No Way People Find Cultivation Difficult, Right?
It's the 3rd of March of the Immortal Martial era.
Under the Sect Leader's unremitting efforts, the Qingyun Dao Sect finally welcomes its eighth disciple, Ye Ping.
In order to make Ye Ping stay and to earn his respect, everyone in the sect resorts to all sorts of tricks to deceive him.
They boast and pretend to be peerless Sword Dao experts, geniuses in cultivation, alchemy, refinement, divination, alchemy arrays, treasure appraising, and sons of destiny.
For the sake of maintaining the image of geniuses, they teach Ye Ping all sorts of nonsensical things.
They make Ye Ping try to gain an epiphany out of a random sword mark.
They take out a random big pot and make Ye Ping refine supreme-grade pills with it.
They take out a random copper coin and make Ye Ping deduce the ultimate heavenly secret.
They initially hope to just delay the time that Ye Ping discovers the truth so that he would stay in the sect for a while longer.
However, to their surprise, their new little Junior Brother… manages to learn everything.
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Chapter 1: Even If We Lie, We Have To Make Them Stay In The Sect For One Year
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Bright early in the morning, the sun had yet to rise.
In Qingyun Dao Sect of Qingzhou region.
It was an unqualified sect.
It did not even have a rank and was the type of sect that could vanish any time.
In the main hall today, there were only seven disciples of the Qingyun Dao Sect who were all excited and nervous at this moment.
It was because their Sect Leader had sent a letter three days ago to tell them that the Qingyun Dao Sect would soon welcome its eighth disciple.
Yes, they were going to be receiving a Junior Brother soon.
Perhaps for other sects, there was nothing special about having a new member in the sect.
However, for the Qingyun Dao Sect, it was a herculean task to gain a new member.
Sects were similar to the forces of the mortal world. Most cultivators joined Dao sects with the intention of finding a powerful backer.
Putting aside the bonus of resources, even for sects without resources, the stronger ones would be safer.
Disciples of smaller sects would have to suck it up and bear with the humiliation of getting bullied.
On the other hand, when disciples of larger sects were bullied, they would have the support of their sect, which would have their backs.
That was also the reason that many newly-advanced cultivators would choose to join stronger sects.
The larger sects would never look down on the new cultivators either. In fact, they would even take extra care of them.
No one was a fool and no sect would be so arrogant as to reject new disciples.
As a result, the strong sects became stronger while the weak ones became weaker.
For sects like the Qingyun Dao Sect, a new disciple would join only once in a blue moon.
Now that they had heard that there would be a new disciple joining, how could the members of the sect not be excited?
How could they not be elated?
In the main hall of the Qingyun Dao Sect, seven figures were seated.
There were five male and two female members, the former seated on the left while the latter sat on the right.
At this moment, the seven of them seemed rather nervous and excited.
However, at this very juncture, the first man from the left took the initiative to speak up, breaking the silence in the hall.
"Fellow Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, we have recruited a new disciple to our Qingyun Dao Sect, which is something worth rejoicing over."
"However, considering the issues that happened previously, Master has repeatedly instructed in his letter that we must not be too enthusiastic towards this Junior Brother and not let him think that we are useless or that we are in need of members."
"Hence, we must stay calm and behave like experts. We should try our best to be as steady as possible. As long as this Junior Brother stays in our sect for an entire year, we can submit the audit file or the third-grade sect," said the first man on the left.
He was not old and seemed to be about 27 or 28 years old. His eyebrows were like swords and he had a pair of starry eyes. Although he was wearing a plain robe, his face gave off an inexplicable vibe and he seemed like a peerless swordsman.
His name was Su Changyu.
He was the eldest Senior Brother of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
After he said his piece, the disciples nodded one after another.
"We understand."
They chorused solemnly in unison.
However, after saying that, everyone fell silent again.
After a short while, someone spoke, once again breaking the silence.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I can stay calm, but how do we lie to him? With our cultivation level, I'm afraid we'd let the cat out of the bag easily."
The man who asked that question with a frown was about 24 to 25 years old and had a delicate appearance.
He was the second Senior Brother of the sect, Xu Luochen.
Xu Luochen seemed a little vexed.
He could stay calm and at most, he would just remain silent. However, he really did not know how to lie to others.
After he said that, the other disciples began to look worried too.
They were still young and although they had gained some experience in the world, their personalities were still pure and untainted. They might fool others but it was hard for them to cheat.
The disciples stayed silent.
After a while, their eldest Senior Brother Su Changyu spoke again slowly, "In fact, all of you may have gotten the wrong idea. We're not necessarily cheating him in the true sense, but rather, we're just portraying ourselves as experts. Master has stated in his letter that our new Junior Brother is a newbie who doesn't know a thing about cultivation."
"We just have to exaggerate a little when we're talking about our forte. For example, you can tell him that I'm good at the Sword Dao, which he cannot comprehend at all. Junior Brother Luochen, since you're good at refining pills, just teach him some pill-refining skills that can't be put into practice at all."
"Although our lies will be exposed sooner or later, there should be no problem to keep it under wraps for a year. After one year, the Qingyun Dao Sect will be qualified to submit the audit file. Once our Dao Sect advances to the third grade, our lives will get better."
When Su Changyu mentioned about advancing to the third grade, he couldn't hide the smile on his face at all.
"Senior Brother, we get it now. We just have to lie to him for a year. If he finds out after a year and thinks it's unacceptable, we'll let him leave on his own accord."
"If he is willing to accept it, he will enjoy some benefits once we get lucky and advance to the third grade. No matter what, we won't shortchange him."
Xu Luochen said so with a look of certainty.
He was actually comforting himself, because after all, it was still a lie.
However, he had no choice since the Qingyun Dao Sect was poor and pathetic. For the sake of the sect's livelihood, he had no other option.
"Senior Brothers and Senior Sister, don't worry. Maybe the new disciple is a prodigy and can pick up everything we teach him. If that's the case, we won't owe him an explanation."
The most junior female disciple said so.
She tried to comfort everyone, lest they felt guilty.
However, her words made everyone smile.
Prodigy?
Frankly speaking, how talented can one be if they chose to join the Qingyun Dao Sect?
Why would a talented person join the Qingyun Dao Sect?
Not to mention the Immortal World, within the territory of Qingzhou alone, there were many large sects which would hold a Grand Immortal Ascension Meet annually to select some disciples and send many of their existing disciples to recruit members who were fated with immortality.
In other words, all candidates, regardless of their aptitude, were welcome to join the selection. Anyway, it would cost nothing to give it a try and they wouldn't have to give the candidates many resources. It was a free selection, so what was there to lose?
Hence, the chance of smaller sects recruiting talents was almost zero.
So what if an assuming sect could produce a talent?
The other immortal sects would immediately try to poach the talent once they caught wind of it. They would first shower the talent with plenty of resources, then suppress him or her with power, and then send some attractive disciples of the sect to tempt them.
Frankly speaking, who could resist that?
Hence, the possibility of the Qingyun Dao Sect recruiting a genius was zero, unless a miracle happened.
"Okay, if nothing goes wrong, our new Junior Brother will be arriving at noon tomorrow. This is my last reminder for all of you."
"Stay calm! Stay calm! You must stay calm! You must behave indifferently and show your nonchalance at all times. The more you act like this, the more convinced he will be. No matter what he does, you have to downplay it. Even if he's talented, you must criticize him and make him seem worthless.
"Besides, we will not take the initiative to look for him. It must be the other way round, so from now on, we'll proceed with what we have to do. Got it?"
Su Changyu once again emphasized.
"We understand."
Everyone nodded without raising any objections.
Just like that, the seven of them gradually left the main hall.
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Chapter 2: My Name Is Ye Ping
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In Qingyun Mountain Range, the mountains were steep and the rocks were odd-shaped.
The misty clouds spread, making it look like an ethereal realm.
Two figures disrupted the tranquility of the mountain near its base.
The two of them moved, one after another.
The former was in his early forties. Clad in a green Daoist robe, he walked through the mountains with light footsteps, not tainted by any of the dust at all.
The latter was in his early twenties and had a neat and refined appearance. Donning a plain white outfit, he walked through the mountains, giving off a scholarly vibe. The only flaw was that his cloth shoes were stained by mud and seemed out of place.
Perhaps because it rained a few days ago, the mud between the mountains was wet and slippery.
Ye Ping walked between the mountains.
Various scenes appeared in his mind.
Ye Ping felt that he was very unlucky.
Three years ago, he was just an ordinary office worker who was wasting his life away in the 996 Blessing System on Earth.
However, an unexpected accident brought him to an ancient-like world.
This world did not belong to any of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing Dynasties.
Instead, it claimed to be known as the Immortal Martial Era.
He was in a small nation known as the Jin Nation.
Regardless of whether it was the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing Dynasty, he wouldn't lead too miserable of a life since he had the advantage of being a transmigrator. At the thought of the fact that each man could have several wives during the ancient times, he suddenly felt much less uncomfortable.
As the saying goes, education is above all and the way to go. Regardless of the era, receiving education was definitely the most direct way to have a promising future and allow one to make a name for themselves. For the sake of a better life, Ye Ping hopped onto the bandwagon of becoming a scholar.
Perhaps, other transmigrators might detest studying but Ye Ping was different from them. He enjoyed reading and studying because there was a law in Jin Nation where all scholars could enjoy ten years of compulsory education. In other words, he was happy about receiving free education.
He could study and sit for examinations to bring himself fame without having to pay any money at all. How could Ye Ping not be pleased about that?
Hence, during the past three years after he transmigrated, Ye Ping had been attentively studying books written by Sages, memorizing scriptures and sutras, and bearing in mind the famous sayings of the Saints. Besides, with his identity as a literature student, Ye Ping would be able to come up with superb lines about the world on his own from time to time.
One of his lines urged one to go with the flow and that life was just a dream. There was also another one about bravado.
Of course, those famous lines had been edited. After all, there were no borders in this world and those lines had to be modified.
However, Ye Ping managed to gain some fame in Jin Nation based on those classic lines.
However, something unexpected cropped up when Ye Ping was full of confidence and was ready to take the imperial examinations.
When he was rushing to the examination in the capital, he saw someone shuttling through the sky while flying on an immortal sword, appearing suave and carefree.
He suddenly had an epiphany.
'So this is a world of immortal cultivation.'
Ye Ping felt anguished immediately after realizing that.
He had been studying hard for three years.
He had suffered plenty of hardships in those three years.
He initially thought that it was a world of scholars where everyone practiced martial arts and studied.
He never expected it to be a world of immortal cultivation.
'Studying in an immortal world?'
'This is absurd.'
Although Ye Ping did not have huge ambitions, he knew the difference between immortal cultivation and education.
Even if one were to worship the Monkey King, they would probably only be an insignificant nobody in the eyes of immortal cultivators.
Even the king of a nation would have to be respectful towards an immortal cultivator, right?
Hence, after learning that it was a world of immortal cultivation, Ye Ping abandoned his scholarly dreams and decided to pursue the illusory Immortal Dao.
He initially thought that the process would be very long.
However, he did not expect there to be an abundance of immortal cultivators in this world, and they were not rare at all, unlike what he thought.
In less than a month's time, Ye Ping had participated in four or five Grand Immortal Ascension Meets.
In this world of immortal cultivation, sects were rampant and they were all very diligent. They would hold annual Grand Immortal Ascension Meets and those who had spiritual roots would be allowed to join the immortal sect.
Ye Ping, who had attended more than 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets so far, realized that he had no spiritual roots only after being blacklisted by the major sects in Qingzhou region.
He didn't have a rare constitution but rather, he had the worst of the worst.
Those who had his constitution would usually be called good-for-nothings.
However, after finding out that he had the worst constitution, Ye Ping did not feel in the least bit miserable. Instead, he was delighted.
'Isn't this the classic opening of an underdog's story?'
'The worse the protagonist is in the beginning, the more outstanding his achievements would be in the future.'
Hence, Ye Ping did not feel dejected at all. On the contrary, he wanted to continue to participate in the major Grand Immortal Ascension Meets. He believed that as long as he was accepted by an immortal sect and given a fair chance, he would be able to make brilliant accomplishments.
However, someone with no spiritual root was akin to a good-for-nothing in the eyes of the members of the major sects. No sect would be willing to accept a cultivator with no spiritual root.
After diligently putting in continuous effort and hard work, he finally met a benefactor.
That was the middle-aged man in front of him.
He was Daoist Tai Hua, the eighteenth-generation Sect Leader of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
He spotted Ye Ping among the crowd and was willing to take him in as a disciple to impart some immortal techniques to him.
The only requirement was that he had to be put through an internship. During the internship, he would not be given any salary.
In other words, he would not be paid.
That requirement was not considered much to Ye Ping. After all, he did not care about such material possessions.
His focus was on cultivation.
As long as he could cultivate, he would not have to worry about lacking money in the future.
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn't help but be nervous.
Amidst the mountains, clouds drifted past, making it look like an immortal realm. The gentle breeze blew past, and Ye Ping felt like his soul had been cleansed. He felt nervous but he also looked forward to it. Most importantly, he was in awe.
In Ye Ping's opinion, immortals had always been majestic.
He imagined himself becoming an immortal cultivator and roaming through the nine states with Sword Kinesis Flight, his white robe fluttering. Wouldn't that be beautiful?
'Immortals will enjoy longevity.'
'Absolutely wonderful.'
While Ye Ping was letting his imagination run wild, the 18th-generation Sect Leader of the Qingyun Dao Sect, Daoist Tai Hua, was beaming with joy.
This time, he had gone down the mountain to handle some trivial matters.
However, he did not expect to take a new disciple under his wing.
Most importantly, that disciple was willing to accept a zero-salary internship.
It was a double blessing.
The pressure of competition in the sects in Qingzhou region had been too stiff lately and all the sects were vying for disciples, causing the salaries to rise.
However, the talented disciples had all been snatched up by the bigger sects while the majority of those who were not exactly talented but at least had some aptitude had also been snatched away. Hence, the remaining ones were all terrible.
Even then, the salary rates had been increasing annually because of the competition between the sects.
Of course, that was also because many knew that those who did not have any spiritual roots would only end up becoming handymen when they joined immortal sects. If they wanted to learn something, they might as well join a martial arts academy to strengthen their bodies. At the very least, they would have somewhat of a future.
Immortal cultivation would not necessarily allow one to become stronger.
If mastering the basic techniques would allow one to become an immortal, everyone would be experts.
However, that was also the reason that some sects of the lower tiers would not get a single disciple in a few years, let alone one who was willing to join for free.
Hence, Daoist Tai Hua was in good spirits.
However, the only thing that worried Daoist Tai Hua was the fact that his disciples might not seem like experts.
He didn't want his new disciple to leave shortly after joining.
That would be troublesome.
However, Daoist Tai Hua did not feel guilty because no one else would be willing to take Ye Ping in for immortal cultivation anyway. Since both parties were willing, there was nothing for him to be guilty about. Although his immortal sect was poor, the problem was that the better sects would not accept Ye Ping.
The only thing he was guilty about was not paying Ye Ping a salary. However, Daoist Tai Hua would note it down and make it up to him after the sect rose and developed.
While Daoist Tai Hua was pondering over it slowly, the two figures had arrived at the entrance of Qingyun Dao Sect.
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Chapter 3: Eldest Senior Brother Is Definitely An Expert
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the entrance of the Qingyun Dao Sect, there were several towering but dilapidated halls and most of the paint on the walls of the hall had chipped.
There was an incense urn in the hall where a single joss stick was burning, making it appear extremely poor.
Today, Su Changyu got up early.
As the 'Eldest Senior Brother' of the Qingyun Dao Sect, he had to be the one to greet the Sect Leader.
Of course, welcoming the Sect Leader's return was a small matter. The key was to fool his new junior brother.
He had already arranged for the other disciples of the sect to proceed with their usual routine and told them that it would be best not to interact much with him for the time being.
They had to be mysterious first.
Of course, the first impression was the most important.
Su Changyu knew very well the importance of forming a good first impression.
That was also the reason that Su Changyu put on his battle robe, which was a Qingzhou brocade Daoist robe that he received when he emerged as one of the top 500 finalists in the Qingzhou Sword Trials.
After putting on the Daoist robe, there seemed to be a major improvement in his aura, especially when coupled with his three-feet blue sword that made him seem like an absolute Sword Immortal.
Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, Su Changyu felt rather emotional.
'I'm so handsome and attractive but why am I just an ordinary person?'
He couldn't help but lament. After all, many would mistakenly believe that he was an expert because of his appearance.
However, the truth always comes out. He could deceive others once or twice but he would be exposed sooner or later if he was not truly competent. Hence, Su Changyu did not like going down the mountains and he preferred staying in Qingyun Dao Sect peacefully as the Eldest Senior Brother.
At this moment, Su Changyu put down the bronze mirror.
Calculating the time, he realized that it was already noon, and he reckoned that the Sect Leader had arrived.
At the thought of this, Su Changyu walked out of the room.
Upon arriving outside the sect, Su Changyu stood quietly on a small hill, his gaze becoming peaceful while his expression became ambiguous and mysterious.
The three-feet-long green sword hovered in front of him while he stood with his hands behind his back. He had already gotten into position and was waiting for his new junior brother, whom he had never met, to take the bait.
In less than the duration it would take for an incense stick to burn, two figures slowly came into view.
At this moment, Su Changyu began to feel a little nervous, but soon, he hid his emotions and exhibited his unique aura.
At the top of the mountain that Qingyun Dao Sect was situated on, Ye Ping who had been walking up the mountain had already begun panting heavily.
Climbing up a mountain was a tiring and arduous task. For a mortal who had never trained in martial arts or gone through immortal cultivation before, climbing a mountain with various ridges was extremely tiring.
If not for his ambitions to cultivate, Ye Ping would have long given up.
There were many sweat droplets on Ye Ping's forehead and walking between the mountains had been uncomfortable for him. However, Daoist Tai Hua seemed to be rather relaxed and his body was free of dust. He completely showcased the style of an immortal, to Ye Ping's envy.
While Ye Ping was green with envy, a figure soon caught his eye.
On a hillside near him, a man who seemed to be about 27 or 28 years old was standing with his hands behind his back.
He was extremely handsome and was wearing a jade crown, coupled with a long brocade robe. There was a three-feet-long green sword hovering in front of him and his gaze was starry.
"Sword Immortal?"
That word subconsciously surfaced in Ye Ping's head.
The figure near him had fulfilled his fantasies and imaginations of a Sword Immortal.
He was suave, dashing, dignified, and had sword-like brows and starry eyes, like a superior Sword Immortal.
Those eyes, in particular, seemed to be looking down at everything in the world indifferently, as if they were all insignificant.
Ye Ping stood rooted to the ground in shock.
Frankly speaking, before joining the sect, Ye Ping had thought that the Qingyun Dao Sect was probably an extremely incompetent sect. Otherwise, why would a cultivator with no spiritual root like him be accepted?
However, when Ye Ping saw that young man, he suddenly felt that he had thought wrongly.
'Perhaps, that sect seemed to be a substandard one on the surface, but in fact, it's a hidden sect that's full of experts who could easily lead me to ascension.'
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn't help but be excited.
At this moment, Ye Ping could not contain his excitement anymore.
He said slowly, "There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky but they all have to bow down to you."
He meant those words from the bottom of his heart because those were the only words that would be worthy of the man in front of him.
Those were the only words that could describe an extraordinary Sword Immortal well.
Ye Ping couldn't help but be agitated
Su Changyu was stunned too.
He could hear Ye Ping's voice.
Those poem lines took him aback.
"There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky, but they all have to bow down to you."
Those words were interesting.
'Good, you're so pretentious, huh? From now on, these lines will be meant for me.'
Su Changyu was overjoyed. He did not expect to be praised with such a poetic and pompous compliment when he went out to welcome the Sect Leader.
'Good, very good, excellent. This junior brother is promising.'
However, Su Changyu soon suppressed his joy and put on a solemn expression. At this moment, he shifted his gaze onto Daoist Tai Hua.
He said slowly, "Greetings, Sect Leader, welcome back."
His voice was as gentle as jade.
"Yes." Daoist Tai Hua nodded. He had seen everything just now, including Ye Ping's actions and changes in expression. Naturally, he knew that Ye Ping had been convinced.
However, despite feeling overjoyed, Daoist Tai Hua nonetheless tried his best to stay calm.
After all, it was important to go all out when putting on an act.
"Changyu, what are you doing here?"
Daoist Tai Hua asked Su Changyu slowly.
Holding his sword tightly, the latter said immediately afterwards, "Master, I'm gaining enlightenment in the Sword Dao, and I'm also here to receive you."
Su Changyu did not feel ashamed at all. His immediate answer of gaining enlightenment in the Sword Dao made Daoist Tai Hua slightly shocked too.
Although he had sent a letter to them to tell them to act like absolute experts, there was no need to be that pretentious, right?
'He can just say that he's here to receive me. Why does he have to get the Sword Dao involved?'
However, Daoist Tai Hua secretly heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the astonishment on Ye Ping's face.
As long as Ye Ping believed it, it would be fine to exaggerate things. The important thing was to make him stay and the method to do so wasn't important.
"Since that's the case, stay here and continue with the Dao enlightenment. Ye Ping, this person is your Eldest Senior Brother, Su Changyu. Go greet him."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
Ye Ping immediately snapped back to his senses and took a few steps forward before bowing to greet Su Changyu.
"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother, I'm Ye Ping."
Ye Ping saluted too and was extremely respectful.
"You're being too formal, Junior Brother. Since Master has chosen you, that also proves that you have some talent. I don't have any wonderful things to give you, so I'll gift you with a chance to create. Do have some enlightenment."
As he spoke, Su Changyu waved his hand, after which a gentle breeze blew over.
At that instant, Ye Ping felt relaxed, as if he had been taken to another level.
Daoist Tai Hua's heart was full of ripples.
'Just admit that we're poor. He threw out a gust of Dao breeze and called it a chance for creation. I really didn't expect my eldest disciple to be so good at being so pompous and pretending to be impressive.'
'It's a pity his wonderful talent of pretending to be impressive is going to waste.'
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping did not know what method that was. As a transmigrator, such immortal techniques were like miracles to him.
Regardless of the chance for creation, he felt that his Eldest Senior Brother was definitely an expert!
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Chapter 4: Acknowledging A Master
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ye Ping had already determined it.
He reckoned that he should have encountered one of those hidden sects whose members seemed ordinary and mediocre on the surface but were actually extraordinary experts.
Those people were tired of the world as they were already at the pinnacle and there was truly nothing else that was interesting to them. Hence, their purpose of pretending to be ordinary people was all for thrill-seeking.
That was just one of his guesses and he had to carefully test if it was really the case.
However, he was certain that his Eldest Senior Brother was definitely an expert.
'If he still isn't an expert, who else would be one?'
Sensing Ye Ping's gaze, which was full of excitement that he could not hide, Su Changyu had already understood that he had succeeded in fooling him.
"Enough, Ye Ping, come to the sect with me. Don't disturb your Senior Brother when he's cultivating."
Daoist Tai Hua interjected.
Ye Ping immediately nodded and then saluted Su Changyu respectfully.
He then followed Daoist Tai Hua to the sect.
After Ye Ping left, Su Changyu finally heaved a sigh of relief.
He calmed down and felt much less nervous too.
He proceeded to mutter to himself.
"There are three million Sword Immortals in the sky but they all have to bow down to you. Hehe, sounds impressive."
Su Changyu laughed, and his immortal Dao aura immediately emanated.
Ye Ping followed Daoist Tai Hua into the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The shabby door and the single joss stick in the incense emphasized how poor they were.
After seeing that, Daoist Tai Hua couldn't help but seem embarrassed.
However, when Ye Ping saw the environment in Qingyun Dao Sect, he did not show any revulsion and instead seemed delighted.
That made Daoist Tai Hua feel confused.
'How can you be happy in such a place?'
'Have you never experienced immortal cultivation before?'
Daoist Tai Hua was a bit puzzled, and he was even prepared to see Ye Ping leave immediately. However, he did not expect Ye Ping to be delighted. In this day and age, there's actually such a pure and simple-minded young immortal cultivator?
'This chap has a bright future.'
Daoist Tai Hua secretly thought to himself.
The reason for Ye Ping's joy was simple.
That was exactly the style of hidden sects that were secretly experts.
As a transmigrator, Ye Ping had read numerous online novels and he only had one word to describe sects that were secretly extraordinary.
Unusual!
Indeed, they were unusual.
Other sects had gilded venues and were all wishing to flaunt their wealth as much as possible. However, the hidden sects that were truly incredible preferred to keep a low profile.
The more low-key, the better; the simpler, the better, thus making others have the illusion that it was a lousy sect.
In fact, it was actually a test that the hidden sects had for their newly advanced disciples.
It was just like how in mythological stories, those immortals would use such tricks to deceive the mortals. For example, when the Goddess of Mercy brought a tattered robe in exchange for Tang Sanzang's wealth and glory. Such stories were rampant.
At this point, how could Ye Ping be unaware of that?
Hence, Ye Ping was even more certain that it was a hidden sect.
"Ye Ping, come with me."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
Ye Ping immediately nodded.
Immediately afterwards, he followed Daoist Tai Hua to the middle of the main hall.
Although the Qingyun Dao Sect seemed rather shabby, Ye Ping had acutely discovered the difference between it and other sects: it was clean and tidy.
Indeed, they were clean and tidy.
If it was a fallen sect, how could it be so clean?
Although it seemed to be an insignificant sect that was of a lowly status on the surface, Ye Ping could tell from that point alone that the Qingyun Dao Sect was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
Indeed, there was still something that gave it away even though they were being very secretive.
'They may be hiding it well, but it can't escape my eye.'
Ye Ping couldn't help but praise himself for his intelligence and wit.
As they stepped into the main hall, Daoist Tai Hua spoke up.
"Ye Ping, now that you have come to the Dao Sect, I have to say a few words. Don't be eager to answer. Hear what I have to say first."
Daoist Tai Hua did not call himself Ye Ping's teacher yet, in order to seem more stern.
Ye Ping looked at Daoist Tai Hua solemnly too.
"The so-called cultivation of immortality is difficult. The path of cultivation may seem to be a path of prosperity, but in fact, it is full of obstacles. Putting aside the various dangers, cultivation alone would require decades. So, if you really want to embark on this path, you have to be determined."
"Don't be overly ambitious, and you can't give up halfway because of delayed results. Without determination and perseverance, it's hard to achieve great goals. You must bear that in mind."
Daoist Tai Hua sounded inexplicably austere.
However, he said that for the sake of preparing Ye Ping mentally in advance. After all, Ye Ping's aptitude seemed insignificant. What if he could not gather the slightest amount of spiritual energy after cultivating for three to five months and decided to leave?
Hence, he had to frighten him first.
"I understand that the path of immortal cultivation is destined to be a path of loneliness. Perhaps, immortal cultivators going into seclusion is the vicissitude of life, but since I've chosen this path, I will definitely put my mind to it and not let my imagination run wild or let myself be led astray."
Ye Ping agreed with those words.
Having read so many novels, he definitely knew a thing or two about it despite lacking actual experience in immortal cultivation.
If immortal cultivation was really that easy, everyone would just become immortal cultivators.
"Good."
Daoist Tai Hua nodded in satisfaction. Although Ye Ping did not have excellent aptitude, he had a good attitude and mentality.
He was unlike the previous few new disciples who wished their Qi cultivation would improve by leaps and bounds after just cultivating for a few months.
They were simply delusional.
"Since you can endure loneliness, I have nothing else to say. However, Ye Ping, I emphasize for the last time, you will not be given any salary during the cultivation internship period. You will only be given a salary after you become an official member, can you accept this?"
Daoist Tai Hua asked more seriously.
At the same time, there was a trace of nervousness in his eyes.
It was hard not to notice it but Ye Ping did not pay much attention.
"Sect Leader, rest assured, money is just a material possession. The sect is showing utmost kindness by taking me in as a disciple and teaching me about immortal cultivation. How can I have the audacity to ask for money? There's a saying that goes 'don't keep thinking about what benefits the sect can give you, instead, think about what benefits you can bring to the sect.'"
Ye Ping said passionately.
For a transmigrator, being taught immortal cultivation by someone was considered a huge favor. Money was too superficial.
"Excellent!"
Daoist Tai Hua was immediately energized after hearing those words.
Ye Ping's words had struck a chord within his heart.
'Don't keep thinking about what benefits the sect can give you, instead, think about what benefits you can bring to the sect.'
'Good, good.'
'Who said that? We're truly the same. We should have tea together when we're free.'
Daoist Tai Hua was filled with joy.
'I've found a treasure.'
However, Daoist Tai Hua soon calmed himself down and looked at Ye Ping.
He said, "In this case, I will accept you as a disciple, but for now, you are still an in-name disciple. Once you've become an official disciple, we will hold a grand ceremony where you will acknowledge me as your master."
"Thank you, Master. I will live up to your expectations."
Ye Ping excitedly bowed as soon as he heard that he had been accepted into the sect.
"In this case, I will take you to your residence. For the next few days, familiarize yourself with the environment in the sect. In a couple of days, I will ask your Eldest Senior Brother to teach you about immortal cultivation. Remember, things will backfire if you're overly eager. In cultivation, you have to take things one step at a time. Don't be too impatient, do you understand?"
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
"Yes! I understand."
Ye Ping nodded solemnly.
He was full of expectations for the future.
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Chapter 5: Qingyun Dao Sect's Late-night Conference
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Late at night.
In the dining hall of Qingyun Dao Sect.
Daoist Tai Hua was seated in the middle while the remaining seven disciples were seated in two rows on his left and right.
It was already midnight.
It was extremely quiet in the Qingyun Dao Sect.
There were no other sounds apart from that of bugs.
A candle was burning, illuminating the long table.
Daoist Tai Hua looked at his disciples solemnly and sternly before taking the lead to break the silence.
"I reckon Changyu has already told you about everything."
