Although it was called a martial art school, apparently it was also the Min family residence. It was a typical traditional household, with a separate training hall, located on top of a small hill. Reaching the top of the stairs, Li Xinwen's group was greeted with a huge entrance gate.
Staring at the gate, Li Xinwen was somehow being stricken with a wave of nostalgia. Back in Long Xing, when he was picked up by the cultivator, he was left at the foot of the mountain and was told to climb up on his own. He still remembered the struggle to reach the mountain top. Few others who climbed the mountain with him had given up halfway through but Li Xinwen continued to persist.
In the end, out of the several hundred candidates, less than a hundred managed to finish the climb. The majestic view of the gate to Soaring Heaven Sect left a huge impression on him as a child and that was also when he met with the person who he trusted the most. It was unfortunate that the other person didn't think the same as he could easily betray Li Xinwen for a treasure. Remembering the act of betrayal, Li Xinwen clenched his fist.
'I will return to pay back this debt...' Li Xinwen thought, his eyes turning cold.
Sun Xiao seemed to have notice Li Xinwen's change. He raised up his hand and gently pulled on Li Xinwen's sleeve. "Xin-gege, are you alright?" Sun Xiao asked in a worried tone.
Sun Xiao's voice was crisp and clear, and it was loud enough for the two Xue brothers to hear. Naturally, Xue Rui would become worried, so he quickly rushed over to Li Xinwen's side. "Xinwen, what's wrong? Are you tired? Here, drink some water first," Xue Rui quickly rummaged inside his bag and took out a small bottle of mineral water. He unscrewed the cap open and handed it to Li Xinwen in a matter of a few seconds.
Li Xinwen first stared at his younger brother, then at Xue Rui, before his eyes landed on the bottle of water. He's not thirsty, nor was he tired. But he still takes the bottle into his hand except, he didn't drink it right away. Instead, he handed it over to Sun Xiao who seems to look a bit tired from climbing up the stairs. "Ah'Xiao drink first," Li Xinwen said with a smile.
Seeing the smile on Li Xinwen's face, the worry in Sun Xiao's heart disappeared. 'Earlier, Gege looks really scary... Was it just my imagination?' he can't help wondering. He took the bottle from Li Xinwen and quickly drank it. Once he's done, he returned the bottle to Li Xinwen only to see Li Xinwen drinking from the same bottle. His heart raced again and he suddenly remembered a conversation back in his school. 'That... is an indirect kiss?' he thought as he continued to stare at Li Xinwen who's downing the water.
Each time Li Xinwen swallow, his adam apple would move. This action, not only Sun Xiao, even Xue Rui who is currently standing beside him noticed it. Xue Rui quickly looked away before he ended up doing something he would regret. 'Though... it might already be too late for that. In Xinwen's heart, just how far have I fallen?' at this thought, Xue Rui let out a heavy sigh.
After drinking a bit of water, only then did Li Xinwen noticed Sun Xiao staring at him. The younger boy's face was red, making Li Xinwen think that the boy might be feeling hot from the sun. "Want to drink some more?" Li Xinwen asked as he offered the bottle to Sun Xiao. There was still about a quarter left in the bottle.
Staring at the bottle, and thinking of the indirect kiss, Sun Xiao became too embarrassed that he quickly shook his head. "Xin-gege can finish them! I am not thirsty anymore," Sun Xiao said as he rejected the offer. Sharing drinks used to be normal for them as brothers but lately, he has been having weird thoughts. Not to mention, the boys in his school have already started to think of adult stuff so Sun Xiao can't help but hear all those indecent things.
Seeing that Sun Xiao didn't want to drink anymore, and Li Xinwen also didn't feel like drinking again, he simply turned to Xue Rui. "Rui-ge, thanks for the water," Li Xinwen said with a small smile on his face.
Xue Rui who was given a smile was shocked. He didn't expect that simple action can also bring a smile on Li Xinwen's face. Not to mention, this smile is different from the forced smile he always gets in the past. 'I may have fallen far, but it looks like I can still take a step forward again,' Xue Rui thought as he renewed his spirit.
"Don't mention it, Xinwen. I brought a lot of bottled water so if you ever need them again, just tell me," Xue Rui informed him and he took the bottle from Li Xinwen's hand. He sealed the cap back before putting it into his bag again. "Speaking of which, we've already stood here for a while and there's still not a sign of that bas-... I mean, there is still no sign of Min Xiaoyu," Xue Rui quickly corrected the way he addressed Min Xiaoyu. After finding out that Min Xiaoyu's grandfather was also his brother's master, he suddenly feels nervous.
'If that guy tells his grandfather... will the grandfather tell my brother? If that happens...' Xue Rui shivered at the thought of Xue Jun punishing him.
They waited a while longer but Min Xiaoyu still didn't appear to come and get them. Even Li Xinwen started to frown as he took out his phone and sends a message to Min Xiaoyu. But even after sending the message, there as still no sign of him.
Just then, a small group of men came up from the bottom of the hill. When this group of men saw Li Xinwen's group, they were surprised. "Are you a new student?" one of them asked. "Are you not able to open the gate?"
"Are we supposed to simply open the gate?" Li Xinwen asked back.
"Of course! As long as you can open the gate, you can learn from the school!" the man who asked them earlier, replied. "Didn't the basic school tell you about this?"
"Basic school?" Li Xinwen was now confused. He was told by Min Xiaoyu to come directly to this place but it seems that there is another school before they can enter this place.
Hearing this, the expression of the group of men changed. "Ha! Looks like some people thought they can simply enter and learn to cultivate. Did you think that if you wait here, someone will open the door for you?" the person who spoke up was a different guy. Li Xinwen's eyes quickly found him and saw someone who looked arrogant looking down on him. "Listen up. This school is not for people like you. Why don't you just scram?"
Li Xinwen didn't say anything and silently gauged the group's fighting strength. 'The highest is only halfway through the 1st stage of Houtian and this guy dared to act arrogant before me? I just have to open the gate, right?' Li Xinwen turned to the gate and walked closer to it.
The arrogant man saw this action and can't help but burst out laughing. "Brothers! Look at him, he thought he can simply open the gate normally? Hey, listen, normies. To open this gate, you need to channel your-"
Before he could finish talking, a loud sound, similar to an explosion could be heard as Li Xinwen slammed his fist onto the gate. The guy who had acted arrogantly before, paled at the sound, thinking that he had messed with a master. But when he saw that the gate didn't react, he felt relieved. He was just about to open his mouth to belittle Li Xinwen again when they heard a cracking sound.
Webs of cracks formed on the door of the gate, all the way until not even the concrete that held the gate together was spared. Not long after, right before their eyes, the once majestic entrance came down rumbling. Just a punch from Li Xinwen was enough to reduce the gate into nothing but useless boulders.
The group of men behind him stared at him with fear. Sun Xiao and Xue Rui stared at Li Xinwen with admiration and shock respectively.
Xue Jun on the other hand, just narrowed his eyes as he clenched his fist, his emotion was unreadable. He had been keeping quiet since they arrived because he wanted to see how strong Li Xinwen was. He also didn't tell them how to open the door even though he knew of the method. After all, Xue Jun knew his brother won't be able to open it, let alone Li Xinwen's brother, Sun Xiao. But he really didn't expect that Li Xinwen would simply destroy the gate instead.
After venting his anger on the gate, Li Xinwen felt a bit better. Turning his attention back to the arrogant student from before, Li Xinwen just gave him a mocking smile. "I'm sorry, what were you saying just now? I don't think I heard it properly earlier."