Death… and me

"Don't say… Ahhhh…" Gu Du Xing waved his hands at Chu Yang dismissively as he looked at him with a lost expression. He had almost wanted to kick Chu Yang. This was too atrocious! For someone as clueless as him to advance so quickly… Especially since I witnessed it from the start to the end… I have been trying to enter this state for so many years and have yet to even experience it once.

With that thought, Gu Du Xing began to get more emotional that he almost cried, "I… I should be the one who advanced."

Chu Yang could not find a suitable response. How could he not wish for Gu Du Xing to quickly advance in his cultivation as well? Afterall, advancing by two grades was barely enough since his own strength was still too weak… On the other hand, Gu Du Xing was a grade five Great Sword Master. His fighting strength would still greatly increase even if he advanced by just one grade.

Nevertheless, such a thing depended solely on chance and the person's fundamental understanding. If Chu Yang had tried to help him understand before he was supposed to, his advancement in cultivation might even be delayed. It could even cause Gu Du Xing to never be able to experience the states that Chu Yang had told him about!

It could only be yours if you experienced it on your own. Ultimately, another person's experience was just their own personal thoughts, no matter how good it was. How could two people's thoughts be the same?

If Gu Du Xing had already experienced what Chu Yang had just experienced earlier on in his cultivation, Chu Yang would surely imitate the sword spirit and give him some hints on how to achieve the best results… However, Gu Du Xing had yet to arrive at any of these states. Telling him anything would not be good for his future at all.

Both Chu Yang and Gu Du Xing clearly understood this principle. Hence, they were both feeling down.

"This… That state, how did you enter it?" Gu Du Xing asked hopefully. As soon as those words left his mouth, he immediately shook his head and said, "Never mind. I'm guessing that you don't have a clue either. Such a mysterious state cannot be entered just by knowing ahead of time."

"Very wise. You know a lot." Chu Yang praised him, showing a thumbs up. Such a compliment only made Gu Du Xing's face flash red and white. He became more depressed…

"I don't know how to advance into such states. More importantly, I cannot share with you on my own experience. But I do know one thing…" Chu Yang gazed at Gu Du Xing and continued slowly, "That is… You are in too much of a rush. You should know that haste makes waste! The more you rush, the less you will accomplish. As of today, you have not entered any states. You could keep training really hard, but you will only end up destroying yourself!"

Gu Du Xing was taken aback. All of a sudden, he stood up straight with a pensive look… These words of Chu Yang seemed to have struck a chord with him and must have given him a wake-up call…

He thought quietly for a moment. His breathing returned to normal and he said calmly, "That's right. I have been in too much of a hurry. That was always my weakness. Your experiences and advancements are your own thoughts and fate… If I am to have my own experience, that would depend on my own fate. Why must I ask for it forcefully? All I need to depend on is myself."

Chu Yang smiled and said earnestly, "Ultimately, you will need to depend on yourself."

These words were part of what Chu Yang had just understood recently. Any enlightenment related to the world of martial arts could not be shared with Gu Du Xing. However, enlightenment on life could definitely be shared.

"Depend on yourself." Gu Du Xing's right hand was placed tightly on the hilt of his sword. His whole body appeared to have been transformed into an unsheathed sword, radiating a sharp energy… His eyes started to glow gradually.

Depending on yourself did not mean not getting help from friends and living alone your entire life… It simply meant to rely on your best efforts and own state of mind. Of course, Gu Du Xing understood this very well.

"Chu Yang! Brother! You have helped me once again." Gu Du Xing expressed his gratitude sincerely as he looked at the morning light that was rising from the east.

"You once mentioned that if there were a mountain of knives in front of me, I should walk on you without any regrets." Chu Yang smiled, "If that's the case, what is this little favor that I'm doing for you before going over that mountain?"

Gu Du Xing smiled and got on his feet. With a peaceful smile that was rarely seen, he repeated gently, "Right, if there is a mountain of knives in front of you, I will gladly let you walk on me just to cross it."

He repeated these words so quietly that he was barely emitting any sound… Chu Yang could only see his moves moving slightly but could not hear what he was saying. Nonetheless, Gu Du Xing knew that this was no different than him taking an oath.

