A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  Looking at the beautiful scenery and listening to the birds chirping, Han Li felt that, for that moment, it was as if everything that was troubling him had melted away.

  Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing rang out as the air erupted with a cacophony of cursing voices emitted from the ravine of a nearby mountain.

  'What? There are so many people gathered in such a remote location?'

  Great curiosity arose in Han Li’s heart, and no longer fearing the questions of other disciples, he followed the noises and sought out the source of the sound.

  What a big crowd! Han Li stared mutely in shock.

  The ravine, completely hidden by the forest, was a small area. Despite this, there was a total of a hundred people crowding together in the ravine! There were also people standing on the branches of giant trees.

  Two groups of people were staring at each other, and a thick sense of enmity emanated from both groups.

  The group of people standing on the left side consisted of a total of 12 people while the group on the right side consisted of 7 people.

  Han Li discovered that these two groups were of similar age as him! All of them were about 15 to 20 years old.

  A slight smile hung on his lips as he thought, “What a coincidence!”

  From this group of people, Han Li could pinpoint a few familiar faces.

  “Fang Yu Bao, Zhang Da Lu, Ma Yun, Sun Li Song…., Ai! Fatty Wang is even more obese than the last time I saw him! This person is… Metalhead Liu. Ze! Ze! He was actually so tanned back then. To think that his skin is so fair and white now, has he become someone that lives on the earnings of a woman so he can sit and be lazy the whole day?” Han Li sniggered as he climbed the huge tree as he began to lose himself in his memories.

  (TL: Ze! Ze! – the sound of clicking one’s tongue)

  Chapter 16: Little Abacus

  Seeing how his good friend was in the battle, Han Li naturally hoped Fatty Wang would win.

  After a while, Fatty Wang still showed no signs of slowing down. Although Han Li did not practice martial arts, his intuition told him that Fatty Wang would not lose.

  He looked around in hopes of finding someone who could explain what was happening here.

  Han Li saw a person sitting not too far away on a rock. It was a youth constantly gesturing while crying out, “Hit his head, kick his waist, ai ya! Almost! That’s right, kick his butt, use all of your strength…”

  This youth was beaming radiantly as he cheered.

  It almost felt as if he was standing right next to Fatty Wang, giving words of encouragement as his personal coach.

  Han Li concluded that this person was pretty interesting, so he slowly climbed down the tree to get to where he was.

  “Senior, do you know the two who are fighting and why they’re fighting?” Han Li asked politely.

  “What do you mean ‘do I know’? Is there anything that I, Little Abacus, don’t know? Of course I know everything about the fight! Who are you? How come I’ve never seen you before? Did you just join the sect? No, that’s not right, there’s still over half a year until the next disciple examination, so who are you then?” This person was very enthusiastic at first, but when he realized he had never seen Han Li before, his expression became serious and even a little suspicious.

  “I am Han Li, a friend of Fatty Wang, who is fighting there,” Han Li replied simply.

  “Fatty Wang’s friend? I know all of his friends, and you’re not one of them!” The person became more and more wary.

  “Oh, I’ve been in closed door training for the past few years. Not knowing who I am is not surprising,” Han Li half lied.

  “Is that right? You also joined the sect as a disciple four years ago? To think that there would be something that the omniscient me didn’t know.” He looked at Han Li’s clothes, appearing to believe in Han Li’s words.

  The person known as Little Abacus and Han Li talked about a few unrelated subjects until he finally answered Han Li’s question.

  “Junior Disciple, what you don’t know is that this is all because of a woman. That is…” the self-proclaimed smartypants said as he began to explain in great detail. Indeed, he seemed to know most of the sect matters that were floating around.

  It seemed that there were 2 people involved. One was called Wang Yang, who was Fatty Wang’s cousin, and the other was Zhang Changgui. The two were both disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect, but one was an Outer Sect Disciple while the other was an Inner Sect Disciple.

