Chapter 592: Realms Mean Nothing to Me
Cultivators do not like the slightest mishap.
Lin Junbi especially disliked having unexpected incidents occur around him.
Yan Lü, Zhu Mei, and Jiang Guancheng, accompanied by Bianjing, had gone to the tavern three days ago to buy wine. This was not an accident but something he had deliberately engineered.
Yan Lü's ancestor was familiar with the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven. Yan Lü himself had a temperament—a smiling face hiding a knife, leaning toward the gloomy, skilled at stirring up trouble and fanning flames. Zhu Mei's martial uncle had had his innate sword embryo shattered by a Sword Immortal's hand in his early years. She herself was deeply influenced by the teachings of the Second Sage's lineage, most fond of standing up for the wronged, with a quick and straightforward tongue. Jiang Guancheng was impulsive in nature and had been restraining himself all the way south to Hanging Sword Mountain. With these three at the tavern, there was no fear that Chen Ping'an would not make a move, and no fear that Chen Ping'an would strike too heavily. Even if Chen Ping'an disappointed him—being short-tempered and fond of showing off his cultivation, not much better than Jiang Guancheng—there was still his senior brother Bianjing to keep things safe. Moreover, the moment Chen Ping'an struck too heavily, he would make enemies of a large number of people.
So when they were outside the pavilion of the local Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan's residence, Zhu Mei and the others felt guilty, and even the proud Yan Lü was somewhat uneasy. Lin Junbi was not angry at all. He needed to treat the pieces on his chessboard well. This was what his teacher, who taught him scholarship and was also his master in Dao techniques—the National Preceptor of the Shaoyuan Dynasty—had said on the very first day he taught Lin Junbi to play chess: "People and chess pieces are ultimately different. People have lives to live, Great Daos to walk, and the seven emotions and six desires—all common human feelings. If you treat them as mere dead objects and manipulate them at will, your own death is not far off."
In fact, on the journey south, Lin Junbi had indeed been open and honest with Yan Lü and the others, setting aside this scheme. He treated them with courtesy, and whether it was anyone asking him about scholarship, swordsmanship, or chess, Lin Junbi spoke without reservation.
On the road south, Lin Junbi learned in detail about the outstanding figures from the Eight Great Continents outside the Central Continent, especially those with extremely distinct personalities, such as Lin Su of the Northern Julu Continent, Liu Youzhou of the Baiai Continent, and Ma Kuxuan of the Vial Continent. Each had their admirable points. Observing their lives could be used to sharpen his own Dao heart.
But at this moment, Lin Junbi was caught off guard. It was as if he were alone on the chessboard, with no external methods to borrow, no great momentum to seize—only himself and his lifebound flying sword, placed in danger.
Earlier at Sun Juyuan's residence, Lin Junbi had frankly told Bianjing that he didn't want to confront Chen Ping'an so early, because he indeed had no chance of winning, given that he was not yet fifteen years old.
If this was true for Chen Ping'an, it was even more so for Ning Yao. Lin Junbi's confidence came from comparing himself ten years from now with Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao today. Or, in other words, the Lin Junbi of today compared with Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao from ten years ago.
This was also the second teaching the National Preceptor had given him back then: "When contending with others for victory and strength, those unwilling to admit defeat easily die."
Lin Junbi's mind raced, hoping to find a foolproof plan to help him out of this predicament.
As for why Lin Junbi was so fixated on or mindful of Chen Ping'an, it was of course still due to the ripples of the Third- and Fourth-Seat conflict. Confucian disciples placed the greatest importance on Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teacher. On the path of cultivation, the teacher-discipline bond was often the closest, accompanying one the longest in the early stages and having the deepest influence. Lin Junbi was no exception. Once he devoted himself to a particular literary lineage or orthodoxy, he would often inherit their past grudges. His teacher and that Old Scholar had deep-seated enmity. In the early years, when it came to banning the works and scholarship of the Sage of Literature, the Shaoyuan Dynasty was the first and most relentless among the Central Continent dynasties. Yet privately, whenever the topic of the Old Scholar came up, the National Preceptor—who had been on the path to becoming Associate Sacrificial Official, Sacrificial Official, and Vice Lord of the Confucian Temple—did not show much hatred or resentment. If one set aside personal conduct and spoke only of scholarship, the National Preceptor actually admired him quite a bit. This only made Lin Junbi feel even more displeased.
