Chapter 19: Mengquan's Path of Cultivation

Meng Dajiang looked at his son. Remembering the fight between his son and the demon at the demon-slaying festival two days prior, he had a realization. Meng Chuan's wings might still be tender, but it was indeed time for him to spread them and fly on his own.

"Before Meng Chuan begins cultivating the Fiendgod Body, bring him to me to collect the Fiendgod Marrow Fluid," Meng Xiangu instructed.

"Yes," Meng Dajiang responded.

That single drop of Fiendgod Marrow Fluid was incredibly precious.

Even among some ancient fiendgod families in the imperial capital, most talented youths couldn't obtain a single drop of Fiendgod Marrow Fluid to build their fiendgod foundation. Generally, only those exceptionally gifted individuals, geniuses who emerged once in a century in their families, received such significant cultivation support from the ancient fiendgod families.

"Meng Chuan, if you have any difficulties in your cultivation, you can come ask your great-aunt," Meng Xiangu said with a smile. "You can also come talk to your great-aunt if you encounter any troubles."

"Great-aunt," Meng Chuan immediately said, "There is indeed something that currently perplexes me."

"How to reach the next level in your blade technique, right?" Meng Xiangu smiled faintly.

"Yes," Meng Chuan nodded. "I asked the academy dean, and he just said that he only comprehended 'blade force' after creating a top-tier blade technique himself."

"That is indeed one method," Meng Xiangu nodded, looking at Meng Dajiang. "Dajiang, how did you achieve your breakthrough?"

Meng Dajiang paused, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. He said, "When I was serving in the military, our small squad had different roles, and mine was to entangle demons. So, I mainly practiced three blade techniques... I stayed at Qinyang Pass for ten years. After leaving and returning home, I also traveled through the surrounding prefectures. It was then that I coincidentally encountered a woman fighting a demon."

Meng Dajiang looked at Meng Chuan and smiled, "That was your mother."

Meng Chuan's heart trembled slightly.

"Your mother was very beautiful. Under the sunlight, the sight of her fighting the demon is something I'll never forget. At that moment, I felt full of strength and, without thinking, rushed forward, using my blade technique to easily entangle the demon. That time, my blade technique felt exceptionally ethereal and effortless. Just like that, I comprehended 'blade force'," Meng Dajiang laughed. "It was quite a coincidence that I comprehended 'blade force' the first time I met your mother."

"Dajiang had accumulated ten years of experience on the battlefield, leading to his direct breakthrough on that day," Meng Xiangu said. "Dajiang only practiced three blade techniques, while your Mirror Lake Academy's dean created a top-tier blade technique himself. Your dean excels in breadth, while Dajiang excels in precision. There's no superiority or inferiority between the two; in fact, your father is even better at entangling enemies."

Meng Chuan also nodded, "I've read fiendgod biographies, specifically about Fiendgod Deng Feng. He practiced his blade technique alone in the deep mountains, drawing his blade ten thousand times every day for twenty years. As soon as he emerged from the mountains, he killed a 'No-Leakage Realm' expert with a single strike, despite being only at the 'Marrow Cleansing Realm' level."

"Precisely. To kill a 'No-Leakage Realm' expert while at the 'Marrow Cleansing Realm', his strike... it had already surpassed the realm of 'blade force'. He was a prime example of specialization. However, his talent was far superior to your father's; that one strike was so astonishing that he was directly recruited by Yuanchu Mountain without needing to pass any tests," Meng Xiangu said. "But because he had no guidance, his blade technique had a fatal flaw: he only knew that one strike! If others understood his background and targeted his weakness, he would be in serious trouble. Of course, he was recruited by Yuanchu Mountain as soon as he emerged, and he quickly compensated for his weaknesses, making his specialty even more powerful. Only then did he truly become invincible for an entire era."

Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

"I stayed at Anhai Pass for a long time and also received guidance from King Anhai," Meng Xiangu said. "King Anhai's power is immeasurable, and he holds an extremely revered status in Yuanchu Mountain. In terms of strength, he is absolutely no less formidable than the Fiendgod Deng Feng you mentioned."

Meng Chuan naturally knew that King Anhai was incredibly powerful.

In Dongning Prefecture, ordinary mortals served in the military at Qinyang Pass! However, most fiendgods from Dongning Prefecture went to Anhai Pass to fight. The supreme commander of Anhai Pass was King Anhai. Even the imperial family of the Great Zhou Dynasty deeply respected him, directly bestowing a royal title upon him.

"King Anhai once told me," Meng Xiangu said, looking at Meng Chuan, "that cultivation means following your intuition, following the direction you love most in your heart, and moving forward constantly. You will go further and further, and when you look back decades later, you will have far surpassed your original self. I offer these words to you as well. Follow your intuition, follow what you love most in your heart."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded gently.

Meng Chuan returned to the Mirror Lake Meng Residence and to the training ground.

He sat there alone, eating fruit and pondering.

"King Anhai's guidance to great-aunt shares some common ground with the fourth principle of my 'Nine Cultivation Principles: Artisans and Grandmasters'," Meng Chuan realized. "Since it's about following intuition and what one loves most in their heart, it naturally allows for more 'dedicated' cultivation, greater enjoyment, deeper obsession, and a higher chance of becoming a grandmaster."

