A figure appeared in the room, slowly materialising into a white-haired old man. He was wearing dark-green robes of an antiquated design. His eyes were green as well, and there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face. His white brows and beard made him look sagely. Upon closer examination, there were strands of green hair mixed in between the white.
The old man stroked his beard and smiled. “Hahaha! You are my saviour. I would never do anything bad to you, so don’t worry!”
He had a very dignified face and a pair of eyes that gleamed with strength and energy. However, there was nothing intimidating about his countenance at all. He seemed like a person who had been through life and had seen through all the tragedies it entailed. He stared at Wun Fan with both eyes, so fixated that Wun Fan felt a little unnatural. His mental energy had manifested clothes as well, but he still felt naked before the old man’s gaze.
Moreover, the old man had a slight smile hanging on his face throughout and gave off an air of self-assurance. All of this made the man seem even more mysterious. The old man approached him, looking as gentle and friendly as before. Wun Fan sized the old man up and down. His instincts told him that this man held no ill will towards him, and he finally relaxed a little. However, this didn’t mean that he could trust the old man, especially when he still wasn’t sure what exactly had happened to his body.
Moreover, he had heard stories of people who had trained their souls extensively, who could steal other people’s bodies, devouring the host’s soul and taking their place.
Wun Fan was wary again at the thought of this. He looked at the old man coldly. However, as someone who had a proper upbringing, Wun Fan remained polite, cupping his fist as he said, “I don’t know what you mean, sir. I have never met you in my life, let alone save you, sir.”
“Haha! You’re a wary kid. Stop calling me sir. It’s very awkward. You can call me Old Lei. My soul has been in the Spiritstartler Ring all this while. I guess you could say I’m the spirit of the ring. It’s because of you that I am finally able to awake from my slumber. From now on, let me lead you on your path to becoming a master of martial arts.”
Old Lei smiled gently. For some reason, there seemed to be a hint of guilt and awkwardness to his words. It made Wun Fan even more suspicious.
“Old Lei? The Spiritstartler Ring? Because of me?”
Wun Fan didn’t understand. He took some time to organise all the information he had gotten since he entered this mental space, his brain turning at full capacity. Finally, he seemed to have grasped a thread, a thread that connected all the events so far.
“Heh…”
Old Lei didn’t bother answering him. He just waited for Wun Fan silently. He could tell that this young boy was very different. Old Lei could sense that the kid was only eleven or twelve, but just based on his composure from earlier, he was certain that he was no ordinary person. He knew Wun Fan had the ability to deduce the truth.
The room was quiet, without a single sound, so silent you could hear a pin drop.
As time continued to pass, Wun Fan’s face grew darker and darker. The order of events was starting to become clear to him. When he looked at the sagely figure, his eyes were no longer friendly. In fact, there was murderous intent behind them. His polite attitude took a sharp tone and a cold aura emanated from him. “You were the reason behind the disappearance of the aether in my body?”
Wun Fan’s current body was just a manifestation of his actual physical form, but you could see the veins popping on his forehead. It was a sign of his anger. His eyes were bloodshot and he seemed ready to kill. This old man who stood before him was the reason he had been humiliated for three years, the reason he went from a prodigy to the cripple of the town, the reason the entire clan laughed at him.
There was nothing terrible about not being able to train. What was truly terrifying was having once stood so tall, been so blessed, admired and praised, only to be sent crashing down to the lowest level of hell. Moreover, all that pain in between had to be shouldered by an eleven-year-old teenager. Someone with a slightly weaker will would have been broken already. If Wun Fan hadn’t lived two lives and had over twenty years of wisdom, he wouldn’t have been able to persist until now!
Wun Fan swore to himself that he would cut off his right hand if the old man couldn’t give him a good explanation. If the old man had had to absorb aether from his right hand, it meant that the right hand was his lifeline.
To beat the enemy, you must first beat yourself. Worst comes to worst, Wun Fan was more than willing to sacrifice.
