An hour later, a beam of light soared into the air out of Yun Shu. He had made his first breakthrough!
The woman with messy hair by the side was the first one to notice it. She had been sitting in front of the stele for years, yet she hadn't witnessed anything like this.
She looked him over as if there was something wrong with Yun Shu. Then she asked, "Boy, what did you get from it?"
Yun Shu hurriedly answered politely, "Master, this is… this should be a set of sword moves!"
The woman was shocked as she slowly turned around, one of her eyes revealing from the cover of her messy hair. After staring at Yun Shu for a while, she finally asked, "What's your name?"
"Yun… Yun Shu!"
The woman nodded. "You're not even a cultivator, but you know how to behave. I just wonder how long your patience can last."
Yun Shu hurriedly bowed to the woman, "Please, master. Please teach me!"
The woman snorted. "Presently, there are three thousand two hundred people in this valley. Some came here a long time ago, while others are still new. I'm the only one who's still studying the steles, however, as the rest have all given up. I can see that you're smart, boy. If you want to study the steles, you'd better stick to it. If you don't have enough patience, you should leave this place right now."
"Thank you, master. I will bear this in mind."
The woman's face still looked cold as she gazed up at the sky and said, "I've got one more warning for you: every day at twelve o'clock noon and midnight, hide yourself well, or you'll perish for sure!"
Yun Shu knew that she wasn't kidding, so he hurriedly bowed to her again and left. He had decided to find the stone shelter located in the valley first.
He decided to find the stone shelter in the valley first.
The shelter didn't look appealing at all; it was small and short. Nonetheless, the walls were made of the hardest stone called Steel Stone. It was sturdier than common types of steel. Average blades wouldn't even be able to leave a mark on it.
Yun Shu observed his surroundings. Somehow, the trees around were all badly scratched. Feeling curious, he took out his key and walked in.
Soon it was twelve o'clock, the time he was warned about. A long howl came from the north side of the valley, staying true to the words. Yun Shu hurriedly peered out of the only window and saw a black line in the sky, approaching at a staggering speed from the north.
That was the killing wind in the valley!
Yun Shu thanked the master many times in his mind. After all, he would have been killed had she not reminded him.
Walking around several times in the room, he started staring at his left palm and murmured, "I don't know what you are, but I think you should help with my cultivation. I'll do it one more time then!"
Yun Shu sat down with his legs crossed on the cushion. Following the sect's cultivation method, he started gathering the Spirit Qi from nature.
One, two… Soon, Yun Shu got a thousand and twenty-four portions of Spirit Qi and slowly pushed them into his meridians, just like in the past.
"Don't sleep…" Yun Shu muttered to himself.
What was different this time, however, was that the Qi didn't leave his body after Yun Shu fell asleep. Instead, the mark on his palm absorbed it all.
After taking in all the Spirit Qi, the mark in the shape of that stone gate suddenly gave out an intense light. Next, Yun Shu disappeared from the shelter.
When Yun Shu woke up, he realized that he had appeared in the stone gate again. Yet, what came here this time was not only his consciousness but also his body! He was stunned by the realization. Staring at the giant stone gate, for a while, he didn't know what to do.
Finally, he nerved himself to walk toward the stone gate. It had been ten years already. This time, he must figure out what barred his path of cultivation. Despite all his determination, to his great surprise, he managed to push open the stone gate!
And right at that instant, a sharp wail entered his ears.
This is…
Yun Shu was taken aback by the sudden scene. Behind the stone gate, the world was entirely different from the outside.
This world was enveloped in a heavy, blood-red mist.
In the mist, from time to time, some sad faces would emerge and then disappear like miserable ghosts.
What the hell is this place?
In front of him, there was a long stairway built with white jade, its bright luster keeping the encroaching blood-red mist at bay. It was also the only area in this place that was free of the mist.
At the end of the stairway, he saw a man lying prone, his arms clasping the last step of the stairs, but the lower part of his body was hanging in the mist.
"Are you okay?!" Yun Shu hurriedly ran to him and pulled the man up. However, his lower body had been corroded by the mist, and only bones were left.
The red mist could erode blood and flesh?! Yun Shu was appalled.
However, something even more shocking instantly ensued.
After Yun Shu flipped the body over, what he saw made his blood freeze with terror.
"This is… How is this Possible?!"