A Breath (Please continue to support with recommendations!)

Silence fell behind him. Within Jiang Feng’s body, the Heavenly Heart Seed began to operate, and the luminous force started to flow slowly, gradually dissolving the chill. Ahead, Ping Luanshan had stopped calling for help. Clenching his teeth, he desperately dodged the attacks from the giant tree, yet he made no move to cross the brook, nor did he intend to widen the scope of the battle. Blood sprayed from his body, dyeing half of him red. Although his vital organs remained unscathed, it was only a matter of time—he could fall into real danger at any moment.

At that moment, Hua Su took a step forward. A sharp crack sounded underfoot, as if he had crushed something.

He murmured, “Do your best, and leave no regrets in your heart…”

Not far ahead, the young man’s face had turned pale from the cold, but the luminous force within him had already begun to circulate.

Hua Su’s level was far greater than his. For him to do even this was already exhausting his strength. Even if he broke through the restraint, he would undoubtedly suffer a backlash, sustaining serious injury.

Farther ahead, the other youth, with his last breath, was keeping the giant tree on the far side of the brook, preferring to die rather than let it rampage among innocents.

With his speed, he could easily have fled from danger’s reach.

Hua Su took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled. White smoke poured from his lips, forming a long, winding dragon in the air.

This dragon lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Suddenly, it surged forward, expanding with every stride.

Its speed exceeded that of lightning. In less than a single breath, it had grown dozens of times larger and reached the giant tree!

Ping Luanshan was retreating, dodging the giant tree’s barrage of leafy attacks.

The white dragon swept around him and crashed fiercely into the trunk!

With a thunderous boom, white frost enveloped the giant tree, spreading swiftly. The tree seemed to be devoured and assimilated by the dragon, turning pale in the blink of an eye.

Frozen solid, the giant tree stood motionless.

Moments before, its furious assault had shaken the whole forest as if an earthquake had struck. Now, all was still; the sudden silence was all the more shocking for the contrast.

Jiang Feng’s body relaxed. The luminous force that had been stagnant within him now surged forth like a released spring!

Driven by this force, his body moved of its own accord. He dashed across the brook with a series of quick steps, coming to the edge of Twilight Forest.

The luminous force, as if guided, continued to flow, streaming into his palm, crackling in the air and flickering with electric sparks.

The currents of electricity grew stronger. In a moment, a bolt of lightning crashed down upon the crown of the giant tree. The trunk split from top to bottom—a massive crevice that rapidly expanded, running from root to tip. Then, with a resounding crash, the entire giant tree exploded into countless fragments!

With a single Thunder Palm, Jiang Feng had shattered a towering high-grade luminous plant!

Stunned, he stared down at his own palm.

He knew, of course, that this was not his own achievement.

The tree’s destruction was due to the white dragon formed from Hua Su’s breath, which had frozen it utterly, breaking down its internal structure beyond repair.

But that Thunder Palm… He had felt his own luminous force draw upon the surrounding air, gathering electricity until the final bolt was generated, not from his palm, but conjured forth and cast at a distance!

Only martial artists of the Heart-Illuminated Martial Master level and above could project luminous force outward. Yet, guided by Hua Su, this new technique had shown Jiang Feng a different path:

The art of using luminous force to stir the external world.

As the giant tree burst apart, its core was flung loose as well.

Ping Luanshan leapt and caught the core, exclaiming in astonishment, “Second rank… a second-rank luminous plant!”

A single breath’s worth of cold had slain a second-rank luminous plant, and at the same time, Hua Su had guided Jiang Feng’s force, teaching him a whole new way to attack…

Chong Fan bringing them to this distant mountain martial school—there was a reason for it!

Hua Su said nothing. He tossed his cigarette to the ground, crushed it out with his foot, and turned to leave.

Clutching the core, Ping Luanshan watched his departing figure, struck speechless.

…

That night, Ping Luanshan lay on his own bedding beside Jiang Feng. Their breathing was calm, but neither could sleep.

Hands behind his head, Ping Luanshan’s eyes glimmered in the darkness.

Jiang Feng kept replaying the sudden sensation of luminous force from earlier that day, and the strike Hua Su had guided him through, slowly coming to an understanding.

No wonder Chong Fan had sent them to this mountain martial school. Hua Su, for all his disheveled appearance, was far stronger than Jiang Feng had imagined.

Late-night supper hopped onto the bed, curled up beside Jiang Feng’s neck, and settled into a contented sleep.

As if startled by this faint sound, Ping Luanshan suddenly asked, “Old Jiang, do you think I’m a fool?”

Jiang Feng, pulled from his thoughts, replied irritably, “That’s right, you were unbelievably foolish today!”

Ping Luanshan had only meant to confide, not expecting such bluntness. He scratched his nose awkwardly. “Couldn’t you put it more gently…”

Jiang Feng sat up and looked at him sideways. “Today, you were not just reckless, but also stupid. You provoked that second-rank luminous plant to test Teacher Hua’s strength, didn’t you? And if possible, you wanted to embarrass him, vent some anger?”

