Death… and me

"Listen, everyone! We're going to confront the Three Stars Divine Clan for the entire Middle Three Heavens' safety," Gu Du Xing came straight to the point, "We might die… or end-up going missing… or might get buried in the mouth of a spirit beast. But, I only have one thing to say in this regard… "

Around two-thousand soldiers stood below. Their gazes were fixed on him.

There was complete silence. No one spoke a single word.

Gu Du Xing stood under the flags of the Gu Clan. He drew out his sword, and clamored, "I want to say that… no matter what happens, we'll always have the support of our homeland… our parents… our loved ones… our family… and our children."

"So, let's leave now." He then jumped forward, and landed on a horse. After that, he turned around and bowed. He cupped his fists in a respectful salute, "Foster Father, please take care of yourself."

Gu Yun Lan waved his hands, and replied in a deep voice, "I only have a small request – come back alive."

"I will."

Gu Du Xing led the way under the fluttering banners. He was being followed by the majestic cavalry; they rode forward like a tornado. The ice and snow was broken into pieces as the iron hooves trampled over them. The entire atmosphere was overshadowed by the sound of 'clanging' metals.

Gu Yun Lan kept standing motionless for a long time. He watched as the Gu Clan's majestic troops slowly disappeared into the horizon.

"Clan Lord…" A person appeared next to him. This was the same elder who had gone to call Gu Du Xing earlier. "Is the Clan Lord still suspicious of Young Master Du Xing?"

"I'm not," Gu Yun Lan replied profoundly. "I haven't been suspicious of him ever since he has returned to us."

"Oh…" The Elder was surprised by his response.

"We all belong to the Gu Clan. We all have the same surname – Gu!" Gu Yun Lan said in a heavy tone, "I didn't want Gu Yan Yang and Gu Yan Yue to die since I'm their biological father. But, it seems that the majority of our clan members were looking forward to their early deaths… Isn't that right?"

The Elder lowered his head; he didn't dare to speak a single word.

"Those two… certainly weren't cut out to lead the clan," Gu Yun Lan heaved a deep sigh. He then said, "But, Gu Du Xing clearly is."

"Indeed," the Elder agreed with him.

"So, we must forget this matter for the sake of our Clan." Two drops of tears slipped down from the corners of Gu Yun Lan's eyes as he shut them tightly. He then added, "I just hope that our Gu Clan… continues to prosper forever and ever."

After that, he lowered his head.

He was the Lord of the Gu Clan. So, he had learnt to abandon things that needed to be abandoned. He had learnt to sacrifice things that needed to be sacrificed for the sake of the Clan. However, no one could truly understand the kind of pain and grief he must've undergone in order to uphold his position as the Clan Lord.

Nobody knew…

There were probably a few people who were grateful to him for doing so much for the Clan. But, no one ever spoke about it.

Not even a single person.

"Young Master Du Xing's speed of progress is extremely impressive. I'm certain that he'll break through to the Sword Emperor level before reaching the age of thirty. Moreover, all of us are aware of the relationship he shares with Young Miss Miao Ling. So, they should get married when the time is right… Then, Young Master Du Xing will no longer be just your adopted son; he'll also become your son-in-law… It goes without saying that a son-in-law is no less than a half-son… "

The Elder stood by his side and continued, "Clan Lord, please don't worry about anything. The offspring may be your daughter's son, but he'll still be your own blood. After all, the Gu Clan's future heir will be your own grandson. His very existence would ensure that our future generations inherit the Gu Clan's bloodline. Clan Lord, isn't this good for all? It's an established fact that there's no such thing as perfection in this world… "

"Yes… that would be great," Gu Yun Lan seemed lost in his own thoughts. He murmured with a smile, "There's no such thing as perfection in this world… there's no such thing as perfection… there has never been… and will never be… "

Gu Yun Lan turned around, and walked inside the manor, "I'm going to see Miao Ling… That poor girl has suffered a lot recently… "

Then, his figure slowly disappeared.

The Elder sighed, and followed after him. He was secretly rejoicing in his heart, [The Gu Clan's 'crisis phase' is finally over…]

*** ***

Meng Chao Ran and Tan Tan had arrived in the Middle Three Heavens a long time ago. They were crossing a wilderness, and were heading towards the Cang Lan Battlefront.

