Spring Winds

"Heh, I'm surprised that you don't know about the feats of the Dragon of Falling Stars. As his disciple, I would've guessed that you must've heard some, right?"

"Nope." I haven't even heard of such a name until today!

"Hmm, I see. Back in my day, your master was a legendary hero that dominated the realm."

Eh? Master dominated the realm? Σ(･o･;)

In what? An eating contest? (´･_･`)

Well, even that is quite an impressive feat.

"I really can't imagine Master doing anything that impressive other than cleaning himself up." Even now, I feel that this morning was nothing more than an illusion.

"Haha!

Little Martial Auntie, you didn't know anything about your master, do you?"

"Emm, not really, I suppose." It's not that I didn't wish to know; it's just that the topic of Master's past never really came up. "Other than his food preferences, Master doesn't talk about himself.

He kind of just hands us some advice and tips before binge eating somewhere." Not the most engaging teacher, but I like his free-spirited attitude.

"Hmm, that's a shame." One of the old men commented as he stroked his long beard. "Your master must've had a treasure trove of adventures to share. Ah, perhaps he's too thin-faced to boast about his past achievements."

He's too thin to brag about his past, yet thick-faced enough to ask for exotic dishes from his disciples shamelessly? !?(･_･;?

Heh.

Master sure does pick and choose his battles. ಠ_ಠ

"Well, why don't you seniors tell this junior about my master? I'm interested in what could earn such high praise for that master of mine.

Significantly enough for him to gain "Dragon" in his title."

After all, one can only earn the title of "Dragon" or "Phoenix" after achieving some major accomplishment.

One that would've been able to earn the respect of the entire realm. And those kinds of things were hard to come by!

Hmm, just what did Master do to earn such a title? 「(°ヘ°)

"Herm, it's hard to say," Master Qing Su commented. "There were so many things that you could say that your master earned that title several times over."

Huh?! Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)

That's quite a bold statement!

"Heh, don't look so surprised, lass.

Times back then were rough. The realm wasn't at peace like it is now.

Six hundred years ago, monsters and demons ran amuck everywhere.

Sects, noble and fiend, were always at war with each other.

Father against son, brother against brother.

Chaos reigned supreme. Those in power crushed the weak, and the weak fought amongst each other for survival.

It was indeed a difficult period in time.

If it wasn't for those heroes of that time, who placed the Grand Fiend Sealing Formation by erecting the demonic sealing pillars, ah.

We wouldn't be here telling the tale today."

"Hah," another master chimed in. "It was heaven's blessing that Yun Cai Peak was able to survive such times.

Many famous sects back then crumbled like dust. And those who died were like blossoms in the wind.

Too numerous to count."

"Sigh, yes. And even this is only what I've heard from stories as a boy. This old master can't imagine what it must've been like for your master during those horrible times."

Wow, I didn't think that the past would be so bleak and gruesome. And to think that the jolly and lazy old master of mine had grown up during such times.

Aiyah, I pity my master. (´＿｀.) *sniff*

"No wonder master doesn't speak of his past. Those must've been painful years for him."

"Hmm," another master chimed in. "Yes, the grandmaster undoubtedly had a harsh childhood. However, times weren't all that bad.

Back then, cultivation was at its peak. Spiritual qi extremely rich, and children would even be born as high tier Qi Gathering cultivators."

Hah?! High-tier Qi Gathering cultivators?! ∑('＝';)

What were they eating during those times?! High-grade spiritual fruits and vegetables?!

Seven known cultivation realms known to man are:

Qi Gathering Stage, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Dao Seeking, and Immortal Ascension. With tiers: low, middle, and high, respectively, for each realm.

For some, it would take the entirety of their adolescence to reach high tier Qi Gathering Stage. To have been able to jump to that level means that they've been cultivating in the womb! Σ(ﾟ口ﾟ;)//

What kind of backward logic is that?

Or maybe…

The younger generation is really trash… _(:_」∠)_

Aiyah… how discouraging.

"Hmm, even if someone were born with such talent, they would always die young." Another old master remarked as he downed another cup of wine. "Hah, I remember hearing stories of those young geniuses who would spontaneously combust due to their bodies being unable to handle the sheer amount of qi circulating in their bodies.

It's a good thing that as time passed, children are no longer born with such high levels, and the youth are taking it slow."

"Hmm, then what level is my master then?" If Master was able to live this long, he should be edging Immortal Ascension, right?

