The special training continued.
Since Li Tianlan didn’t call it quits, Tribulation and Thunder God would continue training him. The two were getting more demanding. In actual combat, they even already began to unite to fight Li Tianlan at the same time.
Attack was Tribulation’s main target.
Thunder God, however, assisted the former.
One was a cold and treacherous super assassin.
And the other was a valiant general in Zhongzhou State who was responsible for charging forward.
Li Tianlan was knocked unconscious for many times and got up again and again. In the last few days, the three were engaged in actual combat for more than eight hours a day.
The fighting was so intense that even Tribulation and Thunder God felt a little tired. However, Li Tianlan was always in fine fettle. His momentum was getting crazier and crazier. The raging sharpness constantly flashed through his eyes. In this state, his every move had a kind of unspeakable danger and dazzle.
Is he painful?
Not at all.
When he was eating stinking porridge at the border and was covered with a damp and musty quilt during the rainy season, he felt even more painful.
When he stood in front of nearly a thousand gravestones behind the border campsite, facing countless elites from the Li family who failed to acquire a peaceful end, he was more painful than now.
It was also tougher when he was with the veterans on the border who had no hope but were still willing to stick by his grandfather with no regrets and never left him alone.
That was the real bitterness, which made him feel hopeless and numb.
Thunder God asked Tribulation if he had ever experienced real despair.
In fact, Li Tianlan didn’t feel despairing, even in the dark, oppressive, maddening underworld labyrinth of the desert. It was only an obstacle he had to conquer in his life. After removing his Internal Demons, he had what he wanted.
Growing up on the border was the real despair without future.
He was now in the Sky Academy, with a group of good teachers and helpful friends, possessing the East Emperor Palace and the most beautiful woman. He could see with his own eyes the great changes in the flourishing times of Zhongzhou State, and the budding of something called hope.
Painful?
What right had he to complain?
Everything he’d been through was meaningful.
He was certain about that.
Moreover, they were worth doing.
So, how could he complain?
June was around the corner without anyone noticing.
The weather was getting hot.
Under the scorching sun, when Thunder God—the valiant general beside Dongcheng Wudi and also someone who suppressed his power at the Peak of the Fire-flaming Realm, was dazzled by the shadows of Li Tianlan again, he finally scolded the latter exasperatedly, “Stop. Damn it. What’s the point fighting you when I cannot touch you. It’s boring.”
He turned to look at Tribulation, who had been watching them fight at the side silently, and suddenly said, “Would you like to give your disciple a good kick? What’s the level of his shadows now?”
Tribulation didn’t move an inch. There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He said quietly, “I could only do this when I was in the Qi-controlling Realm.”
Thunder God shook his head and sighed with emotion. “Alas, Exquisite Bone is really excellent when it comes to comprehension. The point is that you are not an assassin, but rather an aggressive attacker. I cannot have fun when you’re working with these two abnormally mysterious shadows.”
What he said was partly true, but nothing dramatic. Given his strength, even if he suppressed his power at the Peak of the Fire-flaming Realm, once he attacked, with the combat style and experience of this realm, he had no problem beating Li Tianlan, if he went all out. But the actual combat which was aimed at learning experience was not the same as fighting for life and death. In the absence of some special means, if Li Tianlan transposed his position with his two shadows flexibly, even Thunder God had a headache beating him.
Especially two days ago, when Li Tianlan’s two shadows could perfectly imitate his movements, this feeling became increasingly obvious to Thunder God. He could beat Li Tianlan, but could not smoothly execute his skills.
“Well, then we’ll stop fighting.”
With a smile on his face, Li Tianlan pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Thunder God.
Both Tribulation and Thunder God were amazed, and they looked at Li Tianlan at the same time.
Li Tianlan said softly in a calm tone, “Well, I want to try to break through.”
“Breaking through to the Ice-condensing Realm?”
Thunder God had disbelief written all over his face. To enter the Ice-condensing Realm from the Peak of the Qi-controlling Realm within 40 days! This kind of speed was simply so fast that anyone would be struck dumb.
