Kirin Tyrant Strength

That night, the sky was overcast. Thick black clouds blanketed half the heavens, the gale howled, and a torrential rain was imminent.

Xu Yi sat on the threshold, blankly watching the mountain mist dance wildly in the wind. Just then, Liao Chen's ghost staggered past Xu Yi's door.

At the time, Xu Yi did not think twice before opening his mouth and calling out, "Master, a violent storm is coming. Would you care to rest your feet before continuing on?"

At the call, Liao Chen halted and exclaimed in surprise, "A natural Yin Eye!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Xu Yi shuddered. Only then did he realize that the great monk before him was no living man—his body was translucent, drifting as he moved.

Fortunately, Xu Yi had died once himself, so he was not afraid of Liao Chen. He even invited him inside again to shelter from the rain.

After the rain passed, Xu Yi gained a preliminary understanding of Liao Chen.

Liao Chen said that he was from the Western Regions, an Outer Sect Disciple of Tianchan Temple. While traveling the world, he had reached Guang'an Prefecture and suffered a calamity, dying in a foreign land. Relying on a secret art, his ghost had escaped, hoping to return to his homeland, settle his affairs after death, and then proceed to the netherworld.

Yet a ghost could not remain in the world of the living for long. By the time he reached the foot of Huiyin Mountain, Liao Chen's ghost had weakened to the point of nearly dispersing.

By chance, Xu Yi had called out and stopped Liao Chen. Following Liao Chen's instructions, he used rooster blood every day to help his ghost recover a little.

With no way to repay him, Liao Chen passed down a body-tempering method, making Xu Yi what he was today.

Three months ago, Liao Chen's ghost had barely stabilized, and he had once more set out for home. But he knew that a ghost was unlike a fleshly body and could scarcely linger long in the world of the living.

To guard against mishaps, he and Xu Yi had arranged to meet here today. If his ghost could not return to his homeland, he would come back here to reunite with Xu Yi.

Who could have expected that when Xu Yi arrived as promised today, Liao Chen's ghost would already be shattered?

Before Xu Yi could ask, Liao Chen said, "Such is fate. On my journey home, I accidentally fell into the Peach Blossom Sha. Though I barely escaped, my ghost has been crippled. Today, I shall vanish like smoke. Fortunately, Heaven has not treated this poor monk too harshly, for I met you, benefactor."

"Master, there must be a way. There must be a way!"

Tears streamed from Xu Yi's eyes.

Liao Chen reached out, intending to pat Xu Yi on the shoulder, but his translucent hand passed straight through it, unable to touch anything solid. With a sigh, he said, "Benefactor, do not grieve. Life and death are decreed by fate. This poor monk is a sinner; this tribulation is what I deserve. There is little time left. Let Liao Chen see what you have achieved these past months!"

Xu Yi wanted to say more, but Liao Chen looked at him gently, his eyes full of expectation.

Xu Yi said no more. He assumed a boxing stance, bent low at the waist, clenched his left hand into a fist, curled the fingers of his right, and burst forth with a breath from his Dantian.

Kirin Steps on Heaven!

Wrathful Impact Heaven's Gate!

Freely Demonic Heaven!

There were only these three forms, repeated again and again. Yet amid the vast forest, it seemed as though a bull demon had erupted in fury. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen saplings as thick as bowls were smashed apart and sent flying!

After completing the sequence, Xu Yi withdrew his fists and stood tall, his face unflushed and his breathing steady, as still as an abyss and as firm as a mountain.

Liao Chen's eyes widened, his faint face filled with shock.

This Kirin Tyrant Strength Fist was the supreme cultivation art of Tianchan Temple's Body Tempering Stage in the Western Regions. Unless one was a direct disciple of Tianchan Temple, it was never lightly imparted.

He himself had only been taught this fist because, by a fortunate chance, he had caught the eye of Zen Master Jiuru.

Grateful for Xu Yi's kindness in saving and protecting him, Liao Chen had passed this fist on to him as well.

But Liao Chen had never imagined that Xu Yi would reach the Body Tempering Peak with the Kirin Tyrant Strength Fist in a mere six months.

It had taken him three years!

His Junior Brother Beichen had needed one year, and even so, he had been hailed as a genius seen only once in fifty years by the Tianchan Sect.

