Set Off

Flender stood at the academy gates, turning the pipe in his hand eighteen times before ultimately leaving it unlit.

"Old friend, come back when you've sorted things out." He patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder, his voice an octave lower than usual. "Don't die out there."

Yu Xiaogang stood in the morning light, his back a little more stooped than it had been yesterday. He tucked that dog-eared notebook into his robes, moving as slowly as though he were saying farewell to something.

"I've lived fifty years, and for the first time, I want to know exactly where I went wrong." He paused, his voice hoarse. "I need an answer."

Tang San stood three steps away, carrying a simple pack. Xiao Wu stood beside him with her head lowered, her fingers tightly twisting the corner of her clothes. Neither of them spoke.

Chen Xuan had been waiting beneath the old elm tree for some time. A yellowed piece of parchment lay spread across his hand, its edges worn into frayed fuzz. A winding route had been painted upon it in dark red pigment. It began at Shrek Academy and ended at a circled location deep within Sunset Forest, beside which were written three small words: Light-Shadow Altar.

"Where did you get that map?" Tang San walked over and glanced at it. The route was completely different from the officially published Sunset Forest Spirit-Beast Hunting Guide. It even avoided every area marked as a gathering place for spirit beasts.

"Imprinted from Light-Shadow Stones." Chen Xuan put away the map. Five gray stones spun once across his palm before sinking back into his skin. "It's a route from an ancient inheritance. It won't appear on human maps."

Flender sighed and waved his hand. "Go on, then. The sooner you leave, the sooner you return. I'll cover for you with Mubai and the others. I'll tell them you've gone on a special mission."

Chen Xuan did not thank him. He turned and left. Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, who remained where he was, seemingly still trying to process the fact that he was about to travel with someone he had defined as a "user of forbidden arts." Tang San waited three seconds. Seeing no sign that Yu Xiaogang intended to walk beside them, he turned and followed Chen Xuan.

Xiao Wu bit her lip and hurried after them.

Yu Xiaogang trailed behind.

Four people, four different gaits, forming a crooked line.

Dusk arrived earlier than elsewhere on the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

Dense canopies shattered the light into fragments. The ground was carpeted in thick layers of rotting leaves that gave off teeth-grating crunches beneath their feet. The air was filled with a damp smell mingling herbs and humus.

Tang San walked second in line. He could hear Yu Xiaogang's footsteps behind him. The old man walked steadily, but with every step, the notebook in his robes made a faint rustling sound as its pages rubbed together. It was quiet, yet in the silent forest, it rang as clearly as a heartbeat.

"Wait."

Chen Xuan suddenly stopped and raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

In a clearing ahead stood a crude thatched shelter. A middle-aged man in his forties was crouched on the ground, carefully digging up a herb that glimmered with a pale blue radiance. His martial soul had already possessed him—a crooked scarecrow planted in the soil behind him, ragged and shabby enough to look poorer than nothing at all.

"A scarecrow martial soul?" Tang San frowned. He had seen martial soul charts in Yu Xiaogang's classes. Scarecrows were a typical "trash martial soul." Their innate soul power could not exceed rank three, and in theory, they could not even touch the threshold of a Great Soul Master.

Yu Xiaogang stopped as well. He stared at the scarecrow, and a flicker of instinctive professional interest passed through his eyes before quickly dimming. That was because the middle-aged man's soul power fluctuations were unmistakably those of a rank thirty-seven Soul Elder.

A trash martial soul cultivated to Soul Elder.

Yu Xiaogang's Adam's apple bobbed. He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.

After digging up the herb, the middle-aged man turned and saw them. He did not panic. He merely patted the dirt from his hands and grinned, revealing teeth yellowed by tobacco. "Well, are you young fellows here to hunt spirit beasts? I just dug up these herbs. Want to buy some? They can detoxify poison and serve as a catalyst for soul rings."

"No." Chen Xuan stepped forward, his tone even. "Did you grow those herbs yourself?"

"Ah, that's right." The middle-aged man nodded and pointed toward a patch of herb fields behind the shelter. "I've lived in these woods for twenty years, surviving by growing herbs. I raised every one of them with my own hands. They're like my own sons."

