Once this idea was born, it took root in Zhang Yuan's mind like a nightmare, refusing to fade away.
With Heaven-Defying Comprehension, even without the guidance of a master, he would still be able to figure out the basics of cultivation.
Besides, he had already joined Xiaozhu Peak; practicing the arts of the Jade Essence Sect could hardly be considered stealing knowledge.
Zhang Yuan was not a man of hesitation—once he decided to act, he did it immediately.
He crossed his legs on the bed and slowly began to practice the Taiji Xuanqing Dao.
In truth, Zhang Yuan had figured it out: if he did not cultivate on his own now, who knew how many years it would be before Master Shuiyue got around to teaching him.
A blind man simply didn't deserve that kind of attention.
Yet, he held no resentment toward her.
It was already a miracle that Master Shuiyue had taken him in; how could he dare to hope for anything more?
Zhang Yuan slowly circulated his vital energy, guiding it along the pathways of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao.
Cultivation in the world of Jade Dynasty was divided into three major realms: the Jade Purity Realm, the Shangqing Realm, and the Taiqing Realm.
Each realm was further divided into nine layers.
For ordinary cultivators, the path was fraught with immense difficulty. Without innate talent, a person could exhaust their entire lifetime without the slightest hope of a breakthrough. If Zhang Xiaofan had never stumbled upon that Fire-Cooking Stick, he likely would have remained an ordinary mortal all his days.
From this, one could imagine just how arduous cultivation truly was.
Zhang Yuan had barely begun to practice, completing a single cycle of his breath, when he abruptly realized something was wrong. *I've only just started trying to cultivate, and I haven't even exerted myself yet, so why is the external true qi rushing in like its life depends on it? Could this be the blessing of Heaven-Defying Comprehension? I've only just begun practicing, and I already have a sense of qi—it's like playing on Easy Mode.*
It was as simple as that.
Zhang Yuan practiced throughout the night. The next day, as the first rooster crowed beneath the morning moon, he slowly opened his eyes and halted his cultivation. Although he had replaced sleep with meditation the entire night, he felt not the slightest trace of drowsiness; instead, he was brimming with energy.
Immortal cultivation nourished the essence, breath, and spirit.
The more one practiced, the healthier the body became.
The more one practiced, the longer one's lifespan extended.
As long as one could reach the pinnacle, achieving eternal life and enduring vision was hardly a problem at all.
Zhang Yuan examined his internal state to check the results of the previous night's cultivation. Not checking until now, a single glance gave him a fright.
*Is this Jade Purity Realm Layer 1? I reached Jade Purity Realm Layer 1 in just a single night?*
It didn't seem nearly as difficult as the rumors made it out to be!
Zhang Yuan paused for a moment. Through his Mind's Eye, he perceived Lu Xueqi walking over, so he quickly sat back down in his original spot, acting as if nothing had happened. Perhaps feeling a pang of guilt for delivering dinner so late the night before, the young woman had brought breakfast much earlier today.
"Junior Brother, time for breakfast."
Lu Xueqi's voice was forever ethereal, like an immortal fairy untainted by mortal food.
After stepping into the room, Lu Xueqi glanced at Zhang Yuan's hazy, unseeing eyes, a flash of mischievousness crossing her gaze. Then, without a trace, she placed the food box on the far side of the table.
She wasn't trying to torment Zhang Yuan; she was simply curious—how on earth did a blind person manage to live his daily life when he couldn't see a thing?
"Ah, thank you, Senior Sister."
Zhang Yuan feigned fumbling about for a moment before smoothly locating the bowl and chopsticks from the other end of the table and starting to eat.
Watching his movements, Lu Xueqi froze. She stared at him for a moment, then asked with a puzzled frown, "Junior Brother, didn't you say you were blind? I deliberately put the food box on the other side of the table—how were you able to find the chopsticks and bowl so precisely?"
Zhang Yuan's movements stalled. He had momentarily forgotten this detail. He had been wondering just why Lu Xueqi had placed the food box on the far side; so she had been laying a trap for him.
His mind spun slightly.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've been blind for ten years, so I've long since grown used to a world without light. But when heaven closes a door, it opens a window for you. Though I cannot see the light, my nose and ears are quite sharp; I can distinguish positions through scent and sound."
"Scent and sound can determine positions?" Lu Xueqi asked.
"Of course they can." Zhang Yuan slurped down half a bowl of congee, then reached out to grab another steamed bun, taking a large bite.
His hazy gaze lingered fixedly on Lu Xueqi's chest.
That area was astonishingly fair and tender.
Quite enough to prop up the heavens.
He loved looking at it.
Yet who would ever suspect a blind man of harboring ulterior motives? Perhaps fearing that Lu Xueqi might not believe him, Zhang Yuan added another sentence.
"You cultivators can also determine positions through scent and sound, can't you?"
"Cultivators possess divine sense; even if we seal our five senses, we can still clearly perceive the surrounding scenery. That's hardly strange at all, but you aren't a cultivator!" Lu Xueqi's voice rounded out as her large eyes blinked at Zhang Yuan, her heart growing even more perplexed.
"Although I am not a cultivator, the logic is the same." Zhang Yuan smiled, revealing a flash of white teeth.
