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Thread: The Portal of Wonderland by Wang Yu (玄界之门 - 忘语)

  1. #41
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    New editor here! We will be making some changes later to a lot of names so that it will be easier for you as a reader to the names of different nations and the different power levels. I will also be editing the chapters from the beginning to everything flow well together but my priority will be new releases. Enjoy!

    Please note that knife has been changed to saber since a chinese “dao” generally translates into any type of a single-edged blade of any length. But in our case most of the “knives” in the story are over two feet in length and generally resembles a saber more than a knife.

    Insert shameless request. Please help us by rating this novel at http://www.novelupdates.com/series/t...of-wonderland/ and help us improve things by leaving comments below!



    Chapter 37 - Farewell My Enemies!

    “Get up! The bastard’s not using the bow now, he’s running here unarmed!”

    Shi Mu’s footsteps thundered out as he galloped to his enemies, as he was seen clearly that he was without a weapon. Such a good news caused the few survivors’ faces to light up with delight. The two at the front immediately rose without thinking and dashed towards Shi Mu like valiant conquerors, one wielded a spear and the other bore a saber. The other three warriors followed their two valiant companions, pushing themselves to the limit. Their feet thrummed against the ground , as though the ground was on fire, in an anxious hurry. Just a moment earlier, they were pressed against the ground like overpopulated vermin, but now they had all became imposing warriors with threatening weapons and ferocious features, upon seeing that Shi Mu had abandoned his bow and had come to offer his life to them.

    As someone who had been practicing racing over the hilltops , Shi Mu now felt as free as a running leopard on an open plain. In a blink of an eye, before they could even make out Shi Mu’s silhouette in the darkness, he had already pounced on the two pioneers. The two were truly ranked among the best in Wu riders to be able to dodge Shi Mu’s first attack. They began flanking him in perfect coordination, one swirling his long spear which produced myriad of afterimages, while the other wielding his saber in a pose that reflected beams of light.

    Upon seeing their formation, Shi Mu gave a snort. How could mere spear afterimages ever faze him? Shi Mu casually glanced at the man before punching out casually at one of the afterimages. A booming noise resounded as the punch collided with the spear causing the Wu rider to drop his spear due to the great force. As the spear flew away, he felt a burning sensation in each of his fingers and was forcefully pushed back three steps with a face full of astonishment. He had long heard of Shi Mu’s superhuman force, but it baffled him how had Shi Mu identified the real spear among countless shadows!

    Without a moment of delay Shi Mu drew his Sun and Moon Daggers from his waist and stomped hard on the ground as he immersed his concentration into the sweeping cold light of his knives.

    In an instant, six knife shadows blurred into one streak of cold light, then with another shake of his daggers Shi Mu threw out a unimaginably swift seventh knife shadow as he quickly sidestepped to the back of the Wu rider wielding the saber.

    In a flash, a gaping, bleeding wound emerged distinctly on the rider’s neck before his head slowly fell to the ground, rolling over and over. The headless body only fell down after spasming like a headless chicken for a moment. Shi Mu did not even stop for a moment but instead increased his speed and momentum after dispatching the spear wielder; he bent low against the ground like a spring before springing out toward the spear man.

    “No!”

    The spear man had just barely managed to steady himself from Shi Mu’s previous punch before he raised his head and saw Shi Mu darting at him. Who would not be struck dumb? Even with his spear he could not bear Shi Mu’s one punch, now that he’d been denuded of his only weapon, how could he win? In addition, he had just recover from the first punch while Shi Mu had already decapitated his fellow warrior. The man reactively turned about in terror to flee. But just as he had made his second step, a howling gale rolled past him and a piercing coldness struck his waist. He helplessly looked down as he saw the confusing sight of a pair of legs flopping around on the ground. Then realization hit him that he was cut into two halves at his waist, as his warm blood gushed out wildly from the split cuts.

    After putting the two riders down, Shi Mu turned, daggers in hand, and stared at the last three Wu riders with stony eyes.

    The three survivors were frightened out of their wits after seeing what happened to their two companions. Not far from Shi Mu, they all had stopped charging unconsciously and looked at each other. The man a knife scar at his eye corner suggested in a low, harsh voice, “Running is useless! He’s so damn fast and we could only be finished one by one if we run. Let’s make a trap and wait till Master Tong arrives. “

    The two fellows quickly embraced the idea, and gathered around the scar man quickly in a strange formation before pointing their blue swords at Shi Mu simultaneously.

    “The Triangle Formation Trap?”

    Shi Mu murmured to himself when seeing this. Though a little unprepared, he still strode towards their trap with his Sun and Moon daggers.

    With each step the three riders grew increasingly nervous as Shi Mu neared them. In terror, they shouted together before Shi Mu had even reached the prime position for attack and activated their trap. The three riders quickly rotated between the three points of the triangle while wielding their swords, producing layers upon layers of sword that radiated outwards.

    “I was expecting more from this useless trick!” Shi Mu laughed at his enemies’ last desperate attempt scornfully. His arm shot out in a blur and the daggers’ six successive knife shadows flew as one towards their formation.

    Peng! Peng! The attack was repelled by the sword shadow screen but as a result the density was visibly reduced by a large amount. The three riders trembled and begun to sweat in fear when they realized how much difficulty it took to repel Shi Mu’s first attack. The three frantically began to reconstruct the shadow screen again to shield themselves.

    “Formidable!” Shi Mu was quite surprised, because not only had he produced six cuts at one breath, but he had also instilled immense strength with each cut which should crushed the three of them. However the three riders were quite wrong if they thought that strike was Shi Mu’s only attack. Shi Mu took a deep breath and rotated his body, striking with his longer dagger in all directions fiercely, each attack caused five or six shadows, which began to consolidate into a silver glittering spear rushing like a shark toward the three riders.

    The clanging of swords resounded like a rainstorm throughout the night!

    The three Wu riders gave out shrill cries as two of them stumbled away, their hands had sprouted blood from the place where they held their swords and their chests blossomed with deep wounds. Judging from their falling bodies the two had begun their journey into the next world already. The current sole survivor was the man with a scar who was bleeding from his face, and although he had no wounds on his chest, the arm that he used to hold his sword was no longer there. Only the blood gushing from his shoulder was an indicator he was not born with just one arm.

    Without even checking his wounds, he turned around and fled with all his strength. Shi Mu had now stopped rotating and gave a glance at his surrounding. Seeing the man he only gave a cold smile before he grasped a long arrow from his pack. He effortlessly pulled his bow back and a faint hum of death was released. The arrow shot out from bow piercing through the scar man’s body who had fled hundreds of meters away after only a second of flight, causing the man to flop face-down to the ground.

    Shi Mu strode over leisurely and with a flash of his dagger, separating the man’s head from the body cleanly.

    Shi Mu began to walk over to the other two riders who were struggling in a blood pool to crawl away. But just as he meant to end their lives Shi Mu’s expression changed. A single footprint accompanied by a deep thrum was left as Shi Mu shot his body off to the side to dodge an incoming cold light. The light passed him and buried itself into the spot where Shi Mu stood, revealing itself to be a three cun long knife

    “So you are the so-called Master Tong. Took you long enough to get here. Now let us dance with death.”

    Shi Mu turned around and stared at a nearby tree as he said so, with his expression sharpening in preparation to fight this mortal enemy.

    More Chap

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  2. #42
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    TLer Notes: Knife/Saber will now be translated into Blade

    Chapter 38 - The Roaring Eagle

    “Nhmmm? What a clever child to be able to detect me from such a distance.” A cold mocking voice rang out from behind a tree before a figure flashed in the darkness where emerged a man in a decorated uniform. He was none other than the sole HouTian warrior in the Wu hunting group and carried a weapon in his hand.

    A cursory glance at the weapon made Shi Mu’s expression darken in fury. In Wu Tong’s hand was his purple steel bow which he had left earlier! So it turned out that this HouTian warrior had actually been here since the beginning, even bypassing the fight quietly to steal the bow! The reason why he had not attacked yet was because one, the bow required a force of at least a thousand jin and two, Shi Mu had taken all the remaining arrows with him in his backpack, leaving Wu Tong unable to make a single shot even if he could manage to open the bow using his real qi.

    “Your gracious Excellency, for a bow you cannot even open, you would sacrifice all of your men’s lives?” Shi Mu tightened his grip of the Sun and Moon Daggers in his hand as he asked in a cold sarcastic voice.

    “Hmph. Their deaths are just a reminder that we, the Wu family can buy and use trash servants as we wish! Truly, the last thing I expected was that you would manage to obtain purple steel bow! And to use it with skill! Even I, Wu Tong, began to feel threatened by your dirty tricks. In hindsight, those servants’ lives cannot compare to this wondrous bow. So now, make your choice: offer your life in servitude to me, or die here like a dog.” Wu Tong said in the world’s most indifferent, magnanimous tone.

    “I have always heard that a practitioner, in front of a HouTian warrior’s might, would have no other choice but to bow their head or to break their back trying to resist the indomitable difference in power. But! I have yet to see it myself!” Staring fixedly at Wu Tong, Shi Mu answered with a fierce tone.

    “Haha! So I am so surprised to hear of a mere practitioner who dares to challenge the heavens! I’m starting to wonder if I should call you a brave fool or an ignorant frog. Come! Let me teach you a lesson how you, a fledgling practitioner, should behave in front of a true HouTian warrior!” Wu Tong was at originally dumbstruck by Shi Mu’s challenge, but soon bursted out laughing, as he threw the bow away to grasp his sword.

    “Peng!” The huge bow sunk into a large tree’s trunk like a knife gutting a pig, one end swallowed by the tree by several chi lengths, while the other end shook and thrummed with a low humming noise. The uniformed Wu Tong’s hand flashed as his soft sword became straight and solid as it left his scabbard and his body leaned forward to narrow the distance between him and Shi Mu.

    Other than the slight narrowing of his eyes, Shi Mu did not show any sign of being flustered at all. As Wu Tong quickly approached, Shi Mu suddenly tightened his grasp and seven blade shadows were thrown out.

    “Seven cuts!! So it’s true then, your Wind-Blowing Blade Art is truly exquisite! But today is your unlucky day, for there is someone even faster than you.” Wu Tong uttered a low shout and shook his sword. In an instant seven shadows were also produced by him, dispelling Shi Mu’s blade shadows before they had a chance to gather and become one. As the sword and blade shadows clashed together, an eighth shadow broke through, dispelling the chaotic energy as it flew towards its target, Shi Mu’s heart!

    “Eight cuts in one breath!” Shi Mu swallowed his astonishment before focusing his concentration on his blade art to shatter the incoming eighth shadow. A thunderous noise resounded as the two clashed, while an brutal energy rippled out at lightning speeds from Wu Tong’s sword to Shi Mu’s hand. Shi Mu felt his shoulders trembled uncontrollably, his body forced back a half step and his hands turn numb due to the strike.

    On the other side of the collision, Wu Tong did not escape unharmed by the huge force rebounding from his sword. A trace of surprise flashed across his eyes, but quickly disappeared as he resumed his attack by moving his wrist in a unique pattern. Instantly the upper end of the sword became as flexible and agile as a viper, slithering to bypass Shi Mu’s blade before darting directly to Shi Mu’s throat. This attack was so fast that most warriors would only see a streak of cold light flashing from Wu Tong’s sword.

    However, how could Shi Mu’s ability ever be compared with most warriors. Was there any other warrior with a better eyesight? Undoubtedly no. But still, his heart beat vehemently at the sudden attack and his back break out in cold sweat, as all he could do was to turn his neck abruptly to his side. The streak of cold light was successfully barely dodged, caressing Shi Mu’s face leaving a shallow wound behind.

    Shi Mu was enraged. He rotated his body and struck out with his arms quickly, throwing out continuous shadow blades towards his enemy.

    Wu Tong snorted with contempt at Shi Mu’s movements before releasing a terrifying force from his body. He held his sword with both hands as he dashed toward Shi Mu’s blades.

    “Mountain-Crushing Triple Strike!”

    Three loud noises resounded as three strong sword shadows that were visibly much stronger than the previous ones, swept away Shi Mu’s blade shadows in an instant. Shi Mu stumbled as his rhythm was disrupted and his body forced backward three steps. The hand that had been holding the blades were now badly injured, and blood was gushing out wildly like a spring.

    In the past, he had always been the one oppressing other practitioners with his superhuman physical strength; but now, what had happened? He was crushed the same way he used to crush others. So it was the most reasonable reaction when he trembled with irresistible rage and terror. He thought to himself that the energy swirling through Wu Tan’s sword must have been real qi. That qi was the supernatural force that overwhelming outclassed Shi Mu’s bizarre physical strength. If so, it was indeed miraculous! If he had not possessed that incredible physical strength, he would have been just a bloody smear on the ground by now.

    When Wu Tong saw that the three strikes had not overwhelmed Shi Mu, he was quite taken aback. While he did not suffer as much as Shi Mu, his hands that held the sword were now sore and numb rendering him unable to perform the same technique again.

    “The Stone Monkey Bloodline was always considered the most useless bloodline in the HouTian level, but it can impressively reinforce a practitioner to withstand a force of a thousand jin. Judging from our fight so far, it seems to be true. But if you think your bloodline can help you fight a HouTian warrior, you are quite wrong.” Wu Tong tried to suppress Shi Mu’s momentum by his suddenly leaping up and pouncing towards Shi Mu like a huge eagle as he stretched his arms and rotated it once while in the air.

    Shi Mu was momentarily caught unguarded by this eagle-like movement, but soon recovered by causing his longer blade to stir up a large streak of cold light to disrupt the attack.

    “Peng!” Wu Tong’s sword collided heavily with the edged blade, which sent him springing upward again before he made a second pounce. Like the first time, Shi Mu forcefully took the attack again with his edged blade. This time, the two fighters struck against each other seven or eight times in a dazzling display of deadly martial force, one spun in midair like a smith’s forging hammer while the other on the ground unyielding like a tree in a storm. Each strike would send Wu Tong’s body upward again, like a weightless flower following the wind’s whimsies. While Shi Mu compressed tighter and tighter after each strike, the enemy’s sword growing heavier and heavier with each rotation. His hand experienced more and more pain, and his feet had sunk half chi into the earth from the pressure.

    “Haha, bastard, what do you think of my Roaring Eagle Art? How many more strikes can you take? You’ll have no regrets dying at this HouTian technique!”

    Wu Tong’s wild laughter came from the air, when his silhouette rotated again before he struck out with his sword sending shadows down to Shi Mu like a tumbling waterfall.


    More Chap

    http://www.xianxiaworld.net/The-Portal-of-Wonderland/
    Last edited by xianxiaworld; 03-31-16 at 02:07 AM.

  3. #43
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    Chapter 39 - To Kill a HouTian Warrior You Need to be Crafty

    This time, Shi Mu did not attempt to parry the incoming sword again. On the contrary, he crouched his body to the ground before leaping up again, one of his hand now in a black glove, with which he punched his enemy in midair.

