Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

69  Chapter 49: Request_1

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1

Time flew by, and half a year later.

Flowing west, descending south past Stone Bend, amidst the misty rain, there stood an ethereal peak.

It was called Emperor's Step.

What was Emperor's Step?

No one knew.

Atop Emperor's Step Peak, there was a hermitage, the most mysterious place in the Martial World—Mercy Sailing Silent Temple.

Inside the Silent Temple, within a secret chamber, Fan Qinghui looked haggard, her stunning beauty marred by hardships, with strands of white starting to show at her temples, revealing the immense pressure she had been under and the energy she had expended during this time.

"Master..."

Seeing her worn-out appearance, Shi Feixuan felt heartache yet powerless, "Why must you endure such suffering?"

"I am the Head of Mercy Sailing Silent Temple, I cannot let it down."

Fan Qinghui shook her head, looking at her disciple with a trace of relief in her eyes, "In the past six months, I have traveled the world, uniting all parties. At last, my efforts have borne fruit—three Holy Monks, along with three Grandmasters and the heads of Taoism, Confucian Gate Sages, a total of nine Grandmasters, will have a decisive battle with that man atop Emperor's Step Peak."

"Master... "

"Enough!"

Shi Feixuan wanted to speak, but Fan Qinghui silenced her with a wave of her hand.

"I know you do not wish to see this come to pass, to be honest neither do I, but what can we do when he is uncompromising and insists on forcing us into a life-and-death battle?"

Fan Qinghui shook her head, "At this point, there's no use talking further. We can only give it our all!"

With that, she raised her head, looking directly at Shi Feixuan.

"What should have been done and what shouldn't have been, I've already done. Now, there's only one last thing left unfinished. Xuan Er, I beg you, lend me your strength!"

"Master...!"

Shi Feixuan's gaze trembled, looking at the resolute Fan Qinghui, unsure how to respond.

Unperturbed, Fan Qinghui continued, "I have looked into it. Xu Qingyang, he is a man who deeply values loyalty and duty. After the opening of Security Hall, he has patronized a certain bun shop every day for twenty years, rain or shine, without fail."

Shi Feixuan: "..."

Looking at the silent Shi Feixuan, Fan Qinghui smiled with satisfaction, "Even though he did not take my letter to join Jing'an Temple as a monk he has still accepted your favour and owes you a life-saving debt!"

"Master..."

"Hear me out!"

Shi Feixuan wanted to speak, but Fan Qinghui gestured for her to be quiet and continued, "Although his actions are domineering and he is utterly self-centered, one cannot deny his strong sense of loyalty and his word being as good as gold. He has always been just as steadfast to his disciples and followers as he is to his subjects."

As she spoke, Fan Qinghui took Shi Feixuan's hands in hers, picking up the sect leader's sword that was beside her.

"You have a life-saving grace over him, and he must hold a place for you in his heart, so... "

Fan Qinghui solemnly handed the sect leader's sword over to Shi Feixuan, "I ask you for one thing—preserve Mercy Sailing Silent Temple!"

"This..."

Shi Feixuan knelt on the ground, holding Mercy Sailing in her hands, looking bewildered at Fan Qinghui.

Fan Qinghui also looked at her, saying with a light smile, "There are two ways this can be achieved."

"Firstly, you enter the royal palace to serve him, offering yourself to tame the demon within. By doing so, even if he decides to annihilate Buddhism and Taoism, he would spare Mercy Sailing Silent Temple for your sake, ensuring our lineage's survival and fulfilling your wish—a solution that serves both ends."

"Master!!"

These words changed Shi Feixuan's complexion instantly, she looked at Fan Qinghui panic-stricken, "Xuan Er could never entertain such thoughts."

"Affairs of love are human nature, and I am not blaming you."

Fan Qinghui shook her head, speaking earnestly, "But you must understand one thing—although this person values loyalty, he has even greater ambition. You can choose to serve him, but you must see your true position clearly. You are the Head of Mercy Sailing Silent Temple, you have to ensure our lineage's continuation. Only then, in death, can I rest in peace!"

"Master...!!!"

With these words, Shi Feixuan became even more horrified, involuntarily grasping Fan Qinghui's hand.

"Life and death are destined; there's no need for such measures."

Fan Qinghui shook her head calmly, cradling Shi Feixuan's face in her hand, "Besides, there's another way, but I know that you, Xuan Er, with your kind nature, would find it too cruel. I truly do not wish for you to endure such torturous anguish. Hence, you only need to follow the first method I mentioned, and all will be well."

Having said this, she pushed Shi Feixuan to the ground, sealed her acupoints, and immobilized her body.

"Master!!!"

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Lying on the ground, unable to move, Shi Feixuan looked up at Fan Qinghui's resolute face and seemed to realize something, horror filling her eyes: "Don't...!"

