At the bottom of Thousand Feet Cliff, even though the battle was in full swing, Crazy Cui felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Lin Huang charging at him.
Wielding a ten-foot giant blade that looked like a massive iron stele, Lin Huang slashed at the members of the Violent Bear Mercenary Corps. His attacks were rough and embodied the Tyrant Path. Not a single Mercenary could withstand the formidable power brought down by the giant blade.
Crazy Cui’s expression turned ruthless. He spat out a mouthful of blood onto his large silver bow.
In the blink of an eye, the large bow trembled, and an extremely fierce aura surged from it. A silver arrow dripping with blood had mysteriously appeared on the bowstring, emitting a blindingly dazzling light under the sun.
"You forced my hand! Even if I suffer a drop in Realm, I will slay you!" Crazy Cui said.
Crazy Cui’s eyes were bloodshot, brimming with thick killing intent. He hadn’t expected Lin Huang to have successfully achieved Breaking Realm, making him so difficult to kill.
On the battlefield, Lin Huang stared at the blood-dripping silver arrow, his expression solemn.
"I am at least at the Human Element Sixth Heaven Realm and have immersed myself in Martial Arts for many years. Boy, do you really want to risk your life against me?" Crazy Cui sneered coldly. "If you leave now, I can spare your life. Don’t become a dead soul under my arrow."
"Are you scared?" Lin Huang suddenly smiled.
"Make a move, and you’ll find out whether I’m scared or not. However, the moment you strike will likely be the last time you see the sun of the Human World." Crazy Cui’s killing intent was awe-inspiring, and the aura of the bow and arrow in his hands grew increasingly terrifying and powerful.
"But I just refuse to believe that!" Lin Huang’s expression was stern. His body abruptly leaped into the air as he slashed toward Crazy Cui.
SWISH!
The silver blood arrow left the string. An arrow with blood-red wings suddenly manifested in the void, erupting with an extremely gloomy and cold aura as it shot toward Lin Huang.
Lin Huang held the giant blade horizontally across his chest to block the arrow.
Crazy Cui sneered.
When the arrow approached the giant blade, the blood-red wings on its shaft suddenly flapped. This allowed the arrow to bizarrely bypass the blade and continue its trajectory toward Lin Huang.
At that moment, Lin Huang also sneered. He forcefully threw his blade forward, using the recoil to shift his body sideways.
SQUELCH!
The faint sound of flesh being pierced echoed in the air. The arrow penetrated Lin Huang’s shoulder, drawing a long trail of blood across the sky.
But Lin Huang had already closed the distance to Crazy Cui. He clenched his fingers into a fist and brought it down like an iron hammer.
BANG!
A crisp crack rang out, and silence fell all around.
Crazy Cui’s eyes bulged, completely bloodshot. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared all over his head. His entire body swayed twice before he crashed heavily to the ground.
Several Mercenaries watched the scene unfold before them, their expressions drastically changing.
Crazy Cui was at least a Martial Artist of the Human Element Sixth Heaven Realm, yet he was killed by Lin Huang in a single punch. This kid was only at the Human Element Fourth Heaven Realm!
His physical strength could actually rival the Human Element Sixth Heaven!
Thinking of this, the present Mercenaries stared at Lin Huang’s back, their hearts turning to dead ashes. The strongest among them was merely at the Human Element Fifth Heaven.
And Lin Huang had obliterated a Sixth Heaven expert with just one punch.
The gap between them was simply too enormous!
"Get lost!" Lin Huang casually tossed Crazy Cui’s body toward the crowd and spoke coldly.
...
"My fourth disciple is truly impressive!" After the members of the Violent Bear Mercenary Corps left, Xiao Yishan waved his hand and appeared in front of Lin Huang. "Look at you. You almost lost your own life just to kill a Martial Artist of the Human Element Sixth Heaven."
Lin Huang looked at Xiao Yishan, rolled his eyes, and collapsed headfirst onto the ground.
By the time Lin Huang woke up, it was already midnight. His wounds had all been bandaged by Xiao Yishan, wrapping him up completely like a rice dumpling.
"You’re awake?" Xiao Yishan said flatly as he ate some roast meat.
"Yeah."
"Then go write a self-reflection!" Xiao Yishan said.
"Huh?" Lin Huang looked bewildered, having no idea what Xiao Yishan was talking about.
