Pursuit of the Truth

Han Mountain City woke from its slumber at dawn. The number of people on the streets increased, but there was still a depressing atmosphere hanging over the city. Before the envoys of Freezing Sky Clan came, the people were filled with hope.

Yet when they came, this was the result.

These were the final two days. Two days later, the envoys from Freezing Sky Clan would depart, which left the people with little time. Yet even if they had more time, these people in the Blood Solidification Realm could not pass the harsh test.

It was tough even for those who had Awakened. Ke Jiu Si had even left in a fit of rage. What else could they do in this situation?

Being weak, they had no right to choose, neither did they have the right to decide the rules. They could only struggle to live under the rules set by the strong.

Many more people visited the inn during the day. Yet although the inn may be livelier than it was during the night, it was still clearly different from how it was usually. Sometimes, silence would fall upon the people inside. A silence that stemmed from them waiting for the final two days to go by, knowing that they could not even struggle against the will of Freezing Sky Clan.

Perhaps after two days, when all is over, this depressing air would disappear.

Su Ming still remained in the inn drinking. He looked at the sky outside and listened to the discussions laced with defeat along with sounds fueled with anger towards Freezing Sky Clan.

He had been sitting here for a long time, since the previous night till noon. The sun was bright and brought with it heat. It spread into the inn, and the heat seeped into his wine as he drank it.

It was rare for him to have such moments of peace. In his memories, the only times where he did not need to train, isolate himself, hide, and kill were in Dark Mountain.

Ever since he came to the Land of South Morning, peaceful times like these were rare. He treasured them.

He just sat there, and when dusk arrived, cries of surprise rose from outside the building, and rumbling sounds came from afar. They were quickly followed by broken laughter.

”Another person failed again… Only the mad Berserkers in the Blood Solidification Realm will dare challenge those who had Awakened… But if we don’t do this, then we can only give up.”

”Thank goodness Sir Nan Tian and Sir Leng Ying are merciful towards us outsiders. During the past few days, those who challenged them would only be injured, but not dead.”

”Freezing Sky Clan is merciless. Sir Nan Tian and Sir Leng Ying are also forced into this situation. Unless they choose to leave like Sir Ke Jiu Si, then their existence prevents others from getting past the first stage.”

”But what else can they do? If they pretend to fail, it’ll just cause harm to others. The Awakened Berserkers from the three tribes won’t spare anyone who challenges them.”

Su Ming lowered his head and continued drinking wine. When dusk was over and night came once more, most of the people in the inn left. It was the same as last night, the few people left in the inn where all there drinking their sorrows away.

Among them, two of the people had been in the inn the previous night as well. One of them was the old man, and the other was the drunken man.

”Brother, you’ve been here the whole day, no? Come, we might not know each other, but we’re all people who have been similarly cast aside by Freezing Sky Clan! Let’s drink!”

The man picked up his wine pot and went to Su Ming’s table with a smile.

Su Ming smiled faintly and picked up his wine pot to start drinking with the man.

”I’m Luo Lin. What’s your name, brother?”

”Su Ming.”

Su Ming put his wine pot down. This was the first time he used his own name in Han Mountain City.

”Brother Su, let’s drink!”

The man did not mind. He picked up the wine pot and took another big swing.

Soon, the old man who had been in the inn since the previous night also picked up his wine pot and walked over. He looked at Su Ming and the man, then let out a bark of laughter.

”We’re all people who have fallen. I don’t have any mood to train for the next few days. Luckily, after tomorrow, we won’t have to be bothered by this anymore. This is the final night, how about spending it together?”

This night was very different to Su Ming. Besides the two people sharing a table with him, most of the people from Han Mountain City who came to the inn were familiar with each other. Once they introduced themselves, the people in the inn no longer talked about Freezing Sky Clan. Instead, these dejected men drank with each other and laughed drunkenly.

To them, Su Ming was clearly someone who recently came to Han Mountain City to see whether he could join Freezing Sky Clan and was rejected. He was the same as them. There was nothing different between them.

Even if the man called Su Ming was a man of few words, there was always a smile on his face. When he drank, he also downed his wine boldly. Gradually, the people gathered in the inn that night accepted Su Ming as one of them.

When midnight arrived, the two men in blue robes appeared in the inn once again. They sat on the table by Su Ming’s side and joined in their discussions. Sometimes, when the man called Yun looked at Su Ming, there would be deep respect hidden in his eyes. His companion also appeared on edge. He was very reserved. However, once he had enough alcohol in his system, he gradually started getting louder.

The night passed by without everyone’s knowledge. When daylight arrived, the people in the inn slowly fell silent.

”It’s the final day…”

The old man picked up his empty wine pot and a melancholic look appeared on his face.

”This is the third time I came to Han Mountain City, but I had no luck with Freezing Sky Clan in all three… I don’t even know whether there will be a fourth time. Perhaps… there won’t be.”

