Chapter 47: The Chance to Enter the Realm, the Age of Great Struggle

Li Guanyi had never seen such a brazen old man.

He clung to Li Guanyi’s thigh in the street, refusing to let go, bellowing “Master! Master!” at the top of his lungs, drawing a crowd. Li Guanyi, furious, suddenly felt the old man tap his thigh lightly—his breath froze instantly, his meridians seized.

The old man suddenly shouted: “Ah! Master! What’s wrong with you, Master?”

“Oh no! I told you not to turn into a child!”

“Look! You’ve had another fit!”

“Don’t worry, disciple will see you to your end!”

He scooped Li Guanyi up by the waist, hoisted him onto his shoulder with practiced ease, and sprinted off on legs like withered branches, vanishing into a deserted alley before dropping him down, plopping onto the ground, and leaning close to study the boy from head to toe.

“Good. Very good.”

The elder grinned, looking flustered, rubbing his hands.

“I’ll release the binding spell on you. Don’t move.”

Li Guanyi saw a transparent rope, woven from qi, binding him—Dragon and Tiger writhed in fury, tearing at it. The elder’s finger flicked once—the rope snapped, dissolving into invisible qi that flowed into heaven and earth.

Li Guanyi recognized the profundity of this technique and did not instantly leap away.

Instead, he placed his hand on the hilt of Qiushui Sword and said: “Elder… what exactly do you want?”

The old man said nothing, only stared intently at Li Guanyi: “You saw it?”

“How did you see it?”

“When did you start seeing it?!”

Li Guanyi chose his words carefully: “Since I was a child.”

The elder frowned: “Huh? Never eaten any fruit, never seen any strange phenomena? No treasures?”

Li Guanyi answered naturally:

“Yes. I was born with it.”

The old man scratched his head, glancing at the Black Tortoise: “Old friend, what do you think?”

The Black Tortoise looked at Li Guanyi; his gaze seemed to pierce through the boy’s sincerity. Li Guanyi even saw a faint, gentle smile on the tortoise’s spotted face. The tortoise shook its head silently. The elder said: “You mean he’s a good boy—no need to worry.”

Siming said: “Indeed. How you saw it is none of my concern.”

“The point is, you saw it.”

The elder looked at Li Guanyi, raised his palm to his chest, his expression solemn and calm: “I am Siming, one of the top three among the Twelve Masters of Yin-Yang. Be my teacher or my disciple—your choice.”

Li Guanyi’s lips twitched.

A rich voice replied: “He’s asking if you wish to join the Yin-Yang School.”

Li Guanyi stared at the Black Tortoise as if seeing a ghost.

Influenced by his emotion, the White Tiger on his shoulder glanced at Li Guanyi, then at the Black Tortoise.

It too widened its eyes, staring in shock.

The latter spoke slowly: “Don’t look at me. Human speech isn’t hard—live long enough, and you’ll understand easily. Child, this generation’s Siming is a playful brat. Don’t let his words mislead you.”

Li Guanyi thought carefully, then asked bluntly:

“What benefits will I gain by joining the Yin-Yang School?”

The elder froze, then burst into laughter, pointing at Li Guanyi: “Look! My disciple and I are perfectly matched—his nerve rivals mine!”

“Still, this directness is good.”

“Our Yin-Yang lineage is one of the Nine Schools. We govern the two primordial qi—Yin and Yang—dividing the Five Phases and transforming them. Enter our door, and benefits will never end. You’ll be famed across the land, revered by dukes and kings.”

The Black Tortoise spoke slowly: “The Yin-Yang School’s Grand Sect is among the few in this age qualified to preside over state sacrifices. Since seven hundred years ago, when Heaven itself divided the realm among kings, any who seek to found a state or seize a throne must gain the Mandate of Heaven. The Yin-Yang School’s Grand Sect, the only ones who can interpret Heaven’s Mandate, are courted by monarchs.”

“But once a monarch falls, the Yin-Yang School’s Grand Sect is replaced.”

“In one country you’re honored; in another, you’re seen as a court jester. Over a hundred years ago, the Purple Palace burned. More than a hundred officials from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau were executed. Even then, a Yin-Yang Master was present—but in chaos, such arts are no longer esteemed.”

The old man bristled at his old friend’s interruption.

But the Black Tortoise didn’t care.

He continued calmly: “Yet mastering the Five Phases, the flow of Yin and Yang, and ultimately comprehending the mystery of the One—that is the highest transmission. To read the hints hidden in all things, to avoid misfortune and seek fortune, to interpret feng shui, to walk upon Yin and Yang.”

