XIAO SHUXIANG'S

269 - Cultivator of the Northern Continent

One of the cultivators in a light blue uniform was shocked when the young man beside him spewed out a wisp of black flesh. He thought it was an organ in humans. But after careful attention, the clot turned out to be thick blood.

The snow-covered ground was now stained by the black blood clot that some cultivators spewed out. All of this was because they heard the music coming out of Xiao Shuxiang's flute game.

The long decomposed black-haired youth stepped his feet while playing the flute. His clothes and hair seemed to be waving in the wind, the cold snowflakes did not disturb his play.

The sound of Xiao Shuxiang's flute sounded sharp and like it was irregular, he had indeed intentionally done so to slightly hurt the cultivators' eardrums.

Xiao Shuxiang had just stopped playing his flute when he was in front of the third World Gate.

This Gate was quite different from the World Gate that Xiao Shuxiang had seen. Its height and width were the same, but this gate was made of white jade with black-colored dragon carvings.

There is a dim red light that always appears every once in five breaths at the gate.

More than twenty cultivators instantly set their sights on the figure of the young man standing before them. Far behind, there were many warriors and cultivators walking here.

The way Xiao Shuxiang stopped the dispute had already made him the center of attention. However, he still showed an ordinary face, as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Why do you have to make a fuss just because of this old gate that can't be opened?"

The question from Xiao Shuxiang broke the silence, some cultivators still held onto his chest. After spewing out blood clots, they did not let out a word other than their gazes fixed on Xiao Shuxiang.

There were some of them who were intending to snap, but he paused that intention because he could not read Xiao Shuxiang's practice. While for cultivators who could read his practice, they were simply speechless.

The sound of the flute earlier was also influential for cultivators at the Sky Level GrandMaster, but the effect was not as great as the other cultivators felt.

Not getting an answer to his question, Xiao Shuxiang again made a sound. "You should not fight over the worn-out gate, much less you do not know what is behind it. It could be that what's stored in it is something you didn't expect,"

"Empty Emo! You came here because you wanted the treasure behind that gate, didn't you?!"

One of the cultivators whose clothes were bright red with white swallow patterns chimed in Xiao Shuxiang's words. His face was slightly pale and there were traces of blood on his lips.

"There's no problem between us. The only thing that caused the fight earlier was them! They're trying to stop us from opening the Ancient Gate,"

The young man used his gaze to point at the eleven cultivators he felt had blocked him. He was supported by other cultivators who also wanted the Ancient Gate opened.

Hu Li walked slowly and stood beside his Young Master. O Zhan who was in his head was seen shaking. Though he himself as a Demonic Beast knew that the gate that stood firmly behind him did not hold any precious treasures but rather something terrifying.

Liu Xi Ling was among the cultivators, his arrival was here to enter the Ancient Gate. But who would have thought he even felt a gripping aura from the 8-meter-high gate.

"Young Master. I told you many times, this gate is not to be opened. Your act of wanting to forcefully open this gate will only bring harm to humans,"

Xiao Shuxiang glanced at a young green-clothed cultivator with a lotus river complexion. From what he saw, the young man had a tall and stern face.

The young man's practice was on the same level as his. Xiao Shuxiang then noticed every face of the cultivators who had long stood up and who had just arrived.

According to his calculations, there were more than thirty cultivators and warriors who came from various places. Around seven cultivators were at the Sky Level GrandMaster, he could also see there were cultivators carrying Demonic Beasts, it seemed like they were their mounts.

Xiao Shuxiang could see Liu Xi Ling standing among the crowd, but he had no interest in calling the girl. He ended up more focused on listening to the surrounding cultivators' debates.

Those who wanted to open the Ancient Gate actually also felt the gripping and strange aura, but still did not care because they thought that every ancient tomb must have been there to guard it.

Xiao Shuxiang exhaled softly, he had not expected the World Gate to be referred to as the Ancient Tomb by the cultivators and warriors in front of him.

"Young Master Xiao, how is it now? Are you still willing to seal that gate even though many people..?"

Hu Li lowered his voice, he got an answer from his Master that they would still seal the World Gate, naturally at the right time.

One of the young cultivators who was around 21 years old looked frowned. He had already noticed Xiao Shuxiang from top to bottom, feeling like he had met the young man holding the White Jade Flute somewhere.

Not only himself, but some cultivators also gave the same facial expression. They felt familiar with the long-haired young man unraveling without being tied up.

It didn't take long, until one of the brave young men walked over and stopped right in front of Xiao Shuxiang.

"Sir, can I know your name?"

Xiao Shuxiang's eyebrows shot up next door, he was astonished that suddenly someone asked his name. As his gaze led to another cultivator, he could tell that not only was this young man in front of him curious, but the other cultivator as well.

Xiao Shuxiang introduced himself as usual. When the cultivators found out his name, he gasped at the sound of an exclamation from one of the cultivators saying that his face was so similar to a huge statue in the Eastern Continent.

