"Brother Yun, you looked lost in thought just now, with a sharp gleam in your eyes. Were you suspecting something?" After Ling Tian left, Humei couldn't help asking Lingyun. She had noticed that glint in his eyes.
"Mm. I suspect Huang Se wouldn't have dared target Ling Tian on his own. There must be someone behind him..." Lingyun's eyes gleamed even more sharply as he trailed off.
"You mean Green Cloud Master ordered him to..." Humei's eyes lit up, but she stopped short.
"Mm." Ling Tian nodded.
"Then why did you let Tian'er leave Qingyou Peak?" Humei looked at Lingyun with a touch of reproach.
"This matter has to be settled sooner or later. But I don't have solid evidence yet, so I can't make a move. Let's use Tian'er as bait and see whether he dares target him. If he does, heh..." A thread of killing intent flickered in Lingyun's eyes.
"Use Tian'er as bait? Wouldn't that put him in danger? How could you arrange something like that?" Humei looked at Lingyun with a touch of reproach.
"It's all right. Elder Ling is with him, so don't worry." Lingyun smiled faintly as he gently stroked Humei's fur.
"Mm, that's true." Humei clearly had great faith in Elder Ling's abilities.
"I hope Green Cloud Master doesn't make the wrong choice. Otherwise, no one will be able to save him." Lingyun's voice was icy, as if it had risen from the deepest pits of hell, heavy with killing intent.
"Why hasn't that stinky monk arrived yet? He's really late this time." Humei couldn't bear to see Lingyun like this and hurriedly changed the subject.
"Heh, he'll be here soon. He may look crazy and muddleheaded, but he's actually wise in his own way. It's been a long time since I drank with him. I've missed him. I can't believe I miss that stinky monk. I guess I really am getting old." Lingyun smiled, instantly returning to his gentle, refined manner, then couldn't help sighing.
"Heh." Humei said nothing, though a trace of sadness and worry flickered in her eyes.
That night, under a moonless sky and howling winds, a shadow flashed across Qingyun Peak and slipped into the Sect Master's residence behind the main hall. The disciples on duty didn't notice a thing.
"Cough, cough. Sect Master, you've really put me through the wringer." His voice held a trace of resentment, but more than that, it was weak and breathless. He was clearly gravely injured.
"Peak Master Huang, I wronged you this time, but we gained a great deal." Green Cloud Master spoke without the slightest hint of apology. The person he was addressing was none other than Huang Se, whom Lingyun had gravely injured with a single move earlier that day.
"Cough, cough. This subordinate wouldn't dare complain, Sect Master. I'm just wondering if it was really worth it." A trace of fear flashed across Huang Se's face. He was clearly terrified of Green Cloud Master.
"It was worth it. After seeing Lingyun act this time, I'm even more certain his Golden Core is shattered. He must have detonated it. Otherwise, that move of his wouldn't have been so weak. I've seen him fight before; with his former strength, you'd already be dead." Green Cloud Master pondered for a moment before revealing something astonishing.
"His Golden Core shattered? H-how is that possible?" Huang Se was stunned. He wasn't doubting Green Cloud Master; the claim was simply too shocking.
"I didn't dare believe it at first either. His Golden Core exploded, yet he's still alive and well—no, not well. He's growing old. Yes, it seems his Golden Core really is shattered. The source of vitality it provided has been cut off." Green Cloud Master analyzed, his eyes glinting strangely.
"Lingyun really is a genius. No, a freak." Huang Se couldn't help exclaiming.
"Could this be the secret art he created? To shatter his Golden Core and still live for decades, even a century or more... remarkable." Green Cloud Master murmured.
"Then Lingyun doesn't have long to live, does he?" A gleam of delight flashed through Huang Se's eyes.
"Mm, that should be it. Let's keep an eye on things for a while longer. Don't make any moves in the meantime," Green Cloud Master said gravely.
"Yes, Sect Master." Huang Se replied respectfully, though a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
"I know you resent Lingyun, and Ling Tian too. But you must hold back for now. Once Lingyun dies, Ling Tian won't be a problem." Green Cloud Master frowned as if he'd noticed the sharp glint in Huang Se's eyes and cautioned him.
"Yes, Sect Master." Huang Se gritted his teeth. Lingyun had humiliated him in front of so many disciples, and it had been worse than death.
