Chapter 16 — Section Fifteen: Chihui's Letter

The so-called ancient soul-general cards are soul-general cards that have been passed down from ancient times to the present. A soul-general card that has survived the erasure of time and endured to this day must bear a martial-soul imprint of exceptional solidity and purity.

Ancient soul-general cards are synonymous with premium soul-general cards.

"The maker of this card was the pioneer of the Tianhe constellation, the one known as the Crane Dancer, Immortal Crane." A look of reverence flashed across Wei Zheng's eyes.

Tang Tang scratched his head. "Sounds pretty impressive..."

Amori, however, was beaming. "Whoa, whoa, I've heard that name! Ancient Eastern martial artists were all incredibly impressive! I remember a book saying that Immortal Crane swept through an entire region back in his day."

"You actually read books?" Tang Yi turned his face aside in astonishment.

Amori looked a little sheepish. "Occasionally, occasionally."

"The Tianhe constellation today is still ruled by the Crane Sect, which was founded by Immortal Crane's successors. But the Tianhe constellation is no longer what it once was—it's become a marginal constellation on the Sky Road." Wei Zheng shook his head with a sigh. "The true lineage of the Crane Sect has probably been lost as well, or they wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

"This card is a genuine soul-general card of the Crane Sect's heart method, and it has quite a few years on it. The Crane Sect's heart method is famously difficult to cultivate, and that's probably why the Crane Sect kept declining. The heart methods of that era were a bit different from ours today. They emphasized continuity—one couldn't switch between them. The heart methods nowadays, by contrast, emphasize tiers and don't insist on continuity."

"So which is better?" Tang Tang couldn't help asking.

"Each has its merits and drawbacks." Wei Zheng mused. "In the old heart methods, you cultivated only one from beginning to end, and the power was greater—but if a certain tier's heart method was lost, that was disastrous. Our present Dantian Pool and Heaven-Climbing Ladder are simpler and easier to learn, and heart methods of different tiers can be mixed. That alone lowers the threshold for learning considerably. At tier three, you practice tier-three heart methods and martial techniques; as long as the attributes match, you can cultivate them. If not for this, would we have the flourishing of martial artists we see today? Ancient schools placed too much weight on lineage. The martial artists they trained were more formidable, but the cost was higher. If we were back in ancient times, Amori here might have been chosen as a disciple—but you, young Tang, would be out of luck. You'd struggle even to gain entry."

The two of them had a sudden realization and nodded along.

Though Tang Tang had just been told his talent was inferior to Amori's, he wasn't bothered—his talent had never matched that of the Fly Bull, after all. He felt lucky. In this era, cultivation required only a single soul-general card.

"I don't know much about the Crane Qi Art—only that its qi is long and enduring, and it excels at drawn-out battles. I think it suits you very well. For a close-combat specialist, stamina is vital. As for the rest, you'll have to figure it out yourself, though I'm told it's very hard to cultivate. I happened to obtain this Crane Qi Art soul-general card years ago. It differs from modern heart methods, but it's still far better than most." Wei Zheng waved his hand. "All right, that's all I know. Don't ask me anything else."

Amori was somewhat excited. "Basic Tang, hurry up and cultivate! Once you reach tier three true force, we'll fight again! I've figured out a lot more impressive moves—I'll definitely pound you flat!"

Tang Yi retorted with a contemptuous look. "Fly Bull, just wait till I beat you like a dog."

Wei Zheng cut them off. "Enough bickering, go cultivate. Hey, listen up—to make sure you don't embarrass me at the Starwind Martial Meet, I've prepared some special training for you two."

"Special training?" Tang Tang and Amori were instantly hooked.

"Heh, you'll find out when the time comes." Wei Zheng smiled in a thoroughly sinister way.

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Tang Duo was in high spirits—not only because he'd gotten a Crane Qi Art from Wei Zheng, but also because he had received a letter from Chihui.

The letter had traveled the endless Sky Road, and the envelope already looked somewhat worn.

He opened it. The pink envelope gave off a faint, delicate fragrance, and Chihui's graceful handwriting appeared before Tang Duo's eyes. Carefully, the way one holds a treasure, he greedily read on, word by word.

"Brother Tang: How have you been? I miss you very much. Everything here is boring to death. I don't like it here—I don't like the rules here, I don't like the people here. Brother Tang, once you get here, we'll sneak off to the Sky Road together. I've already started making preparations, hee hee, and they don't know a thing. None of them believe in you, but I do. Brother Tang will definitely succeed. I'm a hundred percent sure of it. Oh, and Brother Tang, I've finally found some clues about the copper token. The cross on the token is the mark of the Southern Cross constellation. If the books aren't wrong, it's very likely a star treasure of the Southern Cross. Its name is the Southern Cross Ascetic Token. Among all the star treasures, there's very little information about it."

Tang Duo's expression grew grave and intent, and he read with the utmost care.

"The Southern Cross lies between Musca and Centaurus and is the smallest constellation. So far, only one star treasure of the Southern Cross has ever appeared—the Southern Cross Ascetic Token. As for what it's actually good for, I haven't found any records, so Brother Tang, you'll have to figure that out yourself. Judging by the name, it should be a star treasure used for cultivation. Those numbers—if I'm not mistaken—should have something to do with activating the copper token. Brother Tang, be sure to remember: don't tell anyone about the copper token! Be careful, or bad people will come after you! The Southern Cross Ascetic Token is a very good lead—it's the only Southern Cross star treasure discovered so far. We only need to make a trip to the Southern Cross, and we're sure to find more clues. I've already started gathering information about the Southern Cross. Brother Tang, isn't Chihui impressive? Hurry up and praise me..."

The letter was long—Chihui had clearly spent a great deal of time on it.

Tang Tang read the letter over and over, character by character. Only after several passes did he carefully fold it up and put it away.

A star treasure—the copper token was actually a star treasure...

Tang Tang's expression stayed as calm as ever, but a towering wave was surging in his heart. If it hadn't come from Chihui, he would never have believed it.

The Sky Road stretches endlessly, and the stars are like a sea. These stars are divided into constellations, one after another. Legend has it that every constellation possesses a unique and wondrous treasure—a star treasure.

But these star treasures are invariably bound up with great heroes and peerless masters. For instance, the Lionheart Blaze Sword in the hands of Leon, the Lion King, is the star treasure of the Leo constellation. The Heavenly Bow in the hands of Hou Yitian, the Arrow Sage, is the foremost treasure of Sagittarius.

Every one of those names lives in legend, in epic, in books—so very far away.

And then one day, Tang Tang discovered that a copper token that had grown up alongside him was actually a star treasure. Plain and unremarkable as it looked, Tang Tang nonetheless caught a hint of something extraordinary in it.

Mother... what exactly was your past?

Why didn't you ever tell me...

Tang Tang murmured silently in his heart, his gaze lost and distant.