Unsheathed

In the prefectural overseer’s residence in Blusher Prefecture…

After stealing a backup prefectural geomantic map from his father, the family thief Liu Gaohua started to feel a little guilty and nervous. He felt like the 50 taels of silver were like a hot potato, so he wanted to do something to rectify this situation somewhat. Thus, he left Xu Yuanxia and the others in the guest hall and ran to his father’s work office by himself.

He told his father that he had met immortals from the books during his travels, and one of them was a big-bearded saber-wielding man who was a renowned and gallant individual in the cultivation world. In fact, even the most powerful person in the prefecture might not be able to withstand three strikes from this man. As such, they definitely couldn’t neglect him and make him feel unwelcome.

There was also a Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, and he had a peach wood sword on his back and possessed profound knowledge. Slaying demons and subduing fiends was like child’s play to him. Finally, there was a young boy with the surname Chen who was even more incredible. Even though he looked young, he was definitely 80 or 90 years old already. Indeed, he simply appeared young because achieving success in cultivation would allow one to obtain a youthful appearance.

Prefectural Overseer Liu was slightly skeptical of his son’s lavish and exaggerated praise of these three guests. With a hint of nervousness in his mind, he brought an experienced and knowledgeable aide with him and went to the guest hall to meet these esteemed guests. However, he was deeply disappointed by what he saw.

The prefectural overseer hadn’t seen many immortals or ghosts before, but his judgment of people was genuinely very good. After greeting his guests, he sat down to drink a cup of tea with them. However, it was clear that he was lacking interest. After telling Liu Gaohua to look after the three esteemed guests, he found an excuse to return to his office.

While walking back to his office, Prefectural Overseer Liu shook his head and commented, “Gallant martial artist? Heavenly Master? They fail to live up to these titles, yet they’ve come to my residence to cheat me of food, shelter, and wealth. How audacious. If they dare to push their luck, then I’ll make sure to throw them into jail and have them eat their fill of jail food.”

The old aide chuckled and said in a quiet voice, “They’re not so incapable that they’ll stoop to the level of cheating us of food and shelter. I don’t know about the young Daoist priest or the young boy with the swords, but that saber-wielding man does indeed possess some genuine skills. The guards in the residence are definitely no match for him.

“Lord Liu, you’re aware that I once traveled around the world for 20-odd years before starting my work here. I’ve come across countless well-renowned grandmasters in the cultivation world, and placed in the southern region of our Colorful Garment Nation, all of them can be considered top-notch elites. In terms of his aura and disposition alone, that big-bearded man is no inferior to these people. His eyes possess an intense glint, and his aura feels stern and forbidding.”

Prefectural Overseer Liu nodded and replied, “That’s a fair analysis.”

“Lord Liu, think about it. The general who’s responsible for overseeing our prefecture is publicly regarded as a fourth tier superior grandmaster. We saw him from a distance during that feast back then, and at the time, we felt like he had a natural sense of authority even when he was simply drinking or casually chatting with others. We felt like he was extremely intimidating. Now, carefully think back to our meeting with Xu Yuanxia just then. Did he possess a similar aura?” the old aide asked in a quiet voice.

Prefectural Overseer Liu frowned and said, “By the sounds of it, you want us to build a good relationship with him and win him over? However, I’ve heard that when dealing with people from the cultivation world, one can only be considered generous if they offer a thousand taels of silver. If one only offers a few taels of silver as payment, then this will be seen as an act of humiliation instead of generosity. This will offend those reckless brutes from the cultivation world. However, I’ve always been upright and uncorrupted, so I don’t have any spare money to offer them. What should I do? Perhaps I have to borrow money from those wealthy people in the prefectural city?”

A hint of displeasure appeared on his face, and he continued, “If this relationship is predicated on the stench of copper coins, then so be it if I give it a pass.”

In reality, scholars — especially those who were officials in the imperial court — still looked down on martial artists in the cultivation world.

