Palace Coup 46

Lige’s long eyelashes fluttered twice as he explained, "Martial arts are divided into the art and the path. The art of martial arts cultivates the person, while the martial path cultivates principles. The art can govern a person, while the path can govern a country and rule a monarch."

"Anyone who manages to enter the path transforms a clash between two individuals into a battle between two armies."

Only after his detailed explanation did Xie Miaoxuan finally gain a systematic understanding of the martial path.

What ordinary people study is merely the art of martial arts—basic skills, routines, striking techniques, and external kung fu.

Only by comprehending the path can one truly step into the ranks of experts.

The realms of the martial path are divided into five stages: Disciple, Swordsman, Apex, Grandmaster, and Supreme.

Three years as a Disciple, five years as a Swordsman, with vital energy flowing endlessly. Ten years practicing the acupoints, with meridians as wide as the sea, allowing one to weave freely through a hundred men—this is the Apex.

To enter the Xiantian realm and become a generation's Grandmaster requires the fierce primordial energy within the body. This cannot be defined by time alone; talent and perseverance are both indispensable, with talent being the dominant factor.

No matter how many years one spends relying solely on perseverance, it is utterly useless.

As for those who can be called Grandmasters today, only three remain in the world.

They reside respectively in the imperial palace, Mobei, and Huainan.

As for the legendary Supreme—having reached the absolute peak of unfathomable mastery—they can take an enemy's head from amidst a million troops.

Such beings exist only in legend.

For her current self, wanting to become a Grandmaster was indeed somewhat... a lofty ambition.

She asked Lige, "Then what realm are you in now?"

"The Apex."

"Can you tell what realm Xie Yuangu is in right now?"

Lige glanced sideways at her, his normally icy face freezing over by another fraction. "I have not crossed swords with him, but based on my observation, his vital energy is profound, so he should also be at the Apex."

Since both of them were at the Apex, did it really seem not that difficult?

Xie Miaoxuan adjusted her mindset. "I'll just set a small goal first: practice until I reach the Apex."

Looking at her resolute expression, Lige was momentarily left speechless.

Lige: "......"

She focused intently on her movements: a hundred repetitions, five hundred, eight hundred...

Horizontal slashes, diagonal chops, upward thrusts.

She gradually began to struggle, her wrists feeling as heavy as if they were hung with thousand-jin iron weights.

Her gaze remained steadfast, her clothes long since drenched in sweat.

The blade she was currently using was a temporary one she had found; its weight was far inferior to the cold-iron saber in Lige's hand. The troubled times had advanced by half a year, making the three-month deadline she had previously set for herself to learn saber techniques all the more imminent.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on the cold-iron saber in his hand.

Gitting her teeth, she asked, "Can you lend me your saber?"

Sabers and horses were personal belongings and generally not lent out, so she had already prepared herself for a refusal.

However, without a second word, he tossed his saber over to her.

After catching it, Xie Miaoxuan held her own saber in her left hand and practiced with his cold-iron saber in her right.

She chuckled, "I don't have ten years to practice. If I want to accomplish my small goal as soon as possible, I'm bound to suffer a little hardship."

"In the same amount of time, while others can kill one, I will kill a pair."

Wielding dual sabers with both hands and dividing one's mind into two was simply mind-boggling. At her current rudimentary stage, pulling off such a stunt was likely to easily damage her meridians.

Yet, upon hearing her say this, Lige swallowed back the words of disapproval on the tip of his tongue.

Much like Xie Yuangu, he was someone naturally gifted with superior bone structure and talent.

Having walked an extraordinary path himself, it had taken him no more than six years to reach the Apex. The process—full of trials most people could never endure—made him hesitate for a fleeting second before choosing to let her be, despite her self-torturous approach to learning martial arts.

He also wanted to see where her limits lay.

The techniques for dual sabers were harder than those for a single saber. At first, Xie Miaoxuan couldn't find the method, and the saber in her left hand narrowly slipped away several times. He stepped forward, stood behind her, clasped the back of her hands with both of his, and guided her to comprehend the trajectory of the saber's movement.

