Grandmaster's End of the Road

The morning the news spread that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Immortal Dao had submitted to the Immortal Path, the morning market in Heaven Dou City was in an uproar.

In the teahouse, the storyteller slammed his gavel and began, "The Primordial World Immortal Master Collects Seven Treasures, Ning Fengzhi His Head and Submits His Surrender Document."

The tea drinkers below, munching on sunflower seeds, craned their necks to listen.

The blacksmith's apprentice swung his hammer with three times more force than usual. He muttered to his companion as he hammered the anvil.

"Now that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been incorporated into the Immortal Dao, shouldn't Yu Xiaogang's nonsense about the inability to surpass the age limit of Soul Ring also be swept into the trash heap?"

When the news reached that dilapidated mud house in the west of the city, Yu Xiaogang was squatting on the ground picking up manuscripts.

It's called a manuscript, but it's really just a bunch of torn pieces of paper.

The window paper had three large holes. Last night's snow had poured in, turning the stack of paper in the corner into a paste.

He peeled off the sheets one by one, each one crumbling as he did so. His fingertips were frozen purple, and his fingernails were filled with ink stains and scraps of paper.

There was no charcoal fire in the room, and the stove was so cold it could freeze. The only piece of clothing he owned that wasn't patched had been torn in half and used to block the draft from the window.

It's pointless to block it. The wind is blowing in through the crack in the door, scattering bits of paper all over the floor.

Two children ran over to the door, one of them shouting at the top of his lungs.

"A madman who steals! The Grandmaster turned into a rat!"

The other person laughed. The stone hit the door panel with a loud thud.

Yu Xiaogang shrugged slightly but didn't turn around.

He spent the entire morning piecing together five complete pages from the pile of shredded paper.

Five pages.

The original manuscript of "The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul" was torn down to only five pages, two of which were the table of contents.

He folded the five pages, unfolded them, and folded them again. His fingers trembled like a leaf.

Three days ago, the Enforcement Hall of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan came knocking on our door.

The leader was Yu Tianheng. He stood at the entrance of the earthen house, followed by four elders dressed in blue and white outfits.

He didn't go inside, but instead handed in a document stamped with the family seal.

"An investigation revealed that the core data and theoretical framework in Yu Xiaogang's book, ' The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul,' were stolen from a secret research manuscript of his clan."

Effective immediately, Yu Xiaogang been removed from the Blue Lightning Clan genealogy, and all stolen documents have been recovered. He has also been removed from the Shrek Academy.

Yu Xiaogang clutched the document, his mouth agape for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence.

"Those manuscripts... weren't all stolen... some of them were my own..."

Yu Tianheng looked at him without saying a word.

An elder behind him spoke up.

"Your own stuff? Tell me then, which page is yours? Can you even tell?"

Yu Xiaogang can't tell the difference.

In his youth, he spent countless sleepless nights in the library of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, copying passages from others and adding his own annotations in the margins.

As they kept copying, they themselves became confused.

Decades have passed, and he has long forgotten which words he wrote and which he copied.

All he knew was that theory was considered the gold standard in the Soul Master World. All he knew was that Flender had patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Gang, your theory can change the Soul Master World."

All that is known is that Bibi Dong him, and Liu Erlong also believed him.

Now that Bibi Dong has been rescued, she no longer recognizes him.

That day in the tavern, Liu Erlong crushed a wine glass in front of him, said, "What you steal, you will eventually have to pay back," and turned to leave.

Flender sent a student with a letter, without even showing his face. Inside the envelope was just a single sheet of paper with four words written on it.

"Take care of yourself."

What truly cemented Yu Xiaogang's place in the annals of shame was that statement he made before the decisive battle at Jialing Pass.

At that time, the Spirit Hall's army was pressing in, and Yu Xiaogang, in his capacity as "teacher," went to the front lines to persuade Bibi Dong to back down.

Bibi Dong looked at him and said those words in front of tens of thousands of Soul Master from both sides.

"Yu Xiaogang, all your theories are wrong. I believed you back then and went down the wrong path. Now I see you for who you really are—a coward who only knows how to talk big!"