"Aah~ the statue.. Yes.. That was me. But make no mistake, I cut off his head myself, not them.."

"I knew. I'm so happy to see you, Young Master Xiao..!"

Xiao Shuxiang flinched as the young man in front of him immediately grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Not only this young man, but several other youths also did the same. They scrambled to shake his hand.

"Young Master, I've heard a lot of stories about you. I want to make sure, is it really you who saved the Eastern Continent by yourself?!"

Xiao Shuxiang snorted, he then smiled and shook his head slowly. He touched the shoulder of the young man who looked the same age as him, saying that as strong as a cultivator would not be able to protect anything when fighting alone.

".. I helped a lot of people. The story you heard is too exaggerated,"

Many young men wanted to get acquainted and learn from Xiao Shuxiang. Those who had been to the Eastern Continent knew that Xiao Shuxiang was a disciple of the Alchemist Zhou Yan, a figure so famous and respected to them.

There were also some cultivators who wanted to shake hands with Xiao Shuxiang, but they knew that it was important to keep up manners, let alone when dealing with a person like Xiao Shuxiang.

"Young Master Xiao would not like to be treated that way. They're shameless,"

"really. I was worried that their actions would upset Young Master Xiao,"

One of the female cultivators could only grip her clothes firmly, she and her partner found it hard to get close because of the many youths that swarmed Xiao Shuxiang.

"Young Master Xiao, can I learn from you? We have the same name, I really admire you..!"

Xiao Shuxiang gasped at the remark of this all-black-clothed young man in front of him. He used to tell himself he would kill anyone who dared to use his name, but now..

"You can admire me, man. But never be me, you have to be yourself,"

Xiao Shuxiang gently patted the shoulder of the black-clothed youth in front of him. If he was not currently learning to be human, he might have nailed the body of this young man he was holding and sunned it to the freezing point.

There were some senior cultivators who frowned when they saw what was happening in front of him. It was as if the arrival of the young man holding the White Jade Flute was more eye-catching compared to opening the Ancient Gate.

"Are they stupid?! Such a young man could be the Protector of the Eastern Continent, there was no way."

Not a few cultivators showed an expression of dislike towards Xiao Shuxiang. Some of them said that he was a haughty cultivator.

Xiao Shuxiang had unknowingly gotten eyes filled with hatred by some cultivators. He was too focused on the people who shook his hands.

There was one cultivator who looked to be 70 years old. His body slightly bowed and his practice turned out to still be at the 5th level of Forging Qi. Xiao Shuxiang could tell that this Old Bangka in front of him was slow to start cultivating.

The white-haired and long-bearded cultivator only held Xiao Shuxiang's hand without speaking. He made the young man who was held look at him in astonishment.

Xiao Shuxiang felt Old Bangka in front of him want to say something, but seemed hesitant. He then convinced the old cultivator not to worry, himself would happily listen and might be able to lend a helping hand.

Xiao Shuxiang did not expect his presence to attract the attention of many people to this extent. He felt he could take advantage of the situation to get the warriors away from the location of the World Gate.

Xiao Shuxiang glanced at Hu Li and immediately got a nod from the adorable-looking young man, as if Hu Li understood the meaning of his glance just now.

The Old Cultivator who was in front of him said he wanted to ask for help. He had already been a cultivator for over thirty years but had not experienced any significant improvement.

"This place doesn't seem right to talk about it. Let's go somewhere else,"

Xiao Shuxiang was so courteous as to invite the Old Cultivator in front of him to leave, he even held the old Bangka's hand while walking with him.

Xiao Shuxiang's treatment was unbelievable, including by Hu Li. Never had he seen his Master being this kind and polite.

He knew his Young Master Xiao was not a person who liked to lie much less to the point of pretending. According to Hu Li, right now his own Young Master was unaware of what he was doing.

Many cultivators followed Xiao Shuxiang and Old Bangka from behind. Even cultivators who gave dislike gazes also came along.

Now only about 12teen people including Hu Li were still in front of the World Gate. As he asked, he found out that these cultivators were assigned to guard the gate.

"Young Master, don't you want to go?"

One of the young green clothed cultivators patterned in lotus flowers looked at Hu Li. The 16-year-old boy should not be here.

"Actually.."

Hu Li recounted the intent of his arrival and his master's coming here. He was trying to make these cultivators understand about their mission at once so that he could ask for help.

Xiao Shuxiang was taken to a cherry tree not far from the World Gate. The tree was hundreds of years old, heavily flowering and capable of protecting cultivators from snowflakes.

This was where Xiao Shuxiang spoke to the Old Cultivator who called himself Grandpa Gu. Apparently the old Bangka asked for advice from him, and if he could he wanted to make a pill.

Generally this kind of request for the Alchemists was an act of contempt. Alchemists always looked up at every single pill they made, and of course only those who attracted their interest would be the ones to make the pill.

Grandfather Gu knew about it, hence he hesitated to tell Xiao Shuxiang. He only dared to speak when this long-haired young man urged him.

