Power of Comprehension (II)

It was Deng Lun. When nobody was interested in this difficult problem of a guest, he was the only one who stuck his head out. It took a certain sense of confidence to do this. There was no drawback to not offering Dao advice but there was clear danger if the advice given proved bad. Others had chosen to skip this guest while he had chosen this moment to shine.

Deng Lun strode forward without hesitation. He gave the guest a respectful bow and spoke, "Miss Hong Mei, before I can help you improve your silver needle Dao, may I ask that you help me with something?"

Hong Mei gave a formal curtsey as was customary of women of her line of work, "Scholar Deng, please speak. I will try to fulfill your request whatever it may be."

Although her tone was clear and without ambiguity, her words could still be interpreted in several ways if taken out of context. A young man with little experience with women might have blushed at this moment. Deng Lun remained calm as if he was well-versed in dealing with older women.

"Miss Hong Mei, please, can you go through your silver needle art routine again? Once more should be enough. From the beginning to the end without pause. But this time, you only need to launch a single needle at the totem."

"Alright. Watch closely."

Hong Mei began once more. Her flowery robes fluttered in the air with her as she leaped and twirled about. Once she had collected enough spiritual energy, a single silver needle disappeared from her fingers and impacted against the strength-testing totem.

It displayed only three glowing orbs, signifying that the attack power of a single needle was only at the 3rd Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. The sharp contrast in attack power between many hundred needles and a single one was to be expected. Nobody expected such a tiny weapon to have overwhelming destructive power.

Hong Mei looked back at Deng Lun who was busy writing something down with the booklet and brush he always carried. Others couldn't figure out anything new this second time around. But seeing him so serious, they also tried to emulate him and ponder the performance again.

Hong Mei stood still and didn't say anything. She waited for Deng Lun or somebody else to speak up. She was the guest and she had already done her part.

Deng Lun finally looked up and started speaking, not to her specifically but to his competition, "All of you should understand that to cultivate the great Dao, each person's journey will be different. Although many people can practice the same secret art, their unique thoughts and experiences will forge a new path that only they can travel. Of course, I am speaking of inane generalities so let me get to the point. What makes the difference in the end given that we are all unique in this world is one thing, comprehension."

He paused dramatically. His competitors didn't look impressed. He stared pointedly at the three other geniuses and also Zhou Ziyun.

He then twirled his writing brush before continuing, "The power of comprehension is unmatched in the world of cultivation. You may attempt to learn everything there is to learn but if you don't have a lick of comprehension, you will not reach the immortal realms. If you have mastered body arts or mind arts but lack comprehension, you may be able to reach the 10th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm but your progress will stagnate after."

"Comprehension is about understanding the world, understanding the spiritual energy that binds heaven and earth and all living things. It is not just the simple control and utilization of spiritual energy. That is also not enough. If you are strong in the Spirit Initiate Realm, that might still not mean anything. You won't be able to touch the lesser realms, unless, you rely on the power of comprehension."

At this point, Tang Liang leaped up and shouted, "Enough blabbering, is this your way of preaching the Dao? We all know about this crap, hurry up with your useless advice to the guest and then roll out of the way!"

It would be a lie if a majority of the other participants shared her sentiment. They just weren't brazen enough to shout it out loud. Nobody wanted to be called dumb, especially by an arrogant prick. He referred to himself as a humble scholar, a gentle scholar. Who knew how he actually got that name? Maybe he was gentle in bed with his old lady master?

Deng Lun seemed unbothered. He ignored the imp and turned back to the guest, "Miss Hong Mei, I have seen your needle art twice now. I can say with confidence that its quality is excellent. Given your background, I already have guessed but I understand if you do not want to divulge where you obtained this art."

A dangerous glint appeared in the woman's eyes, a sign of warning. She wasn't a pure, silly lass but a clever and experienced cultivator.

Zhou Ziyun watched the exchange with great interest. This was the conclusion she had also come to so she was slightly surprised that Deng Lun was able to do it as well. That silver needle art was indeed very good. It was of a far higher grade than all the arts of the previous guests. She must have obtained it through some lucky encounter. Perhaps she had a strong benefactor or perhaps she had robbed the grave of a cultivator at the lesser realms. Anything was possible and such knowledge would elicit envy and greed from the unsavory people she already had to deal with day to day.

Deng Lun put a finger to his lips and smiled, "I won't say anymore. I will speak generally. In ideal conditions, the peak for you will be the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth. Using so many needles requires great spiritual sense and spiritual control. It gives you an edge over ordinary cultivation arts in that sense. However, you lack spiritual power and this is a major flaw. All of your attacks together might be very powerful but each individual attack is pitiful at best. Against someone with a stronger spiritual force, your needles will not be able to penetrate their defense while you will be able to dominate many foes at your level or below with ease that many others cannot match."

"Therefore, I have two suggestions. One is to have a few special needles that are heavier than your normal ones. I know that if the needle is too heavy, it will affect your form. Your spiritual energy and control won't be adequate enough to launch with the same speed which will negate the point. I do think that you will be able to manage a needle that is five times as heavy given enough practice."

"The second is attacking the same point with multiple needles. You are able to hit multiple targets in quick succession so your accuracy is good. This is also a feature of your needle Dao as it incorporates wide, sweeping motions to cover all angles. It will be challenging to modify your movements to attack the same point but not impossible. Let me show you."

Deng Lun's spiritual energy surged and he pointed his ink brush at the strength-testing totem. He gathered power in his chosen weapon and thrust ahead. A turtle head appeared and took the attack with a dull sound. But in the next moment, a stream of attacks followed, hitting the exact same point at least ten times.

"Did you see?" He asked, "It is all in the wrist. Try to limit excessive movement of your body and launch everything towards a single point. And as for the first point."

He twirled around and launched a single, powerful blast of spiritual energy. "This time, move with your hips and your core. Put your entire body into the throw instead of only your hands and wrists. That way, you can maximize spiritual power for a single attack."

Hong Mei nodded along, "I see… I understand…"

Deng Lun didn't stop there and gave some more pointers on her needle art. These details were difficult to understand for bystanders and it seemed that only Hong Mei was following along. One would need to be a practitioner of throwing weapons or hidden weapons to understand but it was as if he had already comprehended this field of martial arts without actually practicing it.

The other three geniuses also couldn't keep up completely. They all sported serious expressions as they listened intently.

As for Zhou Ziyun, her eyes were closed and she was imagining herself performing made-up needle art. Within her spiritual sea, a hazy figure made of pure energy engaged in battle with invisible enemies. Utilizing what she had seen from Hong Mei and from Deng Lun's lecture, she let her mind do the rest. She let her natural ability of comprehension take her to the unknown.

And unbeknownst to her, her spiritual energy was steadily surging to new heights.

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