Unsheathed

The sages once said, “When the heavens are about to place great responsibility on a great person, they always first frustrate their spirit and will, and exhaust their muscles and bones.[1]”

Wei Bo traveled to Downtrodden Mountain almost every single day, bringing Chen Ping’an extremely valuable medicinal ingredients from Cloth Wrapper Shop.

Even though Wei Bo couldn’t entirely empathize with Chen Ping’an’s suffering these past 20 days, he was indeed astonished by Chen Ping’an’s resilience as well as the disheveled old man’s brutality.

Just how great a responsibility did the heavens want to place on Chen Ping’an to have him suffer such inhumane punishment? When chaos took over the world and bad news traveled over from Stalactite Mountain, they surely weren’t going to ask Chen Ping’an, this young boy, to charge over and stop a million enemies with a single sword, right?

When this thought surfaced in Wei Bo’s mind, even he couldn’t help but think that it was preposterous.

Just how vast was the heaven? Just how boundless was the earth? One had to realize that Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was only the smallest of the nine continents in the Majestic World. Indeed, the large continent that was closest to Stalactite Mountain was none other than the Southern Whirl Continent which was brimming with prodigies and powerful beings.

There were supreme talents Cao Xi, someone who was an extremely powerful terrestrial sword immortal. Even so, he still couldn’t be regarded as one of the most powerful cultivators in Southern Whirl Continent. Those who genuinely stood at the peak of the continent were people like the old ancestor of the Yingyin Chen Clan.

Some time during the past 20 days, Song Yuzhang, the mountain god of Downtrodden Mountain, had visited and asked to speak to Wei Bo. However, Wei Bo had simply had a short and indifferent conversation with him. He had been far less welcoming and hospitable than the first time. Both parties were well aware of the reason behind this.

Song Yuzhang wanted to be a loyal official, a foolishly faithful one who always put the interests of the Great Li Empire first. During their first encounter in the mountain god temple at the peak of Downtrodden Mountain, Song Yuzhang had revealed his true thoughts even though his audience had been Wei Bo. Meanwhile, Wei Bo wasn’t a benevolent clay Bodhisattva who felt no anger, so the two of them had eventually parted ways on slightly bad terms.

Today, Wei Bo held a bag of medicinal ingredients in his hands as he leisurely walked up the mountain. After arriving at the bamboo building, he discovered that Chen Ping’an was standing near the railing and had just finished practicing standing meditation. Chen Ping’an was yet to complete his training session today, and he surprisingly waved at Wei Bo when he saw him.

Wei Bo lightly tossed the bag of medicinal ingredients that was worth 100,000 taels of silver to the little girl in pink. He then shot a brief glance at the little boy in azure who was sitting cross-legged on the cliffside before jogging to the second floor in a spritely manner. His feet thumped against the bamboo stairs, and he didn’t seem like the formal god of the Northern Mountain who was imminently about to receive his appointment. Instead, he seemed like a shop clerk who had to run around everywhere.

Even though Chen Ping’an was about to enter a torture chamber, he still smiled faintly and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Esteemed Immortal Wei.”

“No, it’s not hard at all. It’s just walking a few steps, and I can even wander around and enjoy the scenery at the same time. In any case, I’m a mountain god, after all, so it’s my responsibility to patrol the mountains.”

Wei Bo rested his elbows on the railing and turned around to look at the young boy, asking, “Was drinking half a pot of wine that useful?”

“I’m not sure why this is either,” Chen Ping’an replied in embarrassment. “My mood changed completely after drinking a bit of wine.”

Wei Bo nodded and said, “That’s a good thing.”

The old man’s deep and resonant voice traveled over from the room on the second floor, “Come in and enjoy yourself!”

A helpless smile appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he waved goodbye to Wei Bo. Meanwhile, Wei Bo couldn’t help but smile wryly as well. Enjoy himself? The old man sure had gall to say this.

Removing armor sounded very innocent and unremarkable, right? But what was this in reality? The old man was asking Chen Ping’an to peel his skin back and remove his fingernails!

What about reeling silk? This was telling Chen Ping’an to reel his own tendons and blood vessels!

