Star Gate

Chapter 499: Cultivation, Promotion, Farewell (I)

After some thought, Hou Xiaochen dialed a number. “Li Hao may not go to the central region for the time being. If he doesn’t, have his Demon Hunters stand guard over the Moon Sea.”

“The Demon Hunters number less than fifty. Is he able to adequately protect the shoreline?” asked a voice on the other side.

“We’ll see.”

“Understood.” The call ended. Hou Xiaochen rose and walked over to the window. He looked down to see Li Hao leaving the building. The look in the man’s eyes shifted rapidly, his thoughts unknown. He watched Li Hao leave headquarters before sighing. The eight families... the guardian clans... Perhaps they were long forgotten after countless eons.

......

Li Hao quickly returned to the Silver Moon Guards barracks. Golden Spear and the others were absent—possibly hunting the three great organizations. There was only one troop of one hundred left at the complex.

The young man sought out a large training hall and summoned the Demon Hunters. He took up residence in the small central room and had the others sit outside. Li Hao prepared himself to extract elemental energy. This time, he wanted to thoroughly improve himself and use all the treasures that he could.

With the departure of Hou Xiaochen and the others, he needed to be fully ready even if he wasn’t going to leave in the short term. Compared to Hou Xiaochen, he was less acquainted with those such as Kong Jie, Director General Zhao, and Huang Yu. At the very least, Hou Xiaochen was more reliable than them.

With the director gone, who knew if the only troop left of the Silver Moon Guards would run into trouble? What if the frequently mentioned pirates attacked when they learned that Hou Xiaochen had left with his subordinates?

All sorts of thoughts swirled in Li Hao’s mind as he began absorbing elemental energy and studying the method of building five bridges. if he didn’t craft the bridges, he had to absorb equal amounts of energy each time he strengthened his organs. This balancing process was too troublesome and would gravely impede his cultivation speed.

......

At the same time.

The Sword Sect headquarters.

This was a large mountain that the Sword Sect had established a large section of living quarters on. People came to and fro from the complex in lively fashion. The sounds of children reciting from textbooks traveled out of some of the buildings. There were fields on the outskirts and people tending to the crops.

It was as if a paradise removed from the world.

Hong Yitang silently looked out from the second floor of his building. He’d stood there ever since returning to the mountain and watched his people for a very long time.

“You’ve been there for a while, you must be tired. Do you want to eat something?” Hongxiu asked worriedly from behind him. It had indeed been a very long time. The magnificent man in front of her was very rarely in such a mood, as if he was about to make a major decision.

The last time he’d resembled this state... it’d been when he married her. That had been a challenge to societal convention. Hong Yitang had hesitated for a very long period of time before making his decision.

He continued looking out the window before saying, “The ancients say that we should not commit a small act of evil just because it is minor, and that we should not refrain from a small act of kindness just because it is insignificant. A small act of kindness is still a deed of good. If we are capable, then we should seek to do so.

“Such has been my personal philosophy all these years, to put forth a tiny amount of strength for the good of all if I am able to do so. I am willing to nurture an additional degree of kindness if it does not affect myself.”

Hongxiu quickly nodded her head. This wasn’t just a small act of kindness, it was a heart of ultimate benevolence in these times. That was why she admired and worshiped the man in front of her. She was willing to give up everything for him because people like him were all too rare in modern society.

“But I also hold the notion that it is better to focus on the self when lacking in resources, and to share the abundance with others when possible. I am not able to reach the state of worrying over matters before they are a problem for the world, and to find joy in life simply because the people are happy.

“I am not an ultimate powerhouse of this world. I may not even rank in the top five of Silver Moon. I am probably not top one hundred in the land. Such is strength.

“As for power, we are a tiny Sword Sect with several dozen supernaturals and martial masters, and me who is not worthy of mention. The tyrants of our world wage war and throw around great expectations to dominate part of the land. What talents or virtue do I possess to mend the holes of our world and patch up some of its wounds?

“When others contend for supremacy and you focus on being a person of kindness, you become a hypocrite in their eyes even if you have no wish to be involved. To them, I am just building a reputation and brewing a great plot! Having a good reputation in a time of chaos is an original sin! If the harmonious Sword Sect brashly involves itself in these matters, where will our disciples go?”

“Real men follow their principles and undertake what should be taken, bypassing what should not be,” Hongxiu said softly with understanding. “The Sword Sect disciples are willing to follow you, whether into war or into seclusion. We are but drifting wood in this chaotic era, without root, without connection, without ties or concerns. Whatever you wish to do, my husband, no one will gainsay. We will only support you! The people of the world were originally of one destiny, but many are those who do not know gratitude or pity. And so, our roads will not lead to the same ends.”

Hong Yitang was silent for a very long period of time before turning to gently pull over the beauty next to him. He looked at those working in the fields for a while before smiling, “Then... I shall follow my heart!”

