In Qian Prefecture of Great Jin, Heavenly Dragon Divine Mountain cut the entire prefecture in two like a colossal dragon.
Heavenly Dragon Divine Mountain stretched for ten thousand miles. It was the seat of the Heavenly Dragon Way, Great Jin's foremost sect, and a sacred martial haven that everyone in Great Jin yearned to visit.
In Great Jin's martial world, the Heavenly Dragon Way, Mingyi Academy, and the Profound Fire-Worshipping Cult reigned supreme.
Mingyi Academy was a staunch supporter of the Great Jin Dynasty, bound to the Great Jin Imperial Clan by a thousand interwoven threads. Several of its past heads had even come from the imperial clan, making it the clan's strongest military backing. The Heavenly Dragon Way had a long and storied history. Though its ties to the imperial clan were not as close as Mingyi Academy's, it enjoyed good relations with Great Jin's major aristocratic clans and could be said to represent the dynasty's regional powers. As for the Profound Fire-Worshipping Cult, compared with the Heavenly Dragon Way and Mingyi Academy, it was a force that the Great Jin Dynasty found deeply irksome. Rooted among the common people of the countryside, it wielded tremendous influence among Great Jin's vast lower classes. Many rebellions throughout the dynasty's history had been closely connected to the cult, making it the force the dynasty feared most. It had been suppressed many times, yet however devastating each blow appeared, it always proved just like the line in the books: "Wildfire cannot burn it all away; when the spring breeze blows, it grows again." In less than ten years, it would flourish once more, endlessly.
That day, the weather was clear, with not a cloud for ten thousand miles. Occasionally, a pair of startled birds flew across the azure sky. Everything seemed peaceful and harmonious.
On Three Absolutes Peak of Heavenly Dragon Divine Mountain, a young man in blue sat on a jutting rock, holding a bloody leg of lamb in one hand and an exceedingly sharp little knife in the other. Every so often, he cut off a piece of flesh and tossed it in front of him.
Not far before him lay a one-eyed wolf the size of a calf. Had Little Leopard been there, he would certainly have recognized Old One-Eye of West Mountain, whose fearsome reputation had circulated in their remote rural corner for over a century, and whom he had encountered once before.
Now, however, this notorious old one-eyed wolf was as docile as a neighbor's big dog. He caught the lamb the young man tossed him and chewed it in great mouthfuls. After swallowing, he still looked at the young man with unsatisfied longing in his eye.
"You greedy old dog!" the young man scolded with a laugh, tossing over the entire half-leg of lamb remaining in his hand. Old One-Eye caught it in his jaws and began feasting happily.
A delicate fragrance drifted toward the young man from behind, followed by soft footsteps. "Chief, word has come from the Wu Household!"
The newcomer was a young woman dressed alluringly, with a thin gauze veil covering her face. The gauze did not perform its intended task of concealing her features very well. Her lovely, ethereal face remained faintly visible behind it, lending her beauty an additional, misty allure.
With graceful steps, she approached the young man from behind and handed him a small slip of paper bearing only a few brief words. After reading it, a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"Mm, good. You may go!" With a flick, the slip of paper in his hand became a puff of fine white mist and vanished. The young woman bowed, then turned to leave.
"Chief Lei?!"
She had taken only a few steps when she suddenly stopped. Someone had emerged from around a bend. At the sight of him, she was visibly startled, then lowered her head.
"Mm!" The newcomer paid no attention to her loss of composure. He merely nodded slightly and walked toward the young man sitting on the rock. The young woman said nothing more and left.
Only after her figure had disappeared completely among the trees did the newly arrived man speak. "Your cultivation has grown even more profound. I was already being very careful, but you still noticed me!"
"The smell of blood on you is too strong. You killed too many people this time. I can even sense the vengeful spirit qi coiling around you!" The young man gave a light chuckle, speaking with utter indifference.
"Mm, I have indeed killed quite a few people lately!" The newcomer nodded, looking somewhat unhappy.
