Chapter Eight: Void Slash

Internet Content Provider Registration Number: Hunan B2-20100081-3
Internet Publishing License: New Online License (Hunan) No. 11
Network Culture Business License: Wenwangwen [2010] No. 128

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the year was drawing to a close.

With Xiu Yi's "sponsorship," the girls of the song and dance troupe no longer had to squeeze into small inns for their daily lives; instead, they could move into a medium-sized hotel worthy of their talents. The troupe could also rent respectable venues for rehearsals.

The remuneration offered satisfied everyone.

The story of Turandot is, at its core, a very simple tale of love.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Princess Turandot declared that any man who could solve her three riddles would win her hand in marriage; if he failed, he would be executed. Over three years, many unlucky suitors had lost their lives. The Tartar prince Calaf, exiled to China, reunites with his father Timur and the maidservant Liu’er in Beijing, where they witness the execution of the Persian prince, who failed the riddles, and Turandot herself presiding over the beheading. Calaf, captivated by Turandot’s beauty, decides to attempt the riddles despite the protests of his father, Liu’er, and three ministers. He answers all correctly, but Turandot refuses to concede, pleading with her father and unwilling to marry Calaf. The prince then poses a riddle of his own: if Turandot can learn his name before dawn, he will forfeit his claim to her and accept execution. The princess captures Timur and Liu’er, interrogating them harshly. Liu’er, to protect the secret, takes her own life. Calaf reproaches Turandot for her cruelty. At dawn, although the princess has not discovered the prince’s name, Calaf’s passionate kiss melts her icy heart, and he reveals his name to her. Turandot, instead of exposing him, announces to the world her intent to marry the prince, declaring his name to be "Love (Amora)."

Among the various arias in the opera, the most famous are “Turandot,” “Nessun Dorma,” and “Jasmine Flower.”

“All right, ladies, today we’re rehearsing the second act of Turandot. Daisy, mind your presence! Turandot is an imperious and haughty princess—willful, proud, selfish, and domineering—but deep within her, there is a trace of gentleness! You must strike the proper balance!”

“And Lanti, it’s your turn, hurry up.”

“Oh, Bart, Bart, what are you doing? Do you still think you’re playing the Rose Monarch? No, the Tartar prince is not a warrior; he is wise and driven by ideals. What you must show is his devotion to love and his pursuit of hope. Calaf believes in love—he believes love can conquer all! But look at you—what do you resemble? You’re not an emissary or seeker of love, you’re more like a brainless fool who’d risk everything for a woman. Oh, no, these two things may seem similar, but they’re entirely different!”

Clarice was nearly shouting.

On the outer edge of the venue, Xiu Yi stood with arms folded, smiling as he watched Clarice instruct the girls on acting and singing.

“Master, listen to me, I truly can’t bear this—my heart is torn! Along the road of exile, your name is hope, your name is strength; it dwells in my heart. But tomorrow our fate will be decided, and we shall die on this journey! How sorrowful for him to lose his son, and I am heartbroken not to see your smile. Ah, the heavy burden grows ever harder to bear—how sorrowful…” This was Lanti, playing the maid Liu’er, begging her Tartar master not to pursue the terrifying and fearsome Princess Turandot after learning of the prince’s intentions.

“Lanti!” Clarice’s voice rose again, “You must be sad, truly sad! This is a sorrowful aria; you must convey the pitiable heart of a gentle and affectionate girl. But listen to your singing, my heavens—you sound like a lovesick magpie, bursting with joy, as if you’re about to be married tomorrow!”

Lanti, helpless, pinched the hem of her dress, then twisted her body to show off a pale, slender arm. “I just bought this bracelet—do you think it’s pretty? I think it suits my arm beautifully.”

“Oh, heavens!” Clarice struck her forehead with the back of her hand in exasperation. “I really regret giving you all a raise. Now I’m in debt up to my neck!”

Lanti batted her eyes charmingly at Xiu Yi, who stood nearby. “I bought it just for him.”

“You little minx, if you don’t focus, I’ll boot you off the stage. Heaven knows I still have to teach the other girls’ troupes as well—you’d better help me save some time!”

Clarice, fuming, stormed over to Xiu Yi. “You’d best get out of here quickly. With you around, my girls can’t concentrate on rehearsal!”

Xiu Yi replied with a laugh, “I’m just glad you’re not blaming me for the boys’ performances too.”

“You must understand, our time is short. Christmas is nearly here, and I must have everything ready before then. That will be our great day of fame and success!”

“If you mean to say, ‘I’m sorry for spending all your money at once, but the girls’ passion for shopping exceeded my imagination, so I’ll only be able to pay you back at Christmas,’ you can just say so. There’s no need to list a string of excuses first. Or perhaps my standing here watching you rehearse makes you uneasy?”

