I jolted upright, blinking. For a moment I didn"t know where I was. Looking around in confusion, I tried to recall what was the last thing that happened.

"That"s right…I fainted from the venom, and was washed away by the current of the river…"

Standing up groggily, I checked my surroundings. It was incredibly dark, covered by shadows. My first impression was that I got washed into a cave, but the more I looked around, the more I realized that I wasn"t in a cavern.

There were…no walls. No ceilings, nothing. I was in a vast open s.p.a.ce that stretched infinitely, a place where no light could ever reach.

A chill ran down my spine. I remembered seeing this place before. It was…

Flicker.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved the Golden Dragon Medallion that I had been carrying on my person all this time. It had come to life, glowing brightly and radiating golden light that was almost blinding. Raising it in the air, I used it to light my way.

As I suspected, despite the illumination the Golden Dragon Medallion afforded, there was nothing to see for kilometers around. That was because I wasn"t in a physical s.p.a.ce.

Well, looks like I"m back in the underworld.

For the second time in seven months, I had died and was sent to the underworld. I never would have guessed that I would be so unfortunate.

"Ugh…"

Sighing, I began walking. The initial darkness, while discomforting and disorientating, wouldn"t last. As long as I kept moving, I would be able to find my way back to the populated recesses of the underworld where lines of ghosts waiting to be reincarnated stretched for miles. With a heavy heart, I knew that this time was no mistake. I had really screwed up and died.

"…hmm?"

While I was strolling across the unfathomable darkness, the golden dragon medallion glowed ferociously and a single beam of golden light burst out and stretched across the infinite s.p.a.ce, pointing toward a single direction.

"…ah…"

I instinctively understood. The Golden Dragon Medallion was acting like a compa.s.s, showing me the way. Following its guidance, I headed in the direction of the blinding ray of light. Even though I would have reached the Naihe Qiao or Bridge of Helplessness eventually without the Golden Dragon Medallion"s guidance, I suspected the little gadget pointing me the way would hasten the process. After all, I wanted to get out of this darkness a quickly as possible.

Turned out that I was mistaken. The Golden Dragon Medallion wasn"t leading me o the Naihe Qiao. If I had thought about it, it should have been obvious. As I mentioned earlier, and evidenced by my first time here, anybody would be able to get to the Naihe Qiao even without any guidance. If that was the case, there was no reason for the Golden Dragon Medallion to lead me there.

No, instead it led me to…

"Grandma Meng?"

I gaped when I saw the old lady sitting on a chair and taking a sip of tea. She lowered her teacup and greeted me with a smile.

"Oh, lad, so you"re finally here."

"Here" was actually a room. I had no idea when the darkness disappeared, but at some point while I was walking, my surroundings had been replaced by a peaceful forest. Within the tranquil greenery stood a little villa. Grandma Meng was on the patio of the villa, resting against a huge, rocking chair and having tea. A large mahogany table stretched next to her, surrounded by empty chairs, and carried a tray atop its surface. The tray itself contained a relatively small teapot, circled by upside down traditional Chinese cups.

If I hadn"t known better, I would have thought that I had just come across an elderly lady leisurely enjoying her vacation in her private villa located far away from any city.

"Eh? Grandma? Why are you here? Shouldn"t you be serving soup…?"

"I"m old, you know?" Grandma Meng made it a point to show how she was stretching her thin, wiry body. "I need a break once in a while, to rest my ancient bones. I"ve delegated my duty to those younglings." She paused, her wrinkled face creased on concern. "I really hope they know what they"re doing."

I watched her, not knowing how to respond to that. She then frowned at me.

"And again, I"m not your grandma, so stop calling me that."

But I had no other way of addressing her. Whatever, I was in no mood to argue over such trivial matters right now.

"Um…so should I head over to the Naihe Qiao now?"

"Relax." Grandma Meng put her teacup down on the table with a soft clink and smiled at me, amused. "Are you in that much of a hurry to get reincarnated?"

