Chapter 6: Full Commitment to Cultivation

The Meng family ancestral home was very lively, with people lining up to receive elixirs and treasures.

"So much.""Are they distributing this many elixirs?"The clansmen receiving the elixirs and treasures were all astonished. A woman, holding her seven-year-old daughter's hand while collecting her daughter's monthly cultivation resources, was also utterly amazed: "Before, my daughter only received three taels of silver and one Blood Essence Pill a month. Now it's thirty taels of silver and ten Blood Essence Pills? She can take one Blood Essence Pill every three days?"

Her daughter was only seven and wasn't diligent in her cultivation, thus receiving the most basic resources among the younger generation of the family. Yet, even her resources had surged so much.

"Everyone, everyone," the clansmen distributing the supplies explained, "the Patriarch himself said that starting this month, all clansmen under twenty years old will receive ten times the original amount of elixirs and silver each month." News spread rapidly, and the entire Meng family ancestral home was abuzz.

The younger generation of the family was divided into five levels based on their cultivation progress.

Meng Wenying and Meng Chuan, for example, belonged to the top tier and were already receiving priority cultivation.

There were also second, third levels, and so on.

And now, even the most ordinary of the younger generation received thirty taels of silver and ten Blood Essence Pills a month.

"Patriarch, there are over two thousand family members between six and twenty years old. Can the family sustain such distribution?" an old servant asked worriedly. Patriarch Meng Yanping stood at a distance, watching the excited clansmen receiving resources, and calmly replied, "Don't worry, with the family's accumulated wealth over the years, we can sustain this for ten years."

The old servant remained somewhat worried.

A Godfiend family's income was astonishing, but their expenses were equally high. The family was now truly pouring all its efforts into cultivating this generation, willing to spare no expense for ten years! They hoped to produce a prodigy with the potential to become a 'Godfiend'.

Mirror Lake Meng Residence.

Meng Dajiang led more than ten people back into the residence.

"Master." The servants and maids were all very respectful.

"Where is the young master?" Meng Dajiang asked.

"The young master is in the training ground," the servants replied respectfully.

Meng Dajiang frowned, looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and it was already the Shen hour. "Still practicing his blade at this time?"

He led the group towards the training ground, faintly hearing the whistling sound of blade light. He waved his hand and quietly instructed, "Wait here." After speaking, he stealthily approached and peered through a small window in the training ground's courtyard wall. He could see a blurry figure of a young man, completely enveloped in blade light, practicing the Falling Leaf Blade Technique.

"Qian Fang." Meng Dajiang beckoned to a middle-aged man not far away. Qian Fang, an old servant who attended to Meng Chuan, quickly came over.

"I'm asking you," Meng Dajiang lowered his voice, "How long has Chuan'er been practicing his blade today?"

"Master, the young master has been practicing his blade since early morning. He hasn't stopped, except for meals and brief rests!" Qian Fang quickly replied.

"Practicing for so long?" Meng Dajiang frowned.

"Even after taking his medicinal bath in the evening, the young master practices his blade for another hour in his courtyard," Qian Fang couldn't help but add. "In the past few days, besides eating, sleeping, painting, medicinal baths, and marrow cleansing cultivation... he's just been practicing his blade. He practices for six or seven hours a day."

"In the past few days?" Meng Dajiang murmured.

In the past few days? What could have driven his son to practice his blade so frantically? Could it be the broken engagement?

"Just the past few days!" Qian Fang said. "Before, the young master was quite cheerful and even asked me to buy some Godfiend biographies. He wasn't cultivating with such intensity back then. I don't know what happened these past few days; my advice has been useless."

A moment later, in the training ground.

Meng Chuan was immersed in the Falling Leaf Blade technique.

"Chuan'er," Meng Dajiang's voice called out.

"Father." Meng Chuan stopped and saw Meng Dajiang enter, leading more than ten people.

Meng Dajiang smiled, "Chuan'er, the clan has decided to cultivate you all more diligently. So, starting today, these eight Marrow Cleansing Realm practitioners and three Body Tempering Realm practitioners will be your sparring partners."

"Don't I already have guards to spar with?" Meng Chuan was a little surprised.

He originally had eight Marrow Cleansing Realm guards and two Body Tempering Realm guards who occasionally sparred with him.

"Those were guards; these are dedicated sparring partners. For example, these eight Marrow Cleansing Realm practitioners specialize in archery, hidden weapons, and so on... they'll be of greater help to your cultivation," Meng Dajiang explained. "Besides, your guards, as guards, can't be expected to constantly spar with you, can they?"

Meng Chuan nodded.

Guards were paid for their services; they did what they were paid for. Occasional sparring was fine, but prolonged sparring would lead to complaints.

