The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The meandering canyon was like a centipede that leaned on the snow. In the frozen canyon, the long-lasting ice was reflecting glittering light.

On the left side of the cliff, there were two people standing. One of them was facing the sun while breathing the sunshine in and out. A faint flame could be seen every time he breathed.

He was a young man in his twenties who looked rather arrogant. He was wearing a leather cap on his head and a silver, tightly-fitting robe. The robe was glittering in the sunshine as though it was made of pieces of scales. A powerful aura that surrounded his whole body was integrating with the huge sun in the sky and the deep canyon in the ground.

Behind him was a lady in a bright-red dress. She was youthful, lively, and had elegant facial features.

“Senior brother, are you alright?” the lady in the red dress asked with concern.

The young man had rather small eyes, so he looked as though he was squinting his eyes all the time. His facial features were not outstanding. However, under the powerful aura and strong self-confidence, he was charming and attractive in an indescribable way.

The man smiled and said, “It was just a small injury, and it’s healed by the sunlight. There are indeed a lot of powerful people from the South. They didn’t let me down.”

The lady in the red dress pouted her lips slightly. “You’ve dragged me along to the South without telling me anything. What do you want to do?”

Her senior brother, Chen Zhao, was a genius who was famous in the Arctic because he had entered the guru domain before he was thirty years old. The art he was practicing was considered as unsuitable for the cold environment and therefore being abandoned by the patriarchs of the last few generations. However, by using the art, he had challenged all the gurus – except for a few old-age seniors – and never lost a battle since he became a guru five years ago. Everyone in the sect, including himself, was proud of his great achievement. The only imperfection he had was that he often behaved in a carefree and spontaneous way. He basically acted on impulse. This habit had been worrying the people around him since he always went deep into the Arctic core without informing the master beforehand.

The same thing happened this time around. As soon as the lady in the red dress completed the Isolated Practice and successfully stabilized her Exterior Realm, she was dragged along by her senior brother to rush to the South. Some time ago, they happened to meet a few escaping gurus. Both of them had almost fell into an encirclement of the gurus. Fortunately, it seemed that the gurus did not want to stay at the same place for a long time and were reluctant to make a big noise. Hence, they had left in a hurry after a short fight.

While squinting his eyes, Chen Zhao gently breathed in the cool air and said casually, “Can’t you get it yet? I’m taking you to the South to search for opportunities to challenge the powerful people. It’s a good way to train yourself.”

“Travelling to the South to challenge the powerful people?” the lady in the red dress lifted her fine eyebrows as she was startled. “Senior brother, are you sure th-this is a good idea?”

Ever since the turbulent period in the Middle Ages caused by the Devil Buddha, the sects and families in the Arctic had seldom travelled to the South. They did not even have time to explore the mysterious Arctic core yet, why would they bother with the outside world?

Anyway, there were some exceptions. However, among those who explored the South, some of them died in the journey, some had tragic experiences and therefore decided to head back – none of them had a good ending. From generation to generation, the words had passed down. The demonization of the South had caused the younger generation to be fearful of it. For their entire lives, they dared not go to the South. As time went by, even after they had high achievements in martial arts and were being called powerful people, they had become less daring and adventurous. They would rather explore the Arctic core and take on the responsibility as a leader in the sects, instead of getting involved in the matters of the outside world.

Chen Zhao said with a sneer, “Why is it not a good idea? What’s so good about being a conservative standpatter like an old man? In the Arctic, the arts are so limited – the Frosty Sword, the Finger of Ice Spirit, the Metamagnetic Palm, and the Blade of the Frozen Spirit. The sects may have different ways to name them and different tools to present the arts, but aren’t they essentially the same thing?”

Chen Zhao closed his eyes. While bathing his face in the golden sunshine, he spoke in a dreamy tone, “The world is so big: there are stars and rivers, the sun and the moon; there are vast blue skies and big trees; there are wide seas and oceans, lightning and thunder, and the roar of strong winds; there are evil demons and evil spirits; there is a beginning and an end. The world isn’t just about ice and metamagnetism, it’s also about martial arts. Since martial arts should be presenting a variety of phenomena and principles, we are supposed to use our bodies to project the phenomenon around the world that is beautiful in its own way. Every phenomenon has its distinct characteristics and strengths.”

