Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Chapter 115 Old Stories

"I didn't discover it myself; Shen Wuxiu told me."

Dong Dahai's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Shen Wuxiu? He is..."

"He already knows who you are. He knows you practice the Cloud Piercing Spear. He knows your spear technique is incomplete, and so is his." Sun Fan briefly recounted what happened in Shen Wuxiu's room.

"I have a feeling that the person who exposed you to him is the same person who wants to kill me."

After listening, Dong Dahai remained silent for a long time.

"So, Shen Wuxiu agreed to kill you in order to obtain the second half of the Cloud Piercing Spear scroll?"

"Yes."

Dong Dahai gripped the gun barrel tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Squad leader, I'm sorry. I've dragged you into this."

"Damaged?" Sun Fan shook his head. "It's not your fault."

"If it weren't for me, Shen Wuxiu wouldn't have—"

"He will," Sun Fan interrupted him. "That person found Shen Wuxiu not just because of you. It's because Shen Wuxiu happened to need that person's help. Even without you, that person would have bribed him with other things—pills, manuals, spots in secret realms, anything."

"On the contrary, it was because of me that your plans to lie low were disrupted."

He looked into Dong Dahai's eyes.

"That person wants my life. It has nothing to do with the Cloud Piercing Spear, nothing to do with Shen Wuxiu, nothing to do with anyone else."

Dong Dahai fell silent.

The night wind blew across the training ground, swirling up the fallen leaves and making a rustling sound.

"Squad leader, what are you planning to do?" Dong Dahai finally spoke.

"Fight," Sun Fan said. "Now that we're on stage, let's fight hard. Fight until we can't fight anymore."

He stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Da Hai, what level have you reached in your Cloud Piercing Spear technique?"

Dong Dahai was taken aback: "Why are you asking that?"

"I'm wondering what it would look like if Shen Wuxiu's Dragon Roar Spear and your Cloud Piercing Spear were combined to form the complete Dragon Roar Cloud Piercing Spear."

Dong Dahai's pupils contracted slightly.

"Squad leader, you mean—"

"Not now." Sun Fan shook his head. "Now is not the time. Shen Wuxiu is still hesitating, and that person is still watching us from the shadows. We'll talk about this when the time is right, when we have enough strength."

He looked into Dong Dahai's eyes.

When the wind came from the clouds, Sun Fan was adjusting his breathing in the training room.

Without knocking or greeting, the door was pushed open. Feng Congyun stood in the doorway, wearing a wrinkled gray jacket, his hair disheveled as if he had just crawled out of bed, carrying his ever-present wine flask. But his eyes were different from usual—gone was that lazy, nonchalant look, replaced by a sharp, piercing light.

"I heard you got accepted?" He walked in and closed the door behind him.

Sun Fan opened his eyes and stood up from the prayer mat. "Teacher Feng, you know."

"The whole school knows." Feng Congyun sat down in a chair, crossed his legs, and took a swig of wine. "That old bastard Zhang Guangcheng, he told you not to participate, but when it really came down to it, he couldn't even keep an eye on the registration system. Useless."

Sun Fan didn't say anything, but poured Feng Congyun a cup of tea and pushed it towards him.

Feng Congyun glanced at the teacup, didn't take it, and continued drinking. "I originally wanted you to hide for two months, until things calmed down."

"There's no escaping it now." He put down the wine jug, looked at Sun Fan, and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Fight," Sun Fan said. "Now that we're on stage, let's fight well."

"To what extent?"

Sun Fan was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I'll just play as many as I can."

Feng Congyun stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed. "You little rascal, you're quite the bachelor." He stood up, walked to the center of the training room, and stretched his shoulders, his joints cracking.

"There are less than two months left. It's unrealistic to expect you to advance from the mid-stage of the Meridian Opening Realm to the Qi Gathering Realm in just two months. But it's still possible for you to establish a firm foothold in the Meridian Opening Realm and make up for your weaknesses."

"Shortcomings?" Sun Fan asked.

"Internal strength." Feng Congyun turned around and looked at Sun Fan. "Your swordsmanship is already excellent, so excellent that even I can't find any fault with it. But your internal strength is too weak, too weak to support your sword. It's like a peerless sword with a wooden hilt."

It's uncomfortable to hold, you can't exert any force, and it's easy to hurt yourself.

He walked back, sat down opposite Sun Fan, put the wine pot aside, and unusually put away his lazy demeanor.

"Starting today, I'll teach you how to cultivate internal energy. Not a new internal technique, but how to effectively utilize your current one." He looked into Sun Fan's eyes. "What level have you reached in your internal energy cultivation?"

Sun Fan paused for a moment.

According to Ding Dian's notes, he should be considered to be on the second level.

It can be viewed according to the commonly accepted classification.

He says he has achieved some minor success, but that's hardly enough.

The main problem is that the Shenzhaojing (神照经) is too difficult to learn.

"What's this internal energy cultivation technique called?"

The Divine Illumination Sutra

"You have good taste, kid. The internal cultivation method you chose is one of the most balanced and harmonious in the world." Feng Congyun stood up, walked to Sun Fan, and held out his hand. "Hold out your hand."

Sun Fan extended his wrist.

Feng Congyun placed three fingers on his pulse point and closed his eyes. The training room fell silent, save for the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock. After a long while, Feng Congyun opened his eyes, released his fingers, and his expression was complex.

"You've already mastered the second level of the Divine Illumination Scripture?"

Sun Fan nodded, while Feng Congyun frowned. "The progress is indeed fast, and the foundation is indeed very solid. But that's not what I'm most concerned about."

He looked into Sun Fan's eyes and asked, "When you practiced the Divine Illumination Scripture, did you sense anything different?"

Sun Fan thought for a moment. "Very stable. Unlike other internal energy cultivation techniques that fluctuate in speed and strength, this one is very stable. Whether in Jingzhou or on the snowy mountain, as long as I use the Divine Illumination Scripture, a warm current of energy will surge out from my chest, neither too fast nor too slow, just right."

"Anything else?"

"And—" Sun Fan paused, "it can suppress the bloodlust in my eyes. Not because of its strong internal energy, but because it seems to be able to digest those negative things. Not dispel them, but digest them. Like warm water melting ice, melting it little by little."

Feng Congyun nodded. "That's the most powerful aspect of the Divine Illumination Scripture." He walked back to his chair and sat down, picking up the wine pot again. "There are countless internal martial arts techniques in the world, some are fierce and powerful, some are gentle and subtle, some are as fast as lightning, and some are as solid as the earth. But the Divine Illumination Scripture is different; it is pure."

"pure?"

"Yes. Pure." Feng Congyun took a swig of wine. "The internal energy of the Divine Illumination Scripture is extremely pure. It's not the strongest, nor the fastest, but it's the cleanest. Like a piece of jade without impurities, it's warm, smooth, and translucent. No matter what force is injected into it, it will be assimilated, digested, and absorbed."

"This is perhaps the most distinctive feature of this internal skill."