"Don't worry. Once Lingyun dies, that 'good-for-nothing' Ling Tian will be yours to deal with however you please." Green Cloud Master knew Huang Se's mind was twisting with rage and that he desperately needed an outlet.
"Then I thank you in advance, Sect Master." Huang Se lightly licked his lips, a violent aura rising around him.
Green Cloud Master seemed to sense the violent aura and frowned slightly, but said nothing.
"After Lingyun dies, what about you, Sect Master..." Huang Se continued.
"Don't worry. I won't skimp on the cultivation arts and treasures I promised you. Go back and rest up. Here, take this Qing Ling Pill I refined myself. It's a sacred medicine for healing injuries." As he spoke, Green Cloud Master tossed Huang Se a jade bottle.
"A fifth-grade spirit pill! Thank you, Sect Master. I'll take my leave." Huang Se caught the jade bottle, delighted, then vanished in a flash.
"Hmph. Lingyun, don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame yourself for having so many secret arts and treasures." After Huang Se left, a flash of killing intent crossed Green Cloud Master's face, but he quickly concealed it.
At Qingyou Peak, meanwhile, our protagonist, Ling Tian...
Ling Tian had been in a poor mood ever since returning from his father's place. A deep frost clouded his face, along with a bewilderment and confusion he had never felt before.
"Alas, I'm still too weak. If not for Father, I would've been doomed this time," Ling Tian said despondently.
"I want to become stronger, but how?" Ling Tian's face was full of confusion.
"I can't cultivate spiritual energy. I'll never escape the fate of being a 'good-for-nothing.'" Ling Tian began to sink into despair.
"Heh, how can I protect Min'er like this? I'll only drag her down. If Senior Sister Yun Ying hadn't stopped her today, she would've charged in. She'd have been badly hurt, if not killed. That's the last thing I want to see." Thinking of Hua Min'er, Ling Tian felt a pang of fear. If anything had happened to her today, he would never have forgiven himself.
"In the end, I'm still too weak. Alas." Ling Tian let out a long, mournful sigh.
"No, I can't give up like this. Father and Mother would be heartbroken, and Min'er would be heartbroken too." Ling Tian suddenly felt a pang in his heart. Without realizing it, he had accumulated so many attachments and people he cared about.
"But is there any way to change my Congenital Meridian Blockage? Don't tell me I really have to use that method." Ling Tian's heart stirred as he recalled a strange phenomenon he had discovered not long ago.
As he thought, Ling Tian took a small throwing knife from his Storage Ring. Then, under anyone's astonished gaze, he slashed his finger. Blood gushed out, soon pooling into a large puddle on the table. Yet Ling Tian showed no concern and let the blood flow.
After a moment, the blood stopped flowing, and the wound began to heal on its own.
"Sure enough, I can feel the blockage in my meridians loosen ever so slightly. It really did happen like this a few days ago. But the loosening is so faint, almost imperceptible." Ling Tian frowned. This was the strange sensation he'd felt when his wound healed after he treated his younger sister and the little bird.
"Could the wound be too small, so it needs too little energy to heal? Maybe I should make it bigger." Ling Tian thought, then slashed his wrist harder with the throwing knife. Blood poured out in an instant, and he began to feel dizzy.
"Phew. I hope I'm right, or I'll have mutilated myself for nothing." Ling Tian steadied himself and gave a bitter smile, though he still felt a little hopeful.
"Huh, it really works! I can clearly feel the blockage loosening." As the wound healed this time, the sensation of the blockage in Ling Tian's meridians easing grew much stronger.
"Even so, the blockage is still thick and solid, immovable as a mountain." Ling Tian couldn't help feeling disappointed. The method he'd finally discovered didn't seem to work very well.
"Would I have to suffer dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times this much damage to loosen it completely? Wouldn't I be dead before then?" Ling Tian gave a bitter laugh. If he was dead, what good would it do even if his meridians were no longer blocked?
"Heh, I'd better wait and see if some other opportunity comes along. Alas." Ling Tian sighed repeatedly, but at least he now had a glimmer of hope. He just couldn't use it lightly—not unless he reached a critical moment.
"I'd better study formations first." With that, Ling Tian immersed his consciousness in contemplating formations again.
Recently, he had discovered just how profound formations were. The deeper he delved, the less he realized he knew. Even after all this time, he had only grasped the tip of the iceberg—if even that.
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