Chapter 77 How much trust must be placed in order to…
The origin of this new life is extremely rare. The moonlit radiance is as beautiful as a painting. A strong sense of shock surged into his heart, making Li Qingyun forget his sorrow for a moment.
He walked over slowly, and the spiritual energy floating in the air brushed against his body, allowing him to absorb it unintentionally.
The spiritual energy entered his body, taking Li Qingyun's shock to an even higher level.
He approached the point where spiritual energy was concentrated by more than three steps, and just by closing his eyes and taking a sniff, he immediately felt his spiritual sea become clear and his mind become transparent.
After absorbing some light, his damaged spiritual energy began to show signs of repair—this was after a heavenly tribulation that struck his heart meridian directly, and most of the residual power of the thunder from the heavens still lingered in his body.
This absorption actually turned his serious illness, which would have been difficult to cure for a hundred years, into a mere facade, and soon he was able to return to the supreme realm he had before he could see the heavens.
What pure spiritual power!
Based solely on this spiritual power, it can be concluded that this person will inevitably possess extraordinary talent as he grows up, and will certainly become a renowned figure on the list of prodigies.
Another remarkable figure has been added to the Guanwu Continent.
But what does this have to do with Li Qingyun?
There has never been a shortage of legends of creatures falling from the sky.
These creatures are born and nurtured by nature. Their spiritual energy condenses into human form, and their physique is pure. They are blessed by heaven in their cultivation, and absorbing spiritual energy is as easy as eating a meal.
Even Li Qingyun himself, though not born naturally with spiritual energy, created a magnificent spectacle of attracting the spiritual energy of the entire domain as soon as he was born, and became one of the most noble people in the world in less than a hundred years.
And then there's Li Tiansheng, who is even more absurd. He has no father, no mother, and no blood relation. He was born of pure nature. The ghostly energy and spiritual energy intermingled and gathered in the Yan Kingdom, where the yang energy was the strongest. Yin and yang complemented each other, and the ghostly energy and spiritual energy were balanced, which concealed his evil nature. Then he was born with a human form, so that Li Tiansheng was no different from humans from birth.
In the category of beings descending from the heavens, Li Tiansheng is one, he is half, and there are many other intelligent ghosts and monsters whose intelligence is no different from that of humans. After embarking on cultivation, they also have a smooth journey. They are not born from blood ties, but mostly developed their intelligence from some kind of core or body and cultivated into cultivators. They can also be roughly classified into this category.
To put it bluntly, there are already countless geniuses on the Guanwu Continent. The coolest and most dazzling entrances have all been seen by everyone. At this point, it's simply a matter of comparing whose entrance is more unique and eye-catching.
Putting everything else aside, it was incredibly bright. This scene at night almost made Li Qingyun's eyes turn into fluorite.
After watching the performance, Li Qingyun composed herself and turned to leave in a direction unrelated to the place.
Creatures born from heaven are always intelligent, some even possessing the ability to think from birth. At first glance, they may appear as infants, but inside they are the minds of eight or nine-year-old children.
Even though his internal injuries had begun to heal, his exhaustion was still hard to hide. Li Qingyun always valued his image as a venerable person and did not want unrelated people to see his disheveled state.
But his feet, which had not yet moved, suddenly stopped moving and he froze in place.
As the light faded, the infant slowly landed on the ground and looked up at Li Qingyun in front of him.
The baby's bright eyes were just as dazzling as the light from before, and the gaze never left him for a moment.
What are you looking at?
Li Qingyun was unhappy.
Even though he is an unpopular, cursed star, does a newborn baby really want to condemn him?
We still have to laugh at his pathetic state of being, a century of pride reduced to nothing more than a few strokes of a brush.
Who has the right to understand his pain?
His indomitable spirit has already been crushed by the heavenly tribulation. Why must even a newborn baby be trampled on when he is confused and helpless?
Why should I?!
Unwilling to give up, Li Qingyun turned back and walked towards the baby with big, bright eyes.
But when she reached the baby and looked at its bewildered and innocent face, Li Qingyun suddenly felt weak and ridiculous. She had actually lost control of her emotions to the point of imagining that a baby would mock her.
The dignified Venerable Qingyun, a supreme being of this world, how could he be so intolerant of others?
