Chapter 43

Just as Chunchou had said, the first thing he needed to do was let his muscles form memories, not let memories form in his brain.

This was Body Tempering!

"Chunchou, you were right. You really are a genius."

Bian Chunchou was even happier. He tried hard to press down the corners of his lips, but he simply could not, so they curled up instead. "Really? Wen Xu-Xu, your filter is just too thick. I'm actually only so-so. What about Chen Zui-Zui? Why hasn't he come over yet?"

"He should be..."

"Should be what?"

"He should still be practicing his blade."

Bian Chunchou thought, wasn't that perfectly normal? What day did that grind king not practice his blade? The day he did would be like red rain falling from the heavens.

"In fact, ever since you entered meditation, he has been practicing his blade without stopping." When Wen Xu had learned about it a few days ago, he had even made a special trip to Blade Peak. Blade Peak was full of blade cultivators practicing their blades. When he asked about it, they all said that Chen Zui practicing this way was a good thing and did not need to be deliberately interrupted.

"What? Is his body made of iron or something?" Bian Chunchou was astonished.

Wen Xu was silent for a moment. "...In some ways, perhaps his body is even tougher than iron."

Bian Chunchou: Good heavens! Put that way, there really was nothing wrong with it.

The two arrived at Blade Peak, where Bian Chunchou indeed saw Chen Zui-Zui continuously swinging his blade. According to the senior brother beside them, this guy's blade-swinging speed had been growing faster and faster over the past two days. He was clearly already on the verge of comprehension.

"I never expected his cultivation to be this arduous." Bian Chunchou could not help sighing.

Wen Xu could not see Chen Zui swinging his blade, but even the wind in Blade Peak's air was seven parts sharper than elsewhere. Especially where Chen Zui practiced his blade, the wind had changed from its previous disorder into order amidst disorder.

That Blade Peak senior brother had been right. Chen Zui was already at the edge of comprehension.

Wen Xu thought, the cultivation world truly was wondrous. No matter what aptitude cultivators possessed, they could find the path best suited to their cultivation. He silently cautioned himself that he must not look down on any cultivator who worked hard at cultivation.

After watching for a while, the two returned to their respective peaks to cultivate.

Wen Xu went back to temper his body and practice his sword. This time, he began trying to empty his mind: attain utmost emptiness, preserve steadfast stillness; all things arise together, and through them I observe their return. He should have thought of it long ago. Only when one's state of mind was at its calmest could one glimpse a thread of the most fundamental essence of cultivation.

But in practice, emptying his mind was very difficult for Wen Xu.

If a person never thought, then they would be like Chen Zui, unable to accept complicated things. But if one was always thinking, an overly active mind would refuse to stop moving.

Wen Xu was the latter. But once he truly realized this, he began trying to change.

His Body Tempering progress, which had remained motionless all this time, finally began inching forward. The wind within the forge furnace also finally began flowing slowly out of it without his deliberately directing it.

As for Bian Chunchou, once he finally entered a stable state of cultivation, he immediately went to report the good news to his master. After that... the petty-minded Bian made a special trip to find a certain Senior Brother Lin and circled around him a full three times. Only after seeing the other's stiff expression did he return to his peak in satisfaction to consolidate his cultivation.

Just as Wen Xu-Xu needed Body Tempering, he needed it badly too.

But his master seemed to have some special training ideas. Wen Xu-Xu practiced swordsmanship, while he was... being forced by his master to test talismans. Well, conducting experiments was his personal comfort zone, but there really was no need to stay soaked in the laboratory all the time, was there?!

"Master, please, spare your disciple. These piled-up useless talismans could supply Artifact Refining Peak with fuel for an entire day."

Venerable Ruoshui frowned. "You are a boy."

"Master?"

"You should be sturdier than girls. Your master has not yet complained of hardship, so you should persist a little longer."

Thus, Bian Chunchou persevered for another three days. When he truly could not endure any longer, he finally said, "Master, I can't do it anymore, I really can't. Actually, I can be a girl too."

Venerable Ruoshui smiled. Her little disciple was rather adorable. "Fine, then I will let you rest for a few days."

The moment Bian Chunchou heard that, he nimbly flipped himself upright and sprang to his feet, rushing out of Talisman Peak like a flying arrow. But he had barely left Talisman Peak when he ran headlong into someone.

"Eh? Chen Zui-Zui, you're not practicing your blade anymore? Why have you become so sloppy again?"

Chen Zui carried his blade. "I took a bath. Don't slander me."

"Then what is with the beard and eyebrows growing wildly across your face?! You're eighteen this year, not eighty! Come, come, I have a Blazing Fire Scorches the Plains Talisman here. I'll scorch every last bit of it off for you!"

Bian Chunchou was very skilled at using talismans now, and he used them both quickly and well. He could not resist showing off before his little companion, and then—

"You broke through again?"

Chen Zui nodded happily. "I practiced and practiced, and then I reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. You two are still not as impressive as me."

Bian Chunchou: ...

"I originally wanted to keep practicing my blade, but my master said something about going too far being as bad as not going far enough. I don't really understand, so can you help me ask Wen Xu?"

Bian Chunchou took out a Communication Talisman. "You can't contact him?"

"I don't know how to contact him."

Very good, it really was just like Chen Zui-Zui. Bian Chunchou directly stuffed a Communication Talisman into his friend's hand. "I'll teach you. It's very simple. First, do this..."

Wen Xu had just finished a day of sword practice and was about to bathe and change clothes when he received a Communication Talisman from Chen Zui.

Wen Xu subconsciously looked up at the sky. The sun had not risen in the west today, so Chen Zui had actually sent him a Communication Talisman?

Only after opening it did he discover that Chunchou had forced him to send it. Then there was no problem.

The three soon gathered together. With their current cultivation, they had actually already left their peers far behind. Cultivation increasing too quickly was not entirely a good thing. Before Foundation Establishment came Qi Refining, and Qi Refining was meant to lay a better foundation. Growing too quickly was like swallowing dates whole: the dates went down, but one barely tasted their flavor.

Later, if anyone asked what dates tasted like, the three of them probably would not be able to say anything coherent.