Chapter 1: A Minor Display of Skill

Chapter 1: A Minor Display of Skill

At the end of 2012.

A big snow had just fallen in the northern part of Yuzhou Province, covering thousands of miles of fertile land with silver and wrapping all the mountains and rivers in white.

A little past two in the afternoon, on the National Highway 107 section south of Pingyang City, because the road was slippery from the snow and Jingzhu Expressway was closed, countless vehicles poured onto the highway. Making things worse, three car crashes happened just then in the bad road conditions. That caused heavy traffic both ways on that section of road, with lines of cars stretching for several kilometers.

No one would have guessed that in that jammed traffic, there were over a hundred fancy cars and business vehicles from all over the country, all there by coincidence.

Seeing that the road wouldn’t open anytime soon, these important people in the luxury cars—all either rich or powerful—finally lost their patience. One after another, they pulled out their phones to contact anyone they could. They put all their effort into finding any way to leave that place as fast as possible. Some even got out and started walking ahead on foot.

They all just wanted to see one person and witness one thing.

That person was only twenty kilometers away.

That place was a small village no one had ever heard of.

West of the village, by a dried-up creek that hadn’t had water for who knows how many years, a few big poplar trees held up heavy snow. Under them, two freshly dug graves lay buried under deep snow.

Between the two gravestones, a pile of paper offerings burned in the cold biting wind.

A young man in a black down jacket with short flat hair, who looked about thirty years old, knelt in front of the fire. He held a wooden stick in his right hand, lightly fiddling with the flames. His face was pale as paper, his expression blank. His eyes showed an unhealthy red light.

Not far away, a short old man with full white hair and beard stood in the windy cold. He wore a dark blue coat and stared calmly at the snowy hills to the northwest.

Suddenly, the young man said quietly without turning back, “I don’t believe this was heaven’s punishment.”

The old man sighed gently and spoke softly, “Who in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts would believe in things like heaven’s punishment or fate? I understand what you feel right now. But it’s done and can’t be undone. For your own sake, don’t grieve too much or overthink. You must calm your mind and drive away the Inner Demon.”

“The Inner Demon?” The young man coughed lightly and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “Tell me, what exactly is Esoteric Arts?”

The old man paused, then said, “Chi You!”

“So that’s it…” The young man showed a bitter, knowing smile.

“The difference between good and evil doesn’t depend on the arts, but on people.”

“I know that,” the young man nodded slowly.

The old man’s brows suddenly furrowed. His expression grew serious as he hurried forward to help the young man. He said anxiously, “Chunfeng, steady your mind. Emptiness for you, without freedom… Chunfeng…”

But the young man kneeling in the snow had already closed his eyes, and his breathing slowly faded away.

Flakes of snow fell thick and fast.

Over the crowded National Highway 107, helicopter engines roared violently. Their rotors tore through the snowy curtain fluttering all around. Under many shocked gazes, they slowly landed in the snow-covered wheat fields on both sides of the jammed highway, stirring up heaps of snow.

But the important people in all those fancy cars who had waited anxiously for the helicopters now shook their heads. They ordered the helicopters to turn back. They wouldn’t be needed after all.

The people who had left their cars and walked far ahead now stopped in the snowy fields.

“He’s dead!”

“A man of rare talent from a generation, such a pity, such a shame.”

“Over the centuries, we might never again see someone so brilliantly gifted appear in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts. Without this, he would’ve been the one in hundreds of years most likely to touch the ‘Return to Truth’ state… But he practiced Esoteric Arts; what a shame, the Jianghu is dangerous, people’s hearts are deceitful.”

“The arts aren’t good or evil; it’s people who are good or evil. Why must the Jianghu be like this…”

After Su Chunfeng died, some in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts were happy, others worried.

。。。。。。

One day in April, 1995.

Around ten in the morning, right during the break between classes.

Inside Classroom 14 of the second-year junior class at Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, a few boys were gathered around a Walkman. Swaying their small bodies to the melody, they hummed along with what sounded like exaggerated, sentimental crooning.

