Chapter 30: New Mountain
Chen Ping'an returned to the Imperial Tutor Estate, went straight to the peach tree, took a look at the peach blossoms, and said, "Have Nian Xin come here."
Barefoot, naked from the waist up, his body covered in wounds, his abdomen seemingly suffering a severe injury, roughly bandaged with blue cloth, blood soaked through.
Rong Yu was herself a pure martial artist at the Golden Body Realm, yet seeing the Imperial Tutor's current appearance, she was still deeply shocked.
Just as Rong Yu was about to go to the prison to summon Nian Xin, Chen Ping'an chuckled and asked, "Did Pei Qian slip away and dare not meet the Old Temple Master?"
Back when she was still a little charcoal, the Old Temple Master had already been the Heavenly Lord of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land; knowing someone's ins and outs was nothing more than this.
Rong Yu couldn't help but smile, nodding. Sure enough, the master knew his disciple. Sensing that the Imperial Tutor's energy and spirit were still fine, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Chen Ping'an took the lead and walked toward the adjacent courtyard, intending to treat his injuries in the room where he had previously received Xu Xie.
Song Yunjian walked toward him and returned the tobacco pipe to Chen Ping'an. "Just because of this, you got the reputation of being a 'good hanger-on'."
Chen Ping'an took the pipe and chuckled, "Caution will take you far. Being teased by the Old Temple Master is nothing."
Before entering that room which held a different world within, he had Song Yunjian guard the door.
Stepping over the threshold and closing the door, Chen Ping'an untied the blue cloth bandaging the hole in his abdomen and casually threw it to the ground.
Nian Xin soon arrived. Seeing the bloodied and mangled back, she said with a bright expression, "So heavily injured?"
If the injury hadn't been severe, the craft of a needleworker wouldn't be shown off.
With his back to Nian Xin, Chen Ping'an spread his arms. Perhaps due to the exuberance of his blood and qi, from the "dragon veins" of the muscles on that extended arm, wisps of mist rose one after another, like dozens of pilgrims lighting incense on the peaks of countless mountains, paying homage to the mountain spirits.
Chen Ping'an said calmly, "Aside from the spear wound in my abdomen, which is a bit troublesome, most are superficial wounds. Looks scary, that's all. Cao Ci's internal organs were injured even more. I believe he's not feeling well either right now."
Nian Xin asked with a smile, "Didn't you hit his face?"
Chen Ping'an also smiled. "During the first half of the sparring, we could still choose where to punch. In the second half, we didn't have the luxury to be picky."
Nian Xin first took a wooden box from her sleeve, suspending it in midair. She opened the box, revealing the stored items, all gleaming with sharpness and exuding a gloomy aura.
Then she flicked her wrist, unfurling two body diagrams. One was an old diagram, Chen Ping'an's "original work" from the prison on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Muscles, bones, blood and qi channels, acupoints and qi mansions—all were annotated with text, laid out in full view.
The second new diagram was a more recently made qi circulation chart that Chen Ping'an had asked Ning Yao to help find for his new physique and new qi mansions. It was relatively abstract, clearly custom-made for his re-cultivation of the Dao.
Nian Xin asked, "Take off the lower half too?"
Chen Ping'an said irritably, "No need. The injuries are all on the upper body."
Nian Xin complained, "So fussy. If there's even a hint of male-female desire in this, I'll change my surname to yours. At least roll up your pant legs."
Chen Ping'an complied.
Facing Nian Xin, who was about to do "needlework" on him, even he felt his scalp go numb. Having to suffer without being able to fight back—who wouldn't be flustered?
Nian Xin used a silver needle to pick up a tendon exposed on his back, squinting as she said, "The Dao marks left by stitching the true names of the great monsters are getting fainter. A good thing."
She deliberately snapped that blue tendon near the Spirit Terrace, then watched as it reconnected on its own at an extremely fast speed, merging in an instant, like the "joining" of two rivers, as seamless as if woven by heaven. She couldn't help but praise, "The physique of an Eleven Realm martial artist is truly a treasure."
However, Nian Xin worried that this area was a main path through the spine, and Chen Ping'an's stance foundation was here. It might be a special case that allowed such rapid healing. So she crouched down, swapped for an extremely small short knife, and directly severed a tendon on his instep between Taichong and Xingjian points. Chen Ping'an didn't move a muscle, only his eyelids flickered slightly, and he didn't ask why Nian Xin was cutting there.
