Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 82: The Thunder of Awakening Spring

Chu Tianyu felt his body lighten, as if all the pressure had drained away like water breaking through a dam. His desires and violence vanished as well, and a pure dragon energy flowed through his body once more. The black dragon returned to its original state and became calm.

Chu Tianyu didn’t stop moving. Taking advantage of the dark mist surrounding him and the dust rising from the ground, he grabbed a piece of clothing to cover his face. Then, with a turn, he rushed out of the dust and appeared in front of Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan. Without saying a word, he used his Flower-Picking Finger technique to strike repeatedly…

Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan were still stunned by the sudden changes and didn’t react in time. When Chu Tianyu attacked them out of nowhere, Zhi Yu barely managed to scream, “Shaolin Flower-Picking Finger…” before being struck at several acupoints. Both of them fell into Chu Tianyu’s arms at the same time.

Having succeeded with one move, Chu Tianyu didn’t linger. He spun around again, creating a gust of wind as he rushed away at high speed. Only then did the Dragon Soul members realize their leaders had been kidnapped. They chased after him, but in the distance, not a single figure was visible! They gave it a symbolic chase, knowing full well that with their strength, it was pointless to pursue that terrifying force—nothing even close to matching its power!

Carrying the two with him, Chu Tianyu’s speed wasn’t affected at all. He quickly left the original location and arrived at the edge of a small mound in a barren area. In the distance, fields stretched out under a hazy mist—unnoticed, they had already left the hustle and bustle of the city behind…

Chu Tianyu set them down at a distance, lifted them off the ground, and unblocked all their acupoints. Then he stood there quietly, waiting for them to restore their disrupted meridians and energy flow.

Soon, Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan finished restoring their energy and got up one after another. Their acupoints had been blocked, but their consciousness remained clear. Flying alongside Chu Tianyu using his qi, they were amazed by the speed, which completely overturned their understanding of martial arts—this was the so-called supreme realm. Well, it wasn’t that great after all!

It’s not that Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan are ignorant. Although those who can fly by controlling qi are rare, they do exist—people like Chu Tianyu’s several masters, as well as many cultivators hiding in remote mountains and forests, all possess this ability. Yet human strength is ultimately limited. No matter how strong their vital energy is, they can only maintain flight at a certain distance. In contrast, Chu Tianyu has the support of a ten-thousand-year dragon energy within him, providing almost unlimited power.

Although the Purple Void True Dragon is currently sealed and no longer supplies Chu Tianyu with its powerful vital energy, the restless black dragon within his body fills this gap at just the right time. Though not as strong or profound as the Purple Void True Dragon’s energy, its power is sufficient to overwhelm anything in the world. Moreover, it is even more battle-minded and aggressive than the Purple Void True Dragon.

“Amitabha. I am deeply grateful for your two acts of kindness, sir. May I ask what your connection is to Shaolin? So that I may properly repay this great favor!” Zhi Yu said respectfully.

“Yes, indeed. Your mastery of pure Shaolin martial arts, combining internal and external cultivation—only a genuine Shaolin disciple from the inner sect could achieve such skill!” Tian Zhan also asked, though with a mix of respect and curiosity. After all, having spent so much time in the Dragon Soul, his thoughts might be more complex, so his words carried both respect and doubt.

Chu Tianyu knew they would surely recognize him as the masked man from before. Since he had no intention of hiding his identity, he deliberately used Shaolin’s Flower-Picking Finger technique when subduing them, aiming to let them know he came from Shaolin so they would cooperate later.

“You flatter me, master. Are you from the Zhi generation? Who is the current abbot of Shaolin’s inner sect?” Chu Tianyu replied with a question instead of an answer.

“Hmm, correct. I am Zhi Yu. The current abbot of Shaolin’s inner sect is Uncle Wu Jing!” Zhi Yu replied respectfully.

“Oh, how many masters from the Xuan generation are still alive?” Chu Tianyu asked further.

Upon hearing this, Zhi Yu’s brows twitched, and he quickly became even more respectful: “Currently, there are still two great uncles, Xuan Miao and Xuan Ji, governing the inner sect!” Even Tian Zhan was shocked. He had already guessed the identity of the man before him. With his cultivation level, if he came from Shaolin, his rank must be quite high. To his surprise, Chu Tianyu immediately brought up the Xuan generation. After all, although the two Zen masters, Xuan Miao and Xuan Ji, were still alive, they had been in seclusion for many years and were rarely seen. As for the disciples below the Zhi generation, they were nothing but legends!

