Volume 1 Chapter 33

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Volume 1 Chapter 33: Shadows

"Master, did you see? I removed a threat for our sect. Senior Brother, did you see? I avenged you. Senior Brother, don’t blame me for ruining his abilities; with Nangong Qingshan’s extremism, the stronger he becomes, the greater the harm he will cause."

After the match ended, Xu Qingfan walked slowly off the stage, quietly looking at the sky. The clouds seemed to take the form of Lu Huayan and Yue Qingru, looking at him with complex expressions.

"Senior Brother Xu." Suddenly, a sweet voice rang out, carrying a faint hint of tension and excitement.

Xu Qingfan turned his head and saw Dongfang Qingling.

"Junior Martial Sister Dongfang." Xu Qingfan also politely nodded and greeted her. Originally, Xu Qingfan wanted to smile at her, but strangely, after defeating Nangong Qingshan, he felt both lighter and much heavier inside. He wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu, for successfully entering the top eight." Dongfang Qingling smiled brightly, as if she was just as happy as when she made it to the top eight herself.

"Thank you, younger martial sister, it was just luck." Xu Qingfan habitually bowed his hands politely.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Dongfang Qingling noticed that Xu Qingfan seemed a bit distracted, so she said goodbye and left. Watching Dongfang Qingling’s graceful figure as she walked away, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but wonder. He had eliminated Dongfang Qingling; shouldn’t she resent him? Why did she look even happier than he was?

Xu Qingfan shook his head and stopped speculating. It wasn’t the time for that.

With that thought, Xu Qingfan walked towards Jin Qinghan and Bai Qingfu.

When Xu Qingfan reached the two of them, Bai Qingfu quickly bowed and congratulated, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Xu, for making it into the top eight." Next to him, Jin Qinghan also slightly bowed and said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Bai and Junior Brother Jin." Xu Qingfan first bowed in return, then said with a somewhat melancholic expression, "I’m going back now to pay respects to my senior brother. His belongings need to be arranged. And I must inform my master and senior brother’s spirit about today’s events."

Saying this, Xu Qingfan glanced at the "Black Wood Bamboo Slip" in his hand, which had now lost its luster. This was a relic that had accompanied his senior brother Yue Qingru for many years. Now, Xu Qingfan was going to return it to Yue Qingru.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Jin Qinghan’s expression slightly dimmed, clearly reminded of the elegant and elder-like Yue Qingru, and he did not say anything more.

However, Bai Qingfu tried to persuade him, "Feng Qingtian is about to take the stage. Junior Brother Xu, won’t you stay to watch? He is the top favorite in this competition. If you want to reach the finals, you must get through him first. It’s always good to know more."

"Thank you for Senior Brother Bai’s kindness, but I have just dealt with a traitor for our school. Right now, I only want to pay respect to my master and senior brother, and I have no interest in anything else," Xu Qingfan said apologetically.

"I see, then I won’t pressure Junior Brother Xu," Bai Qingfu said regretfully. "What a shame! I thought my foolish brother and Junior Brother Jin would have Junior Brother Xu cheering for us from the sidelines. What a pity."

"I believe that even without my cheering, Senior Brother Bai and Junior Brother Jin can win as well," Xu Qingfan said sincerely.

Indeed, Jin Qinghan was the second favorite in this internal competition, while Bai Qingfu was even more mysterious. Xu Qingfan thought Bai Qingfu’s strength was at least equal to Jin Qinghan’s. It wouldn’t be hard for them to reach the top eight.

Watching Xu Qingfan slowly walk toward the back mountain, with a hint of loneliness and sadness, Bai Qingfu sighed softly, "This Junior Brother Xu is truly a sincere and loyal person."

Beside him, Jin Qinghan heard Bai Qingfu’s words and quietly nodded in agreement, perhaps remembering the moment when the seemingly unrelated Xu Qingfan had saved him in the past.

In the back mountain.

Xu Qingfan silently stood before Yue Qingru’s grave for an unknown amount of time, only aware that the night had fallen, and the grand competition inside the gate must have already finished. The twinkling stars dotted the dark sky, and under their light, Xu Qingfan’s figure looked even more lonely.

After returning to the back mountain, Xu Qingfan had already buried Yue Qingru’s "Black Wood Bamboo Slip" in front of Yue Qingru’s grave. To others, "Black Wood Bamboo Slip" was a fairly strong middle-class human-level magical tool, and burying it seemed like a waste. But for Xu Qingfan, it was just a memento of his senior brother Yue Qingru, who had used it for decades. Without it, Yue Qingru would surely feel uncomfortable in the afterlife.

So, Xu Qingfan decided to let it accompany his brother in another world.

Sometimes, holding on is not a good thing. For instance, Xu Qingfan insisted on letting the "Black Wood Bamboo Slip" go with his deceased brother, without even considering keeping it for himself. This way, although his heart felt calm, it seemed a pity. After all, having one more magical tool would greatly enhance his strength.

However, if a person does not have their own convictions in life, what is the meaning of living? There may be regrets, worries, or pain, but with one’s own principles, one should follow their heart and persist. Only then, when one’s life comes to an end and they look back suddenly, can they feel at peace.

