Book 4, Chapter 209: They Closed The World Ring

After a night of searching, the subordinates finally found some useful clues, gathered them all together, and brought them to Mr. Cao.

“The records clearly state that in order to spread his religious teachings, Master Hongfa handed over a piece of treasure to the Gong family.

“It’s not clear what it was, but it could get rid of toxins, so it’s very likely that it was the Devourer of All Things. It matches the entries in the sea voyage journal we found.

“During the Dawn Hall Insurrection, the Gong family’s house caught on fire, and all the treasures and many of the records they had kept for over two hundred years went up in flames. Rebels divided the family’s wealth and fled with it, so we can’t tell whether it still exists or not.”

“Is there no record of the World Crossing Disc?” Mr. Cao asked after he finished reading the report.

“There were no records related to it.” The subordinate shook his head.

“Continue searching,” Mr. Cao declared. The subordinate nodded.

Mr. Cao turned around to stare at the statue of Master Hongfa high up on the island. Eight hundred years ago, Zen lost against mysticism, and the three supreme dharma protectors of Zen fled west, east, and south. Each of them took two of Zen’s treasures with them. Master Hongfa was one of them, and he took the Devourer of All Things and the World Crossing Disc.

While the Devourer of All Things was precious, it wasn’t as important as the World Crossing Disc, which was what they needed to find.

It was said that Master Hongfa went to the other world in the end, so it was unlikely that he took the World Crossing Disc with him, which was completely useless there.

Just then, someone called out, “Mr. Cao.”

Mr. Cao turned around and saw a subordinate bringing over someone dressed in the robes of a Serene Radiance School’s disciple. The man seemed to be depressed. When they got close, the disciple forced himself to perk up. “Mr. Cao.”

“How did Lao Shen die?” Mr. Cao asked.

The disciple’s shoulders slumped again. “I told him that the disciples wanted to join the Linacrox Union and were planning to kill him. I even told him to leave, but he refused to. He said that this was good, because if he died, we would have a reason to attack Serene Radiance School, and the Linacrox Union wouldn’t be able to interfere.

“I couldn’t convince him to leave. The Linacrox Union was behind his family’s death, and he had held onto that grudge for too long. Lao Shen died that same night,” the disciple said and sucked in a deep breath.

Mr. Cao was silent for a while, then removed his hat.

The other subordinates removed their hats as well. Their expressions were stern. Over the years, they had run into such situations far too many times. Some time in the future, this might happen to them too, but they were already mentally prepared for it.

“Bring Lao Shen’s body back and organize his funeral according to procedure.”

“Understood.”

The search on the island continued. When noon arrived, they got a new clue from a portrait of Master Hongfa. The second school master had asked someone to draw it after Master Hongfa left, and it was hung in the secret hall used to worship the previous school masters. It was carefully preserved and wasn’t damaged at all, so it looked as good as new.

With two subordinates’ help, Mr. Cao slowly opened the portrait. It showed a young Zen monk with long hair and a handsome face. In his hand was a slightly curved cane with a string of glazed luminous pearls. His feet were bare as he walked toward the light.

His facial expression, clothes, and every other detail were perfectly captured. Even the detail of his clothes being slightly washed out was present.

Mr. Cao stared at the cane for a bit and soon identified it as the sword cane the former royal family had gifted to the Zen religion. There was nothing else aside from it.

There was nothing strange about the portrait, but it showed that Master Hongfa didn’t take the World Crossing Disc with him, because the disc needed to be stored in a special bowl and couldn’t just be placed anywhere.

He looked up. “The disc might still be on the island. Continue looking for it. Don’t miss any corner.”

***

A day later, Chen Chuan’s airship reached Tall Rocks Isle. From the top, the scenery was indeed beautiful. The buildings had the elegance and unique charm of the island nations’ architecture. The curves of the roofs were graceful and moved in a pattern. Among the pine trees, chrysanthemums, and flowing streams were stone bridges and houses. Crimson-flower trees covered the entire island, and their petals covered a wet stone path. Chen Chuan could already tell that every step he took would allow him to see yet another beautiful sight.

The liaison officer got him a place that formerly belonged to the royal family and was located on high terrain. Even though the Gong family was gone, they had left behind all their guards and housekeepers. They still managed the island, but that was it.

While the Great Shun Republic knew that the Gong family was likely scheming something, they didn’t target them, because they were still useful.

