Book 4, Chapter 153: One With The Mind

Chen Chuan sensed something and looked over to his right. Xue Shou was leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets while watching him. “You’ve perfected your mind and body, so you’re at the edge of a breakthrough, alright. If you have the medicine required, you can start the process.”

He seemed to be wistful, but also happy. “I wasn’t expecting you to reach this stage so soon. I thought that you’d need a bit more time... What was it that you wanted to ask?”

“Based on what I know, there are two ways to reach a breakthrough. The first one is attempting it from within. This requires taking medicine and achieving inner harmony to reach a breakthrough. That’s the mainstream method. The second one is relying on external stimulation to unite the mind and the body to reach a breakthrough.

“I heard that the first method has a higher chance of success, and it’s also more stable. The other is rather extreme. Because of it, it’s more dangerous, and the success rate is lower. Even so, I heard that there are benefits to it.”

“You’re right. In the former national religion, the first method was known as Settling the Mind, and the other as One with the Mind. Both are ways to reach the Fourth Limit. They’re two different methods to reach the same result.

“You must understand that regardless of which one you pick, your mutated tissue has to resonate with you. The first method requires you to use medicine to stimulate your mutated tissue. Then, as long as you have a strong enough willpower to mobilize them, you can reach the Fourth Limit.

“As for the second one... Let me put it this way. When your life is under major threat, your mutated tissue won’t need any medicine to draw out all strength within your mind and body to look for a way to survive. It’ll do it instinctively. The first method is your mutated tissue passively getting pushed forward to help you reach the Fourth Limit, while the second method is your mutated tissue playing an active role in helping you get there. When you look at it this way, the second one will have much greater benefits.

“In the old era, most martial artists used the second method. That’s why the Fourth Limit is sometimes referred to as One with the Mind by some sects.

“However, some people can't do it because they can’t find anything dangerous enough to threaten their lives. Besides, while it’s rare, it’s not as if there’s no medicine to help them stimulate their mutated tissue. At the end of the day, if there exists a way to safely reach the Fourth Limit, no one will be willing to risk their lives.”

Chen Chuan nodded. Using medicine to stimulate the mutated tissue would lead to lacking some things, because the mutated tissue would have been pushed to the Fourth Limit. However, if the mutated tissue sought to get stronger on its own, it would become in sync with the martial artist’s will. Chen Chuan could already imagine just how great the results would be if a martial artist reached a breakthrough this way.

The method Zhuan Liang had taught him was the detailed version of this orthodox, gentle method. While he mentioned the second method, he didn’t encourage Chen Chuan to use it, much less suggest it.

After all, reaching the Fourth Limit was already difficult enough. If a martial artist managed to make it, they could make up for what they were lacking in other ways. There was no need for them to make things harder for themselves.

Chen Chuan approved of it, but he also happened to be searching for a perfect breakthrough, so personally, he preferred the second method.

Besides, in his current environment and the situation he was in, it was going to be hard for him to get a stable breakthrough. If he looked at this from a different point, wasn’t this also the perfect chance for him to use the second method?

“I remember you saying before that the plan isn’t foolproof, and things might change. If that’s the case, I might end up using One with the Mind to reach a breakthrough to protect myself,” he said.

“You’re right to think that, and you should get ready for it. Hmm...” Xue Shou agreed and thought for a moment. “If that’s the case, let me teach you something. Among the meditation methods in the Observance of the Gold Planet—it’s from the former national religion, by the way—there’s one that helps with reaching the Fourth Limit. Perhaps it can help you.”

Chen Chuan felt the mental mark lighting up, and he received instructions for a couple secret techniques. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise, and he was grateful. “Thank you, Mr. Xue.”

Xue Shou smiled. “It’s nothing. I told you before that the former national religion’s secret techniques required a lot of medicine, so most of them can’t be used anymore. These are the only ones still useful.

“But if you intend to reach a breakthrough during a crucial moment to protect yourself, you need to consider certain things. As your teacher, I should help you.

“I put my mental mark on you to act as your alarm so that you can cast aside the artifact at a crucial moment and to help you get out of danger. But now, I’m going to teach you something. Set up a ritual array. It’ll maximize my mental energy, and I’ll be able to block an attack or two.”

Chen Chuan perked up at that. “Do I need to find a suitable location?”

