Chapter 1090: First Life
The Luo Water Fist Art had a very legendary origin. According to Luo Xu, in the Demon Ridge, there was a river called "Luo Water."
A story circulated in the fishing village by Luo Water:
It was said that there was originally no river on that land. Until one night, when the stars in the sky shone brightly, a celestial river descended from the heavens, fell to the ground, and became a river, which was later called Luo Water.
It was precisely when Luo Xu was passing by Luo Water in a boat that he saw the stars reflected on the water's surface and comprehended the Luo Water Fist Art.
Furthermore, Luo Xu urged Zhang Ruochen that if he had the chance, he must return to the Demon Ridge once and personally visit Luo Water.
Luo Xu thought highly of Zhang Ruochen, believing his comprehension ability was very high, and said it was possible he might comprehend something different at Luo Water.
"That Luo Water must be extraordinary; it is very likely that it truly fell from beyond the heavens," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Xu raised his head, gazing at the tranquil and vast starry sky, showing a contemplative expression, and said, "The universe is vast and boundless, without end. Besides the Kunlun Realm, there must be other great realms that can rival the Kunlun Realm, or even be more vast than the Kunlun Realm. It is possible that Luo Water is a Dao method passed down by some great being in the universe."
Luo Xu stood up, an ethereal and transcendent aura emanating from his body, and said with a cheerful demeanor, "In the future, if I can achieve the position of Great Saint, I will definitely go deep into the starry sky to explore and see if the universe has an edge."
Zhang Ruochen stared at Luo Xu and nodded inwardly.
Just from his words and actions, it was clear that Luo Xu must be a person of broad mind. What he pursued was fundamentally different from other cultivators.
Even Zhang Ruochen silently asked himself: "After taking revenge on Chi Yao, where should I go from here?"
In the end, he felt somewhat lost, his mind blank.
For the next day and night, Luo Xu taught all thirty-six forms of the Luo Water Fist Art to Zhang Ruochen and also gave him a fist manual.
Zhang Ruochen had long known a hint of the true essence of the Luo Water Fist Art, so his cultivation speed was naturally very fast. In just that one day, he had already learned it quite well.
Of course, from now on, Luo Xu would no longer guide him; he could only practice on his own based on the manual.
That day, the green wooden boat did not continue sailing but docked by the shore.
Chu Siyuan was the first to go ashore, surveying the terrain, and at the same time, he activated his Heavenly Eye to study it deeply, appearing extremely serious.
"It's here."
Chu Siyuan seemed to have made a certain decision and said, "This is the convergence point of six spirit veins, enough to support the consumption of celestial spiritual energy by the 'Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram.'"
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Since it's the convergence point of six spirit veins, why isn't the celestial spiritual energy particularly rich here, and why aren't there any major sects nearby?"
Chu Siyuan glanced lightly at Zhang Ruochen, raised his chin, and said arrogantly, "The six spirit veins flow deep underground, at a depth that even ordinary Spiritual Power Half-Saints cannot detect. Moreover, the celestial spiritual energy is concentrated underground and hasn't reached the surface. I will use a heaven-shaking method to draw out the celestial spiritual energy."
Then, Chu Siyuan took out a brush the size of a broom, used a very special type of ink, and drew a circle three zhang in diameter on the ground.
Then, he put away the brush and began to wait.
"Is it over?"
Zhang Ruochen held his chin, staring at the very regular circle on the ground, feeling that Chu Siyuan's heaven-shaking method was not particularly exquisite and seemed too casual.
Chu Siyuan seemed to read Zhang Ruochen's thoughts, blew on his beard, and said, "The great Dao is simple."
Half an hour later, white mist actually began to rise from within the circle.
That was not... mist.
It was celestial spiritual energy.
You see, celestial spiritual energy is always colorless and formless; only when its concentration reaches a point close to liquefaction does it become misty.
Chu Siyuan placed the "Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram" at the center of the circle and had Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren step into the circle, sitting opposite each other with the scroll as the boundary.
"The 'Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram' can only be opened once every seventy years. You must cherish this opportunity. If you fail... there will be no second chance."
Clearly, using the "Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram" was a very extravagant act, and Chu Siyuan was unwilling to use it a second time for Shi Meiren and Zhang Ruochen.
Chu Siyuan warned again, "There will be some unpredictable dangers within the scroll. As the guide, you must always be aware of this. Otherwise, you two might never wake up again."
Chu Siyuan glared at Zhang Ruochen, then sat cross-legged outside the circle, pushed his palms forward, and channeled his Spiritual Power into the "Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram."
"Whoosh—"
From within Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren's bodies, a shadow of their souls flew out, condensing into two specks of light that fell into the scroll and disappeared.
Their bodies remained sitting cross-legged in the circle, eyes tightly shut, as if turned to stone.
Luo Shuihan looked toward the circle, her brows slightly furrowed, and asked, "Zhang Ruochen and Palace Master Ling will experience seven lifetimes of entanglements within the scroll, which will inevitably lead to many events and leave many memories. Once they leave the scroll, will they be unable to distinguish between reality and illusion?"
Luo Xu said, "Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu are not ordinary people; such a situation won't occur. For them, this is an opportunity to temper their spiritual will. If they successfully complete the seven lifetimes, they will undergo a tremendous transformation. There is only one thing worth worrying about."
"What is that?" Luo Shuihan asked.
Luo Xu smiled and gently shook his head without saying it.
