Unsheathed

This was only a story of the past. It was like a jar of old wine that had its clay seal broken — it had to be finished in a single go.

This jar of old wine, these seemingly trivial matters, had fermented in Chen Ping’an’s mind for many years. After opening up to the right person, the fragrance of wine would waft through the air. Moreover, Chen Ping’an would only share this wine when he came across the right people.

Lu Tai was his drinking companion today.

There were many people whom Chen Ping’an respected and had close relationships with: Ning Yao, A’Liang, Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, Daoist Priest Zhang Shanfeng, and so on. However, he had never mentioned this story to them before.

Yet, it was a shame that Lu Tai was seemingly unmoved after hearing the story. In the end, he even joked with Chen Ping’an and asked whether the young boy was trying to imply that unconventional and feminine men like him would almost all suffer miserable fates, so miserable that they weren’t even afforded the dignity of having a grave.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but chuckle in surprise. He hopped off the railing and returned to the first floor of the pagoda.

For some reason, Chen Ping’an felt much better after having a seemingly casual chat with Lu Tai and telling him about these trivial matters from the past. It was as if he had untied a knot in his heart.

In the afternoon, Chen Ping’an practiced sword techniques as always. He was still practicing the Avalanche Technique, and he felt like there was less resistance and more flow today.

After today, Lu Tai also changed his manner of dressing. There was a jade hairpin in his hair, an azure robe on his body, and a yellow bamboo folding fan in his hand. He transformed from a stunning beauty into an elegant young master. This caused Chen Ping’an to breathe a sigh of relief. Thus, he didn’t say anything even when Lu Tai came down to the first floor from time to time, either flicking through his books or brewing a pot of tea and watching him practice sword techniques from the Proper Sword Scripture.

Meanwhile, Lu Tai did indeed live up to his renown as the most knowledgeable disciple from the School of Naturalists. He told Chen Ping’an many things that he hadn’t heard about before. For example, fist stances were categorized as internal or external, and sword stances were divided into intent or Qi.

Lu Tai also provided some suggestions and mentioned some things to look out for when tempering the fourth tier of martial arts. After a pure martial artist advanced to the Three Qi Tempering Tiers, there were many things they needed to consider regarding how they should temper their three souls.

Of the three souls inside a person, the embryo light represented the yang energy of the Taiqing. When martial artists tempered this soul, it was best that they picked a time when the sun was rising and the dawn iridescent clouds were making a dazzling appearance above the horizon. One couldn’t slack off when practicing fist techniques, and it was through sincerity and hard work that one could move the heavens and crack apart gold. After enough tempering, perhaps one would encounter a fated opportunity that allowed their embryo light to become more powerful and filled with vitality.

When Lu Tai mentioned this matter, Chen Ping’an felt utterly ashamed and guilty.

While breaking through the third tier at the Sun Clan’s ancestral residence in Old Dragon City, a golden flood dragon had furiously swooped down from the sea of iridescent clouds during dawn. Yet, he had swung his fists again and again and smashed the golden flood dragon back. Not once, but twice.

Lu Tai was sitting in a kneeling position near the window when he described these things to Chen Ping’an. After changing his outfit, he appeared much like a carefree scholar with his tall hat, wide belt, and large meandering sleeves. As he drank the tea that he had brewed using the essence of spring water from Emerald Lake, just how sharp and observant was his gaze? Thus, he immediately noticed that something was off about Chen Ping’an.

After some probing that pertained to the cultivation of martial arts, Chen Ping’an eventually revealed his experience. Lu Tai immediately spit the tea from his mouth. He raised a thumb at Chen Ping’an and remarked that the old mister who had taught Chen Ping’an how to draw talismans and practice fist techniques was most likely a carefree person who acted according to his emotions and didn’t dwell too much on trifling matters.

Chen Ping’an asked whether there was a way to rectify the situation. Lu Tai pondered for a moment before drinking a cup of tea and saying that Chen Ping’an could try his luck when he arrived at Parasol Leaf Continent. He could visit some martial sage temples where there were still deities wandering around the living world.

