The old man yawned,
"Donât be so wishy-washy. Heâs fallen so deeply, still confused on the path, unable to use Refining or practice. You guys are equally matched, fifty-fifty. Besides, youâve got so many buffs stacked. Whatâs there to procrastinate about? Give him a punch to wake him up."
Huangfu Yi hesitated for a moment.
The old man glared at him,
"Never hesitate! Youâve learned the Lightning Style, youâve mastered the Gang Fist! Rush in, stab him with a sword! Or give him a punch! A self-sacrificing blow, with all your might! How could you not even touch him once!
When thereâs a disparity in strength, you have to bet your life! Put life and death aside! And whatâs wrong with dying! Iâve left you so many escape routes! Whatâs there to fear! Just charge! Just fight! Risk it all!"
"Risk it all? Risk it all... Risk it all!"
Huangfu Yi gritted his teeth, stood up, and shouted to pump himself up!
"Risk it all! Risk it all!! Risk it all!!!"
Then he lunged forward, raising the Candlestick.
Then it was as if a flash of sword light appeared, the candlelight dimmed.
The old man looked over,
"Oh, youâre back, how was it this time?"
"Ughâ!! Ughâ!! Ughâ!!"
Huangfu Yi kneeled on the ground, spewing blood, his snot and tears mingling with the blood spraying from his mouth and nose, his entire body curling up like a shrimp, trembling, the Centipede Armor on his body seeming like decaying dust, cracking like broken leaves, scattering like powder-like dust.
"Hey kid, whatâs wrong with you..."
At this moment, the candlelight brightened again, only three fingers left on his hand, and the youthâs face illuminated, even the old man was stunned.
Defeated.
The youthâs face was split open, a distinct sword scar ran vertically down from the center of his brow, splitting the Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, breaking the Heart Core Elixir Baby, even shattering the newly formed sword embryo in half. If not for the chestâs Black Lotus Vine struggling desperately, stitching the cracked body together, he wouldâve likely split into two halves already.
"Kid... are you alright..."
Huangfu Yi experienced a moment where even his heartbeat stopped, only exhaling with no inhaling, until the Lotus Vine stitched him up, he could barely speak.
"His... his sword... was too fast..."
The smile on the old manâs face also disappeared, just looking solemnly at the unending blood flowing from the youthâs body, unable to cease the sword scar for a long time,
"Severing cause and effect, the Sword Intent is complete, how did progress become so fast...
Didnât expect that bastard was telling the truth, the entire Beichen Sword Transmissionâs upper limit is actually so high...
Itâs over, too far off, itâs over now..."
Huangfu Yi didnât have the energy to move anymore, just kneeled in front of the old man, gasping.
The old man looked at him, hesitated for a long time, finally just shook his head,
"...Forget it, ultimately your foundation is still lacking, no matter how you cheat, youâre still just a person.
Letâs go out and level up again, once youâre ready...
Or just live out your life peacefully, not too shabby. Donât force yourself..."
"What happened later..."
"What do you mean âlaterâ?"
Huangfu Yi kneeling on the ground, spitting blood,
"...You, you pulled me out from a pile of the dead... what happened later."
"Later..."
The old man was silent for a while, shrugged,
"Later we avenged the brothers. Broke through knife mountains, stormed through arrow rain, breached cities and captured sactuaries, killing all the way, chopping all the way, killing killing killing from south to north, chopping chopping chopping from west to east, rising to prominence through bouts of killing, to Enfeoffment and Ennoblement in battles.
Finally won, avenged the grudge too."
Huangfu Yi looked up, his eyes momentarily confused,
"Just that? Like... in those drama scripts?"
The old man nodded,
"Isnât that just following the script?"
Huangfu Yi looked at him,
"Did we save them in the end? The world?"
The old man was silent for a long while, in the end, just shook his head.
"The people in the heavens do not favor peaceful times."
Huangfu Yi lowered his head, clenching his fists, carving ten bloody lines into the ground, then grabbed the Candlestick.
With a flash of sword light, the candlelight went out again.
In the darkness, with a thud, the youthâs right arm fell to the ground.
The old man jumped up, snatching the Candlestick back.
"Youâre really seeking death!"
Luckily the candlelight shone again, within two fingersâ worth of dim light, the youth breathed heavily, stubbornly lifting his head with single hand propped in the pool of blood. Though his entire body washed in blood, the blood spurting from the sword scar drenched his face to the point of blurring beyond recognition, but his eyes, however, sharpened like a sword, holding a radiant clarity never seen before.
"No worries! I, Iâve learned it! Still, have two chances! Can definitely win!"
"Little Yi..."
Huangfu Yi interrupted him,
"Believe in me! Can win! His move was too fast, I didnât have the chance to use the flying sword earlier!
But Iâve watched that move three times, have learned it! Can do! Hold on! I can hold on!"
But the old man looked at him for a while, finally just shook his head,
"No need for you to hold on, I lied just now, just to provoke you.
But even if you canât actually do it, itâs okay, Iâve prepared other backup plans.
Listen, you should leave the mountain first and heal up until..."
"Youâre my mentor from the previous life, arenât you!"
Huangfu Yi shouted,
"In the Mystic Sect, nothing is more valued than the bond of mentor and apprentice! You said so!
I donât care about Xuantian Ruyi stuff!
I donât care whoâs down there either!
You gave me so many opportunities! Led me all the way here! Saved my life multiple times!
Just to give me a chance, to do what I want to do!
Youâre my mentor, arenât you!!"
The old man didnât speak.
Huangfu Yi kneeled before him, kowtowed with a thud onto the ground,
"Master! Let me go!
All my life... havenât achieved anything... havenât saved anyone...
Just watch everyone die with open eyes... I... I really...