Six Years Fleeting By, Saint Domain
In July of Yulan Calendar 9829, Luo Feng was twenty-nine years old.
It was also Luo Feng's sixth year in the Dark Forest. Over those six years, he had shed all his artifice and become perfectly at ease. His pride, arrogance, and indifference were gone, and his state of mind had reached the very height of perfection.
Night covered the entire Dark Forest like a pale blue curtain.
On moonlit nights, when the moonlight flowed like water, the sound of a zither could often be heard drifting through the air. At times it was gentle as a flowing spring, at others swift and soaring as a waterfall, crisp as pearls falling onto a jade plate, or soft and lingering as a whisper. It was a pure sound that carried the soul back into the depths of music, in search of the spirit's rose.
What those six years brought Luo Feng was neither maturity nor the weariness of age, but a particular kind of serenity, as though he had no quarrel with the world.
Harry and his two brothers lay peacefully on Luo Feng's bamboo bed, listening to him play with expressions of enjoyment. The Silver Dragon, meanwhile, lay quietly in the lake, lazily enjoying the cool water and listening to Luo Feng's music, the very picture of contentment.
Luo Feng's lips twitched helplessly at these fellows. Six years ago, he had made an agreement with Harry and his brothers: in exchange for letting him live in the Dark Forest, he would play the zither for them. Afterward, Luo Feng had cut down a large amount of bamboo in the forest and built a bamboo house by the lake, while the Silver Dragon lay in the lake.
But Luo Feng spent most of his time cultivating, and the three fellows had brazenly taken over his home. He truly felt helpless. These three rich second-generation heirs had a perfectly comfortable Metallic Lifeform house to sleep in, yet they insisted on coming to his bamboo house. Luo Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Over the six years, Luo Feng's Battle-qi had long since reached the peak of a Warrior of the Ninth Rank. All he needed to do now was wait for the day his Battle-qi reached perfection. If the Luo Feng who had just arrived in the Dark Forest could have inflicted light injuries on Kenyon by fighting with his life on the line, the present Luo Feng could kill Kenyon while sustaining only light injuries himself. The reason was simple: over those six years, Luo Feng had not only perfected Drawing Upon Heaven and Earth, but had also comprehended laws.
Luo Feng had spent more than ten years progressing step by step from attack techniques to comprehending and perfecting Drawing Upon Heaven and Earth, yet he had taken only six short years to progress from Drawing Upon Heaven and Earth to comprehending laws. In just over twenty years, Luo Feng had achieved what others could not achieve in hundreds of years, or even an entire lifetime.
Talent, opportunity, and hard work were all indispensable. Luo Feng's magical talent in wind, water, and lightning was of the superior grade. Although his Water Element talent was high grade, it was also extremely close to superior grade. Anyone who had read the original work knew that magical talent helped one better comprehend laws, and Luo Feng's magical talent was a terrifying superior grade.
As for opportunity? No one lacked opportunities; the only question was whether one could seize them. Luo Feng had put himself in mortal danger and survived countless times, and had fought countless battles on the brink of life and death. That alone was enough for him to take pride in.
Hard work? That was something Luo Feng had never lacked. Since his rebirth, he had cultivated painstakingly, never giving up the slightest bit of cultivation time. While others enjoyed family bonds and love, he cultivated hard. While others indulged in blind worship, he cultivated hard. As a result, even now, Luo Feng was still single.
With Luo Feng's talent alone, he would never have comprehended laws so quickly. But even he himself had not expected it. Back then, he had merely thought that his state of mind was imperfect and that he had too many negative emotions, which the zither could help him clear away.
Over those six years, Luo Feng had done little besides cultivate his Battle-qi and play the zither. Each time he played, he felt deeply moved, and his mind grew peaceful.
As he played more often, Luo Feng increasingly felt that the sound of the zither was an art that reached straight to the soul. When the soul's hearing resonated with the music, it released boundless imaginings and boundless emotions. Upon hearing beautiful, profound music, the soul bathed in a river of melody, life rose to another realm, and the soul reached its highest domain. This was vocal music. Luo Feng had originally thought himself extraordinarily lucky to have comprehended the law of speed. He had never expected that, after playing the zither again and again merely to calm his mind, he would now comprehend vocal music through its sound. It truly was an unexpected joy.