Clarice’s expression immediately fell; she replied in embarrassment, “Just ten days ago, I was still your creditor—now you’re mine. I’m simply not used to the change.”

Xiu Yi laughed heartily.

Clarice shot him a discontented look, then, realizing she’d overstated, suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek, whispering, “Thank you for your help—let that serve as my gratitude.”

A chorus of loud, teasing boos erupted from the stage.

Clarice hurried back to the front of the stage, ready to continue admonishing her girls. Glancing back at Xiu Yi, she realized he had already vanished. Her heart was left with a trace of wistfulness.

That young man truly did make her heart flutter.

In the wilds outside Xiangye City, Xiu Yi stood alone and silent.

He seemed to be lost in deep thought, motionless, yet muttering softly under his breath.

“The convergence of time and space, the union of wheel and key, the window that cuts across dimensions, the ephemeral and shifting gate, the world of void and reality—open now for the one who calls…”

With his left hand, he traced strange symbols in the air—an intricate hexagram magic circle. As the circle took shape, magical energy pooled around him, forming a dense field of elemental power.

An invisible passage opened.

In the next moment, his figure vanished, only to reappear atop a nearby boulder.

The heavy sword that had been slung across his back suddenly appeared in his right hand. With a sweeping slash, he cleaved a nearby tree clean in two.

Then Xiu Yi returned to his original position.

Standing in the wilderness, his black cloak fluttered in the wind, as if he had never moved at all…

“Whew!” Xiu Yi let out a long breath, pulled out a potion, and took a swig. The magic within him began to recover rapidly.

This attack sequence was a technique of his own invention, blending both magic and martial arts. First, he concentrated a great amount of magical power to open a spatial barrier, teleporting himself to the target. He would then use the warrior skills “Horizontal Cut” and “Power Slash” to deal a lethal blow, and finally use the energy loop created by the passage to instantly return to his original spot, leaving his enemy with no target for reprisal. Should the enemy attack his previous position, he could teleport behind them and strike again—repeating the cycle until his foe was exhausted or dead.

The sequence might seem simple, but it was deadly and effective, executed with the smoothness of flowing water. Clearly, Xiu Yi had mastered the essence of this tactic.

It was the first time Xiu Yi had truly created his own magic and combat style—a path both strange and agile, making full use of his dual abilities in magic and martial arts while avoiding the pitfall of his shallow foundations, which made direct confrontation unwise.

He named this tactic “Void Slash.”

The primary feature of Void Slash was the creation of a personal space passage using energy cycles, enabling rapid teleportation between two points. When executed well, the attack seemed to emerge from nowhere—a sword slashing out of the void, felling its target before they even glimpsed their adversary.

However, the amount of magical energy required to pierce the spatial barrier was enormous—far beyond what a novice mage could endure. Fortunately, Xiu Yi, though not possessing great reserves, had ample stores of magic recovery potions, amplifiers, and stimulants. With these, he could temporarily raise himself to the level of a fourth-tier spatial mage, providing the necessary energy to break through the barrier.

Magicians value innate talent largely because of magical power. Those lacking elemental resonance accumulate power far more slowly than the gifted. Yet even with talent, no mage can use magic without limit: when their reserves are depleted, even the strongest cannot cast a single spell. Thus, most must spend time meditating to deepen and restore their power, and no magician can practice magic ceaselessly every day.

But for Xiu Yi, who possessed a vast supply of top-grade potions, this was not a problem.

In just fifteen days, he consumed nearly a hundred bottles—enough, if sold, to make him an instant millionaire. At this rate, in less than a month, the money he spent would become astronomical.

There was likely no other mage in the world as extravagant in magical practice as he.

Such lavish investment brought generous returns: fifteen days of cultivation was equivalent to a thousand days for others. Xiu Yi’s theories on energy cycling in spatial magic gradually coalesced, and with the creation of Void Slash, his magical reserves expanded; his spatial abilities officially reached the beginner’s phase, with signs of breakthroughs in his other two disciplines as well.

To progress so rapidly without natural talent for spatial magic was a feat few besides Xiu Yi could have achieved.

The creation of Void Slash greatly enhanced his combat power.

Perhaps the only limiting factor left was his magical reserves.

Whether creating more passages or increasing his own mana, he would need to meditate more in the future. All things rely on a strong foundation; technique alone is not enough.

Xiu Yi smiled wryly at the thought.

Still, in anticipation of the imperial pursuit, his newfound teleportation power gave him greater confidence in escaping. Those hundred bottles of top-grade potions had not been wasted.

Not far away, the little dragon cub ran toward him, clearly intrigued by Xiu Yi’s new teleportation ability.

Dragons, upon reaching adulthood, naturally possess a degree of magical power, including spatial spells. Unlike humans, dragons do not need to train for their power, and thus do not grasp its essence. So for Xu, seeing Xiu Yi use spatial magic was a source of great curiosity.

