—
Standing next to him, Lin Ying Mei’s throat became dry and the knuckles on her fists turned ghostly white. She was worried that something unfortunate would happen to Shu Jing.
Less than a minute later, Shu Jing released the Star Qi blade and the pain subsided gradually. His forehead was drenched with sweat.
“This escape technique is really too strange.” Shu Jing thought quietly. This was only the beginning stage. According to Golden Toad Spiritual Master’s teachings, Chaotic Tail Escape Technique is divided into 7,749 crucial points. In other words, his Star Qi must bombard his injuries 49 times, each time the pain will increase by thirty percent. Only when his entire body was covered by wounds and he was at the point of near death, would the Chaotic Tail Escape Technique reach the Large Success stage.
Furthermore, this technique can only be trained three times a day. According to the author, this was the limit for cultivators, forcefully training it further would result in death.
Shu Jing finally understood why this manual was covered in dust when he found it. Nobody would care about this pointless technique that requires you to suffer so greatly from the very beginning.
“Master, perhaps you should give it up.” Lin Ying Mei said while feeling distressed.
Song Lu also seemed to be scared, “You probably shouldn’t try to learn this, I have never heard of anyone successfully learning it before.”
“I don’t believe that I will not be able to learn this technique today.” Shu Jing snorted.
He was still going to learn it, not because it was an exceptional movement technique, but because it had awakened his innate stubbornness. Shu Jing always thought that when it comes to determination, he was second to none, yet he still screamed out loud just before.
As an elite soldier, this was a great dishonour. Shu Jing will stop only when he can’t try anymore, so let’s see if this technique is really that magical.
He then continued. The second time, he was still able to endure the pain. The third time, he was also able to hold on. Shu Jing was still able to think clearly, and he thought that he would go against the manual and attempt it the fourth time. This time however, the pain was almost like he had died and been reborn, his body felt like it was immersed in fire.
But he still gnashed his teeth and held on. This startled both Ling Ying Mei and Song Lu.
After four rounds, the first gate of the Chaotic Tail forty-nine gates has been broken through. Shu Jing was truly at his limits.
The following days, Shu Jing diligently practiced the Chaotic Tail Escape Technique while sustaining his wounds. After suffering through the daily life threatening self-torture, he did not waste the rest of his time, but instead the hundreds of books Song Lu had brought him were cleanly read through as if he was a book starved mad man. Even after going through that unimaginable pain every day, he still spent so much time learning, with this kind of Willpower, even Lin Ying Mei was startled.
But this daily grueling training has actually served to increase Shu Jing’s willpower even more, and the process of learning the Chaotic Tail Technique became easier and easier.
On the seventh day, Shu Jing was delighted to find out that he had broken through the tenth gate, and his progress in the technique was now at the Small Success Stage.
A day later, after Shu Jing had experienced his mind numbingly painful fourth round of training, he laid down on a hammock and read the “Liangshan Heroes”, a historical romance novel. It’s a blend of facts and fiction recounting of famous heroes in this land in the past thousands of years, and while the information can be unreliable at best, it was still a good read for those wanting learn the basic history of the continent.
After memorising it from cover to cover, Shu Jing casually picked up another book. The name of the book was “Song Village Secrets”. The name of the book seems like it was just a common introductory text to Song Village. However, as his eyes glazed over it, something suddenly caught his interest.
“They even have one of those here?” Shu Jing happily shouted.
Lin Ying Mei who was practicing her spear technique stopped in her tracks and turned to Shu Jing: “Master, what are you talking about?”
Just then, Song Lu also came inside the yard. Shu Jing asked: “Song Lu, is what’s written in this book true?”
Song Lu came closer and took a look. The text Shu Jing was referring to was the part about the history of the village. Apparently, after the third year the Star Duel had begun, an enlightened monk had gone to Song Clan Village and and hired people to build a “Mountain Lake Legacy”. Whoever solves his legacy would obtain his most precious Soul Technique.
“I have heard of this before. We are near the Mountain Lake valley, and I believe that the reason the valley was named so was due to this story.” Song Lu said after thinking for some time.
“Bring me to look at it!” Shu Jing was very eager to try his hand this monument. It hasn’t been long since he has solved the Relic Blade Legacy’s puzzle, and he was still not very satisfied.
“But master, your leg?”
Shu Jing smiled. Suddenly, his hands formed a strange set of symbols, following which a shadow blur appeared in the yard. In the blink of an eye he was already dozens of metres away.
Both the girl were shocked. Song Lu seemed almost afraid, while Lin Ying Mei was excited.
“Master, you have successfully learnt the Chaotic Tail Escape Technique?”
“Un, some small successes. I should not have any trouble escaping within a thousand metres.” Shu Jing laughed heartily.
“Young Master, you are so impressive!” Song Lu was stunned.
“But the name of this move is really quite bad. Later on when I reach the Large Success Stage, I must change its name.” Shu Jing said, “Song Lu, let us depart for the Mountain Lake valley to have a look.”
Song Lu looked up at the sky at the setting sun and said, “Why don’t we go tomorrow? Today is already getting late, and the Mountain Lake valley is also not very safe. Furthermore, Young Master has already gone through hard training today, and still needs to rest.”
Shu Jing thought that was reasonable. If they tripped some sort of trap, not being at their optimal state could really harm them.
The next day, after breakfast, Song Lu brought Shu Jing and Lin Ying Mei towards the Mountain Lake valley as promised.
On the way, Shu Jing listened to Song Lu’s stories and rumours about the Mountain Lake valley.
There was a time when the Mountain Lake Legacy was renowned all over the Liangshan Continent, because the enlightened monk was definitely a powerful individual. His Soul Technique was called the “Destroying Thousand Worlds Technique”, and countless Star Cultivators has once swarmed this place for chance to obtain it. The valley has even seen its fair share of great battles resulting from the legacy’s existence.
But in the few hundred years, its attraction slowly dwindle. After a sufficient amount of time, some rare treasures or techniques would lose the guarantee of strength it once did, and its luster would dim. This Mountain Lake Legacy has never been solved by anyone, so eventually this Legacy along with others like it has been forgotten with time
“If nobody has broken through it, wouldn’t that mean it should be even more attractive to others?” Shu Jing was puzzled by the behaviour of the Liangshan Continent’s cultivators.
“I don’t know, but I hear that the legacy is just there to deceive people.” Song Lu laughed.
“Deceive people?”
“That’s right, Song Village also used to have a formidable Star Cultivator who had ventured inside the legacy. Afterwards, when people mentioned it, he would just curse endlessly.” Song Lu said, “Other also became curious and went to have a look.”
“What was the result.”
“They just agreed wholeheartedly with him.” Song Lu replied.
“The more I hear about it the more interesting it seems.” The more difficult it is for others, the stronger his stubborn nature appears.
“Before they left, they all acted like the current Young Master. Afterwards however, it was a different story.” Song Lu winked at him and said.
“Oh yeah, there is also a saying attached with this legacy. Understanding this saying might be the key to discovering the legacy’s secret.”
“What saying?”
Song Lu stroked her cheeks while thinking deeply, and then said it after a while.
“See mountains as mountains, lakes as lakes; look at mountains not as mountains, lakes not as lakes. Discern that the mountains are still mountains, and lakes are still lakes.”
“What kind of gibberish is that?” Lin Ying Mei smiled softly.
Shu Jing shook his head and smiled: “Ying Mei, you shouldn’t say that, this is the three realms of life (1), and there is a deeper meaning here.”
(1) A reference to Wang Guowei’s Three Realms of Life, a classic Chinese philosophical poetry concept.
