Damon's Ascension-Chapter 110: War In Xiangyang 11

The walk from Crane Ridge Villa to the Sect Square should have been uneventful since it was the early morning, with the haze of dew clinging to the thatched rooftops and the narrow cobbled roads. The town hadn’t fully awoken, and one could see shopkeepers sweeping out their thresholds, sleeping guards shifting comfortably at their posts, and working civilians going about their routines.

And then they all noticed Damon.

The first sign was subtle, being an old woman who was clutching a laundry bundle suddenly stopping mid-step, her eyes widening faintly as Damon passed. Her hand trembled slightly, the cloth slipping from her grasp without her realizing.

A carriage driver froze as he guided his horses across the intersection since one of the animals suddenly reared with its nostrils flaring, sensing something it could not see, but only feel.

The driver’s assistant swore under his breath. "What the hell was that..."

Children who had been playing beside a stone fountain stopped laughing and stood still, staring. One girl held up a lotus she had plucked and tilted her head as it turned grey in her fingers then disintegrated like ash.

No one spoke to Damon, but no one could ignore him because the pressure that rolled off him was not power, it was absence.

It wasn’t really forceful nor domineering like other martial auras, but rather like an empty void. It was like a lack of weight that made the air around Damon feel heavier, as if the world was compensating for a man who no longer existed by the normal laws of breath and body.

Or more like a part of an empty vacuum in an ocean, of which the ocean was trying to fill that spot with water according to the laws of physics, but since something was there—but also wasn’t—the water was stuck pressing against that spot, causing the pressure around that spot to be insanely high.

Chen Yuan muttered behind him, "I feel like we’re walking next to a shrine that kills you if you knock too loudly..."

Xue Rou’s eyes narrowed. "We’re walking beside something sacred... or cursed."

Sun Liang could only add, "...Definitely skipped twenty arcs this time." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

When they reached the Zen Sect pavilion, Damon didn’t slow his step as he walked directly under the hanging brass bell and stopped before the monk from yesterday, the very same one who had offered him the scroll and token with nary a word.

This time, the monk’s eyes opened wide.

Still seated in lotus position, the monk studied Damon not with suspicion, but with a quiet awe. His gaze flickered up and down as if searching for signs of instability, like internal disturbances, flow irregularities, forced Qi channels... but he found only purity.

He inhaled deeply and folded his hands. "You have already reached the peak of the entry stage."

Damon nodded slightly. "Yes."

The monk tilted his head. "Not within the hour and not even within a full day. You walked a path of breath and severed illusion in a single meditation."

"I had the right key. I merely found the door open." Damon replied evenly.

The monk stood slowly, his posture upright and free of all wasteful movements. "Then you are no mere disciple. Come, you shall walk with me."

Without further explanation, he turned and walked into the shaded alley behind the Zen Sect outpost. Damon followed, and his three subordinates remained behind without being told as this was not their journey to walk.

They stepped into a hidden passage behind the square, an area concealed by rotating panels of incense shelves and prayer flags. A private courtyard unfolded beyond, where a single koi pond shimmered under a still bamboo grove.

The monk gestured toward a stone bench. "Sit."

Damon complied silently, sitting himself in a gentleman’s posture.

The monk did not sit opposite him. Instead, he stood facing the pond, hands folded behind him, and his voice, when it came, was calm but laced with resonance.

"You have touched upon Internal Force... but you do not yet understand it."

"I’m listening." Damon replied with a soft smile.

The monk nodded faintly. "Martial arts in this realm follow a universal structure, not one tied to bloodline, sect, or origin. It is a natural law derived from the interaction between soul, breath, and intent. There are five realms of power."

He raised one finger.

"The Martial Apprentice, linked to the entry stage of any martial art. Here, one begins to sense Internal Force within and it cannot be projected, only nurtured. The focus is on breathwork, meridian awakening, and forming the initial cycle of Qi circulation."

The second finger was raised.

