Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 601-Chapter 700)

Wang Lei curled his lip, unable to understand him. He felt that Li Long was probably just being stubborn.

In his eyes, farmers were only slightly better than beggars. He would rather die than spend a decade toiling in the fields. Sure enough, it was like being a large fish in a small pond compared to being a small fish in a large pond. As the imposing, majestic master of the Iron Fist school, he was obviously the large fish in the small pond, countless times better off than Li Long, the small fish in the large pond that happened to be the cultivating community.

PS: Yesterday, I wrote five thousand characters and deleted three thousand of them, leaving behind two thousand. I might not even end up using them, so sorry about that. However, this process is actually quite interesting. I’m a little further away from typing away mindlessly and just a little bit closer to writing.





Chapter 681: Returning to the Hometown (2) | Legend of the Great Sage




The galloping hooves kicked up yellow, muddy water as the horse sped through the rain, arriving before the Iron Fist school. The rider suddenly pulled the reins. With a whinny, the horse raised its hooves into the air.

“Old school master!” The disciples waiting outside saw the person and all went up to receive him and lead his horse over.

Liu Hong leapt off the horse, no less nimble and powerful compared to the past. He tossed the reins aside and strode through the door. Arriving in the main hall, he noticed Li Long with a single glance and shuddered all over. “You’re really back!”

“Master!” Li Long rushed out of the hall too, dropping down to his knees on the wet ground with a plop. He had studied martial arts in the Iron Fist school with Liu Hong since young, receiving his guidance in many things. He was so close with him that it even surpassed his relationship with his father.

“Good, good, good! As long as you’re back!” Liu Hong was emotional, helping Li Long up with both arms. They entered the hall, holding each other's arms before taking their seats respectively. Both of them were excited, actually unsure about what to say for a moment.

“Death is unavoidable if you live in this world, unless you’re a cultivator like you. Only then can you transcend death. You can say your father lived a good life with the advanced age he reached, so there’s no need for too much grief. You probably have to return to send me off too before long!”

Liu Hong could not help but sigh when Li Long’s father was mentioned. With his present age, he felt the threat from death growing with each passing day. He was extremely envious of cultivators who could lengthen their lifespans.

“How can you say that, master? Your body is still strong. You can definitely become a centenarian,” Li Long said sincerely.

After almost a decade since Li Long saw him, Liu Hong seemed like he had suddenly grown much older. His face was covered with wrinkles, and a lot of his hair had greyed. Only through practising qi could the ageing process be slowed, so no matter how powerful of a practitioner of martial arts he was, he was unable to withstand the erosion of time. Becoming a centenarian could already be regarded as the limit.

“Yeah, master. Transcending death is nowhere near that easy. You’ll be able to live a few years longer at most. As long as you live your life comfortably, it’s not like a few years will make a difference.”

Wang Lei was in his prime and his body was sturdy, so he did not take the concept of death too seriously. As he listened to how Liu Hong praised cultivators, he did not feel particularly happy inside. He would never envy his junior brother whose martial arts were not even as great as his back then.

Liu Hong shot a glance at Wang Lei. “I’ve lived with my life on the line for all those years, so do I still need you to teach me? Kid, the only reason why you had so many years of peace is all thanks to me, as well as that Li Qingshan.”

Wang Lei was unhappy inside. He was a mighty school leader after all, but Liu Hong still lectured him like a child. However, in the jianghu, the status of their master even surpassed the status of their father. Whether it were the orthodox or the unorthodox, killing your master was a crime that ranked at the top of the list. Everything he possessed came from Liu Hong, so he was unable to talk back.

“Senior brother is right. Life is about satisfaction. Cultivation also has its difficulties. A while ago, I almost lost my life. Honestly, it might not be any better than living your life out peacefully in Qingyang city.”

Li Long persuaded. Although he had spent more time in the fields than having contact with people over the past few years, he could also understand certain things that Wang Lei was thinking, but he had no interest in comparing to see who was better. They already lived in completely different worlds, and he did not want to leave Wang Lei unhappy because of himself. After all, Liu Hong still needed to depend on him once he got a little older.

Hearing how Li Long agreed with him, Wang Lei cheered up again. “You really have understood many things after travelling around. It’s just like what they say. No matter how great it is outside, it can never be better than home!”

Liu Hong said in surprise, “There’s danger too in the Academy of the Hundred Schools? I heard it’s like those immortal dwellings, where all aspects of life are on a completely different level compared to mortals.”

Only now did he notice Li Long’s appearance. He seemed very shabby, but at the same time, he noticed there was not even a speck of moisture on him despite kneeling in the rain earlier. He was still as dry and rustic as before.

Li Long explained what he went through in the Exhibition Matches of the Nine Prefectures and sighed heavily. “There were thousands of cultivators in that battle, but only a few hundred survived in the end. Many people with cultivations greater than me and techniques stronger than mine died. Even when I think about it now, my heart still flutters with fear.”

“I didn’t think the cultivation community would be even more dangerous than the jianghu. I really have to thank that Li Qingshan!”

Liu Hong was amazed. A battle on such a scale was well beyond his imaginations. It was countless times more dangerous than the battles of the jianghu. He found it even more difficult to imagine that the country kid from the past already possessed such exceptional abilities.

“Li Qingshan! I heard he has become someone prominent now!”

Wang Lei behaved like he was listening to a myth, throwing him into a trance for a moment. He imagined how Li Qingshan stopped the fighting on the battlefield, sailing with techniques and dancing with weapons alone. Just how mighty was that?

“Yeah, he’s already become the Scarlet Hawk commander of the Clear River prefecture. He’s close to breaking through the second heavenly tribulation. He plans on getting married to great general Han’s daughter.”



Wang Lei clicked his tongue in amazement. “That’s really impressive. Master, you even gave him a beating back then!”

“It’s not worth mentioning, it’s not worth mentioning!” Liu Hong laughed aloud. Back then, when Li Qingshan demanded ten taels of silver for each punch, he had left him furious. Now that he thought about it, he had actually punched such a prominent figure, which instead made him feel very proud of himself.

Li Long remembered the matters of the past and also began to smile unknowingly. After talking for a while longer, the sky gradually darkened.

Liu Hong said, “It’s getting late. Let’s travel through the night to Crouching Ox village!”