Chapter 23

Chapter 23: That Blade Strike

His vision was filled with golden light!

This light came from all the blurry sculptures carved into the temple walls.

Each of them gave off a small light. Right now, all these small lights compounded to brightly illuminate the whole temple. However, these small lights weren’t the biggest source of light.

The biggest light source was… the main statue enshrined on the altar, the stone statue holding a stone blade!

Under this golden light, Xu Qing’s heart shook. He also saw a lifeform wrapped in black mist standing at the temple door. Its figure was blurry, but he could see a vaguely humanoid shape twisting and distorting as the golden light shone on it.

Outside the temple, there were hundreds of similar black mist lifeforms. Some were shaped like humans and some were shaped more like animals.

At that moment, they all exuded an astonishing coldness. The coldness emitted by each of the black mist lifeforms swiftly gathered together, turning into an even more monstrous chill that seemed to have some invisible connection with the black mist lifeform that was stepping into the temple.

That black mist lifeform slowly raised its head and let out a soul-shaking roar. Under the golden light, it took one step into the temple.

And this step seemed to have violated a taboo!

The moment the step landed, Xu Qing watched in amazement as the blade-wielding stone statue that emitted boundless light suddenly walked down from the altar as if it were alive.

With unparalleled majesty and an indescribable holiness, as if it were a god descending down to earth, the stone statue strode forward, causing the ground to rumble as it walked towards the black mist lifeform.

The statue raised its hand and struck down with its blade. Just one strike.

This blade strike was simple and straightforward, but this simplicity shockingly seemed to contain a hint of the Great Dao.

Suddenly, the black mist lifeform emitted a mournful shriek that could not be heard by the ears, only felt by the soul.

The mist surrounding it evaporated in an instant, revealing a rotting corpse with tattered clothes.

This corpse was that of an old man, and its eye sockets were completely empty.

In the next instant, this corpse collapsed and evaporated just like the mist.

This seemed to cause a chain reaction with the black mist lifeforms outside. One by one, the black mist surrounding their bodies evaporated, revealing their true appearance. Among them, Xu Qing saw a familiar face.

That was… the Blood Shadow Team Leader!

He was in the group of black mist lifeforms and had a vacant expression on his face. As the golden light spread to him, his whole body dissipated as if it was being purified.

A long while later, in the dark night outside the temple, those black mist figures that avoided destruction slowly retreated until they finally disappeared from the temple complex completely.

The golden light in the temple also gradually diminished. That astonishing stone statue turned around and returned to its original position atop the altar. As the light faded completely from its body, it seemed to have returned to being just an inanimate stone statue. Standing there, its gaze was seemingly fixed on the doorway, as if it was guarding the temple and waiting to awaken once more.

After a long time, everything returned to how it was before. But Xu Qing, who had watched everything through the crevice in the rocks, was panting heavily. His eyes were full of disbelief.

The Blood Shadow Team leader, who had obviously died and even turned to dust in the mist brought by the singing voice, still existed.

This seemed to be an ordinary temple, but at night it actually lit up with golden light.

The stone statue was clearly just an inanimate object, but it suddenly walked down like a god descending down to earth, and chopped down with a peerless blade strike.

At last, the sun appeared in the sky outside. Dawn broke, heralding the start of a new day.

Xu Qing remained shocked for a long time before he managed to calm his heart and silently crawl out of the stone crevice.

He looked at the light outside, then at the human sculptures carved into the walls. Finally, his eyes fell on the stone statue that was holding a blade.

He didn’t know what kind of existence this statue was, or whether it was living or dead.

He also didn’t know how old this temple complex was, or how glorious it was in its heyday.

But what happened last night shocked him greatly, especially that vast and imposing blade strike. It was as if that strike had engraved itself onto Xu Qing’s soul, impossible to forget.

Xu Qing couldn’t imagine that in this forbidden area full of danger and peril, there was a place like this that those evil existences were unable to enter.

Captain Thunder hadn’t told him about this. Perhaps he didn’t even know about it.

Obviously, scenes like those from last night didn’t appear very often. At the same time, the camp had nobody else like Xu Qing who could stay in the forbidden area for a long time.

So even if some people had seen it, the number would certainly be very few. Over time, this sort of thing would eventually just turn into an unproven legend.

Xu Qing stood silently for a while, then he bowed deeply towards the stone statue and the surrounding sculptures.

After thinking about it, he took out a candle from his leather bag. He placed it in front of the stone statue, lit it, and bowed again.

Then he turned around and left the temple.

As he walked out of the temple complex, he still looked back at that temple from time to time, as if he wanted to clearly memorize this location. At the same time, the image of that blade strike kept appearing in his mind.

This mental image was so clear that even when Xu Qing had left the range of the temple complex, he kept raising his right hand while walking through the jungle, instinctively tracing out that blade strike.

And every time he traced it out with his hand, he could feel his comprehension deepen.

