Unsheathed

Thanks to Wei Bo, Chen Ping’an was able to live in an extremely extravagant residence. There were carved beams and jade pillars, and there were a large number of rooms and many exquisite decorations. Upon seeing this, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but think, Perhaps even the residences of emperors aren’t any better than this?

Apart from this, the Kun ship had also organized two maidservants for him, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. One was shapely and voluptuous, while the other was slender and willowy. They were sisters with similar appearances, yet their figures were completely different.

They were responsible for taking care of the esteemed guest, Chen Ping’an, whether that be cooking, washing, or cleaning. They were extremely mellow, and they spoke in a gentle and warm manner. Chen Ping’an was extremely uncomfortable with this. Moreover, how could he get these beautiful young girls to do everything? Thus, he still insisted on doing everything by himself regardless of how the two young girls tried to persuade him otherwise.

Chen Ping’an asked for a tub of water to wash his feet that night, and he placed his extremely calloused feet into the scalding hot water. Chun Shui and Qiu Shi were standing nearby, and there was a hint of sulkiness in their eyes. Chen Ping’an felt very uneasy, and it took him a lot of effort to persuade the two young girls to go outside to rest. He breathed a sigh of relief after doing this, and he shuffled his feet in the tub of water and looked around at his surroundings.

Chun Shui and Qiu Shi sat in the room outside. They leaned toward each other, and they softly chit-chatted using their mother tongue from Complete Reed Continent. Their voices were mellow as they talked, and they curiously speculated about the young boy’s background. Why did the supervisor of the Kun ship view him in such regard? Why had he given this young boy a heaven-grade token?

They chatted about the traditions and customs of the Great Li Empire that they had heard from other people, and they gossiped about the strange and interesting things that had happened in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent during the New Year. They also mentioned some celestial maiden from some immortal abode, and they praised the beauty of her robes and scarves and just how much these things suited her disposition and appearance. They also praised the beauty of her pearl hairpin that had come from a dragon palace.

There was an azure porcelain plate on the table, and several layers of fresh fruits and melons stacked on top of it. A refreshing fragrance wafted from the fruits, expensive products from various mountains in Complete Reed Continent. Not only were they fragrant, but they also possessed a faint hint of spiritual energy.

The twin sisters with vastly different figures only dared to steal a few glances at the fruits. They didn’t dare to touch them without permission.

The sound of Chen Ping’an’s footsteps drew closer, and Chun Shui and Qiu Shi immediately stood up and respectfully awaited his commands. Chen Ping’an was still wearing his straw sandals, and he wasn’t willing to put down his twin swords even though he was indoors.

The twin sisters exchanged a glance out of the corners of their eyes, and the corners of their lips also curled up into slight smiles. They found this quite interesting. However, they didn’t dare to laugh at the young boy.

In any case, this Kun ship from Ceremony Mountain[1] would carry people and cargo and make a return trip across three continents every single year. As such, the two top-grade maidservants in the heaven-grade residence had seen all kinds of strange and peculiar Qi refiners before.

In fact, they felt like this esteemed guest from the Great Li Empire could even be a 40 or 50-year cultivator. This was far too common in the cultivation world. When traveling outside, one needed to be especially wary of young-looking people. The younger these people appeared, the more careful one needed to be. Indeed, one should never challenge such people recklessly.

Qiu Shi grabbed the tub of water and went outside to pour it away. Meanwhile, Chun Shui smiled and asked Chen Ping’an whether he would be going to watch the guqin[2] performance tonight. A celestial maiden from Yellow Millet Pavilion, a force with a good relationship with Ceremony Mountain, had agreed to play the guqin tonight, and all of the esteemed guests from the heaven-grade residences could attend her performance without needing to pay. Moreover, these esteemed guests would all be offered private rooms.

Chen Ping’an was still carrying Subduing Demons, the sword that Ruan Qiong had forged, at this moment, so he naturally wasn’t willing to wander around and mingle with too many people. Thus, he politely turned down this invitation. Chun Shui was slightly disappointed by this outcome. After all, if their esteemed guest Chen Ping’an wasn’t willing to attend, then they naturally couldn’t attend either. However, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi genuinely enjoyed the guqin performances of that celestial maiden. Moreover, listening to her performances could also give them an “Ear Washing.”

The majority of cultivators in Yellow Millet Pavilion were female, and almost all of them were very skilled at playing musical instruments, playing Go, writing calligraphy, and making tea. When a celestial maiden cultivated a certain art to the pinnacle level, they would obtain the honorable titles of “Eye Clearing,” “Heart Cleansing,” “Ear Washing,” and so on.

