Two days later, in the still chilly capital.
When Lou Cheng stepped into the courtyard house again, Elder Mei was tending to the flowers and plants leisurely and contented.
He had changed into a black short robe, looking neither ancient nor modern. His silver hair was much thinner, and the loneliness in his eyes was more apparent.
"Greetings, Elder Mei." Lou Cheng bowed respectfully.
Old Mei raised his head. His eyebrows, which were about to pop out of his face, twitched twice.
"The second room on the left."
"Thank you, Elder." Lou Cheng didn't waste time. He strode towards the left side of the courtyard. Elder Mei lowered his head and focused on the flowers again, as though nothing else mattered to him.
Lou Cheng stepped onto the stairs and stopped in front of his destination. He stared at the windowless room for a few seconds before pushing open the door with a mottled bronze lock.
The door creaked for a long time, and the scene inside slowly appeared before his eyes.
The floor was paved with green bricks, and there was nothing on it. The spacious and cold feeling was obvious. It was as though even in summer, this place would still feel like late autumn.
Lou Cheng didn't look around. Instead, his gaze was attracted by a painting hanging on the opposite wall. It was dark all around, unaffected by external light. He could only vaguely make out a Taoist in the middle of the painting. It was a Taoist who bore some resemblance to the Heavenly Primogenitor statue in the Taoist temple.
Even with Lou Cheng's current realm and strength, he couldn't see it clearly. Instinctively, he took a few steps forward into the room and got closer.
Light gathered in his eyes, as though a huge sun had taken shape. It shone in front of him, trying to pierce through the darkness.
At this moment, his vision blurred. The surrounding was covered in boundless darkness. In the distance, bright spots, pure white and dazzling, moved slowly along a mysterious path.
"The Universe of Stars … Why did it appear naturally?" Just as this thought flashed through Lou Cheng's mind, he suddenly saw a jade-white palm pressing down on him.
Its five fingers clenched, and the center of its palm was dark and deep. The starry sky and the universe became smaller and smaller, more and more solidified.
Crack!
The stars were destroyed one by one, and the darkness rapidly shrank to a single point. Shortly after, it spurted out and split into pieces.
Thump thump thump! Lou Cheng took a few steps back until he was outside the room. Blood seeped out of his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. He was clearly dispirited, and his head was unusually painful.
In just a few breaths' time, he felt like he had fought a tough battle with the Dragon King and the Warrior Sage!
"This is the Forbidden Sect's Clear Jade Chapter? What kind of realm did the senior who created this divine technique reach? Is it something that can only be encountered but not sought? " Amidst his thoughts, Lou Cheng sat down cross-legged and regulated his breathing. Then, he visualized the Wholeness and Confrontation Formula in an orderly manner before entering a deep sleep.
An hour later, he opened his eyes. His spirit had recovered.
Exerting strength in his back, he stood up and stepped into the room again. He looked at the picture scroll shrouded in darkness. The scene was the same as before, but it lasted a few seconds longer than before.
Two times, three times … When he endured the pain from his deep sleep and wanted to continue comprehending, he saw Old Mei, who was wearing a short black robe, standing at the door.
"Go back, ponder and comprehend more. Before stepping into the Forbidden Domain, every martial artist will 'see' different scenes due to their own foundation and knowledge. Even the same martial artist will have slight differences in their comprehension after a period of time." Old Mei said calmly, "As long as you complete a mission every year, you can come here to comprehend once. Hehe, don't bite off more than you can chew. Digest what you've learned before."
"Yes, Senior Mei." Lou Cheng suppressed the melancholy in his heart.
He turned and walked towards the door of the courtyard. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and asked,
"Senior Mei, can I share my comprehension of the Forbidden Sect's Divine Techniques with others?"
"If the other martial artists don't mind." Old Mei smiled faintly.
…
A few days later, the finals of the Supreme Class Battle began. The defending champion, Warrior Sage, Qian Donglou, the challenger, Dragon King, Chen Qitao, the Clown, Gu Jianxi, and the Wisdom King, Zhi Hai. It was a single round-robin competition. If the three of them had the same results and formed a closed loop, there would be additional matches.
Lou Cheng and Empress Luo's worries came true in the first match. Due to the drawing of lots, the Dragon King faced the Warrior Sage head-on. This time, he won, but he was heavily injured.
After that, the Wisdom King, Zhi Hai, took advantage of the internecine battle between the Legendary Twins. He won all three matches and became the Supreme Class Mighty One of this year, obtaining his second individual title. He was far ahead of his peers like Lou Cheng, Peng Leyun, and Ren Li.
Not long after the Supreme Class Battle ended, the flames of war reignited in the top professional matches. A new season was about to begin.
The previous World Number One, Longhu Club, was in charge of this. They would be stationed at Mt. Crimson in Huacheng to welcome the challenge from the Guanwai League.
