prynovel Chapter 61 Overcoming Yourself
Chapter 61 Overcoming Yourself
"Skin, flesh, blood, tendons, bones, and filth are all complete."
"The divine treasure is awakening but not yet opened; the divine soul is solid but not yet fused; the vital energy is abundant but not yet contained."
"Sword and intent are separate, martial arts and the Way are distinct; it is merely forging the physical form, without grasping the essence of martial arts."
The voice of Martial Ancestor Pan Yi slowly echoed in the void, resounding throughout Lu Ming's sea of consciousness.
"The physical body is a creation of heaven and earth, containing a universe within it and endless divine treasures. The soul resides within it, and the vital energy nourishes it; this is the most fundamental heaven and earth for all living beings."
"I created the Xuanwu True Skill, which uses battle as a catalyst. Battle can force out qi and blood, open the divine treasure, and condense the spirit and soul."
"Martial arts are born for war, and also for the path of enlightenment. They are meant to temper the body through war and unlock the divine potential through martial arts."
"To resonate with the physical world and the great Dao of the outside world is the path to the direct path of martial arts."
Martial Ancestor's gaze fell on the Cloud Snow in Lu Ming's hand, the sword blade gleaming faintly in the void.
"You have cultivated the sword and comprehended its intent, and you have grasped the profound mysteries of Daoist magic. Now, you will integrate Daoist principles with martial arts and wield the sword with your will."
"The Xuanwu Sword Technique is a creation of mine that combines the true meaning of martial arts with the principles of swordsmanship. Each move has its own unique characteristics. When combined with the Stepping Void Step, it condenses the true power of Xuanwu, allowing for the interplay of the real and the illusory, and the ability to maneuver freely."
"Today I will use your body to solidify my image, merging the complete Xuanwu True Skill. You must defeat it."
"Integrate sword intent into sword techniques, combine the mysteries of Taoism with the true meaning of martial arts, open the divine treasure and condense the soul, and let sword, martial arts, Tao, body, and intent merge together, only then can the Body Tempering Realm be considered truly perfect."
After speaking, the Martial Ancestor lightly raised his illusory fingertip and pointed it at Lu Ming.
In an instant, Lu Ming's blood and qi surged like a turbulent sea, and the Qingping Sword Intent trembled slightly. A mirror image that was exactly the same as his appearance and cultivation level condensed from the void.
The mirror-like figure wields the Cloud Snow Sword Shadow, its skin gleaming with gold, and a golden light subtly emanating from its spirit.
The mirrored reflection's eyes were calm, only pure fighting spirit flowed within the sword's shadow.
It stands in the void, its blood and qi condensed and not overflowing, the Xuanwu True Power hidden within its body, which is the true form of martial arts that integrates the profound meaning of Xuanwu True Power.
"Only by defeating it can we achieve perfection."
Before the Martial Ancestor finished speaking, the mirror image had already moved.
With a series of swift, ethereal steps, his figure moved with lightning speed, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, leaving behind several afterimages. The sword in his hand swirled with layers of sword light, unleashing the first move of the Xuanwu Sword Technique: Startling Waves.
The sword's momentum, like a surging tide, swept in, while the Xuanwu True Energy condensed within the sword, merging with its momentum.
Where the sword light touched, fine ripples spread through the void.
Lu Ming focused his mind, and Yun Jianxue was unsheathed, its clear light flashing.
Qingping's sword intent arose spontaneously, and she swung her sword to meet the attack.
Lu Mingchu attempted to use the Xuanwu Sword Technique to startle the waves, but he only learned its form and not its spirit.
The sword intent and sword momentum were separated, the blood and qi were scattered and surging in the meridians, the footwork was sluggish, and he could not even catch up with the afterimage of the mirror image.
In the instant the sword shadows clashed, the Mirror Reflection Sword's spine trembled slightly, and a wisp of Xuanwu True Energy pierced through the sword, directly impacting Lu Ming's meridians.
