One Flower, One Leaf, One Bodhi

Before the grand and majestic mountain gate of the Clear Sky Sect, two figures stood silently facing each other.

On one side stood a youthful figure, upright and spirited, sword in hand.

On the other stood a burly middle-aged man gripping a massive hammer, weathered by countless hardships.

It was a duel between youth and middle age, yet in Tang Hao's senses, time and identity had been completely reversed and distorted.

In a daze, he had become his younger self again, sharp and radiant.

And Chen Ling before him had become that figure from his memories—his grandfather, Tang Chen.

That familiar face still bore the smile unique to the strong: composed, confident, and overwhelmingly imposing.

The stone steps before the mountain gate were exactly as they had been carved into his memories, yet he alone, standing here, had become utterly unfamiliar.

Endless melancholy surged within Tang Hao. He could no longer remember when he had lost that fearless youth who charged ever forward and become this despondent, broken man.

He lowered his head and looked at the reflection in the pooled water on the bluestone ground. The rippling surface reflected a blurred figure.

At that moment, he was completely lost, unable to tell whether the person in the reflection was the peerless young genius of the Clear Sky Sect from back then, or the weary Clear Sky Douluo burdened with regret today.

Within the illusion, Tang Chen's gentle yet weighty voice slowly rang out, every word clear as it echoed between the mountain gates.

"Hao'er, remember this. Aside from the Great Sumeru Hammer, the core inheritance of our Clear Sky Sect is the Haotian Nine Absolutes. This secret art does not merely test brute force. It places greater importance on the details of exertion and the angles of attack. It demands meticulous precision and cunning breakthroughs. The trickier the angle and the more refined the force, the more fully you can unleash the supreme might of the Clear Sky Hammer."

His tone was calm and unhurried as he patiently imparted the insights of his lifetime.

"Now, attack me with all your strength. I will point out each of your flaws. Only by correcting your weaknesses can you truly master this secret technique."

"Yes, Grandfather!"

Tang Hao took a deep breath and settled his mind completely.

In his mind, the forms of the Haotian Nine Absolutes flowed rapidly. Unlike the unfamiliarity of his usual deliberate practice, every move and stance now seemed like an instinct carved into his bones—perfectly natural, requiring no thought.

He stepped forward, Soul Power trembling beneath his feet as the unique, majestic rhythm of the Haotian Nine Absolutes instantly enveloped him.

Void, Seal, Penetration, Pierce, Bind, Shock, Break, Kill, Collapse!

The nine hammer forms emerged in sequence, each flowing into the next, every stance deadly. Their transitions were flawless, as though formed by nature itself.

Violent hammer winds, carrying overwhelming Soul Power, swept across the entire mountain gate with terrifying force.

In Tang Hao's understanding, he had already performed at his peak. His force was perfect, his angles cunning, and not the slightest flaw could be found.

Yet no matter how tyrannical his hammer momentum or how fierce his attacks, "Tang Chen" before him always defused them all with effortless composure.

The way he moved with such ease did not resemble a real battle at all. It was like an old man playing with a child.

In the instant when illusion and reality intertwined, the two overlapped seamlessly.

In Tang Hao's eyes, his grandfather Tang Chen calmly broke his moves apart and patiently guided him.

Yet in reality, the one standing opposite him, receiving all his attacks and dismantling every hammer form, had always been Chen Ling.

And the technique that countered the Haotian Nine Absolutes was called the Azure Abyss Nine Forms.

"Hao'er, remember this. The Void Absolute focuses on defending against aerial attacks and redirecting force. If you merely hide your edge within emptiness, your moves will be easily anticipated and dismantled by your opponent."

Within the illusion, Tang Chen's instruction sounded at exactly the right moment. At the same time, Chen Ling lightly raised his longsword, precisely dispersing all the force of the Clear Sky Hammer and breaking the Void Absolute.

"The Sealing Absolute requires you to remain steady in heart. Use sealing against sealing, stillness against motion, and only then can you completely lock down your opponent's offense. Never panic and lose your rhythm."

"The Penetration Absolute values endless continuity, momentum like rushing thunder. Before one force is spent, another must rise..."

Whenever Tang Hao changed to another Clear Sky Hammer form, Tang Chen in the illusion would precisely identify its weakness and impart its essence.

And in reality, Chen Ling's Azure Abyss Nine Forms would operate in tandem, dismantling each move with absolute precision.

Tang Hao grew increasingly confused, filled with incomprehension.

He was at the height of his condition. His hammer techniques flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, seemingly flawless and complete, yet before the man in front of him, they remained utterly powerless. Every attack was effortlessly neutralized.

But he did not doubt it in the slightest.

Tang Chen was the goal he had pursued all his life, the pillar that held up the Clear Sky Sect, the elder who had placed such high hopes on him in his youth.

Instinctively, he believed his cultivation was insufficient and his state of mind lacking. His seemingly perfect hammer techniques were, in truth, riddled with flaws.

He had no idea that Chen Ling's Azure Abyss Nine Forms happened to perfectly restrain the Haotian Nine Absolutes.

The Azure Abyss Nine Forms contained nine layers of intent: Void, Lock, Pierce, Reversal, Bind, Rend, Sever, Silence, and Tide.

One form corresponded to another; one realm restrained another.

