Death… and me

The reason Shi Qian Shan was plotting against his two fellow Disciples was that during that time, their Teacher had received a "Spring and Autumn Elixir" from the sect. The Spring and Autumn Elixir, as its name suggested, would give whoever consumed it a year's worth of pure martial powers!

Their Teacher had completed a task for the sect, and the Spring and Autumn Elixir was his reward. Chu Yang remembered that his Teacher had said that he would not benefit from consuming the elixir, and was considering giving it to one of his Disciples instead.

The Spring and Autumn Elixir. Chu Yang's heart was briefly filled with sadness. It was considered literal trash in the Three Higher Heavens. And yet, for that trivial elixir, their Eldest Martial Brother had actually tried to destroy both him and Tan Tan!

Chu Yang recalled that in his previous life, the Spring and Autumn Elixir had been given to Eldest Martial Brother Shi Qian Shan…

It was not until after Tan Tan's sudden death, and Chu Yang was going to pay his respects to Tan Tan, that Chu Yang unintentionally discovered the truth. He had seen Eldest Martial Brother standing before Tan Tan's gravestone marker, and accidentally overheard him reveal the truth behind that incident. Only then did he realise that the Eldest Martial Brother, whom he and Tan Tan had respected all their lives, was actually such a conniving person!

When he thought about his naivety, Chu Yang sighed in his heart. How foolish he and Tan Tan been in their previous lives…

Shi Qian Shan, who was twenty-three or four, had a slim build and a very refined appearance. On most days, he would be extremely cordial with Chu Yang and Tan Tan. From an outsider's perspective, he seemed even closer to his two Younger Martial Brothers than a biological elder brother.

However, Chu Yang had never suspected that everything was actually just a facade! Shi Qian Shan, from the beginning to the end, had made use of Chu Yang and Tan Tan! All of his acting, was just so that he could trample on his two Younger Martial Brothers at the most crucial moment, and enjoy, by himself, the cultivation resources of the sect!

However, Chu Yang could understand why Shi Qian Shan had done such a thing. No matter what he had to do, Shi Qian Shan had wanted to enter the Inner Quarters of the Beyond The Heavens Storey and become an Inner Quarters Disciple. Following which, he wanted to become the Eldest Martial Brother of all the Inner Quarters Disciples in the entire Beyond The Heavens Storey, and enter the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds of the Beyond The Heavens Storey! And then, once he had entered that place, he would then be a candidate for the sect's next Sect Master! Of all the Disciples in the Beyond The Heavens Storey, only one person would achieve such a position!

Shi Qian Shan had always fanatically pursued power and authority! And to achieve his goals, there was nothing he would not do!

The three of the Martial Brothers were at that point External Disciples of the Beyond The Heavens Storey, and it was nearly impossible for them to enter the Inner Quarters. For Shi Qian Shan even stand a chance at entering, he would need to prove that he had exceptional talent again and again, at the sect's Disciples Sparring Conventions, sparring until he was the last person standing!

This had also been how the Beyond The Heavens Storey had always introduced healthy competition and encouraged constant improvement amongst its Disciples since generations ago.

That was why, although the Spring and Autumn Elixir would provide only a mere year's worth of pure martial powers, to each of those young Disciples, it was more than sufficient to give them a leg up and help them greatly surpass their fellow Martial Brothers!

In his previous life, Shi Qian Shan had succeeded in entering the Inner Quarters. He had then slowly advanced one rank at a time, finally obtaining the qualifications to compete for the position of Eldest Martial Brother.

However, four years later, for unknown reasons, the Beyond The Heavens Storey was suddenly attacked by a coalition of various large sects, and was completely annihilated, turning into nothing more than dust and ashes within a single night!

On that night, Chu Yang had fallen unconscious due to his injuries and was buried under a mountain of corpses. When he finally regained consciousness, three days had passed.

At that point, a fierce fire was still raging inside the Beyond The Heavens Storey. The main building of the Beyond The Heavens Storey, having been subject to this raging fire for three days, finally collapsed, nearly trapping the unconscious Chu Yang under its rubble.

However, after the collapse, Chu Yang found a fragment of a sword deep inside the building's foundation, gleaming brilliantly! It seemed to carry with it the temptation of a Devil's …

That was the first fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword – the Sword Point.