"The help from these three Body Tempering Realm practitioners goes without saying. And this one..." Meng Dajiang pointed to a thin man with a mustache, "This is Brother Wang Chang, 'Phantom Sword,' a senior in the Seamless Realm."

"Senior Wang." Meng Chuan bowed respectfully. Seamless Realm experts held significant status in Dongning City, and Wang Chang was the deputy chief escort of a local escort agency.

"No need to be so polite, Young Master Meng," Wang Chang said with a smile.

"Starting today, six Seamless Realm experts will come to spar with you each month. Each will accompany you for five days, one hour each day," Meng Dajiang stated solemnly. "Inviting six Seamless Realm experts to spar comes at a significant cost to the family, so you must take this seriously."

"Yes," Meng Chuan replied, also somewhat stunned.

Seamless Realm experts were all prominent figures in Dongning Prefecture, and their time was precious. It was impossible for them to follow Meng Chuan every day for a month. They had their own numerous affairs, so being willing to spar for one hour each day for five consecutive days was already excellent. The family had gone to great lengths to invite six Seamless Realm experts... ensuring Meng Chuan would have a Seamless Realm sparring partner every day.

"Chuan'er, a true man aims for the world; why worry about not having a wife? You must cultivate diligently and not disappoint the family's expectations." Meng Dajiang said, then walked out.

Meng Chuan was startled. "Why worry about not having a wife?"

What did his father mean by that?

"Father, what did you mean by 'why worry about not having a wife'?" Meng Chuan quickly called out.

"It just means don't overthink things," Meng Dajiang replied, already out of the training ground.

"What was I overthinking?" Meng Chuan muttered, then looked at the surrounding sparring partners, his gaze burning with eagerness.

Blade techniques were, after all, meant for combat.

With sparring partners, cultivation would be much more effective. While he had sparring partners before, how could they compare to now? He had sparring partners from the Marrow Cleansing Realm, Body Tempering Realm, all the way to Seamless Realm experts!

Thus, from that day on, Meng Chuan practiced his blade from dawn, with sparring partners in the mornings.

In the afternoons and evenings, he cultivated alone, needing to quietly reflect on the morning's combat.

With Meng Chuan's change in mindset, he fully immersed himself in the Falling Leaf Blade technique. He could feel the unique charm of each of the eighty-one forms of the Falling Leaf Blade and sense the distinct aesthetic beauty in all eighty-one forms. He soon discovered how to master the secret technique, 'Three Autumn Leaves'.

As he continuously practiced the eighty-one forms, he gradually realized that the beauty of these eighty-one forms... could be connected seamlessly.

For instance, the first form was the 'Drawing Blade Form', a strike of extreme sharpness. Then it transitioned to the second form, 'Whirlwind Moon Form', with elusive and strange movements. This then turned into the third form, 'Cloud Opening Form', suddenly transforming from strange and elusive into an abrupt killing blow, then transitioning to the fourth form...

One move after another. It was as if a large rock rolled down a mountain, gaining speed with each turn! The moves, too, came one after another, like surging waves, growing fiercer, more powerful, and unstoppable!

"If all eighty-one forms truly connected seamlessly, reaching their peak power, I would be able to naturally perform the secret technique, just as described in the manual!" Understanding this was why Meng Chuan practiced his blade so frantically.

If the 'beauty' of the eighty-one forms became one, then the blade's trajectory, cutting through the 'wind,' would flow flawlessly from one move to the next; the varying speeds of the blade technique, forming rhythm and cadence, would be like a song of nature; and the aesthetic beauty of each blade move, when connected, would form a complete painting.

Having vaguely touched upon this realm, Meng Chuan yearned for it even more.

Day after day...

The aesthetic connection of Meng Chuan's blade technique became more perfect, with fewer and fewer 'flaws'. The rhythm and cadence of the blade technique had fewer breaks. The blade's trajectory also became increasingly perfect.

He could feel his progress; Meng Chuan felt he was drawing closer to that realm, step by step.

The trees and plants beside the training ground gradually began to turn green as March drew nearer. Meng Chuan continued his cultivation as usual, steadily approaching that realm, getting closer and closer.

Whoosh.

Meng Chuan resumed his practice. This time, suddenly, the aesthetic beauty he had long pursued merged with his flesh and bones, and with his mind. As he executed his blade technique, he naturally achieved a state where 'body, mind, and technique' were unified. He felt with absolute clarity how the blade in his hand cut through the wind's resistance! His body became one with the blade, moving through the air at terrifying speed as the blade advanced.

As Meng Chuan performed his blade technique, in an instant, another Meng Chuan appeared over ten zhang away. Two Meng Chuans existed simultaneously. A faint streak of curved blade light lingered in mid-air. Only then did the former 'Meng Chuan' figure dissipate.

"I... I comprehended it?" Meng Chuan stood rooted to the spot, stunned.