Da Xuan Martial Saint

Gu Hong,

the true transmission of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

After achieving the second step of the Heart Sword Artistic Conception, one's strike could unleash a force of the heaven and earth with at least four portions of might.

This was one of the reasons he still dared to face Chen Mu even after seeing that Chen Mu had mastered the Three Phases of wind, thunder, and fire, believing that Chen Mu had only recently stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, and he was confident enough to fight.

However, Chen Mu's strength was not merely in the Three Phases Artistic Conception of wind, thunder, and fire. Although he had only recently entered the Five Viscera Realm, his Yuan Gang True Essence was by no means inferior to Gu Hong or Hua Nongying. Furthermore, standing on firm ground within this cave not drowned by water, he could even utilize the environmental advantage of mountain momentum... With all these factors combined, even Gu Hong found it difficult to confront Chen Mu head-on!

"What a pity,"

Hua Nongying murmured silently in her heart.

With Gu Hong's capabilities, if he hadn't so confidently chosen to go all out with one strike, if he had chosen to engage in a protracted battle instead of a direct, forceful clash with Chen Mu, perhaps he wouldn't have been defeated so miserably in one move.

But the strength of Chen Mu also caused waves of turmoil in her heart. She could see that Chen Mu had not only achieved Major Achievement in three types of Artistic Conception, but he must also possess a preliminary mastery of the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception. Moreover, he must have entered the Five Viscera Realm with a perfect foundation of Jade Bone; otherwise, it was impossible for him to have such powerful Yuan Gang Force in such a short period of time.

Although she knew very early on when she first interacted with Chen Mu that he was not as simple as he appeared on the surface—being able to comprehend the second step of Artistic Conception in the Bone Tempering Realm was extraordinary—now it seemed that Chen Mu's insight and talent were even more terrifying than she had anticipated.

"This Earthly Green Lotus Seed only works on the first consumption. There are six lotus seeds here. Brother Chen, could you spare one for me? I would be eternally grateful,"

Hua Nongying stood atop a pool of water, with soles of tiny crystalline ice, unblemished by any mud. At that moment, her eyes sparkled with a starry gleam as she spoke softly, looking as pitiable as the girl next door.

Chen Mu responded by raising the Flowing Fire Blade in his hand.

Whoosh.

Hua Nongying's figure flickered, quietly retreating several zhang away, avoiding the burst of Blazing Flames that Chen Mu had raised, and said with a giggle, "Alright, alright, it's a pity I don't have anything suitable on hand to trade with you, Brother Chen. But perhaps in a few days, I might come to exchange something precious for one. Don't give all those lotus seeds to others, okay?"

As her voice faded, the ice beneath her feet silently melted, and she plunged into the water and disappeared without a trace.

At that moment,

Meng Danyun, who had been standing behind Chen Mu, with the Silver Water Sword already lifted in her hand, now stepped forward and shook her head lightly, saying, "I thought she would be more persistent."

With Gu Hong defeated and the people from Blood Hidden Pavilion witnessing this scene, they were most likely too afraid to show themselves. If Hua Nongying still intended to try, with Chen Mu standing in front with a sword and her blocking the way with the Kan Water Artistic Conception, not to mention fighting for the lotus seed, even escaping from this place would cost her.

Enjoy new tales from empire

Chen Mu had already set down the Flowing Fire Blade by this time, standing in front of that Earthly Green Lotus and looking at its seedpod, which seemed to be carved from green jade, glowing with a lustrous sheen, unlike the seedpods of ordinary lotus flowers, with only six holes on it.

"Earthly Green Lotus..."

A glimmer of light flickered in Chen Mu's eyes.

He was naturally aware of the Earthly Green Lotus's effects, which could allow one to fuse with the nature and grasp its mysteries before breaking through to Marrow Cleansing and opening the Mysterious Pass, making it an invaluable treasure for martial artists below the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

However, for him, the usefulness of this thing was temporarily unclear, considering his insight surpassed all things in this world, and he had no bottlenecks to speak of. Given enough time, no mystery in the world could trouble him, and he fundamentally didn't need to rely on something like lotus seeds to comprehend any Artistic Conception or break through any bottleneck.

Of course,

if the effects of the lotus seeds could reflect on the system panel, then it would be somewhat beneficial for him, at least improving the efficiency of his cultivation for Artistic Conception, which indeed he needed.

The reason why there are so few people cultivating the Qiankun Artistic Conception in the world today is that it requires mastery of the complete Eight Phases, and the directions needed for cultivation are overly complex, incredibly time-consuming. Forcing cultivation could result in a lifetime stuck at the first step.

Like Yu Jiujiang,

who comprehended the second step of the Kan Water Artistic Conception in his twilight years—if he could live for a thousand years, mastering six types of Artistic Conception wouldn't be difficult.

Meng Danyun would be the same; with her talent, she could also cultivate six types of Artistic Conception, or even Qian Heaven and Kun Earth, but the problem lies in the time it would take, which is too lengthy. And even if she could comprehend them, staying at the first step and unable to advance to the second would be meaningless.

Not to mention,

in the future, if she wanted to advance from the second to the Third Phases, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven—a chasm that many Six Viscera Realm martial artists and even Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters could not overcome in their lifetimes.

Therefore, the greatest enemy of martial artists has always been not the opponent, but time.

Within the fleeting hundred years, they had to combine their own understanding, their qualifications in Body Refining, and their capabilities to choose the path that was most suitable for them, offering the greatest benefit.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Chen Mu needed time just as well. Otherwise, he could simply take a Gen Mountain Diagram, find a place to contemplate it to the Third Phases, and be capable enough to traverse the world before reappearing, but the time consumption was inestimable, especially since the Gen Mountain Diagram in his possession was only an Imitative Diagram. As his comprehension of Artistic Conception deepened, its effectiveness would diminish.