With their four hands intertwined, the extremely close proximity of their breathing caused Lige to lose his focus for a split second before he hurriedly recentered his mind.

Each set of movements had long since exceeded a thousand repetitions, yet she still did not stop.

A thousand, three thousand, five thousand...

Xie Miaoxuan's ears began to ring.

Her hands shook so badly she could no longer grip the hilts, and her legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Yet she truly did not want to wait for others to save her in moments of danger anymore!

She thought of Zhui Feng, she thought of Father Xie, she thought of this world that treated women as playthings, and she thought of those imminent troubled times!

Abruptly, the sound of something shattering echoed from within her chest, and the bones and joints throughout her body cracked like popping firecrackers.

Crack—

A flash of surprise suddenly crossed Lige's eyes, instantly turning into sheer amazement.

This was! All acupoints fully opened.

It was actually the meridians of a natural Apex expert.

Lige did not call a halt. Lost in her trance, Xie Miaoxuan didn't notice the onlookers gradually gathering around her.

Xie Yuangu, Xie Xiao, numerous retainers, and even villagers passing by early in the morning.

Xie Yuangu’s gaze darkened, and he gave Xie Xiao a look. The latter understood immediately and dispersed the villagers.

The retainers guarded the outermost perimeter, preventing any idlers from approaching.

No one interrupted her state of deep immersion.

By the time Xie Miaoxuan no longer had the strength to lift her sabers, the sky was already fully bright, and the glaring sunlight left her feeling dizzy for a moment.

She finally snapped out of the trance-like state of comprehension.

Xie Yuangu suppressed the brilliant ripple of light in the depths of his eyes. "To think she... entered the path in a single step."

Xie Xiao looked on in shock, staring at the surrounding stunned crowd. "Mistress! You... you actually possess natural martial prowess! Good heavens, besides the master who is a natural powerhouse of formidable might, there is now the mistress, a natural apex expert, right by my side."

He praised admiringly, his face beaming.

When he had previously heard the mistress muttering about wanting to learn martial arts, he hadn't taken it to heart at all, assuming it was just a passing fancy since she was already accustomed to chattering happily for a few days whenever she wanted a new hairpin or thumb ring.

Besides, learning martial arts wasn't like buying favorite accessories; she would surely give up after two or three days.

Who could have imagined that not only was the mistress dead serious this time, but she was also a natural prodigy of the martial path.

Entering the path in a single step! What kind of legend was this? If the family head were still alive, how deeply gratified he would be.

Xie Xiao wiped away a tear. The mistress was even wielding dual sabers! "Truly unheard of, never seen before."

Looking again at the circle of guarding retainers, many of them wore expressions as uncontrolled as Xie Xiao's, looking at her with a hint of added awe.

And even more carried a kind of fervent fanaticism she had never seen before.

Xie Miaoxuan didn't understand the sudden passionate madness gripping Xie Xiao; his rambling words failed to convey any main point for a long time.

With a vague guess forming in her heart, she masked her inner bewilderment. The current demeanor of the retainers made this precisely the right moment to win over their hearts.

Though somewhat baffled, she still nodded toward them with a composed expression.

Lige stepped forward, his brow bearing a rare look of profound seriousness. "You have entered the path. Give me your hand."

"Mn."

His hand brushed across her wrist, and as if unsure of something, he frowned and pressed against her extraordinary meridians. After a moment, he could not help but exclaim in astonishment, "All the meridians in your body are unobstructed. You were born with unblocked channels and exceptional bones and musculature. With just a little bit of refinement, you can directly bypass the Disciple and Swordsman stages and become an Apex expert."

The retainers instantly broke into an uproar.

These words confirmed Xie Miaoxuan's earlier suspicion, and a heavy stone in her heart finally dropped to the ground.

The joy in her eyes overflowed, impossible to conceal.