Chapter 102 : True Intent of Water and Fire
Chapter 102: True Intent of Water and Fire
Inside the carriage.
Li Yunqing leaned against the carriage wall, eyes closed in rest, yet lines of text flickered before her eyes.
“Frost Sword Art experience +88.”
“Frost Sword Canon (Major Completion 321/10000)”
“Frost Sword Intent: Mastery (85% → 86%)”
“As expected, combat rapidly increases experience and Sword Intent.”
After glancing at the text, Li Yunqing’s gaze settled on the panel.
Name: Li Yunqing
Lifespan: 15/∞
Strength: Middle Tier of the Qi Realm
Frost Sword Intent: Mastery (86%)
Yin Spirit: Major Completion (2% → 10%)
Skills: Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting (Perfection)
Traits: Undistracted Mind, Vigorous Spirit, Photographic Memory, Naturally Endowed with Spiritual Grace, Eight Tones Enter the Soul, Unparalleled Comprehension
Frost Sword Canon (Major Completion 321/10000)
Traits: Innate Sword Bones, Clear Sword Heart, Ice Soul Sword Body
Medicine King Scripture (Major Completion 1689/10000)
Traits: Glazed Medicine King Body
Five Elements Secret Manual (Minor Completion 556/1000)
Traits: None
Mingyu Divine Art (Major Completion 676/3000)
Traits: Ice-Like Skin and Jade-Like Bones, Clear Mind, Pure Yin Body, Greater Yin Eyes, Clear Divine Mind
Blazing Flame Ocean-Burning Finger (Minor Completion 481/500)
Traits: None
Wind and Cloud Movement Technique (Minor Completion 477/500)
Traits: None
Yuan Qing Spirit Refinement Technique (Initiated 566/1000)
Traits: None
“Five days, and the improvement hasn’t been significant!”
“The further it goes, the slower the progress. But Blazing Flame Ocean-Burning Finger and Wind and Cloud Movement Technique are close to Mastery.”
“And this is only from occasional cultivation!”
“These next few days, I’ll test whether new traits can be born.”
With that thought, Li Yunqing straightened her body, circulating the Five Elements Secret Manual. Water and fire power gathered at her fingertips as she entered cultivation.
Not long after Li Yunqing left, at the Mountain Front Inn, roars and curses still echoed endlessly.
Everyone lay slumped on the ground, faces full of despair, as if life had lost all meaning. Their eyes were filled with fear.
In a world where the strong ruled, everyone knew exactly what it meant to lose strength.
It was more unbearable and painful than death.
For a moment, many glanced at the scattered weapons around them, despair mixed with fear.
Even ending one’s own life required immense courage.
“A bunch of trash. Kill them all, then spread it through the Jianghu—say Li Yunqing killed them.”
“Next time, the outcome will surely be different.”
A noble and elegantly dressed man in brocade stepped out of the inn, speaking lightly as he looked at the howling crowd.
The two behind him immediately bowed. “Yes, Third Prince!”
In the next moment, screams of despair erupted in front of the inn, thick bloodshed filling the air.
Watching this, the man known as the Third Prince smiled faintly.
“Not only did we deal with those self-important Jianghu people, but we also stirred conflict. No losses at all.”
“And…”
His gaze turned toward the direction Li Yunqing had left, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.
A girl of such beauty—there was no denying her allure.
Any man who breathed would want to look twice; if given the chance, who wouldn’t want to taste her fragrance?
“I’ve heard that when a woman is in despair, if a man risks his life to save her, she will surely devote herself in return.”
“I wonder if that’s true?”
“If so… wouldn’t that directly resolve this conflict?”
“If it works… it would be a great merit. Father Emperor might even reward me further!”
The Third Prince muttered, stroking his chin, eyes gleaming with calculation.
A girl of such peerless beauty—cripple her martial arts and keep her as a bedside plaything, and it would have its own charm.
And with such extraordinary talent, she would be the perfect choice to bear descendants.
“Third Prince, everything has been handled!”
Before long, the two guards returned, reeking of blood, bowing respectfully.
“Let’s go.”
The Third Prince waved his hand and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Not long after they left, from the rubble at the foot of the mountain, a blood-soaked hand suddenly emerged.
“Crash…”
The stones scattered as Qi Feihong, covered in blood, struggled to his feet, staring in the direction the Third Prince had gone.
If he hadn’t drawn his blade in time to block the vital point… if he hadn’t possessed Qi Realm Perfection True Qi… that sword would have killed him.
Though he survived, he had witnessed the royal family slaughtering Jianghu martial artists.
Those the girl had spared were mercilessly killed by the royals.
And these same people had just argued in favor of the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, loyal at heart—only to become wandering souls in death.
This left Qi Feihong utterly disheartened.
“Is such a royal family truly worth protecting?”
He staggered forward aimlessly, as if his soul had left his body.
In his mind echoed a scene from twenty years ago—Demon Suppression Guards descending from the sky, slaying demons and saving his entire village.
