Above the Galaxy
Chapter 227 - 164: Natural Enemies!

Chapter 227: Chapter 164: Natural Enemies!

In the following days, Tang Fei punctually visited the back mountain to observe the clouds.

He woke up at five, deduced the theories of the "Imperial Court Scripture."

After bathing and dressing, he entered the dining hall on time at seven-thirty and appeared at the doorstep of the grape courtyard by eight.

The golden line was still there.

So, the clouds on the left could not reach the right, and those on the right could not go to the left.

Most likely, they didn’t care.

But Tang Fei cared.

He couldn’t understand how a single sword strike could sustain its Sword Qi for such a long time?

Coalesced yet undispersed, it was almost like a solid entity.

What terrifying power was this? Calling it a miracle would not be an exaggeration.

Tang Fei observed those clouds and the golden line, the Sword Qi left by that strike.

And he recalled the elegance of his master wielding the sword...

At that moment, it seemed like an ordinary, casual slash, but seeing the outcome now and pondering it carefully, he felt that strike was astonishingly divine.

Of course, he was pondering his master’s path—his master’s reason for that particular sword strike, saying that was his reasoning.

What was his reasoning?

And what was the path that he himself wanted to find?

He sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, listening to the mountain winds, basking in the winter sun, concentrating and tranquil like a stone sculpture.

Shen Xinglan arrived, saw Tang Fei on the back mountain, and asked, "How many days has he been here?"

"Seven days," Xuanyuan Mingjing said, looking up at the empty grape trellis above his head with regret, "The grapes are all gone, what a pity."

"I’ll have someone send you some fresh ones," Shen Xinglan said.

If he wished, the Shen Family could gather snow grapes from Heaven Mountain, fire grapes from the southern border, pearl grapes from the Flower Language Plains, and sunshine grapes from Dongyang Country...

Picked by Star Discs and delivered to Phoenix City, then transported to White Crane Mountain by Flying Car.

One day was enough.

If there were no delays on the way, perhaps the frost on the snow grapes wouldn’t even have melted.

Xuanyuan Mingjing shook his head and said, "None are as tasty as the grapes I grow myself."

He paused and then added, "Waiting is also good. The longer you wait, the more delicious the grapes will taste when they finally ripen."

"Master speaks wisely," Shen Xinglan agreed.

"Let’s just have someone send some anyway," Xuanyuan Mingjing sighed, "I feel like eating grapes today."

"Yes, Master. I’ll arrange it right away," Shen Xinglan said with a smile.

The master and disciple smiled at each other. Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei, who was deep in thought beside the cliff, and asked, "How long has he persisted?"

"One quarter of an hour."

"He’s a bit smarter, conceded defeat and abandoned the sword early," Shen Xinglan said calmly, "I still want to perform that sword strike."

"It’s because he’s too smart that it becomes an obstacle in his progress," Xuanyuan Mingjing looked toward Tang Fei in the distance and explained, "He seems to have an instinct, a natural understanding of weighing pros and cons, avoiding risks. He persists if it’s beneficial and gives up if it’s not..."

"Is that wrong?" Shen Xinglan asked.

"To live, it’s certainly correct."

"But, in cultivation, it’s a mistake," Xuanyuan Mingjing stated, "The Path of Martial Arts is about forging new paths where others haven’t. It requires a spirit of adventure."

"When you can pave a new path for the world, countless successors follow and emulate, only then can you reach the Dao and step into the Grandmaster Realm."

Shen Xinglan pondered for a moment and then asked, "Master, what about me?"

"You like to overthink," Xuanyuan Mingjing straightforwardly said, "You’re the opposite of him; he gives up too easily, while you insist too much."

"You’re too proud, thinking with your own ability and intelligence you can overcome every difficulty in the world... but some paths truly lead nowhere, and some reasoning simply makes no sense."

"No matter how hard you try, if it’s impassable, it’s impassable. This path doesn’t work, find another."

Shen Xinglan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Master, for your teachings."

Xuanyuan Mingjing looked up at the sky and said, "It’s mealtime, let’s cook. Let’s have Tang Fei join us for lunch."

"Yes, Master," Shen Xinglan responded and went into the kitchen to get busy.

On the seventh day at noon, the golden line in front of Tang Fei disappeared.

The cloud from the left reached the right, and the cloud from the right reached the left.

They moved freely, merging with each other, forming shapes of rabbits or roosters, and some unrecognizable forms.

Tang Fei felt a sense of loss, as if he had lost something,

Yet he also felt as if he had gained something; what exactly he had gained, he couldn’t figure out in the moment.

Ever since joining the White Crane Academy, he felt his mental state had changed.

Previously, he would practice ten thousand sword strikes in the morning and another ten thousand in the evening, he could persist in the Gravity Room, and complete several iterations of the Dragon Elephant Demon Suppressing Skill...

Buried in hard work, using numbers to quantify the intensity of a day’s training.

After joining the White Crane Academy, just sitting in front of that flowing golden line all day, pondering profound questions like who am I, where am I, where am I going...

If not for Xuanyuan Mingjing’s renowned reputation and the fame of White Crane Academy, he’d suspect he had joined some sham university.

Is this what they call broadening one’s horizons and insight?

Of course, the foundational training was indispensable.

Tang Fei was still maintaining the training intensity from before, and even because he slept better on the mountain, he was consciously increasing the intensity a bit.