  While these two had grown up in the same town, neither of them had ever spoken with each other. This all happened because of a girl. The girl was betrothed to Wang Yang from an early age, but one day, while traveling back home, the head of the Zhang family had caught a glimpse of her and decided to give her to Zhang Changgui. Using his money and influence, he had taken both her and her family, ignoring Wang Yang’s engagement. This grievous news had dealt a heavy blow to Wang Yang as he had long since been infatuated with her. Knowing that there was no way he’d be able to oppose the Zhang family, he jumped to his death in the river.

  Even though it was a tragedy, his death should have ended the matter.

  But who could have guessed his close cousin Fatty Wang, after learning what had happened, would refuse to let his cousin go unavenged? After confronting Zhang Changgui, the two vowed to duel, agreeing that the loser would be the winner’s slave.

  Zhang Changgui may have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He understood that, in martial arts, he was inferior to Fatty Wang. He requested that he be allowed to bring friends who could help out and join in to fight multiple rounds. Fatty Wang readily agreed. Afterward, Zhang Changgui used his money to look for disciples within the Outer Sect to help him. Although Fatty Wang was poor and had no money, he was a good friend to many disciples within the sect, and many of them had decided to come to his aid

  As a result, many had come to show their support, which led to a great amount of hostility on the verge of exploding.

  Hearing this, Han Li had realized that this conflict had grown too serious to settle without any bloodshed.

  Unexpectedly, a small spar had blown up into such an enormous affair.

  “You are here to help Fatty Wang, right? If they don’t abide by the rules, then we will move in and beat them until they wet themselves in fear. Let them know that we peasants are not easy to bully.” The youth spoke without stopping for a single breath.

  Han Li gave a bitter smile as he realized that he should not get involved. After all, picking a side would only serve to make enemies, and because of his few years of cultivation, his impulsiveness had long since been whittled away. Plus, Han Li had never learned any martial arts and wouldn’t be able to beat even the weakest disciple. After watching the competition, it would be better for him to return back to the valley.

  “Good!” Suddenly, the youth cried out loud.

  Upon hearing the youth, Han Li turned his head back to look at the fight. As it turns out, Fatty Wang’s enemy slipped up and was struck in the forehead by a large fist, smacking him to the ground already unconscious.

  Immediately, a part of the crowd cheered in support while the others had nasty looks on their faces.

  Fatty Wang’s face had a look of pride on it as he pumped his fist upward. Slapping his butt, he walked swaggeringly back towards his side, smug about his victory.

  From Zhang Changgui’s side came two people who took the fainted disciple away.

  Then, each side produced one individual. One was carrying a saber while the other carried a sword. [1]

  Each of them had fiery looks on their faces, but neither said a word. Holding their weapons up, they began to clash, the sound of ringing metal quickly filling the air.

  Chapter 17: Senior Disciple Li (1)

  Their weapons could only be seen as flashing blurs as the saber and the sword clashed with no clear victor.

  Han Li wasn’t able to keep up with the fight at all, only understanding that the fight was
very intense. The difficulty or effectiveness of their movements and which person had the advantage were far beyond his scope of knowledge.

  “Junior Disciple Han, I don’t know which master you’ve trained under, but I’m sure your martial arts has made massive improvements after training in isolation, right?” Little Abacus curiously asked.

  Every Inner Disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, after two years of practicing their fundamentals in the Hundred Disciples Hall, would be separated and be apprenticed to a master to learn more profound martial arts. Only after they finished their apprenticeship would they be able to hold a permanent position within the sect.

  In the case that a disciple displayed remarkable strength in the Disciple Examination, they wouldn’t even need to practice fundamentals for two years. Instead, they would directly enter the Seven Supreme Division, where the Sect Leader or Vice Sect Leaders would personally impart some knowledge onto them, giving them a formidable advantage akin to a carp leaping over a dragon gate. [1]

  Within those two years of practicing one’s fundamentals, those with outstanding potential would also be noticed by some elders and accepted as their personal disciple. Backed and taught by such a powerful figure, these disciples’ prospects couldn’t even be compared to those of other disciples.

