Unsheathed

“If you were a human, then you would have a bright future ahead in Majestic World as a Diplomatist, but you don’t possess the aptitude required to become a Naturalist,” the old Daoist priest remarked.

“That is indeed true,” the young Daoist priest replied with a resigned nod.

“Truth be told, if any of the people of your generation from your two worlds had been born just a little earlier, many of you would’ve been had bright futures ahead had you managed to live to this day,” the old Daoist priest said in a meaningful voice, and the young Daoist priest fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

The old Daoist priest reached out with one hand to make a grabbing motion, and all of the lightning outside the Dragon Locking Platform instantly broke through the constraints of the rules, springing onto the platform before converging in the old Daoist priest’s grasp to form a fist-sized ball of lightning.

A wry smile appeared on the young Daoist priest’s face upon seeing this.

Just that simple gesture alone perfectly displayed the gap between them, and it had nothing to do with cultivation base.

The old Daoist priest tucked the ball of lightning up his sleeve, then said in a quiet voice, “In one of the Hundred Schools of Thought that the old scholar sorely despises, a figure emerged with the most impactful saying of this world.”

“Please enlighten me, Senior,” the young Daoist priest implored with a fervent expression.

The old Daoist priest turned to him with a cold expression and reprimanded, “You’re a demon, yet you refer to me as senior? Are you denouncing me as an old demon?”

Before the young Daoist priest had a chance to defend himself, his soul drifted out of his carefully selected body, and the old Daoist priest grabbed his soul by the throat, while the young Daoist priest’s body slumped to the ground before vanishing into thin air just like Bai Yuan had earlier.

All that remained on the Dragon Locking Platform was the hibiscus hat.

With a casual sweep of the old Daoist priest’s sleeve, the great demon’s soul took on a human form that remained identical in appearance to the young Daoist priest, and it slammed heavily onto the ground with an agonized expression. Even so, it still hurriedly drew the hibiscus hat into its grasp before putting the hat on its head again.

Even though it had successfully crossed over the Sword Qi Great Wall, it was only able to leave Savage World with one of its immortal souls and four of its mortal forms before ultimately arriving on Parasol Leaf Continent.

However, thanks to the exceptional body that it had chosen, it was still able to reach the twelfth tier after cultivating for so long in Majestic World, but even so, it couldn’t put up any resistance against the old Daoist priest.

“A wise man once made an analogy, stating that if half of a stick is shorn away every single day, then that stick will never completely disappear,” the old Daoist priest said.

The great demon was able to stabilize his soul with the hibiscus hat, and it said in a strained voice, “I’ve seen that quote on many past occasions in books from various different teachings. It’s one of the lesser known quotes from the founder of the Logicians, and I never considered it carefully in the past.”

“That’s why you’re all fools!” the old Daoist sneered.

The great demon didn’t dare to protest, and it was feeling more homesick than ever.

The old Daoist priest turned to it with a faint smile as he said, “I’ve already erased the restriction on Halting Snow. Is that going to be a problem?”

The great demon shook its head in response.

“You’re not even going to try and flatter me? You deserve to suffer through this ordeal for being so obtuse,” the old Daoist priest scoffed.

The great demon was left feeling rather perplexed, but the old Daoist priest had already departed without offering any further elaboration.

————

As Chen Ping’an unfurled Sui Youbian’s bonded scroll and tossed a gold essence copper coin inside, light rain began to fall in the capital city of Southern Garden Nation.

It was early winter, so even though the rain wasn’t very heavy, it was still a little annoying.

A group of four people were walking on a street, and they were led by a young individual with a set of rather neutral features, making it difficult to tell their gender. Even though it was winter, they were holding a folding fan, but the fan was closed, and they were tapping it against the palm of their hand.

If it weren’t for their exceptional good looks, they would’ve surely been seen as a pretentious vulgarian carrying around a folding fan to give themselves a more scholarly and refined appearance.

As the four of them walked along, the young individual was looking around with an amazed expression.

There was a child by the name of Cao Qinglang. He had already stepped out onto the street from the crude alley of his house, but with the rain suddenly falling without any warning, he had no choice but to run back home to fetch an oil-paper umbrella.

At this point, he had only just rounded the corner onto the street, and he spotted the four people from afar. He immediately began to scrutinize them intently with a hopeful expression, only to be disappointed upon catching sight of the young man and realizing that it wasn’t the person that he was hoping to see.

Feeling a little dejected, the boy hurriedly made his way toward the school. Teacher Zhong had very little tolerance for tardy students.

Cao Qinglang hadn’t caught a very clear glimpse of the young man, but the latter had seen him very clearly.

As one of the rare otherworldly immortals to have retained his true body and the entirety of his soul in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Lu Tai had claimed a spot in the new Upper Ten Elites from the instant that he set foot in this blessed land.