Before Zhang Ruochen's eyes, everything was pitch black. When he opened his eyes again, he appeared in the middle of a bustling street filled with traffic.
"Buying sugar-coated hawthorns!"
"Buying knives, buying peerless treasure knives, only nine taels of silver!"
...
People came and went all around, lively and bustling; it was a completely unfamiliar kingdom.
"Is this the illusory world within the 'Seven Lives Seven Deaths Diagram'? It doesn't seem any different from the real world."
Zhang Ruochen could feel that he still had a physical body, with very real senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch.
"Shi Meiren should have been born into this world by now, right?"
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and quickly found Shi Meiren's location.
It was a very strange feeling; no matter how far away she was, Zhang Ruochen could find her.
Zhang Ruochen did not immediately go to find Shi Meiren. Instead, he went to a tavern, ordered a table of fine wine and dishes, and ate unhurriedly.
Whether in his past life or this one, Zhang Ruochen had spent most of his time on cultivation and rarely did ordinary things.
Now, Zhang Ruochen planned to do all the things he had never done before, experiencing human affairs, not only to comprehend the Dao of heaven and earth but also to temper his mind and will.
At noon, the sound of gongs and cheers arose in the street.
It turned out that good news had come from the palace: the queen had given birth to a little princess.
When the little princess was born, purple mist filled the sky above the palace, and lightning flashed. Everyone believed the little princess was a deity descending to the mortal world.
Only Zhang Ruochen knew that the little princess was actually Shi Meiren's first life.
Time flew like a white horse passing through a gap; sixteen years passed in the blink of an eye.
Over those sixteen years, Zhang Ruochen did many things. He worked as a coachman for wealthy families, as a woodcutter, as a fisherman, doing many ordinary things, completely treating himself as an ordinary person.
But this kingdom was not so peaceful.
That year, four neighboring kingdoms gathered their armies, destroyed this prosperous country, and captured the royal city.
Hundreds of thousands of enemy troops stormed into the palace, killing her father and violating her mother before the little princess's eyes.
The little princess, who had lived a life of luxury and been deeply cherished, immediately fell into the abyss of darkness, losing everything.
On that same day, Zhang Ruochen entered the palace and took her away from the midst of those hundreds of thousands of troops.
The little princess had clearly suffered a severe mental blow. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she was in a daze, like a puppet following behind Zhang Ruochen.
A month later, her mental state recovered somewhat, and she approached Zhang Ruochen on her own, asking, "Can I become your disciple?"
A month ago, Zhang Ruochen had displayed great divine power in the palace, terrifying the hundreds of thousands of troops.
The little princess knew that Zhang Ruochen was a peerless expert and wanted to become his disciple, to gain power as great as his, to avenge her parents and the people of the entire country.
Zhang Ruochen stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of a cliff shrouded in mist, exuding a very ethereal aura. He smiled and muttered to himself, "Indeed, the immense hatred of a ruined country and a destroyed family can awaken the will deep within her heart."
The little princess did not understand the meaning of Zhang Ruochen's words. She immediately knelt on the ground, pleading bitterly, hoping Zhang Ruochen would accept her as his disciple and teach her the Sword Dao.
Zhang Ruochen did not agree immediately, intending to continue tempering her. He said, "The enemy troops that stormed the palace numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Go kill one of them and bring back his head, and I will accept you as my disciple."
"But... I haven't cultivated the Sword Dao; I can't kill them. And I've never killed anyone..."
The little princess was very frightened and timid.
"If you are so weak, why should I accept you as my disciple?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was very stern, glaring at her, causing the little princess to shrink back, trembling.
In the end, the little princess left alone, heading toward the royal city.
Half a month later, she returned limping, carrying a bloody human head, and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Her once stunningly beautiful face was now covered with dozens of hideous scars, and her right leg was broken, making her look like a beggar.
No one could recognize that she was once the most beautiful little princess of this kingdom.
To take revenge and become a disciple, the little princess endured much hardship and made great efforts.
"How did you kill him?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The little princess said in a hoarse voice, "As long as a person dares to risk their life, killing another person is actually not difficult."
Since she had passed the test, Zhang Ruochen naturally accepted her as his disciple and taught her the Sword Dao.
It took ten years for the little princess's swordsmanship to reach great perfection. She alone broke into the four kingdoms and killed all her former enemies.
After taking revenge, when she went to find her master, she found that he had vanished without a trace, as if he had evaporated from the world.
The little princess felt very lost and confused. Without her master's guidance, she had no idea what to pursue next.
In the end, she did not restore the kingdom but chose to continue cultivating the Sword Dao, traveling the world, searching everywhere for traces of her master.
A hundred years later, the little princess eventually died of old age.
On her deathbed, she still thought of her master's name, filled with unwillingness in her heart.
Her lifelong wish was only to see her master one more time.
But the little princess did not know that her master had been by her side all along.
Only after she died did Zhang Ruochen go to her grave, burn a stick of incense.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen clearly felt a significant improvement in his Spiritual Power and state of mind. He muttered to himself, "After experiencing seven lifetimes, my Spiritual Power intensity should be able to rise to a very high level. I wonder if I can achieve sainthood through Spiritual Power?"
...
(The first life is written in a bit more detail; the next six lives will be briefly summarized. There will be another chapter tonight. It's very late, truly heartbreaking; I want to sleep early but can't!)