Unsheathed

Cultivators didn’t like to leave things to chance.

Lin Junbi especially disliked unexpected things happening around him.

Three days ago, Yan Lü, Zhu Mei, Jiang Guancheng, and Bian Jing’s visit to the wine shop wasn’t by accident. Rather, it had been by his design.

Yan Lü’s old ancestor was familiar with those in the Bamboo Sea Small World, while Yan Lü himself liked to hide daggers behind his smile. He was a relatively somber person who liked to cause trouble and exacerbate issues.

Zhu Mei’s uncle master had suffered greatly at the hands of Sword Immortal Zuo You, with his innate sword aptitude being shattered by the sword immortal many years ago. Zhu Mei was also strongly influenced by the Second Sage’s teachings, and she was extremely fond of standing up against injustice, speaking frankly and without hesitation.

Jiang Guancheng was impulsive, and he had worked hard to restrain himself during their southward journey to Stalactite Mountain.

With these three people visiting the wine shop, they didn’t need to be afraid of Chen Ping’an attacking them, nor did they need to be afraid of Chen Ping’an going all out against them. Even if Chen Ping’an let Lin Junbi down — for example, if he were as impulsive and boastful as Jiang Guancheng — they still had Senior Brother Bian Jing to keep them safe. Moreover, Chen Ping’an would have made many enemies if he had gone overboard.

This was the reason why Zhu Mei and the others had felt so guilty and ashamed when standing outside the pavilion in Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan’s residence, with even the proud and haughty Yan Lü feeling slightly uneasy. Lin Junbi hadn’t become angry at all, since it was important to treat his pawns well. This was the first lesson Lin Junbi had learned from the imperial preceptor of the Shaoyuan Empire, the teacher who imparted upon him knowledge, and the master who taught him Dao power.

People and pawns were ultimately different, with people having their own lives to live, their own paths of the Great Dao to follow, and their own emotions and desires. Viewing them as mindless pawns and wantonly throwing them around would mean that one wasn’t far away from death.

In reality, with the exception of his scheme pertaining to the wine shop, Lin Junbi had indeed treated his companions with honesty and respect during their southward trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall. He hadn’t kept any secrets when his companions asked him for help regarding scholarly studies, sword techniques, and Go techniques.

While traveling south, Lin Junbi had carefully learned about the prodigies in the eight continents beyond the Middle Earth Divine Continent, especially those with extremely unique personalities. For example, the Northern Complete Reed Continent’s Lin Su, the Pure White Continent’s Liu Youzhou, and the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent’s Ma Kuxuan. He could learn from each of them, observing their lives to temper his own Dao Heart.

However, Lin Junbi was slightly flustered right now, feeling as if he were completely alone on the Go board, unable to draw on any power or external help. He had nothing but himself and his bonded flying sword as he faced this dangerous situation.

While staying at Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan’s residence, Lin Junbi had honestly revealed to Bian Jing that he didn’t want to face off against Chen Ping’an so early. He was not even fifteen years old, after all, so he indeed wouldn’t stand a chance against Chen Ping’an.

This was the case with Chen Ping’an, so he naturally stood even less of a chance against Ning Yao. Lin Junbi’s confidence stemmed from comparing the future him in ten years’ time to the current Chen Ping’an or Ning Yao. Or in a similar vein, comparing the current him to the past Chen Ping’an and Ning Yao from ten years ago.

The second lesson from his master, the imperial preceptor, was that those who were unwilling to admit defeat in battle would die very easily.

Lin Junbi’s mind whirred, and he hoped to find a flawless plan that could help him break free from this situation.

As for why Lin Junbi was targeting Chen Ping’an and thinking about him so much, this was naturally due to the ripples caused by the battle between the third and the fourth sages. Confucian disciples cared deeply about the concept of respect toward heaven, earth, rulers, parents, and teachers, and, on the path of cultivation, one would often enjoy the closest relationship with one’s teachers. During the early stages of a cultivator’s life, their masters would accompany them for the longest and have the greatest impact.

Lin Junbi was no exception. And upon joining a certain lineage or orthodoxy, one would very likely inherit the friends and foes of the said lineage or orthodoxy. There was strong hostility between his master and that old scholar, and the Shaoyuan Empire had been the first place to ban the Scholarly Sage’s works and teachings, doing so the most ruthlessly among the empires in the Middle Earth Divine Continent.

However, the imperial preceptor — who initially had the chance to become the mountain master of a Confucian school or even the deputy sect master of the Confucian temple — never expressed much animosity or resentment when he privately talked about the old scholar. In fact, he would even express approval and appreciation when he didn’t talk about the old scholar and only talked about the old scholar’s teachings. This caused Lin Junbi to feel even more displeased.

Ning Yao didn’t say anything else after her blunt statement to Lin Junbi.

In her eyes, the choice in front of Lin Junbi was very simple. Either he didn’t draw his sword and admit defeat, or he drew his sword and was defeated, also suffering a bit more in the process.

