Chapter 111: A Subtle Astonishment, The Grand Entrance

In the cold winter, a fierce wind howled through the vast Tian Qi Mountains. The temperature on Snow Peak was extremely low. Fortunately, because the peak was too high, it was not obscured by the misty layers covering the valleys. Sunlight shone directly here, though it brought little real warmth, it offered some psychological comfort.
Just as the middle-aged man by Lan Hai Lake had guessed, Snow Peak had probably seen no human trace for ten thousand years. That lonely and cold place indeed had a person: a Daoist wearing thin robes, his hair tied in a bun with an ebony hairpin.
The Daoist's expression was serene, his figure slender. Behind his back hung a wooden sword. He quietly watched the white clouds drifting lazily below Snow Peak, along with the desolate plains beneath the clouds, and Lan Hai Lake, which resembled a pristine mirror.
Ye Su, the World Walker of Zhi Shou Abbey, had, a few days prior, placed a bet with Tang, the World Walker of the Demonic Sect, between two mountain peaks outside the Demonic Sect's gate, regarding the speed of Ning Que and Prince Long Qing's realm breakthroughs.
Ultimately, Ning Que won, and Prince Long Qing was crippled… thus, he lost.
According to the unspoken but mutually understood agreement, Ye Su could no longer participate in the struggle for the Heavenly Book of Bright Words Scroll. However, this did not mean he could not stand on Snow Peak and observe this grand spectacle from afar.
He "saw" the middle-aged man by Lan Hai Lake, but in reality, he did not look at that middle-aged man, because if he saw the other party, the other party could also see him.
He came from an unknowable place beyond the mortal world, but he clearly knew that the mortal world always concealed many true powerhouses. For example, the middle-aged man by Lan Hai Lake, a peak martial arts powerhouse in the mortal world who had nearly reached the realm of transcendence and sainthood. Even as powerful as Ye Su, he had to maintain a degree of respect and caution.
Naturally, if he were still the arrogant wooden-sword-wielding youth of more than a decade ago, he would absolutely not care about these matters. But he was no longer his youthful self; his perception of the world and himself had completely changed.
It was just that he occasionally reminisced about the brilliant youth that had long passed.
Watching into whose hands the Heavenly Book would ultimately fall was one of the reasons he appeared here. However, having grown up in Zhi Shou Abbey since childhood, having begun reading the six Heavenly Books since he first learned to read, he lacked a sense of mystery. Naturally, he would not, like ordinary mortals or other cultivators, harbor an unwarranted reverence for the Heavenly Book. Therefore, this was not the true reason he came here, at least not as important as the true reason.
He came here to reminisce about the brilliant youth that had long passed, perhaps to mourn the brilliant youth that had long passed, perhaps to rediscover the brilliant youth that had long passed—that youth was called arrogance.
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…
Ye Su quietly turned around, looking towards a certain lake amidst the mountains.
That lake was extremely small in area. Hot springs probably gushed from its bottom, so it had not frozen a few days prior, but it finally succumbed to the bone-chilling wind. A thin layer of ice still covered its surface.
Perhaps many days ago, perhaps just moments before, a very small hole had appeared in the thin ice on the small lake. Even he could not confirm when exactly that thin ice had broken.
But he could confirm that the shape of the hole in the lake's ice was very peculiar, like a mark left by a wooden dipper.
Fourteen years ago, he had seen that wooden dipper, and thereafter, he could never forget it.
…
…
Fourteen years ago, the Heavenly Character Scroll, the most mysterious of the Seven Scrolls of the Heavenly Book, revealed an extremely important omen, but the Daoist in the Abbey responsible for guarding the Heavenly Book maintained absolute silence about it.
The Great Divine Priest of Heavenly Oracle of Xiling Divine Temple, who entered the Abbey to read the Heavenly Book, also did not say much.
However, no one expected that the Great Divine Priest of Light Wei Guang Ming would, at this very moment, take half a step into the divine realm of Heavenly Revelation. His deep and pure eyes had seen the night descending upon the mortal world.
The World Walkers of the Three Sects of Daoism, Buddhism, and Demonism of this generation gathered in the Wasteland.
The three World Walkers of that year were still three youths. They gathered under a small tree, silently watching ants for a long time, then they looked at that black road for a long time, and finally, each departed.
Ye Su, the successor of Zhi Shou Abbey that year, was very arrogant, very confident.
He cursed Tang as an evil demon, disdained Qi Nian as an external path, and with a single sword strike, cleaved that small tree into fifty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three pieces. Then he recited a Daoist verse that he still found most satisfying to this day.
At that time, he did not know that on that day, when night was about to fall, on the other side of the black road they dared not cross a single step, a scholar in ragged robes and straw sandals sat calmly by a small pond, holding a book and happily reading aloud, a wooden dipper hanging from his waist, drinking a dipperful of pond water when thirsty.
Afterward, he traveled through various states, explored the Gate of Death, went to the South Sea, and excitedly reported to his Honored Master.
The Daoist in blue robes on the coral reef looked at him with a pitying smile.
It was then that he realized that on that day, there had always been someone sitting at the other end of the black road.
Thus, he could no longer be as arrogant and confident as before.
