Chapter 250: He Feng's Change
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Every single time Master appears before us in purple robes, there will be much bloodshed… That is something that is very difficult for me to forget…"
Second senior brother let out a long sigh before standing up and taking a light step forward. He let sunlight fall on the side of his face as he placed his hands behind his back and lifted his head to look at the sky with a nostalgic look on his face.
Hu Zi was looking at his second senior brother dumbly. He gulped and mumbled under his breath. He had no idea when this new weird quirk of liking to stand under the sun and facing others with the side of his face was acquired by second senior brother.
Zi Che became nervous as well, sitting not too far since he rarely saw his uncle master Hua make a face like this.
Su Ming cast a glance at his second senior brother and lowered his head to continue copying Si Ma Xin's sword slash on the drawing board before him.
"That memory is something that I will never forget. It was fifteen years ago, during a night where the moon did not shine and the winds were strong…"
Second senior brother lifted his head and a complicated look appeared on his face.
"At that time, eldest senior brother was still in isolation, training himself, and I was meditating in my cave abode when suddenly…"
Second senior brother's words faltered and he swept his gaze across Hu Zi and Zi Che before finally settling on Su Ming.
When he saw that Su Ming had also lifted his head, second senior brother's voice rang out in the air once again.
"Master was dressed in purple when he suddenly entered my cave abode… I will never forget the very first question Master asked me at that time.
"He asked me… whether I knew how to use Arts to fight… At that time, I answered yes, and in the end… Remember this, if either of you sees the purple robed Master in your cave abode and he asks you this question, remember to say that you don't!" T
Second senior brother cast a solemn glance at Su Ming and Hu Zi before he shook his head and walked into the distance. His footsteps were very strange, because even though he was walking away, he still managed to make sunlight fall on the side of his face.
Hu Zi blinked. He always thought that he was very intelligent, so when his second senior brother's words reached him, he was not convinced and thought that second senior brother was misleading them. If Master really wore purple robes and came to him, he would definitely not listen to his second senior brother and tell his Master that he knew.
"I'd like to see just what would happen if I said yes."
Hu Zi lifted his head as if pleased with himself and exchanged a few words with Su Ming before picking up his wine pot and leaving the place.
During the past few days, the three of them had regularly gathered together. One of them would drink and one would let sunlight shine on the side of his face as he planted more flowers on the already green covered ground.
As for the last one, he would be sitting by the side with his drawing board as he drew on it.
Su Ming had already lost count of how many strokes he had drawn. His drawing board may seem empty, but in truth, if anyone sensed it carefully, they could gradually tell that there was a suppressed presence within that was gradually growing stronger.
The day of Sky Mist Shaman Hunt was drawing closer. The disciples in Freezing Sky Clan started making detailed preparations during. There were also many private trades that occurred among them.
In fact, some of the disciples that had been away for many years returned, and their goal was to join the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt this time. Since this battle was a rather large scale battle that occurred only once a century, it was a very attractive thing to the disciples.
The Shamans were a mysterious group of people that were somewhat similar yet completely different to Berserkers. They lived in the area outside Sky Mist Barrier and prevented the Berserkers in the Land of South Morning from completely controlling the entire Land of South Morning. They also prevented countless people from leaving the place, forcing them to be unable to leave the Land of South Morning as well as meet other Berserkers in the other continents in this world, so keeping them from knowing whether they had any other comrades.
To the disciples of Freezing Sky Clan, the battle against the Shamans allowed them to see the Shamanic Spells that were obviously different from Berserker Arts. Perhaps they would even be able to obtain some form of serendipity. Besides, practically all the Beasts in the Shaman Tribe had a Beast Core within them, and this thing was a great tonic for Berserkers.
There was also another rule set by those guarding Sky Mist Barrier that a person would be rewarded based on the number of Shamans he or she killed. The more Shamans he or she killed, the greater the reward would be. Every single time Sky Mist Shaman Hunt was held, the two big tribes and schools, Freezing Sky and Western Sea, would bring out grand rewards for the disciples who killed their enemies.
The rewards offered for the battle this time would also top all the rewards of the past 100 years because the battle was a large scale battle that occurred only once every century.
The rewards were just one of the factors that attracted the people to join the battle. There were also people who joined for the fame that would come from this battle. In Sky Mist City was a gigantic rock. That rock stood tall and towered into the sky. All the people of South Morning who wanted to join the battle would leave a handprint on that rock right at the moment they arrived in Sky Mist City so that their presences would be left behind.
After that, a rather detailed ranking board that would rank all the people based on how many Shamans they killed would appear on that rock! Once Sky Mist Shaman Hunt ended, the ranks would spread through all the Berserker Tribes in the Land of South Morning so that all people would know of it!
During the hunt, the ranking board would be observed by all the powerful Berserkers who came to the place. Those who were ranked higher on the board would receive more attention, and those within the top 100 would temporarily be given the name Tian Lan1.
If they could enter the top 10, then they would be given the title of Sky Mist Guard. If they entered the top three and maintained their position, then they would obtain the right for permanent residency in Sky Mist City. The person in the first place would obtain Sky Mist's sacred treasure. However, this treasure could only be given to the person in first place temporarily. Once he or she was no longer in the first place, then the treasure would automatically disappear and appear in the hand's of the new person who obtained first place.
When the battle ended, the treasure would disappear and reappear in Sky Mist City to be worshipped once again.
Yet even so, there were plenty of rumors regarding Sky Mist's sacred treasure. One among the many rumors had been proven true. The sacred treasure, which was only given to those ranked first temporarily during the battles that occurred only once a century, would increase the power of the person who continuously held onto it incessantly for those two short years!
Prestige, fame, rewards, all these things made the people who wanted to join the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt this time arrive and start an incredibly intense preparation stage.
There were less than ten months before the battle began!
Among the nine summits on the Great Frozen Plains of Freezing Sky Clan, besides the ninth summit, all the other eight summits were preparing for the battle. Only the people in the ninth summit still maintained their peaceful lives as they went on understanding their very own Clearing Mind Art.
Su Ming's life was very peaceful, and he treasured his current lifestyle. Ever since he came to the Land of South Morning, it was rare that he could experience moments like these, especially the feeling he found here, where he now treated the mountain as his home. His senior brothers were kind to him, and he experienced the type of warmth that he would only find if he belonged to a place over here.
Su Ming might not have shown any desire to join Sky Mist Shaman Hunt, but he had already made his decision in his heart regarding the battle.
He wanted to go!
He wanted to join the fray. Only these sorts of battles would be able to make him improve quickly, because the only demand Su Ming had for himself was to increase his own power.
He had to make himself stronger!
'My power is still far from enough for me to leave the Land of South Morning and return to the Alliance of the Western Region…'
Su Ming's right hand slashed across the drawing board before him. He lifted his head and looked at the weather. The sky was already darkening, and even the few rays of evening sun that still remained somewhat visible in the distance had become much dimmer.
Su Ming stood up and walked towards his cave abode. Over the past few days, besides copying Si Ma Xin's sword slash, he had also been doing something else. That thing was one of the things he was preparing for the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt this time.
His cave abode had become much bigger than how it was a few months back. Three more ice rooms had been opened up, and howls that no one could hear except Su Ming since he had divine senses would travel forth from one of the larger ice rooms in his cave.
Su Ming walked up to the ice room with a passive expression, entering it.
Right as he did so, a gust of cold wind blew against his face, and a blurred figure of a person closed in on him in an instant. Yet the very moment he got closer to Su Ming, that figure let out a shrill cry, tumbling a few dozen feet backward. His face was revealed then.
It was an existence that had the wings of the Wings of the Moon while possessing the body of a person. His eyes were bloodshot with raging violence, and as he retreated, he kept his glare fixed on Su Ming.
His body was caught in-between being an illusion and having physical substance, though he looked as if he was about to fade away at any moment. His entire body was red, and the space around him distorted in a manner that caused him to look as if he was enveloped by invisible fire and that he was burning.
He was naked, and on his skin were scale like objects overlapping each other. His hands turned into claws as he howled at Su Ming.
"He Feng, you were the one who asked to fuse with the souls of the Wings of the Moon within me. The process is still ongoing, are you saying that you can't hold on anymore?!" Su Ming asked coldly.
His voice reverberated through the ice room and fell into the strange person's ears. His words made the person shudder and conflict appeared in his bloodshot, violent eyes.
That person… was actually He Feng!
After Su Ming fought against Si Ma Xin and cleared up his cave abode, He Feng told him after much careful thought that he wanted to fuse together with the souls of the creatures he did not know the names of residing in Su Ming's body.
He Feng was a cautious person. He did not want to become a Vessel Spirit, but if he did not want to become a Vessel Spirit, then he had to prove that he was not a burden. When he fought against Si Ma Xin's ice wolf spirit, he had struggled greatly, and that was why he made this decision, because his power was simply not enough.
Su Ming kept his silence about the matter for several days before he agreed to He Feng's request and opened up the ice room so that it could be the place for He Feng to fuse with the souls of the Wings of the Moon.
In the beginning, the fusion was successful, but gradually, something unforeseen happened. As He Feng continued fusing with the countless Wings of the Moon, he lost all form of reasoning, became the way he was now.
The moment the conflicted look appeared in He Feng's eyes, Su Ming took a step forward quickly and lifted his right hand, swiftly drawing a circle at the center of He Feng's brows with his right index finger.
Once the circle was formed, blood-red light shone from within it. The circle looked like the blood moon when it appeared on the center of He Feng's brows.
When the blood moon appeared, He Feng closed his eyes and slowly sat down cross-legged, regaining his calm.
Once every few days, Su Ming would use this method to suppress this change that appeared when He Feng fused with the Wings of the Moon. Only by continuing with this process right up till the end would He Feng become truly strong.
Su Ming expected this process to last for several more months, perhaps even longer.
He stared at He Feng for a long while before turning around and leaving the ice room. He sat down outside and closed his eyes with the drawing board in hand, once again immersing himself in copying the slash.
If there were no interruptions, then he would have perhaps continued copying the slash until he needed to visit He Feng again.
But when morning came, the ninth summit welcomed a guest. That person… came for Su Ming.
