Chapter 104.1: The Waterfall Plunges Down Three Thousand Chi (I)

Lu Changsheng spent some time wandering through the Heavenly Maiden Sect, letting his steps drift wherever the paths led him.

Zhanhai City lay by the sea, but the land beyond the shoreline was mountainous and covered in forests. The Heavenly Maiden Sect was built against one such mountain. It was not very tall, yet the scenery was lush and serene, with clear waters and gentle, pleasing views.

Lu Changsheng stopped when he reached the waterfall and sat down cross-legged before it. The sound of rushing water filled the space around him.

Several disciples of the Heavenly Maiden Sect had followed behind him, yet they kept their distance, none daring to step too close. Lu Changsheng paid them little mind. His thoughts had already turned inward, sifting through his memories.

In particular, the battle he had just fought with Lu Jianming lingered in his mind. It had been a clash between evenly matched opponents, giving him many insights worth careful reflection.

A wholehearted devotion to the sword…

With his Perception raised to one thousand points, Lu Changsheng easily understood what wholehearted devotion to the sword truly meant. It was an unconventional and extreme approach to Intent.

More accurately, it was the simplest path to comprehending and even mastering it. For most martial artists, Intent was difficult to grasp through ordinary means.

Wholehearted devotion—whether to the sword, saber, or fist—lowered that barrier, making it far easier for average martial artists to touch on Intent.

However, wholehearted devotion was ultimately a shortcut, and like all shortcuts, it came with restrictions. Sword Intent relied on the sword itself. Without a weapon in hand, its power dropped sharply. That dependence was acceptable for ordinary martial artists, but it wasn’t acceptable for Lu Changsheng.

His Perception had already reached one thousand points, and he had long since comprehended Wave Intent. Compared to weapon-bound Intent, Wave Intent was far more flexible. It was not tied to any single form.

Whether he wielded a sword or saber, used his fists or palms, or employed other techniques, all of them could carry the Wave Intent’s power.

The real challenge was learning how to fully integrate Wave Intent into his martial techniques.

Lu Jianming had suggested that if Lu Changsheng wanted to integrate Intent into saber techniques, he could visit him at Xuanjian Manor for guidance, but Lu Changsheng saw no need for that.

He had already witnessed Lu Jianming’s Sword Intent, and with his current Perception, this was something he could resolve on his own. When that realization settled, sparks of inspiration began to ignite one after another in his mind.

Whizz!

Lu Changsheng swung his saber. One strike followed another, slicing into the massive waterfall before him, cutting off its torrent mid-flow. If he could sever ocean waves with a single strike, then a mere waterfall posed no challenge at all.

However, this was different from the time he had cut through the ocean waves with one blow. This time, his saber did not simply cut the water apart. It seemed to move as one with the surging waves themselves.

A single strike carried the force of countless strikes; wave after wave overlapped and crashed forward, forcibly blocking the waterfall’s descent.

Typically, water would flow again after a strike. When the speed of the attack surpassed the flow of water, water would truly be “severed.” Moreover, the speed and force of Lu Changsheng’s strikes showed no sign of weakening.

After that, he switched techniques. He unleashed fist techniques and palm techniques, and then he followed suit with sword techniques. The result was the same every time. With a punch, he’d cut off the flow. With a palm strike, he’d cut it off again. With a sword, the waterfall was still forcibly torn asunder.

Wave Intent was now completely under his control. It could be integrated into any technique he used. As long as Lu Changsheng willed it, even a casual strike could carry the power of Wave Intent.

Lu Jianming’s Sword Intent is still far more powerful than my Wave Intent. Without my Nine-Character Mantra secret technique, I might not have been able to defeat him. I suppose that is the advantage of having wholehearted devotion to a single form.

But since I possess more than one thousand points of Perception. I should fully exploit that advantage. Instead of limiting myself to a single Intent, I should comprehend a second, a third, or even more. If one Intent is not enough, then I will comprehend more and prevail through sheer quantity.

Lu Changsheng would not abandon something important simply because it was inferior for the time being. The fact that his Wave Intent was currently inferior to Sword Intent did not justify discarding it in favor of wholehearted devotion to the sword.

He possessed an advantage of his own. His extraordinary Perception gave him the possibility of comprehending multiple Intents. If one Intent was not enough, then he could master two. If two still fell short, then three.

Wholehearted devotion to the sword did not allow such flexibility. Once a martial artist committed fully to a single form of Intent, integrating other Intents became nearly impossible.

At its core, this was the difference between specialization and breadth. Whether it was better to focus on a single Intent or to comprehend several was a matter of personal judgement.