"..." Fine, then!
Although Lu Xueqi still felt something was amiss, she could find no grounds to refute him, so she simply dropped the subject.
"Well then, Junior Brother, finish your breakfast. I'm going outside to the courtyard to practice my swordsmanship for a bit."
"Alright."
Zhang Yuan nodded. Watching Lu Xueqi's retreating figure, he quickly withdrew his gaze, raised his bowl, and finished off the remaining congee in a few quick gulps.
He lifted his feet.
And casually followed right behind Lu Xueqi.
As a blind man, waiting for Master Shuiyue to teach him cultivation was a desperately slim hope. If he wanted to embark on the path of cultivation as quickly as possible, he had to take the initiative.
Zhang Yuan made no attempt to conceal his presence, following openly right behind her before taking a seat with a very proper posture on a stone stool in the courtyard.
The courtyard was an open space about the size of a basketball court, surrounded on all sides by lush bamboo, making for a truly picturesque scenery.
Lu Xueqi began practicing her sword in the center of the courtyard, wielding the True Formula of Divine Sword Deflecting Thunder.
The True Formula of Divine Sword Deflecting Thunder was one of the Jade Essence Sect's supreme guardian arts. Legend had it that this sword technique allowed a mortal body to invoke the might of heaven and earth. Paired with a divine blade, it could absorb tens of thousands of bolts of lightning for its own use, possessing terrifying might.
Naturally, Lu Xueqi noticed Zhang Yuan standing nearby to watch.
But Zhang Yuan was her junior brother.
Moreover, he was a blind man.
What kind of malicious intentions could a blind man possibly have?
Paying it no mind, Lu Xueqi continued practicing her swordsmanship.
"By the decree of the Nine Heavens, transform into divine thunder; with the might of the glorious heavens, summon it with the sword."
As she practiced, Lu Xueqi chanted the incantation of the True Formula of Divine Sword Deflecting Thunder, not treating Zhang Yuan as an outsider in the slightest.
*Junior Brother is not only blind, but his talent is mediocre. Even if I were to show him the complete sword technique, he'd probably look at it like reading the Heavenly Book and understand nothing.* Lu Xueqi was entirely unconcerned.
And even if, by some stretch of the imagination, Zhang Yuan actually managed to learn a thing or two, he was still her junior brother—wasn't that a good thing?
*Hah!*
With a final shout, Lu Xueqi completed her routine. The long sword in her hand transformed into a streak of lightning, striking a massive boulder ahead and instantly shattering it into powder as fine as tofu.
Having watched it just once, Zhang Yuan had already committed every single movement and incantation of Lu Xueqi's performance to memory. Yet for some reason, a strong premonition arose in his heart that the True Formula of Divine Sword Deflecting Thunder as executed by Lu Xueqi felt somewhat awkward.
It simply shouldn't be executed that way.
Could it be...
Was Lu Xueqi doing it wrong? Impossible.
Lu Xueqi was a cultivator, while he was merely a mortal incapable of cultivation. How could a mortal presume to judge the right or wrong of a cultivator's arts? As Zhang Yuan pondered, he gradually became engrossed in the sword technique of the True Formula of Divine Sword Deflecting Thunder. Utterly focused, he seemed to forget everything else, slipping into a state of sudden enlightenment.
He forgot that he was in the Jade Essence Sect.
He forgot that he was on Xiaozhu Peak.
He forgot that Lu Xueqi was standing right beside him.
He forgot everything; in his mind, there was only the sword technique. Aside from that, the world around him was entirely empty.
Zhang Yuan snapped off a stalk of bamboo from the side, using it as a sword. Copying the cat and drawing the tiger, he began to move in exact accordance with the way Lu Xueqi had wielded her blade just moments before.
"By the decree of the Nine Heavens, transform into divine thunder; with the might of the glorious heavens, summon it with the sword."
At first, his movements were extremely awkward, and errors were frequent.
Yet his progress was at lightspeed.
The same mistake, he would make only once, and never again.
He continuously corrected his form.
Whenever he encountered a point of confusion, he would halt and quietly reflect.
Once he figured it out, he would resume his practice.
Slowly, Zhang Yuan managed to mimic Lu Xueqi's cultivation technique with seven or eight tenths of accuracy.
"Junior Brother... this is..."
"How is this possible?"
Unbeknownst to them, Lu Xueqi had already stopped practicing. Standing off to the side, she stared at Zhang Yuan with absolute astonishment.
It was nothing short of miraculous.
*Isn't Junior Brother blind? How did he learn my sword technique?*
*Could he be faking his blindness?* At this thought, Lu Xueqi's eyes turned icy. If he really was faking blindness, didn't that mean her low-cut dress from the previous night had been seen by him entirely?
Women were truly such peculiar creatures sometimes. Their very first thought wasn't about the interests of the sect, but rather the preservation of their own purity.
Yet, upon second thought, she dismissed the notion.
She had personally checked Zhang Yuan's eyes the night before; there had been no pupils or focus—he was unquestionably blind. Furthermore, the sect leader of the Jade Essence Sect had also examined Zhang Yuan's eyes. If he were faking it, he could never have joined the Jade Essence Sect.
It was just... how was this to be explained?