“Your talent, if left untrained, is a waste.”

Li Guanyi looked at the Black Tortoise—and suddenly understood.

The boy sat cross-legged, released his grip on the sword, placed his hands on his knees, and smiled faintly: “You are the true Siming.”

“Is that so?”

Both the old man and the Black Tortoise showed surprise.

The tortoise’s face softened: “…Clever child.”

“All things in heaven and earth are divided into Yin and Yang. Living beings belong to Yang; manifestations belong to Yin. The flow of Yin and Yang enables a human to perceive manifestations—this ability is granted only to those who have reached a certain level in Yin-Yang cultivation. Those who see me may receive my transmission and inherit the title of Siming.”

Li Guanyi felt the bronze tripod could not extract any jade fluid from the ancient tortoise.

As if the tortoise emitted not a single wisp of qi or aura.

Was it the tripod’s weakness—or his own low realm affecting it? The tortoise smiled gently:

“Child, learning some Yin-Yang arts won’t harm your destiny.”

Li Guanyi said: “Then that technique that bound me earlier.”

The Black Tortoise explained: “That’s a qi-congealing technique. Unlike a martial artist’s acupoint-stopping or a Daoist’s meridian-sealing, it’s unique. Only qi-seers can perceive it—and only those with the power to discern Yin-Yang and the Five Phases can break it. Unfortunately, only after entering the realm can one’s qi leave the body to cultivate.”

Li Guanyi felt regret.

Again, it was about entering the realm.

Before and after entering the realm, every sect held it as profoundly significant.

Thus, the depth of one’s entry mattered greatly.

The Black Tortoise looked at the old man. The old man scowled, refusing to speak.

“You’re the Siming. Why are you looking at me?”

The Black Tortoise nudged the old man.

Reluctantly, he picked up a straight branch and drew a few lines on the ground—each stroke left behind a trace of qi.

Then he tapped the center of the pattern with the branch. The qi flowed.

The earth thickened, sprouting buds that grew, spread, and became a flowering tree—its branches burst into large, frost-blooming plum blossoms. One petal fell into the boy’s palm. Instantly, the tree withered into flame, the flame curled into water, which dripped to the ground and turned to dust. All like a dream.

But Li Guanyi saw the plum blossom still in his palm.

The old man tossed the stick aside, offered no explanation, and tilted his chin.

The Black Tortoise said: “This is the Yin-Yang School’s power—Yin-Yang transformation, the birth and death of the Five Phases.”

“It is the power to explore the fundamental nature of heaven and earth, profoundly mysterious, not suited for killing. At the same level, martial artists who close in will die. Even Daoists or monks with comparable qi levels, we cannot defeat. We’re barely better than those who study the Calculating Scriptures?”

Li Guanyi said: “Confucians?”

The old man cursed: “Confucians are crude—they’ll beat you with bamboo slips!”

The Black Tortoise said: “Though not skilled in killing, if mastered, one can summon winds that cover rivers and lakes, disrupt celestial phenomena with great arrays, stir up dust and stones, alter battle formations—all effortlessly.”

“Since ancient times, strategists have all known this art.”

“In this chaotic age, Yin-Yang strategists manipulate the weather, tacticians balance the tide of fate, Calculating Masters forecast the strength of nations. On the battlefield, mighty generals charge through enemy lines, facing thousands. Kings sit on their thrones. Commoners drift through the mortal world—just like the Five Phases.”

“Child, if you wish to learn, come find me after you enter the realm.”

“No talk of master and disciple.”

The Black Tortoise’s shell emitted power, releasing a portion of it. Li Guanyi felt the bronze tripod hum—the power flowed in, naturally forming a Black Tortoise imprint. No jade fluid was gained, but the tortoise was now etched upon it.

For the first time, Li Guanyi saw a manifestation willingly give its own qi.

The Black Tortoise said gently: “If we let such talent go untaught, our old friends will crawl out of their graves.”

“After you enter the realm, I can use Yin-Yang secrets to transmit to you a ‘Manifestation.’”

The old man glared at his old friend.

Since when did you start stealing?! Giving a ‘Manifestation’ in the Yin-Yang School means splitting off part of your own qi and shaping it into a gift—this is their most core transmission method.

Li Guanyi sensed the change on the bronze tripod, understood the tortoise’s intent. He bowed solemnly, gazing at the plum blossom in his palm, accepting the transmission. As he rose to leave, he asked: “Who are you…?”

The Black Tortoise said: “Me?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m merely the old turtle who once bore the Luoshu.”

