Chapter 313: What Is Talent?

Welcome, fellow readers.

"For the past twenty-three days, I've been painting, and my Primeval Spirit has been glowing brightly," Meng Chuan said, feeling his Primeval Spirit and smiling. "The fact that it caused such a change means the fifteen paintings had a significant impact on me. However... although my Primeval Spirit accumulation is much denser, I still haven't broken through."

Reaching the fifth level of the Primeval Spirit is one of the extremely difficult prerequisites for achieving the Creation realm. Even most Creation realm Venerables only possess a fifth-level Primeval Spirit. Among the three Venerables of Yuanchu Mountain, only Venerable Li Guan has reached the sixth level.

"After indulging myself for over half a month, it's time to resume my blade technique practice," Meng Chuan thought. Finishing his wine, he waved his hand, putting away the drawing table, stool, scrolls, brushes, and all other items.

Meng Chuan instantly reached for his blade, intending to execute the 'Blade Draw' technique.

"Hmm?"

His hand gripped the hilt, but he paused, not drawing the blade. He gazed at the distant purple lightning tearing through the darkness, his brow furrowed. "Have I been practicing my blade technique incorrectly?"

After painting the 'Fifteen Phases of Lightning,' Meng Chuan had developed his own understanding of lightning. Painting itself is a form of description, an attempt to depict the essence of something. As a master of the art of painting, and with infinite lightning power within him, Meng Chuan naturally perceived a great deal from observing the 'Purple Lightning.' He understood the essence of lightning from fifteen different perspectives, and all these insights combined to form his complete concept of 'lightning' in his mind.

The 'Heart Intent Blade' was indeed a lightning blade technique, one that Grandmaster Guoke had comprehended over centuries. However, it represented only one aspect of lightning.

"While Grandmaster Guoke was formidable, only one of his blade techniques reached the Emperor level. Everyone has their own understanding," Meng Chuan mused. "Grandmaster Guoke had his perception of lightning, and I, as a painter, have mine. If my understanding differs, yet I stubbornly try to emulate Grandmaster Guoke, I'll only stray further off course and even become increasingly unsuited."

"Throughout history, the human race has produced numerous Heaven-level and Black Iron Tome ultimate arts precisely because powerful gods and fiends each developed their unique insights. Junior Brother Yan has begun cultivating his own extreme fire lineage, King Zhenwu has created his own Zhenwu lineage, and King Anhai has even developed his Heavenly Tribulation Sword."

"Since I believe I've been practicing incorrectly, and even feel that Grandmaster Guoke's approach is too extreme, then I should train my blade techniques according to my own understanding," Meng Chuan pondered. "I will discard the limitations of my predecessors and let lightning be my teacher as I practice."

A strong impulse prompted Meng Chuan to make an immediate decision. After completing the 'Fifteen Phases of Lightning,' Meng Chuan felt that the Heart Intent Blade was simply too extreme, and he could no longer truly endorse it.

"I've studied two Black Iron Tome ultimate arts of the lightning lineage: the 'Heart Intent Blade' and the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade'."

"The 'Heart Intent Blade' revolves around the Heart Intent Blade Draw. When practicing the Blade Draw, my internal pursuit has always been 'speed.' Observing the purple lightning, extreme speed itself can generate incomparable power," Meng Chuan mused. "Among the Fifteen Phases of Lightning I painted earlier, the 'Lightning Flash Radiance Phase' represents pure speed. I should take this phase as the essence."

"In fact, I now believe the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade' might be more suitable for me."

Meng Chuan contemplated.

"As a youth, I constantly practiced the blade draw. But now, observing the purple lightning, I see that the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade' is essentially a movement technique, like the trajectory of a lightning serpent gliding. This flowing trajectory is like a brush, painting in the void."

"The Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade, in essence, embodies the 'Nine Heavens Phase of Void' and the 'Roaming Dragon Phase of Lightning Flash' from the Fifteen Phases of Lightning." As someone who loves to paint, Meng Chuan now felt that the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade, both as a blade technique and a movement art, was akin to creating a painting.