After figuring out the seniority system, Chu Tianyu realized that, according to the ranking set by the Great Master Bu Chan, he should belong to the “Wu” generation. Thus, Zhi Yu in front of him must be his junior disciple! He then changed his way of addressing them, saying, “You guessed right. I have a deep connection with Shaolin. These two times I stepped in were purely by chance, allowing me to help Shaolin. There’s no need for you to guess my exact identity—just know that I also come from Shaolin. I brought you two here against your will to keep as few people as possible in the know. Moreover, I have an important matter that requires your advice.” Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan exchanged glances while listening, both seeing many questions in each other’s eyes. However, the man before them had shocked them greatly—his earth-shattering strength was beyond their imagination. Fortunately, it seemed he was an ally rather than an enemy, and indeed, he also came from Shaolin! “If you have anything to say, feel free to speak!” Zhi Yu said. Chu Tianyu thought for a moment. Since the question he wanted to ask might involve Shaolin’s secrets, it was better to reveal a bit of his identity; otherwise, if they refused to talk, he would be in trouble! Remembering the Great Master’s original Dharma name, Xuan Chan, he said, “According to Shaolin’s seniority system, I should belong to the ‘Wu’ generation. You can call me Wu Chan!” Chu Tianyu’s response was also full of subtlety—revealing a little clue was more believable than saying it outright. This was a truth taught by his third master. Zhi Yu and Tian Zhan never expected his seniority to be so high. Especially Zhi Yu, who had never doubted Chu Tianyu’s identity. After all, if he weren’t of such high rank, how could he possess such profound Shaolin martial skills? Anything could be faked, but not this! “Ah!!! Our benefactor truly comes from Shaolin. By seniority, I, Zhi Yu, shall call you uncle! May I ask which master you learned from?” Zhi Yu asked respectfully after bowing. “Let’s not talk about that for now. Today, I mainly want to ask you about that ‘Chi Xuan’ incident from last time!” Chu Tianyu changed the subject. “Uncle was also there last time. And we didn’t see clearly what happened afterward. We only know that the black dragon trapped by ‘Chi Xuan’ soared into the sky, and then a human figure rushed out like lightning. After seeing uncle’s strength just now, Zhi Yu is now sure that that figure must have been you!” Zhi Yu replied.

“Well, I know the situation at that time. What I want to ask is about the origin and characteristics of that ‘Chixuan’. Could you tell me about it?” Chu Tianyu asked.
“‘Chixuan’ was originally a type of relic derived from Buddhist sacred objects. It possesses the strongest Buddhist power and the deepest spiritual essence. It can only be formed when a highly accomplished monk with a century of cultivation passes away. Its color is different from ordinary white or milky yellow relics—it takes on a reddish hue, hence the name ‘Chixuan’. Throughout the thousands of years of Shaolin, only five such relics have existed, three of which were used to suppress the essence of this Black Dragon!” Zhi Yu explained patiently.
“Oh, then what’s the deal with the essence of this Black Dragon?” Chu Tianyu continued to ask.
“It’s unknown which saint from a past generation used his profound Buddhist powers to disperse the Black Dragon’s body and obtain its essence, then sealed it with Chixuan. Legend has it that this dragon is the precursor to a dragon. But it has a cold and violent nature, prone to fighting. It probably caused harm to humans and devastated living beings, which is why our founder subdued it. It’s said to be extremely powerful—wherever it goes, no grass can grow. Even a dense tree, once entangled by it, will have its essence consumed completely, leaving only a withered branch, not to mention other things! Moreover, even after its essence is sealed, rituals must be performed every twelve years at a dragon vein site in the capital’s Huangling to repress it! But this time, somehow, thieves learned of this and tried to steal it. Fortunately, my uncle intervened. Although Chixuan was destroyed and the Black Dragon escaped, it’s still a hundred times better than falling into the hands of villains!”
“Is there anything else about this Black Dragon? For example, what symptoms appear after it ascends? What happens if it enters a human body?” Chu Tianyu suggested.
“That’s all I know, junior disciple! Could it be that this Black Dragon has entered my uncle’s body?” Zhi Yu guessed in disbelief.
Chu Tianyu nodded first, then asked hopefully, “Is there anyone else who knows more about this?”
Seeing Chu Tianyu nod, Zhi Yu was utterly shocked. It took him a while to respond, “Well, I guess only Abbot Wu Jing could know this. He has access to all of Shaolin’s scriptures!”
Hearing there was still hope, Chu Tianyu quickly asked, “Really? I feel I can’t suppress it any longer these days. There are some behaviors I can no longer control. It seems I must go to Shaolin. Could you accompany me?”
Before Chu Tianyu could finish speaking, he saw Zhi Yu take out a latest-model phone and dial a number…