After all, there were quite a number of astonishingly talented martial artists who had tried their luck in martial sage temples and eventually obtained huge fated opportunities.

Lu Tai couldn’t help but sigh with emotion after saying this. He said that before leaving home to embark on this journey to train himself, he had heard his master mention a young martial artist from the Great Duan Empire. The aptitude and talent of this young martial artist were astounding, so much so that several deities from the martial sage temples actively sought him out. They all wanted to bestow martial fortune upon him.

However, that young martial artist was even more insane than Chen Ping’an, and he had shockingly thrown punches and shooed away those deities from the martial sage temples who had gone over to offer their goodwill.

Chen Ping’an speculated that the young martial artist was most likely Cao Ci, the person who had built a small thatched cottage and cultivated on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Lu Tai only mentioned this in passing, but it was a warning for both Chen Ping’an and himself; as if he were performing some self-reflection as well.

He said that fortune was incredibly important when cultivating the Great Dao, and this was the same for pure martial artists and cultivators from the mountains alike. However, whether one could grab their fortune with both hands was even more important. Fortune and disaster often came hand in hand, and there were countless examples of prodigies who had suffered an early death.

Chen Ping’an wholeheartedly agreed with this.

However, Lu Tai suddenly changed his tone and said that it was very bad for Chen Ping’an to always stay in his room and feel apprehensive toward all trouble. It was very bad that he never tried to actively obtain fated opportunities, even going as far as to avoid them instead.

Lu Tai was grumbling about this because Chen Ping’an had initially refused to interact with him no matter what. Not only that, but the Treasure Swallowing Whale they were on had just removed the restriction leading to the fourth mystical realm from the shattered blessed land. They were allowing passengers to enter and explore as long as they paid the entrance fee of one grain rain coin.

Cultivators could train and cultivate inside the mystical realm, and anything they obtained would belong to them. The intercontinental ship wouldn’t try to claim their yield. Of course, the intercontinental ship would also be happy to purchase any treasures that the cultivators were willing to sell.

This Treasure Swallowing Whale was owned by the Five Weapon Sect from Golden Armor Continent, and this mystical realm inside it contained many remnants of ancient mystical abilities extremely difficult to shatter. Huge amounts of resources were required to remove some of these mystical abilities.

After obtaining this mystical realm, the Five Weapon Sect had explored it by themselves for a hundred years as was the norm. In the end, however, they discovered that they had put in more than they had received. Thus, they decided to call this mystical realm the “Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm” and open it up to the passengers on the ship. Just like Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Jewel Small World, the Five Weapon Sect simply collected entrance fees from those who wanted to enter.

The Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm measured 500 kilometers in radius. It was only a damaged realm, yet it could already rival Jewel Small World in terms of size. The blessed land that it was derived from had been one of the 72 blessed lands, and the vastness of blessed lands was naturally far greater than that of the 36 small worlds.

This mystical realm would open once every 10 years, and only Qi refiners below the Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier were allowed to enter. Meanwhile, there was no such requirement for pure martial artists.

Around 200 years ago, a fortunate cultivator from Circling Ascension Continent had surprisingly obtained a supremely powerful pseudo-celestial tool. The cultivator had only been at the Abode Tier, so they had most likely thought that they couldn’t hold onto that divine halberd. The pseudo-celestial tool wasn’t necessarily suitable for them either.

Thus, the cultivator had sold the pseudo-celestial tool to the Five Weapon Sect and become filthy rich in a single night. Taking advantage of their newfound wealth afterward, the cultivator had forcefully pushed themself to the Golden Core Tier. Spending one grain rain coin to obtain a Golden Core Tier cultivation base… Who wasn’t envious of this?

News of this had caused a huge stir in Golden Armor Continent, causing hordes of Qi refiners to rush to the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm. In the beginning, only those with a powerful background and strong network had been able to join the line. It was no longer a matter of a single grain rain coin.

For 300 years, many cultivators had entered and exited the mystical realm, with all kinds of fated opportunities and immortal treasures being obtained. However, nothing was as incredible as that pseudo-celestial tool. Thus, the fervent interest in entering the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm gradually died down. Even so, it was still a mystical realm that cultivators felt was worthy to enter.

