The three martial brothers met their martial sister on their way back to Kong Ye's home. She was still carrying the little snake, Hai Yin Zhe on her shoulders. Han Xuhan wanted to test little Zhe's progress before they reached their destination, but before he could get to it, Kong Ye himself appeared on the road ahead, seemingly waiting for them to return.
"Come, come! Hurry!" he shouted, waving his hand and signaling them to follow.
The five students trotted behind their teacher, climbing up to the highest point of the mountain. The sunshine here was irritating on the skin, the heavy sound of the ocean below only enhancing the sense of discomfort.
The Heavenly Hailstorm mountain's location had been moved to a corner of the floating island using the formation designs of the Celestial Gateway Spell.
From the peak, they could directly cast their sight below and observe the sea. One careless misstep and the fall down the steep slope of the mountain-back would lead right into its embrace.
As he was looking around, Han Xuhan realized that they weren't the only ones in this position. Not too far away, the peak of the mountain next to theirs was occupied as well by a few familiar disciples and their master.
Further in that direction, the same scene repeated itself, all around the floating island. A nervous, but festive mood enraptured the disciples as a fierce wind hit them.
"Disciples!" from far behind, Xuan Zi's amplified voice boomed all across the island. Han Xuhan could not see the sect master anywhere nearby. But judging by the amplitude of that voice...was the man shouting from his house?
"I have given you the time to adjust and adapt to the circumstances in the tournament. You've had a small taste of what to expect in the last two days. You've made the preparations to face the future mentally, physically, and academically.... But practical experience-wise, you've been lagging behind.
At least here, in the Titanfall Archipelago, you cannot hope to fight on for long without some training, some feats that require your every field of expertise, and academic excellence that could stand undefeated even in the face of the entire planet!
Right now, I hereby declare the initiation of your new learning curriculum, which you're obliged to follow. Your masters will provide you with the details and guide you to the best of their ability.
Make me proud of the Crimson Snow Sect!
Make yourselves proud of the Crimson Snow Sect! Make the world proud of the Crimson Snow Sect!"
Han Xuhan enthusiastically began to clap as soon as Xuan Zi's voice fell silent. The rest of the disciples nearby followed and soon, the entire outer court was clapping, cheering, and hooting furiously.
"Speeches are easy to celebrate, hard to manifest. Moreso in this case because from what I've seen, your new curriculum is...pretty harsh."
Kong Ye's sympathetic remark was like a bucket of cold water, shocking the four martial siblings back to concrete reality.
When an ambitious teacher labeled a curriculum as 'pretty harsh'....it would probably carry some health hazards.
The ominous premonition they had felt upon hearing Kong Ye's comment turned out to be more than accurate, as the main objective of the day's lesson was declared by the elders in every mountain peak simultaneously.
"Find out the location of the largest spatial crack around the floating island of the Crimson Snow sect."
Han Xuhan was stunned when he heard the sentence coming out of Kong Ye's mouth.
Wasn't this considered against the rules? That the elders weren't supposed to interfere with the sect's progress in the tournament?
He had asked the question immediately. But the answer he had gotten made sense too.
"The rule states that all information regarding the Titanfall Archipelago must be unearthed and analyzed by the disciples themselves. A disciple of our sect has already developed a preliminary analysis of the nature of the spatial cracks. He may or may not be factually correct," Kong Ye had said with a goofy grin on his face. "But the information he has provided is enough for us to use without breaking that rule. Hahaha!"
"But how are we supposed to accomplish this objective?" Xuhan couldn't help but complain. "The spatial cracks keep moving! It might just move away randomly after we've discovered it. Even if we find out the locations of all the cracks around us, there's no way to measure their sizes and compare."
Kong Ye looked unperturbed.
"Indeed, if it was that easy, Master Zi wouldn't have added the task to your curriculum. We, the elders cannot guide you on this without breaking the rules, unfortunately. This makes me unable to answer your question."
"Then how is this a 'lesson'?" Yuen Zhou spoke out in a displeased tone. "Sect master did say this is a part of our academic development."
"Because, you're going to have to use the techniques at your disposal to accomplish this objective and unless you're already good at techniques involving the concept of space, you'll be needing our guidance. We cannot help you find the spatial cracks, but we can help you learn the techniques which will be of use to you."
Han Xuhan scratched his head. Their elders were really good at toeing the line without breaking the law. But why was Xuan Zi so insistent on this type of curriculum? Was he so hell-bent on getting a good position in the tournament rankings?
"All right. Enough with the questions now. Tell me, disciples, what do you think the first step should be if you need to locate and measure the spatial cracks?"
