CXnovel Chapter 320: Spiritual
Chapter 320: Spiritual
Speaking of which," he said, changing the subject, "how do you plan to respond to Flame Venerable’s invitation?"
"I’ll go back to the university tomorrow and ask my master before I decide."
"That’s the right thing to do." Fu Yun nodded. "However, I don’t think Master Han Mo is a petty person."
Xu Wuyi hummed in agreement.
He also believed his master wouldn’t stop him.
But he had to ask in person. It was a matter of respect for his master.
After the banquet, Xu Wuyi returned to his small villa.
He didn’t rest immediately. Instead, he went into the Cultivation Room to review the day’s battle.
In his battle with Meng Jingyuan, he seemed to have won easily, but in reality, he had used his full strength.
The punch that had shattered the Thunder Pillar looked simple. In truth, it had required all the Qi and Blood from his Minor Achievement in the *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace*, augmented by his Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm. Even then, he had only barely pulled it off.
Meng Jingyuan’s strength was truly formidable.
If his opponent hadn’t been so eager for a quick victory by trying to decide the match with a single ultimate move, the outcome would have been uncertain had it dragged into a battle of attrition.
’Thunder True Intention...’
Xu Wuyi opened his palm, trying to simulate that explosive power.
But he failed.
His True Intentions were "Mountain" and "Incineration"—one heavy and solid, the other blazing and fierce. Both were a far cry from the explosive speed of thunder.
However, in the instant he shattered the Thunder Pillar, he had vaguely sensed something different.
When his Qi and Blood condensed to their absolute limit, the power that erupted seemed to carry a "shattering" characteristic.
Not the explosiveness of thunder, but a purer, more direct "shatter."
’Is this... the embryonic form of a fist intention?’
A thought struck Xu Wuyi.
When a Martial Artist trained to a high enough Realm, their every move carried a Mental Realm.
Swords had Sword Intention, sabers had saber intention, so naturally, fists had fist intention.
He had previously focused on his Spear Technique and had never considered the matter of fist intention.
But today’s punch had shown him another path.
’Perhaps...’
Xu Wuyi closed his eyes and once again assumed the [Starting Form].
His Qi and Blood circulated slowly as his consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness.
The Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm manifested in his sea of consciousness. But unlike before, the illusory mountain peak seemed a bit more solid this time.
Integrating different perspectives and understandings of Martial Arts into one’s own Mental Realm—this was precisely the path to condensing a Heart Image.
The next morning, Xu Wuyi bid farewell to Prince Tamur.
Tamur didn’t try to make him stay. He simply said, "Keep Flame Venerable’s Token safe. Whether you end up coming to the West Desert or not, this represents a bond of goodwill."
"Yes."
"Also," Tamur glanced at him, "that girl Tana, I’ll have to ask you to look after her in the future."
Xu Wuyi understood his meaning and nodded. "I will."
After leaving the Royal Palace, Tana saw him off at the spaceport.
"You’re really not going to consider staying a few more days?" Tana asked, reluctant to see him go. "There are still a lot of fun places in the West Desert."
"I need to get back to my cultivation," Xu Wuyi said, shaking his head.
Xu Wuyi then boarded the aircraft.
Gu Yang, Meng Ke, and Su Qing were already inside.
They were all leaving today.
The aircraft took off, and the Western Desert Royal Capital gradually disappeared from view.
Gu Yang, sitting opposite Xu Wuyi, suddenly asked, "Junior, what are your plans after you get back to the university?"
"Continue cultivating," Xu Wuyi said. "The youth tournament is starting soon."
"True." Gu Yang nodded. "With your current strength, you have a great chance of winning the championship. If you can manage to initially condense a Heart Image, you’ll be able to catch up to Hong Nianyi’s level from last year."
"I’ll do my best," Xu Wuyi replied, gazing out the window.
That afternoon, the aircraft landed at the east gate of Star Martial University.
Xu Wuyi returned to Villa 7 in the Hidden Dragon Garden.
Anna’s virtual avatar immediately appeared. "Welcome back, Student Xu Wuyi. I’ve detected an improvement in both your Qi and Blood and your Spirit. Congratulations."
"Thanks." Xu Wuyi set down his luggage. "Help me schedule a meeting with Master Han Mo for eight o’clock tonight."
"Of course. The appointment request has been sent."
Xu Wuyi walked into the Cultivation Room, took a shower first, and changed into a clean set of training clothes.
Then, he took out the Crystal that Flame Venerable had given him and began to examine its contents.
What was recorded in the Crystal wasn’t a specific Martial Arts technique, but rather a treatise on "Realm Fusion."
