In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 166 Treating Light Matters with Heaviness
The newcomer had a full head of snow-white hair, not withered and gray, but like the pure, unmelting snow on the summit of Tianshan Mountain. It was casually tied on the top of his head with an ordinary black jade hairpin, with a few strands of silver hair still falling on his broad forehead and rounded temples.

Although her hair was completely white, the old woman's skin was not the radiant, pinkish complexion of someone with white hair and a youthful face, but rather a healthy, rosy cheek like that of a baby.

He was round-figured, with a prominent belly that was even more noticeable, yet he stood tall and straight like a pine tree. He wore a slightly faded, coarse dark blue Taoist robe, the wide sleeves of which swayed slightly in the crisp mountain breeze, moving even without wind, as if they possessed an indescribable spirituality.

His presence blends so harmoniously into the ancient pines, the snow, the cool mountain breeze, and the majestic Taoist spirit of Wudang Mountain itself.

Neither Song Yuanqiao, Zhang Songxi, nor Gu Shaoan, who were gathered around the stone steps below, noticed his presence at all.

It was none other than Zhang Sanfeng, the undisputed number one martial artist in the Great Wei Kingdom and the founder of the Wudang School.

Looking at Abbess Miejue with her eyes gently closed, her face serene, yet her inner energy surging, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but sigh.

"I never imagined that this girl would one day be able to enter a state of enlightenment. It's truly a blessing for Emei!"

Finally, Zhang Sanfeng shifted his gaze slightly to Gu Shaoan, who was subtly protecting Abbess Miejue from behind.

After pausing for a few moments, it vanished silently into the snowstorm.

Just as when they arrived, they did not disturb anyone.

On the steps, as time went by, the surge of true energy within Abbess Miejue's body showed no sign of stopping; on the contrary, it seemed to be growing even more turbulent.

The speed at which her true energy circulated within her body was dozens of times faster than usual.

Most importantly, in this state of sudden enlightenment, Abbess Miejue's bottlenecks seemed to have been reduced to almost nothing.

Introduction to the Fifth Level of the Emei Nine Yang True Scripture.

The fifth level of the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" has been completed.

The fifth level of the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" has been completed.

In just half an hour, Abbess Miejue's "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" had already reached the sixth level of minor completion.

At this point, the surging, seemingly endless torrent of true essence within Abbess Miejue's body finally subsided.

It was no longer frenzied, but transformed into a vast, profound, and boundless energy, calmly settling within Abbess Miejue's limbs and bones, like a dragon lying in wait.

The powerful, awe-inspiring surge that had just erupted quickly dissipated, returning to its previous subdued state.

Abbess Miejue took a long, deep breath, a breath that was long and clear, as if she had absorbed all the spiritual energy of Wudang Mountain into her belly.

Sensing the fluctuations of true energy within Abbess Miejue's body, Gu Shaoan raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Given Gu Shaoan's understanding of the "Emei Nine Yang Manual," how could he not know that the sixth level of the "Emei Nine Yang Manual" is different from the previous five levels?

The transition from the fifth to the sixth floor is a hurdle.

In the fifth level of the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture", practitioners need to actively break the balance of Yin and Yang within their bodies, focusing on Yang energy.

At this point, the power and ferocity of the true essence far surpassed that of the previous four levels.

But just like the Nine Yang Divine Skill, its peak must eventually decline.

A one-sided focus on force and strength is not a good thing.

Therefore, once one reaches the sixth level of the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture," one can achieve the state of "yin arising from yang."

Just like how weapons need to be quenched and tempered after forging to make them more resilient.

Through this transformation of yin arising from yang, the true essence within a cultivator's body can be refined, becoming purer and truly achieving harmony between yin and yang, with transformation occurring from the heart.

Whether it's using true energy to drive a soft and gentle martial art, or using a powerful and domineering martial art, it can unleash even greater power.

However, the structures of the human body are all different.

The cultivation of internal strength is something that cannot be rushed.

Regardless of Abbess Miejue or Abbess Juechen, their progress in cultivating the "Emei Nine Yang Manual" is far inferior to that of Gu Shaoan, who has a proficiency panel.