Thus, she didn’t understand what there was to think about.

Ning Yao didn’t like this young man, who couldn’t control his eyes and wasn’t good at speaking properly. He also schemed and calculated too much, with his thoughts being impure. Sword cultivators needed to strive forward with conviction, so by purposely suppressing his cultivation base, was he truly not willing to respect his bonded flying sword?

If the many criticisms leveled at sword cultivators and flying swords by the Three Teachings and the Hundred Schools of Thought could be attributed to a difference in philosophy and Dao, then what about sword cultivators themselves being unwilling to show any sincerity? So, after Lin Junbi drew his sword and lost, Ning Yao would offer a single remark: There are a myriad of immortal techniques in the world, yet only a flying sword is the most direct. Of course, she could save herself the effort if Lin Junbi admitted defeat without drawing his sword.

Lin Junbi felt the most awkward right now, and Yan Lü, who was about to take part in the second trial on the street, also felt very awkward.

As for Liu Tiefu, the Dragon Gate Tier sword cultivator who was conducting the second trial for the Sword Qi Great Wall, he naturally didn’t feel awkward at all. He felt very happy instead, and the reason for this was very simple. He regarded himself as Ning Yao’s number one admirer at the Sword Qi Great Wall, and he was extremely thick-skinned and shameless, even though he had grown up in the impoverished streets and alleys.

In the beginning, Liu Tiefu had tried everything he could to get into the Ning Residence. For example, he could become an unofficial disciple of Nalan Yexing, like Cui Wei, or a steward or servant who handled miscellaneous tasks at the Ning Residence.

Each time Liu Tiefu saw Ning Yao on the streets, however, he would flush bright red and hurriedly run far away, his head bowed and his back bent, satisfied with just taking one or two glances at her from a distance. He claimed that he would become pale and get sweaty palms if he stood too close to Ning Yao, and this could easily cause her to resent him.

Thus, Liu Tiefu loudly told Yan Lü that the trial could wait until matters between Ning Yao and Lin Junbi were settled.

As for whether Yan Lü could understand the local dialect, Liu Tiefu couldn’t be bothered to think about it. In any case, he was already squatting on the ground and gazing at Miss Ning from a distance, waving his hands a few times and presumably trying to ask the young man standing beside her to shuffle aside, so that he didn’t block Liu Tiefu from admiring Miss Ning.

Of course, Liu Tiefu also felt admiration for that outsider called Chen Ping’an, but he still felt like Chen Ping’an wasn’t worthy of Miss Ning, despite his defeating Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji not long ago.

However, he would tolerate this since Ning Yao liked him. It wasn’t like he could do anything about this anyway, since he couldn’t defeat Chen Ping’an in a fight. All he could do was find an opportunity to visit the wine shop, drink some wine, and inscribe his name on a safety tablet, using the backside to secretly write: Miss Ning, I’m very sad that you already have someone you like.

The second time Liu Tiefu visited the wine shop to drink, Chen Ping’an had stood at the entrance and beckoned to him with a smile, saying that the two of them needed to have a good chat. Liu Tiefu had turned around and sprinted away without saying so much as a single word. Afterward, he had only dared to ask someone else to investigate whether his safety tablet was still hanging in the wine shop. After learning that it was still hanging there and hadn’t been tossed out, Liu Tiefu felt like Chen Ping’an was quite a decent person.

It wouldn’t have made sense for Miss Ning to be attracted to a petty person.

The sword immortals who had rushed over from the city wall landed on the walls of the wealthy residences lining the two sides of the street. Not only that, but even more sword immortals were clearly flying over on their swords.

Lin Junbi appeared calm and composed as he cupped his fists at Ning Yao and said, “I’m young and naive, so I apologize for offending you. I admit defeat.”

Bian Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Junbi — a future pillar of the Shaoyuan Empire’s Sword Dao — choosing not to draw his sword was correct. Otherwise, Bian Jing would need to worry about Lin Junbi’s sword heart crumbling in this foreign land, and at that time, the imperial preceptor definitely wouldn’t let him off lightly.

In contrast to Lin Junbi’s thorough consideration of everything, Bian Jing wouldn’t think so much, and he would only choose one or two threads of events to investigate and understand in depth. For example, there was a saying at the Sword Qi Great Wall that Ning Yao was one type of sword cultivator, while everyone else was another type of sword cultivator.

In addition, Ning Yao had participated in many battles on the battlefield to the south, and she had also traveled around the Majestic World by herself at a very young age. She definitely wasn’t the type of extremely talented but extremely naive prodigy. As such, Ning Yao’s statement was a reflection of her absolute confidence in achieving victory; it was essentially the same as drawing her blade.

It was for this reason that Bian Jing didn’t need to think deeply about the destructive power of Ning Yao’s flying sword, nor about her mystical abilities or cultivation base.

There was no need to.

