章 1: Rock on the Ground
In a world flooded with blinding white light, the dark silhouette of a man was stark in contrast as he continuously executed a series of profound fist techniques.
Every punch of his was swift and fierce.
Every step taken decisive and firm.
With such extraordinary proficiency ingrained in every minute action that he took, anyone who was even only vaguely familiar with martial arts would be able to tell at first glance that this was a true expert.
This expert continued to switch from stance to stance, transitioning between each move with a sublime grace that it almost made these complex techniques seem as simple as baby steps.
The full set of the fist art, and then all over again.
And again.
Such a scene continued to play out in Zhao Yunxiao's mind as he sat cross legged on his meditation pad.
His eyes were closed, and his mind was focused.
Zhao Yunxiao had shut the window, but a minimal amount of light was still able to slip in through the thin gaps. This provided just enough light to illuminate the small altar positioned right next to the window, as well as the single lit incense in the incense holder atop the altar.
His eyes might be closed, but he could still clearly see these images in his head.
Zhao Yunxiao carefully committed this expert's movements to memory, not willing to miss even the smallest of details.
Learning a set of combat arts was no easy task.
While everyone knew that they had to keep on practising in order to assimilate every technique as muscle memory, there was more to it than just that.
Even before one could begin with their practice, they had to ensure that their understanding of the manual was correct, and image training was the most common way of doing so.
Of course, everyone did things differently, even when it came to something like image training.
In Zhao Yunxiao's case, whatever he had interpreted from the manual would be materialised in the form of an imaginary expert performing each technique to perfection. If a particular techinque felt even slightly off or awkward no matter how Zhao Yunxiao tried to picture it, that was when Zhao Yunxiao knew that he would have to revisit the manual to reassess his interpretation of the technique.
But while image training was a common practice, there was one thing about Zhao Yunxiao that was unlike most others.
Although he had already been practising this particular fist art for a while, Zhao Yunxiao refused to settle for his current take on the fist art, and would continue to perform regular image training in a bid to improve on whatever he had interpreted so far.
It was a tedious path that few would take, but the hardworking Zhao Yunxiao just happened to be one of these few.
Even if he could not find ways to improve, Zhao Yunxiao still found the process beneficial as it helped to solidify his understanding of each technique.
Not just that, but even as he focused on the scenes playing out in his head to refine his understanding of this particular fist art, Zhao Yunxiao did not neglect any other aspects.
The essence energy within Zhao Yunxiao continued to flow in a smooth manner, making consistent circulations as had been the case for the past few hours.
His breaths were deep and long – a textbook example of how it should be during cultivation.
Unfortunately, there was a slight issue with the current situation that made it far from ideal.
Knock-! Knock-!
Zhao Yunxiao had been trying to ignore the knocks on his door since a while ago, but they showed absolutely no signs of stopping.
Instead, the knocks were only getting progressively louder.
Knock-! Knock-! Knock-!
Sensing that the other party was not intending to give up anytime soon, Zhao Yunxiao finally let out a deep breath before opening his eyes.
He had wanted to spend a little more time on his meditation, but it appeared that things were not going according to his plan today.
Getting up from his comfortable meditation pad, Zhao Yunxiao calmly put out the incense and opened the window to greet the warm morning sun.
There was still a layer of snow that covered the ground, but the breeze that entered no longer carried the same biting cold from before.
Indeed, spring was about to arrive.
Knock-! Knock-!
Zhao Yunxiao sighed.
What a bad start to the day – he did not even get the luxury to slowly savour the fresh morning air.
"Coming!" Zhao Yunxiao called out in irritation while walking out of the meditation room.
Like any other outer disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, his residence was not considered extravagant by any measure, but it was still sizeable enough to be split into four main sections – the bedroom, the restroom, the meditation room, and the front hall.
Of course, that was just the suggested layout, and some disciples choose to use the different rooms for different functions instead. However, Zhao Yunxiao thought that the suggested layout made sense and thus decided to keep it as it was.
Walking from the innermost meditation room to the front door would not take more than ten seconds. Yet by the time Zhao Yunxiao arrived at the front door, he had already heard another twenty or so knocks.
Judging from the way that the other party was acting, he already had a good idea who the person at the door was.
And as expected, Zhao Yunxiao came face to face with the young lady he was picturing in his mind when he opened the door.
Gu Qiansi.
Just like Zhao Yunxiao, she was also an outer disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect.
"What took you so long? Don't tell me you are doing something sleazy early in the morning!" Gu Qiansi snapped before Zhao Yunxiao even had the chance to complain about being disturbed.
"Even if I am doing something like that, the image in my mind will definitely have nothing to do with you," Zhao Yunxiao retorted. "Shoot, what are you here for?"
"Eww! Did you hear that, Junior Martial Sister Lu? You need to act carefully around him in the future, just in case he starts including you in his thoughts when doing sleazy stuff next time," Gu Qiansi turned to the side and spoke.
"Are you seriously saying that to someone I don't even know?"
Zhao Yunxiao had realised that there was someone beside Gu Qiansi, but he was speechless to find out that it was a stranger.
"Nice to meet you, Senior Martial Brother Zhao," another young lady stepped out from behind the door. "My name is Lu Zhiying, and I have just joined the sect. Please guide me along in the future."
