The Dao of Flowing Water and Ancient Powers

Su Hanxing brandished his great spear, unleashing countless silver blurs. These spear shadows, whether parrying, thrusting, chopping, or stabbing, completely enveloped Chi Qiu, leaving not a single gap.

“This feeling…” Su Hanxing then watched, wide-eyed, as Chi Qiu slowly moved. Like an ordinary mortal, she stepped directly into the midst of the spear shadows.

Her steps were unhurried, yet they carried an inexplicable rhythm. For a moment, the myriad spear shadows were utterly unable to touch Chi Qiu.

Chi Qiu merely raised her hand and gently clapped. Her fair, delicate palm showed no trace of true qi or soul power, yet it floated effortlessly to meet the spear shadows.

Boom—

A crisp, resonant clap emanated from the point where her palm met the great spear. Su Hanxing instantly felt an indescribable, peculiar force surge from his spear, coursing through his entire body. This strange force was not overwhelming, but rather chaotic. Su Hanxing felt as though his great spear had plunged into a turbulent vortex, with an inexplicable tearing force assailing it from all directions, pinning it firmly in place and making it impossible to withdraw.

“How profound,” Su Hanxing muttered, his eyes wide with astonishment. He exerted his full strength several times, finally managing to pull his great spear back.

“Little Chi, how did you do that?”

Su Hanxing was certain that Chi Qiu’s strike had not utilized any true qi or soul power. Yet, he couldn’t comprehend how the tearing force, which had assailed him from all sides, had been generated.

“This is the Dao,” Chi Qiu replied, withdrawing her hand and revealing a slightly smug smile.

“This is the Dao?” Su Hanxing was momentarily stunned.

Chi Qiu approached Su Hanxing and casually waved her hand. This gesture seemed to align with a mysterious flow of energy between heaven and earth. As her palm paused before Su Hanxing, a small vortex had already condensed within it.

“This is the same strike that hit your spear just now. I could only perform it after comprehending the first Yinglong diagram; it also contains the Dao of flowing water’s propulsion and rotation.”

Chi Qiu demonstrated the Dao she had grasped to Su Hanxing. This strike required no external assistance; as long as it resonated with the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth, it could unleash immense power.

“I could also condense true qi to perform this Dao, but it would be more difficult,” Su Hanxing noted, intrigued by the water vortex. “I might not succeed on the first try right now.”

Chi Qiu then attempted to perform it with true qi, but failed.

“Truly miraculous. It seems your mastery of the ‘Dao’ far surpasses mine, Little Chi,” Su Hanxing remarked, watching the water vortex slowly dissipate, his voice tinged with admiration.

Do you want to learn? I can teach you. Chi Qiu wiggled her hand, then turned and settled back onto the stone stool.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more, I couldn’t ask for anything more!” Su Hanxing’s face lit up with joy. He immediately performed a student’s bow, quite formally, which brought a slight curve to Chi Qiu’s lips.

“Then first, come help me,” Chi Qiu said. “I want to make osmanthus cake.” She wiped the stone table clean, then retrieved honey water, osmanthus flowers, and other ingredients.

“Aren’t we going to continue sparring?” Su Hanxing asked, seeing Chi Qiu busy making desserts again. He froze, his great spear swaying awkwardly in his hands, as if he didn’t know where to place it.

“I’ve only comprehended this one move so far. If I were to use it a few more times and you managed to break it, I’d be out of options,” Chi Qiu explained. She had no desire to continue purely physical combat with him.

Su Hanxing possessed an exceptionally strong physique. After being tempered by dragon blood, he wielded boundless strength, and even had the divine ability ‘Intertwined Gold’ protecting him. Chi Qiu could still catch him off guard with her water vortex Dao, but if they continued to stalemate, she would undoubtedly lose.

“Alright,” Su Hanxing conceded, nodding as he retracted his spear. “If you can comprehend a few more moves, then reaching the top four in the tournament wouldn’t be a challenge for you, Little Chi.” He sat beside Chi Qiu, quietly observing her busy figure.

“Why are you just sitting there watching? Come help me!” Chi Qiu demanded, seeing Su Hanxing remain motionless on the stone stool.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming, I’m coming…” Su Hanxing quickly approached Chi Qiu, a smile spreading across his face as he noticed her displeasure.

“How does it taste?” Chi Qiu lifted a piece of white-and-gold pastry, placing it in her mouth and chewing slowly. She felt the delicate, sweet taste on her tongue and nodded in satisfaction.

“Exquisitely delicious,” Su Hanxing praised, chewing heartily on the pastry without reservation.

“That’s good then.” Chi Qiu was quite pleased with Su Hanxing’s reply. She blinked, then continued to eat her pastry in small bites.

“You’ve been in the imperial city for four years; is getting into the top three of the tournament your only mission?” Chi Qiu asked, looking at the rather leisurely Su Hanxing with curiosity.

“There are a few other minor tasks, but I can take care of them whenever I have some free time,” Su Hanxing replied, his words slightly vague, yet Chi Qiu understood what he meant.

Chi Qiu nodded at his words, then asked, “How many Dharma Manifestation Realm elders does your Tianyan Sect have?”

Su Hanxing cast a peculiar glance at Chi Qiu, then lowered his head in thought.

“If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to say,” Chi Qiu quickly added, knowing her question might have been presumptuous.