Tian Lan - Sky Mist's pinyin, it's like a new name given to a person. If you were to remember Fang Cang Lan, and how she's called Han Cang Zi? Han something Zi is a name given to the top students in Freezing Sky Clan, so you have Han Cang Zi. So Tian Lan something is the same. You have Tian Lan Meng, and I do believe that her name is one of these. "I take away your surname and your middle name and give you a titled name".
Chapter 251: Tian Lan Meng's Invitation
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I am Chen Chan Er, disciple of the seventh summit. I came on orders from my eldest senior sister to invite uncle master Su of the ninth summit to meet her," a melodious voice asked, traveling up the ninth summit on that morning.
That voice belonged to a girl in an emerald green robe. The girl looked to be either 17 or 18 years of age. She stood at the foot of the ninth summit with her back straight and a hint of curiosity on her face as she observed her surroundings, which happened to be a place that she had never been before.
It was a pity, however. Her lack of understanding towards the ninth summit guaranteed that once her voice traveled into the mountain, Hu Zi would continue drinking and snoring with a pleased smile on his face as he dreamed about something again.
Second senior brother would continue tending to his flowers as sunlight fell on his side profile.
Zi Che would continue sitting outside Su Ming's cave, grouping words together in his head and having the time of his life as he occasionally muttered the poems and songs he had created.
Eldest senior brother spoke even less and kept himself in isolation.
The way the ninth summit operated led to the girl receiving absolutely no answer even though her voice traveled through the mountain for quite some time.
Su Ming heard her, but did not bother with it. He did not know the eldest senior sister from the seventh summit and did not want to meet with people he did not know.
The girl waited for a little while longer before frowning and dashing up the mountain stairs. She might not have come to the ninth summit before, but it was still clear that before she came to the place, she had learned the location of Su Ming's cave from someone and was now walking up as if she was very familiar with the place. After a moment, she arrived outside Su Ming's cave on the quiet ninth summit, but her path was blocked by Zi Che.
Zi Che sat outside with a cold and aloof look as he stared at the girl.
"Uncle master refuses to see anyone. Please go back."
"So it is senior brother Zi Che. I am Chen Chan Er. You should know who eldest senior sister of the seventh summit is. I came on orders by my eldest senior sister to ask uncle master Su to see her. Please relay my message to him."
The girl's expression was passive as her clear and melodious voice echoed in the air. It was as if she did not care about Zi Che's power at all.
Zi Che frowned. Naturally, he knew about the eldest senior sister of the seventh summit, Tian Lan Meng. That woman was ranked first on the Great Frozen Plains ranking board. Just like Si Ma Xin, she was one of the people who were known to have the possibility of becoming the God of Berserkers.
He hesitated for a moment before he got up and walked into Su Ming's cave abode. After a short while, Zi Che came out and with a flat expression. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "He won't see her."
The girl frowned and cast a glance at Su Ming's cave, which was located not too far away from her, before she turned into a long arc and left.
After a moment, the long-haired woman sitting on the big rock that stood at the top of the seventh summit and had witnessed the fight between Su Ming and Si Ma Xin while also copying the power of that one stroke executed by Su Ming smiled faintly.
"He won't see me, hmm?"
"That's right. Eldest senior sister, that Su Ming is far too arrogant, he actually thinks he is our uncle master! I already said that I went there under your orders…"
The person who spoke was the girl who just came back, and her face was red with anger.
"It's fine. Take this with you and go there again."
The long-haired woman was breathtakingly beautiful. She pushed her black hair with her hand away and brought out a jade box, handing it to the girl.
The girl took the box, and while she was curious about what was hidden in there, she did not ask anything. She simply nodded and left.
After a moment, on the ninth summit, Zi Che stood inside Su Ming's cave and placed a jade box before him respectfully, then took a few steps back to wait for instructions.
Su Ming looked at the jade box quietly for a while before he opened it. The moment he did so, the entire cave abode lit up. Sitting inside the jade box was a golden stone coin!
The golden stone coin was diamond shaped and sparkled in a manner that gave a clouded, dreamlike feeling to others while also making people feel as if their souls were about to be sucked into the coin.
"A superior grade stone coin!"
Zi Che sucked in a sharp breath. The value of a golden stone coin, even if there was only one, was incredibly high. It was also extremely rare. One of these golden stone coins was enough to exchange for 100,000 normal stone coins.
However, this golden stone coin gave Su Ming a different feeling compared to Zi Che. There was a shocking amount of spiritual aura within it, and the density of it made Su Ming's divine senses feel as if they were being sucked in.
'She brought out a spirit stone of this quality just to see me…'
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he closed the lid on the box with his right hand before pushing it back to Zi Che.
"I won't see her."
Zi Che licked his lips, picked up the box, and exited the cave.
A long arc flew towards the risen platform on the seventh summit. Soon, Chen Chan Er's angry voice rang on the summit.
"Eldest senior sister, that Su Ming is just too arrogant. He still refuses to see. Just who does he think he is? You already asked him to come twice, and he's still ignoring you."
Once the girl returned the box back to the woman and stood fuming by her side, she glared in the direction of where the ninth summit was located in the distance.
"It's fine. Send this box over."
The long-haired woman smiled gently and brought out another box. It was as if she had long since expected this to happen and had prepared more than one box such as this.
Yet the girl did not seem to have noticed this in her anger. When she heard the woman's voice, she originally did not want to go, but in the end she still took the box obediently and flew away in a long arc.
'Su Ming, I'd like to see just how many things you'll make me bring out before you're willing to come.'
The long-haired woman smiled in an unaffected manner before she closed her eyes.
In the ninth summit, Zi Che's ragged breathing echoed within Su Ming's cave as he stared at the beast skins folded on top of each other in the box lying before Su Ming. There were four words on the skins, and they were… God of Berserkers Transformation!
'Only when the disciples are acknowledged by the school and have the possibility of becoming the God of Berserkers would they be given the mystical ability of God of Berserkers Transformation… Tian Lan Meng actually sent this thing here?!'
Zi Che could manage to not pay too much attention towards the golden stone coin, but he could not afford to not care about these beast skins. His breathing became quicker. If he was Su Ming, then he would accept these things without hesitation.
'It's just meeting her…'
With much difficulty, Zi Che turned his gaze away from the beast skins and looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming's expression remained calm. He simply cast a glance at the beast skins within the box before he closed his eyes. When he reopened them after a moment, he closed the box once again and pushed it towards Zi Che.
"I won't see her!"
Zi Che was stunned. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but when he saw Su Ming's expression, he quickly swallowed his words and picked up the box and walked out with begrudging reluctance, feeling that it was a great pity.
'She must be aiming for something big by showing off all these valuable treasures to me… I've never seen this woman before, so it's best that I don't take her things!'
The melodious voice rang once again not long after the previous time on the seventh summit. This time, that voice was clearly more high-pitched, and the anger in the voice also became more apparent.
"I'm not going anymore, eldest senior sister! I won't go! Just who does that Su Ming think he is?! He can't even win against Si Ma Xin, and he's acting so arrogantly! You invited him three times, and that alone is already enough for him to see that you're showing him enough respect, but he still refused!"
The long haired woman continued smiling. However, that smile not only did not contain any hint of coldness, it instead held a hint of profoundness within that the girl did not understand. It was as if she was not offended by Su Ming's actions but grew to admire him because of it.
"It seems like I've viewed him too superficially. Give him this thing."
The long-haired woman was silent for a moment before she grabbed at the air and another box appeared once again in her hands. This box was clearly different from the previous ones and was about seven feet long.
"If he still sends this back, then give him this wooden slip."
The woman passed the long box to the girl and then brought out a wooden slip about the size of two fingers from her bosom before placing it in the girl's hands.
"Alright, sister Chan Er, this is the last time. If he still returns them, then we'll forget about this," the long haired woman said gently.
There was a tone in her voice that made Chen Chan Er unable to refuse her request. She could only dip her head down and nod obediently.
"This is the last time?"
"Yes, it's the last time."
The long haired woman smiled, and it was a breathtaking smile. She patted the girl's hair.
Only then did Chen Chan Er turn into a long arc and go to the ninth summit.
Peace was bound to be robbed away from the ninth summit that day. Zi Che's breathing had become much more rapid in Su Ming's cave compared to the time he saw the beast skins that recorded the skill for the God of Berserkers Transformation.
"Freezing Sky Sword! The Freezing Sky Sword that will only be forged once every 500 years within Freezing Sky Clan! Only the disciples who have contributed to the school will be given this sword by Heaven Gate… Tian Lan Meng actually brought this out? This… This is…"
Zi Che was shaken when he saw what lay in the opened box before Su Ming. He simply could not fathom why the woman would do so.
Su Ming looked at the sword inside the box calmly. That sword was an ice sword and was completely transparent. It was letting off a chilling air that made his hair stand on end.
This was a great piece of treasure!
"There are only 14 Freezing Sky Swords given out inside Freezing Sky Clan. There is an Art embedded within each of these swords. Apparently, it'll also be much easier if you enter Freezing Sky Cave with them…"
A great look of longing appeared on Zi Che's face.
Su Ming was silent as he looked at the sword. Yet even though his eyes were trained on the sword, his heart was not on it. Instead, he was immersed in his own thoughts.
'First it's the golden stone coin, then it's the God of Berserkers Transformation, now it's this Freezing Sky Sword… The eldest senior sister of the seventh summit, Tian Lan Meng who is ranked first in the Great Frozen Plains ranking boards… just what are your goals?!'
Su Ming frowned.
Zi Che hesitated for a moment before he spoke in a low voice to try and persuade Su Ming, "Uncle master, this sword… you should take this sword!"
"She's leading me into something…"
Su Ming lifted his head and gave Zi Che a look before he closed the lid on the box before him with his right hand and pushed it away once again.
"I won't see her!"
Zi Che felt his jaw fall slack and only let out a breath after a moment. He hesitated for a moment before sighing eventually and taking the box, then he left the cave with great reluctance.
Yet after a moment, he returned. This time, there was an odd expression on his face. When Su Ming looked over, he held out a wooden slip to him respectfully.