Kong Ye stepped forward and put a foot down on the steep landing leading to the ocean.
The four martial siblings exchanged nervous looks and inched a bit closer to the edge, watching their teacher act like an adrenaline junkie.
"Since it is a problem related to spatial concepts, the first step should probably be to learn a technique related to space," Yuen Zhou answered hesitantly.
"Indeed, that is the best approach. But you lot don't have the qualifications yet to comprehend any such technique. So rule that one out of your options and think again."
This time Kong Ye put his other foot down as well and began to slide downward slowly, using his hands to grip onto the tough soil and slow down his speed of descent. The soil on the edges of the island had been created by the low-level formations of the Celestial Gateway spell. It was not as stable as the actual soil it was imitating. As a powerful cultivator, Kong Ye could easily control his velocity on its surface, which he did so cautiously that his speed would lose to a turtle.
Looking around, Han Xuhan realized that the other elders on the nearby mountain peaks were also descending down the slopes, each of them in different ways. Some had directly leaped off the edge and firmly planted their feet into the bottom of the island's periphery. Some were standing on the hilt of a flying sword thrust into rocks. One master had even weaved a white net in that area at some point and was urging her disciples to jump just like she had.
He shivered as he tried to imagine what a fall from this height would feel like. The island was at least 500 meters above the sea. A normal human could not possibly survive a 50-meter fall, let alone 500. Even his enhanced physique might not have an intact organ left if he fell from here.
Mu Ran was the first to follow Kong Ye's tracks. But Instead of sliding down like him, Mu Ran simply hopped off the edge, hurtling towards a rocky protrusion at the bottom of the island's rim.
"WHOAAA!"
"MASTER! BEHIND YOU!"
"WATCH OUT!"
All three of them at the peak shouted in alarm. Kong Ye did not, however, need to be warned. He did not even turn around, but a rubbery whip made of qi lashed out from his back and wrapped around Mu Ran's feet, dragging him away from the deadly trajectory. Mu Ran's body slammed down hard on a tiny, flat area on the slope. But he was back on his feet in a flash, no injuries visible.
"There were safer methods of coming down." Kong Ye scowled, coming to a stop halfway down his slide.
Mu Ran put his fists together and performed a short bow. "I have full trust in you, master. How could you let me fall to my death so easily? Hahaha!"
Kong Ye had a helpless expression on his face, but it seemed apparent that he was satisfied by Mu Ran's reply.
Back on the peak, Han Xuhan gasped.
Is this still the Mu Ran I know?! Heavens!
It did feel like something a protagonist might do...but it did not fit Mu Ran's template at all.
"Do you three need an invitation?" Kong Ye loudly called from below before beginning to slide down once more. Yuen Zhou sighed and stepped forward, choosing a relatively smooth route to descend.
A couple of daggers appeared in her hands as she slid down, imitating Kong Ye. Every few meters, she stabbed the daggers into the soil to regulate her speed.
It wasn't a very sophisticated method, but it at least looked better than Kong Ye's brutish style.
Xiao Wu and Han Xuhan looked at each other's pale faces and then at the rest of the mountain peaks.
An unprecedented sight greeted their eyes.
Hundreds of disciples were climbing, leaping, hopping, flying, stabbing, and crying their way down the mountains!
He had read many poems in the mortal world, depicting the myths of celestial, epics of heroes, and tales of demons descending from peaks as high as the heavens.
But he had never imagined a scene this impactful.
Is this what it really is like to be a cultivator?
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu became the third disciple to go down. He did not choose any techniques, relying just on his powerful physique to jump from rock to rock. A few leaps later, the rock he landed on broke off, and Xiao Wu screamed the rest of the way down before Kong Ye stopped and caught him using his qi whip. Xiao Wu was left dangling upside down in the air far below the lowest point of the island.
"Little Zhe, go play inside," Han Xuhan resolutely ordered before canceling her summon. He took a good look below and decided on his route without hesitation.
Kong Ye was nearly at the bottom of the slope when he heard the thunderous sounds behind him. Twisting his neck around, he saw his disciple Han Xuhan swooping down the mountain. Only, his method looked exceedingly cool, not befitting his level of cultivation. It would have been more appropriate had he been a majestic cultivator with unfathomable cultivation!
"St-stop!" Kong Ye shouted weakly.
Han Xuhan, the weakest disciple of the Crimson Snow Sect, was heroically running his way down the Heavenly Hailstorm mountain, his speed increasing faster and faster with every step, every second, every meter!
And his route was the exact one of his master!
A second later, Han Xuhan crashed right into his target, his safety net, the back of his teacher, pretty much flying the last dozen feet.
