BXBX NOVEL Chapter 507 - Way of the Snail
A long while later, Justice raised his head and said in a low voice, “Could it be that it is impossible for me to break this final wall of the Martial Way? Am I truly not fated with the peak of the Martial Way?!”
“The final step?” Ling Tian laughed, “Justice, do you know what is the final step? Do you truly think that you are already at a realm where there is only a final step left? No no no,” Ling Tian shook his head, “you are still lacking.”
“Oh?” Justice’s eyes lit up “Don’t tell me you know?”
Ling Tian’s eyes narrowed in a mischievous manner as he said with a smile, “Of course I do not know either.”
Justice began to flare up, “Then are you trying to joke with me? Don’t think that I cannot do anything to you just because you are injured. Is your bum itching?!”
Ling Tian’s face immediately froze up, and he did not dare to say a single word of retort. After all, being spanked by a man is an extremely humiliating matter. Yesterday was the only exception but if it were to happen today, an irreconcilable hatred would definitely be formed between the both of them!
Ling Tian then replied slowly, “I can only tell you this. On the Martial Way, no matter what heights you reach and even if you are the first since the ancient times, it would definitely not be the last step.” Ling Tian smiled warmly with his eyes shining, “The Martial Way does not have a final step!”
“The Martial Way does not have a final step!” Justice repeated those words under his breath, and a perplexed look could be seen in his face, “Could it be that I have been chasing after something that doesn’t exist for so many years?”
Ling Tian forcefully propped his body up and felt an aching pain all over his body. Looking at Justice, he said seriously, “Since you can’t understand that, then let me ask you. Even if there is an end to the Martial Way, what would you want to do when you are there? What can you do?!”
Bang! Justice seemed to have been whacked in the head by a baseball bat and his body began swaying. That’s right, just what is the reason for me to chase after the peak of the Martial Way? Even if I can reach the peak, just what should I do? Justice’s body began swaying, and his countenance was completely pale. All of a sudden, it turned into a faint gold color, and he looked at Ling Tian with a deranged and malevolent look.
Ling Tian was startled in his heart. If he were to truly drive Justice crazy, he wouldn’t be able to predict what Justice would do. He wouldn’t be surprised if Justice chose to kill him on the spot. Thus, he hurriedly said, “While there isn’t an end to the Martial Way, every time you take a step, you will be able to prove your ability to break through your own limits. While I said that there isn’t an end to the Martial Way, those words aren’t completely correct either. If we were to only talk about the Martial Way, then we might truly be able to see an end. However, the final step of the Martial Way can also be considered to be the first step.” Without any choice, Ling Tian could only change the topic to draw Justice’s attention.
Justice was flabbergasted as he asked, “What do you mean by that?” Despite being the number one expert in the world, he was truly interested in what Ling Tian had just said.
Ling Tian replied in a low and mysterious tone, “Justice, have you heard of the Heavenly Way?”
“Heavenly Way?” Justice repeated those words under his breath and looked at Ling Tian with a burning gaze, “Heavenly Way?!”
Ling Tian grumbled bitterly in his heart as he continued on, “The final step of the Martial Way is just the first step of the Heavenly Way. Do you understand if I put it that way? When you are able to explore the secrets of the heavens and earth with your Martial Way, you would be near the final step of the Martial Way. However, no one knows just how one can reach such a step. Perhaps being one with the world can be considered to be the first step of the Heavenly Way but it is also no different from a single strand of the Heavenly Way.”
“I see,” Justice said with clear eyes, “Heavenly Way? Just what kind of a realm is that? What is the point of talking about the Heavenly Way if we are unable to even reach the end of the Martial Way? Is being one with the world truly the start point for the Heavenly Way? Why have I not heard such a saying before?!”
“Hahaha...” Ling Tian chuckled and the time which he had been waiting for had arrived, “Justice, in the eyes of the people in the world, your martial arts are already at the absolute peak. However, in this life of yours, even if you are able to make a breakthrough, you will never be able to reach the highest peak of the Heavenly Way realm.”
Ling Tian paused for a moment and asked, “Do you know what is the peak?”
Justice rolled his eyes and had the urge to spank Ling Tian, “The highest point is the peak.”
“Wrong!” Ling Tian said with a tone of absolute confidence, “The so-called peak is just a place where no one else would be able to reach but you. By being able to reach a point where no one else is able to reach, it would turn into the peak. Just like how you are at the summit of the mountain but I am only at the waist of the mountain. However, if I ascend up to the summit one day, then the peak would also cease to exist.”
Ling Tian continued, “There can be only a single person at the so-called peak! That is the true peak. The only reason why you are unable to make a breakthrough now is that there is no one that can be compared to you! If I am able to reach the same heights as you, you would find out that the place where you are standing at is just slightly above me and still far from the peak.”
