"This..."
"This is an opportunity."
Su Yang remained seated upon the edge of his bed, his consciousness still immersed within the mysterious spatial ring. Even after discovering the ancient chamber and the countless jade slips floating within it, he still found it difficult to believe that such a place had been hidden inside the ordinary jade ring he had worn since childhood.
He slowly gathered his consciousness and attempted to move deeper into the spatial space.
The moment his perception advanced, an intense strain immediately appeared within his mind.
Su Yang's forehead became covered with sweat.
His consciousness was simply too weak.
Although he had already cultivated the Qi Eating Method for some time, his current Spiritual Strength was nowhere near enough to freely explore this mysterious space.
Every attempt to extend his perception felt like pushing against an invisible mountain.
Still, Su Yang refused to give up.
He slowly moved his consciousness toward the jade slips floating upon the ancient stone table.
One.
Two.
Three.
He finally managed to reach the nearest jade slip.
The instant his consciousness touched it...
Boom!
A brilliant stream of information suddenly erupted from within the jade slip.
The ancient characters transformed into countless streams of light before rushing directly into his mind.
Su Yang's body trembled.
His consciousness was forcibly pushed out of the spatial ring.
His eyes remained closed.
His body sat completely motionless upon the bed.
For several minutes...
There was no movement whatsoever.
Then his fingers twitched.
His breathing gradually returned to normal.
Finally...
Su Yang opened his eyes.
Clarity filled them.
He slowly lowered his head and stared at his palms.
"So that's what it is..."
A strange excitement appeared within his expression.
"It isn't merely one sword technique."
"It is a complete series of swordplay."
The Four Seasons Swordplay.
Four sword styles.
Four seasons.
Each represented a completely different principle.
Spring represented growth, recovery and endless momentum.
Summer represented explosive power and overwhelming force.
Autumn represented killing intent, sharpness and destruction.
Winter represented stillness, suppression and absolute cold.
The four swordplays were completely different from one another, yet they were connected through the cycle of the seasons.
When cultivated together...
They could form a complete cycle.
And once all four swordplays reached Major Accomplishment...
They could be combined to form the Four Seasons Suppression Seal.
Su Yang's breathing gradually became heavier.
"That..."
"Definitely isn't an ordinary martial technique."
He immediately began comparing the inheritance with everything he knew about the Martial Continent's cultivation system.
Martial techniques and cultivation methods were generally divided into six grades.
Unranked.
Low Grade.
Medium Grade.
High Grade.
Earth Grade.
Heaven Grade.
Among ordinary martial artists, Low Grade techniques were already valuable.
To reach the Innate Realm, one generally required at least a Low Grade cultivation method.
A Low Grade martial technique could assist a martial artist in comprehending Momentum.
Medium Grade cultivation methods were considerably more powerful.
They could help a martial artist progress toward the Xuan Gang Realm more smoothly, while their corresponding martial techniques could assist in comprehending Martial Intent.
High Grade techniques were even more extraordinary.
Many High Grade inheritances contained both cultivation methods and their corresponding martial techniques, allowing the two to complement one another and greatly improving cultivation efficiency.
More importantly...
High Grade inheritances often contained special diagrams.
These diagrams weren't simply illustrations.
They contained profound concepts that could stabilize the practitioner's mind and will while guiding them toward the comprehension of Martial Will.
As for Earth Grade and Heaven Grade inheritances...
They were almost legendary.
Even the most powerful martial families within Dongtai Prefecture might not possess complete Earth Grade inheritances.
Some rumours claimed that the highest-grade inheritances could even guide practitioners toward the legendary Grandmaster Realm.
Su Yang's eyes gradually became brighter.
"Could this be..."
"A High Grade inheritance?"
He immediately felt excited.
Then...
His expression slowly became complicated.
The Grandmaster Realm.
That was something every martial artist dreamed of.
Unfortunately...
Su Yang already knew the limitations of his own path.
External Martial Arts couldn't easily carry a practitioner toward the Grandmaster Realm.
Once Blood Exchange reached its peak...
His physical strength could allow him to fight even Peak Astral Gang experts.
That was already astonishing.
But strength alone wasn't enough.
The Grandmaster Realm represented something far greater.
Martial Will.
Martial Intent.
The ability to allow one's martial path to undergo a qualitative transformation.
External Martial Arts possessed a serious limitation in this regard.
Even if his physical body became powerful enough to fight Astral Gang experts...
