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Behind the cliff, Ran Xing and Luo Yue were enjoying rare alone time, chatting about what they had seen and heard along the way. Suddenly, Luo Yue closed his eyes and began to draw something.
The moment Luo Yue closed his eyes, his consciousness had already passed through the forest valley, crossed the river, and climbed up the slope, finally discovering a warrior's vitality on the other side of the broken bridge.
"There are survivors!" Luo Yue exclaimed in surprise. His hand with the pen stopped just in time, leaving the first drawing on the page: a strong figure with long hair, wearing a robe made of hemp rope and a bamboo hat. Ran Xing widened his eyes, "Could it be... could it be..."
As soon as the words fell, Ran Xing's eyes seemed to turn into that rainy night. Luo Yue continued to draw. On the second page of the paper, it seemed that this man was walking here with someone, wearing the same hat as him, with a layer of veil in between.
"Is he still with a survivor?" Luo Yue wondered, looking at Ran Xing who seemed somewhat dazed, feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed.
In the room, Yu Long had already finished listening to all the information. It turned out that their investigation had not yet gone deep. The previous team had followed the detection of evil power to this place, breaking through the temporary guard of the evil spirit here. They were supposed to deeply investigate the traces of Long Shan, but ended up mistakenly entering the sinister laboratory on the cliff. The blood and bones made their hair stand on end. A tension that was hard to describe made everyone take a deep breath, and then the evil spirit surrounded them and began to pursue them. The team quickly used vitality to imprint on an overlapping piece, and then prepared to break through.
"What happened later?" Yu Long continued to ask, with a blank expression on his face. He continued to recall the scene that was enough to be remembered for a lifetime: "Those who were alive were bound by a formation, and then a device would be activated, inputting the evil thoughts of the evil spirit into those who were alive. The wailing and the vitality reaction would make this place, where even if we died inside, no one would notice, and no one would know..."
Those who are alive, injected with evil power, will trigger their own vitality's defense, consuming their vitality to resist until it is completely exhausted, leading to their demise. Unfortunately, what Yi Shan has witnessed are all failed experiments; he has not discovered a single successful case.
The team continued to break through but was met with a joint massacre by Six Hen. Soon, all members of the team were severely injured. They entrusted the task of delivering information to Yi Shan, who was the least injured, and resolutely turned back. Before them stood Six Hen, sent by Long Shan to eliminate them. Yi Shan quickly concealed his vitality and began a prolonged retreat until Yu Long's team arrived, rescuing him with the help of Ran Xing and Shao Meng.
In the cave behind the cliff, Long Shan held a teacup that was already empty, but the tea leaves still retained some warmth. The handle of the cup had embedded itself into Long Shan's hand, rhythmically shaking in sync with his movements like a pendulum, seemingly heralding the arrival of a certain moment.
At this moment, all information had been sent out. Long Shan opened his eyes but unconsciously released his grip, causing the cup to fall to the ground. San immediately stood before Long Shan.
"The probe should not have taken long," Long Shan inquired about the technique set by San. It was a technique called Soft Muscle Powder; once the target was injured by it, small insect-like entities would remain on the surface of the wound. These insects were invisible to the naked eye but could rapidly break down a martial artist's physical defenses, leading to purple pus forming at the wound. If any action was taken while it was festering, it would directly trigger the target's primordial spirit to dissipate and transform into a true evil spirit.
"There's no problem, my lord. Once this move is activated, any Wood Attribute healing will be useless. The only way to stop the transformation is to eliminate the original body; if you truly want to undo it, you must kill him," San said while holding a purple light sphere—this was Yi Shan's last primordial spirit. If he crushed it, Yi Shan would instantly transform into an evil spirit or perish on the spot.
Yi Shan had already begun to show a fierce expression in front of Yu Long but remained frozen in place. Unable to speak, Yu Long couldn't bear to lose a probe like this and attempted to directly break this transformation using Wood vitality. However, before anyone could act, the light from the Wood vitality shone into everyone's eyes, making it difficult for them to open them. A series of urgent thuds hitting the ground left everyone frozen in place: Yi Shan had used a counteracting technique against Soft Muscle Powder on himself, directly destroying his own life...
"Damn..." Yu Long clenched his fists, and after a moment of calming down, he turned his head and said calmly, "Luo Yue, did you discover anything from the earlier probe?"
Luo Yue took out her sketchbook and handed it to Yu Long. Yu Long lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes, but with a bit of effort, he softly said a name: "Shang Qing."