The old aide sighed in his mind. This was a relationship from the cultivation world that had come running to their door, yet Prefectural Overseer Liu was still unable to grab this opportunity with both hands. It was no wonder that he was only a fourth-rank official even though his essays and assessments were so brilliant. He couldn’t blame anyone else for this.

Prefectural Overseer Liu’s imperial examiner was also a duke and senior official in the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation, and if he were the prefectural overseer instead, then he would do everything in his ability to build this relationship, even if it meant borrowing money and selling his possessions.

Supposing that the big-bearded martial artist was a third tier lesser grandmaster, then many things could be done in the shadows once their relationship reached a certain level. Moreover, there was always give and take when it came to relationships, so how could one possibly hope to take without giving? It wasn’t right for officials to always beg others for help.

In any case, Prefectural Overseer Liu simply needed to build a relationship with the wealthy clans in the prefectural city and borrow a few hundred taels of silver from them. Was this truly so difficult and embarrassing? No, of course not. In fact, this was the prefectural overseer giving them face!

However, Prefectural Overseer Liu didn’t like hearing these things, especially since he felt like these beliefs were a stain on the decorum of scholars. After making the same mistake once or twice, the old aide understood what should be said and what shouldn’t be said.

Upon thinking of this, the old aide couldn’t help but feel slightly disheartened. The imperial court was full of complicated relationships and interests, and was the cultivation world not the same? Before concealing his identity and leaving the cultivation world, the old aide was once a trusted strategist for an alliance leader in the southern regions of Colorful Garment Nation.

There were times when revenge was exacted swiftly and debts of gratitude were repaid earnestly, but it was more often the case that relationships would be complicated and full of small nuances. So what if one started out gallant and full of enthusiasm? All it took was a few years to wear them out. Indeed, just how proud and mighty had the alliance leader been back then? Yet, in the end, did he not also lose his wife, children, and wealth?

Liu Gaohua was left in a fairly awkward position after his father came and left in a lukewarm manner. Not only that, but the prefectural residence was so stingy that it was unable to even offer a few guest rooms to the three guests. In the end, Xu Yuanxia asked Liu Gaohua to bring them to the nearest inn to rest. The big-bearded martial artist also asked him to immediately notify them if the old Daoist priest from Divine Edict Sect entered the residence of the prefectural overseer. Liu Gaohua nodded and agreed to these requests.

Thanks to its good location and time-honored reputation, the inn was bustling with people and business. Fortunately, the face of the prefectural overseer’s son was still worth some money. The inn forcibly found a few rooms for them, and it didn’t dare to wantonly raise the price either. Liu Gaohua accepted all of this without a second thought, and he was completely oblivious to the fact that the owner of the inn was painfully parting with a good sum of money by doing this. Xu Yuanxia was quite amused by this, and even the young Daoist priest Zhang Shanfeng shook his head upon seeing this.

Interacting with others and dealing with social matters also required sufficient knowledge. This knowledge was seldom taught in the classics written by the sages, but it could be observed and learned in the cultivation world. Thus, Chen Ping’an observed these things and committed them to memory.

In reality, this kind of knowledge also existed in Clay Vase Alley, Peach Blossom Tavern, and all of the other mortal streets and alleys in the world.

Chen Ping’an and the others casually chatted in Xu Yuanxia’s room. As they chatted, they naturally started to talk about their trip to the old residence and the value of Zhang Shanfeng’s divine movement talisman. Xu Yuanxia asked the young Daoist priest how much these talismans cost, and after learning of their exorbitant value, he immediately felt a little indebted to the young Daoist priest from Complete Reed Continent. He smiled and said that they definitely needed to obtain some rewards the next time they went to slay demons and vanquish fiends.

Even though Zhang Shanfeng was impoverished and tired of his less-than-ideal situation, he didn’t blame the heavens or other people at all. Xu Yuanxia was quite impressed by this. After all, he understood how important it was for cultivators to accumulate wealth. Having traveled far and wide himself, Xu Yuanxia was well aware of the rules and cultivation methods of some immortal forces in the mountains.