According to Gu Shaoan's prediction, barring any unforeseen circumstances, if Abbess Miejue wanted to advance the "Emei Nine Yang True Scripture" to the sixth level, even without cultivating each level to perfection, it would take at least ten more years.

But now, a sudden enlightenment allowed Abbess Miejue to break through the barrier and advance the "Emei Nine Yang Manual" to the sixth level.

Given the purity of Abbess Miejue's true essence, in just two or three years, when she reaches the Great Perfection realm of the Sixth Layer of the Nine Yang True Essence of Emei, she might begin to study how to condense true essence into a powerful aura.

If successful, one can join the ranks of the world's top masters.

This is why everyone in the martial arts world dreams of entering a state of "enlightenment".

It can truly be described as "a sudden enlightenment that leads to great heights".

After a long while, Abbess Miejue slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes, which were originally sharp and intimidating, were now clear and deep, like the sky after the rain, carrying a sense of calm and peace after all the glitz and glamour had been washed away.

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "Congratulations, Master, on making further progress in your skills."

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan also offered their congratulations in turn.

Abbess Miejue patted Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo on the head behind her, then looked at Gu Shaoan with a joyful smile on her face.

Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi, who had previously kept their distance, approached and offered their congratulations: "Congratulations, Master."

After offering his congratulations, Song Yuanqiao couldn't hide his envy: "I never expected that the nun would actually be able to enter a state of enlightenment. In the future, her strength will probably completely leave me behind."

Abbess Miejue smiled and said, "It was just a stroke of luck. I never expected to have the opportunity to enter this state."

After exchanging pleasantries, the group set off again to continue their ascent up the stone steps.

Half an hour later.

Under Song Yuanqiao's arrangement, Miejue and Gu Shaoan were arranged to live in a villa on Tianzhu Peak of Wudang.

“Master has just broken through and is in a period of enlightenment. I also need to report to my master about the events of the past few days. Tomorrow, I will come again to ask my junior brother Gu to treat my third junior brother. If there is anything needed, please just tell the disciples outside the courtyard.”

Abbess Miejue smiled and said, "When in Rome, do as the host says. We will follow the arrangements of Headmaster Song."

Whether it was his imagination or not, Song Yuanqiao felt a sense of approachability and less of the coldness from Abbess Miejue at this moment.

After glancing at the Abbess Miejue and seeing the familiar face before him, Song Yuanqiao suppressed his doubts, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and turned to leave.

Having just made a breakthrough in her internal energy cultivation, Abbess Miejue casually gave Gu Shaoan and the others some instructions before entering the main room to begin comprehending the changes that followed the breakthrough.

After Abbess Miejue's door closed, Yang Yan spoke as her true energy spread: "Don't you guys feel that our sect leader seems a bit more gentle?"

Zhou Zhiruo nodded in acknowledgment.

After Abbess Miejue's sudden enlightenment at the steps, Zhou Zhiruo felt that Abbess Miejue's demeanor had changed.

It wasn't just that his facial expression and eyes were more peaceful; his entire aura seemed to have softened.

"I feel that Master is now somewhat similar to Uncle Juechen."

Yang Yan looked at Gu Shaoan and asked, "Senior brother, can enlightenment affect a person's personality?"

Gu Shaoan gently patted Yang Yan's head.

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. If I'm not mistaken, it must be that Master's state of mind has changed again. It must be the change in his state of mind that allowed Master to enter a state of enlightenment just now."

At this moment, Yang Yan suddenly asked curiously, "By the way, senior brother, what level has our sect leader reached in the 'Emei Nine Yang True Scripture'?"

Gu Shaoan casually replied, "Judging from the true essence aura within Master's body just now, he should have entered the sixth level."

"Hiss~ Two levels in a row?"

Yang Yan gasped.

Zhou Zhiruo, who was standing to the side, also showed a look of surprise on her face.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Yan leaned closer and asked expectantly, "Senior brother, you've entered a state of enlightenment so many times, do you have any tips to share? Let my senior sister and I experience the effects of enlightenment too?"

Gu Shaoan was speechless when he heard Yang Yan's question.

His "Enlightenment" skill is only a gold-colored skill, not a rainbow-colored one. Although it also has the effect of sudden enlightenment, the effect of enlightenment is different from that of Abbess Miejue.

