Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 168: The True Meaning of the Tide Abyss Blade

The blade flashed briefly in the training ground before disappearing into the shadow cast by the stone wall.

The first strike is a horizontal slash.

The qi flowed into the blade, overflowing from the edge and drawing an arc in the air. A strong wind swept up stone chips, which slapped against the four stone walls.

The numbers jumped in front of my retina.

1960.

Chen Ping sheathed his sword and began to strike again.

The second strike is a sweeping slash.

The blade rose from bottom to top, and the qi flowed along the spine of the blade, condensing into a ball at the tip. With a final flick of the wrist, it exploded, and a burst of energy slammed into the stone wall directly in front of it with a muffled thud, sending fragments of stone flying.

1963.

The third strike is a reverse slash.

The waist twists, the knife comes around from the right side, the weight shifts from the left foot to the right foot, the force rises from the ground, passes through the waist and shoulder, enters the arm, and sinks into the knife. 1965.

One cut after another.

Chen Ping practiced the Han Hai Sword Technique from the first move to the last move, and then started over from the beginning.

Every strike was a genuine, powerful slash, the blade infused with vital energy, the gust of wind swirling through the training ground, causing more and more cracks to appear on the ground, and rubble to pile up in the corners.

Sweat slid down his forehead, dripped down his chin, and shattered on the ground.

In front of the retina, the numbers jump up little by little.

1978.

1991.

The further you jump, the slower it gets; each jump feels like it's being squeezed.

Chen Ping sensed it.

His swordsmanship had become different; he was incredibly skilled at it.

He was so familiar with the technique that with every strike, he could clearly sense its limits, the ceiling of its power, and the bottleneck in the flow of his inner energy. The framework of the Vast Ocean Sword Technique had been perfected.

1999.

The final blow.

Chen Ping stood in the center of the training ground, with Jing Ye hanging at his side, the tip of his blade scraping the ground, his breathing heavy and even.

He closed his eyes, suppressed all distracting thoughts, focused his energy in his dantian, and let his internal energy complete a full cycle, flowing into his right arm, sinking into his palm, and seeping through his palm into the hilt of the knife, pushing it forward inch by inch along the spine of the blade until it reached the tip.

Open your eyes.

He slashed out with a single stroke.

This strike is the simplest vertical slash.

But this single slash contains everything about the Vast Ocean Blade Technique.

Just then, the waves crashed against the shore.

When gentle, she lurks into the abyss.

2000. The number stopped.

Immediately, the line of text in front of my retina shattered.

All the text about the Vast Ocean Blade Technique shattered, turning into countless points of light that surged before my eyes.

At the same instant, Chen Ping's mind exploded.

All the moves of the Vast Ocean Blade Technique, from the first move to the last, appeared in his mind simultaneously, and then were dismantled by an invisible force.

The power delivery path has been broken down into its most basic framework.

The path of the Qi circulation was extracted.

The muscle memory from when the knife strikes is stripped away.

Then there are things outside of the Vast Ocean Sword Technique.

Over the years, he has slashed every person with his knife, fought every battle, felt the blade pierce flesh, felt the shock of opposing forces colliding, made choices in his sword stance when facing a neutral force, and experienced the clash of forces when facing a primary force.

Those scattered insights, things I couldn't usually recall, all surged up from the depths of my memory, mixing together with the disassembled Vast Ocean Sword Technique.

Chen Ping stood rooted to the spot, gripping the knife, his entire body trembling violently. His consciousness was pulled into a state of chaos.

Nothing could be seen around them except for countless tumbling fragments.

Then, the fragments began to come together.

The original order of the Vast Ocean Blade Technique has been broken, and a completely new way of recombining them has been developed.

The skeleton is the foundation of the Han Hai sword technique, the flesh and blood are his own insights, and the tendons and ligaments are a new path for the circulation of Qi.

A concept emerged from the chaos.

deep.

A bottomless abyss.

The qi on the blade transformed into an invisible abyss. All power that touched this abyss would be pulled in, sinking into the bottomless darkness and being completely consumed.

Chen Ping stood in the chaos, looking at this abyss, and understood.

Then, the abyss was full.

The things swallowed sank to the bottom of the abyss, accumulating more and more, becoming increasingly dense. When the accumulation reached its limit, the bottom of the abyss exploded.

tide.

A tidal wave.

Everything that had been swallowed was expelled at this moment, transforming into a vast ocean of qi that poured out, with countless blade-like qi hidden within it.

