Chapter 72: The Supreme Secret Treasury!

The Youquan of the water ravine parted beneath the power of starlight; Li Guanyi’s clothes remained dry as he moved smoothly into the realm, where Xiang Yaoguang, drawing upon the power of the Eastern Land Star Observing School, awakened the realm’s true form—starlight flowed like fish, shifting and swirling within the cavern.

It finally coalesced into a figure standing with hands behind his back, turning slightly.

It was Xue Shen.

Xiang Yaoguang went elsewhere, to study the legacy left by the Xiang Yaoguang of five hundred years ago.

He lifted his gaze to Li Guanyi and said coolly, “You’ve entered. And with Xiang Yaoguang of the Eastern Land Star Observing School present, it seems you came here to receive the true power of this realm. Such power was prepared for chaotic times—is the world growing turbulent again?”

Li Guanyi shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Xue Shen smiled faintly. “There is starlight upon you—that aura can only leak out from large-scale wars. Likely, the fate of a nation has begun to decline because of you.”

Li Guanyi said, “Not me.”

“Others bear the power of the White Tiger’s Seven Mansions.”

Xue Shen laughed and said:

“I understand the White Tiger’s Seven Mansions better than you. The stars in the sky are like water—they do not interfere with mortal affairs; rather, mortal affairs reflect upon the water. Since starlight has settled upon you, it means you played a decisive role in this war.”

“How old are you?”

Li Guanyi answered, “Almost fourteen.”

Xue Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Fourteen, and already influencing the fate of the world? No matter how small your role, even if it was only a fraction, you have reason to be proud. When I first led three thousand iron cavalry and shattered the land of Di, I was only three years older than you.”

Li Guanyi’s eyelid twitched.

He had merely written a letter—the true power lay in the executor.

But Xue Shen had truly mounted his horse, spear in hand, done similar things himself.

The ancient general spoke softly: “When the aura of the White Tiger appears and a disciple of the Eastern Land Star Observing School walks among mortals, it is surely a sign of chaos. In my time, I left you some gifts—but back then, I was confused: what would be most useful to leave?”

“Leaving a fortune in gold may not last long.”

“Leaving peerless martial arts or divine weapons might instead cause a family’s downfall.”

“Time is too long—from golden age to chaos, anything can happen. Whether it’s a fortune or a divine weapon, only the right person can unlock their true power.”

“For such a person, what matters most?”

“I thought long, and finally found the answer.”

Xue Shen looked at Li Guanyi and smiled.

“What do you think is most important to end chaos?”

Li Guanyi thought a moment, then answered, “Money?”

Xue Shen stared at him, then burst out laughing. “I thought the successor might be a martial fanatic.”

“Turns out he’s a money-grubber.”

“Has the Xue family fallen?”

Li Guanyi said, “I already said—I’m not of the Xue family.”

Xue Shen smiled. “What did you say?”

“My apologies—I’ve been dead for several centuries. My hearing isn’t so good anymore.”

Li Guanyi fell silent.

He thought a moment, then smiled sincerely and praised:

“Old thing!”

Xue Shen raised his hand.

A battle halberd appeared in the void—he gripped it backward and slammed it down onto Li Guanyi’s head with a clang. The halberd was formed of starlight; the sound was loud, but the force was mild. The starlight scattered, and the boy clutched his forehead, grimacing.

“Can you hear me now?”

Xue Shen said calmly, “Somehow, my hearing suddenly improved.”

“You may be greedy for gold, but you’re right—even a general clad in divine armor, wielding a divine weapon, charging forth with overwhelming Qishi , still needs vast wealth and national strength to sustain war. The food for men and horses goes without saying.”

“Armor, weapons, soldiers’ pay.”

“Iron ore, all kinds of herbs.”

“Weapon wear and tear, compensation for the dead and wounded—all require enormous sums. No matter how great the hero, no matter how grand the ambition, without this support, he is but a fire that will eventually burn out, leaving only pale ash behind.”

“I don’t know how many years have passed since your time, but three hundred years before mine, the world was equally in chaos. Then, an emperor bearing the Crimson Dragon’s aura rose from obscurity—he slew the White Snake and rose in rebellion, gaining the support of the Qiuqiu clan and marrying a daughter of a noble house.”

“He wielded Chi Xiao, the weapon most attuned to the Crimson Dragon’s aura, leading a band of peasants.”

“Then he set out to conquer the world.”

“At the time, he merely didn’t want to send his men to the imperial court. After much thought, drunk one night, he simply rebelled—leading a band of outlaws across the land, living day to day, eating meat, drinking wine, never knowing if tomorrow would come.”

“No one believed he could win—not even he himself.”

“His opponent? The White Tiger Grand Master of that era.”

