Unsheathed

If Chen Ping’an were to hear this, then he would most likely be astonished once again. After all, even Zhu He, who had come out of Jewel Small World as a fourth tier martial artist, had been aware that the ninth tier was the End Tier of martial arts.

Of course, that was also incorrect as both Song Changjing and Li Er had reached the 10th tier shortly thereafter, while the 11th tier was the true pinnacle of martial arts. It also just so happened that Cui Chan’s grandfather had just barely missed his chance to progress to the 11th tier.

Unbeknownst to Chen Ping’an, the former Jewel Small World, now known as the Dragon Spring Prefecture, could be considered to be the most formidable and complicated place on the entirety of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

In Yellow Court Nation, the little boy in azure was considered to a dominant force, a sixth tier great demon, yet in Jewel Small World, he was too scared to even go outside for fear of being smashed to death by a single punch from some random passerby. Right now, his wildest aspiration was to become powerful enough that it would take someone from Jewel Small World at least two punches to kill him.

With that in mind, it was no wonder that the little boy in azure was so perplexed about how Chen Ping’an had managed to live to this day.

Chen Ping’an also didn’t know the answer to that question. He had simply gotten by day after day, and it seemed that the gods had finally smiled upon him.

In reality, in the beginning, it was because some people wanted to keep him alive, and when he had outlived his usefulness and it was time for him to die, a certain school teacher had intervened to keep him alive and tell him not to lose hope in this world.

After that, a certain braggadocious swordsman had taught him how to live in this world. He hoped that Chen Ping’an could grow up quickly so that he would no longer have to be a pawn in the plans of others.

However, unknown to everyone else were the hardships that Chen Ping’an had suffered during this time, all of the perils that he had to endure, and all of the difficult decisions that he had to make.

Right now, he possessed a vast array of immortal treasures and even a precious Sword Nurturing Gourd, but he still only liked to buy the cheapest wine everywhere he went.

Over at the waterside pavilion near the waterfall, Chen Ping’an wasn’t carrying his sword case this time. Instead, he had chosen to leave it in the courtyard as he trusted Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng to look after it.

However, that wine gourd was still strapped to his waist.

When traveling the world, one shouldn’t go out of their way to start trouble, but they also shouldn’t fear trouble if it were to arise, and one’s safety had to be prioritized above all else. Those were the mantras that Chen Ping’an abided by during his travels.

Once again, Chen Ping’an stepped onto the railing of the waterside pavilion, and was just about to launch himself off the railing toward the formidable waterfall up ahead when he paused momentarily, then took a step forward to land on the stone base of the pavilion.

He was worried that if he were to launch himself off the wooden railing with all his might, then it would snap under his foot. He knew that Song Yushao definitely wouldn’t make him pay for the railing, but it would still make him look bad.

He took a deep breath and dug his feet into the ground while flexing his wrists from side to side, and for this first punch, he decided that he wanted to test out the momentum with which the waterfall was crashing down, so he was only going to use seventy or eighty percent of his power.

Thus, he took a step forward, and a resounding boom rang out over the ground. Thankfully, the sound of crashing water in the waterfall was loud enough to drown out that sound, and he launched himself at the waterfall like a speeding arrow.

His fist pierced deep into the waterfall, but right as his entire arm was about to pass through the waterfall, his head and shoulder were struck by the water crashing down from above, forcing him to tilt forward before plunging straight down into the pool.

The chaotic currents of the flowing water forced him to tumble through the pool in a few involuntary somersaults, following which his head poked out of the slightly more still and calm water near the waterside pavilion. From there, he slammed a palm down onto the surface of the water, launching himself toward the waterside pavilion and landing on the stone base outside the railing.

His head was still ringing, and in particular, the arm that he had thrown the punch with was throbbing with pain. The most damning of all was that the bottom of the pool was riddled with jagged rocks that had landed some bruising blows to his head.

Thankfully, Chen Ping’an had grown accustomed to physical punishment from his training back in the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain, so even though these injuries weren’t exactly minor, they were largely inconsequential in his eyes.