Nian Xin stood up, changed tools again, and flipped up a piece of slightly split skin on Chen Ping'an's shoulder, examining it intently for a moment. She asked casually, "Is the blood of an Eleven Realm martial artist comparable to the best cinnabar for drawing talismans?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Considering the ancient shaman's casting methods of intaglio and relief on the inner and outer arms, it should be so. For Stopping Realm martial artists with no hope of breaking through, they could use this to improve the toughness of their physique and create a trump card or two. But for the Eleven Realm, these flashy tricks are just burdens."
Nian Xin kept issuing commands. "Select a small amount of true qi containing divine sense, and try circulating it through the major and minor cycles."
"From Xuanzhong to Zhongdu, is Cao Ci's fist intent flow faster than yours? From Qingling to Shenmen, why is the guiding of true qi so sluggish? Is it a lingering problem from that fight with Jiang She? Haven't you bothered to properly mend it until now? I remember you once mentioned an idea of 'overlapping waterfalls' to both accelerate and amplify the ascending and descending momentum of true qi. I thought it was feasible, but after all these years, has it just remained a fantasy?"
"Two great monster true names carved on the spine bones show signs of loosening. I'll patch them up for you."
Chen Ping'an's face darkened, and he finally spoke. "Don't! I've already dealt with them."
But Nian Xin was stubborn, already starting to work with her knife. "Still, let's patch them up. You never know, they might turn around."
White mist billowed like a boiling sea of qi—a sign of fist intent leaking outside the body. Nian Xin felt a sensation of fire burning on her face.
Moreover, a stream of pure true qi rose from Yongquan, passed through Shendao, rushed to Shenting, and above his head, three flowers manifested, surrounded by five-colored radiance.
Even though Nian Xin maintained a calm demeanor, her hands moving with delicate precision, her heart was in turmoil. This was far too interesting, far too worthy of exploration!
Aside from Cao Ci and others of the new Eleven Realm, Nian Xin was probably the cultivator who understood the mysteries of the Eleven Realm martial artist's physique best.
Nian Xin asked casually, "Did Cao Ci reveal any unique techniques?"
Chen Ping'an moved his mind, mobilizing his fist intent, and then "threw a punch." This created a martial artist's aura resembling a Dao field, more like a cultivator's golden body dharma form. The human body was like a mountain, surrounded by pagodas and dharma pillars, with rings of ripples spreading, like layers of water ripples.
Nian Xin was amazed. "Is this... related to Buddhism?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Cao Ci calls this fist 'Iron Encircling Mountain.' It's used to protect the martial artist's body, circulating endlessly on its own, consuming a great deal of divine will. It's most effective against battle array ambushes and sword cultivator flying swords. It's based on a Buddhist sutra: 'Mount Sumeru's city net, water swirls round in circle. Sila banner basin shape, follows turning color shape.' Back then, he and Yu Juanfu both practiced fists at an ancient battlefield ruins where many fallen Buddha and Bodhisattva statues lay. I suspect that's when the rudiments of this fist began, and it only fully manifested after Cao Ci broke into the Eleven Realm."
Nian Xin exclaimed, "Incredible. Truly incredible."
After a moment of silence, she then asked, "And what about you?"
Chen Ping'an withdrew the fist intent that had mimicked Cao Ci's, replacing it with his own. In an instant, the aura changed. Unlike Cao Ci's majestic "stance," his had another true meaning. Outside the skin of his body, it seemed a layer of flowing radiance existed, merging spirit and form.
Chen Ping'an said, "A single-character fist move, 'Glaze.'"
Nian Xin, holding a fine needle, jabbed viciously at that seemingly slow-flowing "glaze surface" several times. The result was that the needle tip shattered.
Chen Ping'an said, "A new world, a new atmosphere. Both of us have just broken into the Eleven Realm, each pondering new fist techniques."
Nian Xin finally finished roughly mending Chen Ping'an's wounds and also drew a relatively rough third body diagram using mountain arts techniques.
This stage was temporarily concluded.
Nian Xin said apologetically, "Hidden Official, I've consumed a lot of energy, nearly exhausted my spiritual qi. I'll need some time to recuperate before I can work again. At least ten days, at most twenty."
Chen Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "No hurry."
Nian Xin asked, "Is there truly a Twelfth Realm in martial arts?"
Chen Ping'an hesitated, then said, "At least Cao Ci and I both think it's possible."
He led Nian Xin out of the room. Pei Qian and Guo Zhujiu stood at the door, holding clean clothes. Rong Yu said that a bucket of medicinal water was ready.
After a bath, tying up his hair into a bun, donning a blue robe and cloth shoes, Chen Ping'an picked up his tobacco pipe and walked refreshed to the rattan chair near the corridor.