“The world is vast and magnificent, just as the martial arts are abstruse and diverse. The outside world awaits our exploration. Just thinking about it sends my blood pulsing through my veins rapidly.”

Liu Zejun, his junior sister and fiancée, was fascinated by his words. As a person who managed to enter the Exterior Realm at the age of twenty-seven, she was indeed a talented and determined martial artist. Similar to Chen Zhao, she too had a strong confidence in martial arts.

Nevertheless, Liu Zejun was still feeling worried about Chen Zhao. “It is said that martial arts has been flourishing in the South and the talented people have never stopped emerging. However, we – the Arctic – have nothing to compare with the South. In the past, our seniors had travelled to the South but they often suffered serious setbacks. Most of them are losing confidence in martial arts, thereby leaving irreparable damage in their states of mind…”

The sects and families in the Arctic had more or less dealt with the people of the Exterior Realm who came to the Arctic in search of treasured plants, so they did get some information about the South. However, due to limited knowledge, the Arctic people had been exaggerating the difficulties of going to the South. Given that a lot of seniors who tried to travel down to the South had never had good experiences, the rest of the Arctic people had inevitably chosen to protect themselves by staying comfortably where they were.

Chen Zhao could not help but to laugh. He turned around and looked at his junior sister, “Don’t you have confidence in me?”

“I’m already a guru before turning thirty years old. This is indeed an extraordinary record even in the ancient books of the Middle Ages. On top of that, the art we are practicing is an authentic and complete inheritance from a Dharmakaya. The quality of it is nothing different from the arts at the South. In this case, even if I encounter a guru from the South, why would there be a huge gap between us?”

“Except for those old-age seniors, the rest of the gurus are merely relying on their strengths that are more profound and skilled, and their realms that are slightly higher than me in order to tie with me in the battle. Being in a world so big, why can’t I go anywhere I want?”

Chen Zhao spoke confidently in high spirits. The eyes of Liu Zejun were gleaming with admiration because his confidence had always been the most charming attribute.

“I suspect that the seniors who had failed so badly in the past had never seen any other arts because all the while they had been staying at the Arctic. However, those who were strong in the South might also be good at arts related to ice and metamagnetism, hence they were familiar with the Arctic people’s arts. It might be the case that our seniors had suffered great losses after the first encounter with the Southern people, thereby losing confidence and the spirit to win. After repeated losses in battles, they ended up returning to the Arctic in a fluster.” Chen Zhao took a deep breath and said, “But I’m ready for it. The previous battle is clear proof.”

Liu Zejun’s attitude toward going to the South had changed, thus she said with a bright smile, “Although there are many talented people in the South, I believe few of them can surpass you. Even if you can’t defeat all the people of your generation and the same realm, there will not be a big difference between you and the outstanding ones.”

Chen Zhao nodded slightly and sighed,

“I hope the people from Southern Jianghu won’t be disappointed. I’m looking forward to it.”

The great vigor and self-confidence accumulated from successive victories had made his Vital Essence and Will integrated. His aura gave people a feeling of looking up at a peak.

Liu Zejun was a young lady with a lively temperament. After setting aside her worries, she had also yearned for the journey of travelling down to the South. She then said casually, “After you step into the peak, let’s go back to the Arctic first and go into the Palace of Frost. Let’s see whether we will come across with some happy encounters.”

Chen Zhao was just about to reply to her when he suddenly sensed something in his heart. Looking back to the southeast direction of the canyon, he saw a handsome man in black coming with a blade on his back. Surprisingly, both of them had a somewhat similar aura. He could tell that the strong confidence of the man was developed after defeating a lot of powerful enemies. It was a kind of confidence that could suppress the enemy’s aura and soul.

“What a good opponent!” Chen Zhao was overjoyed and took a step forward. As they looked into each other’s eyes, the Qi Ji between them collided instantly. A spark was suddenly ignited in the middle and it was clearly visible in the snow.

Before Meng Qi revealed himself, he had been hiding his aura. After discovering that they were not the Golden Tent Warriors and Shamans from the Longevity Sect, he came up and asked, “Hi there my friend, have you ever seen these gurus?”

The frosty mist gathered in mid-air and condensed into pictures of Hasula and his subordinates.

Chen Zhao laughed. “I’ve just fought with them not long ago. If you want to know their whereabouts, let’s have a duel. Let me see what you deserve.”