If the cultivation method of the Sea and Mountain Art was to imitate the Imp figure, then at this moment, Xu Qing was trying to replace the Imp figure with the image of that blade strike.

And as he continued to trace out the blade strike, his cultivation base suddenly broke through. He had reached the fourth level of the Sea and Mountain Art!

Maybe it was because of tracing out that blade strike, but not only only did his strength and speed more than double, he also had a breakthrough in his spirit.

This spiritual breakthrough sharpened Xu Qing’s mind, and at the same time, when he lifted his right hand and chopped down, his movement had a slight resemblance to that divine blade strike.

Two days passed. Perhaps it was because he was in the outer area, or perhaps it was because of what happened in the temple that night, but Xu Qing didn’t encounter the strange footsteps on the way back.

As for mutated beasts, Xu Qing did meet a few problematic situations. However, his improved cultivation base meant that it was much easier for him to preserve his life, and as long as he remained cautious, he was able to proceed smoothly.

Although he didn’t find the Destiny Flower or the scar-removing stone, he harvested a lot of seven-leaf grass which could be sold at a high price when he got back.

Just as dusk was approaching, Xu Qing finally saw the boundary of the jungle and was about to walk out. However, his footsteps suddenly stopped, and he looked down at an herb growing next to him.

This herb looked somewhat similar to the Destiny Flower, but even with his meager knowledge, he was able to tell the difference after looking carefully.

However, Xu Qing lowered his head in thought for a while. After hesitating, he glanced around somewhat guiltily and plucked the herb to put it in his leather bag.

Then he ran out of the forbidden area at full speed. By the time he returned to camp, night had already fallen.

It wasn’t that late, so the camp was still very lively. In particular, the area with the feathered tents was quite popular, and bursts of unbridled panting could be heard coming from them.

Xu Qing didn’t pay attention to any of this. When he returned to his residence, he had just opened the courtyard gate when he saw Captain Thunder walking out of his house.

After seeing that Xu Qing was alright aside from a slightly disheveled appearance, Captain Thunder breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why were you in there for so long?”

“I went to the temple.” Under the light from the moon and the house, Xu Qing could see Captain’s Thunder’s bloodshot eyes and exhausted expression.

It was obvious that Captain Thunder hadn’t rested well recently, and the reason for that… Xu Qing already knew. He felt a little warm in his heart.

"Temple?" Captain Thunder was a bit surprised. He didn’t expect that Xu Qing had gone so deep. But a moment later, he called Xu Qing into the kitchen to serve the food he had already prepared.

The food was still hot and there was no sign of it being reheated, so Xu Qing was taken aback.

He was sure that Captain Thunder didn’t know when he would come back. For a hot meal to be waiting right after he came back, there was only one explanation.

Captain Thunder… had prepared meals every single day to wait for him.

Xu Qing silently stood up to get the bowls and chopsticks. There were three sets of tableware again, and he put two of them side by side before he sat down to eat.

This meal had a special flavor. This flavor couldn’t be felt by the taste buds, only experienced by the heart.

Captain Thunder ate very little. Most of the time, he was either drinking or looking at Xu Qing with a smile on his face.

“You’re still growing, eat more. If you don’t eat then you won’t grow tall in the future.”

These words made Xu Qing bow his head. He nodded and obediently ate more food. Then he began to talk to Captain Thunder about what he had seen in the temple.

Captain Thunder originally sipped his wine slowly, but he was quickly engrossed in Xu Qing’s story. When Xu Qing finished speaking, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

“I’ve heard people talk about this before, but that was a long time ago. Some people claimed to have seen something similar, but like the singing voice, it became nothing more than a legend.”

“Now that I think about it, it seemed to have happened not long after the stories of the singing voice appeared.” Captain Thunder murmured. He suddenly thought of something, and his reminiscing eyes slowly filled with sadness.

Xu Qing knew what Captain Thunder was thinking about, and he suddenly felt a sense of guilt. Feeling that he shouldn’t have let this subject be brought up, he fell silent.

After a while, Captain Thunder regained his composure. He smiled at Xu Qing, seemingly realizing the reason for the latter’s sudden silence.

“Kid, you’re too sensitive. I am not as fragile as you think.”

Captain Thunder took a big gulp of wine as he said this and changed the subject. He started talking to Xu Qing about the interesting things that happened in the camp recently.

He spoke while drinking, and Xu Qing listened while eating.

It was as if they were… family.

Late at night, Captain Thunder sat there drinking wine, watching Xu Qing clean up and wash the dishes. He got up with a smile and returned to his house.

Xu Qing also went back to his own house, and when he entered, he saw that his bedding had been replaced with a new one. Furthermore, rather than curled up like before, it was laid out evenly, and it had clearly been recently dried in the sun.

This made Xu Qing look over at Captain Thunder’s house next door. After a while, he walked over to his bed and was going to sit down, but he suddenly hesitated. Looking at the dirt on his clothes and hands, he rolled up the bedding and simply sat on the bed frame. He closed his eyes and began cultivating.