Yu Xiaogang finally could not restrain himself. He stepped forward, his voice somewhat tight. "Your soul rings... were they given to you by these herbs as well?"

The middle-aged man scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Given or not given, it's just that I've spent twenty years with them. They felt we were kindred spirits and were willing to share some of their life force with me. I don't understand all that soul ring stuff. I only know that every spring, another ring of light appears on me, and I get a little stronger."

He stretched out his hand, and a pale blue glow appeared in his palm—the color of soul power. Yet there was not a trace of killing intent within that glow. It held only a gentle vitality tinged with the scent of earth.

"My name's Old Qin." The middle-aged man withdrew his hand and smiled honestly. "You can call me Uncle Old Qin. Everyone in these woods knows me. I never kill living things. I won't even step on an ant. The spirit-beast hunting teams that pass through all give me face. None of them dare set their sights on my herb fields."

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly.

He did not kill. He did not hunt spirit beasts. He obtained soul rings through symbiosis with plants. This method completely exceeded the limits of both his and Yu Xiaogang's understanding. In his mind, soul rings could only come from spirit beasts. That was an iron law, the truth Yu Xiaogang had personally taught him.

Yu Xiaogang stood frozen, his face alternately red and pale. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something—things like, "This is an unstable exception," "A symbiotic relationship cannot be quantified," or "It has no value for widespread application." Yet when the words reached his lips, he could not say any of them.

Because Old Qin stood right before him, alive and well, rank thirty-seven, healthy in body and vigorous in spirit. He lived better than most soul masters who advanced by hunting spirit beasts.

"Master." Chen Xuan's voice drifted over from beside him, soft enough for only the two of them to hear. "Does your theory have a chapter called 'How to obtain soul rings without killing'?"

Yu Xiaogang's fingers dug into his palms, blood seeping out from beneath his nails.

"No." At last, he forced out those two words, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Seeing their expressions, Old Qin thought he had said something wrong and hurriedly waved his hands. "Ah, I'm just a herb farmer. I don't understand your soul master rules. If you're in a hurry, you should get going. It'll be dark soon, and the forest isn't peaceful at night."

Chen Xuan nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait." Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke. He pulled out his notebook, turned to a blank page, then fished a worn-down pencil from his pocket. "Brother Old Qin, could you tell me how old you are this year, how old you were when your martial soul awakened, how much innate soul power you had, and what age plants gave you each of your soul rings?"

Old Qin froze for a moment, then smiled. "Sure. I'm free anyway. But I can't tell you their ages. Plants aren't like people. When they give something, they don't look at age. They look at sincerity."

Yu Xiaogang's pencil tip trembled as he recorded line after line. With every line he wrote, his back stooped a little further.

Tang San stood beside him, looking at his teacher's profile, his heart feeling as though something had lodged inside it. For the first time, he realized Yu Xiaogang's theories were not airtight. They contained far too many blank spaces that could not be explained. Before this, he had always helped his teacher rationalize those gaps, telling himself, Master must have his reasons.

Now, an old farmer who grew herbs had spent twenty years of his life tearing open a crack in those blank spaces.

"Thank you." After writing the final line, Yu Xiaogang closed his notebook, his voice quiet. "I... learned something."

Old Qin waved him off and carried his hoe back to the shelter.

The four continued deeper into the forest. Yu Xiaogang walked at the rear, gripping the notebook that now held half a page of fresh notes so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

By the time night had fully fallen, they had set up camp beside a small stream.

Chen Xuan built the fire. Tang San gathered firewood. Xiao Wu sat by the stream in a daze. Yu Xiaogang sat on a rock farthest from the flames, flipping through the notebook with its new half-page of notes, then through the one he had filled over thirty years. The two lay side by side like a dialogue between two eras.

When Tang San returned with firewood, he saw Xiao Wu crouching by the stream, dipping her fingertips in water and drawing something on a rock. He walked over and found that she had drawn a crooked rabbit.

"Xiao Wu," he called softly.

Xiao Wu's hand jerked. The water on her fingertip blurred the rabbit's ears. She hurriedly wiped it away with her sleeve, stood up, and forced a smile. "Brother, did you get the firewood? I'll help you start the fire."