Song Yunjian reported to the Imperial Tutor everything the Old Temple Master had said after appearing in the Imperial Tutor Estate.
Zhu Su came over, focusing on the "Quan" character talisman left by San Shan Jiu Hou.
Rong Yu handed the Imperial Tutor the hand-span item left by Yuan Huajing. "All are the life-bound objects refined by White Bone Cultivator. They have been recorded. A total of three hundred and twenty-nine items."
Chen Ping'an sat in the rattan chair, took the hand-span item, and wiped it, removing the temporary talisman restrictions set by Daoist Ge Ling. The hand-span item immediately became "lively," as if about to take flight like a startled sparrow. Chen Ping'an gently grasped it, suppressing its movement in an instant. It quieted down.
Pei Qian and Guo Zhujiu, unusually, did not ask about the outcome of the fist sparring.
Chen Ping'an smiled at them and said, "Don't worry."
He lay back in the rattan chair and began to puff smoke.
Song Yunjian and the others quietly withdrew.
Sure enough, as Rong Yu had said, the Old Temple Master, who had already returned to the Bright Moon Splendid Light Daoist Temple, appeared out of thin air, saying with a chuckle, "Finally, you understand a bit of the art of nurturing the spirit."
Chen Ping'an was about to sit up, but the Old Temple Master pressed his hand down in the air, signaling him to lie down and chat.
Yet Chen Ping'an still sat up, putting away the tobacco pipe as he did so.
The burly old Daoist, holding a horsetail whisk, looked at the young man before him, a true "famous one" in his own right.
At this moment and place, what he saw in his eyes seemed still to be that young back-sword boy who used to run around everywhere, euphemistically called "traveling the jianghu."
Young wanderer, still well.
The Old Temple Master got straight to the point. "I'm asking you for a piece of calligraphy."
Chen Ping'an was bewildered, as if lost in clouds and fog.
The Old Temple Master stroked his beard and smiled. "I've come to ask for a plaque to hang above the temple gate."
Chen Ping'an grew even more confused. Had Senior Brother Cui made an agreement with the Old Temple Master, already written it out, and hidden it somewhere in the Imperial Tutor Estate or the Ren Yun Yi Yun Tower? Because he hadn't noticed any traces, the Old Temple Master had to come in person to collect the debt?
Senior must not play tricks of conjuring something out of thin air!
The Old Temple Master didn't continue on that topic. He shook his head dismissively and said, "The true winner of your Azure and White dispute—are you just going to keep dragging it out? If so, I must ask you, how long do you intend to drag it on?"
A fight finished, a half-immortal-grade broken sword not even snapped, hair bun not even undone. You were the first to say you lost. Even if the whole world believed it, did Cao Ci believe it?
Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "When the Old Temple Master discusses the Dao, he can hold his own with anyone. But when it comes to martial arts, it doesn't quite hit the mark."
The Old Temple Master smiled. "Broke into the Eleven Realm, and you've become overbearing."
Chen Ping'an said calmly, "As a contemporary, even compared to Dao cultivators, just looking at the historical batch of Stopping Realm martial artists, we're still young. Cao Ci's talent is extraordinary, and he is selfless. As long as he is number one, the world's martial path will keep climbing. From past to future, those who actively go to learn fists from Cao Ci will be pure martial artists, and Cao Ci's teaching and sparring will also be pure.
"On the other hand, Chen Ping'an, for the time being, has too many matters requiring his attention. His own, Great Li's, Barren Wasteland's, and Bright Contemplation's. Public and private affairs tangled together. Not only can he not die, he can't even be severely injured, leaving too many hidden dangers in his physique and soul.
"Consider just Senior Brother Cui and Master Qi's century of effort. If I step down as Imperial Tutor today, who will inherit tomorrow? Can it only rely on the Old Temple Master's return?"
The Old Temple Master, listening, sometimes shook his head, sometimes nodded in understanding. Finally, stroking his beard, he said, "That is also the truth."
Chen Ping'an said slowly, "Cao Ci can still become stronger. The one I truly want to defeat is the Cao Ci who has already reached the highest peak of martial arts."
The Old Temple Master asked, "Your true heart's words?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Of course. Only by surpassing an imagined enemy who keeps getting stronger to the strongest point can I be the undisputed number one."
The Old Temple Master smiled. "Nine parts heaven, one part human. When Cao Ci's 'one part human' is heavier, his martial path will only be higher, without limit."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I couldn't ask for more."
The Old Temple Master's expression was amused. "Why didn't you add the pause in your sentence?"
