The unity of heaven and man

"It's rather peculiar," murmured the middle-aged man to himself, as Lin Feng's presence at this moment gave him a sensation of transcendence, as if he had risen above the mundane.

Yet, as he watched Lin Feng's figure recede, he found himself oddly inclined to look up to him, a feeling that shook him to the core. Could it be that Lin Feng, the one spoken of as worthless by the Purple Cloak, truly possessed such depth?

"He came to our Purple Orchid Villa as a servant, tending to the courtyard. Perhaps it's because he simply doesn't care. He's honing his own realm!" The middle-aged man muttered to himself. On the mainland, many scions of prominent families ventured out to temper themselves in various ways. Some honed themselves on the battlefield, while others willingly took on the roles of humble servants, refining their spirits to cultivate indifference and resilience. Clearly, the middle-aged man regarded Lin Feng as one of these individuals.

Otherwise, why would a youth capable of stirring the heavens and earth merely by standing there deign to serve as a menial laborer, assisting in the maintenance of this small villa?

Taking a step forward, the middle-aged man slowly made his way towards Lin Feng, his footsteps almost imperceptible, making not a single sound, lest he startle him.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng remained tranquil as a pond, his mind continuously pondering. He hadn't even noticed his surroundings.

"On the day of my breakthrough, I had the essence of battle, the chill of ice, and the essence of the sword within me. So why did I choose to merge all these into the essence of the sword? Why couldn't I turn them into the essence of ice or the essence of battle?" Lin Feng questioned himself internally.

"Swords can have sword intent; knives can have knife intent. Just as swords can reach the pinnacle of unity with their wielder, so can knives. What about others?"

"For instance, the fallen leaves just now, swaying in the wind, have the intent of falling leaves. The wind also has its own intent. The unity of intent and subtlety should not be exclusive to swords and knives, but should encompass all things in the universe."

Lin Feng's mind sparked with a glimmer of understanding, suddenly feeling a sense of enlightenment.

Raising his palm slightly, he made a swift motion into the void, like a fleeting phantom. Without a trace, the falling leaves were cleaved into several pieces, drifting in the air.

Though his eyes remained closed, Lin Feng now possessed a sense of control, as if he commanded everything, akin to the feeling he had when using his martial soul in the past, yet subtly different.

Before, when using his martial soul, he had turned the world around him gray. But now, he melded seamlessly with the surrounding space, vividly sensing everything around him.

As the martial arts scriptures say, martial arts lie in enlightenment—understanding martial arts, understanding intent, understanding realms, understanding the way. To unlock the door of understanding, one must first enter a certain realm: the unity of heaven and man.

"Heaven and Man United!"

Lin Feng muttered to himself, his eyes opening with a faint smile on his face. There was no arrogance or sharpness, just an ordinary yet extraordinary demeanor.

This was a realm, harmonizing with the path of martial arts.

Turning around, Lin Feng looked at the middle-aged man standing not far away, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. This subtle smile made the middle-aged man feel somewhat ashamed.

"Young sir!"

The middle-aged man called out to Lin Feng with respect in his gaze.

Lin Feng nodded towards the middle-aged man, acknowledging the gesture.

"Young sir, my daughter has offended you in the past. Here, Zinan apologizes to you. I hope you won't hold it against us." The middle-aged man slightly bowed to Lin Feng. How could such a young man possibly be considered worthless? Although his daughter, Ziyi, had exceptional talent, her judgment of people seemed somewhat lacking.

"You can call me Lin Feng. I bear no grudge against them. Coming to the villa was my own choice," Lin Feng replied lightly. He owed his breakthrough to Ziling for bringing him to the Purple Orchid Villa. During his time here as a servant, tidying the courtyard in tranquility, his mind had been peaceful, allowing him to comprehend and achieve today's breakthrough.

If it weren't for Ziling picking him up from the roadside, who knows what accidents he might have encountered.

Breaking through to the realm of Heaven and Man United was absolutely a matter of chance rather than seeking. If one must describe it, it could only be attributed to fortunate coincidence.

Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, Zinan became more convinced of his speculation. Lin Feng must undoubtedly be a scion of some major family who had come out to gain experience.

