Su Ming stared at the beast skin map before him with a stunned expression. That map was stained with colors showing the signs of time. The edges were pretty worn out, giving the feeling that it had been around for ages.
The seemingly impa.s.sable ravine between the Land of South Morning and the Alliance of the West Morning was marked with a black line.
This line did not exist solely in between the Land of South Morning and the Alliance of the Western Region. It also existed between the other continents as well.
"Someone drew this map from memory after the second G.o.d of Berserkers was buried, though it’s only drawn with him guessing the distance… Before the second G.o.d of Berserkers, the entire land of Berserkers was one big continent. It was gigantic, and there were some who could walk through the entire continent."
Tian Xie Zi’s old voice came slowly from behind Su Ming.
"When the second G.o.d of Berserkers died, the Land of Berserkers was divided and became five continents with the Great Yu Dynasty as its center. The cauldron in the middle shows where Great Yu Dynasty is located.
"It’s marked with a cauldron because this cauldron is the tribal Vessel for us Berserkers!" Tian Xie Zi’s voice became slightly low. "The Great Barren Cauldron…"
The moment these four words came out of Tian Xie Zi’s mouth, Su Ming shuddered. His attention was dragged away from the beast skin map and the only words that echoed in his ears were the three words – Great Barren Cauldron.
"Barren Cauldron…"
A violent surge of emotions formed in Su Ming’s heart, and Tian Xie Zi saw it reflected on Su Ming’s face, though he a.s.sumed that it was because the youth had heard about the Great Yu Dynasty. He did not know that Su Ming was thinking about that black stone hanging from his neck and all the sights he saw after he entered the s.p.a.ce in the stone.
‘A Barren Cauldron is required for the process of quenching herbs into pills… Is there some sort of connection… between that Barren Cauldron and the Great Barren Cauldron Tian Xie Zi mentioned…?’
Bewilderment appeared on Su Ming’s face.
"The black lines you see between the five continents are suspended lines of blood. They’re formed through the grudge left behind after the second G.o.d of Berserkers died. It’s rumored that the immortals used this grudge and worked together with the Shamans to lay out this exceedingly cruel Rune. This is the Rune that caused the five continents in the Land of Berserkers to be incomplete…
"It’s a grueling task trying to move between continents…" Tian Xie Zi’s voice echoed in the chamber and stayed for a long time.
"I have no idea why you need the map, and I don’t know where you want to go on these five continents… but, since you’re my disciple, then I must tell you this… work hard to increase your level of cultivation.
"Your level of cultivation is everything. With your current power, even if you want to leave the Land of South Morning, it’s impossible for you to traverse the world outside Sky Mist Barrier, much less go to the other continents.
"You must first be able to move around safely outside the barrier before you can think of anything else and go to the places you want… and you need to rely on great power to do this!
"If you don’t have enough power, then don’t think of anything else. Even if you think about it, it’s useless, it’ll just make you frustrated and you won’t be able to calm down… If your heart isn’t calm, then your soul will be in turmoil, which will cause your Mark to scatter when it manifests, and you will find it hard to improve.
"The key is your level of cultivation. You must increase your level of cultivation!" Tian Xie Zi said softly and lifted his right hand to pat Su Ming’s shoulder.
"You’re not the only one with a troubled past… Your eldest senior brother has his own past, and your second senior brother has his as well…"
Tian Xie Zi faltered in his words, as if he felt moved by something.
Su Ming was silent for a moment, then he looked at the beast skin map before him and asked in a low whisper, "What level of cultivation will I need to go out of Sky Mist Barrier and out of the Land of South Morning?"
Tian Xie Zi was silent for a while before he said, "Those who aren’t in the Bone Sacrifice Realm don’t even need to think about walking past Sky Mist Barrier! Even those who have reached Bone Sacrifice Realm need to be careful outside the barrier. The slightest carelessness will lead to a person’s doom.
"What lies between us and the Shamans is a blood feud!
"If you reach the Berserker Soul Realm, then you can travel through the barrier as you please, but you still need to be careful. Still, as long as you don’t run into the powerful Shamans from the Shaman Tribe and don’t go to some of the more dangerous places, then you can still make sure you don’t die."
"So what you’re saying is that if I reach Berserker Soul Realm, then I’ll earn the right to leave the Land of South Morning?" Su Ming mumbled.
"It’s just a right, though. The Berserker Soul Realm is merely the completion of the first great realm of us pract.i.tioners of the Berserker Arts… There’s bound to be other realms after the Berserker Soul Realm!
"But it’s a pity, because no one knows exactly what are the other realms after the Berserker Soul Realm and how we’re supposed to reach them…"
Tian Xie Zi sighed softly.
"Why?"
Su Ming lifted his head and looked at Tian Xie Zi.
"Because the fourth G.o.d of Berserkers still hasn’t appeared even after so long. Only the fourth G.o.d of Berserkers can feel the presence of the third G.o.d of Berserkers’ will through a trance and obtain the inheritance of the G.o.d of Berserkers, subsequently sensing the higher realms and create the statue of the G.o.d of Berserkers for the realms after the Berserker Soul Realm, and only then will those who have reached Berserker Soul Realm be able to sense their calling."