For his second punch, Chen Ping’an used ninety percent of his power, and he also adopted the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique that Cui Chan’s grandfather had taught him. In doing so, he attempted to plunge his entire body through the waterfall so that his fist could strike the rock wall behind it.

Unfortunately, his fist was only able to just barely graze the surface of the rock wall before he was once again slammed to the bottom of the pond by the vast volumes of water crashing down from above.

Upon returning to the surface and making his way back to the waterside pavilion, Chen Ping’an immediately took advantage of the aura raging inside his body like a prowling fiery dragon, taking no time to rest as he threw a third punch at the waterfall, this time using a hundred percent of his power.

On this occasion, his fist was able to crash into the cold stone wall behind the waterfall, but by that point, it had become very feeble, and it most likely hadn’t even been able to leave a slight mark.

The Qi in Chen Ping’an’s dantian was churning incessantly, and he could only exhale slowly and control his breath using the techniques Old Man Yang had taught him. At this point, channeling the Eighteen Stops Technique had already become second nature to Chen Ping’an, and it was able to flow naturally without even requiring any attention from him.

His Qi quickly passed through ten acupoints one after another. Previously, it had gotten stuck between the sixth and seventh acupoints, but now, it was getting stuck between the twelfth and thirteenth acupoints, as if there was some kind of vast gulf preventing it from progressing any further.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Chen Ping’an threw a fourth punch at the waterfall.

He repeated this process over and over again, and after throwing about a dozen punches, he had become so shaky on his feet that he had to lean against the railing for support. In the end, he didn’t resist his fatigue any longer, sitting down with his legs crossed and taking a few sips out of his wine gourd while his Qi was still settling.

Back home, he had looked up at the moon countless times during the course of his rigorous efforts to earn a living for himself. He had watched the moon with Liu Xianyang, and with Gu Can as well, and after looking at it for so long, he no longer felt anything at the sight of it, except during the Mid Autumn Festival.

During these two journeys that he had embarked on, he had witnessed the moon under all types of different settings, and he was able to appreciate its beauty again. Now that he was delivering a sword to Stalactite Mountain, he had to travel to Old Dragon City in the southernmost region of the continent, and couldn’t help but wonder how captivating the moon would look atop the southern sea.

A short while later, Chen Ping’an set those thoughts aside, then rose to his feet and secured his Sword Nurturing Gourd to his waist as he began throwing his next round of punches. He told himself that he had to throw three consecutive punches while using the Heavy Cavalry Formation Shattering Technique.

Back in the bamboo building, Cui Chan’s grandfather had once said that no capable cavalry unit would be broken down by just one or two attacks, and that a relentless assault was required to wear them down over time.

After being pummeled by the waterfall over and over again, Chen Ping’an was developing a clearer and clearer sense of the pain in his body. After concluding his second round of punches, Chen Ping’an laid down onto the stone base of the waterside pavilion, panting heavily.

Back on Downtrodden Mountain, if Cui Chan’s grandfather had only subjected Chen Ping’an to his punches, forcing him to passively accept beatings in order to refine his body and spirit, then perhaps Chen Ping’an wouldn’t have had the mental fortitude to push himself beyond this point. However, he had taken it a step further by forcing Chen Ping’an to commit horrific acts of self-mutilation, and that had honed his willpower even further.

One time, as Chen Ping’an had been laying in a puddle of his own blood, Cui Chan’s grandfather had looked down on him with a mocking sneer as he jeered, “You can’t even endure this much pain, yet you want to reach the ninth or tenth tier someday? What a joke!”

Chen Ping’an had wanted to hurl a torrent of abuse at the old man, but he had been too worn out to even speak.

Compared with the suffering he had endured on Downtrodden Mountain, this was downright blissful!

He had to ensure that his capacity for enduring pain and hardship didn’t diminish as he progressed in his cultivation.

With that in mind, he dragged himself to his feet, then gritted his teeth tightly as he continued his practice.

