The Martial Master - 98 A memory.

“Leave this Sect.”

He finished with the same tone of voice as if it were something trivial.

…

…

“What did you do?”

Wen Mian spoke as she stared at the rather perplexing face of Li Wei. He seemed to be troubled, but it was too obscure for her to know the exact expression he was making.

Li Wei gazed at her with a drowsy look. He seemed to be in thought, and Wen Mian found it strange, to say the least.

‘He seems a bit… Slow?’

A couple seconds passed, and after what seemed like forever, Li Wei spoke.

“I killed this Woman who was nearby. She was with the Sect Master earlier, so it was obvious that she was planning something. Either way, if she’s gone then it’s one less thing that may want your life in this place.”

A chilling ruthlessness shrouded him as he spoke; this was something even Li Wei didn’t notice. It was instead inherent to him and his body, a thing that will overtake him.

He may not realise, but he has become a little less forgiving. A little less remorseful, and a little less caring towards others. Death and murder no longer seem so serious to him.

Wen Mian shook as she realised that he had just killed someone for almost no reason. The nonchalant attitude also made her feel cold; it was like he was speaking about the weather instead of the death of another.

“Right…”

She didn’t really know how to respond, so she only nodded with a somewhat agreeable stance. Though Li Wei didn’t even look at her as he hunkered down with a frown.

‘Is he injured?’

She couldn’t tell, but he seemed a little frailer compared to before. This wasn’t something coming from his body, but more of the soul.

‘I can check…’

She doesn’t normally gaze at someone’s soul as she can get easily discovered. It is also considered rude to do so, and even then most cultivators have some sort of method to hide their soul.

As for Su Min, she was stumped on why he, for one, didn’t even notice her actions when she studied his soul. What was even more confusing was based on the fact that she could do such a thing anyway, as he was obviously a powerhouse.

She still kicked herself for being so reckless, but it seemed that she was lucky on that occasion.

This time she guessed that Li Wei must have some sort of soul technique. One that would prevent her from snooping on his condition. Yet, she held a vague instinct that this wasn’t the case…

It wasn’t something tangible or a ability she held, it was just an instinct.

‘No, I don’t want to cause any tension… He is the only person I can trust in this place after all…’

She knew that he wouldn’t do anything to her, why?

‘He is childish…’

A certain unquestionable ignorance radiated from him, and it came from his actions and his way of speaking. It was as if he doesn’t understand his own powers.

Though what came from this was innocence. It was just that this purity had devolved into a sinister form; as if he was a child who had just murdered his parents with a smile.

‘I wonder when Su Min is going to get out…’

She couldn’t help but think about the person the Overseer had entrusted to her safety. He seemed simple at the start, but he grew more and more perplexing as she perceived certain characteristics that he held.

He was cold, cold like his heart was splintered with icicles.

His power was unknown, and even now she felt that she was only gazing at the surface.

‘Is he really the Ancient Overseer…’

She has never met such a character, and even then she hasn’t even met an Ancient being. Her master always said that the Ancient Section is a lot more ruthless compared to the Heavenly and Martial areas; and that the Overseer of such a place gave him the chills.

Though, a certain memory sprung as she thought about this…

Her Master, the Heavenly Overseer and, to her, her father called Wen Yu, sat down as he stared at her with a happy smile.

“Alas, Mian, what is with your curiosity over those creatures?”

His voice, faint and elderly.

Her eyes at this moment were young and filled to the brim with curiosity.

She didn’t speak, and the Heavenly Overseer Wen Yu only sighed as he rose and spoke.

“Well, if you insist.”

He waved his hand and formed a streak of dim milky light. It flashed and expanded a couple of feet, where a certain outline of gold began to take shape.

His eyes shone a strange light as he grinned and spoke with an intimidating tone.

“Words don’t truly explain it well, so take a look; a look at the creatures we call tyrants!”

*SHIINGG*

Wen Mian’s eyes sparkled as she stared at a sudden emergence of beautifying gold pop in the air. Then, before her eyes, the world seemed to transform as she arrived in a desolate plain.

