The Martial Master - 76 Part ways.

“Why didn’t he give me something to verify my identity?”

With a lingered stare, Su Min sighed. His eyes had remained dull throughout the fight, the only reason being that he didn’t even instigate his control over the ancient energy.

*WANGGG*

Yet, just as he was about to stroll off again, a bright light formed a couple meters behind him. Two silhouettes materialised, then in a muffled thud, an old man and a girl struck his view.

“Master, you seriously found someone?”

A rather surprised voice escaped out of the now dwindling light, where the girl seemed to be rather shaken. Yet, as Su Min’s eyes landed on said girl, they widened…

‘Oh… I can see why he was worried about ‘desires’…’

Even though he couldn’t feel anything from this gaze, or from her looks, he could still tell that she was beautiful. No, she was beyond any common beauty he had ever seen in his life; far surpassing such beauty, and entering a realm where it is dangerous to the mind.

Her face, perfect in every aspect, but changed in a way that surpassed perfection… Her eyes, blue, but an oceanic blue that breathed a refreshing but seductive aura.

Her hair was black, but the shimmering contrast it brought with her red dress seemed to magnify these effects.

Ravenous. Men would be before such a woman, a mindless desire…

‘Hm… But I still feel nothing.’

Su Min narrowed his eyes as those common reactions never came; he remained still, like a placid lake.

“Yes, Wen Mian!”

The old man’s eyes beamed as he patted Wen Mian’s head with a grin. Wen Mian pouted as she turned somewhat red, but a hint of ease flickered in her face.

However, whilst the old man was laughing, Wen Mian froze as her eyes landed on a corpse not too far away from her.

“M-Master!”

She could tell that it happened recently due to the residual energy seething in the air, in fact, it was as if the woman had just died…

She hasn’t seen many corpses in her lifetime, so it also frightened her a little.

“Oh, that?”

Wen Yu gazed at the corpse with an indifferent expression. Wen Mian paused as she saw this, but it didn’t take her too long to realise the presence of an ordinary looking man a couple of meters away.

“Heuk?!”

She jumped on reflex, mainly because her eyes had somehow ignored his presence for such a long time.

“Su Min!”

Wen Yu laughed as he let go of Wen Mian and appeared before Su Min. Su Min nodded in return as he gazed at the frightened image of the girl, but as Wen Yu saw this gaze, a severe seriousness flashed for a second.

‘… Good.’

However this only lasted for a split second, so none of this shone in his face as he ushered for Wen Mian to walk forward.

“Is this the guard..?”

Her eyes were shaking a bit as she gazed at Su Min. It wasn’t a fear towards Su Min himself but more of a fear towards something else; like a reaction. Yet, with Wen Yu being with her, she eventually walked forward.

Su Min saw this as he continued to gaze at her, where a faint idea entered his head.

‘Bad past experiences?’

But Su Min didn’t have the literal heart to care enough to procure these thoughts, so he didn’t contemplate too deeply. He was only doing this because of the benefits of getting transported to the Martial Section and the wish, nothing else.

“Mhm. Come on, introduce yourself!”

Wen Yu, seemingly more confident in himself, stepped back as he awaited Su Min’s response. Wen Mian narrowed her eyes as she tried to find what was so special about the man in front of her, but nothing stood out.

Of course, there was one thing that was different…

‘Introduction..?’

Su Min pondered for a second as he ignored Wen Mian’s gaze, deciding on something simple.

“I’m Su Min, and I’ll be guarding you according to your father’s wishes.”

Maybe because he was tired, but his voice seemed to be a tad irritated.

*Cough*

Wen Yu seemed to sneeze as he gaped at Su Min, but seeing no hint of hesitation, he soon sighed.

“Nothing wrong with that I suppose…”

Su Min didn’t seem too interested in talking anymore as he turned around and started his slow wander towards the sect. Though, he did speak before leaving.

“Mhm. Now that I have officially started, I’ll leave to the sect and wait for you, seeing that you may want to speak before you part. Also, sorry about that corpse, it was out of my control…”

“…”

Wen Yu didn’t know what to say as he watched Su Min wander off.

“Master… Are you sure he doesn’t have any issues..?”

But, he was soon disturbed out of his stupor as Wen Mian walked up to him with hesitation flickering in her eyes. Wen Yu’s face saddened for a second as he saw this, but he quickly hid it and spoke with a smile.

“He doesn’t have a heart of emotion, thus he cannot even feel anything when he looks at you! So don’t worry about anything, right, my little angel. Haha!

He laughed as he attempted to pick her up, but she quickly dodged him with an outraged face.

“I’m not a child anymore!”

“Right right…”

Wen Yu grumbled as he stared at Su Min who was beginning to leave the proximity.

“Well, as you aren’t a child, get going before your new guard leaves you! You have a lot of training to do, so remember that you can ask him to help you inany of your studies!”

