One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng nodded. His movements were small and subtle, but Chen Duo could see that his shoulders and arms no longer felt slightly stiff. It was as if rusty joints had been oiled and regained their flexibility.

His gaze lingered on Chen Duo for a moment, landing on her still slightly reddened eyes.

"You did very well too. You've been thinking about the path of fusing Phoenix True Fire with Gu poison for a long time, haven't you? You've finally succeeded."

Chen Duo's eyes were slightly red, and she nodded vigorously. Her hair swayed, and a few strands of hair hanging by her ears drew a small arc in the air.

"Hmm! I used to never be able to use them at the same time, I always had to choose one over the other... When using the Gu, I couldn't activate the Phoenix True Fire, because the Gu worms would be afraid. They were like two incompatible people, I was stuck in the middle, unable to take care of either one properly. Now I finally don't have to! I can use them together!"

Her voice carried a lightness, a feeling of relief finally released after a long period of suppression, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. It wasn't excitement—Chen Duo wasn't excited. But you could hear that her voice was brighter than before, like a light bulb being switched from 40 watts to 60 watts.

Nie Lingfeng smiled slightly and said nothing more.

He understood Chen Duo's feelings. The frustration of possessing two powerful abilities yet being unable to wield them simultaneously had tormented her for many years. It was like having two hands, but only being able to use one, the other always tied behind her back. Now the rope was untied.

This week, Nie Lingfeng was not only healing his injuries, but also undertaking an unprecedented and crucial breakthrough.

He already possessed all of Nie Feng's inheritance—Wind God Leg, Cloud Dispelling Palm, Heavenly Frost Fist, Six Secrets of Arrogance, Demon Blade, Creation Blade, Xuanwu True Skill, Demon Heart Crossing, and Wuqiu Yi Jue. Later, he also obtained Bu Jingyun's sword intent inheritance. Before that, he had already fused the inheritances of Feng and Yun once, laying the foundation for his own martial arts.

But in the underground base, to fight against the "Mother Nest," he forcibly fused the essence of the Heavenly Frost Fist with his own skills, creating that earth-shattering strike. That strike was incredibly powerful, but it also placed a tremendous burden on his body. At the time, he stood there with his back to the pipes, facing the surging tide of monsters alone. After that strike, he felt as if he had been hit from behind by a truck, his internal organs displaced by the impact.

This made him realize that although he possessed the strengths of both schools, his initial integration was not thorough enough. The Cloud-Dispelling Palm had its "cloud intent," the Wind God Leg had its "wind intent," the Six Secrets of Frost had its "chill intent," and the Heavenly Frost Fist had its "domineering intent"—they were like several independent warlords, nominally under his control, but each operating under its own system. Against an opponent of the "Mother Nest's" caliber, they lacked stamina and couldn't sustain their power. It was like someone wielding three swords simultaneously—impressive, but unable to unleash the full potential of each sword.

Therefore, during his recovery, he made an extremely bold decision.

It was late at night, and moonlight streamed in through the window, drawing a white square on the floor. He sat in that moonlight, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He said to himself: "Either break down and rebuild, or be shattered to pieces."

With the Qilin True Body—formed by the fusion of Qilin marrow, phoenix blood, and a dragon essence—as its core, the true body that had been dormant within him, imbued with the aura of ancient times, now radiated boundless energy like a ignited star. He could feel his blood boiling, his bones resonating, and his muscles tensing, relaxing, and tensing again inch by inch.

He is aided by Nie Feng's Ice Heart Technique and Demon Heart Crossing mental cultivation, and Bu Jingyun's Overlord Sword Intent and Seeking Ease Technique. The Ice Heart Technique allows him to maintain absolute calm, preventing him from being overwhelmed by the power of the Qilin True Body; the combination of Demon Heart Crossing and Seeking Ease Technique allows him to control his inner demons and prevent him from being consumed by his own dark side; the Overlord Sword Intent gives him confidence in his abilities, preventing him from backing down in the face of difficulties.