After saying that, Ning Yao said no more.
To her, Lin Junbi's choice was simple: if he didn't draw his sword, he conceded defeat. If he drew his sword, he would still lose, only suffering more hardship.
So Ning Yao didn't understand what there was to think about.
Ning Yao didn't like this youth. Besides not being able to control his eyes and not being very good at speaking, it was also because he had too much on his mind and was not pure. A sword cultivator trains the sword—charging forward without hesitation, deliberately suppressing his realm—how could he not have even a shred of respect for his own lifebound flying sword? If the Three Teachings and the Hundred Schools criticized and disputed sword cultivators' flying swords, it could be understood as different paths not working together. But why would even the sword cultivator himself not be willing to show a little more sincerity? So after the opponent lost by drawing his sword, Ning Yao planned to say only one sentence: "Among the ten thousand immortal techniques in the world, only the flying sword is the most direct." If he conceded without drawing his sword, then she wouldn't even need to say that.
In fact, besides Lin Junbi being the most awkward at the moment, Yan Lü, who was confronting a man not far down the street, was also very awkward.
As for the second guardian of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Dragon Gate Realm sword cultivator Liu Tiefu, he naturally was not awkward. Instead, he was very happy, for a simple reason: he proclaimed himself the number one admirer of Ning Yao on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Growing up in a humble alley, he had developed a thick skin. Early on, he tried every means to get into the Ning Manor, like following Cui Wei in becoming an unregistered disciple of Nalan Yexing, or trying to work as a handyman or gatekeeper at the Ning Manor. But every time he met Ning Yao on the street, Liu Tiefu would blush, lower his head, bow, and run far away—all in one smooth motion. He would watch Ning Yao from a great distance for a glance or two and be satisfied. He said that if he got too close to Ning Yao, his face would turn pale, his palms would sweat, and he would easily annoy Ning Yao.
So Liu Tiefu loudly told Yan Lü that once things settled over there, they would have their match.
As for whether Yan Lü understood his dialect, Liu Tiefu couldn't be bothered. He was already crouching on the ground, watching that Lady Ning from far away, waving his hand a few times, probably wanting to ask the young man in blue with a white jade hairpin beside Lady Ning to please move aside a little, so as not to obstruct his admiration for Lady Ning.
As for that outsider Chen Ping'an, Liu Tiefu did admire him somewhat. But even though this fellow had successively defeated Qi Shou and Pang Yuanji, Liu Tiefu still felt he wasn't worthy of Lady Ning. However, since Lady Ning liked him herself, Liu Tiefu could only endure it. He had no choice—he couldn't beat him, so he could only find an opportunity to go to the tavern, drink wine, carve his name, and secretly write a line on the back of his wooden token: "Lady Ning, you have someone you like. I am very sad." The next time Liu Tiefu went to drink, he saw that Chen Ping'an standing at the tavern entrance, smiling and waving at him, saying, "Let's talk." Without a second word, Liu Tiefu turned and ran like mad. He only dared to ask someone to find out whether his wooden token had been thrown away. Learning that it had not, he thought Chen Ping'an was not so bad after all.
If the person Lady Ning liked had a petty and narrow mind, that would be utterly disgraceful.
One after another, Sword Immortals who had rushed over from the city wall landed on the walls of the residences lining the street.
Not only that, in the air between the Sword Qi Great Wall and the city, it was clear that more Sword Immortals were continuously arriving on their swords.
Lin Junbi composed himself and clasped his fists to Ning Yao: "Young and ignorant, I have been greatly presumptuous. Lin Junbi concedes defeat."
