Chapter 39: Sun Yuan's Departure and Divine Power Infusion

Li Changkong shook his head. "I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. A single Duan Xiyang has already dampened the spirits of martial artists across the world by a fraction; if news like this were to spread further..."

Fang Che nodded. This was indeed a point worth considering.

Fortunately, however, Duan Xiyang's blinding radiance and the widespread attention garnered by the Weapon Codex of the Clouds had managed to overshadow this fact.

Or rather, it kept this fact from attracting too much notice.

Hiding in plain sight.

"Go on then," Li Changkong said softly. "This world is not as simple as everyone sees it, nor is it as superficial as people understand. The path of martial arts is even less straightforward than you imagine."

"If you wish to see a broader and more profound landscape, then keep climbing."

"Every time you scale a mountain peak that previously blocked your horizon, you will find the skies vaster and the earth wider before your eyes."

He patted Fang Che's shoulder and said earnestly, "Take some time to think it over, and then, in secret, choose your exclusive destiny weapon."

...

Stepping out of the office, Fang Che did not return to the classroom.

Instead, following the courtyard paths, he made his way to a nearby grove of trees.

Leaning against a tree trunk, he closed his eyes.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across his face, reminding him of the morning he had first been reborn.

Under the interplay of light and shadow, his body and face were a mosaic of darkness and bright spots. As a gentle breeze blew and the leaves swayed, the shadows and light upon Fang Che flickered continuously.

Shadows were abundant, occupying eighty percent of his body's surface.

Points of light were scarce.

It felt as though he were alone amidst a chaotic dance of demons, struggling with all his might to dodge and weave.

His mind felt tangled and chaotic.

He thought of the Weapon Codex of the Clouds, of Duan Xiyang, and of the Sovereign of the All-For-Me Righteous Cult.

Then he wondered: Is the Sovereign of the All-For-Me Righteous Cult truly the ultimate controller?

His thoughts churned further, recalling Bing Shangxue's words: *Be a human, don't be a ghost.*

Li Changkong's parting words also lingered in his mind.

A more distant and beautiful landscape...

"It seems my cultivation in my past life was still too low," Fang Che sighed. "In my past life, I only reached the Emperor Realm and was not qualified to touch upon profound cultivation. I was not qualified to touch true secrets, nor did I have the ability to behold more distant sights."

"Never think that living an extra life makes you overwhelmingly awesome. The only reason things are going smoothly for you now is because you are wearing the skin of an eighteen-year-old youth."

"If they were to deal with you the way they deal with figures of the Emperor Realm, I'm afraid your soul would have scattered to the winds long ago."

He admonished himself silently.

Circulating the Clear Ice Spirit Platform mental art, he completely cast away his cluttered thoughts.

With his mind finally calm, he focused on the matter of his destiny weapon.

What should he use as his destiny weapon?

Sabre, spear, sword, halberd.

Sabre: his nominal master in this life was the Soaring Sabre King Sun Yuan, so anyone facing him would be on guard against his sabre first.

A sabre could not be his destiny weapon; it was too obvious.

Sword: in his past life, he practiced the sword.

If he chose the sword, some of his past habits and swordsmanship would inevitably and instinctively manifest at certain moments.

Once discovered by others to possess memories of a past life, he would become the All-For-Me Righteous Cult's primary assassination target, surpassing even Xue Fuxiao!

By then, even if Xue Fuxiao guarded him day and night, he would inevitably be killed.

It would be a dead end.

Furthermore, although the sword was the weapon of kings, Fang Che understood all too well that when wielding a sword against an opponent of the same rank who used heavy weaponry, the frustration was simply indescribable.

The entire time would be spent dodging and searching for openings.

For instance, encountering someone wielding a hammer, a halberd, a staff, or a heavy broadsword...

When their base strength was on par with his own, the advantages conferred by their heavy weapons were simply countless.

So the sword could not serve as his destiny weapon either.

In fact, the sword was the first option Fang Che discarded, even before the sabre.

What about a halberd?

The painting halberd could be called the king of weapons; it simultaneously possessed the characteristics of all common weapons like the sabre, spear, staff, hammer, and sword.

It could be light or heavy, long or short, used for long-range attacks or close-quarters combat.

However, it was difficult to learn and hard to master.

Yet Fang Che was deeply interested in it, tentatively ranking it as his second choice for a destiny weapon.

As for his primary destiny weapon, Fang Che had already decided long ago.

The spear!

At the very end of his past life, the piercing flash of the spearhead that had filled his vision had become his obsession.

The Bone-Shattering Dream-Breaking Spear.

The moment he opened his eyes after being reborn as Fang Che, the very first ray of light he saw reminded him of that spear gleam.

Ever since then, whenever he saw sunlight streaming down, he would think of the Bone-Shattering Dream-Breaking Spear.

If one day, I could defeat Duan Xiyang with a spear...

Fang Che opened his eyes, directly meeting the beam of light shooting through the gaps in the leaves.

The light was brilliant, shining straight down, connecting heaven and earth, transcending time and distance, piercing directly into his pupils!

It was like a spear... descending from the heavens!

Fang Che narrowed his eyes, the light in his gaze meeting that stray ray of sunlight.

Gradually, the sunlight seemed to transform into the light within his own eyes.

Brilliant and dazzling.

...

Ye Meng quietly breathed a sigh of relief, unlocked the door, and stepped outside.

She had broken through.

Second layer of the General Realm.

A wave of emotion stirred in her heart.

Half of the spiritual herbs Fang Che had acquired recently for nourishing the soul and body and boosting cultivation had been given to Ye Meng.