That didn't mean he could naturally step into the Grandmaster Realm.
Su Yang slowly clenched his fists.
"Perhaps..."
"The Marrow Cleansing Realm will be different."
He had heard descriptions of that realm before.
Marrow Cleansing wasn't merely about strengthening the bones.
During the process, the practitioner's marrow would undergo a profound transformation while absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
If he could use that Spiritual Qi to unblock some of the acupoints within his body...
Perhaps his path could continue.
That was also why reaching Marrow Cleansing within five years had originally been nothing more than a fantasy.
External Martial Arts couldn't simply rely on brute force.
The transition from Blood Refining to Marrow Cleansing required precise control over Qi-blood.
The practitioner's body had to guide Qi-blood through extremely delicate pathways.
Without sufficient Martial Intent...
Trying to force the breakthrough could easily damage the body permanently.
At worst...
The practitioner could cripple himself.
That was why Su Yang's original plan had been to spend nearly ten years slowly accumulating.
Ten years.
That was already considered extremely fast for someone walking the External Martial Arts path without an extraordinary background.
But now...
He had only five years.
Su Yang slowly looked toward the mysterious spatial ring.
The Four Seasons Swordplay had changed everything.
The inheritance didn't merely give him stronger combat techniques.
It gave him something even more important.
A path toward understanding Martial Intent.
He immediately stood.
The heavy iron sword lying beside his bed was picked up.
Su Yang walked outside.
The courtyard was silent beneath the moonlight.
He stood beneath the ancient pine tree and slowly raised his sword.
The first form of the Four Seasons Swordplay appeared within his mind.
Spring.
Growth.
Recovery.
Endless momentum.
Su Yang slowly swung his sword.
His movement was awkward at first.
The sword carried no power.
No Momentum.
No Intent.
Yet...
He didn't stop.
Again.
And again.
The movements gradually became smoother.
His breathing changed.
His Qi-blood began circulating according to the rhythm contained within the swordplay.
The sword became faster.
Then smoother.
Then more natural.
Su Yang suddenly felt something.
The sword in his hand seemed to possess life.
Like a seed breaking through frozen soil.
His eyes lit up.
"Entry Level."
He immediately understood.
The Four Seasons Swordplay's Spring Style had already reached Entry Level.
Su Yang smiled.
But he didn't stop.
He changed his stance.
The gentle rhythm of Spring disappeared.
The next sword style appeared within his mind.
Summer.
Explosive.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
Su Yang's personality wasn't gentle.
His anger.
His stubbornness.
His unwillingness to bow his head.
All of it resonated far more naturally with the Summer Swordplay.
His sword suddenly accelerated.
Boom!
The air seemed to tremble beneath the force of his strike.
Su Yang's eyes flashed.
"Again!"
His sword swept forward.
Every strike became heavier.
Faster.
More explosive.
The Summer Swordplay rapidly entered Entry Level.
Then...
Autumn.
Killing intent.
Sharpness.
Destruction.
This style resonated with another part of his personality.
The humiliation he had experienced.
The determination he carried.
The cold anger hidden beneath his calm expression.
His sword changed again.
The gentle momentum of Spring disappeared.
The explosive force of Summer transformed into sharp killing intent.
Swish!
A fallen leaf drifting through the courtyard was split cleanly into two.
Su Yang stared at the broken leaf.
His eyes narrowed.
"Entry Level."
Three swordplays.
He had already comprehended the basics of them in a single night.
Only Winter remained.
Yet Su Yang didn't rush.
Winter required absolute stillness.
Suppression.
Coldness.
It was fundamentally different from the other three.
He would need time.
Su Yang slowly lowered his sword.
Even so...
A faint smile appeared upon his face.
He finally understood the value of this inheritance.
The mysterious spatial ring didn't merely contain sword techniques.
The diagrams within it were even more valuable.
The Four Symbols.
The Four Seasons.
The countless ancient patterns connecting them.
Every time he looked at them, he felt as though he could perceive deeper principles hidden beneath the surface.
Those diagrams could potentially assist him in comprehending Momentum.
Intent.
And eventually...
Martial Will.
That alone could dramatically shorten the time required for him to reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
Su Yang slowly touched the jade ring around his neck.
His eyes became sharp.
"Liu Ruyan."
"Han Yu."
"Hmph."
"Prepare yourselves."
"Five years..."
"Will be enough."