Unsheathed

As daylight arrived, the old man who had spent three lesser heat coins at Chen Ping’an’s stall made his way into Cloudtop City through the city gates, still accompanied by his grandson, and the cultivators stationed at the gates all respectfully greeted him as Spiritual Master Huan.

In response, the old man would smile and nod at them in acknowledgment.

Before long, the old man had returned to an auspicious manor in the city. There were very few plots of land that Cloudtop City was willing to offer up to outsiders, and this manor was one such rare case.

The old man’s name was Huan Yun, and he was a vastly renowned Daoist Spiritual Master in the central region of the Northern Complete Reed Continent. His cultivation base and combat prowess were quite lackluster on this continent that was teeming with swordsmen. He could only be considered an ordinary Golden Core Tier cultivator who wasn’t skilled in battle, but he was an extremely senior figure with powerful connections far and wide.

He was one of the leading figures of a side branch of the Middle Earth Divine Continent’s Talisman Branch, and his expertise in talismans went far beyond his cultivation base. He was on very good terms with the Yang Clan of the Lofty Cloud Palace and many mighty cultivators of the north, and he was an avid traveler, but he also had many properties in scenic locations of his choosing.

Over on Temper Mountain, he had purchased a manor with a fantastic view a very long time ago. At the time, the manor had been very cheap, and it had since increased in value by severalfold. The old spiritual master had many friends, and there were visitors staying at his manor on Temper Mountain all year round. In contrast, Huan Yun himself could easily spend over a decade without even setting foot in that manor.

His grandson’s name was Huan Zhu, and the boy had a very good aptitude for cultivation. Even the descendants of an earth immortal weren’t guaranteed to be cut out for cultivation. As it turned out, none of Huan Yun’s sons and daughters were able to cultivate, and Huan Zhu was the only fine prospect to have come out of their clan for more than the past century. Hence, Huan Yun liked to bring his grandson along with him whenever he went out on his travels.

After entering his study, Huan Yun carefully pulled out an intricately crafted little box fashioned out of wood sourced from the Spring Dew Garden. The cloud designs on the box were extremely well done, and they looked as if they could drift off the surface of the box at any moment.

The box was called the Cloud Locking Box, and it was a miniature divine abode specially made for talisman masters to hold precious talismans.

Huan Yun gently placed the twenty-seven talismans that he had purchased from Chen Ping’an’s stall into the wooden box with a wide smile on his face.

Huan Zhu had always been a very smart boy, and he immediately realized that not only had his grandfather not been ripped off, there was a very good chance that he had managed to purchase these talismans for far less than they were worth.

Huan Yun sat down on his chair, then lifted Huan Zhu up before setting him down on his lap as he said in a meaningful and heartfelt manner, “All immortal sects will have a founder. When it comes to the talisman masters of the world, the first talismans that they inscribed after reaching a decent level of proficiency in their craft, but were still yet to achieve full mastery are often the most precious and unique talismans.

“Once they reach a high level of mastery in their craft, the talismans they produce will undoubtedly be of a higher quality, but they’ll become so consistent that their talismans will be lacking in diversity, which is objectively a good thing, but not for a collector. That’s why I intentionally picked out the talismans that were the worst of the bunch.

“The shopkeeper had been very puzzled by my choices, and the fact that he pointed out the lackluster nature of my selections to me showed me that he’s a fine young man. He has a very good aptitude for talisman inscription, and he’s also a scrupulous and honorable businessman.”

Huan Yun was in a very good mood, hence he was willing to explain to his grandson some of the intricacies behind his purchase.

He pointed at the already-closed wooden box on the table, then said, “As long as these talismans are kept in good condition, there’s a chance that they’ll give rise to some extremely profound fated opportunities. Of course, the chances of that coming to pass are very slim.

“However, on the path of cultivation, such slim chances can be omens of disaster that bring about one’s demise, or harbingers of immense fortune that transform one’s life for the better. Even if we disregard these slim possibilities, these talismans themselves aren’t worth much less than the close to three lesser heat coins that I paid for them.”

All of a sudden, Huan Yun smiled as he declared, “The city lord has arrived. Let’s go meet him.”

Huan Yun set down his grandson, and the two of them made their way out of the study and into the courtyard together.

For a cultivator visiting a close friend, there was naturally no need to knock on the door. Instead, all they had to do was release a hint of their aura to announce their arrival.

The lord of Cloudtop City was called Shen Zhenze, and just like Huan Yun, he was also a Golden Core Tier cultivator.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in a white Dao robe, and his elegant and refined appearance was certainly befitting of an immortal of his caliber.

