Unsheathed

Zhao Yao had followed his grandfather’s arrangements when leaving the Jewel Small World on the ox-drawn carriage all those years ago, and he had gone to an immortal force in the central region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent near the sea in the west to begin cultivation.

Halfway through his trip, however, he had come across a young boy with a birthmark on his glabella. The young boy referred to himself as Embroidered Tiger.

In the end, Zhao Yao had handed over the spring seal given to him by Mr. Qi. After all, the young boy was none other than Imperial Preceptor Cui Chan of the Great Li Empire.

Among the most recent batch of students in the private school of the small town, Zhao Yao was the student who had accompanied Mr. Qi the most. Li Baoping and the other children, including Song Jixin whom he admired greatly, couldn’t compare to him in this regard.

Zhao Yao had continued his journey to the immortal force, and relying on the secret cultivation technique and two immortal tools that Cui Chan had given him in exchange, he had managed to transform misfortunes into fortunes every single time.

In the end, Zhao Yao had arrived near the immortal force, with the ox-drawn cart already trundling over to the foot of the mountain. However, it was at this moment that the haggard Zhao Yao had suddenly changed his mind and abandoned his ox-drawn carriage, going as far as to untie the ox and grant it freedom.

Afterward, he had traveled by himself toward the sea in the west, eventually finding an immortal ferry station that he had only heard others talk about in the past. He had boarded an immortal ship and traveled to the immortal islands that were located beyond the Lone Hanging Sea, and he had then boarded another immortal ship and continued in the direction of the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

Casting one’s gaze over the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, only Old Dragon City and its surrounding areas had ferry stations with intercontinental ships. Moreover, most of these intercontinental ships were merchant ships from Stalactite Mountain. Thus, if cultivators in the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent wanted to travel to the Middle Earth Divine Continent, they would have little choice but to employ the same method as Zhao Yao, taking many short to medium distant trips on the immortal ships of the immortal forces along the way.

After completing more than half of his journey, the immortal ship that Zhao Yao was traveling on had encountered a huge calamity, with a locust-like swarm of flying fish blotting out heaven and earth as they rushed over and smashed the immortal ship to smithereens.

Zhao Yao and most other passengers plummeted into the sea, with some passengers instantly dying on impact. Zhao Yao had survived thanks to the protection of an immortal treasure, but being lost in the vast sea was essentially the same as receiving a death sentence anyway. It was only a matter of time before he became fish feed.

Two Golden Core Tier cultivators from the immortal ship had wanted to soar into the air and flee, with one of them attempting to fly up and charge through the swarm of flying fish. However, they had eventually died in despair and been reduced to ashes among the seemingly boundless swarm of flying fish. The other had witnessed this and immediately understood the perilous danger, so they had fought through their exhaustion and hurriedly dived into the sea.

Zhao Yao had sat on a huge plank of wood from the shattered immortal ship, with a luggage sack firmly tied to his body. He had drifted through the sea for an unknown amount of time, with his body becoming withered as he suffered unbearable pain.

In the end, Zhao Yao had finally fallen unconscious, unable to withstand the harsh conditions any longer. He had slipped off the huge plank of wood and fallen into the sea, and he had relied on the last wisp of spiritual energy in his immortal tool to drift away with the current.

When Zhao Yao opened his eyes again in a hazy state, he discovered that he was lying on a bed instead of drifting in the sea. He jolted fully awake, and he sat up and looked around at his surroundings. This was a relatively spacious but simple thatched cottage, and there was almost nothing in the room apart from piles upon piles of yellowing books. In fact, there were so many books that one could barely find a clear path through the room.

After the emaciated Zhao Yao stood up, he discovered that his luggage was silently resting beside the bed. Opening it up, he saw that not a single item was missing, allowing him to breathe a soft sigh of relief.

Walking along the small path through the mountain of books, Zhao Yao opened the door and left the thatched cottage, causing the view in front of him to significantly open up. He realized that the thatched cottage was constructed atop a mountain, and opening the door would allow him to directly see the sea.

