Book 1 Chapter 11

The Strange Ending of Iron Curtain's Jin Zhao Yun

The top floor of a nicely constructed three-story house.

There, in a modestly furnished room, sat a dignified old man with a snow-white complexion, and in front of him, in his mid-fifties, was a man who looked to be a

A middle-aged man stood there.

The snow-white and beautiful old man sat on a robe embossed with a dragon ascending in the clouds, and his mere presence exuded a power that overwhelmed everyone. Despite his age, with his white beard reaching down to his chest, the power he exuded was not false. The entire body of the elderly Red Dragon Po, seated on the robe, exuded a majesty that was difficult to describe.

The old man's eyes were deeply sunken in a daze, and his hair was as lustrous as that of a young man in his twenties, only whiter. His face was also full of life, like that of a red-headed boy. There were no age spots or cobwebby wrinkles on his face, which are often seen on old people who have been overtaken by time, even after washing his eyes. This was a clear indication of the depth of the old man's cultivation and dedication.

The old man was the kind of person who could make you feel a tremendous presence just by being around him. For most people, just standing in front of him would have left them breathless, chest tight, and struggling to stand up straight. However, the huge, middle-aged man who stood like an unwavering giant in front of the old man who was seated in the Taisa didn't seem to be particularly affected.

The black-robed middle-aged man's Qi was also extremely powerful, rivaling that of the old man. If the old man of the Red Dragon Clan was the mountain, the middle-aged man with the wild, two-pronged black beard was the owner of an enormous body that resembled a pylon, and his entire body radiated steel-hard, intense power. Moreover, his two glowing tiger-like pupils radiated an abstract aura.

"Please have a seat."

"Yes."

When the old man of Hong Longpo offered the middle-aged man a seat, he accepted and sat down next to him. This was a clear indication of the middle-aged man's status. In the current Martial Realm, there were less than five people who could sit side by side with an old man from Hong Longpo. Moreover, it was not an exaggeration to say that there was only one person who could receive a half respectful greeting from an old man.

First, the white-haired old man of the Honglongpo, seated in his taiji, asked a large middle-aged man who resembled a pylon towering over the rugged earth.

"Hey, Chen Guanzhu, how's things going, is it going well?"

The head of the Heavenly Hall, obviously, was called the Heavenly Hall Master. There were many academies and conduits in the Martial Realm, but there was only one place in the Tang Clan, and indeed in this world, where the person in charge was called the Heavenly Pavilion Master. It was the Heavenly Martial Academy, the highest level of the Martial Arts and the second most powerful in the Martial Realm.

Of the three great powers that make up the Hundred Sword Forest, the first is undoubtedly the Martial Masters, followed closely by the Celestial Academy. Although it was the second largest faction in terms of power and strength, it was the Heavenly Martial Academy that was far superior in terms of potential. It was an open secret that the reason why the Martial League had surpassed the Celestial Academy as the number one power was because most of its core members were from the Celestial Academy. One can only imagine the importance of the Celestial Academy to the mighty Wulin.

However, it was clear that the middle-aged man in black, with a strong impression reminiscent of a pylon, was indeed the head of the prestigious Heavenly Martial Academy. As such, the old man, who was the de facto head of the White Sword Martial Forest, had to be as polite as he would be to someone of equal status. In fact, the gray-haired old master who seemed to be turning back the hands of time right now was the actual head of the Hundred Sword Martial Forest, the head of the Hundred Sword Powerhouse Martial Forest Alliance, and the head of the Martial Alliance in general.

"Yes, you can rest assured. We've selected 64 of the most outstanding children this year and formed four groups of 16 students each. We've named them the Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Basalt, and Jujak groups, and we're sending the Blue Dragon group to Mudang Mountain, the White Tiger group to Taishan Mountain, the Basalt group to Volcano Mountain, and the Jujak group to Ami Mountain."

"Uh huh, how are the kids doing, what can we expect?"

"Yes, all 64 of them are the top performers in the academy for the past year. We've divided them by ability into Blue Dragon, White Tiger, White Mist, and Jujak. The Blue Dragon kids are the best, and the Jujak kids are the worst, but it doesn't really make that much of a difference, since they're all in the top 64 overall average grades in the academy anyway. However……."

"But what is it? Tell me without hiding."

"Well, the kids in the main group are the ones who get pushed the most. I'm worried that they might have a bit of an inferiority complex because there are 12 people below the 50th rank in the master class. There are two ties above 50th place, so it's 12 people below 50th place. Most of them are either second or third in the late index of their school, so I'm worried about whether they have a stronger sense of inferiority than others. Although it may not necessarily be in order of martial arts skills."

"Yes, I suppose you can't judge a martial artist by their grades alone, because overall grades are a combination of academics, etiquette, theory, and other things……. Hmm, twelve, but didn't you just say sixteen in a class?"

"Yes. In addition to those twelve, I'm sending Yi Yong from the Nine Dragon Seven Peaks to lead them, so there are sixteen of them. For this training camp, I'm going to divide the Nine Dragon Seven Peaks into groups of four to lead each group."

"Uhm, I'm sending Yi Yong and Yi Feng, who are said to be the best of the second-year Guan Dao……. I think it's a good idea, Guan Zhu!"

"That's a lot of praise, Meng Zhu! These kids have beaten out seniors three and four years above them to take the Kowloon Seven Peaks, you can count on it."

"I'm looking forward to it too, especially this year's second-year guan dou, whose skills are good enough to surpass their seniors and claim the name of Kowloon Chil Peak, but who have you chosen to teach them?"

"Yes, I've asked Jinjo Woon, the iron fist, to teach Jujakdan."

