Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: On Giant Wolf Mountain

In that instant, another gale swept across the square, whipping the robe on my body until it snapped and fluttered violently.

The disciples strolling about the square saw that I was casting a spell and gathered around to watch. Some of the girls even wore smitten expressions.

The next moment, the wind abruptly died. Spiritual energy surged from my fingertips, nearly two-thirds of the energy within me pouring out all at once, gradually turning into blue lightning.

At first there was only one bolt, and before long a second appeared, then a third, then a fourth.

By the time all five bolts had fully formed, with no target to strike, they seemed to be waiting for my command.

I pointed up at the sky, and the five bolts of lightning shot upward from below, soaring into the heavens.

After flying for a distance, they suddenly converged into a single massive bolt and crashed down in midair.

At that moment, thunderous applause erupted nearby. I came to my senses and looked around.

By then, a large crowd had gathered around me, everyone gazing at me as though I were some kind of idol.

After cupping my hands in salute to everyone, I quickly left with Luan Teng.

“Whoa, Brother Yao, that was... way too fierce,” Luan Teng said to me with utmost respect. After all, he still had to wait for me to teach him the finger technique.

But though others could not tell, I knew very well that more than half my spiritual energy was gone, and even my legs had gone weak.

Amid everyone’s praise, I returned to the dormitory. The moment I stepped inside, my legs gave out and I collapsed onto the sofa. It felt just like low blood sugar had hit me, leaving me weak all over.

After resting for a moment, I sat down on the floor and began to cultivate my spiritual energy.

With Tan Zilu’s assistance, recovering spiritual energy was extremely fast. In less than an hour, I had returned to peak condition.

By then, the spiritual energy in my body had long since reached saturation, yet I still could not break through. As the elders said, all that remained was some kind of chance.

Seeing that the breakthrough refused to come, I stopped cultivating and began practicing saber techniques instead.

I had only practiced one chapter of saber arts before. I had barely touched the rest, but on a whim I decided to give it a try.

I looked up at the space inside the room. There was definitely not enough room. Which meant I would have to go out again.

At Sunward Mountain, there was a special place for disciples to train in saber arts, fist techniques, and all kinds of skills: the Martial Training Pavilion.

It was very close to me, and in less than five minutes I had entered it.

There was a stout middle-aged man standing at the entrance. Though fat, he still possessed the strength of a first-rank spirit blossom expert.

“Come, hand over your waist token. I need to register it,” he said.

I took the waist token from my ring and handed it to the stout man.

After glancing at the token a few times, the stout man returned it to me and said, “Core disciples may cultivate in the Martial Training Pavilion for six hours. Of course, there is also a twelve-hour cooldown. Go on in.”

So there were rules here after all; one could not simply remain inside forever.

I nodded and walked into the Martial Training Pavilion, only to be stunned.

The spiritual energy inside was even denser than outside, as though I had plunged into the sea.

This place really was extraordinary. No wonder they had to limit everyone’s time.

Inside were many small chambers, most of them used for cultivation. For saber training and sword practice, however, the main hall was the place to be.

At this hour there were not many people, only two or three scattered about.

Every so often there were wooden posts set at intervals. Though they looked like ordinary posts, they had clearly been specially treated; no matter how one struck them, they would not break.

I took out the Wing-Shadow Saber Art and sat cross-legged against a post to study it.

The second chapter of the Wing-Shadow Saber Art contained six forms, and like the first chapter, there were no annotations at all. I could only grope my way through it on my own.

In the first chapter, once I reached about the fifth form, saber qi would be released, and when I finished the final form, a saber qi blade two meters wide would appear.

None of this had been written into the saber manual; it was more like a hidden feature.

The second chapter should also contain some special ability. Like opening a blind box, I studied the saber art with great excitement.

There were tricks to saber practice too, and after my study, this second chapter seemed to revolve around one word: concealment.

After roughly skimming through it, I began practicing in earnest.

I drew Snow Edge and moved according to the patterns in the saber manual.

But the second chapter contained many new movements, and I would need quite a while to master them.

Among them was a move called Turning Back to Gaze at the Moon, which left a deep impression on me.

In the third form, one had to first perform a series of movements as setup, then conclude with a backflip while striking with the saber.

I tried it once and discovered that this move was not only tremendously destructive, but also highly spectacular to watch.

After looking it over several more times, I felt I could complete the full sequence, so I began practicing against the wooden post.

Every time I swung the saber, I felt as though some force was helping me drive it forward, though I could not tell whether that came from the saber art itself or from Snow Edge.

The more I fought, the more skillful I became. The Snow Edge in my hand seemed like a fairy descending from the heavens, graceful and lovely to behold, yet beneath that beauty lay hidden mysteries and lethal killing moves everywhere.

But when I finished the entire saber set, no hidden skill appeared.

That left me somewhat disappointed, and I suddenly remembered what my Second Uncle had said.

I had only practiced it once; most likely I had only learned the barest surface.

Thinking that, I gripped Snow Edge once more and went through it again and again, until the stout man came to tell me the time was up. Only then did I leave reluctantly.

By now it was night. The stars overhead were brighter than usual tonight, like a sky full of hope.

I first went to the dining hall for a bite to eat, then returned to the dormitory to rest.

I had no intention of heading to Giant Wolf Mountain any later. There were still thirty minutes before eight o’clock, and I planned to set out exactly at eight.

After taking a shower, I sat on the sofa, smoking and staring into space.

I wondered whether Shi Lei had been found yet. To be sought after by teachers and elders from across the entire sect—it was fair to say he had not lived in vain.

After spacing out for a while, I gathered my things and set off.

Perhaps because of Shi Lei’s escape, there were no patrols on the square, though many glowing objects had been placed about.

Now Sunward Mountain was brightly lit, and the light seemed to sweep away the last trace of gloom in my heart.

Even so, I remained extremely careful. Only after confirming that no one was following me did I hurry toward Giant Wolf Mountain.

The journey went smoothly, and I managed to avoid everyone I encountered.

But once I reached Giant Wolf Mountain, I found the source of the problem.

For some reason, the mountain was now shrouded in a mass of black mist, and it looked profoundly eerie.

Clenching my teeth, I still chose to go up and look. I could not keep delaying this.

I picked a random narrow path and climbed the mountain with Snow Edge in hand.

It was very dark up there, so I had no choice but to take out my flashlight.

The environment on the mountain was terrible. A foul stench hung everywhere. But why had that smell not spread beyond the mountain?

I guessed there must be some kind of barrier here, just like on Divine Edge Mountain; otherwise, those wolves would not be able to roam only within this mountain.

At that moment, a breeze drifted from the east, and even that faint wind startled me, since I was already on edge.

I kept telling myself not to be afraid, that there was not so much danger here, but I still could not fully set my mind at ease.

Fortunately, I had already been climbing for some time and still had not run into the giant wolves.