This was the most valuable enlightenment during the process of cultivation. This was an indescribable feeling. It shocked Zhang Yi and made him feel peerlessly happy.

The white clouds turned to drops of rain. With the fall of each droplet, many lines he could not see before appeared. He could sense the true meaning in these lines. He couldn’t help but said in a happy and trembling voice, “Little Sect Brother, it really is rain and not cloud!”

Shen Yi turned to look at him with puzzlement.

Zhang Yi realized that the little sect brother of White Goat Cave was not Ding Ning but Shen Yi.

Zhou Xieyi’s face paled slightly. Looking at Zhang Yi, he thought in disbelief, had Zhang Yi really comprehend something from the Painting Remnant Scroll in such a short time?

Zhang Yi looked towards Ding Ning. He saw Ding Ning had walked next to Nangong Caishu.

At this time, a thin wave of primal energies of the universe was released from the Painting Remnant Scroll.

Zhang Yi stilled.

He immediately understood. When he had his enlightenment just now, his mental power had unconsciously went along those lines. That had stirred the energies.

Feeling the wetness in the thin wave of primal energies of the universe, his breathing paused briefly and he grew more excited. He was certain that his enlightenment just now was correct. He had comprehended the true meaning of those lines that were seemingly clouds but actually rain.

Zhou Xieyi’s face immediately paled even more and his body grew stiff. The primal energies of the universe slowly spreading from the Painting Remnant Scroll was thin but extremely clear and floated into the sky.

Outside Ink Garden, Changling was sunny, but above this Ink Garden, there were many white clouds that suddenly formed to block the sunlight along with great moisture in the air.

The people in front of the Painting Remnant Scroll finally felt this oddity. Even Nangong Caishu, whose mind was completely immersed in the painting, was woken up.

On a little mountain in Ink Garden, inside the Cloud Sea Pavilion’s study, Zhou Yunhai and Xue Wangxu were drinking tea. The tea was an extremely valuable cloud mist tea. The teacups were from Yue ceramics, green and cool, with mist circling the rim of the cup.

Feeling the moisture that suddenly formed in the air, Zhou Yunhai’s expression changed slightly and his teacup trembled.

Xue Wangxu’s gaze brightened slightly. He praised, “The Painting Remnant Scroll is as extraordinary as expected.”

Zhou Yunhai took a deep breath and said slowly, “Cave Master Xue’s students are truly extraordinary.”

As they spoke, the bottom of the white clouds dissipated. The moisture did not disappear and finally formed droplets of rain. The rain fell from the sky and drew out crystal lines. The Ink Garden had a burst of rain under the sunny sky.

Looking at this raining essence, Zhou Xieyi’s face was bloodless. He was certain this was something the Zhou Family had not comprehended. He couldn’t help but ask Zhang Yi, “What did you comprehend?”

“It should be a seal essence. It can become a sword seal or used in forging items. It is an offensive tactic,” Zhang Yi was a gentleman and answered Zhou Xieyi’s question honestly.

“Junior Sect Brother Ding Ning!”

In the next moment, he looked at the calm Ding Ning with a mixture of emotions. Only he knew that just now, he had found many doorways but was unable to enter. Then Ding Ning had kicked him into one of the doors. Behind that door was true meaning.

“Congratulations, Senior Sect Brother.” Ding Ning looked at him and said softly, “Do not thank me. You should understand this is a coincidence. No grandmaster can see the true meaning of the scroll so quickly like this. This is just a coincidence.”

Zhang Yi pondered Ding Ning’s words and found it was correct.

He was sure that grandmasters of Xue Wangxu’s level were much lesser in power compared to the creator of this painting. There weren’t many people in Changling that were stronger than Xue Wangxu.

At this time, to everyone’s shock, the Painting Remnant Scroll in front of them once again released a wave of primal energies of the universe.

However, this wave of primal energies quickly scattered like someone had just started a stroke, but was immediately disrupted.

Bang!

A muffled sound occurred midair above Ink Garden like someone had rang an enormous and invisible metal bell.

“What happened?” Nangong Caishu looked left and right in shock. Everyone’s gaze finally landed on Xie Changsheng who was standing with his palm held in front of him.