    “Hahaha you fool! You are courting death!”

    Wu Tong mocked with loud laughter, as he sent his tumbling sword shadows in a maneuver that parted to avoid the incoming fist, before they once again united into one streak of cold light flashing towards Shi Mu’s shoulder.

    A shrill sound was heard as the sword pierced Shi Mu’s clothes but failed to penetrate his shoulder. Something blocked the sword! The sword tore his clothes at the shoulder, cutting a slit of several cun long, revealing a glaring golden armor beneath.

    “The Golden Armour!”

    Wu Tong could not help but blurt out in astonishment upon seeing the armor, and without a counter force that could send him back into the air, he was unable to spring up this time. Shi Mu had been waiting exactly for this moment: he grasped at the extremely sharp sword causing the the glove to be cut open instantly, and his fingers to bleed profusely. But Shi Mu had actually ignored the pain and was quite excited, “Finally I caught you! Let's see where you can flee this time!”

    His weapon now caught in Shi Mu’s bleeding hand, Wu Tong’s eyes flashed with coldness. Without a word, he shook his wrist in the same peculiar way he had done before to cause the sword to turn soft intending to escape Shi Mu’s grasp and simultaneously cutting fingers off. Shi Mu, with an earth-shaking shout, wielded his blade in his other hand and instantly threw out nine blade shadows that rolled one after another to Wu Tong at a lightning speed, far surpassing any of his previous attacks.

    “Nine cuts in one breath! You are actually have reached advanced stage!”

    Wu Tong screamed as he was caught unguarded. Wu Tong released his sword quickly before he rolled backward as far as three zhang where he flopped heavily on the ground. Wu Tong gauged that three zhang should have been out of the scope of Shi Mu’s attacks temporarily, or at least safe enough for him to steady himself and prepare a counter blow. But that was mere wishful thinking: before he could find his feet back on the ground, a silvery streak of cold light flashed in his eyesight, followed almost simultaneously by nine dagger shadows that chased him like hyenas thirsty for his blood.

    “No!!!” Wu Tong absolutely did not expect this, and was left no time to dodge. He steadied himself to take a deep breath and suddenly, a layer of blue shimmer appeared between his arms. As soon as the layer of qi formed, Wu Tong struck continuously at the incoming dagger shadows causing the shadows to dissipate! Wu Tong had dispelled most of the shadows with his bare hands! But he missed one deadly shadow, whose cold light turned out to be the real Sun and Moon daggers, slicing his shoulder. Although his arm was not cut off, the blue layer of qi was dissipated and a cut appeared several cun deep.

    Flexing his arm, Wu Tong sighed contentedly at the successful block. But just was he was to step back, a crisp sound came from the handles of the Sun and Moon Daggers. Before he could realize the daggers had already sprung up from his flesh and swept across his neck with a flash of blade light.

    Instantly, a bleeding wound emerged on his neck; Wu Tong stared hard at the sharp daggers that had thrust into the earth near his feet after flying through his neck. It was then he found a thin black chain cunningly attached at the back of the handles, which had blended itself totally into the darkness before it showed revealing itself after the fatal attack.

    “If I had known before that I would have died, I would have gone all out...Had it not been for the Golden Armour...Had it not been for the goddamn chain...Or your crafty tricks...and the blade art...”

    Wu Tong tried with all effort to press his wound where a blood river was gushing out wildly, and murmured with deep regret, causing red froth to bubble out from him mouth and neck. Finally, his head tilted, and flopped down, rolling over the ground.

    The big head, now tainted by dirt, was eyes wide open staring vacantly, forever unable to close those hatred-eaten eyes.

    The thin chain did not pause to lament for Wu Tong at all; it shook with a jerk and brought back the blade back to Shi Mu’s hand, safe and sound. The youth had killed his enemy from a distance of several zhang! Only until now he threw himself unto the ground in a relief, grasping for breath.

    Actually, the fight was not a long one, while to describe the actions took time, the fight started and ended in as fast as twenty breaths. But the pressure! The pressure to face this HouTian warrior at his level, still far exceeded his expectation, taking him much more energy than that when he fought with the previous Wu riders. If he had not come up with the plan to forcefully take cut by Wu Tong’s sword deliberately with the Golden Armour, there was no way he could have forced an opportunity to strike. Along with the chain on the daggers he had just escaped narrowly from the crushing strength of his enemy.

    But after a moment of shocked reflection he bursted into wild, uncontrolled laughter. “Who would believe, I, a mere practitioner, could have killed a HouTian warrior! Others may say Wu Tong was only an early level HouTian warrior, and I only won by crafty tricks. But still I killed him, a HouTian warrior! Wonder if the messenger from Kai Yuan Martial Arts School would change his mind once knowing this. “ He knew he still in a state of adrenaline from the fear from the fight, but he knew he was actually mocking his own weakness by saying such seemingly triumphant words.

    After the nearly delirious self talk, he fumbled in his clothes and took out a small bottle. From it he rubbed ointment on the wounds in his hand and face. The ointment’s cooling effect on his wounds caused him to lift his head up again in joy as he stood up and walked towards Wu Tong’s body.

    A moment later, there was a jade case and a craftily designed belt in his hands. The belt was no doubt the sword Wu Tong had used earlier, and the jade case contained a thick wad of silver notes, amounting to at least some seven or eight million silvers. Without hesitation Shi Mu kept all these to himself. With a last glance over the messy bodies on the ground, he sighed and turned to leave.

    ......

    After a while he reached once again the end of the woods.

    “Brother Shi, I’m so happy to see you unharmed!”

    Zhong Xiu cuddled Shi Mu’s body closely, her delicate body pressed against his hard muscled body without reserve. No longer able to constrain herself after tearfully watching the scene, she burst into tears. Such a close bodily contact made Shi Mu’s muscles grow stiff; moreover, the faint flowery fragrance from the Zhong Xiu’s body caused his mind to blank out.

    “Oh, I’m sorry, I just lost my manners. Brother Shi, what should we do next?” The girl came to herself quickly, unlocking her arms that had been pressing her body into Shi Mu with all her delicate strength. She stepped backwards and asked with a blushing face.

    “Simple, we’ll return to the original route.” Shi Mu offered the answer without hesitation.

    ......

    At the other end of the woods, Wu Hua was now leaning against the cart, his mind roaming. And the other two Wu riders who stayed to watch the horse were doing their job dutifully on alert. Near them some ten-odd Blue Gale Horses were grazing leisurely as if in a care-free world rather than this blood soaked woods.

    All of a sudden, two loud sounds exploded. Before anyone could realize it the two rides were shot by two feathered arrows, their bodies forcefully thrown back as the arrows penetrated their heads. The next moment they fell to the ground, no trace of movement or life left in them.

    “No!!!”

    The youth leaning against the cart reacted quickly, he shouted out and darted towards the horses. But hardly had he made it a couple steps before a third arrow pierced his back and nailed him on the ground.

    Wu Hua uttered a heartrending cry and tried desperately to grasp at his back, attempting to pull out the arrow in his back. But it was already nailed hard into the ground, as if something had grown from the earth, immovable as the mountains, leaving Wu Hua to flail helplessly like a baby bird failing to fly after being pushed out of the tree.

    Just then footsteps came from the woods, and Shi Mu appeared with the purple steel bow in hand, followed closely by Zhong Xiu.

    “It’s you! No way! How could you have escaped from my third Uncle! Don’t kill me, please! I can be the perfect hostage, Uncle will let you go in return for my safety!” Wu Hua managed to turn his head to look at the two coming out of the woods. As soon as he caught sight of the two people he hated most in the world, he mournfully cried out in despair.

    More Chap

    http://www.xianxiaworld.net/The-Portal-of-Wonderland/

  4. #44
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    Chapter 40 - Hunters and Eagles

    “There’s no need! I’ll send you to see Wu Tong immediately!” Shi Mu answered with a stony face while he moved his arms and drew his blades instantly from the waist. With a cold flash of light, Wu Hua’s head separated from his body, his face contorted pathetically.

    This was a horrendous sight to Zong Xiu; her face went pale and her dreamy eyes widened in terror. However, nothing stirred the calmness in Shi Mu’s heart, as he went for the horses - the only living creatures that shared his calmness now - to pick the two heaviest from them, and then hooked the nearby cart to the two of them.

    After a while the grey cart was driven by the two horses galloping on the highway with Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu in it, resuming their journey to the mountains. Shi Mu whipped the horses incessantly, constantly on alert to the Jin pursuers after them. He had prepared himself for any potential dangers and dare not to slacken in his vigil after dispatching Wu Tong the Houtian warrior. Judging from what a HouTian warrior in his beginning stage could do, Shi Mu was more than clear of the might of an intermediate HouTian enemy and he had heard of how the fifth master of the Jins far surpassed warriors like Wu Tong.

    About thirty miles behind Shi Mu’s cart, the Jins were also galloping at their top speed, while three snow white eagles with emerald green heads were flying several miles ahead of the Jins high up in the sky. Their wings were majestic, stretching long and pumping with a smooth, peaceful vigor.

    As the night began to recede and the day to reveal its light, the grey cart finally came to the verge of a vast rolling mountains. So vast that the youth and the girl could not see their end. There, Shi Mu unhesitatingly abandoned the cart and horses, rushing into the verdant mountains with Zhong Xiu, approaching their unknown fate without turning back their heads once.

    Four hours later the Jins also reached the mountains. The fifth master was riding on a red horse, and after a brief glance at the deserted grey cart and two horse, he commanded the two servants near him in a harsh voice,

    “Have the eagles prepare to engage and send out all the hunters! Catch the bastard!”

    The servant in control of the eagles nodded his head obediently and fumbled in his shirt for a silver whistle and blew into it loudly. A long shrill whistle and three short harsh notes sounded out as the eagles all dived sharply with stretched wings, wheeling above their heads. Then the other servant, much smaller in stature, went to the black cart after jumping down from the horse, and pulled open the cart doors. Out scuttled four bull-like dogs that were all waist high, with protruding green eyes, and were covered by thick blood-red hair. From their fierce mouths sharp teeth could be seen vaguely every time they panted. The next moment the hunter servant threw down a grey shirt to let the dogs scent it. As one, as if getting a signal, the hunting dogs howled fiercely before they scampered into the mountains like a whirlwind.

    “Hurry up and follow them, while the hunters still have the remaining smell of the shirt’s owner.” The hunter servant face lit up upon seeing the scene.

    “Good! Hopefully they won’t waste my time by leading us to the bastard’s laundry bin. Move!” The fifth master said with a sinister grin, his face twisted with malice. Just as he finished the words he jumped off the horse and followed the hunters into the mountains, and the two servants followed behind meekly. In an blink of an eye, the only man left was the man who had never underwent martial training, forced to stay with the cart.

    ......

    Deep in the mountains, Shi Mu plodded on wearily, carrying the exhausted Zhong Xiu on his back. All of a sudden, a clear cry sounded out above. Shi Mu eye’s widened as he looked up and saw a snow white eagle, whose looks were rarely seen, swirling above the groves around them, crying all the time. At first, Shi Mu was surprised but quickly regained his footing as he advanced undisturbed; a little longer, he was flustered to find that the strange eagle was following them! Meanwhile the cries grew increasingly loud and numerous.

    “There’s something fishy about this eagle. Miss Zhong, please get down first.” Shi Mu’s heart leaped with vigilance as he noticed the strange behavior of the animal.

    “Yes Brother Shi, be careful.” The girl had been rather tired and dozy on Shi Mu’s back, but the new situation sobered her up immediately.

    Shi Mu nodded and slowly let the girl down. With a lift of his arm the purple steel bow he had been carrying over his shoulder was already unslung and readied to shoot. The next minute, an arrow whizzed into the air, and with an eerie pained cry the eagle was shot through its heart before it fell heavily down like a shooting star.

    “Finished. Let’s move on.” Shi Mu sighed with relief, put away his bow, then urged the girl with a hearty smile.

    But this time he judged wrongly. Just as his words fell another cry came from the distant sky; in a minute, two other white eagles had found their way and began to cry out. But this time they remained in the nearby sky without approaching on, swirling with stretched wings.

    Shi Mu’s expression changed profoundly, and without a word he carried the girl in his arms, dashing to an adjacent hilltop.

    “Brother Shi, what’s wrong? Could it be that the eagles were sent by someone?” Curling up in Shi Mu’s arms Zhong Xiu asked in confusion.

    “I think so. Butler Cheng once mentioned to me that the Jins kept a kind of tracking eagles, they have green heads and could travel as far as a thousand miles per day. But these eagles were always paired with a certain type of tracking beast.” Shi Mu’s face fell; he answered as he kept on racing at his top speed, making the air howling around his ears. At this speed, he was no slower than a race horse.

    “Tracking best? Do you mean the Blood Hunter?”

    Just as Zhong Xiu was pondering a fierce fit of dogs growling resounded behind their backs. Before they could make out the source a group of several huge red hunting dogs emerged out of the grove a three hundred meters behind, rushing toward Shi Mu.

    “Haha here you are bastard! Took me such a long time to find you! You damn scoundrel killed my only son! I’ll skin you alive, eat you alive, and I will go far and wide to research ways to torture you!” A middle-aged bearded man also emerged from the grove, two golden sticks in his hands. Following closely behind him were two servants, one wielding a saber and the other a sword. They were none other than the fifth master and his two servants controlling the eagles and hunting dogs.

    Although Shi Mu had set off four hours earlier than them, carrying Zhong Xiu had slowed down his speed, plus the Jins had the assistance of the eagles and hunting dogs to help them find a path that led directly to their target. Faced with the deadly enemies on all sides, Shi Mu had to abandon his running plan and resort to the final method: Kill! Kill those who would take his life! And this had been the way he led this harsh life all these years, and never once did he complain, only striving forward, through fire and water to forge himself stronger and stronger.

    He quickly released Zhong Xiu and said, “Be quick, go away yourself. Find somewhere to live happily. Let me deal with them.”

    “No way. I’ll stay with you, and if need be, die with you.” Zhong Xiu insisted with the most tranquil face.

    How could Shi Mu not be moved by the girl’s affection and declaration. After some thought and a deep look into her eyes, he was the one that yielded. Slowly, he answered, “Well, if that is what you wish for. You can stay, but please hide yourself well so that I can concentrate on the enemies.”

    The decision overjoyed the girl even when faced by deadly foes. “Then I’ll hide behind that huge boulder. Brother Shi, promise me you’ll be careful!” After a quick nod Zhong Xiu turned and ran away. Watching the beautiful girl’s figure sway back and forth as she ran, Shi Mu took a deep breath and grasped for the purple steel bow again. This time, he knew what he was facing: grave danger. A mid level Houtian warrior!

    Meanwhile the hunting dogs rushed forward, leaving no time for a sweet farewell; in a few minutes they were now only one hundred fifty meters away.

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  5. #45
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    Chapter 41 - I’m Gonna Save You With My Life

    A powerful sound exploded.

