The iron chain stretched out to an unknown destination. Zhang Ling Heng moved along it as if walking on level ground, and his figure soon vanished into the thick clouds and mist.
Zhou Yuanjue narrowed his eyes, extended a foot, and gently stepped onto the iron chain.
The iron chain was about half the width of his sole. Its surface was smooth, with no sudden depressions or protrusions, and it was wrapped securely. Zhou Yuanjue applied a bit of force, but the chain didn't show any signs of shaking.
The next moment, he was standing fully on the chain and began to slowly advance along it.
For someone like him, who had achieved Mastery of Fist Techniques, his physical coordination and stability had reached an incredible level. Walking on an even thinner steel wire would be no issue, to say nothing of an iron chain that was half the width of his sole.
However, walking an iron chain in this environment was vastly different from walking a tightrope on solid ground.
His figure was gradually swallowed by the thick fog. Visibility dropped to less than a meter; he couldn't even see the chain beneath his feet and could only rely on his sense of touch to move forward slowly.
Sheer cliffs dropped into an abyss on both sides. The slightest mistake could cause him to lose his balance and plunge into the chasm below.
The world around him was a vast expanse of white. He couldn't see how much farther the path stretched, nor could he see the condition of the chain under his feet.
WHOOSH!!
High in the air, he was right in the path of a wind tunnel. A cold gust swept by, the mist churned, and visibility instantly dropped to nearly zero.
His body swayed uncontrollably in the wind.
In such an isolated and helpless state, on the razor's edge between life and death, human instinct inevitably takes over.
Fear.
Muscles tremble involuntarily. The heart beats faster. Hormone levels spike. The mind goes blank, impairing rational judgment.
So often, a simple task ends in failure due to the interference of human emotion.
But for Zhou Yuanjue, his mental fortitude had long since transcended matters of life and death.
The dense fog obscured his vision, so he simply closed his eyes. The cold wind buffeted his body, so he bent slightly to lower his center of gravity. No hardship could shake his conviction to press onward, not even for an instant.
He walked on and on, until the iron chain finally came to an end.
TAP!
Zhou Yuanjue took a step forward and found himself not on the chain, but on solid ground.
He opened his eyes and saw a cave.
The cave was not dim. Instead, a shaft of light shone down from the ceiling, making everything inside clearly visible.
Natural stalactites hung from the ceiling. Nourished by the sunlight, the cave was filled with all sorts of vegetation. The environment seemed a bit damp, but the air was exceptionally fresh.
Zhang Ling Heng stood at the mouth of the cave, quietly watching Zhou Yuanjue, who had arrived with his eyes closed. "Are you not afraid of death?" he asked.
"I fear it, and I do not."
"I fear it because humans possess a survival instinct. Even I have not yet been able to gain complete control over these instincts."
"I do not fear it, because what I desire is greater than life itself. In pursuit of my goal, even death can be cast aside."
Zhou Yuanjue said calmly.
"What do you believe the martial arts to be?"
Zhang Ling Heng asked in a heavy voice.
"Once, like many others, I believed the Martial Dao was simply a tool to defeat opponents. I thought its true meaning was to be victorious in combat. But I soon realized that was wrong."
"We live in an unprecedented era. The advancement of technology has made human strength seem like a joke. The most effective means of defeating an opponent are now guns and technology. Even if we train for decades, reaching our current level, we still couldn't withstand dozens of firearms that can be produced on an assembly line in a matter of minutes."
"The true meaning of the Martial Dao lies in surpassing oneself, conquering the self, and achieving self-transcendence."
"The body is finite, but the mind is infinite."
Zhou Yuanjue said.
"'The body is finite, but the mind is infinite.' An excellent sentiment! A pity that by the time I understood this principle, it was already too late. Would you be willing to hear my story?"
Zhang Ling Heng said with a smile.
"I would be glad to hear it."
Zhou Yuanjue said with a nod.
"I grew up in an age of turmoil. The nation was weak, foreign powers ran rampant, and the people lived in misery. When I was very young, my parents died while fleeing a famine. A Daoist from a temple took me in and raised me, along with many other unfortunate children like myself. We lived in seclusion deep in the mountains, reading the Dao Scripture, learning martial arts, and tilling the fields, completely cut off from the world. That was the time in my life I remember most fondly."
"When it came to martial arts, I was the most hardworking among our group and the most obsessed with the Martial Dao. Even my master in the temple said I had exceptional aptitude and outstanding comprehension. In less than nine years, I had practiced the temple's secret White Ape Plum Blossom Hand to a state nearing Great Success. Few in the temple could match me."
"Then, one day, the Old Temple Master, who was already in his seventies, suddenly told us to pack our bags and prepare to descend the mountain. The words he spoke to us then left a deep impression on me to this day. He said: 'In times of peace, we retreat to the deep mountains; in times of chaos, we emerge to bring peace. Though we are men of Cultivation living in the mountains, the fate of our nation and its people must never leave our hearts, not even for a moment. Now, the time has come. We must be ready to sacrifice our lives for our country's plight and view death as a homecoming.'"
"It was only then that we learned an external war had broken out. Our nation and its people had been pushed to the brink: either victory, or kneeling in servitude. After we left the mountain, the Old Temple Master recommended we join the army. As he and several of the other older masters were not suited for marching and fighting, they departed to wander the lands, healing the sick and aiding the common folk. That was the last time I ever saw any of them."
"I later heard that to ensure the safe retreat of a village's inhabitants, the Old Temple Master and the other masters used the local terrain to engage a small enemy unit. In the end, they were all captured alive. The enemy cut off their limbs, gouged out their eyes and tongues, and then set hunting dogs upon them until they were dead. To this day, at the old site of that village, there is still a memorial shrine to the five of them, built by the villagers who escaped, in gratitude for the new lease on life they had been given."
"In that era, I learned the cruelty of war and the insignificance of individual strength. Faced with disciplined military formations, advanced artillery, and modern weapons, the Fist Technique I took such pride in was nothing but a joke. From that moment on, I began to doubt the value and meaning of the Martial Dao. I started learning to use firearms and understand their technology, and for a time, I even became a sharpshooter in the army. As for my Martial Arts, I gradually let them fall into neglect."
"Eventually, the war was won and peace returned to the land. Having completed the mission the Old Temple Master had given me, I resigned from my posts and returned to these deep mountains. The temple of my youth was dilapidated. It is a sad thing, how time flows... I was the only one who came back."
"Away from the clamor of the mortal world, I returned to my former way of life and took up the Martial Dao I had abandoned. In that peaceful existence, I finally understood the true meaning of the Martial Dao. It does not exist for the sake of defeating opponents. It was the Martial Dao that gave me an unyielding will. It was the Martial Dao that gave me a powerful physique. It was the Martial Dao that gave me the conviction to overcome any obstacle. It was the Martial Dao that taught me to hold my head high and be a person of integrity. These are things that guns and technology could never give me."
"But alas, I realized this too late. By then, I had already reached an advanced age. My physical abilities were declining and my vital energy was weakening—a decline that Spirit alone could not reverse. In the end, I was just one step away from Saint Awakening, unable to enter that mysterious and profound realm. It is the greatest regret of my life."
At this, Zhang Ling Heng suddenly began to laugh.
FWEET!!
He stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.