Rain Character Art

Lin Jiufeng was very interested in what had happened three thousand years ago. He felt that the battle back then had been anything but simple; otherwise, the contrast between three thousand years ago and now would not have been so devastating.

Yet there were very few books recording that period.

It was as though someone had deliberately erased the events of that time. Even the books that did contain records offered only scattered fragments, exceedingly lacking in detail.

Lin Jiufeng searched through the entire Scripture Pavilion and the Small World, yet found only several dozen books related to that battle three thousand years ago.

Of those books, most were written superficially. They merely said that the battle had been brutal, that it had destroyed today's Cultivation World, and beyond that, there was scarcely any other information.

"Everything that happened three thousand years ago was deliberately erased." Lin Jiufeng was now certain of his guess.

If no one had deliberately wiped it away, someone would certainly have recorded that stretch of history. The Feather Transformation Sect in particular—even though it had only been established after that battle, not much time had passed between them. Moreover, its legacy had continued to this day. Though the sect's strength had declined to the utmost extreme, it had never truly been cut off, so it was impossible for there to be no information at all.

"Anyone capable of erasing this matter without arousing widespread suspicion must be terrifying indeed." Lin Jiufeng made his guess and buried the matter in his heart. Since someone had deliberately erased it, he could only investigate it later.

For now, he needed to make himself stronger. At the very least, he had to break through the Eighth Forbidden Level so as not to betray Bai Yunfei's trust.

Having buried the matter of three thousand years ago deep in his heart, Lin Jiufeng cultivated even more diligently.

Every day, he read through scriptures, contemplated the wisdom of those before him, cultivated steadily to fortify his foundation and nurture his essence, and carefully sorted through every cultivation technique he had learned.

He also diligently practiced calligraphy, tempering his state of mind.

Beyond that, he earnestly contemplated heaven and earth, gradually taking nature as his teacher.

He awoke as the morning sun rose and meditated when the bright moon hung high, as if he had truly become a recluse hidden in the mountains, indifferent to worldly affairs and devoutly seeking the Dao.

Lin Jiufeng was no longer confined to the Scripture Pavilion. Now that Bai Yunfei had drawn away all the external pressure facing the Feather Transformation Sect, no one came near the Feather Transformation Sect's mountain gate, leaving him free to wander about.

For the past several decades, Lin Jiufeng had remained in the Scripture Pavilion. Though it was a wonderful place, with countless scriptures to study, there were times when one needed to embrace nature as well—to watch the turning of the seasons, the rolling clouds, the rising and setting of the sun.

And so, the days slipped quietly by.

One day in the mountains was a thousand years in the world.

In this state, Lin Jiufeng quietly passed an entire year.

He witnessed the changing seasons: gentle spring, cool summer, the full moon of autumn, warm winter sunlight—and then spring arrived once more.

All things revived, brimming with life.

On this day, a fine spring rain drizzled down. Lin Jiufeng stood before the Scripture Pavilion with his hands behind his back, watching the rain awaken sleeping creatures and nourish the mountains, rivers, and earth.

All traces of winter were washed away, and a new year arrived.

As Lin Jiufeng stood there, an unfathomable aura radiated from his entire body. It was the sum of all the insights he had accumulated over the past year.

Over the past year, Lin Jiufeng had not activated Heaven-Defying Comprehension even once. He was not anxious about it; on the contrary, he was happy to let things be.

A deep reservoir bursts forth in a single stroke.

Lin Jiufeng intended to turn all the accumulation of that year into a single activation of Heaven-Defying Comprehension. It certainly would not be some trifling affair.

So, he continued to accumulate.

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, the three little ones gathered together, staring at Lin Jiufeng's back as they whispered among themselves.

"Though Martial Uncle is standing right there, he feels so far away," Yue Dashan said.

"Yes. Though it is only a dozen or so steps from here to the entrance, I have the feeling that even if we walked those steps for a lifetime, we would never cross them," Zhou Tianzi nodded.

"Could Martial Uncle be about to break through again?" Wen Xinyun asked in surprise.

After a year, the three little ones had completely grown up, shedding their childishness and youthful appearances. Their cultivation had all reached the Fourth Forbidden Level.

Because Yue Dashan cultivated Dragon Elephant Power, the terrifying strength throughout his body had caused him to grow to three meters tall. Standing there, he was like a mountain, immensely oppressive.

Zhou Tianzi cultivated the Ten Palaces Yama. He had now entered its threshold, and his entire aura resembled that of an emperor of the Human World, carrying immense majesty.

Wen Xinyun cultivated the Grasswood Sword Technique. She had become ever more transcendent. She was already beautiful to begin with, and with the Grasswood Sword Technique, her aura was ethereal, like that of a celestial maiden.

Yet as the three of them looked at Lin Jiufeng now, they could not fathom him at all. They only felt that their Martial Uncle was not in the same world as them.

Close before their eyes, yet distant as the edge of the earth.

The rain continued to drizzle down. As Lin Jiufeng watched the spring rain, he gradually opened his mind and spirit, entrusting them to heaven and earth.

At that moment, an unfathomable aura radiated from his entire body, as though he had merged with the drizzling spring rain.

He saw the vibrant life within the spring rain, and he also sensed its surging force, its stormy waves and raging tides.

Lin Jiufeng merged into the spring rain, like a drop of water entering rivers and seas, drifting with the current and allowing himself to be churned by its waves.

He was sensing the changes within it.

Gradually, Lin Jiufeng, standing before the Scripture Pavilion, raised his hand and lightly traced through the empty air. Dao patterns drifted forth, weaving together into a kind of Dao inscription.

"Rain can contain all things. Its gentleness is rain, its fury is rain, its calmness is rain, and its undercurrents surging in silence are rain as well."

"This rain can merge into all things, and it can also transcend all things."

Lin Jiufeng carefully comprehended it. Insights surged through his heart, and a line of words appeared before his eyes.

Your accumulation is profound. Heaven-Defying Comprehension has activated. You have comprehended the Rain Character Art.

Lin Jiufeng opened his eyes and saw the prompt. Only then did he see the Dao talisman he had just drawn.

This was the Rain Character Art he had comprehended.

With a light push, the Rain Character Art flew swiftly outward and merged into the drizzling spring rain.

BOOM!!!

Then, a torrential downpour descended. Almost instantly, lightning flashed and thunder roared as the heavy rain poured down.

Accompanying it was spiritual energy so dense it reached the extreme, falling together with the rain.

Seeing this, Lin Jiufeng said in surprise, "The Rain Character Art I comprehended can actually cause spiritual energy to fall from the sky. Incredible."

The spiritual energy falling with this rain was several times greater than before. Lin Jiufeng was certain that the spiritual energy in this rain was not of this world—it came from the sky, something newly emerged.

After just a few breaths, Lin Jiufeng felt the energy within his body surge upward.

He immediately turned and shouted, "You three, come over quickly! Sit cross-legged and meditate, absorb the spiritual energy! This is an opportunity."

The three little ones came running over, their footsteps pounding. Feeling the surging spiritual energy within the rain, they realized that a single breath contained as much as half an hour of ordinary cultivation, and they froze in astonishment.

The next moment, delight filled their faces as they sat cross-legged beside Lin Jiufeng, circulated their cultivation techniques, absorbed the spiritual energy, and strengthened themselves.

Lin Jiufeng was absorbing spiritual energy as well, but he did not compete with the three little ones. Instead, he entrusted his Primordial Spirit to the void, merging it into the torrential rain as he began absorbing spiritual energy from a higher level.

For a time, the realm that had stagnated for a year began to loosen, slowly rising.