(1)

What Xuan Lingzi said was like a slap on the face to Luo Jianqing.

Throughout the entire Tai Hua Mountain, even the Master, Sir Hao Xingzi knew nothing about the True Nine-Petaled Lotus Record and the whole thing happened at the time when Xuan Lingzi was in closed door training. That’s why Luo Jianqing dared use the Nine Heavenly Seizure Record. However, Xuan Lingzi was questioning him now about how he won.

Struck dumb, Luo Jianqing didn’t know how to reply.

After a while, Xuan Lingzi said again in a casual tone, “According to the Master, you performed One Sword Turns Nine-pedaled Lotus, which was a skill could only be mastered by people who are in Nascent Soul Period. Have you mastered it already? Show me. I want to see you perform it.”

Luo Jianqing, whose back was now covered in cold sweat, felt relieved upon hearing those words. He took out Floating Frost Sword and skillfully performed One Sword Turns Nine-pedaled Lotus. The Floating Frost Sword turned into nine cyan lightnings, each thrusting into the mountain opposite of Yu Xiao Peak. All of a sudden, the mountain exploded with flying rocks and splashing sands.

Back in the grave of Sir Bei Dou’s, Luo Jianqing was not good at performing it. However, as he further studied Nine Heavenly Seizure Record during the past six months, he found that the spiritual power in his body was much different from thirty years ago.

Usually speaking, Luo Jianqing was going against natural law, so he could not absorb spiritual power from heaven and earth any more. However, after practicing Nine Heavenly Seizure Record, he felt a wonderful power in his meridians which empowered him to sweep across the world with such force that placed almost everything, including vegetation and the change of four seasons under his control. In a way, he had usurped the power of the universe over these things!

With this sweeping power, Luo Jianqing was able to grab spiritual power from the universe.

That’s right! Not receiving it but grabbing it from the universe!

Nine Heavenly Seizure Record was against the natural law. It was about conquering the world!

Luo Jianqing had come to master the First Seizure of the Nine Heavenly Seizure Record over the past six months, but despite all his efforts he had put into, he just couldn’t master the Second Seizure. Every time he tried to perform it, he always came up short at the final step. Nonetheless, the First Seizure had allowed Luo Jianqing to use One Sword Turns Nine-pedaled Lotus free from the inhibition of time realms with incredible aim.

Looking at this, Xuan Lingzi nodded in satisfaction. After offering some advices, he retreated back to the closed-door training in his bamboo house.

Standing in the moonlight with the sword in his hand, Luo Jianqing stared at the locked bamboo house with mixed emotions, his eyes gradually growing darker and darker. Then, he squinted his eyes and went back to his own house to resume training.

Seven days later, Luo Jianqing got words from the Master, instructing him to go to the Liu Yan Valley.

This time, Zuo Yunmo didn’t go with him, as performing the Qing Yun Sword for the second time and the injury he suffered at Luo Jianqing’s hands had taken a heavy toll on his health. Though Zuo had gotten much better, Sir Hao Xingzi didn’t see fit to send his disciple on another risky venture to the Liu Yan Valley.

In the early morning, Luo Jianqing packed his bag into Interspatial Ring. Hardly had he opened the door and stepped out when he saw a slim figure standing in front of his house. Luo Jianqing’s heart skipped a beat and wondered how long Xuan had been here.

They simply stood quietly in front of the bamboo house, no one uttered a word.

The sound of the breeze rustling through the green leaves in the bamboo forest sounded like a piece of lively music.

After a while, Luo Jianqing decided to step forward, saying “Master Xuan, I’ve just heard from Sir Hao Xingzi that we are to follow Master Shan and head to the Liu Yan Valley in Chang Zhou.”

Xuan Lingzi acted as if he had not heard anything. It was only after Luo Jianqing repeated his words again that he whispered, “Jianqing, how are you doing with the True Nine-Petaled Lotus Record?”

Luo Jianqing froze for a moment.

Xuan Lingzi looked to him with piercing eyes and said calmly “For the likes of us, sword skill is not as important as the fundamentals and how strong a connection you have with your sword. Liu Yan Valley is a dangerous place. Since you are determined to go there, I would give you something as a gift to help you with your journey.”

Luo Jianqing exclaimed, “Master Xuan?”

With a wave of his sleeve, Xuan Lingzi suddenly placed his hand around Luo Jianqing’s waist and together they turned into a streak of light and flied out of the Yu Xiao Peak. After gently putting Luo Jianqing on the top of side peak besides Yu Xiao Peak, Xuan Lingzi stood between Yu Xiao Peak and the side peak.

Wearing a white robe with wide sleeve, Master Xuan slowly walked mid-air to the middle of the two peaks.

Luo Jianqing watched his movement with baffled look on his face. He had a rough idea about this gift. Whenever the little sister went out on adventures, Sir Yu Qingzi usually gave her a lot of advanced magical items and precious elixirs in hope that she could return unharmed.

But Luo Jianqing had been on adventures for countless times and never did he get any magic weapons from him.

Even though Xuan Lingzi had never explained that to him, Luo Jianqing understood that it was because his Master value self-cultivation more than fancy items.

