Chương 37: Water and Ink in the Evening
The bells rang out, reverberating both in Meng Hao's heart and throughout the Reliance Sect. Soon, Meng Hao could see countless disciples hurrying forward.
Before long, the square was packed. As the disciples entered, they looked at Meng Hao in shock, then saluted.
Fatty stood in the crowd, looking pleased, filing away at his teeth with his flying sword. He was surrounded by a group of fawning disciples.
"So Elder Brother Meng is distributing the Medicinal Pill today… ai, I remember back when he was an Outer Sect disciple like us, but now he's a member of the Inner Sect."
"Elder Brother Meng is scholarly and refined. I heard that he used to be a scholar of high rank, but he cared more about Cultivation, so he quit and joined the Reliance Sect."
"Now that you mention it, I remember the first time I saw Elder Brother Meng those years ago. I could tell that he wasn't ordinary. During his whole fight with Wang Tengfei, I knew that Elder Brother Meng would achieve victory." The buzz of conversation filled the air, eventually reaching Meng Hao's ears. He let out a dry cough.
Even though it was a relatively quiet cough, it caused all the disciples in the square to suddenly go silent. They looked up at him respectfully. The morning sun shone down onto his silver robe, and he truly looked like a celestial being.
Meng Hao caught sight of Zhou Kai in the crowd; his face looked conflicted. Then Meng Hao caught sight of somber Yin Tianlong, who gave him a forced smile. He also saw the other Qi Condensation fourth level disciples whom he recognized from that day. When his gaze fell upon them, their faces filled with ingratiating looks.
He even saw Cao Yang, standing there trembling.
"Today, I shall preside over Pill Distribution," said Meng Hao. He was a scholar, so he had no need to prepare words; he just spoke naturally. When he spoke, his words carried force, piercing into the hearts of the onlookers. "Fellow disciples, please devote yourself to Cultivation, and eventually you will pass the sixth level. I look forward to that day, when the Reliance Inner Sect has one more member."
The force of his words came not from his Cultivation base, but rather his status as an Inner Sect disciple.
"We will remember Elder Brother Meng's admonitions." Several people below spoke out, faces filled with emotion, as if they had just heard the voice of Heaven. One after another, they saluted Meng Hao.
Soon everyone was repeating the words, until the whole square spoke together in harmony.
Meng Hao took the bag of holding from the young servant at his side, opened it, and waved his sleeve. Medicinal pills and Spirit Stones shot out to everyone.
After that, his right hand flashed over the bag of holding, then held up a milky white Medicinal pill. It emanated white aura and a fragrant aroma. It seemed as if it contained the glow of dawn.
"It's… it's a White Spirit Pill!"
"That pill is extraordinarily effective for anyone of the fourth level of Qi Condensation or lower. They haven't distributed one for a long time. Finally one appears!" Soon, everyone in the square below was breathing heavily, staring at the Medicinal pill in Meng Hao's hand.
His eyes scanned the crowd. Fatty was smiling. This pill wasn't anything rare as far as he was concerned. He already had a few in his bag of holding, which Meng Hao had given him.
"This pill is extraordinary. All of you must surely know that I planned to give this only to a suitable disciple. And yet, I, Meng Hao, keep old friendships in mind. I just caught sight of an old friend, so I shall bestow the pill to him." His gaze fell onto Cao Yang, who suddenly began to tremble. Meng Hao flicked his right hand, and the pill shot forth.
"I'm finished!" thought Cao Yang, looking like he was about to cry. "I'll be recuperating from the injuries for months…" He wailed inside, and now he knew that Meng Hao could hold a grudge. Even though he had become an Inner Sect disciple, he had not forgotten about all the things that had happened before.
As the lights in the square faded, Meng Hao flicked his sleeve and left, not staying behind to watch the fighting break out.
Fatty ran over to follow him, his face flushed. He glared at the young servant Zhao Hai, motioning for him to step back a distance. It seemed he was worried the boy might replace him. He walked next to Meng Hao.
"Elder Brother Meng," he said with anticipation, "why don't we take a stroll around the Outer Sect?"
Thinking back to how he had done the same thing with Elder Sister Xu so many years ago, Meng Hao nodded his head with a smile.
The two of them walked forward, with Zhao Hai following in the rear, looking irritated. Not long after leaving the square, they saw Zhou Kai hurrying to catch up with them.
