Volume Three: Blossoms of Twin Stems, Difficult to Stand Alone Chapter Eleven: The Waterfall

The surging sea of clouds enveloped Emerald Mountain, stretching before the Cloud Palace from the nearby Emerald Peak all the way to the distant horizon, beyond the reach of the eye. The mountain remained lush all year round, threaded with winding streams and rivers, and adorned with waterfalls that hung from sheer cliffs, cascading from heights of a hundred feet into deep pools below with a thunderous roar.

Among these many waterfalls, the Tiger Reclining Falls stood highest and boasted the most abundant flow. Zhuo Hua had heard that recently, Elder Song Xiang was training the youths of his clan by the Blue Moon Pool beneath this very waterfall. So today, Zhuo Hua brought Lan Sheng, Zhuo Yun, and Su Xin along to pay their respects to the elder. Qin Ying had intended to join them, but with the consumption of Golden Sun Essence increasing daily, the White Tiger Palace could no longer meet the Cloud Palace’s demands. Kui Wood Wolf had requested the Vermilion Bird Palace to temporarily assist as support.

Following his old habit, Zhuo Hua wished to ascend by foot, but Su Xin and Zhuo Yun had barely walked any distance before complaining incessantly, clamoring to fly there directly on their qi. Unable to resist their persistent pleas, Zhuo Hua stopped, laughing, and pointed to Lan Sheng and the two young women: “Look at Lan Sheng—he’s carrying so many things for you up these steps without a word of complaint. You two, empty-handed, have walked less than half an hour and are already crying out. Is it that without your sister Qin here, you’ve become unruly?”

Su Xin replied carelessly, “Lan Sheng? He wouldn’t dare complain—not with little Yun watching him!” Zhuo Yun’s almond eyes flashed angrily at Su Xin, and she slapped her waist. But Su Xin was not one to concede, immediately grabbing Zhuo Yun’s ticklish side with both hands, infusing her touch with qi, making her laugh and squirm, darting behind Lan Sheng for refuge.

Lan Sheng, his hands full, could only use his body to keep Su Xin and Zhuo Yun apart. Su Xin, failing several times to catch Zhuo Yun, grew annoyed and tried to push Lan Sheng aside using her Qi-Stabilizing Pearl. Unexpectedly, the force she gathered had no effect on Lan Sheng. Thinking it was a matter of insufficient strength, she mustered all her qi, striking his chest three times. As the qi approached Lan Sheng, it accelerated and vanished within him. He remained unmoved, showing no discomfort whatsoever.

Su Xin’s temper flared; she activated her Qi-Stabilizing Pearl to its fullest, condensing three pure streams of qi and struck Lan Sheng’s left shoulder. Zhuo Yun’s face turned pale with fright, expecting Lan Sheng to be harmed, but he remained unperturbed, while Su Xin’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Zhuo Hua, pondering for a moment, frowned and chided, “Is that enough now? Su Xin, aren’t you going to stop?” At this, Su Xin’s body shuddered; she struggled to pull her hand away from Lan Sheng’s shoulder, expending considerable effort before finally freeing herself. Now, her qi seemed depleted, and as the force dissipated, she collapsed limply.

Zhuo Yun rushed forward to support Su Xin, asking urgently, “Sister Su, are you all right?” Su Xin’s breathing was chaotic, and after a long while she managed, with the aid of a shattered Sun Essence Jade from Zhuo Hua, to speak haltingly: “He’s like a bottomless abyss—my qi disappears entirely when it strikes him, and even the true qi my Qi-Stabilizing Pearl just produced was absorbed by him. I couldn’t condense any qi at all.”

Zhuo Yun looked utterly perplexed, not understanding a word, but Zhuo Hua had already grasped the gist. He thought to himself: This boy’s comprehension truly is exceptional. That display just now was almost like a grandmaster in the making. Still, this child’s nature is wild and untamed. Though he is gifted, he must be properly tempered.

Zhuo Hua shot Lan Sheng a glance and called out, “Hurry up and fly—don’t keep the elder waiting!”

Lan Sheng felt a bit embarrassed and, as he passed Zhuo Hua, muttered under his breath, “She bullies Little Fish every day—what do you expect?” The group gathered their qi, transformed into streaks of light, and in a blink arrived beside Blue Moon Pool.

Blue Moon Pool lay deep within Emerald Peak, rarely visited. Tiger Reclining Falls thundered down from the cliff above, its roar audible three miles away. Today, the usually quiet pool was crowded with people, many gathered around an old man at the water’s edge, while several youths were being helped out from beneath the waterfall.