These were brutal punishments that genuinely tested Chen Ping’an’s mental strength because he was required to do this to himself. Not only that, but he also had to keep his eyes wide open and make sure that he didn’t go too fast. He had to slowly torture himself using these inhumane methods.

Wei Bo felt numb with apprehension. At the same time, however, he was also filled with eager anticipation regarding Chen Ping’an’s martial arts cultivation base.

After undergoing such brutal training, just how solid and powerful would his third tier cultivation base be? When he fought against enemies in the future, just how impressive would his combat power be?

Chen Ping’an removed his straw sandals and walked into the empty room on the second floor. After closing the door, he saw the old man sitting cross-legged on the floor and flipping through the Mountain Shaking Guide. His brows were knitted into a deep frown.

When seeing Chen Ping’an practice the Sword Furnace[2] today, the old man had suddenly come up with the idea to check out the fist guide that the standing meditation technique had come from. Upon hearing this request, Chen Ping’an had given him a lengthy explanation similar to what he had given Ning Yao back then — he was only looking after this fist guide for someone else, and the Mountain Shaking Guide wasn’t his property. Thus, the fist techniques and diagrams recorded in the guide couldn’t be shared with anyone else, and so on and so forth. The old man had been so annoyed that he had almost taught the young boy a lesson on the spot.

“This is that Mountain Shaking Guide?”

The old man casually tossed the fist guide back to the young boy. There was a derisive smile on his face, and he chuckled, “There exists an insect in my hometown called the pi fu[ref]Pi Fu is a type of large ant.[\ref]. Unlike others of its ilk, it does nothing but transport mountain rocks into the water its entire life. Hahaha! So it turns out that this was written by a worldly martial artist from the southeastern region of Complete Reed Continent. Simply look at this small-minded and unsophisticated manner of speech. Just how powerful could the author of this fist technique have been to have written something like this?

“Fortunately, this person had the self-awareness to clearly write this: ‘Though never honored in parallel with the most paramount fist techniques of this age…’ Otherwise, I would have truly needed to scold him and call him shameless.

“My fist technique decides not victory and loss, but life and death. It places emphasis not on movements, but on intent. Tsk, tsk. This description is truly like a toad trying to swallow heaven and earth. Such boastful words! Chen Ping’an, do you know why the author described his fist technique as such? The answer is very simple — because if he focused on victory or loss, then this fist technique would always lose more than it won. As such, the author placed an emphasis on deciding life and death instead. After all, a person can only die a single time.”

“If the fist guide is so terrible, then why was Senior willing to read it so carefully and remember all the details?” Chen Ping’an said in a mopey voice.

The old man roared with laughter and replied, “The fist technique recorded in the guide is genuinely crap. However, the person who wrote this guide is truly audacious, and reading through it gave me quite a good chuckle. I read it as if I were reading a messy travel journal.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t rebut the old man. However, he was quite unhappy after hearing this.

He cherished this fist guide very much. He cherished it immensely!

In fact, deep down in Chen Ping’an’s heart, his gratitude toward the Mountain Shaking Guide was no lesser than his gratitude toward the three wisps of sword qi from the sword spirit.

The former was a life-saving technique, while the latter was a life-saving trump card. There was no notion of which was superior, nor should there be one. In any case, Chen Ping’an had a rough idea of just how powerful or weak the Mountain Shaking Guide was. After all, Ning Yao hadn’t rated it highly either, and she had simply told him to follow it step-by-step and use it to learn some fist techniques. However, she hadn’t felt like this could lead him to any great success. Afterward, Zhu He had also observed Chen Ping’an performing walking meditation, and he hadn’t noticed anything special about it either.

However, Chen Ping’an didn’t care about these things.

No matter how many years passed, whether it was 10 years or 100 years, and no matter how high his martial arts achievement was at that time, he would still like the Mountain Shaking Fist. In fact, he would only like it more than today, not less!

The old man smiled and said, “Let me ask you a simple question before beginning the training session today. If you answer it correctly, I’ll have a small surprise for you. If you answer it incorrectly, however, heh…”

Chen Ping’an gulped in slight apprehension.

The smile disappeared from the old man’s face, and he asked in a solemn voice, “Disregarding the description of the fist techniques, which sentence in the fist guide do you like the most?”