    The one of the large hunting wolves that was just ready to leap up was shot by an arrow. With a plaintive cry it flew back by the imposing arrow, and was eventually nailed to a nearby tree. Before the other four dogs realized what had happened to their companion, another two of them were skewered by cold uncaring arrows sent by Shi Mu, not even allowing them the time to let out a last howl.

    “The Blood Steel Bow! Quick! Have the wolves retreat!” The fifth master shouted out in terror; a glance at Shi Mu’s huge purple bow frightened him. Even with the Jin’s wealth, to train these Blood Hunting Wolves was no easy job. The hunter servant, seeing his dear “pets” killed in an instant, felt an excruciating pain in his chest. Therefore, once hearing his master’s command, he quickly made a hurried retreat signal with four piercing notes. The rest of the hunting wolves obediently turned about immediately with a whimper, one running wildly to a nearby grove, the other jumping to a big tree’s back.

    But how could Shi Mu not take opportunity of fleeing enemies? One wolf had barely reached the grove before it was sent flying by an arrow penetrating its throat and nailing it to the ground; the other howled in anguish before it was nailed to its spot; the arrow had even traveled through a tree before reaching its destination. The five blood wolves were still, silenced forever by Shi Mu’s mighty bow.

    This desolate sight made the hunter servant cry out with rage, his eyes reddened from the pain of loss. He shouted loudly as he moved like a furious mother bear pouncing on the one who dared to hurt her cubs. It was most reasonable for him to act thus; after all, the five blood wolves were raised by him and he alone raised them from their infancy, like he would if they were his own blood sons. Now that seeing his sons killed mercilessly one after another by Shi Mu, his sanity broke; all he could think of was revenge: tear him apart, piece by piece, and to cause Shi Mu the pain his heart was experiencing by threefold.

    “You! Come back, now!” The fifth master knew the consequence of this thoughtless rush, though he himself sympathized with the servant because now, the two of them had shared a common thought to take revenge for their sons.
    But the warning never registered in the anguished servant’s ears. He crawled on the ground like a frenzied animal with an alarming speed, zig zagging in effort to throw off Shi Mu’s aim. Pitifully, this posed no threat to Shi Mu, who knocked three arrows as his face scrunched in severe concentration. He moved his fingers just once, quick and resolute as if playing a guitar.

    Three thunderous sounds exploded out as the arrows were shot with an overwhelming power, leaving afterimages of a black line. The running hunter servant leaped up instantly causing the first arrow flew beneath his body; he followed up with a twist of his waist, to turn his torso as he escaped the second shot that whisked by but the third shot was unavoidable. There was no way he could evade death as the third one came. It pierced his left eyes before continuing its journey of death, leaving behind a man’s body which had crumpled lifelessly on the ground.

    The fifth master’s face had now turned livid with rage. Just then another explosion resounded as three fierce arrows were shot out with incredible speed. This time the target was the eagle servant beside his master.

    The servant was already half dead with shock from seeing what had happened to the wolves and their master; seeing that the arrows were now coming for him he froze in terror and called out in plea to his master desperately.

    The fifth master snorted in contempt as he wielded the golden tonfas in his hands.
    “Peng, Peng Peng!” The three arrows fell lifelessly on the ground, cleanly cut into six pieces.

    “You cowardly piece of trash, just lie here and see how I deal with that bastard.” The fifth master cursed the servant in a harsh voice, then moved his body agilely, taking off like a giant bird. Each jump was 15 to 20 meters in length. In an blink of an eye he was now sixty meters away from the eagle servant.

    Shi Mu snatched three arrows again, and shot them simultaneously. “Bang, Bang, Bang!” Shi Mu astonishedly stared as he watched the fifth master brush the arrows away like sweeping some dust from his coat. He sucked in a deep breath as he realized the difference between the early stage and the middle stage Houtian warrior. Shi Mu once more grasped for more arrows from the pack but was struck with helpless fear as he realized he had ran out of arrows with his enemy only thirty meters away.

    Gritting his teeth, he threw away the huge bow which now seemed like a burden, and drew his Sun and Moon daggers without delay from his waist. After stomping on the ground with a sudden force he rushed forward, shook his wrist and hurled nine blade shadows like a whirlwind.

    “Nine cuts in one breath! Hmph you may have fully accomplished the skill but today will be the day you will die!” The voice of the fifth master sounded as cold as ice. The next moment, a deafening sound like that of a gong resounded out suddenly, and golden images of tonfas danced wildly in the air dazzling Shi Mu’s eyes smashing the nine shadows causing them to be dispelled. Immediately he felt his hands burning with an immeasurable energy coming from the lashback energy from tonfas, that was twice as strong as that from Wu Tong’s sword. This caused Shi Mu’s hand to bleed terribly again, from his recently healed wounds, and the daggers whizzed out of his hand into the air.

    Just as he lost his weapons, he felt a fierce wind pressure pushing against him almost knocking him down, and a golden tonfa emerged unexpectedly in front of him, rushing at his forehead, leaving him no time to evade. Shi Mu eyes widened and punched out as he shouted.

    Boom! The punch made the tonfa veer off its course and fell on Shi Mu’s shoulder. Shi Mu felt as if a mountain had smashed into his shoulder and stepped back several steps, an insufferable pain penetrating his body.

    The fifth master was not disappointed as much as he was shocked to find Shi Mu’s bones intact. But another glance told him the reason. “Humph, why, I was wondering. You are wearing the Golden Armour stolen from my son! That’s why you were able to resist my strike. Well, today I will show you the Blood Palm skill I’ve been practicing all these years!”

    As his words fell he dropped the tonfas immediately and flew forward as one of his hands swelled with blood causing it to increase its size by two times. A stench arose from the palm which caused Shi Mu’s nose crinkle in nausea. But he only stood still in shock for a moment as his eyes leaked a trace of suspicion of this eerie skill. Shi Mu let out a shout and wildly shook his arms, causing a fine chain that had been wound around his wrist to clang. Consequently, the daggers which had fallen somewhere jumped up and sliced forward. As the daggers flew, they began to rotate swiftly, turning into a malicious silver wheel. Shi Mu gritted his teeth as he prepared the suicidal attack. “I will not die alone!” Shi Mu gritted his teeth as he decided to destroy the fifth master at the price of his own life.


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    Last edited by xianxiaworld; 04-08-16 at 10:22 PM.

  6. #46
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    Chapter 42 - Between Life and Death

    What Houtian Warrior would allow a Wu Scholar to freely injure them? Even though the fifth master wished nothing but to rush forward and erase Shi Mu, in hopes of appeasing the great anguish he felt in his heart, he twisted his body and retreated. His body flickered like a willow leaf floating in the wind, agilely dodging each attack. After returning to the ground he lost no time using one leg to lift up a golden tonfa lying at his foot.

    Boom! A ball of golden light flashed toward the rotating daggers and directly collided. The daggers, made from cold iron, were reputed as unbreakable, but facing the golden tonfa, the Sun and Moon daggers cracked with a thunderous noise. Shi Mu could not help but wonder at the stick’s material as he found his daggers only half complete. Dejectedly, Shi Mu shook his wrist causing the fine chains attached to the daggers to be pulled back.

    Upon seeing the cracked daggers, the fifth master laughed at the imminent victory. He lifted another tonfa from the ground and shot it toward Shi Mu at a startling speed before he rose into the air and followed closely behind.

    This swift attack left Shi Mu no time to think of a plan. Wielding his incomplete daggers he produced nine shadows and sent them darting forward.

    A deafening clang resounded!

    The golden ball of light trembled as it was slowed down, bouncing back into the form of a stick. Shi Mu let out a muffled shout and retreated several steps. The daggers were now completely shattered, along with their owner’s arm drooping like a tree after a storm, as though broken by the blow.

    Just then the fifth master had already reached Shi Mu. His sleeves flashed before a blood red palm smashed towards Shi Mu’s head with an irresistible momentum. Shi Mu was enraged; he moved his uninjured arm to strike forcibly at the dashing palm.

    “Are you tired of living?” The fifth master laughed wildly at Shi Mu’s desperate move; the laughter was accompanied by a fluctuation of qi which made the scarlet palm even more red, to the extent that a visible layer of red fog emerged floating above his palm.

    But just as Shi Mu’s fist was about to hit the red palm, his fingers moved and a sharp dagger appeared in his hand mercilessly stabbing into the palm. A piercing pain radiated out from every blood vessels as the fifth master uttered a heartrending cry, but he could not stop his palm which now had reached Shi Mu’s arm. Shi Mu also gave out a cry as he was sent flying backward at an unstoppable speed, knocking down two saplings before stopping against a mountain boulder. Shi Mu coughed and spat blood as he slid down the rock like a dead animal, unable to stand up for a while.
    The fifth master’s face was strange. He looked down at his hands which was rapidly losing its blood red color. A sharp dagger protruded from his palm, crimson blood leaked from the wound, causing his palm to rapidly change from that crimson color to a pale white. Looking at the sharp dagger that had penetrated his palm, he felt an overwhelming fear mixed with rage. His expression rapidly changed as his fears were confirmed, his voice shook as he screamed. “Bastard! You have ruined my Blood Palm! You...YOU MONGREL! I will crush you and grind all your bones into dust!”

    Before he even finished his curse, the fifth master extracted the dagger from his palm and hit at several acupoints in his hand to stop the bleeding. He strode to Shi Mu, his face twisting with rage.

    Shi Mu suppressed the gnawing pain in his arms and looked up at the fifth master. The muscles on his face twitched, a mocking smile flashing across his lips.

    So this was a real intermediate Houtian Warrior! An invincible enemy for a Wu Scholar! It took so much to just resist one blow: he utilized the exploding of his Sun and Moon daggers to conceal another dagger inside his sleeve. Only then could he mutilate the fifth master’s palm without being noticed. But even such a painstaking plan was no use in front of the overpowering Blood Palm. He had thought of causing a mortal wound to his opponent after stabbing his palm, taking the chance to end the fight. But this was merely wishful thinking: he was now brought to the harsh reality by the crushing power of the palm. Now, lying helplessly on the ground, half dead, with arms broken into several pieces, he could not even stand up, much less fight. He was thrown into the gloom of despair, his eyes stripped of the slightest glimmering of hope. The fifth master approached Shi Mu and kicked him.

    “Peng!” A strange noise sounded out.

    The fifth master felt his foot knocked against something solid. As for Shi Mu, he was knocked ten meters away and his face ghastly pale from the pain but surprisingly unharmed.

    “Hmm? What are you hiding?”

    The fifth master snorted in contempt and walked up.

    “Leave him alone! Kill me if you wish!”

    Just then, a slender figure rushed out from behind a mountain boulder and shielded the half dead Shi Mu with her arms. This was none other than Zhong Xiu who had been watching Shi Mu all this time with. She could no longer keep her promise to Shi Mu - to hide unnoticed behind the rock - and dashed toward the enemy, protecting Shi Mu without a trace of fear.

    The fifth master glanced at Zhong Xiu before snorting “You ugly toad, well, I shall grant you your wish to die here along with that dog“ He replied with a ferocious face, ready to strike the girl’s face with his palm. An “ugly” girl stirred no sympathy in the fifth master’s heart at all. As a Houtian Warrior, there was no need for him to use his real qi to crush the girl’s head in an instant.

    “Stop!” Seeing this Shi Mu’s expression changed. He shouted at the top of his lungs and tried with every effort to raise himself up. But even before he had managed to raise half of his body, he again fell flat onto his face.

    The fifth master could not be any more delighted at such a failed attempt. Encouraged, he bent slightly his fingers to add some real qi into the palm. Although Zhong Xiu had long prepared to sacrifice her life for Shi Mu, seeing the frightful palm diving at her like a mountain, she could not help but blanch in fear. Which teenage girl could stay calm in front of such a deadly attack? She closed her eyes, trembled in fear, and let out an involuntary cry.

    An invisible energy flew out with her cry, slamming into the enemy and sending him flying.

    The fifth master raised his head in pain, spitting blood and staring at the girl in fear. “The power of a bloodline! So you are a bloodline warrior too!” With his experience, he could tell at a glance that the girl was not only a bloodline warrior, but her bloodline was definitely a rare one as well. This realization made him flinch. But the sight of his dead son and the pain in his mutilated palm made the fire of hatred burn in his chest. He began to regain the fierceness in his eyes. Without a word, he floated to the girl again, aiming to kill her this time.

    Zhong Xiu, however, was in the dark as to what had happened. She opened her eyes at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

    Suddenly, the cold voice of a young woman resounded, “You want to kill a bloodline warrior of Grade Three, seen only once in a thousand years? Well, then, I can only send you to the other world first.”

    The delicate figure of a woman in a white straw hat flashed in front of Zhong Xui, gracefully waving her arm toward the fifth master.

    Woosh!

    A puff of cold, white fog rolled out, turning the fifth master into an ice crystal in an instant.

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    Chapter 43 - Ye Hong Yao, the Red Herb

    Zhong Xiu and Shi Mu gasped in shock! The fifth master, an intermediate Houtian Warrior, had been turned into an ice crystal in the blink of an eye. Their savior sighed before turning and removing her hat, revealing herself to be a beautiful woman. Although she looked around forty years old, her aura gave her a graceful bearing that made her as beautiful as any youthful girl. Raising her eyebrows, she seemed as cold as ice. However, her eyes, gazing at Zhong Xiu, were alight with excitement.

    “Who would believe, that on an easy errand for old Sun I would come across such a talent! Young miss, may I ask your name? And where are you from?” The woman first muttered something to herself, then turned her face to Zhong Xiu, asking in the most affectionate voice. As for Shi Mu, she did not even cast a cursory glance at him.

    “Senior, my name is Xiu Er, I lived with big brother Shi in Feng City until several days ago. We are on the run because we have offended the Jin family" Hearing the woman’s sweet words, Zhong Xiu relaxed and offered the fact.

    “The Jin family? Humph, an insignificant clan in an insignificant city. Answer me, would like you to join our Tian Yin Sect, the Ethereal Phoenix Sect? We are one of the three strongest Sects in the Qi Heaven Country, with countless followers. We also have many Secret Arts. Have you ever heard of the Art of Ethereal Resonances? It is the strongest art and the namesake of our clan. Once you reach the Consummate Stage in this art you will be able to reach the Earth Grade, that legendary grade that only elites can reach.” Her voice growing more sincere, the woman spoke persuasively, looking deep into Zhong Xiu’s eyes.

    “One of the three strongest sects...The Ethereal Phoenix Sect......May I have a second to think about this? Ah senior! Could you please take look at my big brother Shi’s wounds?” The dazzling names and titles mentioned by the woman confused the girl, and she only gave a vague answer. But she soon remembered Shi Mu's wounds. Her eyes became focused and immediately began to earnestly plea.

