Peach Leaves and Talent

Lin Zun gripped the grey-mist-colored sphere with both hands. Blood-colored wisps of energy expanded from his fingertips and thoroughly engulfed the sphere. This crimson, mist-like congregation suffocated the soccer-ball-sized sphere, which prompted the perpetrator to further encircle and compress it with additional energy.

Only ten seconds passed before the size of the sphere halved. A plain circular pattern formed from eight tiny holes phased itself into existence along the top of the sphere. After a short moment, substantial amounts of steam began to vent through each hole. The environment shifted from slightly moist to misty and humid. Similarly, the surrounding temperature rapidly rose from slightly cool to an uncomfortable warmth. 

Steam continued to rush out in a hurry, a golden glitter seemed to be coming out with it. The glitter-permeated steam flowed in the air to encircle Lin Zun, obscuring his evolving body from prying eyes. At the same time, the sixth gate finished forming and vanished into the air with the other five gates. Nevertheless, the two-person audience continued their observations.

Blending in and out of the darkness, the tough branches of the trees that stood tall began to contort, as if they pointed at Lin Zun. No, the branches were pointing at him. Near fifty branches suddenly shot forth, unnaturally extending and piercing the steam that hid its target from the world.

Huo Fenhua's dark brown eyes glanced over towards Hei Rongxi, peeling his eyes from the almost natural disaster-like event. Hei Rongxi looked on with an almost unchanged expression, there was a minute change in his eyes. The previous seriousness no longer present as relief exposed itself through the eyes' relaxation. Envy just as quickly arrived in the now slightly narrowed eyes. 'The eyes always give it away.' Huo Fenhua thought as his glance ended and his eyes glued back to branches and steam. 

The glitter-filled steam no longer protruded from the sphere. Every bit expulsed continued its spiral around Lin Zun. The branches were unmoving as if they had completed their life purpose. Then the world around them had begun to shake like an infinitely heavy drum was being hit over and over. Even the trees were affected as they swayed back and forth. The beating was loud.

It was Lin Zun's heart.

'This is kind of lame... you're beating your heart loudly to breakthrough?' Huo Fenhua thought, unknowingly offending an uncountable number of scholars in body cultivation. Nevertheless, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, no martial artist would ever do a proper breakthrough outside of seclusion. Not to protect themselves, but to protect everyone else as seen by Huo Fenhua being in pain simply from the aftereffects of the lightning.

The intense drumming noise was rapidly decreasing in number but getting louder in volume. In fifteen seconds, it decelerated from ten beats a second to one. 

Two minutes passed in the blink of an eye and the thunderous thumping had dropped down to once a minute. Not for the sapphire membrane surrounding Huo Fenhua he would have gone deaf long ago.

Now the gilded steam began to compress down on Lin Zun's body, no longer circling him. Once the steam reached where his body would've been, it seeped further in, revealing numerous branches surrounding the still obscured, meditating body.

The branches left only the smallest gaps. Beneath those gaps, a scarlet light peered through and brilliantly lit the area. The moon and stars were the only things more radiant.

Six spheres of golden splendor reintroduced themselves to the world one by one. They floated in front of the branches where Lin Zun's heart would have been. Around a branch that from an observer's perspective would be piercing through said heart.

Without warning, the six marble-sized spheres shattered into dust. The dust seeped through the branches and vanished from sight. 

…

Then the scarlet brilliance became even brighter, the branches even appeared the same color. This light seemed oppressive as if even the vitality of even dragons and phoenixes could not contest it. 

The branches survived for about twelve seconds before they silently burned without a flame. They burned from the center till it spread to the tree each branch came from, then stopped.

The standing image of Lin Zun was finally revealed. The crimson glow had dimmed but not vanished from around him. His round yet refined face was shown in full glory, it held a certain righteousness to it. The sharp brown eyes and bushy eyebrows gave a calculative air to him. 

