The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Chapter 495: Heart moves with the wind, stars fall like rain in the night (6k)

"Although the bus fare from San Francisco to here is not expensive, if I am eliminated, I can only get a thousand dollars in compensation, which is still too much of a loss."

Amid the surging crowd, Ronald frowned, muttered to himself, and looked around with a hint of uneasiness and anxiety.

"Why are you so worried?"

At the same time, the familiar and steady voice of the "old immortal" came from the headphones, penetrating the surrounding noise: "The volcano is the place where the vitality of heaven and earth converges. The Li Fire resides under the Gen Mountain, ready to go. This image symbolizes the Mountain Fire Ben hexagram. The mountain shape is brilliant, indicating that your luck will continue to rise."

"Remember, when you are in danger, the disturbances in the outside world are nothing but illusions. Only by maintaining inner peace and clarity, moving your body without moving your mind, and moving your mind without moving your heart, can you officially enter the stage of practicing the feeling of qi and awaken the hidden power in your body."

"That being said, I have practiced for too short a time, so I am still unsure." Ronald was slightly startled, but the anxiety on his face did not diminish. "How can the secret of the Mountain Fire Ben Gua help me in reality?"

"Old Immortal, you know that the fear in my heart comes not only from the upcoming unknown challenges, but also from the unforgettable past."

He sighed softly, responding to the comfort of the "old immortal" in the headset, with a bit of helplessness and self-mockery in his voice: "In my opinion, the troubles in this world are far more complicated and changeable than the various hexagrams you mentioned."

"The tranquility and clarity you mentioned are what I have longed to achieve countless times in the dead of night. But do you know? Ever since I can remember, that tranquility has been like a mirage, out of reach."

"I, Ronald Tang, am a child teased by fate. I have grown up under the shadow of discrimination and exclusion. My adoptive parents gave me a home, but left me in a hurry when I just stepped into the threshold of middle school, leaving me alone in this foreign country, facing everything alone."

"I became an outcast at school, not only because I was Asian, but also because of those groundless rumors - they said I was born unlucky and killed my adoptive parents. The indifference and rejection of white classmates, the provocation and violence of black classmates, like an invisible net, bound me tightly."

In Ronald Tang's heart, that period of youth shrouded in gloom is like an old scar, which has scabbed over but always hurts inadvertently. He stopped and looked through the bustling crowd, as if he had traveled through time and space and returned to the high school days full of prejudice and loneliness.

"When I walked on campus, they would deliberately bump into me and curse me, saying I was a yellow-skinned monkey, a born bastard, and cursing me for bringing death to my adoptive parents. They often threw my books everywhere and scribbled on my desk with insulting words."

Ronald's fists clenched unconsciously, and veins bulged on his arms.

"One time during a physical education class, we were divided into groups to play basketball, but no group wanted me. I was practicing shooting in a corner by myself, but they rushed over and snatched my basketball away. They pushed me to the ground and laughed around me. I tried to resist, but they beat me even more fiercely. They punched and kicked me, and I was covered with bruises."

"I tried to use silence and tolerance to gain a little peace, but I found that it only made the violence worse." At this point, Ronald's eyes flashed with an imperceptible ruthlessness, which was the mark left after countless struggles in despair.

"I started to fight back, using my fists and my body that seemed to never be defeated. At first, I just wanted to protect myself, but gradually, I found that every fight back allowed me to stand firm in front of the bullies and even win a little respect, although that respect was mixed with fear."

"After one battle after another, I went from being a bully to being a feared person. I even attracted the beautiful and proud cheerleader in my class. Her gaze made me think I had found the light of life, but that youthful love was eventually extinguished because of my clumsiness and lack of understanding of romance."

"The aquarium in Brooklyn, that was the place where we had our last date. The vastness and depth of the ocean seemed to indicate the distance between us that was difficult to cross. She left with a smile, leaving me with not only memories, but also deeper loneliness and misunderstanding."

"For me, this failure is not only an emotional loss, but also the beginning of a new round of exclusion."

"The discrimination and attacks from male classmates intensified. They laughed at my incompetence. What's worse, some people used their family's power to put pressure on the school. I became the target of public criticism and eventually had to leave the middle school that brought me endless darkness."

At this point, Ronald's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible sadness, but it was soon replaced by determination. "Old Immortal, you always say that the Mountain Fire Ben hexagram indicates good luck, but in this long and difficult journey, I have only seen countless challenges and tests..."

"This competition is so difficult. Whether it's mountain climbing or paragliding, I have never prepared for it and have no experience in this area. Add to that the possibility of people ostracizing Chinese people, and I'm afraid it will be quite dangerous! I don't know if the organizers will provide reliable security guarantees."