But now, Xuan Lingzi was offering him a magical item?

While Luo Jianqing was still in the state of confusion, Xuan Lingzi had already positioned himself in between the two peaks. The roaring wind whistled through the mountain gaps, blowing up Xuan Lingzi’s long and pitch-black hair as well as his robe which was now fluttering in the air. Suddenly, he turned to Luo Jianqing with a celestial smile on his handsome face.

Across the distance, Xuan Lingzi said, “Let me play you a piece of music to aid your cause.

The moment he finished those words, a burst of music rang through the air.

Duang!

Astounded, Luo Jianqing watched what happened in front of him with bugged eyes.

Xuan Lingzi crooked his finger as if plucking an invisible string and immediately a tremendous spiritual power rushed out, bouncing back and forth in between the two peaks. Luo Jianqing came to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Between the two peaks, every golden streak of the spiritual power was glistening under the sunlight like numerous golden strings.

— Making a Chinese zither out of a mountain and a string out of the spiritual power!

Xuan Lingzi was standing mid-air high above the sky from where the melodious music rang like heavenly sound.

In between the mountains, the sound turned into tangible things, such as flying cranes, whirling ribbons and auspicious clouds above the sky.

The wonderful sound echoed around the entire Tai Hua Mountain. All the disciples stopped to listen carefully to this unfamiliar rhythm. The trainers who were struggling to make a breakthrough suddenly saw things clearly. The most quick-minded of them even made it straight to the next level. Even Sir Yu Qingzi, who preferred to make elixirs alone in the Tai Hua Mountain, was intrigued to come out from his house and looked at the direction of Yu Xiao Peak with surprise.

“Who is this blessed man that Xuan Lingzi is playing his Yu Xiao zither for?”

Luo Jianqing closed his eyes, trying to savor the indescribable feeling at this moment.

He heard how the flowers bloomed and withered. He heard the joyful conversation between fish and shrimp in a stream. He heard every gust of wind rustling through the leaves. He also heard the sighs of all lives as they grew and prospered.

Through the blooming yellow flowers, one perceives the ultimate wisdom, and among the thriving bamboos the Buddha reveals himself to the world.

The Second Seizure of the Nine Heavenly Seizure Record, Seizing Lives!

Luo Jianqing was like being struck by a thunderbolt as he finally understood the supreme power that was the Second Seizure!

As the music came to its final ending, all the golden strings surged upward to the high sky, and then down they came, spreading all over the land right beneath the Tai Hua Mountain. Countless monsters rushed out from their caves to bathe in this golden aura; many fairy grasses also swayed their bodies with joy. After they absorbed the golden light, their spiritual power was further more strengthened.

Standing at the center of this golden light, Luo Jianqing felt invigorated with a gush of refreshing energy seeping into his body through his every pore. He was in a state of bliss as the mild spiritual power gently passed through his meridian.

When this music finished, Luo Jianqing opened his eyes and looked up. Xuan Lingzi, who was still standing in the air, waved his sleeve and the spiritual strings between the peaks suddenly vanished into thin air.

Xuan Lingzi suddenly appeared in front of Luo Jianqing after taking only a few steps away from where he stood a while ago, a thread of golden light flashing across his fair eyes. As powerful as Xuan Lingzi was, he looked a bit pale with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Luo Jianqing looked up at him while he was looking down at Luo.

After a while, Xuan Lingzi gently tapped Luo somewhere in between the eyebrows with one finger.

Luo Jianqing suddenly felt a burning sensation and before he could react, Xuan Lingzi turned back quickly, placing his hands behind his back and said in a casual tone: “This stroke of energy will follow you into the Liu Yan Valley. Jianqing. If you don’t step up your practice, I will know it.”

Luo Jianqing was mesmerized, his lips trembling with emotions. He had a lot to say, but in the end he swallowed all those words.

After giving a bow, Luo Jianqing flew away.

Not long after Luo Jianqing left, Xuan Lingzi, who had been showing his back to Luo the whole time, suddenly took a stumble and almost fell off the cliff. Then, a flash of light swept across the sky. It was Sir Yu Qingzi, who asked with a smile: “Brother, why did you suddenly play zither today? What’s happened to you?!”

Xuan Lingzi simply dismissed his questions by a wave of his hand. Yu Qingzi then generated tens of thousands of threadlike spiritual powers and sent them into Xuan’s body.

A second later, Yu Qingzi exclaimed with widened eyes: “Half primordial life! I dared not believe it when I heard from Hao Xingzi that you split half of your primordial life to support Jianqing’s previous training and was therefore badly wounded. That was barely a year ago. How dare you split it in half again? You are….”

“Sister, say no more.”

Yu Qingzi flew into a rage and yelled, “That is Liu Yan Valley. It’s not some little grave of Nascent Soul trainer. The half of your primordial life is deprived of substance and you are greatly diminished. Your strength might have already been reduced to that of the Da Sheng Period, or worse, the Tribulation Period. Should you find yourself in trouble there, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get out. Brother, with only half of your primordial life, even you will be in mortal danger!”