The Unresolved Cycle

After being trained by Hua Su and Fang Liuxian in succession, Jiang Feng's perception of Ming power had become extremely keen and sensitive. As soon as his Ming power entered Hua Su's body, he immediately "saw" a vast, desolate land.

This land had been ravaged by countless wars; its surface was scarred and battered, with deep furrows everywhere. At the far end of the landscape stood a great tree. It had once flourished with abundant branches and leaves, but now its entire crown had been sheared away, its foliage withered, and it wore an air of profound age and sorrow.

Jiang Feng could not tell how large the tree had once been, but it was clear that only three intact branches remained; the fourth had been cut down by more than half, leaving just a few leaves. As soon as Jiang Feng’s consciousness stirred, he swiftly approached the tree.

Looking down, he saw the roots still thriving, numerous thick tendrils tightly gripping a golden seed. This tree had grown out of that enormous seed.

Naturally, this was the Seed of Clear Heart, and each branch was a Prime Branch. Compared to the tiny sapling within Jiang Feng himself, this could truly be called a great tree—one remarkably similar to the Clear Heart Tree!

He gazed at the Seed of Clear Heart, his mind stirred. The seed was wholly golden, no rings visible upon it. Yet Hua Su could not have fused a Heartseed without rings—how could this be?

He soon realized that the gold was actually Ming power, dense as if tangible. It slowly rotated, delivering energy to the Prime Branches.

Yet only three and a half branches remained connected, allowing the Ming power to circulate. The rest were either gone altogether or withered, with no hint of Ming power flowing through them.

Originally, the Ming power within the Prime Branches would form a cycle, circulating and then returning to the Seed of Clear Heart. Each cycle would strengthen it a little.

But half of Hua Su’s Prime Branches had snapped, breaking the original cycle. Jiang Feng observed carefully and saw that the remaining branches had been twisted into a new shape, barely forming a makeshift cycle. Yet this new cycle was clearly abnormal—it could only barely maintain the flow of Ming power, and instead of strengthening, what remained would gradually be lost.

This was why the "leaves" on the tree would slowly wither.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng realized something. He withdrew his Ming power, pulling his consciousness out as well.

He said in shock, "Teacher Hua, your Prime Branches are gradually shrinking! If this goes on..."

Hua Su looked at him in surprise. "I didn’t expect you to discover so much in such a short time!"

He handed his arm to Ping Luanshan and the others. "You all take a look as well. This is what a damaged Seed of Clear Heart looks like."

The three examined him in silence, one after another. Jiang Feng had no idea what they saw, but he kept his eyes fixed on Hua Su, watching his expression.

Hua Su, cigarette dangling from his lips, looked utterly nonchalant, as if none of this mattered to him at all.

But Jiang Feng, sensitive as he was, noticed a trace of helplessness and resignation deep in his eyes. Hua Su did not wish to accept this fate, yet he had no choice.

Finally, Hua Su waved his hand. "Let’s talk. What did you see?"

Ping Luanshan and the others’ observations were much the same as Jiang Feng’s. After they finished, Hua Su said calmly, "That’s right. During that battle, we met a formidable enemy. He attacked my Seed of Clear Heart directly, my defenses were shattered, the seed cracked, and two Prime Branches snapped instantly."

Ping Luanshan asked, "Teacher Hua, what was your level before?"

Hua Su replied carelessly, "Six-chain Intent Ming Martial Sovereign."

Six-chain Intent Ming Martial Sovereign! Everyone in the courtyard gasped, the young men utterly stunned, then gazed at Hua Su with reverence.

Hua Su said, "After the injury, I’m left with only three-chain Yang Ming realm. If you work hard, you’ll soon surpass me."

Jiang Feng frowned in thought, noticing something. "Teacher Hua, you said two branches snapped when you were attacked, meaning you dropped two realms. But now you’ve regressed three realms—did you suffer another injury afterward, or...?"

Hua Su nodded approvingly. "Indeed, your observation is sharp. After the attack, I was gravely wounded and unable to fight back, but rescued immediately. So I only suffered that one injury."

Jiang Feng said, "So the third realm was lost due to subsequent harm?"

Hua Su gestured on the ground. "Prime Branches break, Ming power leaks, the cycle is broken. If you aren’t treated in time, and the Ming power cycle isn’t sealed, the Ming power keeps draining away until the Seed of Clear Heart withers completely."

Teng Zhi nodded in understanding. "Just like if a person’s blood vessels break—you have to stop the bleeding right away, or you’ll bleed out and eventually die."