Liao Chen knew even better that for Beichen to make a breakthrough within three years, Tianchan Temple had expended far more than a single Kirin Tyrant Strength Fist. The consumption of all manner of precious medicinal herbs had been beyond counting.

What did this farm youth before him possess? He had merely earned a few copper coins by storytelling, using at most his monthly savings to purchase some low-grade medicinal herbs!

To reach this point in only a few months was nothing short of a miracle!

"Benefactor, your talent is extraordinary beyond anything this poor monk has ever heard of. Before, without my master's command, I privately passed the Kirin Tyrant Strength Fist on to you, and I truly felt uneasy. But seeing your gifts today, even if my master, Zen Master Jiuru, learned of it, he surely would not blame me."

Liao Chen's face was full of satisfaction. He pressed his palms together and intoned the Buddha's name.

Xu Yi said, "This disciple is naturally dull-witted. All I possess is diligence. Where others practice once, this disciple can practice ten times, a hundred times. This disciple believes diligence can make up for clumsiness!"

"Diligence can make up for clumsiness! What splendid words! That you can speak such a saying shows your character! Enough. Liao Chen has little time left. Benefactor, please focus and listen carefully."

Then, Liao Chen began recounting an old matter.

It turned out that when Liao Chen was thirty, he broke through the Body Tempering Peak and reached the Qi Sea Realm. Thus, he was promoted to serve at Tianchan Temple's Scripture Depository.

In the years that followed, Liao Chen's life changed little from before. Apart from single-mindedly pursuing Martial Arts, he merely swept the Scripture Depository and arranged its texts. In the blink of an eye, fifteen years passed.

Then one day, news spread from the Scripture Depository that Liao Chen had stolen a Precious Scripture and fled!

The upper ranks of Tianchan Temple were enraged, and a great manhunt began.

Liao Chen fled in one breath from the Western Regions to the central lands, eventually making his way to Guang'an, where he perished in a conflict. Only then did his ghost encounter Xu Yi.

Liao Chen had never intended to tell Xu Yi this secret. But now that his ghost was about to disperse and he had a grave matter to entrust to Xu Yi, he revealed the full chain of cause and effect.

"If one cannot break through the Qi Sea Realm within Sixty Years, one has no hope for the rest of one's life! This poor monk ultimately could not escape the great terror between life and death. Fear arose in my heart, and the greed of a thief entered my mind, so I stole the Precious Scripture! Perhaps Heaven wished to punish me, for this Precious Scripture was not something an ordinary man could master. In the end, this poor monk was merely drawing water with a bamboo basket, chasing flowers in a mirror and the moon in water—nothing but emptiness. Today, I am about to vanish like smoke, with nothing left to cling to. My only regret is that this Precious Scripture cannot be returned to Tianchan Temple. Fortunately, I met you, benefactor. This poor monk begs you to return the Precious Scripture to Tianchan Temple in my stead!"

As he spoke, Liao Chen was about to kneel.

Xu Yi regarded Liao Chen as his master. How could he accept such a grand gesture from him? He quickly stepped aside and said, "Whatever you command, I would not dare refuse!"

Just then, another fierce forest wind swept through. With a sharp rush, it tore away Liao Chen's only remaining arm.

Xu Yi was so anxious that he did not know what to do, but he heard Liao Chen, his face twisted in pain, shakily utter a passage of words. The instant his voice fell silent, a violent gale abruptly rose through the forest, scattering Liao Chen's shattered ghost in a single blast.

Xu Yi stood there in a daze for a long while. Grief surged from his heart as he stared fixedly at Yin Huai Forest. The empty woods were silent, thin mist drifting through them—there was no trace of Liao Chen anywhere.

He shouted madly, then broke into mournful howls. His desolate cries startled cranes into calling and tigers into roaring throughout the vast mountains and forests, their echoes lingering without end. When the east gradually began to whiten and flocks of birds flew from the dense mountains, young tigers roared through the valleys, a hundred sounds filling his ears, no thought from Liao Chen came again.

Suddenly, Xu Yi fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face. His mind was filled with Liao Chen's voice, appearance, smiles, and expressions.

At some unknown moment, a ray of dawn pierced the forest. Xu Yi finally reined in his grief, split wood into a gravestone, piled earth into a grave, and tossed three broken sticks of incense into it. He barely managed to raise a burial mound for Liao Chen.