His eyes firmed as hesitation blew, but he clenched his teeth and turned around. Silence soon overtook his booming voice, where a light breeze blew past his robes and emitted an elegant atmosphere.

“… I don’t know how long I’ll be, but after a years time, you must face life yourself if I don’t return. This may be selfish, stupid, but I believe that you can do it!”

*PSSHEWW*

Wen Miang froze as she watched the old figure dissipate in a gush of light; forever from her sight…

*THUD*

The only remnants of his existence was a small white pouch which glowed a strange ethereal light. She slouched and picked it up, silent thoughts echoing in her heart.

She didn’t move for a while as her eyes trembled with a drooping tear, but she didn’t let it drop as she rubbed it out of existence.

“Ok! I can trust this guy, its fine!”

…

…

‘I hope they don’t mind what I did to that person…’

*Step* *Step*

Su Min’s fatigue ridden eyes took a glimpse at the ever approaching sect. The only reason he was walking was to wait for the girl, Wu Miang. Of course, he was just impatient and wanted to get some rest which was why he didn’t wait.

Though even through all this, he was still paying full attention to the surrounding mile with his senses. It was strange for him, though, because he felt these inhuman senses nearing a boundary aswell.

‘So close, yet so far…’

He sighed as he thought about his stagnant cultivation. Continuing with Martial Energy seemed a lot more convoluted with how he has to comprehend like normal people to proceed.

Even then, he wasn’t exactly ‘continuing ‘ his cultivation, because the ancient and martial cultivation are two separate systems. He would have to start at the first step of Martial Condensation and work his way forward to get to the same level as his ancient cultivation. It’s just that he doesn’t know the implications of cultivating two energies, which he’s hoping will surprise him.

*Woosh*

‘She’s finally coming… I guess she is what will verify my identity.’

A silent gush of wind that only he could sense pierced his back as Wen Miang appeared behind him. She seemed a bit tense, but she clenched her teeth and strolled next to him.

“So… Are we going to walk to the sect?”

Although taking a walk was peaceful, the numerous miles required to get to the sect would take too long.

“Mhm, follow me.”

Su Min nodded. He was going to do this anyway.

*BANGG*

His feet trembled as a sudden gush of physical power threw him into the air. A cocoon of air formed around him, billowing with a thunderous shockwave.

“T-too fast!”

Wen Miang’s eyes went wide as she watched Su Min transform into a small dot in the sky. Though, maybe it was because of her pride, but she felt annoyed.

“Are you mocking me?”

A dense fluctuation of heavenly energy emerged around her as she stimulated her cultivation to let out some energy she had stored. Yet, in a rather similar fashion to Su Min, her mind began to follow a faint law that formed heavenly energy from the world.

Anyone would be shocked by this, because controlling the heavenly energy of the world is an incredible feat. Most would be locked down to the energy they absorb, but as you emerge into the realm of control, your power can skyrocket.

Though, much like Su Min, this relies less on your cultivation and more on your soul. The soul is a strange entity, baring the fact that it doesn’t recover through simple means like injecting energy into it from your cultivation.

Although your soul is powered by your cultivation, it is done so in a passive state when you rest. You only have so much mental energy to use due to this, and when your soul evolves this increases naturally.

Of course, this isn’t the only way to procure such an ethereal resource. Su Min, for example, is an abnormality in the fact that his will can overdraw his mental energy, thus forcing it to increase.

Wen Miang shouldn’t be able to control energy with her cultivation, but somehow, that was the case…

The soul and controlling the world’s energy is also the key to breaking to the second realm of cultivation, which is why it is especially difficult to do.

*WANGGG*

‘Divine Flare!’

Her figure flickered as she vanished in a blinding ray of light, chasing right after Su Min.

…

…

…

*THUDDD* *WOOOSH*

“She’s quite fast…”

With two consecutive thuds, one being a lot lighter than another, a golden-haired man and an angelic girl materlised before a barrier in front of a wall surrounding the sect.

‘Man walls aggravate me.’

Su Min grumbled as he waited for whoever manages the gate. Wu Miang, who was beside him, grumbled too as she felt annoyed for losing. But, she quickly convinced herself out of it as she thought of something.

‘Well, he should be better than me if he’s my guard…’

She took a glimpse at Su Min’s face, and seeing that he wasn’t even paying attention to her, a strange feeling arose.

‘Maybe master is right…’

Her tensed body loosened a little as she somehow felt more comfortable around him. She was still scared and confused and didn’t trust anymore, but she at least felt that the man next to her wasn’t interested in her through her looks…

She could tell that at least, as his eyes were dull and heartless. Cold, an inundated coldness that seemed to somehow carry a heavy burden. She could tell, as she has seen so many eyes with the same look in her lifetime.

That same, thriving, ravenous… Disgusting look.