Fifteen minutes later, the waterfall was still crashing down under the moonlight, and it seemed to be mocking Chen Ping’an for his insistence on trying to achieve an impossible feat.

Chen Ping’an was floating on his back, and his eyes were wide open as he stared up at the sky.

After trudging back onto the stone base of the waterside pavilion, he threw yet another punch as he roared, “Get through!”

This time, his punch was so formidable that he managed to blow a huge hole into the waterfall, following which his fist crashed heavily into the rock wall, and his entire body almost passed through the waterfall, but sure enough, he was once again swatted mercilessly to the bottom of the pool, then swept away by the current.

This style of training continued in a stop-start fashion late into the night, at which point, Chen Ping’an was seated on the railing of the waterside pavilion, looking like a half-drowned chicken.

He feebly raised his gourd to his lips, then took a small sip of wine, upon which he immediately felt a burning sensation in his throat and his internal organs. He hurriedly set down his Sword Nurturing Gourd upon feeling this sensation, not daring to take another sip.

In the distant Sword Water Villa, the banquet was still far from over, and the entire villa remained brightly lit as the guests drank and made merry to their hearts’ content.

Chen Ping’an’s head was cocked to the side as he stared at the seemingly invincible waterfall.

For the final round of punches, Chen Ping’an had used the Deity Drumming Technique, bounding gracefully over the water before plunging his fist through the waterfall over and over again.

There was a limit to what one could subject their body to, and Chen Ping’an knew that it was time to stop. He was already utterly exhausted, and if he were to continue in this fashion, then there was a good chance that he would fall into the water in an unconscious state, only to resurface as a drowned corpse.

His entire body was soaked as he made his way out of the waterside pavilion and returned to the courtyard.

Even after such grueling training, he slept for less than six hours, and after having a rushed breakfast, he returned to the waterside pavilion the very next morning.

Only at noon did he return to the courtyard, but this time, Chen Ping’an had to ask Zhang Shanfeng to request a large bathtub from Sword Water Villa for him on his behalf. Steward Chu sent a reliable maidservant to fetch a bathtub before filling it with hot water, and Chen Ping’an closed the door of his room to bathe himself.

Wei Bo had only bought enough medicinal ingredients from Ox Horn Mountain’s Cloth Wrapper Shop for three uses, and he had already used up one batch back in the Blusher Prefecture, so he would only have one batch left after this bath.

On this day, Sword Water Villa was going to continue to welcome guests from all parts of the region, and the alliance leader election was only going to take place the next day, which had been picked out as an auspicious day.

This gave everyone the chance to visit and interact with one another, and many people were taking advantage of this opportunity to visit old friends or established seniors, make new acquaintances, or hold sparring matches. Hence, the entire villa was still just as lively and bustling as it had been the day before.

At night, Chen Ping’an had some dinner with Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng again, then returned to the waterfall.

This time, Chen Ping’an noticed a protrusion roughly the size of a Go board at the center of the pond, in front of the waterfall. For some reason, despite the countless years of flowing water it had been subjected to, the rock hadn’t been shaved flat. Chen Ping’an had been struck by a burst of inspiration upon seeing the rock, and instead of only practicing his fist techniques on the waterfall, he also took some time to stand on the rock to practice his standing meditation.

As the waterfall came crashing down upon him, he was eventually forced to switch from standing meditation to seated meditation, then ultimately slipped off the rock altogether and fell into the water.

After several cycles of this, Chen Ping’an was able to last several minutes in standing meditation on the rock, and he gradually extended that time. In the end, he began lowering his head, extending it out of the waterfall so that his back would be subjected to more of the force crashing down from above, and in total, he was able to last almost fifteen minutes.

In contrast with striking the waterfall over and over again, Chen Ping’an was surprised to discover that this type of training seemed to be more beneficial. He felt as if a strong wind was blowing through his acupoints, causing them to loosen ever so slightly, thereby allowing him to channel his Qi even faster than before when using the Eighteen Stops Technique.

