<h4>Chapter 1980: Understanding the de</h4>


    Zhao Hai sat inside the quiet room of his residence. This time, he wasn’t alone. The Yin Yang Elders were also with him.


    As the three people sat down, the Yin Elder looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Little Hai, aren’t you angry that we held you back in the Soaring Dragon Realm for a year?”


    Zhao Hai shook his head and said, “I’m not. Master, I’m aware that the time I spent in the Soaring Dragon Realm is too short. I haven’t fully adapted to living in the Soaring Dragon Realm. Going to the True Spirit Realm early might not be good for me.”


    The Yang Elder nodded and said, “It’s good that you think that way. This year, my brother and I will tell you about the True Spirit Realm. We will also tell you about our understanding of the de.


    The Yin Elder continued, “Little Hai, do you know the main difference between the True Spirit Realm and the Great Realm of Cultivation? People in the Great Realm of Cultivation can fly and choose not to eat. But in the True Spirit Realm, you need to walk and eat food.”


    Zhao Hai thought for a moment before he nodded and said, “Is it because of thews of the realm? After arriving in the True Spirit Realm, thews would have changed. Therefore, some things that people have surpassed in the lower realms needed to be picked up again.”


    The Yang Elder nodded, “Correct. Thews are invisible and intangible. If we couldn’t feel it, then we wouldn’t know that it exists. How thews came to be and how it works, nobody knows. But between the Great Realm of Cultivation to the True Spirit Realm is a boundary from low levelws and high levelws. Entering the True Spirit Realm is akin to rebirth to a cultivator. Therefore, the first cultivation level in the True Spirit Realm is called Rebirth!”


    “Rebirth?(Sheng 生)” The word echoed through Zhao Hai’s mind. Although it was just a simple word, Zhao Hai could infer plenty of meanings from it. Rebirth, rebirth of what?


    The Yin Elder looked at Zhao Hai and said, “When you enter the True Spirit Realm, you will understand the meaning of this word. Alright, there’s no need to dwell on it right now. Continue cultivating and you’ll reach this realm when the timees. Today, we’re here to talk to you about des.”


    “des? Master, should I start learning about des now?” Zhao Hai looked at the Yin Elder in confusion. He felt that it was too fast.


    The Yang Elder nodded and said, “Correct. You can now start learning the de. I have seen your strength. You’re much strongerpared to average immortal experts. If you were in the True Spirit Realm, you would be at thete stage of the Rebirth Realm.”


    Zhao Hai stared. He was confident in his strength. But in the eyes of the Yang Elder, he was no more than ate stage Rebirth Realm cultivator. In other words, he was still at the bottom of the True Spirit Realm.


    Seeing the expression on Zhao Hai’s face, the Yin Elder smiled faintly and said, “There’s no need to think much about it. Reaching thete stage of the Rebirth Realm while in the Soaring Dragon Realm is already very good. I cannot tell what cultivation method you’re using, but for those who use the de, cultivation methods aren’t important. What’s important is the de itself!”


    The Yang Elder looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Little Hai, what is your understanding of the de?”


    Zhao Hai stared. Then he looked at the encouraging looks of the two elders. After thinking for a moment, he said, “The de is one of the many weapons we use for battle. Because the de is simpler than the sword, it was more suitable to use on the battlefield. It is also more durable. I heard a saying; a month of stick, a year of de, a generation of spear. This reflects the characteristics of the de.”


    Speaking up to here, Zhao Hai stopped. Then after a moment he continued, “The de is the blood of the army. It contains the courage of a hundred soldiers. It is driven by a person’s vigor. If the sword is the king, the de is the tyrant. It represents the ordinary man, the anger of themon. It is a weapon that will draw blood for five steps. The person who uses the de needs to have courage. He needs to be proud, domineering, and arrogant. No matter who they are, what status they hold, they are all equal in front of the de.”


    The Yin Yang Elders looked at Zhao Hai in surprise. To be honest, they didn’t expect Zhao Hai to have such a deep understanding of the de.


    Zhao Hai wasn’t wrong, the de is the weapon of the tyrant. It is the weapon of the bold and proud. Whether they be a prince, or a minister, all of them are the same in front of the de. As long as they are enemies, those who use the de will fight. A de without courage and arrogance is nothing.


