Meng Chuan carefully read through a series of biographical stories. Some were written by prominent families to commemorate their ancestors, glorifying their forebears! Others were truly renowned, with biographies spontaneously written by the common people. Even the most famous divine lords had dozens of versions of their biographies. There were also biographies written by sects for their divine lords. The most exaggerated ones were written by the divine lords themselves, hoping to leave their legacy for future generations to remember.
"These biographical stories are primarily about storytelling. The parts useful for my cultivation are sometimes just a few sentences in a book. Even in some biographies, I haven't found anything useful."
"Moreover, these stories have varying degrees of credibility. They need to be categorized."
Meng Chuan was, after all, a member of a divine lord family, and had received systematic education at Jinghu Academy. His foundation was solid, and his top-tier blade technique had reached the pinnacle, only one step away from the 'U Realm'.
With such a foundation...
He could better discern what was useful from the biographical stories.
"If you practice swordsmanship without heart, you are merely a slave to the sword. If you practice with heart, you become the master of the sword." Meng Chuan came across this sentence in a biographical story where the Northern Sword Emperor was guiding a junior.
Meng Chuan stared at this sentence, pondering: "The Northern Sword Emperor was guiding a junior who was also an expert at the Impervious Realm. That junior's swordsmanship had at least reached the Unity Realm. His daily practice should be considered diligent. Yet, the Northern Sword Emperor still said this... Clearly, in his view, the swordsmanship of an Impervious Realm expert was still not diligent enough."
...
Meng Chuan continued reading through the biographies of divine lords.
Occasionally, a few words or an incident left behind by a god or demon would spark some speculation in Meng Chuan.
To ordinary people, these were just stories.
To those with insight, they could see the reasons behind the strength of those divine lords.
"One move is enough to conquer all. Killing an enemy only requires one move. As long as you master the strongest move, what's the point of practicing all those miscellaneous techniques?" This was a conversation between the powerful god of three thousand years ago, 'Demon Blade' Wei Feng, and his disciple, found in one of the biographical stories. There were a total of fifteen versions of the Demon Blade Wei Feng's biographies found in the market of Dongning City.
All of these biographies contained similar phrases, such as "One move is enough to conquer all; killing an enemy only requires one move, as long as you master the strongest move."
Meng Chuan also recorded this down.
In addition to biographical stories, Meng Chuan also valued the famous family precepts of divine lord families that were passed down.
Family precepts were left behind by divine lords for their descendants, usually things they considered extremely important.
The more he recorded, the more Meng Chuan felt a growing sense of alarm.
"Learn from the best, and you may attain mediocrity; learn from mediocrity, and you will sink even lower. Learning from the strongest divine lords in history is correct! But biographical stories are often fragmented. Without a sufficiently solid foundation, one can easily go astray." Meng Chuan understood this, as he saw that many family precepts emphasized the importance of foundational training.
They all explicitly stated that family members must attend academies for complete, systematic training.
Because the academies... were established by the oldest sect in the world of this narrative, 'Primordial Mountain', in every major city of the Zhou Dynasty. The teaching system of the academies was formulated by Primordial Mountain. Only by studying at the academies could one have a sufficiently solid foundation.
Of course, the academies only taught the basics. Meng Chuan's blade technique was only one step away from the Unity Realm, and the seven years of training at the academy had taught him everything they could. What he required now was greater self-exploration.
"My foundation is solid, what I need now is the final step of breakthrough."
"The points I've recorded today, many of them have inspired me."
"However, there's no rush. I will briefly go through all these books, then organize and merge them. Some principles of cultivation, if at least three divine lords have mentioned them, will be more credible."
...
Day after day.
The more Meng Chuan collected, the more he integrated. Combined with some 'Immutable Laws of Cultivation' from Jinghu Academy, which were some cultivation rules set by Primordial Mountain.
The combination allowed Meng Chuan to understand even more.
"Alright."
In the evening, Meng Chuan looked at his notes in front of him and smiled.
"These five days have been more important than five years of my cultivation." Meng Chuan looked at the notes in front of him with excitement, as his understanding of cultivation had become much clearer.
The first principle of cultivation: Foundation is extremely important, like the foundation of a house. Entering a Taoist academy for complete cultivation is the best choice.
The second principle: Repetition is crucial. No matter how much you think about it in your head, it's not as effective as practicing ten thousand times! Twelve divine beings have all said similar things, such as practicing drawing the blade ten thousand times a day or practicing the 'Blood Shadow Thrust' ten thousand times a day.
The third principle: One move is enough to conquer all! Similar to the second principle, defeating enemies really only requires one move. Perfecting one move is more useful than practicing ten relatively powerful moves.
The fourth principle: Cultivation is indeed arduous. Enduring the hardship and gritting your teeth to practice is ultimately just being a craftsman! Only by truly enjoying it, being immersed in it, and carefully pondering the secrets of each move can one become a master.
Meng Chuan also understood the true meaning of the Northern Sword Emperor's words: "Practicing sword without heart makes you a slave to the sword. Practicing sword with heart makes you the master of the sword." Ordinary cultivators seem to be practicing diligently, but this is not truly putting one's heart into it. Truly putting one's heart into it... is truly enjoying the sword technique, being immersed in it, discarding all external distractions, completely immersing oneself in it. Only by being so obsessed can one achieve great accomplishments and become a master. Otherwise, one is just a craftsman.
