Unsheathed

As it turned out, the burst of sword qi was continuing to surge forward after failing to strike Chen Ping’an. Its target was coincidentally the snow-white fox spirit that was curled up on the ground.

The inch movement talisman was from the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book that Li Xisheng had given Chen Ping’an, and it was truly a mystical and mysterious talisman. However, it was a consumable item that could only be used a single time. After activating it, Chen Ping’an immediately reappeared six meters away from his original spot.

However, when he discovered the burst of sword qi bearing down on the fox spirit, it was already too late for him to retrieve and use another inch movement talisman. As a result, he had no option but to physically lunge over. At the same time, he reached toward his shoulder and gripped the hilt of Eliminating Fiends, his locust wood sword. He slashed toward the burst of sword qi.

Even though he was launching a sword strike, Chen Ping’an was fundamentally using a fist technique rather than a sword technique.

He was using the fearsome Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique that Cui Chan’s grandfather had taught him. However, he was unleashing this technique using his locust wood sword instead of his fists.

Chen Ping’an’s physique and soul were both only at the third tier of martial arts, and he was nowhere near the level of a a superior grandmaster who could adeptly fuse fist techniques and sword intents together. Because of this, his hurried sword strike would appear especially awkward in the eyes of genuine sword cultivators.

The sword strike imbued with fist intent crashed into the burst of sword qi unleashed by Song Yushao, forcefully stopping it from killing the young fox spirit.

Sword light erupted into the surroundings, and sword qi blasted through the air.

Holding the locust wood sword in his hand, Chen Ping’an stepped to the side and turned around, with his back at the fox spirit. He randomly swung his sword at the scattered sword qi, and his sword stance was entirely similar to the Bastard Fist Technique that a certain young girl had teased him about before.

Zhang Shanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. However, he could barely bring himself to watch on.

The big-bearded martial artist slapped his forehead and said in helplessness, “His fist techniques were fairly impressive, so I initially thought he was a young swordsman with incredible hidden skills, especially since he’s been carrying that sword case around for so long…”

After destroying all of the fragmented sword qi, Chen Ping’an hurriedly examined the locust wood sword in his hand. Even though it was a light wooden sword, it was surprisingly tough and durable. There wasn’t a single scratch on the blade even after blocking the sword saint’s tremendous sword strike. Chen Ping’an felt extremely relieved.

There was a carefree smile on Song Yushao’s face as he said in self-ridicule, “I never imagined that someone would use the Bastard Fist Technique to block my sword strike. Well, no matter. I’ll uphold my end of the promise. You managed to block my strike, so I won’t target that fox spirit anymore. The two of you can take care of yourselves. However, karmic fate will always punish evildoers, so I hope the two of you will appreciate and remember the meaning of our encounter.”

The old man resheathed his sword. He had been sitting with his legs crossed the entire time, and he finally stood up to turn around and leave at this moment. He looked up at the gloomy night sky after exiting the temple, and he murmured to himself, “Too many demons and fiends to kill, and too many ghosts and spirits to kill… When will this all end?”

Then he suddenly turned around and said with a smile, “The four of you can visit my villa if you’re interested. The villa will host a meeting to elect an alliance leader for Water Combing Nation’s martial arts world soon, and this election can be viewed as a grand event in the cultivation world. I most likely won’t be present when the four of you arrive at the Sword Water Villa, so you can directly look for Steward Chu, the oldest steward in the villa. Tell him that you’re new friends I made while traveling around the cultivation world. At the very least, he’ll treat you to some wine.”

Song Yushao then looked at Chen Ping’an and said, “Your patience to ‘do something even better’ tonight was an attitude that I also possessed from my youth to middle age. In fact, I was even more steadfast than you. However… no, forget about it. These are just the disheartened grumblings of an old man, so it’s best not to ramble on about them to a young boy. In any case, I hope you can persevere and maintain this attitude.”

The old man already in his twilight years patted the sword by his waist before silently vanishing into the distant darkness of night.

Chen Ping’an was dazed for a long while. When he finally came to his senses, he turned around and couldn’t help but widen his eyes. The young fox spirit had already disappeared at some point.