The tide surged outwards in an overwhelming manner, and those caught in it were cut by blades from all sides, with no way to escape.

It swallows the abyss and spits out the tide.

The more it swallows, the larger the tide becomes, and the denser the blade energy becomes.

The chaos dissipated.

Chen Ping opened his eyes.

He was still standing in the center of the training ground, his posture unchanged, and Jingye was still in his hand.

But cracks spread outwards from the ground beneath his feet, as if something was surging out of his body and crushing the entire ground.

New text appeared before my retina. 【Tide Abyss Blade】

[True meaning: Chaoyuan’s true meaning]

Chen Ping looked down at the Nightfall in his hand.

There was nothing on the blade; it was just an ordinary large knife.

But he knew that if he wanted to, his next strike would be aimed at Chaoyuan.

The intention is as clear as the knife.

When the intention is there, the spirit arrives.

He closed his eyes, savoring the entire process of his transformation.

The "intention" that emerged from the chaos did not appear out of thin air.

It is his own thing.

The muscle memory from practicing the Vast Ocean Sword Technique hundreds of times, the experience accumulated from countless battles, the understanding of hardness and softness, and the perception of Qi—these things have always been in his body, but they are scattered and not connected.

The transformation merely provides a pathway, forging these fragments into a furnace, from which the true essence of the Tide Abyss Blade is forged. In other words, the more one knows, the more one sees, and the more one comprehends, the stronger the next transformation will be.

Every battle, every encounter, and every martial art recorded on the panel is feeding material for the next transformation.

The Dragon Python's power card is stuck at the Perfect level and cannot be transformed; it's not on the character panel because its own accumulation is insufficient.

Chen Ping tucked the Jingye into his back, sat down in the center of the training ground, and closed his eyes.

My mind is clearer than ever before.

The road is clear now.

......

The Lu family residence is located in the east of the city.

The doors to the main hall were closed, and the hall was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was as heavy as if weighed down by lead.

Lu Chengyuan sat at the head of the table, holding a teacup in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

On the long table in front of him were several sheets of paper: rubbings of secret letters, messages sent back from outside, and notification documents delivered from the southern camp.

Lu Chengye sat on the right, his face ashen, his eyes bloodshot, his fists clenched on his knees, veins bulging. On the left sat an old man with white hair and beard, a stern face, and wearing a faded blue robe.

Lu Henian.

Lu Zhenshu's uncle, Lu Chenglin, stood to one side. He was in his early thirties and his face bore a slight resemblance to Lu Zhenshu's. His lips were tightly pressed together, and he dared not utter a sound.

No one spoke in the hall.

Silent for a long time.

Lu Chengyuan placed the teacup on the table, his voice deep.

"Twelve Transformation Realm experts, all annihilated; Zhang Rui executed; Lin Gongfeng and Zhang Gongfeng, all dead."

With each word he uttered, Lu Chengye clenched his fist tighter.

"The secret letter and the iron token have been intercepted and archived at the South City Camp."

Lu Chengyuan pushed the notification document onto the table, pressed his fingers on it, and dug his nails into the paper.

"Chang Wei sent a document to the Governor-General's Office."

The air in the hall grew colder. Lu Chengye suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with anger: "A peasant! A peasant from a poor family!"

Lu Henian held his teacup without even lifting his eyelids.

Lu Chengyuan did not respond.

Lu Chengye's chest heaved a few times, his voice lowered, but the gritted teeth intensified: "I sent twelve Transformation Realm experts and two Elder Realm experts, fourteen people in total, just to kill one outer court student, and not a single one of them returned!"

He slammed his hand on the armrest, and a crack appeared in the wood.

Lu Chenglin stood to the side, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, his voice weak: "Second Brother, when I saw Chen Ping last time, I could clearly feel that he was still at the Transformation Realm."

The hall fell silent.

Lu Chengyuan turned his head and glanced at Lu Chenglin.

Lu Chengye also turned his head, his expression changing.

Lu Chenglin shrank back, his voice even lower: "From then until now, has it been half a month?"

No one responded.

In half a month, he had progressed from the Transformation Realm to the Primordial Realm. The silence in the hall was even heavier than before.

Lu Henian put down his teacup and sighed softly.

"Chengye."

Lu Chengye was startled and quickly looked up at the old man.

Lu Henian's voice was not loud, nor was it hurried or slow, but every word he spoke was substantial.

"This time, you were too reckless. Your preparations were inadequate. If you had observed for a while longer and figured out Chen Ping's exact cultivation level, you wouldn't have ended up in this predicament."

