A Father and Son Speak from the Heart, Bestowing Martial Arts; Eight Steps Chasing Cicada Entangles a Great Figure of the Prefecture City

The next morning, as dawn barely broke, faint rays of sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell across the desk, spreading a wash of gold. Liu Wangzhou sent someone to summon Liu Yunche early.

The study was silent. Father and son sat facing each other, both upright in posture and steady in breath.

"Last night, Wei Cong told me the entire sequence of events," Liu Wangzhou said gravely. "After investigating for so long, I never expected you to be the one who discovered the clue."

"You acted cautiously, neither rash nor impatient for quick results. With such a temperament, I can rest much easier in the future." Liu Wangzhou was full of praise.

"Father, even if Zheng Shen was not the one who did this, he cannot be uninvolved." Liu Yunche's gaze was clear and resolute as he spoke in a low voice.

Liu Wangzhou looked at him and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

Liu Yunche pondered for a moment. "I will leave this matter to Father's judgment. I trust you will not let your son suffer a loss."

"Hahaha... You brat, testing me now, are you? Don't worry. Leave this matter to your father." Liu Wangzhou laughed heartily and patted Liu Yunche on the shoulder.

"Now that you are practicing martial arts, why not transfer to Green Grain Martial Academy?"

"Yes, Father." Liu Yunche nodded. "Yesterday, Senior Brother Jiang Xu from the academy mentioned the hunt outside the city..."

Liu Wangzhou's gaze settled on him. Knowing that Liu Yunche had brought it up because he wanted to go, he considered it briefly before saying:

"If you want to go, your father naturally supports you. I have heard of it as well. There are still more than forty days left, enough for you to develop Iron Skin."

"If you need anything, just ask. Now that you have entered the martial path, you should have your own ideas and judgment. You need not follow all my arrangements in everything."

"Even if you take a few detours for a time, they will still be rare experience for you."

Liu Yunche appeared thoughtful, his brows relaxing as he said lightly, "Rest assured, Father. Your son will not stand on ceremony with you."

He continued smoothly, "Father, yesterday I saw Senior Brother Jiang's exceptional bearing and felt greatly inspired. I practiced my saber art diligently through the night and actually caught a flash of insight. It has now reached major mastery."

Liu Yunche rested both hands on his knees, his gaze calm as he put on a solemn expression.

Once he finished speaking, the study fell silent for a moment.

A faint look of understanding first passed through Liu Wangzhou's eyes. There was not the slightest surprise, as though he had long known.

He immediately nodded in approval. "Oh? Such a thing happened? Good, good, good! Your tireless cultivation day and night was not in vain."

His tone was full of praise for his son, yet his composed expression held none of the delighted surprise one might expect. Instead, it carried the certainty of someone thinking, Just as expected.

As he looked at the young man before him, Liu Wangzhou was already laughing inwardly. Yet he did not expose the matter, merely followed Liu Yunche's words and tacitly played out this little act with him.

Unaware of his father's thoughts, Liu Yunche continued, "Your son has heard that when martial artists encounter a bottleneck, exchanging ideas with others may help them make a breakthrough."

Liu Wangzhou listened earnestly, smiling in his eyes without interrupting.

Meeting his father's gaze, Liu Yunche spoke with a trace of longing. "Your son wishes to study the Thunderclap Saber Art. Perhaps by drawing connections, I can bring Gale Swift Saber to the perfected level."

Liu Wangzhou frowned almost imperceptibly. "The Thunderclap Saber Art is quite powerful, but it is also more difficult to cultivate. At your current stage, you should focus more on improving your realm."

"Yunche, you must understand that a martial artist's realm is the foundation, while techniques are merely branches. You must never neglect the root in pursuit of the branches."

"Your son understands. I only wish to use it as a reference. I will not cultivate it right now," Liu Yunche said solemnly.

"Father, aside from that, I would also like to learn a movement technique."

Liu Wangzhou gave Liu Yunche a long look and said no more. He rose and went into the inner room. When he returned, he held a martial arts notebook and an aged, yellowed book.

