Chapter 33: Master Comes to the Door

The Bai Hu roared to heaven, its sound unceasing; Xue Daoyong simultaneously blocked the sound with his own vast qi aura, so outside the Tingfeng Pavilion, the wind and waves remained calm—but subtle changes, impossible to fully suppress, still occurred.

It was the third month of spring; the Seven Stars of Bai Hu spanned the vast western night sky, and Can, the star forming Bai Hu's head, was among the brightest constellations in the entire heavens, clearly visible to anyone who looked up.

"The light of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu suddenly increased by one stellar magnitude."

A young voice spoke, filled with surprise and light curiosity.

The "stellar magnitude" he referred to was the faintest starlight visible to the naked eye under a clear night sky; it belonged to a hooded figure, short in stature, revealing a snow-white chin, whose features were indeterminate—either a beautiful boy or an heroic girl.

One could only confirm that it was a youth.

Those who observe celestial mechanics are always different.

Celestial mechanics and the world's rules grow somewhat blurred on their bodies.

This is a blessing, and also a price.

The figure raised his head, holding a polished disc of high-purity East Sea crystal—something invented by the Mo School, allowing one to see extremely distant places.

Yet to perceive a change in stellar magnitude with the naked eye was still utterly incredible.

The old man beside the bonfire fell silent for a moment, then said:

"The Sixiangda Sect circles the Central Heaven, rotating since ancient times for countless eons—even during prior imperial successions, the stars in the sky never shifted."

"Over a hundred years ago, the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou lost his power; Wu Gong spent the night in the Phoenix Pavilion where the Empress Dowager resided. The young emperor took his sword to seek revenge—and on that day, the Purple Palace burst into fire at midnight, burning for three days and three nights, reducing the Great Emperor and his palace to ashes—yet the Purple Star in the heavens remained bright."

"The officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau were thus sentenced to death by slicing."

"How absurd—it was human calamity, yet over a hundred people died because the stars in the sky refused to dim; they understood nothing of stellar patterns, only wished for all things to submit to them—how did the descendant of that wandering swordsman become such a foolish, stubborn man?"

"The Seven Stars of Bai Hu do not easily change their brightness; the last time they glowed was five hundred years ago—but back then, it was not spring, and they were not in the west; they signified the world's great pacification, when the Bai Hu Star Lord descended to earth to suppress the Central Plains."

The old man traced a complex star chart on the ground with a twig, whispering:

"Every event carries meaning; the movement of stars often reflects some omen of the mortal realm—or rather, when something happens in the mortal realm, the stars above shift accordingly. The brightening of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu signifies that this generation's Bai Hu Da Zong has arrived among mortals—the heavenly deity who governs war."

"Look, Can is brightest—that means the tiger's claws and fangs have awakened ahead of schedule, unable to contain themselves."

"The age of chaos is coming."

He pondered long, then looked toward the hooded disciple and said: "Yao Guang, you must find him."

"Fulfill the duty of the Eastern Land Star Observing School—maintain peace in the mortal realm, and do all you can to prevent the true age of chaos from arriving."

The youth could no longer suppress his curiosity:

"Master, can the age of chaos be prevented?"

"If it could, why, since ancient times, has chaos never truly ended—even during periods of peace?"

The old man fell silent for a long while, then sighed: "The world has been in turmoil too long; chaos must come. When it does, heroes across the land will grasp their weapons and enter this world, like stars crossing Qilian and Taihang Mountains to rise into the night sky—the star chart has foretold that age, yet we still hope to delay its arrival."

The youth frowned: "Why?"

The old man reached out and stroked his disciple's head: "In times of peace, a farmer who supports his family is his own hero—but do you know who the greatest hero is in an age of chaos?"

"Who?"

The old man lowered his gaze, his eyes flickering with the bloodshed of over a hundred years ago, whispering: "The one who kills the most."

The youth shuddered in shock.

"For no matter what kind of hero—"

"Even one bearing grand ideals, once drawn into this age of chaos, will leave behind piles of white bones, their swords drenched in blood; they raise spears for a peaceful world, yet their hooves trample the earth with corpses."

"Some say this is the price needed to renew the world—we always hope the cost may be smaller."

"Go, Yao Guang."

The old man stroked his beautiful disciple's hair, solemnly:

"Find the Bai Hu Da Zong, who has been absent for five centuries and now returns to the mortal realm."

"Find him before the Po Jun faction within the Star Observing School, who yearn to ignite chaos, finds him—and even if you cannot stop chaos from arriving, you must surely aid him to become the hero who defines the age."