“This isn’t exactly an unspeakable secret,” Su Hanxing said, his expression complex. “But Little Chi, do you truly intend to become an enemy of the Tianyan Sect?” He found himself in a difficult position, torn between the woman he admired and the sect that had shown him kindness. Moreover, the disparity in their strength was immense. In Su Hanxing’s view, if Chi Qiu wished to contend with the Tianyan Sect, it would be akin to a moth flying into a flame.

“How could I be qualified to be an enemy of the Tianyan Sect?” Chi Qiu shook her head. While the Tianyan Sect was among the lowest ranks of the Nine Great Sects of Daqi, its status had remained unchanged and extremely stable since its establishment.

Su Hanxing felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing Chi Qiu’s words.

“All the major sects are eager to display their strength to recruit disciples, yet my Tianyan Sect has always acted discreetly, its true strength a mystery,” Su Hanxing speculated. “Based on what I’ve seen during my decades of cultivation within the Tianyan Sect, there are at least twenty or more Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators.”

The Tianyan Sect never contended for power or resources, neither forming enmities nor forging close alliances with other forces. The Daqi Imperial Family was perhaps the only entity with which it shared a slightly closer relationship.

“Twenty…” Chi Qiu’s heart skipped a beat at that number.

“What about the Holy Fire Ruins?” Chi Qiu pressed further.

“I know quite a bit about them, but the number of their Dharma Manifestation Realm powerhouses is certainly no less than the Tianyan Sect’s,” Su Hanxing replied, shaking his head. He wasn’t surprised by Chi Qiu’s inquiry about the Holy Fire Ruins’ strength. Reflecting now, Su Hanxing realized that the scattered sparks he had seen in Chi Qiu’s memory within the Yinglong Tomb, which had burned her parents to death, must have been the unique sacred flames of the Holy Fire Ruins’ cultivators.

“Aren’t you curious why I asked about the Holy Fire Ruins?” Chi Qiu inquired, seeing Su Hanxing’s understanding expression, feeling a little puzzled herself.

“Since you glimpsed a fragment of my memory in the Yinglong Tomb, it’s only natural that I did the same,” Su Hanxing said with a slight smile. “Of course, I know you have a blood feud with the Holy Fire Ruins.”

“I see… The person who set fire to the Chi family that day was slain by me several years ago. However, I have no clues about the one who turned the entire city into a sea of fire. Now that I think about it, it must have been a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator.” Chi Qiu nodded slightly upon hearing Su Hanxing’s explanation.

“The Nine Great Sects of Daqi do not all possess equal strength. Among them, the Dao Sect, Spirit Mountain, and Myriad Sword Villa hold the greatest power and influence, known as the ‘Upper Three Sects,'” Su Hanxing began, explaining the power dynamics of the Nine Great Sects to Chi Qiu.

“The Dry Mountain Palace, Yishui Gate, and Gate of Wonders follow closely, forming the ‘Middle Three Sects.’ The remaining Holy Fire Ruins, Heart God Sect, and Heavenly Seeker Sect are the ‘Lower Three Sects,’ significantly weaker than the former.”

Chi Qiu listened thoughtfully. As a rogue cultivator, she had only known that Daqi boasted nine revered and influential sects, but she had never realized such significant power disparities existed between them.

“What about the Gong family, where Gong Lingfeng is from? They don’t seem to fear the Gate of Wonders,” Chi Qiu asked, the mention of the Gate of Wonders bringing to mind Gong Lingfeng, who had caused her so much trouble in the Yinglong Tomb.

“The Gong family is an ancient lineage that has existed since primordial times. Their family’s strength is terrifying, far surpassing that of ordinary sects. Moreover, ancient families differ from sects; in true combat, major sects are prone to internal strife, whereas ancient families are incredibly unified. Thus, Gong Lingfeng naturally has no fear of the Gate of Wonders,” Su Hanxing explained with a solemn expression.

“The Nine Great Sects within Daqi saw changes even ten thousand years ago. For instance, the Holy Fire Ruins only joined the ranks of the Nine Great Sects ten thousand years ago, and the cultivators of the Heavenly Abyss Pavilion, whom we encountered in the Yinglong Tomb, were also one of the Nine Great Sects back then,” Su Hanxing elaborated, seeming quite knowledgeable about the various forces.

“The Gong family, however, is different. They have been passed down from the ancient era, enduring countless eons without wavering. There are no more than a handful of such ancient families in all of Daqi,” Su Hanxing said, then suddenly remembered something and quickly added, “Perhaps they will even participate in this second martial arts tournament.”

“It seems the waters run deep among the major forces within Daqi,” Chi Qiu mused. She had never before heard of these so-called ancient families. Only now did she realize that their power far exceeded that of sects, leaving her deeply shocked.

“Precisely why, as the champion of the previous tournament, my sect only requires me to reach the top three in this one,” Su Hanxing said with a wry smile. He knew very little about the disciples of those mysterious ancient families.

“It seems that reaching the top four to obtain the Dual Energies will be quite challenging,” Chi Qiu remarked, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency.

“Thank you for the information, Hanxing. I should go cultivate.”

True to her word, Chi Qiu popped the last piece of osmanthus cake into her mouth. With puffed cheeks, she ambled towards her usual backyard, ready to begin her cultivation.

Only Su Hanxing remained in the front yard, a strange expression on his face.