More and more outsiders arrived in the small town, allowing business at the inns and restaurants to flourish.

At the same time, many young children from the large clans and families on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley started to quietly depart the small town. Many of them were clever and good-looking children, but there were also those who were relatively unknown illegitimate children and those who were the children of extremely loyal servants. Zhao Yao, the son of a noble family, was among these children. 

As for Gu Can, the little boy from Clay Vase Alley, the River Severing True Lord had taken a liking to him with a single glance, so he could be regarded as an exception.

Chen Ping'an went to Liu Xianyang's house to collect a bamboo basket and fish basket before leaving the small town and heading to the creek. When there were many other people around, Chen Ping'an naturally wouldn't practice the Mountain Shaking Guide's walking meditation. 

However, after leaving the small town, he would be all alone, and it was during these times that he would start to quietly recite the mantra and recall Ning Yao's movements and aura as she had demonstrated walking meditation. He wasn't willing to miss any detail, and he continued to repeat the six steps over and over again.

When Chen Ping'an had attempted walking meditation for the first time in his home, his movements had been extremely awkward and disjointed, so much so that he appeared inferior to even normal people. In fact, this had resulted in some slight misunderstanding between him and Ning Yao. Chen Ping'an had a quirky habit that he had always been aware of. Ever since his time working in the dragon kilns, he had discovered that his eyes were quick but his movements were slow. More precisely, the young boy's eyesight and judgment were extraordinary. However, this resulted in his hands and other movements being unable to match his judgment and understanding. 

If others attempted to imitate Ning Yao's walking meditation, even though their movements would appear rough and shoddy, they would perhaps be able to imitate 30 to 40% of it decently well. At the very least, they would do much better than Chen Ping'an's 10 to 20% accuracy. However, this was precisely because Chen Ping'an was able to observe and remember Ning Yao's movements far too well. 

As a result, he had tried too hard to match each movement, and this had been to a detrimental effect. With his arms and legs being unable to keep up with his mind and intention, his movements had appeared extremely awkward and comical. However, while 90% of his movements had been completely off, there had been a subtle and valuable 10% of Ning Yao's aura that he had been able to emulate.

In any case, Ning Yao was completely unaware of these matters. While attempting to imitate her walking meditation, the walking meditation of a sword prodigy, being able to emulate 10% of her aura was, in fact, far more valuable than being able to emulate 90% of her movements.

Of course, to say nothing of emulating 10% of her aura, Ning Yao wouldn't be astonished even if someone managed to emulate 80% of her aura.

This was because her ambitions lay far above in the lofty heights of martial arts, where few people stood. Her goal was to reach those who stood at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.

Chen Ping'an sat down to rest, and he performed some rough calculations in his mind as he sat on the steps beneath the plaque on the covered bridge. He realized that even if he performed walking meditation for upward of 12 hours a day, he would still only be able to repeat it 300 times at most. In a year, this would translate to roughly 100,000 repetitions. Thus, it would take him 10 years to complete the required one million repetitions.

The young boy in straw sandals turned around to gaze at the clear creek water, and he murmured to himself, "I have to persevere for 10 years... I should be able to do this, right?"

Even though Chen Ping'an hadn't shown any abnormal emotions these past few days, he had indeed been feeling quite heavy-hearted and solemn after hearing Daoist Lu reveal those secrets to him. Daoist Lu had revealed all of the sinister actions of Cai Jinjian to him. However, there was one thing that Chen Ping'an had never mentioned to Daoist Lu or Ning Yao. That was, he had already developed a subtle feeling that something had gone wrong in his body when Cai Jinjian had tapped his glabella and struck his chest. It was also because of this feeling that he had stood outside his house for so long at that time. He had been summoning the courage and resolve to seek Cai Jinjian for revenge, no matter the cost.

After all, according to Daoist Lu, Chen Ping'an had already been brimming with an aura of death at that time. He had lost the vitality and energy that a young person should have possessed. Thus, Chen Ping'an had been far less apprehensive of death than most people. 