Xie Changsheng’s expression was strange and spectacular.

“I seemed to have comprehend something, but … not completely?” he said embarrassed. Then he put his hand back in front of his eyes and continued to look at the painting.

What was this? With a hand covering his eyes, he was able to look at the Painting Remnant Scroll and comprehend from it?

Completely cold all over, Zhou Xieyi thought of the movement Ding Ning had performed in front of Xie Changsheng previously. He was immediately filled with disbelieve and couldn’t help but look at Ding Ning.

“You were so focused just now. What did you see?” Ding Ning was softly asking Nangong Caishu at this moment.

“I saw a river.” Nangong Caishu looked at Ding Ning and said, “For some reason, while this painting has many things, I am only able to see this river.”

Ding Ning said calmly in a low voice, “This is normal. Everyone’s insight is different, and will have different preferences and personalities. Each cultivator practises different things. So when they look at seals or comprehend diagrams like this, there naturally will be differences.”

Nangong Caishu nodded and said, “My father said a similar thing before. I think if I want to comprehend something, I can only comprehend it from this river. I will search for the thing that attracts me the most from this river.”

Ding Ning said, “This is the correct way.”

Nangong Caishu said, “Right now, what attracts me are the waves in the river. Those waves seem very interesting. Ordinary waves would not form like that or fall like that. But I have no clue about the true meaning within.”

Ding Ning looked silently at the painting scroll for about a quarter of an hour. Then he said, “If those waves are splashes created by the tails of fish swimming against the river, then it will be normal.”

Nangong Caishu stilled.

When she looked again at those waves, she unconsciously thought, there really seemed to be some fish hiding that were swimming against the river?

It was near dusk. The tea had been changed several times, and some refined pastries had been presented.

Zhou Yunhai had a calm expression, but his mind was distracted.

Bang!

At this time, a bell sounded in the air.

His heart sank.

Compared to the cut-off bell four hours ago, this ringing sound was especially long, and felt as though it was echoing in distant mountain valleys.

—

The little courtyard, in the northwestern corner of Ink Garden with white walls and black tiles, had felt the most energetic in Ding Ning’s perception but did not look any different compared to the courtyards of ordinary villages.

Yet one of the halls within was carpeted in tiger skin. Each tiger skin had clearly been taken from healthy adult tigers, and each hide took up a large area on the ground.

On a sedan in the hall, there was a fist-sized red bead. This bead gave off a burning presence tainted by blood and savagery. This was an inner core that would only form in the bodies of some vicious beasts.

The burning presence was extremely heavy. When it descended on the tiger skin, the heat would spread along the fur. So the hall was as warm as spring, and the heat was evenly distributed.

On a soft sedan covered in brocade as soft as a young girl’s skin sat an old man. His silver hair was combed until it shone. He had no wrinkles on his face, and his skin gave off the light of jade. His body also gave off a heated energy that felt energetic and lively to any cultivator.

However, his body also gave off a wearied presence as though there was a shroud of dust always around him. Under his gold embroidered robes, his abdomen was strangely bulging out like a woman ten months pregnant.

But the left side of his stomach was unusually empty. It seemed that someone had cut him there. He had lost a large piece of bone and flesh, and even a part of his organs. It would not have been easy to survive such serious wounds.

This old man’s gaze was constantly focused on the window and he rarely looked at himself as though he was terrified and hated his body.

His gaze was filled with many negative emotions, hate, unwillingness, greed, viciousness … this caused his smooth face to twist.

The sun was about to descend.

The bell ring had faded.

But some unique sword essences seemed to appear in the cold air above Ink Garden like swimming fish.

Another thunderous sound came down from high in the sky.

Before hearing this bell ringing, this old man had known that something unusual was happening in Ink Garden today. When he detected these two presences sprouting out of the Painting Remnant Scroll, he had no more doubts. He wanted to know the true cause of this strange matter.

He stood up. As he did so, all the negative and savage emotions in his eyes disappeared. His eyes grew harmonious.

He put on a fox fur jacket which covered his abdomen.

He looked like an extremely friendly and benevolent old man.

Translator Ramblings: Can cultivators get beer bellies or are their organs and body always in top physical shape?