Su Xing already had the Knowledge Star manufacture a few disturbances at the bottom of the Five Efficacious Heavenly Mountains, creating a diversion to draw away the Blooming Water Sword Sect's Head Minister, but Su Xing had still underestimated a Galaxy Cultivator's abilities. Daoist Luo River raised his flying sword, a soaring light. Although that twinkling could not cover a thousand li, covering a hundred li in the blink of an eye was not a problem at all. If it was not for making Daoist Luo River leave the Blooming Water Sword Sect by quite a distance in advance, then it was possible that once the Blooming Water Array activated, Daoist Luo River would have already killed them.
Thinking of this, Su Xing seemed to be facing a great enemy. Knowing that he was not able to outrun the Daoist Luo River's escape technique, he glimpsed a thorny and thick forest beneath him. He dodged and hid into the shrubbery below, at the same time activating the Seventy-two Roads Concealing Star Technique1 to hide his presence. Lin Yingmei was also self-aware that she could not leave herself outside, otherwise the opponent's Divine Intent would easily lock onto her. Hence, she became starlight and entered Su Xing's Star Nest.
The Thief Star's entire body was also stretched taut. Fortunately, she had the Wordless and Uncommunicative Yellow Rank Magic. Because of the magic she mobilized as a Star General, Galaxy Cultivators could not necessarily find her. Su Xing originally thought of letting her flee first on her own. He was on the verge of saying so when he choked it back down, for just at this time, a middle-aged man wearing a blue Taoist robe2 appeared overhead this brambly forest; the one who stopped was exactly the Daoist Luo River.
The Daoist Luo River held both hands behind his back, standing straight against the wind, standing on a three che3flying sword with a learned air about him, motionless as a mountain. Several tens of flying swords floated at his side, faintly completing an array.
"How comical, unexpectedly hiding your abilities before This Daoist."
The Daoist Luo River’s pair of eyes suddenly shot pure light. Shouting, a incomparably tyrannical, almost as if it had substance, Divine Intent emanated in all directions from his eyes. The more than three zhang of trees and rock were successively dashed into tiny pieces and annihilated to smithereens by this Divine Intent that filled the entire area.
This Blooming Water Sword Sect headmaster was exceptional, as expected. A radius of almost ten li had been enshrouded by his surly and abnormal Divine Intent. Each and every move, every iota, the slightest movement were all transmitted into the Daoist Luo River's mind. Under the strafing of a Galaxy Late Stage's Divine Intent, the Seventy-two Roads Concealing Star Technique unexpectedly was a bit outmatched. Faint Star Energy dispersed, already having fluctuations.
The heart of the Su Xing who examined this situation tightened, not knowing what to do. His Star Energy's fluctuations were more and more intense, and the Seventy-two Roads Concealing Star Technique was already on the verge of collapse, about to dissipate at any moment. In a few more seconds, his body was about to be exposed under the Daoist Luo River's Divine Intent strafing.
Arriving at this critical juncture, Su Xing drew in a long breath, contrarily calming down. He was about to apply that "Heart Like Mirrors Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique," entering the Stable Heart realm. At this time, how could anyone anticipate the Thief Star Shi Yuan would be more anxious than Su Xing. In a moment of desperation, regardless of the actual situation, she suddenly leaned forward, and embracing Su Xing in both her arms, she kissed him.4
The Lin Chong inside the Star Nest trembled.
Su Xing opened both his eyes wide. Hooking onto the girl's tongue, his mind floated away. An exotic fragrance assailed his nostrils, and the "Wordless and Uncommunicative" qi hiding art was passed through the tongue and enveloped Su Xing. Immediately, each of their presences suddenly disappeared. Both of Su Xing's hands tightened as he shut his eyes and applied the Soul Technique. Controlling his state of mind, there was somewhat of a mishap; both he and the Thief Star could possibly be exposed. Heart Still as Water, Spirit Support Clear and Clean, and Willpower Deft, his heart was an empty mirror.5 The spiritual power revolving around Su Xing's surroundings was unable to bear the Divine Intent's attack, at last dispersing in all four directions and escaping. The Divine Intent swept past Su Xing and the others' hiding spot, yet it found an empty space without a single thing.
The Su Xing right now was just inside a sort of profound realm, similar to staying on a bright and empty platform. Green hills and running water, conforming to Heaven and Earth, and extremely high auspicious red clouds, his body seemed to have become one with Heaven and Earth. Astonishingly, it was the unattainable Path of Oneness of Heaven and Man.6
Using one's own heart to connect with the heart of Heaven and Earth, some practitioners finished their lives without entering this state, and there were cultivators who practiced for several days who, because of one time, realized it was possible. Degree of merit, intensity of Star Energy, and acquired realms all did not matter purely because this was a sort of indiscernible fate. The advantages and disadvantages of entering the Path of Oneness of Heaven and Man were not explained clearly by anyone. Some people appreciated the will of Heaven, increasing their merit and advancing their skills. Some people got lost within the boundlessness of the will of Heaven, their very spirit assimilated by the will of Heaven, ceasing to exist.