Chu Yang had been extremely fortunate, obtaining a fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword. His path to Revered Martial Artist began from that moment … even though at that point in time, he was already twenty!

In any case, Chu Yang's recalled that the foundation of the collapsed main building was the exact location of the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds of the Beyond The Heavens Storey! The place where Shi Qian Shan had dreamed of entering!

The corners of Chu Yang's lips turned up slightly, and he muttered, "Shi Qian Shan, in this life, the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds shall belong to me!"

Since he had been reborn and had gained four years of time, how could he waste those four years? He would definitely obtain the Nine Tribulations Sword even earlier! However, in order to obtain the Nine Tribulations Sword, he would need to enter the Inner Quarters, obtain the status of Eldest Martial Brother, and enter the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds! There was no other way to the first fragment!

"What did you say?" Chu Yang's voice was almost inaudible, and Tan Tan could not hear what he was saying. He could only see Chu Yang's lips moving briefly, and he could not help but ask.

"I said… isn't the sky really blue today! And the earth really strong and sturdy? The purple bamboos really pleasant to the eyes, and the flowers exceptionally fragrant? Tan Tan, you too, haven't you become really handsome? Hahahaha…" Chu Yang jumped up and burst into sudden laughter. It was a clear and melodious laughter, which resonated in the distance.

At that point, Chu Yang was completely fired up! He would make up for all the regret he had felt in his past life!

"Qing Wu, wait for me!"

"I won't disappoint you this time!"

"I really want to tell you that you look nicer than a sword! I want to tell you that in this world, you look the nicest! You look the nicest!"

"Tan Tan, my good Brother! I won't let you die this time!"

"And Mo Tian Ji, you'd better watch your back!"

"The peak in the Way of the Heavens will be ascended by me, Chu Yang…I! Will! Ascend! It!"

"Well, of course, I'm handsome, but just how are the sky, earth, and purple bamboos… just how are they nice to look at? … I think you've really gone mad," Tan Tan muttered in confusion, blinking twice. One of his eyebrows was raised towards the sky, and the other was pointed towards the ground.

"Chu Yang, Tan Tan! The both of you are here, huh?" Following a brief, refreshing laughter, a young man in cyan clothes emerged from inside the Purple Bamboo Forest, dodging the bamboo branches.

The person had a slim build and thin face. He was tanned and had a pair of small, but expressive eyes.

Shi Qian Shan!

Chu Yang immediately turned towards Shi Qian Shan, and calmly looked at his gentle, smiling face. He noticed a flash of disappointment and irritation masked deep within Shi Qian Shan's gaze.

It must have been from seeing that Chu Yang was still alive! Damn it, why did he not die?

However, Shi Qian Shan's face contorted in anger, and he shouted, "What are the both of you doing! Chu Yang, what happened to your head! Haven't I always told the two of you that during sparring practice between Martial Brothers, you should only lightly attack your sparring partner? Tan Tan, are you trying to kill Chu Yang, using that much force?"

Tan Tan looked at Shi Qian Shan with fear, and shame was written across his entire face. He stuttered, "Eldest Martial Brother, it's… it's my fault… my, my handsome looks had stunned Chu Yang, and he… he fell into a daze…"

Chu Yang was dumbstruck.

"Ahh, the two of you, ahhh… you guys really don't let me have a peace of mind," Shi Qian Shan let out a sigh, as if he was greatly disappointed, "Ahh, when will the two of you let Teacher and me rest assured? Both of you are already so old, and yet you guys still behave like children…"

While saying that, he quickly walked over to Chu Yang with a concerned face. As he was walking, in one quick movement, he tore off a piece of his inner clothes. Kneeling before Chu Yang, Shi Qian Shan had a sympathetic look. "Does it hurt? Don't move, I'll bandage it up for you. Don't move suddenly, ok… For the next few days, don't run about; otherwise, the wind will enter your wounds…"

Shi Qian Shan carefully used the tip of his robe to wipe away the blood on Chu Yang, before bandaging Chu Yang's wounds gently. Finally, feeling assured that the wound was sufficiently bandaged, he looked at Chu Yang once more and sighed, saying, "Haa, if Teacher saw this, he would definitely blame me for not looking after my two Younger Martial Brothers. Ahhh, you guys…" He sighed again and shook his head.

