In the afternoon, when the sun is at its peak and radiates its mighty aura, Shan Yan lies against a rock inside a forest cave. Su Lin finishes treating Shan Yan's wounds with bandages. Afterward, he sits down and stares at Shan Yan's blood-soaked figure. His heavy breathing gives Su Lin a rough idea of how much pain Shan Yan is in.
"Just tell me why you did that."
After some time, Su Lin finally breaks the silence between them and asks the question that has been lingering in his heart for a long time.
"You want to know? Then listen. What did you think was happening right now? Did you think I just killed them all as if it meant nothing? If you are thinking this way, then remember that you are a fool blinded by morality.
Let me ask you a question. When you came here, what did you do? You wandered around for almost half a year just to get into a sect. Then what? Your fate kept toying with you. But that was an entirely different matter. As you know, it really doesn't matter at all. Even if you had never come into my life, I would still have done this.
Now, as for the answer to your question about morality, listen carefully, my dear friend.
Why do you think I did all of that? As you know, we were only going for your awakening ceremony. So why? The answer is already within your sight. It's just that you don't want to see it.
What did you think when you went to Heaven's Dao Sect for their selection? Why do you think they accepted more disciples than they did last year? It's not just one sect. It's happening all over the Central Continent.
You come from the Northern Continent. That's why you can't see what I see.
In the future, there will be a war that will shake all five continents. And this is only the preparation for it.
Don't ask me how I know. But in that chaotic situation, if we want to survive, then just believe me. Believe me this once, my friend.
And if you don't want to believe me, then take my storage bag. There are things inside that might help you in the future."
Hearing Shan Yan's words, Su Lin begins thinking about everything he has just heard. He keeps repeating every word in his mind. After some time, he looks at Shan Yan and asks,
"Then, is there a connection between the Jin Clan and the Gentle Sword Sect?"
"Yes, there is a connection, and there is also a reason for it. In simple terms, you can consider the Jin Clan a subsidiary clan of one of the powerful sects that stands on the opposing side of the Gentle Sword Sect.
And you know which sect it is? Heaven's Dao Sect.
As for why I did all of this, according to my original plan, I would first offend a powerful force like the Jin Clan, which is one of the subsidiaries of the opposing forces of the Gentle Sword Sect. Then, I would take their recruitment test as their natural ally who is in trouble with their enemy. After that, I would join their sect and continue with my plan as their disciple.
But then I met you.
That's why I chose the Jin Clan as the place for your awakening ceremony and carried out all those killings. Because of this, we both now have a strong reason and identity for our future goals." Hearing Shan Yan's explanation, Su Lin begins to understand many things he has never thought about before. Now, he finally gets the answers to all his questions from Shan Yan.
At first, Su Lin only wants to become stronger. But now, Shan Yan shows him that in order to become strong, he must first survive by adapting to his surroundings.
"That's really good to hear, Shan Yan, but this is not enough to convince me. You told me that I am your friend, so if you want to continue this friendship, Shan Yan, tell me everything. Don't try to hide anything from me. Tell me everything about your so-called plan and how can I believe your words about that war? Shan Yan, what is your plan?"
Hearing Su Lin's words, Shan Yan gives a broken smile and sits beside Su Lin. He looks into his eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to speak.
"When I was born and opened my eyes in this world, only two figures remained in my past memories. Those two were my mother and grandmother.
I was raised by both of them. As I remember, my mother was very beautiful and kind, while my grandmother was the complete opposite of my mother. She used swords to cultivate, and I learned my sword style from her.
When I was nine, I awakened my dantian and opened all thirteen paths—the maximum any person can open. You can say that I am someone who is born once in a hundred thousand years.
They were both extremely happy at that time. They believed that if I survived, I could restore the past glory of our family.
At that time, my mother told me at night that our Shan Clan was once a powerful clan known throughout all five continents. But for some reason, my clan was eradicated when I was still in my mother's womb. My entire family died, and only my mother, grandmother, and I survived.
At that time, I was happy and living well. But one day, some cultivators attacked the place where we were living. They wanted to kill me and my remaining family.
In order to save me from those cultivators, my mother self-destructed in front of me. My grandmother managed to escape with me, but she also suffered heavy wounds. There was only a little time remaining for her.
At that time, she gave me our last family wealth, which was inside this storage bag. She hugged me and told me while crying that I needed to live and become stronger.
She died with deep regret in her heart. In her final moments, she gave me all of her sword techniques and her own sword.
From my mother, I only received a cultivation technique. You can say that this technique is one of the reasons why my clan was annihilated.
After my grandmother died, I contacted Elder Hong. He helped me while I was traveling, and that was how I eventually reached here my current life.
before meeting you, Elder Hong told me a truth—that an immortal inheritance would open in the future, and it would lead to a huge war. I don't know the details either, but at that time, Elder Hong was in panic.
After some time leter, the jade that helped me locate Elder Hong, and also served as a medium for me to communicate with him, showed me his location here.
When I got there, I met you.
After that, you already know what happened."
After hearing Shan Yan's words, Su Lin looks at his hand and sees the ring that Uncle Hong gave him.
In the cave the silence between them seems to tell him everything.
Before this day, only Shan Yan could understand Su Lin's feelings because he, too, had once been like him. But from this moment onward, Su Lin also begins to feel a sense of familiarity with Shan Yan. Perhaps this familiarity comes from their hearts.
"Okay, I understand. But before we leave this cave, I have a really, really important question, Shan Yan. You told me that you have a jade that can show you my location. Then why the hell did I not have one?"
Hearing Su Lin's words, Shan Yan is stunned for a moment. He then looks at him seriously and asks in a heavy tone,
"Did Elder Hong not give you any jade?"
"No. When I was about to escape, he gave me this ring. Other than this, I don't have anything from Uncle Hong." Hearing Su Lin's words, Shan Yan laughs for a short while. He then looks at the ring and asks Su Lin to give it to him.
When Shan Yan gets the ring, he examines it for some time before looking at Su Lin and saying,
"It is not an ordinary ring. Did you ever think about why, at the face of death, Elder Hong would give you this? It is a storage ring used by powerful cultivators. As far as I know, my mother also had one....
Su Lin, protect me. I need to confirm something."
After hearing Shan Yan's words, Su Lin goes to the entrance of the cave and sits down while looking at Shan Yan. Right now, Shan Yan is refining the storage ring and trying to leave his divine sense on it.
After half an hour, Shan Yan is covered in sweat. He calls out to Su Lin. When Su Lin goes inside to meet him, he sees Shan Yan smiling and playing with the ring in his hand while looking at him.
"What happened? Why are you smiling like this?" Su Lin asks.
"Because I left my divine sense on it and made it mine. But that is not important. When I looked inside, what I saw made me so happy."
"And what's that?"
"You don't have a divine sense, so you can't see it. But I can bring the things outside. Let's check each thing one by one."