Meng Manor.
Meng Chuan was practicing "Falling Leaves Blade" in the training ground. His movements were swift as a gust of wind, with flashes of blade light all around. In an instant, he completed the technique and walked over to sit on a stone bench, deep in thought.
He recalled his conversation with Principal Ge Yu from the previous day.
"Principal, after I comprehended the secret technique, my Falling Leaves Blade has reached perfection, and there's no further progress. What should I do next? How can I comprehend blade momentum?"
"Meng Chuan, the further you go in blade cultivation, the more you must rely on your own insights. There's not much I can teach you," Principal Ge Yu said with a smile, sipping his wine. "I can only tell you how I grasped momentum. Back when I was on the battlefield at Qinyang Pass, facing demons in life-and-death battles, I realized that the blade techniques I had learned were somewhat cumbersome. So, I gradually altered them."
"I did whatever felt most effective to kill the demons. After my military service ended, I insisted on staying on the battlefield. I stayed there for twelve years, and one day, the blade technique I created reached perfection, and I comprehended blade momentum," Principal Ge Yu explained.
"The blade technique you created yourself?" Meng Chuan was astonished.
"Yes," Principal Ge Yu replied with a smile, taking another sip of wine. "When you master a top-tier blade technique to perfection, you can comprehend a secret technique and reach the Unity Realm. But if you create your own top-tier blade technique, you can comprehend your own blade momentum."
"What blade technique did you create, Principal? Can I see it?" Meng Chuan asked curiously.
"Haha, I'll show you."
Ge Yu, slightly inebriated, was in high spirits and began to demonstrate his blade technique.
The technique was sinister, deceptive, and ferocious.
Ge Yu was small and thin, yet he wielded a long blade like a giant ape swinging a sword. Blade light enveloped his body, as if every part of him could radiate it. The courtyard turned icy, and countless leaves were sliced and scattered by the blade's energy. As Meng Chuan watched this eerie and sinister technique, a chill ran through his heart.
This was just a demonstration, not a full-force battle. In a real fight, it would likely be ten times more ferocious.
This was the fastest blade in Dongning City.
"This blade technique isn't suitable for teaching you," Ge Yu flicked his wrist, and the blade slid into the scabbard hanging nearby. He smiled: "This is the most suitable blade technique for me. I have a slender and short frame, but my arms are unusually long. This set of techniques fits my physique. For those of you with normal builds, practicing the Falling Leaf Blade is best. Moreover, the Falling Leaf Blade was created by Primordial Mountain's Divine Lord, making it the most appropriate for building a foundation."
"Of course, since you've already mastered the Falling Leaf Blade, there's really nothing more Jinghu Taoist Academy can teach you. Now, it's all up to you," Ge Yu chuckled. "As the principal, my only aspiration in life is to teach a future Divine Lord of Primordial Mountain. Haha, then I, Ge Yu, could boast about it for the rest of my life."
...
Meng Chuan recalled and thought.
"Chuan'er," Meng Dajiang arrived at the training ground.
"Father," Meng Chuan stood up.
"Come, follow me to the ancestral home to meet your Grand Aunt," Meng Dajiang said.
Meng Chuan was startled. "Grand Aunt, Father, do you mean?"
"Yes, the Immortal Lady," Meng Dajiang whispered.
Meng Chuan's eyes sparkled. She was the pride of the entire Meng family, their unshakable pillar! The second Divine Lord in the history of the Meng family.
"Father, let's go," Meng Chuan was excited, eager to meet his Grand Aunt.
At the ancestral home, in the courtyard where Madam Meng resided.
"Follow me in," Meng Dajiang led Meng Chuan, carefully entering the courtyard, not daring to make any loud noises.
In the courtyard, an elderly woman leaned on a cane, observing a peach tree, carefully watching the newly bloomed flowers.
Meng Chuan watched intently.
The elderly woman was very quiet while observing the peach blossoms, as if she were in harmony with the heavens and the earth. If one closed their eyes, they wouldn't even sense her presence. Meng Chuan understood that this elderly woman must be Grand Aunt Madam Meng.
"You've arrived?" Madam Meng turned to look, smiling warmly at Meng Dajiang and Meng Chuan.
"Hurry and pay your respects to your Grand Aunt," Meng Dajiang urged in a low voice.
Meng Chuan promptly stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed, "Greetings, Grand Aunt."
"Rise quickly," Madam Meng said as she sat down. "Both of you, take a seat as well."
Meng Chuan suddenly felt immense pressure.
Why was Grand Aunt going all out like this? The family's treasures were almost entirely spent to obtain a single drop of Divine Lord Marrow Liquid, and it was all used on him alone?
The family had always upheld the principle of fairness, and he had only just comprehended a secret technique. Whether he could even become a Divine Lord in this lifetime was uncertain. Yet, they were investing so much in him?
"Meng Chuan," Madam Meng smiled as she looked at this junior of the family. She could see Meng Chuan's unease and said with a smile, "Grand Aunt has suffered severe injuries and can only hold on for another seven or eight years at most. So, I can't wait any longer. I must devote all my efforts to nurturing you."
Meng Chuan was stunned.
The family's pillar, their unshakable foundation, could only live for another seven or eight years?
Madam Meng continued, "Not only have I exchanged a drop of Divine Lord Marrow Liquid for you, but also, the merits I've accumulated over eighty years of battling demons in Primordial Mountain will be transferred to you as long as you comprehend the essence of blade mastery before the age of twenty."
"Aunt, these merits are the result of your years of hard work," Meng Dajiang couldn't help but interject.
"As long as the family can produce another Divine Lord, it's worth it," Madam Meng said, looking at Meng Chuan. "You are the family's only hope. I believe you can shoulder this responsibility."
Meng Chuan, who had endured a great calamity at the age of six, possessed extraordinary mental resilience. He quickly accepted this reality and nodded, "Grand Aunt, I don't know if I can become a Divine Lord. But I will give it my all!"
"You remain so composed in such a moment," Madam Meng smiled and nodded. "Good, I wasn't wrong about you."
Meng Dajiang, standing to the side, was somewhat flustered.
"Dajiang," Madam Meng said, "Perhaps you don't agree with me revealing everything and placing all the burden on Meng Chuan. But to become a Divine Lord, one must have a strong heart. You must believe in your son, Meng Chuan. He is far more capable than you realize."