Book 2 Chapter 1

Student's Reason for Running Away

A white goddess descended from the sky, enveloping the surroundings.

Crystals, falling in clusters, covered the entire land in white like a blanket.

It was early winter on Amisan, a biting day with the first snowfall, yet the stream in the valley had not lost its powerful movement and continued to flow. Even the seemingly rough waterfall continued to cascade, undeterred by the might of the winter general. However, the rocks surrounding the valley, covered in white snow crystals, seemed to be holding their breath, preparing to enter hibernation.

The valley, filled with chilling cold, emanated a frigid aura towards anyone who approached, as if it could unleash its chilling energy at any moment, much like its deep, abyssal indigo color in winter. One could feel a biting chill deep within their body even in summer; how much more so in winter…

A small ripple appeared on the surface of the still valley pond. At first, it was about the size of a thumb and forefinger forming a circle. Then, a slightly larger ripple formed around the small one, followed by another, and another, in a process of creating concentric circles of ripples that repeated dozens of times. Eventually, a ripple with a diameter of about half a span appeared. From the outermost, largest ripple, a spiral vortex formed towards the center, creating a depression as if a spinning top were rotating around a central axis.

It was at that moment when a violent whirlpool was about to form in the quiet winter valley pond. According to the principles of nature, a whirlpool should not exist in this pond. Its presence where it shouldn't be indicated that this whirlpool was an artificially created phenomenon, not a natural harmony.

The spiral of the whirlpool gradually became rougher and stronger. However, the vortex that seemed capable of sucking in and crushing everything suddenly faltered at some point. With that, the spinning top created by the rotational force of the water lost its movement. As the rotational force and speed abruptly decreased, the whirlpool gradually lost its power. At this moment, an apparition burst forth from the center of the diminishing and disappearing spiral of the whirlpool, piercing through the rings of ripples. It was a young man.

“Kek, kek! Kkeok! Huh—ck, heok!”

The young man, who had fallen into the water, knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, and gasped for breath. His breaths were ragged and irregular, appearing to be in pain. His complexion was pale, making him look even more strained. He exhaled the irregular, painful breaths incessantly, as if he had been holding his breath for a long time. His face was ashen, like someone who had exhausted all their strength, and his limbs hung limply like waterlogged cotton.

After a long bout of ragged breathing, the young man sprawled out on the white crystals covering the land like a large cross, his body spread wide. His ragged breaths had not yet subsided. The young man who burst forth from the center of the winter valley whirlpool lay there. He was none other than the sole successor of the current Bi Lei Sect, and the only disciple of the current sect leader. He was also the maid, cook, and housekeeper of the Bi Lei Sect, and its only source of labor.

Labor here referred to the ability to earn income in exchange for labor. Without him, his aged master would likely not be able to drink alcohol, would have to cook his own meals, find his own side dishes, and manage household affairs by earning money himself. It was precisely because of this young man, Bi Ryu Yeon, that the master, living a life of ease, could be idle and freeload without hunting or gathering, or managing household affairs, all for free. In that sense, Bi Ryu Yeon was a greatly appreciated existence to his master.

Bi Ryu Yeon, calming his ragged breaths, let the snowflakes falling from the sky land on his body and gazed blankly with a lingering gaze at the silver sky where white dots were falling.

“Heok, heok! Heok… heok, tch!”

Bi Ryu Yeon let out a sound like a child's tantrum behind his ragged breaths, as if he were dissatisfied with something. With an expression of immense dissatisfaction and a look of longing, he continued to stare at the sky.

‘Is it still too much to grasp the power of the Thunder God (雷神)… heok, heok.’

Muttering words of unknown meaning, Bi Ryu Yeon stared at the sky as if protesting. The silver-encased sky felt beautiful. Lying on the cold ground, Bi Ryu Yeon fearlessly closed his eyes.

The Thunder God (雷神)! The divine being that controls lightning! It is the ultimate and final power of the Bi Lei Sword. However, his body had not yet reached the point of being able to wield it, let alone obtain it. Bi Ryu Yeon thought that he might not be able to progress any further in this state. He could understand it in his mind. But he simply couldn't execute it with his body. He knew the principles and the methods, but he couldn't put them into practice.

Bi Ryu Yeon's current state was like someone who knew the path they had to take, but the path was so rough and treacherous that they couldn't walk it. Only when he could control his body and mind without succumbing to the roughness and treachery, and possess the strength to ascend that arduous road, would Bi Ryu Yeon finally be able to obtain the longed-for power of the Thunder God (雷神). That power at the very end…

However, he couldn't walk now. Was he disheartened because he couldn't obtain the ultimate thing he should have? At his young age, what wouldn't someone do to turn their back on the world? Yet, there might be no better way than to be buried in snow with clothes soaked in water in the middle of winter. This is because many people who get lost in the winter mountains often die without even knowing if they are alive or dead once they fall asleep. That is why people lost in the winter mountains encourage each other and slap each other to prevent them from losing consciousness and falling asleep. Sleep in the winter mountains without any countermeasures is directly linked to death.

