Chapter 19: The Mystery
Shi Xuan thought carefully and was able to confirm that breaking through the void was indeed the Qi Gathering Stage in cultivation. However, he wondered how one could ascend in this realm. In ancient times, no one in this world had ascended. Moreover, the distance between him and the Gold Core Grandmaster was vast. How could he ascend without the necessary resources?
In recent centuries, all the Qi Gathering Stage experts who had broken through this realm shattered the void and disappeared. It seemed like a new rule was in place in this world. It might be a form of guidance, where specific individuals could sense those who reached the Qi Gathering Stage and then took them away for unknown purposes.
Shi Xuan sighed softly. If he couldn't find any leads or information during his travels, he would have to break through to the Qi Gathering Stage. Whatever awaited him after ascending was better than wasting away here. Shi Xuan realized that he would struggle to understand many things from the Qi Gathering Stage onwards, including terms and meanings within cultivation practices. Misinterpreting these terms could lead to serious consequences.
Lacking basic knowledge in cultivating artifacts, alchemy, and formations, Shi Xuan knew he had to immerse himself in a larger cultivation environment to seek guidance and access ancient texts.
He Dahai and his daughter He Yuqing stood by Shi Xuan's side, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. Although they were eager to see the contents of the "Long Life Treasure Book," they refrained from urging Shi Xuan to open the manual, sensing his deep contemplation.
Soon, Shi Xuan snapped out of his thoughts and casually flipped through the manual in his possession, skimming through its contents. From this manual and some others previously borrowed from Old Taoist Xu, Shi Xuan understood that martial arts development faced a bottleneck after reaching the Microcosm Realm (Astral Projection Stage). This stagnation was due to the lack of direct soul cultivation practices in martial arts manuals. From the Microcosm Realm onwards, the influences on both physical and spiritual cultivation began to diverge without suitable practices focusing solely on soul cultivation. This disparity in training methods resulted in slowing down cultivation progress.
Fortunately, the "Long Life Treasure Book" contained soul cultivation methods at the end of its pages, depicted through eight peculiar postures that required a clear mind and other unconventional conditions. Although Shi Xuan found these methods rudimentary, he acknowledged the manual as a rare treasure in the martial world, capable of achieving the breakthrough to the void-shattering realm, making it difficult for beginners to grasp.
While the "Long Life Treasure Book" had limited practical use for Shi Xuan, only offering a few refined techniques and insights, such as the dangerous Qi flow path in the secret "Cloud-Dispelling Palm" technique, he decided not to take the manual with him. Instead, he asked Master He beside him, "Could you please unblock Mr. Liang's meridian for me?"
He Dahai happily said, "I am willing to help the elder." And then he walked towards Liang Shenglou.
"Elder, do you have any other tasks for us to do?" He Yuqing, feeling respectful, a little fearful, and a little eager to please, asked Shi Xuan after her father left.
Shi Xuan shook his head and said, "There are no other tasks. In fact, you don't need to stand by my side. Some friends were hurt earlier, so it's better to rest by the fire."
He Yuqing gestured for the others to return to their own campfire, while she stood still waiting for her father to come back. In her heart, she was not calm at all. The shock of what she had seen and heard today far exceeded the first twenty years of her life. Various emotions were mixed together, difficult to describe.
The two bodyguards and the remaining six or seven attendants slowly walked back to the campfire, seeing that Shi Xuan was not paying attention, they started whispering to each other.
"Master He, who is this elder? His martial arts skills are really frightening."
"No need to ask Master He. I think the elder practices the Golden Bell Shield of the Zen sect. If you don't believe it, go look for yourself. I'm sure no one will believe me when I tell them, they'll think I'm dreaming."
"Zhang San, who practices a ghostly Golden Bell Shield? Can't you see the elder is dressed as a Taoist? How could he be from the bald-headed Zen sect?"
"Li Mazzi, come on, tell us what martial art that is, which can bounce back like that."
"It might be a secret martial art from the Xuanwu Sect. Among all the Taoist sects, they are the most powerful."
"Alright, let's not speculate randomly. If the seniors hear it and get upset, then what?" He Xiangshan smoothed things over.
The crowd immediately fell silent, but soon after, they began to whisper softly, "If only I had the martial arts skills of the seniors, I could have the admiration of the Three Immortal Maidens in the martial arts world, as well as many beautiful female warriors, hehe."
"I wonder if the seniors are accepting disciples."
......
