Chapter 48: Reaching the Grandmaster Level
A huge, azure eagle flew over and buried its head in the gentleman's arms, nuzzling him repeatedly like an oversized pet.
"Sir, what's this?" Shen Yun asked instinctively, his eyes wide.
Xu Ning replied nonchalantly, waving a hand. "These are my chickens. Just backyard poultry."
Shen Yun stared at the magnificent eagle, and the creature immediately glared back at him, pulling its head back and staring at Xu Ning with clear indignation.
You're the chicken! Your whole family are chickens! If there weren't outsiders present, it would have given Xu Ning a good thrashing on the earth. The insult was unbearable.
Xu Ning ignored it completely. He walked directly to the campfire in the yard and added some firewood.
Seeing this, Shen Yun was also extremely surprised. "Sir, has this campfire been burning all this time? For years?"
Xu Ning reminded him without turning his head. "From now on, you'll be in charge of adding firewood whenever you come. Add firewood every two days. Don't let it go out."
Shen Yun quickly agreed, bowing. "Shen Yun understands. I'll tend to it faithfully."
Then, Xu Ning led Shen Yun to the living room. "Sit down."
After Shen Yun obediently sat down, Xu Ning asked, "What do you want to learn? What interests you?"
Shen Yun spoke eagerly. "I heard from my great-grandfather that you were once the top scholar in the imperial examinations, achieving the highest honors in all three levels. I want to study literature under you. I want to learn strategy."
On the way back yesterday, his great-grandfather had told him many legendary stories about the master. He was a divine physician, the top scholar in the imperial examinations, the number one strategist in the world, and even a master of innate martial arts, though he had never revealed these skills to outsiders.
His great-grandfather's intention was for him to study literature under the master. In his words, studying literature was dirty, full of cunning and strategy that could defeat enemies without fighting. It was a dangerous art.
If he could learn some real skills from the Prime Minister, his future would be limitless, and he would also have many more ways to protect himself and his family.
After hearing all this, Shen Yun felt a strong longing in his heart to learn from this legendary man.
Xu Ning didn't say much. He simply pointed to a side room. "That's the study. You can read there from now on. Start with the basics."
Many of the books in the study were important examination texts given to him years ago by his own teacher, Qiao Hexuan. They were the foundation.
Shen Yun immediately became anxious. "Sir, is it just for reading? Won't you teach me directly?"
Xu Ning glared at him. "What else? Can you read all the characters? Can you write properly? Start with the fundamentals. There's no shortcut."
Shen Yun lowered his head, realizing he knew very little. He had been too eager, too ambitious. He needed to start at the beginning.
Xu Ning's tone softened slightly. "By the way, what martial arts technique did your great-grandfather pass on to you?"
Shen Yun quickly replied, "The Vajra Indestructible Divine Art."
Xu Ning asked, "How many levels did he pass on to you?"
Shen Yun answered, "Nine levels."
Xu Ning nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I understand."
The Vajra Indestructible Divine Art was a legendary mortal-level martial arts technique that Xu Ning had given to Meng Yangming years ago. It could be practiced up to ten levels, a complete path.
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Meng Yangming only passed on nine levels to Shen Yun, indicating that he respected Xu Ning's prior contribution and hadn't passed on all ten levels without his consent. He was asking permission.
Sending Shen Yun to him was likely a way of inquiring about Xu Ning's opinion. If Xu Ning agreed, he would teach the boy the full technique himself.
From that day on, Shen Yun stayed at the Prime Minister's residence and studied diligently every day. Xu Ning would teach him some things when he had time between court sessions and his own studies.
Soon, Emperor Xia Yun learned of this arrangement and strongly requested that Xu Ning also help him raise a prince, to give his own son the same opportunity.
Xu Ning had no choice but to agree. However, he insisted on choosing which prince himself. He currently favored the Third Prince, but the boy was still young, only two years old. He would be sent over when he was older.
Time flew by. Two years later, the four-year-old Third Prince, Xia Lin, was sent over to the residence.
From then on, the Prime Minister's residence had two more children to enliven the place.
The Third Prince showed good aptitude in all aspects, quick to learn and eager. Xu Ning taught him the Iron Shirt technique, but only nine levels at first. As for the tenth level, it wasn't ready yet, but according to Xu Ning's prediction, it should be soon.
Time passed again. Three years went by in the blink of an eye.
