Chapter 71: Truth and Falsehood, Our Fate

I don't know if it's due to the peculiar nature of the Eastern Land's Star Observing School.

When Li Guanyi reached Xue Shuangtao's side, the inner qi agitation caused by the stellar configuration quickly calmed; Xue Shuangtao's gaze fell on the roasted bun—dry and hard as expected, dipped in honey, its texture surely complex.

Xue Shuangtao's gaze shifted away from the roasted bun, and she sat quietly.

She concealed the honey jar and milk behind her wide, cloak-like garment.

Her hands rested on her knees, her voice calm, unruffled:

"Your breakthrough came earlier than anticipated."

Li Guanyi pretended not to notice her small gesture.

He sat cross-legged before the bonfire.

He informed Xue Shuangtao of his suspicions and the letters he had sent; she looked at Li Guanyi, thoughtful, and said: "You truly possess the bearing and conduct of the Bai Hu Da Zong."

"The bloodshed of the mortal realm has disturbed the stellar patterns, and these patterns are linked to your method."

"The Bai Hu is immersed in dreams of slaughter, affecting your qi fluctuations."

"It doesn't matter. Close your eyes. I will stay by your side until your qi settles." Xue Shuangtao rose and sat beside Li Guanyi, her hands clasped, her qi long and steady, as threads of starlight rose around her.

Li Guanyi closed his eyes and sat cross-legged.

The Crimson Dragon and the Black Tortoise dispersed, leaving the Bai Hu unbound; it raised its head and roared, shaking the four directions—wild beasts in the night fell silent; starlight falling upon Xue Shuangtao settled upon the Bai Hu's form, smoothing its agitated aura.

Li Guanyi breathed quietly.

The Bai Hu's agitation and malevolence calmed under the starlight.

A lute melody rose in Li Guanyi's heart; with the melody's aid, it gained the upper hand.

He controlled the flow of inner qi, circulating it via the Nine Yang Divine Art, slowly seeping into his body to strengthen tendons, bones, muscles, and blood vessels; each cycle brought a subtle increase in physical strength.

Changes in the Western Regions shifted celestial patterns, yet the stars' radiance never ceased, flowing endlessly.

Purified with the aid of the Eastern Land's Star Observing School, carried by Li Guanyi's inner qi, it continuously refined his body; after entering this realm, the 【Casting Body】 stage is the first great hurdle for martial cultivators—ordinary warriors merely toughen their bodies with stone weights and heavy objects, aided by medicinal herbs.

Aristocratic descendants use secret techniques paired with unique spiritual herbs.

Only those who obtain the supreme opportunity may use celestial substances.

Even such an opportunity would reserve these celestial substances for critical moments of breakthrough—never as lavishly as Li Guanyi, who uses starlight even for the most basic body refinement.

Such extravagance would make even an aristocratic heir sigh.

Under the starlight's refinement, Li Guanyi's body-casting progress surged.

Inner qi circulated through his entire body, refined by a special method, until his flesh could bear the explosive power of his Current Realm; only then did it slow—signifying completion of the 【Casting Body】 stage. Yet starlight still flowed endlessly, now propelling the progress of the Nine Yang Divine Art.

The Bai Hu roared, standing there, head raised, inhaling and exhaling toward the starry heavens.

Starlight turned to silver radiance, sinking into its throat.

The Bai Hu's fur bristled, each strand glowing brilliantly, as if woven from starlight.

The Crimson Dragon, the Black Tortoise, and the Bronze Cauldron showed no restraint.

They harnessed the Bai Hu's consumption of celestial starlight.

Xue's secret technique, the Nine Yang Divine Art—renowned for unmatched explosive power—advanced at an astonishing rate; vast starlight enveloped Li Guanyi; the boy breathed steadily, his awareness growing ever calmer, as if merging with the Seven Mansions of the Bai Hu.

It was as if he had returned to the fetal stage—though refining his body, his breath grew softer.

Outer hardness, inner softness; body like adamantine, breath like an infant's.

This is the Way of Yin and Yang.

Slowly, even his awareness sank into dreams.

As if he had become the Seven Mansions of the Bai Hu.

Following Heaven's Mandate, walking the path of war and slaughter to quell chaos.

Li Guanyi continually strengthened his absorption of this starlight; his awareness became a swimming fish, following the river of falling starlight upstream toward its source—until, at a certain point, he suddenly felt a tug.

