Chapter 394 - 391: Conspiracy, the Great Success of Wind and Cloud Escape
Chapter 394: Chapter 391: Conspiracy, the Great Success of Wind and Cloud Escape
The news spread as if it had grown wings, rapidly disseminating from Tingyu Hall to all corners of the Sect.
In the Task Hall, several disciples walked in, chatting amongst themselves.
"Did you hear? Senior Brother Fang Han is now fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List!"
"I just heard. He jumped twenty-one spots at once. That’s insane."
"I’ve been an Entry Level disciple for five years and I’m only ninety-eighth on the list, but Senior Brother Fang Han is already..."
On the Martial Arts Arena, a few disciples who had just finished their morning practice sat together in a circle.
"How in the world do you think Senior Brother Fang Han cultivates?"
"Who knows? Talent is something you can’t just be envious of."
In the Dining Hall, the discussions were even more lively, rising and falling one after another.
"Fifteenth! That’s fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List! Among the entire younger generation of Qingyang County, there are only fourteen people left who can still rank above Senior Brother Fang Han."
"And Senior Brother Fang Han is only twenty! All those ranked higher than him are well into their twenties, aren’t they?"
"At this rate, I’m afraid it won’t even take a year for Senior Brother Fang Han to reach the top of the Celestial Pride List!"
...
Deep within the True Inheritance Courtyard was a quiet and elegant villa.
Several trees grew in the courtyard, their shadows dancing and rustling in the morning breeze.
A shallow stream meandered through a corner of the courtyard, its gurgling water adding to the tranquility.
This was the residence of True Disciple Yun Muyao.
Yun Muyao was dressed in a simple white long dress, her jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall, draped casually over her shoulders.
Her face was still veiled by a piece of pristine white gauze, revealing only a pair of eyes as clear as a frozen lake.
She stood by the window, breathing in the fresh morning air.
The door was gently pushed open.
A figure in light green entered.
Today, Yun Qianyue wore a light green long dress and a light purple veil, revealing only a pair of cool, detached eyes.
She walked to Yun Muyao’s side, holding a book that still smelled of fresh ink.
"Sister, the new list has arrived."
Yun Muyao turned and took the Celestial Pride List from Yun Qianyue.
She opened it, her gaze sweeping upwards from the bottom of the page.
"Seventeenth: Yun Muyao (Qingxuan Sect)."
When she saw her own rank had dropped to seventeenth, a slight ripple passed through her eyes, once as clear as a frozen lake.
"Fifteenth: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect)."
When she saw that Fang Han’s rank on the Celestial Pride List had risen to fifteenth, the ripple in her eyes grew stronger.
’I’ve been surpassed.’
She had long expected this, knowing this day would come sooner or later.
But seeing her own name ranked below that familiar one, Yun Muyao still felt an indescribable, complex emotion welling up inside her.
It wasn’t anger, nor was it unwillingness to accept defeat. It was a faint, indefinable sense of vexation.
She looked up, her gaze falling upon Yun Qianyue beside her.
Yun Qianyue was also looking at the book. Having just seen Fang Han’s rank on the Celestial Pride List rise to fifteenth, her cool, detached eyes curved slightly.
It was the hint of a smile.
Though it was faint—so faint one would miss it without looking closely—she, who knew Yun Qianyue so well, saw it clearly.
Her sister was happy for Fang Han, who had just surpassed her.
That sense of vexation in her heart suddenly intensified.
"Qianyue," she said, her voice cool.
"Sister, what is it?"
Yun Qianyue looked up at her sister, the smile in her eyes not yet completely faded.
"Fang Han has surpassed me in the rankings, yet you seem quite happy about it?"
Yun Muyao stared into her sister’s eyes, her tone unfriendly.
"N-No!"
Yun Qianyue froze for a moment, then quickly suppressed her smile.
Her voice was still cool, but beneath that coolness, there seemed to be a faint trace of... guilt?
"I seem to recall *someone* saying her relationship with Fang Han was merely that of fellow disciples. Yet now, you’re happy that he surpassed me..."
A teasing look appeared in Yun Muyao’s eyes, which were as clear as a frozen lake.
Her gaze fell on Yun Qianyue’s face, and her cool voice carried a hint of banter.
"Sister!"
Yun Qianyue’s face instantly turned red.
The blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and even her neck, visible beyond the purple veil, was tinged with a faint pink.
For once, her voice carried a note of embarrassed frustration.
Seeing Yun Qianyue’s flustered state, Yun Muyao’s mood suddenly brightened.
...
A majestic complex of buildings was built into the mountain, grand and imposing. Tiers of black halls stretched from the foot of the mountain up to its waist.
The halls were connected by corridors, flanked every several yards by jet-black stone pillars carved with strange flame patterns.
This was the home of the Netherworld Pavilion Sect.
At this moment, deep within the Netherworld Pavilion, a figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back inside a magnificent hall.
He was a tall, thin man who appeared to be in his fifties.
He wore a wide, jet-black robe, its hem embroidered with intricate flame patterns in dark gold thread that flickered in and out of sight under the ghostly green lamplight.
His face was gaunt, with slightly prominent cheekbones, and his complexion was a sickly pale, as if he hadn’t seen the sun in years.
His eyes were deep-set, yet shockingly bright. As he blinked, a ghostly light flickered within them, like two bottomless ancient wells.
This was the Vice Pavilion Master of the Netherworld Pavilion, Li Wushang, also known as "You Quan."
With his Cultivation at the Peak of First Grade, his status within the Netherworld Pavilion was second only to the Pavilion Master and the Supreme Elder.
