This time, Chen Chuan focused solely on a particular patriarch of the Xuan Cult depicted upon the murals. As his attention deepened, many strands of residual spirit faded away, while the purest wisp among them was gradually captured by him.
He abandoned the multitude to seize only one. Even though the perceptible spiritual power grew fainter as a result, what he could witness became clearer and more distinct instead.
Before long, he was fully immersed. Following that wisp of spirit, he seemed to encounter demons one after another, then subdue and slay them.
This was a secret legacy that could tentatively be called the "Demon-Subduing Form."
Originally, he had assumed that since this was something used against entities from beyond the heavens, it might share commonalities with the two grand forms of the Purist Faction, differing at most in potency and orientation.
Yet as he watched, he realized it was an exceedingly fierce, explosive martial technique—one that unleashed the power to conquer and vanquish demons through overwhelming brute force.
Following the scenes delineated across the murals, nearly none of the demons that fought this Xuan patriarch had managed to survive; they were either obliterated or shattered into remnants. It was so extreme that, along the expansive stretch of the mural, a divine general followed behind him, dedicated solely to gathering up the scattered scraps left in his wake.
Seeing this, his spirits lifted. Right—this was precisely what he wanted.
It also suited the path he intended to walk.
Having found his objective, he redoubled his focus upon it.
Through repeated communion of spirit, he attempted to experience and feel the imagery of that bygone time, thereby slowly unearthing what he sought piece by piece.
That Daoist ancestor's strength and realm were clearly far beyond his own. Even though he could catch a fleeting glimpse of certain elements, it was impossible to reconstruct everything from just this single wisp of spirit.
Yet he could surmise that when the people of the Xuan Cult created these murals in the past, besides glorifying the great deeds and achievements of their patriarchs, their purpose must have been to pass down teachings, hoping that those fated in the future might behold them.
Still, no matter how fated someone was, it was impossible to master higher-tier power in a single breath; grasping even a portion was already quite remarkable.
Thus, he did not recklessly absorb everything in one go. Instead, he needed to distill and organize the information useful to himself, ultimately transforming it into something uniquely his own.
With this approach, his objective became exceedingly clear.
Having already passed the hurdle of Visage Deconstruction, he was able to direct more energy toward this. Yet he was not overly attached.
He knew that his own foundation was what truly mattered. Gaining something was certainly wonderful, but gaining nothing was fine as well; he could simply treat it as broadening his horizons.
Yet this state of mind happened to align with the Xuan Cult's ethos of according with nature. In his perception, the spiritual communion seemed to flow even more smoothly.
Over the next few days, he gradually gained some insights and realizations.
Martial artists were martial artists precisely because they possessed a profound understanding of various fighting concepts and could craft techniques that were both sound in principle and distinctively their own.
To them, any fighting technique below their level held no secrets whatsoever. The coverage of their mutated tissue far exceeded that of lower-tier fighters, and ordinary changes in mutated tissue were plain to them at a glance.
At the higher levels, however, things were different. Beyond physical technique lay the integration of spiritual power. Many breakthroughs and insights often hinged on flashes of inspiration, where the slightest deviation could lead to vastly different results.
Still, he felt that he had no need to pursue an exact reproduction. He only needed to map out the general path and underlying principles. He would erect the framework first, verify it through actual combat, adjust whatever felt off, and keep whatever worked. In time, he was sure to work out the method that suited him best.
As for whether it matched the original, he did not care in the least. Whatever could serve him was best; whatever could not was merely of commemorative value at most.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sudden perception stirred within him. Turning his gaze, he saw one of the Xuanists who had been sitting there rise from the ground.
Over these past days, under the glow of the pellet, he had consistently seen Xuanists sketching here. Because he could not communicate with them, he had not paid them much mind. Yet at this moment, he suddenly realized that the figure sitting in this particular spot had seemingly never moved from start to finish, differing starkly from all the others.
Yet he had not felt the slightest oddity about such distinctive, conspicuous behavior; on the contrary, he had naturally overlooked it.
After standing up, the Xuanist stood with his back to him for a moment, then began walking outward.
Chen Chuan followed his back with his eyes, watching him walk forward without ever turning his head, proceeding steadily to the far end before passing straight out through the cave wall cloaked in green vines and leaves.
Since this could be an impression left from communicating with what originally existed here, what he was seeing now might not only be a scene from back then, but also something the other person had truly been capable of.
To pass silently straight through the stone wall without damaging the rock in the slightest meant that this must be a wisp of near-tangible spirit, able to shift freely between immaterial and solid.
Chen Chuan's thoughts shifted. This figure had only moved once his own state of mind had manifested; this could hardly be a coincidence, and perhaps it held some connection to that Xuan patriarch.
He rose from his meditation cushion, walked in that direction, and ultimately came before that wall.
As he drew near, the glow of the pellet illuminated the spot. Under its light, he saw a faint, shimmering pattern on the surface. Yet it was no ordinary mural; instead, it gleamed with delicate threads of crystalline luminescence.
