393 What a Fine Wang Po of Tianliang II

Several decades ago, a young man came out of Tianliang County. His name wasWang Po. The day he appeared, the era of blooming flowers in the world of cultivationformally began. He was a genius in cultivating the Dao, and also a genius in battle. Whetherin cultivating talent or battle prowess, amongst cultivators of the samegeneration, he had always been the strongest. After Zhou Dufu, he was the onlyperson to surpass the rest of his generation's cultivators and was undoubtedlythe strongest expert. From the Proclamation of Azure Sky to the Proclamation ofGolden Distinction, and then the Proclamation of Liberation, he had alwaysoccupied first place. Compared to the present-day Qiushan Jun and Xu Yourong,he was even grander. Even cultivators of such privileged positions asSnow-treading Xun Mei who once obtained first rank on the first banner in theGrand Examination, or Liang Wangsun who was the successor of a noble familythat had accumulated power for a thousand years and one dynasty, found it hardto catch up. It was even because of Wang Po that Xun Mei spent thirty-odd yearsbitterly cultivating in the Mausoleum of Books without leaving. Because theproud and insane Painted Armor Xiao Zhang wanted to surpass Wang Po, he waseven willing to descend into madness and almost became a cripple. Nowadays, he had already cultivated to the peak of Star Condensation. Belowthe Five Saints and Storms of the Eight Directions, besides the legends of theprevious generation like Su Li, the peerless expert who wandered the world, orDivine General Han Qing, there was no one stronger than him. And it must not beforgotten that he had only begun to cultivate several decades ago. The humanworld was optimistic that he could enter the Saint realm and become a Saint ofthe next generation or perhaps take over one of the positions in the EightStorms. There was even the high possibility that he could go even farther andenter the legendary realm of Concealed Divinity! A deathly stillness hung over the streets. The crowd looked at the blue-clothed middle-aged man standing in the ruins ofthe inn, not daring to make a noise. At one end of the long street, LiangHongzhuang's face was abnormally complex as he thought about matters from thepast. On his charming complexion that was not at all like a man's, severalunhealthy smears of red had appeared. It was obvious that his mind wasexcessively agitated. At the other end of the long street, Divine General XueHe looked at the blade he was holding casually in his hand and thought of thosewords Su Li had said to him a few days ago, and in his heart grew anunsurpassable sense of defeat. Back then, Xue He had asked Su Li for guidance. Why did everyone believe thatit would be impossible for him to catch up to Wang Po? Su Li told him that WangPo was too far away from him, in matters of both the blade and the person. Heasked for the reason, and Su Li said, “Because you use seven blades, while WangPo only uses one.” This answer made him somewhat comprehend and feel that hehad understood, but now in that previous moment, when he saw the blade in WangPo's hand send Xiao Zhang flying twice and cause the walls and courtyards ofXunyang City to collapse, he finally understood that Su Li's answer had justbeen lip service. He was inferior to Wang Po, and it had nothing to do with how many blades heused. Even if Wang Po wanted to used three hundred and sixty-five blades, everyday using a different blade, Xue He would still be inferior to Wang Po. Thedistance between him and Wang Po was too vast, and it had nothing to do withperseverance or willpower. It only had to do with talent. This sort ofacknowledgment brought him a great deal of despair and sadness. Right as Liang Hongzhuang and Xue He were about to leave, Wang Po's appearancedealt them an enormous psychological blow. It had also placed a massivepressure on all of Xunyang City, especially those people that wanted to kill SuLi, creating a deathly stillness. It was only Chen Changsheng who, in hisshock, felt a boundless warmth. Yes, it was not ecstasy, but warmth. Ecstasy was often a shocked happiness, coming from something unimaginable.Warmth was more mild, more profound, and more lingering. It was gratificationthat arose from the perfect match of one's desires and reality. He did not knowwhy Wang Po would appear in Xunyang City, but he was grateful for Wang Po'sappearance. He