"No." Tang San pressed a hand onto her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Chen Xuan... what did he say to you?"

Xiao Wu's smile froze.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. After a long while, she said in an almost inaudible voice, "He said... he knew all along."

Tang San's heart sank. He had guessed, but hearing Xiao Wu admit it herself still made his chest feel tight. He had always thought Xiao Wu was simply an ordinary, adorable girl—his sister, someone he needed to protect. Now, someone had suddenly told him that she was not human, but a spirit beast—and a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast at that.

"You..." Tang San did not know what to say. Should he be afraid? Should he be wary? But seeing Xiao Wu looking as though she were about to cry, all he felt was heartache.

"Brother, will you hate me?" Xiao Wu lifted her head, her eyes red like those of an abandoned little beast. "I'm a spirit beast. I lied to you for so long..."

"No." Tang San answered without hesitation. He reached out and rubbed Xiao Wu's head as he had countless times before. "You are Xiao Wu. You are my sister. No matter what you are, that will never change."

Xiao Wu's tears finally fell. She threw herself into Tang San's arms, her shoulders trembling.

Near the fire, Chen Xuan placed another dry branch onto the flames. The firelight reflected on his face, revealing no emotion. He seemed to hear the movement over there. He looked up once, then lowered his head and continued tending the fire.

"Your Blue Silver Grass may become restless tonight." He suddenly spoke, not loudly, but his voice carried just far enough to reach Tang San. "Stay away from that rabbit. Her aura will provoke it."

Tang San's body stiffened. He lowered his head and looked at his wrist. That strand of deep purple Blue Silver Grass was indeed squirming faintly, its leaf edges once more taking on a metallic sheen, as though it were sniffing out a scent. He quickly pulled down his sleeve to cover it.

Yu Xiaogang sat on a distant rock, watching the scene illuminated by the firelight. His expression was incomparably complicated. He remembered what Chen Xuan had said before—"You taught Tang San never to doubt himself, but what about you? Have you ever doubted your theories?"

He had doubted them.

Ever since meeting Old Qin today, he had been doubting them.

The theoretical edifice he had spent thirty years building might have had a crooked foundation from the very beginning. And the things happening to his proudest student had already completely exceeded the boundaries of his explanations. More ironic still, the only person who could help Tang San was the "user of forbidden arts" whom he had despised most.

"Master." Chen Xuan's voice drifted over from the fire. "Come sit here. It's windy where you are. You'll catch a chill."

Yu Xiaogang hesitated, but eventually stood up, slowly walked over, and sat down across from the fire.

"You knew all along that soul rings could be obtained without killing?" Yu Xiaogang asked, his voice hoarse.

"Not all along." Chen Xuan stirred the fire, and sparks crackled into the air. "I knew there was such a path, but I had never walked it. The Light-Shadow Path doesn't rely on soul rings. It relies on comprehending laws. The soul ring system is merely the mainstream of Douluo Continent, not the only way."

"Then why... has no one ever mentioned it?"

"Because even if they did, no one would believe them." Chen Xuan looked up at Yu Xiaogang, firelight dancing in his eyes. "You studied for thirty years and concluded that 'there is no superiority among martial souls.' But search your own heart—did you truly believe that? When you saw the scarecrow martial soul, your first reaction was surprise, not delight. Because deep down, you still believed that trash martial souls were meant to be mediocre."

"And if someone told you that cultivation was possible without killing, what would your first reaction be? 'That's impossible,' or 'That's worth researching'?"

Yu Xiaogang fell silent.

He had to admit that if he had not seen it with his own eyes today, and someone had told him, "There's a Soul Elder who advanced by growing herbs," he would have dismissed that person as a fraud and thrown them out.

"I lost." Yu Xiaogang said those three words again, calmer than he had been that morning, and more despairing. "I didn't lose to you. I lost to the limits of my own vision."

Chen Xuan did not respond. He took a small porcelain bottle from his robes and tossed it to Tang San. "Purifying Erosion Dew. Drink half before sleeping and the rest tomorrow morning. You should be able to endure tonight."