Li Guanyi froze. Xue Shen said: “The Azure Dragon and White Tiger belong to the East and West respectively.”

“The Azure Dragon’s heart mansion is Shang; the White Tiger’s fifth mansion is Shen.”

“These two stars are the brightest in the heavens—one in the West, one in the East.”

“The starry sky turns like a circle.”

“One rises as the other falls—Shang and Shen never meet; kings never meet kings. Yet in that chaotic age, both White Tiger and Azure Dragon appeared simultaneously in this absurd world. The Black Tortoise Grand Master, reborn as the strongest commander with unmatched military strategy, rose to power.”

“Every generation’s White Tiger Grand Master is the same—able to break an army alone as a youth.”

“The Tiger Roar Heaven, my tiger-roaring halberd, was forged by that generation’s Grand Master.”

“At the time, the White Tiger Grand Master wielded his halberd and swept the entire age—no one stood against him. No one could be his friend. Those who could withstand even one strike of his halberd without dying were the greatest generals of the land—perhaps even stronger than I.”

“His hooves trampled the world, igniting flames; on either side lay piles of white bones.”

“He seized the world through sheer dominance, flaunting his brilliance—yet in the end, the White Tiger Grand Master fell. The Azure Dragon’s Seven Mansions rose, and from then on, crimson fire and the dragon became the world’s true authority. The Tian Shu Star, who had aided the Azure Dragon Grand Master, departed.”

The White Tiger Grand Master of five hundred years ago spoke quietly of the past:

“In the end, the White Tiger Grand Master still had strength to fight. Even as the Black Tortoise stood beneath the Azure Dragon’s banner, even as three of the Four Symbols were his enemies, the White Tiger still had the courage to tear the world apart and the final roar of fury.”

“But before that, two things happened.”

“All the youths who had risen with him were dead—his clan, his brothers, his cousins, those who shared his blood. His heroic spirit had vanished. And before that day, his Xiang Yaoguang had died.”

“The Mohist assassins—the Grand Master of that generation—had completed this great deed with all their might.”

Xue Shen smiled and said:

“The White Tiger Grand Master still had the courage to fight.”

“He sat alone all night, then laughed, abandoning any hope of resurgence—because the youths who had shared his dream were gone, because the Xiang Yaoguang who, in his humble days, had appeared before him and declared him fate, had died in his arms. Taking the world had lost all meaning.”

“A hegemon should die as a hegemon. Fleeing in disgrace to regroup is the fate of a lonely emperor. The world’s greatest general must die upon a battlefield unmatched in grandeur—past a thousand years, future a thousand years—like a blazing fire.”

“This was not a king’s choice—it was the awakening of a hegemon. He chose to complete his life by fighting every hero and warrior of the age. When his steed died, he fought with his halberd. When the halberd was knocked from his hand, he fought with his sword.”

“In the end, he ended his own life.”

“Yet he became a nightmare the Crimson Emperor would never forget for over a hundred years.”

“But he had a choice—he chose to face it head-on.”

“He still had the resources to rise again. His followers had prepared armor, weapons, and enough gold and silver to ignite another chaotic fire—all quietly stored in a hidden realm, protected by the starlight of the Eastern Land Star Observing School.”

“Even after a thousand or two thousand years, he could still fight.”

“That is the power left by the past hegemon—power enough to ignite chaos.”

“And the key to unlock it? Your and my White Tiger destiny—and that halberd, once invincible in that age. I have found the location of that realm. This is what I can give you—something capable of changing chaos.”

The thing Xue Shen spoke of was what the Crimson Emperor, who founded the eight-hundred-year dynasty, had feared—the weapons of a hegemon capable of igniting chaos: sharp blades, sturdy armor, and enough gold and silver to raise a full army.

In today’s world, secretly possessing armor is a capital crime.

To hoard armor sufficient for an entire army? That makes one a warlord.

With the right moment, these items could instantly raise a fully armored force. If led by a White Tiger Grand Master wielding that halberd, they would be a force capable of shaking the world in any age.

Xue Shen said, “This can end chaos—or ignite it.”

“Those without the capacity or vision who obtain these relics will die. So I must prove you have the right to end this chaos—your martial skill and strategy must surpass mine. Only then will I tell you where that realm lies.”

He smiled faintly, visibly pleased. Li Guanyi thought a moment, then said, “I see.”

“Then I don’t want it.”

He’d thought it was some divine weapon inheritance.

Xue Shen’s smile froze.

“Hm?”

Then he understood.

This boy…

For Li Guanyi now, the world and chaos were still too distant. No hero who would one day shape chaos ever began seeing his own end. Those who stood at the peak, looking back, found themselves far removed from their younger selves.

