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墨書 Inktalez
In the dark cave, the morning dew fell lightly on Ran Xing's head. It felt as if a long time had passed, yet Ran Xing still had no clear thoughts in his mind. He struggled to climb up the stable stones, relying on his instincts.
Above him, Xia Dengshan leisurely enjoyed the buns that Ran Xing had prepared, reminding the young man below not to rush too much in his ascent.
Ran Xing couldn't help but curse himself for having the kindness to assist this deceitful trickster of the martial world. Standing still, he pointed at the mocking Xia Dengshan above and retorted, "Old man, don't just laugh! Wait until I get up there; I'll show you what anger feels like!"
The seasoned trickster had no interest in listening to such empty threats. He called for something and placed a stone at the cave's entrance, blocking off the last bit of light. Before sealing it completely, he couldn't resist teasing Ran Xing one last time: "I'm not some old man! Didn't your teacher teach you to treat others with respect? I thought you might be starving down there and ruin your appearance. It seems I have no choice but to do this." With that, he took a bun meant for Ran Xing and stuffed it into his mouth with a hearty laugh.
The stone covered the final gap, and Ran Xing continued to curse that damned old trickster until he finally ran out of energy and sat down heavily on the ground.
"Ran Xing, look! It seems there's some writing on the wall next door," suddenly spoke a stone statue, catching Ran Xing's attention as he gasped for breath on the ground. However, the writing appeared to be obscured by something, making it hard to see.
This didn't stump Ran Xing. He extended his marked hand, allowing his Vitality to flow with his breath, gradually taking on the shape of a showerhead. In an instant, he cleared away the debris blocking the text.
It seemed to be a crude poem left by an unknown person: "When the meridians flow smoothly, the heart's gate opens; when matters pass through the heart, one knows their rise and fall; in every rise and fall, one can control their release."
Ran Xing was filled with rage; having fallen into such a predicament himself, he found it infuriating that a previous survivor would use such a crude poem to convey how to escape. The awkward phrases reminded him of what he'd only heard from certain teachers in the bun shop—understanding them was truly challenging.
"It seems you've encountered a problem, kid," murmured the stone statue beside him. Ran Xing focused intently; although these lines were difficult to comprehend, he was determined.
"I really don't understand why they would write such a poem here. Why not just write down the method directly?" Ran Xing angrily criticized the previous survivor for their inexplicable enthusiasm in crafting this poem.
But as he reached the last line of verse, Ran Xing reluctantly began trying to decipher its meaning while sitting on the ground.
"Would you like me to share some insights? I believe I've read some books that might help you," said the stone statue. This immediately caught Ran Xing's attention; it seemed Teacher Nian Yueye knew something.
"Please enlighten me!" Ran Xing responded eagerly.
"The first line is about regulating your breath and feeling the flow of your Vitality. Since it's something that flows, there will be highs and lows. The heart pumps blood throughout your body; in every rise and fall lies control over this blood flow. Between each heartbeat, your heart takes a brief rest—this is when you need to smooth out your meridians."
Listening to Teacher Nian Yueye's lengthy explanation was still somewhat taxing for Ran Xing's mind; however, there were parts he could grasp which helped ease his anger slightly.
He immediately sat on the ground and began following Teacher Nian Yueye's guidance.
Closing his eyes, Ran Xing's breathing gradually found a rhythm. He vaguely sensed his Vitality flowing through his meridians. As background noise diminished, he could hear his heartbeat distinctly amplified in his ears.
However, things wouldn't go smoothly. Just as Ran Xing began attempting to exhale and release his Vitality, an unexpected incident occurred: at that moment of opening his mouth, water transformed from his Vitality burst forth uncontrollably and pushed him against the stone wall behind him. Startled, he realized he had exerted too much force.
Ran Xing quickly tried to adjust his breathing; reducing water pressure slightly allowed him to use the wall behind him to reposition himself so that this Vitality could be released downward—using water pressure to lift himself higher! This way, he could try reaching for the stone sealing off the exit.
Though it was a good idea in theory, reality proved otherwise—the water pressure fluctuated with Ran Xing's hurried breaths. His body bobbed up and down under this Vitality's push but never quite reached the edge of the stone; sometimes he crashed hard against it or fell back down heavily onto the ground. At other times, his Vitality barely managed to catch him before he hit hard enough to injure himself.
As he rubbed his sore thigh from where he'd fallen hardest, he suddenly heard stones being moved again—there was that trickster's face once more!
"Kid! You're making too much noise! Who makes music out of a cave at this hour?" Xia Dengshan exclaimed angrily. It turned out that Ran Xing's reckless antics from last night had caused quite a commotion that kept Teacher Nian Yueye awake all night—he must have eaten too much!
In front of Ran Xing, Xia Dengshan swallowed what should have been his breakfast and added sternly that there was no point in wasting effort because he'd seen all of Ran Xing's little movements clearly. If he managed to escape using just his Vitality right away, it would tarnish Xia Dengshan’s reputation in the martial world!
"Old man, don't get too proud just yet. You might be able to invite me down, but I can just as easily pull you down from up here. Just wait and see the show unfold," Ran Xing retorted.
Hearing Ran Xing's response, Xia Dengshan laughed heartily. "I was wandering the martial world at fourteen, and no one dared to speak to me like that. Kid, the martial world isn't about tough talk. By the time you show some real skills, it might be too late! You should really think about your options. Given the current situation, even if you manage to come up here, my friends will just send you back down."