"No, not really. But…what other choice do I have? I"m dead, right?"

I might have sounded bitter, but Grandma Meng merely chuckled.

"No, actually, you"re not dead." She shook her head and waved at me rea.s.suringly. "You"re on the periphery of death, but you"re not actually dead yet. Cutting really close to it, though." she studied me for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction. "Seems like you"ve eaten and a.s.similated the h.e.l.lfire Badger"s immunity to venom. That"s probably what saved your life. It"ll take some time before your body develops the antibodies to fight the toxins, but you"ll get there eventually."

"…really?"

I didn"t know if I should sound relieved or disbelieving. That was just too convenient, to the point that I suspected that it was plot armor. I knew the h.e.l.lfire Badger possessed resistance to all known venoms in the world, but even so…to think that my next enemy was a Hydra that carried the most lethal venom, and that I would survive that extremely potent toxin just because I happened to eat a demonic beast with resistance to it in the previous chapter.

"Yes, I have no reason to lie to you." Grandma Meng sipped some tea and smiled warmly. "Since you"re already here anyway, why not keep me company for the time being?"

"…s…sure."

With nothing else to do, I decided to sit when Grandma Meng gestured toward the chair opposite her, and listen to her.

"Oh, don"t worry. I won"t be the one talking. After all, there"s someone I would like you to meet."

Grandma Meng turned and waved at the entrance to her villa. A servant appeared, dressed in traditional Chinese robes, and bowed respectfully.

"Call our guest here," she told the maid. The young-looking servant nodded and disappeared back within the house. Within moments, footsteps echoed throughout the interior and the last person I expected emerged from the door.

"Ah, lad, you"re finally here."

My jaw dropped when I saw the newcomer. So shocked was I that I dropped the Golden Dragon Medallion on the floor, the secret treasure bouncing off and then rolling across the wooden floorboards. The newcomer scowled as he bent down to catch and pick up the Golden Dragon Medallion, then he strode over to return it to my empty hand.

"Hey, take good care of the Golden Dragon Medallion I gave you! Don"t just drop it all over the floor! It"s an extremely important treasure!"

"Y…you…" I spluttered in disbelief. The old man I saved from the truck, and the same one who visited me in the hospital, the original owner of the Golden Dragon Medallion, stared back at me with a wry smile.

"We meet again."

"…You…you"re dead!" I blurted out. The old man snorted as his eyes narrowed into a scowl.

"Why, thank you for stating the obvious."

"It"s not that obvious," Grandma Meng spoke up flippantly as she took another sip from her teacup. "Anyway, have a seat. I"m sure there"s a lot of things you want to say to this poor lad."

It was actually the other way around, but before I could break into a tirade, the old man chuckled and nodded.

"Indeed." He turned to me and shook his head. "To be honest, I never expected to see you again. After I died at the hands of the Martial Arts Alliance, I came here and lined up at the bridge to get reincarnated. But this hag over here stopped me and told me to wait." He leaned back on his chair and nodded. "I see why she held me back now."

"Don"t call me a hag, geezer."

"Don"t call me a geezer, hag!"

What the h.e.l.l were they, twelve?

"Anyway…" the old man cleared his throat and then extended a hand. "Despite the two times we met when I was still alive, I realized that I have never quite introduced myself. I am Tian Mo."

"The former leader of the now destroyed Heaven and Earth Sect," I muttered, but took his hand and shook it anyway.

"Ah, I see that you"ve find out quite a few things about me. How embarra.s.sing." Tian Mo laughed sheepishly as he ran his hand over his white, thinning air. He then got serious. "Must be hard for you, isn"t it?"

I glared at him. "You don"t know half of it."

"I"m sorry."

I doubted that he was, and spitefully pushed the Golden Dragon Medallion toward him.