thanked him on the behalf of Su Li and on his own behalf, and onthe behalf of those naive and pure ways of thinking. At this moment, Wang Po's body slightly swayed, and then he began to cough. He coughed blood, and every mouthful of blood was filled with spirit andboldness. Everyone could tell that with a single cough, he became much more exhaustedand haggard. Even for Wang Po, when confronting opponents on the level of XiaoZhang and Liang Wangsun, especially in a one-on-two situation, it was verydifficult to speak of certain victory. Wanting his one blade to push back theenemy, he had used his most unyielding technique and had even suffered injuriesthat he should not have suffered. A breeze blew through the ruins of the inn. The white paper on Xiao Zhang'shead flapped in the breeze, but it was impossible to dispel the bewilderment inXiao Zhang's eyes. Liang Wangsun was unprecedentedly solemn and simultaneouslyintensely shocked and confused. In the battle, Xiao Zhang and Liang Wangsun hadboth exclaimed—they thought Wang Po had gone mad. They were all on the Proclamation of Liberation and since they had beenyouths, they often exchanged pointers. They were both actually very familiarwith Wang Po. They understood Wang Po's temperament, Wang Po's cultivationlevel, Wang Po's faction, Wang Po's likes and dislikes, and Wang Po's style andbehavior. They knew that although Wang Po held half ownership of ScholartreeManor, he had never thought himself to be a southerner. In addition, it wasimpossible for Wang Po to have a single iota of good will towards Mount Li.Crucially, Wang Po did not like Su Li—Su Li was too carefree, like a cloud. Onthe other hand, Wang Po was too disciplined, like an account book that had beenflipped through innumerable times. Why would he save Su Li? They were all peak Star Condensation experts. Both of them had a clearunderstanding of what point Wang Po had cultivated to. Of course, Wang Po wasoutrageously strong, but there was absolutely no way he could defeat theiralliance in such an understated fashion and inflict injuries which would beimpossible to recover from in such a short amount of time. The only possibilitywas that Wang Po had used his most unyielding technique and had suffered heavyinjuries of his own. The injuries that Xiao Zhang and Liang Wangsun had suffered had also not beenlight. They no longer had the strength to battle while Wang Po still seemed tohave some surplus strength. In reality, he had paid an even heavier price thanthey had, and had even possibly affected his future cultivation. Why? Why washis resolve so unshakable, why was he willing to pay any price? Why was hewilling to pay such a great price for a single southerner? "Why do you want to save him?" The white paper was speckled with bloodreminiscent of plum blossoms. When the bloodied white paper was contrasted withXiao Zhang's eyes, it made them seem even more bloody and dreadful. Heunwaveringly fixed his eyes on Wang Po as he felt the destruction wreaked uponhis meridians by the true essence. His voice was hoarse as he shouted hisquestion, angry and uncomprehending. Wang Po was rather exhausted, and the ends of his eyebrows drooped down evenmore. As a result, he seemed even more impoverished. Paired with his bluegarments that had been washed so much that they had started to lose color, hereally did seem just like a normal accountant for an inn. He asked a questionback to Xiao Zhang: "Why do you want to kill him?" Xiao Zhang did not pretend to think. Righteously and self-confidently, evenheroically, he answered, "Because he upsets me." Wang Po was silent for a few moments, and then, paying no more attention tothis madman, he turned to Liang Wangsun. Liang Wangsun's face was pale, but his dim eyes gradually began to glow."There exists animosity between the two of us." This was a calm and powerful reason. Wang Po said, "Let's not fight for a moment." Liang Wangsun replied, "I must fight for every moment." Wang Po answered, "It does not conform with justice." Liang Wangsun rebutted, "Your justice is not my justice." Wang Po replied, "Justice, and also great profit." Liang Wangsun said no more. Wang Po turned back to Xiao Zhang and looked at those eyes behind the whitepaper. "He upsets you, so you came to kill him. Your killing him upsets me, soI won't let you kill him." Just like Su Li's answer to Chen Changsheng, many things in this world werejust this simple.