It was midday. The sun was beating down hard on Yuan and his companions traveling through the Desert of Death. Their horses, exhausted after galloping for so long under such severe conditions, were useless and they had to let them go. After hours of walking under the scorching rays of the sun, they decided to stop and rest for a few hours. They chose to stop near a well, one of the many dug up throughout the desert by the nomad tribes. After drinking some much needed cold water, they sat on the ground and allowed themselves to rest a bit. As Yuan was resting, Aaren approached him.
"We can use this chance to cultivate," Aaren said. "You cannot always depend on others saving you. You will need to cultivate your internal energy. You have already broken through to Level 1 of Force Formation. It is vital that you master Force Formation if you are to face the dangers ahead. It will allow you to create shields of internal energy and send invincible energy waves at your enemies. Those skills can give you an edge in battle and, once you have perfected them, they can be quite destructive in combat. There are still four more levels you need to break through before fully mastering that formation."
Although Yuan was tired, he knew that Aaren was right. In the last few days, he had been captured by desert raiders and almost killed by a beast of the underworld. Although he was by no means incompetent, in fact, his swordsmanship was fairly good, he knew that he needed to improve further. He could not rely on being lucky and getting saved by others all the time.
"You are right," he said. "I need to cultivate and further improve my skills."
"Cultivating the normal way would be far too slow. You need to improve rapidly. I know a technique that will allow you to withstand the inflow of too much Qi into your body but it is risky. Initially, I didn't want you to use this technique but with the captivity by the raiders and the encounter we had with the beast, we've lost too much time. I believe that you are special and you can make it. Do you believe you can make it?"
Yuan nodded in agreement. He knew that he didn't have the luxury to cultivate the normal way as he did in his previous life as Yang Jing when he was a disciple of Mount Kunlun. He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
"You must feel the presence of life around you," Aaren told him. "You must allow your consciousness to touch upon all things; the countless of specks of sand, the sand waves, your companions, the desert nomads, the sun itself. You must feel their presence, their life energy. Qi exists in all of them. It exists in all things. It permeates the entire universe. Feel it but do not try to understand it. Try to connect with all those things, but do not think about them. Simply feel the energy in them and allow your mind to be at peace. That is very important."
Yuan felt a warmth and chilling coldness at the same time. He could sense the dust, the humans, the sun. Their presence was overwhelming in his mind. It was as if a million voices were speaking to him at the same time. It was all grand but confusing. He felt as if he was a mere speck of sand, a tiny part of this universe. Yet he also found himself feeling surrounded by energy. He let out a deep breath and relaxed, as Aaren had told him to do. He tried to ignore all the noise in his head. He inhaled and exhaled.
"Good, you should relax and be in peace," Aaren continued. "You now draw in the Qi of the natural world. You can feel its prowess."
"I... feel the Qi..." Yuan said. "I can sense it. But I feel a headache. I-"
Aaren shushed him. "Do not talk. It is only natural that you feel that way. You are trying to break through a level of internal energy in only one day whereas others need months to do so. Too much inflow of Qi can be too much for the body to handle. That is the reason why I asked you to feel the presence of all life forms and touch upon them with your consciousness; it is a technique that allows you to sort of feed off the living energy of others and temporarily strengthen yourself. It can help your body somewhat withstand the inflow of too much Qi. But it can also destroy your mind. That's why I told you not to think about it. Simply relax and be at peace. Otherwise, you will lose your mind."
Yuan had to suppress any feelings of worry he might have and clear his mind of all distractions. The danger of losing his mind was certainly very motivating at getting him to try hard to remain calm and relaxed.
"That is an ancient and dangerous technique that very few know of," Almar said. Until then, he had simply been sitting on the ground and quietly observing. "I wonder where you've learned it."
"This isn't the time for such questions," Aaren replied.
"Indeed but, as you've said, this technique can damage his mind. Are you sure that he can withstand the inflow of so much Qi or the presence of so many life forms in his mind?"
"A normal person wouldn't be able to do this but he is special. I've felt that since the first day I've met him."
"He is indeed special but this can be too risky even for someone like him."
Almar got up and pointed his finger at Yuan. He closed his eyes and began transferring part of his internal energy onto him. "This will temporarily strengthen his body and allow him to withstand the pressures of your technique."
"But it shall also weaken you," Aaren added.
"He is the One who will bring salvation to my people. I am willing to weaken myself to allow him to become stronger."
Yuan felt hot. He was sweating. It wasn't the scorching sun or the climate of the desert that gave him that feeling but rather the inflow of too much Qi. His mind was in no better state; he felt as his head was about to explode. Seeing him tremble, Aaren too began transferring her internal energy onto him. This allowed Yuan's body temperature to stabilize at normal levels and gave him some peace of mind, even though his head still hurt.