When it came to the cultivation of Qi refiners, what they cultivated was the mind, the body, and also gold and silver. If the young Daoist priest failed to break free from his cycle of poverty, then it would definitely be very difficult for him to advance to higher tiers. Regardless of how impressive his mindset was, his achievements would be limited by his lack of wealth and resources.

While having this casual conversation with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng, Chen Ping’an was finally able to properly learn about the Lower Five Tiers for the first time.

When returning to the small town from Great Sui Nation with his “student”, Cui Chan, Chen Ping’an had been curious about this because Lin Shouyi had already become half an immortal from the mountains. During a rare casual chat with Cui Chan, Chen Ping’an had asked him about matters regarding cultivation and Qi refining.

However, the young Cui Chan had rolled his eyes and snickered, “Lower Five Tiers? They’re all trash. How boring is it to talk about these things? This is an insult to Teacher’s lofty and elegant nature. Teacher, why don’t we talk about the Upper Five Tiers? Thinking back to the past, your student was also at the 12th tier…”

Chen Ping’an’s impression of Cui Chan had been extremely bad at the time, so he hadn’t been willing to listen to his boastful and exaggerated descriptions. As such, he had stood up and walked away to practice standing meditation.

Thinking about this now, had his actions hurt Cui Chan’s sense of dignity? After all, Cui Chan had once been a 12th tier immortal, and he had even played Go in the iridescent clouds with the city lord of White Emperor City…

Chen Ping’an scratched his head before drinking a sip of tea. Right now, he was regretting his decision to attach the bank notes worth 2000 taels of silver to the letter addressed to Cui Dongshan. It was improper to be so polite to his student who had once been an immortal. Wasn’t his action an insult to Cui Dongshan?

The Lower Five Tiers for Qi refiners were referred to as the Mountain Ascending Five Tiers — the Copper Skin Tier, the Grass Root Tier, the Willow Tendon Tier, the Bone Qi Tier, and the Furnace Molding Tier. Among these five tiers, the first four were focused on cultivating one’s flesh. Even though these were cultivation tiers for Qi refiners, they were in fact nurturing a tough physique during these earlier tiers. This was very important as well. The reason for this was simple. If a person were viewed as a bowl, then refining a pound of Qi would be useless if the bowl could only hold eight ounces. The excess Qi would become completely meaningless.

The final cultivation tier, the Furnace Molding Tier, was a stage where one integrated everything together and forged their cultivation into a furnace. This was a stage where one’s body — which could be viewed as one’s Qi refining tool — reached a stage of great accomplishment. In other words, they could officially ascend the mountains.

Yang Huang, the ghost from the ancient residence, had mentioned the Willow Tendon Tier many times before, and he described this as the “Cultivator Trapping Tier”. Because of this, the big-bearded martial artist especially explained this to Chen Ping’an again. He had spoken with eagerness and relish, and his words were filled with a pure martial artist’s ridicule toward immortals from the mountains. This made Chen Ping’an, who was coincidentally stuck at the third tier, feel extremely helpless.

“There was once an astonishingly talented cultivator with the surname Liu. Just by tempering his tendons alone, he was able to directly advance to the Upper Five Tiers and obtain a supreme immortal body. It could be said that this was an incredible feat with no precedent. In fact, it’s because of this that the third tier for Qi refiners is called the Willow Tendon Tier.

“However, this tier is called the Cultivator Trapping Tier. This is because many cultivators who yearn to take shortcuts go astray and walk down dead ends based on the incomplete secret cultivation texts left by that talented cultivator. They become trapped in this tier for far too long, and this eventually delays them and inhibits them for life.”