"What do you mean ’huh’? You nearly got yourself killed taking out a piece of trash Martial Artist at the Human Element Sixth Heaven. Shouldn’t you write a self-reflection?" Xiao Yishan said huffily. "Who are you? You are the disciple of Xiao Yishan! Shouldn’t it be a walk in the park for my disciple to kill an enemy?"
Xiao Yishan glared at Lin Huang with a look of disappointment at his failure to meet expectations.
Lin Huang widened his eyes. What did he mean by a "trash Martial Artist at the Human Element Sixth Heaven"? He himself was only at the Fourth Heaven. If he hadn’t possessed the Great Vajra Technique, he would have lost his life long ago.
"You need to write three thousand words... No, write ten thousand words. Go write it right now!" Xiao Yishan demanded fiercely.
"But I haven’t eaten yet. I’ve been starving all day." Lin Huang felt helpless. In his past and present lives combined, he had never written a self-reflection, especially not for such a bizarre reason.
"Eat after you finish writing!" Xiao Yishan roared.
Lin Huang widened his eyes again, sighed in resignation, and silently walked into the thatched hut to begin writing his self-reflection.
Two hours later...
"Are you a pig? Look at what you wrote! Can’t you be a little more cultured? Which of Xiao Yishan’s disciples isn’t exceptionally talented, having read through thirty thousand Musashis? Rewrite it!" Xiao Yishan tore up the self-reflection, threw a pile of books at Lin Huang, and kicked him back into the hut.
Two hours later...
"Are you a chicken? Can’t you write a bit more beautifully? Your handwriting reflects your character! Your handwriting reflects your character! Which of Xiao Yishan’s disciples doesn’t write with vigorous and flamboyant strokes? Rewrite it!"
Two hours later...
"Rewrite it!"
...
For a single self-reflection letter, Lin Huang spent a full three days. Only after reading Shiyi volumes of Musashi and rewriting his letter seventeen times did Xiao Yishan finally nod in satisfaction.
"You didn’t practice Cultivation these past three days. Make it up to me in the next three," Xiao Yishan said, then swaggered away.
From that day onward, Xiao Yishan fell in love with this game. Every day after Lin Huang finished his Cultivation, he was required to write a self-reflection letter. He had to reflect on his mistakes in Cultivation, his lack of focus, his lack of effort, and his lack of ambition.
More importantly, he absolutely had to praise Xiao Yishan for his brilliant and divine martial prowess!
The more shameless the flattery, the happier Xiao Yishan was when he read it.
Lin Huang developed an increasing knack for writing these self-reflection letters. Before writing, he would read two volumes of Musashi. He would copy down the parts he couldn’t understand or that sounded incredibly profound. Then, he would praise Xiao Yishan at the beginning and the end of the text. Finally, in the middle, he would profoundly scold himself for his ten great sins and a hundred mistakes.
Whenever he was in the middle of writing, Lin Huang would think of Fatty Bai. If that guy were the one writing praises and adorations for Xiao Yishan, he would probably make Xiao Yishan die of laughter.
However, Lin Huang somewhat understood Xiao Yishan’s deep intentions behind this act. This so-called self-reflection was actually a profound deduction and validation of Martial Arts theories, followed by an introspective summary of his Cultivation.
By requiring one every day, Xiao Yishan was cultivating a habit in him.
Over these past few months, after Xiao Yishan’s repeated "teachings," Lin Huang’s behavior had become exceptionally disciplined:
He swung his blade at the waterfall ninety thousand times a day.
He read two volumes of Musashi and wrote one Martial Arts self-reflection letter.
He cooked, swept the house, dug the soil, and fed the ox.
He shamelessly praised Xiao Yishan! He shamelessly praised Xiao Yishan! He shamelessly praised Xiao Yishan!
This kind of life continued for a full four months since Lin Huang killed Crazy Cui. These four months of tempering also brought about a relatively massive change in Lin Huang:
His Realm had stepped into the Human Element Sixth Heaven.
He had touched the edge of the Great Vajra Technique’s Mahayana Realm.
Seeing Lin Huang grow so quickly, Xiao Yishan felt he was the most perfect man in the world. Even rolling up his pant legs exuded an unparalleled handsomeness, and being unkempt only highlighted a powerhouse’s demeanor.
"Boy, climb up here and talk to me."
Under the bright moon, Xiao Yishan stood at the peak of Thousand Feet Cliff. His voice was calm, but it traveled through the thousand-foot-high cliff and, despite the roaring of the waterfall, accurately reached Lin Huang’s ears.
