Chapter 862: Chapter 861 Stars Swallowing the Moon_1
On the lawn in front of the statue, Shi Xiaole was knocked back time and time again, a scene that had persisted for more than a month.
Facing nine peak-level Ninth Tier Earth Immortals, even with Shi Xiaole’s strength, he was unable to cope, each time being defeated within a few moves.
But the month of enduring this abuse was not without results, as Shi Xiaole began to grasp some inkling of understanding.
Once again, the sound of a qin struck.
But this time, Shi Xiaole took the initiative to strike first.
Clang clang clang...
A series of Sword Qi flew by swiftly, as Shi Xiaole weaved through the boundless and unpredictable waves of sound, now dodging to the side, now swinging his sword.
It could be observed that although the sound waves were chaotic, the places Shi Xiaole’s long sword targeted precisely blocked all the subsequent changes.
This bore some similarity to the anticipatory nature of Yi Sword Skill, but the difficulty was on a completely different level.
Because sound waves change with the flow of the air, they are as unpredictable as the nine Ninth Tier Earth Immortals—no matter how keen one’s environmental senses, it’s extremely difficult to discern the pattern.
Even Shi Xiaole, who knew this was the only way to overcome the enemy, could only occasionally enter this state and was unable to maintain it for long.
Indeed, after approximately a dozen breaths, as his swordsmanship became disordered, Shi Xiaole met with defeat once more.
"Let’s rest for now."
The elder playing the qin stopped.
"The young one is dull and caused the elderly worry."
Shi Xiaole felt somewhat ashamed.
Counting the initial month, it had now been two months, and the qin-playing elder had been accompanying him in practice the entire time, yet he had made only minimal progress, which was embarrassing considering the elder’s efforts.
The qin-playing elder didn’t speak but thought to himself: If you’re considered dull, then there’s no hope for anyone else in this world, young friend, your progress has surpassed my expectations.
In fact, according to the plan, the qin-playing elder should have left half a month ago, but he was astonished at Shi Xiaole’s rate of progress and suddenly became very eager to see whether Shi Xiaole could reach the level of that person from the past and how long it would take.
Three more months, he thought to himself. Three months, of course, wasn’t enough for Shi Xiaole to overcome the challenge he faced, but that was the longest he could wait; any longer, and his presence might be revealed.
Time passed leisurely, and two months later...
Shi Xiaole was now able to persist for one hundred breaths, and the probability of entering that state had increased to fifty percent, but this was still far from sufficient.
"Though I can temporarily predict the qin’s offensive, I am still in a passive position—if I can’t reverse it, I’ll never defeat it."
If he hadn’t known about that person, Shi Xiaole might have already given up because he truly didn’t see any hope of victory, but since someone had done it, it proved there must be a way.
Flashes of insight’s lightning constantly darted through his mind, every moment a vast amount of information streamed through Shi Xiaole’s thoughts, uninterrupted even during rest. It could be said that the mental exertion of these months was almost equivalent to the accomplishments of a normal person over a hundred years.
It was only Shi Xiaole who could withstand this; anyone else might have succumbed to mental breakdown and a collapse of will. But at this stage, Shi Xiaole was nearly driven mad by his own demands, the only thing keeping him going was his pride, which refused to be subdued.
"Where exactly is the problem?"
"What is the method after all?"
"Is this really something humans can achieve?"
In the tumult of constant denial and perseverance, Shi Xiaole couldn’t count how many times he had been sent flying. He lay on his back in the grass, watching a cluster of white clouds gathering in the sky, as birds circled high above, emitting clear and piercing cries.
"The white clouds will disperse; the birds will land."
Boom!
Suddenly, Shi Xiaole’s expression became vacant. Yes, these are conclusions everyone could come to, and they are the only conclusions.
Just like the qin music, the ultimate goal is to defeat oneself. If that can’t be changed, then predicting the specific steps seems futile; it actually puts you at an inherent disadvantage.
Picking up his sword, Shi Xiaole charged into the surging waves of sound once more. His attacks lost their rhythm and became more chaotic than the sound waves themselves—often he would move to another side before the sound wave even struck. After several attempts, an invisible aura began to expand slowly around Shi Xiaole as its center.
One hundred breaths.
Two hundred breaths.
Three hundred breaths.
It wasn’t until five hundred breaths had passed that Shi Xiaole finally succumbed to defeat under the extremely astonished gaze of the qin-playing elder.
"Young friend, how did you do it?"
Although the qin-playing elder had an answer in his heart, he couldn’t help but ask.
"If one lacks the power to change the outcome, it might be better to control it from the very start, like the clouds in the sky; don’t give them time to form, like the birds above; cut off their wings. Of course, these are just some humble thoughts of mine. Don’t laugh at me, elder."
The only way Shi Xiaole could think of to break through the qin music was to restrain the opponent from the very beginning and then lay out his strategy slowly. In other words, he had become the qin music, and the qin music had become the previous him, constantly at his mercy, always changing with him.
It sounds simple, but to achieve it is as hard as ascending to heaven. Even someone with superhuman mental fortitude, skills at their peak, and a transcendent sword technique would find it almost impossible to do.
This had already surpassed the realm of ’human capability’ and reached a non-human state. But being unmatched under heaven is not something ’humans’ can achieve!
Having found the direction, the path ahead seemed easier for Shi Xiaole.