"Greetings, Elder Brother Meng," he said, his expression somewhat perturbed. He had offended Meng Hao more than once, and had assumed that upon joining the Inner Sect, he would show more restraint. But upon seeing Cao Yang's fate, he was nervous, and so rushed over.
Meng Hao looked him over, but didn't say anything. Fatty took a step forward and said loudly: "What do you want?"
"A few days ago, I, Zhou, came across a treasured item. As soon as I saw it, I could tell that it was destined for Elder Brother Meng. Please, accept my gift." Biting his tongue, he pulled out a bag of holding from within his robe and presented it to Meng Hao. Fatty gave a cold harrumph and grabbed it, then handed it to Meng Hao with a wide smile.
Meng Hao accepted it and glanced over its contents. Then he nodded to Zhou Kai, turned, and walked off, his expression as cool as the clouds in the sky. Zhou Kai watched on helplessly, sighing in his heart.
"I'm not worthy to be an Inner Sect Disciple, perhaps these items will leave you dissatisfied…"
As Meng Hao walked away, Yin Tianlong, off in the distance, let out a sigh. With a smile on his face, he hurried forward. He too said that he had found some items which were destined to be Meng Hao's. He also offered up a bag of holding, inside of which were fifty Spirit Stones. Meng Hao accepted it with a slight frown.
"We're both fellow disciples," he said. "The grievances of the past are not worth keeping track of. There's no need to act like this."
Upon hearing this, Yin Tianlong's heart thumped, and he understood Meng Hao's true meaning. Inwardly cursing Zhou Kai for giving more, he clenched his jaw and produced another bag of holding, whereupon Meng Hao nodded.
As he walked, Meng Hao met more people who had offended him in the past, and they all acted similarly. Soon he had ten new bags of holding.
"What do you think?" said Fatty, looking pleased. "I handled things pretty well, didn't I? I found all of them earlier and gave them a bit of coaching. I told them that one must offer up a bit of blood now to avoid trouble in the future."
Meng Hao laughed and shook his head. He had sensed something odd about the goings-on and had guessed that Fatty must have been up to something over the past half month.
"What about that fifth-level disciple who tried to kill you that day?" asked Meng Hao.
"Oh, him. I used the jade slip you gave me to make him go see the Minister of the Outer Sect, who arranged for him to go out into the wild mountains to catch some Demonic beasts. He can't return until he gets 100." As far as Fatty was concerned, anyone who offended him would have to pay the price.
"Just don't do something publicly that could box you into a corner," said Meng Hao, his eyes flashing and his voice low.
"I understand," said Fatty in a similarly low voice. "It's taken care of. Zhou Kai and Yin Tianlong will get rid of him for good."
They looked at each other, then laughed. They never brought up the matter again.
After making a circle around the Outer Sect, and having been greeted by many disciples, they finally reached the Pill Cultivation Workshop. Meng Hao paused for a moment to look at it, then a smile broke out on his face and he entered.
When the middle-aged man who ran the workshop saw Meng Hao, he stood up.
"Greetings, Elder Brother Meng."
Meng Hao smiled and nodded his head, glancing around at all the Medicinal pills.
"Don't worry, Elder Brother Meng," said the middle-aged man. "Junior Brother Li Fugui is taking care of the Pill Workshop. Business is good. I definitely won't give any other disciples a chance to buy Medicinal Pills." He thumped his palm onto his chest.
Fatty beamed with joy. Previously, he had given the middle-aged Cultivator a bag of holding when no one was looking. Soon, the man had grown accustomed to this. Although the Medicinal pills here belonged to the Sect, and weren't personal property, the man wasn't opposed to making a bit of profit of his own.
Thanks to Fatty's anticipation and stubborness, it wasn't until midday that Meng Hao was able to satisfy him. They walked around the entire Outer Sect until everyone had seen them together. Finally, after much begging and pleading, they went to the Treasure Pavilion.
The shrewd-looking man at the Treasure Pavilion had been waiting outside for some time. When he saw Meng Hao approaching, he made a long, grand salute, then in a loud, clear voice said, "Treasure Pavilion disciple Sun Tiandi gives greetings to Elder Brother Meng. Elder Brother Meng is a dragon among men, powerful and imposing beyond the ordinary…" The man was not very educated, and his words were a bit over the top. His expression was one of excitement, but inside he was a bit worried, although only he knew that.
