A few days later, Qiu Shuijing decided to leave and informed Su Yun of his departure. However, seeing Su Yun come out to send him off, he felt a pang of pity and hesitated to leave.
"Su Yun, do you know why it is not easy for a successful person to emerge from a poor household?"
Su Yun shook his head.
"Because there are government-run official academies, it looks as though everyone, whether from a poor family or a rich one, can study fairly. However, children from wealthy families learn not only at the official academies but also at private schools. If you learn one thing at the official academy, the rich children learn three or four things at private schools, so day by day, the gap in learning inevitably widens."
"But Master Hu said that even a person from a poor family can become a great person if they study hard!"
"That is not true! Most of what is taught in official academies is useless and outdated. But in private schools, teachers like me teach only new and proper things. Furthermore, in poor families, children have to help their parents work or earn money, whereas rich children can devote themselves entirely to their studies. The Emperor distributed official academies everywhere hoping there would be no inequality in education, but the reality is quite different. It has been a hundred years since official academies were distributed, but education has already fallen into the hands of those with money, and class segregation is only becoming more rigid. The saying 'a dragon rises from a small stream' is just empty words."
Qiu Shuijing stopped walking, grabbed Su Yun by the shoulders, and gave him sincere advice.
"The world is unfair. Rich children and poor children are born unequal from the start. They have money and connections that you do not. However, you possess something they do not have. Do you know what that is?"
Su Yun shook his head vigorously.
"It is Wild Nature (Yexing). You possess a wild nature that rich children can never have!"
Qiu Shuijing patted Su Yun's shoulder, then with a flutter of his robes, ran forward.
"Su Yun! Keep your wild nature! Transcend your class! Soar!"
Qiu Shuijing's earnest shout came from afar.
When the sound of Qiu Shuijing's footsteps completely disappeared, Su Yun felt lonely and empty. However, he was able to force himself to find strength because of the words Qiu Shuijing had said before leaving.
"If you reach the Sixth Star of the Great Furnace Transmutation Method, you will be able to regain your sight. When you reach the Sixth Star and can see, come find me at the Northern Castle Relay Station. You must come find me after recovering your sight!"
After Qiu Shuijing left, Su Yun devoted himself even more to his cultivation. However, every time he circulated his vitality, the Heaven-Facing Tower sucked it in, making his progress slow.
Although there was no progress in cultivation, strangely, Su Yun's appetite increased, and he would often feel hungry soon after finishing a meal. Fortunately, the fox spirits brought plenty of ducks, fish, and fruits every day, so he could eat his fill.
A few days later, the fox spirit Flower Fox reached the Second Star of the Great Furnace Transmutation Method. Gaining confidence, Flower Fox asked Su Yun to teach him the Crocodile Dragon's Roar (Elongyin).
Generally, martial arts methods are divided into Mental Arts (Xinfa) and Martial Skills (Wugong). Mental Arts refer to circulating Qi and blood, while Martial Skills refer to the practical application of the Qi and blood created through Mental Arts via Moves (Zhaoshi)—continuous movements linking attack and defense techniques. The Crocodile Dragon's Roar that Flower Fox asked Su Yun to teach was a martial skill of the Great Furnace Transmutation Method utilizing internal energy.
Previously, Qiu Shuijing had taught the Crocodile Dragon's Roar to both Su Yun and the fox spirits. However, except for Su Yun, who was quick to understand, none of them had properly grasped it. That was why Flower Fox asked Su Yun to teach him.
Although Su Yun had not yet properly achieved even the First Star of the Great Furnace Transmutation Method, he knew the theory well. The Crocodile Dragon's Roar begins by agitating the vitality gathered in the chest. The agitated vitality vibrates the blood and muscles, and that vibration transforms into the roar of a crocodile dragon.
Having learned the Crocodile Dragon's Roar from Su Yun, Flower Fox began to produce the sound of a crocodile dragon's roar a few days later. At first, the momentum was very weak, but it grew stronger day by day.
"Brother Flower Fox, that's really amazing."
Su Yun sincerely congratulated Flower Fox on his progress. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit sad that he couldn't produce the Crocodile Dragon's Roar properly himself. To produce the roar correctly, one needed to visually observe how a crocodile dragon breathes and produces sound, but since Su Yun couldn't see, it was difficult for him to make the sound.
Still, Su Yun did not give up.
It was a day after continuous cultivation upon cultivation. Su Yun was performing Tu-Na facing the rising sun as usual, but for some reason, the Heaven-Facing Tower did not suck away his vitality that day.
Since his vitality was not stolen by the Heaven-Facing Tower, Su Yun's vitality was able to circulate freely within his body. As the vitality circulated smoothly, the Yin and Yang energies of his internal organs blended harmoniously, and soon the vitality circulating in his body began to transform like a blazing fire.
Su Yun had finally reached the First Star of the Great Furnace Transmutation Method.
Su Yun was jumping for joy, but on the other hand, he felt regretful.
'If I had been just ten days faster, Teacher would have seen this before leaving...'
While he was feeling regretful, a strange spectacle suddenly appeared before Su Yun's eyes.