Hua Su nodded. "That’s the gist of it. For injuries like mine, treatment mainly means sealing the Ming power cycle and rebuilding it. But everyone’s Prime Branches are different. To assess the injury quickly and know how to rebuild the cycle is rare. Those who can do it are called Ming Therapists. There are very few in all Nine Heavens and the Profound Extreme Continent. With such injuries, being able to retain half my strength is already a stroke of great luck!"

Jiang Feng immediately understood—the Ming Therapist who treated Hua Su must have been from the Chong family.

He frowned and said, "But the cycle you rebuilt... isn’t ideal. Ming power is still slowly draining away, which means your strength will keep diminishing, and in the future..."

A martial artist’s strength relies on Ming power. One who completely loses it becomes a true invalid—not merely in name, but literally.

If Hua Su lost his Ming power entirely, he might not even be able to walk, perhaps unable to care for himself, destined to spend his life bedridden!

Hearing Jiang Feng’s explanation, Ping Luanshan and the others’ faces changed.

During their time together, Hua Su had always been devoted. Though his temper and tongue were harsh, he genuinely cared for them. Whether for his teaching or the bond between teacher and students, none of them wished to see Hua Su reduced to such a fate!

Ping Luanshan cried anxiously, "What should we do? Is there any cure?"

Hua Su shook his head. "The Ming Therapist who treated me was already top-tier. My injuries were too severe; this is the best that could be done. But it’s alright—these extra years are a gift. Besides, I’m still a Yang Ming martial artist, and even with loss, I have a good while yet. You don’t need to worry!"

He brought the topic back. "Let’s not dwell on this. I showed you so you could understand the consequences of Ming power attacks."

The Seed of Clear Heart possesses natural resilience; when attacked, it automatically retaliates. Thus, in normal battles between equals, it’s rare for the seed to be damaged.

There are two possible outcomes. First, your opponent’s level is far above yours.

A gap of five levels brings suppression; a gap of ten makes it possible to attack the Seed of Clear Heart directly.

Second, the opponent possesses a martial technique that strikes at the seed. Such techniques are rare, but not nonexistent.

In these cases, they must be especially cautious.

There are offensive techniques, and naturally defensive ones as well.

Some can use Ming power to build a defensive wall around the seed, resisting some attacks and probes.

Hua Su came from humble roots, never had access to such techniques, but with his rich combat experience, he devised his own defense method.

When Jiang Feng probed earlier, he encountered Hua Su’s Ming power defenses.

Now that Jiang Feng and the others had all advanced to the Dawn realm, they were ready to learn this method. Hua Su proceeded to teach them all his insights without reservation, guiding them one by one with Ming power.

That night’s training was dedicated to this. After midnight, they returned to their rooms together, washed up, and rested.

Lying in bed, Ping Luanshan suddenly called, "Old Jiang..."

Jiang Feng asked, "What is it?"

Ping Luanshan was silent for a moment, then clenched his teeth. "No, nothing."

Jiang Feng knew what he wanted to ask. Although Hua Su had treated Ping Luanshan poorly at first, after their reconciliation, their bond had deepened swiftly. Ping Luanshan’s brash exterior hid a heart deeply loyal, especially toward his teacher. What he’d seen inside Hua Su that evening, and what might come to pass, weighed heavily on his mind.

After a while, Ping Luanshan suddenly said, "Thinking back, my master must also have died from damaged Prime Branches, gradually failing."

He struck the bed hard. "If only I could rebuild cycles, repair Prime Branches myself!"

He fell silent again, this time speaking no further.

Jiang Feng’s consciousness gradually sank inward, Ping Luanshan’s words echoing in his mind.

The Celestial Cube was operating, scenes emerging around it, transforming into countless data, which it absorbed.

Ever since the county exam, the Celestial Cube replayed everything Jiang Feng saw or experienced each day, breaking it down and storing it as data.

He had done similar work long ago—then, he’d written out his collected data on paper; now, the Celestial Cube handled it automatically.

Wen Liangji, Qin Hu, that maid, Hua Su...

The scenes contained varying amounts of data, but this time, the greatest volume came from what Jiang Feng had seen inside Hua Su.

Within Hua Su, every branch and leaf of the Clear Heart Tree was memorized and stored by the Celestial Cube.

As he watched, Jiang Feng suddenly felt a spark within.

The Celestial Cube possessed formidable ability to synthesize and deduce. Could he use it to build a new Ming power cycle for Hua Su, and heal him completely?

The thought alone made the Celestial Cube spin faster, as if responding to his need!

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