The three were taken aback. "Shang Qing? Is he also a hero from the Trial Grounds?" Ran Xing asked in confusion, staring intently at Teacher Yu Long, as if the story between Yu Long and Shang Qing was intricately connected to his own investigation.
In the past of the Azure Dragon
The term Azure Dragon is an abbreviation for the names of Shang Qing and Yu Long. The two had once begged in Peach Blossom Village. Growing up eating from various families, they were not well-regarded in the town and relied on tricks and petty thefts to exchange for some roasted food. However, each time, Shang Qing would always bring back more than Yu Long. Until one day, they learned that the Heroic Mark in their hands could help them become heroes in the legendary Trial Grounds. Although half in doubt, on an ordinary afternoon, they encountered their future teacher while on a mission.
"I told you, why do you always bring back so little? We agreed on thirteen copper coins; how come you only brought back eleven?" Little Shang Qing impatiently looked at the clumsy little Yu Long, taking a while to calm down.
"But I've searched through everyone on the street; this is all I could find," Shang Qing didn't press further but generously went to the bakery and added some meat to Yu Long's portion, spending three or four copper coins. Yu Long was already blaming himself for not gathering enough copper coins, but when the meat buns were placed before him, he was thrilled and devoured them completely.
The two briefly returned to silence. Little Shang Qing lay on the straw in the cart, using the copper coins he had gathered to buy a piece of good fabric for himself and Yu Long. During the day, they would lie on the fabric, and at night, they would use it to keep warm.
Little Shang Qing, having eaten and drunk to his fill, did not forget to boast a few words. At this moment, Little Shang Qing had delicate features and was already fifteen or sixteen years old, standing at six feet tall, making him stand out among his peers. Naturally, after chatting with the elders about the stories of Heroic Mark that day, he was determined to become the greatest hero.
"What do you think of my plan?" Shang Qing confidently expressed his views, believing that with his talent, the role of a hero was meant for him.
Beside him, Little Yu Long couldn't help but mock this companion: "With just you? Even if you have such talent, we still lack connections. Otherwise, we wouldn't be resorting to thievery to survive."
Little Shang Qing laughed heartily, "How do you know I don't have connections? Are you brave enough to bet with me?"
Little Yu Long recalled that when the two were out on the street looking for some money, a person of extraordinary presence had indeed appeared before them. Could it be... "Did you take someone else's purse?"
Little Shang Qing quickly covered Little Yu Long's mouth, "Why are you making such a face? Making so much noise, are you afraid he might come right now?" With that, Little Shang Qing tossed Little Yu Long into a pile of straw.
However, having done something wrong, they could not escape responsibility. Just after Little Shang Qing dealt with Little Yu Long, an elderly man carrying a little girl appeared before her. The man had a serious expression, kind eyes, and his hands were behind his back. He looked to be in his forties or fifties but was neither hunched nor frail; he appeared quite spirited.
Indeed, this man would later become their teacher: Shen Ju.
Little Shang Qing was taken aback as she heard the man say he had lost his wallet and had come here to inquire about it. Having witnessed what Little Shang Qing had just done, he said he could grant their wishes if they returned the wallet.
"In the world of rivers and lakes, truth and falsehood intertwine. How can I be sure you genuinely want to help me?" Little Shang Qing blocked Yu Long, who was about to return the purse, with one hand and stopped the girl who was about to act as well. She looked at Shen Ju without any fear.
Shen Ju laughed heartily and extended his left hand. The mark on his hand was identical to that of Little Shang Qing. From that moment on, the two became students of the Mountain Sea Hall under Shen Ju's guidance...
Listening to Teacher Yu Long's narration, a few people hastily placed the last relic of Yishan: a stack of imprints on a temporary stone slab, and continued on their way.
Farewell
As the group continued on, they arrived at a suspension bridge at the junction of the cliff and the woods. There were a total of eight iron cables and sixty-four wooden planks. The slopes on both sides of the suspension bridge were almost vertical, and the cliff was sheer from top to bottom, only showing a pitch-black abyss. Crows flew overhead, their mournful cries causing the three first-time mission participants to stand closely together.
Upon further investigation, Luo Yue sensed the presence of a person named Shang Qing near Teacher Yu Long. "Cross the bridge, but remember to be quick. Perhaps the answers we need are on the other side of the bridge!" Yu Long nodded, and at that moment, numerous doubts, puzzles, and even resentment stirred in their hearts. For the sake of that responsibility, or for whatever reason, Yu Long was determined to get to the bottom of it.