***

On the other side of the island was a small villa. A bearded, immaculately groomed old man listened to the pleasant chimes of the wind chimes on the eaves and stared at the ancient stone lanterns in the distance.

“Tall Rocks Isle originally had a gap, but it’s been closed,” he said to Chu An, his disciple. “Even so, the plants and water here have been exposed to corruption for too long and have mutated. Now, they provide a gentle, nourishing effect to martial artists. This helps them to train faster.

“Back in the day, the Gong family had their chief martial generals train here. Now that you’ve absorbed a lot of pure essence, it’s time for you to focus on mental training.”

“Aren’t chief martial generals martial arts masters?” Chu An asked.

“That’s right. It’s only when you reach that limit that you carry enough power to voice your opinions. This has been the way of the world since ancient times. Look at the building there. It’s empty now, but only martial arts masters can live there—Hmm?” The old man trailed off when he noticed an airship stopping at the mooring point. Even though he couldn’t see the entirety of the airship, he was sure that someone was inside it.

Chu An stared at it as well. “Does this mean... that someone has moved in?”

With a stern face, the old man said, “Yes. If they can go there, they have to be a martial arts master.”

He squinted at the emblem and stayed quiet for a while before he said, “That should be Ocean Development Corporation’s airship. I heard that Ocean Development Corporation and Azure Dragon have been negotiating with the sabermasters of the three major martial arts schools over the past few days. Fierce Wave School has been coerced into becoming a subject of the Great Shun Republic. Serene Radiance School’s sabermaster refused to submit, so he was killed, and it was done by the same martial arts master who forced Fierce Wave School into submission. There’s a high chance that this person is the martial arts master who has come here.”

Chu An’s heart skipped a beat. At the same time, he found breathing a little harder.

They had a martial arts master in their company too. When his father met him, he had to show respect to them. It was the same for his talented older siblings. They had to bow and greet the martial arts master. Whenever Chu An saw the person from a distance, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders, so he understood what his teacher meant when he said that they had enough power to decide things.

Feeling envious, he stared in the direction of the airship. He longed for power. At the same time, a deep wave of indignation rose in his heart, because the potential test he took after he was born said that the Third Limit was as far as he would go, and there was no way for him to move any further, while his older siblings might be able to make it.

His entire life seemed to have been decided at that moment.

Perhaps due to his raging emotions, something illusory appeared on his face, and he smirked.

His teacher was staring into the distance and didn’t see the change on his face.

***

After Chen Chuan came down from the airship, he went to a hot spring to take a bath. Then, he changed his clothes and headed to a wide stone platform. As he stared at the white and pink petals flying in the air down the mountain and the surging waves in the sea, he felt much more relaxed.

It wasn’t just the scenery helping him wind down. The moment he stepped on the island, he felt a special domain that helped him focus. It was no wonder why the liaison officer had said that this place was perfect for training.

Apparently, it once belonged to a chief martial general, so the place was built for a martial arts master. All the materials used were incredibly durable.

Chen Chuan had punched a wall to try it and found that this was indeed the case. The place was suitable as a training location for him.

Chen Chuan went to the center of the stone platform, which was decorated beautifully. After adjusting his breathing, he started using the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. While breathing long and deep, he slowly shifted into the Blinding Blaze’s stance.

Since this wasn’t his first time using it, he trained for a little over two hours before moving out of the stance while letting out a hot breath of air.

Just as he was thinking about adjusting his breathing to recover, he felt something and stopped moving. A moment later, he looked up. Something had been cut off from him.

Did it mean that the gap in the World Ring had finally been closed?

Yao Zhiyi had told him that the gap would be closed in the beginning of November, so the timing fit.

Would it affect his future training?

Chen Chuan looked away and returned to the living room, where he released his biofield to block anyone attempting to look into his space. Then, he drew the Frost King Saber and cut the air. In an instant, blinding light spilled out.

After just a while, the gap started closing. If the gaps he opened in the past could last for up to two hours, now, they could only last twenty minutes at most. By the looks of it, the closing of the gap in the World Ring was indeed going to be a problem for him.

It wasn’t too much of a problem, though. He would just have to spend more time opening gaps.

He moved the Frost King Saber in front of him and brushed his hand over the back of it. In the past, he thought that the Frost King Saber was only able to open gaps because there was a gap in the World Ring, but it could still do it. By the looks of it, the thing that fused with the Frost King Saber was no simple object.

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