He feared that Meng Hao would bring up the matter of him cheating him all those years back. He glanced at the eager-looking Fatty.
Fatty cleared his throat. "My friend here wants me to go in to take a treasure," he said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "If it breaks any rules, you can place the blame on him."
Meng Hao was a loss for word. Finally, he went in with Fatty to inspect the Treasure Pavilion. After a while, they left, despite Fatty's pleas to stay. By the time Meng Hao arrived back at the East Mountain, the sun was beginning to set. He sat down on a boulder outside the Immortal's Cave, thinking about the day's events. Now he had an even deeper understanding of what it meant to be a member of the Inner Sect.
As evening fell, Meng Hao looked out at the rosy sky. Then he noticed that off in the distance, a woman approached. She looked like some sort of celestial being, wearing a silver robe, with long black hair and a pale face that was beautiful even though she wore no makeup whatsoever. Her face, though cold, seemed to Meng Hao to contain something delicate and touching.
"Elder Sister Xu," said Meng Hao, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Congratulations, you've become a member of the Inner Sect." Just like her name, Elder Sister Xu was cold and cheerless. That was her personality, and yet, she didn't treat everyone coldly. For example, upon hearing her young servant mention Meng Hao, she had come here to see him.
Meng Hao smiled, standing next to her. Their long robes rippled in the mountain breeze.
"Today I went to the Pill Cultivation Workshop and traded for another Cosmetic Cultivation Pill." He lifted it up and handed it to her.
She said nothing, looking at the pill for a while, then eventually accepting it. She stood there with him, silently looking off into the rosy horizon.
She was incredibly beautiful, seemingly flawless, like jade. The glow of the setting sun reflected off her, increasing her beauty.
Time seemed to come to a standstill. As they stood there on the East Mountain, their shadows merged together in the evening sun, like ink blending with water. It was something which would last for an eternity.
The evening sunlight slowly faded past the horizon, and then the moon peeked out. Finally, Elder Sister Xu turned and began to walk off. She had only taken five steps before she stopped.
"I went to the Pill Cultivation Workshop. The Cosmetic Cultivation Pill you gave me before wasn't purchased by you." With that, she left, not looking back.
Meng Hao stared in shock, and wasn't even able to react until some time had passed. He scratched his head. His eyes gradually filled with light. He had never imagined that something like this would happen. And yet, it seemed it had…
Chương 38: Qi Condensation Manual of the Sublime Spirit Scripture
Two months passed in the twinkling of an eye. Meng Hao had already been a member of the Inner Sect for an entire season. He did not continue to visit the Outer Sect often. Like a fish in water, Fatty had grown accustomed to surviving on his own, and was quite at ease.
Most of Meng Hao's time was spent in the Magic Pavilion.
One day, he sat there cross-legged, a calm expression on his face as he read a bamboo text. He raised his right hand and began to make incantation gestures, causing a magical light to circulate around it and cast flickering shadows onto his face.
A Water Globe appeared, but then unexpectedly transformed into mist and dissipated into the surroundings. Meng Hao frowned, putting down the bamboo text. He reached into his robe and pulled out a glowing jade slip.
It was pure white and blurry inside, as if it were filled with mist. A closer inspection revealed that the surface was actually translucent, like crystal.
"Chen Fan, Xu Qing, Meng Hao. Come to the main temple hall on the East Mountain." The words were spoken by a dignified voice which transmitted out from within the jade slip. It was easily identifiable as belonging to Sect Leader He Luohua.
Meng Hao straightened up the bamboo texts, stood and strode silently out of the main door of the Magic Pavilion, making his way toward the top of the East Mountain.
At almost the same time as he walked out, two figures shot toward the peak. One had a warm, gentle face, filled with righteousness: Chen Fan. The other was beautiful but cold: Elder Sister Xu Qing.
Xu Qing cast a glance at Meng Hao. This was the first time they had seen each other since that evening the previous month.
The three sped toward the peak of the East Mountain, eventually arriving at the main temple hall. It had an ancient feel, the rich ornamentation giving the feeling that it had seen many ages pass. This was a very important place to the Reliance Sect, a place that throughout the generations, only Inner Sect disciples could visit.