    “That boy has a strong body, besides none of his wounds are too serious, just a pair of broken arms. His strength will recover in time. Wait. The wounds caused by that palm attack are actually not that easy to heal... Hmmm. You really are lucky this time. Here, take this Blood-Qi Pill.” Zhong Xiu’s entreaty made the woman pause for a moment. Having a brief look at Shi Mu she gently waved her arm and a small white bottle flew out of her sleeve and landed in Shi Mu’s hands. Though she gave him medicine, the young man's wounds were the last thing on her mind at the moment.

    However Shi Mu was overjoyed. He tried to lift the bottle but the exertion made him blanch in pain, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. The pain was not difficult to imagine: who could lift an item, even a small one, with two broken arms without quivering in agonizing pain? The sight hurt Zhong Xiu’s heart. She walked over to Shi Mu and opened the bottle for him, pouring out a fragrant red pill which she handed to Shi Mu as carefully as possible.

    Shi Mu opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. Instantly a warm qi streamed within his body, travelling at an amazing speed throughout his body, taking away the numbness and pain of his wounded arms. His spirits were lifted, and Shi Mu directed his eyes in wonder to Wu Tong encased in ice. He could only guess which stage the woman was in. At the same time, Zhong Xiu was still gazing at Shi Mu with a concerned look, which attracted the straw-hatted woman’s attention. She faintly sensed something from the girl's anxious eyes. She glanced at Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu and an idea flashed across her mind. She hastily concealed her excitement to speak in an unhurried manner,

    “That Blood-Qi pill is a secret medicine of our sect. It has wondrous healing powers and will help you make great progress in the future.”

    “Thank you so much, senior!” Seeing that Shi Mu’s face was regaining a more healthy colour, Zhong Xiu cried out in happiness.

    “In return, Xiu Er, let me test your bloodline. It’s highly likely that your bloodline is quite special, but let us test it with official instruments, just in case. “ The straw-hatted woman saw a chance and took it.

    “Sure, I will do whatever tests you need, senior.” Another look at Shi Mu and her mind was resolved.

    “Good. It is quite fortunate that I’m carrying a Blood Ruyi [1] with me. With one just one drop of blood, I can accurately determine your blood line! It is by far one of the most sensitive instrument.” Zhong Xiu’s approval delighted the straw-hatted woman greatly. Without delay, she took a white-coloured ruyi out from her sleeve.

    Zhong Xiu walked up, biting one of her fingers until it bled, and dripped one drop of blood on the instrument. Immediately, a faint layer of shimmering golden light emerged, floating above the Ruyi. A pleasant melodious sound, like the singing of a phoenix, came from the light. Moreover, some strange unknown white characters began to rise from the surface of the Ruyi.

    After reading the white characters briefly, the straw-hatted woman excitedly claimed, “I knew I was right! Your bloodline is exactly the same as the founder of our sect! Only this bloodline can fully display the full potential of the Art of Ethereal Resonances!“

    “I have the Grade Three, First Level bloodline, the Bloodline of Phoenix Song?” Zhong Xiu was stunned and slightly confused with the unexpected result. However, the straw-hatted woman could not contain her excitement anymore. She once more pressured Zhong Xiu to join her sect with a serious face and severe tone, “Xiu Er, to tell you the truth, I am Ye HongYao, also known as The Red Herb, and the current leader of The Misty Pavilion in The Ethereal Phoenix Sect. Now, on behalf of my teacher, the leader of the whole sect, I am asking you officially, will you or will you not join The Ethereal Phoenix Sect? If you answer yes, you will enjoy the same status as I do as soon as you enter our sect, which means you will have the highest place among all the young scholars in our sect.”

    Zhong Xiu blushed, somewhat tempted by the prospect. She could not help but ask, “If I become a student of your teacher, could I be as strong as you in the future?”

    “If you could practice the Art of Ethereal Resonances, even if you only halfway finish it, you’ll be strong enough to defeat any Xiantian warrior, and by then, how could I compare with you?” the Red Herb answered without hesitation.

    “This sounds... I really don't have a better place to go to... What do you think big brother Shi?” The girl was apparently moved by the offer, but, after some contemplation, still she deemed it sensible to seek Shi Mu’s advice.

    “Are you a Xiantian Sant, senior?” After a brief thought, Shi Mu finally expressed the doubt in his heart.

    “You are quite perceptive! I am indeed a Xiantian Saint.” Though she was surprised at Shi Mu’s correct guess, she still answered in an unyielding, proud voice.

    “But I’ve heard that there are not even ten Xiantian Saints throughout the Qi Heaven Country?” Now it was Shi Mu’s turn to be surprised.

    “For common people, that’s true. The well-known Xiantian Saints are all so-called National Guardians whose title is conferred by the Qi court. But those of us in the Sects are not included, which means we don’t have those official titles. We don’t have business to do with the court, and only send some help when the country is faced with mortal enemies. Actually, you might not believe this, but the Qi court was originally established by our three Sects to achieve a balance among us. If the court dares to offend us, any one sect can annihilate them.” the Red Herb answered with much contempt, the title of National Guardian raising nothing but disdain from her voice.

    “So, I take it that all the strong warriors are in Sects!” Shi Mu could not help but blurt out this shocking news.

    “Certainly. That is also true with the other two Sects. Considering Xiu Er’s talent, if she enters our sect, becoming a Xiantian Saintis only a matter of time.” Red Herb answered without thinking.

    “If so, The Ethereal Phoenix Sect is the best place for you. Miss Zhong, you should go with Senior Ye.” After exhaling a long breath, Shi Mu said this to the girl in a very serious tone of voice.


    Note:
    [1] ruyi: an S-shaped ornamental object, usually made of jade, formerly a symbol of good luck.

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    Chapter 44 - A Pair of Tokens

    Shi Mu’s encouragement was music to Red Herb’s ears. However, her face changed as Zhong Xiu spoke.

    “I will enter your sect senior, but please let Brother Shi come along.” Zhong Xiu remarked.

    Shi Mu’s heart leaped upon hearing such caring words. To be accepted into the Ethereal Phoenix Sect, whose power surpassed even the authority of the Qi court, was beyond his wildest dreams.

    Red Herb felt she was put in an awkward situation by this request. After a moment of consideration, she shook her head, frowning.

    “I can grant you anything, except this. Our sect only has a few male disciples. In our sect, from the acolytes to the elders, you can count male members with your fingers. Only a male with a bloodline or rare talent fit for practicing our arts would be accepted. Even though I am the Pavilion leader I still have to abide by the rule.”

    “Bloodline warrior? Brother Shi is a bloodline warrior!” Zhong Xiu seized the chance, hurriedly revealing Shi Mu’s identity.

    “What!? You are a bloodline warrior too? Which bloodline? Let’s test it right now!” Red Herb did not expect this at all; she paused for a moment and asked, half convinced.

    “No need, senior. I know that I have the useless Bloodline of the Stone Ape.” Shi Mu gave a bitter smile, knowing exactly what would happen if she did test his blood.

    This news relieved Red Herb greatly. She relaxed and said in a condescending tone, “The Stone Ape Bloodline? If so then there’s no hope at all for you to enter our sect.”

    “Hmph! Then I won’t enter either! I will stay with Brother Shi. I owe him my life, there’s no way I will go to some unknown place without him.” Zhong Xiu immediately made up her mind. At Zhong Xiu’s words, Shi Mu was moved, his heart warmed by the girl’s innocent affections. “Miss Zhong, you don’t have to do this. Just go with senior Red Herb.” However, the girl was quite determined; she shook her head, continuing to plead in silence, her gentle eyes full of resolution and sincerity.

    Red Herb had to admit that this was one of the most difficult moments of her life. But after a moment’s thought, she came up with a solution to appease the kind beautiful girl, she asked Shi Mu, “Right, I just remembered. Which one of you is holding the Black Tortoise Sect token? They had a pair and one of you should be holding the smaller one right now.”

    “The Black Tortoise Sect? Token?” Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu each looked at the other in confusion, wondering what Red Herb was talking about.

    “Ah, it seems neither of you know what I am talking about. No problem, I have a method to find the token.” Red Herb said upon seeing their confusion. She smiled and opened one of her hands, revealing a light yellow paper charm which suddenly burst into flames. In response to the charm, a strange noise, like someone weeping, came from Shi Mu’s chest. The item making the noise was shaking so much that you could see it moving inside inside his shirt. “What’s this?” Looking down at his shirt Shi Mu was stunned before recalling a certain scene. “Miss Zhong, hurry and take it out of my shirt. I think I know what is it.”

    The girl nodded and then fumbled in Shi Mu’s shirt. Soon she brought out a black metal piece with delicate patterns that looked ancient and enigmatic. The sight of this so-called token soon rang a bell in Zhong Xiu’s mind, casting her into the gloom of sad memories. Shi Mu also became somber upon seeing Zhong Xiu’s change of expression. This metal token was the thing left behind by the zombie that killed Zhong Xiu’s father. In spite of that, Shi Mu felt like it was a good luck charm. It had saved his life on two occasions. The first time was when Jin Tian tried to stab him in the field near Shi Mu’s manor. The dagger was stopped by the metal token. The second happened just now, when the fifth master’s kick was weakened by it when he tried to break Shi Mu’s ribs. Could this be the same token Red Herb was looking for? Shi Mu stared at the metal piece before handing it to Red Herb for examination.

    Just a quick glance by Red Herb confirmed her suspicions. She nodded before asking, “This is the token that was owned by a disciple of Old Sun. How did you come by it?”

    Shi Mu told the story - how he killed the zombie and found the token unexpectedly - with Zhong Xiu adding some minute details to support him. Red Herb soon understood their story before explaining with a smile, “That’s true as far as I’m concerned. According to Old Sun, this disciple had been practicing the notorious Zombie Art till he died. A while ago, this disciple reached a bottleneck in his training and decided to leave the sect to temper himself out in the world. Shortly after he left, the Spirit Lamp he left in the Black Tortoise Sect went out, alerting the elders to his unfortunate demise. Several days ago one of the tokens stirred suddenly and after divination, the sect realized the token had reached this area controlled by the Ethereal Phoenix Sect. So they gave me this charm and asked for my help in finding it. However, it seems that scholar has failed in his breakthrough. But this is good news to your Brother Shi, Xiu Er.”

    The last sentence hinted at something, but Zhong Xiu did not understand, “What do you mean by good news, senior?”

    A trace of hope also flashed across Shi Mu’s eyes.

    “Simple. We, the Heavenly Songs Sect, have a rule against male candidates, but the Black Tortoise Sect doesn’t. Moreover, the sect is well-known for its secret arts that reinforce one’s body. This one may have a ‘useless’ Stone Ape Bloodline, but that same bloodline grants him superhuman strength. Plus he is the one who found the token! If he returns it to Old Sun along with my written recommendation, I bet the Black Tortoise will be willing to accept him as a disciple.” Red Herb answered with a smile.

    But Zhong Xiu’s face full of excitement slowly turned into disappointment. She murmured, despondent, “So I can’t stay with Brother Shi......”

    This prospect of parting did not disturb Shi Mu at all. Resolved, he answered in a manner that denied any further discussion, “Excellent! I shall head to the Black Tortoise Sect.”

    “Very wise. I shall write you a letter of recommendation. Here take this paper charm. When you reach the riverside near Kai Yang City, burn it. Someone will come to take you to the Black Tortoise Sect.” Red Herb said hurriedly, with a triumphant smile, leaving Zhong Xiu no opportunity to make a protest. Without delay, Red Herb turned her hand up again and, this time, produced a jade charm which she rubbed her forehead against while she muttered something for a while. This ritual finished, she took another yellow paper charm from her sleeve and handed it to Shi Mu with the token.

    Shi Mu thanked Red Herb then his face suddenly filled with embarrassment, instead of gratitude. His body remained motionless, or rather, he was unable to move.

    “Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot about your broken arms. Well then, let me do something about that.” Red Herb hesitated for a moment before taking out two blue paper charms and placing them gently on Shi Mu’s arms.

    The two charms began to glow with a blue light, the patterns on them squirming like worms. Meanwhile, Shi Mu felt an unusual heat permeating his broken arms, starting from the fractures, and finally turning into an irresistible itch all over his body.

    Shi Mu tried to move his fingers. To his amazement, they could move as freely as before. “Incredible...” He gaped in awe.

    “These two Healing Charms cost me quite a sum of sacred stones. Come, Xiu Er, I have to attend to some errands and we don’t have all day.” Giving the order, Red Herb would not spare another minute for the girl to linger beside her sweetheart.



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    Chapter 45 - The Vessel

    Two months later, at a small port on the Dragon River in the suburbs of Kai Yang City, Zhao Zhou district just south of the Heavenly Qi Country.

    It was early in the morning, and the sun just barely rose above the horizon, the first glimmering of light slowly revealing the river was covered in a thin layer of white fog. People did not normally come here but today, small groups of people were constantly streaming in, among them were elegantly dressed travelers who walked on foot, as well as tired riders in ordinary clothes who had covered a long distance before arriving at the port. But regardless of what they looked like, there were teenage boys or girls in each group, the older ones had worried expressions while the younger ones were filled with excitement. Within a short period of time, as many as forty people had arrived at the port, with teenagers accounting for nearly one-third of them. Though so many were gathered in one place, all of them were relatively quiet. A thick fog started rolling in, obscuring vision and making the scene ever stranger.

    The influx of people gradually stymied, with each new arrivals staying just as quiet as those who came before them. Around half an hour later, anxiety started to build up in the crowd, but just then a booming sound came from the river, as if a huge creature was rushing out. The sight boosted the travelers’ spirits, and they all started staring into the fog, as if trying to catch a glimpse of something.

    The fog was pushed aside as a huge ship, over eighteen meters tall and a hundred meters long, emerged and moved steadily into the port. The crowd stirred with excitement as the ship approached. Finally, it stopped in the deepwater area around twenty-five meters from the port. Then someone from the ship rose into the air and moved swiftly toward the port.

    As soon as the man steadied himself on the ground he was immediately surrounded by the crowd.

    Someone loudly asked, “Are you are the Black Tortoise Sect Elder?”

    Another person, with a nasally voice, asked, “What is your name, honorable Elder? One of my ancestors used to be a scholar in your honored sect.”

    A third one asked, “Are you carrying the sect’s token with you?”

    “All of you shut up! A token? Do I really need a token to prove myself to you? You should be thankful I wasted my time to come here, and you can consider yourselves lucky that you even got the opportunity to join our sect! Just be quiet and board the vessel. Feel free to stay here if you think I’m lying.” The blue-robed man who was shouting had a large build and looked to be in his thirties.

    The crowd was completely silent after the man roared at them.

    “That’s about it, if you made it this far you must have been through the test of our representatives who are responsible for discovering warriors with potential all over the country. So just shut up and follow me, but remember this, whether or not you can acquire a good place in our sect depends on your performance in the enrollment test. Right, all the candidates, come here with your tokens and don’t waste your time trying to flatter me. Hurry up! I still have other places to go after I finish picking you candidates up.“ The blue-robed man said seriously.