It's unbelievable that he could be so overcome by grief and anger, losing his senses.
But even as he was lost in thought, his gaze remained fixed on the infant, so much so that the moment he snapped out of his reverie, the first thing he saw was the infant's radiant smile.
The child, without crying or fussing, and without fear, slowly crawled towards him.
Li Qingyun didn't understand.
He didn't understand what that meant.
Should we back up?
Why is it getting so close? Does it mean it wants to crawl over and kick him?
But if they really wanted to crawl over and show hostility, what did that bright smile mean?
Humiliation? Mockery?
Or is it... intimacy?
A strange thought arose in her mind, and Li Qingyun's limbs completely stiffened.
Is this possible?
Given that he is destined to be a lone star, would anyone really be willing to get close to him?
His gaze was fixed on the newborn infant.
He watched the child crawl towards him step by step, getting closer and closer, clearer and clearer, until she reached his feet. Her two soft, white little hands grabbed the hem of his clothes, and her big, watery eyes were filled with anticipation.
The baby's speech was unclear, and his accent was a bit strange. Li Qingyun had difficulty understanding him, but she still managed to catch a few key words: cultivating immortality, immortal, handsome, wanting.
And—I like it.
The beings that descended from the sky indeed possessed their own consciousness.
But why?
Li Qingyun felt a surge of bitterness in her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears. She held back her tears, but she really wanted to ask—why aren't you afraid of me? Why don't you hate me?
In this world where everyone despises Li Qingyun, why can't you show that disdain? Why can you still smile and be close to yourself?
[Don't you know? I'm a cursed lone star, I can't find warmth.]
He didn't know how to begin to describe his grief.
It was as if he had been trapped in an endless, dark ocean, suffocating him. Just as he was about to give up and let his body die, a fish carrying a lantern-like light lifted his powerless body and pushed him back to shore little by little.
He, who should have been a corpse sinking to the bottom of the sea, was given a new lease on life.
It was like a dream.
But that is indeed reality.
But Li Qingyun still didn't understand. A surge of sorrow welled up inside her, but when it reached her lips, she changed her words: "Why aren't you crying?"
“You were born without parents, without anyone to love you, in such a desolate place, and there is not even a person willing to adopt you.”
"You're clearly conscious, aren't you? Facing a life with nothing, don't you feel pain?"
"Why can you still laugh?"
The isolation and helplessness of his childhood has always been a thorn in Qingyun's heart. Even though a hundred years have passed and Venerable Qingyun is now a respectable person who doesn't hold grudges, the thorn has not been pulled out. Instead, it has pierced deeper into his flesh and blood, making it difficult to see.
Once the heart and lungs are stirred by immense sorrow, this thorn also becomes interested, pricking him and causing intense pain, bestowing upon Li Qingyun even deeper suffering.
Does he have to slap this child himself for him to understand the wickedness of human nature? — In a daze, Li Qingyun inexplicably changed her mind.
But Li Qingyun knew that he couldn't bear to part with him.
He couldn't bear to part with this little life that would hug him and smile, that would hug him and express its anticipation.
This is a scene that is not recorded in the established story, and a plot that is not allowed to exist.
Li Qingyun didn't know if this was a loophole in fate, but the child in front of him was being affectionate towards him, which meant that his loneliness was not unsolvable and that he was not actually a cursed loner.
Or is it that this child is special, capable of breaking free from the constraints imposed by the heavens?
Yes, just think about how grand the baby's appearance was, and how pure the spiritual energy was.
Would Li Tiansheng possess such a vast amount of pure spirit to serve as the foundation of his physical body?
It seems not.
Such a grand spectacle would make someone a remarkable legendary figure, at least someone who could hold his own against Li Tiansheng and give him a major setback.
But when did such a character appear in the story?
Li Qingyun counted them one by one, including the righteous, the villains, and the neutral factions, but none of them were chosen ones who could match the premise of being sent down by heaven.
For a moment, he couldn't care less about being shocked.
Could it be that this child truly transcends the Guanwu Continent?
Are there truly any living beings that are unbound by stories?!
Li Qingyun had only recently witnessed the most unsolvable truth in the world, a time when she was most terrified and confused.
But the little life before him broke through his deepest fears and came to his side.
