In the clouds in the sky.

"City Lord Yan, surely the next one you want to enlighten should be those two disciples?" Yang Wang couldn't resist speaking, too curious to know who Yan Chuan would guide next and who would be the next to prove the Dao!

"It's a pity my Holy Daughter is not here!"

Yang Wang slapped his thigh, regretting on behalf of Wei Lingshan to the point of bitterness.

With Wei Lingshan's strength and accumulation, if she could get Yan Chuan's guidance this time, maybe she could also go further in the Sword Discussion and prove the Innate.

But, unfortunately, she is too proud to participate again after joining the first session.

Sigh!

Too proud!

This isn't good!

Tian Jing, on the side, was also curious: "I've seen my brother tailor Absolute Skills for many Heavenly Prides, yet the few disciples still practice 'Tai Chi Boxing', 'Baji Fist', 'Xingyi Boxing', and 'Eight Diagram Palm'.

The four famous disciples under Yan Chuan, known as 'Yan's Four Talents'—

The eldest disciple Yu Jinpeng practices 'Tai Chi Boxing'.

The second disciple Jin Yutang practices 'Baji Fist'.

The third disciple Wei Quan practices 'Xingyi Boxing'.

The fourth disciple Che Qi practices 'Eight Diagram Palm'.

Compared to the Heavenly Prides like Peng Fannian, Ban Xianfu, Wang Ge, and Fu Yunzhan, who obtained various Absolute Skills from Yan Chuan, these disciples' boxing and palm techniques seem too insignificant, not even reaching the level of Absolute Skills.

Among them, Yu Jinpeng and Jin Yutang already reached their limits by cultivating 'Tai Chi Boxing' and 'Baji Fist' to their current levels—it's the boxing that limits them. If they practiced stronger boxing or Absolute Skills, their strength might not be confined to this. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They are my disciples!

Why not teach them?

Tian Jing didn't understand, nor did the grandmasters.

Only Yan Chuan understood—

"These four disciples of mine lack aptitude. Although Absolute Skills are good, they can't learn them. The 'Five Fists' may be inferior, but they are foundational. Only with a focused mind, they can eventually bear fruit."

Yan Chuan hadn't forgotten that Yu Jinpeng, Jin Yutang, Wei Quan, and Che Qi were once considered the 'ugly misfits' of Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, each with poor aptitude and low comprehension.

Absolute Skills?

Not to mention Absolute Skills, Yan Chuan had no lack of True Skills either, but could Yu Jinpeng and the others cultivate them? Could they handle them?

No!

Impossible!

It is far superior to build a foundation with the 'Five Fists'. After solidifying their base, upon revealing their characteristics, then selecting and imparting Absolute Skills to them—this is the right principle.

Yan Chuan possessed "Mutual Teaching and Learning." His martial arts lectures and guidance weren't mere rote education, never rigid or formulaic, but tailored to each student's needs.

…

The Cang Mountain Sword Discussion was in full swing.

As the Sword Discussion neared its end, with the arrival of Yan Chuan and the successive attainment of Dao by Shi Qingke, Peng Fannian, and Ban Xianfu, the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

Yan Chuan continued to explain.

But high-quality face-offs like those between Shi Qingke and Yu En, Peng Fannian and Ban Xianfu were too few. Hence, Yan Chuan's discussions were quite general, and most of his energy during leisure time was actually focused on the twelve misty rain monuments atop Chess Stone Peak's twelve stages.

[You can obtain corresponding inspiration from some marks, items, or environments.]

After raising "Derivation Skill" to level four, Yan Chuan could obtain inspiration from objects. Previously, from the 'Mad Demon Scroll,' Yan Chuan acquired quite a bit of inspiration, which aided him in the development of the Saber Technique "Newborn," Cross Refining "Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield," Roar Skill "Ksitigarbha Heavenly Dragon Roar," and "72 Transformations."

The 'Mad Demon Scroll' appeared to be hand-drawn by a War God level, and Yan Chuan even speculated that the creator of the 'Mad Demon Scroll' may not have held a low status or strength, even among those in the War God realm.