………………

Above the Tingfeng Pavilion's pond, the mist-formed Bai Hu roared, and as the divine weapon fell silent, the mist-Bai Hu dissolved, rejoining the water with a thunderous crash into the pond—its sound echoing like the furious waves of the East Sea—and the koi within had already turned into a stinking pool of blood.

Xue Daoyong stared fixedly at the pond, then at the now-calmed 【Po Yun Zhen Tian Gong】.

The old man sensed that the bow had changed.

Who?

Who!!!

He whirled around, entered the Tingfeng Pavilion, spread out a sheet of white paper, and recalled every event of the past month in his mind, recording them all densely, then with a cinnabar brush, marked every possible cause of the 【Po Yun Zhen Tian Gong】's anomaly.

A letter from Shuo Bei.

The envoy of Ying State.

Grand Masters of the Jianghu. And…

After listing each name that could shake a region, the old man's gaze settled on the final name—his eyes flickered with unusual light; finally, he lifted the cinnabar brush and drew a heavy circle around it.

【Li Guanyi】

The old man stared at the name.

It could be him—but it was more likely not; he had not yet entered the realm; even Xue Daoyong himself, at this age, had already entered the realm—eighteen, with mastery over bow, fist, and foot, capable of traveling ten thousand li across warlord-torn lands.

Was this a test?

The old man suddenly smiled.

Calm and bold, like a hunting tiger.

He dipped his brush and wrote after the youth's name:

【Li Guanyi, raise one tier】

He paused.

Then erased the line.

【Li Guanyi, Guest Minister of the Upper Courtyard, may come here daily for food and drink】.

With a flick of his wrist, he casually tossed the brush aside and regarded the Break-Cloud Thundering Bow with a faint expression.

Testing?

No need. Testing still carries the risk of failure.

Even one percent possibility is enough.

Bet heavy!

……………………

Li Guanyi opened his eyes and fell into thought.

He had learned that technique, but this time was different: this time, Li Guanyi had first comprehended it himself, then the Jade Liquid surged in, boosting his proficiency—but even so, it only granted him mastery of the technique, not perfection.

Li Guanyi had already discerned the bronze cauldron's nature.

The Jade Liquid inside likely correlates with his own realm; since he had not yet entered the realm, when practicing the unentered cultivation technique Break-Cloud Eight Blades, he could achieve instant perfection, but the first technique of the Xue family's ultimate art—that was a Manifestation ultimate art—only allowed him to barely grasp it.

The prerequisite for mastery was that Li Guanyi himself understood the technique's essence and could perform it independently.

Then, proficiency would instantly max out.

He held the Su Ni Bow, gifted by Xue Shuangtao, feeling a familiar sensation—as if he had held this bow for years—and could wield the Xue family's ultimate art, One Arrow Cold as Moonlight, at will—but Li Guanyi knew it was an illusion.

Manifestation ultimate arts require a perfected Manifestation.

Li Guanyi's two Manifestations could barely surface, and they often fought over which one would emerge first—Little Bai Hu was beaten by the Crimson Dragon, yowling in protest.

He still needed to enter the realm, so his internal Qi could leave his body and supply the Manifestation with primal energy.

Only then could he master the martial art's realm.

The youth sighed: "Entering the realm…"

To leave Chen State safely, one needed an entered realm cultivation technique; to master martial arts, one needed the entered realm; even if he wished to keep exploiting the Break-Cloud Thundering Bow's inheritance, he still needed to enter the realm—but…

He had originally planned to leave Chen State immediately, yet he glanced at the Su Ni Bow and that heavy blade.

A flicker of hesitation arose in his heart.

All this help, after all, was not the same.

But the Night-Running Cavalry hunting him, and his aunt's words about the imperial family, reinforced Li Guanyi's resolve to leave Chen State—yet he must acknowledge the Xue family's kindness: a drop of kindness demands a spring of repayment.

Li Guanyi planned to "review" the 【Three Stages of Entering the Realm】 in his mind.

Previously, it had merely been 【imprinted】.

At that moment, the Bai Hu Manifestation atop the bronze cauldron suddenly bristled its fur and roared; though their Manifestations could barely surface, the connection instantly amplified Li Guanyi's perception.

Was this a trait inherent to the Manifestation itself? Li Guanyi had no time to think—his primal instinct for detecting enemies had already made him snatch up the Su Ni Bow, turn, nock an arrow, and leap out of his room, drawing the bow with the skill of years.

Beneath the moonlight, the old man scaled the wall.

An old man with white hair crouched atop the wall, his target unmistakable.

He had come straight for the youth, his eyes fixed on Li Guanyi's room, grinning as he stroked his beard: "I am Master Siming."

"Boy, you and I, ah no—"

He paused, then exclaimed warmly:

"You and your master are destined to be together!!!"

(End of Chapter)