Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Decision
The words of the Grand Elder were self-explanatory. In critical times, critical matters must be addressed. While the rules of the Revenge Token are important, the survival and development of the Revenge Gathering are even more crucial.
The dispute between the Revenge Gathering and the Divine Fist Clan had a long history. Their overt battles and covert struggles had persisted for decades, and their relationship was now akin to fire and water. Recently, the conflict over a treasure land had led to several fierce battles, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides.
To divert manpower to fulfill the requirements of the Revenge Token at such a time would indeed be very unfavorable for the Revenge Gathering.
"The Grand Elder is mistaken," retorted another elder with thick eyebrows in a resonant voice. "We, as people of the Martial World, are anchored by principles. The rules of the Revenge Token were established by the first Assembly Master. How can we break them?"
He was the Second Elder.
"There is a priority to things. We can fulfill the requirements of the Revenge Token after this battle is over."
"Humph, the other party stipulated two months and do you think that in two months we can defeat the Divine Fist Clan?"
The Grand Elder and Second Elder both had their supporters. Seeing them taking a stance, everyone voiced their opinions, making the lobby lively with discussion.
"Do you think this could be a trap set by the Divine Fist Clan?"
Out of the blue, one of the elders voiced a daring speculation.
The Revenge Token has been circulating in the Martial World; it’s possible that it has been obtained by the Divine Fist Clan.
Chou Huakun revealed a strange expression and shook his head, "You guys are overthinking, the holder of the Revenge Token is named Shi Xiaole."
"Shi Xiaole?"
The elders were first confused, then showed expressions of disbelief.
"Is he the young prodigious swordsman making a name for himself recently?"
The Grand Elder had stayed at the headquarters during the Martial World Championship and did not attend, but had casually heard of Shi Xiaole’s name.
Seeing Chou Huakun nod in confirmation, the elders and Protectors all looked at each other and the hall became quiet.
A person’s reputation precedes him, and while Shi Xiaole may be insignificant in terms of experience and status, no one in the Martial World of Qingxue State could deny the young man’s extraordinary talent.
Especially after verifying that the boy was only seventeen, it was even more shocking.
None of them had expected that the holder of the Revenge Token would be Shi Xiaole.
"Can’t we ask him to postpone it for a while?"
The Grand Elder asked hesitantly.
"The requirements of the Revenge Token cannot be altered."
Chou Huakun shook his head.
It was truly him who was in the most difficult position. After all, the Revenge Gathering was his Chou Family’s foundation. Just when all forces are needed for the battle, Shi Xiaole brought about this issue, making him helpless.
If they don’t act according to the rules, the reputation of Revenge Gathering will be ruined, and moreover, it would be an insult to the memory of their ancestors. But if they really followed the demand of others, the Revenge Gathering, already one step behind the Divine Fist Clan, by pulling its elites, it would be too disadvantageous to the overall situation!
"I remain steadfast in my opinion, but the ultimate decision should be left to the Assembly Master," said the Grand Elder as he closed his eyes.
"Rules are unbreakable and honesty is unquestionable," said the Second Elder.
The crowd was all looking at Chou Huakun in the center.
After a long silence, Chou Huakun sucked in a deep breath seemed to have made a final decision and resolutely decreed, "Issue the order, all must cooperate in fulfilling the requirements of the Revenge Token!"
...
"Damn it, it’s actually a withdrawal order," said a man in black, looking a bit upset as he burned an envelope over a candle. He was Qiu An, a disciple of the Sky Evil Sect, who had almost killed Shi Xiaole.
After the agreement between the righteous and evil, due to his remote location, he was the only one in the Cloud Triangle to receive the highest order at this moment.
"That kid is lucky."
Qiu An had taken a long time to recover from the injury inflicted by Lian Chen. Originally, he was thinking of going to the Golden Phoenix Tower to investigate, but now he could do nothing about it.
