A Method for Comprehending the True Intent of Martial Arts

Zhou Yafeng had thought he was no weaker than Shen Ruyu. Even if he could not defeat her, he should at least have been able to escape. Yet now, he had failed to withstand even three of Shen Ruyu's moves.

"So what if you relied on an evil art to raise your realm? Martial strength is not judged by realm alone." Shen Ruyu freely critiqued Zhou Yafeng's martial arts. "Your true essence is mixed and impure. Blood baleful aura does not merely affect your opponents—it affects you as well."

"Your swordsmanship may look powerful, but you have yet to comprehend the true intent of martial arts within it. It is nothing but an empty shell."

Cui Lang hurriedly seized the chance to ask, "Constable Shen, how does one comprehend the true intent of martial arts?"

Shen Ruyu looked at Cui Lang curiously. "Has your saber technique already reached that stage?"

"Comprehending the true intent of martial arts is not actually difficult. Diligent practice, along with a little aptitude, is enough."

Zhou Yafeng: "???"

He had practiced the sword for nearly thirty years without comprehending even the slightest sword intent, yet Shen Ruyu said it was not difficult?

How many people in all of Azure Cloud Prefecture could comprehend the true intent of martial arts?

Shen Ruyu continued, "You practice Eight Desolations Slash, correct? It is a saber technique that virtually every constable learns."

"Eight Desolations Slash emphasizes fierce, relentless advance. When you wield your saber, you must cast aside all distractions and advance without retreat. Then you may touch upon the edge of saber intent."

After thinking for a moment, Cui Lang pressed on, "Constable Shen, is there a faster way?"

He could manage to advance without retreat when facing opponents of the same realm, but he currently had no suitable opponents at all.

"There is." Shen Ruyu answered with certainty. "When you endure immense pressure, such as a life-and-death crisis, it may awaken your potential and allow you to comprehend the true intent of martial arts."

"But I do not recommend it, because if you fail, you will truly die."

Among the younger generation of martial arts families, some had indeed used this method to comprehend the true intent of martial arts. But they all had protectors by their side, people who could preserve their lives at the crucial moment.

"Enough. I still need to interrogate Zhou Yafeng. Go lead the other constables and yamen runners to maintain order. Do not tell them about Zhou Yafeng and the others, lest they lose faith in the imperial court."

Cui Lang nodded and went outside to tell the other constables to patrol the streets, while the yamen runners were to inspect every village once more. A yamen runner immediately voiced his displeasure.

"We do not seem to be under the constables' command, do we?"

Cui Lang raised a hand with a smile. True essence surfaced in his palm, and with one strike, he smashed the stone lock in the courtyard to pieces. "What did you just say?"

Now that Zhou Yafeng had also been captured, there was no longer any need for him to hide his strength.

Everyone stared in shock. Cui Lang had already reached the Essence Gathering Realm!

"C-Constable Cui, Old Wang drank himself senseless yesterday and has not sobered up yet. Please do not take offense at him. We will head to the villages to patrol right away."

The constables who had previously wanted to compete with Cui Lang for the position of head constable now fell silent as cicadas in winter, turning around and hurrying outside.

Only Zhao Changshan approached with a face full of delight. "Congratulations, Constable Cui, on breaking through to the Essence Gathering Realm."

Cui Lang patted Zhao Changshan's shoulder. "Old Zhao, guard the entrance to the rear office. Do not let anyone approach. The officials from the prefectural yamen are discussing matters inside."

"Do not listen to what you should not hear."

Zhao Changshan nodded obediently. "Rest assured, Constable Cui. Leave it to me—I will not fail."

Cui Lang really was going to take over as head constable. That made him the head constable's foremost confidant, so he had to perform well.

Once Zhao Changshan left, Cui Lang was alone in the courtyard. He drew his saber and recalled Shen Ruyu's moves from earlier, slowly imitating them.

He had noticed that Shen Ruyu's saber technique seemed to possess an unstoppable, forward-driving momentum, much like Eight Desolations Slash.