As Luo Feng played time and again, he had not only perfected Drawing Upon Heaven and Earth and unexpectedly comprehended the law of "road speed," but had also, to his surprise, comprehended the Laws of Vocal Music at the same time. Compared with six years ago, the present Luo Feng had undergone a perfect transformation.
Six years ago, Luo Feng had been proud and arrogant, so cold that people found him difficult to approach. Six years later, he was elegant and serene, putting people at ease as though they were basking in a spring breeze. It was a magnificent transformation. In terms of strength, too, six years ago Luo Feng could only lightly injure Kenyon even at the cost of being gravely wounded and near death. Six years later, merely by stepping into the Laws of Vocal Music and relying on a guqin in his hands, he could make Kenyon lose himself in the illusory realm of its music until he died. Even using the law of speed, he could kill Kenyon in exchange for light injuries.
Of course, the Laws of Vocal Music were actually a kind of soul attack, a comprehension of laws. In fact, once one reached the Saint Domain, Battle-qi became rather useless. In the original work, Olivier had defeated the long-famous Saint of the Stellar Sword as soon as he broke through to the Saint Domain. Why? Because the Saint of the Stellar Sword's comprehension of laws was far inferior to Olivier's. That was the difference. Luo Feng generally would not use the Laws of Vocal Music against an enemy. After all, no one would casually let him play the zither; once they knew about him, they would certainly interrupt him. So Luo Feng still focused on the law of speed.
Now that Luo Feng had comprehended laws, he had used the Laws of Vocal Music to create a soul attack-the Illusionary Realm of Wind-and, through the law of speed, comprehended a material attack-the Extremity of Wind. Once Luo Feng fully understood the laws within them, he would be able to become a Lowgod.
Over those six years, the Purple-Gold Rat King Harry and his two brothers had sometimes given Luo Feng guidance. Their Wind Element and Darkness Element were both at the Midgod level, so guiding a youngster who had not even reached the Saint Domain was more than manageable. Even so, the three brothers were surprised that Luo Feng had managed to comprehend the Laws of Vocal Music, one of the more advanced Wind Element laws. Of the nine Wind Element laws, even they had not comprehended the Laws of Vocal Music. That was also why, when Luo Feng played the zither in the Dark Forest back then, they had not blamed him, but had instead repeatedly urged him to stay.
Luo Feng rose from the zither table. He had played all day and felt tired. His fingers brushed the strings, and he smiled faintly as he stepped away from the table. Standing in the wind and looking at the tranquil surface of the lake, he felt a deep sense of peace. Ever since his Battle-qi had reached the peak of a Warrior of the Ninth Rank two years ago, Luo Feng had been waiting for it to break through. Now that he had comprehended laws, breaking through to the Saint Domain was merely a natural step.
Luo Feng crouched and reached out his right hand to straighten a flower that the wind had blown askew. Every movement carried the light grace of the wind, and everything seemed so harmonious and beautiful.
Time passed slowly.
He did not know how long had passed when he felt a change in the Battle-qi within him. The corners of Luo Feng's mouth lifted. "It's finally here. Is it time to break through?"
By now, the Battle-qi within Luo Feng had long since reached a limit. He had merely been waiting for the moment to break through.
Crackle, pop. All sorts of strange sounds came from Luo Feng's entire body. His muscles bulged and sank continuously, as though a mouse were moving beneath them. Even his veins stood out, and beads of sweat and blood kept seeping from his body!
He had waited a long time for this day.
Gurgle.
The cyan Battle-qi churned strangely, and a stinging sensation spread through Luo Feng's entire body. The liquid cyan Battle-qi in his dantian shrank in volume once more, while its density increased considerably. Cyan Battle-qi continuously entered his dantian and then flowed back out, forming a cycle.
All the cyan Battle-qi that entered his dantian underwent a transformation.
After nearly an hour, all the Battle-qi in Luo Feng's body had undergone a complete transformation.
Although the Peak of the Ninth Rank and the Saint Domain Initial Stage were separated by only a single barrier, Luo Feng's strength had increased countless times over. The difference between him now and before was as vast as heaven and earth. The present Luo Feng could truly be called a Saint Domain Peak expert. After all, he had already comprehended laws, and Battle-qi was not particularly important after reaching the Saint Domain.
Luo Feng opened his eyes, unable to conceal the excitement in them.
"The Saint Domain... Nearly thirty years of effort, without a moment's slackening, never once giving up. Today, I've finally reached the Saint Domain." Luo Feng's eyes were full of excitement.