"Your so-called theories are all stolen from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"

"That kid Nan Feng's first ring takes 920 years, the second ring takes 2100 years, and the third ring takes 12,000 years."

He proved with real combat that your "ironclad rules" are complete bullshit!

These words were recorded by the Soul Master on the battlefield and their images spread to every corner of the continent within a month.

The storyteller in the Heaven Dou City teahouse turned this passage into a rhythmic verse. Even the vegetable vendors in the Nuoding City market could hum a few lines.

"Yu Xiaogang, you stole the manuscript; the ironclad rules of Soul Ring have all fallen."

Inside the earthen house, Yu Xiaogang stuffed the five pages of manuscript into his bosom, pressing them against his chest.

His knees cracked twice when he stood up; he had been squatting for too long.

He walked to the door to get some fresh air, but as soon as his hand touched the door, it collapsed on its own.

Last night someone kicked the door from the outside, and the hinges broke long ago; only a nail is left hanging there.

The door panel slammed onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Three people stood at the alley entrance. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man, wearing a faded old robe of the Blue Lightning Clan, with a sheathless short knife at his waist.

Two young men behind him had their arms crossed, their faces beaming with the satisfaction of watching a good show.

The middle-aged man walked over, glanced down at the fallen door panel, and then at Yu Xiaogang.

"You're Yu Xiaogang?"

"I am."

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's External Affairs Steward has been ordered to retrieve something." The middle-aged man held out his hand. "Copies of the family's secret manuscripts. Hand over the original copies you stole."

Yu Xiaogang's lips trembled slightly.

"The copy... was torn up, burned, gone..."

"That's it?" The middle-aged man chuckled, turning to the two young men and saying, "Did you hear that? He said that's all."

The two young men laughed along.

The middle-aged man turned back, his smile vanished, and his eyes turned cold.

"Yu Xiaogang, we have verified that you stole three secret manuscripts from the family library, copied them, and then gave the copies to the Spirit Hall."

"Hand over the copy, and the family will cripple your Martial Soul, thus ending this matter. If you don't, the clan rules will punish you."

"I'll pay! I'll pay!"

Yu Xiaogang turned around and rushed into the house, rummaging through a pile of tattered papers in the corner and pulling out three booklets wrapped in oilcloth.

The Blue Lightning Clan seal on the cover is still there, only the corners have been gnawed by rats.

He presented it with both hands. The middle-aged man took it, flipped through it, and snorted.

"You're smart to know what's good for you."

He tucked the three booklets into his coat pocket and winked at the two young men behind him.

"According to the family decree, Trash Martial Soul."

Before Yu Xiaogang could react, two young men grabbed his arms from either side.

A blue-white lightning flashed in the middle-aged man's palm as he struck Yu Xiaogang's dantian.

Luo Sanpao's level 29 Martial Soul Core shattered in the lightning. Yu Xiaogang convulsed, coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed.

The middle-aged man squatted down and whispered something in his ear.

"The family had originally agreed not to pursue the matter personally. However, the matter of you transferring the copy to the Spirit Hall resurfaced after the Spirit Hall's downfall, and the Council of Elders has reconsidered it."

"What you stole, the family has taken back. Your debts are settled today. From this day forward, don't let me see you in Heaven Dou City again."

The three people left.

The door was still lying on the ground. The wind blew in through the doorway, making the pile of scraps of paper in the corner swirl all over the room.

Yu Xiaogang lay on the ground, his fingers digging into the cracks between the bricks, splitting two of his fingernails in the process.

He wanted to cry, but his eyes were so dry they ached, and not a single tear came out.

That afternoon, news of Yu Xiaogang's Trash Martial Soul spread throughout the western part of the city.

The vendor at the alley entrance was packing up and muttering to the people next to him.

"Have you heard? That Grandmaster who stole things had his Martial Soul crippled."

The people next to me clicked their tongues twice.

"Serves him right. He boasted so much back then, about the limits of Soul Ring and how they were insurmountable. Turns out, Nan Feng's first spirit ring was over nine hundred years old. He's got a real slap in the face."

Inside the earthen house, Yu Xiaogang sat leaning against the wall.

The five pages of manuscript were still in his pocket. He took them out and looked at them again and again.