As for the three servants accompanying him, they had been granted the same blessings, but their foundations that they had established back in Majestic World weren’t sufficiently solid, and they were also quite young, so they were only considered to be second rate masters in this world, still some way away from being able to join the ranks of the first-rate ones.

The trio consisted of Huan Yin, Huang Shang, and Tao Xieyang, all three of whom were currently Lu Tai’s unofficial disciples.

Lu Tai made his way onto a street neighboring Champion Scholar Alle and the martial arts school nearby. He cast his gaze toward the small house that was where Ding Ying and Ya’er had previously stayed upon their arrival in the capital city, and it was technically a stronghold for the demonic orthodoxy in Southern Garden Nation.

In the wake of the battle, Imperial Preceptor Zhong Qiu had retained ownership of the house, and Lu Tai smiled as he mused, “From now on, this is my private residence.”

He then turned to his three disciples as he instructed, “Huang Shang, you go to the Lake Mountain Faction. Once there, how much you manage to learn from Yu Zhenyi will be up to you. As for Tao Xieyang and Huan Yin, you two can explore this blessed land as you please. Tao Xieyang, you can keep an eye on the Dragon General, Tang Tieyi. Huan Yin, I suggest you approach the Arm Sage, Cheng Yuanshan.

“If you still haven’t entered the ranks of the Upper Ten Elite in sixty years, then resign yourselves to staying here for the rest of your lives. I’ve already given each of you some life-saving treasures; if you’re still going to drown in this tiny lake, then there was no point for me to invest in any of you to begin with.”

With that, Lu Tai gave the trio a dismissive wave, and the three of them promptly departed.

Standing not far away was an elderly scholar, none other than the Teacher Zhong that Cao Qinglang had been thinking of. However, in a reversal of roles, he was going to be the one late to school, as opposed to his naughty and tardy students.

Lu Tai cast his gaze toward Zhong Qiu as he smiled and said, “Chen Ping’an and I are friends. I’ve personally witnessed your power and flair, and that’s why I’ve decided to take up residence in Southern Garden Nation.”

Zhong Qiu nodded in response. “In that case, I look forward to seeing what you’re going to do, but I hope you won’t be too reckless, even if you are Chen Ping’an’s friend.”

Lu Tai snapped open his folding fan, then began gently fanning himself with it as he smiled and asked, “Have you thought about going to see the outside world in sixty years?”

Zhong Qiu shook his head and departed.

Lu Tai was completely unbothered by Zhong Qiu’s frosty reception, and he turned to the gate of the residence to find that the door god plastered to it was already looking a little worn out after a year of being exposed to the elements.

“The end of the year is coming up, so I’ll have to change the door god and put up some couplets. I’ll also have to acquire a few pretty girls to serve as my maidservants as well. Should I go to Spring Tide Palace to request a few from Zhou Shi?”

As Chen Ping’an tossed a second gold essence copper coin into the picture scroll, rain began to fall over the Lake Mountain Faction in Pine Song Nation, even though it was a bright and sunny day.

No one was particularly alarmed by this, with the exception of Yu Zhenyi, who rose up into the air atop his flying sword.

His robes were flapping audibly as he hovered high up in the sky and murmured to himself, “A storm is coming.”

Over in an official’s manor in the capital city of Southern Garden Nation, a young boy had only just emerged from the scripture library when something fell out of the sky and landed on the ground right in front of him. It had almost fallen on his head, and it gave him a huge fright.

Upon close inspection, it was an emaciated little white ape with blood all over its fur.

The little ape was laying on the ground in a feeble manner, looking even more dazed and confused than the young boy.

On the border of Northern Jin Nation, a young Daoist priest was standing on the bank of a lake, staring at his own reflection in the water in a transfixed fashion as he murmured to himself over and over again, “Who am I? Who am I?”

All of a sudden, he fell to his knees and threw his hands onto his head in agony.

————

Inside the rundown temple, the atmosphere was a little strange.

Everyone was seated around a campfire, and Chen Ping’an said, “Thanks for your hard work.”

Zhu Lian turned down the vial of medicine offered to him by Chen Ping’an, telling him that it wasn’t worth wasting his precious medicine on such minor injuries.

He then took a glance at Sui Youbian, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, “Young Master, I was told something a while ago, but I’ve never been able to quite figure out what it means. Would you be able to enlighten me?”

“Go ahead,” Chen Ping’an prompted with a nod.

Zhu Lian’s entire body was covered in blood, and there were many parts of his body where the bare bone was exposed, but he appeared completely unbothered as he said, “With one coin taken, eleven falls to ten, spelling the end.”

Sui Youbian immediately sprang to her feet, and fierce killing intent erupted out of her body, but she discovered that Chen Ping’an was yet to return Deep Infatuation to her.