"For a Martial Artist’s cultivation, True Intention is the foundation, and the Mental Realm is the application. However, True Intention is easily obtained, while a Mental Realm is difficult to form. A single Mental Realm will ultimately have its limits. If one can achieve mastery through a comprehensive fusion, its power will multiply..."
Xu Wuyi read it with great concentration.
Although the treatise wasn’t long, every word was a gem. Many of the points gave him sudden epiphanies.
Especially regarding how to better fuse the two True Intentions of "Mountain" and "Incineration," Flame Venerable proposed several lines of thought he had never considered.
’So it can be done like this...’
Xu Wuyi closed his eyes and tried to adjust the circulation of the two True Intentions in his sea of consciousness according to the method in the treatise.
The weight of the mountain, the blaze of the great sun.
The two were no longer just intermingling; they were beginning to truly "fuse."
The weight carried a blaze, and the blaze contained weight.
Although it was just a preliminary attempt, Xu Wuyi could already feel the difference.
If his Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm was previously a case of one plus one equals two, it was now developing in a direction where one plus one was greater than two.
’A Grandmaster is a Grandmaster, after all...’ Xu Wuyi opened his eyes, marveling inwardly.
Just a casually given treatise had benefited him immensely.
What if he received three months of personal guidance?
Xu Wuyi put away the Crystal and checked the time.
7:50 PM.
He stepped into the Cultivation Pod, and his consciousness sank into the Star Martial Battle Network.
His familiar personal space.
When Xu Wuyi pushed open the door, Han Mo was already sitting in the reception room.
"Master." Xu Wuyi bowed.
Han Mo looked up at him, a hint of a smile on his face. "You’re back? I hear you caused quite a stir in the West Desert."
Xu Wuyi was taken aback for a moment. "You already know, Master?"
"Flame Venerable sent me a message personally," Han Mo said. "He praised your solid foundation and said you’re a promising talent."
Xu Wuyi’s heart tightened.
Han Mo saw his nervousness and smiled. "Don’t be tense; it’s a good thing. In his message, Flame Venerable said he wants to keep you in the West Desert to study with him for three months, and he asked for my permission."
He paused, then looked at Xu Wuyi. "What do you think?"
Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds before saying seriously, "I’ll follow your decision, Master."
"Follow my decision?" Han Mo chuckled. "What if I said I don’t agree?"
"Then I won’t go."
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
Han Mo stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Good! Excellent! I wasn’t wrong about you."
He stood up, walked to the window, and with his back to Xu Wuyi, said slowly, "On the path of Martial Arts, one’s tutelage is important, but opportunities are even more so. Flame Venerable is one of the Federation’s top Grandmasters, especially profound in his understanding of Fire Attribute True Intention and Body Refining Techniques."
"For him to take an interest in you is your good fortune."
"You will go for these three months."
Xu Wuyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Han Mo turned around and raised a hand to cut him off. "I know what you’re thinking. You’re afraid I’ll be upset that you’re studying under someone else?"
Xu Wuyi nodded.
"Silly boy." Han Mo shook his head. "A master is someone who teaches you, not someone who ties you down. I couldn’t be happier to see you go higher and farther."
"That Junior Master Lin I took you to visit last time? He’s had at least four different mentors for his Swordsmanship. The time he spent with each varied, but they were all Grandmasters or Quasi-Grandmasters. That’s how one can draw from a wide range of strengths."
"How can a Federation Martial Artist be limited by sectarian views? Star Martial forbids us from public master-disciple inheritances precisely to correct this kind of prejudice."
He walked back and patted Xu Wuyi’s shoulder. "Remember, for these three months, watch more, listen more, and learn more. Every single word from Flame Venerable could save you years of detours."
"Yes, Master." Xu Wuyi bowed deeply.
"On another note," Han Mo’s tone shifted, "Flame Venerable said I was ’too solid’ and lacked a ’spark of insight.’ What do you think of that?"
Xu Wuyi hesitated for a moment but still answered truthfully, "I feel that he has a point, Master."
Far from being annoyed, Han Mo nodded. "He’s right. I’ve been stuck on this final step for all these years precisely because I was too fixated on the solidity of the ’furnace’ and neglected the spiritual nature of the ’fire’."
"This is also why, when I teach you, I repeatedly emphasize the need to ’use the Heart Fire to refine the Spirit’."
"Heart Fire, Heart Fire... the heart is the source of the fire."
He looked at Xu Wuyi, his gaze profound. "You are more Spiritual than I am. For these three months, learn well from Flame Venerable. When you return, I hope to see a different kind of ’fire’."
Xu Wuyi nodded heavily. "I understand, Master."