"You can have that back," I spat venomously. "You claimed that you were grateful and this was a reward, but this d.a.m.ned thing has been nothing but punishment. It has brought me nothing but trouble. Everyone"s chasing after me, accusing me of having learned some ultimate martial arts from you even though you"ve never taught me anything. They"ve also treated me like some sort of villain, thinking that you made me your heir or the next leader of the demonic Heaven and Earth Sect. I don"t want to inherit the leadership of any sect!"

"But on the other hand, you"ve also been offered a chance by your academy to restore and recover the lost Heaven and Earth Formula, haven"t you?" Grandma Meng calmly pointed out as she sipped her tea. I gaped at her.

"How…how do you know about that?"

"I know everything," she replied sagely as she flicked her small teacup at me. "I am in charge of reincarnating the dead, after all."

"Heh! See, lad, it isn"t so bad, after all!"

Tian Mo chuckled and slapped my shoulder, pleased. However, Grandma Meng merely tilted her head at him.

"But that still doesn"t change the fact that your actions brought this lad a lot of trouble."

"Ugh…" Tian Mo shrank back, but then he beamed. "Hey, this is tough love! It"s only by overcoming all these hurdles, obstacles and trouble that you"ll become strong enough to claim the t.i.tle of invincibility!"

"What makes you think I want to be invincible?" I countered crossly. Sure, it sounded like an appealing idea, but such an ambition was often more trouble than it was worth. I just needed enough strength to put me ahead of my rivals, to live a simple enough life. I didn"t want to be at the very top – that would drag me into all sorts of unwanted politics and responsibilities. As they said, great power came with great responsibility, and both enemies and wannabe allies would flock to me, pestering me if I stood out too much.

"Boy, you should have a lot more ambition than that!"

"Oh, I have my own goals and dreams," I acknowledged. "And it"s true that I do want to get stronger. But I would prefer to do it my way."

"Come on, don"t talk like that." Tian Mo was pleading with me now. I stared at him, not sure what he was trying to do.

"What exactly do you want? No…" I then turned to Grandma Meng, who was clearly the one who orchestrated the whole meeting. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Grandma Meng replied indifferently. "I"m just guiding you along destiny."

"Screw destiny," I growled, feeling fury ignite inside me. "It"s because of this s.h.i.tty destiny that I"ve to suffer over the most stupid of reasons. I want to smash destiny and overthrow fate."

"Indeed…but in order to do so, don"t you need strength?"

"That"s…"

Grandma Meng"s response stopped me cold. I was unable to rebut that, and could only fall into a sullen silence.

"Ahem…" Tian Mo cleared his throat. "And that"s where I come in."

I gave him a droll glare. "Why did you give me the Golden Dragon Medallion, anyway?"

Tian Mo"s shoulders sagged and he sighed. Scratching his aged head, he glanced up at the wooden ceiling.

"My enemies were closing in on me, and I had no one I could trust. My sect had been destroyed, my closest subordinates all killed to the last man, and I was alone." He stared at me, his eyes shining with sincerity. "And in the darkest reaches of despair, while I was wandering alone, half-dead and wallowing in self-pity, you saved a pathetic old man. Even though I didn"t need saving, you risked your life to save me, almost getting yourself killed in the process. A little boy, completely unrelated to the jianghu, yet just as, if not more courageous than any martial artist. I was…impressed."

"But you never thought about what sort of trouble would follow and descend upon me after you gave me the Golden Dragon Medallion?" I probably sounded bitter, but after my recent traumatic experiences, I was ent.i.tled to that.

"It probably occurred to me," Tian Mo admitted. "But I was putting my faith in you. I thought that if there was anyone valiant and trustworthy enough to entrust the future and the rebuilding of the Heaven and Sect to, it would be you."

"And you expected me to do that without telling me anything? Without at least informing what you"re getting me into?"

I did recall Tian Mo"s words, him apologizing for dragging me into his world, but he said nothing more than that.

"To be fair, that was the arrangement." Grandma Meng broke in. I glanced at her, and she shrugged. "This geezer wanted to save your life, so I agreed on one condition. In exchange, he was to make you the successor to his sect." her ancient lips curled up into a sly smile. "It was a condition he only too readily agreed to."

