The Master’s Offer and a Grave Dilemma

In my daze, I initially failed to grasp his meaning. Only when my mind cleared slightly did a feeling of utter bewilderment wash over me.

“Master, what did you say?” I couldn’t help but ask again, disbelief coloring my voice.

“I said, if I directly transmit my complete and pure Sunflower Divine Art to you, you won’t need to harm your innate primal yang to cultivate the *Sunflower Manual*,” he stated calmly. “I just checked; though your innate yang energy hasn’t reached perfection and you’re still a virgin, preventing you from inheriting all my cultivation, transmitting eighty to ninety percent should be fine. There will be no imbalance of yin and yang or damage to your meridians.”

Initially, I was incredibly surprised. But when he mentioned ‘virginity’ and such, a blush crept up my face.

I thought, *Thankfully it’s dark; he probably can’t see clearly.* Yet, I heard him leisurely continue, “It’s natural for men and women to marry when they come of age; yin and yang balance is the way of nature. Disciple, you’re not yet of age and haven’t experienced intimacy, so it’s understandable. Why are you blushing?”

With my thoughts exposed so blatantly, I felt even more embarrassed. It was then that I remembered my Master seemed to possess the ability to see in the dark.

“Alright, little one, stop being so coy. Whether this works or not, I await your single word!”

His calm yet sharp voice rang out again. In the darkness, I could vaguely discern my Master’s eyes, fixed steadily on me, like deep pools in a secluded valley.

“Master, Disciple…” Just as I opened my mouth to agree, a faint worry arose.

I was never one to hold back my thoughts; I always spoke whatever came to mind. “Disciple is just worried…”

“Worried about what?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Disciple is worried that if Master truly performs this power transmission method, what will become of you afterward?” I gritted my teeth and answered truthfully.

“Other disciples may not know, but according to the records in the *Chronicles of Jianghu*, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Senior Wuyazi, the second principal of 逍遥 Academy, used a reversed ‘Northern Profound Divine Art’ to transmit all his cultivation to his closed-door disciple, Senior Xuzhu – then an unknown master’s student in the Shaolin Imperial Key Laboratory – who later became the third principal of 逍遥 Academy, Senior Xuzhuzi. However, Senior Wuyazi died shortly after transmitting his power, his cultivation dissipating.

“With this precedent, Disciple, Disciple is truly worried.”

In the darkness, I couldn’t clearly see Master’s expression. I could only see his profound eyes, shimmering faintly.

“So, you’re hesitating because of your Master’s life and death?” he asked softly. “Do you realize that if the power transmission goes smoothly, you’ll gain my cultivation and immediately ascend to the ranks of the world’s top masters?”

“Disciple naturally knows, but if Master must lose his life for it, Disciple, Disciple…”

My words caught in my throat. I felt unable to continue speaking, for to do so would sound overly sentimental.

“You and I have only known each other for a little over an hour. To refuse peerless martial arts for the sake of a Master with whom you share such meager affection, Disciple, your calculations aren’t very shrewd!”

“Or are you merely feigning politeness with your Master?” His shrill, sharp voice, however, remained calm in its tone.

“Disciple wouldn’t dare… Disciple merely… My mother once taught me that of all things in heaven and earth, human life is paramount. She told me that no matter what, I must never harm another’s life. Disciple has taken this teaching to heart and dares not disobey.”

“But if, for the sake of transmitting power to Disciple, Master were to die, how would that be any different from Disciple taking Master’s life?” Sensing something unusual in Master’s words, I immediately knelt, yet my voice remained stubbornly firm.

“Good. It seems that while you, little one, are the son of that brat Liu Buping, you don’t resemble his ruthless, unscrupulous nature in the slightest. From this, it seems either that brat changed his ways later, or your mother raised you well. Either way, we should thank that girl Lin Qing!”

“Haha, The Old Senior truly hasn’t misjudged you! My good disciple! If you’re unwilling for me to transmit my power to you, then if I force it upon you, it won’t count as you having killed The Old Senior, will it?”

He suddenly burst into roaring laughter again, and the small cave trembled once more. I felt a surge of dizziness and a throbbing in my ears and mind.

Suddenly, a swift, unparalleled dark figure darted towards me, instantly seizing the pulse points on both my wrists and pulling me to my feet.

Knowing such an exceptional display of skill could only belong to my Master, yet frustrated by my inability to resist, I could only cry out in alarm, “Master, no, Disciple cannot…”

My body was involuntarily pulled deeper into the cave by him. Then, a moderate internal energy surged into my knees, causing my legs to buckle.

With a sweep of a slender, withered leg, I was made to sit cross-legged on the ground. After that, the dark figure moved, and I vaguely saw Master sit down facing me.

“Alas, Disciple, do not blame your Master. My internal injuries are severe, and my time is short. If I do not transmit this cultivation to you, it will be utterly wasted when I die and my power dissipates.” He sat facing me, gazing intently, his hands still gripping my wrists.

I couldn’t resist his actions, but fortunately, he hadn’t sealed my mute points, so I could still speak. I immediately said, “But what if it’s wasted? Master, at least you’d still be alive! My mother always said, ‘It’s better to live poorly than to die well.’ Master, you…”

“At a time like this, don’t mention that girl, your mother. She’s clearly a Daoist, yet she insists on learning Buddhist compassion. She’s clearly petty and headstrong, yet she has a Bodhisattva’s heart. Your father marrying her must be the retribution for that brat betraying my Divine Cult!” He chuckled darkly, then shifted to a solemn tone.

“Disciple, listen closely. My purpose extends beyond this. Though the *Sunflower Manual* is a peerless art of this era, it conceals a great hidden danger. My own internal injuries are not unrelated to this danger. However, the method to resolve this hidden danger might lie in transmitting power to another. Since you are familiar with the *Chronicles of Jianghu*, do you know of the ‘Wedding Dress Divine Art’?”

Being asked this, my heart involuntarily tensed. I immediately said, “That is the peerless secret of Gulong Academy. Legend has it this martial art possesses immense power, yet what’s even stranger is that the original practitioner cannot benefit from it. To utilize this internal art, one must transmit it to another… Master, are you implying?”

In the darkness, I seemed to see him nod faintly, then shake his head.

“Year after year, the golden thread is pressed in bitter sorrow, to sew a wedding dress for another. The hidden danger of the *Sunflower Manual*, though not entirely identical, shares a similar principle. So, Disciple, are you willing to help your Master try to resolve this hidden danger?”

I froze, immediately unsure how to respond. After much contemplation and turning thoughts over in my mind, I finally nodded slowly.