    The crowd was overwhelmed by the man’s brash manner. Many of the people gathered here had left their homes for the first time to change their destiny. Now they were faced with hundreds of questions and zero answers. They nervously shifted around looking at each other before, finally, a thin boy gathered up his courage and walked up followed by a few others.

    The large man pulled an old palm-sized bronze mirror out of his robe, checking each of the approaching teenagers with it. A white light flickered each time one of the candidates walked past, the intensity of the light was different for each of the candidates, but he did not seem to care about it at all. After a short period of time, all fifteen candidates had finished the check and found themselves standing behind the blue-robed man.

    “So I guess that’s all at this stop...” The man glanced over the other travelers who had accompanied the candidates here and was about to say something when faint footsteps were heard. Shortly afterward a figure approached the port along a path. The entire crowd turned to look at the figure in surprise.

    The newcomer was a teenage boy in a blue shirt, his skin slightly tanned, and he was taller than the average teen, looking nearly as mature as an adult. He was carrying a huge pack over his shoulder which contained a bow and arrows, while a blade was dangling from his waist.

    Seeing the crowd, the tall youth was taken aback. Before he knew it the blue-robed man had flashed the bronze mirror in front of him, and a ball of white light also flickered in response.

    “Why are you so late? You are the last one and we’re all waiting for you.” The man snorted in discontent, waving at the youth, signaling him to aboard the ship.

    The youth stared at his peers behind the burly fellow and tentatively asked, Are you a senior from the Black Tortoise Sect?”

    “What else I be? “ The man was irritated by the innocent question. He suddenly appeared at the youth’s side and grabbed him without a word. The youth started reaching for his sword, then stopped when he realized he wasn’t being attacked.

    “Peng!” The man grabbed the youth's shoulders, and rose into the air, heading toward the ship. Midway, he caught a teenage girl, and with great force, he flung the youth and the girl in the direction of the ship.

    “Ah!!!” The girl was shocked into a cry. But the youth was still with his usual cool face. A second later, they thudded onto the vessel’s deck, steady and uninjured. The girl’s face was now as white with fear, her legs trembling, but the youth only sucked in a cold breath. The way the large man effortlessly flung the two of them made him awestruck. It seemed that his entering the Black Tortoise Sect was, indeed, the best choice for him.

    The youth in the blue shirt was undoubtedly Shi Mu, coming in a hurry from Quan Zhou.

    Half a month ago, immediately after Red Herb of the Ethereal Phoenix Sect gave him the reference letter and a paper charm, she smashed the ice crystal, of the fifth master, into pieces in a single strike and left with Zhong Xiu not saying any other words. Shi Mu did not stay there any longer either. He left the mountains and found a quiet place to recuperate for half a month before he made his way here. But meeting the crowd and the blue-robed elder, before he had a chance to burn the paper charm, made him suspicious. Before he had a chance to figure out what had happened, he was thrown into the vessel by the large man impatiently. He was caught so unprepared that for a while he just stood there, speechless, watching the large man throwing all the candidates to the deck. Finally, the elder turned his body and returned to the vessel himself.

    “Go!” He demanded.

    The vessel slowing left the port and sailed into the mist.

    “Good. Now report your names and where you used to live. I’ll record them on this sect register.” The elder ordered the candidates as he took a thick roll from his sleeve.


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  10. #50
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    Chapter 46 - The Wrong Place


    One by one, the candidates came forward to record their information into the register.

    “My name is Han XiangXiu[1], the third daughter of the Han family in Chuan Zhou, I was led here by Senior Kong Yue[2].”

    “Zhang DaLi[3], a villager of Zhang Village in Feng City, Zhang Zhou district. Led here by Senior Zhao Huo[4].”

    ......

    Soon it was Shi Mu’s turn. He hesitated for a second before deciding to tell the truth, “Shi Mu, from Feng City. Senior Red Herb of the Ethereal Phoenix Sect wrote me a letter of recommendation.”

    The blue-robed man was concentrated in taking notes when Shi Mu’s words startled him. “What? You mean Ye Hong Yao the Red Herb? Liar! You think I’d fall for such an obvious lie?” He looked up from the register, full of malicious suspicion.

    “Senior, please excuse me for causing you disbelief. Here is the recommendation letter addressed to Elder Sun from Elder Red Herb. And here is the Black Tortoise token.” To prove himself, Shi Mu took out the letter and token, passing them to the large man respectfully.

    As the man looked over the two items, his face softened a little. Half convinced, he continued to inquire, “Which Elder Sun? Master Sun the Heavenly Dragon, leader of the Upper House, or Old Sun of the Dark Heaven Hall, the Interior House?”

    To this question Shi Mu was clueless. He only knew to deliver the letter and token to an Elder Sun. So he answered frankly.

    “So, you are not a candidate, but a disciple of the Ethereal Phoenix Sect?” The man did not take the token or reference letter, instead he asked more questions, a visible trace of surprise on his face.

    “Not really. I am here for the test to the Black Tortoise Sect. The letter from Red Herb to Senior Sun is only a recommendation.” The answer draw many curious stares from the other candidates. However, the burly man only pondered it for a minute, before a hostile look flashed across his eyes as he harshly waved his arm, knocking the token and letter out of Shi Mu’s hands. He snarled ferociously, “Humph! Recommendation letter? What nonsense! I could care less who wrote it! Now move it, all of you to the lowest floor! No one is allowed on the deck. Anyone found on deck will be disciplined!”

    The young candidates were all frightened by the maliciousness of the man, nodding their heads meekly like little lambs.

    Just then, servants emerged - all dressed in grey shirts, their faces lined with strange scars. Without a word, they led the candidates down below deck, the process was oddly silent. Doubt began to grow in Shi Mu’s heart, but without a word of protest he picked up his letter and token from the ground and followed the crowd down below deck.

    The large blue-robed man had been coldly observing Shi Mu, whose silent obedience surprised him.

    “Well, well, not bad, that boy seems to have noticed something.” A second voice resounded behind the large man’s shoulders. Simultaneously, a roll of black mist swirled onto the deck; from within appeared a black-robed man, his face covered by a tigermask.

    The blue-robed man was somewhat irritated, arguing, “Tiger-Bone, you are not supposed to show yourself yet. Remember that the sect master set me in charge of this mission!”

    “Be at peace. I won’t get in your way, I only wanted to ask a question: why not just throw that lad off the ship. After all we have already offended the Black Tortoise Sect, do you want to quarrel with the Ethereal Phoenix Sect as well? “ The tiger-masked man answered with his own question.

    “Humph! Does Red Herb equate to the entirety of the Ethereal Phoenix Sect? Heavenly Qi’s three sects are always fighting with our Yan Fire Nation’s two sects. We are already at odds with the Phoenix Sect! What more can we fear? Besides, who knows if Red Herb only wanted to get rid of him by sending him to this pick-up port? I was going to teach him a lesson if he had any complaints, but surprisingly, he’s behaving well so I had to let him off.” The blue-robed man sneered.

    “Alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut then. I’ll help if the Black Tortoise guys come. “ The tiger-masked man shrugged in discontent.

    The blue-robed man felt assured, “All the Black Tortoise disciples responsible for pick-up have been badly injured by us. Even if they have asked for reinforcement from their sect, a XianTian Saint would have to take a whole day to catch up with us. By then, with this Speed-Bursting charm, we will have reached the our nation’s side of the river. What do we have to fear?”

    “Alright then, let’s use the charm now.” The tiger masked man nodded, fumbled in his shirt and took out a patch of light yellow animal skin cut into a neat square, with profound silver characters and patterns on the surface vaguely visible.

    “This Speed-Bursting charm is made from high quality tiger hide, but it’s a pity there is only one more charge left. The spirit power in it is almost out.” The blue-robed man’s eyes ooked at the hide with a trace of regret. However, Tiger-Bone was not bothered. He replied in a stony voice, “Our sect has sent us right into the heart of the Heavenly Qi country for revenge. So of course there will be a cost to complete the mission. “ His words finished, Tiger-Bone began to mutter some incantations to himself with a serious face, and then he threw the square hide high to the sky.

    Woosh!

    The hide swirled in the air a couple of times before patterned blue lines appeared around it like a ring of light, interweaving to form a blue screen of light. Immediately, after a flash the screen sank into the main sail of the vessel, bringing about a gust of wind that imbued a tremendous power into vessel’s sail to push the entire vessel forward like a freed bird.

    The blue-robed man bursted out laughing upon feeling the acceleration, whereas the tiger masked man gave a sneer before he vanished into thin air again.

    ......

    Meantime, in the lowest part of the boat, approximately one hundred young boys and girls were being distributed into eight different rooms. Shi Mu was herded into one room with some other candidates. The formerly silent teens were now starting to talk, feeling kinship towards those who had also been thrown into this strange situation. Some began to talk about their families, some about the matters of the Black Tortoise Sect, and soon most of them had become friends. But there was one youth sitting by himself in a corner, silent, with his head bent. A girl around thirteen - who had been thrown to the deck along with Shi Mu earlier - stole a few glances at Shi Mu, before she grinned at him and asked in a gentle voice, “Big brother, I just heard that you were recommended here by a senior of the Ethereal Phoenix Sect, is it true? If so, why not just join the Phoenix instead of traveling this far to the Tortoise? “

    The youth was none other than Shi Mu, who looked up at the girl as she spoke to him. The girl has a childlike face, but had a rather mature figure for her age. She had a slender waist, yet the beginning of mature curves were starting to show, and the shape of her breasts could be seen on her robes. She would definitely be a stunning beauty in the future.

    “I would have….if the Phoenix Sect ever took male scholars. It would have saved me a long journey.” Shi Mu answered slowly with a deep sigh.


    Notes:
    [1]Han XiangXiu: Han is a family name. Xiang is the name of a famous river in China, and Xiu means beauty.
    [2]Kong Yue: Kong is a family name. Yue means the action of jumping.
    [3]Zhang DaLi: Zhang is a family name. Da Li means great strength.
    [4]Zhao Huo: Zhao is a family name. Huo means fire. (These four names are all random.)


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  11. #51
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    Chapter 47 - Disguise Seen Through

    “That’s true, they rarely take in male candidates. But you’ll probably pass with a reference letter from a Xiantian Saint.” The girl blinked her eyes, making a suggestion.

    “I doubt it. That Phoenix Sect senior thought that the Black Tortoise Sect fit me better... But you seem rather well informed of the sects matter.” Shi Mu asked in a cool voice, concealing the little surprise in his heart.

    “Not that well informed. One of my ancestors used to be a Black Tortoise disciple before he retired to the secular world to build our family. In fact, everyone here has in one form or another a connection to the sect. By the way, if I recall correctly, your name is Shi Mu, right? Mine is Han Xiang Xiu.” The girl broke into a bright smile after saying so. Despite her young age, her little breasts were already round and shapely, as ample as could be, tantalizing as fragrant fruits on a tree within reach. Her body had been curved enough to draw the avaricious eyes of men of all ages. The sight of Han Xiang Xiu talking pleasantly with Shi Mu had definitely angered some of the male candidates, who were casting hostile, jealous gazes on this lucky young man. If it was not for Shi Mu’s stature and his tough appearance, some may have already ventured to teach him a lesson on how one is supposed to treat a beautiful girl.

    Shi Mu, however, did not show any interest in this female beauty. He only gave a few cursory answers before closing his eyes to save energy.

    Time went by slowly. The feeling of camaraderie had wanned after the young candidates had ran out of things to talk about. Gradually they grew bored and listless, they were mere teenagers after all. It was not before long when many started to imitate Shi Mu, quietly resting with their eyes closed. Eventually, some grey-robed men appeared with warm, delicious-looking food which was quickly eaten up by starving young boys and girls. Only Shi Mu remained at his spot, taking out two rock-hard steamed buns and eating unhurriedly by himself without a word, which drew more unfriendly looks from the other candidates. Seeing that Shi Mu did not care the least about others’ opinions, Han XiangXiu grew even more curious of him, inquiring frequently about all kinds of things, from questions about the sects to questions of personal matters. Shi Mu was not ready to waste his time thinking out answers to all her questions, so he politely gave the most minimal answers possible.

    After the meal, all the candidates felt drowsy, and soon the whole room was fast asleep. Then the grey-robed men again entered the rooms to clear up the dishes and left silently, not forgetting to lock each door with a heavy iron lock.

    In Shi Mu’s room, someone who had been lying on the ground slowly started to sit up. After a glance at the tightly locked door, he turned to look around and questioned with a serious face,

    “I am Ma Fei Yun, to anyone who is awake, please get up, you don’t need to fake sleep anymore.”

    “I’m awake. I didn’t actually touch the food.”

    “I also didn’t eat the food. I knew there was something wrong at first glance. Everything seemed different from what my parents told me.”

    “Humph, I ate some, but how could such weak sleep powder affect me?”

    The ground, which should have been covered with the sleeping teenagers was now stirred by two boys and one girl who had sat up. And the girl was none other than Han Xiang Xiu. As for Shi Mu, who had been leaning against the wall the entire time, he was also awake. Opening his eyes, he did not utter a word, and simply sat there, waiting. The first speaker was a young man with refined features. His keen eyes looked over the candidates who were awake. It was obvious he was annoyed that Shi Mu was one of the ones was stayed awake. In a solemn voice he made a speech,

    “I assume we all can agree that these men are not the Black Tortoise disciples that should have picked us up at the port? This knowledge makes it easier for us to plan our next steps. If we stay here we will probably end up being killed and buried where no one can find us. Now that they think they’ve put all of us into sleep, they must have grown slack, so this should be our best chance to flee. I’m ready to leave now, are any of you coming with me?”

    “I couldn’t agree more. If they are not Black Tortoise disciples, then they must be one of the Black Tortoise Sect’s enemies. I’m all in for getting out of here as soon as possible.” Han Xiang Xiu was the first to nod her approval.

    The other two male candidates, one with big mouth and the other long hair, both nodded seriously.

    “Brother Shi, why not come with us?” Han Xiang Xiu asked Shi Mu.

    “No need. I feel quite comfortable right here. Oh, a small bit of advice, you’d better stay here for a little while longer.” Shi Mu’s eyes flashed as he answered with a stony face.

    “What makes you say that?” Hearing this Han Xiang Xiu was startled. She hurriedly asked, her face somewhat pale. The other two candidates also showed expression of hesitation.

    However, Shi Mu only shook his head and would not explain any further.

    “Humph! You coward! Stay if you like! Sister Han, let’s go together.” Ma Yun Fei snorted in contempt and encouraged Han Xiang Xiu in a coaxing voice.

    “Brother Ma, I also think we should wait a little longer and see what happens.” Han Xiang Xiu gave Shi mu’s recommendation some thought before she answered with a forced smile.

    Ma Yun Fei’s face changed, disappointed that she was not as timid as he thought she was. Turning his head to look at the other two candidates, all he could find was silence and lowered heads. After stomping with anger he said, “Well, then I shall leave first. Sister, hopefully your confidence returns soon.” As soon as he finished the good-bye, he took out a silver-handled dagger, with sharp edges, and stabbed into the floor with all his strength. “Peng!” To his surprise, a loud noise, like that of metal clanging, resounded as the dagger collided with the floor. Ma Yun Fei quickly scraped the floor, and was even more surprised to find some dark metal glowing beneath the surface.