Yuan opened his eyes. "I have broken through to Level 2 of Force Formation."
"Good," Aaren said. "Let me test your skills."
Without warning, her hands shot lightning at Yuan. The young hero at once closed his eyes, concentrated, transferred internal energy onto his hands and created an energy shield around him. The lightning at first was deflected by the shield but soon it broke through and pulsed through Yuan. He let out a cry and fell to the ground.
"You have improved," Aaren commented. "You can now use the internal energy in your body to create energy shields. But you haven't yet mastered this new ability nor is your level of internal energy strong enough to withstand powerful attacks. I say this so that you do not get cocky. You may have made rapid progress but you still have much to learn."
"I understand," Yuan said.
As he was about to rest, Almar approached him.
"I can help you with learning to use your new powers," Almar told.
Yuan nodded in agreement. He needed the practice.
"Close your eyes and concentrate on your purpose. Imagine in your mind the energy shield in every detail."
Yuan followed his instructions. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He inhaled and exhaled. He cleared his mind of any distracting thoughts and concentrated on the creation of an energy shield. He could see it in his mind in every detail.
"Now transfer your internal energy onto your hands."
Yuan did so. He then slowly waved his hands, gradually building an energy shield around himself.
"Good. Now your energy shield is stronger than before. But you must remain concentrated or it will weaken."
Almar unsheathed his sword and charged at Yuan, who retained his calmness and concentrated on maintaining the shield. His attack was blocked by the energy shield and he was pushed back.
"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "You are learning fast."
Almar transferred internal energy onto his sword and struck again, this time breaking through the shield.
Yuan sighed. "It seems I have a long way to go before mastering this skill."
Almar smiled. "No worries. You've already made much progress. Just keep practicing and you will eventually get better."
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Xiao, Yao, and Nuan were outside an abandoned warehouse near Zhongqihar's port. Once it was used by a mercantile family to store their products but after the entire family died in a shipwreck, the family company got bankrupt and the warehouse was abandoned. A story circulated in Zhongqihar that the warehouse was haunted by the ghosts of the deceased family and most people were scared of going to that place.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nuan asked.
"Yes," Yao replied. "Guanting told us last night that here is the location of the headquarters of the Demonic Cult."
"I hope he isn't lying..." Xiao said.
"Don't worry. He is a businessman. He wants to have a good reputation otherwise no one will trust him and make deals with him. Since we delivered him Yin Shuren and he is to take the bounty, he has no reason to want to fool us."
The three Kunlun disciples barged into the building. It was dusty and empty. There wasn't a single furniture inside.
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"There doesn't seem to be anyone or anything inside this place..." Nuan commented.
"We should keep looking!" Yao said. "There must be some secret room."
As they were searching, four muscular men walked into the warehouse. "You!" one of them barked. "What are you doing here?"
"Excuse me, you are...?" Xiao asked.
"This place is haunted," the man said. "You better leave."
"We do not believe in such superstition."
"I insist. It is for your own good."
"I thank you for your concern but we have a job to do here."
The man clenched his fists. "If you insist on being a busybody, fine!"
He charged at Xiao. His fist would have hit him had the Kunlun disciple not ducked down and dodged it literally in the last second. Counterattacking, Xiao kicked the man's chest with a powerful back kick. The man groaned in pain but struck back. He shot his fist at Xiao but he blocked the attack with his right hand. Xiao then proceeded to use the 'Chain Fists' technique. He started throwing one punch after the other at the man, slowly moving forward and cornering him. As one punch came after the other, the man was forced to go on the defensive and couldn't mount a counterattack. Finally, one punch broke through the man's defense and punched him right in the face, breaking his nose. A second punch came before the man could have the chance of defending himself; the punch was so powerful that it knocked him out.
While Xiao was fighting that thug, the other three men were attacking Yao and Nuan. Yao was attacked by two men at once. He jumped high on the air, dodging their fists. When he landed on the ground, he charged at one of the attackers and kicked him out with a powerful flying kick in the face. The other man struck at Yao with a roar. Yao smiled. He did not move until the man's fist was only a few inches away from his face. He then swiftly moved to the left, missing the punch, and elbowed the man's face. The man spat some blood and fell to the ground. As he was about to get up, Yao kicked him in the face. The man's face was bleeding and he was dizzy. He tried to get up but suddenly collapsed. He was unconscious.
The fourth thug was attacking Nuan with his fists but she dodged his strikes. She grabbed his arm and kneed his elbow. He screamed out in pain. Nuan kicked him in the chest with a back kick, sending him flying against the wall and knocking him out.
"Good!" Xiao exclaimed. "You have improved."