He paused, glanced at Lu Chengye, and softened his tone slightly.

"But I am not sitting here today to blame you."

He picked up the teacup beside him, gently skimmed off the foam, and took a small sip.

"This young man named Chen Ping is undoubtedly a true martial arts genius, or even a once-in-a-century prodigy. His breakthrough speed is too terrifying; he is definitely not someone to be underestimated."

He scanned the room.

"From the very beginning, our Lu family should not have provoked and become the mortal enemy of such a hidden dragon for the sake of a deceased member." "But what's done is done, and there's no going back. We've paid the price and come to a conclusion."

Lu Chengye shut his mouth, his fist still clenched.

Lu Henian continued, his voice becoming more subdued.

"Chen Ping has already shown his talent and is almost certain to enter the inner academy. The instructors in the inner academy should have already noticed him."

He looked at the people in the hall and said, word by word.

"Our Lu family has already lost the opportunity to kill him."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chengye could no longer hold back and, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed, "Then Zhenshu died in vain?!"

Lu Henian looked up and his gaze fell on Lu Chengye's face.

"So what do you plan to do? Charge into Cangwu?"

His voice was calm to the point of being cold.

"The students of the Inner Academy represent the face of the Great Wei Dynasty, and they wear official military ranks recognized by the court! How dare you, Lu Chengye, openly assassinate a court official?"

Lu Chengye's lips trembled slightly. "Have you been living in these peaceful times for too long, and your brain has rusted?"

Lu Henian looked at him.

"The infamous tragedy that rocked Canglin Province a few years ago—the Liao family of Cangshui, a powerful clan whose foundation was not much weaker than ours—secretly plotted to murder a sixth-rank imperial military officer in order to seize a mine. What fate awaited them after the matter was exposed and confirmed?"

"The entire family will be executed! Not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

"Have you forgotten about this?"

There was no sound in the hall.

"And you saw the way Lin Gongfeng died."

Lu Henian's voice revealed a hint of weariness.

"How could a martial artist who has just entered the Yuan Gang realm possibly achieve this? How many more offerings do you need to sacrifice? The total number of Yuan Gang offerings in the family is limited. If a few more die, who will guard those properties outside the city?"

He closed his eyes wearily and leaned back in his chair.

"Although Lu Zhenshu is a promising talent, he is ultimately just one person. Our Lu family has been growing for over a hundred years, and he is not the only heir among the younger generation. If he dies, he dies. The greater good is more important."

Lu Chengye was still unwilling to give up. His eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse: "He hasn't really entered the inner courtyard yet! Next time he goes on a mission, I'll hire ten Yuan Gang martial artists at a high price!" "Enough!"

Lu Chengyuan's voice boomed in the hall.

Lu Chengye was startled and looked up at his elder brother.

Lu Chengyuan held the teacup, his knuckles turning white, and a fine crack appeared on the bowl's surface.

"All plans to assassinate Chen Ping end here."

Lu Chengye opened his mouth unwillingly, wanting to argue further.

"At least for now, while he's in Tianyan City, he's unable to move."

Lu Chengyuan placed the teacup back on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the wooden surface with a dull thud.

He closed his eyes, rubbed his throbbing temples, and his voice was filled with exhaustion and anxiety.

"Let's put Chen Ping's personal grudges aside for now."

He opened his eyes and glanced at the people in the hall.

"This time, Zhang Rui's matter has been exposed by that kid. With Chang Wei's personality, the petition suing us should already be on the Governor's desk." He tapped his finger lightly on the desk.

"That's what we should be thinking about now."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lu Chengyuan thought for a moment and then spoke.

"The biggest reason this plan against Chen Ping failed so miserably was the error in intelligence. All those spies sent out to keep watch on Chen Ping's movements, bring them all back and execute them secretly. Since they've eaten the food of the Lu family and still dare to disobey orders and report false military intelligence, then they'll pay with their lives!"

He turned to look at Lu Chengye.

"Second brother, I'm leaving this matter to you."

His gaze darkened slightly.

"Keep your hands and feet clean. Don't let anyone escape."

Chen Chengye's chest heaved twice, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Yes, brother."

The main hall was empty. Lu Chengyuan and Lu Chengye left one after the other, one heading towards the study and the other towards the front yard, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Lu Chenglin followed behind Lu Chengye, and the two figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Lu Henian was the last to get up.

Instead of heading towards the front hall, he turned a corner and slowly walked along a narrow bluestone path into the depths of the backyard.

