Chapter 489: The Eighth of August

The library of the Star-Picking Tower was not as large in scale as that of Dragon Tiger Temple, but the books within were numerous and varied.

Li Yuan spent a whole day there, and only at dusk did he carry several thick stacks of ancient scrolls back to his room to study them carefully.

What he borrowed were mainly the handwritten manuscripts left behind by the Daoist Long Mo.

Contrary to his expectations, the scriptures left by this Star-Picking Tower patriarch were extremely plentiful—so many that more than a dozen bookshelves could not contain them all.

And they were highly miscellaneous, covering not only anatomy, herbs, and mining, but also the classics, histories, philosophies, and literary collections.

What Li Yuan borrowed was a portion of them, broadly divisible into treatises on stance arts, qi and blood, internal force, true qi, and body transformation.

"This is the weight of a supreme grandmaster."

Beneath the oil lamp, Li Yuan held an ancient scroll in his hands, while on the table lay over a hundred more—and this was still only part of them.

The Daoist Long Mo was the Wudaoda Sect grandmaster who had left behind the most writings that Li Yuan had ever seen—without exception.

Moreover, his style was exceptionally straightforward and plain, rarely employing the mystifying wording found in most martial arts texts.

Li Yuan read with rapt absorption, and at the exquisite passages he even felt an urge to slap the table and cry out in admiration, regretting that he had only now laid eyes on them.

Once he started reading, it was already deep into the night, nearly making him miss his nightly martial practice—a routine he had hardly ever broken in ten years of training.

"A great name never lacks the man to match it. This is no Wu Gong Mi Jing, yet it surpasses divine skills and peerless arts—it is, as it were, the very outline of the martial Dao!"

Reluctantly setting down the ancient scroll in his hands, Li Yuan's admiration for this supreme grandmaster reached an exceedingly high pitch.

He had not read much, mainly poring over each word and sentence in careful study.

Yet from just those few volumes, by comparison, he could discern the detours he had taken in his training, as well as the places where his cultivation had been incomplete.

"Such a comprehensive outline of martial learning, and yet it is placed in the outer hall where anyone may read it."

Easing his sinews and rising to his feet, Li Yuan remained immersed in the contents of the books; only after a long while did his mind settle as he drove his stance art.

But after his daily stance work and the remodeling of his sinews and bones, Li Yuan—who had not closed his eyes for a day and a night—still felt no sleepiness, and clutching his book he read on for another full day.

By the next evening, he truly could hold out no longer, so he slept for two hours, then got up, performed stance work, took his pills, and bathed,

and then read.

Over the next several days, Li Yuan hardly set foot outside his room; the depth of his absorption left even Han Han Chuijun and Wang Wang Wenyuan, who came looking for him, somewhat astonished.

Han Han Chuijun, for his part, was more curious; after flipping through a few of the scrolls Li Yuan had read, he too perceived their marvels and likewise pored over them as if he had gained a priceless treasure.

Wang Wang Wenyuan had originally come to ask Li Yuan when he would ascend the tower, but before he could speak, he was chased out by master and disciple alike, and could only shake his head and leave.

……

Whoo, whoo~

The upper level of the Eight Directions Tower.

In the vast, empty hall, a gusting wind seemed to howl. In the open space, Qin Li Shixian stood tall in a crisp white outfit, holding a spear in one hand.

Her gaze, spirit, and mind were all gathered upon the long spear; under the infusion of her will, the spear blossomed with a dazzling purple radiance.

"The three essences united, the qi, breath, and spirit flowing in perfect harmony, transforming at will—the body itself is spirit, and spirit itself is spirit. Only when martial cultivation reaches this stage can one be called a grandmaster."

Her voice, neither loud nor soft, echoed through the hall. Qin Yun slowly rose to his feet, and as he stood, he paced forward; layers of vigorous true qi spread outward.

The great hall changed accordingly, stretching upward, to the left and right, forward and backward, endlessly extending and expanding. Soon, beyond the original hall, an open space ten li wide had been created.