  After hearing that Han Li had only just come out of seclusion, Little Abacus was even more sure that he hadn’t heard of this person before. He naturally assumed that Han Li was a prestigious Inner Disciple, so he had been very respectful to him in hopes of gaining favor.

  “A few years ago, an honored elder took me in as his disciple, but please understand, I cannot disclose just who this elder is.” Han Li knew what the other disciple was trying to do, so he had to maintain a matter-of-fact expression while also pretending to carry around an air of arrogance.

  “Is that right? Senior Disciple Han is quite lucky then. Your position within the Inner Sect must be high and your potential unlimited. This Junior Disciple hopes that, in the future, Senior Disciple will lend a hand towards his juniors.” Little Abacus didn’t particularly care about why Han Li concealed the name of his master. Whichever honored elder he was, he was surely stronger than his own master, so Little Abacus’s tone had immediately changed.

  “Senior Disciple Han, just one look at you and I know that you are definitely not someone ordinary and that you will be successful without any difficulties.” He continued to flatter Han Li.

  “This person’s skin is so dark, and his face looks rather stupid as well. How could he be the disciple to an honored elder while I am so clever but haven’t been noticed by any elders yet?” Little Abacus secretly muttered to himself while maintaining a respectful expression.

  Han Li had recognized the change in his speech as well. One second he was Junior Disciple Han, and the next he was Senior Disciple Han. This was far too funny for Han Li to bear.

  However, Han Li didn’t look down on Little Abacus for that. Trying to gain favor with those higher than oneself was one’s natural instinct. Someone who wanted a better life first needed to know his or her place. The people who understood this were ones who were successful in life.

  But what was most disappointing was that the words Han Li had just said were primarily true. Han Li could only be considered nothing more than smuggled goods when compared to those true personal disciples of honored elders. Any other disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect could easily beat him. If he were to try to flaunt his status and be arrogant, the truth would be quickly revealed.

  Han Li forced out a smile as he calmly listened to Little Abacus’s flattery. It was almost as if he were at a dinner party.

  “Senior Disciple Han must be strong in martial arts. If he were to enter the ring, he would definitely beat these fighters into sorry states, definitely…” Little Abacus continuously flattered Han Li while also watching the match.

  “Ai! How strange, such a prestigious disciple should have formidable internal strength but why does he look utterly unimpressive? He looks scrawny and weak, and his eyes don’t have the shine of those who had broken through their acupoints. No matter how closely I look, he is nothing but a normal kid that doesn’t know any martial arts.” Little Abacus became more and more bewildered.

  “The outcome has been decided.” Han Li’s light voice had immediately broke Little Abacus from his pondering.

  Surprised, Little Abacus swiftly look back at the ring.

  As it turns out, the saber wielder had his weapon knocked to the side. One arm was limp, while the other clutched at a wound. His face was ashen, but he did not declare his surrender. This wasn’t surprising since the strength between the two disciples wasn’t all that much different. If he hadn’t slipped up just then, they would have been evenly matched.

  When Little Abacus saw this, there was a look of disappointment on his face, and he said softly, “What a shame.”

  “What’s wrong? What do you mean by ‘shame’?” Han Li didn’t see anything noteworthy, but it seemed that this was not the case for the youth next to him.

  “If Fatty Wang’s team had won this fight, then this would have been their 3rd victory, and their best-three-out-of-five contest would have ended. It’s a shame that he couldn’t end it here!”

  “Oh!”

  “But that doesn’t matter. Right now, the remaining person on Wang Dapang’s side is our strongest disciple in martial arts. He uses the Lightning Fast Saber, which is incomparably fierce and able to smash through metal! Haha! To be able to witness Senior Disciple Li’s strength firsthand, I didn’t come here for nothing. No matter who appears on Zhang Chang Gui’s side, our victory is assured.” Little Abacus, who was just depressed about their loss, quickly became excited once more as he began to talk about this Senior Disciple Li. [2]

  “So this will be the final match?” Han Li asked. He wondered who this Senior Disciple Li was. It seemed he really knew nothing about the major figures in the sect.