There is a note in the middle of the third page, the handwriting is smaller than the surrounding text, and the ink is also darker.

He recognized it; it was something he had written himself back then, not copied.

The annotation reads: If the Soul Power is compressed to its limit, it may be possible to try to absorb it beyond the age limit, but the risk is extremely high and it requires the assistance of extremely strong suppressing power.

He stared at the words for a long time, then suddenly laughed, a laugh that sounded worse than crying.

Nan Feng, that kid, absorbed more than his limit all the way up: 920 years for the first ring, 2100 years for the second ring, and 12,000 years for the third ring.

Isn't that just using the most powerful suppressive force?

His tower, his Power of Mountain Suppression, his Primordial World Immortal Power.

If Yu Xiaogang had dared to take this annotation seriously back then and continued his research in this direction, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation today.

But back then, he believed too much in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's ironclad rule that the age limit of Soul Ring could not be exceeded. As he copied it, he took their premise as the truth and buried his own little doubts in the annotations, never to be seen again.

He folded the five pages of manuscript, tucked them back into his arms, and stood up, leaning against the wall for support.

It was getting dark, and he needed to find a place to spend the night. This mud house belonged to the Blue Lightning Clan, and they would probably come to take it back tomorrow.

Just as he was about to leave, a carriage stopped at the alley entrance.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a young woman dressed in a light blue and white outfit stepped out. A slender sword was tucked into her waistband, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

She glanced around at the alley entrance and walked straight toward the earthen house.

"Yu Xiaogang?"

"Who are you?"

"Ning Qing, External Affairs Officer of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

She pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve.

"Sect Master Ning sent me to deliver a message. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School has an empty courtyard in the north of the city. If you don't mind, you can move there tonight."

Yu Xiaogang was stunned.

"Ning Fengzhi? What... what does he mean?"

Ning Qing handed over the paper.

"Sect Master Ning said that you stole from the Blue Lightning Clan, and since the Blue Lightning Clan has already crippled your Martial Soul, this debt is settled."

"But you acted as a go-between between the Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Clan back then, helping the Spirit Hall take a lot of things from the Blue Lightning Clan. That debt hasn't been settled yet."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has covered the compensation for you, and the Blue Lightning Clan has agreed not to pursue the matter further. In exchange, you will compile your own materials. These will not be considered your theories, but rather part of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's collection. The materials will be signed ' Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.'"

Yu Xiaogang took the paper, his hands trembling violently.

The paper contained an agreement.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect paid the compensation owed to him by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

He compiled a "Basic Soul Power Research Notes" for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which was attributed to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The last part bears Ning Fengzhi's personal seal.

"Ning Fengzhi... why are you helping me?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

Ning Qing glanced at him.

"Sect Master Ning said that what you stole has been returned, and the person you owed has left. But what you wrote, even if only one page is true, will still count as something you left for the Soul Master World."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has no shortage of money or people; what it lacks are these kinds of genuine, albeit miscellaneous, items."

Yu Xiaogang read the agreement over and over three times, and finally took out the five pages of manuscript from his pocket, picked out the page with annotations, and handed it to Ning Qing.

"This page... this page was written by me. The rest, you can handle."

Ning Qing took the manuscript, glanced at it, folded it, and tucked it into her sleeve.

"Pack your things, the carriage is outside."

Yu Xiaogang had nothing to pack up.

He gathered the pile of scraps of paper on the ground, wrapped them in an oilcloth, and carried them out the door.

As he passed the alleyway, he glanced back at the earthen house.

The door lay on the ground, the window paper had large holes torn in it, and a row of icicles hung from the eaves.

He lived in this room for half a year, and now that he's leaving, he doesn't feel a single thought of leaving.

As the carriage drove out of the west of the city, Yu Xiaogang lifted the curtain and looked outside.

The main street of Heaven Dou City was brightly lit. He could see a golden halo in the distance, towards the back mountain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It was the afterglow of Immortal Power emanating from Nan Feng's Tower Spirit Space.

He watched for a long time, then lowered the carriage curtain.

"Deacon Ning," he suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"Nan Feng... does he know that Sect Master Ning took me in?"

Ning Qing smiled.

