Chapter Nine: The Young Man Wields His Sword to Sever the Unseen, Entering Tranquility with a Single Thought

The two precious volumes, bound in imperial yellow, thus fell into Anle’s hands.

“The ‘Five Beasts Body Tempering Art’ is considered a high-level method within the Lin Residence. After all, you are not a member of the Lin clan, so I cannot grant you access to the core body-tempering texts. Nevertheless, this should suffice; at least within the first five realms of body tempering, it will not fall far behind the top methods. If, in the future, fortune smiles upon you, you may choose to replace it with a higher method,” Lady Hua said as she sipped her tea, her tone serene. “As for the ‘Swordfall Diagram,’ it is a top-tier mental refinement method, something I am gifting you personally. Should you encounter any confusion while cultivating, you may come to me. In my youth, I too practiced the ‘Swordfall Diagram.’ Although I have since moved on to another method, I still retain some insights.”

“Of course, should you never encounter great fortune in this life, the ‘Swordfall Diagram’ alone will be enough to temper your mind and spirit.”

Lady Hua thus introduced the two volumes to Anle.

Whether it was the ‘Five Beasts Body Tempering Art’ or the ‘Swordfall Diagram,’ neither was a text that ordinary factions in the outside world could hope to possess. It could be said that this trip to the Lin Residence had brought Anle great fortune!

The ‘Swordfall Diagram’ was all the more extraordinary, having once been Lady Hua’s own method of cultivation.

Anle was overjoyed, feeling that this journey had been well worth it.

“All right, you may peruse these texts here in the Waterside Hall for now. As for me, I will present your painting to the Lady Dowager. Whether you can remain in the Lin Residence will depend on her decision.”

Lady Hua rose from her seat, no longer inclined to continue the conversation.

Anle also rose, bowing respectfully. Upon learning that his painting would be presented to the Lady Dowager, his heart thumped with both nerves and anticipation.

If he could remain in the Lin Residence, endless opportunities would await him. There were many cultivators here; just walking through the grounds each day, he could gather the vital energy of time with ease.

If his artwork was not chosen, though Lady Hua had said he could still come to her with questions about mental cultivation, he would feel awkward visiting the Lin Residence without official status.

“Ninth Sister, Zhuifeng, stay and keep Young Master An company. I am going to the Tianbo Pavilion to see the Lady Dowager,” Lady Hua instructed.

Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin both nodded.

Lady Hua carefully rolled up Anle’s sketch and, with measured steps, made her way to the Tianbo Pavilion, its eaves layered and adorned, smoke curling gently from within.

“Young Master An, once you’ve finished drawing for the young masters, would you also paint a portrait for me and Ninth Sister?” Zhuifeng asked, beaming. “We truly love your art.”

Perhaps because Lady Hua had acknowledged Anle, Lin Zhuifeng’s attitude had grown even warmer and more familiar.

“Of course,” Anle replied with a smile. He owed his current fortune at the Lin Residence to Lin Qingyin’s discerning eye, so he naturally would not, and could not, refuse.

“Thank you, Young Master An. Come, Zhuifeng, let’s not disturb him as he reads,” Ninth Sister Lin Qingyin said with a gentle laugh.

With that, she pulled Lin Zhuifeng away from the main hall, strolling along the pond’s edge, scattering crumbs for the ornamental fish.

Anle withdrew his gaze, inhaled deeply, then exhaled, steadying his excited heart.

Thinking for a moment, he set aside the ‘Five Beasts Body Tempering Art’ and picked up the ‘Swordfall Diagram,’ opening it slowly.

…

Tianbo Pavilion, its eaves layered and beaded with dew.

Inside, sandalwood incense drifted in the air, its smoke curling through the carved wooden windows.

After ascending the pavilion, Lady Hua knelt quietly on a mat, the scroll in hand, and waited in silence as the old woman inside chanted sacred texts.

Perhaps sensing Lady Hua’s presence, the chanting gradually slowed.

“Jie Bing, have you chosen a painter?” came an elderly voice from within.

Lady Hua slowly lifted her head, her long lashes trembling as she gazed into the room. Behind the screen, painted with ink-wash landscapes, she could just make out the hunched figure of an old woman turning her head, as if gazing back.

Even through the screen, Lady Hua could feel the weight and depth of her gaze.

“Lady Dowager, I have chosen. This is the artist’s work; please have a look,” Lady Hua replied softly.

With a thought, she sent Anle’s sketch floating into the room.

After the drawing passed behind the screen, the old woman took it and unfurled it slowly.

The old figure’s shadow, reflected on the screen, stiffened slightly.

After a long silence, a sigh was heard: “This artist… can capture such lifelike spirit and essence. The feeling in this work is as if one were present at the farewell between you and Dalang…”

“This artist is truly remarkable.”

“Jie Bing, no more searching. Let it be him,” the old woman said gently.

Lady Hua bit her crimson lips upon hearing this. “Thank you, Lady Dowager.”

The scroll floated back out and into Hua Jie Bing’s hands. Rising, she bowed slightly and prepared to leave.

“Jie Bing,” the old woman suddenly called from behind the screen.

Lady Hua paused, turning back in confusion. “Do you have further instructions?”

The old woman seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally speaking:

“For this year’s audience before the throne, His Majesty has chosen two items as rewards. Among them… Dalang’s Golden Edge Saber, ‘Still the Storm,’ is one.”