The three martial brothers met their martial sister on their way back to Kong Ye's home. She was still carrying the little snake, Hai Yin Zhe on her shoulders. Han Xuhan wanted to test little Zhe's progress before they reached their destination, but before he could get to it, Kong Ye himself appeared on the road ahead, seemingly waiting for them to return.
"Come, come! Hurry!" he shouted, waving his hand and signaling them to follow.
The five students trotted behind their teacher, climbing up to the highest point of the mountain. The sunshine here was irritating on the skin, the heavy sound of the ocean below only enhancing the sense of discomfort.
The Heavenly Hailstorm mountain's location had been moved to a corner of the floating island using the formation designs of the Celestial Gateway Spell.
From the peak, they could directly cast their sight below and observe the sea. One careless misstep and the fall down the steep slope of the mountain-back would lead right into its embrace.
As he was looking around, Han Xuhan realized that they weren't the only ones in this position. Not too far away, the peak of the mountain next to theirs was occupied as well by a few familiar disciples and their master.
Further in that direction, the same scene repeated itself, all around the floating island. A nervous, but festive mood enraptured the disciples as a fierce wind hit them.
"Disciples!" from far behind, Xuan Zi's amplified voice boomed all across the island. Han Xuhan could not see the sect master anywhere nearby. But judging by the amplitude of that voice...was the man shouting from his house?
"I have given you the time to adjust and adapt to the circumstances in the tournament. You've had a small taste of what to expect in the last two days. You've made the preparations to face the future mentally, physically, and academically.... But practical experience-wise, you've been lagging behind.
At least here, in the Titanfall Archipelago, you cannot hope to fight on for long without some training, some feats that require your every field of expertise, and academic excellence that could stand undefeated even in the face of the entire planet!
Right now, I hereby declare the initiation of your new learning curriculum, which you're obliged to follow. Your masters will provide you with the details and guide you to the best of their ability.
Make me proud of the Crimson Snow Sect!
Make yourselves proud of the Crimson Snow Sect! Make the world proud of the Crimson Snow Sect!"
Han Xuhan enthusiastically began to clap as soon as Xuan Zi's voice fell silent. The rest of the disciples nearby followed and soon, the entire outer court was clapping, cheering, and hooting furiously.
"Speeches are easy to celebrate, hard to manifest. Moreso in this case because from what I've seen, your new curriculum is...pretty harsh."
Kong Ye's sympathetic remark was like a bucket of cold water, shocking the four martial siblings back to concrete reality.
When an ambitious teacher labeled a curriculum as 'pretty harsh'....it would probably carry some health hazards.
The ominous premonition they had felt upon hearing Kong Ye's comment turned out to be more than accurate, as the main objective of the day's lesson was declared by the elders in every mountain peak simultaneously.
"Find out the location of the largest spatial crack around the floating island of the Crimson Snow sect."
Han Xuhan was stunned when he heard the sentence coming out of Kong Ye's mouth.
Wasn't this considered against the rules? That the elders weren't supposed to interfere with the sect's progress in the tournament?
He had asked the question immediately. But the answer he had gotten made sense too.
"The rule states that all information regarding the Titanfall Archipelago must be unearthed and analyzed by the disciples themselves. A disciple of our sect has already developed a preliminary analysis of the nature of the spatial cracks. He may or may not be factually correct," Kong Ye had said with a goofy grin on his face. "But the information he has provided is enough for us to use without breaking that rule. Hahaha!"
"But how are we supposed to accomplish this objective?" Xuhan couldn't help but complain. "The spatial cracks keep moving! It might just move away randomly after we've discovered it. Even if we find out the locations of all the cracks around us, there's no way to measure their sizes and compare."
Kong Ye looked unperturbed.
"Indeed, if it was that easy, Master Zi wouldn't have added the task to your curriculum. We, the elders cannot guide you on this without breaking the rules, unfortunately. This makes me unable to answer your question."
"Then how is this a 'lesson'?" Yuen Zhou spoke out in a displeased tone. "Sect master did say this is a part of our academic development."
"Because, you're going to have to use the techniques at your disposal to accomplish this objective and unless you're already good at techniques involving the concept of space, you'll be needing our guidance. We cannot help you find the spatial cracks, but we can help you learn the techniques which will be of use to you."
Han Xuhan scratched his head. Their elders were really good at toeing the line without breaking the law. But why was Xuan Zi so insistent on this type of curriculum? Was he so hell-bent on getting a good position in the tournament rankings?
"All right. Enough with the questions now. Tell me, disciples, what do you think the first step should be if you need to locate and measure the spatial cracks?"