The little dragon circled around Xiu Yi, its small claws swiping at the air in mimicry.

At first, Xiu Yi found it amusing—young creatures love to copy their masters. But as he watched, he realized something was off.

Xu had effortlessly replicated the magic circle he had painstakingly invented.

If it were only mimicry, that would be one thing. But to Xiu Yi’s astonishment, in the next instant, Xu vanished, reappearing atop the same boulder Xiu Yi had just stood on.

Perched there, the little dragon barked excitedly at him.

Then, with a blink, it teleported back to Xiu Yi’s side, eyes brimming with pride.

“How is this possible?!” Xiu Yi cried, scooping Xu up. “How could you possibly learn my technique? How much magic did you use?”

“Woof! Woof woof!” Xu called out loudly.

Xiu Yi checked the dragon’s magical consumption, only to discover that it had barely expended any power at all in performing Void Slash.

Dragons are born with abundant magical energy; since their abilities are innate, they require no training, and there is little difference in magical reserves between juvenile and adult dragons. The main differences lie in their understanding of magic and their physical strength.

For Xu—barely a year old—its physical prowess was limited, but its magical power far surpassed that of an ordinary mage, though it had not yet mastered its application.

What Xiu Yi had not expected was that Xu could grasp the secret of teleportation simply by observing him—an outcome that filled Xiu Yi with both shock and delight.

But how was it possible?

Dragoness Lita had said that dragons could learn but not create. They could use their innate magic, but never learn spells invented by humans. Even if they could manipulate space, their methods were fundamentally different from those of mages. So why could Xu learn and so easily perform his spell? And with such ease?

Years of alchemical training had taught Xiu Yi to approach strange and complex problems with a clear mind. Sometimes, the right line of thought is the key to unraveling a mystery. To understand why Xu could do what other dragons could not, perhaps he needed to look at its origin.

Unlike other dragons, Xu was born on the Windwhistle Continent, where the environment was far more nurturing than the harsh Abyss, and more conducive to the development of intelligence. Moreover, Xu had devoured a magic spirit while still an infant—a rare stroke of fortune. Finally, Xu was possibly the only dragon ever to be born without consuming its host. While parasitizing Xiu Yi’s body, it shared a psychic link with him. Having bonded to the most intelligent of all creatures, and maintaining that link after separation, Xu could sense and absorb Xiu Yi’s thoughts and habits, further enhancing its own intelligence.

The combination of these factors likely gave Xu a huge leap in wisdom, allowing it to break the limits of its species, learn human magic, and instantly put it to use thanks to its innate reserves.

No matter how one looked at it, Xu seemed to wield the technique better than Xiu Yi—needing neither potions nor incantations for support.

At this, Xiu Yi could only smile helplessly.

Other transmigrators always encountered endless fortune and blessings, yet when it came to him, he’d spent nearly four years as a prisoner, and every stroke of luck seemed to fall upon Xu instead.

Fate was cruel indeed, and Xiu Yi couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Sensing his thoughts, the little dragon whimpered twice and burrowed into his embrace—as if to say, what’s good for me is good for you, isn’t it?

“Your mother once said you would become the greatest of dragons. Now, I’m beginning to believe it was not just motherly pride, but a vision of the future.” Xiu Yi sincerely praised.

Gently stroking Xu’s head, Xiu Yi said, “From today, I will teach you magic. I trust that in the future, you will astonish the world.”

Meanwhile, far to the south, in the small town of Southwell.

Chaklay gritted his teeth. “We’ve checked all the outsiders—there’s no sign Xiu Yi Gleir came here. He left Purgatory Island a month before we did; if he was coming here, he’d have arrived long ago! Rashel, you son of a dog, you’ve made a huge mistake!”

Rashel shrugged. “Looks like I was outplayed by the boy. Everyone makes mistakes, don’t they?”

“Oh, really? Xiu Yi Gleir toyed with you like a monkey, you made a mistake from the start, and now you want to brush it off with ‘everyone makes mistakes’?” Chaklay’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

“That’s because you don’t understand pursuit. For an investigator, chasing the wrong lead is normal. A fugitive may outwit an agent many times in his life, but it takes only one loss to end him. And an agent, no matter how many times he fails, can always try again. Unless the fugitive dies of old age, the agent always has a chance to be the final victor,” Rashel replied coolly. “So don’t be discouraged. If Xiu Yi Gleir were that easy to catch, he wouldn’t be worth my full effort.”

“The question is, where do we find him now!” Chaklay roared.

“Back to Valsar. He must still be there. One thing is certain: his teleportation point is there! Since his destination wasn’t Southwell, he must have another goal in Valsar. I’d stake my head that he’ll make a big move there soon!” Rashel answered with conviction.