Chapter 506: Justice’s Question
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: Rock, DavidT
Justice coldly snorted as he replied, "This seat has never raised a hand against someone defenseless and has never obtained a victory from an unfair fight! However, even if I were to wait until you have fully recovered, do you think you still can run from me?"
Ling Tian smiled, "Four months ago, the entire world thought that I would die without a doubt, but I'm still alive even now." He narrowed his eyes towards Justice instead, "In contrast, there's someone who actually almost lost his life due to a bunch of shrimps…"
Contrary to Ling Tian's expectation, Justice burst out into laughter, the coldness on his face melting like glaciers in spring. His smile seemed to hide some deep intent as he shook his head at Ling Tian, letting out a smile. "Speaking of the previous time, I do have a question for you. After I was injured, why didn't you bring your little girlfriend and chase after me instead? If you chased along to kill me at that time, don't you think that you would have gotten a decent chance?"
A ray of light flashed past Ling Tian's eyes, "How could I not have thought of it? It was practically a godsent opportunity! When I arrived at the scene, I concluded that while it was your victory, you must have gotten injured, and based on my experience crossing swords with you, that period of time should have been your weakest. If I were to work together with Li Xue, which was the girl you saw that time, I would have at least a 60% chance of sentencing you to death…"
"Oh? Then why did you not go for it in the end? In the end, I wasn't too far away from you guys, if you really wanted to find me, it wouldn't have been too difficult!" Justice replied with curiosity.
However, Ling Tian grinned in response, "There are three reasons. The first, no matter from what standpoint you look at it, you indeed had given me time to prepare at the start, and we had also made a gentleman's agreement. If I had taken advantage of you while you were weak, my mental state would probably suffer and decrease as a result. It's something that I disdain!"
Justice laughed, "What about the other two!"
"Secondly, based on my calculations, even if we could really kill you by joining hands, we would still receive severe injuries or even die under your retaliation. This result is not one which I can accept! The danger involved is the same as being hunted by you!"
"And the last reason?" Justice continued.
"The last reason is that you are in the end the top expert in the world. Someone like you who understands and embraces loneliness is few and between, and I'd rather gamble on the chance that I can survive than to kill you! A pity that I lost the agreement in the end!" Ling Tian's tone suddenly carried a hint of sadness!
"Understands and embraces loneliness? Well said, you're indeed the person who knows me best. A pity that I'm not the one who understands you the most. I've wasted so much time waiting for you!" Justice sighed as he shook his head, appearing downcast. He seemed to be unsatisfied that Ling Tian did not take the chance to go after him and silence him.
Ling Tian started, and a thought surfaced in his head as he blurted out, "So the last time you went head-on with the Above Heavens people… that was on purpose?!" He spoke in a suspicious voice, but he was sure of this question in his heart. Alongside this certainty was an additional few points of fear.
Justice stared interestedly at Ling Tian as he slowly spoke, "Oh? Why would I do that on purpose?"
Ling Tian snorted, calmed himself down as he rolled his eyes, "Because you want to die!"
Justice burst into laughter, clapping his hands and looking overjoyed, "That's right! This seat has tried every dangerous deed in the world, and there's only one thing left that I have yet to taste."
Ling Tian jeered, "I know, you haven't died yet." And he sniggered before continuing, "Don't always think that you are omnipotent and treat everyone as fools. At your level of martial arts, how would it be easy to suddenly promote once again? Just relying on meditation would take you more than 100 years alone."
Justice laughed out loud, before asking, "Then how should I breakthrough?"
Ling Tian snorted, "Don't you already know the answer? That's death! Only by throwing yourself into the brink of death, infinitely close to the gates of death, that you will have the motivation and driving force. And only then will you feel pressured to perform a breakthrough! Furthermore, you did not even place your hopes on those people in Above Heavens, but rather you were hoping for Li Xue and me to do the job instead. Only when we join hands to go against an injured you will there really be a danger to your life, am I right? I estimate that, even after so many rounds of clashing against you, you have not fully activated all your strength, and thus you're confident that even if the two of us were pitted against you, you would still be able to handle it. One side receiving the threat of death and the other properly enjoying a battle. You would even be able to meet your objective of killing me!
He gazed at Justice with a hint of sarcasm, "But your calculations all went awry, right? Having fought pointlessly with them, and because you were controlling your strength, you already had victory in your grasp, thus there would be no epiphanies in the middle of battle. In the end, you even lost the opportunity to pursue and kill us. Your perfect plan for killing three birds with one stone was totally destroyed!"
For the first time, Justice's face reddened, and he could only manage with a long sigh as he replied, "You're indeed the person who knows me best, to be able to so clearly understand my complete calculation and plans. In the many times I've exchanged blows with you, I've at most utilized 70% of my total strength, or else, how would I have enough strength to retaliate to your innumerable dirty tricks? However, you've guessed a point wrongly."
