Chapter 655: I Simply Have No Talent, Second Master

【Look at the Second Master, whose body, like moonlight, was destroyed and refined, leaving only a Yang Spirit.】

【This Yang Spirit walks the world, unafraid of scorching sun, howling Gang wind, thunderous roars, or the five elements' intrusion.】

【Within the moonlight-like Yang Spirit, specks of golden light shimmered—like a rising sun, radiant yet not blinding.】

【The Second Master was a youthful boy of striking grace, clad in white robes like a pear tree in full bloom in a courtyard, his topknot high, black ponytail swaying, a red cinnabar jewel painted between his brows, his eyebrows sharp as swords, eyes bright as stars, his gaze devoid of sharpness, only serene transcendence.】

【The Yang Spirit's form is frozen at the moment of cultivation; judging by the Second Master's appearance, he must have long since entered the Tenth Realm, hence his youthful visage.】

【The Demon Master's gaze was peculiar—he had seen the Second Master before, in his middle age, but never like this.】

【Master Lianchi clasped his hands and sighed, "Master Yu'an, it has been over two full cycles since we last parted in the Buddhist fold."】

【The old monk's face held memories: "Back then, you entered the temple with one sword and one man, just like this—striking the temple bell with your blade. I was still a young novice hiding behind my master's back, watching."】

【"Master Yu'an, your sword had not even left its scabbard, yet the eighteen Buddha disciples of the Sacred Sect dared not move—and fell."】

【"Now, meeting again, I am the head of this Buddhist hall, yet still I dare not raise my hand against the sword in your grasp."】

【Lianchi spoke truthfully—he felt no pressure facing the Master, but the Second Master's presence crushed him.】

【The shadow left from that youth was terrifying—on that day, the Eastern Sacred Sect heard no sutras or chants, only the ringing of swords.】

【Though Lianchi's Zen mind was now clear, a trace of fear lingered in his heart.】

【When great masters clash, it is primarily a battle of aura and spirit.】

【With fear in his heart, Lianchi, famed as the world's greatest Golden Body cultivator, saw a crack form in his Vajra Arhat's form.】

【Suddenly, the cinnabar jewel on the Second Master's brow glowed—he smiled, golden light flickering in his eyes: "So it's you, little monk."】

【The Demon Master and others knew: the Second Master was at his end, his Yin Spirit gone, his Yang Spirit adrift, like a lone boat on the sea of suffering, ready to capsize at any moment.】

【This was merely a final flicker—within an hour, he would suffer the Five Heavens' Decay and vanish into the cosmos.】

【Return, return!】

【Yet the Second Master showed no trace of regret or worry—his expression remained calm and serene.】

【The Demon Master spoke: "Second Master, we have not met in two full cycles."】

【"We brushed past each other on the grasslands—you did not reveal your name, but your grace I have never forgotten."】

【The Second Master paused in thought; the cinnabar glow on his brow brightened: "Ah, so you're the demon brat who fled in terror back then."】

【Xu Jiangxian's face stiffened—he was twenty then, already a senior of the Demon Sect, and had seen a white-robed swordsman on the grasslands, slicing the sky to summon a spring rain, startling him so badly he fled a hundred li at once.】

【Lu Hua, seeing the Demon Master's expression, couldn't help but smile faintly.】

【Though this was her first time seeing the Second Master of the Academy, she had long heard his name: "Third True Celestial Lu Hua, greetings, Second Master."】

【The Second Master studied Lu Hua, then praised: "Female Celestial—your reputation is well deserved."】

【Lu Hua could not hide her pride—few in the world had ever been praised by the Second Master.】

【She turned to Xie Guan, one eyebrow slightly raised.】

【The Second Master's gaze settled on Xu Xian, and he smiled: "Brother, many years have passed—you remain as splendid as ever."】

【The First Master's face showed sorrow: "Yu'an, I never imagined our reunion today would be our last."】

【"If you had kept your physical body, you might have lived a few more years—why be so absolute?"】

【"With your brilliance, you surely still had a chance."】

【The Second Master chuckled softly, a hint of freedom in his eyes: "That form—I grew weary of it. Neither man nor ghost—why bind myself?"】

【"A true man walks the world without hiding his true face!"】

【He changed the subject: "Brother, how do you find the Great Sui?"】

【Xu Xian replied: "The Great Sui and Great Qi are no different—where in this vast world is it not the same?"】

【A flicker of regret passed through the Second Master's eyes: "Pity—I've traveled the whole world, yet never journeyed to the Eastern Sea like you and the Master, never seen the towering waves that darken the sky."】

