One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 165 Comprehending the Heavens and Earth

Nie Lingfeng gets up before dawn every day.

He stepped out of the cave, stood in the snow, facing the biting wind, and began to cultivate the Wuqiu Yijue (a martial arts technique).

The mornings in the Tianshan Mountains are bitterly cold. It's not just any cold; it's a chill that penetrates to the very marrow. Exhaled breath condenses into ice crystals in the air, making a crisp, tinkling sound as it falls to the ground. Exposed skin turns red within seconds, and after a while, it turns white and becomes numb.

But Nie Lingfeng didn't care.

He stood in the snow, barefoot, wearing only a thin training uniform. The cold air rose from the soles of his feet, spreading upwards along his meridians, but he did not resist it. Instead, he let the cold air enter his body, feeling its flow and the "momentum" it brought.

Coldness is also a kind of power.

The "borrowing momentum" in the Wuqiu Yijue is not about forcibly mobilizing the power of heaven and earth, but about "feeling" the momentum of heaven and earth and then "acting in accordance with the momentum".

He closed his eyes and focused entirely on feeling.

The wind was blowing. It came from the north, carrying the chill of Siberia, blowing across the snowfields, through the pine forests, over the ice peaks, and finally onto him. He could feel the wind's "power"—a free, untamed, ever-moving force. The wind is formless and shapeless, yet omnipresent; it can lift a feather when gentle, and destroy a city when violent.

Snow is falling. Snowflakes drift down from the sky, swirling and fluttering, finally settling on the ground and merging into the accumulated snow. He could feel the "power" of the snow—a pure, cold, and serene power. Snow covers everything, yet it does not possess anything; it simply lies quietly, waiting for the melting of spring.

The mountains breathe. Those majestic snow-capped peaks, seemingly still, are actually constantly in motion. The earth's veins surge, spiritual energy flows, and glaciers move slowly. He can feel the "power" of the mountains—a profound, steady, and eternal power. The mountains bear all things, yet never speak; they simply stand silently, witnessing the vicissitudes of life.

The heavens are in motion. The sun, moon, and stars rise in the east and set in the west, in an endless cycle. He could sense the "momentum" of the heavens—a grand, orderly, and inevitable force. The heavens move according to the law, existing neither for Yao nor for Jie.

Gradually, he was able to "see" more.

Those originally intangible "forces" became tangible "lines" in his eyes. The lines of the wind are flowing, curved, and constantly changing; the lines of the snow are straight, vertical, and downward; the lines of the mountains are thick, heavy, and extend horizontally; the lines of the sky are vast, all-encompassing, and circular.

These lines intertwine to form a three-dimensional, ever-changing "painting." And he stands within this painting, becoming a part of it.

"Leveraging" is no longer about passively borrowing, but about actively "integrating".

He raised his hand and gently waved it towards the distant snow-capped peaks.

He did not use any internal energy or activate any martial arts techniques.

He just casually swung his hand.

"call--!"

An invisible, gentle "wind," yet imbued with the power of heaven and earth, arose out of nowhere and blew toward the snow-capped peaks.

On the snow-capped peaks, the thick snow layer that had accumulated for countless years seemed to be stroked by an invisible hand, slowly sliding down and turning into a small avalanche that rumbled down into the valley.

Nie Lingfeng opened his eyes, looked at the avalanche, and a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.

"I see……"

The third level of the Wuqiu Yijue, "Hedao", is not about forcibly merging with the Dao of Heaven and Earth, but rather "becoming a part of the Dao".

I am the wind, and the wind is me.

I am the power, and the power is me.

He gave this realm a name—

"The wind god moves."

After the sun rose, Nie Lingfeng returned to the cave, soaked in the hot spring, and began to cultivate his internal energy.

The hot spring water was very hot, so hot that my skin turned red. But once I soaked in it, all the pores on my body opened up, and the warm energy seeped into my body through the pores, flowing slowly through my meridians, bringing waves of tingling sensation.

The warm jade at the bottom of the pool emitted a soft blue light, a light that carried a peculiar "life force." The light shone on my body like a mother's hand, gentle and warm. Nourished by the light, my damaged meridians healed at a visible speed, and the lingering pain gradually disappeared.

But comfort is only temporary.

Soon, the painful training began.

He sat cross-legged on the largest piece of warm jade in the center of the hot spring, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Xuanwu True Scripture.

The balanced and harmonious "Qi" surges forth from the dantian and flows slowly along the meridians. It flows through the Ren and Du meridians, through the twelve regular meridians, and through the eight extraordinary meridians, circling again and again, like a stream flowing in a riverbed.

Then, he began to mobilize the power of the Qilin.

The Qilin tattoo on his chest suddenly lit up, and a blazing, violent energy surged from the tattoo and rushed into his meridians.

The moment the two energies meet—

"hiss--!"

Nie Lingfeng gasped.

What does it feel like? It's like pressing a red-hot iron into ice water. Two energies repel and tear at each other, colliding violently within the meridians. The meridians are stretched and throbbed, as if they're about to burst.

But he gritted his teeth and endured it.