Try to thoroughly and deeply integrate and reshape all the power within your body!

The soft power of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, the swift power of the Wind God Leg, the chilling power of the Six Secrets of Frost, the domineering power of the Heavenly Frost Fist, the sharpness of the Demon Blade, the formlessness of the Creation Blade, the fierceness of the Xuanwu True Skill, the transcendent realm of the Wuqiu Yijue, and the sword intent of Bu Jingyun gleaned from the Peerless Sword... These forces with different attributes, even those that conflict with each other, collide, tear apart, and merge in his meridians.

The sensation was as if someone had lit a hundred fuses inside him, each burning in a different direction, and he had to extinguish them all before they all burned out simultaneously. Each impact brought excruciating pain—not the sharp pain of being slashed, but a persistent, dull ache seeping from the very bones, like something growing inside him. His fingers dug ten marks into the meditation cushion, sawdust embedding itself under his fingernails, and sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping onto his knees and leaving a small, dark, damp stain on his white training clothes.

He remained silent.

This process is akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes. A slight misstep could lead to demonic possession and the severing of one's meridians.

But he relied on the absolute calmness of the Ice Heart Technique—maintaining composure amidst such excruciating pain is like stabilizing a small boat in a storm, requiring not only skill but also willpower—and the control of inner demons through the Demon Heart Crossing—every time negative emotions surged, he used the Demon Heart Crossing to dissolve them, preventing them from interfering with his judgment—and the boundless vitality provided by the Qilin True Body—whenever cracks appeared in his meridians, the Qilin True Body would release a surge of warm energy to repair and reinforce the cracks, as if pouring a layer of hot asphalt onto the fissures.

He narrowly escaped death.

Ultimately, he successfully sorted, compressed, and fused the chaotic energy within his body, forming a completely new power that combined the characteristics of both wind and cloud, yet was more domineering and more inclusive.

He called it—Qilin True Essence!

This Qilin True Essence possesses the elegance and fluidity of the wind—when it flows, it is like a gentle breeze, silent and all-pervasive; the unpredictability of the clouds—its form can change at any time, sometimes as hard as steel, sometimes as soft as flowing water; the bone-chilling cold of ice—it freezes not the temperature of the flesh, but the Qi circulation of the opponent; and the scorching fury of fire—it can unleash astonishing destructive power in an instant, like a volcano that has been suppressed for too long finally erupting.

It also contains a kind of domineering vitality and power that seems to come from the primordial era. It is not "life force" but "existence force"—it does not need external supply; it is the source itself. It exists there not because it has been given life, but because it is life itself.

Based on this, he further deduced and integrated the unique skills such as Cloud-Dispelling Palm, Wind God Leg, Six Secrets of Frost, Heavenly Frost Fist, Demon Blade, Creation Blade, and Xuanwu True Skill, refining and eliminating the dross.

The intricate variations of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm were simplified, retaining only the core meaning of "cloud"; the flashy but impractical moves of the Wind God Leg were discarded, retaining only the purest speed of "wind"; the chilling aura of the Six Secrets of Frost and the domineering power of the Heavenly Frost Fist were fused into a new "Way of Ice Domination" that combines the strengths of both; the sharpness of the Demon Blade was dismantled into more basic elements and rewoven into every move.

This makes each move more fluid and precise, and its power multiplied.

Previously, when he switched between different martial arts techniques, there was an invisible "wall" between them. He would use the Cloud Dispelling Palm and the Wind God Kick, with a delay of less than half a second when switching. That delay was so brief that ordinary opponents couldn't even feel it, but for a true master, half a second was the difference between life and death.

Now, that wall is gone.