That was precisely Ping Luanshan’s intention. He muttered, “He’s been targeting me all this time…”

Jiang Feng said bluntly, “Did you judge his strength before doing this? If he wasn’t as powerful as you thought, what if he couldn’t beat that thing?”

Ping Luanshan, at a loss for words, fell silent.

Jiang Feng continued, “He’s only here temporarily to help us pass the big exam; he has no real obligation to us. Harsh as his words might be, he’s not wrong. Why should we expect him to risk his life for us?”

Ping Luanshan clenched the bedsheet in his hands. After a long pause, he whispered, “Yes… I was wrong.”

Jiang Feng shook his head and lay back down. “What’s the use of telling me? Apologize to Teacher Hua tomorrow. After all, he still saved us today.”

After another long silence, Ping Luanshan finally murmured, “Alright.”

Jiang Feng turned his head, glancing at the shadow in the darkness.

First impressions aren’t always accurate, but Ping Luanshan had changed in the time they’d known each other. Outwardly, he was still cheerful and carefree, yet often betrayed signs of agitation. He frequently grew silent, then forced a laugh; his impulsive, sensitive actions all stemmed from such emotions.

Jiang Feng could guess the reason.

Back in Hezhong County, it was Ping Luanshan who rashly uncovered the truth, unleashing a chain of events that led to the massacre of many independent examinees by the disciples of the Underflow Sect.

Honestly, it wasn’t really his fault. The incident was the result of conflict between two factions. Even if not for Ping Luanshan, the influential families would have arranged for the secret to be exposed in some other way.

But for Ping Luanshan, it was different. He felt responsible for the outbreak, the anger of the independent examinees, and the resolve of the Underflow disciples to commit slaughter.

It became a burden in his heart, one not easily shed.

There was nothing Jiang Feng could do to help—this was something Ping Luanshan would have to overcome himself.

And then there was Teacher Hua…

To kill a second-rank luminous plant with a single breath of smoke—at least the level of a Heart-Illuminated Martial Master. Why was such a master hiding away in a place like Linxi Town, making a living teaching a handful of rural students?

Chong Fan bringing them here to him showed there must be some connection between the two sides in the past.

What sort of past did Hua Su have?

The rabbit nestled deeper into Jiang Feng’s neck, its soft breath even and steady.

With that gentle sound, Jiang Feng drifted to sleep, unaware.

…

A month slipped by in what seemed the blink of an eye.

Hua Su continued to devise all manner of training for them, but since that strike by the Pear Blossom Brook, even Ping Luanshan had no more words of complaint.

Who would have thought that such a master was hidden in a remote county town? With someone like that tailoring their training, what more could they ask for?

After that day, Ping Luanshan found an opportunity to apologize to Hua Su.

His attitude was sincere, prepared for a storm of harsh rebuke. To his surprise, Hua Su merely regarded him for a moment, gave a faint snort, and let it go.

Afterward, Hua Su no longer targeted Ping Luanshan as before, which made Ping Luanshan uneasy. “Is he still angry with me? He doesn’t even mock me anymore!”

Jiang Feng could only shake his head helplessly, thinking, Even abuse and being abused can become a habit…

During this time, he had opened his eighth aperture and was striving for the ninth.

Such a long delay in breaking through puzzled Hua Su. In his view, Jiang Feng’s bloodline might not be pure, but his talent in other respects was extraordinary; a breakthrough should have been easy.

But such matters are hard to predict. He only gave a mild reminder about the time, asking no further questions.

With three days left before the big exam, Jiang Feng finally achieved his breakthrough.

It came suddenly and silently.

That day was brilliantly clear, the midday sun already carrying a hint of summer’s heat.

Jiang Feng’s eyes were half-closed; he felt as though every part of him glowed from within. Luminous force poured down like water from the heavens, immersing him and everything around him.

The whole world seemed to rejoice in welcoming the luminous force. His consciousness expanded beyond his body, merging completely with the luminous energy as fluid as water.

The barrier between him and the ambient luminous force vanished. Energy surged into the Heavenly Heart Seed with overwhelming vigor, thick as substance.

The Heavenly Heart Seed already absorbed energy more efficiently than the Nine-Ring Heart Seed, and with the new method Hua Su had taught him, its efficiency doubled again.

Luminous force gathered visibly within the source branch, surging upward.

A silent wave struck—the wall of the ninth aperture shattered easily, and the luminous force rushed in; the ninth fruit formed naturally.

The instant he opened the ninth aperture, Jiang Feng’s awareness was plunged into darkness.

Though it was midday, he felt as if night had fallen.

A moment later, as if dawn was breaking, a single ray of light appeared in the darkness. That light grew ever brighter, spreading thinly and illuminating his consciousness and the whole world before him.

…

Deepest gratitude to fatfox911 and Zhe Sha for your daily support! Please vote, recommend, and add to your collections!