Chapter 5 Anomaly

• In his sequestered abode, Tan Xuan first unfurled *Dragon Ascension Cloud-Surge Art*, its vellum pages bearing nine hieratic illustrations. As the title intimated, this cultivation codex bore an intimate rapport with draconic lore. Indeed, the nine postures were transcribed by a Luo Shui patriarch who, while observing true dragons cleaving the firmament, divined movements to exercise every corporeal sinew. Renowned as a paragon of foundational arts, it had served as the sect's core cultivation method for ten million annum. Laying aside the draconic treatise, he retrieved *Startling Tide Swordsmanship* from his right hand.
• Comprising eighty-one offensive forms, this basal technique—when executed—mimicked tempestuous squalls and cataclysmic surf. After due deliberation, Tan Xuan set aside the sword manual, recognizing that while valuable for offensive maneuvers, the draconic art held greater import for cultivating spiritual puissance. Lacking both cultivation and mana, martial prowess alone held limited utility. With meticulous focus, Tan Xuan commenced decoding the nine postures, committing both choreography and meridian pathways to memory while imitating each movement. Unbeknownst to him, his cardiac rhythm suddenly accelerated, and a vermilion aurora suffused his irises. In that instant, temporal flow dilated infinitely, and the nine illustrations animated—spiraling faster until they coalesced into a dragon writhing through celestial mists. To Tan Xuan's astonishment, the esoteric meaning of each movement clarified with preternatural lucidity, as if inscribed upon his very soul. This state endured but a single exhalation; his heartbeat normalized, and the ocular radiance faded.
• "What phenomenon hath befallen me?" Tan Xuan mused, furrowing his brow. Aware of his mundane comprehension, he sensed an anomaly. Upon closing his eyes, the draconic movements and meridian cartography remained etched in his mind's eye.
• "Might my cognitive faculty have been enhanced by the ancient corpse's corporeal reconstruction?" Lacking alternative explanations, he attributed this to the ancient being's intervention.
• "Doubtless a boon," he concluded, banishing misgivings. Retrieving the codices, he repaired to the waterfall's edge. Recalling the nine postures, he initiated his practice: "Dragon Ascends to Heaven!" "Dragon's Tail Sweeps the Vortex!" "True Dragon Extends Claw!" Initially, his movements labored under inexperience, gauche and ungainly. Yet his reconstituted physique—near-perfect—adapted with preternatural speed. Soon, he moved with such alacrity that his form became a blur, faintly resolving into a draconic silhouette. Though *Dragon Ascension* was foundational, mastering it typically required months. Only through his enigmatic enlightenment and exceptional constitution had he achieved proficiency in such brevity. After an hour's practice, Tan Xuan paused, satisfaction creasing his features. He detected a subtle metamorphosis in his flesh—imperceptible save for its energetic resonance.
• Deciding to tackle *Startling Tide*, he returned to his chambers. In the absence of his prior lucidity, the sword manual proved inscrutable; after prolonged study, he committed but three forms to memory, their meanings eluding him. Practicing these proved arduous—each execution fraught with error, leaving him drenched in perspiration. Yet he persisted until muscle fatigue compelled cessation. Miraculously, the next day, that state of heightened perception reappeared as he revisited the manual, enabling instantaneous mastery. At the waterfall, his bladework became a blur of motion, each slash accompanied by the phantom roar of a tempest. With a resounding cry, he pivoted and thrusted at a humanoid boulder.
• "Boom!" The rock fragmented into hundreds of shards, each inscribed with faint striations resembling tidal erosion. Tan Xuan stood aghast. Though he had anticipated potency, shattering stone with a basal technique exceeded all expectation. On Earth, even ordnance would struggle to produce such fragmentation; yet here, sans formal cultivation, he had achieved this. The might of Heavenly Human adepts—let alone celestials—defied conception. Only now did he fully apprehend the chasm between worlds and the terribility of cultivation. Yet his heart swelled with lofty ambition, for the pursuit of innate power—untethered to external implements—resides at the core of sentient desire.
• "Brother Tan, engaged in practice?" Li Yue'er alighted from the firmament, smiling. "Master summons thee."