Xia Dengshan showed no fear of Ran Xing's words, covering the stone and continuing to eat his buns.
"Damn it!" Ran Xing clenched his fists, glaring fiercely at the guy above who was still mocking him while patting his backside. It was infuriating yet helpless. After being provoked like this, he exhaled a large amount of Vitality, pinning himself against the stone wall and pushing back several steps.
Wait! Ran Xing raised his head. This person was clearly trying to provoke his emotions, distracting him with all that bravado so he couldn't focus on thinking clearly. Each time Xia Dengshan spoke sweetly, it threw him off balance and made him miss opportunities!
"Seriously," Ran Xing returned to the workbench nearby. Seeing the items on the table and the instructions sparked an idea in his mind. He released Vitality, causing a small object on the table to rise higher and higher. As it ascended, Ran Xing slowly closed his eyes, attempting to regain his previous state.
Gradually, Ran Xing felt his heart rate slowing down, becoming more aware of its rhythm. With each heartbeat, Vitality pushed that little object closer to the stone.
"Well done, kid. I didn't expect you had some skills after all!" Nian Yueye praised the boy for his quick thinking and began conducting experiments using the surrounding materials.
Thus, training on the first and second days ended with Ran Xing almost achieving a breakthrough but still lacking that final moment of clarity!
Meanwhile, after being missing for several days, Lan An found himself alone in a canyon. He should have been training but encountered possessed civilians on his way back and intervened to help them. From those he rescued, he learned they had been released from a prison on Wangliang Mountain. A few days prior, they were suddenly freed, but when they regained consciousness, it was already after Lan An used the Five Elements Exorcism Technique to bring them back to their senses.
After understanding this situation, Lan An prepared to return to the Trial Ground, but he hadn't taken two steps before encountering an unexpected event.
At that moment, Ziyuan was rushing towards the leader's Pavilion to report an urgent incident: there had been widespread activity of Evil Thought near Peach Blossom Mountain in the northwest direction of the Trial Ground!
All of this was part of a scheme by Shan Qing and Long Shan to lure their prey into a trap.
It turned out that several days prior, after parting ways with Gui Mei, Long Shan had brought prepared materials and teamed up with Shan Qing at Peach Blossom Mountain. They sent numerous Evil Spirits to possess trapped civilians from Wangliang Mountain, creating chaos in order to attract their targets.
"Leader, there's trouble!" Ziyuan panted as he rushed in with information. At that moment, You Long and Meng Jiang were seated beside Qianwen, both shocked by how tense Ziyuan appeared.
"What happened? Sit down and explain slowly," Qianwen said calmly as he finished his tea and signaled for more for You Long.
"Lan An... has been found..." Upon hearing "Lan An", Meng Jiang immediately leaned in to ask more questions but was held back by Qianwen's arm.
Clearly, Ziyuan hadn't finished relaying all the details.
"Peach Blossom Mountain... there's also a large amount of Evil Thought activity; Lan An is nearby. I think we should send someone to find him immediately," said Ziyuan. The three pairs of eyes fixed on Qianwen, who had closed his eyes and mouth tightly, waiting for his command.
"Understood," replied Qianwen, his tone calm and concise. "This matter will be handled by Meng Jiang. Act decisively; we can't afford any mishaps."
That last remark energized Meng Jiang, who quickly went off to gather his students for departure.
At this moment, there were still five days until the upcoming convention.
At Peach Blossom Mountain, suddenly a tall figure loomed before Lan An, unfamiliar yet intimidating as it approached him slowly.
"I didn't expect this new generation of heroes would have some skills," came a dark yet crisp voice.
"Who are you?" demanded Lan An, instantly alert.
Finally revealing himself, Long Shan looked at his prey like a wolf eyeing its target.
With a simple gesture of opening his arms wide, before Lan An could react, he found himself bound against a stone pillar and knocked unconscious by a punch from Long Shan.
When Lan An woke up again, he found himself face to face with Long Shan, who had been waiting for a long time, revealing a toothy smile hidden behind long hair.
"Not many can withstand my blow, but you are one of them, Lan An!"
Long Shan's words immediately made Lan An realize that he had been anticipated for quite some time.
"Please, just make it quick and teach me how to die," Lan An said, not wanting to say much more.
"No, no, no! When did I say I wanted to kill you? I just... want to see what someone with your unique identity has inside! How about it? What troubles you? Today, they can all be cured!"
Long Shan's bizarre remarks filled Lan An with a sense of foreboding.
As Long Shan took out his invention and brought it close to Lan An's left hand, Lan An's eyes widened in horror as he screamed and tried to break free from his restraints.
Soon, Long Shan had a preliminary understanding of the child's background and stopped wasting words. He extended his hand surrounded by Evil Thought like a knife and plunged it directly into Lan An's heart!
A scream echoed through the surrounding canyon.
"Teacher Meng Jiang, Lan An is in that direction!"
Yumeng shouted in alarm, pointing ahead, and Meng Jiang immediately ordered them to accelerate their search.
After the scream, there was no blood flowing from beneath Lan An's feet, but Long Shan had already vanished. A flash of purple light flickered in Lan An's eyes as he revealed a meaningful smile.
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