By forcefully opening his acupoints and "pointing the way", Cai Jinjian had effectively caused his body to become like a house that had no door. One could indeed carry many things inside, but whenever there was rain or snow, the house would collapse far quicker and far more easily than normal. It was because of this that Daoist Lu had come to the conclusion that he would only be able to live to 30 or 40, provided that he didn't suffer from any serious ailments or face any calamity.

Afterward, by striking Chen Ping'an's chest, Cai Jinjian had further destroyed the foundations that would allow him to cultivate. Like destroying the gates of a city, she had effectively sealed off all methods for him to properly circulate his aura through these foundations. Not only had this severed Chen Ping'an's opportunity to cultivate, but it had also accelerated the decay of his body.

Cai Jinjian's two actions were truly terrifying. After exposing Chen Ping'an's body to the elements, this meant that he would no longer be able to cultivate and achieve longevity. At the same time, he would also be unable to rely on spell techniques and mystical abilities to repair his body and reconstruct his foundations. 

Meanwhile, even if was fortunate enough to become a proper martial artist, and he could indeed temper his physique to improve his health, any opportunity that he came across in the future would always be accompanied by a severe and lurking danger. If he accidentally slipped up, he would fall into a dire situation where he further opened himself up to misfortunes. At that time, not only would he have failed to extend his lifespan, but he would have instead pushed himself to an even earlier death.

The most important thing right now was for him to learn a martial art that could provide him with small benefits over a long period of time, allowing him to nurture his vital energy. In terms of whether this martial art was powerful, domineering, or could allow one to progress in leaps and bounds, this was all of much less importance.

Chen Ping'an had placed all of his hopes in the Mountain Shaking Guide, the guide that Ning Yao didn't fancy at all. 

Beyond walking meditation, Ning Yao had also told him about the "Sword Furnace" standing meditation and the "Eternity" sleeping meditation.

However, Chen Ping'an didn't dare to recklessly practice these. At the time, he had only taken a few glances at those diagrams before stopping himself from reading any further. He felt like he should leave it to Ning Yao to appraise and verify the effects of those techniques first before starting to practice them.

If one took the correct path, one would ultimately be able to make progress every day, regardless of how poor their comprehension ability was. They simply needed to persevere. If one veered off onto an incorrect path, however, their smarts and effort would only lead them further and farther astray.

It was Liu Xianyang who had spoken these words to him. Of course, he hadn't forgotten to add, "You, Chen Ping'an, are the first type of person. Your clever neighbor, Young Scholar Song, is the second type of person. As for me, I'm the type of prodigy who's both smart and walking on the correct path."

While bragging and blowing his own trumpet, Liu Xianyang had accidentally been overheard by the passing Old Man Yao. Old Man Yao had always given him special treatment and viewed him as a favorite disciple, yet Liu Xianyang's words had seemingly caused him to recall some unpleasant memories. In a rare display, Old Man Yao had flared up in rage and given Liu Xianyang a solid beating. After that time, Liu Xianyang never mentioned the word "prodigy" again.

Chen Ping'an exhaled heavily before standing up and walking up the steps. After arriving on the covered bridge, he discovered that there was a group of four or five people standing and sitting in the distance. It looked like they were guarding one of the young girls. Chen Ping'an could only see her side, and her feet were casually hanging above the creek water as she sat on the railings of the covered bridge. Her eyes were closed, and her fingers were locked in strange positions as she made a weird hand symbol.

Even though her eyes were closed, her movements were such that Chen Ping'an felt like she was using her mind to "look" at something.

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment before deciding not to go any further. He turned around and walked down the steps, deciding to wade through the water to cross the creek. He had brought two bamboo baskets with him today, one large and one small. Thus, he was going to visit Liu Xianyang to return the slightly smaller basket to Master Ruan's blacksmith shop first. After all, Liu Xianyang had borrowed it from someone else.

The group of people on the covered bridge exchanged a smile upon seeing the impoverished young boy tactfully turn around to leave. However, they didn't speak, afraid that they would disturb the young girl who was in a mystical mental state of "observing water".

This technique had originated from Buddhism, and there was absolutely no doubt about this. Afterward, however, many other cultivation sects had adopted it and changed it for their own purposes, further combining and refining it with other techniques. In the end, this one technique had branched off into many different techniques.