Damn it, Chu Tianyu! It turns out that both present-day and ancient times use high technology. To be honest, Chu Tianyu’s concept of these Shaolin monks was still based on the ancient characters depicted in martial arts novels. When Chu Tianyu came back to his senses, Zhiyu was already holding the phone in front of him and said, “Uncle, the abbot wants you to answer the phone!” Chu Tianyu took the phone and heard a deep voice say, “I should call you junior brother, right? If my guess is correct, you must be the successor of Master Xuanchan!” Chu Tianyu didn’t dare hide anything about the current leader of Shaolin anymore; otherwise, it would be truly disrespectful. Moreover, his master had told him that if he got the chance, he should return to Shaolin and do his part to help it. “Yes, senior brother. I am indeed…” Before he could finish speaking, a surge of dragon energy within Chu Tianyu suddenly occurred, as if responding to some call. It controlled him to leap into the air. After reaching up there, it paused briefly as if searching for something. Once it confirmed the direction, it carried Chu Tianyu through the air like a black streak, disappearing in an instant like a meteor… All that was left were two people with wide mouths, filled with shock. After a long while, one of them, who was more quick-witted, realized what had happened and muttered to himself, “That was my newly bought phone…” … Chu Tianyu finally managed to suppress that dragon energy again and landed next to a haystack in some unknown place. He checked his phone and found it was still on the call. He quickly contacted his senior brother Wu Jing. Seeing that Wu Jing was still waiting, he described in detail the strange occurrence and also told him everything about the black dragon energy. Under these circumstances, if they didn’t figure out the cause soon, who knew where this evil dragon would take him and what disasters it might cause! After listening, Wu Jing pondered for a long time on the other end of the phone before slowly saying, “Judging from the current situation, things aren’t looking good. Actually, the reason we choose to hold rituals at this time every twelve years is to suppress its ‘Awakening of Insects’!” “Awakening of Insects?!” Chu Tianyu asked in confusion.

“Indeed, it’s the Awakening of Insects! It usually falls in the first half of the second lunar month or the first half of March in the Gregorian calendar. The weather gradually warms up, and spring thunder begins to rumble. Hibernating animals and various insects buried in the soil are awakened by the warmth of spring. As the saying goes, ‘When spring thunder roars, all things are awakened,’ which is why there are phrases like ‘The Awakening of Insects breaks the ice’ and ‘The energy of the earth becomes active during the Awakening of Insects.’ The Black Dragon is a fierce creature from the lower realms, and this season is no exception. It lies hidden within your body. Although its physical form is damaged, its vital energy still remains. Especially at this time, without the suppression of Buddhist sacred objects or rituals, it will surely become restless! In fact, it’s already a miracle that your senior brother was able to successfully absorb its power. There are no records or mentions of your current situation in any ancient texts, so I’m powerless to suggest how to resolve it!”
“One thing is certain: this Black Dragon is definitely becoming restless due to the arrival of the Awakening of Insects festival. The closer we get to this day, the more frequent your uncontrollable condition becomes!” added Elder Monk Wu Jing.
“Senior brother, is there any other way to resolve this? Now it’s not just restless—it has taken control of my entire body, as if it wants to go somewhere!” Chu Tianyu asked helplessly.
Wu Jing pondered for a while before saying, “I’ve checked all the available texts, but there’s nothing mentioned about this. As for why this Black Dragon seems to want to take you somewhere, your senior brother can guess two possibilities!”
“What are they?” Chu Tianyu asked eagerly.
“One is that it wants to return to its lair. The other… Amitabha, it’s that ‘spring’ has truly arrived…”