    “This is Iron Wood, found exclusively in the Iron Thistles Island in the Eastern Sea, moreover, it is at least a hundred years old!”

    Ma Fei Yun sucked in a cold breath, his expression complex. Before he knew it, he found himself scraping the floor wildly in the room, and all the places he tried to cut resounded with metallic clangs.

    Just then a cold voice came from the door. “Stop wasting your strength. This entire vessel is built from one hundred year old Iron Wood. You wouldn’t find a single crevice even if you scraped every patch of the floor.”

    The candidates were all astonished to find the large blue-robed man standing with his arms crossed at the door, and nobody had heard the door open. He was looking at Ma Fei Yun like one looks at a dead animal.

    “Senior, no, I’m not......” Ma Yun Fei was frightened out of his wits, his face blanching in fear. Just as he tried to hide the dagger behind his back, the large man lifted his hand and struck at him with his palm.

    “Thud!” The hapless boy let out a heart-rending cry as he was sent flying through the air from the strength of the blow. He body thudded to the ground, his mouth and nose bleeding, his chest struck sunken into his body. Obviously he was beyond the power of medicine now.

    “Haven’t I warned you? Anyone who dares to challenge me will be given a lesson! Servants, come throw this boy’s body into water! The fishes will have a good meal tonight.” The large man lowered his arm and made the order in a brutal voice.

    Instantly two grey-robed servants came and carried the still breathing Ma Fei Yun out of the room.

    The large man swept the room with fierce eyes once more. Then he sneered and left the room.

    The door was once again locked.

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  12. #52
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    Hey guys, I’m a new editor who joined around the time we released chapter 42. Don’t worry, thissisnate is still editing as well, so nothing should slow down. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that while we are going back and editing earlier chapters, we will still be editing and releasing chapters as they are TL’d. We would just like to make sure all the chapters are clean and have a pleasant flow, so as to not disturb or confuse a reader.

    I would just like to let you know that I have been (and will be) making an effort to respond to all questions, in the comment section, within 24 hours of being posted. If you are confused about anything in the chapter, just ask, who knows, it might be something we should change XD. (If you are having web problems, you can ask it there as well, and I will let one of the website managers know)

    -EliteCreature

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------



    Chapter 48 - My Fair Lady!

    Half a day later.

    While most of the candidates were still sleeping, Shi Mu and the other three were wide awake, not daring to move a muscle, out of fear of being killed like Ma Yun Fei. Han Xiang Xiu, distressed by Ma Yun Fei’s death, had a ghastly pale face as she leaned against Shi Mu, extremely frightened. Shi Mu, though in shock, still tried to calm himself by closing his eyes and resting his mind.

    No one knew how much time had past when they heard a thunderous roar outside the room, perhaps on the deck, and then an old voice trembling with anger,

    “Ning Ping, you scoundrel! How dare you have entered Heavenly Qi’s territory and injured our sect’s messengers! Don’t you even think about leaving without paying the cost!”

    Another loud noise resounded as the voice fell, which caused the ship to tremble again.

    “Wow, I have been wondering who would come this time! I never thought it would be you, Senior Zhao. By the way, since you know I’m not alone in this task, you must have brought helpers too. Why not have them show themselves?” The blue-robed man’s shouted, his voice rather calm and steady.

    Suddenly a third voice - clear and cold - sounded out, “Good, since you’ve asked, let’s not waste time on meaningless introductions.”

    “Yu Qian Ji[1], it’s you?” Seeing the new enemy the blue-robbed man lost his calm at once, crying out involuntarily, his voice somewhat husky due to panic.

    “Hehe, Ning Ping, it must be a surprise to you! Brother Yu was quite near when he got my signal, so he arrived quickly. Just call Tiger-Bone out, we know he’s with you.” The old man burst into triumphant laughter.

    “Well, since Brother Yu, a star-grade magician, has made his presence known, the least I can do is come out and pay my respects.” A fourth, hellish voice broke forth, full of threat, as well as poorly concealed fear of Yu Qian Ji.

    Right after he finished speaking, air-piercing noises resounded outside the room, along with occasional explosions, which made the vessel wobble helplessly, like a thin leaf in the air.

    Hearing this, the big-mouthed youth and the long-haired youth exchanged words of excitement. “It’s the Black Tortoise Sect! Thank goodness! We will be saved then!” Han Xiang Xiu was also elated, as was Shi Mu. After the gloomy prospect of being kidnapped by the queer blue-robbed man, being saved by the Black Tortoise sect was like sunshine after a season of storms.

    Loud shouts and strong vibrations shook the ship. From the shouts and screams the fight on the deck seemed to be a landslide Black Tortoise victory. After a short while the blue-robed man cursed exasperatedly in a frenzy of rage, “Yu Qian Ji! You dare to look down on us! Understand death as you watch your precious candidates die! Behold! My Ocean-Awakening Charm!”

    Barely a second after his voice had died away, an ear-deafening noise, as if massive billows were swallowing the sky, resounded, followed immediately by massive waves surging at one side of the vessel. The vessel began to tilt over, violently shaking.

    “No! The ship is capsizing!” Shi Mu and his fellow companions were shocked to find themselves sliding down the floor. Without delay, they all stumbled to their feet and leaned closely against the wall. As for the other candidates, who were still in a coma, they were now rolling over on the floor, some hapless sleepers even wounded after knocking against tables or chairs. Surprisingly, such bruises and wounds could not rouse the sleeping candidates. Shi Mu sucked in a cold breath in astonishment as he thought about the potent sleeping medicine, which must have far surpassed the ones recorded in the Secret Arts of the Zhong Clan.

    Just as the entire vessel was about to turn completely over, the old voice rang out suddenly, “You dare kill them under my watch? Your efforts are in vain!

    ‘Black Tortoise Shakes the Heavens!’”

    Instantly, the vessel shook twice, immediately it stopped capsizing and regained its steadiness.

    Seeing this, the blue-robed man let out an irritated cry, swearing, “You old demon, I never thought you could have reached such a high level! I’ll teach you a good lesson next time we meet. Tiger-Bone, let’s go!” Then an air-piercing noise echoed as the blue-robbed man fled with his companion.

    Such an abrupt development made Shi Mu and the other three candidates wild with joy. Before long, their room was opened by force and a young man in his twenties strode in triumphantly, his robe glaring in gold color, his face extremely delicate.

    “Wow, so many still sober. Good! You’ve done well enough. Now, all of you, to the deck! We need to count the number of recruits. Here, give these pills to those who are asleep.” The sight of four still sober faces apparently surprised the handsome youth, his voice full of shock. This was none other than the, so-called, star-grade conjurer, Yu Tian Ji.

    Just as his voice fell, he threw a small bottle to the big-mouthed candidate, who took the bottle obediently and distributed the pills inside to his companions.

    Just as Yu Qian Ji was about to turn around and leave the room, Han Xiang Xiu rushed to him and hurriedly spoke, “Senior Yu, I just found the Black Demon’s trick! They seemed to have installed a God-Fire Mine, of the Wind and Fire Sect, somewhere under the deck.”

    “What? A God-Fire Mine! Where are they exactly? How do you know?” The weapon’s name itself was like a bomb to Yu Qian Ji, whose expression changed immediately as he turned to ask.

    “Senior, there’s not enough time left. Let me show you the spot of the mines.” Han Xiang Xiu stood several steps from Yu Qian Ji, answering with a frightened face.

    “Alright, let’s meet Senior Zhao first.” The youth knit his eyebrows and said resolutely. Then he moved his body quickly, catching the girl’s wrist, ready to rush out of the room. The next sight astonished all the sober candidates. The youth howled in anger, shook his wrist, and threw the girl to the nearby door as heavily as he could as if throwing a fish on the ground to end its life. But just as the girl was about to collide with the door get crushed into mush, she giggled unexpectedly. Her body flashed and the next instant she was already dangling from the ceiling. The youth stared fixedly at the girl, whose sleeve shook once before something thudded on the ground: a small black snake, around a foot in length, was now on the floor, stiff as if dead.

    “The Black Demon Snake! Such a sinister trick! So you are Jin Xiao Chai[2] of the Black Demon Sect!” A quick glance at the snake made Yu Qian Ji realize who he was dealing with.

    “Wow, you really deserve your name, the genius conjurer of the Heavenly Qi country, most promising to reach the moon-grade! You can tell my identity at a glance! But you should have been more careful with my baby snake! How does its bite taste? One bite, and in three to four years you won’t be able to sleep soundly[A]!” Han Xiang Xiu laughed grimly. Simultaneously, a booming sound came from the deck, mixed with Senior Zhao’s desperate curses. Yu Qian Ji swore, “So it’s all your crafty trick! Tiger-Bone and Ning Ping never really left!”


    Notes:
    [1] Yu Qian Ji: Yu is a family name. QianJi means resourceful and crafty.
    [2] Jin Xiao Chai: Jin is a family name. Xiao means small, little. Chai means a hairpin in ancient Chinese, also indicating a rare beauty.

    [A] - apparently the venom slowly dehibilitates a body.

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    Chapter 49 - The Thirteen Black Demon Mountains

    “It’s such an honor for me to have Lady Jin herself receive me! A bite of the Black Demon Snake is such a special treat. In return, let me part wisdom to you. ‘Goodness shall be repaid, wickedness shall be retributed “ To Jin Xiaochai’s surprise, Yu Qianji’s eyes calmed down, and after these words, he swung his long sleeves, raising a wild wind in the room which made everyone shut their eyes. Without delay, he overturned his hand to bring out a round plate-like object, and after his body trembled a little, he disappeared into the wind.

    Subsequently, the clear crack of a whip resounded as the wild wind in the room stopped abruptly. No one knew when Jin Xiaochai had moved back to the ground, holding a black shining whip whose surface was covered with green thorns. More surprisingly, the spot where Yu Qianji had stood was now scraped by a clear whip imprint.

    This horrendous sight made Shi Mu suck in a deep breath of fear. Earlier, the floor, which was made of iron wood, was not harmed in the least by Ma Funfei’s sharp dagger, which made the sight even more scary since Jin Xiaochai made such a clear imprint on it with just one crack of her whip.

    “That’s why I hate wind magicians so much. They are only skilled at running away in the middle of a fight! Boring!” Jin Xiaochai pouted her lips, the black whip disappearing in her hand as she overturned her wrist. After turning around, she broke a jade ornament in her sleeve into pieces, and immediately black mists emerged circling her body, in which she transformed into a girl with an extremely sexy figure! The face was just the same as Han Xiangxiu’s, only more attractive, but her figure was now fully developed with large, attractive breasts able to make any man’s mouth dry.

    “You three must be surprised how beautiful I am, huh? Hehe, I remember you two kept stealing glances at me just now.” Jin Xiaochai stared at Shi Mu and the other two, asking with a light smile.

    The two youths had been staring at the young woman blankly, overwhelmed by the petite, curvaceous figure before they heard the words, which made them blush with lowered heads. Shi Mu was also speechless, his mouth shut.

    Seeing this Jin Xiaochai could not help but collapse into giggles.

    Meantime, the fight outside also came to an end, and before long, the blue-robed man strode into the room along with the black-robed Tiger-Bone, who was still wearing the tiger mask.

    “Sister Jin, we owe you a lot this time! Without you, we would have had a hard time with Yu Qianji, the star-grade conjurer.” The blue-robed burly man wore a humble look as he saw Jin Xiaochai. The black-robed man did not utter a word as he stared at the sexy woman, desire for her burning in his eyes.

    “I was just obeying master’s order to help you. Yu Qianji had been bitten by my black demon snake so even if he doesn’t die, a severe illness will set very soon.”

    “I heard that it took Yu Qianji around thirty years to reach the star-grade. A genius throughout the three kingdoms indeed! Sister, even if you didn’t kill him, you have rendered outstanding service for our sect by delaying his advancement for at least half a year.” The blue-robed man praised her ceaselessly.

    “Hope so. Brother Tiger-Bone, why have you been staring at me all this time? Are you dying to have me? If so, why don’t you just ask the master if you can have my hand in marriage?” Jin Xiaochai turned her eyes to the black-robed man, puckering her face in a smile.

    “Are you joking sister Jin? I have always regarded you as my own sister and never thought about that.” With a mask on his face, Tiger-Bone turned his sight swiftly after hearing Jin Xiaochai’s words, explaining in a flurry.

    “Coward! Well, since we are still in the Heavenly Qi’s territory, it’s wise to stay alert. I’d say we set off now! The victory feast can wait.” Jin Xiaochai curled her lips and commanded. The other two agreed and after a few more words they left the room and locked the door again. Through the whole process, they didn’t glance at Shi Mu or the others even once.

    Seeing that they had finally left, Shi Mu sighed in relief and the other two young men also relaxed. Gradually, those who had been unconscious began to murmur as they woke up: the pills Yu Qianji gave them seemed to have worked.

    “Brother Shi, can you explain this matter to the others? It seems that we are going to join the Black Demon Sect instead of the Black Tortoise Sect.” The long-haired young man smiled wryly at Shi Mu.

    “No problem, but tell me more about the Black Demon Sect. It seems that you have no problem joining the Black Demons.” Shi Mu thought awhile and asked slowly.

    The two young men glanced at each other, nodded and answered. ”It’s no secret. The Black Demon Sect is as big as the Wind and Fire Sect in the Yan Fire Country, and its strength is equal to the Black Tortoise Sect. The act of robbing candidates from each other is not an uncommon act.”

    ……

    One and a half months later.
    In the north Yan Fire Kingdom, in a marsh home to various kinds of poisonous air.
    A dozen of giant buffalo-like creatures were trudging through the mud, each carrying two large bamboo baskets hung on either side of their body. In the baskets were none other than Shi Mu and the other young candidates. The buffalo-like creatures, though substantial in size, walked gracefully, like a bird flitting across the swamp, with their hoofs glowing yellow.

    The blue-robed man and Tiger-Bone were taking the lead, each on a huge lizard, However, Jin XiaoChai was not there.

    The file advanced in a silence, everyone mute, except for the sound of hooves treading through the mud, making a noise like the crunching of snow.

    Suddenly, a multi-colored mist appeared in front of them, dazzling to the eye, which made the blue-robed man relax. He raised one hand and the buffalo-like creatures all stopped at the gesture. Whereas Tiger-Bone, on the other side, drew a purple bamboo piece from his shirt, muttering incantations, and then waved it in front of the mist. Instantly a streak of white light burst out from the bamboo piece and divided the mist, revealing a passageway that looked like a solid road.

    The blue-robed man urged his lizard on and they began to walk on the path, followed by the buffalo-like creatures. Tiger-Bone was the last to join them to cover their retreat.

    A day passed.