Xiao Shuxiang did not mind giving away some of his precious pills at all. But of course not free, he still asked for any payment even if it was just a hug.

Some cultivators were surprised by the payment Xiao Shuxiang demanded. Yet none of them protested because according to these cultivators, the thought of an Alchemist did seem unusual.

There was one incident where Xiao Shuxiang was dealing with a cultivator from the Black Stream. The 37-year-old man asked his opinion regarding the level of his practice held back at the 13th Level of Forging Qi.

There was something that these cultivators felt while being with Xiao Shuxiang. They did not speak to a 21-year-old young man, but rather spoke to a cultivator who had aged very old, likely over a hundred years old.

The more senior cultivators did not even feel ashamed to exchange ideas with Xiao Shuxiang, because what they wanted to discuss was always understandable to the long-haired youth sitting in the snow piles, right in the middle of them.

When these cultivators learned from him, then it was also true for Xiao Shuxiang. From what happened, he knew that Black Stream cultivators in the Northern Continent were not as cruel as cultivators in the Eastern Continent.

The Black Stream cultivators of this Continent had never massacred a village, even committing murder alone they had always thought about it first.

".. We always fight and end up exchanging attacks. But only up to the level of the opponent admit defeat or make them dying. Because in the Snow White Empire, despite the Sect, it remains the Emperor's rule that we follow,"

Xiao Shuxiang listened to the explanation of one of the Black Flow cultivators. The 19-year-old sitting in front of him said he had friends from other schools, although differences in thinking were always the reason for their quarrel.

Originally, the atmosphere around Xiao Shuxiang was so peaceful and full of family. Until finally a dark purple clothed bar cultivator asked why he should be called 'Young Master Xiao'.

"I uphold my margaret's name. Wh why? Do you mind?"

"I hear you don't like being called by your name. Is that true?"

"No. It's just that I don't like my name being spoken by weak people. That's what's called Power, you have to learn it."

Xiao Shuxiang knew the cultivator in front of him wanted to upset him, but before this young man called him by the name of 'Xiang', he immediately warned.

"Although I am an Alchemist and look good, but I never said from what stream I came. So you better watch your every word, man."

Xiao Shuxiang might be able to tolerate anyone, but he would definitely teach an unimaginable lesson if anyone dared to mention his name.

There were also cultivators who were brave enough to challenge Xiao Shuxiang to a duel. No one forbade him from doing so in order to gain recognition from this young Alchemist.

The cultivator who gave the challenge had a practice at the Sky Level GrandMaster, just like Xiao Shuxiang. The two looked for a fitting place and began to exchange attacks.

Xiao Shuxiang used his White Jade Flute as a means of fending off the sword of the cultivator who was challenging him.

Xiao Shuxiang's attack was so earnest, his every move was sharp and without any gaps. The cultivators watching the fight could tell that Xiao Shuxiang did not underestimate the opponent at all.

Not even ten moves, Xiao Shuxiang had already brandished the flute side right at the neck of the black uniformed cultivator, himself winning with his simple fighting ability but being able to outwit the opponent.

"If this flute were a sword, I would have slit your throat,"

"I'm sorry,"

"Hm? Don't say that. Friends do not need to apologize. Besides I also learned from the way you play the sword, it's great."

Xiao Shuxiang gently shook his hair, he then gave a few pointers on how to play the sword that were in accordance with his comprehension.

"You've been focusing on improving your practice. You should be more about your fighting techniques. A high level of practice does not guarantee a win. For example is the battle without using the Qi we did earlier, where I can defeat you in just a few moves,"

Xiao Shuxiang took out quite a number of pills as well as sword science that he had learned throughout the course of his life. He asked the cultivators to start practicing after taking the pills he gave them.

".. The efficacy will be more pronounced when in cold conditions like this,"

The cultivators who got pills from him immediately did as Xiao Shuxiang said. The young alchemist also told them that if he wanted to find his pill.. They only needed to buy it at the Peacock Stork Association.

Xiao Shuxiang's words made Liu Xi Ling who was watching him in the distance seem to be shaking slowly. It is clear that the young man is promoting, whether he is aware of it or not.

Seeing the cultivators begin to concentrate without caring about these snowflakes and the cold atmosphere.. Xiao Shuxiang felt it was time to leave.

He had done all he could to keep the cultivators away from the World Gate.

Xiao Shuxiang immediately rushed to Hu Li's place. There, there were still more than ten cultivators.. However they had been told by Hu Li before.

These cultivators were in charge of protecting the World Gate from being opened. Hearing from Hu Li that Xiao Shuxiang was able to reseal the gate made them relieved.

Xiao Shuxiang sealed the World Gate at the same time as he blocked the cultivator's gaze by wearing a burst of snow. The third World Gate finally disappeared.

The cultivators were shocked because after the snow spray, Xiao Shuxiang and Hu Li disappeared along with the World Gate that had been sealed back.

Xiao Shuxiang was actually unwilling to spend time on farewells. He preferred to dart fast with Hu Li and O Zhan.

***