These words sent a sharp tremor through Lady Hua’s body.

After a long while, she bowed deeply. “I understand… I will restrain myself.”

With those words, Lady Hua departed the Tianbo Pavilion.

Long after, another sigh drifted from behind the screen.

“Ah… I am truly old…”

…

What appeared before Anle was a complex preface, which he quietly read:

“In ancient times, sages observed the heavens, studied numbers, tested the Book of Changes, measured by degrees, took from the body, verified with objects, comprehended the principles in full, and thus established methods to teach others…”

Finishing the preface, he continued reading, finding that the ‘Swordfall Diagram’ was composed of illustrations paired with text.

The first illustration depicted a single sword, its blade marked with intricate patterns. Anle needed only a glance to feel as though the sword had come alive. His temples throbbed, a needle-like sensation spreading through his mind. It was not painful, but deeply unsettling.

After a moment studying the illustration, Anle had to avert his eyes, breathing heavily.

“The first image of the Swordfall Diagram shows only a single sword. How could that form a waterfall? If swords become a cascade, how sharp would such a torrent be? How could the mind withstand it without being shredded to pieces?”

He exhaled, closed his eyes to recover, then opened them and quickly turned the page. As expected, each subsequent page showed more and more swords, until at last, one illustration depicted thousands upon thousands of suspended blades, descending like a waterfall from the heavens!

It was terrifying, as though one were being cut by a thousand blades.

Yet, if one’s spirit could withstand the impact of such a swordfall, how powerful would that person be?

The thought sent a new heat surging through Anle’s heart.

The first realm of mental cultivation is called ‘Entering Tranquility.’

The Swordfall Diagram explained how to use the images to enter this state: by focusing on the images, one’s mind becomes detached from external distractions, experiencing a sense of lightness and expansion, as if the body were growing vast enough to fill all of heaven and earth.

When this illusion faded, the mind would become clear and empty—this was ‘Entering Tranquility.’

The Diagram’s method was to gaze upon the images, cut away the five distractions, attain lightness, and thus enter tranquility.

Anle, at present, could not achieve this. The piercing sensation brought by the images kept him from settling into calm.

But he did not give up. He turned back to the first page and continued to study the sword illustration.

Within the quiet waterside hall, spring breezes drifting in, the youth sat upright in a sandalwood chair, imperial yellow volume in hand, as still as a statue.

One breath. Two. Three…

Anle found himself able to endure longer and longer as he contemplated the image.

He even felt as though he were about to brush the edge of entering tranquility.

“Is it the blessing of the ‘Cultivation Prodigy’ Dao Fruit… and the ‘Sword Dancer’ Dao Fruit as well?” Anle realized.

The Dao Fruit of Time, ‘Sword Dancer,’ granted insight into anything related to swords, and the Swordfall Diagram was, of course, such a thing.

The ‘Cultivation Prodigy’ Dao Fruit enhanced his cultivation speed. With both in effect, Anle’s progress toward entering tranquility was rapid.

Yet he was not satisfied.

Being stuck just at the threshold, unable to enter, was an agonizing feeling.

With this in mind, he focused his will.

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

…

Name: Anle

Vital Energy of Time: 3 wisps

Dao Fruits of Time: Cultivation Prodigy (0/10), Sword Dancer (0/10)

Mastered Methods: ‘Qi Guiding and Breath Regulation’ (1 wisp), ‘Swordfall Diagram’ (0 wisps)

Mastered Skills: ‘Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (fragment)’ (1 wisp)

…

There were three wisps of vital energy left. Previously, he had managed to extract a trace of golden vital energy from Lady Hua, but since then, he had been unable to draw any more, regardless of the target.

Anle surmised it was because Lady Hua’s cultivation was simply too high.

But that was not his concern now.

He intended to use the remaining vital energy, but was unsure where to invest it.

Should he enhance the ‘Swordfall Diagram’? But doing so would only make him more proficient in its use. The problem now was not the technique, but the bottleneck at entering tranquility.

Therefore, Anle decided to invest all three wisps into the ‘Cultivation Prodigy’ Dao Fruit. What he lacked was just a little more insight.

One wisp. Two. Three.

Cultivation Prodigy (3/10).

The gray vital energy burned softly, scenes flashing rapidly in his mind: Detective Huang practicing his blade in the rain, Lin Zhuifeng wielding his staff in the snow—moments when they had mastered their arts, filled with accomplishment.

With each wisp consumed, Anle felt himself subtly transformed.

Where he had been stuck at the threshold, he now broke through with ease. The illusion of lightness arose.

Within his mind, he seemed to grow ever larger, vast enough that even heaven and earth could not contain him!

All was quiet.

In the waterside hall, the youth’s breath grew long and faint.

The first sword illustration in the Swordfall Diagram became ever clearer before his eyes.

In his mind, his spirit rose and fell, as if he had become a beam of swordlight, cleaving through the illusion, roaming freely between heaven and earth.

Outside the Tianbo Pavilion, Lady Hua, painting in hand, had just stepped through the doors. Her brows arched slightly as she looked across the pond toward the waterside hall.

There, she saw the youth as if wielding a sword to cut through the illusion of lightness…

In a single thought, he entered tranquility.