Chapter 53: A Girl Changes Greatly Over Eighteen Years, A Decade of Planning
Chapter 53 – A Girl Changes Greatly Over Eighteen Years, A Decade of Planning
“Sir, did you gain any insights today?”
A thickly-muscled young man clad in coarse linen stepped to Chen Changsheng’s side.
Chen Changsheng laid aside his brush and paper. “The same. That Thunder Beast rarely reveals itself.”
“Sir, are even you no match for that Thunder Beast?” the young man asked.
“That remains unknown. You know my nature; I do not care for needless slaughter.”
“On another note, how fares your tempering of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art?”
“Thank you for your guidance, Sir. I have currently tempered my flesh to the seventh layer of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art.”
“Soon, I will be able to comprehend the Vertical Golden Light divine ability.”
Chen Changsheng gave a faint, approving nod.
“To reach the seventh layer in a mere ten years… your marrow and blood were born for this art.”
“A pity I only hold the first nine layers. The remaining sixty-three are likely lost to the dust of history.”
“Wait a few more months. Once you grasp the Vertical Golden Light, we will properly attend to the Thunder Beast.”
The sturdy young man standing before him was none other than A’Li, the simple youth from ten years prior.
Upon learning of Chen Changsheng’s intent to strike down the Thunder Beast, the entire Wu Clan had anticipated an immediate, bloody war.
None had foreseen that the wait would stretch into a full decade.
Over these ten years, aside from guiding A’Li and A-Man, Chen Changsheng had dedicated his days to quietly observing his prey.
Hearing that the time for the beast’s funeral was finally drawing near, a heavy tension settled in A’Li’s chest.
After all, it was a ferocious beast of the Soul Formation stage. While Chen Changsheng had broken through to Soul Formation three years ago…
…he was merely newly ascended. Facing an ancient entity steeped in the Soul Formation realm, the scales of life and death did not tip easily in their favor.
A’Li voiced his doubts. “Sir, the current path of Cultivation is unfathomably complex. If I ever leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains…”
“…how should I gauge the depths of future foes?”
“You cannot. You can only trust the warnings of your flesh and spirit. External tempering and internal Cultivation each walk their own distinct Dao.”
“Broadly speaking, the gulf between realms may seem negligible, but true mastery lies in the microscopic nuances.”
“In a struggle of life and death, victory is decided by a razor’s edge. A breath’s hesitation is enough to separate a living man from a corpse.”
A’Li chuckled, shaking his head. “That sounds deeply tedious. Why can there not be a singular, unified Dao?”
“If internal and external paths both hold merit, why not simply temper the body and nurture the Qi as one?”
“According to the ancient laws, such a thing is possible. Yet, the Heavens have not witnessed anyone accomplish it.”
“The Eight-Nine Mysterious Art can manifest primordial spirit power through the density of the flesh, but its foundation remains rooted in external tempering.”
“You grasp the methods of both inside and outside. Your musings on resonance are quite fascinating.”
“But countless unseen chains bind that path. You must shatter those shackles yourself.”
“Perhaps millennia from now, you will unite the myriad paths of Cultivation and forge a brand new Dao.”
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s profound words, A’Li only offered a simple smile, letting the heavy burden of such a destiny slide off his shoulders.
Fusing the internal and external was merely idle chatter to him, a way to pass the long days.
Even as the one who birthed the idea, he never truly believed he could manifest it.
“What matters are you two discussing now? Can I listen?”
A woman in unadorned robes approached, a woven food box resting on her arm.
The simple cloth could not mask her Peerless visage.
Her eyes gleamed with the luster of dark river stones, while her lips carried the deep red of a fresh spring blossom.
Her pale skin seemed fragile as morning frost. A cascade of jet-black hair was held carelessly in place by a single, carved bone hairpin.
Yet, this lack of adornment only allowed her natural allure to radiate with the untamed spirit of the mountains.
Seeing her approach, A’Li flashed a wide grin.
“A-Man, your beauty only grows. I still remember when you were nothing but dark skin and sharp bones.”
“Besides, considering Sir’s realm, he has long since attained Inedia. Why do you persist in bringing him mortal food?”
A-Man instantly shot him a look as cold as a winter blade.
“You have studied under Big Brother Changsheng for a decade, yet you still cannot discipline your tongue.”
“Since you value Inedia so highly, you need not partake in this meal.”
A’Li shrank his neck, an instinctual retreat from her glare.
Chen Changsheng’s lips curved upwards. “Although a practitioner of Cultivation can sustain themselves without sustenance, consuming mortal food is no sin.”
A’Li tilted his head. “Why is that?”
“Because breathing the smoke and fire of the mortal realm tethers the spirit. It reminds a man that he is still flesh and blood.”
“Moreover, A-Man’s culinary skill is exceptional. Would you truly refuse it?”
“Precisely. Big Brother Changsheng comprehends the Dao of life. Unlike some whose brains have rotted from cultivating.”
A’Li rolled his eyes toward the dense canopy above. “It is not that I wish to starve. It is your blatant bias.”
“Sir’s bowl is always crowned with roasted meat, while mine contains naught but endless, bitter greens.”
“Add some meat to my bowl, and I will gladly feast.”
“Eat or starve! Your choice!”
“If you desire meat, hunt it yourself!”
“I bring you sustenance and you offer only complaints. You fast today.”
With a wave of her hand, she shooed A’Li away, laying out the aromatic dishes squarely before Chen Changsheng.
Exiled from the feast, A’Li could only squat by a nearby tree, muttering dark grievances into his knees.
Her hostility vanishing in an instant, A-Man tended to Chen Changsheng with meticulous gentleness, her demeanor embodying the warmth of a devoted companion.
“Big Brother Changsheng, you have observed the Thunder Beast for ten years. Have you deciphered its flaws?”
Chen Changsheng swallowed a tender bite of meat, his expression turning thoughtful.
“I have not found its weakness, but I have witnessed a multitude of contradictions.”
“The Water-Moon Cave is an ancestral domain of the Wu Clan. Yet, in terms of Heaven and Earth Aura, it is utterly barren.”
“There is no logical reason for the Water-Moon Cave to draw a beast of the Soul Formation stage.”
“Yet the Thunder Beast descended, and it has anchored itself here like a rusted blade.”
“More intriguing still—it possesses the power to effortlessly slaughter the entire Wu Clan, yet it stays its hand.”
“It merely drove you from the territory. Such restraint defies the very nature of a ferocious beast.”
“Furthermore, each time it feeds, it succumbs to a profound lethargy. This, too, violates the natural laws.”
“For an entity at the Soul Formation stage, remaining awake for a decade should not ripple its vital energies.”
A-Man pondered the anomalies he laid out, her brows knitting together.
“Do these anomalies aid us in orchestrating its death?”
“In the hands of another, perhaps not. But in mine, they are the very tools for its funeral.”