In the valley, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged before a babbling brook, motionless as a statue.

He was wholly immersed in comprehending the small brook.

True Martial Dao.

This was the purest and most fundamental power of the Martial Dao. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Once mastered, it allowed one to exhibit a powerful combat strength that far surpassed other Martial Artists of the same tier.

However, True Martial Dao placed immense demands on a Martial Artist’s talent and aptitude. Most Martial Artists could spend their entire lives without ever coming into contact with even a trace of it.

Yet truly heaven-defying prodigies could master one, or even multiple, forms of True Martial Dao!

’Elder Qii said the pinnacle of True Martial Dao is creation... For instance, with a casual point of his finger, he could create a brook condensed entirely from the power of True Martial Dao. This brook contains his comprehension of the True Meaning of Water, and even holds the essence of many techniques...’

’Water can be both hard and soft. When hard, it can wear away stone. When soft, it nourishes all living things.’

’Water is different from wind and fire. Fire is scorching and explosive. Wind is omnipresent, shapeless and formless... Water, it has form, but no fixed shape. It can take on a myriad of forms. It can even evaporate into a hazy mist, or, when faced with cold, freeze into incomparably hard and sharp ice...’

’Infinite transformations!’

’That’s right, the essence of water is transformation... a transformation that balances both hardness and softness...’

Jiang Chen continued to comprehend the brook before him.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He would gain new insights, only to overturn his previous, flawed understandings. Correcting his mistakes, he made constant progress.

Time ticked by, second by second...

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

「On this day.」

Elder Qii emerged from the thatched hut with a calm smile. He held a small watering can in his withered hands, watering the flowers by the door. His cloudy eyes glanced at Jiang Chen, and he shook his head slightly. ’Even Lan Haichen took a full three months back then, and that was with the Sect Master’s help, to comprehend the True Meaning of Golden Martial Arts. This little fellow wants to comprehend the True Meaning of Water in just two months? The difficulty is hardly... huh? What’s this...?’

As he was thinking this, Elder Qii’s expression changed abruptly.

In that brief moment, he had distinctly felt a peculiar fluctuation in the world around him.

For an expert who had mastered a High-Tier Martial Dao True Intent, this particular fluctuation was unmistakably familiar.

It was clearly the Law Resonance that occurred when one comprehended a True Martial Dao and received the acknowledgment of the Heaven and Earth Laws!

"I-It must be my imagination, right?"

Elder Qii’s eyes widened, and he stared at Jiang Chen without blinking.

At that same moment, a series of wondrous fluctuations, nearly invisible to the naked eye, appeared and began to circle Jiang Chen’s body. Throughout the valley, streams of Water Attribute Spiritual Qi converged on him as if they had been summoned.

"Go!"

His eyes shut tight, looking like an old monk in deep meditation, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke and pointed a finger forward.

HUMMM—

A single point of blue, shimmering light condensed on his fingertip.

It was initially the size of a grain of rice, but it expanded rapidly, swelling to the size of a watermelon in an instant as Jiang Chen thrust his finger forward.

The head-sized blue sphere of water shot forward.

BOOM!

It exploded in midair.

Water splashed everywhere, startling the nearby butterflies and bees into a panicked retreat.

"T-Tier One Water Sword Intent? The kid actually comprehended Water Sword Intent? And... and how long has it been? Only half a month..." Elder Qii was flabbergasted, and a sharp light flashed within his cloudy eyes.

In the entire Saint Martial Sword Sect, not even the Sect Master—who ranked first on the Celestial List—had lived longer than Elder Qii.

He had seen countless geniuses!

But... this was truly the first time he had ever seen a prodigy who could comprehend a True Martial Dao in a mere half a month!

"Incredible, truly incredible!"

A glint shone in Elder Qii’s eyes, and a look of excitement spread across his wizened, treelike face. ’Setting a two-month deadline for him to grasp a Tier Two Martial Dao True Intent was meant to be an impossible task. The idea was to temper the boy’s sharpness, but I never thought he might actually pull it off! Perhaps the heavens saw that my, Qii Daotian’s, time is short, and so sent me this prodigious disciple so that my lineage may be passed on!’

As Qii Daotian looked at Jiang Chen, his gaze now held a trace of gratification and genuine fondness.

"There’s still time left. Let’s see just how much he can grow!" Qii Daotian withdrew his gaze, not wanting to disturb Jiang Chen’s comprehension of the True Martial Dao.

However, from that day forward, Qii Daotian would appear once every three days.

He would watch Jiang Chen from a distance.

The tenth time Qii Daotian emerged from the thatched hut, he found that Jiang Chen had left the brook and was now standing before his door.

As their eyes met, Qii Daotian’s heart skipped a beat. He asked, his voice filled with shock and uncertainty, "What is it? It hasn’t even been two months. Don’t tell me you’ve already comprehended a Tier Two Martial Dao True Intent?"

"No!"

Jiang Chen shook his head with a wry, helpless smile.

"Oh, you haven’t!"

Qii Daotian breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, ’I was worried you’d comprehended a Tier Two Martial Dao True Intent in just a month and a half. You nearly scared me to death, you brat.’

However, Jiang Chen’s next words left Qii Daotian dumbfounded. "Elder Qii, I already advanced my True Meaning of Water to Tier One Advanced half a month ago. But during my meditations these past days, I’ve found that my progress with the True Meaning of Water has hit a bottleneck. It’s become difficult to improve through meditation alone. Therefore, I’d like to request permission to leave the valley and visit the Scripture Pavilion!"

The Scripture Pavilion was where the Saint Martial Sword Sect stored its Cultivation Techniques, Secret Manuals, and the accumulated cultivation insights of countless past masters.

It was a massive Treasure Vault!

Jiang Chen had heard tales of the Scripture Pavilion long before he had even entered the Saint Martial Sword Sect.

"T-Tier One Advanced?"

Qii Daotian nearly spat out a mouthful of water. He gave a dry cough, regained his nonchalant composure, and said, "Oh, if that’s the case, then you may go."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Jiang Chen offered a respectful salute, then turned and left.

Watching his departing figure, a strange and shocked look appeared in Qii Daotian’s eyes. He murmured to himself, "Half a month ago? Doesn’t that mean it only took him one month to comprehend the True Meaning of Water to the Tier One Advanced realm? With talent like that, even Lan Haichen would be left in the dust! Hahaha, the heavens have treated me well!"

’Hmm, this disciple’s talent is so strong, it has far exceeded my expectations. It seems I can’t be too stingy as his master. The gifts I originally prepared for him are no longer suitable. It looks like I’ll have to break out some of my most prized treasures!’

Although his words sounded reluctant, the smile on Qii Daotian’s face grew ever more brilliant.

However...

Neither Qii Daotian nor Jiang Chen had noticed that the very moment Jiang Chen left the valley, his movements were already being monitored by Jiang Ziyou from within the Holy Son Palace...