"They said that this is the last item they will offer," Zi Che whispered.
Su Ming took the wooden slip and cast a glance at it, and the very moment he did so, his expression changed. Even when he saw the golden stone coin, the God of Berserkers Transformation, and Freezing Sky Sword, such a drastic change of expression had never appeared.
Zi Che was momentarily stunned. He had stolen a glance at that wooden slip before and found that it was empty. There was absolutely nothing carved on it, so when he saw Su Ming's expression, he could not understand what caused him to have this reaction.
Su Ming stared at the wooden slip in his hands blankly and only closed his eyes after a long moment. When he opened his eyes once again, he stood up.
"Zi Che, I'm going to go out for a while. You don't have to follow me."
Chapter 252: What Exactly Is Spirit?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
What Exactly Is Spirit?
Zi Che might have been confused by Su Ming's words, but he still obeyed. He watched with bewilderment appeared in his eyes how Su Ming walked out of his cave and turned into a long arc before flying off the mountain.
'The wooden slip looked ordinary and there was nothing special about it, so why did uncle master Su change his mind so quickly after he saw it? Could it be that the small wooden slip had something even more valuable than the golden stone coin, the God of Berserkers Transformation, and even Freezing Sky Sword?'
Zi Che simply could not understand it.
This was the first time Su Ming left the ninth summit ever since he battled against Si Ma Xin. To him, neither Freezing Sky Clan nor the Great Frozen Plains Sect were his home in the Land of South Morning. The only place he called home was the ninth summit.
Su Ming was walking forward in the air, and the seventh summit lay at the end of what his eyes could see.
Tian Lan Meng had invited him multiple times and had offered him gifts from the golden stone coin, to the God of Berserkers Transformation, and later to Freezing Sky Sword before eventually changing it to the wooden slip. There was a process hidden in her actions. It could be said to have been a test, but could also be said to have been a gradual change of heart.
If she had not given the wooden slip, Su Ming would not have ventured out of the ninth summit, neither would he have went to meet the person who was ranked first on the Great Frozen Plains ranking board, Tian Lan Meng.
Su Ming's expression was passive even as he held the wooden slip in his hands. As he moved forward, another long arc was struggling to keep up behind him. The person in that long arc was in fact the Chen Chan Er who had come forth to invite Su Ming all those multiple times.
Su Ming did not turn his head back. With the wooden slip in hand, he arrived in the sky above the seventh summit before long. The seventh summit seemed a little fuzzy in his eyes, as if there was a layer of mist around that mountain, yet if he took a closer look, he would find that there was actually no mist there.
He immediately discovered that the mountain was giving him this strange sensation due to the Rune that was naturally activated once all the halls within the mountain were in operation.
This was completely different from the ninth summit.
Su Ming gave it a brief glance before he averted his gaze and turned to look at the wooden slip in his hands. A glint appeared in his eyes, and his grip around the wooden slip tightened.
He stood in the air calmly without a hint of impatience or lethargy on his face. Chen Chan Er, who was behind him, only managed to catch up to him after a moment. It might have been because she was rushing over now, having been moving back and forth between the mountains multiple times that day, but her forehead was covered in sweat. She gave Su Ming a glare and flew past him without even a word.
Su Ming did not bother about the girl's actions. He followed behind Chen Chan Er calmly and the two of them turned into long arcs as they flew towards the top of the mountain.
The moment they got closer to the mountain, the barely discernible mist before Chen Chan Er suddenly disappeared and the mountain return to normal, allowing Chen Chan Er to enter smoothly. Su Ming followed behind.
It was as if he had walked through a membrane, but it also felt that he had just passed through a layer of water. When he stepped into the seventh summit, the wind that blew against him was no longer cold but held a hint of warmth, and as he breathed in, there was a sweet fragrance to it.
That fragrance did not come from flowers or plants, but was a unique scent that was formed because there were a lot of female disciples in this mountain.
Playful giggles reached his ears, and in each place Su Ming's eyes swept through, he saw women and girls. The female disciples on the summit were either playing around in groups or walking up the mountain stairs leisurely. They were so great in number that it was dazzling just looking at them.
Compared to the quiet ninth summit, the seventh summit was simply far too lively.
This liveliness that all came from women made Su Ming uncomfortable.
Almost at the very instant he arrived on the seventh summit, quite a number of female disciples also noticed his presence. His green robes, handsome figure, and the scar under his eyes made a lot of people able to identify him with just one glance.
"He's…"
"I remember him. He's Su Ming, the one who fought against fellow brother Si Ma. He's from the ninth summit."
"I remember too. He once told fellow brother Si Ma that he is his uncle master… Why is he here in the seventh summit?"
"That's right. Men seldom come to the seventh summit. Who did he come for?"
Chirruping sound reached his ears, forcing Su Ming to take a deep breath to calm himself down. This was the first time he was in a situation like this. He could not adapt to this quickly and could only walk forward swiftly to avoid all the gazes focused on him.
Zi Yan was walking down the mountain stairs, her back straight. Her lazy demeanor gave her a unique, charming air. She placed a hand on her mouth and yawned, and when she lifted her head, she also saw Su Ming, who was walking to the top of the mountain with Chen Chan Er.
"Hm?"
Zi Yan blinked. When she saw Chen Chan Er guiding Su Ming forward, a confused look appeared on her face. She fell silent for a moment before she immediately moved towards where Han Cang Zi was.
There was another girl who saw Su Ming's arrival on the seventh summit. The girl wore a purple robe and stood on a mountain rock. With the wind in her face, she looked into the distance, and her gaze was trained on the first summit.
The girl was incredibly beautiful and had a hint of wildness surrounding her. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was frowning, as if she was hesitating because of something.
When she saw Su Ming flying through the sky, towards the top of the mountain, disdain and contempt appeared within her eyes. However, that expression was quickly hidden away. She took a deep breath and cast a profound gaze towards the first summit before gritting her teeth.
Resolution appeared in her eyes.
"Bai Su, there's definitely someone who looks incredibly similar to you which he met before in his life. That's why if you go and approach him, he won't refuse to see you.
"But I can't let you do this. Even it's for the reason so that I can plant a Berserker Seed inside him which would definitely make me succeed in challenging Freezing Sky Cave, and even if I don't and the cave is dangerous for me.
"Still, even if it's risky, I want to try it!"
That girl was naturally Bai Su.
At the moment that determined look appeared in her eyes, she remembered Si Ma Xin's gentle words to her two months ago.
"Big brother Si Ma, I won't let anything happen to you in Freezing Sky Cave…" Bai Su mumbled and turned around. The wind picked up a few locks of her hair and, as they floated in the wind, Bai Su left, similarly charging towards the top of the mountain.
Su Ming floated down on the top of the seventh summit. This was the first time he met Tian Lan Meng.
She was a woman with long hair and was dressed in red robes, and she was sitting at the edge of a huge rock which stood at the top of the mountain. The woman was looking at Su Ming and her face was as beautiful as a picture. Her smile was warm, and it did not give others even the slightest feeling that she was a stranger. In fact, her smile gave others the impression that they were looking at an old friend.
"Sister Chan Er, you can go back first," the long haired woman said softly, and when the girl by her side heard her words, she nodded her head obediently and left the place.
However, when she passed by Su Ming, she did not forget to glare at him. Clearly, her multiple trips to the ninth summit had angered her due to Su Ming's multiple refusals.
Once the girl left, the long haired woman smiled at him gently and spoke to Su Ming softly. "Chan Er is still young, brother Su, please don't mind her."
There was a gentle air around her. This temperament, along with her natural grace and gentleness, gave her a noble air.
Su Ming's gaze swept accross the woman. She was beautiful, but even though she was gentle, he still felt that there was a layer of mist before her, which caused others to have the feeling as if they were looking at her through the mist and could not see her clearly.
Su Ming walked forward silently, then with a lift of his robes, he sat down on the same rock right opposite the woman.
Once Su Ming sat down, he looked at the woman before her calmly and said languidly, "It's fine. In fact, I was fortunate to have been invited so many times."
Su Ming could not gauge the woman's level of cultivation.
"Congratulations, brother Su. You have improved once again. As expected, the people of the ninth summit are all extraordinary… I have overlooked this previously," Tian Lan Meng said with a smile. She trained her eyes on Su Ming, and their gazes met each other.
Su Ming did not speak. He simply met Tian Lan Meng's gaze squarely. After the span of a few breaths, wind blew past them and lifted a few locks of Tian Lan Meng's hair. These locks of hair broke their gazes.
After a long while, Tian Lan Meng broke the silence and asked softly, "Brother Su, how was the one copy I did?"
"You copied the spirit, and the form was also present. Both spirit and form are there… but there are still some details missing," Su Ming answered calmly.
"What exactly is spirit?" Tian Lan Meng suddenly asked.
"Spirit is the mind, it is your thoughts, your imagination. Spirit is when you remember as you dream in your heart. This is what we call thought, and it is also spirit."
Su Ming cast Tian Lan Meng a look before his gaze fell on the sky behind her.
"Brother Su, your understanding towards the word is different from mine."
Tian Lan Meng's gaze towards Su Ming changed slightly.
"Pray tell."
Su Ming averted his gaze from the sky and trained his eyes on the long-haired woman's face.
"Spirit is Dao," Tian Lan Meng stated calmly.
"It is not thought, because thought in itself is narrow, but Dao is endless. Dao is a realm that those from other realms seek. Every person has a different Dao. The great Dao is boundless, and those who obtain Dao will see through the world, and in turn, we can say that we have found and become the truth.
"I have to thank you, brother Su, your fight with Si Ma Xin has allowed me to reach an epiphany and understand the meaning behind a sentence.
"I read this sentence from an ancient scroll before. It is a sentence that is spoken in the other worlds… If you stay on your Dao but have no method of solving a particular problem now, that method will eventually come to you. If you have the skills and power, but have strayed from your Dao, then you cannot use your skills, and your power will forever stay stagnant!"
Tian Lan Meng's voice gradually started drifting and echoed around them.
"Due to my epiphany, while I still might not know the true meaning behind the words, I can view my epiphany as my Dao. Because I have a Dao, I could draw that copy of the slash you did after just one glance.