At this moment, Li Wushang held a thin booklet, his gaze fixed on one of its pages.
On that page was written—
Fifteenth: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect).
His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Fifteenth..." he repeated in a low, hoarse voice, like the winter night’s wind sweeping through dead branches.
After a moment, he raised his eyes and looked down into the main hall.
There, a figure in a black robe with dark silver patterns stood with his head bowed.
It was You Xin.
"You Xin."
Li Wushang spoke, his voice not loud, but it echoed throughout the great hall.
"Disciple is here."
You Xin raised his head, meeting Li Wushang’s gaze.
There was not the slightest ripple in his narrow eyes; they were as calm as still water.
Li Wushang tossed the booklet to You Xin. It traced an arc through the air before landing securely in You Xin’s hands.
You Xin glanced down, his eyes falling on the fifteenth-ranked name.
His pupils constricted slightly.
’Fang Han.’
’Fifteenth.’
’Thirty-sixth last month, and fifteenth this month.’
’This rate of improvement...’
"This boy is growing too fast."
Li Wushang’s voice echoed in the hall, carrying a hint of suppressed chill.
"Duan Wuya was seriously injured by him, Meng Xian was defeated by him, and now this boy is ranked fifteenth. In a little more time, I’m afraid even you will be trampled under his feet."
"Vice Pavilion Master Li, I understand the threat this boy poses, but he is on guard now. He’s holed up inside the Qingxuan Sect, giving us no opportunities at all."
You Xin fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"An opportunity... I will create one for you."
Li Wushang stood with his hands behind his back, his deep, dark eyes fixed on You Xin. He was silent for a moment.
His voice was low, yet it held an unquestionable authority.
"You need only be prepared. When the time is right, you must kill him."
"Yes. This disciple obeys."
You Xin was momentarily startled, then he bowed and accepted the order.
"You may go."
Li Wushang nodded slightly and waved his hand dismissively.
You Xin bowed once more, then turned and strode out of the great hall.
Behind him, Li Wushang remained standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out at the mountain forest beyond the hall, a flash of icy light glinting in his deep, dark eyes.
’Fang Han...’
’This boy cannot be allowed to live.’
...
「In the heart of spring, Qingxuan Mountain was lush and vibrant.」
In villa number thirty-five, Fang Han stood in the center of an open space, his eyes closed in concentration.
The Heart Method for the Wind and Cloud Escape flowed slowly through his mind.
Ever since he consumed the Howling Moon Spirit Deer Antlers and his Talent for Body Techniques had greatly improved, his Body Technique Cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds.
Before he knew it, he was extremely close to the Great Success Realm.
He opened his eyes and his figure blurred into motion.
"WHOOSH—"
The courtyard instantly became a sea of afterimages.
Fang Han’s figure was like a phantom, moving left and right—now you see him, now you don’t.
His speed was astonishing, yet strangely, he barely stirred the air.
At times, he darted like the wind, crossing the courtyard diagonally in an instant.
At other times, he drifted like a cloud, leaving a trail of afterimages in a tiny space.
And at others, he stopped and started abruptly, changing direction without any warning, as if completely unbound by inertia.
Compared to a few months ago, his execution of the technique was far more fluid and seamless.
However, Fang Han’s brow furrowed slightly.
’Something’s wrong!’
He stopped, standing in place and carefully savoring the feeling from just now.
’The speed is there, the agility is there, and the fluidity in my turns is there too.’
’But I always feel like something is missing.’
He closed his eyes, and the general principle of the Wind and Cloud Escape surfaced in his mind: Wind is formless, clouds are ever-changing; when wind and cloud combine, they leave no trace.
’Leave no trace.’
He mulled over those three words again and again.
His previous understanding of "leave no trace" was simply being fast—so fast his opponent couldn’t track him; and being unpredictable—so unpredictable his opponent couldn’t anticipate his moves.
But now, he had a faint feeling that this understanding was too shallow.
’Perhaps true tracelessness isn’t merely about speed and change, but—’
He opened his eyes, a flash of understanding in their depths.
’It’s about merging with heaven and earth.’
’It’s about becoming a part of the wind, a part of the clouds, so that what your opponent perceives is no longer "a person," but "a gust of wind," or "a patch of cloud."’
He moved again.
This time, he didn’t pursue extreme speed, nor did he deliberately showcase bizarre movements.
He simply took a casual step.
With one step, his figure had already drifted ten yards away.
It felt as if he wasn’t moving on his own, but was being carried by the wind and borne by the clouds, drifting naturally to his destination.
A second step, a third—
His figure grew faster and faster, but the sensation of "speed" grew fainter and fainter.
In its place was an indescribable sense of "naturalness."
It was as if he was always meant to be there, as if he were a wisp of wind or a patch of cloud in the world.
As he passed, the branches and leaves of the old trees in the courtyard only swayed slightly, as if brushed by a common spring breeze.
The "WHOOSHING" sound of the wind had long since vanished.
Only the occasional, extremely faint flutter of his sleeves proved that someone was actually moving there.
Fang Han’s mind was completely immersed in this profound and mysterious state.
He no longer thought about the changes in his Body Technique, nor did he concern himself with the circulation of his Inner Qi.
He just let his body move with his will, and let his will turn with the world.
One step, two steps, three steps—
Ten steps, a hundred steps—
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly stopped.
He stood in the courtyard, not a speck of dust stirred.
He opened his eyes, an unconcealable joy flashing within them.
"Wind and Cloud Escape, Great Success," he murmured to himself, his voice laced with suppressed excitement.
Not long after his breakthrough with the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, his Wind and Cloud Escape had also broken through, reaching the Great Success Realm.