"Now, the competition for disciples among the major sects within Qingzhou is at its stiffest, and there are even rumors that in a few years, the Qingzhou Dao Sect's Dali Pavilion is going to purge some lower-tier sect. So within the next two years, we must make the Qingyun Dao Sect advance to a third-grade sect."
"Your new junior brother is the key. In order to advance to a third-grade sect, we must have eight disciples in the sect. Now that we finally have a new member, you guys must be very cautious and you mustn't let him find out the real situation of our sect. Otherwise, history might repeat itself. Not only did those ingrates turn their backs on us mercilessly, they even went round tainting our reputation."
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
"We understand."
Everyone answered softly with solemn expressions.
However, a voice soon sounded.
"Master, we will need at least a year to advance the Qingyun Dao Sect to a third-grade sect. Although the Eldest Senior Brother has already managed to convince our junior brother now, it'll only be a matter of time before he finds out about our situation once he cultivates."
One of the disciples interjected uncontrollably.
Daoist Tai Hua shook his head after hearing those words which he did not agree with.
"I've already thought of a plan."
"You're right. The truth always comes out but we can delay the exposure!"
"Changyu has bluffed your new junior brother, and I can tell that he's full of reverence for immortal cultivation and definitely won't leave the sect for the time being. As for cultivation, we can just delay it! We'll keep delaying it! We'll wait until the end to teach him immortal cultivation."
"From tomorrow onwards, Changyu will teach him swordsmanship. Make it as ridiculous as possible. Firstly, it's for deceiving him, and secondly, it's to stall for time. If, one day, he gets bored of practicing swordsmanship, Luochen shall teach him to refine pills."
"I've calculated. All seven of you will take turns to teach him. Each of you will teach for two months and one year will pass in a hurry. By then, it wouldn't matter even if he finds out the real situation of our sect. Got it?"
Daoist Tai Hua's wise and confident demeanor earned him a nod of approval from his disciples.
However, the second woman on the right couldn't help but speak up.
She was a beautiful and sweet-looking girl who seemed to be younger than Ye Ping. She was one of the youngest disciples of the sect, but now, she was Ye Ping's Senior Sister.
"Master, this solution sounds okay, but this little junior brother is not a fool either. He'd definitely ask some questions about cultivation sooner or later. If he asks me about it, how should I answer?"
She was Chen Lingrou, a young female disciple of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
"That's simple." Daoist Tai Hua gave her an answer almost without thinking at all, "Just teach him some basic cultivation methods, but exaggerate them further and tell him that cultivators who cultivate the Qingyun Qi refinement cultivation technique are far stronger than cultivators of the same level."
"However, you must also remind him that the Qingyun Qi refinement cultivation technique focuses on nourishing the body and establishing a stable foundation. Otherwise, it would be terrible if he really thinks he's strong and ends up fighting other cultivators."
Daoist Tai Hua was kind enough to make them deliberately explain that the cultivation technique was only for nourishing one's body, lest Ye Ping got too conceited and challenged others to a fight.
"Got it."
Chen Lingrou nodded to express that she had understood.
"Okay, for the following period of time, you must not communicate too much with this new junior brother of yours and stay as mysterious as possible. If he does not come to see you, don't take the initiative to see him either. The future of the sect depends on all of you."
At the end, Daoist Tai Hua's tone became even more firm, but his voice wasn't loud as he was worried that he might disturb Ye Ping.
"We understand."
Once again, they answered softly with a look of determination on each of their faces.
"Good, meeting dismissed."
In the next moment, Daoist Tai Hua left the place, followed by the rest who took their leave one after another.
At this moment, in Qingyun Dao Sect, the starry sky was dazzling and shining at its brightest.
Ye Ping was lying on his bed and staring at the sky outside the window, his heart filled with anticipation.
He had transmigrated to this world three years ago.
In the beginning, he was indeed very confused and lonely, but fortunately, he was a jovial and happy-go-lucky person. Hence, he quickly adapted to this world.
He did not expect it to be a world of immortal cultivation.
Ye Ping was full of passion for immortal cultivation, and perhaps because he had always had a penchant for reading about godfiends, he was full of curiosity and anticipation about immortal cultivation.
He did not carry high hopes or had expectations of becoming an immortal or holding power over the world.
Ye Ping's idea was very simple. He just wanted to rely on immortal cultivation to live for a few hundred years longer, find someone he liked, get married, bear children, and live the rest of his life in bliss.
However, Ye Ping was also clear that the path of cultivation was incredibly long and the dangers involved were difficult to imagine.
Hence, he had to be conscientious and careful in everything he did in the future. Most importantly, he had to persevere and not be discouraged just because of some difficulties and setbacks.
Having lived through two lives, Ye Ping became much more mature. Although he had lost some of his passion, he had gained maturity and perseverance that ordinary people did not have.
"I wonder what talent I have."
Ye Ping laid on the bed, his heart filled with curiosity.
Although he had verified that he had no spiritual root, Ye Ping nevertheless felt that he should not be that terrible.
As long as it wasn't too bad, he would find it acceptable.
Thus, Ye Ping only dozed off late at night
However, Ye Ping woke up early the next morning.
He did not snooze for longer and instead, he was far more diligent and hardworking than when he was a student. After all, immortal cultivation was completely different from studying.
Knock-knock.
As soon as Ye Ping woke up, he heard the sounds of the door being knocked on.
"Who's there?"
Ye Ping subconsciously asked, after which he immediately got up. Before he could even open the door, he heard a familiar voice.
"Little Junior Brother, Master has ordered me to teach you the Sword Dao. I'll wait for you at the cliff behind the sect for the time it takes an incense stick to burn out."
It was Su Changyu's voice.
Ye Ping immediately answered after hearing his words, "Okay, thank you very much, Senior Brother."
After saying that, Su Changyu left the place.
Ye Ping immediately washed up too.
At the same time, he tidied up his robe in an attempt to leave a good impression.
After doing so, Ye Ping opened the door of his room and walked towards the back cliff, overwhelmed with excitement.
However, he was also a little nervous.
Ye Ping was mainly worried about his aptitude.
If his aptitude was too low, he might be despised by his eldest senior brother. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
However, Ye Ping soon comforted himself by telling himself that hidden sects had a penchant for teaching those with low aptitudes. What was the point in teaching geniuses?
Do geniuses need to be taught?
Is the sense of accomplishment of teaching a genius as great as the sense of accomplishment of teaching a good-for-nothing?
At the thought of this, Ye Ping gradually calmed down.
While Ye Ping was letting his imagination run wild, he finally reached the cliff at the back.
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Chapter 6: Why The Sword Dao?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the back cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect, Su Changyu had already gotten into a stance.
Clad in the robe that he wore yesterday, he stood on the boulder with a sword in his right hand behind him. As the breeze blew past, his long sideburns fluttered and portrayed him as a Sword Immortal to the fullest.
He was in deep thought.
He was not thinking about the Sword Dao but about how to fool his little junior brother later.
Su Changyu understood that although he had to fool him, he could not be too absurd with it.
Whatever he told Ye Ping had to be based on a certain truth and he just had to exaggerate a certain logic.
In other words, he had to brag logically, but not make up nonsense.
Although it was difficult, Su Changyu felt that he could do it.
While Su Changyu was thinking about it, he heard a voice that suddenly alarmed him.
"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother, I'm Ye Ping."
Hearing Ye Ping's voice, Su Changyu snapped out of his thoughts.
He had a composed expression.
"Yes, have you had your breakfast yet?" Su Changyu asked calmly, but did not look at Ye Ping.
It was not that he looked down on Ye Ping, but rather, he wanted to seem proud and aloof.
"Not yet, Senior Brother."
After hearing those words, Ye Ping finally recalled that he seemed to have not had his breakfast yet.
"Good that you haven't. For cultivators, eating comes after cultivating and eating less is better for our bodies."
Su Changyu said.
Ye Ping nodded. He understood the reason for that as food was full of toxins that would stain his body after he ate them. That would cause a certain obstruction to his cultivation.
However, at this moment, Su Changyu's voice sounded again.
"Little Junior Brother, Master wants me to teach you the Sword Dao but I don't impart my Sword Dao to just anyone. If you lack talent in the Sword Dao, it'd be hard for you to gain enlightenment. So, let me ask you a question. If you can answer, I'll impart the Sword Dao to you. How does that sound?"
Su Changyu seemed rather mysterious.
He did not plan to directly impart the Sword Dao to Ye Ping, and instead first asked a question to set the mood.
If he casually taught Ye Ping the Sword Dao, wouldn't he seem to be holding himself cheap?
However, Su Changyu took a casual glance at him from the side. If Ye Ping showed any displeasure, he would immediately reply, "However, you seem to be talented in the Sword Dao, Junior Brother, so we can forget about this question."
He mainly wanted to see if Ye Ping had the right attitude.
He looked at Ye Ping.
After hearing those words, he did not show any displeasure and instead, nodded solemnly.
He said, "I understand that the Sword Dao seems simple but it also contains the Great Dao. Senior Brother, please ask away. If I really lack the talent, I won't dare to trouble you, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping was a little excited.
He had seen that plot before.
Usually, an extraordinary expert wouldn't impart his secret techniques directly and would instead ask a question too.
Besides, those questions would usually seem simple but they would come with a context.
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn't help but look a little nervous again.
'What if I can't answer the question?'
After saying those words, Su Changyu couldn't help but be a little shocked.
'Ah, he's so competent?'
'He even mentioned the Great Dao?'
'This kid makes the cut. He has a promising future. Good, very good.'
'Since you're on the right track, don't blame me.'
Although Su Changyu was in high spirits, he still maintained a proud and aloof appearance. He looked away and stared at the mountains before speaking up slowly.
"Junior Brother, do you know what the Sword Dao is?"
His voice sounded.
Ye Ping couldn't help but stay silent.
He had guessed correctly.
Indeed, it was a question that seemed simple but came with a profound context.
Ye Ping took a deep breath.
He was in deep thought.
'Why the Sword Dao?'
Ordinary people would probably say that killing enemies was the Sword Dao and gentlemanliness was the Sword Dao.
However, that question was clearly not that superficial.
He had to bring in his own input.
'Why the Sword Dao?'
Ye Ping pondered for two whole hours, making Su Changyu who was standing on the boulder, feel rather uncomfortable.
'Brother, I've been standing for two hours. Can't you just give a casual answer?'
'I'm so tired of standing, my hands are so sore, can you answer quickly?'
'I beg you!'
Su Changyu began to regret pretending to be impressive.
Ye Ping did not answer and Su Chengyu dared not change his stance either. He had his back facing Ye Ping with his right hand behind his back, still holding onto his sword. Although he was a cultivator, he could not stay standing for two hours.
Finally, after three hours, Ye Ping gave his answer.
However, Ye Ping's voice was rather soft.
He was trying to probe.
He dared not answer indiscriminately and could only rack his brains to think of a few sentences that he had read in novels.
"Eldest Senior Brother, is the heart the Sword Dao?"
Ye Ping was a little afraid after saying those words.
After all, it was his first time cultivating and practicing swordsmanship. The other party was an absolute Dao expert. If his answer was not satisfactory, wouldn't he be missing a chance?
However, Su Changyu couldn't help but be stunned after hearing his words.
'Hey!'
'This answer is quite interesting.'
'It's better than what I answered back then.'
'He's really something.'
Although it was a good answer, Su Changyu turned around and quietly changed his posture. He then shook his head, still looking proud and aloof.
"Wrong."
Indeed, it was wrong.
He did not care about Ye Ping's answer. No matter what Ye Ping answered, his answer would definitely be wrong.
If he agreed with his answer just like that, wouldn't it seem too casual?
"Well then, is heaven and earth the Sword Dao?"
Ye Ping was still asking tentatively.
"Wrong."
Su Changyu said.
"Is the Sword Dao the sun and moon?"
"Wrong."
"Is the Sword Dao everything in the world?"
Ye Ping once again asked tentatively.
He really had no idea how to answer that question.
"Ah."
Su Changyu shook his head and looked at Ye Ping with a hint of helplessness.
"Indeed, your talent in the Sword Dao is not up to standard. I'll change the question."
Su Changyu said.
It was a blow to Ye Ping.
Although he was already mentally prepared, he did not expect himself to be that incompetent. However, since his eldest senior brother was willing to give him a chance, Ye Ping did not feel dejected.
"Ye Ping, let me ask you, how strong do you think the extreme of the Sword Dao is?"
Su Changyu asked sternly.
How strong is the extreme Sword Dao?
Ye Ping frowned a little.
He had never seen anyone using any swordsmanship techniques at all.
That answer had touched the blind spot of his knowledge.
However, after some careful thought, he felt that he had read enough novels to know about swordsmanship even though he had never seen others practicing swordsmanship before.
Thinking of this, Ye Ping once again began pondering about it.
This time, it didn't take long for Ye Ping to come up with the answer.
"Senior Brother, I think that the extreme of the Sword Dao should be cutting through everything in the universe with one move."
Although Ye Ping's voice was soft, it was mainly because he lacked confidence.
However, his words made Su Chengyu stunned.
Su Changyu stood rooted to the ground in shock.
Fortunately, he still maintained an indifferent and aloof expression on the surface. Hence, there weren't many visible changes.
However, in reality, Su Changyu was all riled up deep down.
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Chapter 7: Cutting Through Everything With One Move
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Su Changyu was stunned.
He had started practicing the Sword Dao 20 years ago since he was eight and the strongest Sword Dao practitioner that he had ever seen, was only able to split a boulder with his sword.
'Cutting through everything in the universe with one move?'
'He's pretending to be impressive.'
He dared not even imagine cutting through the sun, moon, and stars with a sword at all.
'Pretentious.'
'So pretentious.'
'Good, very good, excellent.'
'Well said. It belongs to me now.'
After secretly gasping, there was no change in Su Changyu's expression. He regained his composure and looked at Ye Ping again.
'This little Junior Brother of mine is clearly the same as me.'
'He's just as good as me at pretending to be impressive.'
However, that was not good news for him.
If only one person was allowed to pretend to be impressive in the Qingyun Dao Sect, it had to be him.
No one was allowed to snatch away the position of the 'Pretentious Eldest Senior Brother' from him.
"Junior Brother, the path of cultivation is about stability. You're being overly ambitious."
Su Changyu said in a reproaching tone.
At that instant, Ye Ping immediately hung his head low, clearly a little flustered.
"That was just a casual remark. Please don't hold it against me, Senior Brother. I won't spout nonsense in the future."
Ye Ping was a little anxious. He initially thought that he would be praised for what he said but he didn't expect his Senior Brother to blame him.
Ye Ping came to a sudden realization.
In Su Changyu's eyes, he was just an ordinary, new disciple of the sect who obviously did not know enough to come up with such a comment.
Hence, he had indeed spouted some nonsense.
However, those words made Su Changyu shake his head.
"That's not necessary. I can understand that you're ambitious but I just hope that you can keep to the conventional routine and build a strong foundation. In the future, if you have any enlightenment, you can tell me about it but don't tell outsiders lest you get into trouble. Understand?"
Su Changyu said.
'How can you not say such impressive words to me? If you don't say such impressive words to me, how can I continue bragging and pretending in the future?'
'However, I'm the only person you can say it to.'
Su Changyu thought in his heart.
"Okay, I already know how talented you are. Now, I'm going to teach you the real Sword Dao."
Soon, Su Changyu stopped procrastinating.
He gently leaped off the boulder, appearing lithe and nimble.
Ye Ping was even more excited after he heard those words.
'Real Sword Dao?'
'Is it the peerless Sword Dao?'
Ye Ping was agitated.
He was overjoyed and filled with anticipation.
On the other hand, Su Changyu did not spout any nonsense at all. Holding onto the three-foot-long green sword, he threw out a fancy move and then stared at the ground before closing his eyes and staying silent for a long time.
After an entire incense stick burnt out, Su Changyu suddenly made a long mark on the ground with his sword.
All of a sudden, stone chips scattered everywhere and a long and straight mark appeared on the ground.
Phew!
Su Changyu exhaled.
He then looked at Ye Ping and said slowly, "Ye Ping, I've already engraved the peerless sword intent on the ground. Don't underestimate this sword mark, as it's the brand of my best sword move."
"Now, take a good look and see how many sword moves there are along this sword mark. For the next seven days, you must stay here and stare at the sword mark apart from performing your daily chores. Not only do you have to comprehend the sword moves, more importantly, you have to comprehend the momentum and the sword intent. I'll come by to test you in seven days and see if you have any talent in swordsmanship."
Su Changyu said.
After saying that, he turned around to leave without hesitation, causing Ye Ping to be dumbfounded.
Su Changyu left.
He had already left the cliff.
His face was covered in a smile that he could not conceal.
He was elated, for he had obtained a pompous phrase for free, in addition to successfully deceiving Ye Ping.
Su Changyu was in high spirits.
As for the sword moves…
He had simply made a mark on the ground with his sword at random. Something would be very wrong if he could tell what moves there were.
What about the sword momentum and the sword intent?
That was even more impossible to deduce. If Ye Ping said that he could comprehend the sword moves, that was somewhat possible. After all, he really knew how to do that.
However, comprehending the sword moves and sword intent were impossible.
What was the sword intent?
It was the intent of the sword.
There was a finite number of sword moves but there was infinite sword intent. True powerhouses of the Sword Dao would form their own unique sword intent. The more sword intent one had, the stronger the Sword Dao. In other words, the sword intent was similar to an enhancement for sword moves. It was not something that anyone could have.
Hence, Ye Ping could never have comprehended the sword intent.
Su Changyu simply did that purely to hold Ye Ping back.
Even the best Sword Dao sect in Qingzhou would not let a new disciple comprehend the sword intent.
That solution was deceiving but it was their last resort.
To be honest, he was embarrassed about his substandard skills. How could he have the cheek to impart swordsmanship to Ye Ping?
It was more likely that he would mislead him.
Hence instead of teaching him the wrong things, he might as well give Ye Ping something to do to ease his boredom. At the very least, he wouldn't lead him astray.
Thinking about this, Su Changyu felt a lot less guilty.
At this moment, a figure walked over.
It was his Junior Brother Xu Luochen.
Su Changyu immediately stopped smiling and greeted Xu Luochen.
"Second Junior Brother."
Su Changyu called.
After hearing his voice, the latter immediately looked at Su Changyu.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what's the matter?"
Xu Luochen was a little curious about why Su Changyu called him.
"Second Junior Brother, do you know how strong the extreme of the Sword Dao is?"
Su Changyu asked Xu Luochen.
The latter froze a little and scratched the back of his head in confusion.
'What does the strength of the extreme of the Sword Dao have to do with me?'
'I don't practice swordsmanship, I refine pills.'
However, since Su Changyu was the one who asked after all, Xu Luochen had to answer him. He had no choice but to shake his head and say, "I don't know."
Su Changyu immediately said calmly after hearing his words, "I shall tell you today. The extreme of the true Sword Dao is cutting through the sun, moon, and stars with a single blade of grass."
Su Changyu explained with an indifferent expression and a cold and arrogant tone.
Xu Luochen couldn't help but be stunned.
Although he didn't understand the Sword Dao, those words were shocking.
Coupled with Su Changyu's appearance, he somewhat felt a reverence for it.
In fact, a certain scene appeared in Xu Luochen's mind.
In the scene, Su Changyu was pinching a blade of grass and slashing the stars in the sky.
Xu Luochen gasped.
Thinking about this scene, Xu Luochen couldn't help but tremble from head to toe.
'This is so pretentious.'
Xu Luochen was stunned.
He could not extricate himself from his fantasy.
On the other hand, Su Changyu was overjoyed to see that expression on his junior brother's face.
'Awesome! Wonderful! Superb!'
However, his good manners allowed Su Changyu to maintain his aloofness.
Without uttering a single word, Su Changyu left, leaving behind a dumbfounded Xu Luochen.
A long period of time passed.
Xu Luochen finally snapped back to his senses but Su Changyu was no longer around.
"Eldest Senior Brother is getting better and better at pretending to be impressive. Had I not known earlier that he's incompetent in the Sword Dao, I would have almost believed him."
"However, these words are indeed very pretentious. Cutting through sun, moon, and stars with a single blade of grass."
Xu Luochen muttered to himself with a trace of shock in his eyes. After all, those words did sound imposing.
As for Ye Ping, he honestly did not suspect Su Changyu's words at all.
However, Ye Ping was a little worried because he had never practiced swordsmanship before and he might not be able to tell anything even after seven days.
However, even then, Ye Ping nonetheless stared at the sword mark on the ground.
'How would I know if I'm talented or not if I don't give it a try?'
Thus, Ye Ping stared at the sword mark on the ground for two hours.
To be honest, Ye Ping did not understand anything at all during those two hours.
In the end, he even felt restless.
However, at this moment, as a breeze blew past, Ye Ping suddenly felt refreshed.
At the next moment, when he looked at the sword mark again, a new comprehension emerged.
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Chapter 8: Him? He's Probably A Good-for-nothing In The Sword Dao
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The back cliff.
Ye Ping sat on the ground quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on the sword mark left by Su Changyu.
Two hours ago, he was still clueless.
However, two hours later, a gentle breeze blew past and Ye Ping suddenly felt something unusual.
The sword mark was sharp and gave off a stubborn vibe, as if it was left behind by a peerless swordsman. It also contained a sword intent that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.
The more he looked at it, the more he felt a chill in his heart.
In the end, a figure suddenly appeared in Ye Ping's mind.
That Daoist was holding onto a long sword and practicing some sword moves afterwards.
Yes, he was practicing swords moves.
Boom!
It rumbled like thunder and rang like a bell.
The figure in his mind became clearer.
The figure was showcasing his sword moves, each of which gave Ye Ping a feeling of enlightenment, as if he was practicing the sword himself.
His sword moves were swift and ferocious like a gale.
There were a total of twelve moves in that set, and each set of three moves would feel different, as if it was a combination of four sets of swordsmanship.
The twelve moves were fully showcased in his mind.
It did not happen just once and was instead continuous.
Once! Five times! Ten times! Fifty times! A hundred times!
The sword moves were showcased faster and faster. Previously, it took twelve breaths for an entire set to be showcased once but it gradually reduced to six, three, and finally one breath after two hours.
Each time, it would feel like Ye Ping was practicing the sword himself and it felt even more terrifying than enlightenment.
Besides, the sword moves in his mind increased from 12… to 15… and then to 20 sword moves…
Sensing the sword moves that were continuously appearing in his mind, Ye Ping couldn't help but be shocked.
"Eldest Senior Brother is indeed a peerless Sword Dao expert."
Ye Ping was extremely agitated after the epiphany.
After just watching the sword mark for three hours, he had acquired a swordsmanship technique.
That made Ye Ping more and more convinced that Su Changyu was a peerless expert.
However, Ye Ping soon calmed himself down.
He had regained his composure.
"Ye Ping, don't be too agitated. This is only the beginning. I'm afraid you will be able to comprehend more sword techniques in the future."
Ye Ping secretly told himself.
He reminded himself not to get too excited and to stay calm because it was only the beginning.
After giving himself that reminder, Ye Ping became calmer.
At the same time, he also became more interested in learning.
To be honest, before comprehending the sword move, Ye Ping also had a slight suspicion that Su Changyu was deceiving him, but now, he completely believed that his Senior Brother was definitely a peerless expert.
Hence, Ye Ping became much more attentive and diligent than before.
At the same time, in another area of the Qingyun Dao Sect, Su Changyu was practicing with his long sword in an open area.
Although his sword moves seemed sharp, he lacked explosive power. After practicing an entire set of moves, even those who barely knew much about swordsmanship would be able to see some flaws in his skills.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn out, Su Changyu put away the sword.
His forehead was covered with beads of sweat, but in order to maintain his image, Su Changyu did not sit on the ground to rest, and instead went to the side to recover his energy.
"Eldest Senior Brother, you've already practiced this set of sword moves for ten years. Why haven't you succeeded yet?" asked the little Junior Sister of the Qingyun Dao Sect, Chen Lingrou.
She was looking at Su Changyu with her eyes full of curiosity.
"Little Junior Sister, you're being too superficial."
Su Changyu wiped the sweat off his forehead and said slowly, appearing mysterious.
"How am I superficial?"
Chen Lingrou was curious and she didn't know why Su Changyu would say that.
"Little Junior Sister, this set of sword techniques is not ordinary. It is known as the Four Thunder Sword Technique, which is ranked among the top ten list of sword techniques in Qingzhou."
"There are a total of four sets that constitute this set of sword techniques, namely the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship, Summer Thunder Swordsmanship, Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship, and Winter Thunder Swordsmanship."
"If you master these four sets of sword techniques, you will be able to attract the thunder of the four seasons, which is effective against the evil devils. Back then, Daoist Siji relied on this set of sword techniques to rise to fame in Qingzhou. He created the Four Thunder Sword Technique. Do you know?"
Su Changyu was educating her seriously and he rattled on and on when he mentioned that set of sword techniques, as if he was eager to praise it to no end.
"Four Thunder Sword Technique?"
Chen Lingrou did not know much about swordsmanship but she felt that it sounded impressive.
"Eldest Senior Brother, which set have you practiced up to?"
Chen Lingrou asked.
"I've already practiced the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship to perfection."
Su Changyu answered proudly.
"You're only at the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship?"
Unfortunately, Su Changyu's junior sister did not give him a chance to pretend to be impressive.
"Little Junior Sister, you won't understand since you're not a sword practitioner. Daoist Siji poured his heart and soul into the creation of this Four Thunder Sword Technique."
"Daoist Siji once said that an ordinary Sword Dao cultivator may not even reach perfection after 500 years of practice. Even a genius in the Sword Dao would need at least a hundred years. I'm not trying to brag but I'm a genius in the Sword Dao."
"There are many Sword Dao cultivators in my generation. I may still be at the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship stage, but my progress is considered one of the best in Qingzhou."
Su Changyu praised himself seriously.
"Besides, the moves of swordsmanship are divided into four small realms; Beginner, Perfection, Greater Mastery, and Peak."
"It took me only 10 years to reach the realm of perfection. Besides, I'm confident that I will reach the Greater Mastery realm in less than 10 years. Within a hundred years, I'll reach the peak. By then, you will know how strong I am."
Su Changyu looked very confident, his eyes filled with expectations for the future.
"I don't quite get it." Cheng Lingrou shook her head. She did not understand such things because they were too tedious.
"Senior Brother, I heard that you left a sword mark for that little Junior Brother to comprehend. How long will it take for him to comprehend the sword moves and sword intent?"
Chen Lingrou asked curiously.
Su Changyu pondered for a moment.
'How long would it take him to comprehend?'
'He would never comprehend it.'
'There was no sword intent in the sword mark that he had left behind. What's there to comprehend?'
However, Su Changyu could not say those words out loud because others would find out that he was a good-for-nothing in the Sword Dao.
Hence, Su Changyu slowly explained to her.
"The sword mark that I left for him contains four sword techniques. If he can comprehend my sword techniques within a year, it would be considered an impressive feat. It's hard to say the same for sword intent."
Su Changyu said.
If Ye Ping was really a genius, he could indeed comprehend Daoist Siji's sword techniques.
However, he could only dream about the sword intent.
"What if he can comprehend it in one day?"
Chen Lingrou asked curiously.
Comprehend in one day?
Su Changyu glanced at Chen Lingrou and then shook his head and said, "It's almost impossible. Only a peerless genius would be able to do that."
His tone was firm.
"What if he not only comprehends the sword techniques but also the sword intent?"
Chen Lingrou asked.
Su Changyu was bewildered.
'Are you very bored? Why are you asking such wise questions?'
However, considering the fact that Chen Lingrou was his junior sister, Su Changyu continued to answer her patiently.
"A genius would be able to comprehend the sword techniques with just a sword mark, but if he can comprehend the sword intent too, he will be the best genius in the Sword Dao in Qingzhou."
Su Changyu answered.
"What if he can comprehend hundreds of sword intents in one Sword Dao?"
Chen Lingrou was shocked. She wasn't asking a random question but rather, she was curious because it sounded impressive.
"Hundreds of them? He would be the best swordsman in Qingzhou whom even Daoist Siji would have to bow down to."
Su Changyu answered with utmost patience.
"How about several thousands?"
Chen Lingrou asked.
"He would be the undisputed best in Jin Nation."
Su Changyu answered straightforwardly.
"How about tens of thousands?"
Chen Lingrou continued to ask.
Su Changyu was speechless.
'Have you had enough?'
"Junior Sister, let me put it this way."
"Rumor has it that in the Sword Dao lineage, sword techniques are only secondary and sword intent is the key. A large amount of sword intent can turn decay into magic. Even a single stab of the sword would be terrifying."
"In my Sword Dao, there are three realms in sword intent. The first realm is infinite sword intent, which is an indescribable amount. If a Qi Refinement cultivator reaches this realm, each move of their sword would allow them to cross several realms to kill the enemy."
"As for the second realm, it's very far from us so I won't mention it, but you mustn't belittle this realm. I'm sure you've heard of Daoist Siji haven't you?"
"He's the best Sword Dao powerhouse in Qingzhou and he's now more than 500 years old but he hasn't even reached the first realm. There's only one powerhouse in the ten nations who barely stepped into it in the 3000 years of his life. He's known as the Sword Sage Taixu who's distinguished in the ten nations."
"So, the focus of a true Sword Dao powerhouse is not the comprehension of the sword technique but the sword intent."
Su Changyu gave a long lecture.
Chen Lingrou was confused, mainly because the setting was too complicated.
However, it sounded impressive.
"In short, the more sword intent comprehension the better. Be it tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, even millions of sword intent, the goal is forever going to be infinite sword intent to achieve invincible Sword Dao."
Su Changyu patted Chen Lingrou's head as he spoke.
"Understood. What about our little Junior Brother?"
Chen Lingrou continued to ask, looking somewhat curious.
In the entire Qingyun Dao Sect, Chen Lingrou was the most interested in Ye Ping. After all, she had always been the youngest and had the least seniority. Now that she finally had a Junior Brother, she was naturally full of curiosity and anticipation.
"Him?"
Su Changyu looked at the sky with an inexplicable sense of pride.
