Chapter 19: That One Stroke

He saw a golden light! It emanated from all the blurred human figures on the inner walls of the temple.

Each figure was a small light source, and their combined glow now illuminated the entire temple brilliantly. However, they were not the largest source of light.

It was... the main statue enshrined within the temple, the stone carving holding a stone blade!

Amidst this golden light, Xu Qing's mind was profoundly shaken. He also saw a shadowy figure of black mist standing by the temple's entrance. Its form was indistinct, merely a blurred human shape, twisting within the golden glow.

Behind it, outside the temple, hundreds of similar shadowy figures of black mist, both human and beast-shaped, stood densely packed.

At that moment, all of them emitted an astonishing chill, converging into an overwhelming wave of coldness, seemingly connected invisibly to the black mist that had entered the temple.

Under the illumination of the golden light, the lone black figure that had entered the temple slowly raised its head, letting out a roar that seemed to shake the soul, and took another step forward.

This step seemed like an affront, a violation of a taboo!

The instant it landed, Xu Qing was horrified to see the resplendent stone statue holding the blade come to life, stepping down directly from its pedestal.

With supreme majesty and an indescribable divinity, as if a deity had descended, it strode forward with thunderous steps, advancing towards the black figure.

Its hand rose, the blade fell, striking down with a single cut.

The strike was unadorned and simple, yet within its simplicity, it seemed to contain a profound, world-shaking essence of the Great Dao.

A piercing shriek, unheard by the ears but perceptible by the soul, abruptly erupted from the black figure.

The mist instantly evaporated, revealing a body within that was entirely rotten and clad in tattered clothes.

It was discernible as an old man, whose eye sockets were empty.

In the next instant, its body directly disintegrated, evaporating and vanishing like the mist.

The black figures outside were also affected; the black mist around their bodies blurred, allowing Xu Qing, aided by the diffusing golden light, to spot a familiar person among them.

It was... Captain Blood Shadow!

At that moment, among the group of black figures, his gaunt face bore no expression. As the golden light spread, his entire body seemed to dissipate as if purified.

After a long while, in the darkness outside, the remaining figures slowly retreated, eventually vanishing completely.

The golden light within the temple also gradually diminished. The astonishingly majestic figure turned, returning to its original position, bringing the light with it. As the light on its body completely faded, it seemed to transform back into a stone carving, standing motionless, gazing towards the temple entrance, as if waiting, as if guarding.

After a long time, everything returned to normal. Only Xu Qing, who had witnessed all of this from within the rock crevice, breathed rapidly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Captain Blood Shadow, who had clearly died in the misty song and been seen turning to dust, still existed.

What was supposedly an ordinary temple glowed with immense golden light at night.

A motionless stone carving had descended like a god, and its strike was immeasurably powerful.

Outside, sunlight appeared, marking the arrival of a new day.

It took Xu Qing a long time to calm the profound shock in his mind before he silently crawled out from the rock crevice.

He looked at the light outside, then at the human figures on the surrounding walls, finally letting his gaze rest on the stone statue holding the blade.

He didn't know what kind of entity it was—living or deceased.

Nor did he know how ancient this temple complex was or what glory it had once held.

But everything that happened last night had profoundly shaken him.

Especially the immense aura contained within that powerful strike, which had deeply astonished Xu Qing, seemingly etched into his soul, unforgettable.

He couldn't imagine that within this dangerous and perilous restricted area, there was a place that darkness could not touch.

Captain Lei had never mentioned this, perhaps... even Captain Lei was unaware of it.

Evidently, scenes like last night's did not occur frequently. Furthermore, there were no people in the camp who could remain in the restricted area for as long as he did.

So, even if someone had witnessed it, they were extremely few, and for most, it had slowly become an unverified legend.

Xu Qing remained silent, then bowed deeply towards the stone statue holding the blade and the surrounding human figures.

After a moment's thought, he took a piece of candle from his leather pouch, placed it before the stone statue, lit it, and then bowed again.

He then turned and left the temple.

Even after leaving the temple complex, he continued to look back occasionally, as if wanting to engrave the place in his memory, while the image of that descending strike repeatedly flashed in his mind.

The image was so vivid in his mind that even after leaving the temple complex and walking through the jungle, Xu Qing instinctively raised his right hand, attempting to mimic the strike.

Each time he mimicked it, he gained a profound understanding.

If the practice of the Sea Mountain Art involved visualizing and imitating ghost figures, then at this moment, Xu Qing was replacing those ghost figures with the image of that one strike in his mind.

