Three guards were responsible for firing the crossbows, taking turns in shifts.
Additionally, five guards were tasked with loading the empty crossbows with a large number of arrows. These repeating crossbows were quite intricate, capable of holding ten arrows each.
Fortunately, making arrows was easy. Each arrow was about the length of a palm, with a wooden shaft and an arrowhead. Meng Chuan had to cut through eight thousand arrow shafts daily… so the craftsmen needed to quickly produce enough wooden shafts to attach the arrowheads.
"Hurry up!"
Every day, servants delivered a pile of arrowheads to a workshop.
The workshop assigned ten apprentices specifically to craft these small wooden shafts and attach the arrowheads. According to Meng Chuan's instructions, each shaft had to be marked with a red dot! When Meng Chuan drew his blade to strike, he aimed precisely at that red dot on the shaft. Crafting the shafts wasn't difficult, just time-consuming. Over time, the crossbows also required maintenance, or even replacement.
"Whoosh."
Meng Chuan stood there, instantly drawing his blade. A flash of light, and he severed the arrow that shot out like a phantom. The strike landed precisely on the red dot of the wooden shaft! The residual qi from the blade left marks on the iron-clad trunk of a large tree.
"Faster."
Every strike aimed for speed.
Body, qi, and blade techniques… under the intense desire of his will, he continuously tapped into his potential, striving to be even faster.
The human body possesses immense potential. The more potential one taps into, the greater the power unleashed. Practicing hundreds or thousands of times proved far more effective than mere contemplation. With each repeated strike, his body, qi, and blade techniques grew increasingly unified, merging seamlessly.
The progress was subtle.
But by observing the marks left on the iron-clad tree trunk, Meng Chuan could see his improvement.
Each day, the blade marks crept upward, even if only slightly, filling him with joy. He could feel his progress! His blade techniques were growing swifter with each passing day!
"More precise, faster." Meng Chuan's training was extravagant, but the few Impervious Realm experts who had previously served as his sparring partners were no longer necessary. In fact, the monthly expenses for Meng Chuan had decreased somewhat. Hiring Impervious Realm experts was simply too costly.
For Meng Chuan now, he had already comprehended secret techniques.
The few Impervious Realm sparring partners who had also comprehended secret techniques were of little help to him.
...
The second daily training: movement techniques and defensive blade skills!
"Fire!" a servant commanded.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Ten Marrow Washing Realm guards and two Transfiguration Realm guards simultaneously fired their arrows! The arrow shafts were made of crimson iron, but they lacked arrowheads, and the tips were padded with cloth.
However, with twelve arrows fired within a distance of thirty meters, and each Marrow Washing Realm guard possessing the strength of a thousand pounds, not to mention the Transfiguration Realm guards, the speed of the arrows was unimaginable. Confronted by the relentless barrage, Meng Chuan had no choice but to rely on his movement techniques to evade while his blade danced to deflect the onslaught.
"Fire." The first row of guards all stepped back, and the second row, also consisting of ten Marrow Washing Realm and two Transfiguration Realm guards, fired again simultaneously.
"Fire." Soon, the third row, with the same composition of ten Marrow Washing Realm and two Transfiguration Realm guards, fired their arrows.
There were three rows in total.
They took turns!
By the time the third row finished firing, the first row was ready again.
Row after row… each time, they fired in unison! And each volley of twelve arrows included two fired by Transfiguration Realm guards. Those two arrows were more powerful and faster! At such close range, the threat was overwhelming. Amidst this relentless rain of arrows, Meng Chuan occasionally found himself struck.
He too would feel tired and weary.
But he had to persevere, especially when exhaustion was at its peak.
To forge his body and spirit into a single entity, to deepen the union of mind and body… In this way, his movement would become faster! More agile! His blade techniques would also become quicker in defense!
This training required a total of thirty Marrow Washing Realm guards and six Transfiguration Realm guards as sparring partners. They would spar for half a shichen each day.
The relentless arrow rain, lasting half a shichen, left the guards utterly exhausted, even with their rotation in three rows. Meng Chuan also reached his limit.