"That is why the spirit is Dao, and not the thought, heart, and imagination you speak of. Brother Su, do you understand my words?"
Tian Lan Meng smiled softly.
Su Ming looked at the smile on her face. There was no hint of ridicule or scorn within her smile, only logic and persistence, and she seemed to be waiting for his answer.
"All things in the world differ in sizes. My understanding towards the word is narrow and small to you, and the Dao you speak is a huge thing that seeks to reach a state where you understand the world.
"It is like two spots, like two different directions, and like two different extremes."
Su Ming closed his eyes and scontinued, unhurried, "To me, the heart is aspiration, and the spirit is a realm. You are walking on the Dao of the heavens, and I'm walking through the narrow gate on the earth, but once I walk past that gate, what I'm searching for is just to merely open my eyes. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The last sentence written in the beast skin scrolls suddenly surfaced in Su Ming's mind.
"You cannot see… the world that I see."
Chapter 253: That State!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tian Lan Meng frowned. Su Ming's words threw her off slightly, but even if she pondered over them, she still found her understanding of his words to be slightly unclear; she did not quite understand what he had said.
Tian Lan Meng fell silent for a moment before she asked softly, "What do you mean by opening your eyes?"
Su Ming looked at the woman before him and lifted his right hand suddenly. With a wave, the air from his fingertips swept past the mountain rock lying by his side, and as ice shards flew into the air, a blooming flower appeared on the iced river underneath the rock.
Anyone who saw that flower could feel the overflowing vigor coming from it. In fact, they would find themselves hard-pressed to discern whether it was carved on the iced river, or whether the flower had been growing on the ice since the beginning.
"Copy it," Su Ming said calmly lowering his hand.
A sparkle appeared in Tian Lan Meng's eyes. She turned her gaze towards the flower on the iced river and pointed a finger at it. She drew a few strokes through the air, and another ice flower appeared on the ice river.
The two flowers looked completely the same and it was difficult to find any difference between them, whether it was their spirit or form.
"Do you understand now?"
Su Ming looked towards Tian Lan Meng.
The long haired woman frowned, and after a moment, she shook her head.
Su Ming lifted his right hand once again. This time he did something simple. He pointed towards the mountain rock by his side and jabbed a small hole in that mountain rock. Several cracks appeared on the edges of the hole, spreading outwards.
"Copy it."
Su Ming's voice still remained calm.
Tian Lan Meng looked at the small hole on the mountain rock that appeared once Su Ming lifted his finger and fell silent for a long time. When she eventually lifted her head to look at Su Ming, a complicated expression appeared in her eyes.
"You are always copying," Su Ming said slowly, lifting his head, "because you think that the spirit is Dao. You search for something abstruse, that's why you can copy many things, because you think that as you search for it, you will find your Dao eventually.
"I don't know what is the Dao you speak… but from what you said just now, I can understand that while the Dao is an abstruse concept, it exists. It exists within the world, perhaps all the plants, trees, flowers, and stones have a Dao within them.
"What I seek isn't a Dao, but to have my mind acting as my aspiration, to have my spirit as my realm, and when I open my eyes, I will draw out my heart's desires… This is the reason why I can draw, but you can only copy."
Tian Lan Meng remained silent. After a long while, she looked at Su Ming with an even more complicated gaze.
"If all the people in the world are drunk and you are the only one sober, then it means that all the people in the world are awake, and you are asleep…" Tian Lan Meng mumbled. She suddenly understood why the people in the ninth summit had all those weird eccentricities that normal people would not understand.
"Similarly, I drew out what existed in my heart with this one stroke, and that is my own stroke. You, however, only copied it. There are some things you can copy, and there are some that you cannot."
Su Ming stood up and flipped over the wooden slip he held in his hands, revealing its back.
"I came here and answered your questions because I wanted to ask something. But now, it seems that I don't have to ask you. You… don't understand."
Su Ming sighed softly and turned around to leave.
"Su Ming!"
At the same time he turned around, a vast and mighty presence suddenly rose behind him. Tian Lan Meng slowly stood up and a tenacious look appeared within her eyes as she looked at Su Ming.
"I cannot see the picture behind the wooden slip, but I can feel it. If you want to know where the wooden slip came from, I can tell you, but I want to know what exactly you mean by the things I cannot copy!"
"Do you truly want to know?"
Su Ming's footsteps faltered. He did not turn his head back but asked calmly.
"If you can help me answer my question, then I'll give you the golden stone coin, the God of Berserkers Transformation, and Freezing Sky Sword!"
As Tian Lan Meng spoke, she lifted her right hand and waved it towards him. The three boxes instantly charged towards Su Ming and fell by his side.
Tian Lan Meng's expression returned to state of passiveness before she spoke flatly, "If you can only say it but cannot do it, then I won't trouble you. You can take the wooden slip and leave, but in return, you have to promise me something, and you cannot refuse it."
Su Ming fell silent for a moment before he turned around and waved his hand. The three boxes were instantly taken, and as he looked at Tian Lan Meng, he lifted his right hand and slashed at the mountain rock by his side abruptly with one finger.
The mountain rock trembled, and a faint mark appeared on it. That mark looked like a line and a slash, a sorrowful feeling spreading out from within it.
Tian Lan Meng did not speak. She only gave it a look before lifting her hand and pointing towards it. A copied stroke that was the same in spirit and form as Su Ming's slash appeared on the mountain rock.
Su Ming moved his right hand once again. This time, he drew out ten strokes continuously. Each stroke seemed the same but were in truth completely different from each other. As they fell on the mountain rock, the rock rumbled.
Tian Lan Meng's expression was calm. Almost at the same moment Su Ming made those slashes, she copied him, and when his ten strokes fell on the rock, ten copied strikes that were the exact same as his own appeared beside them.
Su Ming pushed off the ground with his right foot and rose into the air. In midair, he closed his eyes and lifted his right hand before starting to draw on the seventh summit.
10, 100, 1,000… As Su Ming's right hand drew, the entire seventh summit started trembling, and long marks appeared on the surface of the mountain. Those long marks were all caused by Su Ming.
All of them seemed the same but were in reality entirely different from each other.
Tian Lan Meng too rose into the air and lifted her right hand by Su Ming's side. She started copying all of them, and even though each stroke was different, she still achieved the same results as she copied them.
As one of them drew and the other copied, the entire seventh summit trembled. The rumbling sounds made all the disciples within the mountain feel their hearts shake and they lifted their heads to look upwards.
At that moment, an old woman dressed in white robes looked at Su Ming and Tian Lan Meng with sparkling eyes from the seventh summit.
Su Ming did not stop even after he finished drawing those 1,000 strokes. He simply continued on drawing calmly. This was nothing difficult for him. The number of strokes he made on a regular basis far surpassed the number he had now. He was simply drawing as he pleased and was using the mountain as his drawing board as he drew 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, 7,000 strokes…
All those strokes contained a different presence, and gradually, it made Tian Lan Meng's speed in copying them slow down. She began to slowly show signs that she could not catch up to Su Ming, because she was copying, and Su Ming was creating on his own.
One of them was drawing what he thought in his heart, and the other was merely copying it.
Time passed by, but even as Su Ming continued to close in on his 10,000th stroke, he still had not stopped. It was as if he was completely immersed in creating a picture, and it seemed like he was drawing out the world on the seventh summit with each stroke.
The many female disciples on the seventh summit began to experience a change in their expressions as the mountain trembled and as they watched the strange competition between Su Ming and Tian Lan Meng in the sky.
Bai Su stood at the top of the mountain and looked at Su Ming standing in the air before sucking in a deep breath. She suddenly realized that this Su Ming seemed to be slightly different from the abhorrent man in her memories.
When Su Ming was somewhere around his 13,000th stroke, Tian Lan Meng could no longer catch up. Sweat had started forming on her forehead. Her speed had started to slow down because those 10,000 something strokes that were completely different from each other had already become very difficult for her to copy for they had different feelings coming from within them.
Yet she still gritted her teeth and persevered in copying all those strokes, though her speed was also becoming increasingly slower. When she copied out the 15,000th stroke, Su Ming had already drawn his 20,000th stroke by her side.
The 20,000 different strokes made Tian Lan Meng turn pale. Her actions gradually slowed down until she eventually came to a halt. When she looked at Su Ming, she bit her bottom lip.
Su Ming still had his eyes closed and continued drawing. At the instant he made his 23,000th stroke, he opened his eyes and drew that last line across the sky.
The very instant he made that slash, the sky roared and a large crack appeared in the air for a brief moment. It might have only been for a brief moment, but it was precisely because it only appeared briefly, that once it appeared, it immediately disappeared without a trace!
"Can you copy that?"
Su Ming stood in midair and looked at Tian Lan Meng.
Tian Lan Meng trembled. As she looked at the final stroke, she found herself rendered speechless.
After a long while, Tian Lan Meng said in a hoarse voice, "This isn't Si Ma Xin's slash!"
"It isn't. This is mine," Su Ming said softly, then turned around and walked away.
He disappeared into the distance and just his voice floated through the air and landed into Tian Lan Meng's ears."Your request is definitely for us to work together during Sky Mist Shaman Hunt. If it is something related to the things you gave me, then I will work with you."
The old woman in white on the seventh summit watched Su Ming leave, then lifted her head to look at the sky. A brilliant light appeared in her eyes.
"Picture Creation…" she mumbled, then looked towards the ninth summit.
"It was not long since this child entered the ninth summit, and yet he has already reached this level of understanding… However, is the word Creation truly the underlying meaning lying within the Berserker Tribe… Uncle master Tian Xie Zi, due to his epiphany, your eldest disciple is forced into isolation and cannot leave.
"Due to his epiphany, your second disciple split into two different personalities…
"Due to his epiphany, your third disciple has two different realities: his dreams and what is in the real world…
"These three people have succeeded, but have also failed… perhaps they will once again succeed someday, but it is only a mere possibility… Right now, your fourth disciple is about to arrive at that state. What sort of change will happen to him..?
"You went through four changes of heart and could not go through the fifth… but even if you eventually make it through, there will be more waiting for you. If you are already caught in this state, then can your disciples do it? Creation is difficult…"
The old woman shook her head and a complicated look appeared on her face.