“No, I plan to enter the Fulfilment of the Qi-controlling Realm.”
Li Tianlan shook his head. During the over 30 days of crazy training, his realm had been advancing all the time, but not obviously. Now, he was about to leave the Peak of the Qi-controlling Realm and there was only half a step before he entered the Fulfilment Stage of this realm. In the next few days, he would need to adjust his condition and make the step completely.
His holiday was about to come to an end. If he could not make a breakthrough in the next few days, no matter how hard he was trained in the actual combat, it could only achieve a little effect.
“Then try it.”
Tribulation nodded calmly and pointed to the warehouse on the training ground.
“Hmm,” Li Tianlan replied. He went into the warehouse with the heavy Skyattack on his back and sat down to meditate without delay.
During the more than 30 days of crazy training and actual combat, Tribulation and Thunder God took repeated shots at his weakness. Perhaps even he himself didn’t know how much he had gained.
If he managed to make a breakthrough through this meditation, he might be able to attack more aggressively when facing Thunder God, who deliberately suppressed his power at the Peak of the Fire-flaming Realm.
Li Tianlan thought in silence. Countless details of the past month flowed through his mind; the 24 Moves of Sword of Xuanyuantai of Kunlun, the “Invincible Manual”, the Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words…
His spirit was thoroughly condensed. His mind was clear, and various images emerged in his mind more clearly.
The raging sword intent and killing intent encircled him. Inside the warehouse, the cold killing intent suddenly permeated every corner.
Li Tianlan, however, grew calmer.
Time lapsed little by little.
His aura grew stronger and stronger, but the sword intent and killing intent had completely disappeared, leaving only a stream of strong and surging momentum echoing in the warehouse.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Five hours.
Though slowly, Li Tianlan’s momentum kept soaring, without interruption.
Thunder God and Tribulation went into the warehouse and then got out. Finally, they stood outside the door, quietly guarding the warehouse.
Six hours.
Li Tianlan’s momentum, which kept soaring, finally stopped when it reached a certain peak.
He took a deep breath, frowned slightly and opened his eyes.
Before he could sort out the gains from the meditation, a sigh was heard before him.
He raised his head abruptly.
In his line of sight, a middle-aged man of a free and easy manner was quietly standing in front of him. He had a smile on his face, but the expressions in his eyes were very complicated.
The middle-aged man in a white suit, about fifty years old, looked clean and elegant. He was clearly standing in front of Li Tianlan, but in Li Tianlan’s perception, he seemed to be nonexistent, dimly discernible and illusory.
Li Tianlan’s pupils suddenly shrank. The man was clearly standing in front of him, but before opening his eyes, he did not even notice his existence.
“How did the man get here?”
“How long did he stay here?”
Li Tianlan was shocked inwardly, but soon he became calm.
He calmly looked at the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared in front of him and said in a peaceful tone, “Who are you?”
The middle-aged man didn’t seem to be surprised by Li Tianlan’s calm performance, or maybe his mind was not on it at all. He just looked at Li Tianlan earnestly, with blurred eyes and a bitter smile. “According to my seniority, you should call me Third Uncle.”
Li Tianlan did not speak, but his eyes gradually became sharp as a sword.
The middle-aged man went on to explain, “Wang Tianzong is the eldest, your father is the second, and I am the third.”
He paused, mocking himself inwardly, and then added thoughtfully, “Under the circumstances, I don’t know if the eldest brother and the second brother will accept me—their youngest brother. As for me… Tianlan, will you accept me?”
“Who are you?”
Li Tianlan’s expression did not change a bit. His aura slowly vanished, and he became deep and silent.
“I’m Lin Fengting.”
The middle-aged man looked at Li Tianlan with soft eyes and said softly, “Tianlan, I’m closely connected with the Li family, or Xuanyuantai, to be precise.”
He was a peerless master who was able to sneak into the warehouse without Tribulation noticing.