The courtyard wasn't large; an old locust tree occupied half the space, its shade covering most of the yard.

A bamboo recliner sat against the wall, next to a pot of chilled tea and a rough porcelain cup.

Lu Henian sat down on the recliner and slowly leaned back, the bamboo chair making a soft creaking sound.

He looked up at the locust tree branches overhead, their leaves swaying gently in the night breeze, scattering the moonlight into fragments on the ground.

He let out a long sigh.

"The price my Lu family paid in this round was far too high."

He didn't turn around, his voice low and hoarse, as if he were talking to himself.

"You guys have to come up with enough to compensate for this mess." As soon as he finished speaking.

Suddenly, a soft footstep sound came from behind.

It's very light and soft.

The footsteps stopped about five steps away from the recliner.

A young man emerged from the shadow of the old locust tree, waving a folding fan in his hand. His face was as black as jade, his features were handsome, and his eyes and brows held an indescribable gentleness. A smile played on his lips, as if he had heard something interesting.

Lan Yuke.

He stood beside Lu Henian, gently closing his folding fan and placing it in his palm, his voice gentle.

"Elder Lu, Chen Ping poses a far too great threat to our Crescent Moon Sect's future plans. This assassination mission was a failure of your Lu family's own competence, and now you still have the nerve to come to us demanding compensation?"

Lu Henian turned his head and looked at him.

"The Crescent Moon Demonic Sect, Lan Yuke, right?"

Lan Yuke smiled slightly, her gaze falling on Lu Henian's face, her smile gentle.

"Smart." Lu Henian shook his head dismissively.

Right at this moment.

The deathly old man, who had looked like he was on his deathbed, suddenly lost all trace of his lifeless old age!

A sharp glint appeared in his cloudy eyes, and his voice, no longer the leisurely one he had used in the main hall, became hard and cold.

"Since my Lu family has chosen to sail in the same boat as your Crescent Moon Demon Sect, we are allies on equal footing! How can you use such a subordinate term as 'incompetent'?"

He stared at Lan Yuke and said, word by word.

"Over the years, how much manpower and resources has our Lu family expended for your grand plan, managing to infiltrate every aspect of this heavily guarded Tianyan City, leaving you with even the slightest opening? And what about you, the Crescent Moon Demon Sect? In the past six months, what single decent thing have you accomplished?!"

Lan Yuke paused for a moment while waving her fan.

Lu Henian didn't give him any chance to refute, pressing him relentlessly.

"The battle at Nanling was full of holes, and so many people escaped! Even your plan to turn Zhenshu into a puppet was seen through by a mere Chen Ping, and your assassination attempt failed. Now you've even attracted the attention of the Cui family!"

He gave a cold laugh.

"Look at the Boundless Demonic Sect! They've been fighting that old bastard Du Jianghe on the front lines for months, battling fiercely, and they're still holding their own! And what about you? You've accomplished nothing of substance, causing trouble everywhere and leaving a mess behind. And now you have the nerve to come before me, putting on airs of a master and blaming this old man?" He looked at Lan Yuke, his lips pursed.

"Heh heh, it seems the rumors in the martial arts world are indeed true. Your so-called Crescent Moon Demonic Sect, once you peel back the veneer, is nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings who only dare to hide in stinking ditches."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

A night breeze blew by, and the branches and leaves of the old locust tree rustled a few times.

Lu Henian stood up from the recliner, patted the wrinkles on his robe, and said crisply.

"Regarding Chen Ping, my Lu family has done everything we can and paid the price we can bear. From now on, the Lu family will never openly attack him again, not even once. I don't care how much of a threat he poses to you."

He turned around, his back to Lan Yuke.

"If your Crescent Moon Demonic Sect cannot provide me with resources that satisfy me within three days as compensation, I will personally write a letter to inform that lord of the whole story."

"As for the consequences, you bunch of good-for-nothings, you can figure it out yourselves."

After saying that, he stepped into the house.

He took two steps, paused, as if suddenly remembering something, without turning his head.

"Oh, by the way, at the speed at which the Cui family makes offerings, they should arrive in Tianyan City in a few days." His voice drifted over, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

"You bunch of worthless cowards, have you figured out how to escape?"

Footsteps sounded again, and the door closed.

The door closed.

Lan Yuke was the only one left in the courtyard.

He stood under the old locust tree, his folding fan long since stopped moving.

He gripped the fan ribs with his five fingers, his knuckles turning white and trembling slightly.

The gentle smile on his face seemed to have been ripped off, revealing what lay beneath.

A hint of ferocity.