"Ding!"
With a crisp sound, Lu Ming felt his arm go numb, Yun Jianxue almost slipped from his grasp, and he staggered back several steps.
Before he could catch his breath, Mirror Shadow changed his move, leaping into the air with the Void Step, raising his sword high, golden light condensing at the tip of the sword, which was the most powerful move in the Xuanwu Sword Art, Rending the Universe.
The sword light fell like a meteor, slashing down with earth-shattering force.
Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat. He hastily activated his Daoist magic, condensing a layer of spiritual energy shield. At the same time, he swung his sword to block the attack. The sharpness of Qingping's sword intent merged with the flexibility of the spiritual energy shield, attempting to block the attack.
"boom!"
The cyan-gold streak shattered the spiritual energy shield, and its residual force caused Lu Ming's blood and qi to surge.
The Mirror Image's Rifting Sword Force followed closely behind. The sword shadow collided with the Snow in the Clouds, and Lu Ming was sent flying several feet backward by an incomparably fierce force, crashing heavily into the invisible barrier formed in the void. A trace of blood appeared on his throat.
The mirror image paused in mid-air, its fingers condensing, and a wisp of Xuanwu True Energy transformed into a cyan-gold arrow, the Shattering Star Finger, which shot straight at Lu Ming's heart.
Lu Ming dodged to the side, the golden light grazing his shoulder and exploding in the void, leaving his shoulder throbbing and in excruciating pain.
Lu Ming stood up, supporting himself with his sword, and continued to ponder.
The sword in the mirror is a fusion of sword intent and sword technique, a combination of martial arts and blood and qi, a combination of footwork and illusion, every move is for battle, yet it also contains the resonance between the body and the soul.
As for myself, I have only separated the Dao from the martial arts, and separated the sword intent from the sword technique. I have a strong physical body and the Qingping sword intent, but I don't know how to integrate them into one.
With a flick of his finger, Wu Zu sent a gentle surge of power into Lu Ming's body, replenishing his scattered true energy and spiritual power, allowing him to maintain peak condition and fight endlessly.
Unbeknownst to him, Lu Ming and Jing Ying had fought a hundred battles, and Lu Ming had been defeated a hundred times.
Each time Lu Ming suffered a defeat, he would quickly reflect on his mistakes, from the flow of sword energy to the fusion of qi and blood, from the feints and realism of footwork to the condensation of true strength. He would keep every flaw in mind and desperately correct it in the next battle.
At that time, he was filled with a burning fighting spirit, firmly believing that as long as he persevered, he would eventually understand the principle of the fusion of sword and martial arts and defeat this mirror image.
This battle lasted for an unknown period of time.
After more than three thousand exchanges and more than three thousand defeats, Lu Ming's swordsmanship became increasingly proficient. He could now use the Void Step to move freely between reality and illusion, and he could also integrate the Xuanwu True Force into his sword techniques. However, he still could not defeat the Mirror Image.
Lu Ming began to doubt himself, wondering if he was truly incapable of integrating Taoist magic with martial arts.
Is it possible that the Qingping Sword Intent and the Xuanwu Sword Technique are inherently incompatible?
Each time he swung his sword, that initial determination was tinged with a hint of hesitation.
The pace of reflection slowed down, and the act of getting up was no longer as swift.
Occasionally, when Lu Ming looked at the mirror image's emotionless and emotionless battle posture, he would be stunned for a long time, repeatedly asking himself: Is this mirror image really the combat power I can currently achieve?
After an unknown amount of time, more than ten thousand battles were fought in the void.
Lu Ming's body had long been accustomed to the impact and pain, and his soul had become more solid with each shock, but the turmoil in his heart gradually subsided, turning into numbness.
He no longer pondered the flaws, nor did he deliberately correct them. He simply relied on instinct to draw his sword, parry, and dodge. If he was defeated, he would get up and fight again.