This was the evolution of true qi contained within the Eight Directions Tower, yet it was also the manifestation of Qin Yun's will.

"The three essences return to one; skill has approached the level of law. Where the mind moves, the divine realm follows, and thus there arises an immeasurable, tremendous force!"

As he spoke, Qin Yun halted his steps.

He had taken only seven steps, yet the original space had undergone earth-shattering changes. Beyond the great hall lay wilderness, and beyond the wilderness, mountains and rivers.

The wooden planks overhead had vanished, replaced by a stretch of azure sky, with a blazing sun hanging high above, pouring down its light.

With each stride, space transformed; beneath the covering of the divine realm, it was as if the very heavens had been replaced.

Qin Li Shixian seemed utterly unaware, standing with spear in hand as if, with the spear alone, her heart held nothing but the spear—no outsiders, no external appearances.

"Your path of the three essences is passable at best. I can only blame my own arrangements back then for being inadequate—but fortunately, it can still be corrected!"

At this point in Qin Yun's words, Qin Li Shixian finally raised her head—not to look at her old man, but to look up at the sky.

She saw the great sun hanging in the air tremble, then plummet downward, trailing a blazing tail of Xiong Xiong flames,

rolling toward her like a meteor.

Crack!

Several instants later, the fireball exploded with a thunderous crash; as the flames scattered, Qin Li Shixian heard the sound of surging waters.

"What is this?"

Qin Li Shixian's eyelid twitched.

After that great sun's spiritual image fell halfway and split open, blade-light like water came pouring out from within it, and then,

she saw a familiar figure.

Silver hair, black robe, tall and long-armed, eyes deep and dark, a black dragon mark between his brows, wielding a six-foot-long saber—its blade snow-bright, with patterns like a dragon along its length.

"Wan Wan Zhuliu?!"

Qin Li Shixian's expression shifted; her perfectly unified spear momentum trembled involuntarily as she looked toward her old man:

"You know the Demon-Subduing Dragon God Saber as well?"

Boom—

The moment her mind turned, thunder seemed to explode across the long sky; the saber-wielder manifested from the great sun's spiritual image had already brought his blade down in a single slash,

Its ultimate sharpness aimed straight at her brow—none other than the First Saber of Demon Subduing.

"And you still launch a sneak attack?"

Qin Li Shixian gave a muffled snort, rose with her spear, purple light surging like a tide, and struck sideways at the descending shadow of the Demon-Subduing Dragon.

In an instant, thunder peals rang out on all sides; the clash of saber and spear rang out in a dense, tide-like clamor, and vast stretches of open ground were destroyed by the force.

Within a few breaths, the battlefield of their fierce combat expanded from a space of one li to a radius of a hundred li; wherever they passed, winds and clouds scattered, the earth split, and mountains crumbled.

"Who taught you to let your mind wander in the middle of a fight?"

Qin Yun squinted as he watched, observing the battle while also occasionally pointing out the flaws and oversights in Qin Li Shixian's performance. Distracted by this, the latter fell into a disadvantage several times.

"Wait until the fight's over!"

Qin Li Shixian snapped angrily—the old man was deliberately trying to split her attention.

"In the chaos of real combat, the situation changes in the blink of an eye. If you don't even have that much ability, what do you have to vie with that Wan Wan Zhuliu?"

Qin Yun naturally wouldn't listen to her. Not only did he keep pointing out her mistakes and press the attack, but perhaps feeling it still wasn't enough, he flicked out another point with his finger.

Hum—

In the vast sky, another great sun rose into view, its radiance blazing.

"You?!"

Qin Li Shixian felt a chill run down her spine. She shot a wild glance and saw yet another great sun spirit phase descending from the heavens.

Just as before, it split open in midair.

A burly giant strode forth, let out a long howl, and his qi and blood surged like a tangible blaze of flame, even more dazzling than the body that had earlier transformed into the great sun.

"Worshipping Blood Vajra?!"

The giant descended from the sky without any technique, simply carrying that rolling tide of qi and blood as he came crashing across like a meteor.

