The Prodigies War

Mountains stretched out across the endless wilderness.

In the evening, the glow of the setting sun dyed the greenery red while bathing the mountains in a beautiful and magnificent red tint.

The evening sunset was a beautiful time, but it did mark the approach of dusk.

Lin Xun trudged through the ancient and primitive mountain forests alone, and the light from the setting sun made his figure stretch longer and longer.

The cries of beasts and birds could occasionally be heard, making the secluded nature of the wilderness even more apparent.

"The creation of all things, the naturalness of the dao, and the path of cultivation and enlightenment all originate from heaven and earth." Lin Xun walked through the mountain forest with a steady gait as his clothes gently fluttered.

The clouds drifted across the rose-tinted sky while the ancient forest was dyed in a layer of hazy brilliant red.

Lin Xun circulated the Qiuniu Heart as he traveled, which allowed his mind to attain a state of being clean, empty, and clear. In this state, his mind was as clear as a lake, making it able to reflect the changes around him.

He was polishing his Dao Ripple of Water.

Currently, he only needed his Dao Ripple of Water to advance to the Dao Meaning of Water before he could ascend to the Cyclic Derivation stage.

Gurgle~

A fast-flowing river soon appeared, resembling a jade sash as it flowed away into the distance.

Pearls of water sprayed into the air, shimmering beautifully under the sunset.

Lin Xun stood on the river bank as he observed the flowing water, becoming still as a statue.

It was only when twilight faded and night fell that he finally turned around and drifted away.

"The ideal is to be like water. Because it has nothing, it can enter nothingness, allowing it to be always omnipresent and uninterruptible."

At night, Lin Xun silently sat next to a stream, immersed in trying to achieve enlightenment.

"There is nothing weaker than water, but also nothing stronger than it. It is the pinnacle of flexibility and rigidness, simultaneously able to display the attributes of both."

The next morning, Lin Xun awoke from his meditation. When he opened his eyes, a drop of dew slid down a leaf beside him, drawing an arc in the air as it fell to the ground with a splash, shattering into smaller strands of water before soaking into the earth and disappearing.

Lin Xun was stunned as understanding began to dawn upon him.

After a long time passed, he finally got up and continued on his journey.

Rumble!

In a quiet valley, a waterfall poured down from a cliff like a white dragon rushing into the blue pool below before bursting into many waves.

Lin Xun had stood here for a day and a night, observing the waterfall, observing the water splash, observing the mist, observing the ripples and waves in the pool...

Late at night, starlight sprinkled down from the sky, making the water gleam. Lin Xun squatted and looked at a rock beside the pool.

The surface of the rock was dotted with many honeycomb-like holes that were as wide as a thumb.

"Water droplets can eventually pierce rock. This is the strength of persistence: the ability to overcome anything you set your mind to!"

Lin Xun muttered, "The waterfall, splashing water, mist, ripples, waves...it has countless forms and undergoes innumerable changes, yet it will never deviate from its essence. This is water."

Various realizations trickled into his heart like water, causing Lin Xun’s aura to become clear and empty like water while giving off a sensation of completeness.

Lin Xun soon rose to his feet and was just about to start walking away when his brow suddenly raised. Iciness flashed in his black eyes.

He extended his five fingers and casually waved.

Several water droplets from the waterfall suddenly elongated as if being controlled, turning into sharp needle-like swords.

The gleaming needle swords immediately shot out of the valley.

Under the ink-black sky, the originally quiet darkness outside the valley was broken by a series of muffled thuds as if something heavy had fallen onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Lin Xun also appeared outside the valley. There were six bodies on the ground with bloody holes where their hearts should be. Blood was still gurgling out from the wounds, and their eyes were wide in shock as if unable to believe they had died.

"They’re rather quick."

Lin Xun frowned. The corpses on the ground belonged to experts from the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan. It made him realize that this wasn’t going to be a peaceful night.

Moreover, since the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan refused to back down, they would definitely send an even more powerful force than before!

However, Lin Xun wasn’t worried. After all, it would be difficult for them to threaten him unless a King expert appeared.

……

On the seventh day after leaving Snow Maple City, Lin Xun was slowly submerging into a giant lake in the middle of the mountains.

In the process, he emptied himself and focused every fiber of his being into sensing the aura of water, the power of water, the flow of water, the rhythm of water...

When he finally sank to the bottom of the lake, Lin Xun opened his eyes and twirled his hand. A vortex abruptly appeared and rapidly rotated as it accumulated more and more water and grew bigger and bigger with a loud rumble.

Subsequently, the surface of the large lake began to stir, causing waves to rise as a huge column of swirling water appeared and shot straight into the sky.

Rumble!

It looked as if a white dragon had charged out of the lake while spinning madly, causing a huge eruption of water. This made the surface of the lake look as if it was boiling.

At closer inspection, even space itself seemed to be twisted into pieces creating a chaotic flow.

A dozen figures appeared at the lake shore and looked at the water vortex in astonishment.

