“The Pool of Heavenly Waters, boundless and infinite. All things unite, revered in the mortal realm.” Su Baiyi chanted these words softly, as the hands he had placed on Feng Yuhan’s shoulders gradually began to grow hot.
Feng Yuhan frowned slightly, watching as the medicinal pool’s waters begin to slowly swirl, and the energy within his body mirrored this flow, streaming through Su Baiyi’s hands and into his body. Surprised, Feng Yuhan asked, “There truly exists a martial technique that can absorb another’s inner power?”
“Yes. As much as there is, I can take it all!” Beads of sweat formed on Su Baiyi’s forehead. His previous experiences drawing inner power from Wuya and his senior sister had left him feeling more confident in his mastery of this technique. However, when absorbing Feng Yuhan’s inner energy, he felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.
As the waters in the pool churned more violently, Feng Yuhan chuckled, “Do you even know what realm I’m at? Yet you dare say ‘as much as there is’?”
“Senior Brother Feng once told me about the four realms of martial arts mastery. The first is the Autumn Water realm, meaning ‘autumn waters flowing endlessly into the sea.’ Next is the Ascending realm, where one’s skills soar skyward like a rising wind, advancing a thousand miles in a day. The third is the Heaven’s End realm—those who reach it are called grandmasters, having reached the peak, boundless and limitless. I suspect Sect Leader Feng has entered this Heaven’s End realm.” Su Baiyi could feel Feng Yuhan’s overwhelming inner power, so far beyond Wuya’s or his senior sister’s that he struggled simply to breathe..
“Three years ago, I entered the Realm of No Return,” Feng Yuhan said calmly.
Su Baiyi was shocked. “Nearly immortal—that’s the absolute pinnacle of martial arts!”
Feng Yuhan exhaled slowly. “Beyond the martial way lies the way of heaven. It’s not worth such amazement. But now, can you still guarantee that you can absorb all of my inner power?”
Su Baiyi gritted his teeth. “Of course!”
Steam billowed above the medicinal pool as Feng Yuhan felt his inner energy slowly draining away. Yet simultaneously, the pain that had tormented him these past few months gradually began to recede. Su Baiyi’s hands never left his shoulders—though he had started with enough vigor to speak, he now could only clench his teeth in determination, every ounce of strength devoted to maintaining the technique.
So, this is the ultimate realm of martial arts? The vast inner power truly seemed endless, as if it would never be fully absorbed. The scorching heat from Su Baiyi’s palms crept through his body like wildfire, wracking him with pain as though he was trapped in a blazing inferno.Yet he couldn’t withdraw his hands—if he did, Feng Yuhan would lose the force keeping his chaotic inner energy in check and might die right there in the medicinal pool.
I can still take it.
I can still take it!
More!
More!
“Again!” Su Baiyi suddenly roared,his hands yanking backward with tremendous force to draw the last surge of true qi from Feng Yuhan’s body. The medicinal pool exploded with a deafening crack, launching a pillar of water that scattered down like a torrential rain. When Su Baiyi’s hands finally left Feng Yuhan’s shoulders. he collapsed onto his back, the medicinal rain washing over him. He lett out a faint, dazed murmur, “So full…” before collapsing into unconsciousness.
Feng Yuhan stepped out of the medicinal pool, put on his clothes, and looked at Su Baiyi lying on the ground.
“What happened?” Feng Wan’er rushed through the secret passage into the stone chamber , drawn by the earlier commotion. She stared at the scene before her in surprise. “What’s wrong with Su Baiyi?”
“This child…” Feng Yuhan bent down to look at Su Baiyi. “He’s quite remarkable.”
Feng Wan’er hurried to Su Baiyi’s side, bent down, and held her hand near his nose to check his breath. She frowned slightly. “He’s just… asleep?”
“We should let him rest well,” said Feng Yuhan. “He absorbed all of my inner power, and his body certainly can’t process it all at once. He’ll likely sleep for quite a while.”
“All of your inner power?” Feng Wan’er gasped. “And he’s still alive?”
Shanglin Heavenly Palace
Helian Xiyue gathered all the emptied plates back into his basket and stood up. “When do we leave?”
“I’m not leaving,” Xie Kanhua yawned. “There’s good food, fine wine, and a senior to chat with. The outside world is too messy—fighting for your life every day. I’ll just stay here and wait for my disciple to come rescue me.”
“You’re that confident?” Helian Xiyue asked with a smile.
“Of course I’m confident in the disciple I trained. Besides, his surname is Su,” Xie Kanhua said firmly.
“Su?” A raspy voice echoed from the depths of the prison.
“Oh, right…” Xie Kanhua scratched his head awkwardly. “I forgot the senior here isn’t fond of people with the surname Su.”
“You’re mistaken,” the voice replied coldly. “I wasn’t imprisoned here by Su Heyu. I locked myself in.”
“Oh?” Xie Kanhua raised an eyebrow. ‘Then why such hatred for those named Su?”
“Because I,” the voice grew heavier, “am also a Su.”
Xie Kanhua and Helian Xiyue exchanged glances, both arriving at the same unspoken conclusion.
“The Demon Lord?” Xie Kanhua asked tentatively.
Helian Xiyue’s expression darkened, his long robes suddenly billowed as if caught in an invisible wind.
“Hahahahaha!” The man threw back his head and laughed maniacally. “It seems my name hasn’t been forgotten after all.”
Xie Kanhua wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “Surely you’re joking, Senior. Your reputation… why, it will resound for generations to come.”
“Control your inner power, boy,” the Demon Lord’s voice suddenly turned icy. “Even from forty-two steps away, I can still kill you.”
Xie Kanhua gave a light cough. Helian Xiyue reined in his inner energy and turned to leave with his basket. “Be careful.”
“Careful of what? I feel safer now than ever.” Xie Kanhua smiled. “Right, senior?”
“You amuse me, boy. As long as you remain in this prison, I’ll guarantee your safety.”
“Thank you, senior!”
As Helian Xiyue emerged from the dark prison, he found over twenty masters from the Four Courtyards standing at its entrance. At their forefront stood a figure wearing a mask painted with a comically exaggerated smile.
“Master Wen,” Helian Xiyue said in a hollow voice.
“Tower Master Helian,” the masked figure at the front spoke in a somewhat frail voice. “I had expected two people to walk out. The famed Twin Paragons of Shanglin fighting as one—it’s a sight that exists only in tales, for I have never witnessed it with my own eyes. I’m not sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.”
“You underestimate us,” Helian Xiyue’s lips twisted in derision.
“Tower Master Helian, as terse as ever. Let me guess—your words mean I’ve underestimated you by bringing so few people?” The masked man asked.
“The Twin Paragons of Shanglin,” Helian Xiyue said as he walked straight past the masked figure, “never run.”