After making this discovery, Chen Ping’an was so excited that he gulped down a large mouthful of wine, but the resulting burning sensation in his stomach was so intense that he couldn’t help but jump up and down, wincing in pain in the waterside pavilion.

After engaging in a few more bouts of standing meditation under the waterfall, midnight had already passed, yet the commotion over at Sword Water Villa was only growing louder. Chen Ping’an returned to the courtyard after a fruitful day of training, and the bathtub was already waiting for him in his room alongside a pair of maidservants assigned by the villa.

He used up the final batch of medicine in the bath and, in an extremely rare occurrence, slept all the way until noon.

After enjoying a hearty meal, he left the courtyard in high spirits, nodding and smiling at the pair of maidservants outside as he passed them by, then practiced walking meditation on his way to the waterside pavilion near the waterfall.

Apparently, Sword Water Villa had only been in existence for sixty or seventy years, while the waterside pavilion had been here long before that. Yet, there was a misconception that the waterside pavilion was part of the villa.

While Chen Ping’an was making his way into the distance, the two bored maidservants began to chat quietly among themselves.

One of them, a young woman with an oval face, remarked that Chen Ping’an was a very strange person, while the other responded in an amused fashion, saying that he wouldn’t have caught the eye of the old villa master if he were a normal person.

The oval-faced young woman then began to tease her companion, saying that even though Chen Ping’an wasn’t quite as handsome as their young villa master, he was still quite good-looking, and she asked her companion whether she was into him.

The other maidservant replied that after witnessing their young villa master’s flair and handsome looks, she no longer had eyes for any other man.

The two young women continued to chat with one another while no one else was around. To them, it was an immense stroke of fortune that they were able to stay in Sword Water Villa. Perhaps their kind-hearted mistress would arrange for them to marry some handsome young prodigy in the future, but in any case, Sword Water Villa would always be their home and their safe haven in their time of need.

Upon approaching the waterside pavilion on this day, Chen Ping’an noticed that Song Yushao was there, seated on the long bench.

He quickly made his way up the steps, then sat down across from Song Yushao, who withdrew his gaze from the waterfall and began to examine Chen Ping’an.

He then nodded with approval as he said, “You’re already getting the hang of it. This is truly some impressive progress.”

Chen Ping’an was very happy to hear this.

“The wine brewed in my villa tastes better than the stuff you get from elsewhere, doesn’t it?” Song Yushao asked.

Chen Ping’an scratched his head as he replied, “It does, but I’m going to be conflicted now whenever I buy wine in the future.”

Song Yushao was very amused to hear this, and he jibed, “Are you telling me you don’t have enough money?”

Chen Ping’an considered the question for a moment, then replied in a truthful manner, “No, but drinking wine doesn’t seem to be beneficial to my fist technique practice, so it always feels to me like I’m wasting money. However, now that I’ve gotten used to drinking, it’ll always feel like something’s missing if my wine gourd is empty.”

“Why are you getting hung up over things like this? You’re not a woman! As long as a man can afford it, they should drink the best wine that money can buy and think about everything else later,” Song Yushao chuckled.

Chen Ping’an shook his head vigorously in response. “I have to be miserly with my spending. Now that I’ve developed a habit of drinking, it’s one that I won’t be able to kick, but if I develop a habit for opulence as well, I’m going to resent myself.”

Song Yushao pointed at Chen Ping’an as he chuckled, “You’re a wealthy man who’s never going to be able to enjoy his wealth.”

A bright smile appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he replied, “As long as I have food to eat and wine to drink for every meal, I’m already very content.”

Song Yushao was infected by Chen Ping’an’s optimism and enthusiasm, and a smile appeared on his face as well as he asked, “Who’s going to cook and buy wine for you?”

“Even if I get a wife in the future, I’ll still be cooking and buying wine for myself,” Chen Ping’an replied.