On Friday afternoon, the sky was gloomy and the humidity was heavy.
A luxurious minibus drove out of the airport towards Guyue Hotel. On the bus sat the Physical Invulnerability experts of the Guanwai League and their assistants.
Kaori Karasawa wasn't wearing her kimono anymore. Instead, she had changed into the Guanwai League's away martial arts uniform with a white base and red embellishments. The Fukugimaru was hidden in its scabbard across her knees.
From the corner of her eye, she observed Lu Yongyuan, who was sitting by the window opposite her. His hair was neatly combed back, and he was calmly admiring the scenery outside. The world-renowned God-Slaying Saber was standing calmly beside him, leaning against the seat. Its dark green scabbard shone faintly.
"Hmm …" Kaori Karasawa didn't retract her gaze. Instead, she adjusted her sitting posture as though she was imitating him. Just like when she first entered the Xinzhai Sect and was accepted as a disciple by her master.
In those few years, she, who was still very short, had always imitated her master's every move, be it in terms of martial arts or daily habits. Through this, she cultivated her bearing and adjusted her mind. Only when she had mastered Kendo did she slowly develop her own style.
Master once said that every Mighty One starts by imitating their seniors!
Now, I'll treat it as me starting anew. I'll start by imitating Senior Lu!
He was a Grandmaster of Saber Techniques, and had certain similarities with Japanese Kendo. Her master had once visited him in his prime and sparred with him in Kendo. He was sincerely convinced by Lu Yongyuan and believed that the current him was even better than before. It was because of this relationship that she was able to bypass the obstacles and enter the Guanwai League.
A Mighty One of Saber Techniques, who could make her master revere him every time he mentioned him, was indeed someone worth imitating!
Kaori Karasawa felt that she had once again found the passion she had when she first started practicing Kendo.
Hmm … the biggest obstacle now is language …
At this moment, the sky darkened even more. The pitter-patter of rain suddenly fell, blurring the car windows.
Spring rain … Kaori Karasawa thought in a daze.
Suddenly, she heard Lu Yongyuan mumbling to himself in a low voice,
"It's raining."
Outside the window, the rain was getting heavier. The dark green scabbard beside Lu Yongyuan let out a continuous and long groan. It was as though the dullness had disappeared and was replaced by joy. It was as though a real dragon had finally broken free from its shackles and was soaring in the sky, summoning clouds and rain.
Clang!
The hum of the saber reverberated. Kaori Karasawa seemed to have been touched by something, but couldn't think clearly.
…
"It's raining …" Ning Zitong sighed as she looked out of the window in the Longhu Club conference room.
"It's not like you haven't seen rain before," Coach Yan replied impatiently. He then looked at Lou Cheng and Guo Jie. "Let's continue talking about the Guanwai League."
"Okay." Having lived in Huacheng for so long, Lou Cheng was used to rain, even if it was the first rain of spring.
Guo Jie didn't even look sideways. Her eyes were glued to the projection screen, even if the chances of her fighting were slim. As for the Dragon King, he was receiving comprehensive treatment in the hospital and would only be able to fight again in another ten days.
Lu Yan nodded and said bluntly,
"The Guanwai League isn't strong."
"Other than Lu Yongyuan, there are quite a few Physical Invulnerability experts, but none of them can reach First Pin."
"Lu Yongyuan is the last to speak. Since he created his own saber technique, his strength has been increasing day by day. Now that he's qualified to fight for a title, we have to take him seriously."
"Other than him, the Guanwai League has two Second Pin experts, one Third Pin, and a new member, Kaori Karasawa, who hasn't reported to the association yet."
"The two Second Pin experts are Golden Fur Hou, Li Pingao, and Mirage Dragon, Zhu Xiaoyun."
At the mention of Golden Fur Hou, Ning Zitong glanced at Lou Cheng and burst out laughing, ruining the solemn atmosphere that Lu Yan had deliberately created.
"Actually, I feel that nicknames like God of Misfortune and God of Calamity are much better than Hou Lai Lai Lai," she said.
"I wanted to change my nickname too, but no one listened …" Lou Cheng said helplessly.
That Mirage Dragon, Zhu Xiaoyun, was famous for her illusions. She should be the Physical Invulnerability expert currently teaching Sister Jingjing …
Thump, thump, thump. Lu Yan knocked on the table a few times and continued,
"The Guanwai League had high hopes for Li Pingao, believing that he would reach First Pin very quickly. After a few years of accumulation, he might even have the chance to fight for a title. However, his growth wasn't as expected. Some said that shortly after his promotion, he encountered the Dragon King and lost his confidence. Some said that his father, whom he had always depended on, passed away the year he reached Physical Invulnerability. This left him devastated.
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