The celestial maiden on the Kun ship had the ability to perform “Ear Washing” with her guqin performances, and this title was praise of her guqin skills as well as the pleasant sounds of her music. Moreover, “Ear Washing” could be taken in the literal sense, and melodies from these celestial maidens’ musical instruments could genuinely wash away the accumulated filth in one’s ears and nearby acupoints.

Chun Shui and Qiu Shi had already cultivated for seven years now, but limited by their mediocre talent, they were still only second tier Qi refiners. In fact, they couldn’t even be regarded as unofficial disciples of Ceremony Mountain. Thus, even though the benefits of “Ear Washing” were only minor, the two young girls were still unwilling to let slip any opportunity to improve their cultivation.

Chen Ping’an wasn’t aware of all these things. In fact, even if he were aware of these things, it was very likely that his decision would have still been the same. This was dictated by his cautious nature. In any case, he was a pure martial artist who had never even seen a guqin before, and he was also carrying many extremely valuable treasures at this moment. As such, he naturally didn’t dare to swagger around the Kun ship.

Chun Shui and Qiu Shi didn’t need to do anything, but they still needed to stay in a wing room of this heaven-grade residence. And thus, the three of them could only awkwardly look at each other. Chen Ping’an became increasingly envious of Wei Bo. If Wei Bo were in his position, the three of them would have definitely been enjoying a carefree atmosphere and talking and laughing with each other. The atmosphere definitely wouldn’t have been as awkward as it was now.

In reality, however, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi didn’t feel awkward at all. Instead, they found this situation very novel and interesting. After all, very few guests would be like this young boy. There were indeed some strange guests, but most of them would be strange in an eccentric or aloof sense.

For example, there were some guests who felt the strange need to clean every nook and cranny of the residence, even the beams and undersides of the beds. They busied themselves with this peculiar task, and they weren’t willing to let the twin sisters help them either. It was as if a single speck of dust in the residence would dirty their hearts.

There were also guests who were terrified of the dark, and they would retrieve numerous giant glowing pearls from their pocket treasures and put them everywhere — on the tables, on the beds, and everywhere they could. The entire residence would become blindingly bright.

There had also been a skinny and shriveled old man who had brought with him a group of mummified corpses with a nauseatingly foul stench. All of the corpses had been female, and all of them had been dressed in beautiful robes and decorated with makeup. They had also been able to walk and move freely, and had simply been unable to speak. That had been an extremely harrowing experience. In fact, the twin sisters hadn’t dared to sleep a wink the entire night, afraid that they would also become mummified corpses in the morning if they weren’t careful.

Chen Ping’an felt like this awkward atmosphere wasn’t sustainable, and it would also be a bad idea for him to practice standing meditation in front of outsiders. Thus, he had no option but to summon his courage and break the silence. Using the formal dialect of Complete Reed Continent which he wasn’t fluent in, he asked, “Chun Shui, Qiu Shi, where in Complete Reed Continent is Ceremony Mountain located?”

Immediately after breaking the silence, Chen Ping’an discovered that the atmosphere was already far more harmonious and comfortable than before. This was because the twin sisters were seemingly born with the skills to converse with others. Afterward, there was almost no opportunity for Chen Ping’an to speak. He simply needed to prick his ears up and listen.

In fact, when Chen Ping’an politely offered them some fruit to rehydrate themselves, the two young girls also accepted his offer with slightly flushed faces. One of them turned to the side to eat, while one of them continued to describe Ceremony Mountain to Chen Ping’an. When she became tired, her sister would take over and continue to explain the situation. Chen Ping’an listened with keen interest.

As it turned out, Ceremony Mountain was a relatively large force local to Complete Reed Continent. It was located in the southwest, and it had already been over 120 years since a powerful Qi refiner at the Upper Five Tiers had appeared in the force. Because of this, Ceremony Mountain had removed the title of “sect” from its name according to the rules of this world. Once called the Ceremony Sect, this force had now returned to its original name of Ceremony Mountain, as named by its founder.

However, Ceremony Mountain had genuinely experienced great power and wealth before. At its peak, Ceremony Mountain once had two powerful immortals at the Upper Five Tiers. The two immortals had possessed supreme mystical powers, and their names had spread far and wide throughout the continent. Even though the two sect rejuvenation ancestors had only been at the Unpolished Jade Tier, the first tier of the Upper Five Tiers or better known as the 11th tier, it had still been extremely impressive and dazzling for a sect to have two Unpolished Jade Tier cultivators at the same time.