He was tempted to secretly kill Shi Xiaole, but the thought of the consequences of defying the Demon Lord’s orders frightened him into giving up the idea. Of course, if Lian Chen was still in the Golden Phoenix Tower, it would be pointless for him to go there.
"Damn it, you got lucky this time. Wait till next time, I’ll make sure you wish you were dead,"
Qiu An cursed his opponent. He looked down at his right hand that was missing a hand and cursed.
...
After days of grueling practice, Shi Xiaole felt a significant improvement in his swordsmanship’s foundation. In a vague sense, his understanding of the concept of having a ’sword in the heart’ had deepened.
If his Sword Heart state that was previously provoked by Qiu An was considered three parts, now it would be five. However, as the process progressed, it became even more challenging to approach the true comprehension of the Sword Heart.
It was understandable upon reflection. Those who could comprehend the Sword Heart were all people with extraordinary talent and they had undergone extensive accumulation. Their foundation was something that a seventeen-year-old like Shi Xiaole could not compare to.
"At this rate, comprehending the Sword Heart within three years would already be an impressive feat."
Shi Xiaole finally experienced the difficulty of comprehending the Sword Heart. To be blunt, it was multiples times more difficult than an average person comprehending the unity of human and sword.
However, the more challenging it was, the more Shi Xiaole anticipated mastering it. Once he comprehended the Sword Heart, how much would his power increase?
"Daoist, how much do you know about Sword Heart?"
Finding it difficult to comprehend, Shi Xiaole decided to seek advice from Lian Chen.
Surprised, Lian Chen asked, "Why has Young Hero Shi brought this up?"
"I just want to understand it better to prepare for the future."
Lian Chen nodded, looking at Shi Xiaole once more. The question wasn’t something most people had the courage to ask, but Shi Xiaole seemed to have a plan in mind.
Indeed, given his qualifications, he is indeed capable of preparing in advance. Many gifted swordsmen have only reached the Sword Heart Realm after reviewing many previous materials, and gradually perfected it in the following years, so as to achieve ultimate success.
Lian Chen smiled and said, "To not hide anything from Young Hero Shi, I’m but a dullard, not capable of comprehending the Sword Heart. I can’t give you much experience, but there is a book here that you may want to see."
While speaking, he took out a blue booklet from his bosom, and on the first page was written ’Reflection Record’.
What Shi Xiaole didn’t know was that although Lian Chen hadn’t comprehended the Sword Heart, he had reached thirty percent of the realm. And this Reflection Record was a general book for the disciples of Wudang, on which the experiences of several Wudang swordsmen who comprehended the Sword Heart were recorded.
If it were an ordinary person, Lian Chen would of course not show it, but the young man in front of him had received much praise from Daoist Xuhuai, and he was eager to see whether the other party was worthy of the name.
"Thank you, Daoist."
Only flipping through a few pages, Shi Xiaole was greatly enlightened as if he had found a direction in the mist, and he thanked the other party repeatedly. Lian Chen thought he was being polite and waved his hand in return.
In the following days, Shi Xiaole read the Reflection Record hungrily, over and over again, and every once in a while, he would close the book and fully appreciate the insights of the swordsmen in the book.
It has to be said that a great sect is indeed a great sect, especially the profound heritage of Wudang Mountain, which few forces in the world can match. The swordsmen from Wudang Mountain have been immersed in martial arts and experience since they were young, which is naturally unimaginable for ordinary people.
Although the Reflection Record does not contain many sentences, it is full of profound truths that have greatly broadened Shi Xiaole’s horizons and made his mind become clearer.
"Sixty percent."
Several days later, Shi Xiaole felt his Sword Heart Realm and couldn’t help but laugh.
Ordinary people reading the Reflection Record would not feel so much. But who is Shi Xiaole? Even without anything, he was able to fumble his way to the Sword Heart Realm. Once he came into contact with relevant knowledge, it would be weird if he did not progress quickly.