He kept trying, imagining the qin music as nine peak-level martial artists of the same ranking, continuously deducing, aiming to use extreme speed at the start to trap all nine in his aura, making them follow his swordplay and control the rhythm, not allowing them to join forces against him.
From one-tenth proficiency to two-tenths, then to three-tenths, four-tenths... Shi Xiaole’s progress, in the eyes of the old man playing the qin, could only be described as inconceivable. Perhaps only that person from the past could match him.
Swish!
With two days left to the third month, as Shi Xiaole struck with his sword, an invisible aura suddenly enveloped the range of the qin’s melodies. In an instant, it was as if many people were clashing blades, their vital energy bursting violently everywhere.
On the foundation of the previous sword move, Shi Xiaole’s sword intent soared to its limit as he thrust out a second sword strike.
Bang bang bang...
An explosion erupted on the spot, the wild wind made the green grass topple over left and right, and Shi Xiaole was half-kneeling on the ground, his face pale and gasping for breath.
"Congratulations, young friend, you’ve achieved what that person once did,"
The old man playing the qin spoke with his hands leveled, his tone half joyful and half wistful.
He had, after all, underestimated the boundless potential of the chosen one by fate. They are the darlings of heaven and earth and can’t be fathomed by ordinary reasoning, let alone extraordinary reasoning. And Shi Xiaole, even among the twelve fated ones, is undoubtedly one of the very best.
Regulating his internal energy, Shi Xiaole stood up and said with heartfelt gratitude, "All that I have accomplished is thanks to your generosity."
If it were up to him, where would he find nine top-notch peers of the same level who would mean no harm to him? Without the old man playing the qin, there would have been no violently rapid progress these past few months.
To a certain extent, the man had helped Shi Xiaole rise to another level, an immense favor that could not be forgotten.
Shi Xiaole quietly remembered this kindness. Maybe he couldn’t repay it for a long time, and the other party might not care for his repayment, but he had his own principles: for the grace of a drop of water, he shall return with a gushing spring.
"Elder, may I have the honor of asking you to name the technique I just used?"
The Sword Qi aura was actually a combination of Shi Xiaole’s combat skills rather than a single move.
Knowing that Shi Xiaole was grateful for his help, the old man playing the qin chuckled, pondered for a moment, and said, "Man in the sword, as if dwelling in the mundane world, unable to see the truth, can only drift along. Let’s call it ’Wandering Dust.’"
"Wandering Dust?"
Shi Xiaole murmured the name several times, his eyes lighting up: "Thank you for the name, elder!"
The old man playing the qin couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Suddenly, he urged again, "Young friend, are you sure you wouldn’t like to accompany this old man? Know that any attachments can be undone once you become strong enough."
The more he interacted with Shi Xiaole, the more the old man appreciated his talent and character and didn’t want him to suffer a great disaster, which would be an immense loss to the martial world.
"I cannot leave, nor do I wish to."
It was about Shi Xuanzhong and Ling Yujie, and Shi Xiaole had a premonition that Shi Xuanzhong would definitely appear in the battle of the Wuyuan Palace. How could he flee in face of an illusory disaster?
Most importantly, since the old man had written down so many names, it meant everyone had a chance, and he had to give it his best shot.
The old man playing the qin sighed silently; if it weren’t for the fact that forcibly taking Shi Xiaole away would destroy his Sword Heart, he would have done so without a second thought.
Is it really impossible to defy fate?
"Senior, do you know the origin of this stone statue?"
Knowing that the old man was about to leave, Shi Xiaole hoped to clear the doubts in his heart.
"This is the Bone Tower from a land beyond the heavens. They placed the Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors who fell in battle in this domain into it, making them war spoils, while also providing enlightenment for future generations. Only those with celestial bloodline can discover it."
Shi Xiaole’s body shook.
"Child, there’s much I want to tell you, but... goodbye, I hope we meet again."
As his last words fell, the old man playing the qin disappeared from the spot.
It was only after a long time that Shi Xiaole came back to his senses, his mind in turmoil as he leaped into the left eye of the stone statue. Inside, the bones were still lustrous, the martial energy dense, but since the essences were similar, the art of life and death had already stopped absorbing.
The stone statue’s right eye was just darkness, as though it was empty.
"War spoils?"
The Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors of this domain, who fought for their homeland, were placed here after death, becoming nourishment for the enemy’s future growth. How tragic!
What pained Shi Xiaole the most was that he was one of the enemy’s descendants.
"My identity cannot bind me, nor can my bloodline. I only wish to act according to my heart."
Clenching his fists, Shi Xiaole kept making vows to himself.
...
"Old friend, you’ve finally come out."
Atop a low mountain in the Daxia Dynasty on the East Victory Continent.
The old man playing the qin appeared out of nowhere. Facing him was an old man in tattered clothes with hair both black and white, apparently knowing in advance that the qin player would come, the elder showed a faint smile.
"You old swindler, I’ve met the person you talked about. Does he really stand no chance?"
The elder was taken aback and said, "Fate is unfathomable. I have been honored as the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller, yet I can only catch glimpses of destiny. I can only tell you that his path ahead is a river of blood without an end, where enemies abound. Even the fates of all great destinies are aligning to overshadow him. If he can still find a glimmer of hope, then I have nothing to say."
Clang!
The old man playing the qin abruptly snapped a string with his wrong hand.
