Blade - Unbound

Shopkeeper Wan was dressed in a brand-new robe, looking every bit the dignified gentleman, yet sweat beaded across his forehead, betraying his nervousness. He couldn’t help but remind, “Brother Yan, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got today!”

Li Yan glanced around and chuckled. “Senior Wan, with the lineup we’ve got, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Just sit back and watch.”

He wasn't wrong. The three Divine Towers, one large and two small, had been lavishly decorated, looking far more refined and imposing than before. The vermilion pillars, glazed tiles, and even the flying eaves and bracket sets had been painstakingly painted with motifs of peaches of immortality, the Five Blessings, and other auspicious designs. Lanterns hung from every corner, while colorful streamers fluttered in the wind.

At a glance, they looked no different from genuine temples.

The men carrying the Divine Tower, led by Guo Luquan, were all broad-shouldered giants. Despite the freezing weather, they wore only red sleeveless vests with red headscarves, exposing muscles that bulged like knotted cords, radiating raw masculine vigor.

The drum and opera troupe behind them had spared no effort either. Every member wore black cloth armor modeled after old Qin military attire, though it had been modified to avoid any taboo associations.

The front row was dominated by massive Qin-Han War Drums. Behind them came racks of swords, spears, halberds, and other weapons, and at the rear flew ranks of banners and battle standards, arranged with the strict discipline and grandeur of an army formation.

Li Yan himself wore an imposing suit of cloth armor, more finely crafted than the others, with a row of command flags rising from his back.

He hadn't wanted to make such a show of himself, but everyone in the drum troupe had insisted that he looked the part. Standing in the center to anchor the formation, they said, would only make the entire procession more impressive.

Although there were many teams participating, their attire alone stood out proudly. They were not inferior to any of the teams.

“It isn't any of that that worries me.” A trace of pride flashed across Shopkeeper Wan's eyes before he let out a long sigh. “The rules were changed at the last minute today. I'm afraid we'll be at a disadvantage tonight.”

Li Yan frowned. “Oh? How were they changed?”

“Originally, the daytime procession was only ceremonial. The real event was the evening's divine procession through the streets. The townsfolk would follow with incense in hand, and whichever team attracted the largest following would win. That's why I hired the Huayin Zuo Opera Troupe to perform the Eight Directions Projection Art.

“But this time they're making it a real contest. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect has established an altar at the City God Temple, and distributed twenty-four ritual banners to the twenty four participating teams.

“Tonight, every team will set out simultaneously from one of Chang'an's twenty four directions, escorting their divine palanquins through the streets in imitation of the ancient Yu Dance ritual. If two teams encounter each other, they'll compete for supremacy by seizing the other side's ritual banner and incense offerings.

“Whichever teams arrive at the City God Temple with the most ritual banners will earn the available qualification slots. The losers will be eliminated. If it was only the Yu Dance rituals, I’m confident we won't lose to anyone. What I fear are those shameless fellows who'll deliberately ram their Divine Towers into ours...”

“Don't worry, Senior Wan!” Guo Luquan patted his chest and laughed. “Back when we carried Divine Towers, we even had to parade past the homes of local tyrants. Sometimes their household guards came at us with clubs, but we scattered them all the same. Brothers, are you afraid?”

“We’re not afraid of those losers!”

The men carrying the Divine Tower were brimming with excitement. Most of them earned their living as laborers, toiling day after day just to make ends meet. Spectacles of this scale were something they might only witness a handful of times in an entire lifetime. Besides, Shopkeeper Wan had already promised that if they secured a qualification slot, everyone would receive a reward worth two or three months of ordinary wages.

“Don't worry, Senior Wan.” Li Yan blinked and said softly, “If anyone tries to play dirty when the time comes, we certainly won't be going home empty-handed.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As he spoke, three cannon blasts thundered from the city gate.

The team closest to the gate immediately shouted, “Prepare to lift the palanquin!”

Those chosen to lead the procession were naturally not ordinary competitors. The team from Lintong was composed of a group of practitioners from across the Guanzhong Plains, pooling their efforts to compete for a qualification slot.

They had spared no expense. Their Divine Tower was only slightly smaller than Shopkeeper Wan's, and they had likewise hired a professional team of Divine Tower bearers.

Although it was a Divine Tower procession, it was still fundamentally the Drum King Assembly. The thunder of drums was indispensable for displaying might and contending for supremacy.

