Watching the Mountain

Chapter 280: Chapter 171: Cold Water

”How was it?”

After performing ”Scorching Sun,” Xu Ran turned back, looking at Chen Chang’an with anticipation, eager to hear his assessment.

He had been feeling quite pleased with himself lately. First, he had an Enlightenment Dao experience right in front of Li Daoyi, Luo Qianxue, and Chu Lingxiao—the chosen geniuses of the younger generation.

And this wasn’t a simple Enlightenment Dao. When he had first comprehended the Death Realm and the Autumn Melancholy Realm, he had only grasped the Mental Realms themselves. His subsequent use of them was simple and crude, lacking any corresponding Daoist Techniques or Divine Techniques to serve as a medium.

The Swordsmanship that utilized these two Mental Realms was something he only fully created after Chen Chang’an had trained with him for sixty years.

Take his initial Sword Technique, ”Silent Sparrow,” for example. It was merely a crude application of the Death Realm channeled through an ordinary sword move, with no real finesse.

To put it more bluntly, it was just a sword plus the Death Realm. Nothing more.

At the time, he had no foundation in the Sword Dao, so he could only use it in such a crude manner.

It wasn’t until Chen Chang’an spent sixty years sparring with him, day in and day out, that his comprehension of the Sword Dao rapidly improved. By now, he could absolutely be called a competent, even outstanding, Sword Cultivator.

Only then did he use the Death Realm and the Autumn Melancholy Realm to recreate the Sword Techniques ”Silent Sparrow” and ”Autumn Sorrow.”

The completely transformed and recreated Swordsmanship was born entirely from the Mental Realms. Each technique, though just a single move, contained endless profundity. Each technique was a Divine Technique in itself, pushing the application of its Mental Realm to the absolute limit.

The same was true for the Midsummer Realm he comprehended in front of Li Daoyi and the others.

This time, he had comprehended both the Mental Realm and the Sword Dao simultaneously. After conceiving the Midsummer Realm, he instantly understood how to fully unleash its power through the Sword Technique ”Scorching Sun.”

This was one of the reasons Li Daoyi and the others were so shocked. After all, to comprehend the Swordsmanship at the same time as the Mental Realm was a testament to the profoundness of Xu Ran’s Realm in the Sword Dao.

After showing off in front of the contemporary young geniuses like Li Daoyi, Xu Ran had also fought the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian, to a draw while they were at the same Realm.

For someone like him, who had always been insecure about his talent and Comprehension and had been mediocre for centuries, this was an incredible vindication. It was as if centuries of pent-up frustration had been released in a single day.

But when he looked at Chen Chang’an, full of expectation, the other man’s reaction was not what he had anticipated.

Chen Chang’an stood there with his hands behind his back, looking at him expressionlessly, his face revealing no emotion whatsoever.

This stunned him. He couldn’t understand what Chen Chang’an was thinking.

After a moment, Chen Chang’an spoke, his expression placid. ”Perform all four of your Sword Techniques for me.”

Although Xu Ran didn’t know why he would suddenly make such a request, he didn’t refuse. He gripped his longsword and performed all of his Sword Techniques.

”Silent Sparrow,” which contained the Death Realm; ”Autumn Sorrow,” of the Autumn Melancholy Realm, evoking the ephemeral nature of life and the sorrow of change; and ”Melting Snow,” of the Warm Spring Realm, comprehended from the last smile the Little Witch, Ye Qingxue, left in this world.

And finally, ”Scorching Sun,” of the Midsummer Realm, which he had comprehended a few days ago after seeing the confidence, fearlessness, and vibrant energy of Li Daoyi, Luo Qianxue, Chu Lingxiao, and Lu Mingchen—all of them like a scorching sun.

When he finished performing all four Sword Techniques, he once again turned to Chen Chang’an and asked, ”How was it?”

Chen Chang’an was silent for a long time before he finally spoke slowly. ”It’s very strong, but...”

He paused for a moment, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes, and shook his head. ”I thought it would be stronger.”

”This...” Xu Ran’s expression stiffened. Hearing such a review at his proudest moment felt like having a bucket of cold water dumped on him.

”How much stronger did you expect? With this Sword Technique, I can already fight Junior Brother Zhang to a standstill.”

He wasn’t trying to make excuses for himself. Below the Nascent Soul Stage, the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian, was number one in combat prowess within the same Realm. ’For a nobody who has been mediocre for centuries to be able to fight him to a draw—that has to count as a decent achievement, right?’

’Aren’t Chen Chang’an’s expectations a little too high? It’s not like I’ve stopped trying. Can’t he just let me be happy for a few days?’

’Does he have any idea what I’ve been through these past few centuries?’

Hearing Xu Ran’s words, Chen Chang’an just shook his head slightly and said calmly:

”Do you really think you fought the Evergreen Sword Saint to a draw?”

Xu Ran looked at him, slightly puzzled, waiting for an explanation.

Chen Chang’an glanced at him and said indifferently:

”Everyone knows that although the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian, bears the title of Sword Saint, he has no famous Sword Techniques or moves.”

