The four of them shuddered. Wang Bodang was so emotional he was speechless. "We pay our respects to the Ancestral Master!"
The aged figure ignored the four of them. With a wave of the stooped old man's hand, the Sword Array enveloping the Sword Tomb silently dispersed. The ten Divine Swords, sensing their creator, radiated a brilliant light.
Even Xu Huang's eyes were fixed on them. What Sword Cultivator could resist the allure of a Treasure Sword?
'Who could have entered my Sword Array completely unscathed?' Thunderbolt's expression was grave. 'Stranger still, whoever broke through went to great lengths but didn't take a single Treasure Sword. Why?'
Thunderbolt's gaze swept over the area. Wang Bodang and the other three didn't dare to breathe. Before their own disciples, they were high and mighty, but in front of the Ancestral Master, they were nothing but children.
When Thunderbolt's eyes fell upon the character for "Relinquish" on the wall, a cold smirk touched his lips. 'Is this a provocation?'
Thunderbolt shook his head, preparing to teach his descendants a lesson, but then he suddenly whipped around and strode to the wall.
His eyes were locked onto the wall. Xu Huang and the other three exchanged glances, not knowing what was happening.
'It's just one word. Could it be an acquaintance?'
Thunderbolt's hands began to tremble violently. 'How is this possible!'
'How is this possible!'
"Senior, is that you? Senior, Senior, please come out and see this disciple!"
Thunderbolt was as emotional as a small child. The aura around him suddenly erupted, and his stooped body straightened, becoming like a giant from the Primordial Chaos.
Wang Bodang and the others were terrified. 'Someone their Ancestral Master calls Senior???'
'Wouldn't that person have to be one of the Land Immortals?'
Thunderbolt called out for a long time, but there was no response. He stared blankly at the character on the wall, his powerful aura slowly receding. He stepped back three paces, knelt respectfully on the ground, and kowtowed three times to the character for "Relinquish." This frightened the four men at his side so much that they scrambled to kneel and kowtow as well.
'Who in the world is this? What is going on!'
Rising to his feet, Thunderbolt summoned the Treasure Swords to him and snapped them, one by one. Not even a Divine Sword could withstand the power of the Holy Hall's Body Cultivation Ancestor Master. Just like that, the ten Divine Swords were broken.
Wang Bodang and the other three felt like crying. Thunderlight Hall had been weak for a long time, relying on these ten Divine Swords to maintain its prestige. Now, it was all over.
After breaking the Treasure Swords, Thunderbolt let out a long breath, a feeling of sudden enlightenment washing over him. He had left the Main Hall and come to Linlang Street, hiding in plain sight, all to comprehend the Dao and break through his bottleneck. As it turned out, his approach had been completely wrong. This single word, "Relinquish," had revealed the knot in his heart.
When he was done, he looked at the four men kneeling on the floor, their eyes filled with reluctance. Thunderbolt felt a surge of disappointment. To think that Thunderlight Hall had fallen so low it had to rely on the Sword Tomb just to get by.
"From this day forward, there will be no Sword Tomb!" Thunderbolt declared.
"Ancestral Master, did we disciples do something wrong? Please punish us, Ancestral Master!" Wang Bodang cried out, terrified.
"Incompetence is its own failing! Look what you've let the great Thunderlight Hall become! If you can't turn things around, the four of you can just get lost!"
Thunderbolt raged, and the four men fell silent as cicadas in winter.
Seeing their expressions, Thunderbolt only grew angrier. But there was nothing to be done. It was a matter of fate. The once-glorious Thunderlight Hall was truly a thing of the past.
"Ancestral Master, who left this word? We..." As a Body Cultivator, Wang Bodang was at least brave enough to steel himself and ask.
"Shut your mouth! Who do you think you are? Even I am not worthy of speaking his venerable name!" Thunderbolt cursed.
Wang Bodang immediately wilted, not daring to even lift his head. Thunderbolt was known as the Holy Hall's number one hothead; he wouldn't back down even if he ran into the Evil Lord himself. Yet there was someone who could make him act this way.
"This word... leave it. One day, you will have use for it."
