Unsheathed

A fearsome sword strike rushed from the land to Osmanthus Island, which was located in the middle of the sea. Another sword strike followed quickly after, and it also surged over from atop the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City.

The might of the two sword strikes was magnificent and earth-shaking.

One after another, the two bursts of sword qi descended from the sky and carved deep ravines into the sea between Old Dragon City and Osmanthus Island.

As Chen Ping’an closed his eyes to comprehend the sword intent, the old swordsman at the Golden Core Tier had already returned to his senses. The old swordsman didn’t attempt to seize the fleeting sword intent like Chen Ping’an, and he didn’t try to borrow this external power. This wasn’t because he was less experienced than a martial artist at the fourth tier, but it was because he was well aware of the risks and consequences.

After a sword cultivator formed their own sword intent, there would be a big risk of causing internal conflict if they recklessly learned or absorbed the intent and essence contained within another sword cultivator’s sword strike. Doing so could cause their pure sword intent to become mixed and impure.

If the sword intents of the two sword cultivators were largely similar, however, then learning and absorbing each other’s sword intent would naturally be beneficial.

The sword intent of Ma Zhi’s bonded flying sword, Shade, was founded on the principle of seeking shade under a tree. Thus, its sword intent was aligned with the spring chill, heavy snow, clear springs, and so on. At the same time, it was not aligned with large fires, scorching summer heat, furnaces, and so on.

This was completely different from the killing intent and attacking nature of the two strikes from the clouds, which had seemingly been derived from the true intent of battlefields. Thus, the old swordsman naturally wouldn’t follow the traces of these sword strikes to seize and learn their sword intents. In contrast, some junior sword cultivators who had only just advanced to the Middle Five Tiers and possessed unstable sword intents might benefit from seizing and learning these sword intents even if they were starkly different from their own.

Chen Ping’an stood still and subconsciously assumed the stance of standing meditation.

Just how experienced and observant was Ma Zhi? He naturally wouldn’t disturb the young boy while he was enjoying this small fated opportunity. In fact, he even purposely raised a hand and flicked his sleeve, casting aside some of the cool shadows offered by the ancestor trees. Not only that, but he actively grabbed some wisps of the fast-disappearing sword qi, allowing them to seep into the small courtyard such that Chen Ping’an could comprehend them to a greater degree.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhi felt an even deeper sense of respect and awe toward the sword cultivator in Old Dragon City. The earth immortal’s sword strikes had been powerful enough to crush mountains and turn seas, and he had unleashed these strikes for the purpose of deterring his opponents. This wasn’t very surprising.

What truly determined the earth immortal’s distance to the Upper Five Tiers was, in fact, something beyond the external might of his strikes. Rather, one had to consider the cohesion of the sword intent. If the sword intent was scattered and its essence was chaotic, and if the sword intent leaked into the surroundings, then even if it was powerful, it reflected the swordsman’s inability to flawlessly control their sword intent.

The sword cultivator who had boldly unleashed the sword strikes from Old Dragon City had maintained cohesion in their sword intent even though the strikes had crossed so far into the sea. In fact, Ma Zhi could only maintain this level of cohesion for about three hundred meters, more or less. How could he not exclaim in admiration?

Sword cultivators at the 10th tier were also referred to as cultivators at the Earth Immortal Tier, and they were only a step away from breaking through the barrier and advancing to the Upper Five Tiers. Because sword cultivators possessed immense destructive power, they would often seem intense and unrestrained while they were at the Middle Five Tiers. Thus, they would also appear more transcendent compared to ordinary Nascent Tier terrestrial immortals at the 10th tier.

This could be seen with Wind Snow Temple’s Wei Jin, who had comprehensively left the cultivation world to cultivate in seclusion before advancing to the Unpolished Jade Tier.

By the looks of it, the old sword cultivator in Old Dragon City had definitely been seriously ticked off by someone on the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have unleashed such powerful sword strikes and risked retribution from the heavens.

Ma Zhi used his mind to communicate with Aunt Gui, asking, “Lady Gui, which powerful figure was that? Are they targeting our Fan Clan, or are they having a conflict with a passenger on the island?”

Aunt Gui hesitated for a moment before giving a vague answer, saying, “It’s most likely a transcendent cultivator from Old Dragon City, and they probably got into a conflict with some Jiang Clan disciples from Parasol Leaf Continent’s Jade Tablet Sect. The Fan Clan and Osmanthus Island needn’t worry about them. We simply need to remain neutral.”

