Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-202

The old man sitting in the sky outside Su Ming’s cave abode was looking at the ground with bright eyes. His expression became more solemn until eventually a hint of shock appeared on his face.

"Snow Mark… Si Ma Xin’s Berserker Mark was also the Snow Mark. The mark of freezing snow once shocked the entire Freezing Sky, and he proved himself to be incredibly suitable for training the Arts in Freezing Sky Clan!

"I didn’t expect I’d see the same Snow Mark as Si Ma Xin’s once again!"

The old man took in a deep breath and the glint in his eyes became brighter.

"As expected of a Berserker who Transcended after attaining full completion of the Blood Solidification Realm, he managed to sense two completely different types of Berserker Marks. You gave up on the fire moon, but now the mark of freezing snow… should suit your tastes.

"But from what I can tell from Si Ma Xin, the mark of freezing snow causes the person to be incredibly cold. He will freeze his emotions and his desires. It is a merciless chill… Will this child choose this..?" the old man mumbled and looked at the ground with a grave expression.

His gaze seemed to penetrate through everything, allowing him to see… the sad person sitting in the cave covered by frost.

"If he gives up on this Mark again… unless he can sense the third Mark, then he will have to choose a Mark that doesn’t suit him. If he doesn’t choose, then his power will forever be stuck here and he won’t improve…"

A hint of worry appeared on the old man’s face. He had deep knowledge about Berserker Marks. There were some Transcended Berserkers who never had any Berserker Mark in the history of the Berserker Tribe. However, these people all could not further increase their power and would forever be stuck.

Without a Berserker Mark, a Berserker cannot be considered a true member of the Berserker Tribe!

"He shouldn’t give this up now…" the old man mumbled to himself, then his expression suddenly changed.

As Su Ming sat in the cave in the mountains, a phrase echoed within the world in his heart.

"Place your emotions in the mirror. When you turn around, do not take them away…" Su Ming mumbled. He looked at the ice mirror and the snow flower within it, along with the man in white behind the snow flower.

"Can I put all these in the mirror and not take them away with me..?"

Anguish appeared on Su Ming’s face and he sighed once again.

"I broke my promise once…

"I can’t give up on my memories and the love I felt when I was a teenager… If I do that, even if I obtain the mark of freezing snow, would I still be me..?" Su Ming closed his eyes.

"I see. I didn’t expect a Transcended Berserker Mark to appear like this when I’m in a trance. The moon in the lake and the flower in the mirror…

"They’re all mere illusions. They aren’t real! All of these aren’t real. Even so, the flower in the mirror and the moon in the lake are not my choices!"

Su Ming opened his eyes.

"I want neither… the flower in the mirror nor the moon in the lake!"

The moment Su Ming spoke, a large amount of cracks instantly appeared on the ice mirror before him. As cracking sounds rang out, it shattered into an innumerable amount of shards. The ice flower and the person in white in the mirror also seemed to have duplicated themselves to exist within every single shard that scattered before Su Ming.

"Fool!"

When the old man in the sky saw this scene, he slowly spoke. However, he did not try to stop Su Ming as he initially wanted to do when he gave up on his first Berserker Mark. He chose to observe what Su Ming would do next instead.

‘But he’s bold! His personality makes him worthy of becoming my disciple. If you can really bring out the third Berserker Mark in your trance, then even if you can’t become my disciple and can’t pass my test, I’ll still help you into Freezing Sky Clan!’

The old man watched the land silently, waiting for the third Berserker Mark that even he was not certain would appear!

Time trickled by, and very soon, it was night. However, the night sky was filled with blue and blood-red light. A strange night sky filled with blue and red light was formed.

The frost on Su Ming’s body had disappeared in the cave on the ground. There was no longer any hint of ice or cold air on the walls of the cave. The entire mountain range returned to normal.

"So he can no longer do it..?"

After waiting for a long while, the old man in the sky sighed.

However, he did not leave. He remained in the sky and continued waiting. Gradually, the night went by. Even when the sky gradually brightened up, Su Ming remained seated and unmoving within the cave. No other signs of Berserker Marks appeared. It was as if they had fallen asleep.

"He gave up on the fire moon, which meant that the tribe he grew up in does not train the ways of fire. Because it’s different and he did not want to give up on it, that’s why he didn’t choose it. From this, it can be seen that the child values family ties.

"He gave up on the Snow Mark because he did not want to be merciless and cold, which means he’s someone who values his relationships…

"But people like these aren’t suitable to train in my practice and learn my inheritance. He can’t be a vice… he can’t… overturn anything. There’s no need for any tests any longer."

After three days, the old man let out a long sigh. He cast a profound look at the ground and did not continue waiting. He knew that while the time for the process of Transcendence differs for each Berserker, but the moment they wake up from their trance, then it means that the process had ended.

At that moment, he sensed that Su Ming had opened his eyes within the cave.

"If you choose to enter Freezing Sky Clan, then I will speak a word for you," the old man mumbled to himself.

He left with regret and lamentation, walking into the distance. Loneliness could be seen on his back. As he left, the blue and blood-red light gradually faded away, and eventually, they disappeared along with the stone statue within that never once opened its eyes.