“That’s my wish too, although I didn’t say it out.” Finding that the opponent was also a guru who had the same kind of confidence that was developed through battle experiences, Meng Qi was eager for a fight. His right hand moved backward to grasp at the blade handle. Although his movement was seemingly slow, the aura was already covering the surrounding area. As Yin and Yang were circulating, it was hard to know which of his movements were true, and which were just an illusion. The movement seemed to be changing spontaneously until he finally grasped the handle.

Chen Zhao’s eyes lit up, and the pressure around him rose sharply. “Nice one!”

He was serious in dealing with the great opponent. Behind him, a fireball that kept gathering and erupting flames had appeared. It was as though a big sun had arrived. At the same time, the acupuncture points all over his body were opened. Every point seemed to have contained a concentrated sun that was constantly releasing terrifying energy. The surface of his body was covered with a thin layer of red flame.

In the eyes of Meng Qi, it was as though Chen Zhao had ignited a nuclear reactor in every acupuncture point. Every action he took was accompanied by horrifying power and scorching heat.

He is a martial artist who is good at strength… thought Meng Qi immediately. That’s good, I happen to be good at strength, too!

Meng Qi pulled out the blade, Heaven’s Pain, and appeared in front of Chen Zhao in an instant.

Chen Zhao was holding an ordinary-looking long stick in his hand. He gathered the energy of all the acupuncture points to his hands and struck downward fiercely.

Bang!

As the blade and stick crashed into each other, an explosion occurred on the spot. The explosion had broken the long-lasting ice, collapsed part of the cliff and caused a mushroom cloud to soar into the air.

Although Meng Qi was surrounded by flame and hit by the shockwave face-to-face, he was safe and sound. Once again, he slashed forward with the blade.

Due to the close distance and the high speed of attack, Chen Zhao could not get away at all. He could only block the attack with his stick while stepping backward.

Bang bang bang!

As Meng Qi marched forward, the blade and stick never stopped colliding with each other. Following Chen Zhao’s retreat, the explosions formed a series of fiery mushroom clouds.

Boom, boom, boom! The cliff collapsed part by part, the snow melted and the airflow was in a mess.

The attacks had been extremely fast. Both of them seemed to be relying on their strengths completely. Chen Zhao became more and more frightened as the battle progressed. He wondered, “Where does this monster come from? His attacks have even made my hands tremble as they are so hard to be blocked. Such an incredible physical strength.”

Moreover, Meng Qi had been spontaneously adding various mysterious moves in his bladesmanship. Feeling overwhelmed, Cheng Zhao could only try his best to block every attack.

To make things even worse, Meng Qi was not hurt by the shockwaves and flame caused by the explosions at all. As opposed to him, Chen Zhao had been greatly affected, thereby causing his aura to be weakened gradually. If this situation continued, it would not take long for him to lose the battle!

What a beast! Meng Qi was the first opponent ever that made Chen Zhao felt this way since he finished his apprenticeship. Clenching his teeth, he had decided to use the greatest skill of all in order to reverse the battle situation and change his position from defending to attacking.

Surrounded by a strong aura, Meng Qi fiercely moved forward without bothering with the collision of the weapons at all. For the physically-strong martial artists, this was the most advantageous way of fighting.

The fireball behind Chen Zhao started to emit high temperature to form a forging area, but Meng Qi did not give any attention to it. Instead, he turned his body into pale gold that made him look like a Buddha. Shortly after that, the fireball flew forward, drilled into Chen Zhao’s body, and gathered the energy of all his acupuncture points together.

“Open!” Chen Zhao made an all-out effort to wield the copper stick. The attack seemed to be able to tear the sky.

The body of Meng Qi was bloated, and everything around him went back to emptiness. He slashed downward with the long blade.

Boom! The vibrant colors of the sky and the ground had faded, leaving only black and white. A body was flying backward with the purlicue bleeding – it was Chen Zhao.

Meng Qi was just about to ask him questions when he saw a meteor shooting up in the distance.

It was a call for help!

Chen Zhao, feeling frustrated, kept his body steady and said aloud, “What’s your name? I’m from the Arctic…”

Before he finished what he said, he saw the man in black disappear in front of him and flew toward the northeast using the Air-Conveyance Technique.

“I’m Chen Zhao from the Arctic…” Chen Zhao murmured to himself with a blank look. Then, his expression became somewhat painful, but also a bit fanatical.

“I’ll follow him!”