Ma Zhi sighed with emotion and said, “Since this is a fight between immortals from the mountaintops, all we need to do is enjoy the show.”

Aunt Gui smiled faintly and replied, “That’s only natural.”

“Hold on, did you say it was the Jade Tablet Sect’s Jiang Clan?” Ma Zhi suddenly exclaimed in astonishment. “Is this the Jiang Clan that owns the Cloud Cave Blessed Land?”

However, Aunt Gui had already closed her mind and cut off this method of communication. She no longer responded to the old swordsman’s questions.

Ma Zhi didn’t think too much about this, and he simply dismissed this as Aunt Gui being worried about Osmanthus Island being caught in the crossfire, what with her peculiar identity and all. It was necessary for her to pay attention to the situation.

Seeing that Chen Ping’an was still practicing standing meditation, Ma Zhi decided to retract his flying sword and sit down by the stone table. There were numerous grotto-heavens and blessed lands in the world, and the 10 large worlds, 36 small worlds, and 72 blessed lands were shared among Majestic World and the other worlds. They were divided by quality, and the Limpid Pond Blessed Land owned by Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Divine Edict Sect was a very low-quality blessed land. Meanwhile, the Cloud Cave Blessed Land owned by Parasol Leaf Continent’s Jiang Clan was quite an extraordinary blessed land.

When Chen Ping’an finally opened his eyes, the old man smiled and asked, “How was it?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, “I only understood the impressive nature of these sword strikes. However, I can’t quite explain why or how they were impressive. After mulling over this for a long time, I was only able to vaguely gain some understanding. What a great pity. It would have been good if the sword strikes were a little bit slower.”

“Should a sword cultivator at the Earth Immortal Tier consult with you, Chen Ping’an, first before deciding the speed of their sword strike?” Ma Zhi remarked in amusement.

Chen Ping’an scratched his head and replied, “Of course I wouldn’t dare to request this.”

Chen Ping’an suddenly became filled with anxiety. “Perhaps a sword cultivator is trying to destroy Osmanthus Island?”

Ma Zhi waved a hand and replied with a leisurely smile, “No, they’re simply at odds with some passengers from Parasol Leaf Continent who are currently on the island. It’s because of this that they unleashed two sword strikes to display their might. Their sword strikes were very skillful, and they brought absolutely no harm to the foundation of Osmanthus Island.

“In fact, this can essentially be viewed as a display of goodwill toward Osmanthus Island. Otherwise, unless they fight in remote areas with few people, conflicts between earth immortals often result in their auras spreading into the surroundings when they’re unable to contain their attacks. This is very common.”

Ma Zhi explained things in simple terms, but he had actually considered much more than just this. The unknown sword immortal at the Earth Immortal Tier was either someone who strictly adhered to the rules or someone who had old ties with Old Dragon City’s Fan Clan. The latter was clearly more likely.

Elsewhere on Osmanthus Island, the atmosphere was nowhere near as peaceful and harmonious as that in the small courtyard named Guimai.

Jiang Beihai’s expression was incredibly dark.

An elderly Nascent Tier[1] guest elder from his clan was collapsed in a pool of blood, and his immortal robe worth an exorbitant amount of money, Ink Bamboo Forest, was completely destroyed. It would take a huge sum of money to repair, so much so that it would be better to purchase a new immortal robe altogether.

However, the old guest elder wasn’t severely wounded, and it wasn’t long before he got to his feet in a shaky manner. He simply appeared to be in a pitiful state. This was because the might of the second sword strike had been largely blocked by the precious immortal robe bestowed upon him by the patriarch of the Jiang Clan.

The tall and skinny old man glared at Old Dragon City as he gritted his teeth and spat, “That bastard unleashed two sneak attacks on me… You’ve gone too far!”

“What in the world is going on, Elder Su?” Jiang Beihai asked in a quiet voice. However, his feet remained planted, and his body remained unmoving. Not only was he, a direct descendant of the Jiang Clan, completely still, but his subordinates, as well as the disciples from the Jade Tablet Sect, were also the same. They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

The old guest elder was extremely frustrated, and his voice was filled with helplessness as he speculated, “The two sword strikes were launched by the same person, and the origin of the sword strikes was that sea of clouds above Old Dragon City. Perhaps an old ancestor from the Fu Clan is warning us using a pseudo-immortal weapon?”

