Chapter 363: Listening to the Spring Rain All Night in a Small Building

Chapter 363: Listening to Spring Rain in a Small Pavilion All Night

Night fell.

Xue Canghai went to deal with the Maitreya envoy, while Zhao Changhe did not stay in the Blood God Sect’s secret cave. Instead, he lodged in a large courtyard within the stronghold, gazing at the moon.

He could not sleep…

In truth, with his current level of cultivation, sleep was no longer a necessity; meditation could fully replace it and was even more effective.

Yet now, as he looked at the moon, his thoughts were tangled, and he did not know what he was pondering.

Vaguely, he thought of Yue Hongling. At this moment, he could probably understand why she and Chi Li had been unwilling to trail at the bottom of the Human Rankings back then. Now, he felt the same—he was certain to make the Human Rankings, so why settle for the last spot?

The only suspense was how many places he could challenge… and whether the opponent at that rank happened to rub him the wrong way. Too low was meaningless; too high, he feared he might lose…

Thinking this, he let out a soft, self-mocking laugh.

What was he thinking? Was such a trivial matter worth fretting over?

In the end, he was still an ordinary man, with a rather strong desire to show off by making a name on the rankings.

Once, the Human Rankings had seemed lofty in his eyes… well, specifically those who had broken through the Secret Depths; the ones who hadn’t were never much to speak of.

Now that he had reached this level, he realized it was nothing special—indeed, it was only the beginning. The more he saw, the more he understood how much road lay ahead, and how vast the gap remained.

Just the matter of how to tackle the second Secret Depth was already giving him a headache.

Cui Wenjing had said that the Nine Layers of the Mystic Barrier were the ultimate limit of training the human body itself. Everything beyond that focused on other things; the body only accumulated experience.

The Secret Depths were no longer like the Mystic Barrier, with clear milestones at each layer. Now, at the first Secret Depth, how much accumulation was needed to reach the threshold of the second? There was no clear information—it was all very vague, as if one could cultivate endlessly without end.

The Blood Demon Body was manageable; it likely required finding more related heavenly treasures and earthly rarities to strengthen and transform it. That would be a headache for others, but with the Heavenly Book as his cheat, it would be simpler for him.

But internal cultivation was where he felt lost. After transforming from the Postnatal to the Innate, which acupoint breakthrough counted as a milestone? Which extraordinary meridians had to be opened to mark a level? Or was it about accumulating a certain amount of energy?

Supposedly, all of these applied, but different schools had different methods, making quantification impossible—and that left him confused.

Xia Longyuan had never personally instructed him on how to practice the Six Harmonies Divine Art; he had been left to his own devices. Did that mean he could choose any path he liked—for instance, the Four Symbols Sect’s path of the myriad stars, opening all acupoints? Would that work?

But then he reconsidered; it probably didn’t matter much. This unquantifiable state actually brought things closer to the original martial arts world—no levels, just whoever had deeper accumulation, better techniques, and a more complete harmony with heaven and earth.

Thinking this way, he felt a bit calmer. If he didn’t know what the threshold was, he would just walk every path—open all meridians, break through all acupoints, and accumulate his true qi until it could no longer be stacked… Eventually, as he practiced, he would touch the threshold of the second level. By then, many people would be able to teach him the key points for breaking through, and his treatment would be no worse than that of any legitimate heir of a famous sect.

Zhao Changhe let out a long sigh, drew his Dragon Sparrow blade, and began to practice under the moonlight.

A fine spring rain was falling, but it did not hinder a martial artist’s desire to train.

Except for the few days entangled in romantic affairs, he practiced his blade every day, even while traveling.

Now that he had grasped the Secret Depths, he had to practice even more—to consolidate and settle.

“Whoosh!” A single slash cut through the air, like wind entering the night.

In the darkness, killing intent lurked, as if ghostly wails and howls rose, stirred by the spring rain in someone’s heart.

The nearby stronghold followers all turned their heads toward his dwelling. Instructor Sun let out a soft sigh.

Now it seemed he would have to kneel to him; their positions had reversed. But what remained unchanged was Zhao Changhe’s diligence, just as in the old days.

Over there, Sect Leader Xue had been in the secret cave, discussing countless details with the Maitreya envoy, before finally sending away the envoy, who was smugly satisfied with his mission. Just as Xue returned to the stronghold, he saw the whistling blade light on the hilltop.

He stood there in a daze… Everyone thought Zhao Changhe trained fast, and indeed he did, but he also worked hard enough. He was both talented and diligent. Xue himself had been sporadic in his training, though he had become more diligent this past year—and everyone knew why.

Unfortunately, there was no way to take revenge now. Yue Hongling was definitely the Saint Son’s wife. In the future, when they met, he might even have to bow to her.

Damn it.

Speaking of which, the Blood God Sect’s rules did not forbid marriage. Men with surging blood energy had more needs than most. Back in the day, Fang Buping had enjoyed himself with maidservants in Beimang. But those with true aspirations, like Sect Leader Xue and Instructor Sun, did not touch women.

This was different from the Heaven Rankings masters, who avoided romance for other reasons. The Blood God Sect cultivated blood energy, which could not be easily expended. In fact, the more one preserved their virgin essence, the better. Xue Canghai felt that if Zhao Changhe were willing to keep his virgin essence, his cultivation would be even purer. This was not a matter of Blood God techniques or doctrine—it was a universal principle of martial arts…

Xue Canghai vaguely worried that this fellow might corrupt the holy sect, and no one could stop him. But then he thought again—it seemed the Blood God Sect didn’t need to worry. The sect had no female disciples at all. The ones who should really be worried were the Four Symbols Sect, right?