Song Yushao immediately spat onto the ground as he glared at Chen Ping’an and scolded, “Are you an idiot? You’re just going to get yourself a wife, then put her on a pedestal and worship her like a Bodhisattva? Do you not know that women are going to walk all over you unless you give them regular beatings?”

A sheepish look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face, and he pulled out his gourd and took a small sip of wine.

Beating the girl that he liked? As if. She would tear him into shreds if he even dared to think about laying a finger on her!

Besides, he hadn’t even expressed his feelings to her yet, so who knew if she was going to be his future wife? Of course, he would be ecstatic if Ning Yao could become his wife, and just the mere thought of that was enough to plaster a dumb grin across his face.

Song Yushao shook his head with a resigned expression at the sight of Chen Ping’an’s stupid expression, and he sighed, “Looks like you really are an idiot.”

In any case, Song Yushao had no interest in educating Chen Ping’an on how to treat his future wife, and a serious look appeared on his face as he declared, “In order to progress from the third to the fourth tier, you must expel the impurities in your body bit by bit. Additionally, you’ll also need to start focusing on your mindset.

“The path that your fists take must be clear and without obstruction, and you must have the courage and determination to take down any opponent that stands before you. For swordsmen, they must achieve a clear heart and completely immerse themselves in their sword, to the point that their sword is the only thing that they need to face heaven and earth, or whatever demons and deities that come their way. Chen Ping’an, have you truly hardened your resolve?”

Song Yushao’s expression became more and more fierce as he spoke, and at the end, he was practically shooting daggers at Chen Ping’an out of his eyes.

Chen Ping’an remained completely unmoved as he nodded in response. “Once I set my mind on something, I never back down.”

Song Yushao rose to his feet, and a vast surge of sword qi erupted out of his body, sweeping toward Chen Ping’an like a waterfall. “You sure make it sound easy! I don’t think you’re prepared at all!”

Chen Ping’an also rose to his feet, and his eyes were clear and bright as he said, “To be honest, I don’t really understand what it means to have a clear heart and unshakeable resolve. I just feel like…”

Chen Ping’an turned and pointed at the nearby waterfall as he continued, “I have to punch through this waterfall and leave a mark of my fist on the rock wall behind it. In fact, I think there will come a day when I punch the waterfall so hard that it flows in reverse so that it won’t ever be able to knock me down again!”

“Then why aren’t you doing it? Do it right now!” Song Yushao roared!

Chen Ping’an immediately turned to the waterfall outside the waterside pavilion, doing so purely out of instinct, and took a few steps back, standing at the top of the staircase before adopting an ancient fist stance that Cui Chan’s grandfather had never assigned a name to.

Even though the sword saint of Water Combing Nation was standing right next to him, Chen Ping’an could no longer see him. In fact, the entire waterside pavilion had ceased to exist in his eyes, and the only thing that was focused on was his opponent, which was the waterfall standing before him!

During this southbound journey, Chen Ping’an had been practicing his walking meditation as slowly as possible, going as slow as he could, but this time, he was pursuing speed, as much speed as he was capable of mustering!

His strides were huge, to the point that the final step that he took sent him crashing straight through the railing of the waterside pavilion. He then stepped onto the stone base outside, leaving a trail of footmarks in his wake. From there, he launched himself forward, and his fist aura was dense and formidable, as if an azure dragon was wound around his arm.

His fist punched through the waterfall, and he burst through the water as his fist crashed into the rock wall, instantly shattering it and sending countless rock fragments flying in all directions.

And that wasn’t the end.

Chen Ping’an threw one punch after another, alternating between right and left fists, pummeling the rock wall relentlessly in the true spirit of the Deity Drumming Technique.

Rock fragments and water were splatting in all directions, and so much moisture had erupted up into the air above the waterside pavilion that a resplendent rainbow appeared.

Song Yushao was standing in the waterside pavilion with his hands clasped behind his back, and his robes were flapping audibly from the gusts of wind generated by Chen Ping’an’s punches. He looked up at the vibrant rainbow up above as he chortled, “Brilliant!”