Everything was dead here; plants were wilted and shrivelled up, and the ground was just dull dirt that was hot to the touch. The air even distorted in all directions as if she was standing in an oven.

*THUD*

Then, beneath her curious gaze, a quaking rumble rocked the earth. She stumbled a bit, but this was soon interrupted with an even greater boom.

*BANG*

A blitzing gold pierced the sky as two figures intertwined in streaks of otherworldly strength. They rummaged and battered the atmosphere, travelling at speeds far surpassing sound.

*WHOOOSH*

Her eyes widened as she watched them, in a hazed blur, blitz passed her. A ray of gold followed them, which would sometimes fracture from crashing exertions of power from simple fists.

Yet, before they could travel far, one of the figures seemed to erupt with a detrimental force as they hammered the other with both palms. A cry rang before a piercing pillar of splintering air thrashed the ground, throwing the opponent right into the earth’s crust.

*CRASHHH*

An overwhelming shockwave hurled rubble in all directions, causing Wen Mian to stagger backwards.

Still, she was stubborn and kept her eyes open to gaze at these people she had taken interest in.

*STEP*

A simple clothed man landed near her, eyes shining gold. His fists were steaming, and his muscles popped out like dragons.

*CRACK*

He stared upon a massive crater that spanned hundreds of meters, and within such a thing a crack resounded.

*PSST*

And not too long after did a blurred woman ram herself out of the ground. She plopped onto an area a meter or so away from the man, staring at him with sharp golden eyes.

Her body was toned just like the man, but she still somehow contained the beauty of womanly nature.

*SHIINGGG*

Two simultaneous pulsations of ancient energy wafted out of their bodies and encompassed them. Their auras skyrocketed, and their pristine bodies began to wriggle with a disastrous strength.

Two silhouettes of dragons appeared behind both of them. The dragon’s each seemed to be opposite of each other, where one was bulky and massive whilst the other was sleek and elegant.

“Wow…”

Wen Mian got goosebumps as she watched this, but she found that the world she stood in was begging to dissipate.

*Wanggg*

“If you haven’t guessed already, it is best not to fight them. These two, in particular, are famous cultivators of an ancient clan that carry a faint bloodline originating from a lower ancient dragon.”

An old voice quaked in the world as Wen Yu emerged midair and shook his hand. Everything disappeared from this, and Wen Mian reentered the real world.

“The Ancients are the races made for battle! However, what came with this was a lower population, which evened out everything quite nicely. Though lower races that are ancient can still multiply at rapid rates, it’s just those with higher bloodlines that find it hard to reproduce. Now, get back to studying and stop with this pointless curiosity!”

‘… I wonder what clan Su Min came from.’

Wen Mian sighed as she stopped reminiscing on that memory. It was far too long ago…

She grasped the manual in her hand, gazed at Li Wei, and felt a burning determination.

‘I need to get strong, strongenough so that I can see more of the world and control my fate…’

…

…

…

“Hm…”

Reclining in a broken world, Su Min scratched his hair as he frowned. The black figure next to him was snoring like always, and it had become background noise to Su Min.

His eyes shined a peculiar light as he held a thin manual in his hand. It had the words ‘Supreme Cultivation Method’ written on it, fierce in vigour.

“I don’t want to hinder my recovery…”

Su Min sighed as he stopped himself from opening the manual. He knew that trying to form his Martial Cultivation would take Mental Energy, which he had very little of.

He guessed that he wouldn’t be able to leave for another couple days, so he could only hope that Li Wei won’t do anything stupid. Not that he would be any better at that, as he seems to be a rather impulsive person.

“Still, I never knew that people could see my soul… Scary.”

Su Min mumbled to himself as he felt a little embarrassed at not knowing such a commonplace idea. Even then, he felt that he has a lot to learn.

*Tap*

Boredom.

He was bored beyond belief.

‘Maybe I can take a look at this place…’

Su Min had a sudden thought as he stood up and gazed at that hut not too far away from him. He has been curious of it ever since he entered this world, and seeing that the black figure didn’t care, he felt a prevailing need to explore.

“Hut, please bless me with fortune… Perhaps some of those crystals, eh?”

Su Min spoke with hope as he took a step towards the blurry hut.