Chapter 167: One Thought Annihilates Ten Thousand Soldiers

Within the starry sky, countless stars drifted, some blazing with blinding light, others dimmed and faded.

Amongst these celestial bodies, a smaller star traversed the expanse.

As it approached a particularly brilliant star, the small one hesitated, then veered away.

"No, that star is too bright. The True Intent left behind might belong to a powerful expert, one I can’t defeat. I should look for something else."

"This one’s too dim."

"No, no, no—"

Shen Changqing, now transformed into a tiny star, weaved through the cosmos, searching for a suitable star to enter.

Zhong Ning had only taught him how to discern whether a star was accessible, not how to gauge its strength.

Thus, he was forced to rely on the intensity of its gleam to make rough estimates.

If the True Intent within a star proved too potent, it wouldn’t aid in comprehension but would instead inflict mental trauma.

Therefore, Shen Changqing needed to find a True Intent that suited him.

He couldn’t afford to fail on his first attempt.

After wandering through the starry sea for what seemed like an age, he suddenly felt his mind growing weary.

"It seems that even entering the jade wall in spiritual form causes constant drain. I can’t delay any longer. I must find a star to enter!"

If his spirit were to become completely exhausted, he would be passively ejected from the jade wall, wasting precious time.

With that thought, Shen Changqing abandoned his careful search and plunged into a star that was neither too bright nor too dim.

In an instant, the scenery shifted.

The two stars collided, as if one were devouring the other, leaving only a single star in its wake.

However, this star was now faintly tinged with blood-red light.

Meanwhile, in a desolate, ethereal space, a middle-aged powerhouse stood with his hands clasped behind his back. A formidable aura swept outwards, inspiring a sense of awe akin to witnessing a celestial deity.

On the other side of this desolate realm, a blood-colored iron cavalry emerged.

As far as the eye could see, there were tens of thousands of mounted soldiers, their momentum like a raging tide.

The middle-aged powerhouse appeared to have a solid, tangible form, while the blood-colored iron cavalry possessed a more illusory quality.

At this moment, Shen Changqing’s mind had completely transformed, embodying the Hundred Battle True Intent and becoming the blood-colored iron cavalry. Like a single entity controlling ten thousand riders, he directed them to charge toward the middle-aged powerhouse.

The iron cavalry galloped through the void.

Like heralds of destruction, their blood-red aura spread throughout the desolate space.

"Extinguish!"

The middle-aged powerhouse uttered a single word. Without shifting his stance, he unleashed a devastating punch.

One punch!

The heavens and earth crumbled!

In that instant, it felt as though mountains were collapsing and rivers were drying up. The desolate space itself seemed to cave in.

Rumbling sound!

The blood-colored iron cavalry exploded.

Despite their numbers, they were utterly insignificant before the middle-aged powerhouse.

Outside the jade wall, Shen Changqing’s cross-legged body shuddered. His complexion, which had been normal, abruptly turned deathly pale.

His eyes snapped open.

A lingering sense of fear washed over him.

Then, a splitting headache erupted, causing beads of cold sweat to trickle down his forehead.

His body trembled and twitched uncontrollably.

Shen Changqing gritted his teeth, enduring the agonizing pain that made him want to bash his head against a wall.

After a moment, the pain subsided somewhat. Though still unpleasant, it no longer rendered him helpless.

"Your first time, I presume!"

A teasing voice sounded beside him, laced with amusement.

Shen Changqing, his complexion still slightly pale, turned his head and saw the old man, who had been sitting upright in meditation, looking at him with interest.

"You are?"

Though the man’s aura wasn’t particularly strong, his vibrant Qi and blood clearly indicated that he was an incredibly powerful expert.

Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled. "My name is Di, Di Shu. I’m something of a veteran here in the Martial Pavilion. You look unfamiliar, so I imagine you’ve only recently joined."

"Indeed. I am Shen Changqing. Greetings, Senior!"

"Senior is too much. I simply entered the Martial Pavilion a bit before you."

Di Shu waved his hand dismissively.

Then, he looked at Shen Changqing’s pale complexion and offered a kindly reminder.

"Comprehending True Intent within the jade wall is beneficial, but it also greatly depletes one’s spirit. To be honest, most of the True Intent left behind here is at least at the second stage of the mental system. There are very few that are truly at the first stage.

If you haven’t reached the second stage, trying to comprehend True Intent on the jade wall puts you at a severe disadvantage."

"Does that mean that most of the experts who leave their True Intent in the jade wall are at the True Intent manifestation level?"

Shen Changqing asked, puzzled.

The man before him clearly possessed considerable experience.

Di Shu first nodded, then shook his head.

"You’re right, but also wrong. Let me put it this way: those who enter the jade wall for the first time are mostly at the beginning of the mental system, at the stage of Nurturing True Intent. But those experts will continue to grow stronger.

They start at Nurturing True Intent, and later they reach True Intent manifestation."

After speaking, Di Shu paused, as if afraid that Shen Changqing might not understand. He then offered another explanation.

