Chapter 125: Contemplation

"Oh, that is a trivial matter, merely a slight effort," Nangong Xiong said with a wave of his hand, turning to the Third Commander below. "You are quite familiar with Luoyang Town, where young Master Ye’s family resides. Go and give the orders; see to it that all intelligence regarding the Ye family is collected without fail."

"Understood," the Third Commander replied with a nod, then exited the council hall. Once he had left, Nangong Xiong looked at Ye Cheng and said with a smile, "Young Master Ye, stay in the bamboo grove for the next few days. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask Xue'er. Make yourself at home."

"Many thanks, Uncle Nangong," Ye Cheng replied.

He was no fool; he understood Nangong Xiong’s intentions perfectly well. He had incurred a favor from the Nangong family, and he resolved to repay it once he had the means to do so.

For some reason, his right eyelid kept twitching inexplicably, leaving him with a faint, lingering sense of impending crisis.

After entrusting Nangong Xiong with the task of scouting for news on his family, Ye Cheng headed straight to the bamboo grove at the back of the Nangong estate to cultivate in seclusion. Having discovered the path to the third level of the Thousand Shadow Spear Technique left behind by his father, Ye Shan—"Ten Thousand Shadows Converging as One"—he was overcome with the urge to master it as quickly as possible.

During his duel with Tie Muqing, he had only just grasped the essence of this third level. Relying on the innate advantages of his Devouring Physique, he had managed to unleash twenty percent of its power. Yet, even that twenty percent was comparable to the peak attack power of a practitioner at the early stage of the Yuan Realm, enough to strike down Tie Muqing, who had been burning his own life force, in a single blow.

"If a mere twenty percent of its power is this immense, then if I can fully unleash the ten-fold potential of this third level, I might even be able to severely injure a powerhouse at the late stage of the Yuan Realm."

At this thought, Ye Cheng grew impatient. His internal energy was rising too rapidly, and his blood cores were depleted; he would struggle to make further progress in his internal energy cultivation in the short term. Martial arts, however, offered another path to bolster his combat strength.

"Boy, take this time to properly consolidate your internal energy and master the Thousand Shadow Spear Technique your father left behind. I believe this martial art is potent enough to serve as your trump card while you remain in the Blood Qi Realm," Elder Mu advised.

"Understood," Ye Cheng nodded. Once he reached the peak of perfection in the third level, "Ten Thousand Shadows Converging as One," and could unleash its full power, he would not be left helpless again, even if he were to face another powerhouse at the late stage of the Yuan Realm, like Luo Long.

As he looked at the sky, the setting sun was already half-hidden behind the mountains. Considering it was inconvenient to practice martial arts at night, Ye Cheng decided to dedicate his nights to consolidating the blood crystals he had formed, while reserving the daylight hours for practicing the spear technique. With his plan set, he stepped into the small cabin within the bamboo grove and shut the door.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he practiced his breathing: "Exhaling like a snake, inhaling like a vortex." Ye Cheng slowly adjusted his state of mind and entered a meditative trance. Wisps of primordial energy seeped into his body; though this amount was but a drop in the ocean for his Devouring Physique, it was still of some use.

Within his body, he circulated his blood energy again and again, guiding it through the major meridians. This process helped solidify the blood crystals and cleansed his meridians and organs.

Time slipped away. As the morning sun of the next day cast a brilliant, shimmering light upon the tender leaves of the bamboo grove, Ye Cheng ceased his circulation. Though he had not slept all night, the constant flow of energy left his mind and spirit feeling remarkably refreshed.

At their level of cultivation, going without sleep or food for dozens of days was not a problem. Once one reached the Yuan Realm, the daily absorption of primordial energy from the world was enough to sustain the body’s needs, rendering the intake of nutrients from food unnecessary.

Emerging from his meditation, Ye Cheng stepped out of the cabin and took a deep breath. The morning air, mixed with the scent of spring grass and bamboo, filled him with a sense of relaxation, and he could feel that the blood crystals within him had consolidated significantly.

"This place is truly an excellent sanctuary for meditation," he thought, feeling the tranquility of his own heart. A smile of contentment tugged at his lips. With a flick of his wrist, his silver spear appeared in his hand, flashing brilliantly under the morning sun.

"Previously, I only used raw brute force to forcibly fuse the blood energy channeled into the spear. The recoil from the conflict of those forces caused the power of 'Ten Thousand Shadows Converging as One' to be greatly diminished."

Ye Cheng stroked the shaft of the spear, quietly recalling that single strike. "Blood energy is easy to fuse within the body as there is no conflict between its parts. But once channeled into the spear according to the technique, the force naturally disperses. To forcibly merge these scattered forces inevitably triggers a conflict, creating a recoil that weakens the technique."

"If I could resolve the conflict generated during the fusion of this energy and eliminate the recoil, I could surely raise the power of this technique by several levels," Ye Cheng frowned, rubbing the silver spear repeatedly, yet unable to find a solution.

"How, exactly, can I resolve this?"

"Boy, you will never master the third level of this martial art by mere idle thinking without practical application," Elder Mu reminded him. "As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. If you do not begin, how can you speak of entering the path? Practice this technique a thousand, nay, ten thousand times, and you will naturally find enlightenment."

"You are right, Teacher. If I practice this technique a thousand times, I refuse to believe I cannot grasp the key to neutralizing that recoil," Ye Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he felt he had found his direction.

A path is not forged overnight; it must be walked one step at a time. Cultivation is the same; it cannot be perfected in a single day. So-called enlightenment is built upon infinite experience, triggered only when the right moment arises.

A cool breeze rustled through the bamboo grove, creating a soft, whispering sound. With the silver spear in hand, Ye Cheng moved, his body following the spear, repeating the techniques described in the manual over and over. With every strike, he focused his heart on sensing the slightest vibration of the spear shaft—a fundamental skill that every master of the spear must possess.

As the sun sank from east to west, Ye Cheng’s speed slowed down, but every vibration of the spear, transmitted through his senses, became increasingly clear.

"Perhaps the path to mastering the neutralization of the recoil can only be found by first truly understanding the 'vibration' of this spear." With every thrust, every sweep, and every retraction, the direction in his heart became clearer.