"Meng Er is the most powerful among all those within the same generation in the Great Frozen Plains. For the training of her state of mind, I let her understand the Daos of the other worlds. This method is stable, but it is unrelated to the Berserkers…"
As the old woman mumbled with mixed feelings in her heart, Tian Xie Zi was sitting in his cave at the top of the ninth summit. At that moment, his face was twisted with mixed expressions that showed pain and struggle. His robes would sometimes be white, sometimes black, occasionally red, and at times green, but most of the time, they would stay purple.
Chapter 254: Omen
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
On his way back to the ninth summit, Su Ming stopped twice.
The first time he stopped because he saw Han Fei Zi. This was the first time he met this woman ever since she entered Freezing Sky Clan. They met each other's gazes for a brief time in midair when they ran into each other.
Han Fei Zi was not alone. There was a man and woman following behind her. Su Ming was familiar with them. They were Chen Yu Bing and Xu Ru Yue. Right now, they were moving several steps behind Han Fei Zi. Judging by their respectful looks, it was clear that they had become her followers.
Han Fei Zi still looked as cold as ever. Her cold demeanor may seem alluring, but the cold attitude coming from within her spirit itself was not something that everyone could accept.
She wore a green dress and her hair fell around her shoulders. Her expression was indifferent, and nothing much changed within her when she saw Su Ming.
"Greetings, uncle master Su."
"Greetings, uncle master Su."
Behind Han Fei Zi, Chen Yu Bing and Xu Ru Yue's expressions immediately became complicated when they saw Su Ming. Yet it quickly turned into respect. They were clearly aware of the difference between themselves and Su Ming, and were shocked by how quickly Su Ming had risen up the ranks of Freezing Sky Clan during the past six months since he joined the school.
It could be said that Su Ming's battle against Si Ma Xin made his name sweep through the Great Frozen Plains like a typhoon. While his name might not have run through the entire land like thunder, it was close enough.
He nodded towards Chen Yu Bing and Xu Ru Yue before casting Han Fei Zi a glance. When he saw that the woman did not seem like she was in the mood to talk, he left.
Yet at the very moment Su Ming moved, Han Fei Zi's cold voice appeared languidly. When her words fell into his ears, he had the feeling that his entire body was covered in ice. Her voice held no hint of emotion, and it was so cold that perhaps it could even make a sweltering hot day cool down in an instant.
The tone of her voice was enough to tell just how cold the woman's heart, body, and spirit were.
"Am I like a scorpion that you would avoid me as such?"
Su Ming turned back and cast a profound gaze towards Ha Fei Zi. Not only did the woman's power increase, her presence had also become drastically different from when she was still in Han Mountain City.
"Senior brother Chen, senior sister Xu."
Han Fei Zi did not bother about Su Ming's gaze but instead turned to look at the two people of the same discipleship and the same summit following behind her. Chen Yu Bing and Xu Ru Yue lowered their heads. It was clear that they had not just become Han Fei Zi's followers since they clearly knew the meaning behind Han Fei Zi's words, even though she had not even finished her sentence. They quickly moved back until they were 1,000 feet away before they stopped and waited at the spot.
"We are acquaintances, there's no need for you to speak like this," Su Ming said calmly as he looked at Han Fei Zi.
His initial meeting with this woman was when he entered the inn the first time he went to Han Mountain City and had just initially arrived in the Land of South Morning. At that time, she had seemed like she was shrouded by fog and Su Ming could only look at her silence. Her power and status were not things that he could compare himself to at that time.
Even their subsequent meetings had been as such, including the first time they battled against each other. Su Ming had been extremely careful at that time.
"When I went to the fourth summit and met my Master, I isolated myself. Sometimes, I would come out, but I never left the mountain…" Han Fei Zi turned her head around and looked at the mountain ranges in the distance as she spoke coldly.
Her voice may have been cold, but her words spoke of an intention to try and explain oneself.
Su Ming was silent and did not speak.
"I saw your battle against Si Ma Xin." Han Fei Zi's gaze fell upon Su Ming's body. "After that, I went into isolation once again so that the distance between us would not widen!"
Su Ming still remained silent.
Han Fei Zi's words faltered and she no longer spoke. The two of them remained silent for a while longer before Su Ming turned around and walked into the distance.
Han Fei Zi looked at Su Ming's back and when she spoke once again, her voice still did not contain any hint of emotion, it was still cold and indifferent. "Do you remember the matter we discussed when we were in Han Mountain's hidden grounds?"
"I remember." Su Ming did not turn back as he answered calmly.
"Starting from tomorrow, I will continue training in the skills my Master gave me in isolation. I will come out of isolation before the start of Sky Mist Shaman Hunt… During it, I would like you to come with me to a place."
Su Ming mulled over it for a moment and did not refuse her.
"Alright."
"You will be interested in the place. That place is related to the other worlds…"
Han Fei Zi spoke softly, and as she spoke, her gaze was trained on Su Ming's retreating back, but she could not see a hint of change in that back. He was still walking away calmly and gradually disappeared from her sight.
On his way back to the ninth summit, Su Ming stopped for the second time was small distance away from the ninth summit. Just as he was about to enter the mountain, his footsteps faltered.
"Just how long are you going to follow me?"
"This place doesn't belong to the ninth summit alone! What right do you have to say that I'm following you?!" a girl's voice came from behind Su Ming.
That voice was unlike Fang Cang Lan's gentleness, not alike to Tian Lan Meng's gracefulness, and neither was it like Han Fei Zi's coldness, but there was a melodious lilt and provocative tone within that voice that the other three lacked.
Su Ming frowned, turned around, and saw a girl in purple standing a few hundred feet away from him. That girl was incredibly beautiful and filled with a wild and untamed air, especially her eyes, which were trained on Su Ming at the moment. There was wariness and scorn within her eyes.
This person had a petite face that always appeared in Su Ming's memories. She also had a face that caused him to act on an impulse he did not want to suppress several months ago.
This person… was Bai Su.
Su Ming looked at her and at the face that had appeared multiple times in his memories. At this moment, he did not want to see her.
Su Ming turned around and moved his sight away from the girl. After pausing for a brief moment, he landed on the ninth summit. When he started walking on the mountain stairs, he could not help but frown once again.
He did not stop anymore though and charged back towards his cave abode instead. Zi Che was outside his cave abode. When he saw Su Ming closing in, he quickly stood up and bowed towards him respectfully. He was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed and he turned his gaze towards the direction behind Su Ming. Over there, he gradually saw a hint of purple appearing.
At the very instant he saw that dash of purple, a stunned expression appeared on his face.
Su Ming was frowning when he walked past Zi Che. Before he walked into his cave abode, he turned his head around and looked towards Bai Su coming towards them from afar.
Her purple robes, stubbornness, and the provocative look within her eyes made her wild beauty become even more distinct.
"This is the ninth summit," Su Ming stated calmly.
"I know," Bai Su lifted her chin and answered.
"Chase her out!"
A chilling look appeared in Su Ming's eyes. As he sent his command to Zi Che, he turned around and walked into his cave.
"You don't dare to see me because there's a girl in your memories that look exactly the same as me! If you don't dare to see me, then there will forever be an area in your heart that will hurt. If you don't get rid of that pain, then you will never be able to keep your mind calm. Even if you pretend to be, that is still fake!" Bai Su suddenly shouted out.
The moment her words left her mouth, Su Ming, who had already walked into his cave, sat down within and closed his eyes, as if he did not hear anything.
"Junior sister Bai, please don't make this hard for me."
Zi Che took a step forward and blocked Bai Su, who wanted to trespass into Su Ming's cave. He spoke with a cold and indifferent tone.
"You still don't dare to see me! I'm the seed planted in your heart, and even if you don't want to see me, I'll still be there! You won't even attack me, why else would you ask someone else to chase me out of the mountain?!
"You can do it yourself! Your power is enough for you to fight against big brother Si Ma! I've only just Awakened, with your power, you can chase me away with just a wave of your hand! Why can't you do it?!" Bai Su shouted loudly and her gaze fell on Su Ming's cave abode located nearby. She did not even look at Zi Che standing by her side.
"And even if you chase me out of the ninth summit, so what?! I'll still come again, I'll come every day!"
Zi Che frowned. He moved the Qi within him slightly and a wave of force was instantly formed. It pushed against Bai Su and forced her to move back. When he saw the stubbornness on Bai Su's face, as if she was going to continue pestering them, he waved his hand and a large gust of wind lifted Bai Su��s body instantly, sending her straight out of the ninth summit.
Su Ming closed his eyes in the cave abode, as if he hadn't heard anything that had happened outside. However, for some reason, a hint of anxiety appeared within his heart.
After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at the blue sky outside his cave.
"So, Si Ma Xin, will you be using her to engage in another battle with me..?" Su Ming mumbled.
Accurately speaking, he had already fought against Si Ma Xin three times. The first time was in Han Mountain City. Si Ma Xin then took over Fang Mu's body with his spirit and fought against Su Ming. He won, but also lost at the same time.
It could be said that the battle ended with a draw.
The second battle was within Freezing Sky Clan, and it was the fight that shocked the sky and earth. It might have seemed like they tied in the end, but in truth, Su Ming had lost, though at the same time, he had also won.
This battle could also be said to have ended with a draw.
The third battle was the one where they used the rod snake's life as the hook, and the two of them had engaged in a battle of wits that while had neither changed the weather nor shook the earth was still incredibly dangerous.
This battle did not end in a draw. Su Ming had won hands down!
Right now, Bai Su's arrival made Su Ming understand that this girl was the stage for the fourth battle between Si Ma Xin and himself. If the prodigious Si Ma Xin made this hand, then it was clear that he had already made thorough preparations for this.
'Great Art of Heartless Berserker Seed… This Art is incredibly mysterious. By linking all your actions together, your goal has been revealed to me clearly like an open book…
'You want to plant a Berserker Seed within me…'
Su Ming looked at the sky beyond his cave and his eyes sparkled.