Even though the twin sisters couldn’t be considered disciples of Ceremony Mountain, they were still filled with a sense of exuberance and shared pride as they recounted the legendary encounters and achievements of the ancestors of the force.

While traveling on a transcontinental ship, one ancestor had encountered a large group of deep-sea monsters. However, he had forcefully driven them back, and the brilliant glow of his sword had been even more dazzling than the bright moon hanging above the sea.

Another ancestor had been extremely skilled at lightning techniques, and he had won the nickname of “Divine Cloud Heavenly Lord” while traveling from the southwest of Complete Reed Continent all the way to the northeast. During this time, he had also killed innumerable demons and fiends. Even until today, countless people in Complete Reed Continent were still extremely grateful to him. In fact, they had his merit memorial tablet placed in their residences, and they would continue to honor him with incense and offerings for generation after generation.

Chen Ping’an didn’t think too much about these glorious deeds, and simply felt a slight sense of longing after hearing them. However, he was very interested in the Unpolished Jade Tier, the 11th tier for Qi refiners. He couldn’t help but ask the twin sisters about this. Even though Chun Shui was only a second tier Qi refiner, she still knew many things about this matter because Upper Five Tier cultivators had appeared in Ceremony Mountain before.

She started to tell Chen Ping’an what she knew, and she said that the legendary Unpolished Jade Tier could be viewed as a level of great accomplishment for Qi refiners. One could return to a state of natural simplicity at this tier, and this would allow their physique to tend toward perfection. They would become like gold and like jade, and they would no longer need to rely on immortal treasures that were external to their body. Instead, they would become naturally resistant and fearless toward water and fire as well as evil matters. Generally speaking, such cultivators could enjoy a lifespan of 500 years to 1000 years.

Because of this, it was extremely difficult for Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier to become interested in the changing of dynasties in the mortal world.

As Chun Shui said this, Qiu Shi also finished eating her jade-green fruit. She accidentally burped, and she immediately flushed a slight shade of red in embarrassment. Her older twin Chun Shui shot a glare at her, and Qiu Shi hurriedly tried to right her wrong by explaining to Chen Ping’an, “Young Master Chen, this maidservant has also heard people say that after advancing to the Upper Five Tiers, Qi refiners no longer need to worry about the impure auras between heaven and earth corroding their physiques like surging river water after leaving small worlds and blessed lands.

“The accumulation of spiritual energy in their bodies will gradually reach a limit, and when this happens, cultivating in the mountains or outside the mountains won’t make a big difference anymore. People at the Upper Five Tiers will enjoy much more flexibility and freedom than those at the so-called immovable 10th tier, the Nascent Tier.”

There was a look of yearning in Qiu Shi’s eyes, and she continued, “All of the female Qi refiners in the world dream of reaching the Upper Five Tiers. This is because after reaching the 11th tier, one will have a single opportunity to transform themselves. In other words, this will be an opportunity for one to beautify themselves without detrimentally affecting their fate. Because of this, many female cultivators originally white-haired and old could regain a youthful appearance. This appearance will last forever, all the way until they die.”

“Why are commoners afraid of manipulating their appearances[3], yet those at the Unpolished Jade Tier can guarantee no detrimental effect to their fate?” Chen Ping’an asked in curiosity.

Qiu Shi was rendered speechless. She knew this was the case, but she didn’t know why this was the case. After all, how could a second tier Qi refiner like her know about the scenery at the Upper Five Tiers?

Chun Shui was more observant than her younger sister, and was also more willing to think about problems. She smiled and replied, “Young Master Chen, I don’t dare to offer any conclusions about the truth, but I do have some thoughts that you can use as a reference. When it comes to mortal people, their appearances are fixed from the moment that they appear in their mother’s womb. This does indeed pertain to one’s fate, so mortal commoners outside the mountains naturally find it taboo to alter their appearances. This isn’t without basis.

“However, it’s already fairly difficult for a Qi refiner to detrimentally affect their fate by altering their appearance after advancing to the Middle Five Tiers. In terms of why Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier can alter their appearances without detrimentally affecting their fate, I feel like this is because…”

As she said this, Chun Shui raised her hands and feigned building a house on the table. “Qiu Shi and I are only at the Lower Five Tiers, so Qi refiners like us will only have one or two columns in their house. Things are always the most difficult in the beginning. If we alter our appearances, this will be equivalent to snapping one of the few columns. As such, our metaphorical house will naturally face the risk of collapse.”

