The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 419 - 231 Harmony

Chapter 419: Chapter 231 Harmony

Gray and white suffused the landscape, and Qing Yu’s body also took on the same pallor, but he remained unconcerned as he spoke eloquently to the figure shrouded in intermittent radiance.

"Daoist, this move ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ involves using Pure True Energy to assimilate all things, including every bit of vitality. To break this move, there are two methods..."

Qing Yu raised his index finger, "The first is to use an overwhelmingly superior True Qi to shatter ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ just like a great flood washing away everything, leaving this gray world cleansed."

"Second," Qing Yu raised another finger, "is the move I’m about to use, which, incidentally, bears some resemblance to the Human Sect’s ’All Things Return to Spring.’"

Eight strands of True Qi, dissimilar yet generating and overcoming each other, rose around Qing Yu’s body. The Circulating Eight Forces intertwined, manifesting myriad phenomena and restoring the color that belonged to Qing Yu from within the encompassing gray-white.

"My Cultivation Technique, ’Circulation of the Six Voids Technique’, follows the Eight Diagrams and takes the path of One Element Produces Two Forms, Two Forms Birth Four Symbols, and Four Symbols Produce Eight Trigrams. In contrast your technique where all things merge into one, ’Harmonizing Light with Dust’,

our cultivation methods generate and overcome each other."

The Circulating Eight Forces suddenly burst forth, striking and challenging the ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ that painted the world in monochrome.

"Change restlessly, Circulate the Six Voids, no constancy above or below, hardness and softness readily interchanging."

Amidst the soft chant, the Circulating Eight Forces pushed back ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ to half its boundary, taking up half the world and standing in opposition to it.

"Daoist, what do you think of my response?"

At this moment, Qing Yu’s eyes were completely vacant, without focus, his gaze distant and profound, as if it enveloped the vast expanse of the sky, as if it peered into the endless abyss. He had entered the state of ’Observing Heaven Method’.

During the conversation, the Circulating Eight Forces pressed forward again, nearly pushing ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ right next to Xiao Meng.

In fact, Qing Yu could have shattered it in one go using the nature of mutual overcoming, yet he chose to use the ’Circulation of the Six Voids Technique’ to break ’Heaven and Earth Losing Color’ gradually, step by step.

"Well done!"

Xiao Meng’s voice remained indifferent, as if the disadvantageous situation did not exist.

Her eyes, looking at Qing Yu’s, which were even more detached and unfeeling than hers, held a state she actually aspired to.

The Taoist Heavenly Sect preaches the Forget Love to approach the Heavenly Dao. Xiao Meng began her retreat at the age of eight, ten full years of eroding away her emotions to near heartlessness. Her state was actually very close to that of the ’Observing Heaven Method’.

"Our cultivation techniques generate and overcome each other, but our paths are similar. Do you dare try the final move?"

Gazing at the figure that seemed like a Heavenly Person descending to earth, Xiao Meng spoke these words.

Qing Yu understood her meaning. This so-called final move seemed more like a contest of endurance rather than mere skill matching. Or rather, it was about who could travel further along the Heavenly Dao.

At this point, Qing Yu already had victory well within his grasp. While the victory could still face obstacles, it was bound to be in his hands, but that was under the precondition of not trying this final move.

If he did try, the outcome was uncertain and very likely, Qing Yu would lose Xiao Meng’s legacy.

But if he didn’t try, Qing Yu felt he could not accept it.

In this world, there would be no one else like Xiao Meng whose path and cultivation techniques so closely matched and countered his own. Even if there were, he wouldn’t dare take such a risk in reality.

So...

"What have I to fear!"

Qing Yu let out a relieved smile, the aimlessness in his eyes dispersing as he stepped forward.

At the same time, Xiao Meng made the same move.

Both parties walked up to the intersection of the Circulating Eight Forces and "Heaven and Earth Losing Color," their long palms and slender hands resisting each other as they circulated their energies simultaneously.

"Harmonizing Light with Dust."

"Ten Thousand Paths."

Their thoughts connected, and their True Qi merged. Qing Yu and Xiao Meng’s spirits resonated at this moment, intermingling and fusing with each other.

"Harmonization," the two said in unison.

In an instant, their spirits seemed to merge into one. Though they were two separate entities, their minds were indistinguishable from one another.

Two individuals on similar paths, now perfectly converged, using their combined intelligence and knowledge to forge ahead on the path before them.

Their thoughts ascended ceaselessly, as if they soared through daylight, climbing ever upward.

Throughout this process, countless mysteries were comprehended through the blend of their wisdom.

This was different from the memories Qing Yu gained after defeating a villain. Those were memories that still had to be absorbed, like data on a hard drive, devoid of personal emotional color.

The experience of deducing with Xiao Meng was entirely different. Even if he could defeat Xiao Meng and obtain her realizations, Qing Yu would not be able to find another genius with equal or superior intelligence to help him unlock the undetermined path ahead.

That is why Qing Yu, risking the possibility of failure, agreed to make this attempt with Xiao Meng.

In the haze, Qing Yu felt a moment of enlightenment—he had reached the late-stage of the Divine Origin Realm.

Xiao Meng had the same sensation. She too stepped into this realm through the combined effort of the two.

But this was not enough, nowhere near enough.

Even if not working together, with their talents, it would not have taken long for either to reach this realm on their own.

So, they continued to deduce further.

Next came the threshold of advancing to the True Pill Realm, the process of tempering the True Pill.

Although Qing Yu had never achieved this before, he possessed the experiences written by the Shadow King himself, along with the Four Symbols Divine Skills, and the Zhenwu Sect’s Four Symbols Ultimate Skills which could all reach the True Pill Realm.

On Xiao Meng’s part, with the Qin Dynasty World’s profound heritage, her martial arts skills could be traced back to the era of Emperor Huang and Chi You, not far from Laozi’s time.

Her master, Beimingzi, had reached the True Pill Realm, and as the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Daoist Sect, she also knew much about the True Pill Realm from her predecessors’ writings and her master.

Though neither had deduced as detailed a journey from the True Pill Realm to the Divine Origin Realm, they had at least sketched a rough outline.

With this outline, it was enough. The true path must still be walked personally to understand whether it is correct.

Beyond the True Pill lies the limit for mortals; breaking through it leads to the Divine Communication Realm, with a lifespan of five hundred years.

This realm marks the passage to transcendence. Though the True Pill Realm allows for fasting, sustenance is ultimately required, whereas beings in the Divine Communication Realm feed on wind and dew, living like immortals unfettered by worldly sustenance, as long as their Primordial Energy is inexhaustible.

But now, Xiao Meng began to falter.

Her Forgetful Heart was said to forget love, yet in truth, she had scarcely experienced emotions. Secluding herself for ten years from the age of eight, although it made her spiritually distinctive, it did not temper her through the red dust of life as Qing Yu had been. Immersion in such a state made her more prone to assimilation.

Conversely, Qing Yu, with the psychological age of almost fifty, had also experimented with the "Observing Heaven Method". So, he showed no signs of being lost.

"If I can hear the Dao in the morning, dying in the evening would be sufficient. Continue!" Xiao Meng resolutely said.

Stopping was unacceptable—neither to Qing Yu nor to Xiao Meng herself. Both resolute in character, they would not allow their efforts to end halfway.