The fifth principle: Make progress every day, see changes every month, and eventually achieve success...
The sixth principle...
...
A total of nine principles.
All of these were mentioned by at least three divine beings, and based on Meng Chuan's knowledge, he also found them to be very reasonable.
"Every day I practice my blade for several hours, feeling completely exhausted, and no matter how tired I am, I grit my teeth and endure. I thought I was practicing seriously and putting my heart into it, but it's clear that I wasn't 'putting my heart into it' enough. I should enjoy the blade technique, be immersed in it, and carefully ponder each move." Meng Chuan felt that this was the biggest issue with his practice. Cultivation is inherently tiring.
Usually, he would spend an hour painting in the afternoon, a luxury he indulged in only as a childhood hobby. While painting, he would forget the fatigue of cultivation, and his mind would become incredibly calm.
This was how he had managed to persist year after year.
Now it seems, his mindset was wrong.
"I was like that before, seemingly diligent and hardworking, but ultimately just a craftsman." Unable to hold back, Meng Chuan put down the recorded notes and went straight out of the study to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, he began practicing the top-tier blade technique 'Falling Leaf Blade'.
Unlike before.
This time, with just the first move of Falling Leaf Blade, 'Drawing the Blade', Meng Chuan put everything else out of his mind and focused entirely on the blade technique, as if the world only contained the blade in his hand! Then, he drew the blade! Feeling the blade leaving the sheath silently, feeling the blade cutting through the 'wind', the technique was still the same technique, but with a change in mindset, what he 'saw' changed.
From a young age, he chose the fast blade because he genuinely liked it. However, under the daily grind of practice, the fatigue had eroded his passion and love for the blade. Today, with his mindset changed, as he once again fully immersed himself in the blade technique.
That love was awakening.
The blade, silently leaving the sheath.
The trajectory of the blade, like the trace of a painting, was so beautiful. He worked to make this trajectory even more beautiful, to cut through the 'wind' even faster! Truly powerful blade techniques have a sense of beauty, and Meng Chuan's blade techniques were approaching this level.
Meng Chuan tried the same move over and over, striving to draw the blade faster and more silently, to cut through the 'wind' even more swiftly.
After performing it fifty times in a row, he finally felt satisfied.
"This is how cultivation should be!" Meng Chuan was excited and thrilled, then he proceeded to perform the second move, 'Crescent Moon'.
...
The day after Meng Chuan compiled his cultivation notes, in an underground hall of the Yun family.
"Whoosh~~~"
In the center of the hall, purple flames were rising.
An elderly man with black hair was sitting cross-legged in the flames, unharmed.
"Father, you called for me?" Yun Fu'an respectfully walked into the hall, but he didn't dare to get too close; from a distance, he could feel the heat waves hitting his face, and the air was distorted.
"Fu'an," the elderly man opened his eyes, his gaze calm, "I just received news that the old woman from the Meng family was severely injured while defending against the demon clan at Anhai Pass and probably won't live much longer. She should be returning to Dongning in the next few days."
Yun Fu'an was astonished: "Father, are you talking about the Meng Xian Gu?"
"Yes, her."
The elderly man nodded slightly.
"Could it be a mistake?" Yun Fu'an couldn't believe it, "Isn't it said that Meng Xian Gu is best at detection, with everything within ten miles unable to escape her notice? She doesn't need to charge at the front, so how could she suddenly be seriously injured?"
"It's not a mistake," the elderly man said coldly, "An Hai Wang invited several skilled healers for her, but the old woman's injuries are too severe, beyond any hope of recovery. At Anhai Pass, this is no longer a secret! If she stops fighting and lives cautiously, she might survive for another seven or eight years. If she continues to fight desperately, she might live even shorter."
"At most seven or eight years?" Yun Fu'an couldn't help but say, "Without Meng Xian Gu, won't the Meng family fall?"
"The once-mighty five divine families of Dongning will soon be reduced to four," the elderly man nodded.
A family rises because of a divine being.
Similarly, without a divine being, the family becomes ordinary.
"The Meng family no longer deserves to hold so many positions and benefits in Dongning," the elderly man said coldly, "By the way, the engagement between Qingping and that boy Meng Chuan from the Meng family, you go to the Meng family and have them willingly hand over the marriage contract, and tear it up on the spot! The current Meng family... is not worthy of our alliance."
"Yes," Yun Fu'an replied respectfully.
"However, there's no need to make it too ugly before the old woman dies," the elderly man finished and closed his eyes.
Yun Fu'an then quietly left.
...
"What? End the engagement?" Yun Qingping looked at her father in astonishment.
Didn't he refuse before? Why did he suddenly change his mind?
"I'm just informing you," Yun Fu'an smiled, "I'll go to the Meng family today to end your engagement."
"Will the Meng family willingly hand over the marriage contract?" Yun Qingping couldn't help but ask.
"They will willingly hand it over," Yun Fu'an said confidently. His father had received the news from a friend, and the Meng family must have known about their ancestor's condition. These big families are self-aware; resisting would only bring shame upon themselves.
Yun Qingping quickly said, "Father, I do want to end the engagement, but I don't want to break the harmony between the two families. Why don't we invite Uncle Meng over for a discussion..."
"No need for such trouble," Yun Fu'an smiled, "I'll take care of this; you just stay home and wait for good news."