He knew this was the only way.

The "Qi" in the Xuanwu True Scripture is balanced and peaceful, mellow and enduring, like a gentle stream. The power of the Qilin is fiery and violent, domineering and unrestrained, like a galloping wild horse. To tame the wild horse and let it merge into the stream requires time, patience, and even more so, pain.

He guided the two energies, slowly approaching, slowly coming into contact, and slowly merging.

Every fusion is accompanied by excruciating pain. It's not a pain on the skin, but a pain that seeps from the very bones, surges from the depths of the soul, and is inescapable.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, only to be evaporated by the steam of the hot spring as soon as it trickled down. He gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching so hard it made a "crackling" sound, and the muscles in his face twitched. But he wouldn't give up, he wouldn't loosen his grip.

Once, twice, three times...

Ten times, twenty times, thirty times...

Gradually, the repulsion between the two energies lessened. They began to adapt to each other and try to coexist. The "Qi" of the Xuanwu Scripture enveloped the power of the Qilin, like a stream embracing a flame; the power of the Qilin was no longer so violent, like a wild horse being gradually tamed, beginning to run along the direction of the stream.

The color of the Qilin tattoo on his chest is also changing.

From its initial crimson hue, it gradually transformed into a dark gold. The patterns became more intricate and clearer, as if they had come alive, slowly moving across the skin.

More importantly, his control over "fire" has reached a new level.

With a thought, flames can appear in the palm of one's hand.

The flames were no longer a single crimson red. They could be scorching and explosive, as if burning everything to ashes—that was the true fire of the Qilin; they could be warm and healing, carrying the breath of life—that was the fire of life; they could be icy cold, freezing even the soul—that was the fire of ice; they could even be compressed and condensed into "fire needles" as thin as a hair, or "fire blades" as thin as a cicada's wing.

With exquisite control, as if it were an extension of one's own arm.

"It's done..."

Nie Lingfeng let out a long sigh and opened his eyes.

Most of the hot spring water had evaporated from his sweat, revealing the warm jade at the bottom of the pool. The luster of that warm jade seemed to have dimmed somewhat.

He calculated the time—it was already afternoon.

Before I knew it, the morning had passed.

The afternoon was his most "painful" and most "happy" time.

The pain comes from constantly breaking old frameworks and trying new combinations, often leaving oneself battered and bruised.

He is happy because every breakthrough and every new "move" he creates gives him an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

That afternoon, he practiced his knife skills in the snow.

The Snow Drinking Blade was drawn from its sheath, its blade gleaming like snow.

He first practiced the moves of the Six Secrets of Aohan. A glance of startled cold, three feet of ice, red apricots in the snow, peach branches swaying, searching for plum blossoms in the snow, cold blade and icy heart—after completing the six moves, the blade flashed, the cold air was biting, and wherever the blade passed, the air condensed into fine ice crystals.

Then he stopped and pondered.

The Six Techniques of Unyielding Cold are very powerful, extremely yin and cold, with unparalleled power. However, the problem is that this sword technique is too "cold," which clashes with the "heat" attribute of the Qilin's power. Every time the Six Techniques of Unyielding Cold are used, the Qilin's power automatically contracts, as if afraid of being frozen. The two forces cancel each other out, greatly reducing their power.

"It needs to be changed," he thought.

He began to experiment with integrating the "creation" of the Creation Blade into the Six Secrets of Aohan.

The art of swordsmanship has no fixed moves; it emphasizes "comprehension." It allows one to act freely, adapt to the enemy, and let the sword move with one's mind, where the intention leads to the sword's movement.

He closed his eyes, feeling the Snow Drinking Blade in his hand, the power of the Qilin within his body, and the "momentum" of heaven and earth.

Then, draw the knife.

The first half of this strike was the "A Glimpse of Startling Cold" from the Six Arts of Aohan, the blade icy cold and exuding a chilling aura. But halfway through, the power of the Qilin suddenly surged in, and golden-red flames abruptly ignited on the cold blade!

Ice and fire coexist!

The blade struck a pine tree, snapping it in half at waist height with a "crack." At the break, half was frozen into ice crystals, and the other half was burned to charcoal.

"It's done!"

Nie Lingfeng's eyes lit up.

Ice and fire are opposing elements, but they can coexist. The key lies in balance. Use the "creation" of the Creation Blade to find that balance point, allowing the two forces to form a dynamic and stable cycle on the blade.

He continued to try.

This time, he tried to incorporate the "violent" nature of the demonic sword.

The Demon Blade is a sword technique used after one has become possessed by a demon. It is violent, cruel, and extremely powerful, but it also has significant side effects. Each time the Demon Blade is used, the user is corrupted by demonic energy and needs a demonic heart to control it.

He took a deep breath, relaxed the suppression of the Demon Heart Crossing, and let a trace of demonic energy seep into the blade.

The blade instantly changed color—no longer a bright white, but an eerie dark red, as if soaked in blood. On the blade, countless vengeful spirits seemed to wail, howl, and struggle.

He unleashed a slash!

"boom--!"