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Chapter 20:
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(20+ Advance chapters are available on Patreon!)
Chapter 20: Golden Bones Fail to Impress Master, I Must Forge Jade Bones
Li Xuan was unaware that Xu Yan had already tempered the golden bones he had made, and was coming excitedly to tell him, hoping for praise and recognition.
At this moment, Li Xuan was playing with the gift Xu Yan had given him last time, a golden sword and a jade ruyi.
The golden sword was embedded with precious gems, made entirely of gold, and was quite valuable.
The jade ruyi was carved with auspicious cloud patterns, flawless throughout. It was clearly crafted from top-quality jade, perhaps even more valuable than the golden sword.
"Although this golden sword is not inexpensive, I can't help but feel that the jade ruyi is more valuable and rare.
"Look at the quality of this jade, flawless and translucent, with a warm feeling when held... Compared to the golden sword, I prefer this jade ruyi."
"If I could find another one to make a pair, as a family heirloom, it would be perfect.
"Anyway, since I've already deceived him, it doesn't matter. Let's deceive him again for another Jade Ruyi."
Li Xuan played with the jade ruyi, growing fonder of it the more he looked at it.
Muttering to himself, he thought of having his foolish disciple find another jade ruyi to make a pair as a family heirloom.
Just then, Xu Yan walked over.
"Disciple, you've come at the right time."
Li Xuan pushed the golden sword aside with a somewhat disdainful look, playing with the jade ruyi in his hand, his eyes full of affection for it.
"Look at this jade ruyi, flawless and soothing. As they say, gentlemen love jade, and I am also fond of jade. If this jade ruyi could be paired, it would be perfect."
He looked up at Xu Yan and said, "Do you understand, disciple?"
In his mind, he thought: 'Let the disciple find another jade ruyi for me.'
Xu Yan had originally come excitedly to tell his master that he had tempered his golden bones and was comparable to ancient prodigies.
However, upon seeing Li Xuan pushing the golden sword aside with some disdain and playing with the jade ruyi, while expressing his fondness for it, and mentioning the desire for a pair of jade ruyi, Xu Yan thought to himself that he would find another jade ruyi for his master next time he went home.
But suddenly, he felt a pang in his heart: 'Wait a minute! Why would Master suddenly express his fondness for Jade to me?'
'Surely Master's words must have another meaning...'
'I understand now. Master has high expectations for me and hopes I can forge jade bones. That's why he used the jade ruyi as an example. Compared to golden bones, Master prefers jade bones!'
'But Master is also afraid that I may not be able to accept the difficulty of tempering jade bones, so he used the example of the jade ruyi to remind me. If I cannot understand the deeper meaning of Master's words, he will not demand too much from me...'
'In this way, although Master does not say it explicitly, he must be disappointed in me. If I cannot understand the deeper meaning behind Master's words, his expectations of me will also decrease. Master will think I lack insight and cannot understand such a simple example!'
Xu Yan instantly pondered, feeling that although Master seemed to be asking for a pair of jade ruyi on the surface, he actually wanted him to continue tempering his bones, not to give up or retreat, and to strive to forge jade bones.
If Li Xuan knew what he thought, he would definitely be confused: He just wanted a jade ruyi, that's all!
After a series of thoughts, Xu Yan believed he understood the deeper meaning behind Master's words. With a firm gaze, he said, "Master, I understand. I will not let you down!"
Li Xuan smiled with satisfaction. "As long as you understand, I have faith in you!"
Xu Yan was deeply moved. 'Master has very high expectations of me, hoping that I can surpass the ancient prodigies!'
'What does a set of golden bones matter? I want to forge jade bones!'
Xu Yan didn't mention his own golden bones again. Master had already seen through everything, and mere golden bones couldn't impress him!
As he continued to practice, Xu Yan found that no matter how he circulated his Qi and blood, or how he tempered them, it had no effect.
It seemed that golden bones were already the limit.
It was as if a formidable barrier blocked further advancement.
"Master said that jade bones cannot be tempered through talent, perseverance, or persistence. Those who can forge jade bones either have great luck, are favored by heaven and earth, have extraordinary insight, or can sense the great Dao..."
Xu Yan pondered, "Do I have great luck? I don't know, maybe not; being favored by heaven and earth is even more impossible, so there's only one way left, which is insight...
"Master often says, focus on intent, focus on insight, which means he must think my insight is okay and reminds me of my own strengths."
"If I want to temper jade bones, I can only rely on insight."
After understanding this, the two lines of the secret technique floated again in Xu Yan's mind: "Observing the true intent with a clear mind, circulating Qi and blood like a dragon to forge the body."
"I must not have fully understood the core of these two lines of technique. If I could comprehend them, would it be possible to break through the shackles of golden bones and temper jade bones?"
Xu Yan devoted his entire being to the technique, devoid of distractions, forgetting everything, in an attempt to comprehend its profound meaning.
"Yes, observing the true intent. I used to think that nurturing Qi and blood within the bones, within the marrow, was observing the true intent. But where is the 'intent'?"
"Nurturing the marrow is just the basics, it hasn't nurtured the intent."
Suddenly, a flash of insight occurred in Xu Yan's mind. He realized that he had made a mistake regarding the true intent mentioned in the technique.
He never nurtured his true intent.
He didn't even understand what 'intent' meant.
"When forging the golden bones, is the circulating Qi and blood truly like a dragon? That's just empty talk, it's only a facade. Without a Qi and blood dragon nurtured with 'intent,' how can it be considered a dragon?"
In a daze, Xu Yan felt as if he had touched upon a barrier.
All he needed to do was to break through this barrier to completely understand the technique, break through the shackles of golden bones, and enter the stage of jade bones.
However, this barrier was one that he couldn't break through.
He felt somewhat troubled for a moment.
"Should I go and seek advice from Master?
"No, Master has already explained it very clearly. 'Intent' can only be comprehended by oneself, and cannot be explicitly stated. I must have overlooked something..."
For the next three days, while practicing, Xu Yan was constantly pondering the technique, constantly trying to comprehend the "true intent," often falling just a little short.
He still couldn't break through the barrier and understand its essence.
Li Xuan looked at his foolish disciple with some confusion. In the past three days, his foolish disciple seemed a bit absent-minded, occasionally appearing lost in thought.
"It's been so long without any progress, so he's feeling lost? Does he think he's not capable?"
"I haven't even gotten my Jade Ruyi yet, how can I give up?"
"Let me think of some mysterious words to fool him."
Li Xuan fell into contemplation.
On this day, after finishing their meal, when Xu Yan was about to clean up the dishes, Li Xuan spoke up: "Persistence is essential on the path to cultivation. If you find yourself stuck in a bottleneck with no progress, you can relax your mind, empty your thoughts, and contemplate every plant and tree."
"Contemplate the world around you, capture the hidden inspirations around you. If you can have a sudden enlightenment, the door to martial arts will open."
"Throughout history, there have been many who made no progress in cultivation and were stuck in bottlenecks, but because of sudden enlightenment, they broke through their shackles."
Li Xuan spewed nonsense to coax Xu Yan into contemplating so-called inspirations. If he had a sudden insight, he could step into the doorway of martial arts.
Since diligent cultivation didn't work, turn to enlightenment.
(End of Chapter 20)
(20+ Advance chapters are available on Patreon!)
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Translated by Evil Duke.
Translated by Evil Duke.
Brother's going all in as the scum
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