Chapter 9 - Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue
Xia Chen didn’t miss a single one of the third and fourth floors, recording all the techniques he found.
After that, he made his way to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was spacious, but it only held a hundred techniques.
Xia Chen continued with his methodical approach, and he could sense that the time required to record techniques varied depending on the floor.
For instance, on the first floor, it took only two or three seconds to record a technique, while on the fifth floor, it took at least one or two minutes.
Xia Chen remained patient, and on this floor, he discovered a collection of military array techniques capable of mobilizing the entire army’s strength and enhancing one’s own power. There were ten such techniques, specially placed in one area.
In another area, there were Buddhist and Taoist spells, and in another corner, there were Confucian calligraphy and paintings.
Each scroll and painting contained a special aura and was imbued with a righteous energy, which was greatly beneficial for scholars pursuing the Confucian path.
“Record!” Xia Chen walked up to these calligraphy and paintings and began to record them. Watching the progress bar on the panel, Xia Chen revealed a smile.
Finally, after recording and marking all the techniques on the fifth floor, Xia Chen picked up a physical cultivation technique called 《Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue》 and began to pretend to read it. But at the same time, he said to himself,
“Begin the deduction and infusion!”
【System deduction in progress!】
Five minutes later, new text appeared on the panel.
【Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue true meaning infusion in progress!】
【Progress value: 5%】
【Progress value: 35%】
【Progress value: 78%】
…
The entire transmission process lasted three minutes.
Xia Chen felt his skin becoming scorching hot, as if his flesh and bones were being tempered by molten lava.
Every piece of muscle seemed to be hammered by a divine blacksmith, knocking out impurities.
In Xia Chen’s eyes, a great sun rose, and the true meaning of the Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade he had previously comprehended merged with the profound principles of Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue.
Every drop of blood became viscous, imbued with the essence of the sun!
The entire fifth floor space became scorching hot, as if it were the height of summer.
Xia Chen himself was like a piece of steel freshly forged in a high-temperature furnace.
Xia Hong and Xia Huang, the two clan elders, instantly appeared in the fifth floor space, watching Xia Chen’s transformation with grave expressions.
“Has he comprehended Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue?”
“Did he grasp the true meaning of the Chi Yang so quickly?”
Both exclaimed in astonishment, their eyes flashing with disbelief.
They were aware of Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue; it was highly beneficial for martial cultivators and even had some effect for those at the fourth rank. That was why it was placed on the fifth floor of the Merit Building.
The entire Merit Building was within their perception. Initially, seeing Xia Chen skim through the techniques, they didn’t pay much attention. But how did he suddenly comprehend Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue?
The two were puzzled!
Xia Chen slowly opened his eyes. The great sun in his eyes gradually receded, the surging vital energy from his pores slowly subsided, and his skin no longer glowed red.
“Fourth great-uncle, sixth great-uncle, why are you here?”
Xia Chen feigned curiosity. He naturally knew that such an important place, the foundation of the entire marquisate, would be guarded.
“How did you comprehend Chi Yang Duan Ti Jue so quickly?”
Xia Hong, being impatient, was the first to ask.
“I don’t know. As I was reading, I suddenly felt something.”
Xia Chen scratched his head, looking naive and innocent, much like an advanced version of Xia Wen.
Xia Hong was left speechless by this naive expression.
Not knowing?
Suddenly felt something?
Was it really that simple?
Xia Huang didn’t speak. He stepped forward and grabbed Xia Chen’s hand, infusing a burst of vital energy into Xia Chen’s body to investigate.
He suspected there was something off with his grandson.
But after circulating through Xia Chen’s meridians, he found no issues. Instead, he sensed that Xia Chen’s physique was incredibly robust, with an unusually solid foundation.
“Indeed, his bones are ordinary and not suitable for martial practice, but his foundation is very deep!”
Xia Huang was puzzled, feeling something was amiss.
“Why did you choose this technique among so many? And what were you doing earlier?”
Xia Hong voiced his confusion. Xia Chen’s previous actions were too perplexing.
“I’ve heard that ancient sages, by extensively reading various scriptures and integrating the true meanings of many schools, created world-shocking methods. So, I thought I’d follow in their footsteps, despite my inadequacies!”
Xia Chen rubbed his hands together, looking a bit embarrassed.
“As for why I chose this one, I felt this technique was somewhat similar to the Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade I previously comprehended. I had a sudden insight, so I chose this one.”
Xia Huang burst into laughter, then laughed heartily.
“You want to emulate the sages?”
He laughed, not having heard anything so amusing in years. But he quickly realized that such unrestrained laughter might discourage the child, so he added a cautionary note.
“You’re still so young, with limited experience. Your cultivation is too low. Extensive reading is too early for you. What you need now is to focus on one path. Even if you have exceptional talent, you should at most choose one auxiliary path. It’s not advisable to learn too many things at once; otherwise, it will be harmful to your cultivation and mental state!”
Xia Chen nodded quickly.
“Although your martial talent is lacking, your comprehension is outstanding. Perhaps you may still achieve something in the future.”
Xia Hong encouraged him.
“Yes!”
Xia Chen chatted with Xia Hong and Xia Huang for a while longer. The two elders patiently shared some important cultivation tips with him before he took his leave.
Watching Xia Chen’s retreating figure as he left the Merit Building, Xia Hong sighed.
“What a pity for this child. His comprehension is almost monstrous, but he has a waste body. How unfair is the heavens!”
“Why didn’t we let this child pursue the Confucian path in the first place? Didn’t I hear that he used to be with the third brother, Xia Han, when he was young? Why didn’t we let him continue on that path? With such astonishing comprehension, if he had pursued the Confucian path and cultivated a righteous energy, our Xia family might have produced a great Confucian scholar!”
Xia Huang also lamented, truly heartbroken that such a promising future had been wasted.
For 600 years, their Xia family had mostly been rough warriors, often looked down upon and oppressed by scholars in the court.
If Xia Chen had become a great Confucian scholar, perhaps their Xia family would have developed a literary lineage, achieving a balance of yin and yang.
Xia Hong remained silent for a while, but eventually spoke slowly.
“I heard… that it was the second brother who wrote a letter from the Eastern Wasteland battlefield to the third brother, saying that his child should practice martial arts.
Even if he has a waste body, even if he ends up bleeding on the battlefield in the future, he should hold a knife in his hands, not a pen…”
The Merit Building fell into a long silence.
After a long while, a voice finally spoke again.
“Alas, the second brother, Xia Yuan, is a good man and a great general, intelligent and talented, bringing no shame to our marquisate. But… he is somewhat lacking as a father!”
Xia Huang shook his head, recalling the stories he had heard about Xia Yuan’s attitude towards Xia Chen, and sighed deeply!
…
【“When the Heavenly Emperor was young, his parents rarely showed him affection, and he grew up alone within the clan.
The clan elders did not have high hopes for his martial talent. However, the Heavenly Emperor was innately resilient and unyielding, diligently studying and reading extensively, with extraordinary comprehension.
One day, while in the Merit Building, he suddenly comprehended a technique, shocking all the clan elders!” ——《History of Xia》, Volume One, Chronicles of the Founding Emperor】