Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

The news you heard is that Huang Shang's last trace was in Jiangnan.

So you traveled to almost every mountain and river in Jiangnan, searching for Tiantai Mountain, Yandang Mountain, Tianmu Mountain, Mogan Mountain... one by one.

Of course, in order not to waste time, you did not stop the journey of absorbing internal energy with the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

After searching for three months, they finally found him in a valley deep in the Tianmu Mountains.

Huang Shang was very old, with white hair and wrinkles on his face that looked as if they had been carved by a knife. He sat on a rock, holding a scroll of Daoist scriptures in his hand, and was reading it.

Even when he heard your footsteps, he didn't look up, but simply said, "You've come."

"Hmm?" You walked over and stopped in front of him. "Did you know I was coming, senior?"

Huang Shang put down the Daoist canon and glanced at you: "The internal energy in your body... is very mixed. There is the Northern Darkness Internal Energy of the Free and Unfettered Sect, the Yi Jin Jing of Shaolin Temple, the Six Meridians Divine Sword of the Dali Duan Clan, the Finger Flicking Divine Skill of Peach Blossom Island, the Toad Skill of White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions, the Empty Fist of the Quanzhen Sect... How many martial arts have you learned?"

You nodded, and said without hesitation, "There are indeed many, I really can't remember them all."

Huang Shang nodded: "Your talent is good, or rather, exceptionally good, but you've learned too many different things. You should know that martial arts are not about quantity, but quality. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Of all the many you've learned, how many have you truly mastered to the highest level?"

You were silent for a moment, then shook your head: "Not yet."

Even though you answered like that, you're confident that you'll eventually master those martial arts skills.

"That's it." Huang Shang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly through the valley. "When I wrote the Nine Yin Manual, it wasn't to let people learn my martial arts. It was to record my understanding of martial arts so that future generations could avoid detours. True martial arts is never about copying what our predecessors have done, but about finding your own path from what they have learned."

As you followed behind Huang Shang and listened to his words, you couldn't help but ponder them, but you still didn't quite understand.

"Any one of your martial arts skills could be enough for a person to practice for a lifetime. You've practiced so many, yet you've only reached the level of 'knowing how to use' each one; none of them have reached the 'ultimate' level." Huang Shang stopped and turned to look at you. "Do you know why?"

"Because... I don't have time?" you asked tentatively.

"No," Huang Shang shook his head. "Because you have no heart. You don't really like martial arts; you just want to become stronger."

You were stunned when you heard this. Huang Shang was right; he was very good at judging people.

You didn't learn martial arts because you liked it; you learned it because you needed to, to survive, to live in the main world.

This utilitarian mindset keeps you at the "good enough" level in martial arts, and you never truly pursue the "ultimate".

Huang Shang looked at you, his eyes devoid of emotion, and simply said, "Go. When you find your own heart, come find me anytime, as long as I'm still alive."

You stand there, watching Huang Shang's figure disappear into the bamboo forest, and a feeling you can't quite describe wells up inside you.

The people I've met before—the Sweeper Monk, Wuyazi, the Child Granny of Tianshan, Huang Yaoshi, Guo Jing—each seemed to have taught me a lot, directly or indirectly, but no one ever said to me, "You have no heart."

You found a rock to sit on and thought for a long time. "Do you like martial arts?" you asked yourself.

When you were a child, you would read martial arts novels and feel excited and envious when you saw those heroes flying around. You would also fantasize about being that hero who held a long sword and did justice.

But the affection I had back then was pure, without any ulterior motives.

What happened next? You later traveled to the world of Swallowed Star, gained the ability to project clones, and acquired the word system. You could learn these martial arts, but your purpose for learning martial arts changed.

Suddenly it seems that it's no longer about liking something simply for the sake of liking it, but about surviving; not about doing anything chivalrous, but about living in a chaotic world.

When the goal changes, the mindset naturally changes as well.

Your martial arts skills have been improving rapidly, but your mind seems to have lagged behind. Is this what Huang Shang meant by "having no heart"?

You stood up, bowed deeply to the bamboo forest, and then turned and left Tianmu Mountain.

You didn't rush to find Huang Shang to prove your feelings; you wanted to win back your own heart first.

How to find it? You don't know, but you want to try. Start with the simplest things. Don't learn martial arts to become stronger, but learn it because you like it.

They don't kill to absorb resources, but because those people deserve to die.

"You used to just casually say 'my mind is clear,' but now you want to truly achieve it."

After leaving the valley, you did not return to Yunzhuang, nor did you seek out the Five Masters or go "hunting." Instead, you found an inn in a nearby town to stay at.

Every morning he practices swordsmanship by the river, in the afternoon he listens to storytelling in the teahouse, and in the evening he watches the stars in the town. Occasionally he helps the town's residents with their medical treatments, writes letters, and mediates neighborhood disputes.

The days passed slowly and peacefully, but you didn't feel bored. You found that when you stopped rushing to become stronger, your cultivation actually became smoother.

In the past, my cultivation was for the purpose of completing a task, and I felt pressured, anxious, and driven by the pursuit of efficiency.

You cultivate now because you enjoy the feeling of internal energy circulating in your meridians, and you enjoy the feeling of your body becoming lighter and stronger.

My mindset changed, and my efficiency actually increased. Bottlenecks that used to take a week to overcome now only take two or three days.

A month later, you returned to Tianmu Mountain.

Huang Shang was still sitting on that rock, the Daoist scripture scroll still in his hand. Hearing your footsteps, he looked up at you, then nodded: "Xin is back?"

You sit cross-legged in front of him: "I'm back."

Huang Shang placed the Daoist canon on his lap and looked at you: "Then tell me, why do you want to learn martial arts?"

You thought for a moment and said, "Because of my love for it, I've wanted to be a hero since I was little. I've always fantasized about having superb martial arts skills so I could protect the people I want to protect and do the things I want to do. Later, some things happened that made me forget my original aspiration, but now I've remembered it."

Huang Shang was silent for a while, then smiled. That was the first time you saw him smile. The smile was faint, but sincere, like the winter sun—not dazzling, but warm and comforting.

"Okay, I'll teach you."

You stayed in Tianmu Mountain for three months. Huang Shang did not teach you specific martial arts moves, but instead taught you "the Way".

What is the Tao? The Tao is the law, the essence, and the principle governing the operation of all things.

Martial arts techniques may vary in countless ways, but the underlying principles remain constant.

Once you understand the "Tao," you won't need to learn specific techniques, because you can create them yourself.

Huang Shang's teaching method is very special. He doesn't lecture you on principles, but only teaches you to read books, including Taoist scriptures, Buddhist scriptures, and Confucian classics, one by one.

After you finish reading it, we'll discuss it and ask you what you learned from the book.

You couldn't understand it at first; those classical Chinese texts were too obscure for you. But you persevered and had patience far beyond that of ordinary people.

If you don't understand it, read it several times. If once isn't enough, read it ten times. If ten times isn't enough, read it a hundred times.

Gradually you began to understand—not the meaning of the words, but what Huang Shang wanted you to understand: martial arts are not just about fighting and killing; martial arts are a manifestation of the Dao.

Once you understand the Dao, your martial arts will naturally follow.