Chapter 24 We are interdependent, sharing life and death.
For the first time, Yu Sui was able to resonate with the Five Elements Light Core with such a high degree of compatibility. With each breath, he felt the abundant and rich Five Elements Qi, and he could truly and realistically feel its presence.
The five elements enveloped her entire being—her fingertips, cheeks, eyes, even her sleeves, hair, and accessories—ready to unleash their power.
But Yu Sui quickly sensed something was wrong; these powers existed for too short a time, almost vanishing in an instant.
Each of the Five Elements Light Cores provides too little power.
New Five Elements Light Cores are born from the Strange Fire, and Yu Sui's limit is three hundred a day. If these Five Elements Light Cores are separated from the Strange Fire, they will dissipate on their own after only twelve hours.
Yu Sui's Five Elements Light Core is currently the most primitive Five Elements Light Core, which has not undergone any cultivation and is not even considered to be at the first realm. It is the lowest level of Five Elements Light Core.
Chang Gen the Sage did not respond, but Yu Sui recalled what he had once said:
"Dedicated".
With a fierce determination, Yu Sui delved into the depths of her consciousness, looked at the gently swaying strange fire, and said, "Return to One."
She knows.
The strange fire could understand her meaning.
At times, the strange fire is herself.
The tiny flame in the darkness suddenly transformed into a ferocious fire serpent, instantly devouring the three hundred Five Elements Light Cores that had grown. The power gathered from these small flames was used to refine a new Five Elements Light Core, which was then returned to Yu Sui.
It's the one she'll be focusing on cultivating next.
Yu Sui smiled and pushed open the door, seeing Mei Liangyu, who had finally been allowed in by Saint Chang Gen.
Mei Liangyu walked from the gate to the bottom of the steps and looked up at Yu Sui who was coming out. She seemed to be suppressing her happiness. If there were no outsiders, Yu Sui would have been skipping and jumping as she went down the steps by herself.
She's so happy; the problem that's been bothering her in her spiritual practice has probably been resolved.
Mei Liangyu stood motionless on the steps, when he heard Yu Sui call out to him, "Senior Brother."
Listen, when he's happy, even the way he calls out "Senior Brother" sounds different.
Mei Liangyu lifted his eyelids and looked at her.
Yu Sui stopped after taking only a couple of steps up the stone steps and smiled at Mei Liangyu below, saying, "Senior brother, let's have a spar."
As if afraid that Mei Liangyu would not agree, she added, "Master also agreed."
"Don't try to intimidate me with your master," Mei Liangyu said nonchalantly. "I don't spar with just anyone. What can you offer me in exchange?"
Yu Sui pondered for a moment, then lowered her eyes and asked curiously, "I have money, lots of it. How much do you need, Senior Brother?"
Mei Liangyu: "..."
That's incredibly extravagant.
Mei Liangyu smiled slightly: "Remember to pay the bill later."
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared from Yu Sui's sight, using the Wind Riding Technique to appear behind Yu Sui: "If you can grab a piece of my sleeve before dawn, I'll charge you less."
Yu Sui looked back, but Mei Liangyu was already several meters away.
"Although I have a lot of money, it's always good to be frugal." A blue light flashed beneath Yu Sui's feet, and with the power of the Five Elements and the Life Technique, he shot out like a long arrow, leaving only fragments of afterimages.
The stone lanterns on the ground flickered, illuminating the darkness slightly. Occasionally, when two figures chasing each other flashed by, the flowing energy of the five elements would cause the candlelight to tremble violently and bend over, almost extinguishing it.
As Yu Sui pursued the enemy, he became increasingly familiar with the activation and application of the Five Elements Qi and the Nine Schools of Arts. Just like when he was taught riding, archery and swordsmanship at the National Academy a few years ago, he could always remember the techniques and key points very quickly, almost as if he could learn them at a glance.
She was like a candle burning, burning with all her might for the first time in her life.
Mei Liangyu was already a ninth-realm sorcerer. Facing Yu Sui, who was only at the first-realm level, although he compromised on the difference in strength, he did not hold back much. He easily widened the distance between himself and Yu Sui just as Yu Sui was about to catch up with him.
This feeling of always being so close yet always just missing out can easily affect one's mindset. The feeling of failure is incredibly intense, and the desire to overcome it also intensifies.
“You’re going to lose me a lot of money if you keep going like this.” Mei Liangyu stood at the very edge of the platform, looking at Yu Sui who was already panting heavily, and said unhurriedly, “Do you still want to chase?”
Yu Sui wiped the sweat from her cheeks and nodded, "Mm!"
