Chapter 0005

Chapter 5: Cleansing the Heart, Reaching the Highest Sky

[I should have seen it. That country wretch hid evil intentions. He gathered his own people behind our backs and wants to split the sect.]

Mo Liu Su’s face was dark as night. Threads of killing intent spread from her, cold and heavy, making it hard to breathe. Even Immortal Maiden White Crane closed her mouth and dared not anger her.

Tang Qi bent close and spoke in a low voice: “I agree with Master. Senior brother always acted humble and quiet, but in secret he drew many to his side. I think he planned this scene long ago to raise his weight and force Master to give in.”

Jiang Yu Yao quickly chimed in, voice firm: “Yes. This is exactly what he would do. I can testify to it.”

Mo Liu Su let out a cold laugh: “Then he will be disappointed. Birds of a feather flock together. They are only a crowd without order. They cannot form real strength, and they cannot change my will.”

Her words made many elders’ hearts tighten. To belittle so many of the sect’s disciples just to put down Zhou Tong was not the bearing a leader should have. Her voice carried into every ear, and the hundred kneeling disciples heard it clearly, yet none of them wavered.

Zhou Tong looked at the bright-eyed youths around him and spoke softly: “There is no need to go this far. For a useless man like me, you are bringing trouble on yourselves.”

He could not help feeling moved. [In my last life I sank into self-pity and thought I was alone, pushed away by the whole world. I forgot that people like Mo Liu Su were not my whole world. Somewhere out of sight, there were still people who admired me, trusted me, and took me as their hope and hero. These are the ones worth protecting. In this life, I will fight to guard them.]

That single thought cut through the fog. The long-standing shackles on his heart loosened and grew brittle, ready to crumble with a light touch. In his last life, his skills had nearly touched the laws of heaven. He had been one step from the peak, yet that small gap limited his whole life. Even at death, he could not move forward.

A sage had once told him that his heart still had a missing piece. If he could not fill it, he would never reach a complete path. Now, that missing piece had finally been found. He had regained the right to reach for the peak of martial cultivation. [This time, I will leave no regrets.]

With that, heaven and earth seemed wider. Inside Zhou Tong, change surged from the root of his soul. It was a sweeping moment of insight, a shedding of the old self. From inside to outside, his whole being pulled together to help him be reborn.

Others could not see the signs, but Zhou Tong knew what would follow. He would trigger a brilliant heaven-and-earth phenomenon and step through the gate of cultivation again.

A nearby disciple noticed him pause and asked with worry: “Senior brother, why did you stop? Are you feeling unwell?”

At those words, everyone slowed and stared at Zhou Tong in concern.

Zhou Tong smiled and said with warmth: “If you escort someone a thousand miles, there must still be a goodbye. I accept your kindness. Now head back.”

Faces showed doubt. One started to protest in a small voice: “Senior brother… your cultivation… please let us guard you a bit longer…”

Zhou Tong’s face turned stern as he cut them off: “Stop. Are you not listening to me?”

The boys and girls straightened at once. “Don’t be angry, senior brother,” they said, “we will listen. But please remember this: no matter what trouble you meet, we will share the load. If anyone dares bully you, even if we are far away, we will make them pay. Even if we cannot win now, one day we will.”

Their strong voices were not only for Zhou Tong. They were also a warning to everyone watching. Let the world know that even if Zhou Tong now seemed like a mortal, his junior brothers and junior sisters were not easy to push. Anyone who wanted to harm him had better think twice.

Mo Liu Su clenched her fists, her chest rising and falling fast as she hissed: “What a batch of rebels. If I don’t discipline you, you will think I am just a decoration.”

By her side, the fire of jealousy in Tang Qi’s eyes almost burst out. [Why? Zhou Tong is a cripple. Shouldn’t everyone kick him while he’s down? Why do so many still respect him? I, Tang Qi, have a bright spirit and king-level talent. I should be the one the crowd praises. Why am I still under that cripple’s shadow?]

Even Jiang Yu Yao and Ge Hong Qiu stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. They had always looked down on Zhou Tong. His influence today felt like a dream.

Immortal Maiden White Crane looked at the lonely figure in the Heavenly Mirror and spoke again: “Mo Liu Su, don’t be stubborn. Invite Zhou Tong back. When the Sect Master finishes his seclusion, let him decide everything.”

Mo Liu Su sat down calmly, looking down at the man in the mirror like a ruler from on high as she said: “Nonsense. He is already a cripple. What can he do with fame? Soon everyone will forget him. Without the sect’s support, he will never rise again. He will be ordinary until he dies.”

Silence spread. Her words were not without reason. Zhou Tong’s past glory could not cover the fact that his cultivation had been destroyed. Once it reached this point, it was almost impossible to return to the path. Many geniuses who were crippled never stood up again and were lost among the crowd. Could Zhou Tong escape that fate?

The elders wavered at this thought. Even Immortal Maiden White Crane showed doubt. Seeing it, Mo Liu Su’s lips lifted a little. She had to admit the waves Zhou Tong stirred today were surprising, but that was all. Without power, one had no right to be hard. In the end, Zhou Tong would bow.

The next moment, change struck like thunder. The Heavenly Mirror burst with brilliant light. Everyone looked up and fixed on the glowing figure inside.

“Is that… Zhou Tong? What is happening?” someone asked, feeling something strange.

The answer came at once. With a boom, color poured down from the sky. Auspicious clouds rose. The air filled with sweet scent. Lotuses seemed to bloom from the earth. It was a scene of great wonder.

At the same time, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth shook and rushed in from every direction, pouring madly into Zhou Tong. He was like a bottomless well, accepting it all. Waves of a cultivator’s power rose from him again, and the center of his brow shone with light.

Countless watchers sucked in a cold breath.

A seasoned expert cried out in joy: “Great awakening. His soul has risen. He has resolved the regret in his heart. He broke first and now rebuilds. He has stepped back onto the path and will be stronger than before.”

The eyes of many sect masters turned hot at once. This was a gift from the sky: an unmatched talent without allegiance, and with clear good omens. They could not let this chance pass.

One voice rang out: “Attend me. Take my Sect Master token and rich gifts. Ask that boy if he will join the Infinite Way Sect.”

Another answered at once: “My Mystic Heaven Sect will not fall behind. Talent like this belongs with us.”

A third laughed: “We won’t let you have all the glory. We’ll each show our skill.”

In an instant, leaders from many sects burned with desire to throw out olive branches. A crippled Zhou Tong was worthless. But a Zhou Tong who had broken and been reborn was even more valuable than before. How could they not chase him?

There was a sharp crack. Mo Liu Su crushed the teacup in her hand. Scalding tea ran down her white palm, and she did not even notice. She whispered, eyes blank and far away: “How is this possible? That waste…”