A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 500: Mixed Mood

Duan Rong followed Zhu He back to Yunfu Peak.

In fact, he didn't have much to pack. After advancing to the Cyclone Realm, he had already entered the state of fasting. From the perspective of daily life, life in the deep valley was quite suitable for him.

Because he was still thinking about going to the Dark Forest with Lu Qingzhu to hunt the Black Ice Turtle, Duan Rong just rolled up his bedding and a few clothes, gave Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi a few words, and prepared to leave.

He asked Ximen Kankan to take Shen Mizhi to choose martial arts and weapons in the next few days. Then he went over Shen Mizhi's swordsmanship in his mind and told her several martial arts that she could refer to.

Duan Rong, carrying his bedding, had just walked out of the pavilion on Yunfu Peak when he saw Zhu He standing there with his hands behind his back in the dusk sky.

Zhu He's eyes were fixed on the rolling clouds in the valley. The corners of his robe and his hair were dancing in the wind. The afterglow of dusk painted a light golden hue on his back.

"Master."

Duan Rong walked over slowly and called softly.

Zhu He turned around and handed a scroll to Duan Rong, saying, "This is Junior Brother Gu's calligraphy. I have been studying it over and over again for more than a month, but I still can't figure out what it means. Since you can see some meaning, I'll give it to you. Take it with you to the deep valley. Perhaps it will be helpful to your practice."

Duan Rong looked at the scroll in front of him, and his nose slightly soured. Zhu He was still good to him. Although he had plotted against him, after returning to the mountains, he not only prescribed medicine for him to treat his hidden injuries and improve his physique, but also this painting by Uncle Gu Daoling was obviously the painstaking work of a strong man in the late stage of the Cave and Dark Realm. Zhu He was willing to give it to him, which showed that he was devoted to cultivating him.

Duan Rong took the scroll and said, "I will come back to see you often. Take care! If there is anything difficult that requires my help, just let Mr. Chu pass the message to me."

Zhu He nodded and said, "Go to the valley and practice well."

"Yes." Duan Rong said, "My disciple is gone. Master, your plot against me in Shenyun Mansion is over now."

As Duan Rong spoke, he urged his mind, and the three flowers on his heart gathered at the top of his head and took shape. His body suddenly flew up like a big bird and went into the misty clouds.

Zhu He couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard Duan Rong's last words. He looked at Duan Rong's figure shuttling through the clouds and mist, and said to himself, "This kid still holds a grudge against me."

Duan Rong, carrying his bedding and the scroll, landed in a valley. He walked slowly to the thatched cottage.

The old farmer was sitting on the doorstep, picking cabbage stalks, when he suddenly saw Duan Rong coming over with his bedding on his back. He was startled and asked, "What? Did the ancestor ask you to live in the valley permanently?"

"Yes." Duan Rong said, "You also gave me the formation ruler. But I don't know how to use it. Please teach me."

As Duan Rong spoke, he took out the copper-green mottled ruler from his waist.

The old farmer glanced at the ruler, dusted off his hands, stood up, and said calmly, "Let's go."

Duan Rong, carrying his bedding roll, followed the old farmer into the misty dead woods. The fallen leaves under their feet made a rustling sound as they stepped on them.

Duan Rong reached out and touched a dead branch beside him. He bent it gently, and with a rustling sound, the branch broke.

As he walked, he stuffed the dead branch into his mouth and chewed it a few times. It tasted astringent and had a strange flavor.

Duan Rong spat and looked at the dead branch in his hand, one end of which was soaked with his saliva, his eyes were dazed.

Whether from the perspective of sight, touch, hearing, smell or taste, he had to admit that this dead wood forest was real.

But does it really exist?
Duan Rong followed the old farmer and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Chu, is this dead wood forest an illusion?"

The old farmer heard this and just kept walking.

Seeing that the old farmer had no intention of answering, Duan Rong did not ask any more questions.

After walking for a while, the old farmer suddenly said, "When you achieve the Nascent Soul stage, you will naturally know whether it is an illusion or not. Now, there is no point in asking more questions."

Duan Rong listened to the old farmer's words, thought for a while, and felt that the old farmer was right. Master Zhu He was a strong man in the Cave and Nether Realm, but he couldn't see through the true nature of the talisman array. So, to know what this dead wood forest is, doesn't it have to achieve the Nascent Soul Realm?

Duan Rong felt that achieving the Nascent Soul stage was too far away for him now, so he threw away the half-broken branch in his hand and followed the old farmer.

The two walked for a while longer. In this dead woods, there was mist everywhere. The scene was the same everywhere. After staying in there for a while longer, it seemed that even the concept of time was a little confused.

Suddenly, the old farmer stopped somewhere. He stood there, glanced at Duan Rong, and said, "Take out your formation ruler."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong took out the ruler from his waist.

The old farmer said, "From left to right, place the formation ruler above your head and rotate it three times."

Duan Rong followed the instructions. He had seen the old farmer perform this action before. It was like a shaman dance or playing tricks. When he saw it for the first time, Duan Rong almost laughed out loud.