After all, every student’s room at White Crane Academy had a Training Room, which really showed the academy’s abundant resources.

When Tang Fei returned to the grape courtyard, Xuanyuan Mingjing was sitting under a grapevine, drinking tea. Seeing Tang Fei come down, he asked, "Has the Sword Qi dissipated?"

"The Sword Qi has dissipated," Tang Fei replied.

He thought to himself, a master was truly a master; the duration of the Sword Qi was all memorized in his heart.

"Stay for lunch," Xuanyuan Mingjing said. "Xing Lan is cooking."

"Alright," Tang Fei readily agreed. "I’ll go help."

"Go ahead."

Tang Fei went into the kitchen where Shen Xinglan had already prepared three dishes and a soup. Seeing Tang Fei enter, he smiled and said, "Last time it was you who cooked. Today you can try my cooking... it’s not as good as yours, but please bear with it."

"No problem. Senior brother, you have done a great job," Tang Fei said with a smile. "If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have imagined someone like you would cook."

"What kind of person am I?" Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei and suddenly asked.

His face carried a calm and composed smile, as if the question was just casual chat between brothers.

But Tang Fei instantly became alert. After a brief pause, he smiled and said, "A favored child of heaven. When I first came to New Star, I already heard about you."

"Everyone... whether they know you or not, they all say you are a favored child of heaven..."

"A favored child of heaven," Shen Xinglan obviously had heard this phrase often. Raising his eyebrows, he said, "Whether I can live up to the latter part remains to be seen, but as for ’favored by heaven’..."

"Never mind, let’s not talk about this. Please help me bring the dishes outside."

"Of course," Tang Fei said.

Yet, he pondered what Shen Xinglan meant by the phrase "favored by heaven." What was he trying to express?

Was it a reluctance to be a son of heaven, or an inability to be one?

Clearly, this boy, who seemed perfect to the outside world, also had his own troubles.

And they were not fewer than his own.

While Shen Xinglan was tidying up the kitchen, Tang Fei carried the dishes and soup to the stone table in the courtyard, where Xuanyuan Mingjing preferred to dine.

When the meal was served, the master and his two disciples ate intently.

Xuanyuan Mingjing did not drink any wine, so Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan naturally did not mention it.

After Xuanyuan Mingjing had eaten a bowl of rice and drunk a bowl of soup, he put down his chopsticks and bowl, satisfied.

He looked at Shen Xinglan, who still kept his back straight while eating, chewing slowly with grace, and said, "The triennial Heaven Path Exchange Event is about to begin. This time, the Phoenix Empire is the host, and the Royal Family intends to hold the event at our White Crane..."

"At White Crane?" Shen Xinglan’s expression became tense as he looked at Xuanyuan Mingjing and asked aloud, "What does Master mean?"

"White Crane needs fame, the Royal Family needs dignity, so this number-one spot of the Heaven Path must be taken by a student from White Crane."

"Yes, Master," Shen Xinglan responded respectfully.

He knew that when Xuanyuan Mingjing said a student from White Crane must take first place, he meant Shen Xinglan should win it.

He had that much confidence.

"But don’t underestimate the heroes of the world. I’ve heard that a few talented individuals have emerged in the Aus Empire..."

"I understand," Shen Xinglan’s gaze was firm as he added a piece of vegetable to his bowl and softly said, "I never underestimate others; I only believe in myself."

Xuanyuan Mingjing, observing the determination in his eyes, nodded in approval and said, "That would be very good."

Tang Fei kept his head down and continued eating. He knew this matter had nothing to do with him, and others would not hold much expectation for him.

After all, he had just joined White Crane, and his Cultivation Realm was far behind Shen Xinglan’s...

Xuanyuan Mingjing, no matter how much he enjoyed his cooking, could not possibly entrust such an important matter to him.

As he had just mentioned, it was not only about preserving the face of White Crane but also the dignity of the Royal Family...

Moreover, he still did not know what exactly the Heaven Path Exchange Event was about or what the process entailed.

He had never heard of such an exchange event before and no one around him had ever mentioned it.

As a refugee from the Old Land, after coming to New Star, he still had a long journey of learning and adaptation ahead.

After the meal, Tang Fei took the initiative to clean up the bowls and dishes, while Shen Xinglan went to make tea for Xuanyuan Mingjing.

Xuanyuan Mingjing lay down under the grapevine and said, "You two go on, I’m going to take a little nap."

"Yes, Master," the two replied in unison.

Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan left the grape courtyard, with Shen Xinglan gently closing the courtyard gate behind them.

"Goodbye, Junior Brother," Shen Xinglan nodded at Tang Fei and walked towards his own courtyard.

"Goodbye, Senior Brother," Tang Fei watched his figure, saying.

Tang Fei suddenly remembered something—the two of them had never mentioned Phoenix or the name Zhong Yu Xiu Xue since they met.

It was as if Phoenix was a complete stranger to them.

Tang Fei knew, the less it was mentioned, the more it signified their concern.

It was a taboo in their hearts.

It seemed he and this senior brother were natural rivals, unlikely to become friends...

Tang Fei, absorbed in his thoughts, walked towards his own courtyard. There were cultural classes in the afternoon, but there was a break before then.

He was a bit tired from cloud-watching and wanted to go back for a nap.

Suddenly, a cold voice called his name from behind: "Tang Fei..."