From this, it could be inferred that Bi Ryu Yeon was perhaps carrying out a very wise and useful method for a comfortable suicide. He had spread his limbs wide like a large cross and lay on the pure white blanket, breathing in the cold and gazing endlessly at the silver sky. He was practicing a perfect method for bidding farewell to the world and greeting the underworld. Perhaps, had he lost his fear? That was unlikely. It was impossible for fear that had not existed since ancient times to suddenly appear and then disappear. Something that did not exist could not disappear. Snowflakes fell one by one onto his body, covering him. Watching the snowflakes stack up layer by layer, Bi Ryu Yeon felt coolness and comfort rather than coldness and chill.

Bi Ryu Yeon's body quietly sank into the blanket of silver-shining snow. Bi Ryu Yeon's inexplicable actions, like those of someone driven mad to die, were enough to bewilder even the heavens. Bi Ryu Yeon had not yet stopped the act of thinking. Fortunately, his consciousness seemed to be intact. The New Year's Day would soon begin. As this ends, a new beginning would unfold. Bi Ryu Yeon, enduring the snow that the heavenly fairy sprinkled to announce winter, fell into deep thought.

‘New Year’s Day… The time will soon come, the time to leave…’

Muttering strange words that only he could understand, Bi Ryu Yeon buried himself in the snow. Thinking it was cozy, Bi Ryu Yeon sought sleep. A cool, cozy, and sweet sleep… The snow continued to fall, and finally, Bi Ryu Yeon's body disappeared from sight on the ground. He had buried himself in the snow. Like a child sleeping under a white cotton blanket, Bi Ryu Yeon's form was completely hidden within the blanket made of pure white crystals. The snow continued to fall. It was the first snow.

‘Aaargh! The Seal of Thunder, the Seal of Thunder is gone!’

It was an utterly chaotic and astonishing event. The wicked master, unable to even express anger at the absurd and mind-boggling incident, could only stare blankly at a single scroll. The black smudges on the white background appeared to be letters.

It was the only item his disciple had left behind. However, while there was only one item left behind, several items had been taken. This pained the master's heart even more. The Seal of Thunder (封雷函) was gone. The Thunder Qin (雷琴) and the Ink Thunder (墨雷) were also gone. This was an impossible and unacceptable situation. For a disciple who had only recently completed the succession ceremony, and not yet completed the transmission ceremony, to take the sect’s most prized treasure, the supreme treasure among treasures, the Seal of Thunder, and run away! In the history of the Bi Lei Sect, there was no one he knew of who had committed such an ignorant and irrational act. The Seal of Thunder meant a box that sealed thunder. However, the items inside were more significant and held greater meaning than the intrinsic value of the box itself. The Seal of Thunder was the box used to store and keep the Bi Lei Swords.

The Seal of Thunder was a box with a jewel-like red base embroidered with silver thread, and it stored a total of ten Bi Lei Swords, five on the right and five on the left. This Seal of Thunder possessed a peculiar property: when Bi Lei Swords were stored in it, the sharp edges of the Thunder Blades (雷刃) would not be damaged, and it could prevent the Thunder Spirit Silk (雷靈絲) from losing its strength and becoming limp. It was a treasure.

In fact, the Bi Lei Swords that Bi Ryu Yeon had been using were, in simple terms, fakes; or to put it nicely, practice versions; and to put it badly, imitations. However, this did not mean their power was inferior to other weapons. In fact, they could be considered even more powerful. But, of course, they were still a step below the genuine article. Otherwise, why would they be called genuine?

In the Bi Lei Sect, when the next generation's disciple reached a certain level of mastery, they would undergo a succession ceremony, where the master would hand over the genuine Bi Lei Sword to the disciple, and the master would then use the fake Bi Lei Sword. The genuine and imitation were exchanged. The master was already accustomed to the genuine article, but the disciple was not, thus the disciple needed sufficient practice with the genuine article. The disciple would practice with the genuine Bi Lei Sword once they reached a certain level, due to the difference in the strength of the Spirit Silk (靈絲). This was the tradition passed down in the Bi Lei Sect. However…

‘Th-this kid. No, this brat… Huhuhu, this damn kid….’

As if he no longer had the energy to be angry, or perhaps had exhausted his energy in shock, the master's voice was helplessly hollow. His laughter held only a bitter and futile echo. Furthermore, while he had allowed the use of the Seal of Thunder, he had never permitted the use of the Thunder Qin or the Ink Thunder. Yet, his only disciple, and the next successor, had crept in like a thief all night and run away with the sect's treasures as he pleased… It would be strange if he were still sane after such an incident. The master was so bewildered now that he had no energy left to be angry. Now, all he could do was stare blankly at the object on the white background with curly writing, which could be called a letter or a scroll.