“Then what’s the point of you coming to the Sword Qi Great Wall to practice sword techniques?” Ning Yao asked.

Lin Junbi smiled faintly and replied, “There’s no need for Big Sister Ning to worry about this. I naturally have my own path of the Great Dao to follow.”

Ning Yao frowned and said, “Take back your words.”

“Do outsiders now need to speak and tread so carefully at the Sword Qi Great Wall? Won’t I need to tremble in fear and hesitation when launching sword strikes in the future?” Lin Junbi asked in exasperation.

Ning Yao turned around to look at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “Don’t worry about my opinion. Ning Yao, you are you.”

Bian Jing stepped forward. After all, he couldn’t stand there idly and watch Lin Junbi struggle against their foes. He was still very young, so his so-called calmness and composure were largely still a facade, gained from his many years of study with the imperial preceptor. He was yet to grasp the essence. Moreover, there were many sword immortals spectating the battle, and this naturally put far too much pressure on Lin Junbi.

Yan Lü and the others failed to notice any signs, but Bian Jing was abundantly aware that Lin Junbi was already nearing the limit of his self-restraint right now. Those who contemplated too many matters would often become especially reckless and uncaring when they lashed out.

Before leaving the Shaoyuan Empire, the imperial preceptor had specially looked for Bian Jing to warn him about this matter, hoping that his unofficial disciple could help his junior brother during such critical moments, making sure that Lin Junbi wouldn’t lose the metaphorical game of Go and suffer damage to his Great Dao. The imperial preceptor hoped that Bian Jing could help Lin Junbi win this game of Go.

This was because in the imperial preceptor’s eyes, the objective of his prized disciple traveling to the Sword Qi Great Wall wasn’t to practice his sword techniques, but instead to cultivate his heart. Indeed, for a prodigious innate sword talent like Lin Junbi, it would make little difference whether he cultivated his Sword Dao in the mountains away from mortal distractions, in the mortal streets and alleys, in the imperial palace, or in the martial world.

The problem, specifically, was Lin Junbi’s extreme conceit and his failure to realize this. His sword skills would definitely improve, and there was absolutely no need to worry about this. However, his heart needed to shift toward the mean and refrain from moving to the opposite extreme. Otherwise, he would face the catastrophe of his Dao Heart becoming impure and his Sword Heart being shattered.

In fact, even Bian Jing felt slightly jealous of his junior brother, what with the imperial preceptor providing him with such careful and meticulous guidance.

Chen Ping’an smiled and stepped forward at almost the exact same time as Bian Jing, looking at the like-minded person who was also very skilled at keeping a low profile and pretending to be weak.

However, it was a shame that Bian Jing had only reached the level of pretending to be a son, not yet that of pretending to be a grandson. He still had much room for improvement, and he had given away far too many clues during the confrontation at the wine shop. His acting hadn’t been natural enough, and at the very least, the shock on his face and the flustered nature of his actions had appeared a little over the top.

His performance wasn’t good enough for Chen Ping’an.

“You might think that we’re forcing outsiders to pass the three trials is a show of strength and a form of humiliation, but this isn’t the case,” Ning Yao said. “In actual fact, this is a show of respect granted by sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall. What does it matter if an outsider loses three battles in a row and fails to pass the three trials? Daring to come here and temper their cultivation, and daring to ascend the city wall to glance at the Savage World, is already proof enough of their identity as a sword cultivator.

“However, so be it if you’re so focused on the three trials, so much so that you even created a new set of rules to scheme against the Sword Qi Great Wall. When it comes to fighting on the battlefield, it’s a reflection of your capability if you’re able to scheme and achieve victory over your foes. Sword cultivators speak with their swords, after all, so a victory is a victory.”

The spectating sword immortals smiled knowingly and nodded in approval.

Who hadn’t been young before? The large majority of local sword immortals had once personally participated in the three trials.

This was a different story for the younger sword cultivators, who all exchanged baffled glances with each other. Were they truly as generous and noble as Ning Yao described? Was their true intention not to pummel the outsiders and have them eat dust?

For example, they had initially wanted to enjoy a good show as they watched Qi Shou and his companions, as well as Pang Yuanji, who should have been only a spectator, battle the second shopkeeper. The blackhearted and miserly second shopkeeper, shockingly managing to achieve victory, was obviously another matter altogether.

No matter what, Ning Yao’s statement wasn’t wrong. Regardless of where from the Majestic World one hailed from, the sword cultivators at the Sword Qi Great Wall wouldn’t bear any ill will toward those who were truly powerful. They would, more or less, be willing to show sincere respect toward these powerful individuals.

Casting one’s gaze over the sword immortals, there was the godforsaken A’Liang, the sublimely skilled Zuo You, and the carefree Wei Jin from the small Eastern Treasured Vial Continent.

Looking at the younger generation, there was first the immortal demeanor of Cao Ci, and there was now the utter shamelessness of Chen Ping’an.