“Don’t need. Just draw it on your overcoat. But you do need some ritual materials. You brought quite a lot with you, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I did,” Chen Chuan answered.

Xue Shou smiled. “Alright. Bring them out. We need to complete it as soon as possible.”

Chen Chuan nodded. “I’ll go get them.”

***

While they were talking, the news of the two elite units being killed reached the base of the imperial army.

It was located on an elevated piece of land facing the Great Shun Republic’s World Ring Defense System. Wei Guochan was sitting on a dragon-nose horse as tall as an elephant while wearing a helmet with white feathers and thick, black armor that covered his entire body.

He was facing the forts and sentry towers, but his gaze was fixed on the largest building.

When the telegraph clerk received the news, he removed his earphones, rushed up the cliff, knelt down, and lifted the telegram high above his head. “Sir, the rear sent urgent word. The Speckled Snake Unit, the White Javelin Unit, and the elite cavalry unit led by Assistant General Wei were unable to retrieve the artifact. The White Javelin Unit and the elite cavalry unit were ambushed... and they’re all dead.”

He bowed his head.

They remained in silence for a while. All the telegraph clerk could hear was the howling wind.

The silence stretched so long that the military officers and guards around them started feeling cold sweat on their backs. Finally, they heard a deep voice from underneath the helmet. “Get the airship ready.”

“Understood!”

The tension bled out of their bodies, and they shouted loudly, only to realize that Wei Guochan... sounded like he was going to fight himself this time.

***

At the top of the largest fort across from the imperial army’s military base was a middle-aged man with thick hair and graying temples. He sat sprawled on a military-grade container as he pinched a small cup and took sips of the warm drink inside it.

He was dressed in a slightly worn uniform with an old cloak that covered his huge body.

Footsteps approached. They belonged to a military officer running up to the roof. He saluted the man. “Mr. Yao, the conqueror general’s airship has taken flight.”

“I saw it too.” Yao Zhiyi watched as a large airship rose from the campsite. He stood up from the container and cast a large, broad shadow over the roof.

“Since Wei Guochan has decided to make a move, I should do something about it.”

Another messenger ran up and handed the military officer a telegram. Once he read it, he was shocked. “Mr. Yao, we received a message from an informant that the Gai family’s flag has been raised.”

“The Gai family, eh?”

Yao Zhiyi looked in front but was completely unsurprised. “I expected that.”

He cracked his knuckles and turned around to grab a saber with a long hilt and a thick back from the shelf behind him. Then, he got rid of all the decorations on it. “Get my airship ready. I’m going to say hi to Wei Guochan.”

“Sir?” The military officer was stunned.

“What? You didn’t understand what I said?”

“I did, sir!”

The military officer saluted him before asking tentatively, “But if you leave, what about the base?”

Yao Zhiyi inspected the saber. “Calm down. Someone else will keep the brat from the Gai family company.”

He then walked to the cable hanging on the higher parts of the fort and his airship. He went straight to the pilot’s cabin before frowning and saying to the military band behind him. “Why’s it quiet here?”

“Right, of course!”

The military band quickly started playing an excited, passionate tune. The notes pierced straight into the sky.

Yao Zhiyi’s frown slowly faded away. With a dramatic sweep of his cloak, he thumped the saber on the floor and stared ahead as he said, “Let’s go.”

***

Xue Shou was enjoying an illustrated novel in a tent near the back of the base with a cup of hot tea next to him.

A young lieutenant colonel came in with a telegram and said tentatively, “Mr. Xue.”

Then, he handed over the telegram.

Xue Shou took a look at it and said, “Time for me to step in, I guess?”

“We’ve prepared an airship for you. You should reach the frontlines in ten minutes,” the lieutenant colonel answered.

“Sure,” Xue Shou said and put his novel down. He stood up and headed out, but an afterimage looking exactly the same as him stayed back. It picked up the novel to continue reading.

The lieutenant colonel was stunned and stared at the walking Xue Shou, then at the sitting Xue Shou. For a time, he couldn’t tell which one was the real one.

Xue Shou picked up the tea he hadn’t finished and gave the man a look. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“N-No!” The lieutenant colonel forced himself not to think about this too in-depth and hurried after the walking Xue Shou.

The sitting Xue Shou read the novel for a little longer before standing up and leaving. He walked in the direction of Central City.

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