“That would also be the point where you will make a breakthrough. After you achieve a breakthrough, you would also find a new target and new heights. As long as there is someone chasing after you closely from behind, you would be able to ascend greater heights quickly.”
Ling Tian smiled profoundly, “While there will always be someone who will reach the peak first, it is extremely important to have a companion along the journey. Without a companion, there will be no comparison. Without comparison, there will be no fighting spirit, and you would be unable to take a single step forward!”
Ling Tian’s words were akin to saying, You need me and so you can never kill me! Apart from me, there is no one else capable of being your companion.
“That’s right!” Justice burst out laughing, “No wonder! It is not that I am unable to achieve a breakthrough but that I do not have a target to achieve a breakthrough!”
Ling Tian smiled and said, “There is a snail who is the fastest among all the snails. He had always been extremely proud of that until he met a tortoise and when he crawled onto the tortoise’s back, he immediately felt his worldview widen immensely. He realized that this tortoise was more than ten or a hundred times faster than him! Thus, he let out a gasp of admiration: This tortoise is truly fast! It is as fast as lightning!” At this moment, Ling Tian actually began telling a story.
A cold glare flashed past Justice’s eyes but he did not interrupt Ling Tian and listened silently.
Ling Tian chuckled and pointed at Justice before pointing at himself, “You, me, Yu ManLou, Ye QingChen and the rest are all like a bunch of snails with you being the fastest one. However, the Heavenly Way is like the tortoise. We need to wait for the opportunity to meet the turtle before we can understand the Heavenly Way.” Ling Tian laughed, “But apart from the turtle, there is still the mouse, rabbit, tiger, eagle...Do you understand what I am trying to say?”
Justice could not help but laugh as he felt Ling Tian’s analogy to be pretty interesting, “We are the bunch of snails that are cultivating the Martial Way?”
Ling Tian burst out laughing, “That’s right! We are the bunch of snails who cultivate the Martial Way!”
“Hahaha...” The two of them looked at each other and began bursting out into laughter. Justice had never laughed so heartily in his life before, and he laughed to the point tears almost flowed out of his eyes, “It turns out that I am only the snail which is crawling the fastest?”
“No! You are not the snail that is crawling the fastest!” Ling Tian said seriously, “You are only the snail that has crawled the furthest. I should be the snail that is crawling the fastest!”
Justice laughed even harder as though a problem which had been troubling him for a long time was finally solved. He squatted down and slapped his palms on the ground laughing in an almost maniacal level, completely devoid of the image of an expert.
Xiao YanXue stood outside the tent and upon hearing both Ling Tian and Justice laughing in such an odd manner, she could not help but peek into the tent with shock and doubt.
Justice pointed at the peeking Xiao YanXue while laughing, “Another snail!”
Ling Tian could not help but add on, “This is a female snail!”
Then both of them continued laughing.
Xiao YanXue flew into a rage! She never expected that to be scolded as a snail just because she took a peek of concern! Her face flushed red as she stomped away while cursing, “The two of you are the snails! Smelly snail! Darn snail!”
When a woman throws a tantrum, she wouldn’t care if you are the number one expert in the world!
Justice stood up laughing, took out a jade pendant from his embrace and threw it at Ling Tian. Ling Tian immediately recognized it as the Heaven’s Heart Jade which Yu BingYan had given to him as a token of love. He then saw Justice taking off the Heaven Splitter and throwing it on the ground like it was no different from waste metal.
Ling Tian glared, “What are you doing?” At the same time, he could not help but question in his heart if Justice was driven crazy by him.
Justice smiled, “You were originally dead for sure but something odd happened to this jade pendant. It formed a connection with my Heaven Splitter and the inner qi of your body, therefore saving your life. Since your fate is connected to this sword, what is the point of me keeping it?”
“An oddity within the jade? Why didn’t I know?”
Justice snorted, “At that time, you were an unconscious snail and were naturally unaware.”
Ling Tian laughed bitterly.
Justice smiled and said, “I have already tried to study it with my inner qi but could not get a reaction. Your inner qi is probably the only thing capable of forming a connection with it. You can study it slowly, and I will make my move first.”
“Where are you going?” Ling Tian was startled, “Don’t you want to kill me anymore? Don’t forget that we have a half year agreement. While I said that I lost previously, I have not admitted defeat yet!”
Justice let out a carefree smile, “These two jade pendants and this Heaven Splitter are rumored to allow one to rule over the world! But in my eyes, they are no different from lousy rocks and metals. As for the world and commoners, hahaha... what have they got to do with me? If it is your fate, then it should belong to you. You can do as you wish. As for killing you, why should I kill you?”
Ling Tian could not help but look at Justice with bewilderment. Why did Justice look as though he had achieved an enlightened state and has detached himself from worldly affairs? He then asked, “Are you going to ignore the request of the Martial Order Medallion?”