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily.
The Old Temple Master said, "Your family's Deputy Mountain Master Jiang says you are good in ten thousand ways, making all women in the world both 'seek but cannot obtain' and 'seek but do not desire.'"
Chen Ping'an immediately lost his momentum, momentarily unsure how to respond.
This agreed sparring at sea was different from the three sparring sessions on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and the fourth and fifth sessions in the Confucian Temple Meritorious Virtue Grove. When the fighting got fierce, both sides truly developed murderous intent. The desire to settle victory and defeat to the point of life and death grew stronger on both sides. Cao Ci's spear almost shredded Chen Ping'an's heart—that was clear proof. Of course, without mentioning that Chen Ping'an's consecutive punches shifted Cao Ci's internal organs, he almost lopped off half of Cao Ci's head with his sword.
But no matter how heavy their desire for victory was, they couldn't actually settle life or death.
Therefore, the reason why they could have continued sparring but didn't wasn't just because more and more peak cultivators were watching from afar.
The Old Temple Master smiled. "If today there were no concerns at all, just pure sparring, what would the outcome be?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Probably both sides would think they were sure to win."
The Old Temple Master smiled knowingly.
If one day Cao Ci grew old, or there was no longer a White-clad Cao in the world's martial arts, would Azure-clad Chen call himself the second under heaven?
The Old Temple Master reminded, "Remember to hurry and pay attention to helping protect the Dao of Pure Yang fellow Daoist in that blessed land."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Definitely."
The Old Temple Master sighed. "I hope that in the future, one day, all martial artists across the several worlds—whether great masters or those just learning the fist—can see the sixth sparring between you two."
Chen Ping'an said softly, "I hope such a day truly comes. I hope."
Chen Ping'an remembered something and asked, "I intend to gather some items related to Lu Chen. Is this feasible?"
The Old Temple Master nodded. "It is good to plan ahead early."
The Old Temple Master flicked his whisk, urging, "I still need to return to refine pills. The piece of calligraphy I asked you for—bring it quickly."
Chen Ping'an was shocked. "Me?"
The Old Temple Master said, "Otherwise?"
The Old Temple Master took a piece of snow-white cooked silk paper from his sleeve and spread it in the air. "I don't have brush and ink prepared. You prepare them yourself."
Seeing that the Old Temple Master didn't seem to be joking, Chen Ping'an had no choice but to steel himself. "Write 'Contemplate Dao Temple'?"
The Old Temple Master retorted, "Otherwise, should I write 'Falling Mountain'?"
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then didn't call for Rong Yu or Song Yunjian to fetch brush and ink. Instead, he gently rolled up his sleeves, flipped his wrist, and used his fist intent to mobilize the water's fortune between heaven and earth. His fist traced circles repeatedly, gathering more and more water fortune, which grew increasingly deep green. It gathered near his hand, like a thick pool of ink ground in an inkstone.
Chen Ping'an punched into the "inkstone," dipped his fist like a brush, and smeared a large character onto the white silk paper—"Contemplate"!
The Old Temple Master, holding his whisk, nodded lightly. It wasn't ugly.
Chen Ping'an then punched fiercely into the green ink again, using his most proficient "Divine Being Drumming Style," stacking fists inside his body to eighty-one!
It was as if he had carved the character "Dao" into the paper.
One breath, and he wrote the final character, "Temple."
The Old Temple Master rolled up the silk paper and tucked it into his sleeve.
Chen Ping'an, still with strength to spare, asked tentatively, "Don't need to add an inscription and signature?"
The Old Temple Master chuckled. "Is it necessary?"
Chen Ping'an persisted stubbornly, "Could still add the finishing touch?"
But the Old Temple Master had already risen into the sky, crossing one world in a single step, returning to the Daoist temple within the Bright Moon Splendid Light.
Chen Ping'an stood in place, somewhat unsatisfied, as the Old Temple Master's voice echoed in his ears, "Go take a look at that mountain."
In the East Sea, Golden Carp did not order her carriage to return to the palace. Instead, she secretly left the carriage and came alone to this sparring ground. The residual fist intent was still as thick as water, lingering for a long time. Even she felt suffocated within it, having to hold her breath and close her body's cave dwellings, relying on her dharma robe to block the fist intent, circulating spiritual qi within her body's inner landscape. Otherwise, if she were contaminated by these extremely pure fist intents, separating them from her spiritual qi later would be troublesome.
She did not intend to disturb Cao Ci's rest. She had only come to "pay homage to the battlefield ruins."