'If I don't fight, then I will lose… unless I can forget her… If I fight, then I will fall into your plans and will find myself unable to escape…'
Su Ming closed his eyes. He lifted his right hand and started drawing slowly on the drawing board before him.
Gradually, a picture that only he could see clearly appeared. When Su Ming's final stroke was made and he opened his eyes, he saw that he had drawn out the faint figure of a person on the drawing board.
That person had his head lowered and was looking at the grass underneath his feet, but when he lifted his right foot, grass entangled that appendage of his…
That grass was very fragile and would shatter the moment he continued lifting his foot, but that person simply lowered his head and looked at it for a long, long time.
As Su Ming looked at the picture in his cave, Tian Xie Zi opened his eyes in his cave at the top of the mountain and looked in the direction of Su Ming.
"You're… about to experience your first change of heart…"
Worry appeared on Tian Xie Zi's face.
Chapter 255: Do You Know how to Fight with Arts?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming looked at the picture for a long time before he picked up the drawing board and turned it over to keep the picture with him.
Before the person in the picture lifted his foot and shattered the grass, Su Ming would no longer draw on the face of the drawing board but on its back.
He still did not have clear thoughts on how he would fight against Si Ma Xin in this battle, or how he would dissolve the threat, and how… he would win! This battle might perhaps be the final battle between him and Si Ma Xin in Freezing Sky Clan before he joined Sky Mist Shaman Hunt!
The quiet night went by slowly just like that. This night Su Ming did not draw. He sat within his cave with his eyes closed slightly. As he breathed, the person in the snow from his memories would appear in his head.
Gradually, Su Ming gained a vague form of understanding in his heart. He had a feeling that the battle with Si Ma Xin this time was not what was important here. The key lay within the girl called Bai Su, and the main point was that she had Bai Ling's wildness and her exact same face.
What was important was that if Su Ming did not prepare himself, then many a times he would mistake her for Bai Ling for a brief instant…
The main point was that his heart seemed to be about ready to experience a transformation. This transformation did not come suddenly. It would seem that it had been lying dormant since the beginning within him and was just building up, and now that it had accumulated enough power, that transformation needed to break through.
The morning sun scattered into the cave through the entrance and covered the area before Su Ming. Along with the sunlight was a girl's voice that traveled in from outside the cave.
"Even if you chase me away today, I'll still come, I'll come every day!"
Once the voice reached the cave, it quickly fell silent. Su Ming knew that Zi Che had once again chased her out of the ninth summit.
Yet it did not last long before Bai Su's voice appeared once again.
"Su Ming, if you don't dare face me, then there will be something that will be forever lacking in your heart!"
The entire day passed by slowly with incidents like this happening again and again, and it continued right up till the evening. When Bai Su was once again chased away by Zi Che, she found that she could barely withstand the attacks any longer and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Zi Che hesitated.
He never expected that there would be someone who would be so persistent. Throughout the day, Bai Su had come up the mountain 17 times!
Only when she coughed up blood and was injured was she forced to leave… Zi Che looked at the blood on the ice, then turned his gaze towards Su Ming's cave.
The cave was quiet, no sound coming from within. Zi Che remained silent for a moment and then sat down nearby.
The next day, Bai Su came once again.
On this day, she came up the mountain 19 times before she eventually coughed up blood and with a pale face found herself no longer be able to come up the mountain.
This continued right up to the evening of the third day. When Bai Su came to Su Ming's cave the 20th time and stood before Zi Che, he lifted his right hand, but found himself unable to wave it.
The girl before his eyes was incredibly pale and her body swayed, but the persistence in her eyes and the tenacity in her bones made Zi Che hesitate.
Although they stood on different sides, Zi Che had grown to respect the Bai Su standing before him. During these three days, she had come up the mountain more than 50 times and was chased out more than 50 times, but she still persisted.
The more she was chased away, the stronger the persistence in her eyes became. Zi Che did not doubt for even a moment that if he chased her away again and, while she might find herself to possess no more strength to climb up the mountain again on this day, she would still come on the next day even though she was injured.
If this continued for a long period of time, no matter how good this girl's body was, she would not be able to last. Besides, she was only at the Awakening Realm. By the looks of it, the girl had not even managed to draw her Awakened Berserker Mark yet.
Zi Che looked at Bai Su and asked with a bitter laugh, "Why..?"
"You can continue chasing me away, but I will persevere!"
Bai Su's voice was very weak when she spoke. She turned her head around and glanced towards the direction where the first summit lay.
"The more times you go there, the more anxious he will be, and the more injured you are, the more hurt he will feel… He cannot become merciless and forget, of this, I am certain!
"But Bai Su, I don't want you to do this, because my heart will hurt even more…"
Si Ma Xin's gentle voice echoed within Bai Su's heart.
The determination and tenacity within her eyes became stronger.
Zi Che let out a long sigh and lifted his right hand. He was Su Ming's mountain guard and he had to obey Su Ming's orders, he… did not dare disobey his words.
He was just about to chase this stubborn girl away again when a calm voice came from within the cave.
"What is the purpose of you coming up the mountain so many times? Let us hear it."
Once Su Ming's words reached them, Zi Che let out a sigh of relief. He pitied this girl slightly. He might not know much, but he still knew that this girl must have come here because of Si Ma Xin.
Bai Su looked at the cave where Su Ming was and stated firmly, "I want to learn how to draw.
"If you don't teach me, then I will come here every day. Either I will die, or you will agree to it someday!"
Bai Su's voice may have been weak, but the determination in it did not leave room for doubt. She would do what she just said.
The cave was silent for a long time before Su Ming's voice came in a manner as if he was speaking while sighing. "Is it worth it..? This has nothing to do with you."
Bai Su did not speak, but the determination in her eyes did not decrease even one bit.
"There is indeed a girl in my memories that looks incredibly like you… You appear time and again and tear apart the wounds in my memories. Is this what you are doing to help Si Ma Xin..?" Su Ming's murmurs floated out of the cave.
Bai Su fell silent. The determined look within her eyes was tainted slightly by hesitance, but soon, that hesitation disappeared.
"You were the one who snatched big brother Si Ma's treasure away first…"
Bai Su gritted her teeth, but before she finished speaking, a huge gust of wind gushed out of the cave and swept her away from the mountain.
Su Ming stared at the drawing board before him in his cave and lowered his right hand calmly.
The sky outside gradually darkened until night came. During this night, the ninth summit was enveloped in silence. Perhaps Su Ming's second senior brother was walking around the mountain like a ghost and looking for the person he thought was stealing his plants.
Perhaps his third senior brother was hiding in a corner with a mysterious grin as he peaked at something and thought of himself as the smartest person around.
Perhaps his eldest senior brother was still within the ice river, unable to tell whether it was day or night. In this quiet, he would silently meditate in isolation.
Su Ming closed his eyes and brought out the broken xun made of bone from the storage bag he kept in his bosom. This xun was very difficult to repair and could no longer form any sound. It was placed beside Su Ming's mouth and he quietly blew into it.
Silence.
Yet in his own ears, Su Ming could still hear that moaning melody. The sound surrounded his body and enveloped his heart, and lingered there for a long time.
He did not know how much time passed by. The moon beyond the cave shone with a gentle light, illuminating the ice mountain, and the mountain shone with a multitude of colors due to the refraction of light. In this quiet night, Su Ming blew into the soundless xun and silently let himself experience the peace that was different from drawing.
When he finished playing a song, an old voice reached his ears.
"Not bad."
The moment he heard the voice, Su Ming opened his eyes quickly and his heart instantly started racing against his chest. A person had entered his cave at some unknown point of time, and he had no knowledge about this!
This person wore a long purple robe and stood with his back facing Su Ming. Some rays of moonlight shone on him and seemed to be causing the purplish color on his robes to evaporate. It formed a strange sort of pressure that not only shrouded the entire cave, but also dyed Su Ming's pupils with that color.
Purple long robes, purple hair, a purple figure, but with a familiar voice!
"Greetings, Master."
Su Ming immediately stood up and bowed towards the person who still had his back turned towards him.
Su Ming may have acted like how he usually would and nothing unusual could be seen from his actions, but there was already a raging storm within his heart. That storm was not due to Tian Xie Zi's sudden arrival, neither was it because Su Ming had not noticed him sooner.
Instead, it was because Tian Xie Zi was wearing purple robes!
Su Ming had never seen Tian Xie Zi in this state before. The words his second senior brother had said that day appeared in his head as if Su Ming was listening to him talk about Master in purple robes once again. He also remembered the grave expression on his second senior brother's face that day.
This was not the only thing that shocked Su Ming. There was also the matter of the xun. It was originally soundless, and that sound only existed within his memories, yet Tian Xie Zi's words from before came right at the instant the melody within Su Ming's heart and memories disappeared.
Was this a coincidence, or was it…
Su Ming looked at the back of his purple robed Master and instinctively took one step backwards.
"Are you afraid?"
The purple robed Tian Xie Zi still had not turned around. His voice sounded old, but at the same time, it held a bloody quality to it. Su Ming could instantly sense it clearly.
This bloodiness was that of a feeling of blood that had coagulated on the robes since a long time ago, but also… of blood that had just stained his robes!
There was a bloody stench coming from a spot at the hem of his Master's purple robes. This bloody stench was not a feeling. Su Ming could smell it from the start!
This was not Tian Xie Zi's blood. It was clear that before Tian Xie Zi came here, he… spilled someone's blood!
Su Ming was silent for a moment before he answered honestly, "Master, I've never seen you wear long purple robes before. I'm just a little unused to it…"
"Do not be afraid, you'll get used to it."
The bloodiness in Tian Xie Zi's voice became stronger abruptly. He turned around slowly and with eyes that looked like burning torches, he looked at Su Ming.
At the moment he turned around, Su Ming immediately saw clearly that Tian Xie Zi's originally kindly face now looked like ice. His expression was chilling and his face somber, but there was no ill will in his eyes.
Su Ming thought he saw an illusionary sea of blood behind his Master. Within that sea of blood was a stone statue. That stone statue had its arms wrapped around its chest. Its eyes were opened, and it was similarly looking at Su Ming without ill will.