He Dahai put in a lot of effort and took a long time to release the acupoints that Liang Shenglou was struck at, considering his martial arts skills were far inferior to Gao Wenqi's. Then he pinched the Philtrum point to awaken Liang Shenglou.
Liang Shenglou was severely injured, not to mention the various cuts and stabs he had received earlier. Just Gao Wenqi's two swords had caused him a lot of discomfort. Although the swords mainly aimed to pierce acupoints, the internal energy attached to them had already ruptured many of his meridians. He was now in unbearable pain, coupled with shattered revenge dreams, making his mind somewhat confused. As he sat up and looked at He Dahai, unable to grasp the situation, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Who are you?" He had seen He Dahai before but didn't recognize him.
"I am He Dahai, please allow Senior Liang to have a discussion with me, please!" He Dahai politely said.
Due to his previous unconsciousness, Liang Shenglou was unclear about what had happened afterward. At this moment, he followed He Dahai in the direction of Shi Xuan, and upon a stop, he saw Cao Chuyu's body. Surprised and puzzled, he also felt sorrowful. He had been friends with Cao Chuyu for twenty years, and now, they ended up facing each other with swords and knives. Now he was still alive while Cao Chuyu had turned into a corpse. Life is so unpredictable.
Walking a few more steps, Liang Shenglou saw Peng Tianxiao's body and felt scared, not knowing who had done this.
When He Dahai moved aside, Liang Shenglou saw a young Taoist priest in a mysterious black robe sitting calmly by the fire, a person Liang Shenglou had never paid attention to before. He had never heard of such a figure in the martial world.
Liang Shenglou politely asked, "Excuse me, may I know why you are looking for me?"
Shi Xuan smiled and said, "Please, Mr. Liang, I just have a few things to ask you, please have a seat."
Liang Shenglou still didn't trust Shi Xuan and said, "I prefer to stand while we talk."
Shi Xuan raised the "Long Life Treasure Book" in front of him and said, "I wonder where Mr. Liang obtained this secret manual, whether there are any words left by Hermit Guangyang, or any other relics?" Shi Xuan saw this as an opportunity to gather information about the elusive Hermit.
Seeing the coveted treasure book in Shi Xuan's hands, Liang Shenglou felt a surge of hope after his revenge seemed lost. His mind clouded with evil thoughts, urging him to reclaim it!
Since Liang Shenglou hadn't witnessed Shi Xuan killing Gao Wenqi and the others, he underestimated Shi Xuan's strength, thinking of him as just an ordinary expert in the Microcosm Realm, or maybe even less. Since he hadn't seen Gao Wenqi's body, there was a chance he had escaped. Liang Shenglou believed he could seize the treasure book when Shi Xuan wasn't paying attention, and escape in the rain just like Gao Wenqi did.
With a foggy mind, Liang Shenglou thought it all made sense. This might be a final chance given by fate amidst his suffering. Remembering the saying "opportunity favors the bold," he realized he couldn't let this chance slip by. If he did, he knew he would regress in both his mental state and martial arts skills. Filled with determination, Liang Shenglou slowly said, "Hermit Guangyang..."
Shi Xuan saw that Liang Shenglou was silent for a while and noticed his hands trembling slightly. His guard was raised even higher. When Liang Shenglou finally spoke slowly, Shi Xuan was on high alert. He knew it was better to be prepared just in case, even if Liang Shenglou meant no harm.
Liang Shenglou spoke slowly, then suddenly kicked the fire pit and rushed towards Shi Xuan. Before his kick landed, Shi Xuan struck his ankle with a fist. Liang Shenglou, already seriously injured, had weakened defences. He felt his ankle shatter from the blow and stumbled off balance towards Shi Xuan, determined to fight back.
From the previous punch, Shi Xuan had observed Liang Shenglou's severe injuries and weakened martial arts skills. Seeing Liang Shenglou still attacking, Shi Xuan stepped forward and struck with a powerful move, hitting Liang Shenglou's fists directly and causing severe injuries.
Aching with pain, Liang Shenglou staggered back in a frenzy, forgetting about his other broken foot. He felt a sharp pain in his right rib as a sword pierced through his chest. Looking to his right, he saw a beautiful girl standing nervously with a sword in hand, quickly stepping back as she dropped the sword.
Shi Xuan's intention was just to subdue Liang Shenglou and ask him questions. He was in control, not worried about He Yuqing holding a sword at the sideline. But as Liang Shenglou fell towards He Yuqing's sword, Shi Xuan's late plea for mercy came too late.