But after waiting for about the time it takes to burn one incense stick, unexpectedly, Cao Ci was still sitting in the same spot.
Puzzled, she had no choice but to reveal herself and ask, "Cao Ci, why aren't you leaving yet?"
Cao Ci cupped his hands to her in greeting, smiled lightly, and didn't answer.
Golden Carp hesitated, then sat nearby. Even a fool could see that Cao Ci's victory in this fight was not easy.
Cao Ci collected his thoughts and sighed softly.
Seek but cannot obtain.
He had also studied texts, and sentence punctuation was the most basic knowledge.
Seek it yet, cannot obtain.
This fellow!
He, Cao Ci, would never in this life follow the example of the former number one under Hao Ran, whose Dao name was "Longbo," who turned to also cultivate Dao techniques to prolong life. A pure martial artist's lifespan was probably limited to around two hundred years as the cap. An Eleven Realm martial artist could expect to exceed three hundred.
He didn't know if he could wait until the entire world ushered in an era of peace and prosperity. He believed that at that moment, when the sixth sparring occurred, they could be free of all prohibitions. Or maybe one day in the future, they would again step into that higher threshold of a brand new martial arts world.
A flash of inspiration struck Golden Carp. She thought of a guess that even she found absurd and asked tentatively, "Did you lose?"
Cao Ci shook his head and smiled. "How could that be?"
Golden Carp didn't press further, just asked, "What does it feel like to have such a tough opponent?"
Cao Ci thought seriously for a moment, his brow relaxed, and he smiled. "Truly, 'seek but cannot obtain.'"
Golden Carp was puzzled. "Is there a fake 'seek but cannot obtain'?"
Cao Ci stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and was once again the Cao Ci most familiar to Hao Ran.
Chen Ping'an lay back in the rattan chair. His mind went to that high mountain of martial arts. He arrived at the foot, climbed the steps, slowly ascended, until he reached the top.
He found nothing unusual. He lingered on the peak for a moment and saw the images of the several martial artists who had broken into the Eleven Realm.
Then he descended the mountain.
Returning to the foot, he stood and turned, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked up at this high mountain of martial arts that had stood in the human world for ten thousand years.
For some reason, he felt it lacked something. Perhaps it was because Jiang She, the old master, was himself somewhat boring?
Jiang She suddenly appeared at this place. "Crossing the river and destroying the bridge—that's unkind."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Layer upon layer of uniqueness, sparse on the path, the mountain road so desolate and lonely—is this the scene of martial arts in Jiang She's heart?"
Jiang She laughed. "Otherwise? A noisy rabble would be unsightly? Throughout the ages, there is no second in martial arts!"
Chen Ping'an remained silent.
Jiang She asked, "Why didn't you pull Cao Ci into this mountain to spar? Wouldn't your odds of winning be greater?"
Chen Ping'an retorted, "During the battle of Night Passage Ship, why didn't Jiang She dwell in this mountain to face me?"
Jiang She laughed heartily.
Chen Ping'an withdrew his hands from his sleeves, propping up his chin as he gazed at this towering mountain, this long sacred path, lost in thought.
Jiang She said, "Since you don't accept it, why not take a look at the scene of martial arts in your heart? Anyone can complain, but you must have some achievements."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Then open your eyes and watch well!"
Jiang She sneered. "I await with eager anticipation."
Chen Ping'an began to climb the mountain anew. The foot of the mountain seemed to disappear piece by piece, replaced by all the martial artists who had ever earned the title of "strongest" from the first day of martial arts in the human world. Martial artists from all races of yore appeared, each with their own spirit, gathering like a martial forest.
After that came the second realm, the third realm... As Chen Ping'an climbed higher, the mountain layers vanished, yet countless martial artists gathered like mountains themselves. They had different heights and appearances. Within the mountain, each had their own fist stance, their own techniques... The three layers of qi refinement, the three layers of spirit refinement among which were the three layers of the Stopping Realm. Chen Ping'an kept climbing to the top. "Jiang She" was here, Lin Jiangxian was here, Cao Ci was here, all Eleven Realm martial artists were here.
In this way, there was no longer a distinction between mountain and sky.
Chen Ping'an looked down at the mountain foot and said to Jiang She, "Next time, I'll see Jiang She at the Twelfth Realm."
As for whether you, Jiang She, can break into the new realm, that's not my concern anymore.
Jiang She's form dissipated, withdrawing from this world, and said, "Good!"
Until this moment, Chen Ping'an had not only usurped Jiang She's name and position but had truly become the new master recognized by the human world's martial arts.
A new mountain, a new mountain master.