"This is a notebook on the Thunderclap Saber Art. It records methods for cultivating the Thunderclap Saber Art, as well as the cultivation experiences of those before you. If you wish to use it as a reference, this is most suitable."

As he spoke, Liu Wangzhou handed one of the books to Liu Yunche.

"Just now, you said you wanted a movement technique. After considering it, the only suitable one in the household is this Eight Steps Chasing Cicada."

With that, Liu Wangzhou handed over the yellowed ancient book. Looking at it, ripples stirred in his heart.

His voice carried a touch of wistful remembrance. "This Eight Steps Chasing Cicada was bestowed by a great figure from the prefecture city."

Liu Wangzhou paused, his gaze falling on Liu Yunche's face as he said softly, "If you succeed in cultivating Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, perhaps you may even continue a certain connection."

Liu Yunche's heart stirred, and he raised his eyes to ask, "Father..."

Before he could finish, Liu Wangzhou interrupted him. "There is no need to rush to ask about this. When the time is right, I will naturally tell you."

Not giving Liu Yunche a chance to ask further, Liu Wangzhou waved his hand. "Go. Cultivate well."

Hearing this, Liu Yunche could only let it go.

Within Cloud Perch Courtyard, the afternoon sun blazed fiercely. Liu Yunche sat in the pavilion, holding the notebook in his hands. He understood the cultivation tips recorded within as soon as he saw them.

Upon seeing the moves of the Thunderclap Saber Art, several methods of training naturally surfaced in the depths of his mind.

He gained all manner of insights into how to draw the saber, block attacks, and even sheathe it. These were abilities brought by the saber master.

Besides, Liu Yunche's Gale Swift Saber had already reached perfection, so he focused all his thoughts on the Nurturing Origin Stance.

As his mind sank into his dantian, the internal breath that had originally been the size of a fist had grown considerably. Each time he cultivated the Nurturing Origin Stance, the internal breath circulated through a complete cycle.

By now, he had already grasped a trace of the opportunity to bring the Nurturing Origin Stance to perfection.

He was progressing steadily every day. Within a month, he would likely have a chance to glimpse the perfected level of the Nurturing Origin Stance.

Setting down the notebook, Liu Yunche opened the yellowed copy of Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

According to the book, once Eight Steps Chasing Cicada was mastered, one's feet could exert force as lightly as though weightless. With eight connected steps in rapid succession, one could catch up to a cicada flying through the air in an instant.

The body would drift like wind, afterimages crisscrossing unpredictably, making it impossible for others to catch one's trajectory with the naked eye.

After reading the description, however, he frowned deeply. According to the book, this was clearly a movement technique without flaws.

Yet techniques like this were often the hardest to cultivate.

Still, thinking of the "connection" his father had mentioned, Liu Yunche's eyes flickered. The prefecture city was the heart of an entire province's finest resources. He had never imagined that his household had ties to such a great figure within it.

He studied it carefully until he had committed all its contents to memory, then began cultivating.

First came the footwork, then the breathing. Neither could be omitted, and they had to work together. Eight Steps Chasing Cicada trained the unity between the two.

Liu Yunche immediately rose and went to the bluestone courtyard outside the pavilion to practice Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

This technique required footwork and breathing to become one. With the slightest error, his internal breath would turn sluggish and his steps would grow unsteady. It was far from as simple as the words on the page made it seem.

He repeatedly coordinated his footwork with his breathing, practicing again and again. The afternoon sun was scorching, and before long his clothes were soaked through with sweat. Several times, he stepped off rhythm and nearly lost his balance.

Only when the sun dipped low in the west did he barely manage to steady himself. Leaning against a corridor pillar, he panted softly.

Liu Yunche secretly marveled that this movement technique was far more difficult than he had imagined. After an entire afternoon of hard practice, he had only barely grasped a trace of the knack.

His steps and breath were only just beginning to synchronize. He was still far from even becoming proficient, and from now on, only daily, unceasing practice would allow him to improve.

He calmed his breath, his gaze resolute without the slightest sign of discouragement.