Kong Ye stepped forward and put a foot down on the steep landing leading to the ocean.
The four martial siblings exchanged nervous looks and inched a bit closer to the edge, watching their teacher act like an adrenaline junkie.
"Since it is a problem related to spatial concepts, the first step should probably be to learn a technique related to space," Yuen Zhou answered hesitantly.
"Indeed, that is the best approach. But you lot don't have the qualifications yet to comprehend any such technique. So rule that one out of your options and think again."
This time Kong Ye put his other foot down as well and began to slide downward slowly, using his hands to grip onto the tough soil and slow down his speed of descent. The soil on the edges of the island had been created by the low-level formations of the Celestial Gateway spell. It was not as stable as the actual soil it was imitating. As a powerful cultivator, Kong Ye could easily control his velocity on its surface, which he did so cautiously that his speed would lose to a turtle.
Looking around, Han Xuhan realized that the other elders on the nearby mountain peaks were also descending down the slopes, each of them in different ways. Some had directly leaped off the edge and firmly planted their feet into the bottom of the island's periphery. Some were standing on the hilt of a flying sword thrust into rocks. One master had even weaved a white net in that area at some point and was urging her disciples to jump just like she had.
He shivered as he tried to imagine what a fall from this height would feel like. The island was at least 500 meters above the sea. A normal human could not possibly survive a 50-meter fall, let alone 500. Even his enhanced physique might not have an intact organ left if he fell from here.
Mu Ran was the first to follow Kong Ye's tracks. But Instead of sliding down like him, Mu Ran simply hopped off the edge, hurtling towards a rocky protrusion at the bottom of the island's rim.
"WHOAAA!"
"MASTER! BEHIND YOU!"
"WATCH OUT!"
All three of them at the peak shouted in alarm. Kong Ye did not, however, need to be warned. He did not even turn around, but a rubbery whip made of qi lashed out from his back and wrapped around Mu Ran's feet, dragging him away from the deadly trajectory. Mu Ran's body slammed down hard on a tiny, flat area on the slope. But he was back on his feet in a flash, no injuries visible.
"There were safer methods of coming down." Kong Ye scowled, coming to a stop halfway down his slide.
Mu Ran put his fists together and performed a short bow. "I have full trust in you, master. How could you let me fall to my death so easily? Hahaha!"
Kong Ye had a helpless expression on his face, but it seemed apparent that he was satisfied by Mu Ran's reply.
Back on the peak, Han Xuhan gasped.
Is this still the Mu Ran I know?! Heavens!
It did feel like something a protagonist might do...but it did not fit Mu Ran's template at all.
"Do you three need an invitation?" Kong Ye loudly called from below before beginning to slide down once more. Yuen Zhou sighed and stepped forward, choosing a relatively smooth route to descend.
A couple of daggers appeared in her hands as she slid down, imitating Kong Ye. Every few meters, she stabbed the daggers into the soil to regulate her speed.
It wasn't a very sophisticated method, but it at least looked better than Kong Ye's brutish style.
Xiao Wu and Han Xuhan looked at each other's pale faces and then at the rest of the mountain peaks.
An unprecedented sight greeted their eyes.
Hundreds of disciples were climbing, leaping, hopping, flying, stabbing, and crying their way down the mountains!
He had read many poems in the mortal world, depicting the myths of celestial, epics of heroes, and tales of demons descending from peaks as high as the heavens.
But he had never imagined a scene this impactful.
Is this what it really is like to be a cultivator?
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu became the third disciple to go down. He did not choose any techniques, relying just on his powerful physique to jump from rock to rock. A few leaps later, the rock he landed on broke off, and Xiao Wu screamed the rest of the way down before Kong Ye stopped and caught him using his qi whip. Xiao Wu was left dangling upside down in the air far below the lowest point of the island.
"Little Zhe, go play inside," Han Xuhan resolutely ordered before canceling her summon. He took a good look below and decided on his route without hesitation.
Kong Ye was nearly at the bottom of the slope when he heard the thunderous sounds behind him. Twisting his neck around, he saw his disciple Han Xuhan swooping down the mountain. Only, his method looked exceedingly cool, not befitting his level of cultivation. It would have been more appropriate had he been a majestic cultivator with unfathomable cultivation!
"St-stop!" Kong Ye shouted weakly.
Han Xuhan, the weakest disciple of the Crimson Snow Sect, was heroically running his way down the Heavenly Hailstorm mountain, his speed increasing faster and faster with every step, every second, every meter!
And his route was the exact one of his master!
A second later, Han Xuhan crashed right into his target, his safety net, the back of his teacher, pretty much flying the last dozen feet.
