Where did his comprehension come from?

During Jiang Che's first run through the Azure Torrent Sword Art, Du Yongchang could still sit calmly.

The boy's movements were visibly unpracticed.

He performed all twelve sword moves, but he had already read the sword art on the road and watched a demonstration in person. Copying the tiger by following the cat was nothing remarkable. At most, it warranted a word of praise for his talent, and that was all.

But after finishing the first run, Jiang Che did not stop. He immediately began a second.

The awkwardness in his movements diminished before Du Yongchang's eyes.

By the third run, Du Yongchang had forgotten to drink the tea in his hand, leaving his cup suspended in midair.

He remained silent for a good while before setting it down.

"Ahem... not bad. You pass."

The Azure Torrent Sword Art was a sword technique for the embryonic breath period, nothing particularly profound. Yet he still remembered how, when he first obtained it, he had worked tirelessly and practiced for years, only to earn his master's verdict: "You should practice something else." From then on, he had abandoned the path of sword cultivation and turned to alchemy.

And Jiang Che?

Just three runs, and the faint beginnings of a swordsman's true grasp were already taking shape!

This boy Jiang Che... could he really possess some of the aptitude of a true disciple?

Still, he said nothing more.

Du Yongchang was neither accustomed to praising people nor willing to do so.

He merely drew another object from his sleeve and casually tossed it over.

Jiang Che caught it and looked down. It was an iron sword. Its blade was over three feet long, its hilt wrapped in hemp cord, with a pearl-like counterweight at the end. The sharpened edge gleamed with a biting chill. Though it was no magic artifact or spiritual weapon, compared with the standard weapons issued to Probationary Disciples, it was as far above them as heaven was above earth.

"No matter how prettily you wave that rotten branch around, it isn't a sword. Now that you're an embryonic breath cultivator, you ought to have a decent weapon. This sword would only gather dust in my storeroom anyway. That would be a waste, so it's yours."

Jiang Che bowed again. "Thank you for the sword, sir."

"All right, that's all I can teach you. Once you reach the Main Gate, someone will guide you through the rest. Go on, go on. Practice on your own."

Jiang Che walked out of the inner courtyard with the sword in hand, his steps light.

Learning the Azure Torrent Sword Art in three runs-if word got out, it would probably draw another round of astonishment, wouldn't it?

By this point, Jiang Che was no fool. Of course he had noticed what set him apart.

He seemed... to truly possess considerable natural talent.

At the very least, his comprehension was excellent.

That held true for both cultivation methods and swordsmanship.

When he received the cultivation method, he entered the Dao in a single night. Others merely saw it as extraordinary talent, but he knew there was a little "padding" in that account.

A single night? He had clearly entered the Dao in a single instant!

The main reason he had mastered the Upper Azure Smoke Cloud Embryonic Breath Method on his first attempt might have been the strand of [primordial origin first spirit] that had been stirred into action.

But the foundation laid by the Azure Heaven Wind Dew Embryonic Breath Method could not be overlooked either. As an instance reward, this cultivation method had been imprinted directly into his mind. Though he had never practiced it, he already remembered every key to nurturing qi, transforming force, and circulating internal energy.

The Upper Azure Smoke Cloud Embryonic Breath Method could be said to complement it, meaning he did have a foundation.

But the question was, could having some foundation really allow someone to enter the Dao in a single night?

Jiang Weichuan had said it took him over half a year to enter the Dao. Was that because his memory was poor and he could not memorize the formula?

Clearly not.

Being able to remember something did not mean one could understand it, much less gain insight into it.

Yet when Jiang Che circulated the method himself, everything flowed smoothly as water from beginning to end, without the slightest obstruction.

It was a feeling difficult to explain to others: once his mind remembered it all, he simply knew how to do it.

Was this comprehension?

His sword practice had confirmed it as well.

In the month since Jiang Che had crossed into this world, he had not felt there was anything special about him. Yet over these past few days, his circumstances had changed so completely that heaven and earth seemed to have been overturned.

Had his comprehension always been good, only lacking a chance to show itself? Or had the merging of souls during his crossing brought about some transformation, remaking him down to his very bones? Or had the mysteries within the consciousness space changed him?

He did not know, nor did he have any way to investigate further.

But one thing was beyond doubt: this talent, together with the consciousness space that let him travel through Time Fragments, had already given him a foundation utterly different from that of an ordinary life.

Early the next morning, Du Yongchang left Willow Source.

He departed alone, without alerting anyone.

Jiang Che had wanted to see him off, but by the time he reached the city gate, he saw only a receding figure. He did not even get to exchange a word with him.

So be it. If fate allowed, they would meet again someday.

Afterward, Jiang Che found a horse and left the city as well, heading to the banks of the Willow River.

The river originated in North Luan Mountain. The name Willow Source referred to its headwaters.

Heading south along the river, the Jiang Lineage's ancestral grounds stood beside River Bend, twenty li from the county seat of Willow Source County. It was a village estate with mountains at its back and water before it.

At the center of the estate stood a cluster of residences with blue-tiled roofs and white walls. This was where the main branch resided, and where the Jiang Cultivators practiced. The houses scattered around it like stars across a chessboard belonged to the many members of the outer branch, mostly farmers and artisans who supported the main branch.

The surrounding fields, mulberry groves, and orchards were all neatly tended, and all belonged to the Jiang.

This was Jiang Che's first visit since crossing over, but the place was familiar in his memories. His predecessor had grown up here.

Following those memories, he entered the estate with the ease of someone who knew every turn.

He dismounted, but did not hurry toward the main branch. He wanted to find his parents first.

There were plenty of people along the way, many with familiar faces.

Naturally, they recognized him too.

The triumphant homecoming he had imagined did not materialize. Instead, people seemed desperate to avoid him, and whispers rose in his wake.

"Isn't that Third He's boy? Why's he back?"

"Didn't they say everyone in Willow Source's outer sect committed some terrible offense? Even Weichuan's branch is going to be struck from the genealogy..."

"He even came into the ancestral grounds wearing a sword? Who's he trying to impress?"

Having entered embryonic breath, he could hear every one of those voices clearly.

Jiang Che abruptly turned and asked in a low voice, "Where are my parents?"

A woman leaned against the doorway of her house and said scornfully, "Your parents? They were driven out ages ago. What are you still looking for them here for? You'd better get lost too. Don't bring disaster down on the clan."

"That's right. Your branch has nothing to do with us anymore. You people who joined Willow Source's outer sect brought trouble on yourselves by bungling your duties. Bear it yourselves. Don't drag the clan into it."

By this point, Jiang Che had roughly guessed the reason, and he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

To call these villagers ill-informed was not quite right: they knew something major had happened in Willow Source County, and that calamity loomed over the entire outer sect.

But to call them well-informed was no better. The main party had returned yesterday, and Uncle Chuan himself should have hurried back by now, yet they still did not know the situation had changed.

He did not blame these ignorant villagers. Right now, he cared about only one thing.

"Where are my parents?"