In the depths of the mountains, the dark blue Star Woven Grass was woven together like waves of wheat dancing in the wind. When the sun shone down, it was like a sea of blue.
After so many years, this place seemed to have not changed at all. It was still so remote and poor, even though the princess felt that the scenery here was very beautiful.
If there were any changes in this place, it would be that the original "shantytown" had become bigger. Dozens of families had become hundreds of families. Everyone no longer lived in shantytowns because there were already small bungalows next to the harvesting site, and they were built quite beautifully.
The villagers still relied on harvesting for a living, but at least now every family had all kinds of sharp cutting tools. There were also simple transport vehicles on the roads. Most importantly, everyone no longer had to work so hard, and they no longer had to suffer from the cold and hunger.
It was also at this time that the scenes of his childhood surfaced in the elder brother's mind. He remembered Hu Zi, who had recklessly rushed into the fire to carry him out, but he did not find Hu Zi. What he found was an old grave.
The grave was built under a Star Woven Tree at the foot of the mountain. The tombstone was not made of wood, but of rough stone slabs.
The elder brother remembered this place. Back then, he and Hu Zi had personally planted the saplings. Now, the saplings had grown into towering trees, but Hu Zi was no longer here.
After so many years of wind and rain, most of the words on the tombstone were blurred, but one could still vaguely make out the words "Grave of Hu Zi".
For a moment, the elder brother sighed. Although he knew that origin ability users lived much longer than ordinary people, he had heard from the elders in the village that Hu Zi had died at the age of 20. The reason was that the people from the nearby villages had come to occupy the harvesting site. In order to protect the children in the village, Hu Zi had unfortunately been stabbed and killed in a fight with the villagers...
Hu Zi was the same as him. He did not even have a surname. He did not have a name when he was alive, and he did not have a name after he died. If not for the words on the tombstone, no one would know that a young man named Hu Zi was buried under the tombstone.
Big Brother gently stroked the tombstone, feeling dejected. In the end, Huzi didn't wait for the day when he came back to see him. Even if he came back today, he didn't succeed. He struggled his whole life, but in the end, he still had this kind of inexplicable hesitation and confusion …
After leaving the graveyard, the eldest brother was preparing to head to the capital of the kingdom. As he passed by the harvesting area, he suddenly saw the figure of a girl dressed in rags under the sunlight. She was skillfully harvesting the Starweave Grass. He was very familiar with this movement of lowering his head and swiping the grass because he had experienced it before.
Big Brother was touched by the scene and couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Hello."
The girl was about twelve or thirteen years old. Her skin was dark, and her hands were thick and coarse. However, there was a cheerful smile on her face. It was obvious that she did not mind doing such hard work.
The big brother looked at her hand. "Hello, little girl. Can you let me take a look at your knife?"
The girl hesitated, but still handed the knife to him.
When the dark gold knife fell into the palm of his hand, the blood in the big brother's body suddenly boiled. He felt that it looked familiar and wondered if he had seen wrongly. But now, he finally saw it clearly. In the center of the front of the knife, there was a small "D" character. On the other side of the knife, there was also a line of exquisite words:
"What fortune is there in gathering? What sorrow is there in parting? What joy is there in life? What bitterness is there in death?"
This knife was the claw knife he had personally given to Hu Zi when he left this place. He didn't expect it to still be here.
Big Brother forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart. "Little girl, where did you get this knife?"
The girl smiled. Her smile was happy and proud. "This was given to me by a big brother."
Big Brother was stunned. "Big brother?
Which big brother? "
The girl smiled. "Yes, big brother. Not just any one, but everyone who has used this knife is called 'big brother'."
"Why?" The big brother was curious.
The girl stopped smiling and said seriously, "They all said that this knife was left behind by a hero many years ago. It has been passed down for many generations. The first person who used this knife was called big brother. Big brother said that this knife must be left to those who really need it. They must protect it, use it, and love it. Every generation of the owner of this knife has fought for everyone, worked hard, and protected everyone. They all lived up to the trust and inheritance of the previous owner. No matter who obtains this knife, they must shoulder their own responsibility and mission and bravely walk down the path …"
The girl described it endlessly, but the big brother's eyes were wet at this moment. He remembered Hu Zi's promise to him before he left that year. He would definitely use this knife well to help the people in the village and do his best to let everyone live a good life …
Hu Zi must have done it. He was not sure about the people who came after him, but he believed that every successor must be like Hu Zi, leaving it to those who really needed it. That 'big brother' would definitely do his best to fight for it …
The big brother did not expect that his casual action back then would be praised as a heroic deed by the people here. This knife was really passed down from generation to generation and was given such a noble and profound meaning.
At this moment, the big brother could not help but think about his life.
What have I been doing all this time?