Jiang Beihai pondered for a moment before replying, “The Fu Clan has never liked the Ding Clan, while the Ding Clan has a fairly good relationship with the Parasol Leaf Sect. Indeed, it was thanks to the support of that person that the Ding Clan was able to maintain a firm grip on power in Old Dragon City. Our Jade Tablet Sect has already been arch-enemies with the Parasol Leaf Sect for more than a thousand years, so logically speaking, the enemy of our enemy should be a friend.

“Even if we’ve chosen to take the Fan Clan’s Osmanthus Island instead of the Fu Clan’s Treasure Swallowing Whale to Stalactite Mountain this time, they shouldn’t be feeling so much hostility and resentment toward us. The Fu Clan isn’t stupid, and they can’t be unaware of the Jade Tablet Sect’s strength. They can’t be oblivious to our Jiang Clan’s standing in the Jade Tablet Sect either. Moreover, the Fu Clan has always had a very good relationship with the Fan Clan…”

“Could this be because of Lady Gui? Perhaps some old ancestor in the Fu Clan has feelings for her?” the woman in palace attire speculated carefully.

Jiang Beihai lowered his voice and chuckled in anger, saying, “It’s not like we’re openly snatching Lady Gui away from them, are we? No, we’re openly and honestly discussing business. If Osmanthus Island were owned by Fu Qi, and if Lady Gui were his mistress, then this attack on us could somewhat be explained.

“However, an ancestor of the Fan Clan obtained this Osmanthus Island thanks to a stroke of good luck in the past, so why would the Fu Clan try to help them? Does the Fu Clan genuinely view our Jade Tablet Sect as a pushover? If I exaggerate things a little, do you believe me if I say that the two short-tempered ancestors from our sect will immediately charge over to Old Dragon City to interrogate the perpetrators?”

Females always liked to think about romantic affairs, while males always liked to think about territory and conquest.

There was an intense look in the tall and skinny old man’s eyes as he used his mind to warn Jiang Beihai, saying, “Young Master, we can’t inform the sect about our current journey to Stalactite Mountain!”

Jiang Beihai nodded in his mind and replied with a wry smile, “Elder Su, I understand what’s more important.”

The old man took a deep breath before saying, “I’m going to head to Old Dragon City right away. I need to personally visit that sword immortal, and I have to make heads or tails of the situation and have this matter settled. Only then can we travel to Stalactite Mountain without any worries. I’ll try to return to Osmanthus Island as soon as possible.”

“Be careful, Elder Su,” Jiang Beihai said in a soft voice.

“Rest assured, I definitely won’t bring shame to the Jade Tablet Sect or the Cloud Cave Jiang Clan.”

The old man immediately soared into the air after saying this, traveling on the wind as he sped toward Old Dragon City. Before this, the old man had already put away Ink Bamboo Forest, the immortal robe that was worth an exorbitant amount of money. As he traveled to Old Dragon City, his mangled wounds healed at a rate discernible to the naked eye. This was truly an immortal technique that could cultivate new flesh, as expected of a powerful Nascent Tier cultivator who had long been renowned in Parasol Leaf Continent.

Following the two powerful sword strikes, everyone on Osmanthus Island became engaged in spirited discussions, regardless of whether they were passengers or members of the Fan Clan. Fortunately, all of them were experienced and knowledgeable cultivators from the mountains who traveled all over the world. Since these people had the right to personally travel to Stalactite Mountain, they were naturally capable people irrespective of whether they were merchants or adventuring cultivators.

Even though they were astounded, they weren’t frightened or flustered by the sudden turn of events. Osmanthus Island quickly sent people around to reassure everyone as well, so it wasn’t long before things became calm again.

After delivering medicinal ingredients from the foot of the mountain to the small courtyard named Guimai, Jin Su swiftly returned to her master, Lady Gui’s side. Right now, the relaxed woman was in the rare mood to brew a pot of tea. Upon seeing her disciple return, she handed Jin Su a cup of hot tea. Jin Su sat down, and before she could even take a sip of her master’s home-brewed tea, her mind had already calmed down thanks to the influence of her master.

Lady Gui knew that Jin Su had many questions on her mind, yet she didn’t want to talk about this matter too much. She smiled faintly and said, “This is undoubtedly an unexpected disaster for that young master from the Jiang Clan. However, this is a blessing from the heavens for you and me. Jin Su, there’s no need to ask any questions. After returning from Stalactite Mountain, I’ll try my best to arrange a meeting between you and the person who unleashed the sword strikes.”