Especially considering that he could've been born as a high-tier Qi Gathering Stage cultivator right off the bat. That would've certainly given him a head start compared to most cultivators today.

"Hah, well, no doubt Senior Luo is a high-level cultivator. However, from what I've heard" — the old master leaned into the table as if he was telling a juicy secret. — "Senior Luo wasn't able to break past Qi Gathering Stage until he was roughly eighteen years old."

"Huh?!" So late? ∑(ﾟ∇ﾟ|||)

Most cultivators would've been able to break past that stage when they were ten to twelve years old. And considering the time, wouldn't that mean that Master would've been considered trash? （・□・;）

I mean, babies would've been at a higher level than him until that point!

"Hah, Master must've had it rough." (´Ａ｀.)

"Hmm, indeed. But who doesn't like to hear a weak-to-strong tale now and then?

Your master's life might as well be a story blueprint to those that you hear today."

"Really?" Master's life couldn't have been that bad, right?

"Hmm," the old master tapped his chin as if trying to recall the foggy details. "Born as trash, Senior Luo was left abandoned at a young age due to this.

As a labor slave for Yun Cai Peak, Senior Luo worked his way up, despite the numerous obstacles.

Plenty of people doubted him, even mocked him. He pressed on with an infectiously optimistic outlook: hard physical labor throughout the day and cultivating throughout the night.

And soon, his hard work paid off. He broke through the Qi Gathering Stage and never stopped working from there as he surpassed even the inner sect disciples by sheer determination.

Such determination and willpower, he awed many. One of those being the sect master at the time, Master Yi Yue, decided to take Senior Luo in as his last disciple.

Ehh, if you don't know, Master Yue is our master's master. Thus placing you, Martial Aunt, as our senior in that sense."

Ahh, so that's why! Σ(･o･;)

"As for the rest, ah, it's history."

Hah, Master had such a rough start…

But wouldn't such things guarantee that he would have a glorious life after that? (´･ω･`)?

"What about Master's great achievements?"

I was still curious to know! ( ✧Д✧) YES!!

"Heh, now we're just reaching the fun part," Master Qing Su laughed. "Herm, what's some of Senior Luo's iconic achievements, ah."

"Ooh, how about the tale of how Senior Luo's signature move became famous?"

"Aah, that one is a classic! How could I forget!"

Wah? Master has a signature move? （°o°;）

It's not related to eating, is it?

I mean, that signature move of Master devouring an entire roast duck in one move is pretty terrifying and gross as it was iconic. (ﾟ×ﾟlll)

"Back then, there was this one fiend group that was taking the realm by storm. They had massively increased their territory by killing off the residence by poisoning the water and other horrendous means.

They got to the point where they started to become emboldened enough to spies and rats into numerous noble sects. And for the weaker ones, they quickly succumbed to the fiends' advances.

However, Senior Luo, among others were deployed but the sect master to investigate the matter.

Eventually, they were able to locate the boss's location after going deep undercover and bringing the foes to justice."

"Eh? But where does the "Falling Stars" part come in?"

"Haha!

It's less so of what Senior Luo did to defeat them, and more so of how he did it." The old man took a deep breath as if trying to place himself into the scene at the time. "Face to face with the killer of thousands, Luo Yu Xing stood at the doorsteps of the gates of the fiends.

His small party had been discovered and was surrounded by countless foes! Too outnumbered even to cause a dent in the growing number of enemies.

Yet, in the center of it all, Luo Yu Xing remained calm and headstrong. "You have enacted too many horrendous crimes to repent.

Perhaps if you ask for forgiveness now, Heavens may grant you a peaceful end.

Unfazed by the boy that stood before him, the fiend master scoffed at Luo Yu Xing's righteous glaze. "Who are you to judge this master's actions?

Who in this realm doesn't know that it's to eat or be eaten?

Hah! Heavens? Justice?

Such righteousness from a naive boy who's still wet behind the ears!

Unleashing his horde of minions, the fiend master laughed as his army descended upon the group.

"Such a small fry isn't worth this master's time," the fiend master remarked.

"The most value that you could serve is training for my slaves."

And slaves they were, as they were former noble sect disciples who had been slaughtered and revived into becoming mindless puppets for the devious fiend.

As the horde came close to breaching the small group's merger barrier, Luo Yu Xing suddenly tossed his sword up in the air!"