“Those who practice the Mountain Shaking Fist in the future, remember this fact even if you’re facing the founders of the three teachings. Your fist technique could be weak, and your fist technique could lose in battles. However, the fist intent that you possess definitely can’t take a single step in retreat!” Chen Ping’an replied without hesitation.

The old man abruptly stood up and said, “Time for training!”

————

In the blacksmith shop located to the south of the small town, Ruan Xiu grumbled at her father and said in displeasure, “Why won’t you let me help forge the sword?”

The middle-aged man glanced at the brand-new sword furnace and asked, “Do you know why I agreed to forge this sword for that young girl?”

Ruan Xiu nodded and replied, “Of course I do. She gave us such a large Dragon Slaying Platform, and that was more than enough to purchase a good sword.”

Ruan Qiong shook his head and explained, “Not only this, but I also hope that the first sword that I forge after founding my own force will be able to astonish the world, regardless of whom I forge it for. I want all of the sword cultivators in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, and perhaps even Complete Reed Continent, to learn of the peerless sharpness of this sword!”

When he said this, a dazzling aura emanated from Ruan Qiong, who even the wine-selling women in the small town dared to tease. It was as if he were a scholar expounding grand principles, it was as if he were a Daoist priest explaining Dao, and it was as if he were a Buddhist priest teaching Dharma.

Leaning back into his seat, Ruan Qiong clenched his hands into fists and lightly tapped them against his knees. His gaze was intense, and he no longer appeared rough and inarticulate like he always did. “With this in mind, who’s the most suitable person to give this sword to? In the beginning, Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin was naturally the most suitable candidate. After all, he can be considered as part of us. However, it was a shame that he remained cultivating in seclusion the entire time.

“Ning Yao came during this time, and she actively asked me to forge a sword for her. Not only that, but she also gave us that Dragon Slaying Platform. Thus, I naturally wouldn’t turn her down. The place that exists beyond Stalactite Mountain is even more impressive than the sword cultivator holy lands in Complete Reed Continent. In that place, my sword will have a greater opportunity to win the attention of the sword cultivators in the world.”

Stalactite Mountain was regarded as the biggest mountain seal in the world. It had initially been a small and exquisite seal, but after descending from the sky, it had transformed into a towering and majestic mountain. This was clearly in order to disgust the Confucian sages. Not only did the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor — whose Daoist temple was located in a different world — drive this nail into the Majestic World, but he even demanded all of the Qi refiners who passed through Stalactite Mountain to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall to sign a “mountain alliance”.

Ordinary people weren’t aware of the existence of Stalactite Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall. After all, these places were essentially located at the very edge of the Majestic World. Meanwhile, most ordinary cultivation forces in the mountains were small and isolated to their own area of the world. Thus, it was very likely that they might have never heard of Stalactite Mountain or the Sword Qi Great Wall before.

If it were a more powerful force, then they might perhaps mention these two places in passing. However, it would be very difficult to delve any deeper. Firstly, they didn’t receive much news about these places. Secondly, these places were extremely far away from them, so there was little need to pay too much attention to them.

Even when it came to the most top-notch cultivation sects in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, such as Wind Snow Temple, they still felt as if the Sword Qi Great Wall was shrouded in mystery, as if they were trying to look at a flower veiled in mist. This was because Stalactite Mountain sat between them and the Sword Qi Great Wall, and this mountain was the handiwork of the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor. It was as if he had constructed a private courtyard in the Majestic World.

His actions were truly as domineering as could be.

The entire Majestic World belonged to the Confucian Sect, yet he insisted on building his own small garden in their territory.

It was no wonder the Scholarly Sage had run to the border between the two worlds to hurl abuse at the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor before becoming a sage, and it was no wonder his actions had been one of the greatest points of pride for Confucian disciples at the time.

According to some widespread narratives, one could wander around and freely check things out when one went to Stalactite Mountain. However, there were some things that one definitely couldn’t reveal to outsiders. Otherwise, if one dared to flout this rule, one would find themselves sought out by the disciples and grand-disciples of that Master Daoist. Moreover, the three schools and 72 academies of the Confucian Sect generally wouldn’t get too involved in these matters. They would at most say a few words to mediate the situation.

As for why the Confucian sages who were honored in the temples chose to turn a blind eye to this matter? This most likely pertained to some very fundamental and profound secrets.