The big-bearded martial artist pointed at his own face and teased, “Chen Ping’an, oh, Chen Ping’an… When playing the role of a hero saving a beauty, this is the deciding factor regarding whether the beauty is willing to pledge herself to you!”

Chen Ping’an placed his locust wood sword back in the wooden sword case that Wei Bo had made for him. He jogged to the campfire and extended his hands toward it. At the same time, he caught sight of the yawning Liu Chicheng squatting opposite him.

The young scholar grinned and asked, “What are you staring at? Are you finally envying my elegance and handsome appearance? Sigh… In fact, I envy you as well, Chen Ping’an. If I possessed half of your martial arts talent, I would have already become the dream man of hundreds upon thousands of female cultivators in the cultivation world!”

Chen Ping’an rolled his eyes. He grabbed the wine gourd from his waist and drank a large mouthful of wine.

He held the wine gourd in his hand afterward, and the crashing waves in his mind were in stark contrast to his outwardly calm demeanor.

Chen Ping’an hadn’t used the two flying swords in his Sword Nurturing Gourd to block Song Yushao’s powerful sword qi just then, and he had instead charged into danger by himself. However, he hadn’t been acting rashly.

He sighed and stood up, walking to an empty area where he retied the Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist. He then closed his eyes and carefully replayed the three sword strikes of the sword saint in his mind. One strike had destroyed the deity altar and forced the fox spirit to show itself, one strike had transformed his sword qi into a net with a simple flick of his wrist, and one strike had flown at Chen Ping’an.

With his eyes still closed, he took out his locust wood sword and emulated the old man’s stance. He held his sword horizontally in front of his chest, as if he was preparing to draw it from a scabbard.

For some reason, however, Chen Ping’an couldn’t get the stance right no matter what. He felt like he wouldn’t succeed even if he mulled over it and practiced it tens of thousands of times. To say nothing of achieving a similar demeanor or aura, he couldn’t even achieve a similar physical stance.

This was in stark contrast to his experience of learning the six steps walking meditation from Ning Yao.

As it turned out, sword techniques were fundamentally different from fist techniques.

Chen Ping’an sighed and had no option but to put his locust wood sword away. This sword had accompanied him on two long journeys already.

Someone smiled and remarked, “Chen Ping’an, your wooden sword is too light, so you won’t be able to achieve the correct stance no matter what. Lifting something heavy as if lifting something light is a high-level skill in the Sword Dao, and you’re not some kind of supreme prodigy when it comes to practicing the sword. You’re only an amateur. It’s only natural for you to feel like something is off.

“Forget about reaching the peak, let’s just talk about learning the ropes. When it comes to fist techniques, having a somewhat skilled master to guide you is good enough. When it comes to sword techniques, however, one needs to have a truly sagacious teacher to guide them. You know, you should have asked that Song Yushao for guidance. His cultivation isn’t high, but he’s already forged his own Sword Dao. This is quite impressive.”

Chen Ping’an turned around to look over.

These insights hadn’t been offered by the big-bearded martial artist, and they hadn’t been offered by the young Daoist priest who could manipulate his peach wood sword either. Instead, they had been offered by Liu Chicheng, the impoverished scholar who was most removed from the cultivation world.

While speaking, Liu Chicheng kept adding dry branches to the fire. Illuminated by the campfire, it was as if his slender body were gently swaying with the flames.

Zhang Shanfeng was asking Xu Yuanxia about acupoint sealing techniques, and the two of them were completely absorbed in their own conversation as one asked questions and one answered them. Neither of them paid much attention to Liu Chicheng’s words.

No… more accurately, neither of them heard Liu Chicheng’s words at all.

This was because Liu Chicheng hadn’t opened his mouth to speak. However, Chen Ping’an had indeed heard Liu Chicheng’s voice.

Chen Ping’an asked a very strange question, saying, “Is it you? Back in Blusher Prefecture, I heard Prefectural Overseer Liu say in private that you’re actually a Golden Core Tier immortal. He knew this because you demonstrated your mystical powers outside the prefectural city.”