"It’s like this: now that you’ve just entered the jade wall, it has already recorded your True Intent. The next time you enter, the jade wall will record your True Intent again.

Since it’s the same person, the stronger True Intent will overwrite the weaker one.

If you were to break through to the True Intent manifestation stage and then enter the jade wall, the True Intent associated with you would inevitably be at the True Intent manifestation level, not the Nurturing True Intent stage."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing fully understood.

The strength of the True Intent within the jade wall was determined by the martial artist’s most recent entry.

A martial artist who had just entered the jade wall might not be strong at first, but if they grew stronger later on, their True Intent would become equally powerful.

Then, he stood up and clasped his fist toward Di Shu, asking,

"May I ask, Senior, if there’s a way to distinguish the strength of the True Intent within the jade wall?"

If he could discern their strength, he could avoid the more powerful True Intents and seek out the weaker ones to devour.

That way, his own comprehension of True Intent would steadily improve.

Hearing this, Di Shu shook his head directly. "No. The True Intents within the jade wall are all presented as stars. You can’t tell their strength without fully engaging them. Each entry is just a matter of luck.

But if you’re powerful enough to sweep through all the True Intents within the jade wall, then you won’t have to worry about it."

Speaking of which, he chuckled.

"If you truly reach that point, perhaps you won’t even need the jade wall anymore. After all, as far as I know, the strongest True Intent hidden within the jade wall belongs to a Grandmaster who has reached the peak of the mental system.

If one were to try to crush them, they would likely have already broken the human body limit."

After speaking, Di Shu shook his head helplessly.

He had been pursuing the human body limit for many years, but he had never had the opportunity to break through.

He felt that even if he exhausted all his efforts in this realm, he might never be able to reach it.

"The peak of the mental system!"

Shen Changqing’s eyes flickered. He was no longer the novice he had been when he first broke through to the Grandmaster realm. He now had some understanding of the two major systems.

At the beginning, the mental system was no match for the physical body system.

But the end goal of the mental system was no weaker than the peak of the physical body system.

"May I ask, Senior, just how powerful is someone at the peak of the mental system?"

"How strong?"

Di Shu was stumped by this question.

He pondered for a moment, then offered an answer.

"Let me put it this way: if a Grandmaster has just entered the mental system, a powerhouse at the peak of the mental system could simply annihilate that Grandmaster with a sweep of their divine sense. If they were to face martial artists who haven’t entered the mental system, they could annihilate swathes of them.

Those at that level can easily hold off an army of ten thousand on their own.

Back when Great Qin was in chaos, an expert at the peak of the mental system once made a move, annihilating ten thousand soldiers with a single thought, shocking the Eight Desolations."

"If you say that a powerhouse at the peak of the physical body system is peerless in combat, then a powerhouse at the peak of the mental system is an army unto themselves. They are truly unmatched in the world."

In just a few words, Di Shu described the power of someone at the peak of the mental system.

One thought annihilates ten thousand soldiers.

Shen Changqing then thought of himself, slaying a Barbarian General while surrounded by the Barbarian army. Compared to that, his actions were somewhat childish.

"Are there any powerhouses at the peak of the mental system in the Seclusion Pavilion right now?"

"Yes!"

Di Shu nodded.

"It is rumored that the Pavilion Master of the Martial Pavilion is at the peak of the mental system. In addition, the other Pavilion Masters of the Seclusion Pavilion are all powerful figures. I can’t be sure what level their strength is at, but I imagine they are no weaker than the Pavilion Master of the Martial Pavilion."

"The Pavilion Master of the Martial Pavilion!"

Shen Changqing had heard of them more than once, but it was only from Di Shu that he understood how powerful they were.

On closer thought, it was indeed the case.

The Martial Pavilion was already so powerful, so how could the person who could become the Martial Pavilion Master be weak?

"I wonder, compared to the Town Guardian, which one is more powerful?"

"Heh, the Pavilion Master would naturally not fear an ordinary Town Guardian."

Di Shu chuckled.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing had a rough estimate of the strength of the Town Guardian.

An ordinary Town Guardian was stronger than an ordinary Grandmaster, roughly equivalent to a powerhouse at the peak of one of the major systems.

However, there was another meaning in Di Shu’s words, that there were still powerful Town Guardians, and they were even more powerful than the Martial Pavilion Master.

"What is the name of the Martial Pavilion Master?"

"I don’t know. The Pavilion Master comes and goes without a trace. I imagine that only those Elders truly know the Pavilion Master’s name."

Di Shu shook his head, then looked at Shen Changqing, his old face wearing a gentle smile.

"I’ve chatted with you quite a bit today, young friend. Someday, when we have the chance, we can have a good heart-to-heart talk. To enter the physical body system at such a young age, young friend has great talent in martial arts. I imagine you also have your own insights in martial arts.

However, I still have other things to do, so I’ll take my leave first."

He cupped his fists, and the man who claimed to be a veteran of the Martial Pavilion turned and left.

Shen Changqing stood in place, calming his state. After taking one last look at the jade wall, he also left.

End of Chapter