Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 363: Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night

Night had fallen.

Xue Canghai went to deal with the Maitreya envoy, while Zhao Changhe chose not to stay in the Blood God Cult’s secret chamber. Instead, he stayed in a large courtyard within the mountain stronghold, gazing at the moon.

He found himself unable to sleep.

With his current level of cultivation, he hardly needed sleep anymore. Meditation could completely replace his need for sleep, and it even provided him with better results.

As he gazed at the moon, his mind was restless, his thoughts chaotic.

His mind drifted to Yue Hongling, and he began to understand why Yue Hongling and Chi Li were reluctant to be placed at the bottom of the Ranking Man. At the moment, he felt the same way—he was already guaranteed a ranking on the Ranking of Man, so why settle for one at the bottom?

The only question now was how high he could aim for. A low rank was meaningless, yet if he aimed too high, he might just fall short.

As he thought about this, he chuckled to himself.

What am I thinking? Is this even worth fretting over?

In the end, I’m just an ordinary person. I still crave the vanity of being on the ranking.

Once, those on the Ranking of Man seemed so far above... Well, at least those who unlocked the Profound Mysteries. Those who didn’t were never really impressive.

But now that I’ve reached this level, it doesn’t really seem all that remarkable. This is just the beginning. The more I’ve seen, the more I’ve come to understand how much further there is to go.

Hah, even just figuring out the next steps for the second layer of the Profound Mysteries is daunting.

Cui Wenjing had once told him that the ninth layer of the Profound Gate was the peak of human martial arts in this world. He said that everything beyond the Profound Gate was about cultivating other things, building upon one’s accumulation.

The Profound Mysteries no longer had clear indicators for each layer as the Profound Gate did. Now, having reached the first Profound Mystery, how much accumulation did he need to reach the threshold of the second? There were no clear guidelines. As a result, it made it seem as if there was an endless path ahead of him.

The Blood Asura Body was relatively straightforward. It would likely require finding certain suitable natural treasures of heaven and earth to further enhance and transform it. This would be difficult for others, but Zhao Changhe had the Heavenly Tome, so it was comparatively easier for him.

The internal cultivation aspect was even more confusing than the external cultivation aspect. After converting acquired into innate, which acupoint breakthrough counted as a layer? How many meridians needed to be cleared to count as having unlocked a layer? Or was it a matter of reaching a certain level of accumulation?

Supposedly, all these were relevant, with different schools having different criteria, making it impossible to quantify.

Xia Longyuan had never personally guided him on how to cultivate the Six Harmonies Art, leaving him to figure it out on his own. Did this mean he could follow any path, like the Four Idols Cult’s method of connecting all acupoints under the starry sky?

But then he thought... perhaps it did not matter. This unquantifiable state actually brought martial arts back to their roots, where there were no concrete levels, and it was all just about seeing who had deeper accumulation, better techniques, and a more seamless integration with nature.

Thinking this way, Zhao Changhe felt a bit more at ease. Without a clear threshold, he decided to pursue all paths to the best of his abilities. He would clear all of his meridians, break through all of his acupoints, and accumulate true qi to his utmost limit. As long as he kept advancing, he would eventually touch the threshold of the second layer. By then, he could look for many experts to guide him through key points, offering him treatment no less than that given to the direct disciples and scions of prestigious forces.

Zhao Changhe took a long breath and drew Dragon Bird, and he began practicing under the moonlight.

The gentle spring rain could not deter his desire as a martial artist to train and improve himself.

Apart from the days when he was entangled by emotional and romantic affairs, he practiced the saber every day, even while traveling.

Now that he had reached the first layer of the Profound Mysteries, he needed to practice to consolidate and refine his skills even more.

Swish!

His saber cut through the air with a sharp swish.

In the darkness, his vicious qi lay hidden, echoing with ghostly cries and howls.

Nearby, the members of the cult in the mountain stronghold simultaneously turned their heads toward his residence, and Instructor Sun sighed softly.

It seemed that he was the one who had to kneel to Zhao Changhe now. Yet despite the change in status, Zhao Changhe remained as diligent as he did in the past.

Meanwhile, Cult Leader Xue had just returned from the secret chamber after negotiating countless details with the Maitreya envoy, who left satisfied with his perceived success. Seeing the saber light flashing from the mountaintop, he stood there in a daze.

Everyone thought Zhao Changhe’s progress was fast, and though that was indeed the case, he also put in tremendous effort. He had managed to become who he was due to a combination of talent and diligence. Xue Canghai himself trained intermittently, only becoming more diligent this past year for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, he could not exact his revenge anymore. Yue Hongling was Zhao Changhe’s wife, or at least his lover, and he might even have to salute her the next time they met.

Damn it.

The Blood God Cult’s rules did not prohibit marriage. In theory, vigorous men should have the highest needs. Fang Buping had enjoyed his own maidservants in Beimang, but truly dedicated individuals such as Cult Leader Xue and Instructor Sun abstained from women.

This was not like how the experts on the Ranking of Heaven abstained from emotions. Instead, it was largely because the Blood God Cult’s practice relied on the cultivation of blood and qi, thus it felt detrimental to so casually deplete it. Maintaining their vital yang was beneficial. Xue Canghai believed that Zhao Changhe’s cultivation would have been even purer if he had remained celibate. This was not a matter of understanding the Blood God’s teachings but a principle in martial arts.

Xue Canghai was slightly worried that Zhao Changhe might disrupt the sanctity of the cult with no one to control him. Then he realized that it was not the Blood God Cult’s problem. They did not have any female followers or members. It was the Four Idols Cult that truly needed to be concerned.