He was like a pre-programmed machine; the light in his eyes had long since dimmed, and the fighting spirit in his heart had been worn away by endless failures.
In the void, there is neither sun nor moon, only the intertwining of sword light.
Mirror Image's moves remained sharp and powerful.
Lu Ming responded mechanically, and occasionally lost focus during the battle, letting the sword strikes from the mirror image hit him, feeling the tremors in his body, but without any reaction.
After more than 30,000 defeats, Lu Ming's numbness finally turned into madness.
He no longer cared about techniques and rules, and no longer tried to integrate Taoism into martial arts.
In his hands, the snow in the clouds transformed into a wild, clear rainbow, the Azure Lotus Sword Intent ran rampant, and the Xuanwu True Force erupted without any order.
Like a ferocious beast enraged, he used his physical strength to withstand every move of the mirror image. Even when his bones were about to break and his body was covered in wounds from the sword strikes, he still roared and pounced.
Lu Ming's eyes were filled with a frenzied fighting spirit, and his mind held only one thought: Win! Even if it's just once!
This madness added a touch of desperate ruthlessness to his swordplay, but it also caused him to lose the true meaning of martial arts, and he still could not escape the fate of defeat.
The Martial Ancestor remained silent, simply watching as the man sank into madness, for he knew that ultimately, one's Dao heart must rely on oneself to pull oneself out of dire straits.
Tens of thousands of battles, tens of thousands of defeats, his roars still seem to echo in the void, reflecting his falling figure time and time again.
The power of the Martial Ancestor always protected him, but this eternal peak state only made the taste of defeat all the more intense.
I don't know when it started, but that madness gradually faded away and turned into a calm.
Lu Ming stopped roaring and stopped fighting head-on. He just stood quietly in the void, looking at the mirror image, at the figure that was exactly the same as himself, but who had brought the Xuanwu True Skill to its extreme.
He recalled the words of the Martial Ancestor: "Martial arts are born for war." He remembered the pain of having his bones and marrow removed during body tempering, the original aspiration of Qinghe Village, his brothers in Yunmengze, and his own thirst for the Great Dao.
The purpose of war is not to win, but to temper oneself through repeated battles, to integrate swordsmanship with martial arts, and martial arts with the Dao, so that the physical body, soul, sword intent, true qi, and spiritual power become one.
War is the true meaning of martial arts, the tempering fire of the physical world, and the only way from confusion to clarity, from division to integration.
Tens of thousands of failures were not punishment, but tempering, wearing away his impetuosity, his obsession, and his obsession with "winning".
Lu Ming's eyes gradually cleared, revealing the wisdom gained from tens of thousands of battles and his unwavering commitment to his path.
He raised his hand and grasped Yun Jianxue. The sword trembled slightly in the void. The Qingping sword intent slowly subsided and merged with the blood and true energy in his body.
The stepping into the void unfolds silently beneath the feet, while the Xuanwu True Energy condenses between the palms and fingers without dissipating.
At this moment, he no longer thought about defeating the mirror image, but only about perfecting every movement, integrating every bit of power, and making the sword, martial arts, Tao, body, and mind one in the battle.
As if sensing something, the mirror image burst forth with golden light and unleashed the Xuanwu Sword Technique to suppress the mountain.
As the sword shadow fell, the divine aura around him shone brightly with golden light. His soul, body, blood, and true energy merged seamlessly. The sword's momentum was like the Five Sacred Mountains sinking into the earth, solid yet not unleashed, yet carrying the power to suppress everything.
Lu Ming stood in the center of the void, Yun Jianxue pointed diagonally at the ground, his body surrounded by golden light and clear radiance, his divine treasures fully opened, his blood and qi surging like rivers and seas, his soul solidified like crystal, seamlessly integrated with his physical body, sword intent, and Daoist techniques.
A glint flashed in his eyes. After tens of thousands of trials, he finally understood that martial arts are born for battle, battle is used to temper the body, battle is used to solidify the soul, battle is used to merge with the Dao, and battle is used to achieve self-realization.