“My child, the world is like a new chess game in each game. Your destiny cannot be defined by others. The tenacity and perseverance deep in your heart are the most powerful weapons.” At this moment, the steady and peaceful voice of the "old immortal" came from the headphones, like a sweet spring in the desert, which instantly soothed Ronald's restless heart.

"The Mountain Fire Ben hexagram not only symbolizes the external heat and magnificence, but also implies the inner brightness and purity. What you need to do is to find your own clarity in this chaos. Let your heart be like the snow on the top of the mountain, which can remain pure and spotless even in the hot place."

"Everything in the world has its gains and losses. Although this journey is full of risks, it is also an indispensable part of your spiritual practice. If you can seize the opportunity, not only will your power be awakened, but you can also take this opportunity to understand the true meaning of life. Isn't this a great gain?"

“That time I dropped out of school many years ago was probably the bravest decision I could have made.”

Ronald nodded, as if he had made up his mind: "I know that giving up my studies means giving up the recognition of mainstream society, but I don't want to continue to sink in such an environment. What I need is a sky where I can breathe freely and a stage where I can truly show myself."

"Old Immortal, you said that the path of cultivation is lonely and long, but I am willing to endure this loneliness just to awaken the hidden power in my body and prove my worth."

"Perhaps, this competition is my chance to prove myself. No matter how difficult the road ahead is, I will persevere and use my hands to break those prejudices and constraints."

After overcoming the obstacle in his heart, he took a deep breath, walked quickly to the storage area of ​​the hang gliders, and picked out a pair of equipment that looked light and sturdy. Although he was nervous, Ronald knew that with the selfless help of the "old immortal", he was no longer the helpless child.

He is now a warrior, a warrior who is ready to find his self-worth and strength in this unknown adventure.

……

About ten minutes later, with the blast of the starting gun, the preliminary competition officially began. Ronald quickly put on his hang glider, took a deep breath, turned on the GPS track record on his watch, and resolutely embarked on this challenging journey.

The initial altitude of 5,000 feet was nothing. Relying on the physical fitness strengthened after training, he always stayed at the end of the first echelon, familiarized himself with the basic climbing techniques, observed the pace and rhythm of the leaders in front, learned silently, and adjusted his own state.

But in the second half, the mountains began to become steeper and the temperature dropped significantly.

On the uncovered hillside, the cold wind howled wildly, scraping mercilessly on his face like a sharp blade, and like countless tiny ice needles, piercing his skin, trying to wear down his will.

Speed ​​climbing, a sport that combines high-altitude climbing with cross-country running, is much more difficult than traditional climbing. To reach the top at the fastest speed, you need not only strong physical fitness, but also outstanding skills and perseverance.

Ronald took steady and powerful steps, and the road under his feet became more and more difficult. Soon, pieces of hard snow that looked like solid ice came into view. The degree of slipperiness was beyond imagination. If he used the wrong force, he could easily sprain his ankle or even fall off the cliff.

Officially entering the climbing stage of the mixed ice and rock slope, every step he took was extremely cautious. In such an environment, a small mistake could lead to serious consequences.

Climbing up from the snow line, the ice and snow areas were initially scattered among the gravel, and then gradually gathered together. Ronald took out the crampons from his backpack and carefully installed them on his shoes to increase the friction on the ice and snow.

After a while, another huge piece of ice and snow blocked the way ahead. It was about half the size of a football field and looked smooth and hard. Ronald frowned, thinking about how to overcome this obstacle. He adjusted his breathing and decided to find a breakthrough point from the edge.

He struggled to climb on the ice and snow, and every step consumed a huge amount of physical strength. His clothes were soaked with sweat, but he did not dare to stop for a moment, and he mechanically moved his feet forward and backward, even using electric stimulation to relieve the pain.

There were four or five helicopters hovering on the mountainside, apparently observing the competition from a distance. Ronald knew that his every move might be recorded, but he had no time to care. He had only one goal in mind - to reach the top of the mountain as soon as possible.

Finally, he successfully crossed the huge piece of ice and snow. Ronald took a short rest, replenished some water and energy, and continued to climb. At this moment, his body was exhausted, but his spirit was still high.

As the altitude continued to increase, the surrounding scenery became more and more magnificent, but also full of dangers. The wind was howling, as if it was going to blow him down. Ronald held the trekking pole tightly and moved forward step by step with difficulty.

Due to his lack of skills and experience in climbing snow-capped mountains, although he has not fallen behind at this moment, he also feels a little overwhelmed. Every step forward requires more effort than others.