Liu Chicheng waved a hand and slowly made his way around the campfire, arriving beside Chen Ping’an. He chuckled and replied, “Alright, let’s stop targeting each other in secret, shall we? You already know that I’m a great demon, and I also know that the sword in your sword case has a very impressive background. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have failed to suppress its own aura and started to buzz after sensing my aura just then.

“Even though you managed to forcefully suppress its movements very quickly, I’m not a blind or deaf person who’s completely oblivious to my surroundings. Since we’re both completely aware of each other’s secrets now, can you tell me which sagely person forged the sword on your back, Chen Ping’an? Who in Stalactite Mountain are you delivering the sword to?”

“Are you trying to snatch it?” Chen Ping’an asked with a solemn expression.

The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled with squinted eyes, and it was as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. He clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head, saying with a smile, “It’s an impressive sword, but I genuinely have no interest in it. I know you don’t believe me, but this doesn’t matter. I’m far more powerful than you, so you simply need to trust my actions if you don’t trust my words. Oh, that’s right, have you heard of this saying before? Beautiful things in the world are easily destroyed; iridescent clouds soon disperse, and colored glaze soon shatters?[1]”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “I’ve read this line in a poem.”

Liu Chicheng flicked his sleeve, causing mist and smoke to swirl around them. However, things would appear completely normal if one looked over from the campfire. It would look like Liu Chicheng was having a delightful conversation with Chen Ping’an. In reality, the impoverished scholar from White Mountain Nation appeared extremely handsome and elegant as he stood there in his pink Daoist robe. This was a very uncanny sight.

“Iridescent clouds prone to dispersing refers to the iridescent clouds surrounding White Emperor City. Clouds gather and disperse like smoke there, creating a stunning spectacle.

“As for colored glaze prone to shattering, this refers to a great demon who originated from a demonic force in White Emperor City. Just like the conflict tonight, he got into an argument with his senior brother for the sake of an insignificant small demon. One was considering the great trend of the world, while one was considering the justice of the specific situation. The two sect brothers broke off relations because of this.

“Looking back on the matter now, it seems truly comical and no different from two children getting into an argument with each other. In any case, I smashed an entire colored glaze pagoda in White Emperor City out of anger, and only a few colored glaze bowls managed to survive. I left White Emperor City after that and started to travel around the world without the protection of my master’s force.

“Afterward, I was hunted for tens of millions of kilometers by protectors of Dao and ultimately thrown into prison. I was suppressed there for a thousand years. Meanwhile, my senior brother watched on without doing anything the entire time.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Chen Ping’an asked with a frown.

Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and shook his hands, causing the large sleeves of his pink Daoist robes to shudder slightly. He placed his hands over his abdomen and said in a serious manner, “Because I intend to take a disciple now. I feel like you, Chen Ping’an, are a fairly suitable candidate, and I can teach you the most supreme sword techniques in the world.

“Even though I’m a demon born in the Majestic World, my senior brother is the leader of a demonic force, and he appears even more divine and immortal than immortals because of this. Thus, many powerful beings from immortal forces who have attained Dao are still willing to pay respects to him.

“In other words, the sword technique I’ll teach you is an authentic one that will allow you to reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao. Once you come across a destined fated opportunity, you’ll have the chance to directly advance to the Upper Five Tiers. You have to understand the weight behind the word ‘authentic.’ This term can’t be thrown around carelessly. Even though people like Song Yushao have discovered some of their own Sword Dao true intent, the limited talent of this pure martial artist means that he’d only be able to guide you to the Middle Five Tiers of sword cultivation.

“Chen Ping’an, what do you say? Do you want to become my disciple and cultivate the Great Dao with me?”

“And become a demon?” Chen Ping’an retorted.

The possessed Liu Chicheng smiled faintly and replied, “In my view, the Great Dao places before us a rugged and challenging path that only the most determined and resolved individuals can traverse and reach the end of. In fact, such kinds of individuals might be able to walk even higher and further than those supremely talented prodigies.