"Huh?! Why would you do that?!" I gaped at her. Grandma Meng merely c.o.c.ked her head to the side.

"I told you earlier, didn"t I? I"m merely guiding you along your destiny."

"No one should have the right to determine others" destinies. Not even the G.o.ds."

"If you really think that, then you"re incredibly naïve," Grandma dismissed me indifferently. "And as I said earlier, if you want to challenge destiny, you need power. Otherwise never mind the G.o.ds and immortals, your destiny will be determined by other mortals because you"re too weak to resist them."

"Ugh…"

I couldn"t deny that. Tian Mo spread his hands helplessly.

"To be fair, I didn"t expect this either. I thought that time in the hospital would be the last time I would see you. And my giving you the Golden Dragon Medallion and the proof of the Heaven and Earth Sect was as much a whim as it was the hag"s instructions." He sighed as he sank back in his chair. "I"m being toyed around by fate just as much as you."

"But Fate is precisely what brought you back together in such a roundabout manner." Grandma Meng sounded amused as she knitted her fingers together and stared at us. "This is Heaven"s will. Interpret it however you want."

"Hmph." Tian Mo grinned. "Then let"s not waste this chance." He turned to me. "Since I"ve been given such a valuable opportunity, I would like to teach you Heaven and Earth Formula."

I hesitated for a moment. While this was indeed an incredible opportunity, and would be the culmination of everything I had worked for when in the academy, I couldn"t help but harbor skepticism and suspicion toward Tian Mo.

"In exchange for that, what would you have me do?"

Tian Mo shrugged. "I don"t care. Do what you will with it. Ideally, I would like you to rebuild the Heaven and Earth Sect, but you can change the name, align yourself with the Martial Arts Alliance, and do whatever you want. I won"t even ask you to take revenge for me." he sighed. "I accepted that my atrocities can never be forgiven. But…" he leaned forward, his eyes flashing. "I want my legacy to endure, even to the end of time. That"s my only wish."

"That"s all?"

"What else is there?" Tian Mo snorted. "I"m already dead. There"s nothing I can do to influence the living world. Whatever happens in the mortal world no longer has anything to do with me. In fact, I"m going to reincarnate after this."

"Yes, you will be," Grandma Meng confirmed coolly.

"So my only wish it to leave a mark behind…that I existed. That"s all I want."

I studied him, wondering if he was lying, but then decided to take his word for it. Leaning back in my chair, I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Fine. But how are you going to teach me Heaven and Earth Formula?" I glanced at Grandma Meng. "How long do we have before I return to the mortal realm?"

"Time here flows very differently from the living world." Grandma Meng smiled. "Maybe a week?"

"That"s more than enough." Tian Mo grinned. "I"m only teaching you the breathing techniques. You can practice them when you return to the mortal realm."

"If you"re ready to begin the lessons, use the training room at the back," Grandma Meng instructed us. "I don"t think the patio is an optimal place for training."

"Uh…sure." I nodded and rose to my feet. Tian Mo was way ahead of me, already striding into the house. It appeared he knew his way around.

"Over here."

I followed him along endless, winding corridors, until he suddenly stopped in front of a sliding door. He pushed it open, revealing a dojo-like s.p.a.ce within.

"Step in."

"Yes, sir."

I proceeded into the dojo-like room, and Tian Mo gestured for me to sit cross-legged in the middle of the room.

"All right then," he announced, rubbing his hands in glee. "Let us begin."

*

"Well, that"s it."

Master stood up and nodded in satisfaction as he watched me meditate. I blinked, snapping out of my meditative state and springing to my feet.

"What do you mean, that"s it?"

"Haven"t you realized? It"s already a week…according to underworld time, anyway."

"Huh?!" I stared at Master blankly for a few moments before realizing, horrified, that he was right. "Time is already up?"

