Painting of the Nine Immortals

Currently, the Sun was hanging high in the sky, shedding down an infinite amount of light that was warm and bright.

Yet everyone here felt like they were being thrown into a mile deep abyss – cold and dark.

He stood there unmoving and yet he destroyed the sharp rays from the knife?

Did he use his two fingers to snap the black blade into pieces?

Just how capable did he have to be to achieve all this?!

Without a doubt, the impact this had on them was groundbreaking. Everyone was now dumbfounded.

Leng Feng especially was shocked to a point of no return. Even breathing was getting difficult.

He stared at the man in white with a sluggish expression. Other than awe on his face, only awe remained.

Only after a long while, did he regain himself and spoke a statement that silenced the crowd.

“Ad… advanced stage of the completion level?!”

At those words, everyone had their realizations and the entire place began to boil.

“Unbelievable. It’s only been more than a decade since the Competition of the Four Paths, yet Master Xian has reached the advanced stage of the completion level?”

“He is far too powerful. I thought for Leng Feng to reach the intermediate stage of the completion level in such a short period of time was already insane. I cannot believe that Master Xian is even more aggressive than him!”

“This is not just aggressive. This is insane. To go from the peak of the foundational level to the advanced level of the completion level only took him more than 10 years. This is far too unbelievable.”

Everyone shouted in chaos. Their words revealed how shocked they were.

Not even in their dreams did they think that Ling Xian would cultivate at such a fast speed – to be ahead of even Leng Feng!

“I told you, you are no opponent of mine.”

Ling Xian glared at Leng Feng, “I also told you that you are asking for humiliation. But you would not believe me.”

“Defeated… defeated again…”

Leng Feng’s face was white and his eyes lost their shine. Once again, he reacted like he had lost his soul.

Ever since losing to Ling Xian, he hasn’t spent a single second not training. What he had intended all these years was to avenge himself. Yet now, not only was he unable to do that, he once again became a laughing stock!

This meant that all the effort he spent in the previous 17 years has been denied by Ling Xian within one move. All this resolution and determination have also just been crushed by Ling Xian within one move.

Therefore, why wouldn’t he react as if he had just lost his soul?

“What’s the point of this?”

Seeing that Leng Feng had lost his spirits, Ling Xian softly sighed. He didn’t withhold any hatred towards this man and thus didn’t want to hit him too hard.

To him, this person was merely a passenger in his life. From beginning to end, he never thought much of him.

Yet this person continuously tried to tangle up with him. Now that he was struck so hard he was behaving in such a manner, who can he blame?

“I have no rivalry against you. So I won’t kill you.”

Ling Xian spoke softly, “I think you would understand who’s at fault here. Therefore, I have to ask you to self evaluate and make smarter decisions.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s me who has been obsessed with this.”

Leng Feng found himself again and couldn’t help but to laugh, “It’s just that, not even in my dreams did I think the gap between us would be this huge. It was like this 17 years ago, I can’t believe it’s like this again 17 years later.”

“Gap…”

Ling Xian softly shook his head. He wondered how these people would react if he revealed his true cultivation level.

“Not just in cultivation… our battling abilities are drastically different. You are so ahead of me I can only look up to you.” Leng Feng was very bitter. However, the hatred he felt was disappearing little by little. Hopelessness was replacing it.

He had no more hope that he can catch up.

At this, Ling Xian softly sighed. He didn’t want to see a Heaven’s Favorite like Leng Feng to end his cultivation journey like this. Therefore, he spoke softly and made a statement that reignited his hope.

“The cultivation path is a long one with many obstacles. A temporarily step back doesn’t indicate forever defeat. A temporary victory doesn’t indicate forever glory.”

At those words, everyone fell silent and pondered over it to digest its meaningfulness.

Leng Feng however, violently rose his head. His eyes exploded with various colors as his hope was reignited.

Because he understood the meaning of this statement. Because this statement was made by the person he wanted to surpass.

“I understand it now!”

Leng Feng’s expression was stern. The way he looked at Ling Xian was no longer fueled with hatred. There was only determination of him wanting to catch up to him in this lifetime!

“Xian Ling, I will definitely catch up to you and defeat you fair and square!”

“Very good.”

Ling Xian revealed a soft grin and began to walk in the opposite direction. He left behind one statement to echo throughout the Sect.

“I will wait for you up ahead.”

….

After leaving the Shang Qing Sect, Ling Xian headed straight to the Dong Fang palace.

This person was his only friend inside the Shang Qing Sect. Therefore, now that he had returned, he naturally had to pay him a visit.

Sadly, he didn’t get to meet Dong Fang Bi. Instead, he ran into his granddaughter, Dong Fang Yu.

Perhaps it was because of his sudden appearance, or perhaps of other unknown reasons, this time, Dong Fang Yu did not treat him with the coldness she normally had towards him. Instead, she was smiling.

“You have returned.”

The corner of Dong Fang Yu’s lips curled up. Her gentle demeanor was like a stay-at-home-wife waiting for her husband to arrive home.

This petrified Ling Xian. He wondered if Dong Fang Yu had become possessed. Or else, why would this woman, who had the nickname with the word “demon” in it, reveal such… such a gentle expression?

“What is it? Are you that surprised to see me?” Dong Fang Yu softly smiled and headed towards Ling Xian.

This made him stumble backward three steps, “Wait wait, don’t come near. I have to make sure you are not possessed.”

Hearing this, Dong Fang Yu’s hands twisted into fists. Her face also turned a little purple. Very quickly, however, her lips blossomed into a smile. It was so kind and gentle that she could’ve melted anyone.

“Master Xian, you must be joking. Being gentle is my nature.”

“Who are you lying to? Though I don’t know you that well, I have to admit that I wasn’t wrong about your personality.”

Ling Xian chuckled. Seeing that Dong Fang Yu was light on her feet and was about to come closer, he quickly extended a hand to gesture for her to stop.

Anger flashed across Dong Fang Yu’s face. The veins in her arm also began to pop. Very quickly, however, she deeply inhaled twice and the flower-like smile returned to her face.

She looked like a well-mannered idol.

However, Ling Xian knew her personality well and was not about to be fooled by this façade. He had a few guesses as to why Dong Fang Yu was acting this way.

Therefore, he threw behind one statement and turned around to leave.

If this was the normally stone-faced Dong Fang Yu, then whatever. He could treat her with coldness. But now that she was acting like a flower and acting so gentle, he wasn’t sure what he could do.

“Oh well, since Elder Dong Fang isn’t home. I will visit another time.”

After leaving behind this sentence, Ling Xian turned around to leave and disappeared before Dong Fang Yu’s sight.

This made her stomp her feet from anger and her true nature was exposed right way.

“Damn you, Xian Ling! I have never treated anyone with such kindness all my life! You don’t even want it!”

Ling Xian, who was now by the door of the palace, heard this and laughed bitterly. “So that is the real personality of yours.”

Then, he shifted his gaze towards the Demonic Volcano and mumbled to himself, “Since Dong Fang Bi isn’t home, I will head to the volcano and save that mysterious man first.”