Zarthos
patreon
017 - Treading a New Path
🕑 Added 2024-07-03 22:34:32 +0000 UTCSurprisingly, the couple had been left to their own devices for almost three full days until they were summoned for the departure of the Yun Clan's procession. As Qin Yun had expected, they had made no demands for his inheritance, relying on the Qin Family to provide it for them. Why dirty their hands when they had lackeys ready to do it for them? Indeed, forcing the issue now would only seem petty and much too forceful for their taste. All cultivation families loved their reputations, after all.
At first, Yun Jingfei feared someone might notice something strange about her since the last time they met. Yet, to her surprise, not even her uncle seemed to note her newfound vitality or renewed confidence. Still, she did her best to mask it as Qin Yun was right: bringing attention to herself in her current state would be foolish. There was no knowing what their reactions would be.
Fortunately, the mask and dress Qin Yun had provided seemed to mask her features, even despite her uncle's strong divine sense that could examine the most minute of details. She wondered how such a thing was possible. Even in her large clan, which had uncountable treasures, she had never heard of such a miraculous thing.
Her husband always seemed to have a thin veil of mystery hovering over him. She wondered when she would be privy to his secrets. Still, she knew that even though they called themselves husband and wife, they were nothing more than strangers at the moment. Even she had some secrets she would not reveal so easily.
Her clan’s departure, while grandiose, didn't move Yun Jingfei's heart in the least. She knew full well what these people thought of her. Even her uncle wasn't exempt. Although he had cared for her, she knew it stemmed from the same place as the rest of the clan. After all, the clan was paramount, and individuals were replaceable. She couldn't fault him as she once thought the same.
With the Yun Clan's departure, life in Jin City returned to normality, almost forgetting the last few days' events. The talks in the street were all about the prestige of the various factions that attended the wedding, discussing with awe and respect the strength of the various characters in attendance. No one even seemed to mention the bride and groom, as if they had only been side characters to the whole event. Which was true for the most part. Still, Qin Yun was content with this arrangement. He had no interest in garnering even more attention and didn't wish for an unrelated party to disturb his newly married life.
In the weeks after his wedding, Qin Yun and his wife moved to his small secluded house. Although it was nothing compared to the mansions surrounding it, the small courtyard felt cozy and inviting to Yun Jingfei. Although she had been used to the glamour and extravagance of her clan, she felt this small house held a human touch and somehow warmed her heart.
Their following days were filled with each other as they lived as a mortal couple would. Although this wasn't what Yun Jingfei had initially expected, she somehow found peace in their mundane life.
All her life, she has had to bear her clan's expectations, always striving forward with all her might. Her mind had always been filled with thoughts of going further and beyond, and she had never recognized how exhausted she had been. It wasn't until her accident that she felt the weight of it all crash into her.
But now, she took each day as it came, discarding all unnecessary thoughts. In turn, this did wonders for her cultivation. Despite her talent, she had struggled bitterly to reach the height she once did, always striving to be ahead of the pack. Yet now, everything came to her naturally. She couldn't help but lament how wrong she had been. Still, her lack of a Qi Centre weighed on her.
"The way I see it, you have two paths ahead of you," her husband had once said. "Either you tread the orthodox path, as you once did, strengthening your meridians, hoping such a situation doesn't reoccur. Or, you forge a new path for yourself, using unorthodox ways."
While walking the path most once did was attractive in its own way, as one wouldn't have to stumble blindly in the dark, Yun Jingfei discarded that idea. She simply couldn't bear to live with the fear that her nightmare could return to haunt her at any moment. Besides, Qin Yun impressed upon her that his miracle cure was a one-time deal. Her body simply couldn't bear the strain of such a procedure again.
As for her broken meridians, Qin Yun had already started the process of reconnecting them. As they went to bed each night, Qin Yun would take an hour or two after she had fallen asleep to slowly mend them using his Qi. Doing it slowly reduced the chance of him making a mistake and reduced the strain on both of them.
Now, a few weeks later, Yun Jingfei could feel the Spiritual Energy in the atmosphere and could control it somewhat. Yet, it was still too soon for her to absorb it into her meridian and make it flow to her Qi Centre. Still, simply feeling the Qi flow unimpeded brought her great joy. She had almost given up hope that such a day would come. While she was somewhat impatient to regain her peak, she knew the day would come eventually.
As for her new path, Qin Yun had shown her the way forward. On a late afternoon, as they passed the time in their small courtyard, Qin Yun had taken the time to demonstrate something incredible. He approached a large boulder before lightly pressing a finger on its rugged surface. Then, slowly, his finger glided over the surface diagonally.
As he retracted his digit, a portion of rock slid across its anchor to the ground before tumbling off the edge. Yun Jingfei had remained silent for a while, trying to understand the principle behind his actions.