More importantly, the countdown was approaching, but the towering crater ice cap was still out of reach. Time was like a ruthless spur, urging him to speed up his pace.

Just as he was thinking about how to turn the tables and stand out in this competition, a breeze blew over, bringing the unique coolness of the mountain top and blowing away some of the confusion in his heart. He looked up at the sky and saw several falcons circling up with the rising air currents, their postures graceful and free. This scene, like a flash of inspiration, lit up his thoughts.

"Disciple, do you still remember the essence of 'Free and Easy to Control the Wind' that I taught you this morning?"

At this moment, the voice of the "old immortal" broke the silence, as if it echoed directly in Ronald's heart, "That is a state of mind where you can borrow the power of heaven and earth, do whatever you want, and travel around the world. On the top of this volcano, the wind is your wings."

"In this volcanic area, the air currents at dusk are extraordinary. As the sun sets, while other areas gradually cool down, the heat of the earth does not dissipate, but accumulates in the embrace of the volcano, forming a stable temperature difference, which in turn produces a stream of rising thermal air currents."

"Look at those hawks. They soar in the sky without flapping their wings."

The old immortal's voice was filled with an ethereal charm as he slowly explained to Ronald, "They use this rising thermal current to easily ascend to high altitudes. You can do the same. You just need to learn to sense and harness this power and find the 'qi' that can help you ascend."

"When you observe the wind direction and find the air current surging upward from the bottom of the mountain, you can try to use the wide wing surface of the hang glider to capture this force, adjust your body posture, and lean forward slightly to form the best angle of attack. In this way, the wind can become your ladder to rise."

As night falls quietly, the sky looks like it is splashed with dark blue ink. The dim afterglow of the sunset and the gradually active starlight and moonlight shine through the sparse clouds and fall on the mountain ridges, forming a series of light and dark interweaving shadows.

The wind shuttles between these lights and shadows, leaving subtle but perceptible traces.

Ronald squatted down and put his face close to the ground, as if he could smell the breath of the wind from every inch of the land and feel its pulse. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, let his mind calm down completely, and had a silent dialogue with the world around him.

The sound of the wind, the sound of the heartbeat, and even the gurgling sound of the melting glacier in the distance all became unusually clear. He began to use his mind to sense the direction of the wind, which was a subtle and delicate change, like small streams converging into a river, or like the wind rising from the tip of a blade of duckweed.

Finally, Ronald caught a stream of air rising slowly from the bottom of the mountain. It was warm and powerful, as if it was a road to heaven specially paved by nature for the brave.

He quickly adjusted the attitude of the hang glider, allowing the wide wing surface to fully unfold, like a giant bird about to spread its wings and fly high, ready to welcome the embrace of the wind.

"Now!" He suddenly opened his eyes, tightly gripped the control stick of the hang glider with both hands, leaned forward slightly, pushed his legs hard, and rushed out of the ice like an arrow, gliding towards the unknown height.

At that moment, he seemed to have really turned into a feather in the wind, light and free, dancing with the wind and swimming with the clouds. He was no longer restricted by gravity, but followed the surge of the air flow and sprinted to the top of the mountain at an unprecedented speed.

The surrounding scenes passed by quickly like a movie scene, but Ronald's heart was unusually calm. He calmly looked down at the mountains and rivers at his feet. Those obstacles that once seemed insurmountable now became so small.

He seemed to have entered a wonderful realm, in which time, space, and even himself became blurred and distant. With the wind as wings, he moved towards the unreachable crater ice cap.

There was no need to pedal hard anymore, nor to worry about the ice, snow or rocks underfoot. All he had to do was adjust the angle and posture of the hang glider to the rhythm of the wind, letting this natural force become his driving force for moving forward. The outline of the crater ice cap gradually became clear.

At this moment, he noticed that the competitors behind him also followed his example and began to use gliders and rising air currents to accelerate their climb. However, Ronald knew that they were too late because he had already found the secret of the wind and mastered the essence of the art of controlling the wind.

……

At the same time, in a helicopter about 500 to 600 meters away, after seeing many people trying to break the rules and climb with the help of the wind, the supervisor of this qualifying match nodded with satisfaction: "In the last round of screening, I didn't expect to find a few good seedlings with good pedigrees."

In fact, the time given for this speed climbing competition is so short that it exceeds the limits of most professional mountaineers, and the factor of gliding is added to test everyone's ability to innovatively discover this shortcut.

In addition to the top mountaineering elites who are truly capable, or those who complete the competition in reliable conventional ways, the hybrids who inherit some flying talents from the dragon race, especially those with a higher concentration of wind bloodline, also provide another better option.