He then said slowly, "He should be a good-for-nothing in the Sword Dao."
Su Changyu had a composed gaze.
At this moment, Ye Ping who was at the rear cliff happened to have comprehended the Four Thunder Sword Technique…
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Chapter 9: Have You Comprehended The Sword Technique?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the rear cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
Ye Ping's attention was focused on the sword technique that he had just comprehended.
He had just been through a few hours of comprehension.
The set of sword techniques that Ye Ping suddenly comprehended consisted of a total of four different styles of sword moves but they could be combined into a set of sword techniques.
The first set was like thunder in spring; loud and accompanied by drizzles.
The second set was like thunder in summer; rumbled loudly and terrifyingly ferocious.
The third set was like thunder in autumn; silent and incredibly bizarre.
The fourth set was like thunder in winter; shocking and destructive
The four sets of sword techniques were like thunder and each was unique with its own characteristics, making Ye Ping feel incredibly amazed.
Besides, in the beginning, Ye Ping only managed to comprehend 12 moves.
However, as time passed, he comprehended more and more sword moves.
Now, Ye Ping had already comprehended 144 sword moves.
How could Ye Ping not believe that Su Changyu was a peerless Sword Immortal?
"There are actually such powerful sword moves hidden in a tiny sword mark. Eldest Senior Brother is really fierce."
"I wonder if my results are satisfactory."
Ye Ping's heart was full of shock. Firstly, he was amazed by how powerful and strong Su Changyu was, and secondly, he was very curious to know if comprehending a set of sword techniques in one day was considered satisfactory.
However, what Ye Ping did not know was that the Four Thunder Sword Technique was actually divided into four realms based on the number of sword moves comprehended.
After comprehending 72 sword moves, one would be considered a 'Beginner'.
After comprehending 144 sword moves, one would reach the realm of 'Perfection'.
After comprehending 432 sword moves, it would be the 'Greater Mastery' realm.
After comprehending 1460 sword moves, one would reach the 'Peak' and be able to comprehend the sword momentum, and thus the sword intent.
Su Changyu took more than a decade to master 18 moves and was only a 'Beginner' at the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship.
However, Ye Ping was different.
In just less than half a day, he comprehended the Four Thunder Sword Techniques and even reached the realm of 'Perfection'.
It was no longer about qualifying or not.
It would not be inappropriate for him to go out and call himself the best in the ten nations.
However, Ye Ping was completely clueless. He rested for a short while, and then continued to observe the sword mark on the ground.
On the other hand, Ye Ping's sword moves increased in number too.
He continued until late at night.
After having an epiphany and comprehending a hundred sword moves, he finally felt tired.
It was already midnight. Although Ye Ping had the intention to continue his epiphany, he was eventually still fatigued and thus got up and went back to rest.
Ye Ping had a nightmare that night.
He dreamed that he was expelled from the Qingyun Dao Sect because his aptitude was too poor and he could not qualify.
Fortunately, Ye Ping was jolted awake in the end.
After waking up in shock, Ye Ping let out a long sigh of relief.
The dream was too realistic.
Ye Ping became rather melancholic.
To be frank, transmigrating was miserable enough for him, followed by his discovery that the world was an immortal martial world, which was three years late. Now that he had finally joined an immortal sect after various hardships, Ye Ping saw a glimmer of hope, especially since he thought that it was a sect that was secretly powerful.
However, if he were expelled from the sect because of his inferior aptitude, Ye Ping would not be able to accept that outcome at all.
"No, no, shouldn't sects that are secretly powerful favor disciples who lack aptitude? If I'm competent, why would I need to be trained? Wouldn't I just need to have hands? If I can comprehend peerless sword techniques out of a random sword mark, why would I need to be taught?"
However, Ye Ping soon felt that he had thought wrong.
He thought that sects that hid their powerfulness did not value qualifications, but diligence and perseverance, so he had to work hard.
Simply put, there were only two seasons for cultivators.
When a cultivator worked hard, it would be peak season.
When a cultivator slacked off, it would be off season.
Thinking about this, Ye Ping washed up simply and scurried to the rear cliff.
Perhaps because of the nightmare, Ye Ping skipped breakfast again and immediately rushed to the cliff to begin his comprehension of the sword mark.
He continued until noon.
A figure appeared on the back cliff.
It was Su Changyu.
He walked over with a plate and looked at Ye Ping in the distance, with a trace of guilt in his eyes.
Ye Ping had neither eaten nor drunk anything since yesterday as he had been constantly comprehending Su Changyu's Sword Dao.
That made Su Changyu feel a little embarrassed.
To be honest, he was purely trying to keep Ye Ping in the sect longer but Ye Ping turned out to be a rash young chap.
He stubbornly tried to comprehend a single sword mark.
It would be fine to skip a meal but he couldn't go all day without eating anything.
If he stayed behind but ended up dying, how awkward would that be?
Hence, Su Changyu walked over with the food.
"Ye Ping."
Su Changyu walked towards Ye Ping and sighed softly.
In an instant, Ye Ping woke up from his epiphany.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping immediately behaved respectfully when he saw Su Changyu.
"You may be studious and diligent but you have to eat too. I heard that you haven't eaten a bite since yesterday and that can't go on. Have something to eat."
As Su Changyu spoke, he placed a few plates on the ground. There were two dishes and some rice but it was a vegetarian meal with no meat.
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping nodded and fell silent for a while as he looked at the food on the ground.
Sensing Ye Ping's silence, Su Changyu seemed a little embarrassed but he quickly covered his gaze.
"Ye Ping, my generation of cultivators are vegetarian. Just like what I said before, grains and meat are detrimental to the body, so everyone in the Qingyun Dao Sect has always had a vegetarian diet. Don't think too much of it."
Su Changyu quickly explained, worried that Ye Ping might discover something fishy.
He was definitely lying because they were actually just poor.
However, it was not that they were too poor to afford meat but rather, they could not eat meat frequently and could only buy some meat every now and then.
"Senior Brother, I didn't think much about it, I'm just a little touched."
Indeed, Ye Ping didn't think much of it, he was just touched.
Upon hearing that, Su Changyu was somehow upset. Looking at the clean and good-looking junior brother of his, he suddenly felt a little guiltier.
However, it couldn't be helped. For the sake of the sect's development, they could only mistreat Ye Ping for the time being. They would make up for it once the Qingyun Dao Sect was promoted to a third-grade sect.
That was what Su Changyu thought.
"Go ahead and eat."
Su Changyu told Ye Ping to eat and did not say anything else.
The latter nodded.
He then picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started to eat.
Before eating, Ye Ping did not feel hungry but after taking the first bite, he was immediately struck by the hunger pangs and he couldn't help but wolf down a few more bites of the food.
Ye Ping polished off a bowl of rice with two vegetarian dishes.
At last, he even poured some vegetable oil into the bowl and finished it with the last few mouthfuls of rice.
After finishing off with a bowl of unknown hot soup, Ye Ping instantly felt energized.
"Thank you very much, Senior Brother."
Having eaten and drunk to his heart's content, Ye Ping put down his bowl and chopsticks, but did not forget to thank Su Changyu.
The latter, on the other hand, looked at Ye Ping who had wolfed down his food and felt even more upset.
However, he did not know what to say and could only ask a question.
"Ye Ping, have you comprehended any sword techniques from the sword mark?"
Su Changyu asked.
He wasn't deliberately asking for the answer but was merely popping a casual question as a remedy to the awkward silence.
However, Ye Ping's answer took Su Changyu aback.
"I have comprehended something but I'm too incompetent. I failed to comprehend the essence and only comprehended a little bit of the sword moves."
Ye Ping nodded and said with some embarrassment.
Su Changyu was speechless.
'Are you lying to me?'
'You can comprehend some sword moves out of that?'
'Do you think I've never practiced swordsmanship before?'
Su Changyu did not believe it at all.
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Chapter 10: Displaying The Sword Techniques, Su Changyu's Astonishment
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Su Changyu was confused.
'I casually drew a random sword mark, and you really comprehended some sword moves?'
'Are you lying to me?'
'Do you think you can bluff me because I've never practiced swordsmanship before?'
Su Changyu didn't know what to say.
It wasn't that he didn't believe Ye Ping, but he couldn't believe what he had done.
He had just drawn a random sword mark.
Yet, it gave Ye Ping an epiphany.
If he could comprehend sword moves just like that, was there a need for secret manuals?
However, despite his bewilderment, Su Changyu nevertheless tried to maintain his image.
"How many sword moves have you comprehended from this sword mark?"
Su Changyu asked calmly.
"Senior Brother, including the ones just now, I've comprehended a total of 400 sword moves."
Ye Ping answered seriously.
However, Su Changyu burst into laughter after hearing what he said.
He didn't follow the procedure at all and simply started laughing.
In the past, he would believe Ye Ping and think that perhaps, Ye Ping really had a talent in the Sword Dao and could identify some moves.
However, after hearing that Ye Ping had comprehended 400 sword moves, Su Changyu did not believe it at all.
He was completely unconvinced.
He was proficient in the Four Thunder Sword Techniques and the sword mark that he drew could only give rise to the epiphany of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
It was not completely impossible that Ye Ping could comprehend the Four Thunder Sword Technique.
However, he didn't believe that Ye Ping could comprehend 400 moves.
Four Thunder Sword Technique?
Daoist Siji, the best swordsman of Qingzhou, and the creator of the Four Seasons Thunder Sword Technique, only had a total of 1,460 sword moves.
Su Changyu, who had cultivated for ten years, had only comprehended 18 sword moves.
Yet, Ye Ping managed to comprehend 400 sword moves in just a day?
'Who do you think you are?'
'Do you think you're the ordinary Eldest Senior Brother?'
'Or do you think you're a Sword Dao prodigy?'
Su Changyu did not believe him at all.
However, Su Changyu soon frowned and felt that things were definitely not that simple. He thought, 'Could it be that this little Junior Brother wants to compete with me for the throne of being the best boaster in Qingyun Dao Sect?'
Ye Ping panicked a little.
He realized that Su Changyu kept looking at him without saying anything, and there was even a sneering look in his eyes.
"Senior Brother, do you think I'm a good-for-nothing because I comprehended too little?"
"400 sword moves in a day is a lot."
"Oh, I get it. Eldest Senior Brother must have mastered at least tens of thousands of sword techniques, and theoretically speaking, even those with a low aptitude should be able to comprehend a significant number of sword moves from one sword mark."
"Ah, I'm too much of a greenhorn."
Ye Ping was rather dejected.
"Eldest Senior Brother, am I very incompetent?"
Ye Ping's voice sounded again.
Su Changyu who had been complaining finally snapped back to his senses.
'Greenhorn?'
'You took one day to comprehend the Four Thunder Sword Technique to the Greater Mastery realm and you're saying that you're incompetent?'
'After ten years, I still haven't completely reached the Beginner realm, shouldn't I be ashamed then?'
'Ah, Little Junior Brother, you're the one who started being pretentious first.'
'Don't blame me for shaming you then.'
Su Changyu was a little dejected as he felt that Ye Ping was being too pretentious.
After thinking about it, Su Changyu tossed a long sword.
He said, "Little Junior Brother, show me the sword moves that you have comprehended and let me see if you're talented in the Sword Dao or not."
He just did not believe it.
He did not believe that Ye Ping had really had an epiphany of 400 sword moves.
'If Ye Ping has really comprehended 400 sword moves, I'll swallow the sword on the spot, together with the scabbard.'
Ye Ping took the sword.
He felt a little embarrassed.
It felt a little awkward.
If he didn't know that Su Changyu was a peerless Sword Immortal, or so he thought, he might have dared, but after guessing that Su Changyu might be an extraordinary expert, he was too scared to show his sword moves.
Wouldn't he be making a fool out of himself?
However, after thinking about it, Ye Ping felt that it was nothing much since he had to try it sooner or later. He couldn't spend the rest of his life just having epiphanies.
Thinking about this, Ye Ping couldn't help but take a deep breath.
On the other hand, Su Changyu quietly took 20 steps back, afraid that he might be stabbed by the sword.
"Please give me your guidance, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping took a deep breath, and then drew his sword.
Clang!
The sword was pulled out of its sheath.
At the next moment, Ye Ping's aura changed abruptly.
In an instant, Ye Ping collected all his thoughts, and the 400 sword moves appeared in his mind.
Not far away, Su Changyu was a little surprised. After all, Ye Ping's aura had indeed changed.
However, he still didn't believe that Ye Ping had comprehended 400 sword moves.
Clang!
His sword moves appeared.
Ye Ping thrust the sword forward before beginning to practice the sword techniques that were appearing in his mind.
"Four Thunder Sword Technique?"
Su Changyu's eyes widened and he looked at Ye Ping in surprise.
After just seeing his move, Su Changyu knew that it was the Four Thunder Sword Technique.
He had been practicing the sword technique for ten years, how could he not know it?
Not far away, Ye Ping completely got into the zone after performing the first move.
He was extremely fast and skillful, at least ten times the speed of Su Changyu.
In the blink of an eye, Ye Ping had performed up to the 36th move.
Su Changyu was completely stunned.
After ten years of cultivation and training, he had only comprehended till the eighteenth move, which was the Beginner realm of the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship.
However, in the blink of an eye, Ye Ping comprehended up to the 36th move, which was an incredible feat.
However, something even more incredible happened afterwards.
Not far away, Ye Ping became faster and faster at performing his sword moves and he became increasingly ferocious too, so much that it was dazzling.
When Ye Ping performed the 108th move, the sound of thunder rose in that instant.
Boom.
It was the sound of thunder.
In an instant, Su Changyu was completely astonished.
He was dumbfounded.
He stood rooted to the ground, shocked breathless.
Thunder!
Thunder!
Thunder!
It was thunder.
After each set of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques was practiced, the sound of thunder would follow.
If one had spiritual energy, one would be able to control thunder and make it kill the enemies. However, if one did not have Dharmic powers, they could produce the sound of thunder to enhance the might of their sword.
In order to produce thunder, one would have to at least reach the Greater Mastery realm.
Su Changyu's lifelong dream was to reach the Greater Mastery realm of the Four Thunder Sword Technique.
However, he didn't expect his little Junior Brother to achieve that in just a day.
'This is impossible!'
'This is impossible!'
'Impossible! Ah!!'
On the surface, Su Changyu seemed extremely calm but deep down, he was extremely agitated and his heart was in turmoil.
However, in just five breaths, which was a minute's time, thunder sounded again.
Su Changyu was astonished again.
It was a sign of the Greater Mastery realm of the Summer Thunder Swordsmanship.
Another five breaths later.
Thunder sounded again.
It was a sign of the Greater Mastery realm of the Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship.
At this moment, Ye Ping became much faster.
His sword techniques were like a storm, and it was the last set of the Four Thunder Sword Technique.
Winter Thunder Swordsmanship.
It was the strongest killer move.
Winter was round the corner and everything was withering.
Ye Ping had previously had an epiphany of 400 sword moves.
However, Su Changyu's sword mark now appeared in Ye Ping's mind again.
All of a sudden, 32 more sword moves appeared in his mind.
There were a total of 432 sword moves.
Ye Ping closed his eyes.
At this moment, he was moving with the sword.
The sword was ferocious.
He was incredibly fast.
He executed the last 32 strokes.
Boom.
Thunder immediately sounded again.
It was deafening.
Ten meters away, a boulder that was several meters in height was directly split into four.
Su Changyu was in a daze.
He was completely shocked speechless.
It was because Ye Ping had not only reached the Greater Mastery realm but also comprehended the Four Thunder Sword Technique in an epiphany.
'He's… such a freak.'
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Chapter 11: The Liar Has To Swallow A Thousand Needles
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Su Changyu was in the state of a Spartan.
He was dumbfounded.
He was really dumbfounded.
At first, he thought that Ye Ping was just blowing his trumpet.
However, the sword moves that Ye Ping performed had changed Su Changyu's views of the world.
'Is there really a peerless Sword Dao expert in this world?'
Sss!
Sss!
Sss!
Su Changyu gasped thrice in a row.
He felt like he was dreaming.
He pinched his thigh, only to feel an excruciating pain.
That meant that he wasn't dreaming.
His master had really recruited an extraordinary Junior Brother who was a genius in the Sword Dao.
'This is outrageous.'
'Qingyun Dao Sect is a lowly and incompetent sect. Have we really produced a genius?'
At this moment, Su Changyu felt a tingling numbness in his body.
He felt like he had been electrocuted.
Most importantly, that was an impossible occurrence.
Yet, it really happened.
He had an overnight epiphany of the Four Thunder Sword Technique.
Over a night, he comprehended the Four Thunder Sword Technique to the Greater Mastery realm.
He also mastered some of the sword momentum overnight.
What else could he be if not a freak?
Even an absolute genius can't do that, can he?
As a Sword Dao practitioner, Su Changyu understood how terrifying the Four Thunder Sword Technique was.
Daoist Siji had created it with all his heart and soul, and he reached the peak with a total of 1460 moves. He could use the thunder of four seasons to kill his enemies.
On the other hand, Su Changyu worked hard and practiced diligently for ten years, but he only reached the Beginner realm of the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship.
However, the little Junior Brother in front of him managed to reach the Greater Mastery realm of the Four Thunder Sword Technique overnight.
'I'm sorry to be born as a human'
Su Changyu was in a state of shock and he felt extremely sour.
'Why? I'm so handsome but my talent in the Sword Dao is mediocre.'
'Why? He's just a little prettier than I am. Yet, his talent in the Sword Dao is so terrifying.'
'Why, why, why?'
'Am I born in the wrong world?'
Su Changyu's heart had long gone into turmoil.
Ye Ping's talent of reaching the Greater Mastery realm of the Four Thunder Sword Technique overnight could be considered the best even in the ten nations of the ancient world, not to mention Jin Nation.
Such peerless talent made Su Changyu extremely shocked and sour.
Not far away, Ye Ping didn't expect himself to comprehend another 32 sword moves after practicing the Four Thunder Sword Technique either.
However, he had to admit that that set of sword techniques were really powerful.
He did not have any Dharmic powers but he managed to split a boulder with a sword move. If he were to really start cultivating, wouldn't he ascend rapidly?
However, Ye Ping did not show any signs of joy and instead looked at Su Changyu.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what do you think?"
Ye Ping asked, neither condescending nor humble.
Far away from him, Su Changyu was still dumbfounded and had yet to snap back to his senses.
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
Ye Ping called out again.
At the next moment, Su Changyu recovered from the shock.
"Ahem."
Su Changyu coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness.
He looked at Ye Ping with a calm expression but deep down, he could not stop feeling shocked.
"Eldest Senior Brother, do you think I'm talented?"
Ye Ping continued to ask.
'Do you have talent?'
'You're more than talented.'
'Even calling you the best of the ten nations is insulting you.'
However, Su Changyu didn't dare to say that he was talented.
'What if Little Junior Brother runs away after hearing that he has talent?'
Previously, he was worried that the sect would not be able to be promoted to a third-grade sect after Ye Ping left.
However, it was different now.
If a peerless genius in the Sword Dao were to run away, everyone in the sect would feel incredibly upset.
That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
They definitely couldn't let Ye Ping run away.
At this point, Su Changyu took a deep breath and bit the bullet to answer him.
"It's ordinary."
Even Su Changyu felt ashamed when he said that.
'That's ordinary?'
'If that's ordinary, the swordsmen of the ten nations can kill themselves.'
However, he had no choice but to force himself to say that.
He couldn't possibly say 'Little Junior Brother, your talent in the Sword Dao is peerless. Don't stay in the sect anymore. Hurry and go to a better sect.'
That was something that only a brainless person would do.
"Eldest Senior Brother, cut straight to the point. I understand my talent. Senior Brother, I may have low aptitude, but I'll definitely work hard and train hard. Rest assured about that, Senior Brother."
After getting that answer, Ye Ping immediately understood what ordinary meant.
Ordinary meant poor but Su Chengyu was too embarrassed to state it bluntly, lest he offended him.
Hence, Ye Ping understood that he wasn't talented in the Sword Dao but he was ready for harsh criticism. He didn't feel upset either, but he wanted to voice his thoughts.
His words made Su Changyu feel even more uncomfortable, and guilt immediately arose within him.
"Junior Brother, continue comprehending the sword mark. Don't think too much about it, I won't give up on you. I'll come by again in a few days."
All Su Changyu wanted to do now was to hurry and look for the Sect Leader.
It was too serious of a matter.
However, it was not something he could decide on his own. He had to see the Sect Leader.
"Alright, take care, Senior Brother."
After hearing Su Changyu's words, Ye Ping heaved a sigh of relief. He would be willing to do anything to stay in the sect.
It was not that Ye Ping was bent on clinging onto the Qingyun Dao Sect.
Throughout the past six months, he had taken part in more than 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets and after testing his cultivation level and talent, they didn't want him.
To put it bluntly, so what if he had good qualifications?
He couldn't try to comprehend the Great Dao on his own if no sect wanted to take him in.
Chances were meant for those who were prepared. Since Ye Ping had seized the opportunity, he definitely couldn't let it go. Besides, he thought that everyone in the sect was an absolute expert and it was impossible for him to leave.
Half an incense stick was burned.
In the main hall of the Qingyun Dao Sect, Su Changyu's eager voice sounded.
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader, something major has happened, something major has happened."
Su Changyu's urgent voice resounded.
In the main hall, Daoist Tai Hua was planning the matters for the Qingyun Dao Sect to be promoted to the third-grade sect.
After hearing Su Changyu's voice, Daoist Tai Hua couldn't help but snap out of his thoughts.
"Changyu, what are you doing? Why are you so flustered? You're the Eldest Senior Brother of the sect. You have to take note of your mannerisms at all times, especially now that you have a little Junior Brother."
Daoist Tai Hua stood up and lectured him.
"Sect Leader, something big has really happened."
Su Changyu walked into the main hall and closed the door, looking at Daoist Tai Hua while breathing heavily.
"What happened? Has your Little Junior Brother discovered our sect's secret?"
Daoist Tai Hua was a little nervous and he couldn't help but ask.
"No, no."
Su Changyu began to find it hard to breathe. He had been running all the way to see the Sect Leader and he didn't care about his image at all. Hence, he was panting heavily.
"What are you afraid of then? You're so panicky, you don't seem to be someone in immortal cultivation at all."
Daoist Tai Hua immediately felt less worried after hearing that their secrets weren't exposed.
"Sect Leader, our little Junior Brother… seems to have… a peculiar talent."
Su Changyu did not know how to describe it and peculiar was the best word he could come up with.
"Peculiar? Is it terrible?" Daoist Tai Hua asked, frowning a little. However, he had expected it. If he had good talent, he wouldn't have been rejected by the sects in more than 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets.
"Changyu, I'm not trying to tell you off but it's not like you don't know the situation of our sect. He might have inferior talent but if a talent is really here, do you think we can keep him with what we have?"
Daoist Tai Hua stood up and said calmly.
"No, Sect Leader, our little Junior Brother's talent isn't inferior but incredibly excellent."
Su Changyu immediately explained when he realized that Daoist Tai Hua had misunderstood him.
"Incredibly poor? How poor can it be?"
Daoist Tai Hua misheard Su Changyu, perhaps because he spoke too quickly.
"It's not incredibly poor but incredibly excellent."
Su Changyu eagerly explained with sweat all over his forehead, no longer looking like an immortal.
'Huh?'
'Incredibly excellent?'
'Are you lying to me?'
Daoist Tai Hua was stunned.
"Changyu, liars have to swallow a thousand needles."
Daoist Tai Hua looked at Su Changyu with apprehension. He didn't believe it.
In his opinion, Ye Ping was just a mediocre cultivator.
If he was incredibly excellent, how could he have been rejected in all 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets?
That was impossible.
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Chapter 12: A Genius Has Emerged In The Qingyun Dao Sect!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the main hall of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
"Sect Leader, I'm really not lying to you. Our little junior brother has incredible talent in the Sword Dao."
Su Changyu hurriedly explained to Daoist Tai Hua in a state of panic.
"Incredible talent in the Sword Dao? How so?"
Daoist Tai Hua still didn't believe him.
'The random disciple I found outside is really a genius?'
The chances of that happening was even lower than that of gold falling from the sky.
"Sect Leader, you know that I'm practicing the Four Thunder Sword Techniques, don't you?"
Su Changyu asked sternly.
"I know, I was the one who bought you the sword manual too. I spent more than 200 gold on it. I intended for you to train hard, develop, and promote the sect but…"
Daoist Tai Hua decided to stop talking, for fear that he would hurt Su Changyu's pride.
Su Changyu felt a little upset but he decided not to let it bother him.
He continued, "Sect Leader, you should be very clear about the Four Thunder Sword Techniques. Yesterday, I drew a random sword mark on the ground for Junior Brother and told him to comprehend it as he pleased. Do you know which realm he reached in the epiphany?"
Su Changyu asked softly, keeping the suspense.
"He can get an epiphany out of that too?" Daoist Tai Hua was slightly stunned and he thought, 'If anyone can have an epiphany while trying to comprehend a random sword mark formed by Su Changyu, he must be a genius.'
"Beginner realm?"
Daoist Tai Hua guessed bravely.
"Sect Leader, be bolder with your guesses."
Su Changyu shook his head.
"Perfection?"
Daoist Tai Hua's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Bolder."
Su Changyu continued.
"Damn, Changyu, do you want to swallow needles?"
Daoist Tai Hua didn't try guessing anymore.
'Greater Mastery?'
'That can't be.'
He was fortunate enough to have tried learning the Four Thunder Sword Technique but he didn't succeed at all. In his opinion, even a Beginner in the Four Thunder Sword Technique was considered a genius, what more someone who had reached the Greater Mastery realm.
'Not to mention, he reached the Greater Mastery realm in just one day?'
'That's more than a genius. He's probably the reincarnation of a Sword Immortal.'
"Sect Leader, you might really not believe me and even I think that I'm dreaming, but our little Junior Brother managed to reach the Greater Mastery realm in his comprehension of the Four Thunder Sword Technique overnight. He also managed to comprehend some of the sword momentum!"
Su Changyu was at a loss for words after saying that.
'Greater Mastery realm of the Four Thunder Sword Technique?'
'He even comprehended some of the sword momentum?'
Daoist Tai Hua was stunned.
He could not imagine what kind of a person would reach the Greater Mastery realm in the Four Thunder Sword Technique overnight.
Daoist Tai Hua fell silent.
However, after a while, he burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, we have a genius, we have a genius. There's finally a genius in the Qingyun Dao Sect."
Daoist Tai Hua clenched his fist in agitation. He was beyond excited.
Su Changyu was stunned motionless at the side.
'What does this mean?'
"Sect Leader, what do you mean by that?"
Su Changyu was a bit confused.
"What do I mean by that? Shouldn't you be happy that there's finally a genius in the Qingyun Dao Sect? Why are you pulling a long face?"
Daoist Tai Hua was grinning widely from ear to ear.
"No, Sect Leader, our little Junior Brother may be a genius, but the problem is, if we keep him in our sect, wouldn't we be hampering him from progressing? My conscience is stopping me from being at peace with myself."
Su Changyu voiced the thoughts that he meant from the bottom of his heart.
Previously, he didn't know that Ye Ping was a genius but now that he did, his conscience was eating at him.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Tai Hua Daoist's voice sounded.
"Changyu, you're thinking too much. Your little Junior Brother has participated in the Grand Immortal Ascension Meet 50 times but none of the sects wanted him. Besides, I found him in a vast sea of people and taking him in is considered a favor for him. It's a good thing for the Qingyun Dao Sect too. What's the problem?"
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
After saying that, Su Changyu thought about it and couldn't help but say, "Previously, we didn't know that he was a genius but things are different now that we do."
Su Changyu said.
Daoist Tai Hua said with a solemn expression, "How is it different? Do you mean that we should tell your little Junior Brother that he should hurry up and go rush to another sect because he's a genius? Changyu, let me ask you, how can he prove that he is a genius when he goes to another sect?"
"By directly casting the Four Thunder Sword Techniques? Even if he succeeds in doing so, is there a sect in Qingzhou that is worthy of him?"
"Even if the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect takes him in, what kind of trouble will he encounter after joining them? He's so talented. Won't the other geniuses of the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect get jealous after seeing that?"
"Besides, fate is important for the cultivators of our generation. Since he was rejected by so many sects, it's fate that he was chosen by the Qingyun Dao Sect."
"Are you feeling a little guilty because our sect is lacking in resources so you think that we're hampering him in his cultivation? But have you ever thought if he will get everything he needs even if he goes to another sect?"
"Besides, the larger sects like scheming against each other, and they even resort to assassination in order to stop each other from developing. Changyu, don't be too kind."
Daoist Tai Hua was indeed worthy of being the Sect Leader. Having lived for almost 60 years, everything he said made sense.
Su Changyu came to a sudden realization.
After some careful thought, he felt that it was indeed so.
'So what if he's a genius?'
'No one would dare to take him in because his origin is unknown.'
'Even if they do, he won't be the only genius in the sect.'
'Besides, those sects started as a small sect and they had climbed to the top to reach where they are over the years. They produced genius after genius with effort and hard work.'
'Their geniuses don't appear out of thin air.'
For a moment, Su Changyu felt that he was indeed being a little too kind.
"Changyu, as long as we do these, we will have a clear conscience."
"We'll genuinely teach him about immortal cultivation and give him all the resources of the sect. Our conscience will then be clear."
"Of course, there's one more thing to do. We have to continue acting like experts and keep him in the sect. I'm not greedy. We'll tell him the truth once our sect advances to a third-grade sect and he can then decide for himself whether to leave or stay. How about that?"
Daoist Tai Hua continued.
Su Changyu immediately nodded.
"Sect Leader, you're right."
"It's good that you understand. Changyu, follow me to go down the mountain for the next two days. Since your little Junior Brother is a genius, I shall buy two sword manuals so that he can learn well. Even if we have to go bankrupt, we can't shortchange him."
"Go back and rest. Remember, don't tell others about this. If more people know about this, there'll be a higher chance of it being exposed. Be steady. Changyu, just imagine that you're a true expert. Don't let the cat out of the bag."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
Su Changyu then left the hall.