Xu Ning was reading in the Hanlin Academy, surrounded by ancient texts, when suddenly, a unique insight surged into his mind. All his understanding of the Iron Shirt technique flooded his consciousness, converging and ultimately elevating his comprehension to the legendary level of the mortal realm.
Bang bang bang—
At the same time, explosive sounds of energy erupted from Xu Ning's body, a cascade of internal breakthroughs.
Then, auspicious clouds of seven colors suddenly appeared in the sky above the entire city of Mingdu, covering the whole area in radiant light.
Countless martial arts masters instantly looked up, their eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
This was the unmistakable sign of a Grandmaster's breakthrough. Someone in Mingdu had reached the Grandmaster realm.
Countless people began to speculate about who had achieved this legendary level. The speculation spread through the city like wildfire.
After all, in the entire Daxuan region, the last time someone broke through to the Grandmaster level was over twenty years ago, almost thirty—the time of Meng Yangming's breakthrough.
But this was actually considered fast. The intervals between Grandmasters appearing were generally measured in centuries, not decades.
Of course, this was calculated based on the entire Daxuan region. Other places weren't included in the statistics. The world was wide.
While everyone was speculating, the culprit was leisurely riding a black ox out of the Hanlin Academy, looking as ordinary as ever.
Just as he returned to the Prime Minister's residence, twelve-year-old Shen Yun rushed up to him, his face pale. "Master, Great-Grandfather asked me to call you over. He said he's dying. Please come quickly."
Xu Ning sighed, a heavy weight settling in his chest. "Let's go."
At Xu Ning's signal, Tie Dan turned and headed towards the Meng residence. The ox moved swiftly.
Although he had long anticipated this day and had prepared himself mentally, Xu Ning still felt a heavy weight in his heart when it actually arrived. He had known it was coming, but still...
Soon, Xu Ning rode Tie Dan to the Meng residence, jumped off, and quickly entered, striding through the halls.
Before long, Xu Ning arrived at Meng Yangming's bedroom. The old Grandmaster lay in bed, barely a shadow of his former self.
Meng Yangming was now emaciated, his skin as black as could be, the color of decay.
Xu Ning, with his medical knowledge, knew that the man should have died long ago. These past few years, he had been barely clinging to life thanks to the power of a Grandmaster, which explained his dark complexion—his body was failing.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Several people among the gathered family members bowed respectfully upon seeing Xu Ning.
Xu Ning waved his hand. "You may all leave. I need to say a few words to him alone. Please give us the room."
Meng Lingzhu, among them, glanced at Xu Ning with a complex expression before leaving first. She had aged gracefully, but her eyes still held the same light.
After everyone had left, Xu Ning walked to Meng Yangming's bedside and sat down.
Looking at Xu Ning, Meng Yangming smiled weakly. "Young Xu, I still haven't been able to overcome that final hurdle. To reach that legendary realm beyond Grandmaster. I'm out of time."
Xu Ning sighed, regret heavy in his voice. "It's because I gave you the cultivation technique too late. If you had more time..."
Meng Yangming shook his head sharply, cutting him off. "No. With my aptitude, it was never going to be possible to reach that level. It was the years of torment inflicted by the Hundred Flowers Withering that gave me many insights. That pain, that struggle, allowed me to break through to Grandmaster at all. I was lucky."
"So even if you had given me the full technique earlier, with my natural limitations, I still wouldn't have reached that legendary realm. It was never meant for me."
"But you... you've reached the Grandmaster level now. Maybe you still have a chance. You're different."
Xu Ning shook his head, his voice humble. "I'm over fifty and only just reached the Grandmaster level. What chance do I have left? Time is not on my side."
Meng Yangming shook his head again, his eyes bright with conviction. "You're different. You created that kind of cultivation technique from nothing. You rewrote the path. Maybe you really can reach that level. Don't sell yourself short."
Xu Ning smiled softly. "Maybe."
Meng Yangming coughed weakly. "Speaking of which, these twenty or thirty years of my life were given to me by you. If you hadn't cured me, I'd have died decades ago."
Xu Ning asked quietly, "Do you have any regrets? Looking back on it all."
Meng Yangming shook his head slowly, a peaceful smile on his face. "No, my life has been magnificent. Although my son and daughter-in-law died young, my granddaughter got married and had children. I even saw three great-grandchildren. This life has been worthwhile. No regrets."