Secluded Cultivation

"Uncle, the ancestor is at a critical juncture in his training and will not emerge from seclusion lightly. I think you should return."

"Yes. The Lineage still needs Uncle to preside over the bigger picture. You must not delay important matters over Nantian's death; Uncle must put the greater good first. How about this? When the ancestor has time, we will petition him on your behalf. What do you say?"

The five of them chattered over one another. Gu Zhong's heart was a desolate wasteland. His aptitude was ordinary, but he had worked diligently for the Lineage. He had thought his son would inherit his position and even surpass him, only for him to die midway at Xiang Yang's hands.

Now, these people knew only that Gu Nantian, who had weighed upon them, was dead. They had no understanding for his grief at losing a son. And the ancestor—the most outstanding descendant of the Lineage had died at another's hands, yet he neither asked nor cared. It was enough to chill the heart.

After a long while, Gu Zhong rose without a word and turned to descend the mountain in bleak desolation. From beginning to end, Gu Shentong had not uttered a single word.

Meanwhile, after leaving Two Realms Mountain, Xiang Yang traveled with his saber case on his back. He journeyed through mountains and rivers, beheld the splendor and wonders of nature and the mighty craftsmanship of heaven and earth, and gained ever deeper insight into the three absolutes of fist, palm, and leg. Every gesture he made carried boundless power.

One day, Xiang Yang passed through a small village beneath Mi County in Shang Commandery. To its left stood a mountain piercing the clouds; to its right ran a surging river. The mountain also held strange sights such