Faced with the Zhenyue Sword's imposing force reflected in the mirror, Lu Ming neither dodged nor took the blow head-on.
He used the Void Step to its fullest extent, his figure moving like a bolt of lightning, traversing the gaps between the illusory mountain shadows.
At the same time, Lu Ming activated his Daoist techniques, drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to soften the oppressive aura of the mountain phantom. The Cloud Snow Clear Radiance in his hand surged, and the sharpness of the Qingping Sword Intent merged with the seven profound mysteries of the Xuanwu Sword Technique, condensing into a single sword strike.
This sword strike possessed the surging power of a tidal wave, the ferocity of a shattering universe, the vastness of the ocean, the precision of a shattered star, the silence of returning to the void, the destruction of profound oblivion, and the weight of a mountain-suppressing force.
This sword strike combines the sharpness of the Qingping Sword Intent with the true meaning of the Xuanwu Sword Technique, and blends the mystery of Taoist magic with the ferocity of martial arts.
This sword strike is the culmination of tens of thousands of failures, the epiphany of breaking down and rebuilding, and the true essence of martial arts—born for battle.
This sword strike opens the divine treasure, condenses the spirit, gathers qi and blood, and gathers true strength; it is the ultimate fusion of Lu Mingjian's sword, martial arts, Tao, body, and mind.
As Yun Jianxue swung her sword, the clear light and golden radiance intertwined, and the sword light, like a stunning rainbow piercing through the heavens and earth, broke through the oppressive aura of the mountain phantom and precisely struck the core of the Mirror Shadow Sword Technique.
That is the gap between the exhaustion of old power and the emergence of new power, the flaw in the flow of energy in the mirror image, and the only gap in the true meaning of martial arts.
"puff"
The illusory mountain image shattered with a deafening roar, and the sword aura of the mountain-suppressing image was completely broken, causing the condensed blood and true energy to scatter and surge in all directions.
Lu Ming took advantage of the situation to get close, and the Cloud Snow Sword trembled slightly. A wisp of Xuanwu True Energy, infused with the Qingping Sword Intent, passed through the sword and lightly touched the Mirror Shadow's brow.
The golden light surrounding the mirror suddenly dimmed, and the pure fighting spirit in its eyes slowly dissipated, turning into specks of shimmering gold light that scattered into the void.
Only a wisp of martial arts essence remained, merging into Lu Ming's divine treasure.
Lu Ming maintained his sword-wielding posture, standing in the center of the void, as the clear light and golden radiance slowly receded.
He was breathing heavily, his body covered with scars from tens of thousands of battles, yet his blood and energy remained as calm as a river or sea.
At this moment, Lu Ming's body was faintly glowing with golden light, his soul and body were perfectly integrated, the Qingping Sword Intent and the Xuanwu Sword Technique were perfectly combined, and the Daoist arts and martial arts were perfectly blended.
Tens of thousands of trials and tribulations, from perseverance to reflection to self-doubt, from numbness and despair to frantic breakthroughs, ultimately leading to unwavering determination.
He finally overcame himself and grasped the true essence of martial arts.
The illusory image of Martial Ancestor Pan Yi stood silently in the void, a gratified smile appearing on his blurred face.
His voice echoed slowly in the void, like the celestial sound of the Great Dao:
"Sword and martial arts merge, martial arts become profound, the divine treasure is opened, the divine soul is condensed, the physical body becomes the universe, and the sword intent connects to the Great Dao."
"Knowing war is the starting point, understanding martial arts is the way, and comprehending that the physical body is a creation of heaven and earth, one can reach the Body Tempering Realm and attain true perfection."
In the void, golden light and clear radiance intertwined, and the blood and qi around Lu Ming resonated slowly with heaven and earth. The Qingping sword intent surrounded him, and the Xuanwu true energy condensed and did not dissipate. The physical world that belonged to him had been completely opened.