Every hammer strike Tang Hao unleashed was dismantled layer by layer by Chen Ling's sword-path intent.

The suppression of the sword path, in Tang Hao's eyes as he sank deep into the illusion, became proof of his grandfather's unfathomable strength.

As his thoughts shifted, Tang Hao's expression hardened and his hammer momentum suddenly changed drastically.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand abruptly changed direction. His Soul Power condensed into a savage blood-red character for "Kill," enveloping his body as he brought the hammer down toward Chen Ling's face with enough force to shatter mountains and split stones.

This move was utterly decisive, concealing condensed hidden force. It appeared fierce and domineering, but its lingering power was endless, its killing intent concealed within.

Facing this fatal strike, Chen Ling's expression did not change as he lightly turned his wrist.

The Qingming Sword in his hand instantly withdrew all its edge, seeming to vanish without a trace into the void.

In the next instant, a biting sword light erupted. It was so fast that only a faint streak of sword-light remained in the air.

In a single instant, blood sprayed forth.

Tang Hao's unused left hand was severed by a sword strike, blood pouring from the wound.

Yet he had long since sunk into the obsession of the illusion. His body could not feel pain, and his mind was wholly immersed in sparring with "Tang Chen." He continued to swing the massive hammer and attack without regard for anything else.

The ultimate hidden force within the Clear Sky Hammer exploded with a thunderous crash, its violent power nearly tearing apart the surrounding air.

Yet the killing force, enough to grievously wound a Titled Douluo, became like mud sinking into the sea the instant it collided with the Qingming Sword. Like vast waves swallowing the ocean, it was completely dissolved and vanished without a trace.

Boom—!

The massive hammer crashed heavily onto the bluestone ground before the mountain gate, sending dust flying and making the earth quake.

Yet Tang Hao remained frozen in the posture of bringing down his hammer, motionless as a dust-covered stone statue.

Within the illusion, that towering, upright figure still stood there, his presence unfathomable.

Tang Hao looked at the tall figure standing before him, his eyes filled with admiration and reverence. Even after using his full strength, he was merely showing off before a master in the presence of his great-grandfather.

"Hao'er, do you know what your Clear Sky Hammer ultimately lacks?"

Tang Chen stood with his back to him. The warmth had faded from his voice, replaced by solemnity and severity.

"Your grandson... does not know."

Tang Hao lowered his head slightly, his voice trembling faintly.

This was not fear, but anxious anticipation. He longed for his great-grandfather's guidance, for a way to break through his own shackles.

"Our Clear Sky Hammer is the number one tool martial soul in the world. Its core lies in that domineering aura of charging ever onward and rising against adversity."

"Indecision and hiding your head and tail will only completely grind away the Clear Sky Hammer's domineering heart. Hao'er, hold fast to this spirit. Do not disgrace the Clear Sky Sect, nor tarnish the name of the world's number one tool martial soul!"

A warm, heavy hand gently settled on Tang Hao's shoulder, carrying expectations and warnings that transcended the years.

As the words fell, Tang Chen's figure gradually faded until he completely disappeared between heaven and earth, leaving no trace behind.

The illusion shattered, returning to reality.

Tang Hao slowly raised his head. The pride and sharpness belonging to his youth had vanished from his eyes, replaced by exhaustion and relief accumulated over decades.

That domineering spirit of forging ever onward was something he had lost long ago.

That reckless, high-spirited young genius of the Clear Sky Sect who had dared to contend with heaven and earth had already been utterly buried by time, along with Ah Yin's sacrifice, the sect's closure, and years of hiding.

All that remained was a Clear Sky Douluo who hid his head and tail, indecisive and hesitant.

He lifted his eyes toward Chen Ling, who stood quietly before him. There was no longer even a trace of hostility in his gaze—only complete clarity and relief.

"It was I who lost."

After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.

A blinding white light suddenly flashed.

With a thud, a head rolled away and fell into the pooled water beside it, sending fine ripples spreading across the surface.

The Clear Sky Douluo had fallen.

Chen Ling lowered his sword and stood tall as a pine. The usual casualness had faded from his voice, replaced by rare solemnity and respect.

"Enlightenment has never been far away. It lies only in the heart of the present moment. Clear Sky Douluo, this junior has learned much."

That entire duel, where illusion and reality had intertwined, had also been a trial of the heart for him.

He had become Tang Chen, standing at the summit and looking down upon the struggles of those who came after, experiencing the absolute confidence of a peerless powerhouse who could control the entire battlefield and crush all opposition.

He had also entered Tang Hao's place, empathizing with the pride that had soared to the skies in his youth and the burning purity of his original heart. He had come to understand the regrets, obsessions, and helplessness of Tang Hao's life.

Perhaps it was just as the lyric said: one flower, one leaf, one bodhi; every cycle of reincarnation was a mystery.

[Special mission: The true old man playing with a child has been successfully completed.]

[Congratulations, host, for comprehending the second level of Sword Intent · Sever Delusions!]

[Unlocked Sword Intent ability: One-Leaf Bewildering Wheel. After striking a target, it can draw them into a personal cyclical dream constructed from their own obsessions, forcing them to confront the deepest illusions of regret and attachment within their hearts. It can reveal their true heart—or trap it to death.]