【Xu Xian's expression darkened; he fell silent.】

【But the Second Master smiled lightly, teasing: "Brother, why such a gloomy face? When I read your travelogues, my heart surged."】

【"A true man should greet the azure sea at dawn and the purple clouds at dusk, gaze upon the blue heavens and climb the sun and moon."】

【"It was that bold spirit that drove me to leave my homeland, journey northward, chasing the sword Dao and the Jianghu."】

【The Second Master's gaze shifted to Xie Guan, filled with approval.】

【"I've read your poems—they are excellent."】

【"I've seen your calligraphy—it's better than mine when I was young."】

【Xie Guan bowed deeply: "I am unworthy of such praise!"】

【The Second Master smiled gently: "You deserve it."】

【The white-robed boy stood with hands behind his back; the sword formed from his Primordial Spirit had vanished.】

【The river breeze brushed past; his black hair danced in the wind, his robes fluttering.】

【Slowly, he drew in his wide white sleeves, his expression solemn, bowing deeply to all present.】

【"Today, I thank you all."】

【"The Master is not dead—the world is in great peril."】

【"And I have, by fortune, escaped this cage."】

【Hearing this, the First Master's face darkened with shame; he turned his back to the crowd.】

【The Demon Master straightened slightly.】

【Master Lianchi clasped his hands and murmured: "Amitabha."】

【Lu Hua returned a Dao salute, her expression solemn.】

【Xie Guan stood facing the Second Master, bowing slowly, every motion precise.】

【The white-robed boy's smile deepened; his form grew fainter, a soft golden glow radiating from his body, while the Three Talents' energy gathered above his head.】

【The Second Master changed tone, asking slowly: "Do you know why I cannot ascend like Lu Chen or Huang Dao three thousand years ago?"】

【"Is even the Master trapped in this mortal world?"】

【A question too elusive to grasp was cast out.】

【Your eyes flickered; you fell into thought.】

【The Demon Master and others turned their gazes to the Second Master—all had wondered about ascension.】

【The Second Master had long since "opened the Heavenly Gate"—the closest to ascension in three thousand years, even closer than the Master.】

【This was the question most pressing in their hearts.】

【Lu Hua bowed and asked: "Lu Hua is dull—please, Second Master, enlighten me."】

【The Second Master's voice drifted on the river wind, filled with nostalgia and sorrow.】

【"As a child, I learned a few clumsy sword techniques from our household guards, and used them to bully my village. Within days, my teacher could not withstand a single strike of my blade."】

【"After my parents died, I left home and began my travels."】

【"At seventeen, I saw two swordsmen duel—their sword qi like rainbows—and I awakened to the Seventh Realm of Martial Dao."】

【"After that, I advanced one realm per year—by nineteen, I reached the Ninth Realm of Martial Dao."】

【"Climbing a high mountain, seeing clouds rise and fall, I realized my first sword—Viewing Clouds."】

【"Spending a night in a ruined temple in the south, I witnessed a ghost kingdom open—and realized my second sword—Slashing Ghosts."】

【"Entering Ze Lake, I realized my third sword—Slashing Demons!"】

【"Entering the Buddhist fold, I realized my fourth sword—Annihilation."】

【"Stepping onto the grasslands of the Eternal Heaven, seeing vast winds roar, I realized my seventh sword—Wind's Cry."】

【"At twenty-one, my Primordial Spirit entered the Yang Spirit realm."】

【The Second Master continued: "At twenty-two, I saw the Longxi Road ravaged by drought—I slashed the sky and summoned a life-giving rain. Seeing children and elders laugh in joy, with gentle wind and fine rain entering my sword gate, I realized my ninth sword."】

【"The Yang Spirit fused with Martial Dao, giving birth to my True Essence—I entered the realm of the world's greatest masters."】

【"The nine swords united, severing the mortal world—that is the method of severing karmic bonds. Even the Master's corpse dissolution in Great Qi could cut through these countless threads of karma."】

【The Second Master smiled faintly, his gaze distant: "All these years later, I wonder—has the pear tree before my old home bloomed again?"】

【Lianchi and the others felt only sorrow and awe.】

【A great master who forged his True Essence at twenty-two—how astonishingly brilliant!】

【All felt profound regret for such a prodigious talent.】

【The Demon Master's eyes flickered—he had taken sixty years to forge his True Essence; his heart now churned.】

【"Yet three hundred years have passed, and I remain where I began."】

【The Second Master's voice continued: "I once believed this world offered no path to ascension. Had I been born three thousand years ago, I would have shattered the void like Lu Chen and Lu Yu."】

