Chapter 17: The Soaring Cloud Tree
1090 Words
Chen Mo demonstrated martial arts before them!
Xiao Yuanshan and Hong Ling exchanged glances, curiosity ignited. They focused intently.
Chen Mo’s movements flowed with liquid grace, each posture radiating an ineffable, profound charm. His form embodied an elusive divinity.
Hong Ling envisioned a celestial crane soaring above the Ninth Heaven, dancing freely upon a sea of mist—utterly unbound.
Abruptly, the vision shifted. An ancient pine stood like a primordial pillar, supporting heaven and earth in majestic silence. Boundless!
Hong Ling stared, captivated, her mind reeling. What martial art wasthis?
"Hmm?"
Simultaneously, Xiao Yuanshan’s pupils contracted.
His senses detected it: as Chen Mo’s energy circulated, wisps of spiritual Qi from the mulberry grove converged like rivers to the sea, surging toward Chen Mo.
"What fist art draws ambient Qi into the body?" Xiao Yuanshan’s heart pounded.
He was a Third Layer Furnace Nurturing Realm expert! Within Great Xia, a renowned Martial Arts Grandmaster, revered by multitudes. Yet he had neverwitnessed such divinity!
"Pine and crane’s essence... freedom’s subtlety... each breath tempering the body..." Xiao Yuanshan’s gaze grew distant. "A 'Yuan Realm Secret Art'?"
He recalled legends: those surpassing the Fourth Martial Realm, stepping onto the Yuan Path, could wield unimaginable "Yuan Arts"! Power to sunder mountains, part rivers, exhale thunder, soar through skies... akin to living Land Deities!
Their secret arts? "Yuan Realm Secret Art"! Legacies shaking the world, seizing creation’s essence!
As a Martial Arts Grandmaster, Xiao Yuanshan had witnessed a Land Deity’s bearing. He knewYuan Realm Secret Art were real!
Only when Chen Mo ceased did Xiao Yuanshan awaken. His gaze now held profound reverence.
"Master Chen," Hong Ling breathed, awestruck, "What art was that? It... planted visions in my mind!" She grasped only its wonder.
"Merely a Foundation Building Method," Chen Mo replied casually.
Though the Cloud Crane Tempering Method reigned supreme in the Great Wilderness, it remained just that—a foundation for the Four Martial Realms.
"A... Foundation Building Method?" Hong Ling stared, dumbfounded. How could basics be so divine?
Chen Mo turned to Xiao Yuanshan. "To cure your injury: two paths. First, a new formula. Ten days; complete recovery."
"But," Chen Mo added calmly, "this path forever bars advancement beyond your current realm."
Xiao Yuanshan’s heart clenched. "Master Chen... the second method?"
Chen Mo’s answer sliced the air. "Recite your cultivation method."
"Ah?" Hong Ling gasped, unprepared.
Her grandfather cultivated the "Jintao Jue"! The Jinling Xiao Clan’s ancestral secret! Only direct lineage members learned it! Unthinkable to reveal!
Xiao Yuanshan hesitated. Disclosing the clan’s core legacy carried grave consequences. Yet resolve hardened his eyes. "I choose the second method."
Hong Ling tensed, but Xiao Yuanshan silenced her with a look.
Chen Mo nodded. "Wise."
Xiao Yuanshan recited the "Jintao Jue" verbatim.
Beside him, Hong Ling trembled. Their ancestral treasure—exposed! If the clan discovered this... grandfather faced ruin! They might even move to silence Master Chen!
As her thoughts raced, Chen Mo spoke:
"As suspected," Chen Mo stated, "a critical flaw. Reaching Furnace Nurturing Realm’s Third Layer, Grandmaster Xiao, implies surviving multiple mortal perils."
"A flaw?" Hong Ling’s eyes widened in disbelief. Their millennium-honored, top-tier breathing technique—flawed?
Xiao Yuanshan paled, cold sweat beading. "Master Chen is correct," he admitted, voice tight. "Three mortal dangers marked my path: one at the Qi Gathering Realm to Furnace Nurturing Realm breakthrough... two within Furnace Nurturing Realm itself."
Chen Mo nodded. "Thus, healing via the first method would leave you crippled. Further cultivation with the flawed Jintao Jue guarantees stagnation... or death."
Xiao Yuanshan’s composure shattered. "The second method...?"
Chen Mo smiled faintly. "The flaw is significant, but trivial to rectify. I’ve perfected it. Cultivate this version: heal fully, perhaps advance further."
He snapped a mulberry branch, writing on the sandy soil.
Scritch-scratch...
Characters flowed—bold, unrestrained, like racing serpents.
Xiao Yuanshan’s gaze locked. Astonishment flickered, deepening into utter disbelief.
Hong Ling saw the script but lacked the cultivation to grasp its profundity.
Chen Mo discarded the branch. "Written words prevent misremembrance."
Xiao Yuanshan closed his eyes, absorbing. A long sigh escaped him.
He bowed deeply, solemnly. "Master Chen’s Martial Dao mastery transcends mortal understanding! Turning decay into divinity... This flawless art grants our Jinling Xiao Clan boundless fortune! Yuanshan offers deepest reverence!" Each word vibrated with awe.
Hong Ling stood frozen.
Chen Mo accepted the bow impassively. "Done. I depart." He turned.
"Master Chen! Wait!" Xiao Yuanshan hurried forth, presenting a jade token. "The Jinling Xiao Clan’s token. Please accept."
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
Xiao Yuanshan explained urgently. "Master navigates the mundane world. Worldly distractions surely displease you. This token resolves such troubles within Qinghe County’s nineteen cities. A trifling gesture." He added firmly, "Today’s grace far outweighs this token. Henceforth, the Jinling Xiao Clan acts without hesitation for Master Chen!"
Chen Mo took the token. "Unexpected foresight. My thanks." He walked away.
Xiao Yuanshan saluted until Chen Mo vanished. Relaxing, a satisfied smile touched his lips. Finally... a connection forged!
"Grandfather," Hong Ling whispered, trembling, "Is the perfected Jintao Jue truly... that miraculous?"
Xiao Yuanshan sighed, emotion thick. "Hearing it once, deducing my life’s mortal perils... Perfecting its flaws in moments... Such skill, child, nears turning stone to gold! Alchemy itself!"
He beamed at her. "Youth blinds you to this truth: Master Chen has remade our ancestral legacy. Our Xiao Clan... will birth countless new Martial Arts Grandmasters!"
Hong Ling grasped it. "Wonderful!" she breathed.
"Now, child," Xiao Yuanshan smiled knowingly, "do you still see Master Chen as merely the Li Family’s son-in-law?"
Hong Ling flushed crimson. "Grandfather... I was blind. Ignorant."
- Writer