"My fourth disciple, do you know how to fight against others with Arts?" Tian Xie Zi asked in a hoarse voice, looking at Su Ming. As he spoke, a hint of brutality appeared on the corners of his lips.
That brutality was not aimed towards Su Ming. It was as if that sentence affected Tian Xie Zi's heart and caused his emotions to fluctuate.
Chapter 256: Crack…
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
I do. I do not.
These two phrases had two completely different meanings. They were like two extremes, like the sky and the earth, and they made Su Ming feel as if his thoughts froze up in that instant. It was not as if he had not been prepared for this, even now, his second senior brother's words and advice were still ringing in his ears.
"You must say… you don't know!"
This was what his second senior brother had said with a grave expression.
Su Ming was silent. The two different answers were like two different doors standing before him. He did not know what lay behind those doors, and neither did he know which door he should choose to open to see the world that lay behind it.
Tian Xie Zi did not press him for an answer. He simply looked at him and waited for his decision.
Su Ming had a feeling that he should listen to his second senior brother's advice. After all, the grave expression on his face when he recounted that he had given the wrong answer was an expression that was rarely seen on his face.
However…
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he lifted his head to look at the purple robed Tian Xie Zi, who was watching him, and slowly said, "Master, I'd like to witness a battle of Arts."
This was Su Ming's answer. He went around the question of whether he knew or did not know and stepped out of that circle by voicing out his own thoughts. He did not bother about what would happen if he chose to answer yes or no. Instead, he spoke words that were clearly different from what his second senior brother had told him.
The very instant Tian Xie Zi heard those words, a brilliant glare appeared within his eyes. That glare instantly illuminated the entire cave and caused Su Ming to be unable to meet his gaze. There was also a sharp stab of pain in his eyes, and he took a few steps back instinctively.
"Looks like my fourth disciple… is quite ambitious!"
Tian Xie Zi's voice was hoarse and filled with a hint of ghastliness. As his voice echoed in the cave, a hint of brutality could be felt from within it.
"Your eldest senior brother answered with a 'no', and your second senior brother answered with a 'yes'. As for your third senior brother, he did not give me an answer, he simply pretended to be asleep.
"You're the only one who did not answer the question as it is and gave me another answer… I will fulfill your desire and let you see exactly what is called a battle of Arts!"
Tian Xie Zi waved his arm and a layer of purple fog instantly appeared out of nowhere. It charged towards Su Ming, and in the blink of an eye it enveloped him, and with an abrupt shrinking, the fog stuck to Su Ming's robes and body, turning his clothes purple. At the same time, all of his hair turned purple as well.
With that, the Master and disciple within the cave were dressed completely in purple!
That purple tint exuded a feeling of bloodiness that seemed to have gathered and sunk into the body. It was a feeling that made Su Ming's heart race and his body explode with an urge to kill that was difficult to suppress.
There was already a murderous aura within him to begin with. That murderous aura came from the blood moon from his Berserker Mark. Right then, under the impact of the purple tint, that murderous aura exploded forth with a much stronger intensity and filled the entire cave.
A surprised glint appeared in Tian Xie Zi eyes before he laughed boisterously and closed his right hand around the air in the direction towards Su Ming. Instantly, Su Ming was taken away and they disappeared from the cave.
Although the murderous aura coming from within them was shocking, Zi Che, who was sitting outside, did not notice anything. In fact, even Hu Zi and Su Ming's second senior brother did not notice anything.
Only Su Ming's eldest senior brother who had isolated himself under the ice river opened his eyes to small slits, but he soon closed them once again.
The air in the sky above the Land of South Morning distorted, and Tian Xie Zi and Su Ming appeared from within. Su Ming's right wrist was in Tian Xie Zi's hand and he was forcefully being dragged.
His entire body was in severe pain. Su Ming's face was slightly pale. When he appeared, he instantly turned his head around, and he saw that there was nothing behind him. The land seemed endless. It might be night, but he could still somewhat see that the land was covered in green grass. This place… was not Freezing Sky Clan!
Su Ming widened his eyes and shock could be seen within them.
"The Relocation Rune may be good, but before there were any Relocation Runes within the Berserker Tribe, how exactly did the powerful Berserkers move around..? Only those who respect those from the other realms will imitate, learn, and research foreign objects.
"It is an act where they discard their roots and place their attention on something not essential to them!"
Tian Xie Zi let out a cold snort.
"If a Berserker reaches the peak of the Berserker Soul Realm, then with just one step, they can relocate anywhere they want and travel through the world. As long as their bodies are not destroyed, they will never breathe their last!"
Su Ming felt shaken. He looked at Tian Xie Zi and found himself incapable of saying anything even after a long while.
"I cannot do it either, but with the Creation Arts, as long as the distance is not too far, I can travel to all the places I went to before if I take an item from the place!
"However, I must be dressed in purple to use this Art."
Tian Xie Zi spoke hoarsely and let go of his grip on Su Ming's wrist. A fierce and cruel look appeared within his eyes and he looked towards the land.
"Seventh junior brother, do you know how to battle with Arts?!"
With Tian Xie Zi's sudden words, Su Ming lowered his head and cast his gaze towards where Tian Xie Zi was looking.
That place was a grassy plains. There was wind blowing through it at the moment, causing rustling sounds to rise from the grass. Apart from that sound, everything else was silent.
After a long while, a sigh came from the depths of the land.
"You're early… fourth senior brother…"
The moment the sigh came, Su Ming saw the grass in the plains wither away and scatter into the wind in the form of dust. The land trembled, and with a boom, a giant crack opened up in the land as if it was ripped open by two invisible hands. The crack was deep, its end nowhere to be seen. It was dark within, but a brilliant gaze appeared within the crack and it looked towards the sky. That gaze fell on Tian Xie Zi and Su Ming.
When that gaze landed on him, Su Ming's entire body instantly fell cold, but soon, a bloody-red light shone from his right eye, and it fused together with the purple robes covering his body, turning into a murderous aura that seemed to be facing off with the gaze.
"Fourth senior brother, is that your new disciple..?" an ancient voice asked from the crack on the ground.
The moment his murderous aura met the gaze, a bang went off in Su Ming's head. His murderous aura seemed to be unable to withstand the pressure. However, that gaze did not harbor any ill will. It only swept through his body once before turning away. Su Ming's breathing immediately quickened and he wrapped his fist in his palm before bowing to the land.
"I am Su Ming. Greetings, seventh uncle master."
Tian Xie Zi let out a cold harrumph before he took a step forward and, in the blink of an eye, he appeared right outside the crack on the ground. He stomped there.
Immediately, an illusionary sea of blood appeared behind Tian Xie Zi. A brilliant glare formed in the eyes of the stone statue within the sea of blood. It slowly unfolded its arms, which had been wrapped around its chest.
At the same time, Su Ming saw the gaze within the crack on the ground disappearing. In its place, a frail looking person walked out of the crack. His footsteps were not quick, but with each step he took, Su Ming's vision would distort.
The man took five steps and arrived right under Tian Xie Zi's foot. He suddenly lifted his right hand, clenched his fist, and rammed it against Tian Xie Zi's right foot.
At the same time, a gigantic illusion appeared behind the man. Within that illusion were a countless number of people: men and women, the old and the young, and they were all kneeling on the ground worshipping this person.
"The Ghosts of the Land's power is not what we Berserkers practice. Seventh junior brother, you're still practicing the Arts of the other worlds. This is not Creation!"
The moment Tian Xie Zi's hoarse voice appeared, his right foot crashed into that frail person's fist with a bang.
As the bang reverberated in the air and shook the skies, Tian Xie Zi shuddered and staggered back a hundred something feet. However, the frail person within the crack staggered back a few hundred feet before he managed to stop.
"You were also chased out by our Master. The Creation you seek… has already left the ways of the Berserker Tribe. You are… the same as me!"
"What do you mean by the same?!"
Tian Xie Zi did not act again, but his eyes were filled with a piercing light.
"I practiced the skills from the other worlds and used them to create my own path. This is my Creation. What you practice is something that appeared after combining the skills from the Shaman Tribe, what difference is there between us?!"
"Our minds are different, our spirits are different, our realms are different, everything of us from inside out is different. We are completely different! Fifteen years ago, you could fight me to a draw while I was in my purple robed self. Now, fifteen years later, you can no longer win against the me in this state!
"Since we cannot differentiate clearly who is right or wrong, and what constitutes as Creation and what is not through words, then we will just see… who is stronger!"
"You… are wrong!"
Tian Xie Zi swung his arm out and turned to walk towards Su Ming.
Su Ming was breathing rapidly. This was the first time he saw Tian Xie Zi attack. The power from that one stomp just now gave him an indescribable feeling. It was as if the mysteriousness within that stomp had exceeded the limits of his understanding. He wanted to remember it, but the memory of the stomp in his head and when the frail person hurled his fist forward was slowly disappearing, and he could not control it.
When Tian Xie Zi went over to Su Ming's side and brought him away from the place, he was still caught in a daze.
When Tian Xie Zi and Su Ming left, peace returned to the plains, and the frail looking man lowered his head. He slowly floated back into the crack and sat down within its depths.
"Fourth senior brother… when you were excommunicated, Master once said that… you were wrong."
That ancient voice turned into a sigh and the crack gradually closed up. Once the earth returned to its original state, an endless sea of grass covered the entire plains again within an instant and began rustling in the wind.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky and rain fell as thunder rumbled. The sky twisted and Su Ming and Tian Xie Zi's bodies gradually appeared.
The instant the two of them appeared, lightning cracked in the sky viciously and thunder roared.
Tian Xie Zi had his back turned towards Su Ming and he looked at a fenced up tribe before him through the rain as he asked Su Ming languidly, "Do you understand now?"
Su Ming was silent and his expression baffled. He seemed to have understood it somewhat, but there was still a great cloud of confusion within him.
"Let's go."
Tian Xie Zi walked forward and then landed on the ground. He stepped on the puddles of water on the ground. With the rain falling on his body, he walked towards the quiet fenced up village in the rain.
Su Ming followed behind him silently. At that moment, the figure of Tian Xie Zi stomping on the ground had become very faint in his mind. He couldn't remember it, and neither could he retain it.