However, Buddhism was facing the degenerate age of Dharma in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. After several great calamities aimed at destroying Buddhism swept through large swathes of the continent, Buddhism had slowly entered a state of decline for the past 1000 years. Their power and influence was far inferior to Daoism and Confucianism.

"Hear only about the True Lords and Heavenly Masters; know not about the Dharmapala and Bhadanta." This was the current situation in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

However, the sects who had benefited from Buddhism were countless in number.

Chen Ping'an rolled up his pants and sleeves and waded across the creek. When he arrived onshore, he suddenly heard screams of astonishment and howls of anger traveling over from the covered bridge. He paused for a moment before deciding against getting involved.

When he arrived at Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, he saw that it was still as lively and busy as always. Chen Ping'an didn't wander around by himself, and he instead stood next to a well and asked someone to notify Liu Xianyang of his arrival.

He had initially thought that he would need to wait for a long time, but to his surprise, Liu Xianyang ran over after only a short while. Liu Xianyang dragged him toward the creek and muttered in a low voice, "I've been waiting for you for so long! Why did you only just arrive?!"

Chen Ping'an was slightly puzzled, and asked, "Master Ruan has been nagging you to return the bamboo basket?"

The tall young boy rolled his eyes and said, "What's a crappy basket worth? No, I've got something important to discuss with you. When you go back to my home after collecting those pebbles, wait for that woman to arrive and look for you. I'm talking about the woman whose son is wearing red. We saw them at the entrance of Clay Vase Alley last time. When she arrives, you don't need to say anything else, and you simply need to give that large case to her. She'll give you a pouch of coins. Make sure to check the pouch in front of her; there should be 25 copper coins. Make sure there's none missing!"

Chen Ping'an was shocked, and he exclaimed, "Liu Xianyang, have you gone mad?! Why are you selling your family heirloom to that outsider?!"

Liu Xianyang roughly wrapped his arm around Chen Ping'an's shoulder and said, "You don't know crap. A bright future is waiting for me, so why should I abandon it for no reason?"

Chen Ping'an wore a skeptical expression. He refused to believe that this was Liu Xianyang's true feeling.

Liu Xianyang sighed and whispered in a soft voice, "That woman wants to buy my treasured armor, while the other master and servant want to obtain my sword scripture. Before passing away, my grandpa told me that I could sell the treasured armor if I was truly forced into such a situation. Of course, this is naturally only if the price is right. However, when it comes to the sword scripture, I can't admit that the Liu Clan possesses it even if that means death."

"Thus, I decided to sell the treasured armor to that woman. Apart from the pouch of coins, she also agreed that she would talk to that imposing old man and convince him not to target me in the short term. In essence, I'm just buying some time. After I become Master Ruan's disciple, all of these problems won't be problems anymore."

"Then why didn't you try to buy time with that woman?" Chen Ping'an asked directly. "It's not like she can come to the blacksmith shop to target you and cause trouble, right? In any case, she can't break into your house to steal that suit of treasured armor."

Liu Xianyang let go of him and squatted down by the creek. As he casually picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water, he pursed his lips and said, "It's not like I definitely can't sell that suit of treasured armor. Since she's offering a fair price for it, isn't the outcome pretty good anyway? It can also make our situation safer, and perhaps Ning Yao won't need to interfere and put herself in danger either. So, I feel like this isn't a bad outcome."

Chen Ping'an squatted down next to him and said in an anxious voice, "How do you know she's offering a fair price? What are you going to do if you regret it in the future?"

The tall boy grinned and said, "Regret it? Just have a think, since when have I ever regretted doing something?"

Chen Ping'an scratched his head. He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but he was a clumsy speaker and didn't know how he could persuade Liu Xianyang.

Liu Xianyang had always lived a carefree life, and it was as if there was nothing that could ever obstruct him or challenge him.

The tall boy stood up before kicking Chen Ping'an's bamboo basket and saying, "Hurry up, I need to return this to Master Ruan. When I officially become his disciple, I'll invite you over to broaden your horizons."

