Chapter 36: Power of the Soul

Chapter 1: The Secret Technique of 'Three Autumn Leaves'

Meng Manor by Mirror Lake.

Having visited his great-aunt in the morning, Meng Chuan practiced his 'Eight Thousand Drawing Strikes' technique until the afternoon.

After lunch, he rested for an hour.

Only then did he begin his second daily training session: practicing his defensive blade techniques and movement skills!

“Release,” a servant commanded.

Immediately, ten experts at the Metamorphosis Realm simultaneously fired arrows! They were followed by a second row, and then a third.

Three rows of experts took turns firing arrows continuously.

Because Meng Chuan's Divine-Demon foundation was exceptionally robust, his strength continued to grow. The arrows shot by guards at the Marrow Cleansing Realm felt rather weak to him. Therefore, the Meng family spared no expense to gather thirty Metamorphosis Realm experts for sparring. Fortunately, the Meng clan had numerous members; these thirty experts — aside from the original guards — were all Meng clan members who came every afternoon to train with him for half an hour.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,” continuous arrows flew towards him.

Meng Chuan stood there, yet felt a peculiar sensation.

He could see the dark red patterns of 'Crimson Blood Dark Iron' on each arrow shaft with astonishing clarity. He saw the trajectory of every arrow, some even brushing against each other. Meng Chuan 'saw' all of this with perfect clarity.

Within ten zhang, every detail was perfectly clear.

Meng Chuan simply retreated one step to the left-rear, remaining otherwise still. He heard a series of 'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh' as nine arrows flew past him consecutively. Some passed by the edge of his hair, others by his waist. Only one arrow shot towards his chest, which Meng Chuan effortlessly deflected with a swing of his blade.

A volley of ten arrows was easily blocked by Meng Chuan, who merely took a step back and deflected one.

“How easy,” he thought.

Meng Chuan stood within a circle about a zhang wide, his footwork not particularly fast, yet the arrows flew past him with whooshing sounds without touching him. He only occasionally swung his blade.

“What’s going on?”

“Why is the young master so relaxed?” The thirty experts were also astonished.

“The moment they release the arrows, I know the trajectory of all ten, and can instantly determine which spots are safe,” Meng Chuan thought. He found this sensation wondrous, as if the ten-zhang radius around him were his own domain, where everything about the arrows was perceived and easily predicted by him. Dodging them felt incredibly effortless.

“Stop,” Meng Chuan suddenly called out.

The thirty Metamorphosis Realm experts halted and looked at Meng Chuan.

“Move forward two zhang,” Meng Chuan instructed.

“Two zhang?” one of the Meng clan members immediately said. “That’s too close. It leaves only five zhang between us and you. At such close range, a continuous volley of arrows often leaves no time to react. I suggest we reduce the distance by one zhang first.”

“It’s fine, let’s just try it,” Meng Chuan replied with a smile. “Trust me, reduce the distance by two zhang.”

Since Young Master Meng had spoken, no one objected further.

After all, these arrows had no arrowheads and were wrapped in cloth, so nothing serious could happen.

“Whoosh, whoosh.” The thirty Metamorphosis Realm experts uniformly stepped forward two zhang.

“Release,” the command was given.

Bows were drawn to full circle, and arrows tore through the air.

Their strength was immense; even the weaker ones possessed three to five thousand jin of force, while the stronger ones approached ten thousand jin. The speed of the arrows was naturally incredible.

At this short distance…

Even though Meng Chuan's perception of the ten-zhang radius felt like a domain, and his Lightning Body was incredibly fast, he instantly felt overwhelmed by the pressure!

His previous ease was due to his ability to quickly determine safe spots, but even such 'judgments' required a fraction of a second. With arrows at such extreme close range, Meng Chuan had no time for calm assessment. He could only rely on instinct to employ his movement techniques for dodging and his blade techniques for blocking. Everything was a reflexive reaction.

The distance was too close! No time to think!

“Dodge, dodge, dodge,” he muttered.

“Block, block, block,” he repeated.

Under such pressure, Meng Chuan relied on his ten-zhang domain, exerting all his might to dodge and block. Yet, some arrows still proved impossible to deflect.

One arrow shot directly towards Meng Chuan’s lower abdomen.

“Block it!” Meng Chuan tried to block, but was just a fraction too slow. The arrow was about to strike his lower abdomen.

“Whoosh.”

Under Meng Chuan's intense desire and conviction, an invisible force merged with the blade in his hand, making it slightly faster. With a 'thud', it deflected the arrow.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A torrent of arrows followed!

Batch after batch of arrows descended like a rainstorm, impossibly numerous and swift.

“Faster, faster,” Meng Chuan urged himself, striving to dodge.

“Boom.”

The invisible force also merged into every part of his body.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!” His heart beat loudly. His internal organs were incredibly clear to his perception, his blood flowed like a rushing river, and every sinew, bone, and muscle within him was vividly apparent.