Tang San caught the bottle and nodded.

The night deepened.

The four lay around the fire, each in their own place. Tang San and Xiao Wu leaned against each other. Yu Xiaogang lay closest to the fire with his back turned to everyone. Chen Xuan lay at the outermost edge, facing the depths of the forest. In the darkness, five Light-Shadow Stones emitted an exceedingly faint five-colored glow.

In the latter half of the night, Tang San awoke from a stabbing pain.

It was not the scales on his back. It was the Blue Silver Grass around his wrist. It squirmed frantically, its leaf edges once again gleaming with metallic light, as though answering some call. He quickly sat up, uncorked the porcelain bottle, and drank all the remaining Purifying Erosion Dew.

The liquid slid down his throat, and its cool medicinal power spread rapidly. The Blue Silver Grass's agitation was forcibly suppressed.

Tang San let out a breath and looked toward Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan was still lying where he had been, his eyes open as he gazed at the sky. Starlight fell over his face. His expression was faint, as if he were waiting for something.

"What is it?" Tang San asked in a low voice.

"They're here." Chen Xuan sat up and brushed grass clippings from himself. "The gatekeepers."

"Who?"

"Look."

Tang San followed his gaze.

Deep in the forest, translucent things like shadows were slowly closing in from every direction. They had no physical bodies and no facial features, only vague outlines. Yet as they moved, they radiated a pressure that made one's heart tremble.

Light-Shadow Beasts.

Guardians formed from the remaining will left behind after the ancient Light-Shadow God fell. They did not attack the body. They attacked faith.

The first Light-Shadow Beast rushed directly at Yu Xiaogang.

Still asleep, the old man suddenly let out a stifled scream. Both hands clawed at his hair as his body convulsed violently. A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, foam leaking from the corner of his mouth. In his dream, he saw the theoretical work he had spent thirty years writing being torn apart page by page by an invisible hand. Scraps of paper drifted down around his feet, and every piece bore the same two words: Fallacy.

The second rushed toward Tang San.

Tang San grunted, and the sight before him began to twist. He saw himself kneeling before Yu Xiaogang, repeating over and over, "My teacher's theories cannot explain my condition," while Yu Xiaogang stood above him, looking down coldly and saying, "You have disappointed me." Then he saw Xiao Wu surrounded by a spirit-beast hunting team, covered in blood and reaching out to him, while he was unable to move because of the Blue Silver Grass's backlash.

The third rushed toward Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu curled into a ball, tears silently streaming down her face. She saw the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Sky Bull Python lying in pools of blood. She saw the Star Dou Great Forest burned into scorched earth by a raging fire. She saw the moment her soul ring was torn away, and that heart-rending agony hurt more than death itself.

Only Chen Xuan remained untouched. When the Light-Shadow Beasts came within three meters of him, they automatically went around him. Five Light-Shadow Stones slowly revolved in his palm, their five-colored light forming a barrier that kept the shadows at bay.

He watched the three struggle within their respective nightmares and did not intervene.

"If you can't pass this trial, you won't even enter the altar's gate." He spoke softly, his voice dispersing in the night wind. "Those whose faith is not firm do not deserve to walk the Light-Shadow Path."

The Light-Shadow Beasts' encirclement tightened. Yu Xiaogang's screams grew louder. Tang San's breathing became increasingly ragged. Xiao Wu's nails had dug into her palms, blood dripping through her fingers.

Chen Xuan remained seated, watching without moving.

At the moment Yu Xiaogang's consciousness was about to be completely torn apart by the Light-Shadow Beasts, the notebook in his robes—the one containing half a page of fresh notes—suddenly emitted an incredibly faint blue glow carrying the scent of earth. The light was dim, yet like a blade, it tore open a gap through the Light-Shadow Beast attacking him.

Old Qin's aura.

The life force that old herb farmer had gained through twenty years of symbiosis crossed dozens of miles and the pages of a book to protect the person trying to understand him.

Yu Xiaogang abruptly opened his eyes. Reflected in his pupils were the scattering shadows of the Light-Shadow Beasts—and his own trembling hands.

He had survived.