Cui Lang swung his saber again and again. Unfortunately, his true essence was neither deep enough nor refined enough. He could coat the saber with it, but he could not condense essence into gang force.

Though it lacked some killing intent, he was not discouraged and continued to imitate her tirelessly.

"You want to learn my saber technique?"

Cui Lang instantly sheathed his saber and looked at Shen Ruyu awkwardly. "Constable Shen, I was only trying to imitate it."

He had been caught secretly learning someone else's martial skill.

"My saber technique is not suited to you. My ancestor created it specifically for me, combining it with my understanding of saber techniques such as Eight Desolations Slash. Besides, you are only at the Essence Gathering Realm. Even if you learned my saber technique, you would not be able to display its true power."

"Eight Desolations Slash was created by Mister Murong, the former Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice. Though its moves are basic, its power is far from weak if you comprehend the true intent of martial arts within it. It can also lay a solid foundation for you to learn other saber techniques in the future."

Cui Lang understood. Shen Ruyu's saber technique required at least the Core Embracing Realm to unleash its power. His realm was too low.

"Constable Shen, did you get the answers you wanted?" Cui Lang quickly changed the subject.

Shen Ruyu shook her head slightly. "Zhou Yafeng only said that Lin Liben had taught him the evil art. Lin Liben had also given him the method for refining Blood Pills, telling him to hand them over to demons. Before that, he had never even heard of the Demon God Cult."

"However, they have been colluding with demons for five years. Over those five years, many people were falsely accused and imprisoned, then sentenced to execution after autumn. Some prisoners also died suddenly in their cells, but in truth, they were sent away to feed the demons."

"Some travelers passing through Cloud Mountain County were also murdered by them one after another. Many more were purchased from elsewhere. Dark Fragrance Pavilion handled this matter."

"I will remain here for now to stabilize the situation in Cloud Mountain County. I will also search the homes of those people again to see whether there is any further evidence. Once the prefectural yamen sends people over, we will escort Zhou Yafeng to the prefectural city."

Cui Lang hurriedly asked, "Constable Shen, do you need my help?"

Confiscating homes—he had never taken part in such a good thing before.

Shen Ruyu looked at Cui Lang. "No need. I can have a few yamen runners do it. For the merit you earned this time, the Prefect will certainly grant you a generous reward."

"You worked hard last night as well. Go home and get some rest."

Cui Lang felt somewhat regretful. He was indeed a little tired, but if he saw whole chests of silver, he could still carry them and run.

As he strolled back home, Cui Lang saw the worry in his younger sister's eyes and said with a smile, "Ling, your brother has been practicing these past few days. I have already broken through to the Essence Gathering Realm."

He did not tell his sister what he had truly experienced over the past few days. He only shared the good news.

Cui Ling's face immediately lit up with joy. "Brother, you broke through so quickly? That is wonderful! Tomorrow, let us visit Father's grave and tell him this good news."

"Alright. Go practice. I need to practice my saber too."

Cui Lang was also thinking that the Blazing Sun Technique was unsuitable for his sister, and the Bloodfire Demon Body was unsuitable as well. Could he perhaps obtain a cultivation technique suited to her from Shen Ruyu?

He now had quite a bit of silver on him, enough to buy nourishing pills for his sister. He did not expect her to become an expert like Shen Ruyu. Being able to protect herself would be enough.

Standing in the courtyard, Cui Lang continued practicing his saber technique.

Every move was slow and appeared to carry little power, yet he could feel his understanding of the saber technique improving.

Just as he had grown tired and was about to sit down to practice the Blazing Sun Technique, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Cui Lang, it is me. Open the door."

Cui Lang opened the courtyard gate. "Constable Shen, why are you here? Please, come in."

Shen Ruyu stood at the entrance, her expression somewhat grave. "After searching those three homes, I returned to the county yamen and discovered that Zhou Yafeng had been killed!"