Zhao Yao also saw a scabbardless sword diagonally impaled in the mountain peak, with the blade of the sword filled with rust and completely devoid of luster.

Zhao Yao walked to the edge of the cliff and dazedly looked over at the bottomless fall.

Just as Zhao Yao was about to step forward, a warm and gentle voice suddenly sounded next to him, saying, “The heavens will always leave us a way out. Are you truly so disappointed in yourself?”

There were tears brimming in Zhao Yao’s eyes as he turned around, only to see a slender man in azure robes standing beside him and gazing at the vast sea.

Zhao Yao was still a young boy at the time, and he wiped away his tears before suddenly asking, “Mister, you’re definitely a powerful person living in recluse, so can you take me in as a disciple? I want to learn immortal techniques!”

The man smiled and shook his head, replying, “I’ve never studied under a master before, nor have I ever taken a disciple. I’m afraid of the hassle. I’ll send you off after you rest and recover here.”

“Where is this?” Zhao Yao asked.

“The mortal world. Where else can it be?” the man answered with a smile.

Zhao Yao didn’t hold back, and this was most likely because he was wallowing in despair and in his most fragile mental state. “Of course it is! But I want to know where in the world this is, okay?!” he exclaimed in a very rude manner.

The man didn’t become angry, and he smiled faintly and said, “I’m not being mysterious on purpose. Rather, this is indeed a nameless and ordinary place. It’s not an immortal abode, and the spiritual energy here is also sparse. It’s not exactly far from the Middle Earth Divine Continent, so if we’re lucky, we might even encounter fishermen or pearl divers.”

Afterward, Zhao Yao stayed on the island to rest and recuperate. Having interacted with the man for a decent period of time, he also realized that there was nothing special about the man apart from his impressive leg strength. He was actually very ordinary.

Even though the thatched cottages atop the mountain were all chock-full of books, the man never used any refined or profound language during everyday conversations. He also needed to eat three meals a day, and he would often walk down the mountain to stroll along the seaside.

Zhao Yao either read every day or sat in front of the cliff and zoned out.

One day, Zhao Yao truly became bored out of his mind and walked over to the sword atop the mountain, wanting to try and pull it out. However, the man appeared outside his thatched cottage and smiled at Zhao Yao, warning him not to touch the sword.

“Does this sword have a name?” Zhao Yao asked.

“No, it’s never had a name,” the man in azure shook his head and replied.

“Mister, are you someone who became disappointed after failing to succeed in the imperial examinations?” Zhao Yao asked. “Or are you fleeing from your enemies? Is that why you left the continent and came to this island to live in seclusion?”

The man shook his head again, saying, “Neither. Things aren’t as complicated as you think. There’s simply a saying that I quite approve of. Life is full of hardships, and the Great Dao is riddled with dangers. Since the path ahead is so difficult, then why not stop and slack off for a moment? Why not take a moment to ponder over things?”

“Mister, are you truly not a powerful person living in seclusion? For example, a Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier terrestrial immortal?” Zhao Yao asked in an uncertain manner.

The man smiled and responded with a question of his own, saying, “I’m naturally not an earth immortal or whatnot. Moreover, what does it matter to you even if I am?”

Zhao Yao lived on the island for close to two years. The island wasn’t very big, and Zhao Yao was already able to wander around the entire island by himself. Just as the man had said, he could sometimes encounter fishermen if he were lucky enough. Of course, there were also pearl divers who engaged in a much riskier trade. However, they could potentially go from rags to riches overnight.

Zhao Yao’s mental state gradually stabilized, and he voluntarily told the man about his ambition to travel around the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

The man nodded and said with a smile, “Be careful during your travels, and remember not to become too disappointed in yourself. Perhaps becoming disappointed in yourself is the most disappointing thing that can happen.”