"Does this villa have a training room? Could you lend it to me?" Lin Feng suddenly spoke up.

"Of course," Zinan immediately agreed. "Young sir, please follow me."

With that, Zinan took the lead, leading Lin Feng towards the depths of the bamboo forest. After a while, they arrived at a secluded place, shrouded in dense white mist rich with the qi of heaven and earth. "Young sir, this is the best training ground of our Purple Orchid Villa, equipped with an array of gathering elemental energy. You can enter directly to train, and there are also many elemental stones inside for your use."

Zinan appeared very magnanimous. Meeting a young man with exceptional talent from a major family was definitely not a bad thing.

Lin Feng nodded slightly and stepped forward into the mist of heavenly and earthly qi. He hadn't expected that the Purple Orchid Villa would have such an array.

Inside, Lin Feng indeed saw many elemental stones on the ground. Sitting cross-legged, he activated his mind, instantly merging with the vast qi of heaven and earth, which crazily poured into his body.

Lin Feng, like a hungry man, eagerly absorbed this heavenly and earthly qi without hesitation.

This time, Lin Feng didn't spend too much time in cultivation. Just a few hours later, he walked out of the misty area, where Zinan was still waiting, seemingly expecting Lin Feng.

"Young sir."

Seeing Lin Feng come out, Zinan immediately stood up from the ground, a hint of smile appearing on his face. Lin Feng was still as mysterious as when he went in, unfathomable.

"Let's go," Lin Feng said lightly, and the two of them stepped out, returning to the courtyard.

Just as Ziyi and Ziling, who were looking for Zinan, happened to return, seeing their father, Zinan, with Lin Feng surprised them. "Father, we were looking for you and Ziling everywhere."

"Dad, shall we set off?" Ziling smiled and approached. Then her gaze fell on Lin Feng. "Lin Feng, tidy up and get ready to leave with us."

"Impudent."

Zinan scolded, making Ziling tremble slightly. Then she saw Zinan glaring at her. Just as she was about to speak, Lin Feng preempted, "Miss, where are we going?"

"Well, you see, our Purple Orchid Villa is just a branch of the Purple Mansion. In a few days, the young master of the Purple Mansion, Ziqiong, is getting married. Our branch naturally has to go to congratulate. So I called Ziling and the others back to prepare to go with them," Zinan answered first. Lin Feng nodded in understanding. The young master of the main family was getting married, so it was only natural for members of the branch to go and offer their congratulations.

"Dad, these past few days, I heard that Ziqiong's wife is a rare beauty, surpassing all the women of the Purple Mansion. Moreover, she's a Snow Moon woman. Ziqiong even forced someone to marry her. Is it true or false?" Ziling's eyelashes flickered as she looked at her father, Zinan, curiously.

"Don't speak nonsense." Zinan frowned and then said in a low voice, "There have been some rumors. That woman is indeed stunningly beautiful and claims to be the Snow Moon Princess. However, it's unconfirmed. You mustn't spread such rumors outside in the future."

"Oh," Ziling blinked her eyes.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng's body trembled lightly.

Snow Moon Princess?

The only Snow Moon Princess Lin Feng knew was Duan Xinye!

"Could it be her?" Lin Feng frowned. That day, he left Duan Xinye alone after leaving her. He didn't know where Duan Xinye went. Now, according to Zinan, the bride-to-be of the young master of the Purple Mansion called herself the Snow Moon Princess, was stunningly beautiful, and was forced into marriage. So, it was highly possible that it was Duan Xinye.

"Master, I'll go with you."

Lin Feng said to Zinan, making Zinan's gaze freeze. Seeing Lin Feng's earnest eyes, he naturally had no objections.

"If you're so anxious to see for yourself just because you heard that Ziqiong's wife is beautiful, you better not have any improper thoughts. At most, you can just watch from the sidelines, you, a servant, have a huge status gap. Don't harbor any delusions," Ziling looked at Lin Feng with a smile that wasn't a smile, saying, "But Ziqiong is the young master of the Purple Mansion, while you are just a servant. There's a huge difference in status. Don't have any improper thoughts."

"Shut up," Zinan scolded again, then turned to Lin Feng and said, "If Young Master Lin wants to go, then I won't. Please take care of the two young ladies on the way."