With the cultivation of the Boundless True Scripture, Fang Che's constitution and aptitude improved almost every day, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

After consuming half of those heavenly treasures, he felt they no longer provided any significant benefit.

Consequently, the rest were given to Ye Meng, and she was fiercely and forcibly made to consume them.

Therefore, Ye Meng's cultivation during this period had surged as if she were cheating.

Not to mention she had also consumed two Heavenly Vein Vermilion Fruits, greatly enhancing her natural aptitude.

Her current life and cultivation progress made Ye Meng feel as though she were dreaming.

After finishing the cleaning in the large courtyard, she sat on the swing, looking at the estate, growing more fond of it by the day.

"Peaceful and quiet years."

Ye Meng rested her chin in her hands.

*Whoosh.*

Sun Yuan entered the courtyard.

"Little girl, all by yourself?"

"Elder Sun, good day. I'll go brew some tea for you."

Sun Yuan sat down in a reclining chair beneath the pavilion in the courtyard, sipping his tea leisurely as he asked, "Did you guys just set this up in the yard?"

He pointed toward the weapons rack under the rain canopy on one side of the courtyard, displaying eighteen traditional weapons including sabres, spears, swords, and halberds.

All were forged from fine steel, exuding a texture unique to metal.

The places meant for gripping showed a distinct patina unique to frequent use.

"Yes. Young Master just got them back, and he practices with them until midnight every afternoon and evening."

"Not bad."

Sun Yuan was very satisfied.

A glance at the distinct grip marks, different from anywhere else, told him that a profound amount of effort had been put into the training.

*This disciple of mine is hardworking enough.*

...

As the sun set in the west, Fang Che returned.

"Master? You're here early today?"

Fang Che looked somewhat surprised.

"Mainly to check on your progress," Sun Yuan said with a lingering sense of melancholy. "After today, I need to make a trip to the New Chu capital, and it's expected to take three months before I can return."

Ye Meng, who was carrying a tray with tea, felt a stir in her heart: *Sun Yuan is leaving?*

"Master is going to New Chu?"

Fang Che frowned. "What are you going there for? Although it's our territory, as far as I know, our All-For-Me Cult's foundation over there... doesn't seem very solid. Moreover, factional infighting is severe and masters are like clouds. Though you are already a King Realm expert, Master, things in Mystic Martial City of New Chu... are not optimistic."

"Indeed, going over there is dangerous, and I'll have to keep my tail tucked between my legs," Sun Yuan laughed. "The Sovereign explicitly named me to go, so I have to go. Besides, this is a good thing."

"A good thing? Could there be some important matter?" Fang Che asked with concern, "Master, you must not take it lightly."

Sensing his disciple's filial piety, Sun Yuan felt deeply gratified.

Originally he hadn't planned to speak of it, but now, to set his disciple's mind at ease, he said, "This trip really is a good thing. It involves quotas distributed by the General Cult to various sects and organizations; our All-For-Me Cult was allocated three. Normally it wouldn't have been my turn, but I suppose I'm basking in your light, as the Sovereign personally named me."

Sun Yuan smiled and lowered his voice, "Divine power灌顶 (灌顶: empowerment/infusion), to elevate one's strength."

Fang Che was greatly astonished. "There is such a thing?"

His shock was not feigned; he genuinely had never heard of such bizarre occurrences in either of his two lives.

Divine power infusion?

What was that?

Sun Yuan smiled mysteriously, his voice suddenly condensing into a thin line that drilled straight into Fang Che's ear: "This is the greatest secret of the Divine Cult!"

"Ah?"

Fang Che cooperatively displayed a look of shock and bewilderment.

*Why did he start using voice transmission?*

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ye Meng standing not far away and couldn't help feeling a trace of regret.

What that girl had heard before should be fine, but she wouldn't be able to hear this voice transmission.

Ye Meng dutifully bowed. "This servant will go brew some tea."

She turned and left.

Ignoring Ye Meng, Fang Che immediately said to Sun Yuan, "Since it's a secret, Master didn't have to tell me."

Since Sun Yuan had already decided to speak and had started, how could he possibly stop? If he let Fang Che talk him out of finishing after putting on such a mysterious act and using voice transmission, wouldn't he become a laughingstock?

In front of his own disciple, how could Sun Yuan afford to lose such face?

He waved a hand and continued his voice transmission: "No matter, what harm is there in telling you? You may not have noticed, but throughout these thousands of years of warfare, there has been a very strange phenomenon."

"What strange phenomenon?"

"It's that the so-called guardians, the cultivation progress of those righteous path people, is not as fast as our All-For-Me Righteous Cult."

"Usually, opponents of the same rank who are evenly matched will suddenly surpass the righteous side by a wide margin after a certain period. It catches them completely off guard!"

Sun Yuan continued transmitting his voice: "The most obvious example is this battle between Sector Master Duan and Xue Fuxiao; prior to this, Sector Master Duan had been defeated by Xue Fuxiao hundreds of times, and the gap in strength was obvious. Thus, our All-For-Me Righteous Cult was always suppressed."

"But this time, Xue Fuxiao actually lost to Sector Master Duan! That was unimaginable prior to this. When they have reached such a realm, how can their progress still be so rapid?"

"All of this is due to divine power infusion," Sun Yuan said mysteriously.

Fang Che's face remained calm yet excited, even somewhat fanatical. "There is really such a thing?"

Beneath his calm exterior, however, a tumultuous storm raged in his heart.

...

*(Note: A few days ago I mentioned an old xianxia novel, and everyone was confused. Let me popularize it for you. The following words will be placed in the author's notes so as not to affect your reading experience.)*