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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Han Li suspiciously glanced at Li Feiyu before staring at the huge bundle once again.

  Peng!

  A sound rang out as he kicked the huge bundle. It seemed like there really was a book wrapped inside.

  No longer paying attention to Li Feiyu, he squatted besides the large bundle and used his hands to feel what was inside.

  He quickly stopped. Wasting time to guess the contents of the bundle was an extremely foolish action.

  A pair of clean, white palms grasped the complicated knot of the bundle. Using all of his fingers, he forced the knot open.

  Pa pow!

  The crisp sound of clapping hands rang out.

  Han Li did not immediately opened the bundle. Instead, he turned his head and stared at his “evil”, laughing friend, Li Feiyu.

  It was unknown when, but Li Feiyu had already stopped laughing and put on his shoes.

  Currently, he was furiously clapping his hands while cheering for Han Li, oblivious to the pain from his red-tinged palms.

  “Excellent! Every time I see you execute the ‘Silk Wrapping Palms’, I find it incredible. That technique seems to have been designed for you alone! Since the time that I taught to you, only a span of two months has passed.” Li Feiyu continued clapping his hands and praising Han Li.

  “Don’t tell me that in order to see me demonstrating that technique, you purposely tied a convoluted knot on such a large bundle?” asked Han Li, slightly agitated.

  “Of course not. Once you open the bundle, you’ll understand.” Li Feiyu smiling countenance suddenly turned serious.

  Curious and bewildered as to why Li Feiyu would suddenly speak with such a tone, Han Li cast his gaze onto the bundle once more.

  He deliberated for a moment before stretching his index finger and middle finger, lightly grasping the edge of the item inside the bundle, and dragging the hidden item out in the open.

  “This is…” Beads of sweat appeared on Han Li head as his two eyes almost popped out of their socket

  “How is it? Are you shocked?” Li Feiyu slowly walked towards Han Li, patting him on his shoulder.

  At a loss for words, Han Li stiffly turned his body, and looked straight at Li Feiyu.

  “Why are you looking at me with that expression? There’s no way I’ll marry you, alright?” Li Feiyu laughingly teased Han Li.

  After hearing Li Feiyu’s words, Han Li cleared his mind.

  “I want to make it clear between us! From this moment on, I don’t know you, nor have you met me before.” Han Li’s voice got louder in intensity as he roared furiously.

  “I don’t know if my vision is blurry or if you’ve gone insane! You actually stole half of the Seven Supreme Division’s secret manuals?! If you’re discovered, both of us will suffer a fate worse than death!” As he hollered at Li Feiyu, Han Li pointed his finger at the pile of secret manuals in front of him.

  On the top left hand corner of the manuals were several characters written in gold:

  “Seven Supreme Division, Secret Library”

  Chapter 36: Shocked

  Seeing that Han Li became furious, Li Feiyu did not get angry. Instead, Li Feiyu remained indifferent.

  He tilted his head, stuck his pinky into his ear, and concentrated on cleaning his ear. Han Li’s reaction was an appropriate and expected one.

  After Han Li had vented his anger, he saw that Li Feiyu remained as brazen as a city wall, almost as if he had not heard any of Han Li’s remarks. Han Li calmed down, sensing that something was off.

  “You are not a fool, nor are you an egomaniac. You wouldn’t do anything that would get yourself killed. You must tell me what your reason was behind such a reckless action right now,” Han Li gravely demanded.

  Li Feiyu, seeing that Han Li’s anger was quickly being replaced once again by reason, felt somewhat regretful. He assumed a wronged and pitiful appearance and repeatedly complained of this injustice by shouting, “Heavens! I’m being wrongly accused!”

  “A moment ago, I was actually about to give you an explanation, but you didn’t even give me a chance to open my mouth!”

  “Now you’re complaining about me, am I truly no longer a person in your eyes!?”

  This kind of whining was obviously fake. Anyone who took a quick glance at this farce would feel annoyed after seeing through the act.