Originally, without relying on the Soul Transfer Great Method’s sneak attack, Shi Xiaole couldn’t withstand the effeminate man’s move, but now, he was confident that even if he didn’t use the Soul Transfer Great Method, he could fight against the effeminate man.
"Finished reading?"
Lian Chen took back the Reflection Record and casually asked, "Did you get any insights?"
Shi Xiaole replied, "I have found some direction. Wudang Mountain does indeed have many geniuses."
Lian Chen laughed and encouraged, "With Young Hero Shi’s potential, I believe you will be able to understand the Sword Heart Realm within two years."
Shi Xiaole just nodded and didn’t clarify. He didn’t want others to think he was showing off, especially since understanding the Sword Heart Realm was nothing to boast about for him.
Time fled like running water.
One day, a group of guests came to the Golden Phoenix Tower.
"I am an elder of the Revenge Gathering. Is Young Hero Shi Xiaole here?" one middle-aged man said, extending his hand to take out a token to prove his identity.
"What, Revenge Gathering?"
The three deputy tower masters were stunned.
Although the Golden Phoenix Tower is now developing vigorously and claiming to be the best in the Cloud Triangle region, compared with the Revenge Gathering, it is undoubtedly like ants compared to an elephant.
The three deputy tower masters looked at the token, left two people behind, and the four tower masters rushed towards the backyard.
"Thank you all for coming from afar, I, Shi, would like to thank you in advance."
Upon hearing the news, Shi Xiaole immediately put down what he was doing. Counting the days, he was getting anxious and even once thought that the Revenge Gathering didn’t take the Revenge Token seriously, but luckily they came.
A group of Revenge Gathering experts curiously looked at Shi Xiaole, this was the reputed number one genius?
The elder said, "We were delayed on the road, Young Hero Shi, please don’t mind."
This was, of course, a polite phrase, the reality being that the Revenge Gathering had spent a huge price to invite the divine doctor Gu Qinghui, causing a huge delay. In order to make up for time, they had even exhausted dozens of fast horses on the way.
"Stop talking nonsense. Where is the person, take me to see."
The woman in the middle looked to be in her early thirties, not exceptionally beautiful, but her body was very good. She glanced at Shi Xiaole and spoke coldly.
"Presumably this is Doctor Gu. Please."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t ask for more and gestured for her to follow.
The group arrived at Ru Garden’s loft.
When Su Yanru learned that the visitor turned out to be the elusive Gu Qinghui, her dim eyes immediately exuded a compelling radiance.
After feeling the pulse for a while and examining with a strange technique, Gu Qinghui said, "Three Thousand Petal Snow Lotus, six Green Flower Vines, one Bitter Bark..."
A Revenge Gathering disciple promptly noted it down, and once Gu Qinghui finished speaking, he hurried off. A moment later, a pigeon soared into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Dr. Gu, can my auntie fully recover?" Shi Xiaole inquired anxiously.
Su Yanru and the three tower masters all looked at her anxiously.
Gu Qinghui’s face was cold, and she was only concerned about rummaging through the medical box, completely ignoring Shi Xiaole, as if he had asked a stupid question.
Just when everyone gave up hope, Gu Qinghui replied, "Jade Heart Orchid, grows in the Silver Snowfield of Silver Water Region in Qingxue State, blooms only in this month, must be obtained."
The complexions of the Revenge Gathering’s experts changed.
Today was the beginning of the month, and from the Cloud Triangle to the most edge Silver Water Region in Qingxue State, even if they urged their fast horses day and night, it would take almost a month. In addition, Jade Heart Orchids were extremely rare, making it difficult to find them.
"Is it a must-have for Jade Heart Orchid?"
"Without Jade Heart Orchid, I’m afraid I can’t help."
Everyone hurriedly breathed.
The light in Su Yanru’s eyes was extinguished, and she forced a smile, "I am grateful for everyone’s help. However, we can’t force everything."
Shi Xiaole didn’t say anything amid the crowd, but he made a decision in his mind.