On the outskirts, a sharp-eyed youth of the Python Clan saw Zhuo Hua and his group, immediately knelt, and called out, “Welcome, Prime Lord!” The others followed suit, and soon the air was filled with cries and kneeling.

Zhuo Hua used qi to amplify his voice: “Rise, all of you.” The booming sound rolled over their heads, and the Python youths stood, clearing a path and standing respectfully to either side. Zhuo Hua, smiling, approached the Python Lord, paying respects as a junior, and received a formal greeting in return.

After the salutations, Zhuo Hua smiled and said, “Elder Song, I hope you’ve been well lately? Are your accommodations comfortable? If anything troubles you, please tell me.”

Elder Song Xiang stroked his white beard and laughed heartily. “Everything’s splendid! The Cloud Palace is nothing like it once was. When I first arrived, there was nothing here but a broken stone tablet. Now, look—mountains and streams, pavilions and towers, palace walls and golden tiles in the distance. Such splendor and poetic charm!”

Zhuo Hua replied modestly, “You flatter me, Elder. When you first came, the place had only just begun. The ancient war had just ended, and Lan Ling and I were busy restoring people’s lives. A roof over our heads was already a luxury.”

Song Xiang feigned complaint: “Had I known how grand it would be now, you should have invited me sooner. I wasted so many years in that damp, gloomy Jade Water Cold Pool.”

Zhuo Hua quickly bowed, “It was my oversight, Elder. Please forgive me.”

Song Xiang laughed, patting Zhuo Hua’s shoulder. “I’m only joking—you take things too seriously!”

Zhuo Hua rose, glanced at the bustling crowd by the pool, and asked Song Xiang, “Elder, I’ve heard the Python youths progress greatly in cultivation after coming here. Might I ask what method you are using, and whether the Xuanhuang youths might train here as well?”

Song Xiang smiled, stroking his long beard, and pointed to the plunging Tiger Reclining Falls. “Prime Lord, look—over these days I’ve traversed every peak and waterfall in Emerald Mountain. Only the Tiger Reclining Falls on Emerald Peak has the greatest drop and the most abundant water. So I set the training ground for our clan’s youths here.”

Zhuo Hua smiled, recognizing that Song Xiang was being mysterious, but waited patiently for him to continue.

Song Xiang gave Zhuo Hua a knowing look and went on, “The water from the summit pours down with a force exceeding ten thousand tons. Those just beginning must unleash their greatest potential to withstand such pressure. Our Python Clan youths, unlike your Xuanhuang branch, do not and cannot use Qi-Stabilizing Pearls at the start. We must temper our bodies in this raw, brutal way. Once their bodies become strong, later when they practice the Xuanhuang entry techniques and use Qi-Stabilizing Pearls, their progress will be much faster.”

Zhuo Hua listened carefully, and a new idea dawned on him. He asked, “Elder, might my clan’s youths try training beneath the waterfall?”

Song Xiang waved his hand dismissively. “Why not? Let them go as they please.”

Zhuo Hua turned to Lan Sheng. “Lan Sheng, go try standing under the waterfall.”

Lan Sheng agreed and flashed beneath the falls in a blaze of light. Instantly, he felt enormous pressure, as if the seventy-two peaks of Emerald Mountain weighed upon him. He quickly activated his Qi-Stabilizing Pearl to generate true qi, channeling it around his body. Normally, this protective qi would shield him from ordinary projectiles, but it was instantly obliterated by the waterfall’s force.

Lan Sheng realized that to withstand the thousand-ton force, mere nascent qi was insufficient. He braced himself physically against the torrent, then pushed his Qi-Stabilizing Pearl to its limit, continually refining the new qi. Lacking any external support, he soon grew exhausted and sat upon a round stone beneath the falls.

At first, he refined one stream of qi for protection, which was instantly destroyed. He tried two streams, with the same result. Only when he attempted six streams did his protective qi last for the duration of an incense stick, before being swept away.

Breathless, Lan Sheng flashed back to the shore, shivering and chattering, and managed to say to Zhuo Hua, “Six... six streams... refined... qi can last... one incense stick…”

Zhuo Hua hurriedly handed him a Sun Essence Jade. Lan Sheng, trembling, took it but couldn’t break it. Zhuo Yun, anxious, snatched it, crushed it, and pressed it to his body, then used her qi to dry his soaked clothes.

Zhuo Hua mused aloud, “Sixfold refined qi barely sustains—this is indeed a shortcut to progress.”