…………

Li Guanyi departed. The old man and the Black Tortoise watched into the distance. The tortoise said: “Ancestor Xiao should arrive soon. The Confucian Wenzhong Wang Tong is here too. The Seventh Master of the Mohists has already infiltrated the city. The aura of weapons and the aura of culture have both surged into the heavens.”

“What are you looking at?”

The old man said: “I’m watching his stars.”

Though it was daytime, the old man stared intently at the sky, his white beard and hair fluttering in the wind. The Black Tortoise looked at this Siming—the most gifted in a thousand years. Siming was the top rank of the Yin-Yang School, in charge of Heaven’s Mandate.

In the realm of observing stars and constellations, no one surpassed him.

This old man had once presided over the ancestral rites of a great nation. The solemn scene had made even the Emperor kneel beneath the altar. Incense rose, massive banners fluttered like clouds connecting heaven and earth. Siming, clad in elaborate, solemn robes, sat cross-legged before a colossal bronze tripod, intoning ancient prayers with solemn authority.

Everyone said he was the most talented Yin-Yang Grand Master.

Only the Black Tortoise knew that back then, the old man had been drunk, nodding off, his solemn expression merely the result of a hangover-induced frown. When using the tortoise shell for divination, he’d pre-carve hidden patterns inside with a sharp file, then burn the shell to produce the desired markings.

His lips moved slightly beneath the solemn music. The Black Tortoise heard clearly.

“Damn it, my head’s killing me.”

The most talented Siming—and the most contemptuous of Heaven’s Mandate in the Yin-Yang School’s history.

Now he sighed: “So that’s it. He’s not the White Tiger Grand Master.”

The Black Tortoise looked at his old friend.

The elder said calmly, “I cannot see that star, but the star representing his destiny hangs high, like a vortex in the Eastern Sea, swallowing and sweeping away the starlight of the Four Symbols’ great sects—yet even so, his destiny star emits not a single ray of light.”

“Like a purely black vortex star, unfit for the heavens.”

“I… no longer understand his destiny…”

“But destiny is merely innate—whether one achieves anything still depends on the man’s capacity. This matter in Guanyi City has drawn together martial and civil qi: the martial world, the court, Ying Guo, Chen Guo, noble families, the frontier, Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, Military Strategy, and wealthy merchants.”

“The entry of all these powers is the perfect celestial timing and terrestrial advantage for the Dragon and Tiger.”

“Like water churning into waves, fish ride this age of fierce contention to soar, transforming into true dragons, leveraging celestial timing and terrestrial advantage to enter the highest possible foundation.”

“How far he goes—whether to great renown or obscurity—”

“We shall see now.”

The Black Tortoise fell silent: “Why didn’t you tell him?”

The elder froze: “…………I forgot.”

The man and the tortoise stared at each other; the elder leapt up and sprinted off: “Master and apprentice, wait for me!”

“Wait!”

………

Li Guanyi returned to the Xue family, intending to warn Xue Lao of changes in the city’s defenses—though the elder may already know, he could not refrain from mentioning it; he also wished to have his aunt temporarily relocate to the Xue family’s villa. At the gate, however, Li Guanyi saw a caravan arriving.

The newcomers bore an appearance and bearing unlike those of Jiangnan Dao—full of fierce vigor and robustness.

Li Guanyi was curious. The Xue family’s retainers greeted him, addressing him as “Guest Minister,” causing a man in his thirties from the caravan to halt. He turned to look at the youth: his topknot immaculate, a jade hairpin securing his hair, his face pale and gentle, with a neatly trimmed mustache.

In Li Guanyi’s perception, qi flowed—the man’s shoulders emitted a white fox.

Around Li Guanyi, his own qi manifested: the White Tiger paced, the Crimson Dragon coiled.

Manifestation?! Something was wrong. Such things belonged only to the world’s heroes; Li Guanyi had not seen one in ten years—yet within this single month, Guanyi City had gathered so many?! He instinctively sensed something amiss, recalled the changes in the city’s defenses, and felt the oppressive weight of storm clouds gathering before the wind.

The man’s lips curled slightly as he smiled: “Guest Minister?”

“Such a young Guest Minister—the Xue family’s younger generation truly produces outstanding talents.”

Li Guanyi said: “Sir, you too are remarkably distinguished.”

“Hahahaha, I am merely a humble traveling merchant from Longxi Pass—hardly worthy of your title, sir.”

The handsome man bowed slightly: “I am from Longxi, surname Changsun, given name Wuchou.”

“Pleased to meet you, young sir.”

(End of Chapter)