At this thought, Xue Canghai suddenly felt cheerful. Humming a little tune, he walked back to his dwelling.

A trusted subordinate whispered, “Sect Leader, do we really acknowledge him as the Saint Son?”

“Hmm? What doubt is there? If he is not the Saint Son, then he is the reincarnation of the Blood God.”

The subordinate said helplessly, “But if the doctrine changes, we will face many restrictions.”

“As if we aren’t restricted now? When the Four Symbols Sect came, they made you kneel. At least he won’t demand that.”

“…”

Xue Canghai said calmly, “Everything else is false; only one’s own power is real. If his Blood God intent is true and can help us truly pursue the power of the Blood God, that is what matters most. Otherwise, the doctrine might let you do as you please, but if you lack the skill to do so, what use is it? It’s just self-deception.”

The subordinate said, “What if he doesn’t just preach the doctrine but wants to meddle in power? As I see it, given the fervor others have for him, it wouldn’t be hard to sideline you.”

Xue Canghai laughed dryly: “Do you think his ambitions lie in the Blood God Sect’s petty power? Do you take Zhao Changhe, famed throughout the land—top of the Hidden Dragon, a Secret Depths master in one year—for a waste with the same narrow vision as you?”

The subordinate broke out in a cold sweat. You have great vision, Sect Leader. When did I ever see that in you before? If you don’t believe me, go ask around—what do people really think of Sect Leader Xue?

Xue Canghai said flatly, “Since you spoke out of concern for me, I won’t punish you. But your narrow vision disappoints me. Face the wall for three days and think it over carefully.”

The subordinate bowed helplessly: “Yes.”

Xue Canghai looked up one last time at the blade light and blood aura in Zhao Changhe’s courtyard. Suddenly, he felt a bit eager.

Since they had both entered the Secret Depths, why not spar with him tomorrow?

Just as he thought this, the blade light suddenly stopped. Zhao Changhe came flying over excitedly: “Sect Leader Xue! Sect Leader Xue!”

Xue Canghai was taken aback: “What is it, Saint Son?”

“Let’s spar!”

Xue Canghai looked up at the pitch-black night and broke out in a cold sweat.

He thought he was obsessed enough with martial arts—he had only been thinking of sparring tomorrow—but this guy wanted a night battle right now.

“Fine.” Xue Canghai drew his Blood God Blade and said with a smile, “The Saint Son is not yet fully proficient in blade techniques. Now that I’ve broken through the Secret Depths, I have more moves at my disposal. I’m afraid the Saint Son will lose badly this time.”

“We’re just sparring, nothing serious. Come on, come on.” Zhao Changhe raised his blade and struck directly: “Let me see the Sect Leader’s Secret Depths blade.”

The clash of blades startled many followers again, who gathered to watch the duel.

Who had won the last bout? Zhao Changhe was at a disadvantage, then turned it around to put Xue Canghai at a disadvantage, and then Xue Canghai used the momentum to break through, and they stopped… If they had continued after the breakthrough, Zhao Changhe would probably have lost. But before the breakthrough, it could only be called a draw.

What about this time?

“Clang!” The blades clashed again.

The surrounding followers suddenly felt a surge of boiling blood energy, as if all their blood vessels were about to burst. They were horrified.

The difference was too great! When they watched the previous fight, it wasn’t like this!

And this was just watching from the sidelines. If they faced such a blade head-on, they would surely die!

But the two fighters seemed unaffected. Xue Canghai slashed horizontally again, and Zhao Changhe chopped straight down once more.

Both smiled at the same time.

Zhao Changhe’s mind, like the moon reflected in water, looked down from above and saw that beneath this frontal slash, extremely fine blade auras had inexplicably appeared behind him and to his sides, surrounding him.

“Blood Fills the Mountains and Rivers.”

If one were unaware and only saw the blade in front, they would be torn apart in an instant.

"I knew it, the Cult Leader would have such a trick."

"Shua!" Boundless blood light scattered in all directions, completely dissolving the sneak-attacking saber qi. At the same moment, Xue Canghai suddenly realized that during the day he had clearly grasped Zhao Changhe's saber momentum, easily seeing through any visual deception, but now he had miscalculated.

The Dragon Sparrow was faster than expected, exceeding his prediction by a hair.

"Clang!" Xue Canghai hastily parried, but his hurried change of moves couldn't hold, and he swiftly retreated backward.

Zhao Changhe pressed on relentlessly, another saber chasing after him.

Still strangely, it was just a fraction faster than his expected saber trajectory—no visual deception, truly faster.

Xue Canghai misjudged, lost the initiative, and parried in a flustered mess. He was utterly baffled: What was this? Had he suddenly taken some aphrodisiac?

"Clang!" The Dragon Sparrow broke through the Blood God Saber and rested against Xue Canghai's neck.

Xue Canghai: "..."

Zhao Changhe: "...Don't flash, Annals of Chaos, dammit."

All cult followers: "..."

The two who had fought evenly during the day—now at night, Cult Leader Xue was defeated within a few moves?

Xue Canghai asked in great confusion: "Why is your saber so fast? This shouldn't be."

Zhao Changhe let out a long breath and laughed: "Before seeking a breakthrough in blood evil, I comprehended many things from other schools. This saber stroke—doesn't it resemble 'sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently'?"

Xue Canghai was startled: "You can not only call upon the evil energy of the environment but also merge with the natural wind and rain..."

Zhao Changhe laughed: "What do you think if I give this move a name?"

"...What would it be?"

"Listening to Spring Rain in a Small Tower All Night."