For Lu Changsheng, he felt that, with Perception as high as his, not pursuing multiple Intents would be a waste. Discarding his greatest advantage and walking the path of wholehearted devotion to the sword was simply absurd.

Of course, comprehending multiple Intents was not something that could be achieved through wishful thinking alone. It required the right conditions. When Lu Changsheng first comprehended Wave Intent, it was through a combination of practice and opportunity.

He cultivated Threefold Waves, leaped into the sea to contemplate towering waves, and learned directly from nature itself. Only through that process, aided by rare coincidences and fortunate circumstances, did he succeed.

Learning from nature…

Lu Changsheng gazed at the waterfall before him. A waterfall was part of nature as well, and it was inseparable from water. Waves were water, and waterfalls were water. Their forms differed, but their essence remained the same.

Suddenly, a line of poetry from his previous life surfaced in his mind. The flying torrent plunges down three thousand chi, like a river of stars falling from the Ninth Heaven.[1]

The verse was an exaggerated description of a waterfall, but as Lu Changsheng watched the cascading torrent while the words echoed in his mind, his heart stirred. He immediately realized that if he wished to learn from nature and comprehend a second Intent, it would have to begin here, with this very waterfall.

Whoosh!

Lu Changsheng stepped directly beneath the waterfall and allowed the torrent to crash down on him. He then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and quietly entered contemplation.

With his extraordinary Perception, strands of inspiration surged through his mind in an endless stream, colliding and intertwining within. When enough strands of inspiration collided, a moment of insight would take shape.

Intents naturally differed in level and strength, and compared to Wave Intent, a waterfall was nothing remarkable. If Lu Changsheng wanted to comprehend an ordinary Waterfall Intent, he would not need much time to grasp it, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be particularly powerful.

However, the Intent he sought this time was not a simple Waterfall Intent. It was the kind described in that verse—”The torrent plunges down three thousand chi, like a river of stars falling from the Ninth Heaven.”

It involved far deeper and more complex relationships, touching on nature, spirit, and forces beyond.

Lu Changsheng did not know whether he would succeed. Still, he chose to try.

While Lu Changsheng was sitting in silent contemplation, the disciples of the Heavenly Maiden Sect watched him in confusion.

“What is Mr. Dao doing under the waterfall?”

“Mr. Dao is not moving at all. Is he practicing martial arts?”

“But what kind of martial arts can be practiced like this?”

“I have never seen anyone practice like that before…”

The Heavenly Maiden Sect’s disciples quickly reported Dao Shi’er’s strange actions to the sect’s upper ranks, particularly to the Supreme Elder. By now, the Heavenly Maiden had already stepped down from her position, replaced by Yun Haitang, and she was currently serving as the Supreme Elder.

After hearing the report, the Supreme Elder personally went with them to the waterfall. When she saw Dao Shi’er sitting completely motionless beneath the torrent, a strange light flickered in her eyes.

He is learning from nature to comprehend Intent. But that usually requires entering a state of epiphany. Only then would he be able to truly draw insight from nature. Could Dao Shi’er really be so fortunate as to have entered a state of epiphany again?

Knowing what Dao Shi’er was attempting, the Supreme Elder immediately issued an order. “From this moment on, no one is allowed to enter within one hundred zhang of Mr. Dao. Martial artists in the Divine Strength Realm possess powerful physiques and abundant blood qi.

“Even if he goes without food for several days, he will not be in any danger. You only need to observe his condition daily and report to me immediately if anything changes.”

“Yes, Elder.”

A faint smile appeared on the Supreme Elder’s face. With a formidable Dao Guardian[2] like him by Yun Haitang’s side, her future would surely be much smoother.

1. This is a verse from the poem “Watching the Waterfall at Mount Lu”, written by the legendary Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai (also known as the “Immortal Poet”). This is not the official translation, it has been tweaked slightly to fit the context of this chapter. For example, instead of the highest heaven, we used Ninth Heaven. Ninth Heaven is typically translated as “highest heaven” because in ancient Chinese cosmology, the sky was divided into nine layers—the highest, most celestial part of the universe. The original poem from Li Bai describes the waterfall as so powerful, so white, and so dazzling that he imagines the sky has split open and the entire galaxy is pouring down onto the earth. It represents unstoppable momentum and heavenly beauty. Click here to take a look at the full poem. ☜

2. A Dao Guardian is usually a more powerful individual assigned to follow an individual. Their responsibilities include mental guidance and protection. In certain cases, like Yun Haitang’s, a Dao Guardian could also just be a rogue cultivator that has been hired to protect the individual. Dao here means “Path” – it is not the same character as Dao Shi’er’s “Dao,” which means “Saber”. Veela: Long-time readers of this genre will probably find the word “Dharma Protector” more familiar. ☜

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