章節 20: Chapter 20: Unimpressed by Golden Bones, I Shall Refine Jade Bones
Li Xuan did not know that Xu Yan had already concocted and tempered the "golden bones" he had made up and was excitedly coming over to tell him, hoping to receive praise and recognition.
At this moment, Li Xuan was playing with the gift Xu Yan had given him last time: a gold sword and the Jade Ruyi.
The gold sword was inlaid with a treasure bead and forged entirely of gold, quite valuable.
The Jade Ruyi was carved with auspicious cloud patterns, flawless throughout, obviously a top-grade jade carving. Its value, perhaps, even exceeded that of the gold sword.
"This gold sword, although not cheap, every time I look at it, I feel like the Jade Ruyi is worth more and rarer.
"Look at the quality of this jade, flawless throughout, bright and clear. It feels warm and smooth in the hand... Compared to the gold sword, I like this Jade Ruyi even more.
"If I could get a matching pair, it would be perfect as a family heirloom.
"Since I've already lied, what's the harm in lying again to get another Jade Ruyi, right?"
Li Xuan fondled the Jade Ruyi, liking it more the longer he looked.
He muttered to himself about having the foolish disciple find another Jade Ruyi so that he would have a pair for a family heirloom.
Just then, Xu Yan walked over.
"Disciple, you've arrived at just the right time."
Li Xuan pushed the gold sword aside, seemingly disdainful, and played with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, his eyes filled with affection for the Jade Ruyi.
"Look at this Jade Ruyi, flawless and nurturing. They say a gentleman loves jade, and as a lover of jade myself, it would be wonderful to have a pair of them."
He looked up at Xu Yan and said, "Do you understand, disciple?"
Thinking to himself: Go find another Jade Ruyi for your teacher.
Xu Yan, originally excited to tell his master that he had tempered golden bones, on par with the heroes of old.
Instead, he saw Li Xuan pushing the gold sword aside with some disgust, playing with the Jade Ruyi.
Speaking about how gentlemen love jade and hoping to have a matched set of Jade Ruyis.
Xu Yan thought to himself that he would find another Jade Ruyi for his master on his next trip home.
But suddenly he had a sinking feeling: "That's not right! Why would my master talk about loving jade at this time?"
"Master must have a deeper meaning in his words...
"I understand now, Master has high hopes for me, hoping that I can refine jade bones. That's why he used the Jade Ruyi as a metaphor, preferring jade bones over golden ones!
"But Master must also be worried that I can't handle the difficulty of tempering jade bones, so he used the Jade Ruyi as a metaphor to remind me. If I fail to grasp the deeper meaning in his words, Master won't insist...
"If that's the case, Master might not say anything, but he must be disappointed in me. If I can't understand the deeper meaning in his words, Master will lower his expectations, considering me lacking in comprehension, unable to understand such a simple metaphor!"
Xu Yan quickly filled in the blanks with his own assumptions, thinking that on the surface his master wanted a pair of Jade Ruyis but was actually encouraging him to continue refining bones, not to give up, and to strive to refine jade bones.
If Li Xuan knew of these assumptions, he would definitely be dumbfounded: I just literally wanted a Jade Ruyi!
After his assumptions, Xu Yan, believing he had grasped the deeper meaning in his master's words, said with a determined look, "Master, your disciple understands. I will certainly not disappoint you!"
Li Xuan showed a satisfied smile: "As long as you understand, your teacher believes in you."
Xu Yan was deeply moved: "Master has such high expectations of me, hoping that I can surpass the ancient prodigies!"
"What does golden bones amount to? I must refine jade bones!"
Xu Yan did not mention his golden bones again. His master had already seen through everything; mere golden bones couldn't catch his master's eye!
Upon resuming his cultivation and attempting to continue bone refinement, Xu Yan found that no matter how he circulated his blood and energy, or how he tried to temper, it was all to no avail.
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It seemed that Gold Bone was the limit already.
It was as if an insurmountable chasm stood in the way, blocking any further advancement.
"Master said that Jade Bone isn't something you can refine through talent, perseverance, or persistence. Those who can refine Jade Bone either possess immense fortune, are beloved by the Domain, or have extraordinary comprehension, capable of perceiving the great Dao..."
Xu Yan pondered, "I don't know if I have immense fortune, probably not; being the Domain's beloved is even less likely, so the only path left is comprehension...
"Master frequently emphasized the importance of intent and understanding, clearly seeing my potential in comprehension, reminding me where my strength lies.
"I must rely on comprehension alone if I wish to refine Jade Bone."
After coming to this realization, Xu Yan's mind once again conjured the two lines of the technique: "Understanding the heart to nurture genuine intent, qi and blood like a dragon forging a golden physique."
"Surely I haven't completely comprehended the core of these two lines yet. If I can, might I be able to break through the constraints of Gold Bone and cultivate Jade Bone?"
Xu Yan dedicated his whole being to the technique, his mind devoid of stray thoughts, casting everything aside, forgetting both things and self, striving to grasp the deeper meaning.
"That's it, nurturing genuine intent. I assumed that harboring qi and blood within the bones, within the marrow, was nurturing genuine intent, but where 'intent' really resides?
"Nurturing the marrow is merely the beginning and hasn't truly cultivated 'intent.'"
Suddenly, a light flashed through Xu Yan's mind; he realized he had been mistaken about nurturing genuine intent in the technique.
He had never cultivated genuine intent.
He didn't even understand what 'intent' meant.
"Qi and blood like a dragon forging a golden physique. When I refined the Gold Bone, was the circulating qi and blood truly like a dragon? That was merely superficial, a mere semblance devoid of nurtured 'intent.' How could such a dragon be considered real?"
In a daze, Xu Yan felt as if he had touched upon a barrier.
If he could just break through this barrier, he would completely comprehend the technique, shatter the constraints of Gold Bone, and enter the stage of Jade Bone.
Yet, this barrier remained unbreakable.
He started to feel a bit frustrated for a moment.
"Should I go ask Master for guidance?
"No, Master has already explained it very clearly, 'intent' can only be understood on my own—it is beyond words. I must have missed something..."
In the following three days, Xu Yan focused on understanding the technique during his cultivation, always striving to grasp the "true intent," always just short of that little bit needed.
He remained unable to break through the barrier and comprehend the essence.
Li Xuan looked at his foolish disciple with some bewilderment. Over the past three days, the foolish disciple seemed distracted, occasionally lost in a vacant daze.
"Has he been so long without results, feeling disheartened now? Thinking he's incapable?"
"My Jade Ruyi isn't in my hands yet; how can I sink into dejection?"
"Let me think, how to concoct some pseudo-profound nonsense to bamboozle him."
Li Xuan fell into deep thought.
That day, after finishing his meal, as Xu Yan was about to clean up the dishes, Li Xuan spoke up, "In the path of cultivation, persistence is essential. If you find yourself facing a bottleneck and making no progress, you might relax your mind, clear your thoughts, and seek to understand every blade of grass.
"Feel the natural Domain, capture the hidden Spirit Spark around you. Should you suddenly achieve enlightenment, the gates of Martial Arts will open for you.
"Throughout history, there have been those in cultivation who were stuck at a bottleneck and couldn't break through, yet managed to do so following a sudden enlightenment."
Li Xuan spun lies with open eyes, encouraging Xu Yan to perceive the so-called Spirit Spark. If he could achieve that sudden enlightenment, he would step through the gates of Martial Arts.
Since arduous cultivation wasn't working, then seek sudden enlightenment.
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