Fighting the Demon-Subduing Dragon God phase alone, Qin Li Shixian could still barely hold her ground, but under their combined assault, she was immediately pressed into an absolute disadvantage.

This time, faced with Qin Yun's pointers, she could say nothing in reply—only growing more and more shocked in her heart.

This was also the first time she had ever seen the old man take action…

"Ah!"

A moment later, Qin Li Shixian finally couldn't help crying out, because in the vast sky yet another great sun spirit phase had risen.

"I quit!"

Her long spear thrust out and was withdrawn in a single motion. Qin Li Shixian, who had forced the two back, wanted to break off the fight—but how could she get away?

The third great sun spirit phase plummeted from the high sky, and a gaunt, skeletal figure, thin as a bare frame, flashed into reach in an instant,

blade-like gang qi erupting from its palm, nearly slicing at her neck.

Boom!

Boom!

The earth shook and the mountains trembled; the gang wind exploded.

Watching Qin Li Shixian, who could only flee in exhaustion, Qin Yun finally nodded in satisfaction. Without this level of intensity, how could it count as tempering?

"Which of the truly strong ever fought one-on-one in their day?"

Qin Yun watched with a smile, his voice neither loud nor soft—just enough for her to hear:

"In my day, I took on twelve or thirteen at once."

"…"

Qin Li Shixian no longer had the energy to respond. Under the siege of the three great spirit phases, her concentration was stretched to the limit as she summoned every ounce of skill she had to resist.

But she held out for only half a shichen before a blade stopped right before her face, the biting chill instantly flooding her whole body and making her spirit tremble.

"Stop."

Qin Yun's voice rang out at just the right moment.

The moment he spoke, the three great spirit phases vanished on the spot, as if they had never appeared at all.

"Huff, huff—"

Qin Li Shixian gasped for breath. This was nothing like the trial—it was far too real. For one instant, she had almost believed she was going to die.

After quite a while, she finally collected herself, raised her eyes to look at the sky, and saw one more great sun still hanging high above.

"H-how many spirit phases have you cultivated?"

Qin Li Shixian could not hide the shock in her heart.

What are spirit phases?

They are the convergence of all the Wu Gong a martial artist has learned in a lifetime. Though there are methods of dual cultivation, to cultivate several kinds at once and bring them all to such a level—today, she had never even heard of such a thing.

"More than four."

Qin Yun answered offhandedly. What he gave more of was instruction, scolding Qin Li Shixian for the mistakes in this fight and the places where what she had learned was not solid enough.

"Before you strike, you don't use your head; after you strike, you look ahead and behind."

Qin Yun spared her no face: "Among the Grandmasters I have seen, you are at best middling."

Qin Li Shixian was unconvinced in her heart, but had no way to argue back. She could only sulkily accept it, then ask in return:

"What about Wan Wan Zhuliu?"

"Back in the day, he counted as top-tier."

Qin Yun mercilessly shattered her delusion: "At the same age and in the same realm, fight a hundred times, and Wan Wan Zhuliu would kill you ninety-nine times!"

"…"

This time, Qin Li Shixian didn't even have the heart to be unconvinced. Before, when she had drawn her blade, she had fought him more than a hundred times and not won once.

"What about that one remaining time?"

Having been beaten down so many times, Qin Li Shixian had grown much calmer.

"Don't speak in absolutes—leave yourself some room."

Seeing his granddaughter's face flush red, Qin Yun finally stopped, gave a light cough, and began to ask about Li Yuan.

"Hmph!"

Qin Li Shixian gave a cold snort, but still answered:

"That kid hasn't come back in since he first climbed the tower. I heard Wang Lao say that a few days ago he was going through the Founder's handwritten manuscripts, and after that he kept his door shut. When he does come out now and then, he just stays in the library…"

"A letter from the Master?"

Qin Yun's face showed approval: "Just the other day, I was still thinking of having you take him to the library…"

"You never mentioned it."

Qin Li Shixian shot him a glance.

"Forgot… huh?"

As Qin Yun spoke, his expression shifted. He counted on his fingers:

"Today is the eighth day of the eighth month?"