  Han Li also could not help but think of taking advantage of the situation and stepped forward, fiercely kicking Li Feiyu, who was resembling a sh!t-eating dog.

  “Give me less acting and more explaining. Quickly!”

  “You scoundrel. If the junior disciples that admire you see your lazy appearance, your image as a powerful and confident fighter would be completely shattered.” Han Li gave him a bit of a mocking expression.

  Han Li currently had no time to vent his anger and argue with Li Feiyu. If this secret exchange was not handled well, the two of them would face enormous consequences.

  Li Feiyu seemed to realize what Han Li was thinking at this moment and no longer ridiculed or denounced him. Rather, he lazily walked over to the bundle and picked up a rare book.

  After standing up straight, his face had a mysterious radiance. With a smile that was simultaneously not a genuine smile, he handed the book over to Han Li. Afterwards, signalling with his eyes, Li Feiyu beckoned Han Li to look at the book’s cover.

  Han Li reached out with his hand to receive the very thin and rare book, giving Li Feiyu a look filled with doubt.

  He was at a bit of a loss, not knowing what sort of crafty scheme Li Feiyu was plotting.

  “Open it and take a look for yourself. If you do, you’ll understand everything.” Li Feiyu deliberately used a mysterious tone in order to coax Han Li into examining the book.

  “What, you can’t say it outright? What’s the point of trying to keep it a mystery?”

  Although hesitation was evident on Han Li’s face, he flipped through the pages of the book.

  He opened the cover, revealing the first page of the rare manual. The top of the page, neatly written in black and white, were three large words: “Blinking Sword Art”.

  “En!” Han Li was slightly astounded.

  Han Li was astonished that the first book Li Feiyu had given to him was exactly what he desired.

  “Don’t lose your focus. Come and see the rest of the books.” Li Feiyu tossed over a few nearby rare manuals in succession.

  Han Li caught the books one by one and was completely stunned after quickly skimming through their entirety..

  All of their titles were clearly written with black and white characters: “Blinking Sword Art”.

  Only after a long while had passed did Han Li lift his gaze from the books in his hands.

  Pointing his finger at the large pile of secret manuals on the ground, Han Li asked stammeringly, “You… you cannot possibly tell me… that these…. these… these are all manuals for “Blinking Sword Art”!

  “I am very sorry, Junior Disciple Han. You have indeed guessed correctly.” Li Feiyu shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands; his face wearing an expression of helplessness.

  Although Li Feiyu seemed apologetic, his feelings did not coincide with his words. The corner of his mouth rose faintly as he derived pleasure from Han Li’s frustration.

  “This is impossible! There are almost a hundred books here, so how could all of these possibly be manuals for Blinking Sword Art?” Unable to stomach Li Feiyu’s cheap tricks, Han Li questioned Li Feiyu because he was filled with great doubt.

  “You’re asking me? Who was I even supposed to ask in order to verify that they were the right manuals without getting caught?”

  “I was at the corner of the Seven Supreme Division’s library when I suddenly came upon so many rare manuals sharing the same name. I, too, was shocked!” Li Feiyu rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, giving off the appearance of having lingering trauma.

  Soon after, he saw Han Li’s dumbfounded expression and couldn’t help but laugh heartily.


  Li Feiyu would later say that seeing Han Li suffer such a shock was indeed a rare and impressive sight.

  Ordinarily, Han Li’s face was always calm and composed, as if he always had a card up his sleeve. For Han Li to be shocked was near impossible.

  At this moment, Han Li had such a numb, foolish look that made Li Feiyu feel that these past few days had been well worth the taxing effort.

  After a moment, Han Li had at last cleared his mind.

  He tightly grabbed several books with his hands and lowered his head, deep in thought. Then, with a thought, he looked up and asked neither slowly nor rushed, “Did you count how many manuals were in the bundle?”

  “In total, how many manuals did you bring?” Han Li once again asked.

  “Naturally, I counted the manuals multiple times. Altogether, there are seventy four books, all with the same name.” Li Feiyu immediately replied, without any hesitation.

