Chapter Twenty-Four: The Hidden Realm

The mountain breeze was gentle, carrying the fresh air from below up the slopes, brushing against the face in a way that was both comforting and invigorating.

Wenren Ying shook his head pleasantly, then turned, a bright smile lighting his features as his gaze settled on the two of them.

“As for momentum,” he began, “there’s really no fixed form. To put it simply, it’s just one word: foolishness!”

“Foolishness!” they echoed, Zhou Yi and Song Hai nearly speaking in unison, both staring at Wenren Ying in surprise.

“That’s right, foolishness!” Wenren Ying looked at their stunned faces with satisfaction, then went on, “It’s a stubborn sort of foolishness!”

“Wind, rain, thunder, lightning, earth, water, fire, wind—of these, which do you like best?” Wenren Ying asked.

“Huh?”

The question changed so quickly their minds couldn’t keep up. Over the course of the day, both of them felt as though they were country girls visiting the city for the first time, clueless and overwhelmed, their entire worldview turned upside down.

The two stood there in a daze, not answering, uncertain of his meaning.

“Whatever you like—when you practice, imagine you are that. If you like fire, then picture your blade blazing with the heat and explosive force of fire as you strike. If you prefer water, think of water’s gentleness and its ability to seep everywhere.”

“When your blade carries these qualities as you strike, you’ll have reached the Innate Realm.”

Wenren Ying’s words shook them to their core. Could it really be that simple? Was it a matter of imagination alone?

“Watch this.”

Wenren Ying raised his hand, fingers curling as if grasping something. A deep red tiger-headed saber appeared in his grasp. As the two watched, he lifted it high, then brought it down in a swift, forceful arc.

Boom!

It was as if the very air split apart, a thunderous roar erupting as the surroundings were suddenly filled with searing heat. The invisible became tangible under that single stroke.

In that moment, the air itself turned red and violent. With Wenren Ying’s slash, the air took shape like waves on the sea—surging, rising and falling, the space itself churning in response.

The air, split by the saber, became a tidal wave of energy, sweeping across heaven and earth. Everything before their eyes, as far as they could see, was bathed in red.

Magnificent and overwhelming, boundless and grand—the words echoed in Zhou Yi’s mind.

He had imagined that such awe would strike him only when seeing the Yellow River, the Yangtze, the Forbidden City, or the Great Wall. Never had he thought that one day, a casual stroke of another’s blade would leave him so astonished.

Yet it truly had been a casual stroke. One look at Wenren Ying’s relaxed stance and indifferent gaze made that clear.

“Is this... martial arts?” Zhou Yi was dumbfounded, staring blankly as he asked, “Is this really something martial arts can achieve?”

The drastic shift from Wenren Ying’s earlier humorous explanations to this shocking display left him reeling.

Song Hai was utterly speechless, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“This is the Innate Realm, the power of the Innate!” Seeing their expressions, Wenren Ying felt the bitterness in his heart fade. The shock he’d felt at their talent earlier now found its echo.

“This is the Innate.”

“This is the power of the Innate!”

Their admiration came from the depths of their hearts.

“I like fire—its intensity, its explosiveness, its wildness, its temper. I’m straightforward, not one for tricks. So, my blade carries fire with it,” Wenren Ying explained, meeting their eyes.

“Oh.”

“Oh.”

Their replies were vague, their understanding incomplete. Like children, their confusion was plain to see. And in that moment, Wenren Ying’s own feelings quietly faded. After a pause, he sighed.

“The universe is the great world; the body is a small world.”

“To master oneself is the Acquired Realm. To declare your will to the world is the Innate Realm. When you merge with heaven and earth and reach unity with nature, a single stroke of the blade can change the world—that is the realm of Heaven and Man as One.”

“In our tradition, this is called the Blade Realm—the world of the blade, the realm of the blade.”

At last, the two understood. Zhou Yi realized, “So, martial arts realms are Acquired, Innate, and Heaven-Man. For the blade, that’s Blade Momentum, Blade Intent, and Blade Realm!”

With a soft slap, Wenren Ying drew out four books from his robes, tossing two to each of them.

“Reliant Mountain Saber”

“Reliant Mountain Inner Power”

Song Hai was still lost, but Zhou Yi was instantly excited—these were the legendary martial arts manuals!

“Do you know about secret realms?” Wenren Ying asked suddenly, before they could think further.

“No.”

“No.”

They shook their heads in unison; how could they know?

“You will,” Wenren Ying smiled, locking eyes with them. His tone turned serious. “And you’ll know them very well. Because, in the years to come, you may well spend most of your lives inside them.”

“?”

“?”

Both Zhou Yi and Song Hai were utterly bewildered.

Spend their lives inside? What did that mean?

“This isn’t what I imagined!” Zhou Yi finally blurted out. “This is nothing like the novels!”

“Secret realms are training grounds,” Wenren Ying explained after a pause. “Your talents are too great to be wasted on mere instruction from us.”

“So—”

“So?”

“So, take the manuals and enter the secret realms to train on your own.” Wenren Ying’s tone was tinged with emotion—partly awe at their talent, partly for their futures.

Even having reached the Blade Realm and the Heaven-Man level himself, he dared not claim to be their teacher, for fear he might hold them back.

But, did the path truly continue beyond this?

Acquired, Innate, Heaven-Man—three great stages. Was there really a road beyond the last? By all accounts, Heaven-Man was already an extraordinary achievement, a path well-trodden. With their talents, reaching that realm would be only natural.

If reaching Heaven-Man was considered a detour, then what wasn’t?

Was there truly a way forward after Heaven-Man? Was there really?

Wenren Ying had lingered at the Heaven-Man level for thirty years. If there were a path beyond, his own talent should have seen him through long ago.

But three decades of searching had only proven one thing—he simply wasn’t talented enough.

Is there a path beyond Heaven-Man? The answer was yes!

Otherwise, where did the Winds of Destiny come from? Where did the secret realms originate?

In the end, Wenren Ying could only admit with dejection that the road did exist, but he was not worthy.

His talent was simply not enough.