He surnamed Lin and was closely connected with Xuanyuantai.
An idea flashed through Li Tianlan’s mind. His face hardened at the thought of a name long gone in history. “Are you the offspring of that ancestor?”
“My ancestor did create the Xuanyuantai. For hundreds of years, although the Lin family is no longer in Zhongzhou State, it keeps in contact with the Wang family of Beihai and the Li family—Xuanyuantai’s successors. In my generation, it was me who suggested that the three of us—Wang Tianzong, your father, and I should become sworn brothers in the peach garden on Mount Dibing of the Wang family of Beihai.”
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The look in the eyes of Lin Fengting, who suddenly appeared in front of Li Tianlan, grew more complex.
“To be sworn brothers in the peach garden?”
Li Tianlan hid all his thoughts and smiled. But Lin Fengting’s appearance was so sudden that there was a trace of subtle irony in his tone, even though he tried hard to hide it.
That trace of irony pricked Lin Fengting’s heart like a needle and directly made him smile unnaturally. “Do you blame your father for blindly becoming sworn brothers with us?”
“I don’t blame anyone under that situation.”
Li Tianlan shook his head expressionlessly. He looked at Lin Fengting and said calmly, “Are you here today to talk about the old days, senior? Xuanyuantai has disappeared, and there doesn’t seem to be much point in doing so.”
Lin Fengting took a deep look at Li Tianlan. The corners of his mouth twitched and he said with some difficulty, “I wasn’t in Zhongzhou State when the great change happened. By the time I received the news and hurried back, everything was just too late…”
“Senior.”
Li Tianlan said calmly, “You have nothing to do with Xuanyuantai since the Lin family handed it over to the Li family. So you don’t have to explain anything, I don’t have to understand anything, either. Xuanyuantai belongs to the Li family and I’m in charge of it currently. As long as I live, I will get everything the Li family lost back one day. I don’t blame you, senior. I don’t have the qualification or stance to do so. I once had a teacher who told me that a clear conscience is the best policy in life.”
“A clear conscience?”
Lin Fengting’s face was bleak. “If I truly have a clear conscience, why should I be here today?”
“Over the years… Are you painful?”
Lin Fengting asked hoarsely, and his face seemed a little haggard.
Li Tianlan glanced at him and grinned. “The sufferings I put up with are simply unspeakable.”
Over the years, how many members of the Li family died with a grievance? How many of them ground their teeth? How many of them lived in resentment and unwillingness? How many of them felt numb and hopeless?
From the most glorious age to the declining time, how could words easily describe the sufferings of members of the Li family?
“Everything will be all right. It will be all right soon.”
Li Tianlan said softly, his expression firm.
Lin Fengting sighed softly, reached into his chest pocket, and gave Li Tianlan a yellowing ancient book.
“I will not help you avenge them.”
Lin Fengting said softly, “I may never be better than you at that. The Lin family has long lost the sharpness of our ancestor, and we don’t need it either. We all enjoy the feeling of standing aloof from worldly affairs now. Therefore, the Lin family won’t help you to make the glory of Xuanyuantai reappear.”
He continued after a pause, “But there are some things that the Lin family owed the Li family that year. I’ll pay them back when I have to.”
Li Tianlan calmly took over the ancient book but did not open it. He just continued to remain silent.
“When the Lin family left Zhongzhou State, they left most of the things in Xuanyuantai to the Li family, but took two things with them.”
Lin Fengting continued slowly, “One is the ancestral sword, the other is a sword manual having half of a move.”
“Half?”
Li Tianlan frowned slightly.
“Half.”
Lin Fengting nodded and said, “The last move of the 24 Moves of Sword is called Break of Reincarnation. That’s what you see now, and it’s incomplete originally. It’s just that for hundreds of years, no one in the Li family has ever studied ‘Invincible Manual’, so no one has ever found it, though it belongs to the ‘Invincible Manual’. Now I give you the half of the move, and it is up to you to complete it.”