Crash~

After rushing into the clouds, the water fell, turning into a heavy downpour. The area immediately became misty as beautiful illusory rainbows emerged one after another.

The dreamy, silky rain gently fell onto the figures like thin threads.

Plop plop plop!

A horrifying scene soon ensued. Before the people could react, their bodies were minced as if they had been cut by thousands of incomparably sharp blades, splattering the ground with tiny chunks of flesh and blood.

The misty lake was soundlessly turned into a hellish scene where flesh and bone piled up like mud, and a thick bloody fog spread in the air.

Swish!

Lin Xun drifted out of the lake and stood atop the water with his hands behind his back as comprehension dawned upon him.

"Noiseless when minute, raging when large. The capacity to contain a thousand rivers while also possessing immeasurable depth. It has no quarrel with the world and can nourish all life, but if it wishes to fight, it can mow down everything in its path!"

Lin Xun's clothes fluttered as he drifted across the waves like an immortal and disappeared into the endless mountains.

From the beginning to the end, he did not even glance at the corpses by the lake.

He didn't need to look to know that they were scouts from the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan.

After all, this was already the sixth group he had killed so far.

The quality of enemies changed from that day. Those that appeared would be veteran Cyclic Derivation experts with no lack of very alert and cunning individuals among them.

It was becoming increasingly dangerous...

It made Lin Xun feel a strong sense of alarm and realize that he didn’t have much time left. It would not be long before Half-Step King experts and true King stage powerhouses would come!

……

The fifteenth day after leaving Snow Maple City.

Boom!

An intense battle was taking place in the mountains.

Lin Xun was facing eight Cyclic Derivation experts from the Black Nightmare Sky Dog Clan. These veterans had plenty of combat experience and excellent teamwork, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

However, Lin Xun was unafraid.

Transparent Dao Ripple power swirled around him, bathing him in a hazy boiling glow. Immeasurable power seemed to pulse from him as he rushed through the sky, shining brilliantly like the sun.

Each collision sounded like a clap of thunder and created a ripple of destructive power that collapsed the nearby mountains and razed the forests to ashes. The sky was filled with devastating light, secret arts, and whizzing aeth weapons that scattered every cloud in the area.

In the thousand-mile radius around the battle, beasts wailed as they fled while birds hurried away in a panic. The horrifying aftershocks from the battle were turning the surrounding area into a land of desolation and death.

"Kill!"

The enemies channeled their full power into their respective trump cards, sending out a barrage of terrifying power.

If news got out that eight mighty Cyclic Derivation experts were ganging up on a Heaven Ascension youngster, it would definitely cause a huge commotion in the West Infinity World.

It would be even more shocking to know that Lin Xun had the upper hand from start to end and was not suppressed despite facing eight experts alone.

Plop!

A life-like ice sculpture that resembled a hornless ice dragon soared through the air and sent one of the Cyclic Derivation experts flying with a swing of its tail. His muscles and bones were smashed to a pulp, causing him to die on the spot.

It was an unusual display of destructive power from the Hornless Ice Dragon Step.

Boom!

The Bi’an Stamp emerged, glittering with surging Water Dao Ripple light as it displayed boundless power akin to the mighty sea. A Cyclic Derivation expert was brutally smashed into the ground and turned into a soup of flesh, blood, and mud.

Meanwhile, Lin Xun's fists seemed to roar as he charged forward with murderous intent. Dreadful Water Dao Ripple light appeared, pulsing with an indestructible aura that shook the sky and earth.

Thud!

Artifacts and weapons wailed in agony as they were ruthlessly knocked away.

Thud!

An enemy felt as if he was trapped in a stormy sea as he was engulfed by boundless fist-force, and his body soon disintegrated into a bloody mist.

There was something clearly different about Lin Xun today. He seemed to move like a majestic sea that mercilessly swallowed everything in its path.

His power had transcended to a whole new level!

In mere moments, all eight Cyclic Derivation experts were annihilated, leaving no survivors.

Lin Xun was unharmed. He stood in the air surrounded by swirling misty light, resembling an untouchable immortal.

This was the power of Dao Meaning!

After years of analysis and enlightenment, Lin Xun was finally able to comprehend the Dao Meaning of Water from nature!

There was water in all living things; it was rigid yet flexible; there was nothing softer than it, but it also possessed the strongest offensive power!

It could take any form or shape, allowing it to have no disadvantages. It had the capacity to accommodate a hundred rivers while boasting an immeasurable depth.

If you do not fight it, it will merely noiselessly moisten you.

If you fight it, it will feel unstoppable and unbreakable!

As the ancient sages said, "The ideal is to be like water."

This was the Dao Meaning of Water. Unlike the Dao Ripple of Water, it was a kind of insight into the dao and a completely new way to understand power and control it.

If the Dao Ripple stage was to control traces of the dao, the Dao Meaning stage was to understand the truth of the dao!

Although there was only a word of difference between them, the disparity between them was greater than the distance between heaven and earth.

After comprehending the Dao Meaning of Water, Lin Xun’s body, soul, mind, and cultivation became completely different...