Observe its Dao, wield its arts

Prince Wang Qing had summoned Chen Chuanshan intending to ask about Gu Yuanqing, but after witnessing this scene, he knew Chen Chuanshan probably knew little. To learn more, he would have to return to the Imperial Palace and ask the emperor.

Chen Chuanshan noticed Prince Wang Qing's smile, but with a Grandmaster making a move, what could a mere True Martial Seventh Layer cultivator like him do? He had not even caught a glimpse of the man. He could only swallow his frustration, cup his hands, and ask, "Did you summon me because you had instructions, Your Highness?"

Prince Wang Qing considered for a moment. "Six sects will be coming to North Spring Mountain this time. Have their accommodations been arranged?"

Chen Chuanshan said, "North Spring Mountain has twenty-one separate courtyards formerly occupied by elders, stewards, and true disciples, ninety-six adjoining rooms for inner sect disciples, and several dozen rooms for outer sect disciples and servants. All have been cleaned out. Even several hundred visitors could be accommodated. I have already had men take care of all these matters—"

Prince Wang Qing nodded. "In that case, let Young Master Gu keep that courtyard to himself."

"Yes, understood."

"Also, the closest sect is the Green Luan Gate. They should arrive tomorrow. Most of their members are women, and their behavior is rather peculiar. Tell the officers and soldiers to be more attentive. Sect members are not like soldiers, so do not provoke unnecessary conflicts. After all, the Imperial Court still needs their assistance in certain matters."

"Understood."

At the rear of the mountain, Repentance Cliff.

Gu Yuanqing stood atop the sheer cliff with a Flying Sword in hand.

Wild winds raged through the mountain gorge, yet his body stood as steady as a pillar supporting the heavens.

Then he unleashed a sequence of Swordsmanship moves, his feet employing the Great Yi Illusionary Sky Steps. His Flying Sword appeared and vanished like a ghost, every thrust emerging from an inconceivable angle.

It had been several months since the gaunt old man last witnessed Gu Yuanqing wielding a sword. Now he looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"What Swordsmanship is this? How can it be so uncanny!"

He imagined himself facing it, and his expression turned utterly grim. Against such Swordsmanship, he probably could not withstand even three moves. The Big Dipper Sword Technique he took such pride in seemed riddled with openings before it. In an instant, his heart turned to dead ashes.

Watching Gu Yuanqing's Swordsmanship, he even wondered what good it would do to recover the North Spring Sword Sect's secret treasury.

In truth, this was hardly surprising. Another Swordsmanship might not have left him feeling this way, but Gu Yuanqing had developed this particular technique through countless battles against the North Spring Sword Sect's Swordsmanship, drawing upon his peerless swordsmanship talent.

It would not be an exaggeration to say these sword moves had been created specifically to break the North Spring Sword Sect's Swordsmanship!

Gu Yuanqing naturally noticed the old man watching him practice, but he no longer cared.

The True Martial expert hiding here, once someone he could scarcely hope to match, no longer amounted to much in his eyes.

After finishing his sword practice, Gu Yuanqing sat cross-legged amid the cutting wind, experiencing the distinct sensations that came with the raging gusts.

He discovered that observing the mountain from the Front Mountain and from its rear gave him entirely different impressions, even though he was observing the same mountain.

At the Front Mountain, what he "saw" was the nourishment of Heaven and Earth, with vigorous life radiating everywhere.

Now, what he "saw" was the struggle for life within Heaven and Earth: birds spreading their wings to shelter their chicks beneath them, insects desperately gripping rocks with their legs so the mountain wind would not carry them away.

All manner of weeds and trees clung to the sheer cliffs, striving to seize every opportunity to survive!

It was not that he had been unable to "see" these things before. Rather, he had "seen" them without truly taking them in. People instinctively noticed what they wanted to see and overlooked what they considered unimportant.

Just as only today had he learned that the so-called Grandmaster was actually himself.

A single leaf could block one's vision and hide Mount Tai. The insights brought by today's encounter were like removing the leaf that had always covered his eyes, allowing him to truly begin seeing North Spring Mountain—and himself—clearly.

Gu Yuanqing sat there cross-legged all night without moving. Only when the morning sunlight spilled onto his cheeks did he open his eyes.

His gaze held a natural liveliness, stripped of all ornament.

He rose and looked around, a joy akin to deep emotion on his face. "So this is the true North Spring Mountain, and this is what it truly means to be the North Spring Mountain Master."

"Aunt Feng, just leave the hot water there," Gu Yuanqing said softly without turning around.

The middle-aged woman smiled, nodded, and set the basin of hot water on a rock before turning to leave. After two steps, however, she stopped.

"Just now... did I just hear someone speaking?" She abruptly turned to look at Gu Yuanqing, only to find him still standing there.

"It must have been my imagination. How could I possibly hear someone speaking?" Feng Tao left with a puzzled expression.

A little later, Gu Yuanqing approached the basin and washed his face with the hot water. His head, face, and clothes were covered in dust swept up by the raging wind.

Suddenly, something occurred to him. He paused, then closed his eyes and lightly snapped his fingers. The dust and grime clinging to his entire body flew off, gathered into a ball, drifted beyond the cliff, and fell.

Not a speck of dust remained on Gu Yuanqing!

His gaze settled on a blade of grass that had just sprouted. With a shift of his thoughts, the tender shoot slowly unfurled.

Gu Yuanqing smiled faintly. "So this is Object Control too! A person's understanding is always constrained by what they already know. This must be the so-called knowledge barrier."

He walked back into the house and gently waved his hand. Countless motes of dust flew outside in orderly streams.

"Before, I always thought of controlling something with my will, but that was already an inferior approach. Mountain Observation and Object Control are seeing and using. When observing the mountain, I see the transformations of all things within North Spring Mountain and the mysteries of Heaven and Earth. Control is not simply domination, either. It is observing those mysteries and putting them to use. In other words, observe its Dao, wield its arts."

Gu Yuanqing's mind was clear and lucid. His peerless comprehension gradually revealed its edge, as though he were approaching enlightenment at every moment.

Meanwhile, North Spring Mountain welcomed more newcomers.

First, a large group of well-trained servants arrived that morning. A steward under Prince Wang Qing briefed them and assigned their duties.

At around a quarter to six that afternoon, a group of women entered North Spring Mountain.

The women were dressed in all manner of styles. Some were flamboyantly adorned, their words and actions unrestrained. Others carried themselves gracefully, like talented, refined beauties; still others wore aloof expressions that kept people a thousand miles away.

"Dear soldier, why don't you dare look at me? Do you find me so ugly that I'm unfit for your eyes?" A barefoot woman in white swayed with every step, her coquettish voice sounding as though she might burst into tears.

The soldier's face flushed crimson, and he dared not say much. Before they received these women, the general had warned them: if they thought the women's uninhibited behavior meant they could take liberties, they were sorely mistaken. Sometimes, a man who reached out with wandering hands would die without even knowing how.

"Elder Guo, our soldiers are not like people of the Martial World. Could you perhaps remind your disciples not to overstep their bounds?" a lieutenant receiving the guests asked with a frown.

Elder Guo, who led the group, wore red. She turned and gave a cold snort. "All of you, quiet down."

The group fell silent for a little while, but less than seven minutes later, they returned to their usual lively chatter.

Elder Guo grew angry. She turned and shouted, "Anyone who speaks again will pay for all her own rouge and powder on this trip!"

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