Strictly speaking, Gu Shaoan's "enlightenment" entry can be described as a state of minor enlightenment.

It can accelerate Gu Shaoan's own cultivation.

But it's nowhere near as profound as the sudden enlightenment of Abbess Miejue. Otherwise, if he could do what Abbess Miejue did every day, Gu Shaoan would have been invincible years ago, and wouldn't be relying on diligence like he is now.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Shaoan said, "There is a trick to it."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo's eyes lit up.

Gu Shaoan said, "When you completely immerse your mind in cultivation, and your thoughts are all about your own martial arts, you may be able to reach a state of enlightenment when you are fully immersed in this state."

Yang Yan frowned and said, "Isn't this something we do every day?"

Zhou Zhiruo nodded in agreement.

Gu Shaoan chuckled and said, "If it were really that simple, then enlightenment would be commonplace. Since it's so rare, there must be a reason why it's difficult."

"You and your senior sister are both quite insightful. Once you've accumulated enough knowledge and experience, one day when the feeling comes, you might be able to enter a state of sudden enlightenment, just like your master is now."

Yang Yan sighed and said, "Your words are more insightful than any other words. Senior brother, what you said is no different from saying nothing at all."

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "That's how the way of martial arts is. Sometimes it's like looking at flowers through a fog. If you can understand it, the fog will clear and the flowers will appear. If you can't understand it, the fog will obscure your vision."

Before he began practicing cultivation, Gu Shaoan didn't understand why the elders of his sects would always deliberately use profound and mysterious words to make their teachings seem cryptic.

But with Gu Shaoan's current level of martial arts expertise, he naturally understands that the most important thing in martial arts is to rely on one's own comprehension.

Otherwise, at best, you'll just be teaching another version of yourself, and you'll find it difficult to forge your own path in martial arts.

When giving guidance, leave some room for others to explore and learn on their own.

Although they didn't understand what Gu Shaoan meant, the two women still wrote down what he had said.

After the two women went to admire the snow scenery of Wudang Mountain in the dead of winter, Gu Shaoan moved to the cliff next to the villa.

The snow continued to fall silently, and Gu Shaoan stood alone in the wind and snow, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

He did not use his true energy to resist the cold, but let the icy aura envelop his entire body, adding a sense of clarity to his mind.

Holding the ancient scabbard of the Heaven-Slaying Sword in his palm, the cool touch spread along his arm, as if it were also connected to the silent sharpness within the scabbard.

A moment later, Gu Shaoan's right hand suddenly gripped the hilt of the Heaven-Slaying Sword.

"Chong"

A clear, resonant sound rang out as the sword drew its blade, tracing a chilling arc of light in the dim light, instantly dispelling the snowflakes that blanketed the area within a foot's radius.

With a slight tremor of his wrist, Gu Shaoan began a simple opening stance, his body moving with the sword as he began to dance in the tranquil world sealed by wind and snow.

The seemingly casual movements actually incorporate the "Willow Catkins Sword Technique" and the "Sunset Sword Technique".

In his hands, the Heaven-Slaying Sword sometimes moved like a butterfly flitting among flowers, and sometimes flashed by like the afterglow of the setting sun.

The sword tip spun into delicate, graceful flowers, vying and entwining with the swirling snowflakes.

Snowflakes fell softly, touching the rapidly spinning sword blade, instantly and silently disintegrating into finer ice crystals and dust.

Gu Shaoan's breathing was long and deep, and as his thoughts turned, the swordplay in his hand changed accordingly.

Gradually, Gu Shaoan's swordplay became increasingly fierce, and the trajectory of each swing became more concise and refined.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword, which was not particularly light, was as light as a feather in Gu Shaoan's hands, but the sound of it cutting through the air carried a distinctly dull quality.

It was as if Gu Shaoan was not holding the Heaven-Slaying Sword, but rather the heavy sword that Abbess Miejue had specially made for him a few years ago.

"No! If it were to be effortless, the sword wind shouldn't feel so heavy."

"But all my strength is concentrated in the sword, so how can I not make the sword wind heavy? Should I withdraw all my strength?"

The three words Sun Baifa spoke of: “gather,” “condense,” and “penetrate.”

Gu Shaoan is now able to accomplish the first two.