“You, Chen Ping’an, walk the same path as me. I’ve already recruited a senior brother for you, and you can rest assured that you’ll be my final disciple. In at most 100 years, the three of us will definitely gain renown throughout the world. We’ll return to White Emperor City and win an esteemed spot there.”

Liu Chicheng looked deep into Chen Ping’an’s eyes and continued with a smile, “My senior brother and I were in a very interesting force before. My senior brother was a human, yet he cultivated the techniques of demons. Meanwhile, I’m a demon, but I cultivated the techniques of humans. Our teacher had a motto: education without distinctions. In this sense, our teacher was very similar to True Invincible, the second disciple of the Dao Ancestor.

“Apart from White Emperor City, there are several other large demonic orthodoxies in the world. They’re all astonishingly powerful, and the relationship between them is also complicated and intertwined. Even immortal forces with the title of sect need to avoid direct conflict with these orthodoxies. From this, one can see that the distinction between demonic orthodoxies and other orthodoxies is nothing more than a joke. As long as one is powerful enough and possesses a high enough cultivation, these distinctions have no influence at all.”

Chen Ping’an grinned and said, “Before becoming your disciple, I need to ask my other teachers for their opinions.”

Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead, yet Chen Ping’an appeared completely calm and relaxed at this moment.

“Oh?”

Liu Chicheng’s eyes lit up, and he remarked, “I knew that you had impressive teachers. However, that doesn’t matter. Why don’t you tell me who they are? Assessing the situation and choosing the most powerful teacher to study under isn’t embarrassing at all. I won’t force you, and I won’t frighten you with words either. If your teachers are superior to me, I definitely won’t force you to become my disciple.”

The Scholarly Sage had most likely left Eastern Treasured Vial Continent already, so where would Chen Ping’an find him?

Mr. Qi had already passed away, so it was seemingly impossible to ask for his opinion as well.

However, Chen Ping’an definitely didn’t want to learn supreme Great Daos or whatnot from this person.

He took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble.

Success or failure all depended on this gamble.

If this didn’t work, then he would simply fight with his life on the line again. If this still didn’t work, then he would simply become the disciple of the possessed Liu Chicheng for the moment. Just like A’Liang had said, the heaven was great and the earth was great, but staying alive was the greatest of all. No matter what, he definitely had to deliver the sword to Stalactite Mountain and personally hand it over to Ning Yao! Everything else was secondary!

When Chen Ping’an had accompanied Li Baoping and the others to Great Sui Nation, and when he had returned to Yellow Court Nation with the young Cui Chan afterward, no one knew why he would always practice standing meditation when he reached the peak of mountains and the banks of rivers. Moreover, he would remain standing in the same spot for a long time even after he finished practicing standing meditation.

Even though he was traveling around the world by himself now, he would still sit on the apex of roof ridges by himself. This was the case when he had farewelled Liu Gaoxin in the prefectural city of Blusher Prefecture. On the last day of spring, he had sat in the spring breeze and murmured to himself while drinking wine.

During these times that others wouldn’t think too deeply about, there would be spring breeze lingering around his sleeves.

Deep down in his heart, Chen Ping’an knew that Mr. Qi had definitely passed away already. However, Mr. Qi had once told him something.

“If you encounter any problems in the future, you can pose your questions to the spring wind.”

Liu Chicheng couldn’t help but happily chuckle. He felt like this was quite an interesting situation.

He saw the young boy in front of him shaking his hands and causing his sleeves to flutter, exactly as he had done just then.

However, the smile quickly vanished from Liu Chicheng’s face.

Chen Ping’an raised his hands and revealed the wisps of spring wind joyfully dancing around his sleeves. It was as if they were azure flood dragons swimming through the clouds.

“Mr. Qi?” Chen Ping’an asked softly.

Liu Chicheng’s heart shuddered violently. At this moment, it was as if he had returned to that huge battle from a thousand years ago. It was as if he were facing off against that Heavenly Master who had an immortal sword in one hand and a Daoist seal in his other!

A warm and rich voice sounded beside Chen Ping’an. “I’m here.”

1. A line from Bai Juyi’s poem, 简简吟. Bai Juyi was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty. ?