Chapter 508: *Ascension Record* — Chapter Five

Late at night, the northwest wind howled, and the bite of a late spring cold forced people to put the cotton jackets they had just taken off back on.

Chen Chen Guanlou sat bare-bodied in the courtyard, clutching a great saber, steam rising from his whole frame.

Just now, his cultivation, which had been stuck for a long time, finally showed signs of movement. His cultivation broke through from the peak of the fourth chapter of *Ascension Record* to the fifth chapter, narrowly and with a hint of danger.

Too many things had happened lately, leaving his mind unsettled; while cultivating tonight he had nearly gone astray. Fortunately, his foundation was solid, and at the critical moment his spirit gathered into one, allowing a smooth breakthrough.

At this moment, his soul seemed to have left his body, and his whole being was immersed in a profoundly mysterious, utterly wondrous sensation. He felt the flow of air, the speed of the wind, every breath, the beating of his heart, the flow of his blood… the air he exhaled slowly dispersed into the night sky.

Time seemed to slow, and the tearing wind slid across his body with such gentleness. A single leaf drifted and swayed, as though suspended in midair…

Everything appeared so slow, as if time had slowed several times over.

A strike from the night watchman sounded from outside, and he drew in a sharp breath; time returned to its normal pace.

He stretched out his palm and gently closed it, as if grasping a handful of air, letting him shape it at will.

A feeling of omnipotence—or perhaps an illusion!

Power!

Strength!

Completely different from before.

As for power, he seemed to grasp it innately, truly held it in the palm of his hand. The saber was no longer suited to him. He needed no weapon's restraint; he himself was the weapon—he was heaven, he was earth, he was everything.

He stepped on the cold stone slabs and shot skyward, looking down over the whole city from midair.

"Which Daoist fellow dares to run wild above Jingcheng!"

Chen Chen Guanlou gave his head a light toss, instantly switching to a different face and donning a vest.

The voice seemed to come from all directions; looking around, the surroundings were still deathly still, the people still deep in sleep—clearly that inquiry had reached only his ears.

He headed with great certainty toward the northeast. That inquiry had not disturbed him; on the contrary, it had helped him find his direction.

He landed atop a lone building.

Looking around, he realized this was the Imperial Observatory.

More precisely, the Star-Gazing Platform of the Imperial Observatory.

He had never been here before.

"Daoist friend, what fine spirits you have. Visiting late at night—may I ask what business brings you?"

"A guest has come to call, yet the host does not step out to greet him?" Chen Chen Guanlou had transformed into a middle-aged man; his voice was hoarse and rough, sounding at once like a wandering rogue of the jianghu—certainly not a martial powerhouse raised by some noble house.

"Daoist friend, your cultivation has advanced—congratulations. Be happy on your own, why must you show off? You've disturbed others' rest—does Daoist friend bear no fault?"

"I truly did not know I had disturbed anyone's rest; I hope Senior will forgive me. I am a man of no learning; why does Senior not show himself? The long night stretches on, sleep will not come—a heart-to-heart talk would be one of life's true pleasures."

"Go back! When it's time to sleep, go sleep; do not come out again."

With those words, a gust of hurricane struck at Chen Chen Guanlou with pinpoint precision.

His figure dodged aside as he taunted, "Why does Senior refuse to meet me? Ashamed to be seen?"

"You impudent whelp, knowing neither the height of the sky nor the depth of the earth. Be gone."

A tremendous force, from nowhere to be seen, like Mount Tai bearing down, pressed straight at Chen Chen Guanlou. Chen Chen Guanlou could not dodge in time; the great force shoved him backward—back, and back, and back.

He was like the Monkey King trapped beneath Five Finger Mountain with no escape, suddenly realizing just how insignificant he was.

The senior at the Star-Gazing Platform was unquestionably a Grandmaster—a Grandmaster on par with an Old Ancestor, perhaps even a more terrifying existence than the Old Ancestor.

So this is what a Grandmaster is!

No!

