Chapter 493: Asking the Dao to Become the Supreme Grandmaster

Are there two suns in the sky?

When these words were spoken, not only did Old Han feel it; Qin Li Shixian, who was spying from outside, and Li Yuan himself, both felt their hearts convulse violently.

How many suns are in the sky? Even a rascal child in the countryside, as long as he can lift his head and count, knows this.

"This..."

Han Han Chuijun's pupils contracted violently. In the depths of his mind, he felt as though he were about to touch upon some shocking, world-shattering secret.

Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren's question was certainly not asked casually, and his meaning was obvious...

"Could it be that before the sixth generation of the Great Righteousness Dynasty, there was only one sun in the sky?"

Li Yuan's head buzzed loudly. His thoughts scattered, and suddenly, he recalled those three visitors from beyond the heavens. Was this the reason they all held black umbrellas?

Were they afraid of the sun in the sky?

But if there was originally only one sun in the sky, what were the remaining three?

Spiritual Phantoms?

Or...

Qin Li Shixian, who was spying from outside, turned to look at his old master. Amidst the swirling incense smoke, Qin Yun slowly opened his eyes; he did not seem surprised.

"You... you knew this all along?"

Qin Li Shixian could not help but ask: "Then, those three..."

But Qin Yun did not answer. He rose and walked closer, gazing silently at the Old Master within the light and shadow, as if waiting for something.

"Master..."

Li Yuan bowed first, and only after receiving permission did he ask:

"May I ask, Master, in ages long past, was there truly only one Great Sun in the sky? If so, what were the remaining three?"

Silence fell within the academy.

On the lecture platform, Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren paced a few steps and replied:

"I once had similar doubts. Later, within the You Jing, I witnessed a mysterious realm left behind by ancestors ten thousand years ago, which had not yet dispersed. From within it, I glimpsed some secrets."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, raised his head, and his gaze seemed to pierce through this academy, seeing Qin Yun and the other two within the Eight Directions Tower:

"The Heavenly Fire buried and annihilated everything; only these few scattered words remain... but I believe that in ancient times, there may indeed have been only one Great Sun in the sky."

This...

Within the academy, master and disciple exchanged a glance, shocked in their hearts, yet they dared not interrupt this Old Master's words, so they could only bow and listen.

"As for what those three Great Suns were..."

The Old Master did not answer directly: "After the Grand Sacrifice, I will go and take a look."

"The Ancestor..."

Inside the Eight Directions Tower, Qin Li Shixian turned to look back, only to see a trace of melancholy flash across his old master's face.

Just as he was about to ask, he was interrupted again:

"Do not ask, do not mention, and do not speak of it."

"Hmm?"

Qin Li Shixian's heart trembled, and he instantly reined in his thoughts.

"May I ask, Master, did that Heavenly Fire come from those three Great Suns?"

Li Yuan bowed and asked. At this moment, he thought of many things; in the ancient books he had read, the two characters 'Heavenly Fire' had appeared many times.

A thousand years ago, the chaos in the Divine Capital that led to Pang Pang Wenlong's fall; even further back, the peerless warlord Gao Gao Feiqing also died within the Heavenly Fire.

When he had read the history books before, he had been somewhat skeptical, but now...

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren was ambiguous, and it was unknown whether he knew or not; he simply asked again casually, and this time, the question still fell upon Li Yuan.

Li Yuan focused all his attention, relying on the enhancement of his photographic memory from before, answering one by one. Occasionally, he would ask questions, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. Amidst the question-and-answer, he gradually figured out some of Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren's rules.

In the depths of his mind, he also understood somewhat: this Old Master had indeed been targeting Chi Chi Zhuiyang and the other two before, but at the same time, if one violated his rules, one would truly get beaten.

The two exchanged questions and answers; the atmosphere was peaceful, with none of the previous tension and Solemnity.

Han Han Chuijun watched with an itching heart; he had many doubts in his mind as well, but he was truly somewhat hesitant.

