The Way of Spiritual Journey

Chapter 1, The Battlefield Scholar

"Waaah—"

A huge flock of black crows circled in the air like rolling dark clouds. They were cautious and extremely patient, occasionally letting out a series of noisy cries.

Black crows, being scavengers, have always been considered repulsive and an ominous symbol.

But that doesn't matter. The crows don't care about human feelings, and those two-legged creatures aren't anything special to them. After all, they can fly, truly high above, and from their gaze, humans seem so insignificant.

This feeling gave the Black Crow a sense of superiority, which in turn made its cries even more shrill and rampant, in order to demonstrate the intimidating power of its aerial legion.

By this time, the crows had become bloated, and scavenging was not their natural instinct. Individually, they did not easily obtain fresh meat. Generally, they could only get some scraps after other carnivores had eaten their fill, started to find the food spoiled, and left.

Therefore, in the animal kingdom, crows are universally disliked, and this dislike is deeply rooted, a contempt ingrained in their nature.

Looking at the surging flying army behind him like a tidal wave, a sense of pride welled up within him. So what if they eat carrion? Today, this crow is going to have a bite of fresh food.

Then, the sky full of black crows let out a whooshing cry and swooped down to the ground.

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Yanming Pass.

There is a proverb in Dayuan: "A man appears in Langya Mountain, and geese cry mournfully before Yanming Pass."

Before Yanming Pass, even wild geese soaring in the sky cannot fly over in one go; they must land and sigh before they can spread their wings again.

This is the renowned reputation of the most dangerous pass in the world.

For three hundred years, the five northern barbarian tribes have repeatedly charged through the pass with their iron cavalry, only to be defeated here each time, leaving behind tens of thousands of armored soldiers' corpses and returning in despair.

Therefore, the kings of the Tatar barbarians throughout the ages have had doubts: Is Dayuan really a place they can never obtain?

What you can't have must be the best; and what's the best, you must get.

This was the belief of the Tatar barbarians, and even more so, the obsession of their tribal king.

And so, war broke out again.

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Li Lang was a scholar who pursued the imperial examination system. The path of the imperial examination has always been brutal, akin to a thousand soldiers crossing a single log; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

Li Lang studied diligently for many years and became a scholar at a young age. He was the only scholar in the surrounding area, and he became famous at a young age. He was a dazzling figure wherever he went.

However, becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) was merely the starting point for the imperial examinations. Li Lang did not become arrogant; instead, he resolutely embarked on a journey to a higher level.

That year, Li Lang had reached the age of thirty, but he had not yet established himself; aside from studying, he was utterly useless. Yet, he held fast to his convictions, believing that his innate talent would inevitably rise to great heights.

That year, his parents passed away one after another due to overwork, before he could witness the glorious moment of his passing the imperial examination. At this time, Li Lang gained a profound understanding of the pain of life.

Li Lang became a down-on-his-luck scholar, unable to even kill a chicken, his ambitions thwarted, his brilliance dimmed. But he still had the courage to make one last desperate attempt.

Li Lang is going to the capital. Everyone realizes that if he fails to pass the exam again, he will most likely be too ashamed to return to his village.

Everyone sighed inwardly, but the entire village still came to see him off. The old clan chief slowly took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to Li Lang, his eyes still full of expectation.

Looking at the small piece of dark silver in his hand, Li Lang knew that this was probably the last remaining treasure of the entire clan. He was extremely grateful, and his eyes were already brimming with tears.

Li Lang bowed deeply to all the villagers and elders, then turned around.

At this moment, his gaze had regained its resolve, and his steps were even more determined. He was still the glory of the entire village and their only hope.

Such hope must not be let down.

The old patriarch watched Li Lang's departing figure silently, sighed inwardly, and slowly left.

As the crowd dispersed, only the girl in the faded gray clothes under the tree stood there, tears welling in her eyes, gazing into the distance, unwilling to leave for a long time.

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Three months later, at Yanming Pass.

The intense pain caused Li Lang to convulse and wake up.

At this moment, Li Lang had not yet regained consciousness and did not even have the strength to open his eyes.

The first thing that hit my nose was an unimaginable, pungent stench I had never experienced before, followed by a violent churning in my stomach, and a gush of strong stomach acid.

"puff!"

The force emanating from the nozzle made Li Lang open his eyes.

"Whoa!"

The instant he opened his eyes, a flock of black crows, rolling like dark clouds, had already arrived with a whooshing sound.

At this moment, the black crows were powerful, their numbers so vast that they stretched as far as the eye could see. As they tumbled and swooped down, terror appeared in the eyes of the jackals and hyenas who were feeding.

What's going on? How dare this tiny black crow be so provocative?

That's right. When faced with sheer numbers, don't talk to me about individual strength; those are all trash.

The jackals and hyenas scattered in a panic. There was plenty of food here, more than enough to eat. There was no need to bother with a few foolish black crows, was there? Who knew if they'd taken the wrong medicine and were trying to commit suicide? It wouldn't be good if we ended up covered in blood.

What's more, it wasn't just a few; it was a rolling black cloud stretching as far as the eye could see, howling and making a lot of noise. Its imposing presence was quite intimidating.

Of course, you can't fool people anymore, because they're all gone. They lie everywhere, stretching from Yanming Pass to as far as the eye can see—truly an endless expanse. Now, they've all become food for wild beasts.

The soldiers of Dayuan fell in droves beneath the iron hooves of the foreign invaders. This was a meritorious act of resisting the enemy and defending the land, yet their bones lay unburied. Had Dayuan already perished?

Li Lang lay among these bones; by all accounts, he should have begun to decompose. Does the soul also experience excruciating pain when the body begins to decay?

Li Lang was awakened by the pain, but when he saw the overwhelming swarm of black crows with their crimson eyes gleaming and swooping down in front of him, his body trembled violently, his eyes snapped shut in fright, and he almost fainted from fright.

The excruciating pain did not worsen; in fact, it seemed to subside slightly, and Li Lang began to regain consciousness.

The ground was too large for the crows to peck at him immediately, which he could understand. What he couldn't understand was that he was still alive.

Death is not scary; what is scary is living.

Li Lang watched as the plane disintegrated at an altitude of 10,000 meters. He lost consciousness before he even had time to feel fear. How could he survive under such circumstances? That doesn't make sense.

Li Lang was confused, but dared not open his eyes, fearing that it was all just an illusion.

No. This isn't a hallucination. If the person is gone, there's no point in having hallucinations.

Realizing this, Li Lang trembled with excitement. He was still alive!

If someone survives a great calamity, doesn't that mean they still have plenty of time to enjoy this wonderful world?

Li Lang, Li Lang, what a brilliant name!

At this moment, the name that had been considered rustic for half his life felt exceptionally familiar to Li Lang. It was definitely a name that his parents had blessed by a master!

Li Lang firmly believed this.