"Thanks," Nuan said with a smile on her face. "It is only because I have such a good teacher that I have improved."
Yao sighed. "Can we focus on the task at hand and leave compliments for later? We still have to find where exactly the Demons are hidden. I am sure they must be in this warehouse otherwise those thugs wouldn't have tried to stop our search."
As they searched around, Yao discovered that something wasn't right on the right corner of the warehouse. He looked at the floor and examined it for a moment. He slid back a floor panel, revealing a wooden stairway leading to an underground facility.
"Come here!" he said.
Xiao and Nuan came at once.
"This is where the headquarters of the Demonic Sect must be," Yao continued.
As they descended onto the underground facility, they became engulfed in chilling blackness.
"Is there no light here?" Xiao whispered.
As they walked forward, a glimpse of light appeared from the inside a room. When the three Kunlun disciples walked into the room, that was illuminated by torches, they found tens of Demonic swordsmen. Upon seeing the intruders, they all unsheathed their swords.
"Oops!" Xiao said with a smile on his face. "We've made a mistake. Bye!"
"Can you stop fooling around?" Yao said as he unsheathed his sword. "Scums, it's time you meet your Dark Lord in the underworld."
"Fine! No need to be so serious all the time," Xiao told as he too grabbed his sword. He turned to Nuan and said, "You should remain back. Do not try to engage with them."
"Teacher, I can fight!" she protested. "Why should I sit back and do nothing?"
"You have made much progress but you are still only a novice. Master Zhang told me to not put you in an overly dangerous situation. This is one such situation. I cannot both fight and be looking after you."
Nuan nodded in agreement. She wanted to show her sword skills but knew that her teacher was right.
The Demonic swordsmen charged at the two men. Swords were coming at them like scissor blades but they parried and slashed their way through their opponents. Yao and Xiao hacked and stabbed, their swords moving speedily and elegantly like steel whips, but the swordsmen kept charging at them. Yao slashed a swordsman in the chest, killing him instantly. Another tried to attack him, but Yao ducked down, dodging the blade, and then stabbed forward with his sword, killing the Demonic swordsman. At the same time, Xiao was killing an enemy with a slash through his shoulder. He pulled his blade clear when another swordsman charged at him, but Xiao made no move until the sword was only one inch from his nose, then stretched out his hand and grabbed it by the hilt. Xiao swiftly decapitated the man and, now armed with two swords, charged at the remaining Demonic swordsmen. He used his one sword to parry attacks and the other to slash and hack down his opponents. He and Yao made short work of them, chopping them down until the only enemy standing in the room was their commander.
He was a giant of a man; tall, muscular, bald and tattooed. He was bare-chested, showing his muscles. "You!" he said as he pointed his finger at them. "You are going down!"
He grabbed a long iron spear. "I am High Priest Shui, a faithful servant of the Dark Lord. With his aid, I shall defeat you and offer your heads as a sacrifice to him."
He then charged at the two Kunlun disciples. His attack was ferocious as he had transferred internal energy onto his spear, making its attack even more powerful. His spear clashed against Xiao's swords with such great force it made the ground shake. Neither gave ground and both transferred more of their internal energy onto their weapons, hoping to overpower the opponent. Yao slashed at Shui, forcing him to abandon this contest of prowess and make a tactical retreat. Yao and Xiao struck him at once. There was a sharp echo of metal as Shui used his spear to block the swords. Shui swung his spear at the two disciples. His attack was even more ferocious than his previous one. Yao had to used his internal energy to create a shield around him and Xiao in order to counter the attack. Shui attacked again, this time putting more of his internal energy into his attack, and broke through the shield. He had exhausted his internal energy though and his next attack was less powerful. Still, even without much use of his internal energy, Shui was still able to strike powerful blows at his opponents thanks to his heavy built.
"You are a formidable opponent," Yao said, "but I will defeat you."
He hit Shui with a solid strike from his sword. Seeing Shui stepping backward, he jumped into the air towards his opponent and raced down the sword directly to him. Shui quickly raised his spear to block the sword but the impact was so strong that the sword broke the spear in half. As Yao was about to stab him, Shui dodged to the left and punched his fist in Yao's face. Yao spat some blood as Xiao rushed to his aid, charging at Shui. His slash missed his target as Shui ducked low and punched Xiao in the stomach. As Xiao let out a cry, Shui grabbed him by the hair and threw him on the floor. As Shui was preparing to finish off Xiao, Yao came to his aid. He struck at Shui with his sword. His attack was too fast to be dodged. Yao thrust his blade into the Shui's chest. The sharpened steel sliced through muscle and plunged deep into his beating heart. The High Priest collapsed on the ground.