  “If we don’t know the exact quantity of manuals and fail to return one or two books, we might draw ourselves unwanted attention, which might prove troublesome,” Han Li immediately explained.

  He softly pinched the somewhat yellow pages, slowly turning them over as he carefully skimmed one of the secret manuals in his hand.

  Chapter 37: Three Restrictions for Cultivation

  The crisp sound of pages flipping was pleasant to Han Li’s ears.

  However, Li Feiyu hated that sound.

  He ignored Han Li, who was concentrating on reading, and walked towards the mountain spring. He pulled out a long saber from the mud and started practicing.

  Han Li glanced over at him. Seeing his friend’s overwhelming energy, Han Li stopped paying attention to Li Feiyu’s movements and shifted his concentration back to the book in his hands.

  Han Li could read at a shocking speed of ten lines per glance. He quickly finished the thick book and grabbed another book without even lifting his head to look.

  He kept his eyes partly closed while reading, showing a pensive expression from time to time. His eyes were glued to the book’s pages and unwilling to detach themselves for just a single moment. The way that his head followed his gaze and moved back and forth gave him the appearance of an elegant intellectual.

  As time flew by, Han Li rapidly browsed through the Blinking Sword Art’s many manuals.

  When he finished reading the eleventh manual, he suddenly stopped and threw the book back in his bag.

  He closed his eyes to rest for a little bit.

  Once he felt better, he sat down cross-legged and started cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts, striving to comprehend all the information he had just read.

  Han Li’s facial expression shifted back and forth from excited and lively to serious and dispirited.

  Not knowing how much time had passed, Han Li finally opened his eyes and was shocked by what he saw in front of him.

  He didn’t realize that Li Feiyu had sneaked up so close to his face while his eyes had been closed. Li Feiyu was in such close proximity that their noses had almost touched.

  “What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be practicing with your saber?”

  “Junior Disciple Han, can’t you see what time it is right now? You’re asking a stupid question.” Li Feiyu pulled back his body and twitched his lips.

  Han Li realized just then that the sunlight had dimmed.

  He lifted his head and looked up. The sky was currently a blueish-grey colour, which meant that it was already evening.

  “Cough! Time has really flown by while I was cultivating. I didn’t notice that it was this late already.”

  Han Li stood up and moved around a little bit.

  “So? Did you find anything interesting in the book?” Li Feiyu looked at Han Li passionately, hoping that Han Li could tell him about the Blinking Sword Art.

  “Hmm, it’s not bad. I think this technique will suit me.”

  “Huh?! What do you mean ‘not bad’?” Tell me the actual truth,” said Li Feiyu in a slightly dissatisfied tone.

  “Specifically, these rare books are a combination of different techniques. In other words, there is no full set in here. They have all been pieced together from different martial arts styles,” Han Li slowly explained.

  “Then what is the meaning of the name ‘Blinking Sword Art? Is it even an actual sword art? Why is the name so strange?” Li Feiyu was still unsatisfied by Han Li’s response, so he kept asking questions.

  “Blinking Sword Art actually exists, but the manuals that pertain to it are only a small portion within the big mash up,” Han Li said with patience.

  “As for the name of the Blinking Sword Art, there is a special reason for it.”

  “What reason? Why can’t you say it all at once? Stop talking sentence by sentence, you are just like the old people in town.” Li Feiyu glared at Han Li; he couldn’t stand Han Li’s slow explanation.

  At Li Feiyu’s urging, Han Li couldn’t do anything else but speed up his clarification.

  “According to the books, this sword art manipulates light to affect the opponent’s eyesight, thereby giving the user a chance to land a decisive blow. It often makes your opponents lose their lives the moment they blink, hence the name ‘Blinking Sword Art’.”

  “There is actually such a strange sword art? There are quite a few eccentric martial artists in this world!” Li Feiyu showed a lot of interest after listening, but quieted right after Han Li’s next sentence.

  “This sword art has three restrictions. It cannot be practiced by those have cultivated True Qi, those who lack perseverance, or lastly, those without talent.”

