Chapter 152: The Journey
"Calm the heart!"
Lin Feng murmured softly, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
The teacher's meaning was that if one's actions aligned with their true nature, their talent would be high. For example, a person of slaughter must possess a true heart of slaughter to have strong talent.
And a benevolent person, possessing a benevolent heart and performing benevolent deeds, would also have high talent.
"My true heart indeed does not align with my actions," Lin Feng sighed inwardly. Living in this world, there were too many external pressures and constraints. It was too difficult to hold fast to one's true heart. The vast majority of people were acting against their true nature.
Take him, Lin Feng, for example. He was not fond of slaughter, but when Duan Tianlang destroyed the Cloud Sea Sect and the Bai Family branded Han Man with a slave mark, how could he not take up the sword of slaughter and use blood to honor the hatred in his heart? Even though he knew it went against his true nature, he still had to do it, because he was a human being.
As long as one was human, they could not escape the seven emotions and six desires.
Thus, those truly great villains had a heart of slaughter at their core, and they also carried out acts of slaughter. Yet they had extremely high talent and formidable strength, because their actions matched their true nature.
"Please, teacher, enlighten me." Lin Feng bowed slightly to the teacher playing the zither, speaking very politely.
"Calm the heart!" The playing teacher said indifferently: "Since you cannot align your true heart with your actions, you need to calm your heart frequently, let your state of mind settle and transform. A calm heart sets aside the chaos of the world, washes away the accumulated dust in your heart, and prevents it from becoming an obstacle."
"Calm the heart, wash away the dust in the heart."
Lin Feng murmured softly. The quiet sound of the zither continued to drift into his ears. Sensing something, Lin Feng slowly sat down cross-legged in the peach blossom forest, and his eyes slowly closed.
The playing teacher continued to bow his head and compose the melody, embellishing his music, never lifting his head.
As for Meng Qing, she glanced at Lin Feng sitting cross-legged, then turned around and stood behind Lin Feng, admiring the peach blossoms dancing wildly in the air. Such a magnificent sight was something even she, who lived in Black Wind Ridge, had never seen before.
This was a true heart-calming melody—quiet, peaceful, allowing one to forget everything and cast aside the distractions of the mundane world.
Suddenly, many scenes appeared in Lin Feng's mind. From his first step into the Nine Heavens Continent, to being expelled from his family and leaving Yangzhou City, to the Cloud Sea Sect, where Duan Tianlang led the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry to destroy the sect, and then to Broken Blade Heavenly Cliff—scene after scene played out clearly in his mind.
However, there was no biting hatred or piercing pain in Lin Feng's mind. It was as if he were watching all of this as a third party, calmly observing. His heart, surrounded by the melody, was incomparably peaceful.
This was a heart-calming melody. Even Lin Feng's martial soul did not resist, allowing Lin Feng to remain clear-headed, because Lin Feng was not being deceived by the melody; he was merely cleansing his heart.
Youthful years, within the zither melody, were but a snap of the fingers. In this tranquility, Lin Feng's mind completely relaxed, gradually sinking into a deep sleep.
The peach blossoms continued to dance wildly in the air. No one knew how much time had passed before Lin Feng's eyes slowly opened. He saw the teacher still playing the zither, the melody like a small bridge over flowing water—quiet and peaceful.
And Meng Qing, her holy figure standing there motionless, as if this single glance would last forever.
Lin Feng slowly stood up. But at that moment, his gaze suddenly froze, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
"Spirit Martial Realm, Fifth Layer?"
Lin Feng checked his cultivation level. That was correct—he was indeed at the Spirit Martial Realm, Fifth Layer. Unknowingly, he had actually broken through.
"Calming the heart... the effect is too terrifying."
Lin Feng was a bit stunned, but a smile appeared on his face. In the Spirit Martial Realm, crossing cultivation levels was not easy. Yet Lin Feng had only recently broken through to the Spirit Martial Realm, Fourth Layer, and now he had broken through again.
"Teacher, thank you."
Lin Feng bowed again to the teacher playing the zither. Clearly, his breakthrough must have been related to the melody the teacher had played.
At this moment, the teacher's hands finally stopped strumming. He looked up at Lin Feng, showing a gentle expression.
"No need to thank me. Your cultivation was already close to the Spirit Martial Realm, Fifth Layer. The primal energy in your body was sufficient; you were just slightly lacking in realm. I played the melody to help you break through in state of mind, and the breakthrough in cultivation naturally followed."
The teacher said to Lin Feng with a smile, his voice very kind. Although his strength was unfathomable, he did not have the arrogance that Lin Feng had encountered in the other two teachers.