“Whistling carefree tunes, cracking self-made jokes. Repeating a cool act a thousand times…”

The classroom was noisy and chaotic—these older children were seizing the short ten minutes of freedom, actively unleashing their youthful energy. Of course, there were also a few individual students who continued to bury their heads in their books even during the break.

Amidst such a loud and boisterous environment, the boy sitting by the window in the third row on the left side of the classroom was sound asleep on his desk. His cheek rested on his arm, and a trail of drool flowed from the corner of his mouth, dampening his school uniform’s sleeve.

Behind him, a boy with slick, parted hair was animatedly boasting about something to a few female classmates.

It seemed the girls couldn’t stand his self-praise, as they all showed signs of impatience. Some looked around aimlessly, while others chatted and laughed among themselves. The boy with the parted hair immediately felt his pride stung. Perhaps to get the girls’ attention and show off how impressive he was, he picked up a textbook. Without reason, he slammed it squarely onto the head of the boy sleeping in front of him.

Smack!

The sleeping boy jolted awake, turning his head to look around.

Then, he froze—the noisy, messy scene, a group of kids around fourteen or fifteen years old wearing blue-and-white uniforms playing and roughhousing, cheerful music echoing in his ears—an environment that felt both unfamiliar and intensely familiar, the people…

Was this an inner demon’s nightmare?

In his daze, Su Chunfeng hurriedly focused his mind. Slightly closing his eyes, he silently recited a spell incantation in his mind, trying to shake off the assault of this inner demonic nightmare. He knew that in that earth-shattering yet unnoticed great battle, he had suffered severe injuries. Then, upon hearing the tragic news of his parents’ sudden accidental death, he had immediately fallen into Qi Deviation… So now, he should be under his master’s protection, with formations assisting him, fully concentrating on fighting the inner demon to survive this tribulation.

But Su Chunfeng quickly realized there was none of that excruciating pain usually felt after a Qi Deviation. Nor could he sense the presence of any inner demonic nightmare.

Stranger still, his body seemed to have recovered its health.

He urgently directed his consciousness inward to inspect his body. To his horror, he discovered that while his physique felt healthy, the meridians connecting his internal organs and pathways throughout his body were mostly blocked and impassable. His consciousness couldn’t penetrate them at all. This kind of constitution was just like back when he was ordinary, before he began his cultivation.

What was going on?

Had the inner demon grown stronger again?

Or was this a final flicker before death?

“In this colorful season, compose a song for yourself, find a dream to feel the mood, actually everything is hazy. Embrace the rising sun, let hope flutter high…”

The melodious tune, the noisy clamor, combined with the utter confusion and terror in his mind, made it impossible for Su Chunfeng to calm down. Frowning tightly, he warily scanned his surroundings: old desks, stools, scattered books, students playing and running wild; outside the window, a spacious campus with towering, lush trees, rows of red brick and gray-tiled buildings that were old but not run-down, flowerbeds filled with vibrant plants and flowers, and students running, jumping, playing, or chatting in small groups across the campus…

Everything felt so real, yet so unreal.

And all of this should only exist in memories and occasional dreams. Additionally, this situation could also occur if a mage practicing esoteric techniques carelessly fell into Demonic Possession.

But relying on his powerful mental cultivation, Su Chunfeng was almost certain: This was absolutely not an inner demon’s nightmare!

Could it be…

Had he been reborn?

Even for him, a mage versed in mysterious esoteric techniques with a strong and resilient mind, facing such a bizarre situation inevitably caused some panic, a bit of astonishment, and difficulty in believing the reality that he might have been reborn.

At that moment, many nearby students looked at Su Chunfeng’s dumbfounded expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

Was he still muddled from sleep?

He had been hit and didn’t even know who did it. He had been looking around for a while without reacting, not even saying a word, just sitting there with a dazed look.

Seeing the amused smiles of nearby classmates, especially the girls trying to hold back their laughter, the boy with the parted hair grew even more pleased with himself. He immediately raised the book in his hand and slammed it hard onto Su Chunfeng’s head. He swore while doing it, “What the hell’s wrong with you, idiot? Damn…”

Su Chunfeng’s temper instantly flared. Ever since his cultivation broke through the “Qi Refining” realm and he officially entered the mysterious Jianghu of Esoteric Arts, no one in society had ever dared to show him such disrespect. Moreover, his current cultivation had already reached the “Awakening Spirit Realm.” In the entire nation’s Jianghu of Esoteric Arts, those who dared to disrespect him could be counted on one hand… What audacity did this pipsqueak kid have to curse and hit him? The little brat had gone too far!