【"My path has never been to follow the Master's way—borrowing heaven's methods, swallowing the people's fortune, clinging to life in this mortal realm."】

【"I was simply born too late—time and place were not on my side. My sword, night after night, sings against the wall."】

【"This lingering regret and confinement has haunted me until today."】

【Suddenly, the Second Master smiled—his handsome face seemed to bloom with pear blossoms; though his form grew ever more ethereal, the golden light within him blazed brighter than ever.】

【His eyes shone bright, his voice clear—as if he had shed a thousand-pound burden.】

【"Today, I finally understand—I simply… have no talent."】

【At these words, all faces hardened, eyes filled with confusion: "No talent?"】

【It seemed unbelievable!】

【This answer baffled them—the First Master and Lu Hua wore identical expressions of bewilderment.】

【The Second Master—who had wielded a sword across the world, who had opened the Heavenly Gate!】

【What does "no talent" mean?!】

【The Second Master smiled, his tone calm yet self-mocking: "I once thought perhaps Lu Chen and the others had exhausted the world's three-thousand-year fortune by ascending."】

【"Perhaps I simply cannot achieve such a monumental feat as Lu Chen, nor leave behind a lineage."】

【"But I never asked myself—perhaps my own talent… is insufficient?"】

【In those final words, all present heard a faint, lingering sorrow and resentment in the Second Master's tone.】

【Lu Hua could not help speaking, his voice resolute: "If even your talent, Second Master, is not enough, then who in all the world can ascend?"】

【The Second Master looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing the faint, nearly invisible Tianmen.】

【He raised his slender fingers, as if gently grasping that towering gate.】

【"This tenth sword was conceived in my heart; today, I struck it forth and shattered the Tianmen."】

【"I only thought: I shall pass through the Tianmen—but not enter."】

【"My heart was utterly free; all chains dissolved. After killing the Master, the sword heart I had lost returned."】

【"It seems I merely exhausted my strength—the Mandate of Heaven was not with me."】

【He sighed softly, his tone carrying both release and helplessness.】

【"But!"】

【"What I thought was a hair's breadth away—beyond the Tianmen, I saw it: the profound, boundless, vast Dao that embraces all."】

【"My body, like a mayfly, gazed upon the endless blue heavens."】

【"I believed I was merely a hair's breadth short—but I was truly ten thousand miles away. I realize now: I never truly entered the realm of ascension. I remained forever beyond the threshold."】

【"My Dao could never be inscribed upon this world—hence the Tianmen lasted but an instant."】

【"So it was my talent that was insufficient."】

【The Second Master's final words were spoken with absolute certainty, not a trace of hesitation left.】

【At his words, all fell into silent sorrow.】

【Even a genius like the Second Master could not ascend—he had believed the gap to ascension was but a hair's breadth.】

【Could it be that true ascension has never existed in this world?】

【The Demon Master's gaze dimmed; his cultivation had long stagnated. Had it not, he would never have wandered the Northern Plains, gazing upon endless glaciers, seeking even a glimmer of breakthrough.】

【Lu Hua's expression was also desolate. The ascension sought for generations by the Three True Teachings, the ultimate goal of countless ancestors, now seemed an unreachable illusion.】

【The First Master sighed gently, as if feeling the same pain, nodding silently, his eyes filled with deep helplessness.】

【At that moment!】

【A clear, youthful voice broke the silence.】

【"Time is but a passing guest of a hundred generations; Heaven and Earth are but an inn for all things."】

【Xie Guan spoke slowly, his voice resolute: "The Dao is boundless; life is finite. To pursue the boundless with a finite span—even if ten thousand oppose me, I shall go forward."】

【Upon hearing this, the Demon Master's gaze grew calm.】

【Lu Hua also spoke slowly, his voice firm: "The ancestors plant trees; the descendants enjoy their shade."】

【"If our generation fails, then the next hundred generations shall try. If those hundred fail, then a thousand shall follow."】

【"One day, we shall surely ascend this realm and stand before our ancestors."】

【The Second Master nodded gently, his gaze falling upon Xie Guan. A faint smile touched his lips as he whispered: "If only I had met you in my youth—how wonderful that would have been."】

【"Alas, my time is likely nearly spent."】

【"But!"】

【A faint smile appeared on the Second Master's face, sweeping away all sorrow and despair.】

【His previously ethereal form began to solidify, his body turning blue and purple.】

【Threads of purple qi shone down upon him.】

【Above his head, the three golden lotuses slowly bloomed, radiating brilliant gold light that illuminated all around, as if the Dao itself had manifested.】

(End of Chapter)