The Crimson Emperor had once merely wanted to eat meat and drink wine with his brothers, and have a beautiful wife at home.

The White Tiger Grand Master, who once challenged the world alone, had once been just a neglected youth of a noble house, practicing alone when Xiang Yaoguang fell over the wall.

Chaos always works this way—it sweeps up every fate and drives people toward mutual slaughter. Xue Shen understood this. He smiled softly and said, “Very well. Do you wish for power to protect yourself?”

“You don’t want to ignite chaos—but at least you want to survive safely in this age, yes?”

“You don’t think your mere Foundation Establishment is enough to protect yourself and your family, do you?”

“You’ve only been in Foundation Establishment for ten days—you need at least Body Casting to even…”

Li Guanyi slammed his fists together—qi surged upward.

“I’ve reached Body Casting.”

Xue Shen: “…………”

“Then at least you have a divine art—like my Xue family’s Jade Arm Divine Bow Art. You…”

Li Guanyi’s arms rose with qi, emitting a jade-like texture.

“It’s done.”

Xue Shenjiang fell silent for a long while, then raised an eyebrow and said, “Kid, did you even dismantle the incense burner in front of my tablet?”

Li Guanyi coughed once and replied, “Excellent.”

Xue Shenjiang laughed heartily and said, “Good! Since you don’t want that one, I’ve got a complete set of warrior cultivation techniques—enough to ensure no one dares bully you. Want it?”

Li Guanyi nodded, and before his eyes flickered a blur—Xue Shenjiang’s battle halberd came crashing down as he roared:

“Then let’s fight!”

………………

Li Guanyi lay sprawled before the rock, sunlight falling on his face.

He had been beaten senseless by Xue Shenjiang; Yaoguang brought him back and looked at the boy, saying, “Are you all right?”

Li Guanyi murmured, “Not very…”

The sky gradually brightened. Li Guanyi rolled over and sat up. “I need to go back. If I don’t return after one night, trouble will come.” He mounted his horse and rode off. Yaoguang watched him disappear, then turned—on the rock lay a cold, hardened steamed bun.

It was the one Li Guanyi had yanked from her mouth yesterday.

After a night’s exposure, the hardened bun was dampened by dew, soft and limp.

The girl picked it up.

“Still edible.”

She couldn’t bear to discard the honey on it.

She didn’t throw away the dirt-stained bun.

She reached out and brushed the dust from beneath it.

She lit a fire, reheated it, sat alone before the flames, expression calm, then cupped it in both hands and took small bites.

She heard hoofbeats again.

The boy had returned, sitting down before the fire, reaching out to grab the bun.

Pulled.

He tugged twice before wrenching it free.

Yaoguang’s face showed no emotion, but her eyebrows lifted slightly, her eyes widened as she stared at Li Guanyi. As the bun was pulled away, her voice remained calm—but for the first time, she changed her usual address:

“You!”

Then the boy reached out and shoved something into her mouth.

Soft, sweet, fragrant with osmanthus.

The girl’s raised eyebrows softened. The boy, clad in a dark blue round-collared robe with a rhinoceros-horn belt, grinned triumphantly. He pulled a paper bag from his sleeve, spread it on the ground, and opened it to reveal an assortment of pastries. With an expression of proud offering, he said:

“Which one do you like?”

He had ridden to the nearest town and bought them back.

Yaoguang looked at the pastries, then turned her gaze away.

Her expression serene, she said, “You needn’t do this.”

“The Star Gazing School has always lived simply in food and clothing.”

Li Guanyi laughed. “Tasty?”

Yaoguang placed her hands before her, knelt quietly, and said:

“The Star Gazing School has always lived simply in food and clothing.”

Li Guanyi ignored her words, sat cross-legged, pointed at the pastries, and enthusiastically explained each one to Yaoguang. The silver-haired girl sat quietly beside him—the stream, the damp cold rocks and cliffs, the young hero and the beauty.

Long afterward, Li Guanyi wondered why he had suddenly grown close to Yaoguang.

It wasn’t because of anything else.

Only because of her words that day.

Sometimes Li Guanyi would suddenly think:

He came from another world. He had awakened memories and past wisdom as a cat servant—even to his aunt, he had concealed this.

Ten years of flight, burdened with secrets.

And in this war-torn world,

One person had told him that day: even if other White Tiger Grand Sects existed, even if other choices were open, she would never choose to leave. In that instant, Li Guanyi suddenly realized: among all the stars above, all of mortal existence, there was finally one being who would forever choose him, forever belong to him.

It was special.

Li Guanyi left the stream and returned to the Xue household, arriving at his courtyard.

He suddenly paused, sighing.

He wondered if his wall corner was prone to sprouting people.

He turned—and saw another white-haired head poking over the wall.

“Siming.”