She pursued Mei Liangyu once again.
Yu Sui felt a sense of exhilaration from releasing the power of the Five Elements, as if all the emotions he had forcibly suppressed and the anger he had delayed over the years were being silently released and dissipated in tonight's pursuit of the Wind Riding Competition.
Yu Sui let himself release this power, eventually becoming exhausted, covered in sweat, and so tired that he didn't want to move a single finger.
She lay down on a bench in the main hall of the sanctuary, too tired to speak clearly. It took Mei Liangyu a while to understand that she meant she wanted to rest.
Seeing her exhausted appearance, Mei Liangyu said, "I don't think you can wake up after just a short rest."
On the very first day she learned the Nine Streams Technique, she recklessly burned all her power, whether out of sheer joy or repression, it's hard to tell.
Mei Liangyu leaned against the door for a while, then looked away from the sleeping Yu Sui, frowning slightly as he began to recall what he had originally come here for.
“Master.” Mei Liangyu looked at the portrait of Saint Changgen, “I’m going to stop people at the martial arts academy tomorrow. After that, I expect many teachers from various academies will come looking for trouble with you.”
Sage Changgen: "Yes."
Mei Liangyu then looked at Yu Sui: "You're just going to let her sleep here? With so many patriarchs watching, what kind of behavior is this?"
Saint Changgen said, "You can wake her up and let her return to her quarters."
Mei Liangyu said lazily, "I won't call."
Yu Sui slept briefly during the night.
She rarely slept well or soundly after nightfall. The slightest noise would wake her up, and the flickering strange fire would also startle her awake if someone was nearby.
At this moment, she fell from the deepest part of her consciousness, landing on a boundless expanse of water. Scattered sparks rose from the dark, heavy surface, and a cluster of flames slowly rose from the depths of the water.
Yu Sui crouched down and looked at the rising flames.
The black flames suddenly dissipated just before they reached the water's surface, transforming into a human figure.
Yu Sui saw herself in the water.
She wasn't surprised; her expression was calm, her fingers hovering over the water's surface, about to fall. Underwater, Yu Sui's eyes were beautiful. They were the same person, looking exactly alike, yet easily distinguishable.
When Yu Sui looked up at the water's surface, it was as if she were judging something. Her upturned eyes were arrogant and wicked. She opened her mouth slightly, as if she were saying something.
What is the other me saying?
It's simply a matter of either letting her go down or letting her come up.
Yu Sui in the water is like a siren. Her long hair floats gently and lightly in the water, and there are ripples on her fair skin. Her eyes appear even more moist in the water. Occasionally, when you get close, she will show you a cunning and seductive look, extending an invitation.
But Yu Sui just looked at her coldly and indifferently, unmoved.
Scattered sparks drifted and dispersed from the water, like stars falling into the deep sea, yet they could not be extinguished.
She reached out her hand to Yu Sui on the water's surface, her wet fingers gently touching the back of his hand. Yu Sui didn't flinch. The next instant, the person who emerged from the water transformed into black flames and engulfed Yu Sui.
Yu Sui heard her voice and chuckled softly:
"We are born together, and we will die together."
Yu Sui slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up from the cold bench, rubbed her eyes, and couldn't remember anything about her dream. It seemed like she shouldn't have forgotten it, but she just couldn't recall it.
Yu Sui frowned slightly, looking quite troubled, and didn't even notice Mei Liangyu standing by the door.
Mei Liangyu listened to the message from the wind chime and said without looking up, "If you're awake, hurry back to your quarters and wash off all that sweat."
Yu Sui then looked towards the entrance of the main hall in surprise.
Mei Liangyu looked up after a while and saw her bewildered expression. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Pay the money for last night's sparring match first."
Yu Sui asked, "How much?"
Mei Liangyu didn't even blink: "One hundred gold coins."
Yu Sui nodded, picked up the Wind Listening Ruler, and said, "Senior Brother, let's add each other as friends using the Wind Listening Ruler."
Mei Liangyu thought it was a good idea, so he took the Wind Listening Ruler and went over.
Yu Sui took the wind-listening ruler and touched it to Mei Liangyu's, then grabbed Mei Liangyu's clothes.
Mei Liangyu: "..."
He lowered his eyes slightly, his eyelashes trembling.
“Senior brother,” Yu Sui tilted his head towards the outside, “it’s only dawn when the sun rises now.”
Mei Liangyu looked out the gate. The dark night was breaking into the dawn, and the sun that had set yesterday was now slowly rising.
Yu Sui said, "Since I caught my senior brother before dawn, you should have less."
