High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Questioning the Heart

Han Mo continued, ”The human heart is like an ocean. Consciousness is but the waves on its surface, and beneath them lie unfathomable undercurrents. All those thoughts, emotions, and ideals you’ve never spoken aloud, or even clearly perceived yourself, are submerged in those undercurrents.”

He looked at Xu Wuyi, his gaze profound. ”The fact that you could perceive the True Intention of ’Burn’ from your own origin indicates that this will to ’incinerate all’ has long been deeply rooted in your subconscious. It is not a tree without roots, nor a river without a source. As for why it exists...”

Han Mo paused, his tone calm yet powerful. ”That is a question you must ask yourself.”

”Now that the True Intention has formed, it is a part of your Martial Arts, a reflection of a certain aspect of your inner self. Figuring out its origin isn’t just about resolving your confusion; it’s about gaining a clearer understanding of yourself and seeing your true heart.”

”Two different True Intentions are like observing your inner world from two different angles,” Han Mo further explained. ”If you can merge and master them, it will be of immense benefit to you when you condense a Heart Image in the future.”

Xu Wuyi was lost in thought.

Similar words had actually been mentioned before, during Grandmaster Lin Jianyi’s course, ”Initial Understanding of Martial Arts True Intent.”

To condense a Heart Image, it was best to have two different True Intentions of Martial Arts to observe one’s inner self from different perspectives.

Seeing his expression, Han Mo knew what he was thinking. He set down his teacup and said, ”Since you now have a direction, you must explore it deeply. Are you free tomorrow? Come with me in reality to meet someone.”

”I’m free,” Xu Wuyi immediately replied. ”May I ask which senior Teacher Han is taking me to see?”

A faint smile appeared on Han Mo’s face. ”We’re going to see Junior Master Lin Jianyi.”

Xu Wuyi’s heart jolted.

’Grandmaster Lin Jianyi?’

’Junior Master?’

Han Mo saw his surprise and explained casually, ”Years ago, Junior Master Lin and my master both studied under the late Elder Grandmaster Yun Lan. They are proper martial brothers from the same school. It is only right that I call him Junior Master.”

’So that’s their relationship!’

Only then did Xu Wuyi understand. He had taken Grandmaster Lin Jianyi’s class and remembered him looking extremely young, even younger than Teacher Han.

But thinking about it now, his age was likely far greater than Teacher Han’s; he was a figure from the same generation as Grandmaster Yue Lianshan.

One could only say that upon reaching the Grandmaster level, there were too many inhuman aspects to them. Eternal youth was, in contrast, the least remarkable part.

”Junior Master Lin has achieved ’Sword Heart Clarity’ and his attainment in the way of ’Reflecting the Heart with Intent’ is extremely profound,” Han Mo said. ”There is no one more suitable to help you illuminate your true heart and clarify the root of your True Intention.”

”Yes! Thank you, Teacher!” Gratitude and anticipation swelled in Xu Wuyi’s heart.

A Sword Dao Grandmaster was personally helping him find his true nature. What an incredibly rare opportunity!

...

「The next day」

Xu Wuyi arrived early at the meeting spot he had arranged with Han Mo.

The two boarded a dedicated campus flying vehicle and traveled to a quiet, secluded mountain forest deep within Star Martial University.

Here, the trees were lush and verdant, and the spiritual energy was dense and swirling—a world away from the student residential area.

The flying vehicle slowly landed before an elegant little courtyard nestled by a mountain and a stream.

The courtyard gate slid open silently, and Han Mo led Xu Wuyi inside.

Inside the courtyard, a man in a plain blue cloth robe stood with his hands behind his back beneath an ancient pine tree. His back was to them, and though his figure was ordinary, he seemed to have merged with the surrounding heaven and earth.

It was Grandmaster Lin Jianyi.

”Junior Master,” Han Mo said, stepping forward and bowing respectfully.

Xu Wuyi quickly followed suit with a deep bow. ”Student Xu Wuyi pays his respects to Grandmaster Lin.”