The speed of the Wind God Leg can be incorporated into the Cloud Dispelling Palm, the chill of the Six Secrets of Frost can be contained in the Wind God Leg, the domineering power of the Heavenly Frost Fist can be attached to the Demon Blade, and the formless nature of the Creation Blade can be superimposed with the fierce power of the Xuanwu True Skill. He is no longer a "person who knows many kinds of martial arts", but a "person who knows one kind of martial art" - that martial art is called "Nie Lingfeng's martial arts".

He even vaguely touched upon the true threshold of the legendary "Mahabhāṣṭra," which could only be unleashed when wind and clouds were combined.

Maha Boundless is not "power," but a "state of being." It's not about "how much you have," but "how much you can use." It's not something that can be quantified or compared, but a state—when you reach that state, you don't need to think about "how much force I need to use" or "what move I need to make." Your body will do it on its own, your Qi will flow on its own, and your sword will cut on its own.

It's like standing in front of a door. You know what's behind it, you know how to open it, your hand is even touching the doorknob—but you're missing one last key. Where is that key? You don't know. But you're closer than you were a week ago; you can even feel the light coming through the crack in the door.

At this moment, he sat quietly in front of the courtyard.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the white training clothes. The wind rustled through the bamboo forest, making the bamboo leaves whisper secrets, as if they were carrying some ancient secret.

He felt the Qilin True Essence surging within him, yet flowing freely and effortlessly. That Qi flowed through him, not like a river, but like an ocean—vast, deep, and immeasurable. It had its own rhythm, rising and falling like tides, like breathing. He didn't know where it came from, nor where it was going, but it was there, peacefully, steadily, and unstoppably present.

And the profound feeling of those more than ten unique skills flowing and blending in my heart—like several ribbons of different colors, entwining, fluttering, separating, and entwining again in the wind. Their colors did not mix together and turn gray, but each maintained its original color, yet coexisted and flowed harmoniously in the same space.

An unprecedented sense of confidence rose within me.

That confidence isn't about "I'm stronger than before"—that's just comparing yourself to the past. It's a more fundamental, unwavering belief in the future—that no matter what the future holds, you have the ability to cope. It's not because your strength has increased, but because your strength is no longer "a collection," but "a single entity." A whole, a system, a circle.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the distant south.

That's the direction of Longhu Mountain. The mountain isn't high, but it's precipitous, perpetually shrouded in mist. At the summit stands a Taoist temple, its red walls and green tiles, its upturned eaves and corners hidden in the clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Inside the temple lives an old Taoist priest. He wears a moon-white robe, his hair and beard are white, and his face is compassionate. He looks like an ordinary, kind old man, but if you look into his eyes—those eyes aren't those of an old man. They are too bright, too deep, too still. Like two ancient wells, you can't see the bottom when you look down.

"Old Celestial Master..."

Nie Lingfeng softly uttered the two words, his voice so low it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"If I were to fight you now, I should be able to... be invincible, right?"

His voice was flat, not boasting, not speculating, but stating a calculated and confident conclusion.

As for whether we can win...

He shook his head slightly, a barely perceptible bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. That bitter smile lasted only a moment; if one didn't happen to see his face, one would never notice it. It was like a leaf falling onto the water's surface, creating ripples before sinking away.

The old master Zhang Zhiwei is hailed as "the most outstanding".

The so-called "supreme peak" is not the "mountain top," but "the highest mountain." His strength has long surpassed the ordinary, unfathomable. No one knows just how strong he is, because no one can force him to use his full power. Those who tried to force him to use his full power all fell before he could even do so.

Although he has integrated the legacy of Fengyun and possesses the true form of the Qilin and the foundation of the Dragon Essence, he has only been practicing for a short time. Compared with the old Celestial Master's cultivation, which has been refined over nearly a century and is close to the Dao, he is probably still inferior in terms of foundation and experience.

To remain undefeated is already a huge improvement. At least, he won't be as powerless against the Old Master as before. At least, he can stand firm against the Old Master's attacks and look for opportunities to counterattack.

"Forget it, now is not the time to think about this."