One by one, the group crossed the suspension bridge. On the other side, Shang Qing sneered. He had already tampered with the bridge, and as long as someone dared to walk to the center, it would trigger his mechanism: blowing up the bridge, leaving only Yu Long to enter this place. Perhaps the two brothers would have to have a private chat.
Seeing the group halfway across, Shang Qing had already set up vitality on the iron cable bridge, and with a loud bang, Yu Long and the students just two steps behind him were separated.
"Damn it," Yu Long gritted his teeth, but then heard something behind him tremble. It turned out that person had arrived.
The man was wearing an old hemp rope outfit, revealing the muscular lines of his body. His face showed some signs of age, but his proud gaze remained unchanged.
"Yu Long, long time no see."
The person took off the hat, revealing a face covered with silver hair on both sides. Not bad, after many years, we unexpectedly meet again here. But it can't be said that we are fellow disciples, but rather enemies about to fight.
Yu Long stood up, "I hope these three children are safe."
Shang Qing seemed to have no thoughts of the past. He just lowered his head, "I know what you want to ask me, Master, God pendant, and perhaps betrayal. But you don't have the right to ask me these questions today."
Yu Long sneered, "Even if you don't say it, what I have to do is to eliminate the rebellion for the Trial grounds."
Both of them were confident in their own abilities.
Shang Qing mysteriously formed the shape of Tai Chi with both hands, and the five-colored vitality burst out immediately, shining brightly. Yu Long suddenly felt uneasy: this was the boundary formation his teacher taught him in the first lesson. Could it be that Shang Qing had already mastered it to such an extent?
Soon, Yu Long felt the familiar pressure from the first lesson, surpassing the teacher's void environment. Even though he had concealed his vitality, he couldn't resist such devouring. A sense of powerlessness spread throughout his body, but he still managed to stand up after a slight adjustment.
"Today, you will accompany your teacher in death."
Without any nonsense, Ze Dui took the initiative to strike first. His hands moved like eagle claws, one in front and one behind, with his center of gravity lowered. His hands rotated slightly, resembling two azure dragons probing forward, instantly transforming into the Heaven and Earth Square Circle stance taught by the teacher.
He then lifted one foot, continuing to lower his body like a coiled dragon lying on the ground. In an instant, he summoned his vitality like a dragon emerging from the sea, his fist striking silently like a three-pronged spear. Yu Long immediately established a rooted stance with the momentum of mountains and seas, positioning his spear horizontally in front of Shang Qing's straight punch. The clash of vitality created shockwaves that nearly shattered the boulders atop the mountain as the two remained locked in a stalemate, beginning to grapple.
Yu Long channeled his energy into force, grounding himself as he firmly received Shang Qing's first attack. He smoothly transitioned into an offensive move, stepping forward like a dragon swimming through water. He quickly turned and leveraged Shang Qing's right arm, executing two swift turns to advance behind Shang Qing’s right side. One hand formed a knife-like shape while the other surged straight toward Shang Qing's face.
Shang Qing stepped back to create distance, raising his arm to block the straight punch. He quickly exerted force to push away the punch and immediately locked onto Yu Long's arm. Gathering vitality at his knee, he executed an Old Monkey Lifts Its Head move, raising Yu Long's chin with one hand while driving his knee forward, sending Yu Long flying into a stone pillar.
"Not bad, not bad. The teacher really didn't misjudge you back then; such talent! You've even learned forbidden techniques," Yu Long couldn't help but praise this once mischievous student before him, Shang Qing.
"As long as I can defeat you, I don't mind learning more."
Shang Qing also didn't give Yu Long time to react, and the Azure Dragon came attacking forcefully. Yu Long simply used Shang Qing's Hidden Dragon Subdues the Earth, seizing the opportunity to synchronize their jump with Shang Qing at the moment of takeoff. The two clashed in mid-air once again, with Shang Qing landing firmly on the Heaven and Earth Square Circle stance, while Yu Long barely managed to stop at the edge of the cliff using the Hidden Dragon Subdues the Earth.
At this time, beside the rushing black river, on a shallow bank only three feet wide, three people slowly regained consciousness. The oppressive feeling of having lost their vitality suddenly surged, even though they had already concealed their vitality, they still didn't understand why this had happened.
The valley in front of them was gloomy, and the black river flowed in the direction they were facing. As the trees shook in front of them, everyone clenched their fists and looked at the mysterious thicket...
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