After Su Changyu left, Daoist Tai Hua couldn't help but laugh again, but he covered his mouth and didn't dare to be too loud.
As for the guilt?
To be frank, what was there to feel guilty about?
In the mortal world, if one bought a valuable antique for a thousandth of a tael, how many would be willing to return the item to the seller?
Besides, there were talents everywhere, but only a few could be recognized.
None of the hundreds of immortal sects chose Ye Ping in the fifty-odd Grand Immortal Ascension Meets. Why didn't the Qingyun Dao Sect deserve to pick up a genius?
However, those who had not experienced any hardship often enjoyed persuading others to be kind.
'Changyu has to train harder in the future.'
Soon, there would be bursts of laughter from time to time in the grand hall, which confused several disciples.
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Chapter 13: Crisis Strikes the Qingyun Dao Sect
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
On the following day.
Bright early in the morning.
A voice sounded and woke up everyone in the Qingyun Dao Sect.
"Oh dear, Master. Something major has happened."
Daoist Tai Hua, who had only slept for four hours immediately leaped out of bed and subconsciously packed all his luggage as soon as he could in a bid to flee at any time.
However, at the next moment, the door of the room was opened.
It was the third-most senior disciple of the sect who was holding a piece of rice paper with a look of dismay.
"Sect Leader, don't run away yet. It's not a debtor but something else," said Wang Zhuoyu.
He frantically stopped Daoist Tai Hua with sweat all over his forehead.
He was Daoist Tai Hua's third disciple and Ye Ping's third Senior Brother.
He was good at talismans array formations.
Daoist Tai Hua chided sternly, "So it's not a debtor? Zhuoyu, I'm not criticizing you but why can't you be steady even though it's just a trivial matter? Learn from your Eldest Senior Brother. Look at him and now look at yourself!"
Hearing that it was not a debtor, Daoist Tai Hua immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
Daoist Tai Hua was a little dizzy. Since he found out that Ye Ping was a genius, he laughed until dawn before going to bed. It was now morning and he felt rather uncomfortable because he had only slept for four hours.
When he heard that something major had happened, Daoist Tai Hua's first thought was that the debtor had come looking for him.
Over the years, he had taken up several loans for the sake of developing the Qingyun Dao Sect. In fact, debtors would often show up to collect debts, leaving Daoist Tai Hua worried and terrified.
"Sect Leader, although it's not a debtor, it's almost as terrible. Look, this is the latest notice issued by the Qingzhou Sect Management Bureau."
Wang Zhuoyu was also a little helpless. He didn't want to react that way too but the matter was just too serious.
"What is the notice about? Is there going to be a demolition?"
Daoist Tai Hua grabbed the rice paper excitedly and read it ten lines at a time.
Soon, Daoist Tai Hua's expression became a little sullen.
It was getting worse.
"Outrageous!"
"Outrageous!"
"This is simply outrageous!"
After calling it outrageous thrice, Daoist Tai Hua's face turned beet red and he was no longer in high spirits as he was yesterday.
There were only a few hundred words on the rice paper.
The content was rather simple too.
In a nutshell, there had been countless new sects in Qingzhou due to the abundance of spiritual energy, fertile land and a large population.
In order to prevent there from being an excessive number of sects and to prevent fraud, they had decided to conduct a purge on the little-known sects.
The method of the purge was very simple.
Within two months from the issue of the notice, the sects would have to pay 10 inferior-grade Spirit Stones each to prove the sect's innocence.
Within the time limit, those who did not pay the Spirit Stones would lose their sect license and face disbandment.
Those who defied the discipline would be subject to forceful suppression.
The resolution had been approved by the three major sects in Qingzhou and the courts of Jin Nation.
"They're asking for Spirit Stones for no reason. This is simply lawless and a form of bullying the weak. I'm going to the capital to sue them to the Imperial Court."
Daoist Tai Hua was so angry that he clenched his fists as hard as he could.
He was infuriated.
The notice added insult to the injury of Qingyun Dao Sect which was poor to begin with.
Ten Spirit Stones.
Perhaps to other sects, it was nothing.
However, to the Qingyun Dao Sect, ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones was a huge sum.
In the mortal world, one copper coin could be exchanged for one pancake.
A hundred copper coins was equivalent to one tael of silver.
A hundred taels of silver was equivalent to a tael of gold.
One lower-grade Spirit Stone was equal to ten taels of gold.
Ten lower-grade Spirit Stones was equivalent to a hundred taels of gold.
It could be said that the Qingyun Dao Sect hadn't seen a Spirit Stone for several years.
The annual revenue of the Qingyun Dao Sect was about ten taels of gold.
That was considered moderate.
Ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones?
Even if everyone in the Qingyun Dao Sect stopped eating, drinking, and spending any money at all, it would take them ten years to save up to ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones.
That news was more terrible than the arrival of a debtor.
At the very least, a debtor wouldn't ask for ten Spirit Stones when they showed up.
Besides, even if he paid ten Spirit Stones, he would be repaying his debts.
If he repaid what he owed, it wouldn't be hard to borrow money again in the future.
However, who would be able to accept giving away ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones for nothing?
The most infuriating thing was that it was mandatory for them to pay the ten Spirit Stones.
If he chose not to pay, the sect would be suppressed.
Low-tier sects were the last thing that Qingzhou lacked.
'This is such a headache.'
'This is such a headache.'
'It's really a huge headache.'
Daoist Tai Hua was very upset too. He had thought about it yesterday and planned to save some money to buy a new sword manual for Ye Ping. Yet, something like this cropped up, causing him to be perturbed.
He felt like taking his own life.
"Master, what should we do?"
Wang Zhuoyu stood by the side, at a loss for words.
'What should we do?'
'What can we do?'
'That.'
'Do I really have to sue them to the Imperial Courts in the capital?'
'Don't you know that officials will defend each other?'
Daoist Tai Hua's emotions were complicated.
He wanted to cry but he couldn't.
After a moment, Daoist Tai Hua took a deep breath, and said, "Tell everyone to gather in the main hall. I'm going to hold a sect meeting."
Daoist Tai Hua seemed powerless.
It was indeed very troublesome this time.
The notice was obviously real.
The three major sects within Qingzhou had jointly agreed to it with the courts of Jin Nation. It was definitely not a laughing matter.
"Okay, Sect Leader, don't be too upset. There are always going to be more solutions than difficulties. We have faith in you."
Wang Zhuoyu said with a solemn expression.
"Get lost."
Daoist Tai Hua cursed in frustration.
'What do you mean you have faith in me?'
'Aren't you just pushing the trouble to me and making me shoulder the burden alone?'
"Sure."
Wang Zhuoyu left.
He left resolutely. Although he was very upset, he could not think of a better solution.
He might as well flee since there'd be someone else to shoulder the burden if the sky came crashing down.
However, Daoist Tai Hua spoke again.
"By the way, don't let your new Junior Brother know about this."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
Dirty linen should not be washed in public.
It was better to keep such things within the sect.
Just like that, an hour later, in Qingyun Dao Sect, four figures arrived early in the main hall.
Three others had gone down the mountain, so they were not in the sect.
At this moment, Daoist Tai Hua was stunned.
However, he looked a little tired and his eyes were a little red, as if he had just cried.
"Sect Leader."
"Sect Leader."
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
The crowd immediately greeted Daoist Tai Hua when they saw him.
During formal occasions, they would all have to address him as the Sect Leader, regardless of whether there were outsiders or not. They could not call him 'Master'.
Daoist Tai Hua was a little anxious.
He did not answer them and instead returned to the main seat, looking at everyone sternly.
"Long story short, the biggest crisis of our Qingyun Dao Sect has appeared."
Daoist Tai Hua's expression was serious.
After hearing that, everyone in the Sect began to look troubled.
Daoist Tai Hua did not say much and instead showed them the notice.
Soon, there was silence in the main hall.
They understood what that notice meant.
However, a voice sounded quickly.
"Ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones? Is the Sect Management Bureau insane? Why must they come at us? I'm going to sue them to the Imperial Court in the capital!"
It was Xu Luochen's voice.
He seemed unusually abnormal and his words and behavior were very similar to Daoist Tai Hua.
However, he was not the only one. Although the others were not talking, their expressions were extremely sullen too.
Ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones.
That was making things worse for the Qingyun Dao Sect which was poor to begin with.
However, Su Changyu was the calmest of all in the main hall.
He looked at Daoist Tai Hua calmly.
"Sect Leader, how many Spirit Stones do we have left in the sect?"
Su Changyu asked sternly.
He didn't pursue the root of the problem and instead thought of a solution to solve the issue quickly, fully showing his bearing as the Eldest Senior Brother.
"70."
Daoist Tai Hua answered slowly.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that.
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Chapter 14: 70 Copper Coins
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the main hall, everyone looked much more relieved after hearing that there were 70 Spirit Stones.
Although it was rather hard to accept the loss of ten inferior-grade Spirit Stones for nothing, they felt that it wasn't too bad after learning that they had 70 Spirit Stones in the sect.
They regarded it as spending money to tide through a crisis.
However, when he saw the look of relief on their faces, Daoist Tai Hua shook his head bitterly.
In an instant, the disciples in the main hall fell silent again.
'It's not 70 Spirit Stones?'
'Is it 70 taels of gold?'
Their emotions became complicated.
It was indeed rather tricky.
"Is it 70 taels of gold? The difference may be huge but if we work hard, we can earn that amount in two months."
Su Changyu said with a grim expression.
He had the demeanor and sense of responsibility of the 'Eldest Senior Brother'.
Everyone calmed down after hearing his words.
They thought that 70 taels of gold wasn't too bad.
They were only 30 taels of gold short and there was some hope for them.
However, at the next moment, Daoist Tai Hua's face became even more grave.
Su Changyu swallowed his saliva immediately.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Sect Leader, don't tell me that there are only 70 taels of silver."
Su Changyu's face was full of disbelief.
If they only had 70 taels of silver, they wouldn't have to think about it.
If they had 70 taels of gold, they could still work hard to earn 30 taels of gold and have a slim chance of survival.
But 70 taels of silver?
What could they do with that?
Just when the crowd thought there were only 70 seventy taels of silver, Daoist Tai Hua shook his head bitterly again.
Su Changyu was speechless.
Xu Luochen was at a loss for words.
So was Wang Zhuoyu.
Chen Lingrou too.
Silence filled the air.
Everyone in the main hall sunk into despair.
70 copper coins?
'Damn it.'
'Are you kidding me?'
At first, the crowd thought that 70 taels of silver was actually already the bottom line of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
However, they didn't expect that Daoist Tai Hua would never disappoint.
70 copper coins?
What could they do with that?
What?
The Qingyun Dao Sect's annual net income was only about 30 taels of gold.
Although the Qingyun Dao Sect was an immortal sect, it was the worst of the worst. Hence, 30 taels of gold a year was not bad.
There were only eight people in the clan. Since they had no mines or land, they could only rely on selling spiritual rice to earn a small income.
How were they supposed to get so many silver taels in two months?
They might not be able to do so even if they sold their bodies.
"That doesn't seem right. Sect Leader, I know that our sect is poor but not to such an extent, right? What about our savings over the years?"
Some were in disbelief. They felt that even if the sect was poor, it shouldn't be to such an extent.
An immortal sect only had 70 copper coins in savings?
In the mortal world even some Escort Agencies had more than 70 copper coins.
Daoist Tai Hua couldn't help but be furious on hearing those words.
"Luochen, what do you mean by that? Could it be that you think that I've pocketed some of the money?"
Daoist Tai Hua questioned sternly with displeasure.
"I don't dare."
Xu Luochen immediately cringed.
However, Su Changyu looked straight at his unreliable master.
"Master, I believe that you will not pocket the money but it's impossible that we only have 70 copper coins left, just tell us the truth."
Su Changyu vaguely felt that things couldn't be that simple.
After he said that, Daoist Tai Hua wanted to retort but under Su Changyu's persuasion, he couldn't help but look a bit guilty.
"Actually, the sect originally had some savings."
"But later on, I thought that it would be a waste to keep the taels of silver with me, so the last time I went down the mountain, I discovered a new thing called an Immortal Cultivation Fund, which was said to provide a considerable sum of returns every month."
"I thought that it would be profitable to let someone safekeep our silver and allow us to earn some interest."
"So, I used the silver to buy some funds."
Daoist Tai Hua stammered a little as he explained.
"Fund? What's that?"
"Master, go and get it now then."
"Yeah, regardless of the interest, we must hurry and withdraw it now."
The members spoke up one after another and were relieved to learn that they still had a sum of money.
However, Daoist Tai Hua said helplessly, "I want to withdraw the silver too but after I deposited the silver, I couldn't find the person in charge.
He felt terrible at the mention of that matter. He had been smart all his life, but he never thought that he would make such a mistake.
"Sect Leader, you…."
"Sect Leader, how much silver did you invest?"
"Not that much but not little either. About 200 taels of gold."
Daoist Tai Hua answered, feeling a little embarrassed.
"200 taels of gold?"
Sss!
Everyone exclaimed in shock.
They really couldn't believe it.
Firstly, it was a shocking amount, and secondly, how could the Qingyun Dao Sect have 200 taels of gold?
Where did 200 taels of gold come about?
By normal standards, the sect would spend at most one to two hundred copper coins a day if they splurged on sumptuous food everyday.
In a month, they would spend 30 taels of silver.
In a year, they would spend 4 taels of gold.
They could eat luxurious food every single day for 50 years with 200 taels of gold.
50 years.
How many 50 years are there in life?
They were in agony and on the verge of tears.
"Sect Leader, did you make a mistake? 200 taels of gold? How is it possible for us to have so much?"
Wang Zhuoyu was doubtful.
No one else in the sect believed it either.
"I borrowed 120 taels of gold from elsewhere."
Daoist's Tai Hua's voice was rather soft as he dared not answer loudly.
Sss!
Everyone gasped.
He borrowed 120 taels of gold?
What did that mean?
Dumbfounded!
Dumbfounded!
Dumbfounded!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
'Does that mean that we have to solve the problem of raising 100 taels of gold for the fee, and accumulate another 120 taels of gold to repay the debt?'
Daoist Tai Hua lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.
Initially, he did not plan to tell them about it. After all, he held the authority of managing the sect's finances and no one would check the accounts anyway.
However, he had to tell them at this point.
It was dead silent in the main hall.
Everyone's heart was heavy.
Daoist Tai Hua didn't know what to say.
They were at a loss for words too.
In the end, Daoist Tai Hua took a deep breath, and then said slowly,
"No matter what, I will definitely think of a solution. Today, I hoped that I could get some ideas from you guys. If nothing works, I'll take the gamble and go to Jinglin Mountain Range."
Daoist Tai Hua said.
However, his words made them even more helpless.
Jinglin Mountain Range was a famous mountain range that was full of demonic beasts. Only the desperate ones would go there to hunt for demonic beasts to earn some Spirit Stones. It was incredibly dangerous.
How could they let their master go to such a dangerous place?
However, they genuinely did not know what to say.
"Forget it. You guys go back and see if you can think of a solution. Changyu, stay behind. I have some instructions for you."
Daoist Tai Hua told Su Changyu to stay.
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Chapter 15: Supreme Sword Dao, Infinite Sword Intent realm
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The rest of the disciples had left the main hall.
Su Changyu was left there alone.
"Changyu, in the next few days, I will go down to the mountain to see if I can borrow some Spirit Stones. Take care of the matters regarding Ye Ping. No matter what, follow the original plan. You must not make any mistakes, understand?"
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
"I understand but 200 taels of gold is… a little too much. Master, can you think of a solution?"
Su Changyu was a little worried.
They had finally welcomed a genius to the sect, and yet, they encountered such an issue.
"I should be able to come up with a solution. In any case, you don't have to worry. Even if I'm tired, it doesn't matter. Most importantly, you have to keep your Junior Brother around and teach him well."
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
After learning that Ye Ping was a genius, Daoist Tai Hua did not want Su Changyu to lead him astray. Hence, he said that.
"Okay, Master, don't worry. You can rest assured with me around."
Su Changyu immediately nodded.
He thought about it all night yesterday and felt that Daoist Tai Hua was right. After getting over it, he no longer felt burdened.
Soon, Su Changyu left the hall.
He walked towards the cliff at the back.
On the cliff, Ye Ping was still comprehending the sword mark.
After learning that he was talented in the Sword Dao, Ye Ping worked even harder. If not for the fact that his body couldn't withstand it, he would devote all 24 hours of his day comprehending the sword mark.
However, diligence always pays off.
There were a total of 1,460 sword moves in the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
Ye Ping had already comprehended 720 moves.
Besides, he was getting faster and faster at comprehension and gaining epiphanies. He was confident that he would be able to reach the peak of comprehension of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
At this moment, Su Changyu arrived.
"Little Junior Brother."
Su Changyu appeared, but his expression was still as arrogant as ever. He wasn't deliberately behaving that way in front of Ye Ping, but rather, he couldn't bring himself to smile at all. He felt pressurised when facing Ye Ping now.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
Seeing that Su Changyu had arrived, Ye Ping frantically stood up to bow at him.
"Junior Brother, you don't have to be so polite. You and I may not be related by blood, but since we've joined the same sect, we are naturally close like brothers. You can save the formalities."
Su Changyu hurriedly told Ye Ping not to bow to him because he couldn't take it.
"Senior Brother, you must be joking. Etiquette is the basic essence of being human. I have to adhere to it."
Ye Ping refused to skip the formalities. As the saying goes, you can never be too polite.
When he was in the world of literature, he would praise and bow to everyone he met, which was how he gained the favor of many.
Su Changyu didn't dwell on the details and instead subconsciously asked, "Little Junior Brother, how many sword moves did you have an epiphany of today?"
He asked.
At the mention of the sword moves, Ye Ping felt a little embarrassed.
"Since yesterday, I've only comprehended to the 720th move."
Ye Ping answered seriously.
Su Changyu was speechless.
'Only 720th move?'
'I'm salty.'
Su Changyu felt terrible and he really didn't know how to answer.
However, after thinking about it, Su Changyu took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and decided to continue with the act. Since he had already acted for so many days, there was nothing to be embarrassed about even if he was exposed.
At the thought of this, Su Changyu shook his head.
"You lack some intensity."
Su Changyu said.
Indeed, after he said that, Ye Ping looked slightly dejected but he soon asked another question.
"Senior Brother, how many sword moves must I comprehend to make the cut? What is the name of this set of sword techniques that I'm comprehending?"
He couldn't figure out how many moves would be considered satisfactory.
Besides, Su Changyu was good at explaining and breaking things down.
"Little Junior Brother, listen carefully."
"The set of sword techniques you're comprehending is called the Four Thunder Sword Techniques which contain four different types of sword techniques, namely the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship, Summer Thunder Swordsmanship, Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship, and Winter Thunder Swordsmanship."
"There are a total of 1460 sword moves in this set of sword techniques. If you can comprehend all of them, you would be considered to have reached the Peak realm."
"The comprehension of sword techniques is divided into four realms, namely the Beginner, Perfection, Greater Mastery, and Peak realms."
Su Changyu paused.
He continued, "However, when you arrive at the Peak realm, it is only the beginning. At the peak, you have to condense your own sword momentum, and after the epiphany of the sword momentum comes the sword intent."
"A true Sword Dao powerhouse must be able to condense the sword momentum and sword intent. Only then can you fuse with your essence and be called a Sword Dao practitioner, do you understand?"
Su Changyu explained everything to him in detail.
In a moment, Ye Ping was suddenly enlightened.
"Oh I see."
After understanding it, Ye Ping asked a question that made Su Changyu very embarrassed.
"Senior Brother, which realm have you reached now?"
Ye Ping asked.
It was an awkward question.
Su Changyu was a little unsure of how he should answer.
'Will you believe me if I tell you that I'm only at the Beginner realm?'
After thinking about it, Su Changyu took a deep breath, and then stood with his hands behind his back.
"I'm not talented and I've only reached the first level of the legendary Supreme Sword Dao, the realm of infinite sword intent."
Su Changyu dared not make it too clear so he started making things up.
"Infinite sword intent?"
Ye Ping was suddenly shocked.
He did not understand what infinite sword intent meant.
However, it sounded impressive.
Sword move, followed by sword momentum, and finally, sword intent.
'It's hard to condense just one sword intent. Infinite sword intent? How does that work?'
"Yes, infinite sword intent. When you reach the peak, there will be a Supreme realm which is further divided into three levels. The first level is infinite sword intent, which, as the name implies, is to have countless sword intents."
"If you step into this realm, you will be the best in the ten nations."
Su Changyu said.
He didn't make that up because that was indeed the highest level of the Sword Dao.
However, no one in the entire Qingzhou could achieve that. The same goes for Jin Nation. However, there was one person in the ten nations who had half-stepped into the realm of infinite sword intent. He was the Sword Sage Tai Xu who was the first Sword Dao powerhouse of the ten nations. However, he was only halfway there and was still far from reaching the level of infinite sword intent.
As Su Changyu said that, Ye Ping felt even more excited.
'Infinite sword intent?'
'That sounds impressive.'
'Eldest Senior Brother reached that realm a few years ago. Maybe, I can reach that realm in my lifetime too.'
'Wouldn't I be the second in the ten nations then? After all, there's Eldest Senior Brother.'
Thinking about it, Ye Ping became more and more excited.
Frankly speaking, he felt that being second in the ten nations was quite a stretch and he would be satisfied enough with being the first in Qingzhou. Besides, being second wasn't too bad either. After all, if the sky falls down, the first person would shoulder the burden.
"I understand. Senior Brother, don't worry. I'll definitely do my best to catch up with you. Within my lifetime, I will definitely reach the level of infinite sword intent."
Ye Ping said excitedly.
Su Changyu felt upset.
He was sour.
However, Su Changyu felt slightly better when he thought about the fact that he was Ye Ping's first mentor who inspired him.
"Little Junior Brother, continue comprehending the sword mark here. I'll be accompanying you for the next few days so that you don't make any mistakes."
Su Changyu said.
"Thank you for your guidance. Once I succeed, I won't forget your kindness."
Ye Ping said gratefully.
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Chapter 16: Can You Paint?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was the 18th of March, the Immortal Martial Era.
It was evening.
Ye Ping had been in the Qingyun Dao Sect for 15 days now.
He had completely comprehended all 1,460 sword moves of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
In other words, Ye Ping had reached the Peak realm of that set of sword techniques.
Now, it was time to comprehend the sword momentum in an epiphany.
The so-called sword momentum was the momentum of the sword.
There were a total of 1,460 sword moves in that set and if he were to execute all of time, it would be akin to radio calisthenics. Each move was stiff.
However, things would be different after condensing the sword momentum. As long as one executed a move with the sword, it would be equivalent to executing all the moves of the set.
Hence, sword momentum was very important as a single move was equal to a set of sword techniques.
The sword intent was an existence that was on a higher realm.
Powerhouses with sword intent would not have to manually execute moves with their swords at all. They could suppress all enemies by standing still in place.
Hence, the sword intent was the highest level.
Ye Ping spent fifteen days to comprehend the entire set of sword techniques. He believed that it wouldn't take him long to comprehend the sword momentum next.
However, Ye Ping wasn't arrogant because he knew that he had his Eldest Senior Brother to thank for his achievement.
It would have been hard for him to get an epiphany without his Eldest Senior Brother's sword mark.
Ye Ping was not an ingrate and he would always remember Su Changyu's kindness.
Ye Ping thought about how he had taken part in more than 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets, but none of the sects wanted to take him in. That made him very upset. But now that the Qingyun Dao Sect didn't mind him, he would naturally bear in mind the kindness that they showed him.
At the thought of this, Ye Ping could not help but look at Su Changyu who was on the cliff near him, his heart filled with even more admiration.
"Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping called out.
Su Changyu sat on the cliff for several days in a row.
He didn't know what was going on with him lately. He was fine during the day, but as soon as it was close to nighttime, he would somehow start feeling sorrowful and dejected.
Perhaps, it was because he had suffered a blow or because Ye Ping's impressive aptitude made him doubt himself. He began to doubt if he was not suited for cultivating the Sword Dao.
However, at this moment, Su Changyu heard Ye Ping's voice and couldn't help but turn around.
"What?"
Su Changyu looked calm and composed.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I just want to inform you that I've already finished comprehending all 1,460 sword moves."
Ye Ping said calmly below the cliff.
His words made Su Changyu, who was already depressed in the first place, feel even more upset.
He felt really bitter.
However, he could only suffer in silence. Most importantly, Ye Ping was clearly very competent but he still acted like a greenhorn.
On the other hand, Su Changyu was clearly weak but he had to act like he was very competent.
No matter how thick-skinned he may be, he still found it hard to tolerate.
"Get some rest then, don't work too hard. Cultivators have to balance between work and leisure. You should understand that rushing things will lead to backfiring."
Su Changyu spoke after a while. He told Ye Ping to rest for a while but he also felt very emotional.
Geniuses are not scary. Diligent geniuses were scary and would put others in a state of despair.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
Below the cliff, Ye Ping nodded.
For the past 15 days, he had been diligently comprehending and even skipped meals. He didn't take any breaks either.
Although he had to work hard, being too diligent would not be a good thing either. He had to rest at appropriate times.
'Okay, I'll give myself a two-hour break.'
Ye Ping nodded and sat on the ground to unwind.
He looked at the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The evening sun hung at the edge of the sky, reflecting a faint red hue above the sky of the Qingyun Dao Sect. Everything was calm, quiet, and poetic.
At this moment, Ye Ping stretched and glanced at the beautiful scenery of the Qingyun Dao Sect.
He couldn't help but say coldly, "The evening sunset dyes the sky with streaks of red, covering the Qingyun peak."
"I hope to learn the art of cultivation of Qingzhou."
Ye Ping said.
He couldn't help but recite a poem.
It was a poem written by a famous poet Lin Yongzhong in the Song Dynasty.
However, Ye Ping edited it slightly.
The minor change did not affect its meaning and that was probably the highest realm of literature.
Ye Ping was slightly proud of himself.
Although he was a good-for-nothing in the world of immortal cultivation, he was rather famous in Jin Nation.
However, Ye Ping was indeed being modest. He was more than just simply being famous in Jin Nation.
Making him talk would be an insult to his identity.
The four arts — music, chess, poetry, and painting — were the favorite of the nobles of the Jin Nation. Ye Ping happened to be a figure whom they looked up to. Hence, if not for the fact that it was a world of immortal cultivation, Ye Ping would definitely do well.
However, Ye Ping had no regrets.
In his eyes, all things were inferior to immortal cultivation.
At this moment, Su Changyu moved a little on the cliff at the back.
He changed his posture and shifted his gaze toward Ye Ping.
Firstly, it was because his legs had gone numb.
Secondly, Ye Ping's poem had caught his attention.
Su Changyu was not very cultured.
However, he could tell from the lines Ye Ping recited that it was a good poem.
Thinking about Ye Ping's origin, Su Changyu could not help but be curious.
"Little Junior Brother, I heard from Master that you used to be a scholar before you joined the sect. Is that true?"
Su Changyu asked.
"Senior Brother, I was somewhat of a scholar."
Ye Ping hurriedly answered, not daring to be arrogant.
"Somewhat of a scholar?"
Su Changyu was curious. 'What does somewhat of a scholar mean?'
"I haven't been awarded a title after an examination yet so I can only be considered half a scholar."
Ye Ping immediately answered without keeping him in suspense.
"Oh." Su Changyu nodded though he did not understand it very well.
After that, Su Changyu continued to ask him questions.
"Little Junior Brother, do you know the art of painting?"
Su Changyu asked sternly.
"I do know a thing or two."
Ye Ping answered very modestly.
"Draw a painting for me then."
It was not a spontaneous idea, but rather, Su Changyu thought that if Ye Ping was good at painting, he would have something to brag about when Ye Ping rose to success in the future.
He could say, "See, the first Sword Immortal in Jin Nation has painted for me before."
Su Changyu did not have many hobbies. His only interest was pretending to be impressive.
"Okay, Senior Brother, please wait a moment. I'll go get the brush and ink."
Ye Ping nodded.
He was good at painting but it wasn't out of interest but because he joined a painting academy in his previous life for the sake of wooing a ravishing beauty. Then, it took him three hard years to master the art of Chinese painting but the beauty got together with a wealthy second-generation heir.
Hence, Ye Ping understood something out of that.
Learning how to paint could not save him from being a singleton.
Soon, Ye Ping returned with a brush, rice paper, and an inkstone.
He brought those items with him to the mountain but he hadn't had a chance to use them yet. Now, it was the right time to put them to use.
After taking out the ink, Ye Ping looked at the evening scenery, and then at Su Changyu. He then began painting.
However, Su Changyu didn't think much about it. He stood up and gazed at the evening sunset quietly in a dashing pose.
An hour later, the painting was completed.
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Chapter 17: Complete Sword Technique, Pawning All The Assets!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was nighttime.
Qingyun Dao Sect.
As the last bit of the remaining sun vanished, Ye Ping slowly heaved a sigh of relief.
"Eldest Senior Brother, the painting is completed."
Ye Ping spoke with a smile.
He was quite confident in his painting skills. Besides, after joining the immortal sect, Ye Ping felt that he had improved in all aspects. Hence, he was pleased with the painting.
When Su Changyu heard Ye Ping's words, he immediately moved and looked at the rice paper in front of Ye Ping.
It was three-ply superior-class rice paper that could be separated without affecting the quality. If properly stored, it could be passed down for more than thousands of years.
Rice paper as such was measured by foot, each foot costing one tael of gold.
Due to the fact that he had to include Su Changyu and the landscape in the painting, the paper had to be 4.5 feet long and 2 feet wide.
In other words, that piece of rice paper was worth eight taels of gold.
However, Su Changyu did not know.
He looked at the painting.
In the painting, the evening sunset covered the sky and the Qingyun Mountain Range was as ethereal as an immortal land.
The lush greenery and in particular, some of the details, were extremely realistic.
However, the most eye-catching part of the painting was the man in it.