He was exceptionally tall and powerfully built, appearing to be twenty-six or twenty-seven, with thick brows and large eyes. He wore a thin training outfit that left both his sturdy arms bare, and a few traces of poorly shaved stubble showed on his face. His whole bearing exuded boldness, generosity, and a disregard for petty details. By contrast, the young man sitting on the rock seemed rather cold and sinister. His gaze in particular resembled a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, instinctively stirring unease in others.
The man addressed as Chief Lei paid no heed whatsoever to that gaze. They had known each other for decades. If he could not even endure a look like that, he might as well find a block of tofu and bash himself to death against it.
"I thought these might interest you. I found them while searching one of the Fire-Worshipping Cult's branch altars!" As he spoke, the man took several booklets from inside his clothes and handed them to the young man.
The young man accepted them and tucked them into his clothes without so much as a glance.
"Don't you think you're too obsessed with researching secret techniques? Be careful they don't corrupt your true heart!"
"No one knows my true heart better than I do!" the young man said. "And don't imitate the old man, acting as though you're terribly profound. Well? Did anything interesting happen while you were away this time?"
"Interesting, my ass!" Chief Lei stepped forward and plopped down on the dirt. "Same as always. Fought a battle, killed a few people, and came back!"
"The people you killed were hardly ordinary. Your mighty reputation has reached all the way to Heavenly Dragon Divine Mountain. A few days ago, the whole sect was talking about you. You've rendered an enormous service this time. I imagine the position of the next head of the Heavenly Dragon Way is yours for the taking!" the young man said coldly.
Chief Lei refused to take the bait. "Stop using this to needle me. We both know the truth. I did earn some merit, but mostly those old fellows are just building up support for me. If you want to contend for the position of head of the Heavenly Dragon Way, go ahead. You won't compete yourself, yet you sit here mocking me. Don't you think that's rather unfair? Do you think I want that damned seat?!"
"Someone has to sit in that damned seat, and it will certainly be one of the three of us!" the young man said. "You know my ambitions lie elsewhere. You don't want it, and neither do I. Now someone wants to push you into it and is building up support for you. I have no objection, but surely that shouldn't come at my expense?!"
"Oh, at your expense?!" Chief Lei's expression changed. "What have they done?!"
"Don't you think I've been stuck on Three Absolutes Peak too long? Besides, I suggest you walk around the sect more and listen to what people are saying. See what the disciples think of me these days. Heh, tell those old fellows on my behalf not to go too far. Otherwise, I won't mind tearing down that plaque on Hidden Dragon Peak!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Chief Lei finally burst into uproarious laughter. "All right, all right, I'll be sure to pass your words along. But I'm truly curious. Since when did you start caring about your reputation? Could you have fallen for some girl and changed your temperament for her?!"
"Do you think I'm as lovesick as you?!" The young man rolled his eyes at Chief Lei. "I don't care about my reputation, but I don't want people I dislike feeling pleased with themselves, either. Still less do I want those old fossils feeling smug because they've dragged my name through the mud!"
"Understood. I'll pass the message along!" Chief Lei nodded knowingly, then suddenly said, "Oh, right, it's been half a year since we last met, hasn't it? How about we try our hands again and see what new secret techniques you've developed in that time?!"
"No. I've been rather irritable lately. I'm in no state to fight!" the young man said mildly, rejecting Chief Lei's suggestion.
"Interesting. This is the first time in ten years you've refused to spar with me. It looks as though the Heavenly Dragon Way's greatest genius is about to devise another secret technique that will shake heaven and earth and make ghosts and gods weep!"
"Hmph!" The young man snorted coldly and rose. Taking Old One-Eye with him, he disappeared into the vast forest in a few darting movements, leaving Chief Lei sitting there alone with an amused smile.
A breeze sprang up, stirring the fallen leaves across the ground.
"Ah, I truly don't understand. Since you're so relentless in your pursuit of power, why don't you study unusual arts that commune with the power of heaven and earth, instead of devoting all your thoughts to secret techniques?!"