Through this imitation, his cultivation unknowingly broke through, and the Sea Mountain Art advanced to the fourth level!

Perhaps due to mimicking that strike, this advancement not only doubled his strength and speed but also brought about a breakthrough seemingly related to his spiritual state.

This breakthrough made Xu Qing's thoughts more agile, and as his right hand rose and fell, it subtly carried a hint of the statue's striking essence.

This greatly pleased Xu Qing.

Two days gradually passed. Perhaps because he was on the outskirts, or perhaps due to the deterrent effect of the temple that night, he no longer encountered the strange footsteps on his way back.

As for mutated beasts, Xu Qing encountered a few.

However, his improved cultivation enhanced his ability to survive, and with caution, his journey proceeded smoothly enough.

Although he hadn't found the Mandate Flower or the Scar-Expelling Stone, he had gathered a considerable amount of Seven-Leaf Grass, which he could sell for a good number of spirit coins upon his return.

As dusk approached, Xu Qing saw the world outside the jungle and was about to step out when his footsteps suddenly halted. He looked down at a plant beside him.

The plant bore some resemblance to the Mandate Flower, but even with his limited botanical knowledge, a careful look allowed him to identify that it was not a Mandate Flower.

Nevertheless, Xu Qing thought for a moment, glanced around with a hint of guilt, hesitated, and finally plucked it, placing it in his leather pouch.

He ran quickly, exited the jungle, and it was already night when he returned to the camp.

It wasn't late night yet, and the camp was still bustling, especially the area with feathered tents, where boisterous merriment was mixed with sounds of unrestrained heavy breathing.

Xu Qing paid no attention to this. Upon returning to his lodging, just as he pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw Captain Lei emerging from the house.

Noticing that Xu Qing, though disheveled, was otherwise fine, Captain Lei felt a sense of relief.

"Why were you gone so long?"

"I went to a temple." Under the moonlight and the house's lamplight, Xu Qing noticed the bloodshot eyes and weary expression of Captain Lei.

Clearly, he hadn't rested well lately. Xu Qing had already realized the reason, and a warmth spread through his heart.

"A temple?" Captain Lei was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected Xu Qing to have gone so far. He then invited him into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and, as Xu Qing waited, brought out the already prepared meal.

The food was still hot, untouched. Xu Qing was stunned.

He knew very well that Captain Lei couldn't have known when he would return. For hot food to be ready just as he arrived could only mean one thing.

Captain Lei... had been preparing meals every day, waiting for him.

Xu Qing silently got up to fetch bowls and chopsticks; there were three sets, two placed side by side, before he sat down and began to eat.

It smelled wonderful, with a special flavor that no taste bud could discern, only the heart could truly appreciate.

Captain Lei ate very little, spending most of the time either drinking alcohol or watching Xu Qing, a smile on his face.

"Eat more. You're still growing. If you don't eat enough, you might end up this tall," he said, gesturing.

This remark made Xu Qing lower his head. After a moment, he hummed in acknowledgment and obediently ate more, then began to recount his experiences inside the temple to Captain Lei.

Captain Lei had been sipping his wine, but he was quickly captivated by Xu Qing's story. Once Xu Qing finished, he took a deep breath and slowly began to speak.

"I've heard about this before," he said, "but that was a long time ago. Some people also seemed to have witnessed similar scenes, but like the 'song,' they eventually became legends."

"Now that I think about it, it seems to have happened shortly after the 'song' appeared," Captain Lei murmured, suddenly recalling something, and a hint of sadness slowly appeared in his reminiscent eyes.

Watching Captain Lei, Xu Qing knew what he was thinking of and suddenly felt a pang of self-reproach. He felt he shouldn't have brought up the matter, and so he fell silent.

After a moment, Captain Lei recovered, seemingly realizing the reason for Xu Qing's silence, and smiled.

"You're too sensitive, kid. I'm not as fragile as you think."

As Captain Lei spoke, he took a large gulp of wine, then changed the subject, telling Xu Qing about the recent interesting occurrences in the camp.

He drank and spoke, Xu Qing ate and listened.

They seemed to be each other's... family.

Late at night, sitting there drinking wine and watching Xu Qing clean the dishes, Captain Lei smiled, stood up, and returned to his room.

Xu Qing also returned to his room. Upon entering, he saw that the bedding had been changed and was now neatly spread out instead of rolled up, carrying the scent of being sun-dried.

Xu Qing looked up at Captain Lei's room next door. After a moment, he walked over, intending to sit on the bedding, but looking down at the dirt on his clothes and hands, he rolled up the bedding instead and sat on the wooden bed frame, closing his eyes to cultivate.