Only his side profile was painted but Ye Ping managed to depict his proud and indifferent aura of a Sword Immortal.
That man was naturally Su Changyu.
In the painting, he was towering over the cliff and gazing at the evening sunset. There was an indescribable mood that was absolutely beautiful.
"This is a good painting."
Although Su Changyu was not very cultured, he did not go against his conscience when he made that remark.
Ye Ping's painting was indeed not too bad and the only issue was that he failed to accentuate his handsome features thoroughly. However, it was not because Ye Ping's skills were substandard but because he was too handsome. Hence, Su Changyu didn't think much about it.
Thinking that he was much more suave than Ye Ping, Su Changyu somehow felt happier.
"I'm glad that you like it, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping smiled a little before taking out a square seal and stamping it on the upper right corner of the scroll.
That was his seal.
The words 'Buddhist Qinglian' were written on it.
"Senior Brother, please hold it."
Ye Ping rolled up the painting and handed it to Su Changyu.
"Thank you, Junior Brother."
Su Changyu nodded, but before Ye Ping could say anything, someone else interjected.
"Changyu, hurry and come here."
It was Daoist Tai Hua's voice.
"Little Junior Brother, continue comprehending the sword mark while I take my leave."
After saying that, Su Changyu left quickly and walked towards Daoist Tai Hua.
Soon, Su Changyu arrived in front of Daoist Tai Hua.
"Master, what's wrong? Have you borrowed some taels of silver?"
Su Changyu was a little curious, not understanding why Daoist Tai Hua suddenly asked to see him.
'Could it be that he had borrowed some taels of silver?'
"No, but I have thought of a good solution."
Daoist Tai Hua said with joy written all over his face.
"You've thought of a solution? What is it?"
Su Changyu was rather surprised. He couldn't imagine, with Daoist Tai Hua's wit, what other solution he could come up with apart from taking a loan.
"Changyu, I may not have borrowed any silver this time, but I came across a pawn shop. Don't we have a lot of things in the sect? Why don't we pawn them all?"
"It might be difficult to get 100 taels of gold from pawning but we can at least get some silver. With some startup funds, we can think of another solution. We have two months, and everything is possible."
Daoist Tai Hua explained smilingly.
"Pawn?"
Su Changyu looked a little helpless.
He thought his master had come up with some good ideas, but he didn't expect it to be such a terrible one.
The main issue was, what else was valuable in the Qingyun Dao Sect?
"Sect Leader, will it work?"
Su Changyu remained skeptical.
"It must work. If all else fails, I'll have to pay a visit to my distant cousin whose family is rather wealthy. 200 taels of gold are probably peanuts to her."
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
"You have a distant cousin? Why didn't you tell us earlier? Why do we have to pawn the items then? We can just go look for her now."
Su Changyu didn't think his master would actually have a distant cousin.
"Well, you don't understand, this cousin of mine has a bit of an eccentric personality…"
At the mention of his cousin, Daoist Tai Hua was a little embarrassed.
"A little eccentric? That's normal. All rich individuals are eccentric."
Su Changyu was not bothered.
"No, she has a peculiar habit. She's very lustful towards men."
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
"Lustful towards men?" Su Changyu asked with a frown and he thought, 'Isn't that normal?'
"Ah, it's not what you think it is. In a nutshell, I will not look for this cousin of mine unless it's the last resort. Okay, cut the crap and follow me down the mountain. Let's go, let's stop delaying."
Daoist Tai Hua did not elaborate.
Ignoring everything else, he pulled Su Changyu down the mountain.
On the cliff at the back, Ye Ping was clueless about what happened.
After Su Changyu left, Ye Ping continued with his epiphany.
He wanted to comprehend the sword momentum sooner, but after mastering the complete sword technique, Ye Ping vaguely felt that perhaps it would not take long for him to comprehend the sword momentum.
Thinking of this, Ye Ping turned to look at the sword mark on the ground, slipping into a state of epiphany again.
Perhaps because he had mastered the complete sword technique, Ye Ping felt some changes when he looked at the sword mark again.
In his mind, the four figures kept performing the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
A sword momentum suddenly spread in Ye Ping's surroundings.
Weeds and leaves flew up, revolving around Ye Ping.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The dull sound of thunder resounded in the cliff and Ye Ping's speed of epiphany was several times faster than before.
It lasted till morning.
Ye Ping opened his eyes.
He raised his hand and a wave of terrifying sword momentum emerged from his body in an instant.
Phew!
An invisible wisp of sword energy appeared, swept up the weed and leaves on the ground, before striking a stone and forming a mark on the ground.
If Su Changyu was there, he'd probably drop his sword right away because of the shock. Overnight, Ye Ping actually condensed the sword momentum. Although it was only the beginning, it was still… incredible.
At the same time.
In Qingzhou region.
Taiyue Sword Sect.
There were three major sects in Qingzhou, and the Taiyue Sword Sect was one of them. It was a first-grade immortal sect.
There were 3,000 elite disciples and it was a renowned sect.
At this moment, on Sword Epiphany Cliff of the Taiyue Sword Sect, a few young talents were seated below and comprehending sword moves.
There was an extremely sharp mark on the Sword Epiphany Cliff.
It was left behind by the first Sword Dao powerhouse of Qingzhou, Daoist Siji.
Indeed, it was Daoist Siji.
Back then, Daoist Siji owed a favor to the Taiyue Sword Sect, and now the Sect Leader of the Taiyue Sword Sect requested Daoist Siji to leave behind a sword mark in hopes that the younger generation of elites in the Sword Dao could comprehend it well.
The sword mark was left on the Sword Epiphany Cliff.
It was terrifying.
It even had the sound of thunder.
That was a real mark of sword intent.
Su Changyu's sword mark was simply an insult to Daoist Siji.
At this moment, a soft sound of thunder filled the air all of a sudden.
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Chapter 18: There Might Be A Sect With A Genius in the Supreme Sword Dao
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Taiyue Sword Sect.
Under the Sword Epiphany Cliff.
With the sound of thunder, countless disciples could not help but look over.
There were five young disciples seated under the Sword Epiphany Cliff.
They were the outstanding inner sect disciples of the Taiyue Sword Sect who were extremely talented in the Sword Dao.
They were also the reason that the Sect Leader of the Taiyue Sword Sect invited Daoist Siji to carve a sword mark for them to comprehend the sword intent.
Not even a full month had passed, but someone had finally comprehended the sword intent of Daoist Siji.
He was a young man who did not look a day over twenty. He was dressed in a white robe and seated cross-legged on the ground with a long sword in front of him that was buzzing with sounds.
That was not all. There were also numerous sword shadows that emerged behind him.
"He has gained enlightenment."
"Senior Brother Xu Heng has really gained enlightenment."
"Have you had an enlightenment?"
"Oh my goodness, Senior Brother Xu Heng lives up to his name of a famous Sword Dao genius in Qingzhou. It's only been a month and he has already comprehended the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques to the realm of Greater Mastery with the sword mark."
"I'm so envious."
"When Daoist Siji left this sword mark, he said that even for a genius, it would take ten years to comprehend any one of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques to the realm of Peak but Senior Brother Xu Heng only took a year to comprehend the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship to the realm of Greater Mastery. He would probably take less than three years for the next three."
"Senior Brother is known as one of the ten greatest geniuses in the Sword Dao. We can only look up to such a talented person like him."
"Stop it, I'm getting sour."
"It seems that Senior Brother is going to be in the top ten in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, right?"
"Top ten? I'll give you a chance to correct yourself. He'll be in at least the top three."
"In a year's time, he managed to reach the realm of Greater Mastery in the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship. Isn't he a genius in the Sword Dao?"
The disciples of the Taiyue Sword Sect were discussing fervently among themselves while looking at him in envy.
There were seven or eight elders on the Sword Epiphany Cliff.
They were all elders of the Taiyue Sword Sect.
One of them was grinning widely, unable to hide his joy.
"Senior Brother Ming Jian, you really made the right judgment. Your disciple has managed to comprehend Senior Siji's sword intent in just a month's time. What a joyous event worth celebrating."
An elder congratulated Elder Ming Jian, the old man who had the widest smile of all.
"Hahaha, not at all. He's only reached the realm of Greater Mastery, no big deal. Senior Siji's sword mark contains his sword intent. Reaching the realm of Greater Mastery is not considered much at all."
Elder Ming Jian smiled and appeared very modest, but his grin wasn't the least bit modest at all.
"Senior Brother Ming Jian, you're being too modest."
"Yeah, Senior Brother Ming Jian, you're being too humble. Your disciple has a high attainment in the Sword Dao, and it won't be wrong to say that he's the best in the inner sect. I reckon Xu Heng might have a chance to take the first place in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet this time."
Another elder praised, stroking his beard.
However, someone soon humphed sternly.
"There are hidden talents everywhere in Qingzhou. Putting aside the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect and the White Cloud Dao Sect, there are tens of thousands of sects of all sizes in Qingzhou. Isn't it a little too early to say that he will come in first place?"
The person who spoke was an old man, and there was some disdain in his tone.
Immediately afterwards, Elder Ming Jian's face also grew a little sullen.
The former was his rival since he was young and they could be considered to have gone against each other all their lives.
However, the former's disciple had yet to comprehend the sword intent so he was naturally displeased.
Elder Ming Jian glanced at him.
However, he didn't get angry.
Instead, he laughed and said, "Elder Chen Yu is right. There might be hidden talents in Qingzhou and there might be a Supreme Sword Dao genius in one of the smaller sects who can reach the Peak in less than twenty days by just casually looking at a sword mark. My inferior disciple is definitely not qualified to clinch the first place in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet."
Elder Ming Jian remarked sarcastically.
The elders' expressions changed slightly.
They could instantly tell that Elder Ming Jian was just mocking him with sarcasm.
'Reaching the Peak realm by casually looking at a sword mark?'
There wouldn't be such a talent in the ten nations, let alone Jin Nation or Qingzhou.
What kind of a genius must one be to do that?
Even a reincarnation of a Sword Immortal might not be able to do that.
Daoist Siji was the best Sword Dao powerhouse in Qingzhou who was in the Nascent Soul realm and could condense the supreme sword intent. Even a true genius in the Sword Dao would have to spend several years comprehending the sword techniques in his sword mark.
Yet, Daoist Ming Jian mentioned reaching the realm of Peak by casually looking at Daoist Siji's sword mark.
He was obviously being sarcastic.
After hearing these words, Elder Chen Yu could not help but show his anger.
However, with so many juniors around, he could not lose his temper, lest he embarrassed himself.
"Don't fight, Senior Brothers, no matter whose disciple is highly talented, it'd be a good thing for the Taiyue Sword Sect."
"However, coming in first in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet is indeed a little too exaggerated. After all, there is only one genius in the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect. However, the Sect Leader has stated that, no matter what, he wants our disciple to be in the top ten this time."
"Do you all know why?"
At this moment, another elder spoke up.
In an instant, the elders were curious as they indeed did not know the reason.
Although the disciples of the Taiyue Sword Sect would usually do well in all the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meets in history, the Sect Leader seemed to have valued the upcoming one particularly greatly. He even invited Daoist Siji to carve his sword mark, which hinted that there was something strange.
Everyone was curious.
The latter began explaining slowly.
"This time, those who achieve the top ten can get a entry token to the Taixuan Sword Pagoda, do you all understand?"
All of a sudden, the crowd was shocked.
"Entry token to the Taixuan Sword Pagoda?"
"Ah! Is the Taixuan Sword Pagoda going to be open again?"
"Turns out it's the entry token to the Taixuan Sword Pagoda! No wonder the Sect Leader pulled his connections to invite Daoist Siji here. So this is the reason."
The elders were astonished.
They knew what the Taixuan Sword Pagoda represented.
It was an ancient treasure of the ten nations in the Southern region.
It was rumored to have been refined by a Sword Immortal.
It contained the inheritance of a Sword Immortal as well as his comprehension. As long as a disciple of the Sword Dao lineage entered, they would definitely gain something out of it.
There were 91 levels in the Sword Tower, each of which was guarded by a gatekeeper. The higher one went, the more rewards they would get.
One would require the Taixuan Sword Pagoda token to enter.
Naturally, the Taixuan Sword Pagoda token was extremely valuable.
However, they never thought that the Taixuan Sword Pagoda token would be awarded to the top ten candidates of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. It was rather surprising.
"Yes, the Taixuan Sword Pagoda has been activated again and 365 tokens have been issued this time. Ten have been allocated to Qongzhou and the final decision is that these ten tokens will be given to the top ten candidates of the Sword Dao Meet. So, be sure to teach your disciples well during this period of time."
"If a disciple of a smaller sect takes the token instead of our disciples, that would be embarrassing."
The other party said smilingly.
Everyone else smiled indifferently too.
However, they all understood that such an occurrence was almost impossible.
The larger sects were large not only because of their strong heritage, but mainly because of their abundant resources.
What could a small sect do even if they had a peerless genius?
Would they really be able to comprehend hundreds of sword intents from a random sword mark?
No way. Surely you don't really think there's a peerless Supreme Sword Dao genius in this world, do you?
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Chapter 19: You Can Sell This Too?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In Baiguo City.
The blazing sun was shining bright and there was a snakelike queue outside the city.
Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were standing outside the city and getting in line.
Standing among the crowd, Daoist Tai Hua's eyes were fixed on a notice that he couldn't take his eyes off of, seemingly pondering over something.
Su Changyu scanned the notice and soon froze.
The reason being, it was a notice about the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet.
The content was very simple too.
"The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet will be held in the ancient city of Changyun in three months' time.
Registration requirements: Upfront fee of 10 inferior-grade Spirit Stones.
Reward for candidates in the top 500 places: Sword Dao Robe.
Reward for candidates in the top 100 places: 100 inferior-grade Spirit Stones.
Reward for candidates in the top 50 places: 500 inferior-grade Spirit Stones.
Reward for candidates in the top 10 places: Supreme-grade enchanted armament— flying sword.
Reward for candidates in the top 3 places: 1 Spirit Artifact flying sword.
Reward for Qingzhou Sword Dao champion: 1 Superior-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword.
A mysterious reward awaits you at the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Registration venue: Sect Office of all main cities in Qingzhou."
—-
The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, which was held once every three years, was one of the more famous meets in Qingzhou.
Although the rewards for the meet did not seem too attractive, most people who participated in the meet did not care about rewards at all. They mainly focused on gaining fame.
Who wouldn't want to be a Sword Dao genius who was respected and admired by many?
Su Changyu couldn't help but be stunned when he looked at the notice, but soon, he began to recall the state he was in when he clinched a spot in the top 500 places.
Although the number of applicants for that meet was rather small, being in the top 500 places was considered a glorious achievement.
However, when he saw the Sect Leader staring at the notice for a long time and slipping into a trance, Su Changyu couldn't help but speak up.
"Sect Leader, don't think about it. We're not qualified to participate in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet at all. Uh… Sect Leader, are you thinking about it?"
Su Changyu was a little cynical about it, but soon, he realized what Daoist Tai Hua wanted to do so he couldn't help but be stunned.
"Don't spout nonsense, let's get to business first."
Daoist Tai Hua admonished Su Changyu to be careful with his words, and the two of them remained silent afterwards.
Two full hours passed.
They finally entered Baiguo City.
Upon entering Baiguo City, Daoist Tai Hua headed straight to a pawnshop with a cloth bag in hand.
The pawnshop was named 'Sincere Gold Pawnshop'.
The pawnshop looked very upscale and opulent, making them feel relaxed because of a sandalwood fragrance that wafted up to their noses as soon as they walked in.
Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu looked calm.
The pawnbroker personally came out to welcome them with a courteous smile.
"Exalted Immortals, are you here to pawn or sell your items?"
The pawnbroker seemed to be in his forties and appeared rather sly.
"Sell."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
Daoist Tai Hua understood the rules of the pawnshop and knew that pawnshops would generally only offer 70% of the original price of the item. Usually, one would incur a 30% loss when selling an item to the pawnshop.
However, that was inevitable because that was the fastest way to get money.
"You'd like to sell? Sure. Exalted Immortals, what do you want to sell?"
The pawnbroker asked smilingly.
"Here are the items. If you give me a good price, I will come often in the future."
Daoist Tai Hua directly tossed the bag onto the ground. It contained the items that he had scavenged for most of the day, which were basically all of the valuable items that he could find in the Qingyun Dao Sect.
"Sure, please have a seat, Exalted Immortal."
"Please serve the tea." Seeing how straightforward Daoist Tai Hua was, the pawnbroker gleefully ordered someone to serve the tea, subconsciously thinking that he had found a big client.
"No need for the tea. Just look at the goods and pay me the due amount."
Daoist Tai Hua said seriously.
He had to watch the pawnbroker check the goods, so as to prevent any slip-ups.
The pawnbroker was not the least bit displeased to hear Daoist Tai Hua's words. On the contrary, he was even happier because he thought that the more serious Daoist Tai Hua was, the more it meant that the items in the bag were good. Otherwise, who would care so much about a pile of trash?
"Exalted Immortals, please wait a moment."
The pawnbroker smiled and asked one of the staff to call the appraiser of the pawnshop.
After a short while, an old man hurriedly arrived. When he saw Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu, he smiled and cupped his hands to greet them.
The two of them nodded.
Soon, the elder opened the bag and looked at it with anticipation.
Even the pawnbroker seemed to be very expectant.
After all, Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu looked quite dignified. Hence, they felt that there were definitely good items.
However, after opening the sack, their faces immediately turned sullen.
There was a huge pile of things in the sack but they seemed like garbage to the two.
The appraiser rubbed his eyes, afraid that he might make the wrong judgment. Hence, he scrutinized it for a while but heaved a sigh of relief in the end.
Indeed, it was a pile of trash.
He did not make the wrong judgment.
"Exalted Immortal, did you make a mistake?"
The pawnbroker was a little confused.
"No mistake, these are the things I want to sell. Give me a good price and I'll return again next time."
Daoist Tai Hua did not feel anything. On the contrary, he was very serious.
After he heard him say that, the pawnbroker of Sincere Gold Pawnshop fell silent completely.
'Ugh, I was wondering what treasures there were.'
'Turns out it's a pile of scrap.'
'Since they're just scraps, why do you have to act like they're something impressive?'
'Also, you came to a pawnshop with a pile of scrap? Are you so poor that you've gone out of your mind?'
'Give you a good price? You'll come back next time? Do you think this is a market? This is a pawn shop, do you think I, Shi Liangjin, am a rag-and-bone man?'
The pawnbroker stayed silent for a short while.
He was full of criticism but he ultimately chose not to vent his anger.
After all, since they had set up a business, he had to accept all sorts of customers, be it good or bad.
He could choose not to do any business but his reputation could not be tarnished.
Thinking about this, Shi Liangjin had no choice but to sigh and pick up the scrap.
"Ungraded demon hide, 7 taels of silver."
"Damaged flying sword hilt, 12 taels of silver."
"One shattered shard of Dharma treasure, 9 taels of silver."
"Foot cloth. Damn it, Exalted Immortal, are you alright? You're selling a foot cloth?"
In the pawnshop.
Shi Liangjin was squatting on the ground and picking out the items from the sack, one by one. He wasn't angry at first but he couldn't help but feel a little enraged when he pulled out the foot cloth.
That item was a little too inappropriate.
"Oh, I was in a rush when I was packing, that's a mistake."
Daoist Tai Hua was also a little embarrassed as he quickly took the cloth back.
Shi Liangjin was rather annoyed.
However, he put up with it in the end.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn out, he finished counting all the items.
Indeed, it was a pile of trash.
That broke the last bit of Shi Liangjin's fantasy.
Previously, he imagined that the two people in front of him were experts who had hidden the treasures at the bottom for the sake of teasing them. However, it seemed like he was too naive to think so.
"One gold and 35 silver taels in total."
The pawnbroker stood up and clapped while looking at Daoist Tai Hua.
"That's too little, isn't it? Take it that we're forging a friendship. On account of that, how about two taels of gold?"
Daoist Tai Hua said after thinking about it for a while.
Shi Liangjin was at a loss for words.
He fell silent as he did not know what to say.
He didn't want to make friends with Daoist Tai Hua.
"One gold and 35 silver taels, not a single cent more. Exalted Immortals, if you're not satisfied, you may visit other pawnshops."
Shi Liangjin smiled awkwardly.
Deep down, he couldn't wait for the two of them to hurry up and leave.
He was the pawnbroker of Sincere Gold Pawnshop who would earn dozens of taels of gold in two hours. Yet, the two of them wasted so much of his time. Not only did he lose money, most importantly, he was embarrassed.
"Just consider this a friendship between us. We will continue to patronize you in the future. How about one gold and 50 silver taels? How is that? I won't take advantage of you."
Daoist Tai Hua insisted.
The latter shook his head helplessly, and then laughed bitterly.
"Exalted Immortals, to be honest, the total value of these items are lesser than the rice paper of that painting. If you can afford to buy Xuyang rice paper, why bother making a fuss about these taels?"
Shi Liangjin said.
He fixed his gaze on the scroll in Su Changyu's hand.
The scroll of painting was the reason he mistook the two of them for wealthy people.
He could tell at a glance that it was Xuanyang rice paper which cost two taels of gold per foot. The scroll itself was probably worth more than ten taels of gold.
Only those who were rich would dare to use such rice paper for painting.
Ordinary literati cannot afford to spend so much money.
However, at the next moment, Daoist Tai Hua asked, "This thing can be sold for money too?"
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Chapter 20: A Thousand Gold for a Thousand Words? Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu Are Shocked
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Daoist Tai Hua was really surprised.
Even Su Changyu was a little appalled too.
'This painting alone is worth more than the valuable assets of Qingyun Dao Sect?'
'Really?'
"Huh? Don't you two know? This is Xuyang rice paper which costs two taels of gold per foot. This scroll is probably about four feet long, that makes it eight taels of gold."
Shi Liangjin remained silent.
'Do these two not know what this item is?'
"Eight taels of gold?"
Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were dumbfounded to hear it.
"However, the price may not necessarily be so because it has been painted on. Fresh, unpainted rice paper is worth eight taels of gold, but if it's been painted on, it will depend on the painting."
The pawnbroker Shi Liangjin continued.
After he said that, Su Changyu's face turned even more sullen.
"How much is it worth with the painting on it?"
Su Changyu asked eagerly.
Daoist Tai Hua's also looked a little angrier.
"That depends on the painting. Generally, even if the painting is good, it won't be likely to fetch a high price if it isn't famous enough. It mainly depends on who the painter is. You two should understand this, right?"
Shi Liangjin truly did not lie to the two of them.
A good painting might not fetch a high price and the key deciding factor was the painter.
A painting painted by a master of the current dynasty would be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold even if it had a tiny size. However, an excellent painting painted by an unknown painter would not fetch a good price.
"Oh no."
Su Changyu felt that it was over for them after hearing those words.
The reason was that Ye Ping happened to be an unknown painter who did not enjoy fame.
Had he known that earlier, he wouldn't have let Ye Ping paint.
"Exalted Immortals, may I have a look at it?"
However, out of professional ethics, Shi Liangjin still wanted to take a look at it. In case it was a treasure but the two of them failed to recognize it, he would strike a huge fortune.
"Okay."
Not carrying any hopes at all, Su Changyu handed the painting over to him.
However, Daoist Tai Hua began to ponder again.
He knew who gave Su Changyu that painting and he also remembered that Ye Ping had indeed gone up the mountain with a large bag of items but he didn't expect them to be worth so much money.
However, at this moment, Shi Liangjin grabbed the scroll of painting and then unrolled it on the table.
Soon, the painting was completely unrolled and Shi Liangjin shrieked in shock.
"Ah! It's a painting by Householder Qing Lian!?!"
His exclamation immediately caught their attention.
"Householder Qing Lian? Who's that? Is he very famous?"
Daoist Tai Hua asked subconsciously.
On the other hand, Su Changyu knew who Householder Qing Lian was, but he didn't say much, though his eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at Shi Liangjin.
"Ah! Exalted Immortals, please wait a moment."
Shi Liangjin did not answer them and instead immediately instructed the worker of his store to bring the appraiser of the pawnshop again.
Soon, the elderly man arrived again.
However, this time, his attitude was obviously much colder than before.
Nevertheless, the painting caught his eye as soon as he walked over.
He could tell at a glance that the painting was extraordinary. Those who dared to use Xuanyang rice paper for paintings were either a horrible painter or an extraordinarily brilliant one.
In an instant, the elderly man walked towards the painting and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
"Is this a painting by Householder Qing Lian?"
The elderly man took a few careful glances before looking at Shi Liangjin in shock.
"It should be. The painting techniques and seal tally, but the ink doesn't seem to have dried completely yet. It seems that it was painted not long ago."
Shi Liangjin suppressed the excitement within him and tried to make his tone as calm as possible.
"I didn't expect it to be a painting by Householder Qing Lian, and it seems to have been painted recently. Is Householder Qing Lian in Baiguo City?"
The elderly man also looked very excited as he carefully examined the painting. The more he looked at it, the more astonished he felt.
In Jin Nation, Householder Qing Lian was known as the most talented man who was well-versed in the Four Arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Many women in Jin Nation were infatuated with a stanza of his poem and many literati were huge fans of his.
Even the emperor of Jin Nation fancied Householder Qing Lian's calligraphy.
Unfortunately, Householder Qing Lian was not a pursuer of fame and fortune, nor did he participate in the imperial examinations. This year, he even disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he had gone, but that was also the reason he was revered by the literati.
Fame and fortune mattered the most to the literati, and almost all of them wanted to make a name for themselves in the world of literature, in hopes of reaching the level of Confucius, so that they could stand tall and upright.
However, Householder Qing Lian was actually indifferent towards fame and fortune. How could he not be popular and sought after?
In particular, Householder Qing Lian was put on a pedestal by the literati of Jin Nation who admired him even more this year because he didn't participate in the imperial examinations. The value of his calligraphy pieces were pushed to sky-high prices.
Hence, Shi Liangjin was appalled to see the paintings.
"I'm not sure. Householder Qing Lian has always been spontaneous. He likes to frolic around the mountains and is unfettered by nature. Perhaps, he has really come to Baiguo City, casually painted a painting and then given it to someone."
Shi Liangjin dared not be certain.
However, at this moment, Su Changyu spoke up.
"How much can this painting be sold for?"
Upon hearing his voice, Shi Liangjin and the appraiser of the pawnshop finally recovered from their shock.
The two of them immediately became extremely enthusiastic and their attitudes were several times better than before.
"Exalted Immortals, the paintings of Householder Qing Lian are priceless. It's hard for us to come up with a suitable price immediately. May I ask what price you would like to offer?"
Shi Liangjin said with an awkward smile.
That was a half-truth. Indeed, Householder Qing Lian's paintings were priceless but he could definitely estimate a price. However, he could tell that Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu did not know much about paintings and hence decided to ask them to quote a price, thinking that he might get an advantage.
Unfortunately for him, Daoist Tai Hua was smart too.
He extended five fingers and looked at Shi Liangjin. "I want this much."
He meant 50 taels of gold.
That's right.
Daoist Tai Hua was no fool. Although he didn't know how to appreciate paintings and calligraphy, he could tell from the way the two of them behaved that the painting was probably very valuable.
Considering that the cost was eight taels of gold, he gritted his teeth and offered a price of 50 taels of gold.
Shi Liangjin frowned slightly after hearing his words.
'5,000 taels of gold?'
'That's not a high price at all.'
However, the problem was that he still wasn't entirely sure about the authenticity of the painting. What if it was painted by a master of replicas?
In that case, it would be a huge loss for him.
If it was a painting created by Householder Qing Lian, 5,000 taels of gold wouldn't be overboard at all.
The paintings of Householder Qing Lian were highly sought after by the high officials of Jin Nation and its value lied beyond money. To some people, the value of this painting would be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.
Thinking about this, Shi Liangjin couldn't help but sigh deeply. He then turned to look at Daoist Tai Hua.
"Exalted Immortal, can you wait for two hours while I invite someone over to identify the authenticity of this painting? If it's authentic, I can definitely give you 5,000 taels of gold, but if it's a replica, I'll offer you 500 taels of gold. How does that sound?"
Shi Liangjin said.
However, after he said that, Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were completely astonished.
'How much?'
'5,000 taels of gold?'
'Even if it's not authentic, he'd pay 500 taels of gold?'
'Is this thing worth so much money?'
'Are you lying to me?'
'Are you fooling us?'
The two of them were completely flabbergasted.
They were even more shocked than they were when they found out that Ye Ping was a genius.
'Ye Ping may be a genius in the Sword Dao.'
'But a painting of his is worth so much money too?'
'How is this acceptable?'
At this moment, the two of them even forgot to breathe.
However, after a while, Daoist Tai Hua took a deep breath and looked at Shi Liangjin. "I mean 50,000 taels of gold."
He looked extremely solemn.
Su Changyu, who was beside him, was stunned beyond words.
'Sect Leader, will you be more humane?'
'5,000 taels of gold is really enough.'
'Please, don't be so greedy.'
However, when he said that, Shi Liangjin did not fly into a rage immediately. Instead, he smiled bitterly and explained helplessly.
"Exalted Immortals, 50,000 taels of gold is impossible, even if this is authentic. A painting alone cannot be sold for such a sky-high price, unless it is marked with Householder Qing Lian's poem. Besides, it can't be a portrait of a human. If a painting meets those conditions, 50,000 taels of gold is possible."
The pawnbroker said.
Su Changyu and Tai Hua Daoist fell completely silent.
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Chapter 21: Sold At A Sky-high Price
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu had completely slipped into a state of doubt.
They didn't expect that the painting would really be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.
Although there were all sorts of restrictions, they felt that it wasn't too difficult, judging from his tone.
"If there are no people in the painting, how much can it be sold for?"
Su Changyu swallowed his saliva and stammered a bit.
Shi Liangjin took a careful look at the painting.
He then gave him an answer.
"First of all, if this is an authentic painting, it would definitely be worth 5,000 taels of gold. Secondly, the mood of this painting is beautiful and it can be considered a top painting of Householder Qing Lian. However, the problem lies with the person that has been painted in the painting. Besides, he seems to be in the posture of a Sword Immortal."
