Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!
Chapter 317 Shadow Stream Master

Chapter 317: Chapter 317 Shadow Stream Master

Sethis Kingdom was a thriving commercial trade nation, and beyond that, it was universally recognized as the most ancient cradle of human civilization, boasting a myriad of legends.

Not only did descendants of heroes settle here, but various ancient martial arts sects had also once flourished in this land.

However, with the advent of the commercial age, these ancient martial arts sects consequently declined.

The surviving ancient martial arts sects either secluded themselves deep within the mountains or confined their activities to small towns, unable to compete with the mainstream martial arts schools.

The skill that Yang Yu sought originated from an ancient martial arts sect that had endured for nearly three hundred years—Shadow Stream.

As the name suggested, this sect specialized in manipulating shadows for combat.

When Yang Yu discovered this ancient martial arts sect, an intense sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him; he seemed to see a person splitting into two shadows, twisting their body to dance a strange dance in his mind.

"If given the chance to start over, would you love me?

Love brings happiness, but also pain.

Together we walked the legendary river of love,

Now flooded by my tears, transforming into a river of sorrow."

Humans had their limits; there were only so many skill schools one could conceive with mere intellect. Fighting with scissors, hair, or mouths had already become quite common.

Most skill settings you could think of, others might also consider, with some inevitable overlap in ideas.

The existence of Shadow Stream in this world was just within Yang Yu’s realm of acceptance.

The town Yang Yu took a detour to, Luocun Town, was the whereabouts of Shadow Stream.

Yet this "Shadow Stream" had also begun to wane with the passage of time.

Nowadays, aside from the sect leader, it had no other disciples.

To most capable and industrious young people, what was the use of martial arts? With the time spent on training, they could think of ways to earn money instead. Once rich, wouldn’t it be better to hire a bunch of bodyguards for protection?

Why bother with martial arts, to end up working for someone else?

Guided by such values, naturally, there weren’t young people who devoted themselves to serious and arduous martial arts training; capable young people all went to cities to work.

After nearly a day’s journey, Yang Yu and company finally reached Luocun Town.

Finding people proficient in Ancient Martial wasn’t difficult, and they quickly inquired about the whereabouts of Shadow Stream’s last descendent, Master Ghost Rotis, and drove to the pub where he was located.

Upon arriving at the pub, Yang Yu immediately spotted a down-and-out middle-aged man chasing after an elegantly dressed woman, dashing out of the pub.

The middle-aged man was slightly overweight, dressed in a black cotton bodysuit, with a small bunch of braids at the back of his head—this was the Shadow Stream Master, Master Ghost Yang Yu was searching for.

The elegantly dressed woman was his current girlfriend, or more accurately, his ex-girlfriend.

Their relationship had reached its end, and Master Ghost couldn’t bear to let go.

"Lili, don’t go, how am I supposed to live without you?"

The woman glanced at Master Ghost with disdain, flicking her fine hair dismissively,

"Take a good look at yourself, no money, no power. Yes, you have skills, but you just shrink in this small town, unwilling to go out and make big money. There’s no future for us, get as far away from me as you can!"

With that, the woman boarded a luxurious carriage without looking back, ignoring the crying, down-and-out middle-aged man outside, and signaled the coachman to drive.

The carriage started off slowly, and Ghost Talk ran behind it, trying to salvage the relationship, but the carriage only got further and further away from him, and eventually abandoned him completely.

Ghost Talk gazed blankly at the receding carriage, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear, he could only helplessly watch as the woman he loved slipped away from him.

He too wished to become someone more accomplished, but he was forced to inherit his ancestors’ legacy and became the last descendent of Shadow Stream, bound to stand at his post.

Unless he found a successor, he could never leave this place.

Watching Ghost Talk gradually calm down, Yang Yu finally alighted from the carriage and walked directly toward him, standing alone in the desolate, cold wind, lost in solitude and loneliness,

"Master of Shadow Stream, Ghost Talk, hello, my name is Yang Yu, I have some matters I need to discuss with you. It seems you are busy, so I won’t disturb you further. I’ll visit again when you have the time."

Having said that, Yang Yu turned and left. Ghost Talk, still looking in the direction where his former lover had departed, felt an indescribable melancholy, but still politely responded to Yang Yu,

"Don’t call me master. Shadow Stream now only has me left. Don’t beat around the bush, what is it that you want from me?"

Ghost Talk’s gaze never left the direction where the luxury carriage had disappeared, his tone carried a hint of sadness, yet his eyes revealed a different kind of determination.

Yang Yu didn’t care what Ghost Talk might be thinking, he was as straightforward as ever,

"Then I’ll be frank. Sir Ghost Talk, I am very interested in a particular skill from your Shadow Stream. If possible, I hope to learn that skill from you. I will give you a satisfactory compensation."

Having been abandoned by a woman over money issues, Yang Yu saw this as an excellent opportunity to acquire the skill he wanted from Ghost Talk in a legitimate way.

"Skill?"

Hearing Yang Yu say this, Ghost Talk turned his head and scrutinized Yang Yu from head to toe, when suddenly a spark flitted across his mind.

The youth carried himself with a regal air; his every move radiated a kingly presence, unmistakably a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy.

If he could train this young man into becoming the chief disciple of Shadow Stream, passing on the title of Shadow Stream Master to him, he himself could retire, become free, work in a big city to make money, become wealthy, and impress Lili.

That he had traveled so many miles to seek mentorship already showed his extraordinary interest in Shadow Stream, entrusting it to him would set Ghost Talk’s mind at ease.

Having made his decision, Ghost Talk smiled wryly and knitted his brows, making it seem as if it was a difficult request,

"It’s not impossible to learn a skill from me, but Shadow Stream’s techniques have always been kept within the sect. If you truly want to learn, then you must join my school and become my disciple."

No sooner had he spoken these words, a new task popped up on Yang Yu’s panel.

[The Successor of Shadow Stream.

Task Requirement: Accept the guidance of Master Ghost Talk and become the successor of Shadow Stream.

Task Reward: One Shadow Stream.]

Yang Yu scrutinized the notification and immediately furrowed his brow; the brief task concealed countless mysteries.

Goodness, I just wanted to learn one skill, and this Shadow Stream Master actually wants to hand over the entire Shadow Stream to me? Isn’t this decisiveness in giving it away for nothing a bit too much?

Perhaps, for someone deeply mired in love, carrying the burden of an entire sect is too much to bear.

Perhaps casting off the burdens one carries as soon as possible is the only way to freely pursue what one truly needs.

As tempting as it might be to have a pie fall from the sky, Yang Yu of course refused.

If it were that easy to become the successor of Shadow Stream, this uncle wouldn’t have waited until now to regret it.

Becoming the Shadow Stream Master was a trap in itself.