Dawn broke, and a purple haze crept in from the east.
Standing at the bow of the ship all night, Yang Ge opened his eyes, leapt upright, and turned to face the surging river.
"Bring me my saber!"
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He called out loudly.
Fang Ke, who had been guarding him all night, heard the call, drew the Silver-Inlaid Ox-Tail Saber from his waist, and threw it with all his might toward Yang Ge, who was mid-air.
Yang Ge reached out and grabbed the saber, switched from one hand to both hands, lifted it high, and took a deep breath...
The next second, he surged to the apex of his leap, his body beginning to fall.
Using the momentum of his descent, he swung his saber down fiercely, roaring with a flushed face and bulging neck, "Break!"
As the saber fell, a snow-white saber Qi exploded from the blade, about twelve meters long and two meters wide, like the magnificent wings of a Kun Peng, capable of traversing three thousand miles when it struck the water!
"Boom!"
The terrifying saber Qi surged upward, tearing open a vast gap in the surface of the river.
In an instant, the river roiled, raising a thousand layers of waves, submerging the embankments.
"Crash...
The waves, as tall as the sails, crashed down, nearly capsizing many boats. Even Fang Ke, who was quite skilled in martial arts, felt as though he were being tossed in a maelstrom.
Yang Ge, the wielder of the saber, was also propelled backward by the immense recoil of his strike, flying back seven or eight meters before finally landing on the water’s surface, stabilizing his form...
"Thud."
Yang Ge stepped back onto the ship, his gaze dull as he handed the saber back to Fang Ke, who had come to meet him, muttering, "It’s not right, still not right!"
He couldn’t quite articulate what was wrong, but he felt as though his strike carried the heaviness of being dragged through mud and water.
Though he had used all his power, somehow only sixty to seventy percent seemed to follow through after the strike...
This was definitely not the type of torrential, indestructible, and decisively fierce saber strike he had envisioned!
"This still isn’t right?"
Fang Ke stared blankly at the still-unsettled waves on the river, then at the cracked Silver-Inlaid Ox-Tail Saber in his hand, feeling utterly numb.
"Mind your own business when it comes to a swordsman’s matters!"
Yang Ge replied absentmindedly, then added after a moment, "Have your men tally their numbers immediately. Set sail once everyone is accounted for!"
He had no concern for other matters, for the profound emotion that seemed on the verge of emergence, yet elusively out of reach, nagged at him like constipation; unable to push it out, unable to hold it in, leaving him in discomfort.
Even the joy of refining his spirit and returning to True Essence was significantly diminished.
Of course, reaching the True Essence Realm in his case could hardly be considered a surprise.
After all, from the moment he had begun to cultivate his Inner Qi, he knew he was destined to refine his spirit...
It was worth noting, however, that his exceptional martial talent, which was like his "bones made of jade, all meridians unblocked," had almost run its course by the time he reached the True Essence Realm.
It wasn’t that this great talent no longer had any use.
Even in the True Essence Realm, this talent still helped him to condense True Qi faster and purer.
But this talent could no longer help him surmount other experts in the same realm with the overwhelming advantage he enjoyed during the practice of Jing and Qi cultivation.
It could no longer compensate for the power gap created by differences in time spent cultivating.
After all, in the True Essence Realm, everyone had their meridians unblocked.
Even if Yang Ge had a stronger physique, more robust meridians, and quicker True Qi reflexes... what of it?
How could that compete with the daily, decade-long arduous cultivation of others?
The situation might be similar to that of actors.
Some start as unnoticed extras, requiring much effort and opportunity to become known to many.
Others debut with inherent popularity and capital, known to many without needing to exert much effort.
But once they’ve both achieved a certain height, the competition boils down to personal experience and culture.
Yang Ge reaching the True Essence Realm was the highest level his Grandmaster physique could take him.
What he could cultivate from there was up to him.
This was something of which Yang Ge was well aware.
...
Three days later.
"Giddy up..."
Several riders, following a rugged trail, rounded a large mountain and suddenly the landscape opened up before them.
A serene, ancient city, shrouded in morning mist, appeared indistinctly before them...
"Whoa!"
Yang Ge reined in his steed, on tinetoes underneath his hat to gaze at the city immersed in the morning fog: "Is that Yangzhou?"
Fang Ke, holding his saber and bowing respectfully, replied, "Sir, that is the Jiangdu Prefecture, the governing seat of Yangzhou."
Yang Ge nodded, expressing his sentiment, "We have finally arrived!"
Traveling in ancient times was truly troublesome.
In another time and space, half a month would have been enough for him to travel a round trip from the eastern to the western hemisphere!
Fang Ke held his saber and cheerfully responded, "Those officials in Yangzhou would never expect you to abandon the waterway and take the land. Right now, they must still be sending people to track the whereabouts of our fleet..."
Yang Ge glanced at him, teasingly saying, "Fang, your skill at flattery seems to have rusted lately. To think you’d have the audacity to offer up such blatant flattery."
The followers including Gu Tong burst into laughter, filling the mountain folds with a joyful atmosphere.
Fang Ke wasn’t the least offended and joined in with a "heh heh" laugh.
"Alright, let’s talk business!"
Yang Ge raised his hand, and everyone immediately quieted down, bowing their heads to listen to his orders.
"Yangzhou, a key town in Jiangnan, is full of officials who are ’veterans of many battles;’ they are sure to guard against our switch from water to land routes."
He spoke slowly, "To avoid early exposure and affect subsequent actions, we must enter the city in groups. Everyone hide your weapons, leave the horses outside the city, enter by section. I will go into town first with Fang Ke, Gu, you arrange the order of entry. Once inside, disperse and gather all intelligence related to the Changfeng Gang, and convene before nightfall to consolidate the information!"