Zhao Yao became slightly embarrassed, and he retrieved a hornless dragon paperweight carved from wood, saying, “Mister, I want to give this to you as a token of gratitude for saving my life.”

The man waved his hand, appearing slightly exasperated as he said, “Since when did the outside world become like this? When has extending a simple helping hand to save others become a hugely virtuous deed?”

Zhao Yao was extremely stubborn, and he insisted, “Mister, you might not seek repayment for saving me, but as the person who was saved, I can’t just ignore the debt of gratitude like this! This is my most valuable possession, so it’s perfect as a token of gratitude for you.”

The man smiled and said, “By the looks of it, the world hasn’t become too terrible yet.”

However, he ultimately didn’t accept the paperweight.

Zhao Yao traveled on a self-made wooden raft to sail back to the main continent. Before leaving, he stood on the raft and bowed in respectful farewell to the man standing on the shore.

Afterward, the man continued to live a leisurely life on the island.

One day, the sword impaled on the mountaintop suddenly started to ring softly.

The man stood beside the sword and looked toward the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, saying with a faint smile, “There’s no need to worry about that ancient history.”

The ringing of the sword gradually grew fainter and fainter until it eventually stopped.

Sometime later, two guests suddenly materialized on the island, with one being an old Daoist priest with a bulbous nose and one being a young Daoist priest. The latter hurriedly squatted down and started to vomit after arriving on the island.

From the alley in the village located in the southeastern region of the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent to the western seashore of the continent and then to some lone island in the sea controlled by a sect-level immortal force and finally to this island, the young Daoist priest had already vomited again and again.

The old Daoist priest hurriedly squatted down beside his disciple and gently patted his back, saying with a guilty expression, “It’s okay, everything will be fine. After vomiting this time, you’ll… only need to vomit one… uh… maybe two more times. Then everything will be over.”

The young Daoist priest almost vomited his intestines out, and his eyes were bloodshot as he asked, “Master, you say the same thing every time! When is this going to end? Can you give me a firm answer?”

The old Daoist priest wearing a strange Daoist robe smiled awkwardly in response. It was as if there were fire dragons swimming across the sleeves of his robe.

The young Daoist priest stood up and asked, “Master, you said that you would take me to visit the person whom you admire the most, yet you aren’t willing to tell me about this person’s background at all. Why is this?”

The old Daoist priest smiled and didn’t answer his disciple’s question. Instead, he looked up and asked, “Can you please let us in and give us some tea to drink?”

The man sighed and appeared by the seaside, standing approximately three meters from the master and disciple as he replied, “I’m a scholar and you’re an external Great Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, yet you want to compete with me in lightning techniques and talismans?”

The old Daoist priest had already used a mystical ability after arriving here, so his disciple wasn’t able to hear the conversation between them.

There were some matters that he needed to keep from his naive disciple.

The short old Daoist smiled and asked, “We’re not even allowed to enter? What’s the meaning of this? You’ve already agreed to have a contest of Dao power with me? It’s my win if I manage to enter, and you have to lend that sword to me. What do you say?”

The man shook his head and replied, “Are you truly going to keep pestering me?”

The young Daoist priest, Zhang Shanfeng, was completely unable to hear the conversation between his master and the man in azure.

In reality, Zhang Shanfeng was shocked to discover that he couldn’t remember the appearance of the man in azure either. After looking at the man, he would immediately forget his appearance in the next instant.

The old Daoist priest laughed and remarked, “Ohoho, you’re getting a bit angry now. If you’re so capable, then why don’t you come over here to hit me?”

The man pursed his lips.

Zhang Shanfeng suddenly heard his master’s extremely shameless remark, and he couldn’t help but say, “Master, even though you always say that you attained Dao by cultivating your true self, you still need to be a bit more polite and refined when visiting someone else, especially since you’re a Qi refiner from the mountains.”

The old Daoist priest nodded and said yes, after which he shot a glare at the man in azure and scolded, “Tsk, using cheap tricks like this. A gentleman never strikes below the belt!”