Meng Chuan felt an urge, an impulse to try cultivating the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade.

"I'll give it a try."

Acting on his impulse, Meng Chuan immediately began his cultivation without hesitation.

Of the three Black Iron Tome-level swift blade techniques of the lightning lineage — the 'Thunder Annihilation Blade,' 'Heart Intent Blade,' and 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade' — Meng Chuan had only reviewed the latter two, as Yuanchu Mountain did not possess the original text for the first.

With a whoosh, Meng Chuan attempted to perform the movement technique.

The 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade,' created by Venerable Roaming Dragon 'Ye Hong,' was considered the least powerful among the three swift blade techniques, but its movement art was unparalleled among humans.

With his foundation in the 'Flying Swallow' technique, Meng Chuan found cultivating the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Movement Art' remarkably swift. Especially after painting the 'Roaming Dragon Phase' and 'Nine Heavens Phase' of lightning, he had a precise grasp of this movement art's core. His progress was astonishingly rapid, improving by leaps and bounds daily. By the very first day, his practice was already respectable, and the technique itself was incredibly elusive and profound.

Days passed.

"Hmm?"

King Zhenwu paused his cultivation, noticing a figure in the distance, graceful as a roaming dragon, leaving trails of afterimages in the world.

"Oh? Junior Brother Meng is also cultivating the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade'?" King Zhenwu observed, "It seems his mastery is quite profound."

He wasn't surprised. It was normal for a cultivator of the Thunder Annihilation Fiend Body to also practice an additional swift blade technique.

"But why does his movement art look so beautiful?" King Zhenwu wondered aloud, surprised. "I once saw Marquis Guihai perform the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Movement Art; it was swift and elusive. However, when Meng Chuan performs the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade, it's even more graceful and unrestrained, possessing a unique charm."

Indeed. An indescribable, unique charm.

What King Zhenwu didn't know was that Marquis Guihai had simply learned the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade' as an ancient ultimate art. Meng Chuan, however, had already grasped his own understanding of lightning before learning this movement art, and he subconsciously referenced the 'Purple Lightning' while performing it.

"His speed is faster than before?" King Zhenwu quickly noticed.

Meng Chuan's speed had indeed increased. In just over half a month of cultivating the 'Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade,' he had advanced to the peak of the Dao Realm. At full burst, he could cover twenty-five li in a single flash. In contrast, his 'Flying Swallow' technique from the 'Heart Intent Blade' could only cover nineteen li at maximum burst. This demonstrated the power of the world's foremost movement art.

If the outside world knew that he had elevated the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade to a level comparable to the Heart Intent Blade in just over half a month, despite never having practiced it before, Venerable Qin Wu and the others would be utterly astonished. Such talent already surpassed that of peerless prodigies.

"What is talent?"

As Meng Chuan practiced the Heaven and Earth Roaming Dragon Blade, he grew increasingly confident and gained a clearer understanding: "Talent is the comprehension of essence."

Peerless prodigies are naturally drawn to certain aspects, perhaps fire, ice, or swords. This innate affinity makes their cultivation incredibly smooth, unconsciously guiding them along the most correct path. For instance, after Liu Qiyue awakened her phoenix bloodline, she developed an immense closeness to fire, and her cultivation in the path of fire accelerated significantly. Those without such talent struggle step by step, like a fly without a head, sometimes even going in circles.

This is talent!

Talent isn't static. Why then is there a saying about 'late bloomers'? It's because, after years of accumulation, they finally grasp the core essence, leading to a profound transformation and rapid progress!

Meng Chuan had cultivated the Heart Intent Blade for decades and dealt with lightning for decades. This time, after observing the 'Purple Lightning' in the River of Time and Space and using his master painter's ability to depict the 'Fifteen Phases of Lightning,' he finally developed his own profound understanding of lightning. Unlike other peerless prodigies, who progress based on an ethereal intuition, Meng Chuan now possessed precise understanding and could advance directly along that path.

One could say that in terms of talent within the lightning lineage, Meng Chuan had soared from being an ordinary genius to surpassing even so-called 'peerless prodigies.'