Lin Jianyi slowly turned around. His calm gaze swept past Han Mo and landed on Xu Wuyi.

The gaze wasn’t sharp, yet it made Xu Wuyi feel as if he were being seen through, inside and out.

”No need for formalities. Han Mo has already told me about you.” Lin Jianyi spoke with a hint of a smile. ”Minor Achievement in the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, spontaneously generating a ’Burn’ Intention, yet you don’t understand its source.”

As he spoke, he held two fingers together like a sword. He didn’t point at Xu Wuyi, but simply raised his hand casually in front of him.

”Since you don’t understand, then go and see for yourself.”

Before his words had even faded, before Xu Wuyi could even react, he felt the world before him suddenly fill with an indescribable sword light!

It wasn’t a real sword light. It held no killing intent, no sharpness, yet it carried a power that pointed straight to his true heart and illuminated his very soul, instantly slashing deep into his sea of consciousness!

BZZZMM—!

Xu Wuyi only felt a roar in his mind as his consciousness was instantly stripped from reality, plunging him into a bizarre and fantastical illusion.

...

The illusion swirled. Countless fragmented images washed over him like a tide, battering Xu Wuyi’s consciousness.

He saw his younger self under a dim light, facing the yellowed diagrams of the Basic Body Refining Technique, repeating the tedious movements over and over again, sweat soaking his cheap training clothes.

That was the starting point for a Lower Class disciple’s journey in Martial Arts. Every step was exceptionally difficult.

The scene shifted. He saw his well-off classmates at school, casually taking out expensive nutritional supplements and talking about the famous tutors their families had hired.

Meanwhile, he could only silently calculate the use of every single Federation coin. He had to scrimp and save just to afford the most basic nutritional meals, and he had never even seen a Life Potion.

Resources. They were like an invisible chasm lying before him.

Next came the joint examination before the college entrance exams.

The special admission spot for the Three Greats’ entrance exam was casually given to the second-place student, Su Yueling, by the Lin Family. And he, the person directly involved, only learned the inside story after everything was already settled.

If not for the fact that Principal Zhang couldn’t tolerate injustice, he probably would never have even known what had truly happened behind the scenes.

The injustice of his desperate efforts being so easily crushed by power surged clearly in his heart once more. Even though time had passed, it still carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Scene after scene flashed by, all of them instances of injustice he had either personally experienced or witnessed while growing up.

The disdain of wealthy scions for commoner Martial Artists; the ”sponsorship” he had to accept despite clearly being gifted; or perhaps...

Perhaps it was only at this moment that Xu Wuyi truly understood his real thoughts when he had refused the sponsorship—

’Everyone has talent, so why can some people squander resources as if it’s their birthright, while others have to trade a part of their future freedom for so-called sponsorship now?’

’The real-world answer is simple: they were just born into the right family. Is it really that simple?’

But Xu Wuyi just felt it was unfair.

He knew he wasn’t qualified to talk about fairness, so he never said these things aloud. But... ’wasn’t he even allowed to *think* about it?’

These emotions that he had suppressed deep in his heart, or had even forgotten, now erupted without reservation, triggered by Lin Jianyi’s ”questioning the heart with the sword” Sword Intention.

Resentment, anger, helplessness, suppression... all sorts of negative emotions intertwined, almost swallowing his consciousness.

At the peak of this chaos, the scene within the illusion suddenly froze.

He saw a mountain.

A towering, massive, silent mountain—just like the foundation in Martial Arts he had always pursued—stood steadily between heaven and earth.

That was the manifestation of his ”Mountain” True Intention.

However, unlike before, the summit of this great mountain was not empty.

A great sun, incomparably scorching and radiating infinite light and heat, was slowly rising from behind the mountain!

The light was so intense, so pure, carrying a will to incinerate everything, that it instantly dispelled all the gloom and darkness in the illusion.

The brilliant, blazing sun shone in all directions, showing no bias!