"Yeah." Master smiled. "I would say that it has been a fruitful session. After this, whether you succeed in restoring Heaven and Earth Formula or not is entirely up to you."

"You"ve got to be kidding me…" I felt numb as I listened to him hollowly, feeling like I might slide into denial. "This can"t be it…we were only just getting started! There"s no way this is enough! You have to teach me more!"

"It has to be enough. Besides…" Tian Mo swiveled his head to look at me, a tinge of sadness touching his expression. "I taught you pretty much all of it. To be honest, there is nothing more I can teach you."

"How is this all of it?" I protested in disbelief. "You only taught me a couple of breathing and qi circulatory qi methods. What about attacks? You"ve only taught me cultivation techniques, but no proper martial arts techniques. How do I fight?"

"Even though I"ve already taught you for a week…no, precisely because I"ve taught you for only a week…" Master looked a little deflated. "Yeah, it"ll be impossible for you to understand the significance and true essence of Heaven and Earth Formula."

"Yeah, that"s why I need you to teach me more!"

"That"s not what I mean." Master sent me a sharp glance. "Listen carefully, dear disciple. Heaven and Earth Formula is originally composed of only manipulating and using the yang and yin qi, and combining them to produce incredible power. Things like forms and rituals disappeared long ago."

"Forms and rituals?" I repeated dumbly. Master nodded.

"That"s right. It"s not that I left out any techniques. Rather, Heaven and Earth Formula is a martial art where you have to create your own forms and rituals, catering to your own style. The principle behind Heaven and Earth Formula isn"t the powerful attacks…no, the true essence of Heaven and Earth Formula is to cultivate the necessary qi to make such powerful attacks possible in the first place. It allows you to tap into the power of the heavens and manipulate the divine qi for your own means. There is no special or unique attack that comes with Heaven and Earth Formula. We"ve always been changing and creating new combat techniques based on the individual pract.i.tioner"s personal style."

He placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"Your progress from this point onward is entirely up to you. Practice until you reach the peak of your ability."

I glanced down at my feet, knowing that this was farewell.

"…I…will never see you again, will I?"

Master shrugged.

"Who knows? Fate is a fickle thing, and if you"re really sincere about wanting to challenge Fate, then perhaps you might be able to overturn the whole cycle of life and death itself." He grinned. "If you ever reach that stage, I would love to witness it."

"You might still have a chance to witness it. Such is the warped nature of Fate and Destiny."

Both of us turned and caught sight of Grandma Meng stepping into the dojo-like room. She nodded patiently.

"Said your farewells yet?"

"We just finished them, actually." Master snorted and waved at her. She didn"t take offense and gestured for us to follow her.

"In any case, time is up. It"s time for you to drink the soup. And lad, you"ll have to return to the mortal realm. Lingering in the underworld for too long will have adverse effects on your physical body."

"I understand."

"Well, take care, my disciple." Master turned away. "Can"t say it wasn"t fun. I only wish that I had a lot more time to get to know you, and to teach you more. But this is the final goodbye."

I cupped my hands and bowed deeply.

"This disciple thanks his master for everything."

Master merely waved one last time before he disappeared.

Then I realized something.

"Uh, wait! How do I get back to my physical body?"

The last time I was here, I got reincarnated into the second timeline by walking through an alternative gate. But this time, I was in Grandma Meng"s villa, with no sign of any such gate.

"There"s where I come in." Grandma Meng smiled as she approached me. "Sending you back is my job."

"Uh…thanks?"

I wondered if she was going to guide me to another gate, but she merely stopped in front of me. Raising a hand, she smacked me right in the head.

"Ouch! What are you doing?!"

Grandma Meng didn"t answer. Blinking through the sudden pain, I saw why. She had disappeared, and was instead replaced by darkness as black as the s.p.a.ce I was dropped into earlier. A darkness so black I couldn"t see anything.

"W…whoa! Wait!"

But the darkness didn"t wait. Like a ravenous beast, it engulfed me entirely, and then I knew nothing.