Chapter 38 – Mysterious Old Man

After they came to an agreement, they continued on their journey while riding the grey wolf. However, they didn’t get along so naturally with each other as they’d done in the past. If Yang Ye didn’t speak, then the woman would absolutely not speak before him, and Yang Ye was slightly helpless towards this.

Something worthy of mentioning was that Yang Ye’s cultivation had improved. He’d arrived at the eighth rank of the Mortal Realm from the seventh rank. As for the reason for his sudden improvement, according to Yang Ye’s guess, it was probably because of the effect of that Union Fruit. However, he wasn’t sure, and he wanted to ask the woman behind him about it, yet he was afraid it would cause the atmosphere between them to be embarrassing. So, he could only bury this question in his heart.

The two of them traveled for over four hours, traversed a few small mountains, and arrived near a mountain. It was a ramrod straight mountain that stood before them, and it shot into the clouds. They were utterly unable to lay eyes upon its peak while they gazed up from the ground.

“There’s a house over there!” Suddenly, Yang Ye looked towards the foot of the mountain, and he pointed at a cottage in the distance while his voice carried pleasant surprise in it.

As she gazed at the cottage, the white clothed woman frowned. However, she didn’t stop Yang Ye from rushing over there. Even though she felt that something was slightly off about it, they didn’t have any other way to leave this place now.

The two of them had just arrived at the cottage when they saw the cottage door open slowly, and then a hunched old man in a tattered black robe walked out from within.

The old man was very old, extremely old, and this was Yang Ye’s first impression upon laying eyes on the old man. The old man’s face was covered in wrinkles, and he only had a few strands of hair on his head, so it wasn’t going too far to call the old man bald. The old man supported himself with a walking stick and walked slowly as if a gust of wind could push him down.

A wisp of surprise flashed in the old man’s eyes upon laying eyes on Yang Ye and the white clothed woman, yet his gaze quickly recovered to normal, and then he supported himself with the walking stick as he walked slowly towards Yang Ye and the woman.

When he saw this, Yang Ye suppressed the shock in his heart and hurriedly got off the wolf to greet the old man. He bowed to the old man and said, “Senior, the two of us fell down Death Abyss, and we arrived here by chance. May I know who Senior is?”

Even though the old man before him seemed to be terrifyingly weak, Yang Ye had no choice but to be careful. Because this old man was actually staying beneath Death Abyss, so how could he be an ordinary person?

When he saw Yang Ye act so politely, the old man’s wrinkled face revealed a trace of a gentle smile. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, and he seemed to have seen something unbelievable. He stared at Yang Ye for a short while before he withdrew his gaze and said, “It has already been many years since someone has come here! Since both of you were able to arrive here, then it can be considered to be fate. Wait a moment!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man supported himself with the walking stick and turned around before walking into the cottage.

As he gazed at the old man, Yang Ye turned around to look at the white clothed woman that had already arrive by his side, and he said, “Qingshi, are you able to see through his strength?”

After that had occurred, the woman was unable to endure Yang Ye’s repeated requests and told him her name.

Su Qingshi glanced at Yang Ye. Obviously, she wasn’t used to Yang Ye addressing her in this way. However, she wasn’t opposed to it as well. She went silent for a short while before she shook her head and said, “I feel that he’s just like us, and his cultivation had been sealed. He’s an ordinary person. However, there also seems to be something off about him!”

Yang Ye was just about to say something when the old man walked out once more from within the cottage. However, at this moment, there were a black colored scroll and a pair of bracelets that flickered with a multicolored glow in his hand.

While Yang Ye was bewildered by this, the old man had already arrived before them, and he blew off the dust on the black scroll in his hand before passing it to Yang Ye. He said, “After allowing dust to pile up on it for so long, it took me some time to find it. I noticed you train in the sword, and this ‘Sword Control Technique’ ought to be of use to you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he gazed at the white clothed woman by Yang Ye’s side and said, “Since you’re his Dao Companion, then it wouldn’t be good for me to allow you to return empty handed. I’ll give this pair of Illusory Crystal Bracelets to you!”

“I’m not his Dao Companion!” Su Qingshi’s brows raised. If this old man didn’t seem like he was halfway into the coffin, she would have probably made a move against him.

Yang Ye was afraid a conflict would arise between Su Qingshi and the old man, so he hurriedly stood in front of the old man and bowed to the old man before he said, “Senior, there are no gains without pains. We’ve only just met for the first time, yet you’ve given us such presents. This….”

Yang Ye and Su Qingshi both hadn’t accepted the presents because this old man before them was too strange, and he’d given them presents upon meeting them. So, how could Yang Ye dare to accept the presents?

The old man glanced at the angry Su Qingshi, and then he glanced at Yang Ye. After a short while, he said, “I was rash. However, I don’t have any ill intent. These two things are only growing mold in my possession, so it’s better to give it to the two of you.”