In the early morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes.

He was about to leave the room, but after a thought, he went to the washroom and, suppressing his discomfort, washed his hands.

After making his hands clean and white, he took a deep breath and left the room, heading straight for the caravan medic's tent.

He knew he shouldn't go too early, nor could he bear to go too late.

For the former, Master Bai wouldn't have started class yet; for the latter... he worried he'd miss the beginning.

Thus, according to Xu Qing's calculations, when he arrived outside Master Bai's tent, it was precisely the moment a recitation for assessment began inside.

Xu Qing was delighted inside. He silently stood there, listening attentively.

"Qinghe Flower Dew, also known as Green Lotus Dew, is an aromatic water derived from the flower buds of the Nymphaeaceae family lotus plant, prepared using a special low-heat method. Its functions include calming the lungs and treating coughing blood caused by fire arts..."

The girl's voice inside the tent was as usual. Xu Qing gradually became absorbed in listening, unaware of the passage of time. Soon, over an hour passed until the tent suddenly opened, and Master Bai stood there, looking at him.

"What is it?" Master Bai's gaze wasn't sharp, but it held authority. Xu Qing was very nervous. He bit the bullet, took out the herb he had picked on his way back from his leather pouch, and quietly spoke, his head lowered.

"Master Bai, I... I wanted to ask if this plant is the Mandate Flower."

At these words, Master Bai paused.

After his gaze swept over it, his expression held some strangeness. He then looked at the boy's hands, which were much cleaner than usual. After a long moment, as Xu Qing grew increasingly nervous, he slowly spoke.

"This one is not."

Xu Qing quickly bowed and hurried away, feeling relieved on the way but still somewhat anxious inside. He then looked back at the tent and saw Master Bai still standing there.

Noticing the boy's gaze, Master Bai nodded.

Seeing this, Xu Qing paused, bowed deeply once more, and then departed.

Watching Xu Qing's figure disappear into the distance, Master Bai turned and walked into the tent. Inside, the guards and the young boy and girl who had been there before were now motionless, as if petrified.

On the spot where Master Bai had been sitting, a table had appeared at some point, laden with delicious food and fine wine. Beside it sat an old man in purple robes, accompanied by an old servant in gray.

Seeing Master Bai enter, the purple-robed elder burst into laughter.

"Master Bai, how was it?"

"How was what?"

Master Bai seemed completely unsurprised by the purple-robed elder's sudden appearance and showed no concern for the motionless people around them. He sat down opposite the elder and took a sip from a wine pot.

"I meant how was that boy? I told you last time, while I was waiting for you, I found a promising talent," the purple-robed elder said with a smile.

"Promising talent? It was bad enough the first time he came to eavesdrop, but this time, just to eavesdrop, he actually picked some random herb and asked me if it was a Mandate Flower. If this continues, I expect he'll probably use asking about herbs as an excuse to eavesdrop every day. If you hadn't told me about him, I would have chased him away long ago."

Master Bai glared, letting out a hum towards the purple-robed elder.

The purple-robed elder chuckled.

"You, Master Bai, have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. With your terrible temper, if you didn't genuinely think he had potential, no one's greeting would be of any use."

Master Bai snorted, offering no defense, and instead asked a question.

"Are you planning to take him back to Seven-Blood Pupils? Your place is a mess; you'd be wasting a scholar's potential!"

"Wasting him? What good are scholars? In this world, cultivation is the ultimate truth!" the purple-robed elder retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Scholars are useless? Then why are you here waiting for a mere mortal like me, repeatedly asking me to join your Seven-Blood Pupils?" Master Bai snapped.

"You're different..." the purple-robed elder chuckled awkwardly.

"How am I different!" Master Bai glared at the purple-robed elder with his notorious bad temper.

The purple-robed elder, helpless, slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I just remembered something I haven't done. Master Bai, I'll be going now. I'll come back tomorrow to drink with you."

Having said that, the purple-robed elder stood up to leave, but before he went, he turned back to Master Bai and spoke earnestly.

"Master Bai, if you truly believe that boy has potential, teach him more. Give him a chance to become a scholar with cultivation in Seven-Blood Pupils."

Having said that, the purple-robed elder left with his old servant. Only after he was gone did everything inside the tent instantly return to normal, yet no one noticed the anomaly they had just experienced.

The guards continued their duty, the boy remained vexed, and the girl still looked triumphant.

Only Master Bai looked up towards the direction Xu Qing had departed, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.