"I failed…"

Su Ming opened his eyes within the cave and looked at the walls before him as he mumbled softly. It was dark all around him. Amidst this silence, he lifted his head.

His expression was calm. There was no hint of regret or any sign of other emotions. Instead, in the midst of the darkness, he sat in silence as if he was asking himself whether it was worth it to give up on two powerful Berserker Marks.

‘The fire moon is not one with my tribe. If I have to give up on my tribe and no longer be a member of Dark Mountain Tribe to be one of the Fire Berserkers… I don’t want that.

‘The freezing snow wants me to place all my emotionsin the mirror, then turn away and abandon them. I can’t do this either. If that’s the case, then there’s no need for me to regret this.’

Su Ming could feel that once he gave up on the two Berserker Marks he obtained in his trance, his power in Transcendence seemed to have lost its vigor. It was as if his power was worn out.

"What is a Mark..?"

Su Ming did not bother himself with his power’s waning. He lifted his head and looked at the dark ceiling in the cave and mumbled instead.

"The Mark is a reflection of the heart. It is a unique state that belongs solely to a person alone…"

This was what his elder had told him in the past, and Su Ming always remembered it.

"Why do we need to enter a trance when we search for our Berserker Marks..?"

Su Ming smiled.

His smile was faint, but within that faint smile was a hint of understanding that no one else could see.

"It’s because the people in the world usually don’t even know themselves. They don’t know their hearts, that’s why they need to go into a trance to sense what lies within their hearts…

"A Berserker Mark is just a form of self-examination!"

Su Ming’s eyes were serene. There was no surge of emotion within them, but gradually, a profound look appeared in them.

"I examined myself, that’s why the fire moon and snow appeared… but even if the flower in the mirror and the fire moon appeared through my self-examination, they might not be want I truly want."

Su Ming lifted his right hand and placed it before himself.

He looked at his right hand and a strange light appeared in his eyes.

"On the other hand, it’s precisely because I examined myself in my trance this time that I truly learned just what I truly need…"

Su Ming smiled. He placed his right index finger by his mouth and bit down. Blood appeared. This blood was very viscous, and within it was the power of Transcendence contained in Su Ming’s body.

This was the blood gathered together under the power of Transcendence. This was Berserker Blood!

"Draw your Berserker Mark with Berserker Blood…"

Without any hint of hesitation, he pressed his finger at the center of his brows and swiped his finger down to his chin, making the first stroke of his Berserker Mark!

It was a mark of blood horrifying to the eyes. It started from the center of his brows, went past his nose, through his lips, until it connected with his chin.

Anyone who carved their Berserker Mark on their skins would trigger the power of Transcendence within them. The scene where a large amount of red fog covering they skins would appear, yet now, it did not appear.

"My Mark is the reflection of my will…"

Su Ming’s eyes grew brighter. It was as if there were certain sights within the deep parts of his eyes. Those sights were branded in his mind, and he would never forget them.

His right index finger took another stroke on his face and went past his left eye. Yet, even when he took his second stroke, the power of Transcendence within him still remained still. It did not activate.

"It was not obtained through a trance, but a form of verification after I gave up on my trance…" Su Ming mumbled.

He closed his eyes. With his index finger, he took the third stroke. By then, there were three long lines of blood on his face, but it was difficult to see just what he was trying to draw. Perhaps only the scene that existed within his closed eyes would show just what Berserker Mark he wanted to draw clearly.

"It’s not the moon of the Fire Berserkers!"

Su Ming took the fourth stroke, the fifth…

"It’s not the freezing snow!"

The blood lines looked to be in slight disarray on his face. There might be a number of strokes, but they lacked a line connecting them all together, causing others to be unable to see just what picture Su Ming was trying to draw.

"It is…"

Su Ming did not know just how many strokes he made. At that moment, his right index finger came to a pause. He opened his eyes slowly, and the instant he did so, he drew a line across the chaotic blood lines with his index finger. Like a finishing stroke, it connected all the blood lines together, forming a mountain with five summits!

The mountain with five summits – Dark Mountain!

The moment that Dark Mountain Mark appeared, the power of Transcendence within Su Ming’s body was drawn out of his body explosively, causing his entire body to be filled with a large amount of red fog. That fog surged into the mark of the five summits, causing that Dark Mountain Mark to look as if it was alive!

If Tian Xie Zi had not left and saw this Mark, he would definitely let out a sigh. This was the Mountain Mark, it was one of the most basic Marks among all Berserker Marks… yet similarly, the moment he finished sighing, he would definitely suck in a sharp breath, and that sigh would turn into shock.

This shock would even surpass the shock when he sensed Su Ming’s fire moon and freezing snow marks by several fold. It would simply make him sink into a state of disbelief!

Berserker Marks were all simple. A Berserker Mark with two types of items was already considered complex, but this person…

Su Ming’s shirt was open. His right index finger did not stop after he drew Dark Mountain. Instead, as gentleness and nostalgia appeared in his eyes, he trailed his finger on his chest, and with each stroke, he drew… a tribe!