She glowered intently at Zhu Lian as she demanded, “Why didn’t you say that earlier?!”

Chen Ping’an paid no heed to her reaction as he explained, “That most likely means that if I use a gold essence copper coin to revive one of you from your picture scroll, then your upper limit will fall from the eleventh tier, or the legendary Martial God Tier, to the tenth tier. If you’re revived twice, then you’ll only be able to reach the ninth tier, or the Mountain Summit Tier.”

A heartbroken look appeared on Sui Youbian’s face, while her killing intent became even more pronounced.

She resented both Zhu Lian and Chen Ping’an, and she was unable to suppress those feelings.

“I see. Thank you for enlightening me, Young Master,” Zhu Lian said with a smile.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, then began to make his way out of the temple as he said, “Come with me, Sui Youbian. I need to speak to you about something.”

Sui Youbian remained standing inside the temple with a cold look in her eyes.

Chen Ping’an continued to make his way out of the temple as he declared, “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. If you don’t come out to see me by then, I’ll burn your picture scroll, and you won’t have to return the two gold essence copper coins that you owe me.”

Only then did Sui Youbian step out of the temple in an expressionless manner before quickly catching up with Chen Ping’an.

After Sui Youbian caught up to him, Chen Ping’an seemed to be completely unconcerned about the possibility that she would kill him in a fit of rage, and he said, “If you allow your mental state to collapse, then what’s the point in continuing to practice swordsmanship?

“If this is the extent of your mental fortitude, then you should just give up on your sword training altogether. Even without the restrictions placed on you by that old Daoist priest, you won’t be able to reach your full potential anyway.”

Sui Youbian’s right hand began to twitch.

Chen Ping’an continued to walk along ahead of her as he said in an indifferent voice, “You’re going to die. If you really want to die, then there are some things that I have to tell you before you die.”

Sui Youbian remained silent.

————

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Ping’an and Sui Youbian returned to the temple together.

Even though Sui Youbian was clearly still in a terrible mood, her mental state seemed to have improved, and her killing intent had completely faded, as had her previously smoldering fury.

The two of them sat down beside the campfire again.

Chen Ping’an accepted the bowl offered to him by Pei Qian and began eating his second bowl of rice for the night. Pei Qian crouched down beside him, holding up a small jar of pickled vegetables in a sycophantic manner.

Chen Ping’an looked around the fire, then smiled as he asked, “Do any of you have any thoughts about this new world that you’re in?”

The four of them were silent for a moment, following which Lu Baixiang smiled as he said, “All I wish for is to retire to the mountains, sip tea brewed from spring water, and live out a life of leisure.”

“I want to capture the heart of a beautiful maiden,” Zhu Lian chuckled.

Wei Xian was silent for a moment, then declared an aspiration fitting of his status as a founding emperor: “I want to slay a million enemies and have my sword forever drenched in blood.”

“That’s so unrealistic,” Pei Qian scoffed.

Wei Xian nodded in agreement. “Truth be told, that was an aspiration set out for me by a poet from Southern Garden Nation. If I were to make a poem myself, it would most likely be something along the lines of… Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…”

Pei Qian was much more pleased to hear this, and she nodded as she praised, “That’s much better. Even I can understand that!”

Wei Xian smiled as he replied, “Many esteemed scholars have told me in earnest that I do indeed have a natural gift for poetry and scholastics.”

Pei Qian rolled her eyes in response.

“I wish to live among the immortals and my beloved in the heavens,” Sui Youbian mused in an absentminded manner.

Chen Ping’an turned to Pei Qian with a smile and said, “It’s your turn now.”

“I… I don’t have any aspirations,” Pei Qian mumbled in a slightly embarrassed manner.

Chen Ping’an wolfed down a large mouthful of rice along with some pickled vegetables, then smiled as he said, “Surely you have some aspirations or something that you want.”

Pei Qian’s eyes immediately lit up as she said, “Alright, I’ll say it then, but you’re not allowed to get mad or make fun of me!”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

“I want to read the thinnest book, eat the most expensive dish, yell profanities at the worst person, and hit the wildest dog!” Pei Qian loudly declared.

Chen Ping’an almost choked on his rice.

A sense of foreboding welled up in Pei Qian’s heart, and she figured that Chen Ping’an was most likely disappointed because her aspirations weren’t sufficiently ambitious, so she hurriedly looked down at the hiking pole beside her feet as she added, “And… And I also want to prod the largest hornet’s nest!”

“Such lofty aspirations for someone so young!” Wei Xian praised with a serious expression.

Pei Qian immediately turned to Wei Xian with a wide smile as she said, “You’re the best, Old Man Wei! No wonder you were able to become an emperor. It’s too bad that you’re so poor now. ”

Chen Ping’an shook his head in a resigned manner, following which a smile also crept onto his face.

Outside the temple, the rain finally stopped.