The Martial Master - 91 It is Saddening.

‘Hm… Those are strange words…’

Li Wei’s eyes caught sight of those surreal pages that Wen Mian was reading through. He didn’t understand why she was so determined at studying it, but as his white eyes focused on such text, a peculiar feeling arose.

‘This is…’

He felt his mind quiver as a strange realisation blasted him. His eyes shined a greyish black for an instant, and in a shocking speed, he read the entire page!

*Ssss*

Grey steam wafted out of Li Wei’s body as an odd symbol imprinted itself on his left hand. It was tiny, but also blue… It took the shape of a dragon’s head, a dragon of sleek disposition and calm serenity.

‘What is this?’

Li Wei, a bit dazed, lifted his hand as an odd instinctual sensation emerged. His cultivation seethed and exuded greyish martial energy, and in that exact moment, that blue symbol lit up with an ethereal light.

*Whooosh*

Wen Mian’s eyes twitched as she felt a sudden outburst of oceanic aura. She shifted her gaze up with a bit of confusion, where she saw a mini ocean swirling around Li Wei’s hand!

Li Wei didn’t know what was happening right now as this ocean tumbled with strange life. A vitality filled the air, moistening it but also causing vegetation to grow in the corners of the chamber.

“W-what..?”

Wen Mian seemed to be even more perplexed as she stared at that ocean, and from any conceivable notion, she could tell that it was what she was trying to achieve!

‘How is this possible?’

For this person to have the exact same spell as hers would be ludicrous, yet no other plausible explanation came to mind. He couldn’t have possibly learnt it by just gazing at her manual, as that would be absurd.

No, not just absurd, it would heaven-defying! The talent at that boundary shouldn’t exist, at least in the lower realm.

Yet, as Li Wei’s eyes shook a bit with uncertainty, she felt an ill premonition that disproved such an assumption. It was strange, but the tone at which Li Wei was reacting to this was as if he has never used such a spell …

“Hm…”

Li Wei waved his hand around as he tried to get rid of this ocean, but to no avail. His mind was a bit all over the place, and out of sheer guesswork, he focused on that symbol on his hand.

‘Stop…’

His eyes shined a strange light as that symbol hummed, and with a sigh of relief, Li Wei watched the ocean around his palm dissipate. He brought said hand to his face, gazing at it with childish curiosity.

‘That was cool…’

Wen Mian, watching this, felt that premonition grow unbridled in her heart. Yet she threw it out each time, as it was ridiculous! If he had a talent like that, it would make her seem like mud in comparison.

Even then, she could tell that Li Wei wasn’t of the heaven’s races. This would mean that learning this spell would be even more difficult, as he would have to convert it to work with his energy realm!

But, concerning with this fact, it would also make learning such a spell unlikely! As who would bother to waste effort to learn a Heaven’s spell?

Though, as she redirected her gaze onto the text, she found that she still couldn’t get past the first letter. No matter how much she tried, no matter how much she focused, it just wouldn’t click in her head.

She gripped her fists as annoyance battered her. She was annoyed at her lack of talent, she hated herself for being the one who has to be guarded due to her own status!

She loathed the feeling of being under the control of scum, scum who she couldn’t even get revenge upon! It was a terrible, almost suffocating feeling, yet she wouldn’t give in and let herself feel sorry.

She wanted to grow, but even with this determination, she still couldn’t get past this hurdle! A simple hurdle, something that she excelled in!

Li Wei viewed this with a little doubt as he stared at the dragon on his hand and then at her annoyed face. He saw that she seemed to be frustrated, so he couldn’t help but ask.

“Is this technique hard to learn?”

Wen Mian seemed to freeze for a second as she shifted her eyes towards Li Wei. A little anger clouded her expression where, in only a few seconds of looking, she grumbled with a pout.

“Are you mocking me?”

Li Wei paused as he realised he had somehow pissed her off. Of course, he couldn’t really take her seriously as he observed her face, which was making his heart flutter.

Nonetheless, with a great stammer, Li Wei coughed as he replied with a smile that was more terrifying than friendly.

“N-no! Why would I mock you?”

Wen Mian’s face darkened as she saw that smile that was way too disturbing for her liking. Li Wei noticed this and his mind thundered with confusion, some more confusion, and then a little added on to top it off.

‘Uh… Maybe I’m inept?”

He avoided her gaze as he tried to wait for her to calm down, but Wen Mian wasn’t having it as she pointed at the book and cried out.

“Okay, if this is so easy then teach me!”

Her voice seemed to be tinged with a slight something. Li Wei frowned as he heard this, where a faint thought entered his head as his expression dulled.

‘I guess even she is still a bit all over the place after that… I shouldn’t cause any more strain for her then… Right.’

His face turned serious as he stood up and took a light step towards her. Wen Mian froze as she watched this sudden transformation, and not only this but an even greater pressure seemed to ooze out of Li Wei.