The big-bearded martial artist was only drinking tea, but he appeared just as hearty as if he were drinking wine. There was derision in his voice as he continued, “We martial artists are always looked down on by cultivators from the mountains, but there is one area where we’re definitely superior to those Qi refiners. That is, we take solid and steady steps, and we don’t take any random or jumbled shortcuts. We’re far more grounded than Qi refiners.

“Thus, the Willow Tendon Tier has trapped countless young cultivators who are putting their faith in shortcuts and luck. Moreover, when considering Qi refiners at the lower five tiers, they have zero advantage over pure martial artists at the third tier unless they’re militarian cultivators or sword cultivators!”

As the only Qi refiner present, the young Daoist priest grumbled in annoyance, “Then why don’t we compare martial artists at the Three Qi Tempering Tiers[1] to Qi refiners at the Middle Five Tiers? We Qi refiners will definitely be more likely to win.”

Xu Yuanxia chuckled and said, “Let’s stick to comparing cultivators at the same cultivation level. Qi refiners at the ninth tier, the Golden Core Tier, are pretty impressive, aren’t they? But what if they come across pure martial artists at the Mountain Summit Tier? Will a group of 10th tier Qi refiners dare to cause trouble in front of the Great Li Empire’s Song Changjing? Song Changjing is this among the pure martial artists in Eastern Treasured Vial Continent!”

The big-bearded martial artist raised his thumb.

He was unwilling to put his thumb down as he loudly praised, “These kinds of martial artists are genuine heroes in the world. They exist outside the mountains, yet they can peer down on those from the mountains. Ah, it’s such a great shame that I can’t see him in person. Otherwise, I’ll shamelessly make a toast with him no matter what!”

There was a strange expression on Chen Ping’an’s face.

Wasn’t Song Changjing the uncle of Song Jixin? He had visited Clay Vase Alley once before, and Chen Ping’an had even crossed paths with him.

In any case, there were a few other pure martial artists in the small town who possessed similar cultivation bases to Song Changjing. There was Li Huai’s father, and there was also Cui Chan’s grandfather…

Chen Ping’an lowered his head and quietly took a sip of tea.

Afterward, the three of them walked down to the ground floor of the inn to eat. People were having spirited discussions while eating and drinking, and as it turned out, an old immortal was about to bless Blusher Prefecture with his presence. His mystical abilities were profound and unpredictable. Immortals described in books could transform beans into soldiers, yet this old immortal was someone who could transform pieces of paper into beautiful women.

After the pieces of yellow paper landed on the ground, they would transform into beautiful women of shapely figures and demeanor who appeared no different from real people. They could sing and dance, and they could also engage in conversations with no issues.

While traveling south through Colorful Garment Nation, the old immortal had already impressed many officials and nobles on the way. Thus, even though the old immortal was yet to arrive in this prefectural city that was renowned for its beautiful women, people were already craning their necks and eagerly awaiting his arrival. The men were keen to see those pieces of paper transforming into all kinds of beautiful women, and they wanted to see whether these women truly possessed a unique charm. Meanwhile, the beautiful women in the prefectural city started to feel competitive. After all, how could a thin sheet of paper be more beautiful than them?

Chen Ping’an had little interest in this.

However, the big-bearded martial artist and the young Daoist priest were both extremely eager, and they said that they definitely had to go over to check this out. The former was filled with sincerity as he said that the old immortal was perhaps a demon or evil spirit who was wearing human skin. The latter nodded earnestly and said that they definitely couldn’t allow demons or evil spirits to enchant and bewitch others.

Looking at the two people who were speaking in a righteous manner, Chen Ping’an thought to himself, Can the two of you wipe away your drool before speaking? You just want to look at some beautiful women, don’t you? Just say it straight if that’s the case! I’m not going to laugh at you guys or anything.

Ah… At the end of the day, this is because they haven’t seen a genuinely beautiful girl before.

Chen Ping’an was very confident regarding this.

This was because he felt like he had already seen the most beautiful girl in the world.

Her eyebrows were like the distant mountains…

1. Fourth tier to sixth tier for martial artists. ?