"Oho, the iron wall thrown pierces the sky and the rainbow flown tears the sky, the iron wall rainbow jin dai gong, have you corrected it yet?"

"Yes, he's still alive and well. By his own admission, he's rejuvenated, and I'm sure he'll be able to take care of the kids and teach them a lot, and that's what the camp is for."

"Okay, I'll trust your judgment. By the way, what's the dynamics over there these days?"

The face of the middle-aged man with the formidable title of Guan Zhu of the Heavenly Martial Academy stiffened for a moment. This was indeed a troublesome matter.

"You mean the Sky of Ma? Well, they're probably raising children to counter ours, just like we are. I don't have any details yet, but it sounds like they're building up quite a bit of power as well."

"Of course. In any case, this training is an event of great tradition for the Academy, so I hope you'll handle it well. They are currently the most promising late-stage exponents within the academy, even within a clan of this size."

"or not."

"Let's all take it on faith, and I don't think we're far off."

"Phew, it's hot out, I'm thirsty, is there a ravine around here?"

It wasn't even May yet, and the weather was strangely hot. The sun was shining brilliantly, scorching the earth, and the wind was nowhere to be found to take the heat away. If there was a downside to the day, it was that it was cloudless and windless. As Qin Zhaoyun hiked up the mountain in search of his destination, he suddenly felt an intense thirst.

'Hehe, am I old now? I can't believe I'm finally this tired and thirsty…….'

He was confident that he was at the top of his game among the great masters of the Hundred Generations. Even though his hair and beard were graying and he was about to celebrate his eightieth birthday, it was ridiculous that he, who had mastered martial arts to the peak of his powers and had reached the state of agelessness, was still feeling tired and thirsty after such a long hike. It seemed to Qin Chao Yun that it was only natural (or grumpy) for him to feel thirsty after such a long hike when he was in such a condition.

Still, the heavens were on his side, and as he trudged along the mountain path, his ears caught the sound of clear, cool water in the distance. It was a faint sound, coming from a long way away, far beyond the ridge, but it couldn't deceive Qin Zhao Yun's ears, which had long since become blood ears (similar to blood eyes) to pick up the sound of water. Even though he couldn't hear the sound of water, there was no way that a master's hearing could miss it. Without delay, Qin Chao Yun began to run like a tiger up the mountain path after the sound of the water.

Gradually, the sound of clear, rushing water became clearer and clearer. There must be a waterfall nearby. After running for about a kilometer in pursuit of the sound, Qin Zhaoyun found a small waterfall in the middle of a spectacular landscape. The white foaming water was surrounded by dull rocks like folding screens, and the other side of the waterfall was surrounded by a high rock wall that looked like three sheets of paper. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the waterfall was trapped in a folding screen of bizarre rock formations, and it was very refreshing to see.

Qin Chao Yun slowly approached the waterfall, which boasted a cool and cheerful sound. This waterfall, which he believed would be a refreshing blessing to quench his burning thirst, had no idea what fate was in store for him…….

"Bam!"

It happened in an instant. Suddenly, Qin Chao Yun's neck snapped back, as if he was looking up at the sky. For a moment, Qin Zhaoyun's mind went blank, and before his eyes, a cluster of stars danced in a circle. He was just washing his face with the clear, clean water of the valley, wetting his mouth and stomach, and holding the cold water in his hands to cool his face. He would never do anything that would pollute the water, such as urinating in the water, or worse, being struck by a lightning bolt, but something happened to this exemplary and moral man that was so outrageous, inexplicable, and inconsolable.

Suddenly, something heavy shot out of the water and struck Qin Chao Yun directly in the face as he was washing his face. Was it the Water God's silent rebuke to those who defile the water by wiping away the unclean substances on the surface of their faces? Or was it a soundless rage? Colorful flames flashed in front of Qin Chao Yun's eyes. At the same time, his consciousness drifted away from him. He was overwhelmed by a violent shock and could barely control his body.

It was a boulder as large as a watermelon that shot out of the water and smashed into Qin Chao Yun's face like a redhead in the night. After fiercely striking Qin Chao Yun's forehead, the boulder immediately soared up into the air above Qin Chao Yun's face, Chapter 1, but soon lost its momentum and came to a screeching halt in midair. After giving up its ascension, the boulder naturally began to fall towards the ground at a rapid pace, in accordance with the laws and order of nature. But unfortunately, at the spot where the boulder was supposed to fall, there was the image of the Ironclad Qin Zhaoyun, whose head was tilted back and who was staring blankly at the sky.

"Boom!"

Once again, the sound of cracking rocks could be heard. After bravely taking a watermelon-sized boulder to the face, Qin Zhao Yun, with a circular boulder on his face, began to slowly fall backwards in a fierce manner. Having lost the strength test between the boulder and his own head, it was inevitable that the back of his head would collide with the ground.

"Puck!"

The moment his head hit the ground, a piercing, sharp, and intense bolt of lightning from the back of Qin Zhaoyun's head turned his mind completely white. With that, Qin Zhaoyun let go of the last threads of consciousness he was barely holding onto and began to be slowly sucked into a deep, dark world.

The rounded, yet incredibly heavy and solid-looking chunk of rock that had rolled off the face of the Iron Fang Qin Zhao Yun rolled back down the slope toward the water's edge and disappeared into the water with a loud thud. Now, in a place where only the sound of splashing echoed faintly, the man who had once been called Qin Zhaoyun lay stretched out in a great circle.

If there was one thing she was happy about, it was the fact that she no longer had to worry about what others thought of her. It happened in an unnamed valley in the middle of the mountains on a clear May afternoon, when the sun shone warmly on the earth and a cool breeze quietly caressed the greenery, and mountain birds sang peacefully in the background.