Fan Qinghui sat cross-legged on the cushion, her expression calm, showing no ripples: "Xuan Er, your master is now, for you, performing a head-rite, passing on all my life's cultivation to you. From this moment on, you are the fifteenth Head of the Mercy Sailing Silent Temple. The heavy responsibility of the Mercy Sailing Silent Temple is now entrusted to you!"

"Master!"

Shi Feixuan lay on the ground, her tears flowing freely, unsure of what to do.

Fan Qinghui, however, paid no heed: "Calm your heart, Condense your spirit, let your cultivation flow through the Heavenly Cycle, and do not let your master's sacrifice be in vain!"

With those words, she activated the Gang Yuan within her body. Instantly, without any wind, waves arose in the secret room. Shi Feixuan, lying on the ground, was pulled by a force beyond her control and began to levitate in the air, her hands touching those of Fan Qinghui's.

"Our lineage's inheritance, the Mercy Sailing Sword Scroll, though it places most importance on mental state rather than the foundation of cultivation, it is ultimately better to have it than not."

"Xuan Er, you are inherently kind, with an honest and pure heart. For you, the barrier of mental state is not much of an obstacle. It's just that the word 'emotion' is so difficult to define."

"I hope that one day, you can overcome the obstacles of the emotional tribulations, with a sword heart clear and bright, to love without obsession, to achieve the highest realm of the Mercy Sailing Sword Scroll, and to carry forward our Mercy Sailing's Silent Temple."

"If so, in the silence of the netherworld, below the nine springs, your master and the ancestors of the Mercy Sailing Silent Temple would rest in peace, serenely entering the cycle of reincarnation!"

In the midst of her words, Gang Yuan became qi, and Fan Qinghui's pure and refined Yuan Skill slowly entered into Shi Feixuan's body, causing her own life force to rapidly deplete. Her three thousand strands of black hair turned into white frost, and even her stunningly beautiful face began to age.

"Master...!!!"

Now, Shi Feixuan had regained control of her body, but looking at Fan Qinghui who was about to pass away, she didn't dare to struggle, only able to weep and accept.

"Xuan Er, your master is leaving, take good care of yourself!"

With her last breath, Fan Qinghui smiled, collapsed onto the cushion, and with a bowed head, breathed her last, no longer responding.

"Master!!!"

Shi Feixuan cried out in horror, rushing forward, wishing to embrace Fan Qinghui's body, but before she could touch her, the lifeless body disintegrated into countless shards of light.

In the end, in the secret room, she was alone, staring at the empty cushion, her eyes full of confusion and helplessness.

...

After an unknown amount of time had passed,

Shi Feixuan, in a daze, walked out of the Silent Temple and entered the great hall of the Mercy Sailing.

But what she saw...

"Paying respects to the Head of the Temple!"

A group of disciples, kneeling on the ground, seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"..."

Seeing the well-prepared crowd, Shi Feixuan was even more at a loss.

"Step down!"

At that moment, a woman who appeared to be of some authority dismissed the crowd and came to Shi Feixuan's side, and asked sternly, "Head of the Temple, are you prepared?"

"Prepared?"

Shi Feixuan was startled, "What preparation?"

"This..."

The woman furrowed her brows and said in a serious tone, "The preparation for the assassination of the Demon Head, of course?"

"The assassination of the Demon Head?"

Shi Feixuan suddenly came to her senses, looking at the other with eyes full of astonishment.

"Indeed!"

The woman saw her reaction and, showing no surprise, calmly explained, "Grandmaster martial artists value mental state and momentum above all. That man has never been defeated since he appeared, and in the battle of Chang'an, he swept through the light and dark paths, Buddhism and Taoism, the Evil King, the Underworld Queen, and all four Holy Monks."

"With this, he has developed an invincible momentum, his heart and his state are impenetrable."

"If we let him climb Emperor's Step Peak in such a state, even if the nine Grandmasters join forces, they might not be able to kill him. Instead, they would become his sharpening stone, making him fight increasingly bravely and strongly!"

"Therefore, our only hope is to break his mental state before the battle, to destroy his momentum, to crush his will to fight."

Having said that, the woman looked solemnly at Shi Feixuan: "Head of the Temple, you have saved his life before, and he greatly values love and righteousness. Therefore, it can only be you who strikes, to assassinate him. Whether you succeed or fail, it will cause him heartbreak, even if it's just a little, just a glimmer, it will be the turning point of our victory!"

"Therefore..."

The woman knelt on the ground, hands earnestly pleading, "For the sake of the world, the common people, and our Mercy Sailing's Silent Temple, I beseech the Head of the Temple — sacrifice yourself to bait the demon!!!"