"Eldest Martial Brother… we're really sorry …" Feeling miserable, Tan Tan added, "Sorry… When I spar with Chu Yang again, I'll wear a mask…"

"Why did you apologise to me? Haaa, wouldn't you be in extreme pain if you suffered such a large wound?" Shi Qian Shan said angrily. "You should apologise to Younger Martial Brother Chu Yang instead!"

Secretly, Shi Qian Shan despised Tan Tan's narcissism. "He's so ugly, but still manages to be such a narcissist? That really is something."

Shi Qian Shan had a manner of speech which made others feel as if his every single sentence was completely heartfelt. Moreover, his gaze was always unflinching, looking others straight in the eyes. It was a gaze which looked magnanimous, and people always had the impression that he was a righteous, sincere guy who did everything from the bottom of his heart!

"Yes, I understand" Tan Tan nodded his head repeatedly in guilt. Being on the receiving end of Eldest Martial Brother's tender scolding, he could not help but feel ashamed of his actions. While mindlessly touching his face, Tan Tan sighed heavily, for he felt sorry that his suave looks had actually caused a disaster and were unforgivable…

Chu Yang silently sighed. That Shi Qian Shan, his expressions, actions, and even tone all seemed that so genuine, and his acting was absolutely flawless. If Chu Yang had not been reborn, he would definitely have gotten deceived by him…

No wonder in his previous life, Shi Qian Shan had been able to consistently stand out from the rest of the External Disciples and rise quickly through the ranks to compete for the position of Eldest Martial Brother!

If the Beyond The Heavens Storey had not been destroyed, Chu Yang was certain that the position of Inner Quarters Disciples' Eldest Martial Brother would have gone to Shi Qian Shan!

His two-faced nature and ability to look like he was doing one thing, but was actually doing another surpassed everyone else! His acting was simply flawless! No one would never know what he was plotting.

"No wonder, in my previous life, after Shi Qian Shan entered the Inner Quarters, he had successfully wooed the Sect Master Wu Yun Liang's daughter, Wu Qing Qing in such a short amount of time…"

Wu Qing Qing was known as the most beautiful woman in the Beyond The Heavens Storey and was not lacking in potential suitors. However, although Shi Qian Shan's physical appearance was not extraordinary, he had been able to slowly capture the affections of the popular Wu Qing Qing! When news of their relationship had spread around, the entire Beyond the Heavens Storey was utterly astonished!

However, only now did Chu Yang know that nothing had been coincidental! Shi Qian Shan had planned for it to happen!

"In this lifetime, however, if Shi Qian Shan thinks that he'll be able to accomplish his goals so easily… well, we'll see about that. Before him, there is now me, Chu Yang! With me, he might as well remove his mask of sincerity, for I already know of his cunningness and conspiracies!"

"Let's go, follow me. Let's return back so that you can rest." Shi Qian Shan helped Chu Yang stand up.

Chu Yang smiled, but as he put one leg in front of the other, he was suddenly startled by an extreme hunger coming from within his own Dantian. It was an extremely pressing, urgent feeling.

Chu Yang was greatly astonished!

"What's happening? This feeling of hunger… should be coming from my stomach, right? If that's so, maybe I might have felt an unbearable pain in my stomach, but why is there such a strange feeling in my Dantian as well?"

The feeling of hunger surged out of his Dantian like a great wave, ready to crash onto Chu Yang. Within his Dantian, it was as if a bottomless pot had been opened.

Although Chu Yang was mentally strong, he found the feeling of hunger absolutely unbearable! To ease his pain, Chu Yang immersed himself into his mental consciousness and activated his martial powers to observe the internal situation in his body. A single look, nearly caused Chu Yang to exclaim in shock!

At the center of his Dantian, the shadow of an empty, small, sword had actually emerged! It was dark and murky and was just one-third the size of a finger. Eight cracks could be clearly seen on the body of the sword!

The shape of that sword was a little strange, but from Chu Yang immediately recognised it!

Although dilapidated-looking and only an illusory shadow, without form, it gave off a slight overpowering presence!

"Isn't, isn't this the Nine Tribulations Sword?! Huh?! Why is it inside my own Dantian?"

Chu Yang was stupefied, and he staggered twice, almost falling from the shock!