Chun Shui then made a wave motion with her hands and continued, “However immortals at the Middle Five Tiers and Upper Five Tiers have already constructed a sturdy house, and perhaps they’ve even constructed an entire residence that’s like an imperial palace. Thus, they most likely won’t be affected much even if they snap a few columns while altering their appearance.

“When female Qi refiners at the Unpolished Jade Tier alter their appearances and beautify themselves, perhaps this is a process of them altering the external appearances of their metaphorical residence. Or perhaps they’re adding a brand-new layer of glazed tiles to their roof, making it appear more beautiful than before. Young Master Chen, does my explanation make sense?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “Yes, it does.”

Chun Shui was slightly embarrassed, and she added, “These are just some silly thoughts of mine. Don’t take them too seriously, Young Master.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “I feel like your explanation makes a lot of sense.”

Qiu Shi blinked and said with a disappointed expression, “Those are immortals at the Unpolished Jade Tier! Big Sister and I have never seen such powerful cultivators before, not even once from far away.”

Chun Shui’s expression became slightly solemn, and she said, “Not seeing them is good. If immortals at the Upper Five Tiers get into a fight, even cultivators at the Middle Five Tiers won’t fare much better than mortal humans.”

Qiu Shi pouted and said, “I just want to see them once from very far away.”

Chun Shui was slightly exasperated, and she replied, “Can we see as far as the immortal treasures of Upper Five Tier cultivators can attack? If we’re not careful, then we might be killed before we even realize what hit us.”

Chen Ping’an didn’t interject. Each person had their own dreams, and he wasn’t familiar with the twin sisters either. Thus, there was no need for him to comment on this.

Someone standing at the bow of the Kun ship suddenly pointed at someplace in the distant west with his jaw hanging wide open. After coming to his senses, he hurriedly called his companions over and shouted, “Hurry, look over there!”

A hole of unknown size had been forcefully smashed into the sky of the Majestic World. Something plummeted down, and it appeared as if it had been punched down from the sky.

Even though the item was plummeting down at a rapid speed even faster than top-grade immortal treasures, the roof of the sky was far too high above the land below. Thus, everyone could see this stunning scene as long as they looked toward the west.

It was as if a comet were rapidly shooting toward the ground with a dazzling trail of snow-white light behind it.

Commotion swept through the entire Kun ship, and after running out to ask about the situation, Qiu Shi hurriedly returned and informed Chen Ping’an about this. She told him to make haste and go to the viewing platform that was part of his heaven-grade residence. This was something that he definitely couldn’t miss.

After hearing this, Chen Ping’an walked through the study with Chun Shui and Qiu Shi and opened the door to the viewing platform. Sure enough, he saw a brilliant and eye-catching comet shooting down toward the earth in the distant west.

Beyond the sky, a booming voice filled with satisfaction rumbled across the sky, slowly traveling through the mind’s lakes of all of the Qi refiners in the world. “A’Liang, how was this Daoist priest’s fist?!”

All of the Qi refiners in the Majestic World were forced to hear this, regardless of whether they wanted to hear it or not.

This was truly domineering.

At this moment, it was very likely that countless Qi refiners, spirits, demons, ghosts, and deities were looking up and turning around to gaze toward the west. It was very likely that they were stunned by the profound Dao power and powerful punch of that Daoist priest.

Chen Ping’an’s jaw also dropped.

What? A’Liang, you were smashed through the sky by someone?

The comet crashed down in some continent in the western regions of the Majestic World, and it blasted a colossal crater into the ground. The person bounced up after this, and due to the unfathomable power of that punch, he bounced up to a height almost as tall as Middle Earth Divine Continent’s Tassel Mountain. The person looked around after reaching the top of the arc, as if he were gauging his directions. In the end, he disappeared with a flash.

Almost no one in the world could keep up with his movements. In fact, the number of people who were powerful enough to keep up with his movements could be counted on two hands, yet without exception, all of them had already grown accustomed to this. They didn’t have the time or effort to deal with these tendencies. At most, they would silently perform some divinations to analyze any changes in the world.

“That punch was fairly… badass?” the young boy with twin swords on his back murmured.

However, someone suddenly smacked the young boy on the back of the head and exclaimed in frustration, “Badass my

1. Ceremony, Dajiao (打醮) is a Daoist ritual where Daoist priests pray for peace and harmony. ☜

2. A plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety. ☜

3. This refers to “disfigurement” (破相), where physical alterations are made to one’s face. ☜