The earth aura churned, enveloping the massive Sword Sect Mountain with a certain influence. Voices reciting from textbooks, joy, and laughter echoed throughout the mountain and spread outside of the mountain as sparks of hope.

Someone should step forth to take a stand when the world changes. These times should not be as they are!

......

Cultivation, endless cultivation. Mysterious power, elemental power, mysterious power stones...

Li Hao wasn’t planning on using any of them sparingly. His thoughts were that he should use what should be used. If he didn’t use them, someone else might if he died tomorrow. If he sought revenge, he needed strength. At the moment, he didn’t care about lofty ambitions or grand vision. All he cared about was vengeance.

The day he slaked his thirst for revenge might be the day that he finally set everything aside. How many could walk into his heart when it was sealed off?

Hong Yitang, Hou Xiaochen, and the Battle Heaven Army were all seeking to change him. He was no fool, he understood. He understood every word they spoke and the meaning behind such words. What they didn’t know was that revenge could cause one to lose themselves.

Li Hao was an accepted student of the Veteris Institute. Someone who could accomplish such a feat in this day and age, and be accepted by Yuan Shuo, was no fool. On the contrary, he was very smart. However, the smarter he was, the more likely he was to tunnel in on something and find it difficult to set aside.

Intelligent people were unable to live blithe lives. He’d bided his time at the Inspectorate, spending a year keeping such a low and humble profile that no one found anything amiss with him. He then struck swiftly in a critical moment and shattered all of Red Moon’s plans. Prior to that, likely not even Ying Hongyue had fathomed that it would be Li Hao ruining his plans. He might’ve considered many candidates, but the only one that didn’t make his list was Li Hao.

Dense elemental energy wafted through the hall; Li Hao didn’t absorb much, he left it for the Demon Hunters. He was attempting to build the five bridges between the five organs. The more he tried, the more amazed he was.

These bridges weren’t simple connections of energy and neither were their effects merely enhancing the five organs together at the same time. The more he experimented, the more Li Hao found that there were profound mysteries to the organs. The organs summoned the five spirits and nurtured the five auras! The five auras could meld as one and the five energies combine together.

When he tried to utilize the supernatural locks as bridges, they erupted with iridescent power the moment the five bridges seemed to touch. It was similar to internal force, but not entirely the same.

“Five organs, five auras, five elements, five energies... What a pity that I haven’t formed my word aura yet!” Li Hao was rather regretful—he might have some other thoughts and reflections if he also grasped the wood aura. At the moment, all he vaguely felt was that he might know what his teacher meant by melding the spirits together. And for the spirits to emerge from the organs afterwards... he was beginning to form the inklings of those thoughts as well.

A row of numbers hovered in front of him—they came from the Silver Armor. He’d selected ancient tomes containing knowledge that he needed the most and borrowed them from the Battle Heaven library. He opened the first book.

Fundamental Martial Dao Theory at the Martial University.

Indeed, a fundamental class. It spoke of how to strengthen the body, the limbs, temper the bones, and then the organs. One eventually entered the grandmaster realm and manifested mental strength—also known as mind intent in modern cultivation.

According to the book, Li Hao and the others were grandmaster level powerhouses when they became Dominators. They were possibly even stronger. Grandmasters could not do what Dominators could do—demonstrate their mind intent in physical form and use it to kill. At the very least, they wouldn’t accomplish it so easily. The physical body could not support such immense mind intent.

The ancient times were indeed different from modern times. The ancients seemed to have weaker bodies, which made it easier to strengthen them. The weaker organs could be strengthened and tempered at an early stage. They didn’t need to worry about mind intent being so strong that it burst through the organs.

The book also mentioned that human bodies of the ancient civilization resided in a half sealed state. There were also the three cavities that transferred vast quantities of energy to a special place. [1] This was in stark contrast to modern humans, where the body was strong and there was no place for energy to go other than the organs and body itself...

The supernatural locks!

Li Hao suddenly thought of the supernatural locks. They locked away energy, the organs, limbs, and concentrated power in the body. Thus, the supernatural looks weren’t just simple locks, but also a self protection mechanism. Opening them meant releasing potential and relinquishing protection of the self, so there were many drawbacks to being supernatural.

Li Hao quickly opened the second book, Differences Between the Energy and Blood Qi Systems. What he read gave him much food for thought. The path of energy for the ancients was the equivalent of the path of supernaturals in modern times, yet there were some differences. The ancients could turn the entire body into energy, especially the fragile organs. Those could be directly converted to energy!

No wonder! The ancients didn’t need to worry about energy invading the organs because the latter was already assimilated. I am energy, energy is me.

“Modern day supernaturals possess mortal bodies and give up their natural defenses when they break their supernatural locks. Of course they’re a lot weaker. Then... the supernatural domain is much more disadvantaged compared to the path of energy and its practitioners are likely destined for death!”

1. The Three truncal cavities (thoracic, abdominal ,and pelvic) were also known as the “triple heater”. ☜