In an instant, his perception and control over his body intensified manifold.

Body, mind, and skill unified!

Unleashing the body’s full potential.

At this moment, Meng Chuan’s body, mind, and skill were profoundly integrated. His heart pumped blood, his organs functioned explosively yet remained within their limits of endurance. His sinews and muscles surged, and his internal True Qi circulated more perfectly. In that instant… every part of his body operated flawlessly, and the potential he unleashed was far greater than before.

Meng Chuan felt his body become incredibly light and agile. He effortlessly dodged the incoming arrows, and if he wished, his pure speed could also surge by several times.

“This feeling is truly wonderful, I feel practically omnipotent.” Meng Chuan was almost captivated by this deep level of control over his physical body.

However, he also sensed that while this invisible force merged into every part of his body, it was also being consumed rapidly.

In just a single breath’s time.

Meng Chuan already felt dizzy.

“Stop!” Meng Chuan quickly shouted.

Thump, thump, thump.

Nonetheless, three arrows struck him, making him wince. It truly hurt.

“Incredible,” the Metamorphosis Realm experts who had been continuously firing arrows watched in astonishment. They had fired seven consecutive volleys at close range, yet Meng Chuan had managed to dodge and block them all until only three arrows finally struck him towards the end.

“Truly remarkable.”

“His movement techniques are incredibly strange; with so many arrows, none could hit him.”

“Still, he was hit in the end.”

“Just being able to dodge is impressive enough. Meng Chuan must have comprehended some powerful movement technique, though it seems he hasn’t fully mastered it yet, as he was hit by consecutive arrows at the very end.” These Metamorphosis Realm experts felt both admiration and delight. Most of them were Meng clan members, and the others had long served the Meng family. The more formidable Meng Chuan became, the prouder they naturally felt.

“That’s enough for today. I need to deeply reflect on my training,” Meng Chuan said.

“Yes, Young Master.”

They all replied with smiles.

“The young master’s movement techniques have greatly improved; he must have had some new insights.”

“Training is important, but quiet contemplation and insight are just as crucial.”

They departed, chatting excitedly, and the servants were also dismissed, leaving Meng Chuan alone in the training ground.

“What kind of power was that just now?” Meng Chuan felt a surge of excitement.

“Just now, when I was giving my all, in that emergency, intensely wanting to block that arrow… an invisible force actually merged into my blade technique, increasing its power by fifty percent. And that’s not all. Earlier, to dodge the arrows, that invisible force integrated into every part of my body. The sensation of controlling my physical body was too wonderful; the power I unleashed in that instant felt like it had elevated by a major level.” Meng Chuan was awestruck.

Body, mind, and skill unified.

His strength multiplied several times, his speed multiplied several times, and his True Qi circulated perfectly. Most importantly, his body suffered no damage; he had merely unlocked more of its potential.

“This invisible power, unseen by the naked eye, only manifested through my strong will. Is it related to the space between my eyebrows?” Meng Chuan had some theories. “This invisible power, when integrated into a single blade, doesn’t consume too much. But when it merges with my entire body, the consumption is ten times greater. Just now, I couldn’t sustain it for more than a single breath.”

“But this is already incredibly powerful.” Meng Chuan could not forget that wonderful sensation of controlling his physical body. “This power, mysterious and unknown, I will provisionally call it 'Heart-Soul Force'.”

That night, in a deep underground passage.

A refined man, followed by a silver-haired elder, walked through it. They soon arrived at a majestic gate, which opened into a spacious hall where two maidservants stood.

“I wish to see the Hall Master,” the refined man said.

“Patron Li, please wait a moment. I will go and convey your message,” a maidservant said with a smile, then turned and went through a side door of the hall to report.

The refined man and the silver-haired elder waited in silence.

A moment later.

A hunchbacked man emerged from the side door, with the maidservant respectfully following behind him. This hunchbacked man was none other than the Heavenly Demon Gate expert who had nearly killed Meng Chuan and Yan Jin at Idle Stone Garden.

“Greetings, Vice Hall Master Gao,” both the refined man and the silver-haired elder respectfully greeted.

Within the Heavenly Demon Gate’s East Ning Branch, the highest position was the Hall Master, followed by two Vice Hall Masters.

Vice Hall Masters were all experts at the Seamless Realm who had long comprehended ‘Potential.’ Furthermore, due to their cultivation of various demonic arts, their methods were sinister and difficult to deal with.

“The Hall Master and Old Tu, the second-in-command, are both in secluded cultivation. For the past six months, I have been in charge of the branch affairs,” the hunchbacked man said. He walked to the head of the hall, casually sat down, and looked down at the two individuals below him. “Speak. What matter is it that you yourselves cannot resolve?”

“The Blood Cloud Bandits wish to sell us a treasure,” the refined man said. He took a scroll from his bosom and handed it to a maidservant nearby. The maidservant then passed it to the hunchbacked man. “It’s this black iron piece shown in the scroll.”