This could be easily summarized using two words — heaven knows.

“Father, you said a lot, but what does all of this have to do with you not letting me help you forge the sword?” Ruan Xiu asked in puzzlement.

Ruan Qiong nodded and replied, “The quality of that sword is too high, and the material used to forge it is too high-grade as well. Your cultivation base is already high enough now, so I’m afraid that you’ll cause too much of a commotion and astound too many people if you become too engrossed and passionate in the forging process. The small town is brimming with all kinds of people now, so even the slightest bit of commotion will become big news that spreads throughout half of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.”

Ruan Xiu felt even more puzzled, and she asked, “Aren’t I just forging iron? Do you think I can forge a peach cake into existence?”

“If you merely forged a peach cake into existence, then that would spare me a lot of worry and trouble,” Ruan Qiong humped coldly.

Ruan Xiu chuckled awkwardly and didn’t say anything else.

She hadn’t eaten many snacks and desserts during the past year, so just the mention of them made her want to drool. She couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed.

After holding back for a long time, Ruan Qiong finally couldn’t help but say, “After hearing that this was a request for him to bring a sword to Ning Yao, that little brat immediately agreed without any hesitation. In fact, he didn’t even ask about how far away Stalactite Mountain is from Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. Hmph, he’s trying to punch far above his weight! How audacious!”

Ruan Xiu turned around and said quietly, “Father, this is simply a case of him liking a girl, so there’s no need to worry about whether he’s worthy or in the same class as her or not, right? It’s not like they’re getting engaged or married or anything. At that time, it might somewhat make a tiny bit of sense to consider his power and status. However, he only likes her right now, so even heaven and earth won’t pay any attention to this.”

Ruan Qiong faltered upon hearing this, and he asked, “You’re aware that he likes Ning Yao?”

“I’m not blind, father,” Ruan Xiu widened her eyes and replied. “And it’s not like you don’t know that I can see a person’s heart. I already knew this a long time ago.”

Ruan Qiong was so angry that he couldn’t utter a single word. Right now, he felt a strong urge to charge to Downtrodden Mountain in a single step and smash that little brat from Clay Vase Alley to death with a single punch.

How could that bumpkin bully his darling daughter like this?

Ruan Xiu suddenly giggled and said, “Father, you’re not thinking that I like Chen Ping’an, are you? Mhm, I’m talking about the type of like in a romantic sense.”

Ruan Qiong was slightly baffled. Even though he felt a little uneasy, he still pretended to be relaxed as he replied in a stubborn manner, “How could you possibly like that brat? This has got nothing to do with his background. I was also an impoverished boy who came from a poor family, so there’s no need to dwell too much on this point. However, I’m genuinely not a fan of Chen Ping’an’s appearance and talent, and I’m not especially impressed by his disposition or temper either. How can he possibly be worthy of my Xiuxiu?”

Ruan Xiu straightened her arms and interlaced her fingers together as she gazed into the distance. “Oh, so father doesn’t like him.”

As a mighty Militarian sage, Ruan Qiong was almost angered to death after hearing his darling daughter say this.

However, he still mustered his courage and asked, “Then what about you, Xiuxiu?”

Ruan Xiu’s reply was slightly beside the point, and it was as if she were deflecting to a less serious issue. “Chen Ping’an will only like a single girl, and I’m more aware of this than anyone else.”

The young girl smiled happily when she said this.

Ruan Qiong was slightly dumbfounded by this response. He didn’t know what his daughter was thinking. However, he wasn’t her mother, after all, so it naturally didn’t seem right for a man like him to dig any deeper regarding this topic of love and romance.

Ruan Xiu squinted her watery and spirited eyes and giggled, “Peach cake is so delicious.”

Ruan Qiong abruptly stood up and said in a sullen voice, “I’ll go to the small town to buy you some.”

“Alrighty,” Ruan Xiu replied in a weak and gentle voice.

Ruan Qiong felt very angry as he walked to the small town.

Chen Ping’an, you little piece of shit… You forced my Xiuxiu to endure for more than half a year without any snacks or desserts!

My darling daughter has become skinnier!

1. A quote by Mencius. ☜

2. Reminder that this is the name for standing meditation. ☜