However, since the old farmer had spoken, he did as he was told.

Duan Rong was spinning, and just as he finished the third circle, his eyes suddenly widened and his face changed in an instant, as if he had seen a ghost.

The old farmer saw Duan Rong's expression and knew that he had sensed something, so he asked, "Did you feel it?"

"Ok!"

Duan Rong uttered a heavy "hmm" and nodded towards the old farmer.

At that moment just now, he clearly felt a drifting and shaking force coming from the ruler. The force was not strong, but it was as if someone was holding the other end of the ruler in his hand, shaking it constantly, trying to pull the ruler away from his hand.

Duan Rong was holding the formation ruler tightly at this time, but the ruler was still trembling slightly, which was very strange. If the old farmer had not been calm and had an expression that had expected it, Duan Rong would have really thought that he had seen a ghost.

The old farmer said, "Take down the formation ruler."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong took down the formation ruler that was held above his head, and the formation ruler was still shaking like a living thing.

The old farmer said, "Take the array ruler and turn it in a circle. The direction where the induction disappears is the southwest direction."

"The direction where the sensation disappears is the southwest." Duan Rong muttered and repeated, and began to turn the ruler in his hand as he was told. As he turned it, the force on the ruler in his hand suddenly disappeared, and he finally held the ruler firmly in his hand.

His eyes moved and he looked in the direction indicated by the array ruler. There were still dead trees and mist there, but Duan Rong knew that this direction was southwest. He stopped there and turned to look at the old farmer.

The old farmer nodded and said, "Yes, that is the southwest. Keep turning, the direction where the tremor suddenly becomes more violent is the southeast."

Duan Rong continued to turn as instructed. He remembered what the old farmer said, that the sudden and violent vibration was in the southeast, so he held the ruler tighter.

After turning for a while, after passing a certain point, the ruler suddenly started to shake violently, causing Duan Rong's arm to tremble. Seeing that the ruler was about to slip out of his hand, Duan Rong immediately stepped back a distance, and the violent shaking disappeared immediately.

"That's the southeast!" The old farmer seemed not to notice Duan Rong's clumsy reaction. It was normal to feel uncomfortable when trying it for the first time.

"Okay, now throw your formation ruler with the rune facing up towards the south."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong glanced at the array ruler in his hand. The rune side was facing upwards. His eyes moved and he tried the two directions again. He estimated the position of due south and hesitated for fear that his estimate was not accurate.

The old farmer said, "It's OK as long as it's roughly right. The eye of the formation will sense the ruler and suck it over. Just don't go too far wrong."

After hearing this, Duan Rong felt relieved. He was sure of the general direction of south.

Duan Rong threw the array ruler in his hand, with the rune side facing upwards, towards the direction he estimated to be due south, and heard a clanging sound.

The next moment, the mist gradually dissipated like the ebbing tide, and with it the few dead trees also disappeared. The valley entrance appeared where the mist and dead trees disappeared.

The old farmer said, "That's it. You can go by yourself."

After the old farmer finished speaking, he turned around and disappeared into the mist behind him.

"Thank you, Mr. Chu!"

Duan Rong also shouted like Zhu He, then walked into the valley with his bedding on his back. He walked to the stone tablet at the valley entrance, picked up the formation ruler, and inserted it into his lower back.

It was unknown how long the old stone tablet had stood at the entrance of the valley, and its surface was covered with dry moss. Duan Rong was there, staring at the mottled runes on the stone tablet for a while. The ancient runes did not seem to have complicated strokes at first glance, but they were twisted and curved, and there were many variables in the details.

Duan Rong tightened the bedding on his back and walked into the valley in the twilight.

There are indeed quite a few caves in this valley. Duan Rong visited a few of them and found that they were all similar.

He chose a cave that was a little far away from Lu Yinlin.

As you walk deeper into the cave, you will see a faint light that illuminates the depths of the cave. It is a kind of fluorescent mushroom growing on the stone wall.

Duan Rong stared at the mushroom for a while and felt that it seemed to be a species from the dark forest.

The cave contained everything one needed, but it was all covered with dust.

Duan Rong first cleaned the stone bed and put the bedding in place. Then he took a willow basket and carried the kettle, cups and other sundries out of the cave. He came to a spring in the deep valley, where a pool of mountain spring water gushed out.

He washed all his belongings, washed the dust off his hands and face, then fetched a pot of mountain spring water and returned to the cave.

Duan Rong sat there, poured himself a cup of mountain spring water with a wet bamboo tube, and sipped it slowly.

He took a few sips and suddenly saw the scroll placed on the bedside. His eyes moved and he walked over to open the scroll. Under the dim light, he saw the seal-style word "刀" again and was still shocked.

Paintings and calligraphy imbued with artistic conception are like people with souls. The physical form is just its shell. Under the physical form, there seems to be something more lively and mysterious. It is intriguing and elusive.

Duan Rong hung the calligraphy on the stone wall not far from the stone table. He stared at it for a while. Although he felt shocked, he did not feel the strange state of resonance in the artistic conception when he first saw it.