"The literary lesson ends here."

At this moment, Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren had already spoken.

With a raised hand, the light and shadow around them shifted. Li Yuan felt a flash before his eyes; when he regained his senses, the academy had transformed into a magnificent training ground made of yellow mud, spanning dozens of li in all directions.

"..."

Han Han Chuijun blinked in a daze; when he opened his eyes, he was still in the corner.

He looked around and discovered that this training ground occupied a vast area, expanding in layers outward. He was currently at the outermost edge, while Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren and Li Yuan were at the center.

Around them stood various weapon racks, holding all manner of blades that shimmered with cold light.

"Today, we will test the Transformation of Form."

Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren still wore that same wide-sleeved robe, but the ruler was no longer in his hand.

As soon as he spoke, Li Yuan realized he could move again. He relaxed his limbs, while the words spoken by Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren leaped into the air as if they were solid, radiating brilliant light.

Buzz~

Under the gaze of master and disciple, beams of light flickered and fell upon the training ground, which expanded in layers outward like an archery target.

The training ground had nine rings from the inside out, just like the seating arrangement in the academy, and those beams of light landed accurately in every ring, transforming into human figures.

As the light and shadow dispersed, Han Han Chuijun's heart trembled. Those figures, formed by true qi, were shockingly all Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren; from the outside in, their aura grew from weak to strong.

"You begin."

Long Mo Fuxiu Daoren flicked his long sleeve, his gaze falling upon Han Han Chuijun at the outermost edge. The latter felt a heaviness press upon his body and could no longer detect any trace of true qi.

In an instant, he was already pressed down to the Yi Xing Jing Fa Jie.

"Yes."

Old Han bowed, behaving very courteously. He couldn't even endure the ferule on the literary lesson—who knew what punishment the martial lesson held? He had no choice but to mind his manners.

Still, compared to the literary lesson, the martial lesson had to be much better, right?

But the next instant, his expression changed. A hundred zhang away, the true-qi manifestation of the Dragon Demon Daoist took a step forward, and a mighty surge of energy had already begun to billow around him.

In a flash, the forms of a hundred beasts flickered past one after another, and finally coalesced into the shape of a Mysterious-Light Azure Dragon, woven from countless hues.

"Combining a hundred beasts—the form of the Dragon Demon."

Han Han Chuijun let out a long breath, drew the Wind-Thunder Ruyi Jade Pestle from his sleeve, and braced himself as if facing a formidable foe.

"The outermost ring is all Yi Bai Xing?"

Li Yuan's heart gave a start. Sweeping his gaze to the very center at the Dragon Demon Daoist, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of dread.

Legend had it that the Dragon Demon Daoist was a fearsome figure who had Yi Xing ten thousand times…

"How could anyone possibly win this?"

Qin Li Shixian, watching from outside, knitted her brows:

"Does the Patriarch truly wish to leave behind a legacy?"

"Mediocre talents—the Master has taken on far too many. Disciples like you, over the past thousand-plus years, there have been at least twenty or thirty. Yet the old man still wishes to leave a legacy. What he's seeking, naturally, is a once-in-an-era prodigy—at the very least, one qualified to reach his realm."

Qin Yun's expression grew somewhat complex, but he quickly reined it in:

"This boy is not bad. Since the Master left his legacy, this is the first time anyone has reached the center during the martial lesson…"

"He—he didn't walk in either."

Qin Li Shixian couldn't help but mutter inwardly. In the light and shadow, Han Han Chuijun had already fallen into a bitter fight, and even if he won, to reach Li Yuan's position he would still have to fight eight more bouts.

Eight bouts against opponents growing ever stronger. Yet Li Yuan had entered and was already at the center.

"A heaven-shaking talent is naturally a different matter."

Qin Yun took a measuring glance, somewhat surprised as well: "This Han… this boy Han has a solid foundation, to actually hold his own against the Master for a time?"