Meng Chao Ran didn't wish to increase Chu Yang's troubles in the Lower Three Heavens. Moreover, he wanted to get away from the quarrels at that place. Therefore, he had brought along Tan Tan to seek shelter in the Middle Three Heavens.

They had been coming across unexpected scenarios ever since they had arrived in the Middle Three Heavens.

Meng Chao Ran had discovered certain changes in his body. Moreover, the concentration of spirit energy was about three times more in the Middle Three Heavens.

Meng Chao Ran had realized that his own cultivation was progressing by leaps and bounds. This was under the stimulation of highly concentrated spirit energy; especially when coupled with the 'body tempering methods' taught by Chu Yang.

Meng Chao Ran could barely complete the set of movements taught to him by Chu Yang when he was still in the Lower Three Heavens. However, he had been able to complete the entire set of movements in the Middle Three Heavens. Moreover, he was now able to discharge the impurities from his body.

Things had completely gone out of hand after that. Meng Chao Ran had started to cherish this opportunity, and had made good use of it. He had started to practice those movements three times a day. Consequently, the impurities had been completely discharged from his body by the third day…

The rich concentration of spirit energy in the Middle Three Heavens was enhanced by the fact that they had Divine Chi Gathering Fish with them. This had led to a multi-fold increase in the accumulation of dense spirit energy.

Meng Chao Ran realized that his own cultivation had skyrocketed. In fact, he had been able to break through one grade within three days.

He had continued to have breakthroughs in the two months that had followed. And, he had already reached the peak of the Ninth Grade Revered Martial Artist by now. He was only one step away from becoming a King level expert now.

It seemed as if his body had adapted to the Middle Three Heavens' rich spirit energy. But, this had also slowed down his cultivation speed as time had progressed. However, the progress of martial energy within his body was several times faster as compared to the Lower Three Heavens.

Tan Tan's progress had been even more exaggerated. He had gone crazy owing to the presence of the Divine Chi Gathering Fish by his side. He had started to practice martial arts to the extent of being considered a maniac… He had even stopped eating…

He had almost ended-up breaking his back when he had successfully completed the set of movements for the first time. However, the results had left him in utter joy…

He had been making a breakthrough every three to four days over the past two months. He had managed to step-up from the Sixth Grade Martial Artist to a Martial Master. They were a series of steady breakthroughs. It seemed as if he was leaping from one cloud to another as he was advancing forward. In fact, Tan Tan's cultivation had continued to progress by leaps and bounds even when Meng Chao Ran's progress-speed had returned to normal.

In fact, Tan Tan had reached the First Grade of Martial Great Master now.

Meng Chao Ran felt as if he was in a dream as he witnessed such an insane progressing speed. He examined Tan Tan's body thoroughly. He then came to realize that a strange change had occurred in his body; it was completely different from before.

This left him scratching his head like an idiot, [This strange change in Tan Tan's body… Was this hidden within his body all along? Or… has this happened after he arrived in the Middle Three Heavens?]

[If this is an inborn trait… why didn't I discover it earlier? If the change occurred after he arrived here, then… ] Meng Chao Ran felt that this was getting too strange and perplexing. He had never heard of something like this happening to someone upon moving from the Lower Three Heavens to the Middle Three Heavens.

[Surprisingly, it has transformed his aptitude for the better…]

Tan Tan had already broken through to the level of the Martial Great Master. But, Meng Chao Ran had figured that things couldn't go on like this. [What Tan Tan really needs right now isn't the rapid progress, but real-life battle experience.]

Therefore, he had decided to take Tan Tan to the Cang Lan Battlefront. He had wanted him to gain real-battle experience on the way. However, he was unaware of the enormous changes which were taking place at the Cang Lan Battlefront at this time.

They had now arrived in front of the Ice Mirror Mountain.