Su Ming looked at Tian Xie Zi and said after a long while, "When I was coming here, I met a man named Bai on one of the parts of Sky Mist Barrier. He’s a Divine General in the Bone Sacrifice Realm and he mentioned you. He said you once ventured out of the Land of South Morning and went to the Great Yu Dynasty. Is this true?"
Tian Xie Zi was silent. A conflicted look appeared on his face. He lifted his head and looked in another direction in the chamber. That part of the chamber was empty, and Su Ming had no idea what he was looking at.
Nostalgia gradually appeared in Tian Xie Zi’s eyes.
"I don’t know whether what I saw was the Great Yu Dynasty… Once you reach the Berserker Soul Realm and you want to leave, then I’ll tell you about it."
Tian Xie Zi closed his eyes, and his voice sounded even older.
"I know a person whose level of cultivation isn’t even in the Awakenence Realm and he doesn’t live in the Great Yu Dynasty. He lives on another continent, but has left his hometown many times. There was even once… where he might have gone to the Great Yu Dynasty…" Su Ming said, his head lowered.
When Tian Xie Zi heard his words, he immediately opened his eyes, and a bright glint appeared briefly in his eyes before it instantly vanished.
The moment the light in his eyes shone, an incredible pressure fell upon the place suddenly, but the pressure also dissipated equally quickly, causing others to think that they might have just imagined it.
However, Su Ming felt shaken. During that instant, he clearly felt as if his Qi had gone still, and even the ninth summit seemed to have shuddered.
"Going to Great Yu Dynasty from the other continents without even Awakening..? That’s impossible!" Tian Xie Zi exclaimed.
"Impossible..? It might be."
Su Ming closed his eyes and covered the bewilderment in his eyes.
The more he knew, the more things he found were out of place in his memories regarding Dark Mountain. It was especially so when he saw Lei Chen and Bei Ling on the Chains of Han Mountain, whose appearances he had not been able determine were real or false. There was also the elder, who seemed to have wanted to tell him something when he appeared. All of these things made him uncertain and confused about the things he saw.
‘There’s a veil covering Dark Mountain and the things that had happened when I was in the void in the crack… Perhaps when I have the ability to lift the veil, I’ll be able to find out… the secrets surrounding me,’ Su Ming thought quietly, and this was the only thought that could prevent him from losing himself in the midst of his bewilderment, stop him from breaking down from fear and his suspicions regarding his future and his past.
"How can I increase my power quickly?"
Su Ming opened his eyes and looked towards Tian Xie Zi, who was sitting by his side.
"Your eldest senior brother asked me that question in the past, and I told him that he needed to have a clear mind. He thought about it for a long time and chose to isolate himself for long periods of time in the end."
Tian Xie Zi cast Su Ming a profound look. There was a brief pause in his sentence before he continued speaking, "Your second senior brother also asked me the same question, and I also told him to clear his mind. His decision was different from your eldest senior brother’s. He chose to go plant flowers and trees.
"As for your third senior brother … well, he’s an ignorant fellow. He didn’t ask me that question, only spending all his days drinking and searching for his heart while wasting his life away.
"I’ll tell you the same answer. You have to have a clear mind."
Tian Xie Zi smiled faintly and pointed towards the entrance with his right hand.
"You must have been disappointed by the Berserker Vessels in the first layer of the chamber. You see them as broken and useless items. That is the same as the wine you drank from the gourd. You think it’s water, but to me, it’s wine.
"That’s the same logic. To me, the items in the first layer of the chamber are things that I collected throughout my life. In my heart, they’re the most precious enchanted Vessels in the world.
"You must also have been disappointed by all the skills belonging to Freezing Sky Clan stored in the second layer, because you couldn’t tell what was within."
There was a ghost of a smile on Tian Xie Zi’s lips as he looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming was silent. He did not speak.
"You still don’t truly understand. What do Berserkers practice? We practice creation, and that means we aren’t limited by anything. We rely on ourselves to create whatever it is that we want.
"Those so-called skills and abilities are just creations left behind by our ancestors. There are hundreds upon thousands of Berserkers in Freezing Sky Clan, and the powerful ones are as numerous as clouds, but are these people practicing the creation?
"Do they know the meaning of creation?
"My disciples don’t need any skills or abilities. They only need to understand the rules of Creation lying in the world once they find the way to clear their mind!"
There seemed to be a strange glow on Tian Xie Zi’s face. There was a sort of obstinacy with how he looked with that glow on his face.
However, Tian Xie Zi’s obstinacy seemed almost like madness to Su Ming.
"Creation… This one word is what people desire and what they are searching for. But what is the true meaning of Creation? This is my question for you. Go think about it, understand it, and once you have your answer, come tell me."
That mysterious look was back on Tian Xie Zi’s face. He stroked his beard and spoke languidly with the airs of a well learned sage.
"Can I take this map with me?"
Su Ming stood up quietly and carefully folded up the beast skin scroll before him.
"If you are my disciple, then you can take away one item from each layer," Tian Xie Zi said, smiling softly.
Su Ming put the beast skin away into his bosom, then looked at Tian Xie Zi and took a deep breath. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards him.
"Please receive the greeting from your disciple, Su Ming, Master."
Tian Xie Zi laughed boisterously and waved his arm. Immediately, wind blew past with a whistle and brought Su Ming out of the cave.
"Your senior brothers are a little odd, but you should get in touch with them. Go and search for a way to clear your mind. Trust me, you’ll be able to find it."