Chapter 13: Low SuccessVan"s sudden and erratic decision was because of his sudden enlightenment. He finally had a way to break through the bottlenecked!
He sat down on the wet green gra.s.s and started to take a few deep breaths. After he finished, he stood up and got into a balanced stance.
Hmph! Crreeaak!
Van let out a strong punch with his right fist, causing noticeable s.p.a.cial fluctuations that could be detected by weaker cultivators.
Van was jumping up and down like a little kid with his new toy. He could feel the barrier to low success be on the verge of breaking.
He continued to practice the Void Fist for another 2 hours before collapsing in exhaustion.
He had a smile in his face as he lay on his back, watching the night sky as the rays of moonlight shone on the pond, creating a majestic glistening effect.
"I finally did it! I reached low success!"
The last punch he did had twisted the fabric of s.p.a.ce, marking the stage of low success.
Medium success would require him to bend s.p.a.ce in a way that locked down his target. Right now, he lacked the skill to bend the s.p.a.ce around his target"s body but could make his fist as domineering as an impenetrable fortress.
He heard splashing down the river as he lay on the gra.s.s. His constant training had caused his senses to become more perceptive, allowing him to hear the splashing only now.
Out of innocent curiosity, he followed the stream to the source of the noise. Alas, he found someone, with fox ears, bathing in the river, humming an entrancing tune. He was dumbstruck as he watched girl turn around and notice him, exposing the rest of her body.
"Eeek! Elder Yi and Elder Zhao! Someone"s here!"
"Wait! I can explain!"
Without waiting for an explanation, as any person in a rational state of mind would, the girl jumped straight into self-defense mode and threw a five-colored flame at his feet. Before the flame could explode and give him third-degree burns, Van jumped back and pulled out the Divine Jade Dragon saber out.
The flames burst on the ground and quickly burned his clothes off. Van jumped at the girl, quickly trying to subdue her so he could give an explanation.
All of a sudden, a wind whipped up and blew Van into a nearby tree. The tree snapped in half and Van continued to fly through 3 more trees before making an indent in the fourth tree.
Elder Yi was surprised to see this surprisingly strong youth in the middle of nowhere. Elder Yi had a cultivation base at the Early Emperor rank and his casual punch could wound even those in the Early Stages of Inner Discovery.
Van stood up wincing as he a.n.a.lyzed his injuries. His face filled with despair as found 5 broken ribs and a displaced elbow on his left arms. Van took his right arm and snapped the elbow back into place before chewing on a few medicinal plants, his face grim.
Elder Zhao appeared behind Elder Yi before launching to attack Van. Van grit his teeth preparing to attack with the last of his strength when a Golden net entangled Elder Zhao and threw him in the water.
Before the girl could react, she found her b.r.e.a.s.t.s being grasped by the same elder that was supposed to be protecting her.
Elder Yi"s expression turned grim as he watched a beautiful woman descend. The worrying factor was that he had not detected her until now. He prepared to fight when an even fiercer aura at the peak of the Emperor stage pushed him to his knees.
The girl, having watched her two all-powerful Dao protectors get beat up in an instant, gawked at the woman. After a few moments, she finally recovered from her daze, put on some clothing, and jumped out of the pond, water spraying on the gra.s.s.
The two sides had a silent standoff that lasted a few moments before Elder Yi gestured for retreat. The girl silently pouted as she walked towards a golden cloud which lifted them off into the distance.
"Why did you provoke that boy? It wasn"t worth it for the sect to earn the ire of two Emperor rank experts. We are already experiencing pressure from the other sects! You should be ashamed of yourself, Jian Bao!"
The girl named Jian Bao lowered her head with shame and stayed silent for the duration of the journey.
Meanwhile, Van was standing there circulating his Qi to repair his body while inspecting the Old Man that had appeared. He had never seen him before, but the Old Man gave him a familiar feeling.
"Wait... You look like my grandfather from the portrait in the Royal Palace!"
Van"s jaw dropped as he realized who it was that had protected him with Zhao Yunfei. He stood there as his eyes filled with tears. After a few more moments, he couldn"t hold himself back and dashed into his grandfather"s arms.
Years before when he was a little boy, his grandfather would take care of him and tell him tales of the battles he took part in. He would always love to play around his grandfather"s beard as he told the stories. Out of all his family members, his grandfather and mother were the closest ones.
With the capital taken over by the usurpers, he had taken his grandfather to be dead. His grandfather was the power behind the scenes that had kept the Nguyen Dynasty as the ruler of the Kingdom. Anyone who sought the throne would have to dispose of his grandfather first. Yet, here he was standing right in front of him.
Van and his grandfather stood there as Van cried his eyes out. After he finished, they both sat down and started to reminisce about the old days. They would have downcast looks but would smile and laugh at times.
Zhao Yunfei stood there as she watched her reincarnated husband talk with his grandpa. She smiled warmly and wished she could enjoy this moment forever. But alas, she had to go, for he was not strong enough for her to sow too much Karma with.
While the pair continued to converse with much enthusiasm, Zhao Yunfei flew off into the distance not to be seen in the Great Golden Kingdom for many years to come.
After many hours of conversation, Van wrapped up their conversation and started to look around for Zhao Yunfei.
"Zhao Yunfei? Where are you? Is this a joke? You know I don"t like jokes."
Van looked around nervously as if she could appear from anywhere. Van"s grandpa sighed as he walked over and put a hand on Van"s shoulder.
"She has left, but if Karma destines it for you. You shall meet her in the future. Now come home, we need to get you to become strong and healthy so that one day you might take her as a bride and give me some grandchildren."
Van"s grandpa smiled at him with expectancy, laughing on the inside.
Van"s face flushed a deep red as he heard his grandfather"s words. He started to stutter a bunch of incoherent words and allowed his grandfather to take him home.