His armor was long destroyed so his basic, commoner-like shirt and pants were all that remained. His body exuded strength through a muscular appearance but also speed through compactness. Most importantly, a wooden sword had appeared in his hand. It was designed carefully with precise craftsmanship. The sword's edge was incredibly sharp, sharp enough to cut through the world

With suddenness, his arm rose powerfully with the blade in hand and eyes closed tightly. The sword pointed straight up against the heavens. Then it came down.

The sword came down slowly and deliberately. Images of long peach leaves falling appeared around Lin Zun. The blade reached the carriage and stopped carefully. Said sword then dissipated into light fragments to be absorbed into the still air.

His voice was in its simplest form, no pitch raise, no extra meanings. All he said was, "I did it."

Electric arcs came forth from his chest, seemingly from his heart. Three arcs continuously sparked making a unique, rotating circle on his shirt over his heart. "This is the newest path of the gates method. With the world as my witness, let my new technique blossom." He said powerfully, his aura became less restrained as he finished the words. Then his aura disappeared with the sparks. 

His body pushed itself into the air by a few centimeters, as if an invisible force pulled him up. The same force then moved him forward towards his audience, he dropped a few meters without a sound in front of Huo Fenhua and Hei Rongxi. Then arrogance ensued, "So… would you say that Li Tian[1] is a tenth as talented as myself? Or would you say a twentieth?"

The two looked at the man who just floated over to them with disgust and immediately retorted, Huo Fenhua was slightly faster in responding, "Maybe if you're only talking about Li Tian's shoes."

Hei Rongxi, however, was not far behind, "Are you qualified to even look at Li Tian?"

Facing the verbal assault caused by his arrogance, Lin Zun decided to innocently question instead of answer. "I have done nothing wrong why are you guys being so rude?"

The duo was first silent with their jaws opened and shocked at the shamelessness. Then they glanced at one another with confused expressions plastered on their faces before it shifted into two sinister smiles. "We could team up against him?" Hei Rongxi asked.

A simple nod was given in reply. Huo Fenhua, being much shorter than the two around him decided to immediately jump at and hold on to Lin Zun's legs. The recipient just stood there, giving a quick glance down and then a sigh. "...I don't think you wanna do thi-"

Lin Zun's words were cut off as a quick whooshing sound quietly arrived, then a thud noise rang out followed by a silent scream about a hand. "This." Lin Zun finished his sentence before continuing. "You seem to forget I just broke through, TWO, major realms at once and evolved my technique. Not only that, but I broke directly through to low tier instead of entry tier."

Huo Fenhua hastily grasped the opportunity to slowly release himself from Lin Zun's legs and take seven steps back. This retreat was simply because Hei Rongxi lost to his own attack. So only after he stepped back had he processed what Lin Zun said. "Two major realms?" He carefully questioned with a lack of doubt, only shock residing in his voice. Lin Zun simply nodded in response.

Then, when a half-smile, "Do you still think Li Tian is half as qualified as me? What can a single plum do to the forest?"

Huo Fenhua was awestruck and lacked a reply. So instead he quickly said congratulations on the breakthrough and ran in the carriage using the excuse that it was still night and he needed to sleep to grow up strong. Hei Rongxi merely glanced at him, feeling betrayed by the ten-year-old who left him alone with that freak.

The last thing that the ten-year-old consciously heard was a few words from Lin Zun "asking" the one who just punched him to help him adjust to his new strength while they camped out for the night. None of that was vital to Huo Fenhua though, at this moment his blood qi was agitated and now was the perfect chance to meditate on the feeling.

An illusory space began to burn, this feeling seemed to emanate from his heart, but not quite. It was that of a burning liquid flowing from nowhere into the same blood vessels the heart pumps blood through. This liquid moved even more with anticipation as it fervently wished to boil over and cleanse the body of its impurities. However, something held it back from doing so. It could only cycle through Huo Fenhua's body trying to cleanse and improve what it could.

The blood qi's supply continuously dropped as the process drained it slowly. Huo Fenhua's meditation was maintained without a single interference for thirty long minutes until there was less than a sliver of what he began with. As soon as his meditation ended his exhausted body fell into a slumber in the back of the carriage and a wholesome smile appeared on his face.

[Word Count: 1624]