Lin Huang climbed up the iron chain Xiao Yishan had thrown down, taking a full incense stick’s worth of time.
"Master!" Lin Huang called out. Bathed in the moonlight, Xiao Yishan stood at the precipice of the cliff. He remained as unkempt as ever, yet he possessed an inexplicably desolate bearing.
This bearing made Lin Huang immediately understand what was going on. He was just about to offer a barrage of praises when Xiao Yishan stopped him.
"Do you regret being forced by me to become my Direct Disciple? Speak from your heart!" Xiao Yishan’s expression was serene, his voice deep.
"I don’t regret it!" Lin Huang answered affirmatively. Xiao Yishan had asked this same question dozens of times, wearing this exact expression every time. Lin Huang was far too familiar with Xiao Yishan’s routine, so naturally, he wouldn’t slip up.
"Whether you regret it or not, it was your fate to meet me, Xiao Yishan. This is the destiny between us!" Xiao Yishan chuckled.
Lin Huang nodded with deep emotion, mirroring Xiao Yishan, but he scoffed inwardly. He didn’t even need to guess to know that Xiao Yishan was pretending to be profound again.
"I am giving you one chance to sever our master-disciple relationship. If you end it, I will give you a great fortune; if you don’t, perhaps one day you will be doomed beyond redemption. I do not want to harm you!
"This sentence is the most serious thing I have ever said in my entire life!"
Xiao Yishan turned around, looking at Lin Huang calmly, earnestly, and solemnly. A paper crane in his palm had already been crumpled into a ball.
Lin Huang shook his head and said, "I have been to many places in the past. I wanted to take those experts as my master, hoping they could guide me in my Cultivation. However, they despised my poor talent, low aptitude, and lack of a prominent family background. They treated me like dirt and viewed me as an ant. The fact that Master took me in as a disciple proves that you are different from them. You treat me with sincerity, and this is my fortune!"
Xiao Yishan didn’t speak. He patted Lin Huang’s shoulder and smiled.
The two leaned against the large tree at the peak of the cliff, looking up at the stars in the sky, each lost in their own thoughts.
Lin Huang thought about how Xiao Yishan’s current weathered and desolate expression had almost fooled him again. Luckily, he was quick-witted; otherwise, he would have fallen into Xiao Yishan’s trap once more.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yishan pinched the paper crane in his hand, his thoughts surging like a tide for a moment...
Under the bright moon, Xiao Yishan slowly unfolded the paper crane in his hand. Staring at its contents, he read it repeatedly dozens of times and rubbed his eyes countlessly, deeply afraid he had misread it:
"The sun and moon gradually rise in the east, for millennia we plotted this scheme.
Placing the pawn requires a Dragon Head, so why does Ren Tu not return?
— Li Baiyi!"
The few words on the paper elicited infinite emotions from Xiao Yishan. If Lin Huang were to turn his head at this moment, he would undoubtedly see Xiao Yishan’s complex expression:
Melancholy!
Hatred!
World-weariness!
Bewilderment!
Unwillingness!
Ambition!
Heroism!
...
Finally, Xiao Yishan’s eyes actually turned a little red.
"Fourth Disciple, your master will be leaving in half a year. I will teach you with all my heart for this next half-year, so learn well," Xiao Yishan said with a smile as he burned the paper crane.
"Master, aren’t you living in seclusion here? Are you planning to come out of hiding?" Lin Huang asked.
"In this world, nine out of ten people living in seclusion just can’t survive in the Red Dust. They are forced to escape reality and pretend to be aloof," Xiao Yishan laughed.
"Understood!" Lin Huang nodded. He knew that Xiao Yishan was not a simple Celestial Element Martial Artist.
During the time they talked, the cold night colors shifted, gradually tinged by rolling red clouds that stacked and scattered like ocean waves, dyeing half the sky red.
"That’s strange. Why are there red clouds in the middle of the night?" Lin Huang asked in confusion.
"What red clouds? That’s a fire soaring to the heavens!" Xiao Yishan said. Separated by the mountain mist, Lin Huang couldn’t see it clearly, but he could see it plainly.
"Oh!" Lin Huang nodded. After remaining calm for a moment, he suddenly stood up and looked in the direction of the blazing fire. His expression changed drastically, and he left Thousand Feet Cliff in a hurried panic.
The place where the soaring fire had erupted was precisely the Great Xia Imperial City...