The patterns of various divine beasts and strange creatures carved on the surface of the Heaven-Facing Tower came to life just as they were and began to fly around, crying out as if screaming. Su Yun's head felt like it would explode, filled with their cries.
A moment later, the various divine beasts and creatures flew toward the Heavenly Gate. Then, they clung to the Heavenly Gate and became a part of it.
While Su Yun was watching this in fascination, light began to leak from both corners of the gate with a wing- sound. Soon, the entire gate was filled with light.
In particular, the central gate looked like a mirror made of light. Behind it unfolded the Grotto-Heaven, the world where immortal Immortals were said to live, which had captivated the Emperor of Yuanshuo and countless people. However, Su Yun did not know what the Grotto-Heaven was.
When the central gate shook lightly, an unknown force suddenly lifted Su Yun into the air. Then, in an instant, it sent Su Yun flying into the Grotto-Heaven.
While such bizarre events were happening to Su Yun, to the other fox spirits, Su Yun simply looked as if he were sitting neatly and cultivating.
When he came to his senses, Su Yun was standing on a cloud. The mountains far away looked as if they were floating in the air due to the clouds, and dazzlingly brilliant lights were dancing at the mountain peaks. The clouds hanging halfway up the mountains received the light and were dyed in beautiful colors.
Surprisingly, Su Yun could see all these scenes. In the Grotto-Heaven, he was not a blind boy. Rather, he could see ten times better than other people.
Su Yun couldn't tell if this beautiful world unfolding before his eyes was a dream or reality. But simply being able to see made him incredibly happy and joyful.
While Su Yun was looking around in joy, a familiar sound came from above his head. Looking up towards the sound, a large golden bell was floating above him.
On the bottommost gear inside the Yellow Bell, three hundred and sixty Hu markings were spinning rapidly. And on the gear above that, there were three hundred and sixty Second markings; as the Hu completed one rotation, the Second marking moved one notch.
'This is the image of the gears I created in my imagination to calculate time, isn't it? But how is this visible to the naked eye? What on earth is happening to me?'
While Su Yun was thinking this and that, the cloud he was stepping on suddenly began to surge like a wave. As the cloud surged, Su Yun's body moved along with it. Su Yun was momentarily flustered by anxiety, but knowing well that anxiety and panic were of no help, he soon calmed his mind and regained his stability.
The shaking grew increasingly severe, and slowly the cloud began to rise upwards. Su Yun hurriedly looked around. The Heavenly Gate behind him came into view.
'Since I entered here through that gate, surely I can leave through that gate as well.'
Su Yun's eyes gleamed as he calculated how to escape from here.
'The distance between that gate and me is about 4 Zhang (approx. 13m) and 6 Chi (approx. 2m). I can never reach it by jumping with my own strength. Would it be possible if I jump using the footwork of "Crocodile Dragon Exiting the Abyss" (Elong Chuyuan)? ...I haven't succeeded even once yet, but this is the only way right now!'
Just as Su Yun made up his mind and was about to jump, the clouds cleared, revealing the identity of what he was standing on.
It was a long stone bridge. He had been standing on a stone bridge, hidden by the clouds.
The stone bridge was connected to the Heavenly Gate. Su Yun thought it was fortunate and tried to move toward the Heavenly Gate, but in the next moment, he flinched and was forced to step back. The stone bridge in front of his feet was broken.
'If I had taken one more step, I would have just fallen...'
Cold sweat trickled down Su Yun's back.
Su Yun sighed and looked around again. The stone bridge was heavily damaged overall. Broken and cracked areas were visible everywhere, and in some places, there were even traces as if a giant animal's sharp claws had scratched past.
Also, many small stone pillars were erected on the stone bridge. They were stone pillars that looked like the sharp claws of a beast. Approaching and looking closely, carvings resembling animal scales were on them.
As the clouds cleared a little more, the surface of the stone bridge was revealed. Patterns like turtle shells were stamped on the surface of the stone bridge. There were wing patterns on both sides of the turtle shell pattern.
Su Yun carefully examined his surroundings again. If he used his footwork and jumped from before where the stone bridge was broken, it seemed he could reach the Heavenly Gate. But the problem was that Su Yun had not yet mastered the Crocodile Dragon's Roar. If he used the footwork in his current state, he might fall off before his feet even touched the stone bridge.
Previously, Qiu Shuijing had shown him a picture of a crocodile dragon and explained the Crocodile Dragon's Roar. All the other fox spirits could see the appearance of the crocodile dragon and listen to its roar. However, Su Yun, who couldn't see, could only hear the crocodile dragon's roar, making it difficult to produce the sound perfectly.
Su Yun looked around again. Clouds continued to rise, blocking his vision. Just then, a terrace (Zhudai) built on a mountain far away caught his eye. Looking closely, it appeared that the bridge was connected to that terrace.
'Surely the bridge connects to that terrace. Even if not, the only option right now is to go to that terrace.'
Just as Su Yun decided and was about to set off, a human figure appeared briefly on the stone bridge near the terrace and then vanished. Startled, Su Yun stared intently at that spot.
A moment later, as the clouds dispersed, the human figure began to appear faintly again. He seemed to be holding onto a stone pillar with one hand while flailing in the air with the other, as if searching for something. Also, his mouth was wide open, as if he were calling out to someone.
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