The person behind him coldly announced their name.

Feng Zikang relaxed. He remembered the young woman who deliberately affected an aloof demeanor. He spun around sharply, his face shifting to an expression of both surprise and delight.

"Senior Sister Luo, it's you!"

To be honest, he was genuinely surprised. With this woman's cultivation level, there was no reason for her to be cultivating in the Earth Vein Abyss. Why was she here?

"It's you?"

Luo Lianxin’s face remained impassive, but her tone held a hint of suspicion.

This mere disciple at the second level of Qi Induction, whom she had briefly met at General's Tomb just days ago—at the time, his cultivation seemed utterly ordinary, she hadn't even bothered to remember his name. To think he was also cultivating here in the Earth Vein Abyss, and furthermore... even though his cultivation remained at the lowly second stage of Qi Induction, when he swung his blade, there was a fleeting glimpse of the Great Dao of the Military Arts. What on earth was going on?

"Well... what is your name, Junior Brother?"

Though inwardly astonished, on the surface, Luo Lianxin still needed to maintain the icy, indifferent facade instructed by her master, as if uninterested in everything.

"Junior Brother Feng Zikang, a disciple of the Small Bamboo Grove..."

"I know you are the disciple of Martial Uncle Ye from the Small Bamboo Grove." Luo Lianxin nodded slightly. "Your skill is good. How long have you been under Martial Uncle Ye?"

Feng Zikang sighed. "This junior brother's aptitude is dull; I have been under Martial Uncle Ye for seven years."

Seven years?

Luo Lianxin shook her head in disappointment. Only reaching the second level of Qi Induction after seven years—that couldn't even be described as dullness. As a direct disciple of the main line, with abundant spiritual medicine, profound techniques, and occasional guidance from her master, even a block of wood should have reached the Inquiry Realm, the fourth level of Qi Induction, without any difficulty within seven years. This person’s talent was truly abysmal!

The traces of the Great Dao within his swordsmanship were likely nothing more than skill honed through tens of thousands of repetitions; he himself could never truly grasp it.

"...However, I fell into water as a child and developed a high fever, which muddled my mind. I only recovered my senses over a month ago, and I've forgotten everything from the past seven years. In truth, the time I've spent with my esteemed master is barely half a month."

Recalling his overly zealous master, a warmth rose in Feng Zikang's chest. Though the Heavenly Demon didn't particularly favor this sensation, he didn't reject it either.

"What?"

This time, Luo Lianxin could no longer maintain her cold composure, crying out in shock.

Only... half a month?

What a joke!

Reaching the second level of Qi Induction in under half a month was nothing remarkable. Luo Lianxin herself was a prodigy who had touched the Inquiry Realm, the fourth level of Qi Induction, in merely seven times seven, forty-nine days.

But while cultivation could improve easily, understanding and perceiving the Great Dao was a difficult journey.

If Feng Zikang spent seven years refining his blade, then the essence of the Military Arts displayed when he swung it might be a natural reaction born of extreme practice; but if it was only half a month... that could only mean he had truly glimpsed the shadow of the Military Dao's Great Dao!

Could this be a genuine genius?!

Feng Zikang offered a faint smile. He held no fondness for this Senior Sister from Shuiyue Xuan who was always appearing and disappearing mysteriously and loved to feign coldness, especially since she had once casually uttered words about killing him to silence him. Even if she hadn't meant it and hadn't acted on it, Feng Zikang remained highly wary of her. However, since Luo Lianxin’s cultivation was vastly superior to his, and she bore no ill will toward the Small Bamboo Grove lineage, Feng Zikang hadn't plotted against her.

Slightly disrupting her Dao Heart at this moment was something he did deliberately.

"I observed that Junior Brother Feng's blade work secretly aligns with the supreme Great Dao of the Military Arts. I assumed you had cultivated for many years, but to think it has only been such a short time—Junior Brother's talent is truly limitless!"

Unexpectedly, Luo Lianxin proved to be forthright. After pondering for a moment, she abandoned all subtlety and offered direct praise.

"Senior Sister, you flatter me. My time in the sect is short, and my cultivation is low. Master has often instructed me to seek guidance from my senior brothers..."

Naturally, he needed to be modest now. Who knew that Luo Lianxin would press on without relenting, asking a string of questions?

"Learning has no fixed seniority; the one who understands is the teacher. The Great Dao of my Military Arts knows nothing of false modesty. Having seen you wield your blade today, I have a doubt I wish for you to resolve."

Feng Zikang inwardly lamented. Indeed, one should not boast without true capability. This aloof Senior Sister turned out to be a pure cultivator, unswayed by the fact that his innate talent surpassed hers; instead, she was willing to humble herself and ask her junior brother, whose cultivation was low, for instruction.

"The Great Dao of my Military Arts is unbreaking, invincible, and unconquerable. Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it exerts full strength, pursuing the direct path. Yet, since reaching the state of Dao Heart Clarity, I often have doubts. Sun Tzu says the military is the way of deception, which greatly differs from what I have been taught. When I saw Junior Brother act just now, you held back three parts of your full strength, and your variations were unpredictable, deeply embodying the Way of Advance, Retreat, Attack, and Defense. This aligns precisely with the Dao I have perceived, yet it differs from my sect's true teachings..."

Luo Lianxin frowned slightly. This question must have been lingering in her heart for a long time. Seeing the shadow of the Great Dao in a junior brother of low cultivation today only deepened her doubt, so she spoke directly to seek guidance, regardless of who he was.

"This..."

Feng Zikang’s Dao Heart was unstable; how could he possibly understand the Great Dao of the Military Arts? He rolled his eyes and spouted some nonsense.

"Senior Sister, I've been thinking, the Great Dao of the Military Arts originates from the battlefield. In battle formations, people use all sorts of stratagems—some attack with brute force, others employ cunning. Therefore, military strategy is myriad, and as each person’s temperament differs, the Dao they adopt might also vary. Why not just follow what your heart tells you, Senior Sister?"

"Follow what my heart tells me?"

Luo Lianxin paused, frowning in deep thought. She was a genius in Military Arts cultivation, possessing insight that allowed her to grasp the whole from a part; her understanding of the Military Dao far surpassed what Feng Zikang could manage. Naturally, she knew the principle that military strategy was myriad, but the Dao was singular. This idea of cultivating according to one's own heart was something no one had ever suggested to her before.

Feng Zikang was actually ill-intentioned. Whether cultivating according to one's heart was the essence of the Military Dao, he certainly didn't know, but it was the core tenet of the Demonic Arts.

In cultivating the Demonic Path, the first rule was to follow one's heart absolutely and never suppress it.

If you want to kill, then kill; if you want to burn, then burn—indulging the body and mind—this was the first step toward becoming a demon.

He used Luo Lianxin's moment of confusion to subtly inject this Demonic Heart technique. Even if he couldn't cause her to suffer a cultivation deviation, at least it would momentarily disrupt her Dao Heart and stall her progress!

"That’s it!"

Unexpectedly, Luo Lianxin suddenly clapped her hands together, her face beaming with joy.

"Thanks to Junior Brother's timely insight, I now see: the origin of the Dao is singular, but its manifestations are myriad. I was stubbornly stuck, only seeing the external form of the Great Dao but failing to grasp its core. I am ashamed, truly ashamed! As long as the Dao Heart remains unchanged, the Dao techniques can vary infinitely—just follow your own heart!"

She cheered joyfully, while Feng Zikang stared dumbfounded.

"I... I didn't mean it like that..."

It was just a casual remark, yet this woman managed to twist the meaning, even breaking through her own bottleneck in the process. Just what kind of freak was this?