When he heard this, Yang Ye felt that it wasn’t good to refuse, so he received the scroll from the old man. He was just about to open it and have a look when the scroll instantly transformed into a wisp of green light that vanished in his hands. Suddenly, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed, and he’d arrived at a vast grey world.

Right when Yang Ye was utterly bewildered, he saw a black figure suddenly appear not too far away from him. The black figure held a sword and had his back towards Yang Ye as he said, “Sword Control Technique, a low-grade Earth Rank sword technique. I created it by gathering a myriad of sword techniques, and it comes from a myriad of sword techniques. However, it’s unlike the other sword techniques of the world. This sword technique stresses upon controlling the sword with the heart, and it isn’t restrained by sword qi or sword moves. It moves at will.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the black figure waved his right hand, and the sword behind him shot into the sky. After that, the black figure didn’t seem to make any movement, yet the sword seemed like a playful child in midair. It moved right for a while, then moved left, then charged forward, then swiftly descended, and it carried out all sorts of movements in the air.

At the side, Yang Ye’s chin almost hit the ground from this sight, and he gulped down a mouthful of saliva with force before he muttered. “Controlling the sword with the heart, he really is controlling the sword with the heart….”

That wasn’t the end of it. The sword that was ceaselessly dancing about in midair suddenly trembled rapidly. After that, a strand of sword qi shot explosively towards the sky from the tip of the sword. In the next moment, the sword shot a few strands of sword qi towards various different directions, and for a time, sword qi crisscrossed throughout the sky.

After shooting out over 100 strands of sword qi, the sword and the black figure gradually vanished. At the same time, a voice suddenly and gradually sounded out. “One that comes after me, remember the heart technique of the Sword Control technique — the Sword Control Technique depends on the regulation of breathing, maintaining a clear mind, concentration, and allowing man, sword, and the elements to fuse into one….”

After it finished reciting this formula, Yang Ye instantly felt the heavens and the earth spinning around him, and when he opened his eyes next, he saw the old man looking at him with a smile.

Yang Ye looked at the white clothed woman as he hoped that she would explain the situation from before to him.

“A Technique Inheritance!” The white clothed woman understood and explained. “Some experts utilize Divine Abilities to record some of their techniques into scrolls. These are called inheritances, and they’re able to allow one to personally feel everything about the technique. There are numerous benefits from this.”

When he heard this, Yang Ye suppressed the excitement in his heart, and he turned around to bow to the old man before he said, “Thank you, Senior!”

Even though he didn’t know why the old man gifted him a sword technique, he had really obtained an Earth Rank sword technique.

The old man smiled, and then he passed the pair of bracelets in his hand to Yang Ye and said, “I know you have many questions, but because of certain reasons, I can’t tell you the answer. As for your desire to leave this place, I can help. But I want to raise a condition!”

Yang Ye received the pair of bracelets, and then he said, “So long as I can accomplish it, then I will absolutely not refuse!”

The old man nodded and said, “This condition isn’t anything difficult. I just hope that if you attain the Monarch Realm one day, then please make a trip here. At that time, I’ll have something to entrust you with!”

Yang Ye heaved a sigh of relief when heard this because he felt fortunate that the old man didn’t ask him to do something difficult right now. He immediately agreed and said, “If I attain the Monarch Realm, then I’ll definitely come looking for senior. I’ll do as I’ve said.”

Even though he didn’t know if he would be able to attain the Monarch Realm in his entire lifetime, since the old man had said this, then he could only agree. In any case, it was a matter for the future.

The old man nodded with satisfaction upon hearing Yang Ye, and then he waved his right hand. A blue colored circle appeared by the side of Yang Ye and the woman. The blue circle could fit around three people, and a dense expanse of symbols flickered at the bottom of the blue circle.

“A teleportation formation!” When they saw this blue circle, the expressions of Yang Ye and the woman changed immediately. They’d seen teleportation formations in the past because the Sword Sect had a Teleportation Platform, and there were numerous teleportation formations there. Moreover, those teleportation formations could teleport one to numerous cities. It could be said that teleportation formations weren’t really rare. However, to their shock, this old man before them had actually made a teleportation formation with a wave of his hand, and this was extremely terrifying!

It wasn’t just Yang Ye who was shocked, even Su Qingshi was the same. She glanced deeply at the old man, and besides wonder, there was also deep fear in her eyes.

The old man seemed as if he didn’t notice the shock on their faces at all, and he said, “This teleportation formation can teleport the two of you to Death Mountain Range. Right, don’t expose this place to anyone else. It’s for your own good. Go on!”

Yang Ye took a deep breath and bowed once more to the old man. After that, he pulled Su Qingshi’s hand and walked into the blue circle.

As soon as they walked in, a strand of blue light surged up from beneath them, and it instantly enveloped the two of them before the two of them vanished with a swish.

As he watched the blue light vanish, the smile on the old man’s face was gradually restrained, and he muttered in a low voice. “Why was I unable to see through his future? Why?”