"The Martial Warrior, linked to the small accomplishment stage of any martial art. At this stage, one can project force outward slightly and one’s basic methodologies evolve, and learned techniques gain impact. The Internal Force stabilizes and may affect flesh and bone."

The third finger came up.

"The Martial Master, linked to the great accomplishment stage of any martial art. This is where true martial power begins since Qi can now be imbued into weapons, cause indirect damage, and reinforce the body like a shield. Various learned techniques also evolve into diverse styles."

The fourth finger rose.

"The Martial Grandmaster, linked to the mastery stage of any martial art. Few ever reach it because at this realm, your intent alone affects the world. You can fracture a man’s spirit with a glare, break battle formation, and stop blades or arrows with your breath alone."

Then finally, the last finger.

"The Martial God, linked to the perfection stage of any martial art. Here, you are no longer practicing martial arts, and you have become the essence of martial arts. Your Internal Force transcends body and becomes law, allowing even a whisper to extinguish life. Few see this stage... and fewer leave it behind."

Damon closed his eyes slightly, absorbing it all.

The monk continued. "These stages exist across all sects and all arts. The Empty Soul Palm merely defines how the Internal Force behaves. Our martial art severs the tether between body and soul, while others crush bones and some even slow the heart, but all are variations of the same river."

He turned back to Damon, his expression unreadable.

"You do not have a root here, no clan nor lineage, yet your Internal Force is purer than most who train for decades."

Damon opened his eyes. "I had a good teacher once, not in martial arts, but in discipline."

The monk nodded. "Discipline is cultivation. The Empty Soul Palm thrives on it. You must walk the path of understanding, not destruction."

Damon stood. "Then let me understand further."

The monk smiled faintly. "There is no ceremony, nor oath. Only practice."

He handed Damon a small stone talisman. "This grants you access to the Zen Sect’s internal library, meditation grounds, and secluded courtyards. You are free to come and go as you wish."

"Even though I may not align with your beliefs?" Damon asked.

The monk’s eyes gleamed with a trace of humor. "Even Buddha debated with demons."

With that, he bowed deeply and returned to his lotus position.

As Damon left the inner courtyard, he heard the faintest whisper behind him: "But should you ever reach Martial God... remember: the final thing the soul releases... is the self."

When Damon stepped back into the Sect Square, people parted before him unconsciously even though he carried no weapon nor did he emit any killing aura.

And yet...

Every fighter, every disciple, every sect elder who had honed their instincts turned slightly, their spine straightening, their pupils shrinking. Some didn’t even know why they stepped aside.

But they did.

Sun Liang let out a shaky breath. "We’re really doing this, aren’t we?"

Xue Rou nodded grimly. "This entire province is about to change."

Chen Yuan murmured, "And we’re right in the eye of the storm."

Damon stepped forward calmly. "It seems my plans have to change."

Damon had already noticed it when he reached the entry stage, but the monk had subtly confirmed it for him just now.

One could not learn multiple martial arts. Or rather, there was no need to learn multiple martial arts, because they were all branches of the same tree, only different in their attributes and method of practice.

His plan to lead all the sects into conflict so that he could utilize the chaos to acquire their martial arts was now void. Rather than that, it would be better to learn some ’external’ martial arts to fulfill his needs.

Yes, he knew about this from research in Chinese history. There were typically two types of martial arts, Internal, which was basically turning life force and vitality into qi essence, then Internal Force, and then external, which were the fancy punches, kicks, or dodging techniques.

Most internal martial arts came with their own external techniques, like the Empty Soul Palm which had its own palm technique for offense. However, you were free to learn any external martial art and then use the Internal Force of your internal martial art to power it, giving it the attributes of your Internal Force.

So now, Damon’s biggest problem was not even getting external martial arts because the Zen Sect’s library had countless of those and they could even be bought in bookstores.

His biggest hurdle now was cultivating the Empty Soul Palm to the limit in the short time he had left in this instance.