25 It Has Already Begun (1/2)

It was said that Dugu Chou had been a paramount in the realm then, and no one in the known world could have deigned to challenge him. However, just as he was about to ascend into immortality, he came upon his soulmate and was subsequently caught in the snare of love. Unfortunately, his soulmate was innately weak and was unable to practice cultivation. Dugu Chou renounced his opportunity to obtain life everlasting, and instead, stayed by his lover’s side for a decade, taking great care of her before she passed on from the world. The ensuing heartbreak and despondency drove him to self-imposed seclusion; he lived right by the side of his late spouse’s grave. The one and only Stellar Wood of Onyx could be found there, standing like a shade over the tomb and his mean hut.

“Long since have I been a guest of heaven; half a step to ethereality; by virtue of a soulmate, I was halted a step before the clouds.”

Those were the final words that marked the loss of a legend.

No one had laid eyes on Dugu Chou ever since.

In the wake of his disappearance, the legends that had always been his legacy grew increasingly large and vast. These tales became so incredible with each telling that none of the countless experts of mythical standards that sprung up in the Tianxuan Continent could even begin to rival his acclaim. The titles of Unrivaled Expert, Unrivaled Swordsman and so on would be held by a string of people that came and went every few years, but no being dared to challenge the honorific of ‘Unrivaled in the World’. In a realm where a contest of martial arts would easily forge heroes, his name still remained uncontestable to this day.

Staring at the plaque, the four young masters were awestruck as they recalled the name and legend associated with it. They each felt a faint buzzing in their heads as they stared at Yun Yang, eyes almost comically wide with shock. According to the legends, the Stellar Wood of Onyx plaque was a representation of Dugu Chou’s identity. Only one of it existed in this world, and here it was, sitting in their hands.

Dongfang Mingtian felt his palms tingle as if they were being scalded by red-hot steel before he quickly put the wooden plaque down, a sickly smile on his face. The other young masters’ laughter, too, had a strained quality to it.

“Brother Yun… You and Senior Dugu?”

Yun Yang sighed, his expression remorseful as if experiencing a remembered pain, “I was given this plaque as a gift by master upon our first meeting. It shames me to admit that I was found wanting when it came to the art of learning and had to depend on my master’s name to stay alive. I was embarrassed to face him…”

The thoughts of all four young masters were equally muddled and haphazard.

Why are we here today? It certainly wasn’t to make new friends.

How did Dugu Chou come into the picture?How do we proceed from here?

This ninth level mystical beast baby… what do we do about it?

Dongfang Mingtian took a deep breath, his face frozen as he plastered on a smile, “Now, this is certainly a surprise. Who would have guessed that you had such an, ahem, exalted master, Brother Yun?”

Ximen Wandai suddenly frowned in realization as he began to gather his wits about him, “Hold on, if your discipleship was under such an esteemed master, why is your cultivation base in such a state?”

These were young masters of influential and honorable families. Having seen and experienced many sights, they could clearly recognize that Yun Yang was highly talented, but his cultivation base was a ragged mess! He was, in all likelihood, lower than half a peak now, hardly better than an expert of the fifth or sixth peak. His non-existent abilities was an extremely peculiar situation to ponder upon.

Yun Yang chuckled merrily as he said, “Perhaps the main question that troubles you is not so much about this, but rather, why did my master accept me as a disciple in the first place? I believe that you would be highly skeptical about this fact.”

The four young masters shook their heads in unison, like a rattle drum, “No, no, not at all.”

Indeed.

Yun Yang smiled and said, “You could say that my physique is unsuitable to practice cultivation.” Under four pairs of stunned gazes, Yun Yang continued to explain in an offhand manner, “My master’s late beloved and I share the same physique!”

“Oh!”

All four men exhaled a loud breath of comprehension; they finally understood why an illustrious legend would reach into the gutter and accept this highly inadequate man as his disciple. It was a labor of love, and after all, one would be hard-pressed to find reason or logic for obsessions of the heart.

“Although I too am a gifted person of innately awakened chakras, my meridians were a mess and could not be cultivated, so…” Yun Yang sighed dejectedly, “My master uprooted my meridians. They have started to grow again, but I am uncertain how it will all turn out. He has also taken my safety into consideration, which was the reason why he traversed the world in search of a ninth level mystical beast baby. News finally came three months ago that he finally discovered one.”

Yun Yang raised his head to look straight at Ximen Wandai, “That was why I dared take on the wager! I was also reluctant to continue with the wager and had decided to withdraw from it. Young Master Ximen, have I quelled all your doubts now?”

“Yes, yes,” Ximen Wandai answered shamefacedly. With Yun Yang’s elaborate explanation, their cynicism had dissipated and they looked upon him in an entirely new light. This young master was indeed a fortunate soul, to be the disciple of an unparalleled master despite being utterly incompetent. He had only been taken in due to his inner demons; sharing the same nature of meridians as his master’s madam. In other words, he was but his master’s experiment, to the extent that his meridians had been destroyed to see if they could be regrown.

In a nutshell, Yun Yang was both highly fortunate and sadly hapless. The young masters were already passing judgments in their hearts. They had established that Yun Yang had spoken the truth and that Dugu Chou was indeed his master. This Stellar Wood of Onyx would never have been placed in his hands as Dugu Chou had been the only one in the world who could lay claim to it. Furthermore, this Stellar Wood of Onyx was grown at his late wife’s grave; Dugu Chou had always treasured it and would never have agreed to give it away willingly even if the emperor of an empire or the supreme master of the martial arts world had demanded it.

By association, the ninth level mystical beast Golden Pinion Bird’s egg would also be true. They could not think of anyone in this world, other than Dugu Chou, who could match the speed of the Golden Pinion Bird, let alone kill it and obtain its egg.

Putting together these thoughts with the disordered look Yun Yang had on that day where he went from being provoked to regretfully offering to withdraw his wager, the four great young masters were even more convinced of the story’s truth.

If I had been the one whose tongue had slipped… I’d definitely pull out from the wager as well!

…

This revelation, however, meant that their original plan to go against Yun Yang could no longer be used. These four great young masters immediately shifted gears to decide how they would be treating Yun Yang from then on. They would not be imposing, but would not grow too close to Yun Yang either. It was also impossible to put an end to him as well. Although Yun Yang’s master was phenomenally powerful, Yun Yang himself was obviously without potential.