"However, the problem is also that if one collects this painting, others might mistake the person in the painting to be someone whom the collector admires. Hence, portraits are usually only valuable after an accumulation of time. Simply put, this painting will be worth even more money in a few hundred years."
"For now, the price isn't too high, but fortunately, only the side profile has been painted. If there wasn't a person in the painting, it wouldn't be hard to fetch a price of 10,000 to 20,000 taels of gold. Hey, Exalted Immortal, the person in the painting resembles you quite a bit."
As Shi Liangjin explained, he couldn't help but look at Su Changyu at this juncture and spotted a striking resemblance between him and the figure in the painting.
"No, it doesn't. Please don't talk nonsense."
Su Changyu hastily denied while his heart ached.
'Why did I try to act impressive for no reason? Should I have known earlier, I would've asked Little Junior Brother to just paint the scenery.'
'I didn't have anything better to do.'
Su Changyu felt like crying.
However, Daoist Tai Hua was even more upset.
He could tell right away that the person in the painting was Su Changyu.
When the painting appeared, he knew that Ye Ping had painted it for Su Changyu, but he didn't expect that to cause them to lose 5,000 taels of gold for no reason.
Daoist Tai Hua was more than just distressed about losing money.
He wanted to eat someone up.
Sensing Daoist Tai Hua's resentment, Su Changyu stopped talking and stayed silent while standing beside him.
He knew that he would be taught a lesson if he had the guts to speak up now.
'But I can't be blamed. How could I have known that Little Junior Brother is a brilliant painter in addition to being extremely talented in the Sword Dao?'
An hour later, three appraisers whom the pawnbroker invited showed up.
Besides, they all specialized in appraising paintings.
After two hours of careful scrutiny, they finally announced that the painting was authentic.
After learning that it was authentic, Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu were incredibly agitated.
'A painting is actually worth 5,000 taels of gold.'
'This… is a little too exaggerated, isn't it?'
The annual revenue of the Qingyun Dao Sect was 20 taels of gold.
In ten years, they would earn 200 taels of gold.
In a hundred years, they would earn 2,000 taels of gold.
It would take them 250 years to earn 5,000 taels of gold.
'This is so damned absurd.'
"What a shame. It's such a pity. The price of this painting would be doubled if there wasn't a person in it."
"Yeah, this is such a beautiful scene. If it's accompanied by a poem that fits the mood, the price would be sky-high. However, it seems to have been a little ruined by this figure."
The two appraisers muttered to themselves incessantly, clearly finding it a pity.
After they said that, Su Changyu was even more upset while Daoist Tai Hua's eyes reddened.
If Su Changyu wasn't in the painting, the price would have been at least doubled.
'This wretched disciple.'
"You can't say that. Didn't you two feel the change in Householder Qing Lian's state of mind? This painting may seem like a painting of a scenery, but in fact, it has an inexplicable mood, especially this person who seems to be looking up at the stars. The strokes of the brush seem to contain a tinge of the Sword Dao. However, I've never practiced swordsmanship before, so I dare not comment on Householder Qing Lian's painting."
Another appraiser spoke and expressed a different opinion about the painting.
However, no matter what, it was true that it had become less valuable.
"At a glance, it does seem to fit that mood."
"Householder Qing Lian does live up to his reputation. He's but an ordinary mortal. Yet, he's gained the fanfare of the entire Jin Nation. He's just like an immortal."
After they were done praising, they looked at Shi Liangjin.
"We've completed the appraisal, it is authentic."
The painting was proven authentic.
Shi Liangjin couldn't hide his smile after hearing the news.
"Thank you very much."
Overjoyed, Shi Liangjin got the store worker to see them off after he paid each of them a sum of money as appraisal fees.
After sending them away, Shi Liangjin stared at Daoist Tai Hua.
He said gleefully, "Since it's authentic, I'll have someone go withdraw some banknotes. Please wait a moment, Exalted Immortals."
Shi Liangjin couldn't contain his excitement and joy.
He would definitely be able to increase the value of the painting and sell it for a higher price.
However, Daoist Tai Hua shook his head at this moment.
"I've changed my mind. I'm not selling it."
Daoist Tai Hua declined, making it clear that he wanted to raise the price.
Who was he?
The Sect Leader of Qingyun Dao Sect.
He had no shame at all.
"Exalted Immortal, what do you mean by that!?"
Shi Liangjin was a little dumbstruck.
He was a little bit confused, but seeing that Daoist Tai Hua obviously wanted to raise the price, he felt a little depressed.
"Exalted Immortal, I understand what you mean. But let me tell you the truth, Householder Qing Lian's paintings are indeed very valuable, but the key is to find a willing buyer. The value varies between individuals. If a person has taken a liking, they wouldn't mind spending 100,000 taels of gold on it. However, if they don't… Let's take you for an example, would you be willing to spend a single tael of gold on it?"
Shi Liangjin painstakingly tried to talk some sense into him.
Daoist Tai Hua felt that he did make some sense.
He wouldn't spend a single tael of silver on it, let alone gold.
However, Daoist Tai Hua was no fool.
"Your pawnshop probably isn't the only one in Baiguo City. Give me your final price. I'll go ahead with the sale if it's appropriate."
Daoist Tai Hua was good at bargaining.
His time wasn't precious. At most, he could make a few more trips.
Shi Liangjin couldn't help but smile bitterly after hearing his words.
"Exalted Immortal, please cut it out. There may be more than one pawnshop in Baiguo City, but there are rules of the trade. You came to me first and the item is indeed very valuable. Even if others want to compete with me, they would have to consider if it's worth offending me for the painting."
"However, I'll offer you a final price of 6,000 taels of gold. That's as high as I can offer. I really can't give you a better price than that."
Shi Liangjin said with a look of dismay.
6,000 taels of gold?
Su Changyu was already dumbfounded.
Daoist Tai Hua was also secretly shocked, but he remained unmoved on the surface.
He did not answer.
He pondered for a long time.
In the end, he still wanted to continue bargaining for a higher price.
However, Su Changyu's voice suddenly sounded at that moment.
"We'll sell it for 6,000 taels of gold! Hand the money over right now."
Su Changyu had lost his patience.
It was 6,000 taels of gold, not copper coins.
If they didn't sell it now, when would be a better time?
He felt that one should not be too greedy and ought to stop when appropriate.
With 6,000 taels of gold, they could do anything they wanted.
Shi Liangjin was scared that the deal might fall through.
Su Changyu was even more afraid than him.
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Without further ado, Shi Liangjin immediately sent his men to collect the money.
"No, I want 6,666 taels of gold. Make it an auspicious number. Otherwise, I'll go elsewhere."
However, Daoist Tai Hua asked for some more money.
'6,666 taels of gold? That's not too bad.'
Shi Liangjin gritted his teeth and immediately sent his people to process the payment, for fear that Daoist Tai Hua would raise the price again.
A thick wad of banknotes appeared in his hand and he handed it to Daoist Tai Hua.
On the other hand, Daoist Tai Hua made Su Changyu hand over the painting to Shi Liangjin.
Perfect.
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Chapter 22: Secret Yuan Pavilion
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In Sincere Gold Firm, Baiguo City.
Shi Liangjin carefully put away the painting.
He was excited and agitated.
Householder Qing Lian's painting was definitely worth more than 6,666 taels of gold, and he was certain that he would be able to sell it for at least 10,000 taels of gold.
There would be no problem doubling the price.
Hardcore fans of Householder Qing Lian might even offer a higher price. In any case, he wouldn't be at a loss.
As for Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu, the two of them walked out of the shop in a trance with the banknotes in hand.
It was 6,666 taels of gold.
It was a massive amount of money for the Qingyun Dao Sect.
It would take the entire Qingyun Dao Sect several hundred years to earn that much money.
The sudden windfall put Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu at a loss for what to do.
They didn't even know what to do next.
"Sect Leader, what do we do next?"
Su Changyu was a little dumbfounded.
"We'll pay off the debts before going to Secret Yuan Pavilion."
Daoist Tai Hua snapped back to his senses and immediately sorted out his thoughts.
"Secret Yuan Pavilion?"
Su Changyu was a little surprised.
The Secret Yuan Pavilion was a renowned store in Baiguo City which specialized in selling some secret manuals and Dharma artifacts. Usually, even the third-grade sects rarely patronized the Secret Yuan Pavilion.
"Your little Junior Brother earned this money for the Qingyun Dao Sect. I plan to buy him some secret manuals and supplements to nourish his body. Since he's a genius, we will do our best to nurture and groom him. After all, he is the hope of the Qingyun Dao Sect now."
"We might have to rely on him to be promoted all the way to a first-grade sect in the future."
Daoist Tai Hua's words left Su Changyu in awe as he was amazed at his wisdom and wits.
Soon, Daoist Tai Hua made a trip to the Sect Administrative Bureau and heartbreakingly paid a sum of 100 taels of gold. He then took Su Changyu to Secret Yuan Pavilion.
After the time it took an for incense stick to burn out, Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu arrived outside the Secret Yuan Pavilion.
The Secret Yuan Pavilion had an opulent and luxurious decor. There were two jade-carved stone lions sitting outside the entrance, making the shop look affluent and ostentatious at all times.
"Exalted Immortals, please come in."
Inside the Secret Yuan Pavilion, a pretty waitress dressed in green took the initiative to greet Daoist Tai Hua and Su Changyu warmly. Her attitude was excellent as she didn't show any snobbery at all.
Daoist Tai Hua entered, followed by Su Changyu.
"Exalted Immortals, is this your first time here at the Secret Yuan Pavilion?"
The waitress in green asked with a faint smile as she served them some tea, following behind them.
"Yes, it's our first time here."
Daoist Tai Hua was experienced and had seen enough to remain composed at this moment. Although Su Changyu panicked a little deep down, he stayed calm on the surface.
"Exalted Immortals, would you like to buy a Dharma artifact or a secret manual?"
The waitress in green continued to ask.
"Secret manual."
Daoist Tai Hua instructed.
He didn't need any Dharma artifacts or weapons for the time being. At present, secret manuals were what he needed most.
After all, they would easily let the cat out of the bag if they let Su Changyu continue to fool Ye Ping.
"Sure, Exalted Immortals. Please follow me up to the second floor."
The waitress in green led them upstairs to the second floor.
"What type of secret manual do you need, Exalted Immortal?"
The lady in green asked.
"First-grade Sword Dao secret manual."
Daoist Tai Hua replied generously.
The beautiful eyes of the lady in green lit up when she heard that he wanted a first-grade secret manual.
The secret manuals of techniques had a detailed division and were divided into levels: ungraded, third-grade, second-grade, first-grade, and transcendent-grade. Those above the transcendent-grade would be secret manuals of another level which only Nascent Souls could cultivate.
A first-grade Sword Dao secret manual would be worth at least more than 100,000 inferior-grade Spirit Stones. It was a major deal.
"Please serve the Exalted Immortals with some superior-class tea."
The waitress in green shot a hinting glance at a few maids and instructed them to replace the tea.
However, Daoist Tai Hua continued, "I just want a rudimentary secret manual."
He definitely wouldn't be able to afford a complete first-grade Sword Dao secret manual, but he just needed the rudimentary edition. Since Ye Ping could comprehend the complete Four Thunder Sword Techniques from a sword mark, it proved that Ye Ping had extraordinary talent so why would he need a complete volume?
"No need for the replacement."
After being stunned, the waitress in green winked at the maids again and told them not to replace the tea.
For rudimentary Sword Dao secret manuals, even a first-grade edition wouldn't be worth many Spirit Stones. The so-called rudimentary edition contained less than 20 sword moves.
However, since they were still guests after all, the waitress in green did not treat them poorly because of that.
Soon, the waitress in green led Daoist Tai Hua to the library where they began selecting some sword manuals.
First-grade sword manuals were few in number, and there were only three sets in the entire Secret Yuan Pavilion.
"Exalted Immortal, these three sets of sword manuals are namely the Three Element Golden Sun Swordsmanship, Chuanhe Swordsmanship, and Seven Star Swordsmanship. All three of them cost 500 Spirit Stones each."
The waitress in green explained.
"500 Spirit Stones?"
Daoist Tai Hua was a little stunned.
"Even the rudimentary edition of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques doesn't cost that much, does it?"
Daoist Tai Hua frowned. It was not that he couldn't bear to fork out that many Spirit Stones, but rather, he wanted to save money to buy some other things for Ye Ping as sword manuals alone definitely wouldn't be enough.
"Exalted Immortal, you're mistaken. The Four Thunder Sword Techniques are very widespread in Qingzhou, and while these secret manuals have been enhanced with secret techniques. Readers can rapidly comprehend the sword techniques, so 500 Spirit Stones each is not expensive at all."
The waitress chuckled and explained.
Daoist Tai Hua suddenly fell silent.
He thought that sword manuals would be very cheap as the Four Thunder Sword Techniques didn't cost much when he purchased them back then. To his surprise, each manual cost 500 inferior-grade Spirit Stones, which was equivalent to 5,000 taels of gold.
"Of course, we're running a promotion recently. There's a discount of 50 inferior-grade Spirit Stones."
She smiled.
However, Daoist Tai Hua remained silent.
He hesitated for a long time.
Finally, he clenched his jaw and said to the waitress in green, "Which is the best book?"
"Exalted Immortal, the most powerful of these three Sword Dao secret manuals is the Chuanhe Swordsmanship which contains impressive sword techniques. If your disciple has excellent aptitude, he might be able to comprehend a sword technique of a higher level known as the Spirit Sea Sword Technique."
The waitress in green explained.
"Can he also comprehend a more advanced Spirit Sea Sword Technique?"
Daoist Tai Hua was a little surprised.
"Yes, the Chuanhe Swordsmanship is a transcendent-grade sword manual in the first place. Those with excellent aptitude would probably be able to comprehend the Spirit Sea Sword Technique. This is one of the three greatest sword techniques in the Spirit Sword Sect of the Jin Nation."
She explained.
Daoist Tai Hua was suddenly taken aback.
"In that case, I'll take this one. By the way, do you have Qi Refinement Pills and Qi Nourishment Pills here?"
Daoist Tai Hua asked.
"Yes. Each superior-grade Qi Refinement Pill costs one Spirit Stone, and Qi Nourishment Pills are going at four for one Spirit Stone. One Spirit Stone can also get you two middle-grade Qi Refinement Pills or five inferior-grade Qi Refinement Pills. Exalted Immortal, which one would you like?"
The waitress in green continued to ask.
"50 superior-grade Qi Refinement Pills and 200 Qi Nourishment Pills."
Daoist Tai Hua did not think much about it. Since he had money now, he didn't want to give Ye Ping any inferior pills.
The better the quality of pills, the lower the toxicity. The effects of superior-grade pills would be able to help Ye Ping to enter the path of cultivation earlier.
Ye Ping was very talented in the Sword Dao, but his talent in cultivation was poor. Daoist Tai Hua understood that.
It was good to be talented in the Sword Dao, but his cultivation level had to be on par too. He ought to at least cultivate to the perfected realm, right?
Qi Refinement cultivators could at least put up a fight if they had good attainments in the Sword Dao, but powerhouses in the Foundation Establishment realm would only have to wait for their death. There would be no point in condensing the sword intent anyway.
"Alright. Please wait a moment, Exalted Immortal."
The waitress in green did not waste any time on saying useless things. In less than a moment, everything was prepared.
They cost 550 Spirit Stones in total, which amounted to 5,500 taels of gold worth of banknotes.
Before leaving, Daoist Tai Hua clenched his teeth and decided to buy two Cold Iron Swords which were not Dharma artifacts and were simply superior mortal weapons. They cost 500 taels of gold, but Daoist Tai Hua managed to bargain and lower the price to 466 taels of gold.
At this moment, Daoist Tai Hua only had 600 taels of gold left.
However, after leaving the Secret Yuan Pavilion, Daoist Tai Hua suddenly remembered something.
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Chapter 23: Master's Wife Knocked On My Door In the Dark of the Night
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Outside the Secret Yuan Pavilion, Daoist Tai Hua suddenly thought of something.
He looked at Su Changyu and asked, "Changyu, are your Second Junior Brother and Third Junior Brother going to sit for the alchemy and array formation examinations at the end of the year?"
Su Changyu was suddenly reminded of that.
"It seems to be so. Fourth Junior Brother seems to be participating in the talismans examination too."
Su Changyu answered.
"That's right. We have to buy them some secret manuals."
When Daoist Tai Hua spoke, he suddenly thought of the other disciples too.
"Let's go in again then."
Su Changyu was not bothered.
"Where?"
Daoist Tai Hua was a little curious.
"Secret Yuan Pavilion."
Su Changyu was also a little confused. Since he wanted to buy some secret manuals, of course he had to go to the Secret Yuan Pavilion.
"Why would we go there again? Even if we have a lot of money, we can't spend it like that."
Daoist Tai Hua shook his head, and then led Su Changyu outside.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn out, they reached the Cultivators' Bazaar in Baiguo City.
Apart from several stores, there were numerous stalls lined up outside. There was a huge plethora of unique and bizarre things. It was truly a dazzling lineup.
Standing in front of a stall, Daoist Tai Hua looked at the various secret manuals being sold there.
"How much do these things cost?"
Daoist Tai Hua pointed at the scattered secret manuals on the ground which all looked old and tattered. They were sold at a very cheap price.
"They're sold by mass. Exalted Immortals, they cost 10 taels of gold per 500 grams."
The stall owner was a middle-aged man who immediately smiled courteously when he saw a customer.
"10 taels of gold per 500 grams? Is this robbery?"
Hearing the price, Daoist Tai Hua's face suddenly became sullen. It was not his first time buying such secret manuals.
The content of the secret manuals sold at that stall was not entirely true and most of them were copies of original works. In other words, they were not exactly secret manuals, but rather, theoretical knowledge.
To put it bluntly, they were all written by theorists.
Although the effect was not great, they still served a certain purpose.
After all, handwritten notes by powerhouses were precious.
Why would they appear in such a place?
"Exalted Immortal, these are all proper ancient volumes that will easily allow one to gain an epiphany. Look at this one, it's about condensing the True Dragon body. This one's about activating 3,600 spiritual acupuncture points. These are all superior-class treasures."
The stall owner hurriedly spoke up and pulled Daoist Tai Hua to stop him from leaving.
Clenching his teeth, he continued, "How about this? I'll charge you a cheaper price. 10 taels of gold per kilogram."
The stall owner offered.
"10 taels of gold per five kilograms. Take it or leave it. Condensing the True Dragon body? Who are you trying to fool?"
Daoist Tai Hua didn't bother to pay attention to the stall owner at all. He knew that those things were meant for fooling others. Although they seemed impressive on the surface, they could not be considered actual theories at all.
If anyone could have an epiphany after reading those secret manuals, Daoist Tai Hua would eat up all the books.
"Five kilograms? Exalted Immortal, quit pulling my leg. 2.5 kilograms is the limit."
The stall owner seemed dismayed.
"Changyu, let's go."
Daoist Tai Hua ignored the stall owner and wanted to leave.
"Okay, okay, deal. I'll take it as a discount on the account of a friendship we've forged. Exalted Immortal, do you want me to pick the secret manuals or do you want to do it yourself?"
The stall owner had nothing more to say.
"I want everything."
Daoist Tai Hua said that he wanted everything.
He did not really intend to buy all the secret manuals for the disciples. He mainly wanted to use them for decorative purposes.
There was a library in the Qingyun Dao Sect, but it did not contain any secret manuals. Hence, Daoist Tai Hua intended to decorate it with a few hundred secret manuals.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to buy them.
"Sure! Exalted Immortal, please wait a moment."
Without further ado, the stall owner immediately began packing the books. He had four to five hundred of such books which spanned across genres like alchemy, array formations, talismans and some other miscellaneous ones.
Examples included, 'Perfect Development of the Supreme Vision', 'Ten Dragons Ten Elephants Primordial Spirit Technique', 'Immortal Dao Pupil Activation Technique' and 'Master's Wife Knocks On My Door Late At Night'.
In short, all kinds of peculiar books were available at the store, but they were all made-up stories that were expanded from a single point. They seemed to make a lot of sense, but in fact, they could not result in success and were only meant for fooling those who had just started immortal cultivation.
Most people bought such secret manuals for the sake of adding to the existing collections in the libraries of the sects. Major sects might have hundreds of secret manuals, but how could the same apply to the smaller sects? Hence, the smaller sects had to fill their libraries up with such items.
The hundreds of secret manuals were packed into a box that weighed about 50 kilograms or so, which amounted to 100 taels of gold.
Daoist Tai Hua also went to several stores and bought some proper guidebooks about alchemy, array formations, refinement, and talismans.
He also tailor-made a lot of clothes, which he intended to give to the members of the sect, and bought a lot of superior-class spiritual rice and spiritual beast meat, all of which were delivered back to the sect according to his orders.
Meanwhile, he did not buy anything for himself as he spent everything on items for his disciples.
He only had about 200 of the 6,600 taels of gold left.
Daoist Tai Hua felt an inexplicable heartache.
However, it couldn't be helped. Since he wanted to develop the sect, he had to spend a lot of money on it. The person who painted that painting was Ye Ping who was extremely talented too. Hence, he spent most of the money on Ye Ping and allowed the other disciples to benefit a little from it.
After everything was taken care of, Daoist Tai Hua did not continue to stay in Baiguo City. Instead, he brought Su Changyu back to the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The secret manuals, superior-class spiritual rice, and bespoke clothing were all delivered to the sect by the professional deliverymen.
On the way back to the sect, Daoist Tai Hua handed the Chuanhe Swordsmanship manual to Su Changyu.
"Changyu, the manual can only be read once. Comprehend well and get an epiphany. After you've acquired it, impart it to Ye Ping."
Daoist's words caught Su Changyu off guard.
"Are you giving it to me?"
Su Changyu was indeed a little surprised.
He had the self-awareness to know where he stood. He wondered, 'Isn't this meant for Ye Ping? Why is he giving it to me?'
Su Changyu was curious.
Sensing Su Changyu's doubts, Daoist Tai Hua couldn't help but explain it to him immediately.
"Silly, if we give the secret manual directly to that little Junior Brother of yours, what would he need us for? Imparting sword techniques has to be done personally as far as possible. This secret manual is enriched with secret sword techniques. You just have to read it once to understand part of the sword technique, and then you can teach it to your little Junior Brother."
"With his talent, he will definitely outshine you, but he will think that you were the one who imparted it to him. Anyone can give the secret manual directly to him, but not everyone can teach it to him."
Daoist Tai Hua was extremely conscientious and decided not to give the secret manual directly to Ye Ping. Instead, he wanted Su Changyu to learn it well before imparting it to Ye Ping.
Su Changyu suddenly became enlightened after hearing his words.
"Sect Leader, you are so smart."
Su Changyu said with a smile.
"Otherwise, why do you think I went to the Secret Yuan Pavilion to buy secret manuals? If I wasn't afraid that you wouldn't be able to comprehend the sword techniques even after a year, why would I buy such a secret manual? I would have just bought the simplified edition."
Daoist Tai Hua said with some dissatisfaction.
He purposely went to the Secret Yuan Pavilion to buy the sword manual, mainly because the ones sold at the Secret Yuan Pavilion were enriched with the Dao and would allow readers to quickly grasp the basic sword techniques after just reading it.
Otherwise, if Su Changyu was made to learn slowly on his own, it would probably take him donkey's years to have an epiphany.
"However, I still need some time to have an epiphany, what do I do during this period of time?"
Su Changyu continued.
"Well, I've bought so many secret manuals. Let him read through them before teaching him the next sword technique."
Daoist Tai Hua pointed to the box behind him as he said that.
"These books?"
Su Changyu's expression was a little peculiar. He knew that those books were random books that were more like novels than secret manuals.
However, after thinking about it, Su Changyu nevertheless nodded.
However, Daoist Tai Hua spoke again.
"Changyu, there is one more thing that I want you to do."
Daoist Tai Hua lowered his voice.
"What is it?"
Su Changyu's eyes were filled with some curiosity.
"Get some paintings."
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Chapter 24: Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
'Get some paintings?'
Su Changyu was slightly stunned.
He looked at Daoist Tai Hua with some curiosity.
"Master, you want me to get more? I'm afraid we might arouse the suspicion of Little Junior Brother."
Su Changyu had thought of continuing to get Ye Ping to paint more paintings too, but if he were to take the initiative and do so, he might arouse suspicion.
"Of course. A single painting painted by Ye Ping can overwrite hundreds of years' worth of efforts by the sect. Changyu, if our sect wants to develop, we definitely need money."
"Putting aside everything else, pills are the basic requirement. Your little Junior Brother has to cultivate, doesn't he? Qi Refinement Pills cost ten taels of gold each. Given his talent, how many pills do you think he needs to reach the realm of Perfected Qi Refinement?"
"We can be poor and suffer, but your little Junior Brother can't suffer. If we end up ruining him someday, won't it eat at your conscience?"
Daoist Tai Hua was not being hypocritical.
Indeed, they needed money for the sect to develop and also for Ye Ping's cultivation. Ye Ping had yet to officially begin cultivating and was merely practicing swordsmanship. If Ye Ping were to really start cultivating, he would have to supplement it with pills due to his aptitude and talent.
The Qingyun Dao Sect could not afford to buy so many pills, so the only solution was to use Ye Ping to generate more money.
"That's true. Alright, I'll think of a solution."
After some thought, Su Changyu felt that his words did make some sense.
"Of course, don't be too eager. Just give him a hint at the right time. One more thing, teach him the Sword Dao well during these two months. I intend to let him participate in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet."
Daoist Tai Hua said solemnly.
"Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet?"
Su Changyu was really surprised this time.
"Master, are you confused? How can Little Junior Brother take part in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet? He might be very talented in the Sword Dao, but he hasn't begun cultivating yet. Wouldn't he end up embarrassing himself?"
Su Changyu was astonished.
He was fortunate enough to have taken part in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet once which basically all the elites of Qingzhou would participate in. Back then, he was just there to fill a spot, but he was lucky to have made it through to the top 500 places by fluke. However, letting Ye Ping go would be a complete disaster.
"You don't understand. I'll tell you about it later. In short, teach him well during this period of time. I've only gotten the idea to let him take part in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. We'll decide when the time comes whether to let him really take part or not."
"Remember, don't talk to your Junior Sisters and Junior Brothers about this. Just tell them that I've gotten back all the money that I was cheated out of. Don't mention anything else, got it?"
Daoist Tai Hua did not explain in detail because they were reaching the sect soon.
"Okay."
Su Changyu nodded, looking a little helpless.
He understood that Daoist Tai Hua just zealously wanted to develop the sect, which was his lifelong plan. However, Su Changyu felt that Daoist Tai Hua was being overly eager.
However, neither of them said anything. They soon returned to the Qingyun Dao Sect.
It was midnight.
At the rear cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
Ye Ping sat on the ground, still staring attentively at the sword mark.
He had already comprehended the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship in an epiphany, and now, he had also comprehended the Summer Thunder Swordsmanship.
The Four Thunder Sword Techniques were elusive and profound, and they condensed the lightning of four seasons, giving rise to different sword momentums.
The sword momentum of Spring Thunder Swordsmanship was continuous.
The sword momentum of Summer Thunder Swordsmanship was ferocious and terrifying.
The sword momentum of Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship was silent.
The sword momentum of Winter Thunder Swordsmanship was full of killing intent.
At this moment, Ye Ping was already about to comprehend the Summer Thunder Swordsmanship.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn out, Ye Ping opened his eyes.
He picked up a tree branch at the side and formed a sword mark with it.
In that moment, thunder rumbled and the surrounding ancient trees began rustling.
He had completed the epiphany of the Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship sword momentum.
He condensed the sword momentum.
A random move of his would contain all the sword techniques.
At this moment, a figure appeared not far away.
Under the moonlight, Su Changyu gazed at Ye Ping quietly.
His proud and handsome face was calm, but deep down, his heart was filled with immense shame.
Although he was not very talented in the Sword Dao, he could tell that Ye Ping had already comprehended the sword momentum of the Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship.
It had only been a day.
Yet, he had comprehended the sword momentum of the Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship.
Wouldn't he comprehend the sword intent of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques in the next couple of days?
'I'm so sour about it.'
'I'm so envious.'
Despite feeling upset, Su Changyu still had to walk over to Ye Ping while pretending to look calm on the surface.
"Little Junior Brother."
Su Changyu called.
Not far away, Ye Ping snapped out of his joyful mood and looked at Su Changyu, only to reveal a look of astonishment.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what brings you here?"
Ye Ping did not expect to see Su Changyu and was a little surprised.
"I'm here to deliver something to you."
Su Changyu walked over and placed a jade bottle in front of Ye Ping. "Little Junior Brother, this contains Qi Nourishment Pills that will nourish your body after you eat them. They'll energize you for five days and are good for your body."
"Qi Nourishment Pill? After taking one, will I be able to go five days without any food and rest?"
Ye Ping put the jade bottle away and looked a little curious.
"Yes."
Su Changyu immediately nodded.
Daoist Tai Hua was indeed very good to Ye Ping. Although the money came from Ye Ping's painting, Daoist Tai Hua did not spend a single cent on himself. He spent most of the money on Ye Ping while the other disciples got to gain some benefits from it. Su Changyu might have gotten the most advantage, but the main beneficiary was still Ye Ping.
Otherwise, Su Changyu wouldn't have to go to the trouble of putting pressure on himself by reading the sword manuals and learning the Chuanhe Swordsmanship before he even mastered the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping said gratefully.
With such pills, he would be able to save an additional four hours a day.
"The Sect Leader wants me to hand this sword to you too. From now on, you will practice using this."
Su Changyu handed the sword to Ye Ping.
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping thanked him gratefully.
Su Changyu merely nodded.
After a while, Su Changyu took the initiative to speak and broke the silence.
"Little Junior Brother, has practicing swordsmanship been boring for you lately?"
"Senior Brother, it isn't boring because I can improve everyday."
