It was a clear, moonlit night. The sky was pristine, with two moons hanging high above. Silvery moonlight cascaded down like water, bathing the entire Desolate Continent in a clean radiance, creating a dreamlike, underwater world.
Beneath the watery moonlight, Zhaang Ye's eyes were shut tight. His hands were extended forward, fingers clenched into fists. He sank his waist slightly, and his feet trembled with a peculiar rhythm.
Zhaang Ye's stance was simple, yet it exuded a sense of solidity. He seemed like a stone under the moonlight, immovable no matter how the wind blew or the rain fell.
The moons reached their zenith.
Zhaang Ye slowly exhaled and relaxed his stance. He stretched his limbs and muttered, "This Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation is truly easy to learn but hard to master. I've been practicing it since I was five—a full eight years now. If I hadn't merged with those memories, which made my mind far more agile and my calculations much faster, I'm afraid I still wouldn't have been able to train this technique to the Minor Achievement Realm."
After obtaining two Martial Arts Secret Manuals, Zhaang Ye didn't begin his Cultivation immediately. He knew that the Martial Dao emphasized fundamentals. To go far on the path of the Martial Dao, one first needed a solid foundation. Therefore, Zhaang Ye took the opportunity of his recent advancement to review the contents of *Martial Arts Enlightenment*.
After the memories merged, Zhaang Ye's mind became much more agile. In just over ten days, he had managed to cultivate one of the defensive techniques recorded in *Martial Arts Enlightenment*—the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation—to the Minor Achievement Realm. Zhaang Ye was confident that with another half a year of practice, he could cultivate the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation to the Great Success Realm, reaching the state of being "as heavy as a mountain, as solid as iron, and unmoving even in a raging storm."
The more fundamental something was, the harder it was to grasp its essence. Although the Zhaang Family was large, few could train the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation to the Minor Achievement Realm. As for the Great Success Realm, those who had mastered it were pitifully few; you could count them on one hand in all of Three Rivers Town.
After training the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation to the Minor Achievement Realm, Zhaang Ye spent another half-month practicing the Basic Saber Technique. The Basic Saber Technique recorded in *Martial Arts Enlightenment* gave detailed instructions on how to grip, draw, strike, adapt, replenish Qi, and sheathe the saber. Zhaang Ye's past-life memories contained some knowledge of mechanics. Combining the Basic Saber Technique with this knowledge, and adding in his own formidable Comprehension, Zhaang Ye brought his Basic Saber Technique to the Minor Achievement Realm in just over ten days.
Zhaang Ye had started his Cultivation at age five, but due to his limited aptitude, he had trained bitterly for seven years without being able to bring his Saber Technique to the Minor Achievement Realm. Now, after merging with the memories, his Comprehension had improved dramatically. Bringing both the Basic Saber Technique and the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation to Minor Achievement in just over ten days was nothing short of a miracle.
Zhaang Ye's courtyard was too small. Now that his Basic Saber Technique had reached the Minor Achievement Realm, he had to find another place to practice. Zhaang Ye then recalled a waterfall he had discovered while gathering herbs in the mountains. The waterfall was over eighty li from Three Rivers Town and rarely visited, making it the perfect place to practice his saber.
'Mindlessly training in the courtyard isn't a long-term solution,' he thought. 'Now that I have a Saber Manual, I should go outside. I need to use nature to comprehend the Way of the Saber. That is the true path.'
Having made up his mind, Zhaang Ye packed a few things, gave some instructions to Cyan Lotus, and left the mansion with a Thick-Backed Saber on his back.
The disciples of the Zhaang Mansion were allowed to go out and gain experience for a period of time after turning thirteen. No special procedures were needed to leave; they just had to report to the steward. Cyan Lotus could handle this, so Zhaang Ye didn't need to do it himself.
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Zhaang Ye left the Zhaang Mansion and headed toward the waterfall. He had only gone a few li when a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his path.
The person blocking Zhaang Ye was a boy of twelve or thirteen dressed in green robes, his face full of arrogance. It was none other than Zhaang Dashu, who was on extremely bad terms with Zhaang Ye.
Zhaang Ye stopped and frowned. "Zhaang Dashu, what are you doing?"
A grim smile spread across Zhaang Dashu's face as he said slowly, "Zhaang Ye, let's not beat around the bush. Since you asked so directly, I'll be direct as well. Listen up. I'm here to ask you to join us. As long as you join us and help my young master secure the position of Patriarch, there will be great benefits for you in the future."
After his memories had awakened, Zhaang Ye had no interest in this kind of internal family conflict, and he certainly didn't want to tie himself to any faction. Without even thinking, he said, "Not interested."
Seeing Zhaang Ye reject him so quickly, a sinister glint flashed in Zhaang Dashu's narrow eyes. He said gloomily, "Don't be so quick to refuse. I know your older brother stole your Body Tempering Pills, and now you don't have any left. Without Body Tempering Pills, it would take a Martial Artist at least ten years to advance to the Martial Arts Third Layer. If you join us now, my young master will immediately give you a Body Tempering Pill. If you perform well, there will be even more benefits later. What do you say?"
As he spoke, Zhaang Dashu stared at Zhaang Ye with his narrow eyes. A single Body Tempering Pill cost several hundred taels of Gold and was often unavailable even if one had the money. Zhaang Ye desperately needed a Body Tempering Pill right now. Having offered one as a reward, Zhaang Dashu was certain Zhaang Ye would accept his invitation.
Unfortunately for Zhaang Dashu, he clearly didn't understand Zhaang Ye well enough. Zhaang Ye had even rejected Zhaang Shu's invitation, so how could he possibly accept this one? Without a second thought, Zhaang Ye replied, "Not interested."
Zhaang Ye's two consecutive rejections made Zhaang Dashu's expression turn ugly. A cold glint flickered in his narrow eyes as he sneered, "Zhaang Ye, I'm inviting you with the utmost sincerity. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Zhaang Ye's fists clenched slightly. He desperately wanted to smash Zhaang Dashu's ugly face in, but he had only just advanced to the Martial Arts Second Layer and hadn't learned any real combat skills. If a fight broke out, he would likely be the one to lose. Thinking of this, Zhaang Ye suppressed the urge to act and said coolly, "Right now, I'm only interested in the Martial Dao. I couldn't care less about family affairs."
From the shade of a nearby tree, someone suddenly chuckled and said, "Dashu, oh, Dashu. The reason Zhaang Ye won't join us must be that he's afraid we're not strong enough, right? Dashu, you should show Zhaang Ye your strength. Let him feel our power and our sincerity."
As he spoke, a boy of twelve or thirteen walked out from under the shade of the tree. With rosy lips and pearly teeth, he was quite handsome and had an extraordinary air. Standing next to the ugly Zhaang Dashu only served to highlight how remarkable he was.
This youth was none other than Zhaang Fang, whose fame was equal to Zhaang Shu's. Like Zhaang Shu, he had a Cultivation at the Peak of Martial Arts Second Layer and could break through to the Third Layer of Martial Arts at any moment.
Seeing Zhaang Fang appear, Zhaang Ye's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank. Zhaang Dashu's strength was at the Mid-stage Second Layer of Martial Arts, and dealing with him alone would have been a headache. 'Now, with the even more formidable Zhaang Fang added to the mix,' he thought, 'it's going to take some real effort to get away unscathed today.'