"Alright." Mei Liangyu looked back at Yu Sui with a half-smile. "I'll make it a little less, ninety-nine gold coins for you."
Yu Sui: "..."
She withdrew her hand, rubbed her face, and thought, "It's okay, I have money."
Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu returned to their lodging together.
Along the way, Mei Liangyu watched as Yu Sui used his wind-riding technique to run a long distance, then pretended to walk a few steps slowly, and then suddenly flew a long distance ahead, repeating this over and over again, having a great time.
Finally arriving at the residence, Mei Liangyu turned around to look at Yu Sui, who was still walking slowly.
As the morning mist dissipates, the peach blossoms on both sides are still in full bloom, seemingly never to fade.
Yu Sui walked slowly.
Mei Liangyu in front of you is giving you a look, asking why you're walking so slowly. Yu Sui replied, "I usually run because I'm afraid I won't make it in time. But now that I know how to control the wind, I know I'll definitely make it, so I'm not in a hurry anymore. I just want to walk slowly and see how it goes."
She looked up at the falling petals and gave a simple reason: "Because the flowers on the road are beautiful."
The pink blossoms scattered across the mountainside with the morning breeze, and Yu Sui, also dressed in a pink dress, seemed to blend into the mountain scenery, yet she stood out uniquely.
Mei Liangyu watched silently.
It's clear that my junior sister is in a really good mood.
Yu Sui asked Mei Liangyu, "Senior brother, may I pick the flowers here?"
Mei Liangyu: "Fold it as you like."
I'd like to see who dares to say this flower cannot be picked.
Yu Sui looked up at the flowering tree, used the Nine Streams Technique Wind Blade to pluck a few bunches of peach blossoms, and after she had played with them enough, she carried the flower branches and walked towards the dormitory.
Mei Liangyu was listening to the message from the wind chime and didn't look where he was going. Yu Sui was tugging at the flower branch in her arms and talking to him, regardless of whether there was a response.
Yu Sui walked towards the dragon ladder.
Mei Liangyu was returning to the Wind-Listening Ruler, so she tacitly followed Yu Sui. Only after they arrived did she realize what was happening and asked her, "You know how to control the wind, so why are you still riding the Dragon Ladder?"
Yu Sui said, "Outside, I like the art of riding the wind; inside the inn, I like riding the dragon ladder."
Before Mei Liangyu could say anything, he descended the dragon ladder, stopped, and opened the door.
Gu Gan and Xun Zhiya, standing inside the dragon ladder, looked out the door and bumped into Mei Liangyu and Yu Sui, who were waiting at the door.
Gu Gan noticed Yu Sui first, but was surprised by Mei Liangyu next to Yu Sui. He, who was originally standing against the wall, stood up straight and frowned.
Mei Liangyu only glanced at the two people inside the dragon ladder.
"Sui Sui." Gu Gan looked Mei Liangyu up and down, then walked towards Yu Sui. "You didn't come back last night?"
"Just got back, Brother Gu, are you going to the Fa family so early?" Yu Sui greeted him with a smile, her eyes crinkling.
Gu Gan paused for a moment: "There's a leveling challenge today, and Xun Zhiya and I plan to give it a try."
Yu Sui seemed a little confused, but nodded and said, "Then you guys go quickly, good luck!"
"Where have you been? Why are you only just getting back?" Gu Gan asked, frowning.
Mei Liangyu, having entered the Dragon Ladder, said, "Let's go."
Yu Sui walked into the dragon staircase and waved to Gu Gan outside: "We'll talk later, you guys go ahead!"
The dragon staircase door closed.
Gu Gan stared at the ascending dragon ladder, his expression slightly taken aback.
"Shall we go?" Xun Zhiya asked calmly.
Gu Gan withdrew his gaze: "Let's go."
Inside the Dragon Ladder, Yu Sui received a message from Gu Gan. After reading it for a while, she asked Mei Liangyu, "Senior Brother, is the level-up challenge the kind where you go from a B-level disciple to an A-level disciple?"
Mei Liangyu hummed in agreement and began sending out a message.
Yu Sui asked thoughtfully, "What exactly do we need to do?"
“Each time the leveling challenge is opened, there are different requirements and trials, and the requirements vary from place to place,” Mei Liangyu said casually. “The people who chose to challenge the martial arts level this time are unlucky because they will run into me.”
Yu Sui asked curiously, "When does that start? Can I go see it?"
Mei Liangyu turned her head and saw that she really just looked curious. She smiled and asked in a light tone, "What are you looking at?"
Yu Sui: "Can't I watch?"
Mei Liangyu said, "You haven't finished your basic courses yet, you can't."
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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