"Without the teacher's melody, breaking through that slight lack in realm would not have been easy. Without the teacher's guidance, I, Lin Feng, would not have come here. Teacher, this 'thank you' is well deserved. Why refuse it?"
Lin Feng smiled and said sincerely.
The teacher nodded slightly and smiled: "Then I will accept your thanks."
A bright smile appeared in Lin Feng's eyes, and he said: "Teacher, last time you said that if I wished to seek guidance, I could come to you. Now, I would like to ask you to teach me to play the zither."
The teacher looked at Lin Feng and asked: "Aren't you afraid it will affect your cultivation?"
"Cultivating the heart is cultivation itself." Lin Feng said with a faint smile, causing the teacher to pause, then nod with a smile.
"Since you are willing to learn the zither, I will do my best to teach you."
The teacher looked at Lin Feng and said: "From now on, you can come to me here whenever you have time. Today, first listen to the zither. Only by learning to listen first can you be qualified to talk about practicing the zither."
"Alright." Lin Feng naturally had no objections. Listening to the zither could also help him break through in cultivation—why not?
The teacher sat upright on the stone chair and continued to play the melody. Lin Feng and Meng Qing, in the peach blossom forest, calmed their hearts and listened.
………………
In Lin Feng's room, several figures stood there.
Lin Feng, Liu Fei, Han Man, and Po Jun.
Lin Feng looked at Han Man and Po Jun and asked: "Have you both truly made up your minds?"
"Mm, Feng Ge, I have made up my mind." Han Man nodded. At this moment, his face was covered with a silver mask, hiding the slave mark.
Once a person was branded with a slave mark, it could follow them for life, unless they cultivated to an extremely high realm, reshaping their bones, tendons, blood, and flesh, and changing their skin, to remove the slave mark. Therefore, Han Man and Po Jun urgently needed to become stronger.
Who would be willing to have a slave mark follow them for life, unable to show their face?
"Feng Ge, I have also made up my mind."
Po Jun nodded as well. He and Han Man were not younger than Lin Feng, but they willingly called Lin Feng "Feng Ge." Lin Feng naturally saw no issue with this. With his two lifetimes of age, he was indeed much older than Han Man and Po Jun.
"Alright, then I won't stop you." Lin Feng nodded solemnly and said to Liu Fei: "Fei Fei, please write a letter for them to carry."
"Mm." Liu Fei nodded, then went aside to pick up a brush and write a letter.
"Han Man, Po Jun, what weapons do you use?" Lin Feng asked again.
"I don't need a weapon. The earth is my weapon." Han Man shook his head.
Po Jun hesitated for a moment, then said: "I use a long spear."
"Alright." Lin Feng nodded slightly, extended his palm, and light flickered. A pitch-black long spear appeared in Lin Feng's hand.
"Hmm?" Po Jun and Han Man's eyes focused. A long spear had appeared out of thin air in Lin Feng's hand?
"No need to be surprised. I have a storage ring."
Lin Feng did not hide this from the two. Han Man had no reaction, but Po Jun felt a complex mix of emotions. Lin Feng had not only saved his life but also trusted him, which moved him deeply.
"Po Jun, this long spear is for you."
Lin Feng handed the long spear to Po Jun. Po Jun hesitated for a moment, then took the spear. Immediately, a feeling of connection, as if it were part of his own flesh and blood, came over him. He could even clearly sense the sharpness contained within the spear.
This long spear seemed to have a life of its own.
"This is a spirit weapon. Use it well. On the battlefield, be sure to be careful."
Lin Feng instructed. It turned out that Han Man and Po Jun wanted to go to the border, to the battlefield.
"A spirit weapon!"
Po Jun's pupils contracted. A spirit weapon—of course, he had heard of them.
Spirit weapons were intelligent, sharp, and when infused with primal energy, their attack power multiplied several times over. They were extremely precious. For someone at the Spirit Martial Realm, they were too rare. And Lin Feng was giving one to him.
Po Jun felt that his hand was heavy.
At this moment, Liu Fei walked over and handed the letter to Han Man, saying: "When you reach Broken Blade City, give it to my father. He will understand."
"Alright." Han Man nodded, then looked at Lin Feng and said: "Feng Ge, we're leaving."
"Be careful." Lin Feng nodded heavily. Han Man turned around and strode out, as if without any reluctance. But who knew that this rough man's eyes were slightly reddened?
Po Jun bowed deeply to Lin Feng, then followed Han Man and left.
Lin Feng did not see them off. If he went, it would attract attention. Watching their retreating figures, he only silently wished in his heart: Take care!