"Are you both alright?" Nuan asked.
"Yes," Xiao replied. "Do not worry."
Yao let out a sigh of relief. "That was a tough fight. With their headquarters destroyed, I am sure that the Demonic Cult has been gravely weakened. They can now meet their Dark Lord in the underworld. For once, after so many misfortunes, I've accomplished my mission. Master Yi will be pleased with me."
"He will be pleased with me too," Xiao said. He then turned to Nuan. "You have performed very well in this mission. You've made me proud to be your teacher."
He paused for a moment. "Well, since this is a happy occasion, how about going to an inn for some wine?"
Yao laughed. "You never get wine out of your head, do you?"
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It was late in the night. Yuan and his fellow travelers had camped for the night. They were all asleep except for Yuan who was sitting on a sand dune and looking at the night sky. He gazed at the millions of bright stars and the silver glow of the moon. Although he was exhausted, he couldn't sleep. He was thinking too much about the journey ahead to do so. He was also lamenting his past life. Two times had he been happy; when he was with his parents at the Yang Manor and when he was with Elder Rong and Xiao at Mount Kunlun. Both times that happiness he had found proved to be short-lived; the manor in which he had spent his childhood years was burned to the ground and then, when he finally had a place to call home again after all those years, he was killed. After completing this task of bringing the medallion to Mount Kunlun, would he be allowed to remain there? That was a question that increasingly troubled Yuan. He knew that the person in whose body he had reincarnated had committed many evil deeds and that he would need to compensate for them even though it wasn't his own fault. Was he doomed to being rejected from the one place he called home? Would he have to spend the rest of his life trying to fix problems that weren't of his doing?
Yuan sighed. He inhaled and exhaled, trying to relax.
"What a beautiful night sky…" Hua said. She sat beside Yuan and gazed at the stars. "I've always liked watching the thousands of stars in the sky. It helps me relax."
Yuan smiled. "Weren't you sleeping?"
"I woke up because of Harald; this blood brother of yours is snoring like a pig!"
Yuan couldn't help but laugh.
"What about you? Why are you awake?" Hua asked.
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about the journey ahead."
"You are afraid of the challenges ahead?"
"No. I am afraid of what will happen after I complete my mission. I do not know if I can return back to my old life. I am not sure what I will be doing next."
"If you constantly think about the future, you will miss the present."
Yuan sighed. "Well, that is easy for you to say. You have a place to return when this is all over."
"If you do not have a place to return to, you can make one. Find a good place to settle down and build your life. Whining won't fix your problems."
"You are right," Yuan replied with a bittersweet smile on his face. "Once I have completed my mission, avenged my clan and compensated for my past wrongdoings, I can settle down in the countryside and live a peaceful life."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking about that moment. Even though staying at Mount Kunlun would be preferable, he could still live a good life in a small village. There, among bamboo forests, he could live a simple life. It would be so much different to his current situation. He would, at last, be in peace for the first time in a long, long time. But he then opened his eyes. He was still in the Desert of Death. He still had a long journey ahead. He knew that he still had many dangers that he would need to face and challenges to overcome. So he decided to forget about the future and focus on the task at hand.
"I need to focus on the present," he said. "You were right. Not to say that we still have a long journey ahead, so it is a little bit early making plans for the future."
"Good because we still have many dangers to face. Wouldn't want you to be absent-minded," Hua replied. "When we finish with this journey though, you should consider changing your plan of retiring in the countryside. It sounds somewhat boring."
"After all I've been through, boring sounds great to me!"
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It was a cold night. The Demon of Doom was atop the black tower. The wind howled and snow swirled around him. A servant rushed towards him and bowed. His face was pale and he visibly shaken.
"M-my Lord... I... have... s-some...bad...news to report," the stammering servant said.
"Tell me!"
"Our... base at... at Zhongqihar...has...has been eradicated."
The Demon began laughing. "Good!"
The servant was scratching his head. He could not understand his superior's reaction. "Why are you laughing?" he wondered. "Isn't this a disaster?"
"No. It was all planned by Young Master Deng. He was the one who made sure that Ren Kun was discovered by the Kunlun disciples and that he would reveal our base in Zhongqihar. He also made sure that they would find exactly where the base was located."
"But why would he do that? We lost many brave fighters in that massacre..."
The Demon sighed. "It was a necessary sacrifice. Our recent excursions had made our Cult visible to the Orthodox Sects. We are not ready yet for an open confrontation with them. Thus we needed to lurk back into the shadows. By providing the Orthodox Sects with a victory, Young Master Deng has given them the impression that we have been fatally weakened. While they are now celebrating their triumph, we can continue to extend our influence in the shadows. When we finally strike, no one will have seen it coming!"