Duan Rong looked at it for a while, and suddenly put his hand on the scroll at the bottom, thinking to himself: "Read the spirit of the instrument."

The next moment, a data panel emitting a faint light appeared in front of Duan Rong.

Object: Seal script calligraphy copybook
Spirit Level: Level 21

Devouring requirements: Host's mental strength level 21 (not met)
Devouring effect: Understand the origin of the sword and the power of the law

Duan Rong looked at the data panel in front of him, his eyes moved slightly. Gu Daoling was able to imprint the origin of the sword intent in this calligraphy. No wonder when he first saw it, he could resonate with the sword intent in his heart.

It seems that among the many sword intentions that he had absorbed, there must be corresponding parts of the sword intentions in the calligraphy that Gu Daoling had copied, so they could be attracted and stimulated accordingly.

However, he is unable to devour the twenty-first level weapon spirit yet.

His eyes swept over the power of the law, and his eyes revealed a deep contemplation. Gu Daoling was a great cultivator in the late Dongming Realm. His understanding of the power of the law far exceeded that of cultivators in the early Dongming Realm such as Zhu He and Ge Rusong.

According to the meaning of the sentence in the data panel, I'm afraid that what Gu Daoling copied into the copybook is not ordinary artistic conception, but the source of artistic conception that can be used to penetrate the power of the laws.

In other words, what is contained in the word "knife" is not only the artistic conception, but also the power of the laws hidden behind the artistic conception.

Although Zhu He also initially comprehended the power of the law, his artistic conception was not in line with Gu Daoling's, so it was impossible for him to see the hidden power of the law through his artistic conception. Just like it was difficult for him to touch the door of the maze because of the different artistic conception, although Duan Rong touched the door, his level was limited and he could only stay at the level of artistic conception.

Duan Rong looked at the simple and dull word "刀" again, his eyes filled with astonishment.

If we only look at it from the perspective of brushwork, this character is not well written at all. But as soon as you take a look at it, all the brushwork and calligraphy theories will be instantly shattered, because this character is actually alive, not the life of an organism, but the vitality of a universe or a world, layer upon layer, endless...

Duan Rong looked at it for a while and felt a sharp pain in his soul.

He immediately turned his eyes away and sighed, "It seems that I can't look at this character for long."

Duan Rong turned around, picked up the bamboo tube again, took two sips of water, and walked out of the cave.

At this time, above the valley, a full moon hung high like a bright mirror, casting a silver glow into the dark valley. The shadows of the trees in the valley were mottled, as if covered with a layer of light silver glow.

Such a quiet and beautiful scenery made Duan Rong's mind suddenly clear. He walked in the silver light and glanced at the entrance of Lu Qingzhu's cave. After all, it was night now and he couldn't disturb Lu Qingzhu. Duan Rong decided to find Lu Qingzhu early tomorrow morning and go to the dark forest with her to get the tortoise shell of the black ice turtle.

Duan Rong strolled in the silver-lit valley, his mind free of distractions and clear.

At this moment, he suddenly heard a voice. "Boy, come here!"

That was Lu Yinlin's voice, and Duan Rong's heart moved. The voice did not ring in his ears, but came from a dark shadow under a dead pine tree three meters away.

Duan Rong stared at the dark shadow under the dead pine, as if trying to confirm whether Lu Yinlin was in the shadow.

But how could he see clearly the scenery in the dark in the silver light?

In the darkness, the light becomes clearer, but in the light, the darkness becomes dimmer.

At this moment, a figure slowly walked out from the darkness, and under the bright light, it was Lu Yinlin.

Duan Rong looked at Lu Yinlin, who was covered in silver light, and immediately knelt down.

Lu Yinlin said: "Today is the night of the full moon! Didn't you comprehend the artistic conception when you were in the Yuanqi realm? Come! Show it to me!"

"Yes!"

Duan Rong drew his sword and stood up. In the silver light, he wielded the Mountain River Moon Shadow Sword.

Duan Rong raised his hand, the knife shadow flashed, and the knife light suddenly rose like a flame!

At this time, Lu Qingzhu also stood at the entrance of the cave, looking at Duan Rong's figure flashing in the silver light.

Lu Yinlin watched for a while, his expression calm at first. He just thought it was fun to see the young man dancing with swords under the moonlight.

But as he watched, his expression became more and more solemn. Because, ordinary people couldn't see it, even Zhu He couldn't see it, and perhaps Duan Rong himself couldn't feel it, but his sword intent and sword light were actually quite complicated, containing at least hundreds of different artistic conceptions.

"How is this possible?!" Even though Lu Yinlin was an old monster who had lived for more than a thousand years, his face was filled with horror at this moment.

"How can one person comprehend hundreds of different artistic conceptions?!"

And it's not just a variety of knife intentions! There are also sword intentions, whip intentions, spear intentions... Eighteen kinds of weapons, nothing is left out!

Although Duan Rong was using the Mountain River Moon Shadow Blade at this time, and the blade was also permeated with the formed sword intent, Lu Yinlin could clearly see the complex artistic conception from the delicate details of the sword intent and the sword light, which were flashing in turn...

(End of this chapter)