"Aaah——"
High above the mysterious cavalry, a Hai Dongqing with wings nearly a zhang wide swept through the sky, its iron wings cleaving the clouds, the piercing cry shattering gold and splitting stone, like the long-sky Reaper on patrol.
At the front, the Evil Eagle mysterious rider’s Iron Armor clanged as he hurled a bloodstained eagle-shaped bronze talisman.
"Urgent report from beyond the pass—open the gate immediately!"
Upon the walls of Yuguo Pass, the border army’s sharpshooter with keen eyes saw both the tossed bronze talisman and the soaring Hai Dongqing above; instantly confirming the group’s identity, several men nodded rapidly toward the City Defense General.
"Open the gate!"
The deep, booming voice erupted from the City Defense General’s mouth; Yuguo Pass’s gate, like the Dragon-breaking Gate itself, gradually opened, and over twenty cavalry riders streamed in single file, with the two leading riders heading straight for the Protectorate.
On this day, tremors shook the Qingzhou Protectorate, though few truly knew what happened beyond the border, and even fewer what news the Evil Eagle Camp’s cavalry had brought back.
It was also on this day that the Evil Eagle Rear Camp quietly gained an unremarkable newcomer.
...
Two flowers bloom, each on a separate branch—Jinmen Mountain, the small town below.
"Counting today, it’s been seven days; could that guy have ended up staying on the mountain as a monk?"
By the second floor inn’s window, Li Lu gazed toward Jinmen Mountain, lost in thought for a long while; not until night fell did she slowly come to herself and finally close the window. Though it was June, with night descending, the mountain wind below brought a touch of chill.
Poof!
The lamp in the room was lit.
Li Lu, bored beyond words, reached under her pillow for another small bundle. She unraveled several tight layers of cloth inside, revealing a delicately carved deer-adorned silver hairpin and an ancient book without a cover.
She recalled how her father had treasured that silver hairpin and the book since she was little, later giving them to her on her sixth and twelfth birthdays, one at a time.
Li Lu remembered clearly that her mother’s silver hairpin was given to her at age six, while the ancient text came later.
Opening the book’s title page, a drawing of a little figure brewing wine lay there; Li Lu turned page after page, gazing at the familiar illustrations, her eyes turning misty.
Ever since her father passed, Li Lu had been all alone, yet when she flipped through the book, it was as if she could smell a strange fragrance.
As though everything had returned to the past—she was again in her father’s old tavern, watching him sweat as he brewed wine, the scent enveloping her nose, the familiar comforts reassuring her soul.
The longer she looked, the stronger the wine’s aroma wafted from the book; soon, snores began rising in the room. Li Lu, tear-stained at the corners of her eyes, lay asleep on the table—only by flipping through the book could the anxious girl find rest since Su Mu left.
Rustle.
Suddenly, mountain winds slipped through the window cracks, making the book pages flutter with a melodious, quiet sound; each brewing illustration was vivid, brimming with a mysterious aura.
...
Meanwhile, in the Cyan Pine Forest, Zen Jing and several old monks sat cross-legged like withered trees, dusk mist hanging over their brows as night fell.
Ever since the Relic Tower repeatedly changed abnormally, none dared to slack off. They kept watch without leaving for an instant, fearing another strange event.
Within the Relic Tower, a figure also sat cross-legged, but in the next breath, his whole body shuddered, shattering the tranquility.
Buzz!
A warm current suddenly welled up in the figure’s abdomen.
Five Elements Technique (Small Success 1%)
Comprehension: 146 (Dragon-and-Phoenix Level)
With a thought, the sitting figure directed the breakthrough’s surge of comprehension into feeding the vast qi at his Dantian; having recently broken through and only accumulated thirty-three strands of vast qi, he instantly breached a new realm.
Thirty-four strands.
Thirty-seven strands.
Forty-two strands.
In just over ten breaths, he broke through the forty-strand barrier, and the momentum didn’t cease, visibly swelling and strengthening.
The fourth pearly-white light cluster emerged, floating from his Dantian, drifting past his brow, shining radiantly.
"Summer brings all qi to a gather: rainwater converges, floating on beds and tables, thus it is water qi."
"Half the morning in mud, vapor steams through the waves, thus it is earth qi."
"Fierce heat after sudden sunshine, all winds blocked, thus it is sun qi."
The figure’s lips parted, and a calm, resonant recitation rang out, swirling above the lotus pond.
Perceiving this scene, Master Kongshe within the Relic solemnly narrowed his pupils, a gleam of mockery flickering in his eyes.
"A Martial Artist cultivates only himself; a solitary man without guidance will destroy his own path, his cultivation foundation is ruined. This child will not go far, and never again enter the Upper Three Grades in his life..."
Yet upon sensing Su Mu’s rising Confucian vast literary qi, Master Kongshe secretly breathed out a sigh of relief.
These past days, he’d noticed Li Feiyu’s martial dao foundation was extraordinarily strong; in centuries, only one other Martial Artist had such roots—a man besides Li Feiyu.
Without mastering the Vajra Secret Method, he already grasped some secret realm mysteries—if given time to grow, this youth could become a formidable Martial Artist indeed.
But as things now stand, Master Kongshe realized he’d worried too much. The path to martial dao’s Upper Three Grades was already fraught with danger, and now Li Feiyu had severed his own foundation—no need to worry in days to come.
"He does have a touch of cleverness, knowing the third organ can’t be refined, so he borrowed my relic’s power to temper his internal vast qi."
Master Kongshe also took notice of how Su Mu’s vast qi was strikingly pure—the realm but Lower Three Grades, yet its purity matched Middle Third Grade literary qi.
But Master Kongshe didn’t care, only reckoning Su Mu’s vast qi was a result of days spent bathing in the relic light. With this thought, he closed his eyes and ceased observing.