The old man laughed bitterly.

”It’s day. The envoys will leave today. I won’t drop by at night anymore. If we are fated to see each other again, perhaps we will,” the man said in a carefree manner, but as he spoke, he sighed.

”It’s a pity that right up till the end, we never saw Sir Yun Zang appearing, neither did we see the mysterious Mo Su. No one had ever seen his true appearance either, we only know from rumors that he has great power. But pity… he never appeared.

There were a dozen people who had been drinking beside Su Ming over the night. When the silence was broken, they started discussing amongst themselves. The man in blue robes named Yun lowered his head. When he heard others talking about Yun Zang, he let out a soft sigh.

His companion hesitated for a moment before he looked towards him.

”What I look forward to the most is the Lord Divine General…”

”That’s right, if the Lord Divine General comes back, then we can let Freezing Sky Clan know that there’s also a prodigy among the outsiders in Han Mountain City. I can still remember everything that happened when the Lord Divine General was up against Puqiang Tribe. Every single time I recall it, I’ll feel my blood boiling in excitement… But it’s a pity he didn’t come back.”

”Lord Divine General, where are you…”

The man sitting across Su Ming let out a loud shout which was immediately followed by laughter. He was clearly drunk.

Perhaps alcohol was not the source of a person getting drunk, but only when a person wanted to would he get drunk.

”Lord Divine General, where are you?!”

The old man also shouted while laughing loudly. After such a second call, the other people in the inn started laughing. There was a note of helpless in their laughter, along with anticipation, but most of all, they were venting off their frustrations towards Freezing Sky Clan. They wanted to see someone who could enter Freezing Sky Clan, even if that person was not themselves.

They wanted to let Freezing Sky Clan know that there was also a prodigy among the outsiders in Han Mountain City!

”Lord Divine General, where are you?!”

”Lord Divine General, where are you?!”

These roars came from within the inn. Under the morning’s sunlight, a dozen men shouted at the same time. It was a roar that was given birth after days of feeling depressed. Those sounds traveled out of the inn and into the inns around the area.

Gradually, in another inn located not too far away, the same words tumbled out of the people who were drowning out their frustrations over there, as if they were echoing the same words.

”Lord Divine General, where are you?!”

When the same words traveled out from the second inn, gradually, these words were transmitted from one place to another, rising and falling like a giant wave on the day the envoys from Freezing Sky Clan would leave. No matter which place the words traveled to, they would immediately be echoed.

The people who shouted were not limited to the people in the inns. Almost all the outsiders in Han Mountain City who had been feeling depressed and forced into silence for the past few days joined in to cry out this one single sentence once they heard the words.

These sounds were like a storm that swept past the entire Han Mountain City before it finally quieted down. The moment it died down, Su Ming lifted his head and picked up his wine pot to take a big gulp.

He stood up.

”My friends, thank you for keeping me company for the past two nights. I still have some matters to attend to, so allow me to take my leave.”

Su Ming looked at the people before him. When his gaze fell on the man named Yun, he saw excitement and anticipation in his eyes.

”Brother Su, have a safe trip. I’ll also leave Han Mountain City in a moment. I’m not coming back to this god forsaken place anymore!”

”That’s right! Brother Su, have a safe trip!”

”Come, brother Su, I’ll send you off!”

The people in the inn all lifted their wine pots towards Su Ming. There was kindness and drunkenness in their eyes as they took a big gulp from their pots.

Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm as thanks to the people, turned, and left through the door. He did not walk quickly, but every step he took was stable. His departure did not catch too much attention. Only the man named Yun got up and wrapped his fist in his palm in a salute towards Su Ming.

”I have lost. I… hope you will succeed!”

His words came too suddenly, causing most of the people around to be confused by his actions. When they looked towards Su Ming, he had already walked out of the door. Under the morning sun, he walked towards the second layer of Han Mountain City, where Nan Tian and Leng Ying stayed.

”Challenging all the Awakened Berserkers and winning with one strike… is not hard!”

Su Ming’s expression was calm. He walked through the fourth layer, the third layer, and right up… to the second layer!

When he stood at the second layer, Su Ming did not even need to activate the Branding Art to sense two presences of Awakening nearby.

”Nan Tian!” Su Ming called out unhurriedly.

His voice was not loud, but it echoed through the second layer. Yet the moment it traveled into Nan Tian’s ears, it made him, who was sitting cross-legged and meditating, tremble. He opened his eyes swiftly and shock could be seen in his eyes.

”Who is it?!”

Nan Tian immediately got up and rushed out of his house. With just one glance, he saw a person in green robes standing 100 feet away from his house with his hands behind his back.

Leng Ying also rushed out from another house located not far away. His expression was extremely grave. At that moment, he was walking out of his house quickly. The instant he saw Su Ming, he was shaken and fell into a daze. It was as if he was not looking at a person but a mountain that reached up to the sky.

That person… was like a mountain!