“You can’t even pull that sword out, so how are you going to borrow it?” the man asked.

The old Daoist priest’s expression was solemn as he replied, “I can’t pull it out even with my current cultivation base?”

The man nodded and confirmed, “You won’t be able to control it even if you’re one cultivation tier higher.”

The old Daoist priest heaved a long sigh.

A secret discussion had taken place in Mount Longhu in the past.

The old Daoist priest had promised the previous Great Heavenly Master that he would only return to Mount Longhu after killing that Ascension Tier demon.

He had an eighty percent chance of victory right now, yet this would plummet to fifty percent if they engaged in a life-and-death battle.

The old Daoist priest glanced at his disciple whom he had very high hopes for, and he decided that he would give this a try anyway!

The man suddenly looked at Zhang Shanfeng and asked, “This fist intent of yours…?”

Zhang Shanfeng was carrying an ordinary peach wood sword from Mount Longhu on his back right now, and he also had a damaged ancient sword with the characters “True Martial” inscribed on it. He was utterly confused after hearing the man in azure’s question.

The old Daoist priest felt extremely proud, and he gloated, “What do you think? Very impressive, yes? My disciple created this fist technique himself!”

A rare expression of approval appeared on the man’s face, and he said, “Perhaps he can forge another significant path for the martial arts of this world. He can also manifest all kinds of merit. Mhm, what’s even more special is his sincere mind. You’ve found yourself a good disciple.”

The old Daoist priest couldn’t wipe the smile from his face, and he immediately started to speak gibberish again, saying, “You’re too kind, my disciple is only so-so. I have at least seven or eight if not a dozen similar disciples.”

Zhang Shanfeng didn’t feel like his master was boasting, nor did he feel downcast because of this. When cultivating in the mountains in the past, he had indeed been the most mediocre disciple and nowhere near as impressive as his senior brothers and senior sisters. In fact, he had been even less talented than some young Daoist priests who were an entire generation beneath him.

The man in azure smiled and said, “I’ve heard a few things about the matter that took place in Mount Longhu back then, so I can say that it will be impossibly difficult for you to bring this disciple to Mount Longhu to pay respects to your ancestors. However, that demon has indeed crossed the line recently.”

He pondered for a moment before continuing, “Give me fifteen minutes.”

He then turned around and walked back to the mountain peak.

With a casual tug, the man in azure pulled out the sword that was embedded in the peak of the mountain.

The man living in seclusion only willing to admit that he was a scholar didn’t appear enthusiastic and full of spirit because of his feat. Moreover, pulling out the sword that even an external Great Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu couldn’t pull out didn’t trigger any unique phenomenon of heaven and earth.

It was as if an impoverished and hardworking scholar had simply sat down in front of his desk and picked up a calligraphy brush, wanting to write a very small essay.

The man in azure then traveled to an extraordinarily deep abyss in the Middle Earth Divine Continent that no one dared to enter. With a single swing of his sword, he slew the thirteenth tier demon resting at the bottom of the abyss, completely annihilating both its body and soul.

After returning to the mountain peak, he thrust the rusty sword back into the ground before walking back to the seaside and saying to the old Daoist priest, “The two of you can climb Mount Longhu now.”

There was a wide grin on the old Daoist priest’s face as he said, “Ah, how embarrassing for me. Words cannot express my gratitude for what you’ve done. Alright, then the two of us will leave first. We’ll visit you again in the future.”

After saying this, he tugged on the elbow of the baffled Zhang Shanfeng and drew a talisman on the ground using his foot, directly activating the Land-Shortening Talisman and transporting them to a tall mountain located in the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

The man in azure didn’t mind this, and he remained standing in the same spot as he continued to gaze at the sea.

Zhao Yao had been an ignorant young boy back then, and he had once asked the man whether he was wallowing in disappointment.

This was truly a very amusing question.

After all, this scholar had always been regarded as the proudest in the world.