There is no doubt that climbing freely with the help of rising air currents like an eagle is not a skill that everyone can learn. If someone with insufficient skills tries it rashly, he will only end up being blown away by the turbulent mountain wind, lose control, and even be smashed to pieces.

……

Under the light of the stars and the moon, Ronald Tang successfully climbed to the summit of South Sister Volcano and was the first to stand on the edge of the crater.

In front of us, the Teardrop Pool lies quietly in the middle of the crater. Under the caress of the moonlight, the azure blue lake is filled with mist, as deep as a sapphire. A thin layer of floating ice glows silver, adding a bit of mystery and tranquility.

After most volcanoes erupt, the lava quickly solidifies on the surface of the caldera, sealing the magma at the bottom. The South Sister Volcano is no exception. There are only eight true magma lakes on Earth. Under normal circumstances, there is only accumulated water in the crater.

Walking to the Teardrop Pool, Ronald discovered that under the thin ice on the lake, the glittering light of gold coins could be vaguely seen.

He approached cautiously and gently knocked on the ice with his trekking pole, revealing the outline of a valuable gold coin. The coin was fished out before the ice floe broke under the force and sank to the bottom of the water.

"It seems that this qualifying round is not as difficult as I imagined!" Looking back and confirming that no one else has entered the crater, Ronald couldn't help but mutter to himself: "If I glide back quickly, I shouldn't be attacked by the follower!"

At the same time, he suddenly realized that according to the rules set by the organizers, he seemed to be able to throw stones at those contestants who were still climbing the mountain. After all, it only stated that no one was allowed to attack each other during the climbing stage, but there was no restriction on the leaders who had already entered the gliding stage.

Having said that, when Ronald put the gold coins into his pocket and jogged around the lake, planning to take off from another place and grabbed two pieces of obsidian on the ground as weapon reserves, a feeling of mental and physical fatigue and weakness suddenly surged into his heart.

"Rest for two minutes, then set off again." Ronald thought to himself. He found a relatively flat rock to sit on, allowing his tense muscles to relax for a moment, and drank a full pot of hot water to dispel the chill accumulated during climbing and gliding.

The night breeze blew gently, carrying the unique smell of volcanic sulfur and the biting cold of the glacier. The surrounding scenery appeared both peaceful and magnificent under the moonlight, and the waves of the Teardrop Pool swayed gently in the breeze.

While deciding on the take-off point for the descent, Ronald also carefully checked every part of the hang glider to ensure that it would be safe for the upcoming gliding. He casually asked, "How much time is left until the deadline of 20:00?"

"Well, let me see..." The old immortal's voice sounded from the headset, but he did not give a normal answer. Instead, he counted down: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6..."

"Impossible, it's obviously not time yet!" Ronald Tang was so excited that he jumped up and almost slipped on the snow. When he was about to ask the other party why he was joking, he suddenly saw a string of bright meteors flying by in the reflection of the nearby lake.

These are the trajectories of thousands of sword beams that cut through the sky and passed through this place. Each one contains a majestic momentum that shakes the world. They are not scattered at random, but gathered in an indescribable rhythm, like colorful star lines interwoven into a web, covering the entire area of ​​the Three Sisters Volcano.

Among the colorful sword lights, the red-gold sword energy was particularly eye-catching. It was as hot as lava and slowly poured down. Although it came from a very far distance, it gave people a sense of oppression as being close at hand. It was not as sharp and rapid as ordinary sword lights, but instead had a sense of calmness and heaviness.

The movement of each sword energy seemed to go against common sense. It should be as fast as lightning, but it appeared to be abnormally slow. It was this slowness that made people feel an unprecedented threat and heaviness, as if they could not escape the sharp edge even if they hid to the ends of the earth.

"This... What a profound cultivation! What a transcendent sword intent!"

Ronald was shocked. As a beginner on the path of cultivation, he quickly realized that it was not some celestial wonder, but someone was using extraordinary swordsmanship to cross thousands of mountains and rivers to attack this place.

Although we don't know why the other party is here or who he is, and why the countdown of the "old immortal" corresponds exactly to the moment when the sword beams are falling like star rain, the power displayed by the sword energy alone is enough to imagine the extraordinary nature of its owner.

He quickly adjusted his mindset, realizing that although he was just a bystander at the moment and not the target of this super master, he could not take it lightly. He had to find a safe place to avoid the impending disaster so as not to be affected.

……

The weather is too hot this year, 40℃ every day, I feel dizzy, I will update 6k later
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It is reasonable to infer that as a poor Chinese orphan attending a public school in a garbage district, Lao Tang must have suffered much more exclusion than Lu Mingfei. Their similar experiences were the reason why he and Lu Mingfei got along so well later on.