Their ensemble featured drummers carrying community drums and gongs suspended before their chests on curved shoulder frames, directed by a separate gong player. Every performer also bore a banner rising from behind their back. They were displaying the famous Ten-Sided Gongs and Drums, said to have evolved from Han Xin's feigned army formations during the Chu-Han struggle at Bashang.

The moment they entered Zhuque Avenue, the gongs and drums erupted in unison. Even through the city walls, the deafening roar of the crowd could be heard inside, accompanied by an endless chorus of firecrackers that heightened the spectacle.

The next to depart was the Wei Banner Drum Troupe. Their troupe was even larger, numbering over one hundred and fifty performers. They boasted every variety of drum imaginable. They had large, medium, small, and handheld drums, as well as large and small cymbals, great and small gongs, and numerous other instruments.

Their rhythms were lively and forceful, the entire performance bursting with energy. Dancers wielded long, colorful streamers as they wove through the drum formation, reenacting the maneuvers of two opposing armies on the battlefield.

This tradition was equally ancient, commonly known as Mighty Gongs and Drums, and in antiquity called Drumming to Assassinate Qin.

Though they were all drum performances, the meanings behind them differed. Every surviving drum tradition carried with it a glorious history.

The third team came from Xianyang with their Oxskin Drums. The drums were so enormous they had to be pulled by sturdy oxen. When the gigantic drumsticks crashed down, the sound rolled forth like peals of thunder.

The history of the Oxskin Drums could even be traced back to the pre-Qin era. The teams that followed each possessed their own unique strengths.

The Qishan Rotating Drums traced their origins to the Western Zhou, when the Duke of Zhou established rites and music in his later years for ancient Zhou sacrificial ceremonies and military campaigns.

The Weinan Red Fist Drums incorporated the movements and stances of Lesser Red Fist into their drumming techniques.

Ansai Waist Drums originated in a region long contested by armies, where drums had been used to sound alarms, inspire troops, signal emergencies, and provide entertainment alike.

The drum troupes from the other provinces were similarly steeped in history and imposing in presence.

The delegation from Jinzhou, for instance, enjoyed the backing of wealthy merchant houses and lacked no funding whatsoever. They had turned the entire spectacle into something truly magnificent. Their specialty was the Weicun Running Drum Carts.

Weicun was the fief granted to the famed general Yuchi Jingde, also known as the Egong Fortress. Ten war chariots rolled forward in five orderly columns, their wheels rumbling as giant drums thundered, creating a performance that was both passionate and unrestrained while displaying fierce martial spirit.

The Qi-Lu delegation performed the Changshao Drum Music, born from the Battle of Changshao, and passed down through the generations ever since Cao Gui's famous discourse on warfare.

The Ezhou delegation's drums were equally martial, but even more eye-catching was the illuminated dragon circling their Divine Tower. A hundred performers each carried a section of its body, with every segment lit from within. It was the renowned Hundred-Segment Dragon.

They had clearly focused all their efforts on the evening competition.

Li Yan also spotted the Fire Bear Gang's procession. Their Divine Tower was even taller than Shopkeeper Wan's, but they had taken shortcuts. Much of its structure was hollow, giving it an impressive appearance from afar, yet making it seem oddly insubstantial.

However, they more than made up for it with manpower. Bare-chested burly men filled the ranks, their bodies covered in painted dragons and tigers. Each one carried a great drum on his back, and wore an exorcism mask over his face. They carried ancient shamanic drums, and together, they made for quite an awe-inspiring sight.

At last, it was Li Yan's team's turn.

Guo Luquan's thunderous roar rang out. “Brothers, lift the palanquin!”

The bearers strained together, and the massive Divine Tower slowly rose into the air.

“Wind! Great Wind!”

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Shopkeeper Wan had truly spared no expense. The entire Divine Tower had been constructed from spiritual wood. Though its exterior appeared no different from the others, after inviting the deity to reside within it and completing the consecration and blessing rites, it had become nothing less than a spiritual artifact.

Incense smoke billowed upward, and an imposing aura naturally radiated from it. A profound, solemn divine presence washed over everyone nearby.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Xianyang Drum Troupe immediately struck their drums. The Qin-Han drum repertoire was divided into three movements: Departure, Battle, and Triumph.

What they played was the Departure March, also known as Slow Three Fires.