"Having listened to the dean, my father, and now my great-aunt, and considering my own 'Nine Cultivation Principles'..."

"I now have a clear idea of how to proceed with my cultivation."

Meng Chuan actually had an idea long ago.

He still wanted to listen to the guidance of seniors who had already comprehended 'force' and verify his own thoughts.

"The sixth principle of my 'Nine Cultivation Principles' states: What one learns must form its own system. Only then will there be no fatal flaws. What determines a strong person's life or death is usually their most critical weakness! As long as there is one obvious weakness, it will be targeted in the future, suppressed, and ultimately lead to the loss of life! Even if you master one unique skill that gives you an edge everywhere, winning ten or a hundred times, a single failure could cost you your life."

"That Fiendgod Deng Feng was only proficient in that one blade strike! My great-aunt also said that Fiendgod Deng Feng had a fatal flaw, but fortunately, he was immediately recruited by Yuanchu Mountain, which allowed him to compensate for his deficiencies."

"As a blademaster," Meng Chuan said, "there are essentially three aspects: killing enemies, self-defense, and escaping. These three techniques will form a system, and I will specialize in these three paths moving forward."

"The fifth principle of my 'Nine Cultivation Principles' states: Progress daily, change monthly, and achieve ultimate success. As long as one makes daily progress in cultivation, even a little bit each day, over three, five, or ten years, one will achieve great success."

"The ancients once said: 'Accumulate earth to form mountains, and wind and rain will rise; accumulate water to form abysses, and dragons will be born; accumulate good deeds to form virtue, and the divine spirit will be self-content, and a sage's heart will be complete. Therefore, without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas. A swift horse can leap but not ten paces; a dull horse can travel ten times, its merit lies in perseverance. If one carves and then stops, rotten wood will not break; if one carves without stopping, metal and stone can be carved. The earthworm has no sharp claws or teeth, nor strong bones, yet it eats dust from above and drinks from the yellow springs below, because its mind is focused. The crab has six legs and two pincers, but without the holes of snakes and eels, it has no place to rest, because its mind is restless.' This passage also shares common ground with the fifth principle."

"However, this principle has a fatal flaw."

"Even if one makes daily progress, if one walks in a large circle, they will eventually return to the starting point! Even if one accumulates small steps, if the direction is wrong, it will be difficult to reach a destination a thousand li away."

"Cultivation is the same... If there is no clear direction, and one only knows how to train, they are likely to go down the wrong path or simply go in circles. Even after ten or twenty years, they will achieve nothing. This is also one of the reasons why most who tried to emulate Fiendgod Deng Feng's arduous blade training failed," Meng Chuan mused.

There were indeed juniors who tried to emulate Fiendgod Deng Feng's arduous blade training.

Most of those who failed gave up midway! Because they had the academy's teachings and their elders' guidance, who could ignore external distractions and bury themselves in training only one blade strike for four hours every day?

Even if they could truly eliminate all distractions and practice only one strike, it was common for them to go astray.

Of course, some succeeded.

That's why the saying "one unique skill can get you everywhere" exists.

"I must have a clear direction and ensure I am always moving forward," Meng Chuan mused. "Advancing along that direction, without circling or detours. Each day, I will go further. Eventually, I will truly reach my destination a thousand li away."

"Why do I like fast blades? Because they're fast."

"So, the direction I've chosen is speed!"

The training ground.

"Young Master, shall I begin?" A guard stood on a tree branch, holding a hand crossbow pointed at the ground below.

"Begin."

Meng Chuan stood there.

"Whoosh."

The guard pulled the crossbow trigger, and an arrow immediately shot downwards.

Meng Chuan instantly drew his blade and struck.

The arrow was sliced in half, and blade qi cut into the thick tree, leaving a mark on its trunk.

"As long as the mark left by my blade's wind on the tree keeps moving higher up, it means my drawing speed is faster and I'm cutting the arrow earlier," Meng Chuan thought to himself.

Killing enemies, self-defense, and escaping—these were the three paths.

For killing enemies, he would practice only one move, following his intuition and what he loved most in his heart: the Draw Blade technique! He loved the instant the blade was drawn, the silent emergence from the scabbard, and quietly listening to the wind sing as the blade cut through it! Such a blade technique was beautiful enough to captivate him every time. He desired to draw his blade faster, and for the wind's song as his blade cut through it to sound even more pleasant.

Practicing only one move, pursuing speed! Speed was also something he had loved since childhood.

The faster, the better.

"Whoosh." The guard on the tree shot another arrow downwards. The advantage of a hand crossbow for shooting arrows was its stability, ensuring every arrow was consistently fast! Only this way could Meng Chuan determine if his blade technique was truly getting faster. And it wasn't just about pursuing speed; it was also about 'accuracy'. In a flash, one strike had to split the arrow.

Meng Chuan's first daily cultivation practice: the Draw Blade technique! Three hours of drawing his blade and striking arrows, eight thousand times a day.

Meng Chuan's Draw Blade technique originated from the Falling Leaf Blade's Draw Blade technique, a move deemed perfect enough by the Yuanchu Mountain fiendgods to be taught in various academies across the Great Zhou Dynasty.