Patterns.

Lines.

Chaotic yet can give different inspirations to different people.

Luo the Madman comprehended a saber technique from it.

Yan Chuan realized Cross Refining from it.

Later, with the help of "Derivation Skill," further inspirations like "Ksitigarbha Heavenly Dragon Roar" and "72 Transformations" were derived.

Seemingly endless.

This scroll, too mysterious.

After Luo the Madman comprehended the 'Mad Demon' saber technique from it, he no longer received powerful inspirations affecting his will. To his eyes, the 'Mad Demon Scroll' had no more secrets, appearing solely as the 'Mad Demon' saber technique.

The same applied to Yan Chuan.

Upon realizing the 'Fire Demon Golden Bell Shield' from the 'Mad Demon Scroll', likewise, it held no further allure without 'Derivation Skill'. He might very well have deemed the 'Mad Demon Scroll' ended there.

But that was not the case.

The 'Mad Demon Scroll' still harbors significant potential to be unearthed.

And at this moment.

In Cang Mountain.

The stage Mist Rain Stele is a treasure.

"Junior Brother once gained an insight from the 'Jiangguan Mist Rain Map,' proving the Innate in one fell swoop, but after pondering it again, became vague, achieving nothing." Yan Chuan gazed at the Rain Stele below, leveraging "Derivation Skill" to try capturing inspiration while engaging in casual discourse with Emperor Yan: "Where did these twelve Mist Rain Steles come from?"

"These were discovered by the 'Mountain and Sea Department' from an ancient relic in the Mountain and Sea Realm. After research by the 'Archaeological Department', they speculate that these 'Mist Rain Steles' were left by a sect proficient in alchemy and stele carving. The Mountain and Sea Department found only 'Mist Rain Steles' and 'Mist Rain Maps', but perhaps earlier, there were also other types like 'landscape paintings', or 'portrait paintings', or 'flowers and birds paintings'." Emperor Yan chuckled: "Is Tan Valley King interested in the Mist Rain Stele?"

"I can't understand the 'Mist Rain Stele', but I'm very intrigued by the mysteries behind similar ancient artifacts." Yan Chuan observed each Mist Rain Stele, each Mist Rain Map, even reading the front text carefully multiple times.

Upon examining, he nearly fell in.

Yan Chuan quickly maintained a distance, watching intermittently, marveling: "Quite similar to the 'Mad Demon Scroll'!"

Last year's Sword Discussion also featured [Mist Rain Steles], but Yan Chuan's focus was on those Twelve Strong, scarcely glancing over. It wasn't until today that he truly observed them.

This one observation made him feel reminiscent of his state while viewing the 'Mad Demon Scroll'.

The same unawareness!

The same captivating allure!

"Could it be that this contains the 'Martial Arts Realm'?"

The key to ascending to the sixth grade of the Innate realm is to comprehend the 'realm'. Treasures or abodes containing such a realm are priceless, such as the seventh-grade divine weapon 'God Slaying Spear' recently auctioned in Five Blessings City, which embodies the 'Soldier Dao Realm', ultimately fetching a sky-high price of 72,990 Primordial Pills.

It speaks volumes!

Does the 'Mist Rain Stele' contain a realm?

For now, it's unknown.

But the 'Mist Rain Stele' does contain the ultimate truth of martial arts—

Wuzhenzi, the head of the Three Saints of Wuji Palace, meditated on the {Li River Misty Rain Map} for three years and comprehended the first-grade divine skill "Li River Guiding Skill," achieving the Innate realm, thus remaining eternally youthful.

Qinghu Immortal, Wu Xian of Qinghu Manor, meditated on the {Spring Mountain Misty Rain Painting} for three years and deduced the first-grade extreme skill "Fog Sword," with swordsmanship so transcendent that it became invincible.

The 'Wind God' Lü Xuan, one of the Eight Great Vajra of Eight Phases Mountain, meditated on the {Golden Bull Misty Rain Painting} for three years and derived the first-grade extreme skill "Ding Jiangshan," with leg techniques reaching their peak, capable of stabilizing the land with a single step!