Fortunately, Su Xing had practiced the Heart Like Mirrors Soul Technique. He was very familiar this sort of thing that disturbed the heart.7 Setting his state of mind, a heart to hold onto his own mind, he did not accept any foreign disturbances, retaining his own consciousness.
During this time devoid of life, it seemed everything had been frozen. The unending high mountains were motionless, the mist not dancing, the clear water not flowing; a choking and constraining that would make one feel unable to breathe. The Heart Calm Like Water at this sort of time and space fixed the world into something even more unbearably terrifying. The spirit seemed to transform into rotten dust, experiencing a thousand years of tempering and refining.
Su Xing remained unmoved, wholly maintaining that motionlessness, this silence of unmoving. This stationary void seemed to know Su Xing's intentions, rigidly unchanging. It was always this stifling scenario. He did not know how much time passed, like it had been a few centuries, but it was also like a single moment. Su Xing, after all, was only a man. He was far from reaching the indifferent realm of Taoists. Although his will was firm, to be in this kind of environment for a very long time without knowing how to get out, that Still Like Water mental state also rippled, showing a weak point.
Su Xing hastily calmed his mind, applying the spirit art.
Luckily, Su Xing's determination to pass the Chaotic Tail Escape and Heart Like Mirrors double tempering and refining once more added to a soldier's endurance that an ordinary person absolutely could not bear. This stillness was like a millennium.
"Mirror without a stand, look at mountains not as mountains, look at water not as water!"
An incantation suddenly flashed like an epiphany through Su Xing's mind. Was this not a verse of admonishment from the admonition riddle?
Su Xing was enlightened with perfect wisdom, where a flash of light made everything clear. He no longer clung obstinately to his mind, rather, he looked towards the middle of this taciturn mountain and river. During this slowness, under Su Xing's Divine Intent, this landscape finally began to flow. The empty world all of a sudden brimmed with vitality, coming alive, like peeled off eggshells, it transformed into countless bizarre symbols, characters twisting like tadpoles, all deeply engraved into Su Xing's mind.
That lump of emptiness slowly retreated and scattered, finally disappearing from Su Xing's eyes without a trace.
Su Xing could be considered very fortunate. Under Shi Qian's "Uncommunicative" and the "Heart Like Mirrors" simultaneous usage, he unexpectedly entered the Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique's "See Mountains not as Mountains" second realm. Previously, when he broke through the first realm, Su Xing on more than one occasion thought of entering the second realm, yet all along, he could not attain enlightenment. It seemed this Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique needed its origin to work.
In the middle of the Soul Technique, a few refined incantations transmitted into his mind. Unexpectedly, these were several of the Heart Like Mirrors Soul Technique's abilities, "Oneness of Heaven and Man,"8 "Mirror Without a Stand,"9 and "Empty Mountains and Rivers."10 Oneness of Heaven and Man: a type of excellent qi hiding technique. Compared with the Thief Star Shi Qian's Wordless and Communicative, it was not at all inferior. Mirror Without a Stand: set to guard the mind, expelling fantasies and warding off evil spirits, demons and monsters, magic noises and demon technique, none lacking rapid escape. And the Empty Mountains and Rivers, then, was granting and displaying a fantastical landscape to trap the target. However, it required expending enormous amounts of Star Energy and could not necessarily succeed.
If the Heart Like Mirrors Soul Technique had originally only been a temperament cultivation Soul Technique, not seeing Master Mirror's life of cultivating essence, entering the second realm of the Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique was genuinely stepping into the top-notch ranks.
A mumble.
Su Xing opened his eyes and saw the Shi Qian that had been tightly embraced to his chest squirming in protest, and his hands happened to have one on her shoulder and the other on her butt. The Thief Star Shi Yuan's face appeared to be red like a tomato.
- It used to be 36, now it's 72? What? ↩
- 道袍 ↩
- 尺 ↩
- Hold your horses! I’m just going to squash cheers for her being #3 right now; this kiss is not them signing a contract. ↩
- 心靜止水，靈臺澄淨，意志洗練，內心一片空明 ↩
- Alright, everyone. Kissing someone is the path to enlightenment. ↩
- Funny how the last time, he also seemed to be kissing someone… ↩
- 天人合一 ↩
- 明鏡無台 ↩
- 山水虛空 ↩