  When Li Feiyu heard the first requirement, he immediately gave up on cultivating the sword art. His True Qi was already at trained to a formidable stage. There was no way that he would be willing to disable his own internal strength to practice this new skill, which he knew next to nothing about.

  Since he had completely lost interest in the rare books, Li Feiyu didn’t want to stay there any longer.

  He stood up and was getting ready to leave, but before he left, he warned Han Li to copy the rare books as soon as possible so he could bring back all the original copies when they next met. Even though these rare books weren’t valued very much by other people, but if they disappear for a long time, it would still attract attention.

  Not long after Li Feiyu left, Han Li left the place as well.

  The whole landscape of the mountainous region was covered by layers of fog, causing it to be slightly dark. A forest of thistles grew on both sides of the narrow mountain paths. When a gust of mountain wind blew through the forest, a “hua lala” sound would be emitted. The leaves on the branches on both side of the path would flutter about frenziedly, akin to bared fangs and dancing claws.

  On the somewhat seemingly sinister mountain road, Han Li rushed toward God Hand Valley.

  Because he left mountain when the sun was beginning to dim, the sky was completely dark by the time he walked halfway to the valley.

  If it hadn’t been for his Eternal Spring Arts, which sharpened his night vision, Han Li wouldn’t have been able to rush down the mountain in this dark environment. After all, this small road was not well tread. The road was filled with dangerously placed twists and turns. If one were not careful, an accident was likely to occur, thereby claiming his or her fragile life.

  Chapter 38: Encountering a Midnight Spy

  Walking in the pitch black forest, Han Li heightened his senses. Ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to clearly see the path in front of them, but for Han Li, it was as clear as day.

  Despite his advantage, Han Li continued to be cautious. His caution was not honed by hunting ferocious wild beasts, but rather developed into a habit by hiding from Doctor Mo.

  After the Seven Mysteries Sect relocated to the Rainbow Celestial Mountains, the beasts and creatures inhabiting the mountains and forests were eradicated in order to ensure the safety of the sect members. In addition to the ferocious beasts, even normal wild animals, such as
the venomous snakes, had been hunted and turned into food for the disciples.

  Han Li’s vigilance was not a part of his natural personality. He had developed it after experiencing Doctor Mo’s schemes so that he could prevent any unwanted dangers.

  The mountain’s bone-chilling wind got stronger and stronger, giving off a shrill sound that caused his hair to stand on end. The distant Han Li, upon sensing the wind, hastened his pace as he stepped across the boundary that marked the edge of the forest.

  He lightly sighed. Walking alone in this pitch dark made his heart grow heavy. Han Li quickened his pace once more, increasing his stride in order to leave the forest as soon as possible. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew towards him.

  After enduring the strong gust of wind, Han Li paused as if he had discovered something bizarre. He furrowed his brows and tilted his neck, as if he was trying to listen for something.

  Han Li’s expression quickly turned serious. He heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the distance. Although the footsteps were extremely light and the owners of the footsteps were far away from him, Han Li could determine that there were two individuals rushing closer towards his direction.

  He lightly lept away and hid himself in the forest next to the mountain path without making a single sound.

  There was a large tree about thirty meters away from the path. Han Li hid himself behind the tree, curling himself into a ball. If one were to examine the tree from the front, he or she would not be able to find any traces of Han Li.

  It was only after finding a good hiding spot that Han Li gradually began to calm down.

  This time, Han Li was not being overly sensitive; there was something truly strange going on. It was highly illogical for two people to prowl around a remote location in the middle of the night. Han Li was eighty percent positive that the two mysterious figures were hiding something fishy up their sleeves.

  Han Li did not want the mysterious figures to kill him for discovering their secret, even if he did so by accident.

  However, if there were no dangers facing Han Li, then there would be no problem for him to eavesdrop on their secrets. Han Li was no hypocrite; he merely understood that if good fortune delivered itself to his doorstep, he would be a fool not to take advantage of it.