As they got closer to the village, Su Ming heard a faint sound.
"Crack…"
"Crack… Crack…"
It was as a sound that seemed to be made from bones rubbing against each other. That sound traveled forth through the rain and thunder from the ordinary village.
Chapter 257: The Song Ended, And They Left
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tian Xie Zi's expression was still dark. When he got closer to the gate in the village, he did not slow down. Right when he stepped next to it, Su Ming's pupils shrank as he continued walking behind him. He saw the village gate distorting, as if they had just been moved to another place in an instant without any warning. Tian Xie Zi walked in slowly.
Su Ming followed behind and walked into the village as well. When the two of them went in, Su Ming turned his head back and found that the village gate had returned to its original state.
It was clear that this was not the first time Tian Xie Zi had come to this place. At this time, most of the people in the tribe had fallen into deep sleep. Since it was raining, there were no bonfires around them. Besides the pattering rain and occasional rumble of thunder in this silence, the only other sound was that cracking sound that rang repeatedly.
It was as if that sound was guiding Tian Xie Zi's path as he walked through the village and stepped on the puddles of water. Once they gradually moved past the houses, Su Ming saw light shining through an ordinary beast skin tent before him.
This was a small tribe, a tribe that was almost similar in size to Su Ming's Dark Mountain Tribe. Small tribes like these numbered to too many in the Land of South Morning.
He looked around him, and when Su Ming's gaze fell upon the tent with light shining within, he could hear the cracking sounds that seemed like bones being rubbed against each other.
Tian Xie Zi walked up to the tent and lifted a flap before walking in. Su Ming followed behind him and also entered the tent. When he did so, the first thing that entered his gaze was the many bones that lay within the small tent.
Besides the bones, there were also some stones in the tent, and most of these items had been turned into xuns!
This was the first time Su Ming had seen so many xuns. It was also the first time he saw a xun in the Land of South Morning!
A shiver ran down his spine. Once he swept his gaze past those xuns, it fell on the old man in the tent.
The old man's hair was flecked with white and he was dressed in beast skins, though he did not cover the upper half of his body. Right now, he was sitting inside the tent with a beast bone in his hand and was rubbing it against a stone slab.
It seemed like the shape of this beast bone did not match with the bone xun he wanted to make, that was why he had to rub away the unnecessary parts.
With a dark expression, Tian Xie Zi looked at the old man and walked until he was right in front of him and sat down. His gaze shifted to the beast bone in the old man's hands, which he was still rubbing against the stone slab.
The old man looked calm. It was as if all his attention was trained on the bone in his hands and he did not notice Tian Xie Zi's arrival, nor did he notice Su Ming's presence.
He sat there calmly and continued rubbing the bone against the stone slab. Cracking sounds echoed within the tent. Some of the sounds even floated out and lingered in the air for a long time.
Time trickled by. Su Ming's eyes never left the bone in the old man's hands, and he saw that a corner of that bone gradually became round under that continuous rubbing.
Tian Xie Zi never spoke. He was also looking at the old man, and changes started to show on his face. Sometimes, he would appear sullen, at other times, he would look as if he understood something, and occasionally, there would be a complicated expression on his face.
Rain poured even harder outside the tent. Thunder would occasionally rumble in the sky, and sometimes, the sky would brighten up for a brief moment and leave the shadows of the three people on the skin of the tent, but they would flicker and quickly vanish.
The old man's concentration made Su Ming arrive at some form of understanding. He did not know at what point of time he eventually chose not to stand but sit by the side and watch the bone being rubbed against the stone slab while listening to the cracking sounds. At that moment, the calmness that had never appeared ever since Bai Su had come to the ninth summit overtook him.
At that moment, Su Ming sank into a state that felt as if he had forgotten about his self due to his calm gaze towards the bone. In his eyes, he could only see the bone that was being rubbed against the stone slab. He did not see that the clothes on Tian Xie Zi's body seemed to be changing as he sat right before the old man.
That change only happened for an instant before returning to its original state. If no one paid close attention to it, they would not be able to see it clearly.
Time trickled by. They had no idea how much time passed, but the old man eventually stopped in his act of rubbing the bone against the stone. When he stopped, Su Ming felt his mind jolting back and came back to his senses. He saw the old man looking at the beast stone and lifting it up as if he was inspecting it.
After a long while, he changed the beast bone's position and continued rubbing it against the stone slab.
The complicated look on Tian Xie Zi's face grew deeper. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and stood up.
The moment he stood, the old man stopped. When he lifted the bone in his hands once again, that bone had already turned into a xun. There were several small holes in it. Once he gave it a look, he lifted his head, but he did not look at Tian Xie Zi. Instead, he trained his gaze on Su Ming.
It was a gaze that was as tranquil as water. Those were a pair of eyes that seemed to contain endless knowledge, had seen through the truth behind life and death, understood all that lies within the world, and could contain everything within them.
Inside were kindness, peace, tranquility, and a light that made Su Ming fall into a state of serenity once he met his gaze.
The old man lifted his right hand and handed the bone xun to Su Ming.
Su Ming quietly stood up and took the ordinary looking bone xun in his hands respectfully. At the instant the old man handed the xun to Su Ming, he suddenly understood the meaning behind the old man's gaze towards him. He wanted him to play it.
Su Ming held the bone xun and wordlessly took a few steps back before he sat on the ground and stared at the xun in his hands blankly. The sound of rain falling outside became stronger and thunder started rumbling nonstop in the sky.
Su Ming closed his eyes and positioned the bone xun by his mouth before blowing into it gently.
He originally did not know how to play any songs on the xun, but over the years, the broken bone xun that could no longer make any sound had kept him company during the nights when he was alone and missing his home…
There were many nights where he would blow into the voiceless xun quietly alone and the melody of the songs in his ears would play inside his mind
Moaning sounds that held a hint of desolation traveled out from the bone xun by Su Ming's mouth and echoed around the tent before floating out and scattering into the air.
At that moment, it was as if the thunder outside also fell silent and the rain started falling more gently. They fused together with the moaning song of the xun and played out a song of yearning.
Su Ming was bringing out this particular xun's voice, but was also playing out the song in his memories. The one that was making the sounds was the breath from his mouth, moving within the xun, but similarly, his heart also moved.
That feeling was a form of remembrance of the things that moved through the passages of time.
That moaning sound did not seem to ever change. There was only one simple note, yet its rise and fall had a hint of desolation and age in it. In that quite night, in the falling rain, and in this unfamiliar land, that sound was brought into existence.
It sounded like a lover crying softly, like tribe members calling out to someone as they wiped away the tears from their eyes, like a childhood friend roaring out in anger as he clenched his fists…
Tian Xie Zi closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the xun quietly. As he listened to the moaning sounds, the dark expression on his face faded away.
The old man also closed his eyes. His expression was calm.
This was a very long song. It might have had a name, but Su Ming did not know it. This song had been played multiple times in his memories, but this time, he truly played it out with a xun.
However… this was not his xun. The song played by this xun contained his soul and his memories, but it lacked a feeling – the feeling of home.
The song ended…
Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the bone xun in his hands. Understanding appeared in his eyes and he stood up so that he could return the xun back to the old man respectfully.
A smile appeared on the old man's face. He looked at Su Ming kindly and nodded his head.
Tian Xie Zi also opened his eyes. He did not look at the old man but chose to stand and walk out.
Right up till the end, no words were exchanged between him and the old man, but Su Ming knew that the two of them had in truth spoken a thousand words to each other through Su Ming's song.
When Tian Xie Zi walked out, Su Ming hesitated for a moment before he followed after him. The two of them left the tent. Rain was pouring heavily from the sky, and it fell on their bodies and on the puddles of water that were formed from the holes on the ground.
When they were a dozen feet away from the tent, Su Ming's footsteps faltered. His gaze was no longer hesitant but filled with determination.
When he stopped, Tian Xie Zi also stopped with him, but he did not turn back to look at Su Ming.
Su Ming bowed towards Tian Xie Zi and went back towards the tent he had just left. He lifted the flap and went in.
When Su Ming walked into the tent, the old man sitting inside looked over calmly.
"Sir… can you repair this..?"
Su Ming brought out his bone xun from his bosom. This was the xun that held the feeling of home. It had many cracks and could no longer make any sound. Su Ming placed it before the old man.
The old man's gaze fell on the xun and he picked it up. Once he gave it closer inspection, he nodded.
Su Ming bowed towards him respectfully before turning around and leaving the tent. Then he left the village with Tian Xie Zi.
"Do you understand now..?" Tian Xie Zi asked calmly outside the village in the rain. At that moment, though he might still have been dressed in purple, his expression was no longer dark.
"The first battle was a confirmation with the Ways of your own cultivation, and the second…" Su Ming looked at Tian Xie Zi and fell silent for a moment before speaking up again, "It's a battle of hearts!"
"The first person who battled against me is my seventh fellow brother. The person who we saw in the second scene… I don't know his name, but I met him by pure coincidence many years ago and saw him creating a xun once…
"After that, every single time I experience a change in my heart, I will look for him and battle against him using my heart… and my Realm…
"You reached an epiphany regarding Picture Creation and used it to calm your mind. You do not train your physical body but only train your mind… Perhaps there are other people I do not know of who are walking down this road, but among the people I know, you and I, along with your fellow brothers, are the only ones doing so.
"I've come quite far, and your fellow brothers have also taken a few steps down the road. Right now, you are about to experience your first change of heart… The change in your heart is akin to another you appearing," Tian Xie Zi explained softly.
"There is no way for me to tell you how to do it. I can only tell you about my experiences regarding my changes of heart… Let's go, I'll bring you to kill Shamans in the Shaman Tribe… Once I'm dressed in purple, this state will not disappear until I've gathered 1,000 drops of blood from the heart."
Tian Xie Zi took a step into the air. Su Ming sucked in a deep breath and mumbled the words 'change of heart' softly under his breath before a glint appeared in his eyes and he followed behind Tian Xie Zi.
As the Master and disciple disappeared into the sky, Tian Xie Zi murmured to Su Ming faintly, "He is blind. Did you manage to see it..?"
"Blind..?" Su Ming was stunned.
…and they left.