Chapter 762 - 762: Realm
Old Madam Shen furrowed her brows and said, "Based on what you've said, that's very likely!"
"Actually, I think so too, but there's still something I can't figure out." Shen Tianjun said, "Brother Li San should know that all his meridians are blocked. Even with a body full of inner strength, if he can't unblock his meridians, then that strength is essentially useless to him. It's like guarding a treasure without being able to open the door to use it. Given this, why would Brother Li San transfer all his inner strength to him?"
"Perhaps, Brother Li San believed that someone could help him unblock his meridians," Old Madam Shen said.
Shen Tianjun said, "The only ones capable of unblocking his meridians are Ning Qianshu and Bai Li Xi. The former goes without saying; he definitely wouldn't do it. As for the latter, Bai Li Xi has not been seen for twenty or thirty years. It's hard to say if he's alive or dead, so Brother Li San couldn't possibly pin his hopes on someone who might not even exist, could he?"
Old Madam Shen too fell into silence; she knew quite a bit about the previous events. With Shen Tianjun's analysis, she also felt that the likelihood of this was not great.
"So what exactly is going on?" Old Madam Shen wondered aloud.
"Nothing can be certain at this point..." Shen Tianjun, looking at Ye Qing outside, pondered for a moment before speaking, "Actually, when I treated his injuries last time, I discovered that there is still a very powerful force of inner strength sealed within his meridians."
"Is that so?" Old Madam Shen was even more astonished.
"Therefore, I've always been unable to understand what exactly is going on. Perhaps, Brother Li San really took a desperate gamble; it's not impossible." Shen Tianjun paused, then continued, "However, one thing is still certain. The inner strength sealed within Ye Qing's meridians is very powerful. Every time he unblocks a part of his body's meridians, some of the sealed strength is released. If he could unblock all of his body's meridians and connect the governor and conception vessels, allowing the inner strength in his body to circulate and completely release, his power would truly be incalculable!"
"Really?" Old Madam Shen looked at Ye Qing in even greater amazement. In truth, the strength Ye Qing had shown so far was negligible. At least to a master like her, it did not even qualify. However, for Shen Tianjun to make such an assessment, it seemed the inner strength sealed within Ye Qing was truly immense!
"Sigh, no matter what, Brother Li San placed great hope in him," Shen Tianjun sighed, then said, "I owe Brother Li San a great deal for the battle twenty years ago. Now that Brother Li San is gone, all I can do is pass everything on to his successor!"
"That's only right!" Old Madame Shen nodded slowly and added, "But, you've said before that our Shen Family would no longer meddle in outside affairs. Tianjun, you must think this through. Once the great war between the Hong Alliance and Qing Tang breaks out, if the Shen Family gets involved, we might just end up as cannon fodder!"
Shen Tianjun nodded and said, "I am aware, rest assured, the Shen Family will definitely not get involved. However, Ye Qing will certainly not be able to avoid it. I will pass on all that I have learned throughout my life to him, to aid him in every possible way."
Old Madam Shen sighed and said, "With so many people in the Shen Family, not one can inherit your mantle. Ah, when you think about it, that really is the greatest tragedy for the Shen Family!"
Shen Tianjun also shook his head slowly. Speaking of that matter, he seemed to age considerably. The Shen Family of his generation could be said to be brimming with talent. Yet in the next generation, his own son Shen Ao Chen was also a remarkable prodigy whom he had planned to lead the entire Shen Family. Sadly, twenty years ago, Shen Ao Chen committed suicide, and the Shen Family completely lost the person who could sustain the entire clan, leading to their current state. That had always been his greatest sorrow, which is why he placed so much importance on Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu. Because, in his view, only these two had the potential to inherit his mantle!
Ye Qing practiced in the courtyard for nearly three hours before finally having a small epiphany. Although the withered branch still broke, at least he could now draw that circle completely. It was not until this moment that Ye Qing truly understood the meaning behind Shen Tianjun's previous words. He was like a boxer, seemingly executing a very simple move, but as he repeated the exercise over and over again for a long time, he gradually gained an insight.
With each practice session, Ye Qing gradually realized the precise moment when he should flick his wrist and turn, allowing the dead branch to complete its circle. Similarly, he discerned the exact instance when an incorrect grip would unleash maximum power. However, despite these insights, he still couldn't control the power endured by the dead branch, which led to it breaking time and again. Nevertheless, he was slowly forming a strategy in his mind. With each practice, his understanding grew clearer—he was inching closer to the realm described by Shen Tianjun.