Thinking of this, Xue Canghai suddenly felt happy again and hummed a tune as he returned to his residence.

A confidant whispered, “Cult Leader, do we truly recognize him as the saint?”

“Why not? If he isn’t the saint, then he might as well be the reincarnation of the Blood God.”

The confidant sighed, “But if he changes our doctrines, we will face significant constraints.”

“Are we not already constrained? When the Four Idols Cult visits, you have to kneel. At the very least, he won’t make you kneel.”

“...”

Xue Canghai said calmly, “All that matters is true power. If his interpretation of the Blood God’s will is true and can truly help us pursue the Blood God’s power, then that is what’s most important. There is no point in following teachings that let us do as we please without the power to back it up. That is mere self-deception.”

The confidant asked, “What if he interferes with the power structure rather than just the teachings? Given the fervor people have toward him, I imagine it would not be difficult for him to take over.”

Xue Canghai laughed. “Do you think Zhao Changhe, famous throughout the land, the First Hidden Dragon, someone who broke through to the Profound Mysteries in just a year, would cover the little power within the Blood God Cult? Do you think someone like him has the same petty ambitions as you?”

The confidant broke into a cold sweat, realizing that he had never seen this side of the cult leader before. If you asked around, everyone would say that Xue Canghai was a cunning and ruthless leader, and nobody really thought him to be someone with a broad perspective.

Xue Canghai calmly said, “Since you were speaking for my benefit, I won’t punish you this time. But your narrow view disappoints me. Reflect on this for three days.”

The confidant bowed his head in submission. “Yes.”

Xue Canghai glanced once more at the flashes of saber light and the vicious blood qi emanating from Zhao Changhe’s courtyard. He suddenly felt an itch to fight.

Now that he’s reached the Profound Mysteries, how about we have another match tomorrow?

As he thought this, the saber light stopped, and Zhao Changhe excitedly flew over. “Cult Leader Xue, Cult Leader Xue!”

Xue Canghai was taken aback, “What is it, Saint?”

“Let’s have a match!”

Xue Canghai looked up at the pitch-black night sky, his head breaking into a cold sweat.

I thought I was a martial arts fanatic with how I was planning to challenge you tomorrow. But you want to fight right now in the middle of the night? Well, screw it. Might as well.

“Alright.” He drew his Blood God Saber and smiled. “Saint, your saber art is not refined enough. Now that I’ve broken through to the Profound Mysteries, I have more techniques at my disposal. You might lose badly this time.”

“It’s not like we’re having a fight to the death. We’re just sparring. Come on, show me what you can do now that you’ve broken through.”

The clash of their sabers startled countless cult members, who rushed over to watch.

Who had won previously? Zhao Changhe seemed to have been at a disadvantage, but then he turned the tide, putting Xue Canghai on the defensive. Xue Canghai then used that momentum to break through, ending the fight. If they had continued, Zhao Changhe might have lost after the breakthrough, but before that, it was a draw.

What about this time?

Clang!

Their sabers clashed once more.

The nearby cult members suddenly felt their blood boiling, and they felt as if their veins were about to burst, leaving them in shock.

The difference was too stark! When they were spectating the previous duel, it had not felt like this at all.

They were experiencing such effects despite only spectating. Their minds could not help but wonder and think about what would happen if they faced such a saber head-on? Would they not be dead for certain?

The two combatants seemed to be unaffected by each other’s aura. Xue Canghai swept his saber horizontally, while Zhao Changhe countered with a downward slash.

Both had smiles on their faces.

With a mind as calm as water, Zhao Changhe could see that with each frontal slash, Xue Canghai’s saber somehow emitted extremely fine strands of saber qi behind and beside him, encircling him.

“Bloodied Mountains and Rivers.”

If unnoticed, one might think that the attack was only from the front, and they would end up getting dismembered by the hidden saber qi.

“I knew you would use this technique.”

Swish!

With a swift movement, endless blood-red light scattered in all directions, dissipating the ambush of the saber qi. At the same time, Xue Canghai realized that he had misjudged the path of Zhao Changhe’s saber, which he had clearly grasped earlier in the day.

Dragon Bird was moving faster than he expected, exceeding his predictions by a fraction.

Clang!

Xue Canghai hastily blocked the attack, but with such a hasty block, he failed to hold his ground and was forced to retreat.

Zhao Changhe pressed on relentlessly with another swift strike.

The strange thing was that his saber was genuinely moving faster than expected. It was not some kind of visual deception, it was truly just faster.

Xue Canghai’s misjudgment caused him to lose the upper hand, and he struggled to parry the relentless assault. He could not fathom what was happening and could only wonder if Zhao Changhe had suddenly gained some extraordinary boost.

Clang!

Dragon Bird broke through Xue Canghai’s defense and pressed against his throat.

Xue Canghai stood still, bewildered.

Zhao Changhe suddenly looked up at the sky. “Hey... The Tome of Troubled Times better not announce this.”

All of the cult members were stunned.

The two were quite evenly matched earlier in the day, yet now Xue Canghai was defeated in just a few moves?

Xue Canghai, perplexed, asked, “Why is your saber so fast? It shouldn’t be.”

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and laughed, “Before seeking a breakthrough in vicious blood qi, I comprehended many other techniques. Does this strike seem like it slips along the night wind?”

Xue Canghai was taken aback. “Not only can you harness the surrounding blood qi, but you can do the same with the wind and rain?”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “Should I give this move a name?”

“...What will you call it?”

“Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night.”[1]

1. This is a reference to a poem by Southern Song Dynasty historian and poet Lu You (陆游), which is also referenced in Gu Long’s Full Moon Scimitar (圆月弯刀) ☜