In the martial arena, thunder roared and dragons keened without cease.

Facing the manifestation of a supreme grand master, even as a fellow Form-Shifting realm cultivator who had also Yi Bai Xing, Han Han Chuijun dared not slacken in the slightest. The moment he struck, it was the Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon.

"Aaargh!"

His qi blazed like fire. The Thunder Dragon leapt forth, lightning and thunder interwoven, fierce flames lending their might—savage and majestic.

"Old Han's Thunder Dragon grows ever purer."

Li Yuan praised inwardly.

The same Hundred-Beast Thunder Dragon—master and disciple had already walked onto different paths. At this moment, Old Han's Thunder Dragon, though formed from the convergence of a hundred beasts, had already grown so pure it was as if it were a single form.

He, on the other hand, took the Thunder Dragon as a skin, walking the path of accommodating a thousand beasts—embracing all, the path of a sea that admits a hundred rivers.

"To be compatible with all forms, perhaps in the end, I too must still move toward purity…"

As Li Yuan's thoughts wandered, Han Han Chuijun's long howl grew ever more savage. His Ruyi Pestle swept out like thunderbolts slashing sideways, falling like mountains plummeting—combining speed and power.

Yet facing Han Han Chuijun's ferocious assault, the true-qi manifestation of the Dragon Demon Daoist only defended, never attacked. His movements couldn't be called fast, yet each was perfectly natural and fluid.

Like wind and rain, like thunder and lightning, the rhythm and intensity blended to just the right measure. Though his strength, speed, true qi, and form were all a notch inferior, he relied on a pair of bare palms alone to defend until Han Han Chuijun was drenched in sweat.

"Worthy of a supreme grand master!"

The longer Han Han Chuijun fought, the more his heart trembled. After a hundred exchanges, he felt the space around him grow incomparably heavy, as if he were a mosquito fallen into a spider's web, with ever less room to maneuver.

Just as he was about to stake everything on one desperate strike, the true-qi manifestation of the Dragon Demon Daoist shuddered, transformed into a streak of flowing light, and sank into his brow.

"Is this a benefit?"

Han Han Chuijun started in shock, then was immediately drawn in by the myriad lights and shadows that suddenly exploded within his mind. He couldn't help but sit down cross-legged and sink into a deep trance.

"This man's talent may be a bit lacking, but the fact he could endure the first trial means his gift for combat and killing is likely not low."

Qin Yun, watching from outside, couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance of approval.

"There's—there are benefits too?"

Qin Li Shixian's eyes lit up. She had entered the Patriarch Hall once herself, but beyond a beating, she had gained nothing, and afterward she had come to loathe the literary lesson.

At this moment, she couldn't help but feel a stirring of interest.

If that fellow surnamed Han could pass the first trial, surely she could pass five, six, seven, or eight.

"Below the Dao-Entry realm, one looks at form. After entering the Dao, what one looks at is spirit."

Qin Yun glanced at her, shaking his head ceaselessly: "If you go in, you'll have to duel the Master in the spiritual realm's spirit-phase. Do you truly want to try?"

"Why not?"

Qin Li Shixian was eager to try. She reckoned her spiritual-realm grade wasn't poor either. Though her injuries hadn't fully healed, she believed she could give it a go.

"…Before that, you'll have to take a scolding. The Master dislikes nothing more than people being late."

Qin Yun doused her with a bucket of cold water, but his gaze settled on Li Yuan. He didn't think for a moment that this boy could walk that final step; what he was curious about was this boy's constitution.

"This…"

Just thinking of the pain of the ferule striking her palm, Qin Li Shixian couldn't help but flinch, and her interest instantly waned.

"Hoo!"

On the martial arena, Li Yuan drew a deep breath and swapped in his currently strongest control combination: the Rending Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer, the Mysterious Whale Battle Hammer, and the Divine Fire Thousand-Beast Boots.

The Dragon Demon Daoist's gaze, at the right moment, fell upon him.