  At this moment, a grim figure came up to Fatty Wang’s side. The youth was holding a long saber as he walked up to the middle of the ring. Without saying a single word, he closed his eyes.

  “Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li!”

  Seeing this youth come up to the ring, everyone grew excited as they all began to call out his name. With each shout, they grew louder until they eventually began to shake the entire ring with the magnitude of their voices. At this moment, there wasn’t one single person that was cheering for a specific side; there was only one unanimous cry for this youth.

  Chapter 18: Senior Disciple Li (2)

  "Is this Senior Disciple Li very famous? What's his background?" Han Li was extremely surprised by this Senior Disciple Li’s popularity.

  “You don’t even know who Senior Disciple Li is?”

  “Well, I was in seclusion for a few years.”

  “Oh yes, I had actually forgotten. Pardon my terrible memory, I just always thought that there were no disciples in the Seven Mysteries Sect who didn’t know about Senior Disciple Li. It was this preconception that caused me to accidentally forget about your seclusion.” Little Abacus suddenly realized as he hurriedly apologized.

  “Could you tell me more about this Senior Disciple Li?”

  “Senior Disciple Han, of course I can! Well, every junior disciple within the sect knows the story of Senior Disciple Li.” Little Abacus, seeing Senior Disciple Li’s opponent hesitating, took this opportunity to explain the legend of Senior Disciple Li to Han Li.

  “Senior Disciple Han, I don’t like to boast, but the story of Senior Disciple Li is known to both the junior and senior disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect."

  After a short introduction, Little Abacus began to reveal the story of Senior Disciple Li, and the story was legendary indeed.

  This Senior Disciple Li entered the sect about four years ago but was from a different batch than Han Li. He too failed the preliminary test and entered the sect as an Unofficial Disciple. But after half a year, not o
nly did he achieve the best results out of all the Unofficial Disciples in his group, he also sparred with the other senior disciples. Defeating over 30 senior disciples single-handedly and breaking many records, Senior Disciple Li had gained a lot of attention from the higher ups in the sect. After an intense inspection, everyone was shocked that the bones of Senior Disciple Li were extremely ordinary and even his potential was determined to be limited. This made all the higher ups disappointed, so none of the higher ups accepted him as their personal disciple. After the 2 years of basic training, he was delegated as a disciple of a Protector and only managed to learn the most basic of martial skills in the Seven Mysteries Sect. The Lightning Fast Saber Technique that he was proficient in was one of the most commonly taught martial skills in the Seven Mystery Sect.

  If that were the end of his story, Senior Disciple Li could not be considered legendary but rather someone with a good beginning and a weak ending. But after a short while, relying solely on this seemingly common martial skill, the Lightning Fast Saber Technique, he swept across all of the disciples in that year’s annual competition. Using just a single technique and ranking 16th, he became the cream of the crop within his generation, which garnered the attention of the higher ups once again.

  In the subsequent yearly competitions, Senior Disciple Li was incomparably bold and powerful, sweeping across all of the competitors like a sharp sword. He obtained an astonishingly high rank, gaining pride and face for all the new disciples. In last year’s annual competition, he actually was ranked 3rd! One must know that the disciples in the first 2 ranks had already been in the sect for over 10 years! These two disciples were members of an older generation, their age roughly 27 or 28, and they had a much greater internal strength compared to Senior Disciple Li. There were also many who believed that if Senior Disciple Li had the same level of internal strength as the 2 top ranked disciples, Senior Disciple Li would undoubtedly be ranked 1st.

  Precisely because of this, Senior Disciple Li captured the attention of the higher ups once again and was specially nominated to be sent outside of the sect to undergo training and help out with the Seven Mystery Sect’s various external affairs. While disciples of the same generation were still undergoing training, Senior Disciple Li had long rendered meritorious service for the sake of the Seven Mystery Sect and had even been nicknamed “Tiger Li” in Jiang Hu. After which, he was allowed to enter the Seven Supreme Division and obtained the chance to practice higher grade martial arts.