A Father and Son Speak Heart-to-Heart and Bestow Martial Arts; Eight Steps Chasing Cicada Entangles a Great Figure of the Prefecture City

The next morning, dawn light filtered through the window lattice and spilled across the desk in scattered golden patches. 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 course of events," Liu Wangzhou said gravely. "After investigating for so long, I never expected you to be the one to discover the clue."

"You act cautiously, neither rash nor eager for quick success. 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 free of involvement." 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 entirely to Father. I trust you will not let your son suffer a loss."

"Hahaha... You brat, testing me now, are you? Rest assured, leave this matter to your father." Liu Wangzhou laughed heartily and patted Liu Yunche on the shoulder.

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

"Yes, Father." Liu Yunche nodded. "Yesterday, Senior Brother Jiang Xu from the Martial Academy mentioned a hunting trip outside the city..."

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

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

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

"Even if you take a few detours for the moment, it will still be rare experience for you."

Liu Yunche appeared thoughtful, his brows easing as he said lightly, "Do not worry, Father. Your son will not stand on ceremony with you."

He continued smoothly, "Father, yesterday I saw Senior Brother Jiang's peerless bearing, and my spirits were stirred. I practiced my saber art bitterly through the night and unexpectedly caught hold of a flash of inspiration. It has now reached great mastery."

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

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

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

He then nodded in approval. "Oh? Such a thing happened? Good, good, good! Your day-and-night diligent cultivation has not been in vain."

His tone brimmed with praise for his son, yet his calm and composed demeanor showed no delighted surprise. Instead, it carried the certainty of just as expected.

He glanced at the youth before him and was already laughing inwardly. Yet he did not pierce this layer of window paper, merely followed Liu Yunche's words and tacitly played out the scene with him.

Unaware of his father's thoughts, Liu Yunche continued, "Your son has heard that when martial artists encounter a bottleneck, gathering the wisdom of many can aid a breakthrough."

Liu Wangzhou listened attentively, amusement in his eyes, without interrupting.

Meeting his father's gaze, Liu Yunche spoke with a hint of longing. "Your son wishes to study the Thunderclap Saber Art. Perhaps by drawing inferences from one instance, I may bring the Gale Swift Saber to the perfected level."

Liu Wangzhou frowned so slightly it was almost imperceptible. "The Thunderclap Saber Art is quite powerful, but it is even harder to cultivate. At your current stage, you should focus more on raising your realm."

"Yunche, you must understand that a martial artist's realm is the root, while techniques are branches. You must never abandon the root to chase the tip."

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

"Father, besides that, I also wish to learn a movement art for swift and light mobility."

Liu Wangzhou gave Liu Yunche a deep look and said no more. He rose and walked into the inner room. When he emerged, he held a martial arts handbook and a yellowed ancient book.

"This is a handbook on the Thunderclap Saber Art. It records its cultivation methods and the cultivation experiences of those who came before. If you wish to use it as a reference, this is the most suitable thing."

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

"Just now, you said you wanted a movement art for swift and light mobility. After considering it, the only one in the residence suitable for you is this Eight Steps Chasing Cicada."

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

His voice carried a trace of nostalgic sentiment. "This Eight Steps Chasing Cicada was bestowed by a great figure from the Prefecture City."

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

Liu Yunche's heart stirred. He raised his eyes and asked, "Father..."

Before he could finish, Liu Wangzhou interrupted, "There is no need for you to ask about this in haste. When the time is ripe, I will naturally tell you."

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

Hearing this, Liu Yunche could only let the matter rest.

Within Cloud Perch Courtyard, the midday sunlight was blazing. Liu Yunche sat in the pavilion with the handbook in his hands. The cultivation secrets recorded within were things he grasped the instant they were explained.

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

How to draw the saber, parry, and even sheathe it—he gained all manner of insights. These were abilities bestowed by Saber Grandmaster.

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

His mind sank into the dantian within his body. 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 heavenly circuit.

Now, he had already grasped a trace of the vital opportunity for bringing the Nurturing Origin Stance to perfection.

He was making steady progress every day. Within a month, he would presumably have hope of glimpsing the perfected level of the Nurturing Origin Stance.

Setting down the handbook, Liu Yunche opened the yellowed book on Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

The book stated that after mastering Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, one's feet would exert force as lightly as though weightless. With eight connected steps in swift flight, one could catch up to a cicada soaring through the air in an instant.

The body would drift like wind, afterimages darting unpredictably in every direction, leaving others unable to catch one's trail with the naked eye.

After reading this description, however, he furrowed his brows. By the book's account, this was clearly a movement art without any flaws.

Yet such methods were often the hardest to cultivate.

But thinking of the "destined connection" his father had mentioned, Liu Yunche's eyes flickered. The Prefecture City was where the essence of an entire province gathered. He had never expected his family to have ties to a great figure within it.

He studied it earnestly until he had committed all its contents to memory. Only then did he begin cultivating.

First came the footwork, then the breathing. Neither could be lacking, and they had to coordinate with one another. Eight Steps Chasing Cicada cultivated precisely the unity between the two.

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

This technique required footwork and breathing to blend seamlessly together. The slightest error would cause his internal breath to stagnate and his steps to become unsteady. It was far from as simple as the words on paper made it seem.

Again and again, he adjusted his footwork and breathing, practicing repeatedly. The afternoon sun blazed fiercely, and before long his robes were drenched with sweat. Several times, he stepped out of rhythm and nearly lost his balance.

Only when the setting sun sank low did he barely manage to steady himself, leaning against a corridor pillar as he panted softly.

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

His steps and breath were barely synchronized, still far from even initial proficiency. From now on, only by cultivating diligently without pause each day could he make any progress.

He calmed his breath, his gaze resolute and utterly free of discouragement.