However, the current situation was just too strange. It was very likely the inner demon’s doing. He had to be extremely careful.

Su Chunfeng calmed down, frowning as he looked at the haughty boy with the parted hair behind him.

“Yo, what are you glaring at?” The parted-hair boy lifted the book and smashed it again onto Su Chunfeng’s forehead. “I’ve been looking at you for a long time, wanting to teach you a lesson!” After saying this, he turned his head proudly to look at the nearby girls, as if he now thought himself a hero!

Stay calm!

Su Chunfeng clenched his fists tightly, but he forcefully suppressed the rising fury in his heart—there was a saying: when things are abnormal, there must be trickery. He had already fallen into Qi Deviation, and the current situation was this bizarre. So, nine times out of ten, this was the inner demon’s doing. He absolutely must not act rashly.

Just then, a sharp female voice rang out. “Yao Xinbo, what are you doing?”

Following the sound, he saw two girls who had just entered the classroom, both with ponytails, walking quickly toward him, one after the other.

The one in front, wearing a school uniform, was thin. Her face was delicate and graceful. Beneath slightly full lips, a noticeable dark mole sat on the left side. Her skin wasn’t snowy white, but the typical healthy wheat color of a village girl. Her pretty face was filled with anger, lips pressed tightly together. She stood by Su Chunfeng’s desk, glaring at the parted-hair boy.

Upon seeing this girl, Su Chunfeng’s heart immediately skipped a beat. A trace of remembered tenderness, sadness, and guilt flashed in his eyes—Wang Haifei, his desk-mate for all three years of junior high, and also his first love.

How often did something make a gentle girl like her lose her temper?

The girl who followed closely behind Wang Haifei had skin as fair as cream, her cheeks slightly chubby with baby fat. She was the beautiful, cute type that made people like her at first sight. She wore black leggings, white sneakers, and a sky-blue jacket, appearing especially fresh and charming among the majority of students in school uniforms.

This pretty girl tilted her head, pouted, and looked scornfully at the parted-hair boy. “Yao Xinbo, you just have to show off, don’t you?”

Zhang Lifei?

Su Chunfeng’s thoughts were becoming clearer.

He knew that over a decade later, Zhang Lifei would become a nationally famous, even globally conquering, triple-threat star in film, television, and song…

“Yo, what’s it to you?” Yao Xinbo lifted his chin, his face full of arrogance. “Why are you both protecting him? Oh dear… is there something going on here?”

As soon as he said this, the whole class burst into laughter.

In that era, although junior high schoolers were no longer as rigid and conservative as before, topics of early romance between boys and girls were still extremely sensitive. Even if everyone knew a couple, being mentioned publicly would inevitably make them feel deeply ashamed, even furious.

Correspondingly, in the daily school lives of these older children, the most popular topic for teasing and jokes was “pairing people up.”

“You, you…” Wang Haifei’s face flushed red with shame and anger, tears immediately welling in her eyes.

Although she had an inherently stubborn and tenacious nature, she was usually gentle and timid, rarely getting into arguments with classmates. How much less would she openly take sides and help a boy? But seeing Su Chunfeng being bullied made her uncomfortable. Besides, Yao Xinbo wasn’t some fearsome, tyrannical bully. He was just a coward who picked on the weak. That’s why Wang Haifei had dared to shout at him on impulse. She never expected to end up being insulted instead.

“Shameless!” Zhang Lifei stamped her foot angrily—she simply wanted to back up her good friend Wang Haifei, and along the way, help Su Chunfeng.

Seeing the two girls’ embarrassed, angry, and tearful expressions, Yao Xinbo grinned widely. He deliberately put on an innocent face, looking around, and said to all the watching classmates in a sarcastic tone, “Hey, hear that? They call me shameless. Who’s the shameless one here? Haha…”

With his words, the class’s rowdy laughter grew even louder.