...

One by one, top grandmasters of the Great Yan once meditated on at least one {Mist Rain Stele} for as long as three years, deriving first-grade extreme skills known as the Geng Five Absolute Skills.

"What about me?"

"What can I derive with the 'Derivation Skill'?"

Yan Chuan was curious.

He watched.

Over and over.

For hours upon hours.

Soon, as only four hours remained before the end of the Second Sword Discussion, Yan Chuan suddenly had a flash of insight—

"Mist Rain Stele!"

"Mist Rain Map!"

"Jiangguan, Linluan, Spring Mountain, He Feng, Li River, Golden Bull, …"

"The {Jiangguan Misty Rain Map} has a majestic aura and vigorous brushwork, akin to the momentum of shattering rocks and the roaring storm, bearing a resemblance to the 'Shaoshang Sword' of the {Six Meridian Divine Sword} in an ingenious way."

"The {Linluan Misty Rain Map} shrouded in mist, has a unique painting style, quite similar to the 'Shangyang Sword' of the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}, brilliant and elusive."

"The {Divine Capital Misty Rain Map} with its grand opening and impressive aura, clearly resembles the 'Middle Strike Sword' of the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}!"

Having seen twelve 'Mist Rain Steles', suddenly, six of them corresponded to the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}, inspiration surged uncontrollably, pouring out—

"Mist Rain Map!"

"Six Meridian Divine Sword?"

"No no no!"

"That's not the essence! The essence lies in—"

"Shaoshang Sword—Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian!"

"Shangyang Sword—Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian!"

"Middle Strike Sword—Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian!"

"Guan Chong Sword—Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian!"

"Shaochong Sword—Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!"

"Shaoze Sword—Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian!"

Yan Chuan realized that the {Mist Rain Map} only superficially corresponds to the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}, and truly corresponds to the 'Twelve Main Meridians'—

Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian!

Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian!

Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian!

Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian!

Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!

Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian!

Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian!

Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian!

Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian!

Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian!

Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian!

Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian!

"Six main meridians of hands and feet each."

"In the hand, it's the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}!"

"In the foot, it's the {Wave Riding Micro Steps}!"

"Combining with twelve {Mist Rain Steles}, my new skill takes the {Six Meridian Divine Sword} and {Wave Riding Micro Steps} as the foundation, running through the Yijing Eighty-Eight Sixty-Four Trigrams, the faster you run, the stronger the Sword Qi becomes, with the stepping technique complementing the Sword Qi, and both hands deploying six meridian Sword Qi, forming a 'Six Meridian Sword Array' by aligning with Gua Xiang—"

Yan Chuan's inspiration exploded, introducing a skill combining the {Six Meridian Divine Sword}, {Wave Riding Micro Steps}, and various finger skills, lightweight body techniques like {Shadowy Charm}, {Ladder Cloud}, and {Heaven and Earth Net Formation}, as well as numerous Swordsmanships including the {Five Mountains Swordsmanship} and {Evil Exorcism Sword Skill}, besides formations like the {True Martial Seven Style Formation} and {Heavenly Gang Beidou Formation}, ultimately with twelve {Mist Rain Steles} as the General Outline, leveraging the 'Twelve Main Meridians', a new True Skill emerged—

{Task Five: Wave Riding Micro Steps (True Skill)}

The name {Wave Riding Micro Steps} sounds pleasant. Yan Chuan developed this new True Skill under this name, but the content is completely different; the former {Wave Riding Micro Steps} focused on evasion and used Active Skills to cultivate Inner Strength, stepping through the Sixty-Four Trigrams, with Inner Strength and True Qi naturally circulating through a week, hence every step enhanced power a bit.

The True Skill {Wave Riding Micro Steps} is more direct, operating Sword Qi using 'Twelve Main Meridians', augmenting the {Six Meridian Divine Sword} with 'Twelve Main Meridians', stepping through the Sixty-Four Trigrams a week, with the Sword Qi naturally circulating through a week, hence every step sharpens the Sword Qi further.

...