He picked up the little life, feeling its real touch, and heard the baby's babbling cries in his ears. Everything indicated that he was not in a self-sufficient dream.
"Chang Yubai, your name is Chang Yubai," Li Qingyun said softly.
"Chang in Changle Lane, Yu in Yu'an Altar, Bai in Baishou Embankment."
"You must grow up safely and stay by my side forever."
If anything can prove its existence from the void, it can only be the new life before our eyes.
"You are the only one who can prove that I am not limited by fate."
"Yu Bai, you must stay by my side forever."
This was the only straw he could grasp, the only living thing in this void.
Only this person can prove that he is not just a few strokes in the story, but a living, breathing being who deserves the kindness of others.
...
Once two people's lives are forcibly intertwined, staying together every step of the way becomes the most basic thing in the world.
Venerable Qingyun recuperated quietly, and no one knew that this aloof immortal had been struck by lightning from the heavens, causing his cultivation to drop below the initial level.
That's why it's said that once you reach the Venerable Martial Realm, you're no longer a cultivator. It's not just that your realm has crossed a dimension; when you ascend to the Venerable Martial Realm, your physical body will be shattered and reshaped. The new body will have a structural difference from that of an ordinary cultivator. The Venerable Martial Realm cannot be regressed. Even if your realm drops due to various reasons, no matter how hard you drop, you can only drop to the first level of the Venerable Martial Realm.
To use Chang Yubai's cryptic description, it meant that the first level of the Venerable Martial Realm had become the minimum requirement for cultivation.
Li Qingyun: ...
So where did this bizarre description come from? There's no such thing as a guaranteed minimum in the Guanwu Continent.
At that time, the infant he had adopted and named Chang Yubai had already been taken under his wing and had become his good apprentice, growing up leisurely for more than 20 years.
As expected of a life born from a pure spirit, its cultivation talent is so great that even Li Qingyun is envious. It is clear that it is just a casual meditation, unable to even concentrate its thoughts, and its mind is wandering while meditating. It has committed every taboo that can be committed in cultivation, yet it still easily broke through to the high martial arts realm and firmly held the top spot on the list of geniuses.
Comparing people really makes you want to throw your hair out.
But this was his own disciple, and Li Qingyun felt nothing but pride.
The only problem is that he seems a bit out of touch with reality, always spouting strange and baffling words that leave people speechless and helpless.
But as soon as the title "Master" appeared, Li Qingyun felt completely pleased and no longer felt there was anything wrong with it.
If it weren't for the principle of humility, Li Qingyun would have loved to hear that title every day, to hear it to her heart's content.
Of course, thinking about it is one thing, saying it is another.
That silly disciple of his is always unrestrained and speaks without thinking. If it weren't for his master's strong backing, Yu Bai would have been beaten up a million times over for his arrogance.
They also need to find a way to conceal the fact that Yu Bai is not subject to the Heavenly Rules.
Being outside the rules is a good thing for cultivation, but it can easily bring trouble in interpersonal relationships. Who knows which cunning person with a silver tongue might trick Yu Bai into using him as a blood pack to break the formation.
Li Qingyun: ...Why did I say the words "blood pack"?
Venerable Qingyun fell silent, and after that, he realized his own subtle sense of humor.
The man suddenly realized that he wasn't really cold-hearted; he just hadn't encountered the right joke.
But then he saw his disciple Chang Yubai casting strange glances at him, adding the comment—"So Master likes hellish jokes."
Li Qingyun: ...
The meaning is already clear from the literal words.
So when Chang Yu Bai was banned from speaking, he could only rage helplessly.
The interaction between the master and his apprentice was quite lively.
Time passed step by step, but the disciple he had raised started to act strangely—whenever Yu Bai was angry and his emotions fluctuated, demonic energy would emanate from his body.
Possessed by demons?
Was there demonic energy mixed in when Yu Bai was born?
Why would a pure and perfect spirit be born with a constitution that allows it to become possessed by demons?
Li Qingyun felt a sense of panic. Tracing back to the source, she discovered that time had already come to the beginning of the story.
— Li Tiansheng was born.
Could it be that because the protagonist of the story has already appeared, and it is necessary to eliminate potential dangers for him, this has subtly changed Yu Bai's constitution, causing Yu Bai to become a demon?