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but pause for a moment.
It was a beautiful young lady who appeared to be a few years younger than him. Her clear brown eyes seemed to sparkle along with that radiant smile of hers – truly a look that was fitting of someone in the prime of her youth.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Junior Martial Sister Lu. Welcome to the Black Tortoise Sect," Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards the beautiful Lu Zhiying before pointing towards Gu Qiansi. "And please don't take this woman's words to heart. Nine out of ten lines from her are complete nonsense, with the only exception being when she talks badly of herself."
"Excuse me?" Gu Qiansi glared at him.
"What? Am I wrong?" Zhao Yunxiao returned the glare without backing down.
"Hehehe, the two of you have a really good relationship!" Lu Zhiying had been giggling from the side, but she quickly stopped when the duo pointed their sharp glares towards her.
Huu-!
Gu Qiansi let out a deep sigh before speaking. "Anyway, as I was saying, this is Zhao Yunxiao. If you have any questions about the sect, or anything apart from cultivation-related matters, feel free to go to him for advice. As for matters pertaining to cultivation itself, don't bother going to him. If you want to know why, it is because he is the living example of talent being the most important factor for cultivation."
Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
"Oh? Is Senior Martial Brother Zhao the instinctive type who doesn't rely on theories?" Lu Zhiying asked with sparkling eyes.
She had heard of the existence of cultivators who were considered to be chosen by the heavens.
It was a grand term, and for good reason as well.
After all, this was referring to cultivators who were so talented on the cultivation path that it felt like mere second nature to them. These people would find it difficult to share their ways with others, simply because they themselves had never struggled with the matter, so they could never understand the issues that others faced.
And if they did not even understand the problem, how were they supposed to go about solving it?
Should Zhao Yunxiao be one of these people, it was understandable why there would be no point in asking him anything.
However, Lu Zhiying realised that there was something amiss the moment she asked that question.
"Hahahaha!" Gu Qiansi could not help but burst out into laughter. "How he wishes that is the case! What I mean is that even though this guy works much harder than others, his cultivation level is still no different from the other outer disciples. This is the perfect example of talent being important. If you are born without talent, there's really nothing you can do about it!"
The corner of Zhao Yunxiao's lips continued to twitch.
"Don't worry, Senior Martial Brother Zhao! Cultivation isn't everything. I'm sure you are talented at many other things instead!" Lu Zhiying immediately realised her mistake and hurriedly added. "In fact, Senior Martial Sister Gu was just telling me that you are very knowledgeable in various other aspects, that's plenty impressive as well!"
Huu-!
Seeing the newly joined Lu Zhiying trying so hard to console him only made Zhao Yunxiao sigh even louder.
"You don't understand. What I am doing is called laying a strong foundation so as to go further on my cultivation path," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged nonchalantly. "Like the elders always say, the cultivation path is long and arduous. Only those who make the proper preparations will be able to go far."
"Yes, yes, it is just as you say," Gu Qiansi nodded while trying to stop laughing.
She did not intend to stay on this topic for long either.
Gu Qiansi knew better than anyone that this matter had always been a sore spot in Zhao Yunxiao's heart. Poking fun of him a little was fine from time to time, but she knew where to draw the line.
"Well then, let's go, Junior Martial Sister Lu. I'll bring you to the Outer Disciples Hall to take a look," Gu Qiansi said. "See you later, Zhao Yunxiao. You can continue with whatever sleazy thing you were doing earlier!"
"I said don't joke about such things in front of other people!" Zhao Yunxiao snapped.
Gu Qiansi merely laughed before leading Lu Zhiying away, though the latter did not forget to wave goodbye first.
Huu-!
After the two young ladies left, Zhao Yunxiao looked up at the clear blue sky above and let out another sigh.
Gu Qiansi might have only been joking earlier, and he might have rebutted Gu Qiansi as always, but how could Zhao Yunxiao not understand the cold hard truth of reality?
Indeed, not everyone could be like the stars that light up the night sky, not to mention the sun or moon that takes their place as the centre of this world.
After all, apart from the dazzling stars in the sky, there were also the rocks on the ground. They might look unimpressive, but were essential in forming the earthen base that provided a stable foothold for others. Only with such existences serving as a backdrop would the stars appear to be shining brighter in contrast.
That's right.
The world also needed people like him.
And he was doing well too. Even in his destined role as a rock on the ground, he was already doing far better than most.
At the very least, he had the opportunity to join the Black Tortoise Sect and embark on the cultivation path. That alone was something to be celebrated.
Zhao Yunxiao clenched his fists.
There was no need to envy those who were in a completely different league. They, too, had their own worries as they competed among the best.
Stories were aplenty about supreme talents who encountered mishaps while challenging their limits and going against the heavens, many of such incidents resulting in heavy injuries or even an early death.
At the very least, that was something that people like him did not need to worry about.
All he had to do was to keep doing his best in his current capacity.
His aim – to live a long and carefree life that was without restrictions. Perhaps after he gained just enough strength to do so, he could spend his time travelling freely around the world, experiencing all that this world had to offer.
Freedom.
That was the goal.
Zhao Yunxiao took a deep breath of the fresh morning air while feeling the cold breeze on his face.
Enough dreaming of the distant future that may or may not happen.
Now then, it's time to start the day.
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