“We are the Demon Suppression Division of Great Yu. Slaying demons is our duty!”
“If you must thank someone, thank His Majesty!”
That single sentence, he had remembered for twenty years.
He had trained his blade tirelessly, only to repay Great Yu by slaying demons.
He had even come to trouble a fifteen-year-old girl.
Yet this was the outcome.
Had he not been buried beneath rubble, his aura weakened, he likely would not have escaped the royal slaughter.
“Thud!”
After walking only a short distance, Qi Feihong collapsed, his aura rapidly fading.
At that moment, a voice sounded.
“Master, Buddhism teaches compassion. That female benefactor held compassion in her heart and harmed no one, yet she was targeted.”
“The royal family is like Asura demons, killing as easily as cutting grass—so why do so many still support them?”
A young monk, around sixteen or seventeen, with delicate features and bright eyes, stood beside Qi Feihong, looking puzzled at the old monk behind him.
“All living beings in this world cannot escape fame, profit, and desire.”
“Even immortals and gods are no exception—let alone mortals.”
The old monk spoke, then glanced at Qi Feihong.
“He’s about to die.”
“Then why won’t you save him, Master? You’re a Grandmaster.”
The young monk spoke, his expression tinged with compassion yet unsure how to act.
Qi Feihong’s injuries were too severe. Though the young monk was talented, he could not save someone so gravely wounded.
“Saving him creates karma. And a Grandmaster is still human, not a god.”
“The cold energy in his body is even fiercer than Thousand-Year Cold Poison. Only the one who injured him can save him—I cannot.”
The old monk stood calmly, with no intention of intervening.
“Karma? Buddhism values compassion—yet you won’t save him because of karma?”
The young monk was confused.
“With cause comes effect; with effect comes karma. Once entangled, one may save others but fail to save oneself.”
The old monk shook his head.
“Those who attain Buddhahood all save themselves—when have you ever seen someone attain Buddhahood by saving others?”
“So when Buddhism says ‘If I do not enter hell, who will?’—that’s all false?”
The young monk twitched, rubbing his shaved head, feeling utterly speechless—as if he had entered a fake Buddhist sect.
If not for all his cultivation being Buddhist techniques, he might have defected already.
“All of it is true. To save others, one must first save oneself.”
“Only after attaining Buddhahood can one have the ability to save others. At that time, even entering hell, one would be treated as an honored guest.”
“You, little monk, truly lack wisdom.”
The old monk looked somewhat disdainful.
“Then why did you make me enter Buddhism back then?”
The young monk grew even more confused.
“At the time, you were the easiest to fool.”
The old monk sighed, then glanced at Qi Feihong.
“So, will you save him or not? If not, he’ll really die.”
“If you want to save him, you’ll need to find that young girl. Take him there now, and he may still live.”
“Easiest to fool?”
The young monk froze, lips twitching.
But the image of the girl standing amidst ice and snow, soft and warm like jade, suddenly surfaced in his mind. His face flushed red.
“You bald old monk! What do you take me for? What do you mean ‘easy to fool’?!” he burst out angrily in embarrassment.
The old monk remained calm, watching him.
“So, will you save him or not?”
The young monk hesitated, then bent down, lifted Qi Feihong, and with a tap of his foot, shot into the distance.
Only his somewhat flustered voice remained behind.
“Old bald monk, I’m going to save him—not to see that female benefactor!”
“Don’t ruin my reputation!”
“Tut.”
Watching him leave, the old monk clicked his tongue.
“So the mortal heart has stirred—denying it with words, but honest in action.”
Yet thinking of the girl’s appearance, the old monk felt perfectly at ease.
What young man does not admire beauty?
The young monk was still a youth.
Some things must be experienced before they can be understood. Forced restraint would only breed inner demons.
Inside the carriage.
The rotating flame and flowing water at Li Yunqing’s fingertips suddenly paused.
“Blazing Flame Ocean-Burning Finger experience +19.”
“Blazing Flame Ocean-Burning Finger (Mastery 0/1000)”
“Blazing Flame Ocean-Burning Finger has reached Mastery. Trait derived: Water and Fire Return to Origin.”
“Buzz!”
Li Yunqing’s body trembled slightly as a vast ocean appeared before her eyes.
Suddenly, a massive finger burning with raging flames—like a towering mountain—descended from the sky and plunged into the ocean.
“Boom!”
Water and fire were incompatible; the moment they touched, a world-shaking explosion erupted.
Heaven collapsed, earth shattered, mountains and seas broke apart—endless destructive power spread outward at terrifying speed.
It was as if the heavens themselves were enraged, annihilating all living things with water and fire.
Watching the endless collision of water and fire, the scene of universal destruction, Li Yunqing’s powerful comprehension grasped something in an instant.
“You have comprehended Water and Fire Return to Origin and grasped the True Intent of Water and Fire.”
“True Intent of Water and Fire: Initiated (1%)”