Su Chunfeng furrowed his brows. Previously, using his powerful mental perception and esoteric technique cultivation, he had judged that his environment wasn’t the inner demon’s doing. The development of the situation, and all the scenes and people, felt more and more realistic. It almost made him certain of the reality of his rebirth. Now, his first love and desk-mate were being mocked, cursed at, and brought to tears by Yao Xinbo…

Young people were just too immature!

Su Chunfeng sighed, shook his head, and calmly looked at Yao Xinbo. He said lightly, “Shut up!”

This attitude wasn’t that of a righteous, domineering protector. But in the eyes of others, especially Yao Xinbo, he seemed like a figure of authority, using the tone of an elder scolding a misbehaving child.

In truth, Su Chunfen really did see Yao Xinbo as a mere brat.

“Oh, really?” Yao Xinbo was momentarily stunned. Then, with both hands, he roughly pushed his desk aside, putting on a menacing and ferocious act. “You’ve got nerve now?” As he spoke, he stepped forward, decisively swinging the textbook in his hand toward Su Chunfeng’s face.

He felt his image at that moment must be incredibly tall and brave.

Su Chunfeng remained seated without getting up. His right hand formed a finger gesture under the desk, silently reciting a spell incantation in his mind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring straight at Yao Xinbo.

His expression was as if he didn’t take his opponent seriously at all.

The classroom fell silent.

All the classmates thought Su Chunfeng would, as usual, get hit and cursed at, then cowardly and humiliated, remain silent.

Thud!

In the blink of an eye…

Before everyone’s eyes, Yao Xinbo’s eyes suddenly widened. His face instantly turned pale, his expression becoming one of extreme terror. Staggering back in horror, the Chinese textbook in his right hand didn’t hit Su Chunfeng’s head. Instead, it fell from his grasp onto the floor. At the same time, he let out a shrill scream, “Ah…”

Clang, clatter, thump!

Yao Xinbo crashed into a desk behind him. His face deathly pale, he slumped to the floor. Pointing a trembling finger at Su Chunfeng with a look of sheer terror, as if he had seen a ghost, he stammered, “You, you… what do you want? Don’t…” As he spoke, he suddenly burst into frightened tears, wailing strangely. He scrambled up, rushed like a mangy dog past the stunned classmates, and dashed along the aisles between desks to the very back of the classroom. Hiding behind a tall boy named Xu Zhijun, he clutched at Xu Zhijun’s clothes like a scared child. Peeking out with a tear-streaked, terrified face toward Su Chunfeng, he pleaded, “I was wrong, I’ll never do it again, please, I was wrong…”

Thump!

Yao Xinbo, in full view of everyone, suddenly knelt on the floor and started kowtowing repeatedly!

The classroom was dead silent!

What was happening?

“Su Chunfeng, what did you do to him?” A tall, slim girl with shoulder-length hair and a quite delicate face shouted sternly. Her expression was full of anger and shock.

Her name was Tian Pingping. She and Yao Xinbo were cousins. She was also the class vice monitor and the English class representative.

Su Chunfeng slightly frowned. He suddenly realized that using Art Casting against Yao Xinbo was overkill and could easily lead to unnecessary trouble. So, he deliberately showed an expression of amazement and confusion, just like the other students. Glancing at Tian Pingping and Yao Xinbo, he snorted with a hint of disdain, “Boring.”

After saying this, he turned away and paid no more attention to the two cousins. However, he felt a bit of pity inside: “That brat Yao Xinbo, his psyche is just too fragile, isn’t it?”

Clang, clang, clang…

Right at that moment, the melodious sound of the class bell rang across the campus.

Students returned to their seats and sat down. The chaotic classroom regained order. Only, all the students were looking with extreme shock and disbelief at Su Chunfeng, who still seemed a bit bewildered, and at Yao Xinbo, who—helped and comforted by classmates—was returning to his seat with a face as pale as paper, trembling with fear.

What on earth had happened in that moment?

A prank?

Tian Pingping gritted her teeth, thinking that after class she must go and report Su Chunfeng to their Homeroom Teacher!