…
When night fell and all was quiet.
In his small courtyard, with his qi fully restored, Meng Chuan began his final simple training—the Extreme Draw Slash!
Meng Chuan stood alone, motionless.
Suddenly— his body transformed into a phantom, flashing ten zhang away, a blade light slicing through the air. This time, his movement and blade strike were both faster— much faster than during the day.
Why were both his movement and blade technique faster?
It was because the Extreme Draw Slash involved the maximum burst of qi! Pushing his meridians to their limit, flooding them with qi, causing a slight sensation of swelling and pain. There was a feeling that if he pushed even a little more, his meridians might suffer damage. With such an extreme burst of qi, his movement naturally became faster, and his blade technique also quickened.
However, each Extreme Draw Slash consumed an astonishing amount of qi.
But its power was immense!
"Once, twice…" Meng Chuan executed the technique repeatedly.
Each time, his body turned into a phantom, leaving behind ephemeral trails of blade light.
"Thirty-one times!" Meng Chuan stopped, the meridians throughout his body slightly swollen from the bursts of qi, but there was no "stinging pain."
"If I unleash my qi to its fullest extent without restraint, I can only execute the Extreme Draw Slash thirty-one times," Meng Chuan pondered. "According to the teachings of the Taoist Academy, the body possesses a miraculous nature. Bones, muscles, and tendons become stronger through training. If meridians are pushed to their limits, they will gradually expand and become more resilient. The extreme bursts of qi will also stimulate the meridians to continuously adapt."
"I aim to condition my meridians to endure even greater bursts of qi. Then, in a life-and-death battle, with full exertion, my movement will be even faster, and my blade techniques will be more powerful."
Meng Chuan thought to himself.
Conditioning the body to handle stronger qi is another path, distinct from the 'integration of body, mind, and technique.' By combining these two paths, one can become even stronger.
These three types of cultivation, combined with regular medicinal baths and elixirs to speed up the Marrow Washing Realm, made up Meng Chuan's daily routine.
Perseverance.
Day by day, time passed.
His father had also left Dongning City on a long journey. The restaurant his father owned was considered the best in Dongning City because of a unique seasoning—Lotus Fish Powder! It was made from a special type of small fish that was dried and ground into powder. Used as a seasoning, it could transform ordinary dishes into extraordinary delicacies. Thanks to this Lotus Fish Powder, the restaurant became the top in all of Dongning City.
However, what exactly the Lotus Fish was remained a mystery, and the other four Divine Lord families in Dongning City also wanted to know.
Clearly, the Meng family kept it a secret. It was a mysterious little fish discovered by Meng Dajiang, who traveled twice a year, each time for one or two months, just to bring back this elusive Lotus Fish Powder.
This wasn't too much of a burden, as Meng Dajiang was only away for about three or four months each year. In contrast, sister Qiyue's father, Liu Yebai, was away for most of the year.
...
At night.
Two figures darted like phantoms through the wilderness.
"We've reached Yufang Prefecture. We're finally within the borders of Wuzhou. Let's rest here in Yufang Prefecture. You must take proper care of your injuries and can't keep pushing yourself like this," one of the figures said as they stopped. One was the somewhat dashing Liu Yebai, while the other was Meng Dajiang, who had grown thinner.
Meng Dajiang, dressed in black, now resembled his younger self in build and looked much more handsome.
His face was pale, and he couldn't help but cough softly.
"Cough, cough." Meng Dajiang covered his mouth as he coughed, and traces of blood stained his palm.
"You're really overexerting yourself," Liu Yebai couldn't help but remark.
"Chuan'er is about to enter the Transfiguration Realm. I must gather enough merits," Meng Dajiang replied.
Liu Yebai shook his head. "You've risked your life time and time again, working so hard for so many years, only to exchange all your merits for a single Ice Heart Fruit, just to build the foundation for your son's Divine Lord path. Is it worth it?"
Meng Dajiang smiled wearily. "My greatest pride in life is my son. For Chuan'er, no sacrifice is too great."