This is not a Grandmaster!

This is a Great Grandmaster, above the Grandmaster!

Apart from the Old Ancestor, Jingcheng actually had a second Great Grandmaster in existence!

How terrifying!

Yet he burst out laughing!

This trip was not made in vain!

Nothing is more thrilling than meeting a Great Grandmaster. What skill is there in bullying the weak? Only leaping across ranks to challenge the strong holds meaning. The pursuit of the martial way is endless.

When he had just broken through to the fifth chapter of *Ascension Record*, he had felt that illusion of controlling everything, a self-inflation as if he had lost his goal. At this moment, reason returned—he would pursue an even greater power. The Dao Fruit of Longevity, without end.

……

Two days later.

Chen Chen Guanlou arrived at the gambling house to meet Lao Lao Chaofeng.

He intended to spend money to buy information from Lao Lao Chaofeng.

He was no professional investigator and could only try an unorthodox approach, hoping for a pleasant surprise.

When Lao Lao Chaofeng saw him, there was a fleeting moment of unease.

"Mr. Chen of the Prison Bureau, you are a man of importance; this humble little shrine of mine cannot contain you!"

"Mr., you jest. I spend money to buy information; yours is the business of selling information. If you can receive others, why can you not receive me?" Chen Chen Guanlou sat down before the table, a gentle smile on his face, speaking slowly and measuredly, like a refined gentleman.

"The person you want to investigate—I truly am powerless." Lao Lao Chaofeng appeared very helpless.

"Mr., you haven't even asked a single question before saying you're powerless. Treating a guest like this—do you still want to do business?"

Chen Chen Guanlou toyed with the prayer beads on the table, counting them one by one.

"You want to look into Grand Tutor Zhuang's whereabouts—where would I even find him? Grand Tutor Zhuang's affair has been several years now; the man is most likely gone."

"Alive, I must see the man; dead, I must see the corpse." His face was too solemn, and for a moment the atmosphere grew tense. Then he broke into a smile. "Mr., please forgive me—I'm not making things hard for you on purpose. I'm acting on orders. You know I guard the Heaven Prison; back then the Grand Tutor was abducted from the Heaven Prison right under my watch—the responsibility is mine and mine alone. Now, those above have demanded the Heaven Prison give an answer; what do you expect me to do? I can only hang my head from my belt and think of every possible way to search. I beg you, Mr., to lend me a hand."

He was all smiles, looking very easy to talk to.

Lao Lao Chaofeng, however, had his own bitter troubles. "Mr. Chen of the Prison Bureau, you shouldn't be asking an old fool like me about this; you should be asking Hou Fu. For matters at court level, Hou Fu's information is certainly better than mine. What I have here is just the sort of news from the three teachings and nine professions—slightly better informed, that's all."

"You're being modest! Mr., you came from within the palace; when it comes to palace news, even Hou Fu must admit defeat. I've heard a story that when the Grand Tutor disappeared, a person just like you once appeared—and sure enough, that person was probably also someone trying to get out from inside the palace."

"Chen the Jailer, where did you get this news? If you can obtain first-hand information, why bother asking me?" Lao Lao Chaofeng wore a dissatisfied expression.

Chen Chen Guanlou chuckled softly. "That is the Imperial Palace. Regarding matters within the palace, if I cannot ask you, who else can I ask? Your Excellency the Grand Tutor, you should at least let him rest in peace, let the Zhuang family close this matter, and consider it an act of accumulating virtue and doing good."

"But this old man..."

"One thousand taels, just to buy a piece of information; even a general direction will do." Chen Chen Guanlou decisively cut off the other's words.

Lao Lao Chaofeng's mouth twitched twice; the two beautiful maids beside him could not relax him in the slightest.

"One thousand five hundred taels; any more would be greed." Chen Chen Guanlou once again increased the weight, Ci Jia Zhong, and issued a warning to the other party.

Lao Lao Chaofeng closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, yet his mouth spoke, "Go east, and you may find something."

"Thank you!"