Ye Ping shook his head.
He would really find it boring if he hadn't been able to get an epiphany. However, he was pleased to have been able to continuously gain epiphanies.
He was telling the truth, but those words made Su Changyu upset.
'Is this humane at all?'
Having been dealt a blow, Su Changyu stood up, wanting to get some peace.
"Eldest Senior Brother, why do you ask?"
Ye Ping was curious, wondering what Su Changyu had asked that question for.
"Nothing, I just thought that if you're bored, I can give you another secret manual to get an epiphany."
Su Changyu was not in the mood to talk as he had suffered a huge blow.
Secret manual?
However, Ye Ping was extremely excited after hearing that word.
'Is he imparting the secret manual to me?'
'He should have said so earlier.'
Ye Ping immediately became excited and said, "Senior Brother, I didn't find it boring at first, but after you mentioned it, I realized that it does get a little boring sometimes."
Ye Ping didn't care about being embarrassed anymore.
Su Changyu's sword mark made him comprehend the sword techniques immediately.
'Is he giving me an immortal cultivation secret manual?'
'That'd be incredible.'
After hearing Ye Ping's words, Su Changyu stopped keeping him in suspense and simply gave a secret manual to Ye Ping.
Ye Ping grabbed it.
Using the moonlight as the source of light, he read it and was soon stunned.
The secret manual was thick and there were several ancient texts written on it.
It was written clearly on the secret manual…
"Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique"
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Chapter 25: I'm Sorry To Have Been Born
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the rear cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
Ye Ping was already stunned.
He originally thought that his eldest senior brother would give him a random secret manual, but he didn't expect it to be a supreme technique.
"Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique"
He could tell from its name that it was a supreme technique.
Otherwise, how could it be called 'Ancient Godfiend'?
This!
This!
This!
Ye Ping's breathing began to quicken.
'This is really a hidden sect that is secretly impressive.'
'If this isn't a secretly impressive sect, what else is?'
Ye Ping's breathing quickened.
Su Changyu misunderstood.
He subconsciously thought that Ye Ping had discovered something and immediately bit the bullet to explain.
"Little Junior Brother, this is something I found in ancient ruins and I don't know its origin either. However, we cultivators can't just cultivate the Sword Dao. We can't lack spiritual cultivation and physical cultivation."
"You've missed the best period for spiritual cultivation, and your spiritual root is inferior. It might be a good thing to focus on physical cultivation first."
Su Changyu was purely spouting nonsense because there was no such thing in the world of immortal cultivation.
Most physical cultivators were in physical cultivation because their spiritual roots were too poor for them to consider anything else.
During the Qi Refinement cultivation realm, physical cultivation might be somewhat outstanding. After all, they were still in a low martial state, and physical cultivation was definitely useful.
However, when one reached the Foundation Establishment, the purpose of physical cultivation would be reduced.
Golden Core powerhouses would be able to kill enemies that were hundreds of kilometers away with a flying sword.
However, powerhouses of physical cultivation would not be able to kill enemies that were hundreds of kilometers away with a single punch unless the secret manual was real.
However, was that possible?
Su Changyu had read the secret manual before, and the content was simply nonsensical and full of groundless boasting. If not for the fact that he practiced immortal cultivation, Su Changyu would have been fooled.
In fact, the secret manual mostly contained theories, except for a portion of the content that was about proper refinement techniques.
That was the reason that Su Changyu gave the secret manual to Ye Ping.
He just wanted to give Ye Ping something to do so that the latter wouldn't have to spend all day trying to get an epiphany out of the sword mark. In the long run, Ye Ping would definitely get bored of it.
Besides, during this period of time, Su Changyu also had to study the sword manual. Hence, there was nothing wrong with giving Ye Ping that secret manual to stall for time.
Would Ye Ping learn it or not?
Su Changyu was not jumping to conclusions.
Comprehending the Four Thunder Sword Techniques from the sword mark was still reasonable.
If Ye Ping could comprehend anything out of the nonsensical secret manual, he vowed to swallow all the flying swords in Qingzhou.
"I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping understood what Su Changyu said pretty well.
Cultivators with poor aptitude generally had to go through physical refinement to improve their physical condition.
Thus, they would be able to dual cultivation of spirit and body.
Generally, sword techniques would be used against enemies, but if one used their physique to suppress the opponent at the critical juncture, they would be able to catch the enemies off guard and leave them with no means of prevention.
They could even say, "I'm sorry but I'm best at physical cultivation."
At the thought of this, Ye Ping couldn't help but get even more excited.
"It's best that you understand, Junior Brother. Alright, inform me if there's any problem. Just take the secret manual with a pinch of salt. If you really can't understand anything, don't force yourself, understand?"
"Even if you want to practice, you should first condense the complete sword momentum of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques."
Su Changyu left after giving him instructions.
"Take care, Senior Brother."
Ye Ping sent Su Changyu off.
Soon, after Su Changyu left, Ye Ping contained his excitement and put the "Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique" in his arms.
He then continued to comprehend the sword mark.
Ye Ping's comprehension speed became faster and faster, perhaps because of his excitement.
His mind was now filled with thoughts of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
The Four Thunder Sword Techniques sounded mediocre.
However, the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique was different.
It sounded wild, cool, and domineering.
What were the Four Thunder Sword Techniques compared to it?
Attacking with thunder? Weren't his hands enough?
However, Ye Ping was well aware.
He reckoned that the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique was definitely going to be difficult to learn, so he had to put in all his effort into learning it. Otherwise, he would be at a huge loss if he failed to master the physical cultivation technique and the sword techniques.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Late at night, Su Changyu looked at the sword manual in his hand and fell into a state of silence.
The sword manual was the one that Daoist Tai Hua had spent a bomb on.
It contained the Dao and the first person to read the sword manual would be enlightened and quickly master the sword techniques.
However, Su Changyu had been reading it for two days.
Yet, he hadn't comprehended the true meaning of the sword moves.
That caused Su Changyu to fall into silence.
At the same time, he also felt a little nervous.
Daoist Tai Hua wanted him to learn it in three to four days and then impart it to Ye Ping.
However, he couldn't learn it well and thus was incredibly upset.
Most importantly, Su Changyu felt that it didn't make sense.
Although his aptitude was average, the problem was that the sword manual was marked with the Dharmic Dao and would provide some enhancement.
'Why can't I master it?'
'Isn't it stated that anyone with hands would be able to learn it?'
'I've used my feet too, but why can't I learn it?'
'Am I really not suited for practicing swordsmanship?'
Su Changyu felt terrible.
If not for the comparison with Ye Ping, he wouldn't have felt that his talent was inferior.
However, after comparing himself with Ye Ping, Su Changyu began to feel even more upset.
However, Su Changyu's agony was not because of talent.
He had never felt that he was very talented.
The main reason for his misery was the sword manual.
If Daoist Tai Hua knew that he had not comprehended this sword manual, he would probably kill him.
It cost 500 Spirit Stones.
After the discount, it cost 450 Spirit Stones, which was the revenue that the Qingyun Dao Sect would take hundreds of years to earn.
Yet, he still failed to comprehend it.
Frankly speaking, even Su Changyu couldn't tolerate it himself, let alone Daoist Tai Hua.
"What do I do!? What do I do!? I feel horrible."
Pangs of panic engulfed Su Changyu, and he continuously asked himself what he should do.
After a long time, Su Changyu finally thought of a solution.
"Right. I may have failed to learn the sword move, but there's an explanation in the sword manual. I don't have to impart it to Little Junior Brother at all. I just have to extract the core and teach it to him."
"If Little Junior Brother manages to learn it, he's considered to be talented. If he can't, I can't be blamed either. Who said that talents have to be all-rounded?"
Su Changyu suddenly came up with a solution.
Although he did not know much about the Chuanhe Swordsmanship, he could make up lies. If Ye Ping didn't understand anything, he could just explain it in his own terms and ideas.
At the thought of this, Su Changyu finally smiled.
He immediately opened the sword manual, read it once seriously, and then pushed open the door to go look for Ye Ping.
15 minutes later.
In the Qingyun Dao Sect.
It was extremely peaceful.
Su Changyu paced towards the cliff alone quietly.
However, at this moment, a thunderbolt sounded.
It shook the trees.
Su Changyu was stunned.
He looked in the direction of the back cliff and fell silent as his smile gradually stiffened.
He could sense it.
The sound of thunder just now was the result of the sound of the completion of sword momentum.
It had been less than half a day.
Ye Ping immediately comprehended the Autumn Thunder Swordsmanship and the Winter Thunder Swordsmanship.
That caused Su Changyu to be at a loss for words.
Especially now that it was nighttime, Su Changyu somehow slipped into an inexplicable mood.
He became exceptionally melancholic and was in low spirits.
He did not go to the cliff.
Instead, he quietly walked to a deserted place on his own.
Su Changyu had no idea what was wrong with him lately.
Whenever night fell, he would become glum and sorrowful.
Besides, his condition seemed to be getting worse.
The scattered moonlight penetrated through the clouds.
He shunned from the crowd and scurried away.
'I'm sorry to be born as a human'
Somehow, that phrase popped up in Su Changyu's mind.
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Chapter 26: Hidden Demon, Heaven and Earth Tempering
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the back cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
After Ye Ping executed the Four Thunder sword momentum, he couldn't help but spit out some turbid breath.
After half a day's effort, Ye Ping had mastered the sword momentum of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques.
The Spring Thunder sword momentum, Summer Thunder sword momentum, Autumn Thunder sword momentum and Winter Thunder sword momentum could be combined or separated from one another.
When the sword momentums were combined, they formed the most powerful Four Thunder sword momentum, which was what Ye Ping exhibited.
If they were split, the power would weaken, but they could bring out the characteristics of each sword momentum.
He wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead.
Heartened, Ye Ping smiled.
"Now that I have completely mastered the Four Thunder sword momentum, I only lack the Four Thunder sword intent."
"Although Senior Brother didn't tell me how difficult the epiphany of the sword intent is, I understand that the sword intent represents the intention and willpower of the sword technique. I definitely can't be too impatient. Failing to get an epiphany is a minor issue, but I'll be in trouble if I comprehend the wrong thing."
Ye Ping thought to himself. Although Su Changyu didn't tell him the details of the sword intent, he could still imagine it on his own.
He thought so previously, not because he had let his imagination run wild for no reason, but because he had made some conjectures based on the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
"Of all times, Senior Brother chose to give this secret manual to me at this juncture. Clearly, he's scared that I'd be overly eager and end up getting a wrong epiphany of the sword intent."
"That's why he gave me a copy of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique, so that I can calm down, focus on my physical body, have another trump card, and gain a new means."
"Senior Brother really has great foresight."
Ye Ping muttered to himself.
Soon, he put those thoughts at the back of his mind and pulled out the "Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique" from his arms.
He was as careful as possible and seemed particularly solemn.
The secret manual had a greenish tint to it and it was bound by a thread. Its yellowed corners made it seem rather ancient.
However, the more Ye Ping thought about it, the more excited he got.
He opened the first page and soon, a line of small-font words appeared in a right-to-left sequence.
"Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique"
"I am Daoist Mo Xuan. Born before the birth of heaven and earth, I experienced 360 million tribulations before finally participating in creation and becoming one with heaven and earth.
This manual is the result of my comprehension of heaven and earth by chance.
Everyone in this world only knows about spiritual cultivation but not about the power of physical cultivation. They see moving mountains as the limit of physical cultivation.
However, a real physical cultivator could hold the sun and moon, grab the stars, transcend the heavens and kill everything in the world with one fist.
In my opinion, the highest realm of physical cultivation is mimicking the Godfiend by hiding the god in the fiend. Possessing the organs, essence, and blood of the gods while having the fiend's body is what constitutes the Godfiend.
Before cultivating this technique, one must be ready to go through extreme torment, suffering, and arduous training. This is not a technique for the ordinary, and only those who have strong willpower, determination, and great wisdom can master it!
Are you ready?"
—-
That was the synopsis of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
Ye Ping had almost forgotten to breathe after reading it.
It was such a domineering statement.
'Hide the god in the body of the fiend, hold the sun and moon, grab the stars, transcend the heavens and kill everything in the world with one fist.'
'That's right.'
'This is definitely a peerless technique. No, this is a peerless technique that is at the level of the Great Dao.'
Ye Ping was at a loss for words to describe the power of the technique.
'Absolutely wonderful.'
He took a deep breath.
Ye Ping did not flip to the second page and instead began pondering.
He was pondering about whether he was ready for it.
It was stated clearly that those who wanted to cultivate that technique would have to experience suffering that would be unbearable for ordinary people and possess great willpower, determination, and wisdom to master it.
If he wasn't prepared, he couldn't be too haste with it.
The time for a stick of incense to burn passed.
Finally, Ye Ping made up his mind.
"I'm ready."
Ye Ping was determined.
He was already prepared and was completely fearless. Although the process might be tough in the beginning, he had to go through hardship to become an elite.
Thinking about this, Ye Ping turned to the second page.
—-
"Official Introduction of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique:
Excellent. The fact that you have turned to the second page means that you have strong willpower, but whether or not you have great determination and wisdom will depend on yourself.
Next, you will see a Godfiend diagram on which there is the Godfiend Refinement diagram that I have learned from my comprehension of heaven and earth. Take a good look at it."
—-
Ye Ping couldn't help but praise himself when he saw the second page.
At the same time, he was also astonished. 'This technique is impressive. There's already a big test for me in the introduction. If not for my composure, I would probably be dejected and frustrated.'
At the thought of this, Ye Ping didn't waste any time and began looking at the Godfiend diagram at the back.
The third page was a Sky Observation diagram.
Although the diagram seemed rather simple to Ye Ping, it also looked extremely solemn.
He scrutinized it continuously.
There was also a detailed explanation below the diagram.
"This is called the Sky Observation Godfiend Diagram. Opening your arms and becoming one with heaven and earth is a rudimentary technique of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique. Once you master it, you can condense the Heaven and Earth powers, make Heaven your hammer, earth your furnace, and temper your body to shape the body of the Godfiend."
"If you can't comprehend it, you're not fated with this technique. If you don't comprehend enough, it means you lack wisdom. At the same time, you have to cultivate diligently all day and night. The naturally gifted ones can have an instant epiphany while those who are dull may never have an epiphany in their entire life."
After reading the annotation, Ye Ping couldn't help but nod before getting into stance to observe the sky.
He closed his eyes and forgot everything else. All that was left in his mind was the diagram.
At the same time, in Chen Nation of the Yan'an County.
In a private residence, there was a woman dressed in purple, wielding a brush and writing something in ink under the oil lamp.
The oil lamp swayed with the wind and the woman would frown from time to time. A total of six hours passed.
Finally, the woman tossed her brush aside and looked at the ancient books on the table with joy and satisfaction. She picked up the jar of wine on the desk and took a big gulp.
At this very moment, a voice sounded outside the door.
"Fairy Mo, are you ready yet? It's almost three in the morning. If you still don't turn in your manuscript, there'll be trouble."
The person urged outside.
Inside the room, the woman in purple got up and picked up the manuscript of the book that she had just written. She then opened the window and casually tossed it to the person outside.
"Here, it's finished. Take a look."
She seemed rather casual.
"It's finished? Let me take a look."
The middle-aged man outside the door took the manuscript and flipped through it quickly. After a while, the frown on his forehead was eased.
"Good, good, good, Fairy Mo. Your writing is improving. This book will definitely sell like hotcakes. Great."
The middle-aged man laughed heartily with joy.
"Cut the crap, you haven't finished paying me the remuneration for the previous book. Pay the remaining sum to me now."
She wasn't affected by his words.
"Rest assured, Fairy Mo. I run a business, I won't cheat you out of your money. Here are some banknotes that are worth a total of 1,000 taels of gold. It's ten times the share of 'Spirit Gathering Technique'."
"The book named 'Ancient Godfiend Refinement Technique' isn't selling well at all. So far, only three copies have been sold. Fairy Mo, please don't write such secret manuals again. They're too exaggerated and no one will believe them. Cultivators these days prefer reading simple and direct manuals."
"Look at the book on the best-sellers list now. It has managed to multiply the effects of one Spirit Stone by ten and it's selling so well."
The middle-aged man nagged outside the door.
"Okay, enough. I got it. By the way, have you found out what I asked you to?"
The woman waved her hand, looking a little impatient and annoyed.
"I have. The Ten Nations Academy is officially recruiting students next year. Fairy Mo, I'll go back to handle the issues with the manuscript. Get someone to contact me if there's anything."
The middle-aged man chuckled and left after saying those words.
The woman in purple did not say anything more and instead returned to her desk to begin writing a secret manual.
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Chapter 27: Successful Epiphany of the Godfiend Diagram
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was bright early in the morning.
Ye Ping posed to observe the sky for an entire day.
Unfortunately, he did not have an epiphany of the Godfiend Diagram.
Ye Ping felt a little upset because of that.
It was written clearly on the technique.
Those with aptitude would be able to have an epiphany of the Godfiend Diagram at one glance.
Those who did not might never get an epiphany for the rest of their life.
However, Ye Ping did not give up.
He rested for a short while. With the Qi Nourishment Pill, he did not have to eat and hence, could save the time to eat and relieve nature's call. After all, he did not eat anything.
Ye Ping spent 22 hours of his day cultivating, leaving only two hours for him to rest or do other things.
It was midday.
Ye Ping still did not have an epiphany of the Godfiend Diagram.
However, he was not discouraged and was instead even more determined to work harder.
"Only those with great willpower can comprehend the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique. I may have poor aptitude, but I have the perseverance and determination that ordinary people don't. I will definitely succeed. I believe in myself."
Under the blazing sun, Ye Ping kept his arms raised as he tried to comprehend heaven and earth.
He had that willpower.
He continued all the way until late at night.
It was rather quiet and peaceful in the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The stars in the sky seemed to have formed a river and the bright moon could not be seen.
Ye Ping was still comprehending the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't get an epiphany.
Ye Ping understood that his aptitude was average and he could not compare to the geniuses. Hence, he had to spend time accumulating to gain an epiphany.
However, despite having understood that, Ye Ping was still extremely eager. Well, who wouldn't want to master such a Body Tempering technique as soon as possible?
An hour later, Ye Ping's arms were tired, so he put it down and then sat on the ground to take a deep breath.
It was nighttime.
The cold wind blew.
Holding the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique, Ye Ping continuously thought about what went wrong.
"The technique is definitely correct."
"I must have understood something wrongly."
"But what exactly is the problem? Should I ask Senior Brother?"
Ye Ping pondered in his mind.
However, he soon shook his head.
'If I ask Senior Brother about it, wouldn't his impression of me become worse?"
Ye Ping dismissed his thoughts and felt that there was a need for him to study it carefully.
Thus, Ye Ping held onto the secret manual and continuously pondered about it.
Although the manual was thick, there was no content at the back and the main point was the Godfiend Diagram.
Ye Ping believed that it was a peerless cultivation technique because the more simpler it was, the more profound its content.
It was a common saying that the Great Dao was simple.
The more complicated and fancy the technique was, the less reliable it would be.
Ye Ping understood that.
An entire hour passed.
Ye Ping suddenly slapped his thigh and thought about the key point.
"Sky Observation Diagram! It doesn't mean observing heaven and earth in the actual sense but viewing the boundless universe with my heart."
Ye Ping pondered for a full hour and suddenly shifted his gaze onto the word 'observation'.
It was different from the other words as its character was slightly larger. Through this detail, Ye Ping finally had some thoughts.
"Yes, yes, yes."
"When ordinary people look at the sky, they only feel that the world is vast, but they have no idea that it actually means the universe and the boundless, infinite galaxies. That's the real heaven."
"When I observe the sky, I'm also restrained. Daoist Mo Xuan was born before heaven and earth. In his eyes, heaven is the boundless universe. The world is not the heaven in his eyes, but the heaven in his heart."
"Ah, Eldest Senior Brother, I'm enlightened."
Answers appeared in Ye Ping's heart one after another.
At this moment, he was extremely excited.
"I couldn't get an epiphany before this because I've been going in the wrong direction."
"Ye Ping, why are you so silly? You almost failed to have an epiphany."
Ye Ping secretly blamed himself for being too foolish.
He didn't understand what it meant to observe the sky previously.
Actually, Ye Ping's thoughts were correct.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the sky was vast, but as a transmigrator, Ye Ping knew how vast the sky really was.
When he was younger, he particularly enjoyed exploring things about the universe. Naturally, he knew how large the world was.
Ye Ping took a deep breath.
He put the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique manual in his arms before getting into stance to observe the sky.
However, he did not observe the sky at this moment.
Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to feel heaven and earth with his heart.
In the blink of an eye, a clear breeze blew past.
In Ye Ping's mind, a macrocosm of the universe appeared.
Countless galaxies emerged in Ye Ping's mind. They were infinite and would never cease.
At this moment, stars suddenly began to vibrate above the sky.
The stars emitted dazzling rays of light as they vibrated.
The Great Xia Dynasty.
It was extremely luxurious.
In the Heavenly Secret Hall, the stars on an ancient diagram were dazzling.
The old man seated in front of it immediately opened his eyes with a look of disbelief.
"This… This is impossible. The stars are dazzling. Has an Immortal Saint appeared? How can there be such an abnormality?"
The old man's body trembled.
He was the head of the Heavenly Secret Hall who was extremely authoritative and whose status was second only to the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.
However, at this moment, the old man's body trembled and horror filled his eyes.
On top of that, there were three different Heavenly Secret Halls in the east, south, and west. However, the powerful existences in the halls looked just as horrified.
It was a world of immortal cultivation.
Some peerless powerhouses enjoyed watching the stars in the sky to get some divination of the heavenly secrets, which were extremely important in the world of immortal cultivation. They would be able to predict calamities, fortunate events, and the luck of a nation and race.
Before deciding on any major event, the leaders of a nation or dynasty would consult an astrologer to look at the stars to predict the future of things.
If there was a calamity, they would retreat.
If there were good opportunities, they would proceed.
Although the predictions might not necessarily be 100% successful, there were effects in some matters.
The fact that the four powerhouses of the Heavenly Secret Hall were shocked was enough to prove how terrifying the matter was.
However, there was no difference for most of the cultivators in the world.
An example would be those in the Qingyun Dao Sect.
Su Changyu quietly gazed at the sky alone.
He did not notice any difference.
The only thing he noticed was that the stars in the sky seemed to have become brighter.
Not far away, Xu Luochen and Chen Lingrou stared at Su Changyu's feet.
"Second Senior Brother, what do you think is happening to Eldest Senior Brother lately? He would look at the stars at this timing everyday. Do you think he's feeling troubled about something?"
Chen Lingrou asked.
"Not sure."
Xu Luochen shook his head cluelessly.
"Could it be that Little Junior Brother's aptitude is too low and it's too difficult to teach him? Is Eldest Senior Brother upset because of that?"
Chen Lingrou asked.
"It's possible. After all, not everyone can learn the Sword Dao. Forget it, I'll come and teach Little Junior Brother in a few days' time. Otherwise, if this goes on, who knows if Eldest Senior Brother will do anything extreme?"
Xu Luochen said.
Everything was peaceful.
On the back cliff of the Qingyun Dao Sect, a Godfiend shadow emerged in Ye Ping's mind.
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Chapter 28: Great Dao Ancestor! Heavenly Hammer and Earth Furnace!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Late at night, at the rear cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
At this moment, the scene of the universe emerged in Ye Ping's mind.
It was boundless and infinite.
That was the heaven and earth in Ye Ping's mind.
It was the universe since ancient times; it was infinitely large yet small.
The universe in Ye Ping's heart was vast and boundless, but a sky-observing Godfiend appeared.
This Godfiend was not to be looked at, and it was emitting a horrifying aura. Even a single wisp of it would make the universe roar.
The body of the Godfiend seemed to be forged with divine iron that was indestructible. Standing in the middle of the universe, the Godfiend controlled the Dao and stepped on the five elements of Yin and Yang, looking at everything.
That was the Great Dao Godfiend.
Ye Ping was shocked.
He looked at the Godfiend in his heart, and countless mystical laws appeared in his mind in the blink of an eye.
It was the supreme technique to activate the Godfiend Body Tempering.
"Make heaven your hammer and earth your furnace. Take in everything and evolve."
The ancient voice appeared in Ye Ping's mind.
He had gained an epiphany of the complete edition of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
An hour later, Ye Ping opened his eyes.
He already knew the cultivation method of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
He had to look at the Godfiend with his heart, turn heaven and earth into a divine hammer and furnace, and then temper his body.
There were five realms of the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
Little Godfiend, Great Godfiend, Supreme Godfiend, Great Dao Godfiend, Great Dao Ancestor.
Currently, Ye Ping was in the Little Godfiend realm and could reach perfection after tempering his body 81 times using heaven and earth, so as to condense the body of the Little Godfiend.
When he reached that realm, his body would be like that of the True Dragon and his vitality would be strong like the sun.
There were two key elements for the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique.
The first was to view the Godfiend with one's heart. If the Godfiend Diagram did not appear in one's mind, it would be impossible to refine the Godfiend Body no matter how hard one tried to think of a solution.
The second was the Heavenly Hammer and the Earth Furnace. It was a technique to attract the gods with Qi and to attract the body with the gods. Using heaven as the hammer and earth as the furnace, one's body would be tempered.
Once there was a Godfiend Diagram in one's heart, they would have to rely on that technique to communicate with heaven and earth using spiritual energy, and then rely on the power of earth to form a supreme furnace, and rely on the heavenly might to form the divine Heavenly Hammer. When one's body was knocked with the hammer, the Godfiend's body would be formed.
It was an extremely dangerous process, but the method was simple. As long as there was enough spiritual energy, refinement could happen once.
However, without extremely strong willpower, one's essence soul and physical body would collapse, and they would die.
"I thought that gaining an epiphany would be very difficult, but cultivation is even more difficult. However, this is reasonable too. After all, the more powerful the cultivation technique is, the harder it would be. If it can be cultivated easily, wouldn't everyone be a cultivator?"
Ye Ping couldn't help but be emotional after the epiphany.
However, another problem arose.
If he wanted to condense the Heavenly Hammer and Earth Furnace, he would have to possess a large amount of spiritual energy, but the problem was that he lacked spiritual energy.
These days, he had been having epiphanies of sword techniques everyday and did not cultivate at all. Naturally, he wouldn't have any spiritual energy.
Besides, as he advanced further in learning the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique, the amount of spiritual energy he needed would continue to increase.
Most importantly, his greatest problem was his poor cultivation aptitude, which was extremely troublesome.
Ye Ping understood his own cultivation aptitude rather well. In half a year's time, he had taken part in more than 50 Grand Immortal Ascension Meets, and the tests conducted by the hundreds of sects all proved that he did not have any spiritual root.
Hence, Ye Ping felt that perhaps his aptitude in the Sword Dao might not be that bad and that the worst was probably his aptitude in cultivation.
"What should I do?"
Trouble came, and Ye Ping felt a headache coming on.
"Should I look for Eldest Senior Brother?"
Ye Ping thought about it but soon vetoed his idea.
"No. My cultivation aptitude is too poor. If I look for Eldest Senior Brother, he might dislike me because of it."
"But if I don't look for him, I can't cultivate. And if I can't cultivate, I won't be able to comprehend the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique."
Ye Ping frowned and thought about it.
"Eh? Eldest Senior Brother gave me some Qi Refinement Pills previously. I wonder if they're effective."
Ye Ping suddenly thought of that.
Thinking about this, he immediately took out the bottle of Qi Refinement Pills.
He poured out a pale white pill from the bottle.
The pill was not large, and in fact, it resembled a grain of rice. It was white in color and emitted a clear fragrance without the odor of medicinal herbs.
However, just as Ye Ping wanted to swallow the pill, he suddenly froze.
"Every medicine has its side effect. This is a Qi Refinement Pill, and I've yet to enter the Qi Refinement cultivation realm. Who knows if it might trigger something bad? I can't be reckless."
All of a sudden, Ye Ping remembered that he had not yet stepped into the Qi Refinement cultivation realm and hence wasn't sure if he could swallow such a pill.
What if he exploded after doing so?
Thinking of this, Ye Ping put the Qi Refinement Pill back inside the jade bottle.
It definitely pays to be careful.
In the Immortal World, cultivators were divided into seven realms of cultivation.
Qi Refinement realm, Foundation Establishment realm, Golden Core realm, Nascent Soul realm, Essence Soul realm, Tribulation Transcendence realm, and the Mahayana realm.
There was an insurmountable gulf between each realm. Those who pass it are immortal and those who do not remain mortal. There was an absolute suppression.
Although Ye Ping had no experience with immortal cultivation, he had read some information about it.
Since he was unable to cultivate the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique, Ye Ping stopped dwelling on it. At least, he had already gained an epiphany of the method, and cultivation was only a matter of time.
Soon, Ye Ping began to comprehend the sword mark again in a bid to get an epiphany.
He wanted to try to comprehend the Four Thunder sword intent sooner.
He continued until the following day.
Su Changyu arrived.
Ever since he gave the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique secret manual to Ye Ping, he had spent the past three days studying the Chuanhe Swordsmanship. But unfortunately, his desires were unrequited. Su Changyu did not get any shut-eye for three days and nights.
However, he couldn't understand it at all. That made Su Changyu feel terrible because he would take decades to comprehend the Four Thunder Sword Techniques, but now, he had to cultivate the Chuanhe Swordsmanship too. Although it was inferior to the Four Thunder Sword Techniques, he didn't have talent at all.
At the thought of this, Su Changyu suddenly felt infuriated.
'Why do I have to learn a sword technique for no reason? Can't I teach Ye Ping something else?'
However, that was not what he was most infuriated about. It was the fact that he dared not voice his displeasure.
Daoist Tai Hua was just waiting for him to teach the Chuanhe Swordsmanship to Ye Ping, but if Daoist Tai Hua were to find out that he didn't learn anything at all, he would be in trouble.
Su Changyu guessed what Daoist Tai Hua had in mind.
He wanted Ye Ping to participate in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet.
