Guidance

Wenzhu had just reached her position and taken out her throwing darts when she saw Wenlong signal her to attack.

She dared not delay. With a flick of her hand, her darts shot toward the herd of deer, which still had no idea danger was upon them.

Neither paused to count how many sika deer had fallen. They quickly launched another volley of darts at the fleeing herd.

The sika deer struck by their darts fell one after another, struggling on the ground, while those that had escaped injury fled swiftly. By the time they tried to throw again, their targets were already out of range.

They could only finish off, one by one, the wounded sika deer that were still trying to escape.

The two went over to inspect their haul. Wenzhu had brought down three, and Wenlong four.

They were overjoyed. What a haul! Before long, Shitou and Wenlin arrived with Daniu and Erniu. Seeing the sika deer strewn across the ground, everyone jumped for joy.

In the end, Erniu went home to bring the news and ask the adults to come carry the deer back.

When the clanspeople heard how much game they had caught, they all came to help, happily carrying their prey home.

The village rang with the clanspeople's cheers. Once the sika deer were brought back, everyone immediately divided up the work of processing them.

The women deftly skinned and butchered the deer, while the men prepared fires to roast the meat. Wenzhu and Wenlong were surrounded by the crowd, hailed as the clan's heroes, and the children's eyes shone with admiration.

Everyone basked in the joy. To celebrate the clan's new additions, they brought out their finest food and enjoyed a merry feast.

After the revelry, Wenlong entered the Secret Passage again and checked the stone trough, but found that no more spirit water had appeared.

Wenlong sighed. This spirit water was far too hard to produce. Yet even after absorbing so much of it before, he had not seemed to gain much benefit.

He did not know whether he had simply failed to notice its effects or whether something was wrong with his cultivation. Even now, he had not developed the slightest trace of spiritual power, let alone achieved a breakthrough.

After cultivating for so long, it seemed he had accomplished nothing. It left him utterly dejected.

With no other choice, he entered the Secret Chamber again to search the records left by the ancestor and see where the problem lay.

What he did not know was that the spirit water had already cleansed his entire body.

His Conception and Governing Vessels had long since been opened, and his whole body had been strengthened countless times beyond anything an ordinary person could match. Calling it a complete rebirth would have been no exaggeration.

He simply did not know it. Without spiritual power enhancing him, he remained entirely unaware.

He spent a full day studying in the Secret Passage without finding any useful information, and only emerged at dusk, feeling dispirited.

At the Martial Arts Training Ground, the clanspeople were all working up a sweat. With everyone brandishing sabers and spears, the grounds were bustling.

Wenlong stood at a distance, watching the youngsters practice. After repeated tests, the most outstanding so far were Shitou, Daniu, Wenlin, Wenzhu, and Wenye.

He had yet to find any youngsters more exceptional than those five. Daniu, however, stood out most for his strength.

It seemed he needed to give Daniu more guidance and pay closer attention to his choice of weapon.

Wenlong stepped into the grounds and asked everyone to stop. Taking a large saber from the weapon rack, he told them to watch closely.

Then he demonstrated a sequence of slicing, cleaving, chopping, and circling the saber around his body in defense, all in one seamless flow. Cheers rose without pause.

After finishing the saber routine, he casually demonstrated sword, spear, staff, long-handled saber, and the rest of the eighteen martial disciplines, one after another.

Even the uncles nearby came over to clap and cheer. After watching, the youngsters shouted their approval as well, wielding their own weapons as they imitated Wenlong.

Everyone looked on with envy, wondering when they would ever attain such proficiency.

Finally, Wenlong grabbed two large handfuls of pebbles. Facing the targets hanging a short distance away, he unleashed Goddess Scatters Flowers, striking every one.

The youngsters were left dumbfounded. That technique was even harder. They had no idea how many years it would take them to reach Wenlong's level.

Seeing how discouraged they all looked, Wenlong smiled before saying, "There's no need to be amazed. I demonstrated those techniques so you could see the key points of my movements clearly."

Only then did a little light return to their eyes. "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me anytime. We'll improve together."

The others finally felt reassured and crowded forward to seek Wenlong's guidance and clear up their doubts.

Wenzhu came over as well, asking about the hand technique for Goddess Scatters Flowers.

His eldest female cousin was already something of an expert with hidden weapons. Among all of them, she was the most outstanding in both hidden weapons and swordsmanship.

Her sword appeared and vanished like a ghost, making it impossible to guard against. Even when sparring with adults, she could use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, applying the principle to its utmost.

Wenlong could not help admiring her. His eldest female cousin's martial talent truly defied the heavens.

Apart from himself, with his awakened psychic ability, no one in the clan could likely compare to her. Even on the Azure Plains Continent, she would probably rank among the foremost geniuses.

Wenlong marveled inwardly at his cousin's talent, but he had no intention of overlooking Daniu and his prodigious strength, either.

"Daniu, what kind of weapon do you like? Let's see if I can help you," Wenlong asked with a smile. Daniu blushed, unsure how to answer.

It seemed Daniu had not settled on a weapon yet. Everyone practiced with large sabers, but he found them a little too light, and they never felt quite right in his hands.

Wenlong recalled the historical figures he knew and the weapons wielded by men of immense strength, such as great hammers and large long-handled sabers.

Those were all famous weapons for men of prodigious strength. It was said that Li Yuanba had wielded twin hammers with his divine strength and stood unrivaled beneath the heavens.

Lord Guan's great saber had swept all before it, and together with his loyalty and righteousness, had ensured the world remembered him.

Wenlong introduced Daniu to weapons suited for strength. In the end, Daniu chose a large long-handled saber.

Seeing Daniu swing the long-handled saber as though it weighed nothing, he decided to ask Seventh Uncle to forge him another one weighing a hundred jin.

Wenlong took the long-handled saber from Daniu. "Daniu, watch closely."

Then he swung it, the blade flashing high and low. Wherever it passed, it stirred a fierce wind, sending leaves fluttering down from the nearby trees.

Delight appeared on Daniu's face. With his strength, once he mastered this weapon, he would surely wield it with far greater power than Wenlong.

After completing a full long-handled saber routine, Wenlong was already panting. It truly was a weapon that relied on strength. Without enough of it, one simply could not control such a weapon.

If its weight increased to a hundred jin, it would no longer be something he could wield with ease.

After explaining the key points Daniu should practice, he turned to his second female cousin, Wenye, to guide her in swordsmanship and hidden weapons.

Although she fell somewhat short of his eldest female cousin, Wenzhu, his second female cousin's martial talent was still beyond that of ordinary people.

With Wenlong's pointers, Wenye began wielding her sword with considerable grace and agility, its power beginning to show.

Concerned that Wenye lacked physical strength as a girl, Wenlong placed greater emphasis on using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds with her sword, as well as turning an opponent's force against them.

This was crucial. She would no longer need to fear being at a disadvantage in strength. Combined with her elusive, ghostlike swordsmanship, it would provide the key to victory against an enemy.