Concern leads to confusion.
Li Qingyun fears that fate will protect the sole protagonist and tries to use this method to exclude or even kill her disciple Chang Yubai.
After all, Chang Yubai never appeared in the future stories. It's hard to say whether he never existed or whether he was ashamed to show himself after becoming possessed by a demon and thus went into seclusion.
You must know that in the Guanwu Continent, demonic cultivators are extremely rare and disliked, even more difficult to get along with than someone like me, a lone star destined for misfortune. Wherever they go, they are met with complaints, and if they show their faces, they are treated as enemies.
Throughout history, those born with demonic bodies or who have become demonic have chosen to live in seclusion, hiding away to endure their own miserable lives, in order to avoid interacting with others.
Is Yu Bai also destined to be treated this way?
Li Qingyun felt a pang of pity.
He himself had already suffered from being disliked, so how could he stand by and watch his apprentice go through it again?
So he took his weapon and went to Yan Kingdom, intending to kill Li Tiansheng while his apprentice was unaware.
But the protagonist is indeed the protagonist; he is unkillable and indestructible. Li Qingyun tried again and again with great effort, but in the end, he could only give up on eliminating Li Tiansheng.
If he can't beat them, he can at least dodge them.
Li Qingyun immediately changed his attitude and made a new decision—he would take Yu Bai into seclusion and absolutely not get involved with Li Tiansheng.
In any case, all Tianji wanted was for no one to interfere with the story's direction. He and Yu Bai simply remained outsiders and did not disturb Li Tiansheng's path to godhood.
If it doesn't bother you, then it doesn't need to be paid attention to.
He had already chosen a location: a secluded cave in a small suburban village that Li Tiansheng had never been to before, where no one could find them.
But how could he tell Yu Bai about this?
The disciple was at the peak of his youth and ambition, especially after Yu Bai topped the list of prodigies, he was even more confident and declared that he would become the leading figure in the path of martial arts, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Yu Bai was completely immersed in the perfect life of a chosen one.
Li Qingyun felt bitter. At this time, the genius young man was the most proud and arrogant, and also the most vulnerable to the devastation of great setbacks. How could he be willing to be second to others?
If he were to tell his disciple about his decision to retire from the world and no longer contend with the world, it is unknown whether Yu Bai could withstand such a blow, or whether he would harbor resentment and disregard his master's advice.
But this was indeed the safest method that Li Qingyun could think of.
He didn't want to diminish Yu Bai's personality, nor did he want any rift to develop between them.
But fate had other plans, and Li Qingyun could not tell the truth. She could only hope that Yu Bai would trust her more and realize that she cared about him.
So one day, the master and his apprentice had a serious conversation.
To avoid leaving Yu Bai with any lingering hope or causing unnecessary misunderstandings, Li Qingyun deliberately emphasized her words, and despite her trepidation, she stated her decision to live in seclusion with an attitude that left no room for refusal.
He was prepared to be refuted and to be upset; at worst, Chang Yubai would just let out a pitiful "ah."
He had anticipated all of Chang Yubai's possible reactions.
But Chang Yubai's answer was simpler than any of his expectations.
"OK."
"As long as my master is here, I'm fine with going anywhere."
He agreed without hesitation.
On the contrary, Li Qingyun, who seemed to be struggling with her own thoughts, was not considerate of her disciple.
He wanted to ask his apprentice if he didn't feel wronged, but Chang Yubai had already skipped the topic and asked about what would happen after he went into seclusion. Clearly, he didn't care about the inappropriateness that seclusion would bring and even seemed to be looking forward to it.
Li Qingyun felt a lump in her throat, unaware of how important she was to her disciple.
What kind of profound trust must one place in order to agree without hesitation when giving up one's own glorious future?
How incredibly strong must one's feelings be to turn back in the face of a long-awaited future and support the choices of those around them?
It is precisely because he knows how much Yu Bai aspires to reach the pinnacle of humanity that this conversation seems both absurd and heartwarming.
All he could offer were a few simple words:
"I will take you safely through this life, until the end of my life."
Even if the hardships of fate are still unavoidable in the future, he will not betray the trust that Yu Bai has placed in him.
Even death.
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Author's Note: And so, someone's feelings began to change.
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