Within the main temple hall were nine statues. The foremost one was of an old man, his expression not one of anger, yet still filled with might. His dark eyes seemed to shine with life. His left hand was lifted up in front of him, his chin raised as if he were staring down his nose at all creation. He seemed to emanate a sort of indescribable, domineering air. Behind him, eight statues were arranged neatly, all of them possessing the demeanor of transcendent beings.
Meng Hao had visited this place during his first seven days in the Inner Sect. He had kowtowed before these statues, and knew well that the calm, powerful old man was none other than Patriarch Reliance. The other statues were the other Patriarchs of the Reliance Sect.
Sect Leader He Luohua stood beneath the statues, his back toward Meng Hao and the others as they entered. He stared at the statues as if he were in a trance. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Next to him was Grand Elder Ouyang. He nodded to the three of them, a solemn expression on his face.
"Pay homage to the Patriarch," he said, his voice profound.
Meng Hao, Xu Qing and Chen Fan bowed deeply to Patriarch Reliance, their faces somber.
"I joined the Sect when Patriarch Reliance had been missing for one hundred years," said He Luohua. "At that time, the Reliance Sect was still in its glory days." He sighed and turned around. Meng Hao, Chen Fan and even Xu Qing gazed at him with shining eyes.
He was silent a moment, before slowly continuing: "You have read about Patriarch Reliance in the ancient records, and know how glorious our Reliance Sect used to be… We even had a complete understanding of the three levels of Foundation Establishment. I've called you here today to explain the complete truth.
"The former glory of the Reliance Sect was all due to Patriarch Reliance. Because of his Cultivation base, he dominated the entire State of Zhao. His reputation even shook the Southern Domain. All of that was because of one of the manuals of the Sublime Spirit Scripture." As He Luohua spoke, Chen Fan's eyes began to shine brightly. Even Xu Qing's grew sharp.
Only Meng Hao stared blankly; he had no idea what the Sublime Spirit Scripture was.
"The Qi Condensation manual?" said Chen Fan lightly. He was a senior disciple of the Inner Sect, and knew many secrets. Other things he had worked out through speculation.
"The Sublime Spirit Scripture is one of the three great classic scriptures in the lands of South Heaven," continued He Luohua softly. "It was passed down through the generations since ancient times. Originally it was comprised of seven manuals, but most have been lost. One of them was the Qi Condensation manual, which describes how to establish a Flawless Foundation. The Foundation Establishment manual describes the method to Form a Purple Core, not a Crimson or Mixed Core. The Core Formation manual can enable one to develop a four-colored Nascent Form… In other words, each manual enables one to reach the strongest stage.
"That year, Patriarch Reliance obtained the Qi Condensation manual. The reason the heir to the Wang clan joined the Reliance Sect was because of the Sublime Spirit Scripture's Qi Condensation Manual."
Meng Hao's eyes glittered, and his heart began to race. He had heard Elder Brother Chen speak of the different levels of Foundation Establishment. Now that he knew how powerful this magic was that Patriarch Reliance had obtained, he understood why Wang Tengfei had joined the Reliance Sect.
"If I could obtain it…" The strong desire in his heart suddenly began to burn even hotter.
"Sadly, even I have never laid eyes on this Qi Condensation manual, let alone others," said He Luohua. "The scripture was not handed down. It exists only in the memory of the Patriarch." Meng Hao remained silent, and Chen Fan's face flashed with realization. Xu Qing raised her head to look at the statue of Patriarch Reliance.
Silence reigned in the main temple hall.
"Four hundred years have passed, and everyone in the outside world assumes that the Patriarch died during his meditation. Only myself and a few others know that the Patriarch… is absolutely not dead." As his words drifted out into Meng Hao's ears, they seemed to transform into a thunderous roar.
"Four hundred years ago, the Patriarch's Cultivation base had reached the late Nascent Soul stage. And yet, he was reaching the end of his life. In order to break through to the fabled Spirit Severing stage, one must be at least one thousand years old. If not, how can he defy the Heavens to sever his Spirit?
"The Patriarch chose to meditate in seclusion, in order to sever his Spirit body and be reborn. It was a meditation of… four hundred years.
"When he went into meditation four hundred years ago, the Patriarch left a command. Every one hundred years, he would send out some pieces of Vorpal Jade, formed from his own blood. Then, the outstanding members of the current generation of Inner Sect disciples could use the Vorpal Jade to enter his meditation zone. By kindling the Qi and blood inside the Vorpal Jade, they could have a chance, if lucky, to gain enlightenment of the knowledge he permeated throughout the area. Knowledge of… the Sublime Spirit Scripture." He Luohua's words echoed out. Meng Hao lifted his head up, as did the others.