After Huan Zhu extended a greeting to the visitor, Huan Yun immediately cut straight to the chase, declaring, “There’s someone selling some extremely fine talismans in that market of yours. You’re going to miss out if you get there too late. I recognize three of the talismans that he’s selling. They’re the Celestial Lightning Talisman, the Vast Flowing River Talisman, and the Earth Pinch Talisman.

“The artisanship is nothing special, nor are the materials used, so they’re not all that noteworthy. However, there are also two Barrier-Shattering Talismans that I’ve never seen in my life. One is a guidance talisman, while the other is a bridge crossing talisman, and both are utterly brilliant.

“The former is not only perfect for dispelling illusions, if they’re used to their full potential, they can even carve out a path for yin entities to reach the afterlife. As for the latter, each talisman is imbued with a hint of pure sword intent, and they’ll be perfect for the Lower Five Tiers cultivators of your Cloudtop City in intimidating ordinary demons and ghosts.”

Shen Zhenze was very much taken aback to hear this.

If he had been informed this by the average earth immortal, then he would’ve harbored some skepticism, but the fact that this news was coming from Huan Yun meant that it was most definitely reliable.

“The only downside is that the materials used to craft the talismans are very mediocre. Otherwise, they’d be worth far more than just a dozen or so snowflake coins each,” Huan Yun concluded.

“A single Barrier-Shattering Talisman costs in excess of ten snowflake coins? Isn’t that far too expensive, Spiritual Master Huan?” Shen Zhenze asked in a puzzled manner.

“When have I ever made a misjudgment on the quality of a talisman?” Huan Yun countered with a smile. “Hurry up and go! I assure you the talismans in question are worth the price.”

Huan Yun then provided the city lord with the location of Chen Ping’an’s stall and a rough description of his appearance, and Shen Zhenze immediately turned to depart.

“Before you go, I have to warn you that you’ll be dealing with a very cunning young businessman,” Huan Yun cautioned. “Also, I advise you not to go to purchase the talismans in person. Otherwise, you’ll be sure to attract a great deal of attention to the young man, and that could end up costing him his life.

“He did intentionally bring out a jar of tea leaves from the Rainbow Sparrow Residence while setting up his stall, and that will serve as a form of protection for him, but if someone is overcome by greed, that jar of tea leaves won’t serve as sufficient deterrent for them.”

Shen Zhenze thanked Huan Yun for his advice, then returned to the city and instructed one of his trusted subordinates to go and purchase the talismans from the market. After making those arrangements, he returned to Huan Yun’s manor.

He had come here on this occasion as he had something to discuss with Huan Yun.

As it turned out, a secret area had appeared deep in the wilderness in a nation that neighbored the Celestial Water Nation to the west. It had been stumbled upon by a lumberjack, but he had only discovered the entrance of the secret area and didn’t dare to venture inside on his own.

After returning from the mountains, he was eager to share his experience with the people of his village, and the story was made known to a vagrant cultivator that was passing through the area. After hearing the story, he went to the local authorities and carefully browsed through the local county chronicles and a map of the area, following which he ventured into the secret area himself.

However, he was unable to break through the immortal restrictions at the entrance. He returned after recruiting two allies to his cause, one of whom was a Naturalist cultivator that was able to unravel the restrictions, but in doing so, he inadvertently set off a trap, resulting in the deaths of two members of the three-man party, leaving only one alive.

After hearing Shen Zhenze’s recount of events, Huan Yun smiled as he analyzed, “The fact that a fourth tier Naturalist cultivator was able to unravel the restrictions so quickly clearly indicates that this secret area is nothing special. Are you planning to compete with those vagrant cultivators for this fated opportunity as a Golden Core Tier earth immortal?”

Shen Zhenze shook his head as he replied, “I’m planning to send a few young disciples of Cloudtop City into the secret area for training purposes. I’m also planning to send in a Dragon Gate Tier guest elder with them, but he’ll only be accompanying them in secret and won’t reveal himself unless they’re in life-threatening danger.”

“What if this turns out to be a significant fated opportunity? You’re still not going to make a move?” Huan Yun asked with a smile.

Shen Zhenze shook his head as he replied, “Please don’t make fun of me, Spiritual Master Huan. You know that our Cloudtop City has already suffered greatly for a similar mistake in the past.”

As the saying went, better a close neighbor than a distant brother, and this applied both for mortals and cultivators.

However, close neighbors weren’t guaranteed to be friendly ones, and a perfect example of this were Cloudtop City and the Rainbow Sparrow Residence. Ever since a rough battle took place between the former city lord and residence head, the two sects hadn’t exactly become sworn enemies, but they were certainly on very bad terms with one another.