    In a forest of strangely-shaped trees, Shi Mu and the long-haired young man were carried by a large black-robed old man jumping ceaselessly from one tree to another like a leaf through the wind. In the old man’s arms, Shi Mu looked awkwardly out into the distance. In his view, there were thirteen immense black mountains standing at the end of the forest.

    “Hehe, you little guys mind your manners! Those mountains mark the entrance to our sect, they are the Thirteen Black Demon Mountains. Once you arrive,, you will become disciples of our Black Demon Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect will have lost the right to take you back.” The black-robed old man burst into hollow laughter which made their flesh crawl. Following the old man closely were another dozen black-robed men jumping among the trees, each of them was holding a candidate.

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    Chapter 50 - Welcome Party!

    Shi Mu and the others were carried by the black-robed men through the forest. Eventually, they reached a valley at the foot of a mountain. From where they were standing, the mountain looked like a massive sheer cliff, shooting straight up from the ground.

    They were given an open view of various types of buildings, in the valley, causing the candidates to feel amazed. Among the buildings magnificent towers, over ten meters high, as well as simple stone bunkhouses that were not more than a few meters tall. But to whichever type they belonged, all stood in perfect order, with the taller ones nearer to the mountain. Among them, people in all sorts of clothes were coming and going, giving the place the feel of a prosperous town.


    The black-robed men set Shi Mu and the others on a square of blue stone in the middle of the valley before they left without saying anything. The young candidates were left standing there helplessly, gazing at each other in confusion. What was embarrassing was that a cluster of onlookers, both young and old, kept motioning at them and talking about them as well as casting unfriendly glances now and then, as though they were gazing at some goods to be appraised.

    “All of you, leave! Just mind your own business. Haven’t you seen new candidates before?” A casual voice came from the back of the onlookers. Immediately the people began to make way for a giant bear-like man, who was wearing nothing on his upper body, whose body looked tough like steel. He strode over with a large silver mace in hand, every step making a crunching noise on the floor as if he may crush it at any time.


    The surrounding onlookers soon divided into groups as the giant man came, immediately greeting him with the utmost respect.

    “Ah,it’s elder brother Zhou! We are honored that you took this task!”

    “Brother Zhou, please leave some talented candidates to us, the Li Fire Association!”

    “We won’t let you Li Fire Association guys bully us so much again! Last time you took two bloodline warriors from the young candidates! We, the Iron-Stone Gang, won’t give you the chance this time!”

    “Ha, whatever you two think, we, the Senior Spirit Sect, will take candidates talented in conjuring. Or, would you like to try and take them from us?”


    Hearing their words, the giant man changed to a cold smile and replied. “You’d better abandon these ideas. I have received messages from my sect that the candidates are not natives of the Yan Fire Kingdom but are from the Heavenly Qi Country, and were brought back by Uncle Zhao.”


    “What? They are from the Heavenly Qi Country? So that’s why their faces are so strange!”


    “So it’s Uncle Zhao who did this, they must have been candidates of the Black Tortoise Sect. Our sect must have grabbed them for revenge. The tortoise guys grabbed our candidates last time!”


    “If so, better save the reception and move on directly to teaching them the rules of our sect. We are not wimps like those tortoises!”


    After hearing the news, the onlookers started walking away, deep in discussion with one another. Without coming to a consensus, the groups of people soon left the square.


    Shi mu knit his brows as he saw this.

    The giant man’s eyes looked over the candidates before he began to speak in a cold voice. “Well, now that all the annoyances are gone, let me welcome you to our Sect. First of all, no matter if you are from the Country of Heavenly Qi or from the Yan Fire Country, willing or forced, you are now disciples of the Black Demon Sect the moment you arrived at this Black Demon Mountain.


    Because the seven great sects of the three kingdoms have barbarian tribes as our common foe, we have all signed a series of agreements. These little clashes won’t cause real hostilities. Therefore, throughout all these years, from the highest ranked elder to the newest acolyte, we have many different members from many different countries.


    Well, that’s the main point, but here’s a little tip for you: No matter what connections you have with other sects, you are now irrevocably disciples of the Black Demon Sect. Be good boys and girls, and don’t ever try to betray or do harm to our sect, or you will either have your martial base disabled or be condemned to death, not to mention doing the same to your entire family.” After saying so, the bear-like man threw his mace on the ground, and, with a loud crashing noise, several blue bricks were broken instantly.

    “Most honorable senior, are you responsible for us candidates ?” At last, someone could not help but ask out.

    “Don’t be stupid, there isn’t any housekeeper for you. I’m Wild Zhou, an ordinary disciple who is only here to guide newcomers. I took this task from the Temple of Merits and Virtues in our sect. From here on out,unless I give you permission to speak, no more questions. Next time I will crush the nose of any who speaks on their own before I decide to answer or not.


    From now on just listen to me. If any of you has a grudge with me, just stand out. In our sect only the strong can be respected, strength means leadership.“ The giant man smiled grimly.

    His words startled most of the candidates, but Shi Mu only narrowed his eyes. He had heard about the jungle rule of the Black Demon Sect, only, he had underestimated its cruelty.


    Now, even though some of the young candidates found it hard to accept the burly man’s words, no one dared to stand out.


    Seeing that his words were effective, Wild Zhou showed a delighted look and went on with his threat.


    “Good to see you guys behave well. Now, I will tell you about the dos and don’ts of our sect. Be grateful, children, I’m much sweeter than most guys in our sect.


    You’ll pay much to hear this instruction if you were not having me today! Listen carefully! Our sect is a branch of the Heavenly Demon Sect which occupies a central place on the continent,and we worship the Black Fire Demon of the Three Great Demons.


    And we are different from other sects in that we don’t divide disciples into the more favored and the less favored ones, according to their talents. We disciples just have one path to learning higher arts or gaining higher position - defeat others with your strength, perform more brilliantly and contribute more than others. In other words,our sect encourages competition between disciples, overtly and covertly.


    The masters won’t mind as long as you don’t overdo it. Well, if you can gain the protection of Xiantian masters, who would like to teach you personally, that would be a different story entirely. But even these disciples will also compete with their peers to gain more resources and support. Furthermore, there is a match every season and a competition every year in our sect.


    The outstanding ones will move up in rank as well as be rewarded with rare pills or arts. But the losers will be punished heavily: either downgraded or deprived of resources, some will even have to do manual work like cleaning and cooking. All in all, if you are strong enough, it’s possible for you to challenge the Thirteen Mountain Hosts directly one day.”

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    Chapter 51 - Class Begins!

    The giant man’s threatening words created a turmoil in the young candidate’s minds. Some found themselves filled with hope mixed with expectancy and dreams of grandeur, and some were apparently filled with great shock. As for Shi Mu, he undoubtedly belonged to the first group.

    “One thing to remember, you’ve still got to obey some rules, despite the encouragement of competition. You’ll get a handbook of our sect’s rule later, and I would encourage you to read it.. Better yet, memorize every word of it, and you’ll probably thank me later. Besides, as a rule, newcomers don’t compete with senior disciples, so everyone will have a year free from challenges. It means that, for this one year, you can avoid any competition in our sect and no one can challenge you for any reason. If anyone really forces you to do something, just go to the Law Enforcement Agency and ask for help. But if you are willing to compete or make an appeal without any proof, that will be a different story.” The last few words Wild Zhou spoke were full of strange overtones, and he gave the group a meaningful look. Which one of the chosen candidates for the Black Tortoise sect was not intelligent enough to detect his subtle glances? Again, the candidates were filled with terror.

    “Disciples in our sect are roughly divided into three grades: primary, junior and senior, each grade with its own ranks. The resource distribution largely depends on your grade and rank. You can only challenge disciples in the same grade with you in every season’s match, but in the annual competitions you can challenge anyone you want. Every new disciple is in primary grade, don’t get lazy, cause we have countless laborers, who were once disciples, and every year, after the competition, our leaders will choose the thirty strongest men from the laborers to replace the thirty lowest ranked disciples in primary grade. Hehe, maybe one of you will lose his position and be forced to do manual work.” Wild Zhou grinned broadly with a malicious look.

    Shi Mu realized what was up immediately, and he was shocked by the unexpected cruelty of the rules. Which disciple, even the most unambitious one, would slack under such merciless rules? The only way out was to practice desperately to improve one's strengths.

    More people had nervous looks on their faces after being given the kind “advice”.

    “Well, I have given you my best advice. You can read the handbook yourself to learn about the matches and competitions as well as ranks and challenges. As usual, I will answer three questions from you. Now let’s begin.” The giant man stroked his jaw and declared.

    “Three questions? Then I want to know which level brother Zhou is at and what his grade and rank is?”A young man in the group loudly asked the first question.

    Shi Mu immediately focused his attention on this smart question, which should give one a rough idea of the sect’s general strength.

    “Hehe, a tricky question. I don’t mind. I am at the intermediate stage of Houtian level, and I rank 49th in the junior grade.”Wild Zhou burst into laughter and unexpectedly told them his number.


    "How many disciples does our sect have and how many are there in each grade?” A clear voice came, and it was from a young shy-looking girl.

    “Different grades differ greatly in numbers. The senior grade has only ten disciples, and they have a position equal to that of the Favored Disciples in other sects. The junior grade has 108 disciples, and as for the primary grade, I don’t have all day to count them, but probably around a thousand, and in recent years we have had more and more candidates, so the number may increase to two thousand in the next few years.” The giant man answered casually, with his hand on his jaw.

    After the two answers, there was a disturbance in the candidates, who were doing their best to figure out their place in this sect.

    ”Brother Zhou, I want to know if our sect has a preference for bloodline warriors? After all, they are usually more talented than ordinary warriors.” Shi Mu suddenly threw out a third question, which drew close attention from several young candidates, all fixing their eyes on Wild Zhou without a blink.

    “Preference? Do you know how many bloodline warriors are there among the thirteen mountain hosts, eight elders and two vice bosses in our sect? Only three. And the eldest master, who has the greatest strength in our sect, and has almost neared the Earth Grade, is not a bloodline warrior at all. He was not extraordinarily gifted and worked his way up from an ordinary disciple. Well, that’s not to say the talented ones are ignored in our sect. The Xiantian masters will make their appearance in the annual competitions, to find some talented disciples to teach personally, and there have been some bloodline warriors who jumped in rank due to this. Besides, there is a Bloodline Sutras House, built for bloodline warriors, where we store books of special arts for bloodline warriors. And the amount of Black Fire tokens you must pay to exchange for those arts is just half the cost required for ordinary arts.” The giant man swung his hand and answered lightly.

    "Thank you for the information, brother Zhou.”Shi Mu nodded and then shut his mouth. The other rapt listeners also stored the name Bloodline Sutras House in their minds.

    “Now that I have answered three questions, let’s move on. Have you seen the stone house over there? It contains the residences for new disciples, most of which are empty. You can choose one to live in, just as you like, afterwards. Now, follow me to receive your uniforms and one year’s ration of resources.”

    Wild Zhou pointed to the small houses squatting farthest from the mountains, then grabbed his mace and turned around and lead them away from the square.

    After a few minutes of walking they reached a small building. Wild Zhou stood in front of the young candidates - each holding a package in their hands. Coldly he said his last words,
    “One last piece of advice as a farewell gift. The Black Fire Token, which is rationed to you only once a month, is the most important resource for every disciple, no matter what grade you are in. You can exchange for the arts you want with the tokens. Without them, people will walk all over you” This said, the giant man threw his mace over his shoulder before he left without any hesitation.

    When he left, the young candidates helpless for a moment, like infants deserted by their father. However, Shi Mu did not linger on the fatherly “care” of Wild Zhou. He felt for the stick-like thing in his bag, suddenly understanding something, and walked over to the stone houses, which Wild Zhou pointed at earlier. At this moment, the other candidates also came to themselves and followed Shi Mu like a frenzy, some hot-tempered young men even ran to overtake him.

  16. #56
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    Chapter 52 Lion in the Way

    As Shi Mu approached the stone houses, he found several older disciples in black uniforms blocking the only way in.

    Some of the young candidates, who had arrived earlier, were confronting them.

    “What? One Black Fire Token to pass?” An extremely angry voice shouted.

    Shi Mu frowned as he heard these words and he got a little closer to see what was happening there.

    “Yes, but it is a fair deal to pay us a Black Fire Token. We were the ones who had to clean the houses you are moving into, a black token as payment only seems fair.” The older disciples were just eighteen years old or so, except for a man who looked to be around twenty. He stood in the front, holding a sword with a white scabbard in his arms as he spoke expressionlessly. He seemed to be the gang’s leader.

    “Don’t try to trick us, we have already heard about the importance of the Black Fire Token from brother Zhou. No cleaning can cost one token; plus, we don’t need it at all! Don’t you fear that if we call the Law Enforcement Agency for help, you will get in trouble? It was made clear to us that you older disciples are forbidden to do anything to us for a year.” A handsome young man amid the candidates spoke without any fear.

    “Call the Law Enforcement Agency for help? The senior brothers in the agency won’t care at all about this trivial matter. After all, we haven’t done anything to you yet. We are merely practicing our arts in this fine place. It’s your own fault that you ran into us while we were practicing. I gave you a chance to pass easily but now you have to take my punch if you don’t want to give us your token.” The young man holding a sword with both arms burst into cunning laughter.

    “Just one punch?”Hearing his words, the handsome young man seemed eager to try.

    “Oh, you wanna have a try?” The man holding a sword said coldly.

    “Humph, we newcomers haven’t awakened our real qi, and that gives you the confidence to beat us all. But I don’t believe I could not take even one punch from you. I, Fang Tianxu will have a try!” The handsome young man thought for a while and said with his teeth gritted.

    “Come on brother Fang!”

    “Brother Fang, you don’t have to take the punch directly. Just do something to decrease its strength!”

    The other young candidates behind him all encouraged him heartily.

    At the same time, more candidates had arrived and, after figuring out what was going on, they all cheered on Brother Fang, filled with a sense of unfairness at the actions of the senior gang...

    Shi Mu’s eye shined as he saw the sword man had his hands swaddled by thick gray straps.

    “Brother Shi, do you think that Fang guy can really resist a punch?”

    As footsteps came from behind, Shi Mu heard a voice he was familiar with.

    “Oh, you know that guy?”Shi Mu changed his look and turned back.

    Now standing behind him was the long-haired young man and his big-mouthed companion who had been in the same room with him on the vessel earlier.

    “My name is Stone Bai, this is my good friend Xiao Ming. We both come from the same place as Brother Fang, but we are not really all that familiar with him. But we know he has practiced the Blood-Pile Art, and this must be why he dared to come out first.” The long-haired young man smiled.

    “Is that so? I don’t know about this Blood-Pile art, but our opponents must be skilled enough to have such confidence to bully us in front of so many people. And from the look of his hands, it’s easy to guess he must have practiced some arts that can strengthen his arms. It is hard to say if Brother Fang can really take his punch.” Shi Mu nodded and said slowly.

    “So you have the same thought with us brother Shi.”Stone Bai smiled again.