Justice calmly stared at Ling Tian as he muttered, "That time, I had really gotten myself seriously injured. If my injuries were not serious enough, how could I even attempt to fool you to proceed to try and kill me! But to think that you did not even bite the bait! How disappointing!"
Ling Tian could feel his scalp tingle. To think that Justice's intelligence would be on par with his martial capabilities. If Li Xue and himself had really overestimated their capabilities and attempted to rush over to kill Justice, that would totally be digging their own graves. Thankfully, his own conscience forbade him from doing such a despicable method. What a narrow escape!
Ling Tian might have been alarmed in his heart, yet he showed no inclination of any sort on his face as he lightly smiled, "As such, you waited here, all to ask me what exactly was my thoughts on death at that moment when I was all prepared to die? As well as what sort of realization I've had?"
Justice's eyes lit up, but he remained calm as he uttered, "This is one of my motives. You guessed correctly indeed, would you care to tell me about it?"
Ling Tian burst out in laughter at his honesty. "Actually, this is no secret. It's more of the fact that your way of thinking is flawed. Even if I were to tell you everything, recounting my incident in minute detail, you would only perceive it as a fascinating story, without the slightest bit of epiphany! I find it hard to believe that you, the Martial Order Medallion owner of Beyond Heavens, could actually make such an elementary mistake!"
Justice only sized him up coldly, before groaning in a voice full of helplessness, "You're actually right! Truthfully, how could I be unaware of this? It's just that other than this method, what sort of choice do I still have? In this present time and age, who can stop me from walking where I want? Even if you, Ling Tian, join hands with all the experts from the Yu and Xiao families, encircling me to kill me, I would still be able to walk out free and unhindered, and you guys can't do a thing to stop me. It would be out of the question! Under such circumstances, what more talk about the epiphany one can obtain by treading the line between life and death? The last time, I constructed my own injury in hopes that I would experience an assassination, but I was still disappointed in the end!"
Ling Tian laughed so hard, that even his tears flowed out. Even when his wounds started to ache from the exhaustion, he still could not stop. "That's right! With the ability to retreat still firmly grasped in your hands, there's no person or influence that can throw you the death sentence! Even if there were assassins, the whole process would be orchestrated by you, and you would still have the confidence to escape with your life. With such a case, how could you comprehend life and death and breakthrough? Hahaha... Who told you to train to such a profound level? Hahaha… seems like being too strong is also nothing good because you can't even die if you want to! Haha… this is too funny…"
Justice glared at Ling Tian, "What's so funny about it? With your current capability and aptitude, coupled with your outstanding luck, there will come a day when you will reach the same stage as I am currently. At that time, you'll naturally understand what sort of feeling that is, and even if you want to cry, you will not have the chance. To think you still dare to laugh right now?"
"Nonono… you're wrong in this." Ling Tian squeezed the words out amidst his laughter. "Even if I reach such a stage, I won't be so frustrated. This is because I still have many things to do, many objectives to pursue other than martial arts in this world. As such, I will definitely not be as lonely as you, and would not get caught up in your predicament. However, it is different for your case, as your entire life revolves around martial arts, and you have no desires in the mortal world other than to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. The joys and sorrows of the world are all but passing clouds and dust in your eyes, without a trace of meaning, thus you are suffering now!"
"Nonsense, I'm well versed in a hundred schools of thought, and together with medicine and divination, as well as astrology, not one am I lacking, not one am I mediocre in! I can improve the lives of the masses and calculate the myriad changes in the world, but all of them are different from martial arts, as they have no limit to which they can be mastered! Thus, my greatest wish in life is actually to witness the utmost limit of martial arts!" Justice angrily retorted!
Ling Tian choked inwardly. Was this guy still human? He actually mastered all the hundred schools of thought? And was even a peerless doctor well versed in medicine? How excessive!
Even though Ling Tian was groaning in admiration inside, he argued back immediately, "You might be erudite, and a great scholar at that, mastering all miscellaneous studies, but it doesn't mean that you're not lonely! Just like what you mentioned, in the end you only have one objective, which is to achieve the peak of martial arts. As such, this is why you'll still be lonely in the end!"
Justice fell into silence for a long time, and it was at this time, that his body naturally let out an aura of loneliness and indifference.
At this point, Xiao YanXue secretly crept over, carrying a hollow bamboo pipe in one hand as she helped Ling Tian up to feed him some water.
Ling Tian's eyes revealed a hint of praise and satisfaction. A lady was one who knew when to enter and exit, when to get attention and when to remain silent. If you were a woman who only knew how to flaunt and flirt for attention at all costs regardless of the circumstances, then if it was done often, no matter how pretty or how charming you were, in a man's eyes your position would be of the utmost lowest, inciting their hate! As for Xiao YanXue, she was flawless in the aspect of being a lady!