As soon as his voice faded, Thunderbolt was gone. The four men stared intently at the one remaining, ruined wall of the Sword Tomb, but they couldn't see anything special about it.
As for who had left the word, the four didn't dare ask again, nor did they dare to inquire elsewhere. You'd have to be tired of living to risk getting on Ancestor Master Lei's bad side.
"Brother Meng, I'm gonna die! You still have time to drink tea, Brother Meng? Let's go, hurry up and come with me!"
"Just let me finish my tea."
"Brother Meng, Ancestor Master Lei appeared, and the Sword Tomb was destroyed! How can you not go check out something this huge?"
Wang Meng smiled faintly. "So it was destroyed. Besides, it's too late to go now. The excitement is surely over. And what's a Bow Cultivator like you getting involved for? Are you thinking of changing professions?"
Zhang Xiaojiang paused. "Oh, right. Why am I, a Bow Cultivator, getting worked up? It's not like the Bow Cultivator Ancestral Master showed up."
"Come on, play a game of Go with me."
"Hehe, Brother Meng, I might not be your match in other things, but when it comes to this game, you're not so tough! Don't you go flicking my head when you lose in a bit!"
Zhang Xiaojiang said with a laugh.
Wang Meng chuckled. "Alright. Hu Jing, perfect timing. Come over and watch."
Hu Jing, who had just entered, paused for a moment, then smiled. "Showing up at the right time is better than showing up early."
"Haha, Jingjing, don't tell me you were also trying to drag Brother Meng out to see the commotion."
"You think everyone's like you? All four Elders went. They'd never let us get close."
Hu Jing said.
"Fine, saves me the trouble. Come on, watch me dominate the board!"
Zhang Xiaojiang had learned Go from his old man and was quite skilled. The old Wang Meng had loved to go for the kill, only to find himself finished after his reckless charges. Whenever they played, it was when Master Zhang was at his manliest, exuding the domineering air of someone unrivaled under the heavens.
"Brother Meng, as usual, you take black."
The black stones have the advantage of moving first, but Wang Meng shook his head. "Let's change it up. You take black."
"Oh? Alright then."
Zhang Xiaojiang didn't stand on ceremony; this was his last bastion of pride, after all. The two began to battle back and forth across the board.
They hadn't played many moves before Zhang Xiaojiang froze, lost in thought, completely ignoring the people around him.
After pondering for a long time, he finally made a move. But Wang Meng placed a white stone with casual ease, and Zhang Xiaojiang was once again stuck.
Hu Jing also understood the game and was quite skilled herself. Coming from a good family, the four arts of zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting were required studies. Like Zhang Xiaojiang, she fell deep into contemplation, muttering, "This way... no, that won't work. That way... also won't work..."
Wang Meng smiled faintly. "The world is like a game of Go. When you're stuck, you must change. With change comes a way through."
The two reacted subconsciously, their minds echoing the words. 'When you're stuck, you must change. With change comes a way through...'
"I've got it!" Zhang Xiaojiang's black stone lunged aggressively at Wang Meng's large group.
"Haha, commendable courage, but insufficient strategy!"
SLAP. A white stone was placed.
Zhang Xiaojiang and Hu Jing were once again lost in thought. Wang Meng chuckled, "Let's stop here for today."
It took a long moment for Zhang Xiaojiang to stand up. He scratched his head. "Dammit, why does it feel like every move I make is a dead end?"
The two of them stared at Wang Meng. He just smiled. "You won't find any answers on my face. You two are Direct Disciples of Elders, you'd better keep working hard. I'll be counting on you to look after me in the future."
"Ah, crap! My master sent me to get something."
Zhang Xiaojiang slapped his forehead and scurried away like the wind. The guy had heard about the commotion halfway through his errand and had run straight over.
Hu Jing was still staring at the Go board. Wang Meng gently patted her shoulder. "Don't take it so seriously. It's just a game. Take your time."
Hu Jing shuddered and slowly came to her senses. "'The world is like a game of Go... The world is like a game of Go... Cultivation is like a game of Go... Thank you!'"
Hu Jing's aptitude for comprehension was a bit better than Zhang Xiaojiang's; she was already beginning to grasp a faint understanding.