Though the beat was deliberate, it carried overwhelming majesty, perfectly matching the rhythmic chants of the tower bearers. As the drums rolled forward, the entire procession advanced like a great army marching off to war.

The moment they passed through the city gate, a wave of heat rushed over them. Countless drum troupes thundered throughout the streets, mingling with the frenzied cheers of the surrounding crowds until it seemed as though the whole of Chang'an was trembling.

Li Yan could even feel the ground vibrating beneath his feet.

State affairs of greatest importance lie in war and sacrifice. Since antiquity, the drum has always been tied to both warfare and ritual. When the Yellow Emperor marched against Chiyou, he fashioned eighty Kui Ox Drums, each strike shaking the earth for five hundred li, and repeated blows carrying for three thousand eight hundred li...

The Book of Han listed the Eight Sounds: Earth is the xun; gourd is the sheng; hide is the drum...

The Book of Songs declared: The drums resound in measured cadence, delighting our illustrious ancestors...

The Book of Changes proclaimed: It stirs with thunder and nourishes with wind and rain...

Drumming was a rhythm inherited from ancient bloodlines.

Amid the feverish atmosphere of the Drum King Assembly, everyone's blood surged with excitement. Every scheme, calculation, worry, and sorrow was drowned beneath the roar of the drums.

The earth trembled as though the God of Thunder himself had descended!

Under such circumstances, Li Yan had long since cast everything else from his mind. Even though the Qin-Han War Drums were mighty, they seemed insignificant within this violent ocean of sound, and even their rhythm began to falter beneath the overwhelming tide.

With a thunderous shout, hidden force erupted from within Li Yan as he struck the drum with all his might.

“Follow me!”

The drum pealed like thunder, shaking the surrounding heavens and earth. The entire procession seemed to find its center once again, and its rhythm was no longer in disarray. Even so, they were only barely holding together.

Drumbeats thundered from every direction, before and behind them alike. Everyone felt as though they were drifting upon an endless sea of drums, where the slightest lapse in concentration would throw everything into chaos.

Li Yan, meanwhile, continued striking the drum again and again. He too, had entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness.

Thundercloud Resonance was greater than ordinary thunder. When it rang out, everyone between the Heavens and Earth would hear it. It was as though the Buddha's teachings were bringing salvation to every living being with each clap, nourishing all creation...

At that moment, Li Yan understood the true essence of the Thundercloud Resonance.

Each clap was not merely the union of yin and yang, it also arose from the heart itself. Wherever the thunderous sound reached, his body felt as though it were the earth being nourished layer upon layer, wave after wave, endlessly without cease...

Hong! Hong! Hong!

With each reverberating peal of thunder, the drum grew louder and louder. Even amid the countless drum troupes performing together, its sound could no longer be concealed. The eyes of many spectators were immediately drawn toward their procession.

Sha Lifei tore off his dogskin hat and shouted himself hoarse, “It's Little Yan!”

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard with a smile.

Further away in the crowd stood the Li Family. Aside from Li Kongqing, who had to remain at the Prince's Manor attending to the heir, nearly everyone else had come.

Upon hearing the change in the drumming, Madam Li was first surprised. She listened carefully for a moment before a smile slowly spread across her face. “That boy... He's done it.”

Elsewhere in the crowd, Heidan was shouting at the top of his lungs, excitedly telling everyone around him, “See him? See him? That's my fellow villager! That's my big brother!”

Some of the women from Pingkang Street had also come to join the festivities. Their laughter and chatter drew constant glances from those nearby. As soon as Shopkeeper Wan's procession approached, one sharp-eyed woman spotted Li Yan and laughed.

“Quick, look! It's Young Master Li!”

“Which Young Master Li?”

“You know... the Young Master Li!”

“Hahaha, he really is quite the handsome young gentleman...”

Each of them carried flower baskets, and they immediately began scattering great handfuls of fresh blossoms over the procession. Armor, flowers, and the thunder of war drums blended into a single magnificent scene.

Zhao Wanfang watched from afar with a gentle smile. Even farther away, Shen Sanyou stood amidst the crowd holding a wine flask. He took a few swigs before letting out a foolish chuckle, seemingly lost in memories of the past.

Many familiar faces were hidden among the sea of spectators, yet Li Yan noticed none of them. Completely immersed in each drumbeat, he continued striking the drum with hidden force, each blow louder than the last.

