Rising Sword Technique was for offense, while Cicada Wing Thousand Layers was for explosive power. His killing arts were already more than sufficient. But when he faced opponents who excelled in certain areas, his weaknesses in perception and footwork could put him at a disadvantage.

So, after defeating Ning Zhiyuan yesterday, he hadn't wasted a moment. He'd gone straight to the Myriad Scrolls Pavilion, an important center of martial learning, to exchange for two suitable martial skills.

The first was the movement technique Startling Swan Flash. It pushed a martial artist's explosive power to the limits of what the mortal rank could achieve. Its core principle—"moving like floating light, traveling like fleeting shadow"—made it practically born for close-quarters combat. Its demands on the body's explosive power were absurdly high; an ordinary person could easily snap their bones and rupture their tendons if they were even slightly careless in training.

The second was the mental technique No-Self Style. It had no moves or forms, cultivated neither qi nor blood, and refined only the mind. It stressed unity of mind and state, using instinct to meet the enemy. Once mastered, one could always make the right response amid the ever-changing tides of battle! To Outer Court disciples eager for quick success and hungry for power, such an intangible principle was nothing short of a fairy tale.

But in Qin Jue's eyes, it was the martial skill best suited to him.

The powerful body forged by the Nine Revolutions Viscera Refining Secret Record meant he could ignore the Startling Swan Flash's demanding training requirements. And the extraordinary comprehension granted by his [Void Clarity Sword Heart] made it the perfect tool for understanding an abstruse skill like the No-Self Style!

"Phew..." Qin Jue breathed out a mouthful of stale air, cast aside his distracting thoughts, and tried to touch that mysterious state of "no-self."

Gradually, the world changed in his perception.

The path of the wind through the bamboo leaves, the arc of a dewdrop sliding off a leaf's tip, even the rhythm of an unknown little bug's wings ten zhang away—all were clearly reflected in his mind. It was a strange feeling, as if he had a mirror inside his head, where everything around him appeared in the finest detail.

"Is this... the Mind Mirror?"

At the thought, Qin Jue instinctively tried to catch the little bug's path.

The instant the thought arose, that wondrous sense of knowing everything collapsed. The images in his mind shattered into fragments.

"Failed."

Qin Jue opened his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The No-Self Style really is difficult to master. That pavilion steward wasn't lying. This martial skill demands a great deal from the mind; a single distracting thought can ruin everything. A mind as still as water... easier said than done."

Qin Jue smiled at himself. "But if it were easy, it wouldn't show what I'm capable of."

"Again!"

Qin Jue closed his eyes once more. This time, he didn't rush to sense his surroundings. Instead, he first calmed his mind and touched that point of clarity deep within his Sea of Consciousness—his Void Clarity Sword Heart.

In an instant, the entire world fell quiet.

His tangled thoughts were smoothed away by an invisible force, and his mind grew calmer than ever. The agitation from his earlier failure vanished without a trace.

In his perception, the bamboo grove was no longer a bamboo grove, but a gathering of air currents, light, and sound. The wind was a flowing line, the leaves were trembling patches of color, and sounds were ripples in the air.

This time, he didn't think about it. He simply observed and quietly sensed everything.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Perhaps an instant, perhaps an hour.

Qin Jue's eyes snapped open.

In that instant, an extremely faint, flickering silver-white light shimmered deep in his dark pupils. Though weak, it carried a cold, rational clarity.

The first layer of the No-Self Style—Mind Mirror—was complete!