Many years later, having experienced the worldly splendor and the ethereal frost, he had successfully seen through and let go of many things. Thus, confidence naturally returned to his body, but the youth and arrogance of yesteryear were gone.
He had always regretted not having the opportunity to seek guidance from the person on the other side of the black road.
Until today, he seemed to finally have that opportunity.
Therefore, there was clearly no one by the small lake.
He stood on Snow Peak, intently gazing at the lake on the mountainside. Neither the ebony hairpin in the Daoist bun nor the thin robes on his body stirred in the cold wind, just like his serene Dao Heart at this moment.
…
…
By Lan Hai Lake outside the snow mountain, there was a person.
The middle-aged man looked at the lake shore before him, suddenly stopped, then took off the hat he had worn for many days, revealing his face. He looked towards the distant, vast mountains, his thick, ink-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, his blood-red lips slightly curled, revealing a smile full of complex meaning.
In the biting cold wind, he walked again, from the icy lake to the solid land, his robust body as sturdy as steel, completely disregarding the strong winds of the Wasteland, carrying killing intent as he headed north.
He did not walk fast, even somewhat slowly. With each step, without seemingly exerting much force, he sank deep into the frozen, hard ground of the wasteland, leaving an extremely deep footprint.
Leaving Lan Hai Lake and heading north, to the foot of the Tian Qi Mountains, as time passed, the killing intent on the middle-aged man gradually receded. The footprints he left behind became shallower and shallower, until there were no traces left.
He was not like the great Knowing Fate realm cultivators in the world, who integrated themselves with the natural heaven and earth, because what he cultivated had never been Dao methods. He used terrifying Nian Power to completely isolate his body's consciousness from the heaven and earth, as if turning himself into a stone. If one closed their eyes, they would fundamentally be unable to sense his existence.
However, the small lake, which had been quiet for a long time on the mountainside, suddenly stirred.
A very soft rustling sound came from the lakeside.
These rustling sounds were like the dipping of a wooden dipper into water, and also like the sound of wind blowing through leaves.
And very much like the sound of a hand slowly closing a book.
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…
"I heard you achieved enlightenment at thirteen, had no doubts at thirty, broke through to Dong Xuan in three more months, and reached Knowing Fate in a single day."
"I heard that for seventeen years, you climbed the mountain daily, yet encountered no obstacles."
"I heard the first time you ascended the Academy's back mountain, you saw four characters outside the wooden door."
"Those four characters were 'Benevolent Ones Delight in Water'."
"Therefore, all your life you have been extremely fond of clear springs and deep lakes."
"Today, it seems, it is indeed so."
Ye Su listened to the faint rustling sound coming from the distant small lake on the mountainside, silently thinking these words in his heart. Then he let out an extremely melancholic and contented sigh, smiling as he took a step towards the edge of Snow Peak.
As he stepped out, the slender wooden sword behind his back floated in the air, emitting a sword hum.
The sun in the sky suddenly seemed to grow a little brighter.
Myriad rays of light shone upon that wooden sword, causing its slender blade to emit a dazzling golden light.
An extremely pure Sword Intent, like a concentrated beam of light, emanated from the peak of Snow Peak, calmly and powerfully disregarding all spatial distance, instantly descending upon the shore of the small lake a thousand zhang away!
Such a miraculous Dao method had reached the highest peak of the mortal world, at the highest position of the Knowing Fate Realm. Although not yet breaking through, it was only a thin thread away from the Heavenly Revelation Realm.
How many times had such a powerful Dao sword been seen in the world?
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…
When that pure Sword Intent descended above the small lake on the mountainside, the thin layers of ice on the water's surface immediately became even more frozen. Even the small hole froze over at a visible speed.
The rustling sounds had long since ceased. A soft sound of surprise came from the lakeside, seemingly a little unexpected.
However, the person who made that sound of surprise reacted a little slowly, his mouth opening very slowly, so this soft sound of surprise felt as if it was intentionally prolonged for a very long time, melodious and distant, like the call when the protagonist in a play makes their grand entrance.
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…
The middle-aged man at the foot of the mountain frowned slightly. At this moment, he naturally sensed that Sword Intent. He did not know where that Sword Intent was aimed, but he vaguely guessed who would be worthy of that person pouring out their entire life's cultivation to strike a sword at.
He had scattered countless spies throughout this Wasteland, not even hesitating to mobilize helpers from the military. Clearly, that person had appeared outside Bi Lake in Wei City a few days ago, so why had he suddenly come here?
But he did not hesitate. As a peak powerhouse in the mortal world, he could vaguely sense his own destiny, knowing this was an excellent opportunity. Moreover, he had his own arrogance, so he ignored the meeting that no one knew of, but which would surely shake the world, between Snow Peak. He walked with a solemn expression towards the valley exit.
In the valley, layers of mist still lingered, obscuring the smooth, steep cliffs carved as if by knives and axes, and also concealing the gradually approaching footsteps, but it could not forever conceal the figures of the young people within.
On Snow Peak, Zhi Shou Abbey's successor, Ye Su, finally met the scholar from the other side of the black road. And below Snow Peak, the middle-aged man believed he was also about to meet that Heavenly Book. Compared to this, waiting any length of time was worth it.
Whether it was fourteen years.
Or a lifetime.