    The two elders looked at Zhao Hai with approval. The Yin Elder nodded and said, “Good. You already have a good understanding of the de. Those who use the de need to have courage. The spirit of a desman is like their de. If you can internalize this spirit, you can use the great power of the de.”


    The Yang Elder added, “We haven’t misread you, Little Hai. You’re born to use the de. With your de at your side, your future achievements will be limitless.”


    The Yin Elder agreed, then he said, “Alright, let’s move on. What you said about the de is not wrong. But your ideas are extremely general. In other words, you have a good understanding of the base characteristic of the de. But to understand your own de, you will need to go through many trials.”


    Zhao Hai nodded. He agreed to the Yin Elder’s words. His understanding of the de was mostly not his own. Instead, it was what he saw from others. What he said was just an observation along with his own understanding.


    Zhao Hai knew himself well. Although he created the Heavenly Demon Seven Killing des, it was only a set of techniques and had no rtionship with hisprehension with the de. To be honest, his knowledge of the de was extremely limited.


    The Yang Elder looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Little Hai, I didn’t think you could use a de. Let’s head outside and see how you use it.”


    Zhao Hai nodded, then he went outside with the two Elders. After they went outside, Zhao Hai looked at the two elders and said, “Masters, although I used the de in the past, I didn’t prioritize it. My understanding of it is just my own thoughts. So I’m not very good at using des. I apologize in advance for what you’ll see.”


    The Yin Elders smiled and said, “It’s alright. Even if you can’t use it at all, just show us what you can do.”


    Zhao Hai nodded. Then he stood in the yard and took out a tang de. Zhao Hai gently touched the tang de. He liked the shape of this de. This was because the Tang Dynasty relied on the tang de to cause the foreign invaders to surrender. This created the illustrious reputation of Li Siming and Tian Kehan.[1]


    The tang de represented the aggression of the Chinese. Zhao Hai only liked the shape of the tang de in the past. This was the first time he thought carefully about what the tang de represented.


    Slowly, Zhao Hai felt a domineering aura. Then he could feel the pride from barbarian ns surrendering. When Zhao Hai umted the peak amount of domineering aura, he moved and used the Heavenly Demon Seven Killing des.


    Since this de technique was created by him, and it was focused on killing the enemy, Zhao Hai’s movements weren’tplex. He used the technique with ease. The de technique flowed out like water.


    When the set of Heavenly Demon Seven Killing des were used up, Zhao Hai received his de and stood in ce, calming down his mood. Then when he looked at the Yin Yang Elders, his heart couldn’t help but jump. It’s true that his de wasn’t very good. This was also rted to his foundation. For example, he rarely used his de in the Great Realm of Cultivation. This was because the Great Realm of Cultivation paid more attention to spiritual qi. Additionally, Zhao Hai wasn’t a pure body cultivator.


    But surprisingly, when Zhao Hai looked at the Yin Yang Elders, their expressions didn’t show disappointment. Instead, there was a proud smile on their faces.


    Zhao Hai looked at the two elders in confusion. Then he cupped his fist and said, “Masters, I made youugh.”


    The Yang Elder chuckled and said, “Your skill in the de isn’t that good. You look like a beginner with the de. However, your feelings when using the de are very good. Your emotions are well in line with the de. Compared to most people, your potential for the de is better.”


    Zhao Hai showed an embarrassed smile as he said, “I just learned the de for a short while in the past. And in the Great Realm of Cultivation, I haven’t had enough chances to use the de. Moreover, there are too many techniques avable in the Great Realm of Cultivation. Focusing on one would be disadvantageous. Therefore, I didn’t put enough effort on the de.”


    The Yin Elder smiled and said, “This is not bad. You didn’t focus on the de, but your performance is already like this. Your skill with the de can be improved. Take this jade slip. Practice ording to its contents for a month. After a month, we’ll see how far you’ve progressed.”


    Zhao Haiplied and then received the Yin Elder’s jade slip. The Yin Yang Elders smiled as they looked at Zhao Hai. Then the Yin Elder said, “With your current level, practicing these basic things should be easy. But I have a request. This month, you should practice the contents of the jade slip to the point of bing an instinct. These basic skills will be important from time to time. Only in this way can you master the de.”


    Zhao Hai nodded. Then the two Elders left.


    Li Siming, aka Emperor Taizong. Tian Kehan -> Khan of Heaven, the title given to Emperor Taizong when the Tang Dynasty annihted the Turkic Khaganate.


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