Old Lei could sense Wun Fan’s dangerous determination. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he laughed a little sheepishly and said, “Kid, don’t be rash. All that sacrifice gave you the Spiritstartler Ring in return. You obtained something that others would never be able to get their hands on even if they tried for three lifetimes, all in the span of a mere three years.”
“The Spiritstartler Ring, the Spiritstartling Ring. You keep repeating these three words. What exactly is the Spiritstartler Ring?
Wun Fan was furious, but the old man’s words had caught his interest. He tried to make himself calm down. His experience from his past life taught him that one had to be calm in order to get the most accurate information possible.
His emotions were on the verge of running out of control, but he stared at Old Lei with bloodshot eyes, silently waiting for a concise answer. He swore he would do everything in his power, even sacrifice himself, to make this old man suffer if he didn’t get a good answer.
“This…hmm…this…”
Old Lei was stuttering a little at the mention of this topic. He looked at Wun Fan as if he didn’t know how to explain.
Wun Fan didn’t rush him. He simply waited patiently.
“Open up your mind and let me put a mark on your mental energy. That will make the Spiritstartler Ring acknowledge you as its owner and then you will understand everything. This is the rule.”
Wun Fan did not reply. He simply stared at Old Lei, trying to discern if this was some sort of force.
Not only did he not give him an answer, he was even asking him to open up his mind?
Moreover, this was asking him to open up his mind to a foreign soul, so that that soul can put a mark on him. He couldn’t just agree to something like this. For one, if that soul took the opportunity to steal his body, the consequences would be unimaginable. Secondly, if anything were to go wrong, his mind might be damaged beyond repair.
Naturally, soul energy, the source of all martial artists’ power, had everything to do with the soul.
Old Lei did not say anything else after that. He simply stared at Wun Fan. Wun Fan could see how clear Old Lei’s eyes were, as if there was not a single hint of hostility from the bottom of his soul.
The sixth sense in Wun Fan’s mind was ringing out, telling Wun Fan that he would benefit greatly from trusting Old Lei. Wun Fan gritted his teeth. He would trust him this once! Cowards die with empty bellies, daredevils die from overeating. This was what he firmly believed. What he didn’t know was that this decision would make him a legend on Heaven’s Martial Continent.
Moreover, this was his body. Nothing wrong should happen.
He might as well take the bet.
In truth, Wun Fan didn’t know where he found the courage to make this decision. However, he had always been someone who loved to gamble; to turn the tides despite unfavourable odds!
“If so, then please remember your own words, Old Lei. Don’t make any funny movements. Otherwise, even if it means my own death, I will never turn my body over to another person.”
Wun Fan made sure to lay out the terms. When you choose to trust a person, you trust them with all you have. Still, what had to be said had to be said.
Having said that, Wun Fan opened his mind and placed his life in the hands of this stranger. It was truly unbelievable. The one thing Wun Fan was counting on was that intense sixth sense that he always had since he was young. No wonder people often say that those who are most capable are often the most daring as well.
What he didn’t know was that Old Lei had been moved by his decision. He never thought that a kid he had just met would trust him like this. Hearts cannot be read and in this world full of lies and deception, trust was especially hard to come by and therefore, very precious indeed.
“He who eats fish fears not the stench; he who hunts tigers fears not death! The younger generation is truly remarkable. This kid is very interesting. He will most definitely make a name for himself one day.”
Old Lei finally recognized Wun Fan’s true mark of extraordinariness. He marvelled at Wun Fan’s bravery in his mind, but his hands were not slow. He immediately got to action as he gently reminded Wun Fan, “Kid, stop thinking too much. My existence is for the purpose of making you stronger. Calm your mind and let your mental energy be at rest. It’s going to hurt next. Endure it and you will rise a dragon; fail to do so and it’s the end of the road.”
Wun Fan adjusted his breathing when he heard Old Lei’s words. Short but deep inhales, long but shallow exhales. He still hadn’t noticed that his mental manifestation didn’t actually need to breathe…455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIWsmkL2pQ