However, Lu Tai naturally knew that the auspicious fortune of that Abode Tier cultivator was most likely the doing of the Five Weapon Sect. The Five Weapon Sect had very likely received guidance from some masterful businessperson.

This was a similar situation to that type of makeup that was popular throughout several continents. Everything was a trick set up by those business people.

Regardless, Lu Tai was well aware of the truth and lies as well as the potential of the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm. His master had said that if he was interested and had spare time, he could enter the mystical realm and try his luck. Perhaps he could find some crappy trinkets that were worth a small sum of money.

Why had Lu Tai chosen to take the Treasure Swallowing Whale this time?

His divination result and his Dao attainment catalyst were naturally the most important factors. However, Lu Tai was also determined to enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm and make a large sum of money.

Lu Tai had initially tried his best to ask Chen Ping’an to enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm with him. That way, they could explore the immortal realm and look for immortal treasures and fated opportunities together. Chen Ping’an refused, and in the end, he only agreed to lend another grain rain coin to Lu Tai. However, he still stubbornly refused to enter the mystical realm to try his luck.

Thus, Lu Tai could only enter the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm by himself. Around 20 days later, he appeared travel-worn as he left the mystical realm. On the same day, he returned three grain rain coins to Chen Ping’an, saying that the extra one was interest. After hearing Lu Tai describe his experiences and huge yield, Chen Ping’an felt at ease as he accepted the grain rain coins.

As it turned out, Lu Tai had used some Naturalist technique to undo a restriction on an ancient immortal residence. There were more surprises than dangers on the way, and Lu Tai had almost become the new owner of the ancient immortal residence. However, due to the rules laid out by the Five Weapon Sect, Lu Tai had given up his control over the ancient immortal residence and made a private deal with the sect. Because of this, he had ended up with a large pile of grain rain coins.

However, the intercontinental ship that belonged to the Five Weapon Sect needed to use lesser heat coins and grain rain coins in many areas of their intercontinental trade business, so they temporarily put this down as a debt to Lu Tai. They would pay it off within half a year, and they would even give him some additional interest.

On the surface, it looked as if the Five Weapon Sect had made a huge loss. However, this wasn’t the case. After the initially useless immortal residence was opened up by Lu Tai, the abundance of spiritual energy in the area meant that it was an ideal location for cultivation for the esteemed passengers of the Treasure Swallowing Whale. For example, Golden Core Tier and Nascent Tier earth immortals who appeared incredibly lofty in the eyes of ordinary people would be willing to stay inside the immortal residence.

This was long-term business, so the Five Weapon Sect wouldn’t suffer a loss at all. When it came to doing business, sudden and huge profits were naturally very good. However, this type of stable income was the backbone of any lasting business.

With this, Lu Tai became the third most fortunate person in the history of the Ascending True Immortal Mystical Realm.

Apart from the pile of grain rain coins, Lu Tai also obtained an ancient immortal ascending technique as well as a high-grade immortal treasure called the “Ao[1] Mountain Illusion Pagoda” from the ancient immortal residence.

Lu Tai didn’t sell these two fated opportunities to the Five Weapon Sect.

However, even though Lu Tai successfully proved that Chen Ping’an had missed a huge fated opportunity, the young boy was still largely unfazed by the revelation. He simply placed the additional grain rain coin on the table and occasionally flipped it around when he became tired from reading. He would roll the coin around the back of his hand. To Chen Ping’an, this was a very effective way to relieve his fatigue. Its results were immediate.

Lu Tai felt very vexed.

He offered many sincere words in an attempt to sway Chen Ping’an, yet the young boy remained calm and steadfast the entire time.

Due to this, Lu Tai never invited Chen Ping’an over every time he brewed tea. Of course, Chen Ping’an most likely didn’t care about this either.

Lu Tai was genuinely a very particular person. He wasn’t forcing this, and it was instead a result of his upbringing. He was born in a powerful clan with a history of over a thousand years. Not only that, but it was also an immortal clan. This wasn’t something that powerful mortal clans could compare to. Thus, Lu Tai’s disposition was extremely natural. It was both innate and naturally acquired.