The two sects had been allies for centuries in the past, but their alliance had completely fallen apart in the wake of an emergence of an unexpected fated opportunity. Initially, the old city lord merely served as a guardian for his disciples, who were sent into the secret area to search for treasures. However, they discovered that there was a cultivation art capable of supporting one’s cultivation to the Golden Core Tier inside.

Unable to resist the temptation, Shen Zhenze’s father and the previous head of the Rainbow Sparrow Residence both stormed into the secret area to battle it out over who would get to claim the cultivation art. However, right as they were both locked in an impasse, an extremely well-concealed vagrant cultivator pounced on the opportunity, severely wounding both Golden Core Tier cultivators before successfully escaping with the cultivation art.

With that, fortune had turned to tragedy, and both Golden Core Tier earth immortals had sustained damage to their Dao foundations. In the end, neither of them were able to reach the Nascent Tier, and they both passed away shortly thereafter. From that point onward, the two sects had begun harboring resentment for one another, and their alliance completely disintegrated.

What was quite interesting was that even on their deathbeds, neither of the Golden Core Tier earth immortals had harbored much resentment toward the vagrant cultivator that had obtained the cultivation art over them. Both of them were convinced that those events had been preordained by fate, and that the vagrant cultivator was the deserving recipient of the fated opportunity.

Prior to that incident, the two sects had been a rare example of sects connected by marriage alliances.

This had been a cause for great concern for several emperors of the Celestial Water Nation, both present and past, and they had tried to act as mediator on many occasions to try and mend the relationship between the two sects, but neither side had been willing to accept the extended olive branch.

“I take it that you want me to keep an eye out for them in case of unforeseen mishaps, right? Is there a direct disciple of yours that will be entering the secret area?” Huan Yun asked.

Shen Zhenze nodded as he replied, “There are two, in fact. Both of them are stuck at bottlenecks and must make this trip.”

“The fact that a secret area has emerged at a time like this is most likely meant to be a fated opportunity for these two disciples of yours, so this is indeed an opportunity that’s not to be missed,” Huan Yun said. “As their Dao mentors, you’re already too closely intertwined with your disciples, and any further involvement on your part would only be detrimental to both sides.”

Shen Zhenze heaved a forlorn sigh.

In the cultivation world, nothing could be viewed solely through rose-tinted classes. Even a fated opportunity for a breakthrough that appeared to have been a blessing from the heavens could be fraught with peril, resulting in one’s demise when they least expected it. This was a lesson that had been learned by many at the cost of their lives.

“Alright,” Huan Yun agreed. “It’s been a while since I’ve served as anyone’s Dao guardian, I hope I’m not too rusty.”

Shen Zhenze rose to his feet to extend a grateful salute, and Huan Yun accepted the salute, while Huan Zhu had already obediently ducked to the side in a gesture of avoidance.

Even a temporary Dao guardian was still a Dao guardian, nevertheless. Shen Zhenze was extending a bow of gratitude toward someone who was going to serve as the Dao guardian of his two direct disciples, and Huan Yun was fully justified in accepting this gesture of gratitude.

One of Shen Zhenze’s subordinates arrived in the courtyard, then pulled out a stack of talismans from his sleeve, on which he wasn’t able to secure a discount of even a single snowflake coins, and he said, “I bought up all of the talismans for sale at the stall, but the owner insisted on keeping the final lightning talisman and refused to sell it to me.”

Shen Zhenze turned to Huan Yun with an inquisitive gaze, wondering if there was perhaps some esoteric motive behind the stall owner’s decision to keep one final lightning talisman, but Huan Yun merely smiled and said, “That young man has a bit of a strange personality. I can’t think of why he would decide to keep that talisman, but he must have his reasons.”

Shen Zhenze pulled out one of the Sword Qi Bridge Crossing Talismans, and it was indeed quite a fine talisman, but it was also extremely expensive, considering it was a Barrier-Shattering Talisman inscribed on ordinary yellow paper. In the end, he tucked all of the talismans up his sleeve, then smiled as he said, “I can give these to my disciples, and there will still be some leftover for our Cloudtop City to keep.”

“Here’s a piece of advice from me, and it may prove to be completely pointless, but I suggest you use the leftover talismans as sparingly as possible,” Huan Yun said with a smile. “Also, you might be tempted to buy another batch of talismans from that young man, but I advise against that. The more you buy, the worse a deal it’ll be for you.”

Shen Zhenze couldn’t be bothered to try and get to the bottom of these enigmatic statements from Huan Yun.

In any case, he had already accomplished his objective for this visit.