The Broken Body, the One Who Strived

"Senior."

The two respectfully paid their respects when they arrived before the Library Pavilion.

The old woman did not move at all. She did not even blink, merely staring at the book in her hands.

Then, a somewhat weathered yet ethereal voice came over.

"Shui Yue told me about it. Go in yourself. You need not stand on ceremony when you come in the future."

She addressed Shui Yue by name directly and showed no hesitation whatsoever. She was clearly an expert of the older generation.

After making an acquaintance with the senior at the Library Pavilion, Wen Min brought Xiao Xuan to what would be his residence from then on.

Looking-Moon Terrace was one of the "Six Sights of Qingyun." It was said that on nights when the moon shone brightly, the moonlight would slowly rise from beneath the mountain and gradually climb onto Looking-Moon Terrace. The moment moonlight completely illuminated the terrace, the moon would be directly overhead, and that was when Looking-Moon Terrace was at its most beautiful.

At that moment, radiant moonlight would suddenly pour down in dazzling splendor, reflecting off the smooth rocks of Looking-Moon Terrace and spreading outward, illuminating the entirety of Xiaozhu Peak in an instant.

Anyone standing atop Looking-Moon Terrace at that moment would feel as though they were standing in an immortal realm.

More wondrous still, legend said that on the full-moon night that occurred only once every sixty years, one would actually feel as though one stood upon the bright moon itself. The thrill of that sensation was truly endlessly alluring.

Yet in the daylight, Looking-Moon Terrace was actually nothing more than a cliff hanging alone in midair.

Only its rear half connected to the mountain, while most of it hung high in the air. Its beauty was nowhere to be seen; instead, it carried the air of a precarious tower.

His residence was a standalone bamboo house, truly isolated. Other than his bamboo house, there were no other buildings nearby.

A broad stretch of open ground lay before the bamboo house, level and solid, as though it was meant for training. Behind it stood sheer cliffs, meaning that the bamboo house had been built against the mountain.

Looking up at the protruding, seemingly teetering Looking-Moon Terrace, the bamboo house appeared all the more perilous.

Beyond the open ground grew sparse flowers, grass, and trees. This was also one of the few places on Xiaozhu Peak without Tear Bamboo.

Those flowers and plants did not grow lushly; some were even short and withered. The Tear Bamboo surrounding them had long since drained the soil of its nutrients. For these plants to grow here, someone must have carefully cultivated them in the past.

"Junior Brother, you will live here from now on."

"Do you have any further instructions, Senior Sister Wen Min?"

"Uh... there is nothing else. But this bamboo house has been unoccupied for a long time.

It would be inconvenient for you, Junior Brother. Let me help you tidy it up."

Seeing Li Qingyun looking as though he was about to see her out, Wen Min gritted her teeth inwardly. If she left, could this fellow really clean the place himself?

Wouldn't Master give her a thorough scolding then?

"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Sister."

Once the cleaning was finished, Wen Min left. It was already dusk.

He went straight before the bamboo house and gazed at the Tear Bamboo Forest beneath the evening glow. There was less emerald green now and more brilliant red. If one stepped into those clouds, one might think one had entered some gentle illusion.

Settling his heart and casting aside all trivial matters, Xiao Xuan silently circulated his cultivation art. Unfortunately...

Day after day, Xiao Xuan spent practically every day in the Library Pavilion.

The first floor was manageable, but the floors above it were beyond his ability—at least for now.

Fortunately, Wen Min came every day to carry out her master's orders.

Xiaozhu Peak possessed far more books than Dazhu Peak.

It took him a month and a half to finish reading everything on the first floor.

"Senior Sister Lu? You came to the Library Pavilion to read too?"

Not long after Xiao Xuan arrived on the Second Floor for the first time, Lu Xueqi came in as well and began searching for some books.

Hearing him, Lu Xueqi looked toward Xiao Xuan, who was wheeling himself along. Beneath her frosty exterior, a trace of compassion stirred.

"Junior Brother, I heard you finished everything on the First Floor. At such a pace, you are truly admirable."

Xiao Xuan smiled. "You flatter me, Senior Sister. I merely skimmed through them.

After finishing, I will still need time to absorb what I have read."

"What Junior Brother says is right. Is cultivation not the same?

Junior Brother, have you not begun cultivating the Taiji Xuanqing Dao yet?

Why can I not sense even the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy within you?"

Xiao Xuan looked embarrassed. "Ahem, ahem. I have cultivated it, but I have yet to see any results. You must be laughing at me, Senior Sister."

"Do not lose heart. Persist!"

Lu Xueqi was sparing with her words. She also often came to Looking-Moon Terrace to practice her swordsmanship. As time passed, though they spoke little, they still had some exchanges.

Time flowed on. Another half year later, Xiao Xuan finally drew the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body and completed a Greater Circulation, breathing as one with heaven and earth as he comprehended the mysteries of creation.

By the time he had finished all the books in Xiaozhu Peak's Library Pavilion and spent another year consolidating what he had learned, he had not only guided spiritual energy through thirty-six Greater Circulations within his body, but also stabilized his meridians.

After visiting the other peaks one by one, three years had already passed.

Over these years, he opened his lower dantian and refined the spiritual energy he had drawn into his body, transforming qi into primal essence and cultivating Taiji Primordial Qi.

Moreover, he could now manipulate external objects. At the very least, he no longer needed others to push his wheelchair.

He did not know why, but after overcoming the first layer's difficulty, his subsequent cultivation progressed much faster than his progress in the first level of the Yuqing Realm.

Upon reaching Object Manipulation, even Tian Buyi expressed surprise. This disciple whom no one had ever thought highly of had truly given him a pleasant surprise.

Was this speed fast? Compared to Qingyun Sect's true geniuses, it was far too slow.

But compared to the many disciples of Dazhu Peak, it was absolutely not slow.

Song Daren, who had cultivated for a hundred years, was still at the sixth level of the Yuqing Realm.

Du Bishu and the others had cultivated for decades, yet had only entered Object Manipulation not long ago.

No one but himself knew that Xiao Xuan's Object Manipulation did not rely solely on primordial qi.

Beyond primordial qi, as long as he wished it, he could manipulate external objects through intense concentration.

This should have been related to the mysterious soul described in the books he had read over the years.

As his soul became capable of manipulating certain external objects, he seemed to vaguely understand that cultivation at the level of the soul should be called the Mortal Realm.

Furthermore, once he could manipulate objects with his soul, the power of attacks transmitted through music was not insignificant.

Taking his own circumstances into account, he decided to seek a method of long-range attack.

After searching through the Library Pavilions of Qingyun's seven peaks, he finally found a copy of the Mystic Sound Art. Yet he directly called it the Mysterious Sound Divine Technique, showing that his ambitions were not small.

"Eighth, the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin.

Even as your master, I am proud of what you have accomplished these past years.

There are few of us on Dazhu Peak to begin with. This time, the tournament rules have been changed, and each peak may send nine people.

You brothers and sisters make exactly nine. However, your legs are inconvenient, so I wish to ask your opinion. Do you want to participate?"

So it had unknowingly become the eve of the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament. It had been more than five years since he came to Dazhu Peak, yet he still knew nothing about himself.

Deep within his heart, an even stronger sense of crisis kept him constantly vigilant, urging him to recover his lost memories and learn who he truly was.

"People today do not see the moon of ancient times, yet today's moon once shone upon the ancients.

In a world of immortal cultivation, time flew by. Five years were but the flick of a finger.

Master, you know that I do not enjoy lively occasions. I will not participate."