Chen Ping'an slowly stood up. He wanted to say something, yet he eventually swallowed his words. Liu Xianyang smiled and scolded, "Bloody hell, Chen Ping'an, am I selling your family heirloom or my family heirloom? Or perhaps I'm selling your wife?"

As Chen Ping'an handed the bamboo basket over, he asked in an uncertain voice, "You're not going to reconsider it?"

After accepting the basket, Liu Xianyang took several steps back before suddenly launching into the air and performing a flashy roundhouse kick.

When he landed, he smiled smugly and asked, "Impressive, huh? Are you afraid?"

"Get stuffed," Chen Ping'an replied with a huff.

After leaving Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, Chen Ping'an was weighed down with thoughts in his mind as he entered the creek to collect pebbles. Perhaps it was due to his restless mind, or perhaps it was due to the shallower creek, his results today were relatively poor, with only 20 or so snake gall pebbles in his basket when he arrived near the covered bridge. Moreover, none of them were dazzling, and none of them had caught his attention at first glance.

Chen Ping'an placed the bamboo basket and fish basket in the tall grass beside the creek before taking a deep breath and walking back into the creek. He started to practice walking meditation.

When Chen Ping'an returned, his heart jolted as he saw a short young boy squatting next to the baskets that he had hidden in the tall grass. There was a lush green grass stalk hanging from his mouth.

This young boy was Granny Ma's grandson, and he had been treated as a retard by the others ever since he was very little. Moreover, Granny Ma's reputation was extremely poor among the children who were around Chen Ping'an's age, and she was seen as someone who was both stingy and unkind. As a result, many of them treated her darling grandson as an outlet to vent their anger. 

The young boy was chased and bullied every time he left home. Whenever he wore new clothes or shoes, it was guaranteed that they would become dirty within an hour thanks to the mean actions of the other children. For example, when Granny Ma bought a new pair of shoes for him, a dozen or so children would immediately step on his feet and trample all over his shoes. When he returned home, would the shoes still appear new?

Like this, Ma Kuxuan's mental impairment made him an outcast, and his strangeness ensured that the others picked on him. However, he never complained to Granny Ma, and he never burst into tears or begged the other to stop. 

From the beginning to the end, he had always worn a calm expression, with a hint of coldness in his eyes. Thus, the children in Apricot Blossom Alley had never liked to play with him. As a result, Ma Kuxuan had learned how to play by himself from a very early age. His favorite pastime was to sit on a hill or roof and watch the clouds in the sky.

Chen Ping'an had never bullied Ma Kuxuan before, nor had he ever felt sympathy for him. Even though they were both pitiful children, he had more so never thought about becoming friends with him to find a sense of warmth and belonging.

This was because Chen Ping'an didn't think that Ma Kuxuan was a mentally impaired person. Instead, he felt like Ma Kuxuan was extremely similar to Song Jixin, and perhaps even more capable than him.

He never spoke, but it was as if he were biding his time and waiting for an opportunity. It was as if he were silently saying to the others, "The heavens owe me many things, and there will eventually come a day when I reclaim all that is rightfully mine!"

If someone owed Song Jixin one copper coin, perhaps he would demand them to obediently return two. If it were Ma Kuxuan, however, perhaps he would demand them to return a tael of gold!

Chen Ping'an didn't think that they were wrong. Instead, he simply disliked this type of personality.

The young boy no longer appeared like a mentally impaired person, and he smiled and said in a clear voice, "You're Chen Ping'an from Clay Vase Alley, right? Zhi Gui's neighbor?"

Chen Ping'an nodded in confirmation and asked, "Is something the matter?"

The young boy smiled before pointing at Chen Ping'an's basket and telling him, "Perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but the creek has become much shallower than before. The only good pebbles left are those in the deep pool under the covered bridge and those in the pit under the Azure Cow Ridge. The pebbles in the other places aren't that great anymore, just like the ones that you've collected. They can't hold their aura anymore, and they'll quickly plummet in quality. If you're lucky, perhaps you'll be able to make an extremely good quality whetstone out of them, or perhaps you'll be able to make inkstones for scholars. At the end of the day, they're still valuable items that will fetch a good price with ease. However... Forget about it. You might not understand even if I explain it to you."

Chen Ping'an replied with a smile. However, he didn't say anything.