"The Immortal Master knows. The Immortal Master also asked me to pass on a message."

Yu Xiaogang tensed up.

"The Immortal Master said that when you wanted to take him as your disciple at the Nuoding Academy and he refused, he was actually quite happy."

He said he'd seen through your theory long ago, but nobody believed him then. Now everyone does, so it's time for you to take a break.

Yu Xiaogang was stunned for a long time, then suddenly laughed. This time, his laugh was more natural than before, though it still sounded a bit bitter.

"Thank him for me."

The carriage turned into an alley in the north of the city and disappeared into the night.

In the Tower Spirit Space, Nan Feng sat cross-legged in the Space-Time Bubble, with the next chapter of the Qi-inducing method floating in front of him.

His eyes were closed, but his ears were not idle.

The Old Huai was giving a long, rambling report from inside the fairy tree.

"Ning Fengzhi picked up Yu Xiaogang and arranged for him to stay in that empty courtyard in the north of the city. Ning Qing went to pick him up personally."

"The Blue Lightning Clan had just left when she arrived."

"Ning Fengzhi moved quite quickly." Nan Feng didn't open her eyes.

"That old bastard dared to interfere because he knew you wouldn't get involved." Old Huai paused, "But there's something interesting about this."

"When Ning Qing went to pick up Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong watched the whole thing from behind the window on the second floor of the tavern across the alley. She didn't come downstairs, nor did she stop her."

Nan Feng opened her eyes.

What was Liu Erlong's reaction?

He took a sip of his drink and muttered, "That old bastard Ning Fengzhi is quite particular about how he collects junk."

Old Huai imitated Liu Erlong's tone perfectly.

Nan Feng chuckled.

She let it go.

"You've let it go?"

"If she hadn't put him down, she wouldn't have been standing behind the window watching. She would have gone downstairs and dragged Yu Xiaogang away."

"The fact that she was drinking upstairs means she was just there to watch the fun and then it was over."

Nan Feng closed his eyes again, and his Immortal Power circulated through his meridians.

"That's the end of Yu Xiaogang's matter. He's returned what he stole, he's left the people he owed, Ning Fengzhi can keep the little bit of writing he did if he wants. It has nothing to do with me anymore."

Old Huai clicked his tongue.

"You're quite optimistic."

"What can I do if I can't figure it out? I'm not his father."

Nan Feng suddenly remembered something.

"However, there's something I need to remind you. Ning Fengzhi taking Yu Xiaogang away was ostensibly to take in a useless person, but in reality, it was a show for Ning Yuan."

"Ning Fengzhi has secured the last bit of genuine power that Yu Xiaogang possessed. He's also subtly signaling to Ning Yuan: Ning Fengzhi remains the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, not Ning Yuan."

"If Ning Yuan is smart, he should stay put. If he's not, Yu Xiaogang's fate today will be Ning Yuan's example tomorrow."

"So what if I'm not smart?"

Nan Feng stood up and patted the fragments of Space-Time off her clothes.

"Old Huai, have Shifang scan that courtyard in the north of the city with his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light a couple more times. Ning Fengzhi Ning Yuan Yu Xiaogang within three days."

Old Huai responded, muttering something before retreating back into the Immortal Tree.

"You just accepted their documents, and now you're already on guard against their people—"

"That's not called pondering," Nan Feng said, stepping out of the Space-Time Bubble. "That's called taking precautions."

Bibi Dong squatted next to the Nine Heart Begonia, clutching the third half-braided fairy vine hair ribbon in her hand, and glanced up at him.

The hairband is finished.

Nan Feng took it and looked at it. It was much better than the previous two; at least the tension was more even.

He tied it around his left wrist, next to Xiao Wu's old hairband.

"Okay, this one will work. When Ning Rongrong comes back, let her see your hairband braiding skills."

Bibi Dong's ears turned red again.

Shifang raised his head from the fire, his mouth glistening with oil.

"Brother Nan, the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light has been detected in the north of the city. After settling Yu Xiaogang in, Ning Qing came out of the courtyard and headed towards the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

About half an hour after she left, someone sneaked outside the courtyard, crouched by the wall and listened for a quarter of an hour, then slipped away.