Hah?! What kind of move is that?! Σ(ﾟ口ﾟ;)//

Doesn't that mean that Master left himself open without a weapon?

"His blade shot towards the sky until it was little more than a speck in the sky! Holding his hand out in the air, high above his head, Luo Yu Xing waited.

Mocking the young man, the fiend master gloated of his early victory.

That is until a bright glow started to dot in the sky above. For the briefest of seconds, one would've guessed that it was night, as the stars seemed to have become visible during the day!

Dropping his arm down in one swift movement, the "stars" rained down on the horde, piercing enemies in one fatal move.

Countless energy blades came down on the enemies that one could barely see what stood before them as the blinding light forced them to shield their eyes!

One from afar would've thought that the Heaven's themselves had struck down the fiend group, as golden swords pierced the land!

Once the dust settled, the fiend headquarters had been reduced to a massive crater.

And standing on a lone untouched island of land stood Luo Yu Xing.

The Dragon of Falling Stars." The old master took a sip of his wine as the rest of the old masters seemed to be starry-eyed after listening to the story as if hearing it for the first time.

Even Bai Yin seemed entranced by the grand tale!

Although, I, myself, am impressed; what the f*ck!? WHATщ(ﾟДﾟщ)

Master did all of that?! In one move, he destroyed the entire group of chaos bringers with just a flick of his hand?!

Yet, he couldn't be bothered to get his groceries or cleaning up after himself? (ʘ言ʘ╬)

Aiyah, is this a case of geniuses being useless at everything else besides their field of talent? (#｀ε´)

"I can't believe that!

Old Senior, are you sure we're talking about the same man here?" That Luo Yu Xing in the story sounds f*cking amazing!

How did that crazy powerful hero become the crazy glutton that he is today?

"Heh," another master laughed as he took another drink, "Quite impressive, yes? After that event, many women started to pay a little bit of attention to Senior Luo.

Many of them from impressive backgrounds themselves."

"Huh? Master had women flocking to him? Σ(゜゜)

That's surprising." (눈‸눈)

"Huh! Not surprising at all!

Back in his youth, Senior Luo had a sea of beauties waiting to woo him.

If he even gave any of them a glance, he would probably have a harem larger than an emperor!"

"Hah?" Women saw some charm in Master? Σ(･o･;)

Master would've had a harem of beauties? Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)

That can't be right! Tsk, those women must've been blind or just were out of options.

No way that could be true!

I mean, sure, Master could summon countless energy swords and shoot them down on a target, that on its own is quite impressive.

However, to like Master enough to pursue him…

Ehh, I don't wish to picture that in my head. ~(>_<~)

After all, who could be attracted that the slobbish master of mine?

"Heh? Don't believe this old man?

Well, let me tell you, there was once a legendary beauty, Miss Han Ying. Both beautiful and skilled in cultivation, she was a once-in-a-lifetime beauty.

Some say that she was close to being titled as a Phoenix but hadn't gained the experience for that feat.

Ahh, back then, people would say that she was a fairy from heaven with her slim pale hands and charming smile with eyes as black as night.

They said that one look from her was enough for a man to die happy."

Hmm, that's quite the praise.

I wonder if anyone has said anything like that about Senior Sister before. 「(°ヘ°)

If not, they must be blind or too shy to admit it publicly.

"Before his rise to fame, your master, unknowingly, had offended Miss Han Ying during a hunting competition.

Infuriated, she said to him, and I quote, "Every second I look at you, I want to throw up my lunch."

Heh, however, like most women, they eventually succumbed to your master's charms: finally giving your master long glazes of love and yearning.

And being the cheeky man he was, your master said, to Miss Han Ying's face, I might add: "You stared at me for more than five seconds!

You'll be throwing up your lunch, breakfast, dinner from before, the lunch from before, and the breakfast from before!

That's a lot!

Maybe Miss Han Ying should take some medicine for the vomit later so that you don't get sick."

"Eh?! Master said that to that poor lady!" ∑(ﾟ∇ﾟ|||)

Aiyah, it's a wonder that women still pursued him after that! That's probably why master is a lonely old man after all this time. ( ד○ ד;)

"Haha, unfortunately.

Your master was skilled and handsome, yet so charmless at times. He would unknowingly win the hearts of women and unknowingly disregarded them ah.

Such a shame."

Hmm, shame indeed.

I feel sorry for those women for falling for my silly master.