She chuckled softly before continuing, “There’s always a higher heaven, and there’s always a more capable person. This isn’t a nonsensical statement, and you’d best restrain yourself when you travel around the world by yourself in the future.”

Jin Su didn’t pay much heed to these words of wisdom. She had already turned around to gaze at the distant Old Dragon City, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Inside the small courtyard that held itself aloof from worldly affairs, there was absolutely no need to worry about these winds sweeping through the mountains.

Afterward, Chen Ping’an practiced the sword with the elderly Golden Core Tier swordsman every day. Ma Zhi only needed to do three things. The first was to summon his flying sword and have it become intangible as it entered Chen Ping’an’s body. After doing this, he could help Chen Ping’an temper his three immortal souls, consolidating the path for his embryo light, refreshing spirit, and serene essence.

The second was to suppress his cultivation level and control his flying sword, Shade, using the techniques of a sword cultivator. He would then spar with Chen Ping’an. Finally, Ma Zhi needed to observe Chen Ping’an as the young boy practiced sword techniques from the Proper Sword Scripture. He would provide guidance for Chen Ping’an, and he would also correct Chen Ping’an whenever he found flaws in the young boy’s posture.

However, Chen Ping’an’s manner of practicing the sword was very interesting. He didn’t draw a sword from his wooden sword case, and he simply shaped his hand as if he were holding a sword. Ma Zhi had asked Chen Ping’an about this, yet Chen Ping’an’s answer had been relatively absurd and ridiculous.

Chen Ping’an had explained that of the two swords in his sword case, the one named Subduing Demons was someone else’s sword, so he naturally couldn’t use it without permission. Meanwhile, he had used Eliminating Fiends, the locust wood sword, once on the battlefield before, but he had discovered that it was far too light for his liking. Chen Ping’an felt like he needed to get himself an iron sword of suitable weight for his first practice sword. Otherwise, it would feel wrong if he wielded a sword that was so light that it almost felt non-existent.

He needed to wield a heavy sword and still be able to unleash extremely quick sword strikes. That way, he would have the option to switch to a wooden sword if he came across a powerful opponent that his heavy sword couldn’t defeat in the future. With a wooden sword, he could then unleash his quickest sword strikes against his opponent.

As a powerful cultivator who was viewed as a transcendent deity by mortals, Ma Zhi had little interest in the sword techniques of martial artists. Thus, he didn’t have any strong feelings regarding the stubborn pursuits of Chen Ping’an, a developing swordsman. In fact, he even felt a hint of scorn deep in his mind. If one dug around the fields for food, just what kind of extremely rare treasures did they expect to find?

If Chen Ping’an were interested in tempering his sword intent, however, then Ma Zhi most likely wouldn’t be able to refrain from discussing this for three days and three nights with Chen Ping’an.

The osmanthus girl, Jin Su, would deliver three meals a day to the small courtyard, and she was incredibly relieved that Chen Ping’an didn’t try to take advantage of her and boss her around as if she were truly a lowly maidservant. He didn’t ask her to run around and fetch things, nor did he ask her to assist him in changing and bathing. Otherwise, this would have truly given her a big headache.

Even when it came to changing the medicinal water in the bathtub, it was still Chen Ping’an who did this by himself. This caused Jin Su to finally develop a sliver of a good impression of Chen Ping’an, the young but esteemed guest of the Fan Clan.

Apart from this, she needed to replenish the osmanthus wine in the Guimai courtyard every so often.

With Jin Su’s status, she could naturally choose to bring dozens of pots of osmanthus wine to the small courtyard all at once. However, she had ultimately decided against choosing this much simpler solution. Part of the reason was so that she could see the young boy again, giving her more opportunities to determine his power.

After all, distant journeys across the sea were slightly dull and mundane for osmanthus girls like them, especially since they were already very familiar with these routes. There were the so-called Ten Sceneries of Osmanthus Island, including things like the bright moon rising with the tides. One could vaguely see osmanthus trees growing on the moon, which would then create mirages of ancient palaces. During the journey, passengers could also see schools of flying fish circling around Osmanthus Island and so on.

In the beginning, the osmanthus girls had also been enthralled by these incredible sights. In fact, some passengers would even pay artists to paint these beautiful scenes for them. After seeing them again and again, however, the osmanthus girls were no longer astonished by these sights. Instead, they were more interested in the peculiar people and strange events that took place on Osmanthus Island.

1. The Nascent Tier is the 10th tier ☜