Nan Feng narrowed his eyes.

What kind of person?

"Soul Douluo- level character, carrying the aura of Soul-Sealing Stone." Shifang wiped his mouth. "Just like that Aunt Ning Rongrong brought last time."

The Old Huai peeked out from among the sacred trees.

"People from Ning Yuan?"

"The people from Ning Yuan," Nan Feng tightened his hairband, "Are even faster than I expected. Ning Fengzhi made his arrangements, and Ning Yuan immediately sent people to investigate. That old bastard really doesn't intend to stay put."

Bibi Dong stood up and wiped her hands on the hem of her skirt.

"You want to interfere?"

"Never mind. Ning Rongrong made a three-month agreement with me before she left, and only one day has passed, Ning Yuan can't sit still anymore."

"Let him jump around; the higher he jumps, the harder he falls."

Nan Feng walked out of the Tower Spirit Space.

"Shifang, keep an eye on things. If he sends someone again, write it down, but don't alert him."

Shifang nodded.

"I understand. Should I still grill the fish?"

"Roast," Nan Feng said without turning back, "We'll eat it when I get back."

Shifang chuckled and added some firewood to the fire.

Bibi Dong squatted back down and continued braiding the fourth hair ribbon. After braiding it twice, she suddenly stopped, looked up and asked Old Huai.

"Old Huai, if Ning Yuan really causes trouble, will Nan Feng be in danger?"

The Old Huai poked its entire face out from the sacred wood, its bark wrinkles squeezing together.

"Danger? That kid even withstood Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Demon Scythe head-on, what kind of trouble can Ning Yuan, an old man from the Council of Elders, cause?"

He gestured with his lip in the direction where the Nan Feng disappeared.

"Besides, didn't you see his expression just now? It was exactly the same as when he said 'I'll prove it to you' back at the Nuoding Academy. Someone's going to be in trouble."

Bibi Dong looked down at the half-finished vine in her hand, then suddenly pulled hard, straightening the entire vine, and started weaving again.

Old Huai asked her why she was suddenly so serious. She didn't even look up.

"He can barely hang any more on his left wrist. Braid a few more so he can wear them in rotation."

The Old Huai let out a long, mournful sigh.

"How did I end up with a bunch of living ancestors like you..."

In the empty courtyard in the north of the city, Yu Xiaogang sat on the wooden bed that Ning Qing had left for him, with a stack of brand-new blank booklets and a bottle of ink in front of him.

He spread the five pages of manuscript from his pocket on the table, looked at them one by one, and finally took out the one with annotations, pressing it down with a paperweight.

He picked up his pen and wrote five characters on the first page of the blank booklet.

"Soul Power Compression Method."

By the time he wrote the third line, his hand had stopped shaking.

Across the alley, at a tea stall, a figure wrapped in a gray cloak squatted in the corner, ordering a bowl of the cheapest coarse tea.

He stared at the light shining from the courtyard for a long time.

After finishing his tea, he put down two copper coins, got up, and walked towards the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

As he walked out of the alley and turned the corner, he took out a communication jade talisman from his pocket and whispered something.

"Elder, Ning Fengzhi did indeed take Yu Xiaogang away to the courtyard in the north of the city. It was arranged by Ning Qing. It seems he's trying to extract something from Yu Xiaogang."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the jade talisman before a reply was given.

"Keep an eye on them. Once Ning Qing gets his hands on the goods, intercept him halfway."

The man in the gray cloak put away the jade talisman and disappeared into the night.

In the Tower Spirit Space, Shifang suddenly opened his eyes.

"Brother Nan, that guy who sneaks along the wall is here again. This time he brought a communication jade talisman and is talking to someone."

Nan Feng was practicing the Qi-inducing method when he heard this, and he stopped his hand gestures.

Did you manage to intercept it?

"I intercepted it. I wrote down the contents: 'Obstruct Ning Qing on her way after she gets the item.'"

Nan Feng opened her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"That old bastard Ning Yuan, he really can't hold his temper."

He stood up and glanced in the direction of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Ning Rongrong, you investigate Ning Yuan, and I'll keep an eye on Ning Fengzhi for you. If you can't hand over the map in three months, I'll investigate your father too."