Chapter Sixty-Seven - A Lifeline in Desperation (Part Two)

So, this is the legend of my rebirth, without embellishment or pause. It turns out that the dead man was called Zixuanzi, the leader of the Tianya Sect in the southern martial world during the Ming dynasty. The city of C was once the location of the ancient Tianya Sect’s mountain gate. The Tianya Sect was a peculiar and small school in the martial arts world, yet its fame spread far and wide. Countless martial artists of the Ming dynasty dreamed of finding and annihilating it, all because the sect possessed a secret martial arts manual: the Ziyang Divine Art. Legend had it that anyone who mastered this inner strength technique to its pinnacle would ascend to immortality and gain eternal life. Even a modest achievement in it was enough to dominate the martial world and rule as its sovereign.

Thus, though the Tianya Sect rarely meddled with the affairs of the martial world and kept an extremely low profile, this tantalizing manual still attracted the relentless pursuit of many sects at the time. The eighth generation leader of the Tianya Sect had no choice but to use his formidable skills to find a hidden paradise to serve as the sect’s sanctuary—precisely this very canyon I now occupy. Over time, this place became the refuge for generations of Tianya Sect leaders; whenever faced with a powerful enemy, they could retreat into this secret haven to escape their pursuers.

Unfortunately, my cheap master was not so lucky. He was found by a formidable foe and stabbed through the lung. Relying solely on the mighty Ziyang Divine Art, he barely managed to crawl into this stone chamber, where, after writing this blood-written testament, he died.

Aside from a brief account of these matters, the testament listed the names of the major sects and renowned experts who besieged the Tianya Sect back then. It concluded by stating that if anyone should enter this stone chamber in the future, that person would be accepted as a disciple, entrusted with the duty to pass on the Ziyang Divine Art and the bloodline of the Tianya Sect.

The testament also revealed that the founder of the Tianya Sect, after researching the hot spring in this valley, discovered the water to be nothing short of miraculous. It had the power to cleanse and refine the body, enabling even those with poor constitutions to become natural martial arts prodigies. No wonder, after I emerged from the hot spring, my bones cracked all over and I suffered bouts of diarrhea—so that’s what was happening...

“How formidable were the ancients in their powers of expression! So few words, yet I’ve learned so much,” I marveled at my master’s literary prowess, then smiled wryly. “But master, oh master, you remembered your enemies so clearly, yet you didn’t foresee that anyone reading this blood-written testament would be doing so centuries later. Even if I wanted revenge, there’s nowhere to seek it! Look, the leader of some Mount Hua Sect, a head of the Yin-Yang Sect, even something called Five Tiger Severing Blade... Forget finding these men, even their sects have probably vanished from the world. So much for vengeance. But as for the Ziyang Divine Art—if it’s really as powerful as you claim, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.”

Sure, the memory that alien octopus gave me contains martial arts knowledge, but certainly nothing like this internal cultivation method—what would aliens know of such things? This is truly a windfall for me. Following the instructions in the testament, I rummaged through the collapsed bookcases that had piled together and soon found the Ziyang Divine Art manual amidst the heap.

I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh to myself. “Really, what kind of world is this, where every great chance encounter must be so dramatic? Then again, if I hadn’t fallen off that high cliff, how could I have discovered a place so hidden that even spy satellites would miss it? It seems that every reward requires hard work—even slacking off a bit isn’t allowed.”

I quickly flipped through the once-coveted manual, the treasure over which the martial world of old China once fought. Thanks to my alien-modified, photographic memory, I memorized every word, then tossed the manual into the fire I’d built, watching as it turned to ash in moments. “Ah, treasures only bring trouble. I’m not foolish enough to keep it around for others to steal. It’s all in my head now—I can practice it at my leisure. Anyway, no matter how powerful this inner strength is, it can’t be more powerful than a bullet.” As for the testament’s claims about the Ziyang Divine Art’s miraculous powers, I had my doubts. Immortality? Surely you jest. People brag themselves into disaster—isn’t that always the way? Better to live a low-key life.

With the map to the valley drawn in the testament, I knew escaping from here would be no problem. This realization made me relax; after searching the place thoroughly and finding nothing else of value, I sighed. “It seems the Tianya Sect was truly hounded. Must have been so desperate, they could barely find enough to eat. I got myself a cheap master, but he got himself a cheap disciple. The place is so poor, there’s not a single valuable antique left. Never mind—after all, your disciple is wealthy beyond measure. By rights, I suppose I’m the new leader of the Tianya Sect now? Just wait, master, and see how I make the Tianya Sect famous again.”

I stuffed a few other sects’ inner cultivation manuals into my clothes, then followed the testament’s instructions to the stone bed. Pressing a bronze button at its side, I heard a faint click as a large portion of the stone slab slid aside, revealing a stairway disappearing into darkness. I frowned, but could only steel myself and crawl into the pitch-black passage. What could I do? I had no candles, no torches... Well, so what if I looked ridiculous? Better that than dying in here.

I have no idea how long I stumbled through the darkness, inching forward by touch alone, until finally I felt a stone slab before me. Groping around, I eventually found the mechanism, and the slab tilted aside. I squeezed through, and as soon as I emerged, I saw a faint light in the distance. Excited, I hurried toward it, tripping and cursing the rough passage with every step. Eventually, I grew so accustomed to the darkness that I simply relied on instinct, barely using my eyes at all.

After several minutes, the faint glimmer appeared overhead—a small hole. I quickly reached up and poked my finger through it. Having read the testament, I knew that passing through here meant I was out of the mountains at last!

With a burst of mechanical noise, the stone wall before me slowly rose, and a flood of blinding sunlight poured in through the widening gap, forcing me to shut my eyes. When the wall finally ceased its motion, I edged forward and stepped outside. As I opened my eyes, the stone wall thudded back into place, erasing all traces of my passage.

I was stunned. Only now did I truly understand what the martial world of old must have been like. In this twenty-square-meter cave, sunlight pouring in, lay a dozen or more skeletons, broken bones and shattered skulls scattered everywhere—a testament to the fierce battles that must have raged here centuries ago.

“All this death, just for a single manual. Truly, wealth should not be displayed,” I muttered bitterly, shaking my head as I stepped out into the sunlight. Pushing through the thick undergrowth, I finally emerged from the cave into the bright, open wilderness. I couldn’t help but marvel at the skill of the Tianya Sect—tunneling through a mountain and locating such a valley with such accuracy! Even with today’s technology, it would be a challenge. How, I wondered, did people of the past accomplish such feats? Then again, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army are masterpieces of ancient ingenuity; compared to those, this subterranean passage is child’s play.

I had no idea where I was, but standing on the mountainside, gazing at the rolling peaks in the distance, my heart swelled with emotion. To survive death and return to life—perhaps there was truth in the old saying that great calamity brings great fortune. The stream murmured, birds sang, and the entire green wilderness seemed to confirm my existence in this world.

“I, Xiao Qiang, have returned!” I shouted excitedly at the sky, my voice echoing across the wilds, resounding through the heavens. Tidying my tattered clothes and concealing the cave entrance, I set off at a brisk pace down the mountain!