Showing the Way

The Martial Arts Grounds.

Lin Bei's training room.

His fourth round of Body Refining went exceptionally smoothly.

By Lin Bei's estimate, he would successfully complete his fourth round of Body Tempering in another half day at most!

My cultivation seems a little faster than before. Is it because Tai Chi underwent its second Limit-Breaking?

During his fourth round of Body Refining, Lin Bei discovered that his Body Tempering had actually become somewhat faster.

He immediately connected it to Tai Chi's second Limit-Breaking.

Am I imagining it?

Lin Bei shook his head and thought to himself.

I'm not imagining it. The Breath-Absorbing Art really is tempering my body faster.

Originally, Lin Bei had not known that Tai Chi enhanced the Breath-Absorbing Art.

He had only learned the Breath-Absorbing Art after Tai Chi's first Limit-Breaking, which was why he had noticed nothing.

Now that Tai Chi had undergone its second Limit-Breaking, he immediately sensed a difference in the Breath-Absorbing Art.

Tai Chi's second Limit-Breaking had deepened his understanding of Tai Chi.

The Breath-Absorbing Art had been strengthened as a result.

Lin Bei frowned.

Although there was an improvement, he still felt that he had not integrated the two into a coherent whole.

Perhaps I could try using my golden finger to extrapolate?

He tried to comprehend them and combine them, but to his disappointment, there always seemed to be an invisible wall blocking his progress.

With that thought, Lin Bei focused intently, repeatedly attempting to extrapolate in his mind.

Just then.

Sure enough, a voice sounded in Lin Bei's mind.

[Extrapolation failed. Your comprehension is insufficient.]

[Your disciple Zhang Teng possesses extraordinary comprehension and shares an exceptionally deep bond with you. You may draw upon his comprehension to extrapolate.]

[Please impart your ideas to Zhang Teng.]

Lin Bei froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead.

He berated himself for failing to think around the problem.

Of course he should leave something like this to Zhang Teng!

However.

By now, Lin Bei was also gaining an increasingly clear understanding of his golden finger.

His golden finger seemed to draw upon Zhang Teng's comprehension to extrapolate cultivation methods.

Moreover, its ability to extrapolate using that comprehension was even more formidable than Zhang Teng himself.

With that thought.

Lin Bei was just about to rise when his ears suddenly twitched.

Someone had come to the door.

Sure enough.

At that moment, Tieniu's timid voice came from outside.

"Master, are you there?"

Lin Bei was a little puzzled. Why had Tieniu come?

Since he could not guess, he simply stopped thinking about it.

"Come in!"

Tieniu pushed the door open and entered, his gaze wandering.

Lin Bei looked at Tieniu in confusion.

"Do you need something?"

Tieniu's eyes darted about before he seemed to steel his resolve.

"Master, I know I haven't even brought my Tai Chi to perfection. I'm not qualified to begin yet, and I shouldn't ask you to teach me a method of immortal cultivation."

Tieniu looked utterly dejected.

"But I want to pursue immortal cultivation so badly. I can tell that my comprehension is too poor. I'm afraid I won't be able to get started even if I practice my whole life."

At this point, Tieniu abruptly raised his head to look at Lin Bei.

His eyes shone with sincerity.

"Master, your divine abilities are vast. Could you help me get started?"

What's going on?

Is Tieniu... trying to take a shortcut?

No!

Lin Bei suddenly realized that Tieniu was not seeking a shortcut. He wanted Lin Bei to teach him an Immortal Cultivation Method suited to him.

Faced with Tieniu's sincerity, Lin Bei inwardly lamented his predicament.

He, too, wanted to create a cultivation method exclusively for Tieniu.

But.

He truly could not do it.

At most, he could offer a broadly feasible framework. The crucial elements still had to be comprehended by the practitioner himself!

No matter how he looked at him, Tieniu did not seem like someone with exceptional comprehension.

Just as he was about to refuse, something suddenly occurred to him.

Did Tieniu really have no talent or comprehension whatsoever?