It was one far surpassing the 8th step, one that stepped into that single most peak, the final and last step of the first stage…

Even she paled at such a pressure, as she hasn’t felt a power like that for a long time. Her master may have let such power out once or twice, but he would always retract his aura before she would notice.

This was different to the feeling she got when she had glimpsed Su Min’s soul. That was a feeling of majesty, a feeling of Godly stature, not power. Power is different, it’s a more robust, more terrifying feeling than any meer majestic sight.

That’s because, no matter how talented you are, no matter what bloodline you house, power trumps all…

And as she realised this, her eyes trembled as a terrifying conjecture emerged and slammed her mind.

‘For this person to be Su Min’s underling, then…’

She shivered at the thought.

‘Is Su Min the Ancient Overseer..?’

What was above the 9th step? Most would say that it would be the second cultivation stage or the Conversion stage for most, yet there is a ‘stage’ just before this.

The half-step and those who have stepped into such a boundary are between the two powers. They are just ‘one half’ away from the power most would consider God, but this is still an infinite distance to cross.

Though, these people are still able to show devastating power that any 9th step cultivator would be powerless to fight against. They cannot summon 2nd realm energy, but their control over the first has reached the very utmost peak that they would reach in their lifetime.

This peak, whether genius or not, is terrifying.

These thoughts rammed through her head at break-neck speed as she found it hard to comprehend, even for her status. As, to be guarded by someone on that level, it was a tad too extreme.

Nevertheless, she didn’t get a chance to think about this anymore as Li Wei grasped her book and gave it a stare. He seemed to focus on the first introduction, and as he finished, he stared back at Wen Mian with a serious gait.

He, coughing, spoke.

“I’ll teach you.”

…

…

…

“Goddammit!”

Inside a dim chamber, and accompanied by three other people, a wrinkled old man roared as he thrashed the wall to his side. It disintegrated in that instant, forming a rumbling concaved hole that dug out an unknown distance of rock.

His eyes were jittery as panic surfaced and wavered like waves from an ocean. The people surrounding him wore a solemn atmosphere, and one specific person within this attempted to speak up.

“Sect Master, I can try to divine the future again, as that monsters master may not be… You know.”

He coughed a little as he found it hard to say the words, though the Sect Masters grim eyes shined as he laughed and interrupted the diviner.

“It’s the Overseer! Who else could it be?! That thing was at the 9th step, I could tell! Who else would be able to get a 9th step guard, huh?! But this isn’t the issue, no. I don’t care about him, what I care about is that the guard appeared out of nowhere! He… he with his sudden appearance! A right appearance at that! So right, in fact, that it cannot be out of sheer coincidence. Hah, you see, isn’t it obvious?”

The panic deepened as everyone remained silent.

“The overseer must know, he must!!And if he knows then that means he will come. And, for a second stage cultivator, destroying us is as simple as waving his hand!! Ah… I thought he was going to the neighbouring planet, but he has known all along!”

His thoughts didn’t even think of Su Min, someone who he had already forgotten about.

“Okay… Okay. Diviner, go! I need a tangible result, and we must use it to avoid disaster!”

He pointed at the diviner as a strange token formed from nothing, and without hesitation, he threw into the diviner’s palm. Everyone seemed to gasp a little as they gazed at the token like it was some sort of treasure.

The diviner didn’t know what to say, but as he caught sight of the unrelenting impatient gaze of the Sect Master, he no longer hesitated. He leapt in the air and sped off towards the Sect’s Treasure Pavilion.

The sect master watched this with a little hope as he redirected his gaze onto the other two remaining. He focused on a snarly woman with a big bust, arrogant eyes and a seductive air.

She noticed this and eyed him with a strange light, and the Sect Master spoke soon after.

“Go and monitor the beast’s pet, and if you feel that you’re able to take him down then do so! I trust that your soul techniques are able to fit this job, and if not then here’s a token for a half-step spell! Go!”

He waved his hand and formed another token and tossed it to her. Her eyes sparkled as she bowed and disappeared from thin air. The Sect Master’s eyes seemed to grow older by the second as he forwarded himself towards the one last person.

This person was shrouded in darkness, and even the sect master couldn’t see him.

He didn’t speak for a while, and then in a tone that seemed slightly different, he muttered.

“I’m guessing that you’re going to cancel the contract…”

The figure in the darkness nodded after a while, and the sect master sighed.

“Alright, I won’t disclose our agreement. Not that it matters, considering your backing…”

The figure seemed to think about something, then in a twitch, a broken voice erupted out of him. It was akin to the screeching chalk squeals out when scratching it on a rough blackboard. That quaking, irritating sound. One that you’d want to cover your ears to…

“Disappointing. This Mission was rather exciting for Him, yet you failed. Saddening, it is. Truly. Hm. He is rather interested in this ‘guard’. He said that it was rather exceptional when the thing severed His connection with the boy. But it’s unfortunate that it seems to be the servant of the person you speak of… Truly.”