"Success is success. Failure is failure. If things had stayed the same, surely a disciple would have succeeded already. But two hundred years ago, the Patriarch experienced an accident in his cultivation. He almost lost his life. Afterwards, the chances of enlightenment in his meditation zone grew weak, and the restrictive spells stronger. He didn't send any more Vorpal Jades out until five years ago… When he did, he sent out three pieces.
"Three pieces of Vorpal Jade indicate that three individuals may enter. It also reveals how powerful the restrictive spells are in the Patriarch's meditation zone, and means that there are only three areas where enlightenment may occur." He Luohua's voice reverberated throughout the main hall. He flicked his right sleeve, and three blood-red streaks shot toward Meng Hao and the others, to stop floating in front of them.
They were jade-smooth Blood Crystals, also known as Vorpal Jade.
"You three are the only disciples of the Inner Sect, and therefore I bestow these Vorpal Jades to you. Whether or not you gain the enlightenment of the Sublime Spirit Scripture will depend on your luck." With that, he flicked his sleeve again, and the statue of Patriarch Reliance began to hum. Its eyes shone with boundless radiance, and a vortex began to form in front of him.
"Enter," said He Luohua, his voice sounding out like thunder. "I wish you luck in enlightenment." Meng Hao and the others seemed to transform into auroras as they gripped their pieces of Vorpal Jade and shot into the vortex, disappearing inside. Outside, the vortex remained, but without a Vorpal Jade, no one, not even a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, could enter it.
Looking up at the vortex, Grand Elder Ouyang quietly said, "Who knows which of them will acquire the Sublime Spirit Scripture, or… perhaps they will all come up empty-handed."
"It depends on personal fortune, there's no use in thinking too much about it." He Luohua sat down cross-legged next to him and began to meditate.
When Meng Hao entered the vortex, a blinding light appeared in front of his eyes which forced him to close them. A rumbling roar sounded in his ears, and then he heard strange shrieks and screams coming from all directions. After what seemed like years, he felt his body suddenly tremble, and then the sounds ceased. The shrieking turned into silence. He opened his eyes to find himself standing on top of a sacrificial altar that was several meters tall. He looked around.
The place was enormous. Up above was black earth, dotted with small crystals that shone like stars, casting a dim light on the surroundings. Nothing was very clear, as if everything were covered with gauze. Various buildings rose up out of the fog.
"How desolate! It seems like no one has been here for hundreds of years." It was Chen Fan's voice, drifting from some distance away. Eventually, he appeared, walking through the fog. In the direction from which he came could be seen another altar, several meters tall.
"The soil up above has restrictive spells cast on it. These are the Sect catacombs." Xu Qing appeared from another direction. Dressed in her silver robe, she appeared matchlessly beautiful.
"I entered the Sect earlier than both of you," said Chen Fan. "Once I performed guard duty at the main temple hall, so I know a few secrets that you two don't. These are definitely the Reliance Sect catacombs. Directly above is the Outer Sect."
Meng Hao walked off the altar to stand next to Chen Fan and Xu Qing. Looking around at the hazy images of buildings around them, he could see plenty of withered plants and flowers. Everything was deathly still.
"This fog is a restrictive spell," said Meng Hao with a frown. "It's making everything appear to be black and white. No color whatsoever."
"Precisely," said Chen Fan with a serious look. "Don't attempt to touch it. Because of the Patriarch's weak state, he's lost control of it. Let us use our Vorpal Jades to find our places of enlightenment." He looked at them. "We don't know how much time we will have to gain enlightenment. Let's all wait for each other, then leave together. Junior Sister Xu, Junior Brother Meng, I wish you success." He cast his spiritual power into the Vorpal Jade, whereupon it emitted a blood-red glow and began to drift away. Chen Fan followed, soon disappearing into the distance.
Xu Qing nodded at Meng Hao, then followed the blood-red glow of her Vorpal Jade in a different direction.
Meng Hao looked around, then was about to activate his own Vorpal Jade when suddenly, a shrill shriek rang out. It grew closer and closer, until it seemed to be only about thirty meters away.
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