By the time they reached the middle of Zhuque Avenue, the rhythm suddenly accelerated, shifting into the second movement, Battle.

Each beat was stirring and majestic. In the past, whenever Li Yan used hidden force to beat the drum, he could usually manage only two strikes before his breath failed him, forcing the rhythm to break.

But now he had comprehended the Thundercloud Resonance. Each time hidden force erupted, it was as though his body were being nourished anew. With each beat, power coursed through his veins.

His use of hidden force had unexpectedly become continuous and unending. The Thundercloud Divine Drum immediately overwhelmed everything in its surroundings.

Even so, Li Yan did not try Spirit Visualization and strike the drum with his spiritual qi. After all, it was a spiritual artifact. If he used it recklessly, he would probably knock several nearby drummers unconscious.

The uninterrupted use of hidden force still inflicted injuries upon his body. The muscles in his arms swelled; his skin flushed crimson; and sweat dripped steadily from his brow.

At this moment, Li Yan had entered the Dao through the drum. The mysteries of hidden force lay before him, ready to be pierced through at any moment. How could he spare any thought for anything else? He continuously restored himself with the Great Luo Dharma Body.

Li Yan could clearly sense the fascia throughout his body as the intricate net that connected every structure and tissue. Every vibration of the fascia generated force, allowing every gesture and movement to display the strength of the entire body.[ref]Fascia and meridians represent the same continuous lines of tension and communication through the human body, with fascia serving as the physical connective tissue network and meridians acting as the traditional energetic pathways[\ref]

What he had done was known as the stirring of the qi membrane, wrapping the tendons into a perfect circle. This energy flowed from the inside outward in countless interwoven layers.

In order to make hidden force twist and turn a thousand times, changing freely at will, one had to generate a new vibration at the precise instant when the old force had been exhausted but the new force had not yet arisen.

According to the Military Classic, the control of hidden force that way was called opening the knot of yin and yang. Achieving that was a mark of reaching the pinnacle of the Dark Jin Realm.

Li Yan had never truly understood it before, but after comprehending the key to the Thundercloud Resonance, the interrupted current of power finally reached a point where it could propagate and continue endlessly.

At last, they reached the third movement, Triumph .

The final movement was also known as Neither Hasty nor Slow.

Two contrasting rhythms alternated back and forth, changing endlessly. Li Yan's drumming changed with them. Vibration, spiraling, rolling... Every variety of force flowed one into another with perfect synchronization.

His understanding of the transformations of hidden force grew ever deeper. The so-called thousand twists and hundred turns were finally in his grasp.

Finally, the drumming came to an end. Li Yan's eyes went vacant for a moment before clarity quickly returned and he regained his spirit.

The ancient palace walls before him were weathered and mottled. From the looks of it, they had already traveled down the entire length of Zhuque Avenue. Behind them, the thunderous sea of drums and the roaring cheers continued unabated, but their procession had finished its ceremonial route and come to a stop. Everyone collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

Seeing that something seemed off with Li Yan's complexion, Shopkeeper Wan hurriedly asked, “Brother Li, are you alright?”

“I'm fine. Better than ever!”

Li Yan burst into hearty laughter as every hidden injury throughout his body was instantly repaired. The Great Luo Dharma Body, which had been strengthened once before, was now once again covered in countless tiny cracks, like porcelain riddled with fractures.

Yet Li Yan paid it no mind. By entering the Dao through drumming, he had officially stepped into the peak of the Dark Jin Realm.

Even the most gifted martial artists would normally have to let their bodies adapt gradually upon reaching this level to avoid injury. But relying on the Great Luo Dharma Body, he had simply endured it by force.

From then on, all he needed was to steadily grasp the true meaning of: Without conscious intent, collapsing at the slightest touch.

When he could nullify his opponent’s attack with hidden force while punching through their defenses with the same, he would finally step into the Jin Transformation Realm.

“Little Yan!”

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan also squeezed their way over.

Shopkeep Wan laughed heartily. “Hahaha...”

He could clearly tell that, at least in the daytime competition, they had lost to no one. His spirits were visibly soaring.

“Come, everyone! My treat! Let's eat and drink our fill, then come back tonight!”

Carrying the Divine Tower and beating the war drums had drained both body and mind. Everyone was drenched in sweat, yet their spirits burned even hotter than before.

Of course, they all knew that the true contest would begin that night.

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