When Xu Qing opened his eyes, the next morning had already arrived.

He was about to leave the room, but after thinking about it, he walked to the bathroom and endured the discomfort as he washed his hands.

After washing his hands clean and white, he took a deep breath and left his house. He walked straight to the convoy and stopped next to the doctor’s tent.

He knew that he couldn’t go too early, and he couldn’t bear to go too late.

If he went too early, Grandmaster Bai hadn’t begun teaching yet. If he went too late… he was worried that he would miss out on parts of the lecture.

Luckily, everything went according to Xu Qing’s calculations. When he arrived outside of Grandmaster Bai’s tent, the doctor had just begun to quiz his disciples.

Xu Qing was very happy and stood there silently, rapt with attention.

"Green lotus flower dew, also known as green lotus dew, comes from the flower bud of the water lily family’s lotus. It is a fragrant water obtained by using a special heating method. It can be used to soothe the lungs and expel heat by coughing up blood...”

The voice of the girl in the tent was the same as before. Xu Qing fell into a trance as he listened, unaware of the passage of time. When more than an hour had passed, the tent suddenly opened, and Grandmaster Bai walked out and looked at him.

“What’s the matter?” Grandmaster Bai’s gaze wasn’t sharp, but it was very dignified. Xu Qing was very nervous. He braced himself and pulled out the herb that he had picked on the way back from the forbidden area, then lowered his head and said softly.

“Grandmaster Bai, I… I want to ask, is this the Destiny Flower?”

As soon as he heard these words, Grandmaster Bai was stunned.

When swept his gaze over Xu Qing, his expression seemed a little weird. He looked at the boy’s hands, which were much cleaner than before. After a long while, as Xu Qing became more and more nervous, Grandmaster Bai finally opened his mouth slowly.

“This isn’t it.”

Xu Qing hurriedly bowed and left immediately. He was still a little uneasy, so he looked back at the tent and found that Grandmaster Bai was still standing there.

Noticing the boy's gaze, Grandmaster Bai nodded.

Xu Qing paused, bowed deeply again, and hurried away.

Watching the boy’s figure head off, Grandmaster Bai turned and walked back into the tent. At this moment, the guards, the boy, and the girl, everyone who had been in the tent before, seemed to be petrified. They were all completely motionless.

At the spot Grandmaster Bai had been sitting previously, there was suddenly a table full of delicious food and wine. An old man in a purple robe sat at the table, and behind him was his gray-robed servant.

Seeing Grandmaster Bai walk in, the purple-robed old man laughed.

"Grandmaster Bai, how is he?"

"How is who?"

Grandmaster Bai didn’t seem surprised by the sudden appearance of the purple-robed old man, nor was he worried about the motionless people around him. He sat down at the table and took a sip of wine.

“I’m talking about that Kid. I told you last time, right? While I was waiting for you to show up, I found a good seedling.” The purple-robed old man smiled as he spoke.

“Good seedling? The first time he eavesdropped was no big deal, but this time, he actually found some random herb and asked me if it was a Destiny Flower. If this goes on, I guess I guess he’ll bring me one every day, using asking about medicine as an excuse to listen in on my lessons. If you hadn’t mentioned him to me, I would have sent him packing a long time ago.”

Grandmaster Bai looked over at the purple-robed old man and snorted.

The purple-robed old man just laughed.

“Your tongue is sharp but your heart is soft. With your temper, if you didn’t think he was a good seedling, then it would be useless no matter who said what about him.”

Grandmaster Bai snorted coldly. Instead of denying anything, he asked a question.

“Are you planning to bring him back to Seven Blood Pupils? That place of yours is filled with a wicked air. You’d be wasting this potential scholar!”

“Wasting him? What’s the use of being a scholar? In this world, having a strong cultivation base is the most important thing!” The purple-robed old man raised his eyebrows as he replied.

“Being a scholar is useless? Then why did you still come here and wait for an ordinary human like me, always asking me to go join your Seven Blood Pupils?” Grandmaster Bai said angrily.

"You're different..." The purple-robed old man smiled awkwardly.

"Why am I different!" Grandmaster Bai glared at the purple-robed old man fiercely.

The purple-robed old man helplessly slapped his forehead.

“Oh, I just remembered that I still have something to do. Grandmaster Bai, I’ll be leaving first. I’ll come drink with you tomorrow.”

After he finished speaking, the purple-robed old man got up and prepared to leave. Before he left, he looked back at Grandmaster Bai and spoke seriously.

“Grandmaster Bai, if you really think that kid is a good seedling, then impart more of your knowledge to him. Give him a chance to become a scholar with cultivation in Seven Blood Pupils.”

Finally, the purple-robed old man left with his servant in tow. When he disappeared, everyone in the tent recovered instantly, and no one even noticed that any time had passed.

The guards still stood guard vigilantly, the boy was still upset, and the girl was still proud.

Only Grandmaster Bai lifted his head with a pensive gaze, looking over at the place Xu Qing had left to earlier.

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