”His greatest strength is his combat instinct. He has integrated every move, every form, into his very being, all for the sole purpose of crushing his enemies.”

”His greatest power is his ability to decide life and death. Therefore, the one you fought to a draw was not the true Evergreen Sword Saint, but an Evergreen Sword Saint who couldn’t use his full strength.”

He glanced at Xu Ran’s reaction and continued, ”Of course, compared to the you of the past, being able to fight an Evergreen Sword Saint who isn’t at his peak to a draw is indeed a remarkable achievement.”

He paused for a moment before saying in a deep voice, ”However, for me, it’s still not enough. Don’t forget, you were entrusted to me by Senior Brother Ye Shan.”

”He said you could become my opponent, that you could witness in his stead the slash I prepared for him. Judging by your current performance, you are naturally not enough.”

Xu Ran fell silent. The moment he heard Ye Shan’s name, he knew just how high Chen Chang’an’s expectations were.

’If I measure myself by his expectations, then who I am right now is indeed not enough.’

Chen Chang’an looked at the silent Xu Ran and continued:

”There’s another problem. Think carefully. How long has it been since your other Mental Realms have shown any progress?”

Xu Ran was taken aback and was about to speak, but Chen Chang’an waved a hand to cut him off. ”Normal accumulation doesn’t count. That’s just practice making perfect. I’m talking about reaching a deeper level of the Realm.”

He watched Xu Ran’s reaction and offered a well-intentioned reminder. ”Haven’t you noticed? Your current mentality is a bit off. The normal you, no matter how great the achievement, would never be this self-satisfied.”

Xu Ran’s expression changed in alarm. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now, hearing Chen Chang’an’s warning, he instantly realized that his mental state had indeed been somewhat abnormal recently.

”Perhaps it’s because your comprehension this time was too profound, making the Mental Realm you grasped stronger than any before.”

”But by the same token, it has also caused you to remain immersed in that Mental Realm. You haven’t fully walked out of it, you just haven’t realized it yet.”

”This is the danger inherent in a Mental Realm. If you remain immersed in an emotion and can’t break free, you will completely transform into another person.”

*

*

*

”Everyone has their own way of breaking free from the influence of a Mental Realm, but without a doubt, returning to a state of calm is the best method.”

After leaving him with those words, Chen Chang’an departed.

Xu Ran watched his retreating back and gave him a solemn bow, feeling a sense of relief in his heart.

The Midsummer Realm was different from the others. It manifested more in one’s emotions and, on a psychological level, made his mentality younger, more like a subtle, transformative influence.

This was why he didn’t show any other outward emotions. He appeared no different than usual, and those around him would only think he was in a good mood lately, not that it had anything to do with a Mental Realm.

If Chen Chang’an hadn’t sensed something from their conversation, even he himself wouldn’t have noticed, let alone anyone else.

’If this had continued,’ he thought with lingering fear, ’I really don’t know what I would have become when it had built up to a certain point.’

Such things were not uncommon in the Cultivation Realm. A Mental Realm was fundamentally a transformation that occurred when one’s inner emotions reached an extreme and resonated with the Heaven and Earth Dao.

It was both a Dao and a reflection of a person’s inner self. Some intensely emotional Mental Realms could easily cause a drastic change in one’s personality.

After Chen Chang’an’s reminder, Xu Ran fell into contemplation.

Completely breaking free from an emotion was no simple matter.

The so-called ”return to calm” wasn’t something you could achieve just by being aware of it. One had to start from within one’s own heart.

He pondered for a long time and felt he should start with his other Mental Realms.

Just as Chen Chang’an had said, his other Mental Realms hadn’t progressed for a very long time.

The progress mentioned here referred to a deeper level of comprehension.

Now that he had a direction, Xu Ran was no longer anxious. He closed his eyes to rest his mind, first allowing his emotions to settle.

After a good while, he slowly opened his eyes, glanced in the direction Chen Chang’an had left, and shook his head slightly.

He knew, in truth, that Chen Chang’an had likely come to let him see the Sword Technique he had originally prepared for Ye Shan. After all, he had been preparing it for so long.

Not being able to let Ye Shan see that Sword Technique had always been Chen Chang’an’s regret.

His standards were very high. Until Xu Ran met his requirements, he was unwilling to perform that Sword Technique. Thus, he had been eagerly awaiting Xu Ran’s growth.

’Unfortunately, I disappointed him this time.’

Xu Ran sighed to himself, then smiled faintly.

He wasn’t discouraged by this. Since Chen Chang’an was looking forward to performing his Sword Technique, then he would just have to work hard to gain his approval so that he could perform it.

He remembered Chen Chang’an once saying that his life was always full of regrets.

Xu Ran thought about it. Chen Chang’an was the kind of man who would spar with him for sixty years, day in and day out, all because of a promise. He was the kind of man who would throw cold water on him at his proudest moment just to offer a well-intentioned warning. ’I absolutely cannot let a man like that have any more regrets,’ Xu Ran resolved.

’I have to make him perform that Sword Technique, and I have to witness it myself.’