However, Su Changyu felt that that idea was a little unreliable.
Ye Ping might have a strong aptitude in the Sword Dao.
However, the problem was that Ye Ping did not have any Dharmic powers.
Although there was a rule set for the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet that only cultivators below the Foundation Establishment realm were allowed to compete in the Sword Dao, most of the participants were at level 7 or level 8 of Qi Refinement and some were even cultivators who had perfected it.
Even though Ye Ping had condensed the sword momentum, he had no Dharmic powers. If he encountered cultivators who were at Level 5 or Level 6, he would still have some chances of winning.
He probably would have no chance against those who were strong at Sword Dao cultivation.
Of course, it was mainly because Su Changyu was unclear of how powerful the Four Thunder sword momentum was. In his eyes, there were only two kinds of people.
Those that were weaker than him and those that were stronger than him.
Hence, for the sake of making Daoist Tai Hua drop the idea, Su Changyu decided to continue teaching Ye Ping nonsense.
Su Changyu made up his mind to ignore the Chuanhe Swordsmanship and teach Ye Ping according to his own methods.
He wrote a new sword manual last night.
A portion of it contained the main points of the Chuanhe Sword Technique, but he made up the majority of the rest.
He did not believe that Ye Ping could comprehend it.
If he could, Su Changyu vowed to eat the swords of everyone at the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet.
Hence, Su Changyu went to the rear cliff.
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Chapter 29: The Waters of the River Rise to Heavens and Spread to the Sea Without Returning
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
On the cliff, Ye Ping comprehended the sword mark on the ground attentively in a bid to condense the sword intent sooner.
However, just when he was having his epiphany, Ye Ping vaguely sensed that someone was walking towards him.
In an instant, Ye Ping opened his eyes and looked behind him.
It was Su Changyu.
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
Ye Ping did not expect to see Su Changyu and immediately stood up to bow to him.
"No need to be so polite."
Su Changyu said, still looking like an expert.
However, despite having such an appearance, he was still feeling upset.
To be more precise, he felt extremely miserable.
Ever since he found out about Ye Ping's extraordinary talent, Su Changyu had never been in a good mood.
Hence, one should refrain from being too competitive sometimes.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what brings you here today?"
Ye Ping asked curiously.
He was curious because Su Changyu had been visiting rather frequently lately.
"Oh, it's nothing much. I'm just here to impart the second sword technique to you today."
Su Changyu said casually with a smile.
"Second sword technique?"
Ye Ping was rather shocked.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I'm rather thick in the head and my aptitude is poor. It's almost been a month, but I still haven't condensed the sword intent of the first sword technique. Isn't it a little too soon to be learning the second sword technique?"
Ye Ping was a little worried as he feared that he might bite off more than he could chew.
However, those words were harsh to Su Changyu's ears.
'This is called poor aptitude?'
'What am I then?'
'Garbage?'
'You've condensed the sword momentum of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques in less than a month. What else do you want?'
'I've been cultivating hard for 15 years, but I'm only a beginner in the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship. You managed to condense the Four Thunder sword momentum in one month.'
'What else do you want!?'
Su Changyu was filled with misery.
He somehow felt even more upset.
"It's alright. As the saying goes, master one, master all. Since you've mastered the Four Thunder Sword Techniques, you will get twice the result with half the effort when you learn a new sword technique."
Despite feeling upset, Su Changyu remained calm on the surface.
"Oh, I see. Thank you so much for teaching me, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping nodded as he had neglected that point.
"Little Junior Brother, I'm going to demonstrate a new sword technique in front of you now. Comprehend it well and see what you can get."
Su Changyu said slowly. He then pulled out his sword and took a few steps back.
Ye Ping held his breath and looked at Su Changyu with full concentration.
Not far away, Su Changyu held his sword in his hand, but he did not rush to swing it. Instead, he closed his eyes.
"Eldest Senior Brother, are you going to become one with heaven and earth and your sword?"
Ye Ping was shocked.
Time passed bit by bit.
After a while, Su Changyu opened his eyes, and he finally remembered the sword move.
Clang!
In the next moment, Su Changyu drew his sword and his sword momentum seemed to have surged towards the river, making Ye Ping feel surprised.
However, Ye Ping soon frowned.
He discovered that although his eldest senior brother's sword moves looked powerful, there seemed to be some incoherence.
Comparing the Four Thunder Sword Techniques to Su Changyu's sword technique, Ye Ping vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Su Changyu seemed to be feeling uncomfortable, and he didn't seem too familiar with it.
He inhaled sharply.
Ye Ping was suddenly shocked.
He thought of a possibility.
'Eldest Senior Brother is giving me a reminder.'
'This sword technique is very strong and it's not inferior to the Four Thunder Sword Techniques. In fact, it's even stronger, but one is prone to making mistakes in certain areas.'
'Senior Brother is afraid that I might go on the wrong path, so he deliberately revealed some flaws to make me think about it lest I go wrong.'
Thinking of this, Ye Ping's heart was filled with gratitude.
He could tell that Su Changyu looked like an aloof and stern person who seemed to have a heart of stone but was actually a gentle person who just wasn't good at expressing his emotions. Hence, he was using another method to teach him and express his thoughts.
All of a sudden, Ye Ping liked Su Changyu even more.
Besides, Su Changyu did work very hard to perform the improved Chuanhe Swordsmanship.
After the demonstration, he was panting heavily.
However, he maintained his composure. After performing the last move, Su Changyu especially pulled off a fancy sword move that made everything seem even more visually appealing and convincing.
Ye Ping had also been paying attention to the sword techniques.
After the demonstration ended majestically, Ye Ping couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"The waters of the great river rise to heavens and spread to the sea without returning."
It was shocking for Ye Ping to describe that sword technique with a poem.
Not far away, Su Changyu seemed calm on the surface, but deep down, he had been paying attention to Ye Ping. He was also worried that Ye Ping might have noticed some flaws, but he realized that Ye Ping's eyes were filled with awe. Hence, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Ye Ping's poem.
"The waters of the great river rise to heavens and spread to the sea without returning?"
"This poem sounds pompous and impressive. Good, I like it."
Su Changyu bore those lines in mind and then looked at Ye Ping.
"Little Junior Brother, what do you think of this set of sword techniques?"
Su Changyu asked calmly.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I think that this set of sword techniques is very majestic. The sword momentum is like the sea as they overlap and eventually return to the ocean. It's astonishing."
Ye Ping praised emotionally.
'Indeed, he's a scholar.' Su Changyu nodded in satisfaction.
He said, "Little Junior Brother, the name of this sword technique that I'm teaching you is the Heavenly River Sword technique. There are only nine moves in the rudimentary edition. However, you can deduce it continuously. Comprehend it well and think about it properly. I won't say much about the rest, otherwise, it'd be meaningless. Do you understand?"
Su Changyu asked sternly.
"Yes, please don't worry, Senior Brother. I'll definitely practice it well and try to condense the sword momentum soon."
Ye Ping nodded solemnly.
Su Changyu smiled lightly after hearing this.
Heavenly River Sword momentum?
He had made up that sword technique. Other than the first and last moves, the rest were fabricated by him.
'Just with this?'
'You think you can condense the sword momentum?'
'Little Junior Brother, you're too young.'
Su Changyu was pleased.
However, he did not intentionally try to fool Ye Ping.
It was mainly because he knew what Daoist Tai Hua had in mind and also because he really couldn't comprehend the Chuanhe Sword Technique. Hence, Su Changyu came up with such an idea.
"Little Junior Brother, I've already taught the sword technique to you. Of course, if you can't comprehend it, don't force yourself. After all, there are endless sword techniques in the path of the sword. If one is not suitable for you, just try a different one. At most, you can go back to comprehending the Four Thunder Sword Techniques. Do you understand?"
Su Changyu admonished.
He was just worried that Ye Ping might be too obsessed with trying to comprehend a single technique. If he had a change of mind, Daoist Tai Hua would probably kill Su Changyu.
"I will follow your teachings, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping nodded.
"Okay, practice them well. In a couple of days, Xu Luochen will come to see you again and teach you the techniques of alchemy."
Su Changyu said.
"Senior Brother Luochen?"
Ye Ping was indeed astonished.
He didn't expect to learn something new again so soon.
'With my aptitude, would I be able to learn it?'
Ye Ping was filled with curiosity.
"Yes, don't worry. Your senior brother Luochen is mild-mannered. His temper is much better than mine. Okay, go ahead and practice at ease."
Su Changyu did not say anything more.
He turned around and left.
However, he came back again soon.
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Chapter 30: Little Junior Brother, Demonstrate The Heavenly River Swordsmanship
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Su Changyu left.
However, he returned again shortly afterwards.
It was not that he had forgotten something, but rather, Su Changyu was getting increasingly scared as he thought about it.
After all, he had made up that set of sword techniques.
The starting stance was indeed that of the Chuanhe Swordsmanship, but the moves in the middle were randomly made up by him. Hence, they purely looked majestic with no substantial, practical uses.
Ye Ping was honest and candid, but that was also why Su Changyu was afraid that Ye Ping would get too carried away with it.
Hence, Su Changyu went back.
He planned to let Ye Ping demonstrate it once before giving him any more pointers. In that case, Ye Ping wouldn't be too obsessed.
Soon, Su Changyu returned to the rear cliff.
Besides, Ye Ping did not practice swordsmanship. Instead, he closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Little Junior Brother."
Su Changyu yelled and Ye Ping immediately opened his eyes with some bewilderment.
"Eldest Senior Brother, why are you back?"
Ye Ping was a little curious. He had just sat down not long ago and was pondering about the Heavenly River Swordsmanship. To his surprise, Su Changyu returned.
"Little Junior Brother, demonstrate the Heavenly River Swordsmanship once. I'm worried that this sword technique might not be suitable for you."
Su Changyu cut straight to the chase, but there were no hidden meanings in his words.
"Oh, alright."
Ye Ping nodded, and then picked up the sword beside him.
"Eldest Senior Brother, can you wait for a while? I had some thoughts just now and I'd like to think about them."
Ye Ping was a little nervous.
After all, demonstrating sword techniques in front of a supreme Sword Dao powerhouse was provocative.
Especially since he had only read it once, Ye Ping was afraid of making mistakes. Hence, he decided to think about it before saying anything.
"It's alright. I'll wait for you."
Su Changyu did not think much about it.
"Please wait a moment, Eldest Senior Brother."
Ye Ping did not speak anymore. He stood on the spot and closed his eyes before starting to think about the sword techniques.
The sword move immediately appeared in Ye Ping's mind.
There were various sword shadows in his mind.
The nine sword moves were continuously being demonstrated in his mind.
The Heavenly River Swordsmanship was majestic, but in his mind, they were exquisite and oppressive.
It was as if he was not facing the river but the vast ocean.
'But why is it called the Heavenly River Swordsmanship?'
All of a sudden, Ye Ping fell into deep thought.
After a while, he came to a sudden realization.
'What is the Heavenly River?'
The milky way hanging above the sky was the Heavenly River.
The Heavenly River was the milky way.
No ocean could compare to the size of the milky way.
All of a sudden Ye Ping completely understood everything.
Not far away, Su Changyu's feet were a little numb.
He regretted coming over and was also a little dejected about Ye Ping's poor memory.
'I've just demonstrated those sword moves. Why is he taking so long to think about it?'
'Can't he hurry up?'
'I'm so tired.'
'Can it be faster?'
Just as Su Changyu was letting his imagination run wild, Ye Ping demonstrated a sword move.
Whoosh.
It was the sound of waves.
It wasn't the sound of a sword but the sound of waves.
In an instant, Su Changyu froze in shock.
After the first move, Ye Ping executed the next move smoothly.
Each move was like a wave of the sea.
Each move was stronger than the one preceding it.
He demonstrated the 20th.
The 50th.
The 100th.
Su Changyu was confused. He had only demonstrated nine moves to Ye Ping, why were there more than a hundred now?
As he progressed, Ye Ping's aura became stronger like the waves in the sea.
He demonstrated move after move and they were stacked infinitely.
Huff!
Huff!
A strong wind blew up all the leaves and branches within a few dozen meters, and the ancient trees began shaking.
It was not a sword momentum.
They were just sword moves. Ye Ping swung his sword continuously. The withered leaves actually moved up and down like the waves of the sea.
Boom.
He demonstrated the 365th move.
The sounds of an explosion followed immediately.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Ten meters directly in front of Ye Ping, the sand and rocks were scattered all over the place. The horrifying sounds of an explosion were deafening.
However, Su Changyu was dumbfounded.
'Damn it, is this the Heavenly River Swordsmanship that I've just taught him?'
Su Changyu froze on the spot.
Ye Ping's sword momentum showed some traces of what he had taught Ye Ping just now, but the difference in their power was worlds apart.
Su Changyu did not know how to describe Ye Ping's sword momentum.
The only thing he knew was that he would definitely die if he fought Ye Ping.
Although he was mediocre, he was a cultivator who was at Level 5 of the Qi Refinement realm.
Yet, Ye Ping had no cultivation level, but he was so strong.
'How does this make any sense?'
'How can this be?'
'I'm so sour about it.'
After coming back to his senses, Su Changyu was incredibly bitter about it.
He really didn't expect that Ye Ping had actually comprehended the nonsensical Heavenly River Swordsmanship.
He was angry and bitter.
Not far away, Ye Ping retrieved his sword and then glanced at Su Changyu with some nervousness.
"Eldest Senior Brother, my aptitude is poor. I'm afraid I've failed to show the essence of this sword technique."
Ye Ping said honestly.
He felt that that sword technique was extremely different and was much more profound than the Four Thunder Sword Techniques. He reckoned that there were definitely more than 365 moves.
Heavenly River Swordsmanship.
"You are indeed mediocre, but it's not too bad since you can deduce 365 moves in a short period of time. Alright, Little Junior Brother, continue training and thinking about it from where you left off."
Su Changyu said casually with a smile.
However, he was incredibly upset.
He didn't want to talk anymore.
He left right away.
Ye Ping looked at Su Changyu who left and subconsciously thought that the latter didn't want to say much to him because of his poor aptitude.
Thinking about this, Ye Ping couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Eldest Senior Brother, don't worry. I will definitely work hard and strive to achieve one percent of what you have within my lifetime."
Ye Ping said ambitiously and confidently.
Su Changyu almost stumbled and fell onto the ground.
'One percent of what I have?'
'Are you humiliating me?'
'This is an emotional torture.'
'An emotional torture.'
'Okay.'
'Little Junior Brother.'
'I, Su Changyu, swear that I will make up a set of sword techniques that you will never learn or understand.'
'I refuse to believe that you can learn anything.'
'If you can learn the next set of sword techniques that I teach you, I'll swallow all the flying swords in Jin Nation right in front of you.'
'I'll dip them in sauce and swallow them.'
Keeping his hands hidden in his long robe, Su Changyu clenched his fists hard and solemnly swore in his heart that he would definitely make up a set of sword techniques that Ye Ping could not comprehend.
'I must! I must do that! I must!'
He had suffered too big of a blow.
He just wanted to be alone now.
Just like that, he continued all the way until late at night.
Inside the Qingyun Dao Sect, Xu Luochen walked out of the hut with a book in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed into a frown.
"The four main ingredients of the Blood Nourishing Pill are Motherwort, Blood Vine, Withered Heart Root, and Tonic Leaf. The nine supportive medicinal ingredients are…"
Xu Luochen muttered to himself as he was memorizing something.
However, he soon picked up the book in his hand and took a look at it again.
He couldn't help but mutter, "It's not the Withered Heart Root, that's a deadly pill. Xu Luochen, Xu Luochen, why can't you remember anything? The alchemy examination is round the corner. If you fail again this time, it will be the eighth time you fail."
Xu Luochen complained in self-reproach.
However, he soon saw the figure of a person on the distant cliff.
It was Su Changyu.
He was gazing at the stars alone quietly, appearing melancholic and sorrowful.
"Eldest Senior Brother's condition has been deteriorating."
"Ah, Eldest Senior Brother is just being too impatient. Even if Junior Brother's aptitude is poor, it can't be that bad, right?"
"He just has low aptitude, what's the big deal? Is the Qingyun Dao Sect that impressive? How impatient."
"As a teacher, he lacks patience and gets so greatly affected by something trivial. How useless. How can he be the Sect Leader in the future?"
"I'll be teaching this Little Junior Brother tomorrow. I have to teach Eldest Senior Brother what it's like to be a teacher."
Xu Luochen couldn't help but shake his head before continuing to memorize the prescriptions, not bothered at all.
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Chapter 31: Daoist Siji, Ten Nations Academy!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The sky was clear.
There were a total of three major sects in Qingzhou region.
The leading one was the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect that was established by Daoist Siji.
Next in line were the White Cloud Dao Sect and the Taiyue Sword Sect.
At this moment, inside the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect, a Swordsmanship Appraisal Meet had just ended.
The top ten disciples, seven of whom were male and three female, stood on the stage with their heads held high and chests puffed up, appearing extremely majestic.
Several elders were looking at them while stepping on flying swords.
At this moment, a strong voice sounded.
"Good! Excellent! There are seven people who have cultivated the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship to the realm of Greater Mastery. There are also two who have reached the Peak of Spring Thunder Swordsmanship."
"Of course, there is even one person who has managed to condense the Spring Thunder Swordsmanship sword momentum. Good, very good, well done!"
The elder's voice was like a big bell that reverberated in the ears of the numerous disciples.
Outside the stage, thousands of disciples stared at the ten people standing on it, green with envy.
The ten of them grinned even more widely especially after being praised by the elder.
However, at this juncture, the elder continued to speak.
"But the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet will be very different this time. There are still two months to go before then. We can't be careless. In order to get into the top ten in the competition, the Sect Leader will personally guide your cultivation. Do you understand?"
As his voice sounded, the thousands of disciples instantly got into an uproar.
Even the ten people on the stage couldn't help but be stunned.
No one could have imagined that a mere Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet would warrant the personal guidance of Daoist Siji.
Sect Leader Siji was the creator of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques and was known as the first and best Sword Dao powerhouse in Qingzhou. He rose to fame a few centuries ago. Although he was still the Sect Leader in name, he was often nowhere to be found.
They didn't expect that he would personally guide the inner sect disciples.
In all the sects of Qingzhou region, the disciples were classified into three categories: outer sect, inner sect, core, and true disciples.
Regardless of how outstanding the inner sect disciples might be, they could not receive the personal guidance of someone like Daoist Siji.
In Qingzhou, Daoist Siji was a faith-like existence and was definitely a true-blue Sword Dao powerhouse who lived up to his prestigious reputation of being the best in Qingzhou.
At this moment, not to mention the outer disciples, even the core disciples and inner sect disciples couldn't help but be envious.
Envy was secondary. They mainly found it incredible.
At this moment, the elder's voice sounded again.
"The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet is of great importance this time. The goal of the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect is not for one of our disciples to clinch the first place, but for all top ten spots to be taken up by our disciples."
"We've received reliable news that several hidden sects in Qingzhou have also sent their disciples to participate in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. Do all of you understand?"
As the elder said that, the commotion suddenly got much louder.
Hidden sects.
Those words were as great as a mountain to the disciples.
Although most of the disciples had never left Qingzhou, they knew what a hidden sect meant.
The Jin Nation was above Qingzhou.
The ten nations were above Jin Nation.
Rumor had it that there was once a tumultuous period of time in the ten nations which caused some larger sects to fall. Although the sects had fallen, some of their core strength was still lurking in some little-known places.
As time passed and the world forgot about those sects, they became hidden sects.
Of course, there was another type of hidden sect that was even more exaggerated. They almost had a single line of succession and had a supreme heritage. Such sects were not what the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect could compare to at all.
In fact, comparing the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect to such hidden sects would be the greatest insult to the hidden sects.
In an instant, the crowd instantly understood why Daoist Siji would be giving them personal guidance.
Clearly, there would be secretly talented elites joining the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet this time. Since the hidden sects would be participating too, there must be some important agenda.
Everyone felt even more bitter when they thought about it.
Had they known earlier, they would have gone all out to fight for a spot in the top ten among the sect.
The disciples were filled with regret.
They hadn't received any news at all.
Although they could also participate in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, the issue was that they would not be receiving the personal guidance of Daoist Siji, unlike the top ten of the sect.
The elder glanced at the expressions of the disciples and immediately waved his hand to speak.
"Well, regardless of whether you have emerged as one of the top ten of the sect or not, you have to train hard. Do not be conceited as the path of the sword is incomparably long. You have to focus on being diligent. That's all for today, you are dismissed."
After saying that, the elders left the disciples.
Soon, in the main hall of Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect, dozens of elders were seated quietly with solemn expressions.
The hall seemed exceptionally quiet with a cold ambiance.
At this moment, a figure appeared outside the main hall.
It was an old person.
Everyone got up and looked at him respectfully.
"Greetings, Sect Leader!"
They chorused.
The old man waved his hand, entered the main hall, and sat down on the main seat.
"I have asked to see all of you today because of something major."
He spoke slowly, invoking curiosity in the elders.
They wondered what happened and why it warranted the personal appearance of Daoist Siji.
"Sect Leader, may I ask what exactly has happened?"
"Yes, Sect Leader. What exactly happened?"
"Is it related to the entry token of the Taixuan Sword Tower?"
Everyone couldn't help but ask, and some even had some insider information.
However, Daoist Siji shook his head.
"If it's just the entry token to the Taixuan Sword Tower, that won't be much of a big deal," Daoist Siji said. He then continued with a solemn expression, "Do you know about the Ten Nations Academy?"
"The Ten Nations Academy?"
"Is the Ten Nations Academy going to reopen again?"
All of a sudden, something dawned upon the elders. They knew of the Ten Nations Academy, but they were all curious about what the Ten Nations Academy had to do with the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet.
"Sect Leader, the Ten Nations Academy is not trivial, but what is the connection between it and the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet? Could it be that the champion of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet will be given a chance to join the Ten Nations Academy?"
Some elders couldn't help but ask, appearing extremely curious.
The Ten Nations Academy.
It was an extremely famous academy within the ten nations and only the true elite of the ten nations would be admitted to the academy.
The best in Qingzhou could not compare to such an elite.
Legend had it that any disciple of the Ten Nations Academy was the best of a nation.
Among the ten nations, Jin Nation's power was the weakest.
In Jin Nation, there were a total of 33 states, of which Qingzhou was considered in the upper-middle level, thanks to Daoist Siji who managed to raise their status by several levels.
Otherwise, Qingzhou would definitely be ranked at the bottom.
For the cultivators of Qingzhou, the Ten Nations Academy was out of reach.
Hence, they were curious about the connection between the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet and the Ten Nations Academy.
'It is impossible for one to be given a place in the Ten Nations Academy just by becoming the champion of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, right?'
If that was the case, there would be a complete uproar in Qingzhou region.
The elders looked at Daoist Siji.
The latter did not leave them hanging either as he immediately spoke up.
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Chapter 32: The Commander of Jin Nation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the main hall of the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect, Daoist Siji looked at the crowd calmly.
"The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet may not have much of a connection to the Ten Nations Academy, but I have received a secret report that the Jin Nation has sent hundreds of Sword Masters to check up on two matters."
"The first is the case of the missing Seven Treasures Vase."
"The second is regarding the Jin Nation Academy."
"The Ten Nations Academy will be opened soon, and the elites of all ten nations will be selected, but that will take some time. Apart from some inner sect disciples whom the Jin Nation have already decided to send, the king of Jin Nation plans to select some young juniors to join the Jin Nation Academy."
"In about a year's time, ten true elites will be nurtured and sent to the Ten Nations Academy."
Daoist Siji told them about everything clearly.
Everyone in the main hall looked extremely shocked.
"Sect Leader, does that mean that the Jin Nation's imperial court will be sending Sword Dao powerhouses to inspect and monitor the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet this time and pick out some outstanding juniors?"
An elder asked.
"Yes." Daoist Siji nodded before continuing, "Besides, I already know who it is."
Daoist Siji said with a solemn expression.
Everyone was exasperated to hear that.
"Who is it?"
"In the past, Jin Nation would indeed send many capable and competent people to scout for outstanding juniors in Jin Nation for the purpose of recruiting them to the academy and nurturing them to join the Ten Nations Academy. These competent people are all lonely by nature and are good at disguising themselves."
"Sometimes, they might even remain anonymous for decades in a certain place. They don't care about fame and fortune, nor do they care about glory and wealth. They're fully focused on working for Jin Nation. Sect Leader, how did you find out about this person?"
The elders were completely astonished.
Although the Jin Nation was not that strong among the ten nations, it was still a nation.
In the world of immortal cultivation, the relationship between the sects and the imperial court was unique and worked in wonderful ways. The imperial court allowed the establishment of sects, and the major sects were accepted. As long as the core was not affected, the two would work hand in hand to protect the world.
However, the status of the imperial court was slightly higher than the immortal sects. It was not because the immortal sects were inferior, but because the two were completely different. A sect would have at most 100,000 members, but there were more than 100,000 people in the imperial court.
Of course, it mainly depended on the type of sect that the imperial court faced.
If it was the best immortal sect of Jin Nation, the imperial court of the Jin Nation would definitely have to be respectful, but the best sect in Qingzhou might not be more significant than the imperial court.
In the eyes of the people of the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect, the Jin Nation imperial court was like a hegemon, and it was hard for the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect to find out what they got up to. However, they did not expect that Daoist Siji actually found the person who was going to carry out the "inspection".
How could this not excite the elders?
If they found out in advance, they could at least avoid provoking him even though they wouldn't bribe him. If they could get into that person's good books, it would only be beneficial to the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect.
After all, those who were sent to inspect were all elites and not incompetent fools.
The elders were astonished.
Daoist Siji did not say anything. He simply stretched his hand out.
In an instant, a painting appeared in his hand.
Immediately afterwards, the scroll was unrolled and the crowd was greeted with the scenery of a mountain peak during the evening sunset.
The mood of the painting was beautiful. The elders present had lived for centuries. Apart from cultivating, they would seek leisure in their free time.
Although they were not proficient in all four arts of music, chess, poetry, and calligraphy, they could tell at a glance that the painting was extremely beautiful.
"These are superb painting skills. The creator can be considered an expert of the nation. The mountain peak during the evening sunset is vivid and realistic, especially the person in this painting who seems to possess the etherealness and indifference of a sword cultivator. This is an excellent painting."
"No, no, no. Not only is this a good painting, look at the person in this painting. He looks just like a Sword Immortal. Although he's not showing his talent, he seems incredibly sharp and impressive. This contains some sword intent."
"Ah, I originally thought that this was a fairly satisfactory piece of painting. But after hearing your comments, it does seem superb."
"The more you look at this painting, the more frightening it gets. Only the side profile of this person has been painted, but he acts completely like a Sword Immortal."
"Sect Leader, what does this mean?"
"What does this painting represent? Could it be?"
The elders were all filled with curiosity.
There were also some elders who seemed to have guessed something.
"Indeed, the man in this scroll is the Sword Dao powerhouse who had been sent by the king of Jin Nation."
Daoist Siji said with a solemn expression.
After he said that, everyone began to ask questions in shock.
"Really?"
"Sect Leader, is there any evidence?"
"Yes, this person does look like an expert, but he's so young. It seems a little unlikely, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, Sect Leader. Did you misunderstand?"
The elders spoke up one after another, finding the idea of it too far-fetched.
However, Daoist Siji shook his head and looked at the elders, his eyes full of disappointment.
"Shallow. You guys are too shallow."
Daoist Siji was a little helpless, and there was some disappointment in his gaze.
The elders were a bit confused, but they dared not say anything. After all, Daoist Siji had a high status in their hearts. Besides, they were very curious about the painting which indeed seemed unique.
"Do you know who painted this painting?"
Daoist Siji questioned.
"Householder Qing Lian. I've heard a little about this person. He's a famous talent in Jin Nation and they say that the king of Jin Nation is particularly fond of Householder Qing Lian's works. However he has been in disappearance lately."
Some elders who knew a little bit about the creator of the painting began to talk about his origin.
"Yes." Daoist Siji nodded.
He continued with a solemn expression, "The person who painted this painting is Householder Qing Lian. Although I've never met him before, he's extremely talented. Not only does the king of Jin Nation like his poems, some authoritative nobles of Jin Nation are also huge fans of his writings."
"Besides, Householder Qing Lian disappeared half a year ago. Think about it, where do you think he has gone?"
Daoist Siji gave them some clues.
"Could it be that he has joined some small sect to practice immortal cultivation?"
An elder guessed.
"Impossible. Householder Qing Lian is very famous. Why would he join a small sect? If he's willing to join the Four Thunder Swordsmanship Sect, I'd be willing to overstep your authority and take him as a disciple."
"Yes, how could such a talented person join a sect?"
"Oh, I know. Sect Leader, Householder Qing Lian has already received an imperial edict by the court, right?"
Many vetoed the conjecture of the first elder. Some also thought that he had been given an imperial edict by the imperial court.
Daoist Siji nodded.
"Indeed, Householder Qing Lian is incredibly talented. If he can gain the favor and is sought after by the powerful people of Jin Nation, he would naturally receive an edict by the imperial court."
"In Jin Nation, there's a peerless swordsman who was once a genius of the Ten Nations Academy. However, for some unknown reason, he ended up being expelled and eventually became an inspection commander of Jin Nation."
"This person is extremely extraordinary and is highly valued by the king of Jin Nation. Householder Qing Lian has obviously met him after receiving the edict and created a painting for him because he was amazed by his temperament and sophistication."
"Of course, the king of Jin Nation might have requested Householder Qing Lian to create a painting for him too."
"This powerhouse doesn't like revealing his face, but he can't defy the orders of the king either, so he ended up having his side profile painted."
Daoist Siji analyzed logically.
However, in the end, someone questioned with doubt.
"Sect Leader, these are just your conjectures. Is there any proof?"
It was an elder who asked that. Although he trusted Daoist Siji, he felt that there was something wrong.
However, Daoist Siji chuckled coldly before tapping the scroll.
In the next moment, a terrifying sword momentum appeared.
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