The twenty-fourth Blade, Break of Reincarnation!
Li Tianlan’s heart swelled with mixed feelings. After a long pause, he asked softly, “Why it’s a half?”
He had no doubt of his ancestor’s ability. As the only one who could stand side by side with the Heavenly Son for five hundred years, and the one who set up Xuanyuantai, how was he unable to make up the incomplete sword manual?
But that ancestor, in the end, left the half sword manual. Why?
“Maybe for the ancestor of that year, the half sword manual is the best.”
Lin Fengting continued with a smile, “The unique skills of the Wang family of Beihai are unparalleled in the world. Their most powerful sword move is called Six Paths of Reincarnation.”
Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Break of Reincarnation!
Half of the sword manual.
Li Tianlan squinted thoughtfully.
“Is the Twenty-fourth Blade a sword move specifically aimed at the Six Paths of Reincarnation?”
The other half of the sword manual was replaced by friendship.
The motive behind the half sword manual was profound.
“Thanks,” said Li Tianlan.
He held the sword manual and took a deep look at Lin Fengting.
“You might as well hand over the incomplete sword manual to Tribulation for reference, if you are willing to do so. Perhaps it will help him break through to the Invincible Realm.”
Lin Fengting looked at Li Tianlan, and inadvertently, he revealed some secrets. “A great change will soon take place in the Dark World and the current situation might be altered. Tianlan, do you want me to do anything for you?”
“You just said you wouldn’t help me.”
Li Tianlan shook his head with the sword manual in his hand.
“I will not help you to avenge your father, but I feel guilty for what I failed to do. I owe my second elder brother and the Li family something. So I’ll return it to you.”
Lin Fengting said smilingly.
Li Tianlan, however, remained silent.
Lin Fengting narrowed his eyes and continued, “I can kill anyone whose ranking is lower than the fifth one on the Divine List with a single move.”
This commitment carried so much weight. No matter how scheming Li Tianlan was, he couldn’t help but be shocked.
Lin Fengting took out a note with a phone number and gave it to Li Tianlan. Then, he chuckled and said, “This is my contact information, which I have used for more than 20 years. You can call me whenever you need my assistance. Remember, only once.”
He patted Li Tianlan on the shoulder. After that, his figure gradually faded and finally disappeared completely.
Li Tianlan stood where he was for half an hour before he walked out of the warehouse silently with the Skyattack.
The burning sun hung high in the hot and dry air and the sky was clear.
Li Tianlan was increasingly depressed inwardly. A variety of emotions piled up inside him and almost overwhelmed him.
The other half of the Twenty-fourth Blade represented friendship.
Lin Fengting’s promise represented friendship as well.
But what the hell was behind the so-called friendship?
Li Tianlan gritted his teeth and shivered. There seemed to be a great deal of sword intent in his heart which occupied his soul. He could not wait to let it out.
He suddenly raised the Skyattack.
The silver barrel of the sniper rifle was facing the sky and was glowing against the sun.
Li Tianlan pulled the trigger with all his strength.
“Bang!”
A loud gunshot echoed through the air.
Under the huge impact force, Li Tianlan suddenly looked up and shouted loudly!
A great mass of air was rushing madly around him.
The gunshots continued to ring. Li Tianlan was still pulling the trigger, consuming his strength wildly.
His long, arrogant, wild shouts burst into the sky, with endless resentment and the craziness that was about to release his soul. His shouts reverberated through the training field and didn’t subside for a long while.
There was infinite sword intent erupting around him.
In the reverberation of gunshots and his shouts, Li Tianlan consumed his physical strength and his sword intent scattered!
Vast swaths of air howled and shook.
After the gunshots and shouts, a clear voice was heard.
It was a simple word.
“Stop!”
The whistling air suddenly came to a halt and instantly shattered. The wind whistled and was as sharp as a knife.
A word shocked the world!
Tribulation’s eyes lit up, not with satisfaction, but with a genuine surprise.
To be precise, he was wild with joy.