At first, she thought he had used his incredible strength to slice the boulder apart. Yet the cut was much too perfect to have been done by strength alone. It was reminiscent of a cut made by a bladed weapon. Yet, even the thinnest sword would fail to leave such a pristine cut in such a hard material.
Even more peculiar, she didn’t sense any Qi utilized in his movement, as if he had done so as a mortal. Somehow, it reminded her of her epiphany a while back as she watched the sunset, as if this cut was natural, produced by the world itself. Still, she saw the potential hidden within, but it was much too obtuse to grasp at this moment. Yet, what Qin Yun said then left a mark on her mind.
“I intended to cut; therefore, the boulder was split. To wield a sword is to impose your will upon the world. Power is a means to shape your reality, and Intent is the beginning of it all."
Intent! Such a mere idea held untold possibilities. How wonderful would it be to materialize one's Intent and have it affect one's surroundings? Still, this was easier said than done. Usually, one would need a deep cultivation base and unfathomable insights into the laws governing the world before barely affecting reality with the mind alone.
Still, Yun Jingfei held deep knowledge, as she had perused numerous books about cultivation, whether in her clan or the sect she belonged to. She knew some things hidden from the populace, such as one form of Intent called a Domain.
Indeed, a Domain was a way to exercise one’s will on reality, yet such a thing was only accessible once one had formed their own Soul’s Origin. Only through this Origin and the surrounding Qi can one materialize one’s domain. Only a Soul Formation Realm cultivator could do so.
Yet, Qin Yun had produced the same effect using mental strength alone. She couldn't even begin to understand how deep one's insight into the nature of all things one must possess to achieve such a thing. Still, she was undeterred. The untold possibilities that Intent provided let her shrug off all the associated difficulties. Even more so since she was already used to hardship. What was learning this against what she had already experienced?
Still, cultivating Intent was definitely a crooked path. It overturned everything she knew about cultivation. Usually, a cultivator would utilize the surrounding Qi to reduce the burden their mind had to bear to produce a phenomenon. Yet, this path would put all the burden on one's mind, but in exchange, the power and control would become much greater.
As with any path, all would start from a single step. For her, this was the way of the sword, as sharpening one's Intent was the most accessible and straightforward. While Intent could be used to do almost anything, nothing was easier than the act of destruction. So, relying on Qin Yun's guidance, Yun Jingfei immersed herself in the path of warfare.
Each day, she would swing her sword for hours, honing her muscles until the blade felt like an extension of her limbs. Surprisingly, she found that she was exceptionally suited for this path. While her high-grade Spiritual Roots gave her an edge in the art of cultivation, her mind had been sharpened through years of gruelling training and hardship, which were significantly utilized in her new Sword Cultivation.
While Qin Yun hadn’t explained much of the stages required to progress in this unorthodox cultivation except for their names, Yun Jingfei felt it was straightforward, most likely due to her talent. From what she could infer, the first step was called the Sword of Hardness of the Mortal Sword Realm, which she was presently in. This was the first of the two steps this realm was comprised of
As the name suggested, this was the sword path all mortals would go through as they sought the pinnacle of swordsmanship. In that step, one would forge their muscles so that they would possess strength and endurance, allowing the practitioner to employ brute force to destroy one’s enemy.
Although it seemed simple, this strength was overbearing, to say the least, and at the peak, one could contend against even those at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet, mortals could only barely embark on this path even through a lifetime of practice and could only achieve the bare minimum of success. Yet, Yun Jingfei possessed an edge over most as her body was already nearing the Void Core Realm.
Next step was the Sword of Softness, which intended to forge the muscles to become soft and springy, as if whips, greatly enhancing their speed. Through it, the point of the sword could achieve such velocity that it could cut even through most techniques cultivators could use, rendering them void. Even more, one could cut through Qi through physical might alone, disallowing its usage to others unless they possessed greater might. As you might expect, this would be the bane of any cultivators. How could they resist if they couldn't even harness Qi to fight with?
Still, Yun Jingfei had difficulties believing it even though Qin Yun had assured her that someone at the peak of the Sword of Softness could contend against a Golden Core Realm cultivator. How could physical might alone hold its own against it? One must know that Golden Core cultivators could be considered elders in most second-rate clans. Yet, how could mortals contend against them?
Still, she swung her sword regardless. She had chosen to believe in him as he had shown her a way she could walk. She would persevere on this road until she reached the peak or fall prematurely at the hands of others. She knew treading this path would be filled with bloodshed as one could only hone one's sword through conflict. Still, this was the way she had chosen, and she would see it through to the end.
Comments
Zarthos
Did a small edit to the Sword Realms. Hope you won't get confused in the future.