He sensed the starlight that had naturally settled upon him being drawn away, flowing toward another direction—not himself.

Li Guanyi instinctively "looked."

The wailing of swords and spears erupted suddenly!

The malevolence of weapons surged into the sky.

The boy immersed in starlight suddenly felt a sharp, icy aura rise—he snapped awake, breaking free from that mystical state; just before leaving it, he saw a vision.

He "saw" the boundless night, heard the thunder of galloping warhorses, "saw" ten thousand iron cavalry encircling one man—this man appeared to be only thirty or forty, his brows sharp, his eyes piercing, clad in black armor, draped in a black cloak adorned with white tigers.

As the warhorses galloped, the cloak stretched taut, swaying slightly in the wind.

Like a Bai Hu sprinting through the night.

Beneath the night, heavy cavalry marched in unison; the man gripped a heavy spear.

The surging iron cavalry flowed like spilled mercury, their aura unified, the only sound the thunderous pounding of hooves—rolling like distant thunder across the heavens; in the silence, an overwhelming pressure arose naturally.

The man seemed to sense something.

He lifted his head—brow like blades, eyes like stars, his gaze blazing like fire.

The Seven Mansions of the Bai Hu blazed brightly in the sky.

A tiger's roar echoed through the air.

Li Guanyi grunted, as if pierced through by a sharp sword, pain flaring.

Then, as if falling from starlight, he returned to his body.

He opened his eyes; the Bronze Cauldron hummed, qi swirling in his gaze; he looked up at the starlight, as if watching its radiance touch the mortal realm—the Bai Hu's starlight, besides falling upon him, also fell upon another direction.

And the feeling was—that man, was he also in the Western Regions?

Another being capable of drawing the Bai Hu's starlight—was he truly stirring trouble in the Western Regions, hence the Bai Hu's fierce reaction?

Li Guanyi suddenly understood—

The world is vast; heroes exist everywhere.

It wasn't just him who drew the light of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu.

The Master Siming of the Yin-Yang School had never told Li Guanyi that his destiny was not Bai Hu Da Zong, but a dark vortex that devoured the starlight of Bai Hu Da Zong; yet even so, he immediately understood the current situation.

After a moment of shock, an instinctive repulsion arose in Li Guanyi's mind—a fierce possessiveness, unrelated to good or evil, but born of instinct.

Like a tiger claiming its territory.

"Is Bai Hu Da Zong not just one?"

Li Guanyi looked up at the stars in the sky.

A premonition quietly formed in his heart.

In the future, he would surely cross paths with this man.

Bathed in the same radiance of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu, following the same path, possessing similar nature—if this world truly had fate, then they were the same heroes.

The world would not allow two tigers stirring up storms.

As long as they climbed higher, crossed battle after battle, they would surely meet!

And when they met, it was unlikely they would have any good relationship.

After all, just now, when that man looked up and met his gaze, Li Guanyi clearly felt a terrifying killing intent—like staring at a thief.

What thief?!

The anger in that gaze was as if the man himself were Bai Hu Da Zong.

As if glaring at a rival who had stolen his share of Bai Hu Da Zong's starlight.

Li Guanyi raised his hand to his forehead, thinking deeply.

The man across from him seemed very strong—he absolutely couldn't defeat him now.

Yao Guang opened her eyes, her voice calm:

"What's wrong?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then asked: "Is the destiny of Bai Hu Da Zong not just one?"

Yao Guang had never considered this question.

She pondered for a moment, then shook her head, her voice calm, saying:

"I don't know."

Li Guanyi laughed: "You don't know either?"

Yao Guang said: "Mm."

"But the world is vast, the star patterns infinitely mysterious—perhaps two people can be bathed in the same starlight, look up at the same moon. So I think, even the most impossible scenario must have occurred somewhere in the flow of time?"

"Did you see something just now?"

Li Guanyi described what he had seen, sighing: "His bearing was immense—he seemed to command several Thousandfold Weight of heavy cavalry, and his strength surpasses mine. Do you think he might be the true Bai Hu Da Zong?"

Li Guanyi asked with a smile: "What if you've chosen the wrong person?"

Yao Guang looked at the young man before her.

Sometimes Li Guanyi felt his own nature was contradictory.