The short young boy suddenly asked, "You were practicing a fist technique in the creek just now?"

Chen Ping'an still remained silent.

There was a glimmer in his eyes, and Ma Kuxuan roared with laughter as he said, "As it turns out, you're not stupid either, huh? That makes sense. You're quite similar to me, and we're actually the same type of person."

Chen Ping'an walked around the young boy and told him that he was going to leave first. He then picked up his baskets and turned around to leave.

Squatting down as he watched Chen Ping'an disappear into the distance, Ma Kuxuan spat out the grass stalk in his mouth before shaking his head and saying in a soft voice, "Your stance is poor, and your number of mistakes is also great. No matter how much you practice, you're still not going to reach any great height."

Without turning around, Ma Kuxuan said, "You've retrieved our Militarian subjugation treasure?"

The man behind him smiled and said, "Remember to call me Master in the future."

The young boy ignored him. He stood up and turned around, asking, "Can you show me that Small Sword Resting Ground?"

The man in front of him was none other than the Militarian grandmaster who had a sword strapped to his back and a tiger talisman hanging by his waist. He claimed that he had come from True Martial Mountain, and he had even announced that he would challenge the so-called junior uncle from the sect of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl.

The man shook his head and said, "Now's not the right time."

A hint of frustration and anger appeared on his face, and he continued, "Why did you purposely ruin that girl's Observing Water Mental State? Do you know that such actions will make you two arch-enemies for life?"

The young boy wore an indifferent expression as he replied, "To pursue the Great Dao is to embark on a difficult journey. If I'm unable to overcome such a minor challenge, how will I dare to dream about achieving immortality?"

The man laughed in anger and sneered, "You've yet to even embark on your journey, yet you're already daring to talk so big? You're not afraid of being too overconfident?!"

Ma Kuxuan grinned, revealing his sparkling white teeth. "If I encounter this kind of ascension opportunity in the future, I'll make sure to notify that girl. Master, you don't need to interfere at that time, and I'll allow her to try and ruin my opportunity."

The man sighed with emotion and said, "Do you know? The fated opportunities in this world come big and small, while blessings and fortunes also come major and minor. One's aptitude and talent also comes higher or lower. If you always judge others using your own set of principles, there will eventually come a day when you come across someone who's more powerful and high-level than you, and at that time, they might destroy your path to longevity simply because they aren't in a good mood. What will you do then?"

The young boy smiled and replied, "I'll accept my fate!"

The man chuckled at himself in a mocking manner and said, "I won't try to reason with you again in the future. My words will just fall on deaf ears."

"How did that boy from Clay Vase Alley find out about the value of the pebbles in the creek? And he's even practicing a fist technique?" Ma Kuxuan suddenly asked.

The man's expression instantly became serious, and he said, "Ma Kuxuan! I don't care if you're an unruly person or whatnot. However, there's one thing that you have to remember. We are Militarian swordsmen! We wield the sword to shatter all techniques, we wield the sword to follow our mind, and we wield the sword to pursue invincibility. However, we definitely don't wield the sword to pick on mortals or to kill those who are innocent. More importantly, we can't purposely target others simply because we're jealous of their talent!"

The young boy stretched lazily and said, "Master, you're overthinking things. Regardless of how powerful that boy from Clay Vase Alley is, I won't bother him as long as he doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, the people in this small town are nothing more than stepping stones for me, regardless of how great their achievements are. Being jealous of them? I can't even thank them fast enough!"

The man was exasperated. "There's truly no way to reason with you. I feel like True Martial Mountain will have its hands full in the future."

"What are you ranked in True Martial Mountain?" Ma Kuxuan asked in curiosity.

The man chuckled and replied, "Let's not talk about this. I don't want to lose face."

The young boy rolled his eyes and said, "If I had known this earlier, I would have waited for a little longer before choosing a master."

The man replied with a smile.

There was something that he hadn't told his disciple. There were indeed many types of prodigies in the world, and there were indeed many different levels of talent and aptitude.

Just then, the six-step walking meditation of the young boy in straw sandals had appeared ordinary and unremarkable. In reality, however, his movements had been filled with a rolling fist intent.