    At the same time, the young disciple blocking the way was sticking his sword casually into the ground.

    “Pu”! As the sound rang out the white scabbard was already several inches deep in the brick covering the ground, standing there perfectly straight.

    Every candidates present was shocked at the scene, which proved the sword man’s great strength. Fang Tianxu also changed his look but he still took a deep breath and moved his muscles, his face turning blood-red.Then he went several steps forward.

    “Oh ,so you had activated your bloodline - that’s why you were so confident. But, can a small trick beat real strength?” The swordman was a little surprised at first but then he laughed coldly and strode forward to give Fang a punch.

    Fang shouted and crossed his two arms, which were also blood- red, in front of his body.

    Crack! Two clear sounds echoed as the sword man’s fist, covered with straps, hit on Fang’s crossed arms. Fang Tianxu’s eyes rolled back and he was knocked flying backward for six meters before he uttered a groan. The next second he fell heavily on the ground, unconscious, and his arms drooped in a strange way beside his chest, apparently having been broken into pieces.

    Young candidates, who had been shouting for him, became quiet immediately, a bit of fear coursing through their veins.

    “Who’s next?”The swordman asked, slowly pulling his fist back.

    For a moment, there was silence.

    “If no one has the guts to come out, just give me your Black Fire Tokens, I don’t want to waste any more time on weaklings!”

    “It is as he said! None of you new candidates have a chance of resisting Brother Qu’s punch!”

    “Yeah, stop dreaming! Brother Qu’s Jade-Breaking Fist can easily smash an iron shield. Stop wasting our time!”

    The other older disciples eagerly echoed their leader, their faces radiant with loyalty and confidence.

    “Can I take on your punch with a weapon?”After a while one of the candidates spoke up.

    “Well, you can if you wish, but you need to resist one blow of my sword instead. That should be fair.”Brother Qu smiled amiably.

    The brave candidate who asked the question blushed and never said a word again.

    “Let me try Brother Qu’s punch.” At that time, a clear voice rang out and a small figure emerged from the candidates.

    Shi Mu watched in surprise as he saw a girl around thirteen, her hair was braided and she was wearing many small silver bells all over her body.

    “Don’t expect me to go easy even though you are a girl.”The young man stared at the her and said coldly.

    “Do your worst.”The girl strode towards the young man with her bells ringing unceasingly.

    “Your courting death!” Seeing her action he punched at the girl with a fierce light in his eye.

    Woosh!


    The girl spun a little and floated several inches away like a cloud, then ducked the punch easily with her bells ringing.

    A trace of suspicion flashed across the young man’s face, and he didn’t take back his arm until a moment later. A moment later, he asked, ”Are you a bloodline warrior?”

    “Yes. Do you admit that I have I resisted your punch?”The girl answered with an easy manner, asking in reply.

    “You’ve dodged my fist, so you passed. But little sister, do you have any interest in joining our Blood Dragon Group? We have many Bloodline warriors, and you can learn a lot from them.” The young man seemingly changed into different person and invited the girl with a smiling face.

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    Chapter 53 - Jade vs. Stone

    “The Blood Dragon Group? I’ll consider it, but not before I find a decent place to rest. I’m exhausted after our arduous ‘adventure’.” The girl giggled as she reply.

    “No problem. Any time you want to join us, just find me, Qu Kun.” The youth Qu did not persist, and, in a joyful manner, he made a gesture for his companions to make way for her.

    “Thank you.” The girl giggled again, the bells ringing as though in a gleeful mood and she disappeared into the stone houses.

    The girl’s easy pass kindled false hope in the other candidates, and two young men took the chance to rush for the way that was made for the girl earlier. “Bang! Bang!” Two loud sounds resounded as they found themselves flying through the air. Qu Kun moved his body agilely and struck the two, knocking them back a few feet, before they fell on the ground unable to move for a while.

    Seeing this, one of the candidates questioned indignantly, “Why did you do that? Didn’t that girl just pass your test?”

    “When did I say that ‘all’ of you could pass if anyone could take my fist?That girl is the one who has taken my fist, not you. Anyone who wants to pass has to meet me personally.” Qu Kun sneered.

    The youngsters could only gape at each other in shock.

    “Brother Shi, Brother Xiao, it’s no use waiting like this. Why not go and challenge him together?” The long-haired youth asked.

    This suggestion apparently did not appeal to the big-mouthed youth. Shaking his head, he answered, “My Mysterious Steps Art is only half achieved. I probably can’t dodge his punch. For me to go and challenge him would just be asking for trouble.”

    “I’ll go after you.” Shi Mu, however, said this with an air of confidence.

    “Good! I never thought Brother Shi was so confident. Then I’ll go give it a try first.” Stone Bai was first startled by Shi Mu’s answer, but soon recovered and strode over to Qu Kun to take his challenge. Obviously, he did not know that Shi Mu had once killed a Houtian warrior! Therefore, however fierce Qu Kun appeared, he was not able to cause Shi Mu to feel any fear.

    A dull sound resounded as Stone Bai stumbled back. His arms strong looking earlier, but now they were flat like broken balloons, and his face was twisted in pain.

    He had taken Qu Kun’s fist with the same posture Fang Tianxu adopted!

    “That was the All-Arms Fist Art, and you’ve reached the intermediate level. No wonder you could take my punch. Well, I’ll count that as you passing. “ Qu Kun nodded and waved for the others to make the way.

    “Thank you, Brother Qu.” Stone Bai soothed his arms and smiled contentedly, then made his way into the stone houses.

    The success of Stone Bai made some of the remaining candidates anxious to try their chances. But Qu Kun would not let their enthusiasm burn for long. He snorted and spoke to dampen their spirits, “You do have some strong guys among you, apparently I have mistaken your strengths and only used part of my real qi. Well, since you are not as bad as I thought, let’s meet each other with all of our strength, from now on.” He had not finished the remark when he stomped heavily on the ground with both feet. Two dull sounds echoed in turn as two stone bricks were smashed into pieces.

    This sight made most of the candidates feel that all hope was gone. Xiao Ming’s lips trembled in fear as he shook his head in an almost twitchy manner, “Brother Shi, as far as I can see, we’d better admit defeat. If he really uses all his real qi, Stone Bai could not pass, even if he was lucky.” Obviously Xiao Ming had abandoned all hope of making it by force.

    “Let me have a try. It’s no big deal getting some wounds.” Shi Mu smiled faintly and walked up. In such a circumstance, his move naturally caught people’s attention, and some whispered to each other with a surprised look.

    Qu Kun’s eyes dilated with anger as he saw Shi Mu walking up, and he asked in a sullen voice, “Are you deaf or are you sick of life? Well, I can’t really kill you, according to the rules, but people won’t mind if I crush your legs and arms and make you bedridden for a whole year.” After finishing his words, Qu Kun squatted and then shot forward like an arrow from a bow, and with a lift of his arm, the grey straps, that were originally wound around his arm, burst open with a crack. Before the crowd could make out what happened, a huge grey fist had approached Shi Mu’s head.

    Shi Mu was not frightened at all, and, with a low shout, a massive flow of strength gushed through his body. He shook his shoulders and punched at the incoming blow.

    Boom! As the two fists clashed, unceasingly explosions resounded, and the two men were standing there in the middle of it.

    After the explosions died down, Shi Mu and Qu Kun were knocked back as bricks on the nearby ground exploded. The two groaned involuntarily, then simultaneously stepped back to steady themselves.

    They had attacked each other and come out in a draw.

    The crowd was too shocked to make a sound, some of the newcomers were staring at Shi Mu with eyes wide open. The senior disciples with Qu Kun were also astonished. There was no one who knew Qu Kun’s strength better than they did!

    “That’s impossible! You don’t have real qi, so how could you take my Jade-Breaking Fist? Which art did you use?” Qu Kun glowered at Shi Mu, shouting harshly, unable to accept the result.

    “Stone-Breaking Fist, not much to brag about.” Shi Mu took back his fist and answered calmly.

    “Stone-Breaking Fist? An ordinary Practitioner art? How could that resist my Jade-Breaking Fist of several years hard training? Oh...I get it...You are a bloodline warrior, and that bloodline enforced your body at the Practitioner’s level!” The youth was suspicious at first, but he soon thought of something and was enlightened immediately.

    “You are free to think what you wish. I wonder if I can pass now?” Shi Mu answered in the same flat voice.

    “Humph, you’ve taken my fist with your bloodline power. So you pass. But don’t be proud, little brother, that bloodline’s of no use at the higher levels, and it’s the lowest type of all bloodlines.” Qu Kun compromised, his face extremely sullen, but still he had to make way for Shi Mu.

    “Thanks.” Shi Mu saluted him with clasped fists before he passed Qu Kun and his gang with his head up, as if he had not heard Qu Kun’s sour words at all, leaving the other newcomers frozen in place with great astonishment at what had happened.

    Qu Kun snorted coldly and again blocked the way. Now the glances he cast to the remaining candidates were even fiercer, as if he was seeking revenge.

    http://www.xianxiaworld.net/The-Portal-of-Wonderland/

  18. #58
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    Chapter 54 - The Parrot

    Shi Wu went into a remote house in the residence area and walked through the front door, which was made of stone. The interior surprised him a little: a stone bed, two stone stools and an oil lamp. Besides these basic amenities there was nothing else in the room. The bareness made him knit his eyebrows. After carefully closing the door, he threw his package on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

    The next morning he woke up, a little hungry. Sitting up in the hard stone bed, he fumbled in his package and took out two rock-hard steamed buns and downed them without any water.

    Next, he decided to check out the contents of the package. It was mostly filled with clean black robes. They felt silky to the touch but, when tugged on, didn’t behave as though they were fragile. In fact, the cloth was extremely tough, despite its thinness. Three white bottles and twelve red tokens the size of a finger sitting on the stack of robes, along with a thick book, as big as a palm. Shi Mu held the bottles in hand, and opened each lid to sniff the contents. According to Wild Zhou, the pills in the bottles were Blood-Strengthening Pills, which could nourish one’s blood and real qi - the most desirous pill for a beginner - one pill was able to accelerate training greatly. This was also the most basic resource for primary disciples, rationed to each beginner three pills a month totally for free. But Shi Mu had not started to practice arts concerning real qi yet, so he would not use the pills yet. After memorizing the scent, he put the bottle away carefully, then he took up the tokens to have a closer look.

    This red token was the most important resource, according to Wild Zhou: the Black Fire Token. It was the only thing that could be used to exchange for arts in the Black Demon Sect, and he would probably be unable to obtain more any time soon. Some black patterns, shaped like clouds, were engraved on its surface, and when he held it in his hand, it felt rather warm, which indicated that it was made of some special material; hence, there was next to no way of making imitations of the token.

    After playing with them for a while, Shi Mu put them away and picked up the thick book. A brief skimming of it took him around an hour, in which time he had gleaned an understanding of the contents and made a map of the Black Fire Sect in his mind. The rules recorded in the book were numerous, but, after reading a little more deeply, Shi Mu came to the conclusion that, all in all, the rules were made to encourage competitions among disciples, letting them kill each other to find the most promising ones, like sifting wheat from the chaff. Once screened, these elite disciples would be provided with the best resources, over three times the amount of a junior disciple, whose monthly ration was also three times more than a primary disciple. Moreover, disciples who ranked high in the annual matches and competitions would also receive a huge award: Black Fire Tokens. This was the only way to obtain large amounts of the tokens.

    Shi Mu let out a sigh. He did not put down the book until he had read it once more to memorize some tricky rules. All done, he changed into a black uniform, and found an embroidery of a ball of red fire on both sleeves. At the center of the fire there was a word “primary” written with silver threads. Seeing this, Shi Mu shook his head and left his room.

    On his way, he encountered several primary disciples walking past him, and they were all beaten black and blue. Shi Mu could not help but ask one of them what had happened to them. Then he was informed that Qu Kun, the one who blocked the way to the stone houses the day before, “went nuts” - according to the disciple - after Shi Mu resisted his punch. “He knocked five of us down, and then those junior guys jumped on us and beat us until we could barely rise from the ground. He wouldn’t even let us go get our wounds treated if we refused to give them the token.” Shi Mu finally understood why he had met only a few beginners. Those who could rise from bed and walk around were not beaten as badly as the rest. Even Shi Mu, the usually stone-face cool youth, felt a little indignant.

    As he went down the road, the looming black mountains stood there like a temptation. He looked back at them and sank into contemplation. According to the map, the nearest mountain was numbered the thirteenth and it was the residence for beginners - primary disciples - along with mountains 11 and 12. Mountains 8, 9, and 10 were for junior disciples only. As for senior disciples, though there were only ten of them, they had mountains 5, 6, and 7 all to themselves. As the number became smaller, the residents grew more significant in position: mountains 2, 3, and 4 were saved for sect heads and elders. Mountain No.1 is a forbidden area in the sect. Without the permission of an elders, no disciples were allowed to approach the forbidden mountain. Shi Mu only gave it a small glance before his eyes were drawn to a small blue building situated in the depths of the valley: it was the General Sutras House for primary and junior disciples! Shi Mu had acquired his qi-sensing, so naturally he wanted to exchange for arts that used real qi with his Black Fire Tokens. With those arts he would be able to become a real Houtian warrior! The thought made his heart burn with desire. He quickly worked his way down the mountains and deep into the valley.

    ......

    “Why, Brother Shi! You are so late! Brother Xiao and I have already picked our arts, and I finally understood why Brother Zhou out so much emphasis on the token. It was definitely worth meeting Qu Kun’s strike yesterday.” Just as Shi Mu entered the sutra house he was met by the long-haired youth, Stone Bai, who greeted him in an exhilarated mood. Meanwhile, the big-mouthed Xiao Ming, beside him, seemed rather despondent.

    “Oh, did Brother Xiao lose a token yesterday?” Shi Mu asked in surprise.

    “Yes, and I am regretting it bitterly now. I should have risked being made to be bedridden for a month to save my token!” Xiao Ming snorted, crestfallen.

    “Why’s that? I know the tokens are not easy to get, but certainly they are not that valuable!” Shi Mu was now quite confused.

    “Brother Shi, see for yourself.” Stone Bai prevented Xiao Ming from telling Shi Mu anything, and gave a vague answer, with an enigmatic expression on his face, which made Shi Mu even more curious. Shi Mu quickly gave the two a few parting words and hurried up the nearby stairs.

    A cold voice came to his ears as he entered the building,. “Cultivation in the middle; techniques on the left; magic arts to the right!”

    Shi Mu looked at the owner of the voice, and was astonished by what he saw. Three long shelves, each over twelve meters long, were lined with all kinds of books on them; among the books, bundles of ordinary paper rolls and bamboo slips, as well as broken slates and large patches of hides. But the most surprising sight was not the books or the shelves. In front of the three shelves, a square desk stood near the stairs with a large golden cage on it. In the cage, a huge parrot, with flamboyant feathers, was cocking its head, looking coldly at Shi Mu.

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