Chapter 323 - Sky-supporting Arhat
"Did your master ever tell you... that you are sick?" Grandma Xi’s enigmatic smile carried a trace of cunning.
Xue Qiming froze in an instant. The room fell into sudden silence, and the atmosphere grew tense.
The three others in the room turned to look. Grandfather Lan Zhuo furrowed his brows tightly, watching Xue Qiming with wary vigilance. Xue Niang’s delicate brows knit slightly, her eyes thoughtful. Only Grandma Xi maintained her same cunning expression, her gaze unfathomably deep.
Xue Qiming slowly narrowed his eyes, then suddenly broke into a carefree grin. "Sick? Does an addiction to alcohol count?"
Grandma Xi didn’t answer his question. Her gaze drifted downward, settling on the gourd at Xue Qiming’s waist. In a soft voice, she said, "That gourd wasn’t always used for holding wine..."
Xue Qiming tapped his fingers against the table, the rhythm unconsciously growing faster and faster.
"Metal from beyond the heavens, drawn from the boundless deep sea..." Grandma Xi’s voice was barely a whisper, as though she were murmuring to herself. Then, suddenly shifting her tone, she looked at Xue Qiming with a kindly gaze and said, "I once heard a tale while I was in the jianghu..."
The rhythm of Xue Qiming’s tapping quickened.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud...
Grandma Xi continued speaking at her own pace, as if she hadn't noticed Xue Qiming's reaction.
"Xue Yinlong, the Sovereign of Strength, had already made a great name for himself in the jianghu at a young age.
"His unparalleled strength was known far and wide. Then, at the age of forty, he broke through the gates of heaven[1] with a single kick, forcing his way into a legendary realm with sheer brute force. That same year, a celestial phenomenon occurred—a meteorite of otherworldly iron streaked across the sky, wreathed in flames, and crashed into the Eastern Sea. The entire Central Plains witnessed this miraculous sight.