When tasting tea[2], the tea needed to be fresh. When brewing tea, the techniques and tea set used needed to be ancient, and the spring water added needed to be refreshing yet weighty. When drinking tea, one needed to be pure and spirited.

Lu Tai had already interacted with Chen Ping’an for a while, yet he still felt like the young boy was far too pedantic and stubborn. In this sense, he was more than pure enough, yet he was nowhere near spirited enough.

As a result, Chen Ping’an would still waste his good tea.

Just like today, Lu Tai found another opportunity to mention his experience in the mystical realm. He concluded that money had been falling from the sky like rain, yet Chen Ping’an had run under the eaves to avoid getting hit. This was a very painful matter. However, Chen Ping’an simply remained silent as he listened.

Lu Tai felt like it was truly impossible to knock this stubborn block of wood awake. Most likely deciding to give up on trying to persuade Chen Ping’an, Lu Tai finished with a casual yet sweeping and empty remark. However, worldly matters worked in such weird and wonderful manners. Not only did Chen Ping’an listen to this remark, but he even became extremely solemn and serious.

“Chen Ping’an, your mind is very calm when you practice fist techniques and sword techniques. This is one of your strong points. However, you have to be careful and remember that a calm mind isn’t the same as a dead mind. One’s mind should be as still as unmoving water, but it certainly shouldn’t become a puddle of stagnant water.”

Lu Tai said this in a casual manner, as if this was nothing more than a bunch of nonsense.

However, Chen Ping’an surprisingly stopped practicing his dull and repetitive sword stance for the first time. He sat down in front of Lu Tai and emulated his tea-drinking posture, appearing slightly awkward as he did so.

Indeed, the difference between his awkwardness and Lu Tai’s carefree demeanor was like the difference between dirt and clouds. He was like an old farmer from the fields trying to emulate an old scholar sitting there and discussing Dao. He could only copy Lu Tai’s posture and actions in a crude manner.

Lu Tai found Chen Ping’an’s attempt quite amusing. The young man from the Lu Clan — someone regarded as invincible in tea-tasting among the younger generation in Middle Earth Divine Continent — shot a sideways glance at the uncomfortable Chen Ping’an and looked him up and down. He found this very interesting no matter how he looked at the young boy. Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an became increasingly uncomfortable and reserved under Lu Tai’s gaze.

Chen Ping’an longed to become a genuine scholar.

This was because there was Mr. Qi, Li Xisheng, and City God Shen Wen from Colorful Garment Nation. In fact, Chen Ping’an had felt a sense of yearning even when Zhang Shanfeng had recited poems and classics on a whim.

Chen Ping’an suppressed his discomfort and asked, “Are you saying that the state of my mind has become too extreme?”

Lu Tai faltered upon hearing this question. As astonishingly intelligent as he was, he didn’t answer Chen Ping’an’s question in a perfunctory manner. He didn’t dare to jump to conclusions either.

If it were some other ordinary person, Lu Tai could make up some casual nonsense or simply offer a response that was neither correct nor incorrect.

However, he couldn’t do this today.

The two of them sat opposite each other, with a serious expression on Chen Ping’an’s face and a wry smile in Lu Tai’s mind. Lu Tai had seemingly drawn a cage for himself.

However, a thought suddenly occurred to Lu Tai, and he immediately became a little adrift. It was arriving this early? He initially thought that the buds of this opportunity would only appear after they arrived in Parasol Leaf Continent and experienced many adventures and challenges together. Yet, it suddenly arrived without any warning, catching him by complete surprise.

Lu Tai calmed himself down, steadying his breathing and focusing his mind. He solemnly handed Chen Ping’an a cup of tea and said, “Drink it slowly. I’ll talk about some of my views after you finish.”

1. Ao is a large marine turtle in Chinese mythology. ☜

2. This refers to Doucha (斗茶), a tradition originating from the Tang Dynasty where people assess the quality of various teas offered. This spread to Japan where the goal became the correct identification of the tea’s place of origin. ☜