Recalling Tieniu's performance during his earlier fight with Zhang Teng, Lin Bei immediately rejected that idea.

Perhaps.

Tieniu really did have talent, but his talent lay neither in practicing Tai Chi nor in comprehending the Breath-Absorbing Art.

Take Zhang Teng, for instance. He had originally been a martial artist, and his cultivation had been quite good. He had even developed bronze skin and iron bones, enough to be considered a genius.

But it seemed... he could hardly be called a dazzling prodigy among martial artists.

After all, Zhang Teng had practiced martial arts since childhood, yet he had only reached the Dantian Sea Realm. Compared with his talent for immortal cultivation, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

Could Tieniu possess a similar talent?

One that he had simply not discovered yet?

After all, everyone in Nameless Village knew that Tieniu had possessed prodigious natural strength since childhood.

Rather than answer immediately, Lin Bei glanced at Tieniu and asked a question.

"If you know you lack comprehension, why insist?"

Tieniu was not discouraged in the slightest.

"Master, there's one thing you said that I believe in."

"What was it?" Lin Bei was a little surprised. Even he could not remember what he had said.

After all, he had spun far too many tales in the past.

"Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Tieniu's words rang with ironclad conviction.

"You once said that Senior Brother Zhang's talent was ordinary, yet he still achieved Limit-Breaking in Tai Chi. That's proof that where there's a will, there's a way!"

Tieniu dropped straight to his knees.

"Master, please show me a clear path!"

Sure enough! Tieniu wanted him to show the way!

Lin Bei gave Tieniu a long, searching look.

"Go to the Martial Arts Grounds and perform a Tai Chi routine for me."

At these words, Tieniu was overjoyed.

"Thank you, Master!"

The two soon arrived at the Martial Arts Grounds.

Without another word, Tieniu began putting all his effort into performing Tai Chi...

Although his movements looked the part, Lin Bei keenly noticed that Tieniu's Tai Chi was somewhat different.

Tai Chi.

It emphasized the balance of hardness and softness, the harmony of yin and yang.

Although Tieniu tried hard to demonstrate that balance of hardness and softness, Lin Bei could see through to the essence of his movements.

Tieniu's Tai Chi had only hardness, no softness; only yang, no yin.

The Tai Chi routine ended.

Tieniu looked at Lin Bei with pleading eyes.

"Master, what do you think..."

Lin Bei said gravely, "You're right. Without an epiphany, you won't reach perfection in Tai Chi even if you practice your whole life."

With that, Lin Bei went to the stone table at the Martial Arts Grounds, took out brush and ink, and wrote two characters.

Tai Chi.

Once he had finished writing, Lin Bei spoke to Tieniu.

"Come here."

Tieniu hurried over to Lin Bei.

Without saying anything more, Lin Bei handed Tieniu the paper bearing the words "Tai Chi."

Tieniu looked completely baffled.

Then Lin Bei handed him a brush as well.

"Master, what is this for?" Tieniu asked in confusion.

Lin Bei did not answer. He merely said calmly, "Think about your fists. Give this paper back to me tomorrow."

With that, Lin Bei turned and left.

Somewhat at a loss, Tieniu stared blankly at the paper in his hands.

Quite a few disciples from the Martial Arts Grounds came over to ask questions and strike up conversations, but he paid them no heed. He understood that Lin Bei must have some deeper meaning.

If he could not comprehend it, he feared that immortal cultivation would remain beyond his reach.

Elsewhere.

The Quiet Chamber where Zhang Teng was cultivating in seclusion.

Just as Lin Bei reached the door, Zhang Teng's Quiet Chamber happened to open.

"Master, what brings you here?"

Zhang Teng sounded both surprised and delighted.

"Have you been practicing the Breath-Absorbing Art?" Lin Bei asked.

"Yes," Zhang Teng answered truthfully.

Lin Bei smiled and asked, "Have you gained any insights?"

"Your disciple happens to have some questions..." Zhang Teng said hastily.

"Please, Master, show me the way!"