What I have been doing is nothing more than cultivating, cultivating, and then killing. I thought this was the so-called hard work and struggle. I have been fighting and killing for eighty years. The so-called success and recognition, the so-called great goal, now seems like a joke. Am I not even as good as this girl in front of me?
Am I too far away from 'Hu Zi' and the others?
At this moment, all of the big brother's confusion and hesitation disappeared. He controlled his emotions and returned the knife to the girl. "Little girl, may I ask what your name is?"
The girl seemed even happier. "Haha, my surname is Ding. My name is Ding Wenhe. Uncle, you can call me Wenhe."
The big brother also laughed. "Miss Wenhe, you don't need to call me uncle. Just call me big brother."
"Big brother?"
Ding Wenhe was startled. She seemed to think of something and said in surprise, "This is the first time I've seen you in the village. You can't be that big brother …"
The big brother laughed and interrupted her. "I'm definitely not. I'm actually very envious of you. Your surname is Ding, and you just happened to get this knife. Perhaps one day, I will also have a knife like this. Perhaps this knife will become famous and become the glory of the kingdom …"
Half a year later, the Martial Arts Conference was held as scheduled in the Royal Martial Arts Practice Square of the kingdom's capital. A total of 12000 origin ability users from five different countries gathered together to share in this grand event.
The competition was very simple. If you felt that you were not careless, you could directly go to the battle stage in the square. If you were knocked off the stage, you would lose. The one who remained standing at the end would be the strongest. There was only one rule: don't overdo it.
The rewards offered by the kingdom were also very generous. Of course, origin ability users themselves were not lacking in worldly possessions such as money. What everyone really valued was the glory of being the strongest esper. Once you become famous and reach the top, the whole world would know about it.
This was the last day of the grand event. Not only was there a sea of people in the Martial Arts Practice Square, but in the distant spectator stands, the nobles of the royal family and the influential figures of the sects were all present. They were all waiting for the appearance of the strongest origin ability user.
This time, there were only two people who were the most popular. One was the kingdom's Tian Qing. This person had made countless contributions during the long war with the enemy country. He had a solid foundation and rich experience. He was a light speed type origin ability user and was a battle monarch.
The other person was Yu Xingyang from the Devil Country. This person was also not ordinary. He was a thermal type battle monarch who had risen rapidly in recent years. The "Phaseless Divine Blade" in his hand was said to be a sharp weapon specially made from rare extraterrestrial materials.
Both of them had defeated numerous opponents and eliminated a large number of experts to enter the final battle. At this time, the ceremonial officer had already rung the bell in the square, signaling the start of the battle!
The battle stage was suspended in the center of the square. It could be clearly seen from all directions. The two figures did not walk up the slanted stairs but instead floated up. Their strength was obviously very high.
Tian Qing had long been ready. The long sword in his hand trembled slightly and a beautiful sword flower appeared. He was the host, and his battle experience was unmatched. He was also favored by the royal family. He was filled with confidence that he would win this battle.
In comparison, Yu Xingyang looked very young, but he was more mature. He crossed his arms and hugged the Phaseless Divine Blade to his chest. He did not even unsheathe it. It was as if he did not put Tian Qing in his eyes.
Tian Qing sneered and said, "I heard that the Phaseless Divine Blade is unmatched in the Devil Country?"
He asked this because Yu Xingyang had not unsheathed his blade since the start of the competition. The only time it was unsheathed was when he defeated the kingdom's genius Bai Pinghai in the last round. It was normal for Bai Pinghai to lose. After all, he was too young and his level was too low. However, Yu Xingyang defeated him with just one slash. This kind of strength was truly terrifying.
As for that Azure Blade, he had repeatedly studied it these past few days. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find any gist of it. Now that he was so aggressive in his questioning, it was nothing more than the same old trick, to gain the upper hand in terms of momentum.
Unexpectedly, not only did Yu Xingyang not fall for it, he even checkmated him. "I'm afraid that from today onwards, the Phaseless Divine Blade will be unmatched in the Five Nations."
Tian Qing sneered even more. "Then let me see if there's really no one who can match up to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly disappeared.
He did not really disappear. Instead, many invisible "mirrors" formed around Yu Xingyang. The mirror image that appeared was actually Yu Xingyang himself.
Just this move alone caused the hundreds of thousands of spectators to cry out in surprise.
This was the simultaneous release of Phantom, Transient Step, and Afterimage. These three martial arts were the most basic martial arts of the Light Speed Series. However, their level was so high that ordinary Origin Ability Users could only look at them in the dust.
《Afterimage》 could create dozens of doppelgangers, and each doppelganger had Yu Xingyang's appearance. 《Phantom of the Phantom》 had already reached a stage where the naked eye could not recognize it. As for 《Transient Steps》, each doppelganger could rapidly teleport. The effect of these three martial skills was like a transparent sphere that completely enveloped Yu Xingyang.
Everyone opened their eyes wide in curiosity. How was Yu Xingyang going to deal with this?