Although he knew that Chu Yang's words were said out of jest, Gu Du Xing was sure that Chu Yang would most probably do the same for him if there were a mountain of knives in front of him one day.

There were some things that need not be said and were better off kept inside one's heart. Therefore, Gu Du Xing did not say anything else… He simply kept those words to himself and engraved them deeply in his heart.

"This wall border will be complete by tomorrow. I have already given the work orders for the rooms inside. For now, I wish to go out for a while." Gu Du Xing stared at still lake surface as he spoke, "No martial experts will come to join us if we just keep sitting here. I have to go out and choose a few more people. Also… I need to kill a few more people!"

"Okay, leave all of this for me to settle."

Gu Du Xing continued slowly, "I ran away from home to give myself a chance to train. A phenomenon of heaven and earth will appear and all of the Nine Heavens will change. Both Middle Three Heavens and Upper Three Heavens have disciples of large family clans that are out to train. Moreover, they are all outstanding talents from one clan or another…"

Chu Yang clearly understood Gu Du Xing's intentions even before he spoke finish. He interrupted, "So, do you intend to recruit these people?" The moment Chu Yang posed his question, he felt disturbed… The world was changing, the Nine Heavens were changing, family clans were training… What did all of this mean?

In his previous life, these things never occurred… The appearance of these people in Lower Three Heavens… What else will happen from now on? How will fate be affected? What will happen to this continent? What effects will all these things have?

Gu Du Xing thought for a moment before he finally shook his head, "I'm not sure…"

He pondered for a short while and let out a sigh, "I'm not sure at all."

Chu Yang smiled. He understood what Gu Du Xing meant when he said 'not sure'. First and foremost, it would be difficult to recruit talented people from powerful families into Heavenly Armament Pavilion. How could these extremely skillful people agree to be a subordinate to others? Secondly, even if he had managed to recruit someone, that person would not want to be a subordinate. In fact, that person might even attempt to take over full control of the running of the place. If that were the case, he was not sure if he could stop that person.

Besides, how could these little masters not bring along a few powerful bodyguards with them when they left home to train? Moreover, Gu Du Xing and Chu Yang were still very weak.

"Which of the two sons of your foster father will be coming here?" Chu Yang asked.

"They are both coming here." Gu Du Xing let out a faint smile and continued, "They are very competitive with one another. Neither of them would agree to sit still." Gu Du Xing smiled as he said cynically.

"Should we kill them?" Chu Yang suggested sincerely, "They have walked all over you your whole life. I'm sure that they will not leave you alone once they arrive. Have you ever thought about this?"

Gu Du Xing was taken aback. His eyes were filled with mixed feelings as he looked at Chu Yang, "I would have killed them by now if I had intended to kill them." He turned and said softly, "No matter how they treat me, they are still my foster father's sons. He only has these two sons. Furthermore, they are Sister Xiao Miao's brothers. If they were to die… I am afraid that my foster father and Sister Xiao Miao would surely be devastated. The Gu family would then no longer have a successor."

"This is strange but I wish to kill them more than you do. Yet, I will never take their lives for three reasons, that is the Gu family, my foster father's unwavering care for me, and Sister Xiao Miao." Gu Du Xing continued in earnest, "I would even protect them if they were in danger."

He laughed forcefully, "It's such a contradiction, right?"

"Gu Du Xing." Chu Yang said sincerely, "You are truly a great man. No, you are a model of what a man should be. To kill is to be a great man. But to not kill, he is a role model for all men."

"To kill is to be a great man. But to not kill, he is a role model for all men." Gu Du Xing repeated Chu Yang's words quietly. After a short while, he smiled and shook his head without uttering a word. He stood silent for a moment, looking at the eastern sky. Subsequently, he took a deep breath and said, "The sun is up. I am going out. I should be back within a month at the latest."

Without waiting for Chu Yang's reply, he lifted his arms. Unlike a gliding eagle, he did not fly up. Instead, he touched the surface of the water twice with his feet before reaching the shore on the other side. From a distance, he waved goodbye. His body shook twice and he disappeared completely.

On the lake, the two ripples that were created when Gu Du Xing's feet touched the water were slowly spreading outwards.