In the legends of the Shenzhou Continent, at the beginning of creation, the sky was sky, the earth was earth, and between them lay chaos. There were originally no stars in the sky, just as there were no deserts on the ground. But after humanity was born, both heaven and earth responded. Whenever a human dies, a star appears in the sky, representing their good deeds. The more good deeds they had in life, the brighter their star shines. On the ground, a grain of sand would fall, representing this person’s sins. The more sins, the darker the color of the sand.

At this moment, the sky sparkled with countless stars. Which one represented Lu Huayan, and which one represented Yue Qingru? After one dies, where will their star appear?

Xu Qingfan looked up at the sky, searching for the stars that represented Lu Huayan and Yue Qingru.

"Master and Senior Brother are such good people; it means their stars must be very bright, right?"

"I have finally ruined Nangong Qingshan’s abilities. Now, what do Master and Senior Brother think of me? Will they be pleased or angry?"

That night, Xu Qingfan quietly stood in front of Yue Qingru’s grave, looking up at the sky. He thought of many things—the past, present, and future. He slowly lost track of time, and before he knew it, the horizon was starting to lighten.

On the same night, while Xu Qingfan was deep in thought, Nangong Qingshan was in his room, crying out in despair.

Most of his wounds had healed, but the wounds in his heart hurt even more.

The Spirit Sea is broken, the abilities are ruined.

The moment Xu Qingfan pierced his "Spiritual Sea Acupuncture Point" with Blade Grass, he knew his life was over. He could only become an ordinary person, and that was unbearable for someone who was used to the powers of a cultivator. Without strength, how would he protect himself?

But at that moment, he felt no regret; only endless hatred filled his heart.

He hated Xu Qingfan’s ruthlessness, and he hated Xu Qingfan for destroying all of his abilities.

He also resented his current master and senior brothers. He could clearly feel that when the kind master discovered his powers were destroyed, his originally warm gaze became cold. The senior brothers, who had always been polite to him, started to ignore him completely.

"One day, one day, I will return the pain I am suffering now a thousand times over to you," Nangong Qingshan said with deep resentment. Then, he buried his head in his hands and began to cry, the cold and cruel look he had before vanished. He knew that with his powers gone, that day would never come.

"Hiss… your powers are gone now, hiss… how can you take revenge?" Just as Nangong Qingshan was crying, the lights in the room suddenly went out in a strange way, and a hoarse voice echoed from somewhere, sounding like the hiss of a snake, eerie and terrifying. The already dark room became even more frightening because of this voice. In an instant, Nangong Qingshan was so scared he shivered several times.

"Who are you? This is Jiuhua Gate. If you dare to harm me, you will face a terrible fate." Nangong Qingshan looked at the empty room, his fear growing uncontrollably, and shouted loudly, his voice trembling slightly.

"I found you because I sensed the endless resentment in your heart. Hiss… don’t think you can attract the attention of your fellow disciples with loud shouts, hiss… I have set up a barrier around this room, they cannot hear you." The eerie voice continued to echo in the room, filled with deep fear and a hint of temptation. "Moreover, hiss…, think about how your masters and senior brothers acted after you were injured today, hiss… can you still rely on them? In the end, people, hiss… must rely on themselves; you cannot trust anyone else."

"You cannot trust anyone else; you can only rely on yourself." Hearing the strange voice, Nangong Qingshan momentarily lost focus and murmured to himself. Then he suddenly cried out, "But I am already useless, how can I take revenge?"

The voice was filled with deep despair, along with stronger hatred.

"You can regain your powers. Hiss…" the strange voice said, which made Nangong Qingshan temporarily stop crying.

"It’s impossible. My Spiritual Sea Acupuncture Point was pierced. Even my master has no way to help. How could you possibly have a solution?" Nangong Qingshan shouted, his voice full of disbelief.

"I have no way, but my master does. Hiss… Don’t compare my master to that useless person of yours. Hiss…"

"Really? You’re not lying to me?" Nangong Qingshan asked hopefully, as if he had grasped the last straw of hope.

"Of course. Hiss… Not only can it restore your power, but it can also greatly increase your strength. I can feel the deep resentment in your heart; as long as you have that resentment, hiss… my master can grant you power, power beyond your imagination."

Upon hearing this, joy spread across Nangong Qingshan’s face. But soon, he calmed down, returning to his usual gloom, and asked coolly, "Why would you help me, and what do you want in return? Also, I want you to show yourself and talk to me face to face; I’m not used to speaking to an empty room."

"Since you insist, hiss… fine."

As the voice faded, a shadow suddenly appeared in Nangong Qingshan’s room, and as the figure became clearer, he finally saw the mysterious person.

A snake’s tongue flicked out from the person’s mouth, continuously licking the newcomer’s face. Coupled with the person’s skin covered in white scales and the shimmering green slit pupils, it was clear that this person was not normal. Hiss… Hiss… The sound coming from that mouth was especially terrifying in the dark.

"Ah!" Although Nangong Qingshan had mentally prepared himself, he couldn’t help but scream upon seeing the monster in front of him, his terrified voice echoing in the room.