This so-called 'Ice Mirror Mountain' was a huge precipice. It seemed as if it had been severed with a knife from top to bottom. It appeared like a big piece of flatland when looked from beneath. This flat mountain-wall got covered with ice to form a giant mirror in the winter season. Someone passing through this area would be able see their reflection in the mirror. In fact, they would feel as if they were inside the mirror. This was one of the most wondrous sites of the Middle Three Heavens.

The Cang Lan Battlefront was located on the other side of the Ice Mirror Mountain. In fact, it could be said that this mountain was a part of the Cang Lan Battlefront.

Meng Chao Ran almost collapsed as he saw this spectacle.

Even Tan Tan was baffled. His face turned pale as soon as he laid eyes on the mirror. He looked at the mountain-wall, and shouted, "Master, Master, this entire mountain is a mirror, ah… "

Meng Chao Ran gave a cold smile in response…

But then, something unexpected happened. Tan Tan's face revealed a shocked expression as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes and mouth were wide open.

Meng Chao Ran felt that something was off. He turned around to look into the mirror. He saw Tan Tan's reflection; his eyes were still wide open with shock. However, what was most shocking wasn't the bewildered look on Tan Tan's face, but his face itself. Surprisingly, the mirror made him look extremely handsome owing to the deformed and shocked expression on his face.

His eyebrows were on the same level in the reflection. The bridge of his nose no longer looked abrupt. His ears seemed to have sharpened enough to complement his face. This made him look like an adorable chocolate boy.

Meng Chao Ran was startled by this. So, he quickly turned his head to look at Tan Tan. But, he realized that it was true. Therefore, it became clear that Tan Tan looked extremely handsome whenever he was in utter shock or showed signs of bewilderment on his face.

Tan Tan became excited as he saw this. Therefore, the astonished look on his face faded-off, and his 'shocked' facial expression went back to normal.

"Master… did you see that? I looked particularly handsome, didn't I?" Tan Tan asked in a jubilant manner as he looked at Meng Chao Ran.

"Well, you certainly looked much better than before… I must say that you looked quite pleasing to the eyes." Meng Chao Ran was very happy since this boy was his own apprentice. [His appearance has always been quite… twisted…]

However, Meng Chao Ran was about to turn gloomy…

Tan Tan walked a few steps, and went closer to the mirror. After that, he turned his head from side-to-side a few times, and grinned at the mirror. He then walked a few steps away from the mirror. He turned around, and grinned once again. He started to try out different facial expressions.

He realized after several experiments, [I look the best only when I'm shocked.]

Thereafter, Meng Chao Ran's torture started…

"Whoa! Master!" Tan Tan appeared to be in 'shock' as he said, "Look, there's grass over there."

Meng Chao Ran laughed mildly in response.

"Whoa! Master!" Tan Tan continued to speak in a 'shocked' manner, "The grass is green."

Meng Chao Ran could only smile this time.

"Whoa! Master!" Tan Tan said in amazement, "Look how high the sky is."

Meng Chao Ran gave a hollow laugh this time.

"Whoa! Master!" Tan Tan was even more 'shocked' this time, "Look at the soil on the ground…"

Meng Chao Ran's smiling face turned stiff.

"Whoa! Master!" The 'shocked' Tan Tan said in an eager manner, "Look at me. Look at me."

Meng Chao Ran's mouth twitched.

"Whoa, Master!" Tan Tan maintained the 'shocked' expression on his face as he asked, "Don't I look handsome right now?"

Meng Chao Ran's body swayed.

"Whoa! Master!" Tan Tan moved closer to him. He then said, "I look more handsome now, don't I?"

Meng Chao Ran's cheeks were streamed with tears as he collapsed…

Was Meng Chao Ran a stoic man? The fact was that even Diwu Qing Rou wouldn't stand a chance against Meng Chao Ran if the basis of judgements was trimmed down to one's psychological composure and forbearance.

Meng Chao Ran wouldn't blink an eye if he were standing in the path of a massive landslide… or facing the turbulence of raging seas. He would remain calm and composed even in life and death situations. He could even stay calm while submerged in a sea comprised of a million corpses.

It was unprecedented for someone to have such kind of forbearance. However, Meng Chao Ran had finally been defeated by his own disciple­— a boy he had raised with his own hands.

This is how Tan Tan shattered his master's forbearance…