Old Blind Man in a Cultivation World

"HAHAHA!" Karn suddenly burst into laughter as a memory of his disciple, Rei, surfaced in his mind.

It had only been a few nights ago. The two of them had been training late into the evening, and as usual, Rei had been struggling to land even a single blow on her master.

Despite her expression remaining calm, her eyes were filled with frustration.

Eventually, she stopped and asked, "Master, what happens if my opponent can see through both of these techniques? How should I defeat them then?"

It was exactly the sort of question Karn had come to expect from Rei. She was always prepared. Always thinking several steps ahead.

"Hmm?" Karn stroked his beard.

"If you meet someone who can see through both the Heavenly Thief Technique and the Myriad Mirror Martial Art?"

"Yes." Rei nodded seriously.

"There must be people just like you, capable of seeing through both techniques. What should I do when I encounter someone like that?"

"What should you do...?" Karn fell silent, stroking his beard as though pondering some profound solution.

Rei waited patiently.

After a moment, Karn’s lips curled into a smile.

"There is only one thing you can do."

"What is it?" Rei’s eyes brightened.

She couldn’t help but wonder what miraculous method her master had come up with.

"When defeat is certain..." Karn’s smile widened.

He paused.

"...and there is nothing left within your control..." Karn looked toward his disciple.

"The only thing you can control..." His smile became almost mischievous.

"...is whether you enjoy your loss."

Rei did not understand this answer at the time. She did not want to lose, no matter what.

What was the use of having fun in a fight? It was a useless emotion that could even get you killed during a fight.

To her a battle was a simple exchange to obtain what you wanted. There was no enjoyment to be acquired in this action. All she had to do was observe, calculate and exploit her opponents.

Hong Tao was completely different from her. His demeanor spoke volumes for others to observe and exploit. But he did not care, in fact he was not even cognizant of it.

Instead, whenever Rei showed a different movement, he smiled. Whenever Rei wounded him, he smiled. Even now after comprehending part of the Dao, he smiled out of pure happiness not glee.

Rei’s eyes narrowed. She observed the giant man carefully. Hong Tao stood several dozen meters away, his enormous body covered in wounds. Blood trickled down his arms and legs, yet his expression remained bright.

Hong Tao wasn’t trying to prove that he was stronger than her, nor was he afraid despite being stabbed so many times.

Hong Tao simply had a single emotion in his head at the moment. It was the desire to play, the overgrown child had finally found someone he could play with. It was a child-like emotion born from his circumstances since birth.

Rei raised her sword and Hong Tao grinned.

"Again!" He charged.

BOOM!

His massive foot slammed into the arena and Rei immediately moved. She didn’t activate the Heavenly Thief Technique or the Myriad Mirror Martial Art.

Instead, she watched Hong Tao’s fist come crashing toward her.

The first fist missed the target and so the other fist followed. Rei leaned back accordingly but just as the fist returned a kick swept toward her waist.

"You’re getting faster! That smile, you can feel it too right?" Rei jumped and Hong Tao laughed. There was not a trace of frustration in his voice.

’Feel what....?’ Rei’s pupils trembled slightly. She had noticed it before, but never truly thought about it.

The heat of the battle had broken her cold meticulous self. Hong Tao could feel it in her movement as well. For the first time in her life, Rei realized that she was having fun too.

Rei’s sword flashed but Hong Tao blocked it with his forearm.

CLANG!

He immediately swung his fist and Rei slipped beneath it. She could feel the wind from the attack brushing against her hair but instead of immediately counterattacking, she looked at his face.

’He doesn’t care about winning.’ The realization suddenly struck her. Hong Tao wasn’t fighting because he wanted to defeat her. He was fighting because he wanted to play.

’Then what would he do if I stopped fighting him?’ A strange thought entered Rei’s mind.

Her body moved before she could finish the thought. She retreated.

"Eh?" Hong Tao froze.

Rei lowered her sword slightly and Hong Tao’s smile disappeared.

"Why did you stop?"

Rei stared at that expression. For the first time since the battle began, Hong Tao looked disappointed.

She took another step backward and Hong Tao stepped forward.

"Don’t go." His voice was almost pleading.

Rei’s heart shook. All this time, she had been studying his movements, stance, breathing, muscles and techniques.

But she had never considered the person behind them. She had treated every movement as a calculation. Yet movements were not merely movements, they came from somewhere.

A person’s desires. Their fears. Their habits. Their nature. Their heart.

Rei’s sword slowly rose and Hong Tao’s smile returned.

"That’s it!" He charged and suddenly, Rei understood. It wasn’t his body she needed to read. It was him.

Hong Tao threw a punch but Rei didn’t look at his fist.

She looked at his eyes and his expression. She moved before the punch was thrown and Hong Tao’s fist passed harmlessly beside her.

"Whoa!" His eyes widened.

"How did you know?" He laughed.

Rei remained silent. Truthfully, she didn’t know, at least, not consciously. She had simply seen it, the moment his eyes settled on her, she knew where he would attack.

She attacked and Hong Tao blocked. She immediately retreated once again but the man’s eyes followed her.

Rei understood. He would always pursue.

She stepped left. He followed. She stepped right. He followed again. Every time she created distance, Hong Tao instinctively closed it.

Not because it was the optimal strategy but because he wanted to stay close. He didn’t want the game to end.

’So this is your heart...’ Rei’s breathing became steadier. The more she watched, the clearer everything became.

Hong Tao’s fighting style was a reflection of his heart, he didn’t fear pain nor did he resent being wounded. He didn’t retreat because retreat meant the game was ending.

He didn’t pursue victory, he pursued connection. He wanted someone who could stand before him without breaking. Someone who could keep fighting and understand him.

Rei suddenly remembered something. The first time Hong Tao had seen her, his eyes had lit up.

"Finally, a toy that won’t break." He had spoken. At the time, she had thought those words were childish. But now she understood them.

Her grip on the sword tightened. A strange sensation spread through her mind. It was faint and almost imperceptible but it felt as though a veil had been lifted. The movements of the people around her suddenly seemed different. The disciples fighting in the other arenas and even the elders watching from above.

The expressions on their faces, their excitement, their fear, their greed, their admiration, their jealousy. All of it was there.

Humans were always speaking.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!