Sometimes he was confident, believing he could accomplish great things, seeing no obstacle too great to overcome; yet at other times he doubted himself, wondering if his current ease was merely because there were no tigers in the mountains, and monkeys ruled as kings.

These two emotions—confidence and self-doubt—swirled within him without one prevailing over the other; now, seeing the general's majesty, sensing his strength, and realizing he too was blessed by starlight, he naturally sighed.

Yao Guang looked at him, her voice calm:

"Do you know what fate is?"

"Not everyone favored by the Seven Stars of Bai Hu can quell chaos."

"It can only choose the one most in tune with the spirit of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu, then send him into chaos, to meet enemies, rivals, friends—to be broken or to reveal his edge in the furnace of chaos, finally reaching his destined end."

"Is there no one else more suited to the path of Bai Hu Da Zong than him?"

Li Guanyi pondered, then said:

"You mean—it's not that those favored by the Seven Stars of Bai Hu become Bai Hu Da Zong and quell chaos; but that the one who achieves the feat of quelling chaos is the one whom the Seven Stars of Bai Hu favor and make Bai Hu Da Zong."

"It's not that one is chosen to become the hero who quells chaos."

"But that one becomes favored by the starlight because he quells chaos?"

Yao Guang seemed surprised by Li Guanyi's ability to connect ideas.

She tilted her head, thinking.

Her expression remained calm; she rose and knelt closer to Li Guanyi.

She reached out and removed her hood.

Silver hair fell to her waist, glinting in the firelight; the girl's voice was serene:

"May I ask you to give me your hand? Don't worry—it won't take long."

Li Guanyi was already familiar with the girl's habits.

He extended his hand and asked with a smile: "Another secret prayer?"

"No."

"Just an answer."

The girl clasped Li Guanyi's hands in both of hers; her voice tranquil: "What you said is not what I meant. The fate I speak of is not a forced attribution of legend based on final outcomes—it means this—"

She lifted her head, her expression calm and sacred, gazing at the young man before her, her voice serene:

"Even if the stars above do not favor only one person, even if heroes bound by the Bai Hu destiny are not singular—still, I met you."

"And you found me."

"Two raindrops may fall upon the same petal—who can say it is mere coincidence?"

A strand of silver hair at the girl's temple stirred slightly.

She said: "At the moment you and I met, our fate had already begun."

"Even if there are countless heroes under heaven, even if the flowing light of the White Tiger's Seven Mansions does not favor only one person, the one that belongs to me is already before me."

"The destiny I speak of is this."

Then she smiled faintly.

Beneath the moonlight, that beautiful face that seemed as though it did not belong to any mortal being bloomed into a smile for the first time, and she said: "Like this, are you slightly more at ease?"

Li Guanyi opened his mouth.

"... Yaoguang, you really are clever."

The young girl released his hand, stood up, and withdrew her palm, white as Bai Yu, from the youth's grasp.

She placed her hands before her, and in a calm voice said:

"Has your cultivation art already been completed?"

Li Guanyi clenched his fist; the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art had reached Minor Completion.

The first hurdle of entering the realm, the Body Forging that an ordinary person would need three years to achieve, had already been accomplished. Nodding, Yaoguang pulled her hood back on properly, pointed at the stream ahead, and said: "Since that is the case, please come with me to seek out the Mystical Realm left behind by the Number One Divine General under heaven and by Yaoguang of five hundred years ago."

"That is the turning point they left behind, one that may well be enough to change the world."

Li Guanyi looked at the stream.

What Divine General Xue had painstakingly left behind was certainly not merely for the purpose of training a martial artist who had just entered the realm.

What the Number One under heaven had left behind after exhausting all his efforts.

After entering the realm, one still needed Yaoguang of the Star-Gazing School present in order to be able to go to the True Mystical Realm.

What on earth was it?

He exhaled a breath and said: "Good."

Yaoguang looked at the water, turned her head sideways to look at Li Guanyi, thought for a moment, extended her right hand, and said:

"I can use starlight to part the flow of water, and we may Enter the Mystical Realm together."

"Please follow me."

Li Guanyi reached out his hand, and Yaoguang grabbed his sleeve.

Then together they walked into the stream of the Mystical Realm.

The water parted under the reflection of the starlight.

Walking toward the power left behind by the Number One under heaven of five hundred years ago, power sufficient to change the chaotic age.

Li Guanyi thought.

What on earth was it?