In July, beneath a clear blue sky, the sun hung like a ball of fire. The clouds seemed to have been burned away by it, vanishing without a trace. The scorching sun cast its light across the lake, and when a breeze suddenly stirred, tiny waves leaped, churning the whole surface into shattered gold.
By Shaolin Lake, Chen Yu and Ximen Rongcheng stood side by side.
"Rongcheng, though anyone from your family could have come, I didn't expect you to put aside matters in Soul Fighting City and run over here."
"Uncle Yu, I haven't been here in years either. I ought to walk around eventually. All these years, I've either been cultivating in seclusion or stationed on duty. After too much stillness, one starts longing for movement. I've already sent word home and submitted my resignation to the higher-ups."
"You've hit a bottleneck?"
"More or less."
Ximen Rongcheng was the eldest legitimate son of the Ximen Family Head. He had extraordinary talent, astonishing comprehension, and profound cultivation, making him a key focus of the Ximen Family's nurturing. That was why he had been assigned to serve in the Soul Fighting Legion, where he had accumulated merits all the way up to legion commander.
"That's fine too! The blade is a weapon famed for its vigorous, bold style, swinging like a fierce tiger. Staying in one place all the time really doesn't help cultivation. Go out and walk around. Amid the endless mortal world, Clear Sky After Rain, famous mountains and great rivers, perceive heaven and earth. Let your mind broaden and your spirit soar, forget both favor and disgrace, and it'll be easier to comprehend will."
"Life should be lived bravely, romantically, freely, and boldly. Live as a blade flashing past a bitter border city, as a poem chanted