In fact, in just three short hours, Ye Qing's strength had improved tremendously without him realizing it. Although the dead branch continued to break, he had grasped the realm Shen Tianjun spoke of; he was just not yet able to achieve it. Still, he had moved much closer to it, knowing how to deflect force and how to maximize it. This was with a mere stick in his hand—if he were wielding the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, the power would be truly terrifying!
Shen Qingyi had been watching Ye Qing practice tirelessly. Seeing him drenched in sweat stirred pity within her. She brought over a cup of tea and said, "Ye, you've been training for quite a long time, take a break!"
Indeed feeling weary, Ye Qing took the tea cup from Shen Qingyi's hand and smiled, "Miss Shen, thank you."
With a slight smile, Shen Qingyi took out a silk handkerchief and tenderly wiped the sweat from Ye Qing's forehead. She had been looking after him while he was unconscious these past few days, wiping his sweat daily, so this gesture had become second nature to her.
The faint fragrance from the handkerchief brought an inexplicable sweetness to Ye Qing's heart. Though he said nothing, the way he looked at Shen Qingyi said it all.
Inside the house, Shen Tianjun and Old Madam Shen watched Shen Qingyi's every move and exchanged a glance, both feeling utterly helpless. In her heart, Old Madame Shen actually approved of Ye Qing. However, she was well aware that Ye was destined to battle in the outside world, an unavoidable fact. She did not wish for Shen Qingyi to be involved, leaving her feeling conflicted.
As for Shen Tianjun, his mind was occupied with another matter. He could see Shen Qingyi's feelings for Ye Qing. He was also aware of Shen Lingwei's admiration for Ye Qing. Most importantly, he knew about Huangfu Ziyu's deep-seated love for Ye Qing, from which she couldn't extricate herself. Any of these three girls, each a Proud Daughter of Heaven in their own right, falling for the same man would be a stroke of luck for him. Yet, as someone who could be considered their grandfather, watching three of his granddaughters fancy the same man gave him quite the headache. But matters of the heart couldn't be controlled by anyone, and so, he could only resign himself to the situation!
Ye Qing trained intensely for four hours that morning, then had lunch with Shen Tianjun and the others. During lunch, he asked about the doubts he had encountered during his practice, and Shen Tianjun patiently answered each one. Some of the questions were surprising to Shen Tianjun. Seeing Ye Qing asking these questions meant he had already reached a certain level of understanding, and Shen Tianjun had not expected such rapid progress in just one morning, making him see Ye Qing in a new light.
Ye Qing was entirely unaware that his swift comprehension could astonish a Grandmaster of a Generation. After lunch, he rested briefly before resuming his practice.
Guided by Shen Tianjun's advice at lunch, Ye Qing's understanding of the realm deepened even more. When he practiced in the afternoon, he exerted even more force. In the morning, he had cautiously moderated his strength to prevent breaking the branch. But in the afternoon, as he increased his power, the branch still broke, yet the force with which it struck the tree trunk grew ever more powerful. By dusk, his strikes could cause the tree to tremble slightly, showing just how formidable the force had become.
Ye Qing was thrilled by this development. If he held a mere weapon instead of a dead branch, not even considering a Famed Instrument like the Seven-Star Ancient Sword but just a simple cleaver, what kind of force would that release?
He continued practicing until evening, and after having dinner, his arms were sore and almost unbearable. But Ye Qing did not stop. Returning to the courtyard of his residence, he found another tree and resumed his practice. Each movement caused pain in his shoulders, yet his heart was filled with joy. He was starting to master the trajectory and force of his strikes, and although he still couldn't keep the branch intact, he could feel that the force placed on it was not as great as before.
Ye Qing kept at it until the early morning hours before finally stopping. Exhausted, he lay down in his room and quickly fell asleep. The next day, just as dawn was breaking, he got up immediately and continued practicing his move while it was still dark outside.
Before breakfast, Ye Qing warmed up with an hour of practice. Afterwards, Shen Qingyi came to find him and they had breakfast together, then rushed off to the residence where Shen Tianjun was staying.
Huangfu Ziyu was already there, still practicing the blade technique from yesterday. Today, her movements were even more domineering than the day before, with wild saber Qi and powerful energy that made even Ye Qing feel apprehensive. Although Ye Qing had made significant progress, Huangfu Ziyu had also greatly improved from yesterday to today!