I Can See Your Combat Power

After ten days of following Buddha’s teachings, Tang Xing had shed the naivety of his youth and became more mature, but at a somewhat significant cost.

Desiring to enjoy life and play with women was just a superficial expression. The true inner change was the disillusionment with the fantasy of eternity and immortality after understanding the Buddhist teachings, having even lost the courage to wish for transcendence.

Rather than toiling away one’s entire life only to end up with nothing, it’s better to give up early and savor the moment, an approach preferable to an empty regret in the end.

The two charming courtesans naturally could not grasp the melancholy and profound meaning behind his ambitions, instead, they giggled and flung themselves into the young lad’s embrace, praising him, “A true scholar indeed, naturally graceful.”

Tang Xing was also laughing, laughing out loudly with tears streaming down his face.

“Foolish.”

The low shout exploded like muffled thunder inside the chamber, severing the delicate music of strings and flutes, startling the musicians into collapsing on the ground.

The two courtesans were even more terrified, turning pale as if targeted by some ferocious beast, unable to move a muscle.

The shadow of the Heavenly Dragon transformed into a large hand, flinging all the unrelated people out of the door, which then slammed shut with a bang.

After driving off all the extraneous people, Tang Luo sat down in front of Tang Xing with an imposing posture, not minding the tears streaking down the youngster’s face, he picked up an unused pair of chopsticks and began devouring the dishes on the table, talking to the boy sporadically while eating.

“You sit down and have a meal with me first. After we’ve eaten, we’ll be leaving Kunwu.”

“Since mother passed away, it has been a long time since our family sat down for a proper meal. Everyone has their own affairs: father needs to manage the seven Martial Halls, I am striving to comprehend the pinnacle of martial arts, and you are working hard to become stronger. Sometimes I wonder, with three men in a family—the oldest being an unrivaled warrior, and the two youngest considered prodigies—how is it that it feels like we’re about to lose what makes a home? Eventually, I realized the reason is that our mother is no longer with us, and men simply don’t know how to live a life.”

“Try this fish, it’s quite good, must be a speciality of Kunwu. Don’t just drink wine.”

Tang Xing stared at the half fish Tang Luo had picked for him, watching it land in his bowl, and responded blankly, “What does this have to do with Mother?”

“For instance, right now, if Mother were here, she probably could have comforted you properly and made up for the motherly love you’ve been missing these past years. But as your brother, all I can do is share some principles with you, though they might not be useful. Just listen casually.”

Tang Luo stuffed the other half of the fish into his mouth, chewed nonchalantly a couple of times, and swallowed, speaking indifferently, “I know these ten days have hit you hard, making you feel as if even with a vast technique like the Sutra of No Suffering and Extinction, ascending to the other shore might be impossible. Not to mention our Tang Clan’s Heavenly Pathway Technique, it’s even less hopeful. You might as well enjoy yourself to the fullest, since one more or one less of you makes no difference, right?”

“If you knew, then why bother saying it.”

Tang Xing hung his head, fiddling with the fish tail in his bowl, smashing the tender white flesh into pieces, “I’m not as good as my father, even less so than my brother, and even the title of a prodigy entirely relies on that magical treasure. Why shouldn’t I just give up and happily be a good-for-nothing?”

Chaos, confusion, self-abandonment—the two mental states most commonly seen in the youth are either full of ambitious initiatives or utterly despairing.

“Actually, you should feel fortunate to be born in this family.”

Upon hearing the young one’s words, Tang Luo laughed, “In any other family, if they heard a brother wanted to be a good-for-nothing, the other siblings would surely loudly encourage you to be brave and be yourself. After all, you know, there’s not just one way to win in this world; sometimes we stand out simply because our adversaries are too mediocre. Prodigy or no prodigy is all based on how your peers make you look. Did you really think that martial arts practice was all about reaching the ‘other shore’?”

“If it’s not for transcending to the ‘other shore,’ what’s the point of practicing martial arts?”

“It seems those Buddhist teachings have had a profound impact on you. Don’t get it wrong, from the beginning, we practiced martial arts just to lead a more exciting and comfortable life!”

Tang Luo put down his eating utensils and leaned back in his chair, speaking lightly, “Do you want to be an ant that is dominated by others or an eagle soaring through the skies?”

“There’s no need to ask, you’ve just said that you wanted to see all the beautiful scenery and people in the world. But without cultivation, any strong thug or bandit that jumps out on the road could take your life. Even if by a stroke of luck you win a beauty’s favor, what virtues and abilities do you have to protect her?”

“Let’s be even more realistic, men are like oxen, women are the earth; you, a young bull, wanting to plow so much land, would inevitably exhaust yourself to death in the field one day. Judging by your current state, your happiness doesn’t just come from a momentary ‘spring breeze surpasses countless others in the world,’ does it?”

“Think about it, without the solid foundation in martial arts you’ve built over the past ten years, do you really think an ordinary fifteen-year-old boy could withstand a whole night of fooling around? They would be exhausted and collapse on the bed, let alone have the energy to sit here with me discussing the meaning of martial arts in this scholarly manner.”

“After hearing all this, do you still think practicing martial arts is meaningful?”

Every world follows its own laws; if on the Earth from your past life, studying and scientific research were the best pathways to ascend, then in this world, the martial path is the best road to take. The issue is that the more we hear such principles, the less awe we have, and people tend to overestimate their abilities and underestimate the effort, losing motivation to move forward if they feel they cannot reach the summit.

In reality, to become a cut above the rest, there’s no need to struggle for the summit; simply trying a little harder than the average person can help you stand out, just as with people’s varying aptitudes.

How much can a 1.1 differ from a 1.0? What truly determines ultimate achievement is how long one can persist in their efforts.

Tang Luo spoke as if it were the most natural thing, while Tang Xing listened, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, staring at his brother, suddenly finding him somewhat unfamiliar.

Since he was young, he had always thought his brother, Tang Luo, was a true martial fanatic; his early prodigiousness was the talk of the Tang Clan, how he began to speak at the age of six months, recognized words and could read at two, and as soon as he learned to walk, he wanted to read the martial arts scriptures. He had believed someone with Tang Luo’s obsession with the martial path, coupled with his natural ability, must have set the King Realm as his goal, yet he did not expect to hear such a “pragmatic” judgment, which almost made him feel like he didn’t know his brother at all.

“Don’t look at me with that strange expression,” Tang Luo said laughing, “As a family member, of course, I support every decision you make, even if you decide to be a good-for-nothing. I think there’s nothing wrong with that. But as someone who truly loves you, I must always consider your safety. With your current capabilities, the level of society you could reach as a good-for-nothing is too low. Not to mention anything else, take the idea of seeing every beautiful place for example; with your current level of cultivation, you can’t go to the Endless Sea, the glacial polar regions are out of reach, you can’t soar into the clouds or peek into the underworld; the only safe place you can roam is the inland, where you have to carefully avoid robbers and villains. That’s not traveling, but clearly an adventure.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!