However, Gu Shaoan had never been able to figure out the meaning of the word "贯".

However, one can vaguely sense that the first two methods pertain to controlling one's own strength, while the last one, "贯" (guan), pertains to how to use the strength that one has condensed.

But how can this "through" be reflected in the moves?
What is the mysterious connection between it and "treating light things as heavy things"?

With the sword flowing smoothly, he practiced every basic movement—thrusting, pointing, flicking, and wiping—hundreds of times. Even without deliberate guidance, his swordplay flowed continuously.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan was like a tireless puppet, trying out the sword moves of "Willow Catkin Sword Technique" and "Sunset Sword Technique" again and again.

I don't know if a quarter of an hour or the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

Just as Gu Shaoan's thoughts were becoming increasingly restless due to his fruitless pondering, a familiar and mysterious feeling suddenly surged within his body.

However, the effect of the "enlightenment" stat was quietly triggered.

In an instant, a sense of clarity and tranquility washed over his mind like a cool spring.

Gu Shaoan's thoughts were also flowing and colliding at an extremely fast speed.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Gu Shaoan's swordplay constantly shifted, using each move to test the ideas that popped into his head.

The wind at the mountaintop is naturally noisy.

Especially in the dead of winter.

When the mountain wind blows in your face, the cold wind seeps in everywhere.

Just as Gu Shaoan turned around and brandished his sword, the mountain wind that had just hit him also entered his ears.

One of the strands even traveled along the cochlea, seemingly brushing against the eardrum, causing a sudden "whoosh" sound to ring in Gu Shaoan's ears.

However, this sudden sound seemed like a spark of inspiration.

"No, it's not just about the transmission of power, but also about timing. Just like a water attack on the battlefield, building a dam is about 'gathering' and 'condensing' the water's force in one place, but what ultimately determines success or failure is the moment when the sluice gates are opened and the water bursts through the dam, allowing the surging flood to find the most suitable and concentrated outlet, and then forcefully rush through all the gathered floodwaters to defeat the enemy."

"In other words, the power I have gathered and concentrated should not be injected into the sword blade, but rather gathered in my hand."

"At the moment of contact with the target at the tip of the sword, the energy condensed in the hand is then channeled into the sword in a penetrating manner."

"Gather immense power with 'concentration,' solidify the abyss's force with 'condensation,' and break through all laws with 'penetration'!"

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and a sharp glint appeared in Gu Shaoan's eyes.

Almost in the instant a series of thoughts appeared, Gu Shaoan moved like a fleeting shadow, instantly appearing in front of a massive, exceptionally hard, brown rock, about half a person's height, exposed on the mountainside, four zhang away.

He didn't even use a fraction of his true energy to protect himself or activate his sword. With a flick of his wrist, the Heaven-Slaying Sword gently touched the center of the giant rock in an extremely casual gesture.

This sword strike wasn't particularly fast; it was only about the speed of an ordinary person drawing a sword.

The light, effortless sword strike was as if it were merely a gentle caress, devoid of any fire.

The blade sliced ​​through the air so finely that even the sound of it cutting through the air was barely audible.

However, just as the seemingly ordinary, even somewhat "light and weak" sword tip gently touched the cold giant rock, the force that Gu Shaoan had just gathered in his hand instantly surged into the Yitian Sword with a fierce momentum, until it burst out from the tip of the sword.

"Ding!"

Just like when metal lightly touches the ground, a crisp but not loud sound rang out.

The longsword was sheathed, and the giant rock in front of him remained unharmed.

However, as Gu Shaoan stepped forward and gently touched the surface of the giant rock, his fingers made a "crack" sound, as if pressing on a rotten and dried bamboo shoot husk.

The next moment, in Gu Shaoan's sight, more than half of the giant rock in front of him turned into brown powder or small stones and scattered.

That light touch of the sword just now actually turned half of this giant rock into dust.

The remaining half, however, seemed completely unaffected.

Gu Shaoan looked down at the pile of stone powder on the ground.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, and he let out a long sigh.

Immediately afterwards, a smile first appeared at the corner of her mouth and then spread across her entire face.

"Treating something light as something heavy, it's done."

　The next chapter will be around 8 PM. It'll still be three updates today!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)