He studied it for a moment, feeling a sudden intuitive pull. He reached out and pressed his hand against it. In that very instant, a surge of spiritual power seemingly from the same source manifested there.
The wisp of spirit then flowed directly into the pellet. He sensed it for a moment and found that this spirit seemed to have been deliberately left behind by the figure, containing what was likely more detailed teachings regarding the "Demon-Subduing Form."
He pondered. It seemed the figure had intentionally preserved this?
He inspected the pellet; it showed no outward change, the spirit merely clinging to it, so he paid it no further heed.
By now, the sunlight was shifting, and the original images on the murals were fading. But with this in hand, there was no longer any need to squeeze in time to stare at them over there.
Putting his things away, he sat down to the side, took out some snacks from his trunk, brewed a cup of tea, tapped his boundary credential, and began browsing the news from the outside world.
He had been following the Capital Martial Arts Invitational Tournament daily. At present, it had not yet concluded, but it was nearing its final stages. For now, it was primarily fighters from the Federation and Great Shun vying for the top placements. Many fighters from other nations had already been eliminated, which aligned with their respective national strengths.
Great Shun's contestants this time had all been selected from the First and Second Delegations, along with candidates put forward by Great Shun corporations. Even the Divine Heart style dojo that belonged to him in name had fielded a competitor, though they were ultimately halted in the round of sixteen.
This was already an exceptional placement; most who reached this stage were backed by state powers or major corporations.
After all, it was the Federation's home turf. Currently, among the final eight, five were Federation contestants, two were from Great Shun, and the remaining one was from the Noros Theocracy.
No matter how one looked at it, the Federation held a clear advantage. By employing certain tactics—clashing with other contestants heedless of injury or stamina drain—they could secure their eventual victory. The delegation was aiming for first place this time; under these circumstances, it remained to be seen what methods they would employ.
These matters were for Delegation Leader Xie and Delegation Leader Jiang to worry about; he simply had to await the outcome.
After finishing with those, he checked reports from other regions. Only when twilight deepened did he switch it off.
He then gave it some thought. There were still several days left before the end of the month, and having already cleared the hurdle of Visage Deconstruction, his path forward was simply continued honing. Thus, he had no intention of lingering here any longer.
Since he had come all the way to Weishu Prefecture, he might as well visit some scenic spots to relax.
The next day, he brought Chaoming down from atop the Wangdong Stone.
"Captain!"
Having received advance word, several escort team members, including Yuan Qiuyuan, had long been waiting for him here.
Chen Chuan looked at them and asked with a smile, "How have things been these past few days?"
Yuan Qiuyuan replied, "Quite good. The scenery is nice, the food is decent, and the people here are very friendly."
Most importantly, many locals were of Eastern Continent descent, everyone could speak Great Shun speech, and their customs and habits were similar to their own. It felt much like visiting one of Great Shun's more remote circuits, even giving them the illusion that they had returned to Great Shun for a time.
Chen Chuan said, "Good. Then we'll tour around for a few more days, and once we rendezvous with the others, we'll head back."
"Yes, sir!"
After boarding the vehicle, Chen Chuan cast another glance back at the Wangdong Stone. Following the guidance of Tianji had indeed yielded rewards.
It was said that many came every year seeking divine revelation from Tianji. Yet as he understood it, while this appeared to be seeking help from others, in truth one was seeking it from oneself. And what the Tianji Sect provided seemed like helping others, but was in fact helping itself; in the end, it was mutual benefit.
After leaving the site, he toured various scenic sights across Weishu Prefecture.
Other prefectures of the Federation placed strict restrictions on foreign martial artists, forbidding them from boarding airships. Within the jurisdiction of the Tianji Sect, however, no such rule applied. Vegadov had obtained a special permit for him in advance, allowing him to ride airships and take in the scenery.
Thus, their group traveled and relaxed from late March until near mid-April. Because the capital tournament was drawing to a close, they finally turned back.
After meeting with Delegation Leader Xie, the latter first asked with concern whether his trip had gone smoothly, before bringing up the invitational tournament.
"The tournament is drawing near its end," he said. "By the fifteenth, we will witness the final victor."
Upon his return, Chen Chuan learned that the competition had reached the semifinals, with only one Great Shun martial artist remaining alongside three Federation contestants. Their odds of winning still appeared slim, but seeing that Delegation Leader Xie seemed exceedingly confident, he did not pry further.
A competition like this was never merely a contest of individual skill; numerous factors outside the ring were at play. If judged purely on technique, as Chen Chuan had glimpsed previously, all four were practically on par with one another.
Delegation Leader Xie then brought up another matter:
"Lately, I've been keeping a close eye on the news from Kawatua. I've had contact with several West Coast congressmen, and from the intelligence gathered, things may not be entirely in our favor."
Chapter 1222