Bianjing breathed a sigh of relief. Not drawing his sword was the right choice. If he had drawn his sword, Bianjing would have worried that Lin Junbi—the future pillar of swordsmanship of the Shaoyuan Dynasty—would have his sword heart shatter in a foreign land. The National Preceptor would not have let Bianjing off lightly. Unlike Lin Junbi's meticulous planning, Bianjing didn't think too much. He only picked one or two threads to see through. For example, there was a saying on the Sword Qi Great Wall: Ning Yao is one kind of sword cultivator; all other sword cultivators are another kind. Moreover, Ning Yao had participated in many battles outside the city and, at a young age, had traveled alone throughout the Haoran World. Ning Yao was definitely not that frog-at-the-bottom-of-a-well type with good talent but no experience. So when Ning Yao said that, it meant she was confident of victory. Her words were her sword.
Therefore, Bianjing didn't need to delve into exactly what Ning Yao's flying sword was, how powerful its killing force was, what divine abilities she possessed, or what realm she was in.
There was no need.
Ning Yao said, "Then what meaning is there for you to come to the Sword Qi Great Wall to train in swordsmanship?"
Lin Junbi smiled slightly: "No need to trouble you, Sister Ning. Junbi has his own Great Dao to walk."
Ning Yao frowned: "Take that back."
Lin Junbi said helplessly, "Could it be that outsiders on the Sword Qi Great Wall must be so cautious in their speech? In the future, when Junbi draws his sword, will he have to do so with trepidation?"
Ning Yao turned her head to look at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an smiled: "Don't worry about my opinion. Ning Yao is Ning Yao."
Bianjing took a step forward.
He couldn't just watch Lin Junbi lose his composure. After all, he was still a youth. His so-called composure was more a result of years of being influenced by the National Preceptor. For now, it was still more imitation and had not yet reached the essence. Moreover, the presence of so many observing Sword Immortals brought tremendous pressure on Lin Junbi. Yan Lü, Zhu Mei, and the others couldn't see the signs, but Bianjing was very clear: Lin Junbi had almost reached the limit of his endurance. A person who thinks too much, once he makes a move, will become utterly reckless. When Lin Junbi left the Shaoyuan Dynasty, the National Preceptor had specifically sought out Bianjing and mentioned this matter, hoping that Bianjing—who was like a half-disciple—could stop his junior brother Lin Junbi at a critical moment. The intention was to use a "lost game" that did not harm the foundation of his Great Dao to help Lin Junbi win in the game of life.
Because in the National Preceptor's eyes, this proud disciple Lin Junbi came to the Sword Qi Great Wall not to train swordsmanship, but first and foremost to cultivate his mind. Otherwise, for an innate sword embryo like Lin Junbi, so rare in the world, it didn't matter much where he practiced the path of the sword—whether on a mountain peak far from the mundane world, in the muddy streets of the marketplace, or in the halls of power. The problem was precisely that Lin Junbi was too conceited without realizing it. This was an extreme. Junbi's swordsmanship would inevitably improve further—there was no need to rush. But Junbi's temperament needed to lean toward the virtue of "the Mean." He must avoid going to the other extreme, otherwise, if dust settled on his Dao heart and his sword heart shattered, it would be a great calamity.
Bianjing was actually a little envious of this kid Lin Junbi. To warrant the National Preceptor guiding his path of cultivation with such care.
Chen Ping'an smiled. Almost simultaneously with Bianjing, he stepped forward, looking with a smile at this fellow practitioner, who was skilled at playing the fool. Unfortunately, the other party only had the realm of acting like a son, not even reaching the level of acting like a grandson. He still lacked considerable skill. In the earlier conflict at the tavern, this brother's performance had also been too obvious, not natural enough. At the very least, his panic-stricken expression and eyes, that seemingly belated fluster, were not practiced and natural enough—overdoing it.
At least it didn't work on Chen Ping'an.
Ning Yao said, "Outsiders must pass the Three Trials. You may think it's us bullying others, but it's not. It's a form of respect from us sword cultivators on the Sword Qi Great Wall. What does it matter if you fail the Three Trials and lose three times in a row? The mere fact that you dare to come to the Sword Qi Great Wall for training and dare to go to the city wall to take a look at the Wildlands is already enough to prove your identity as a sword cultivator. But since you have been scheming in this matter, making your own rules, and plotting against the Sword Qi Great Wall, that's fine too. On the battlefield, if you can successfully scheme against your opponent, that is your skill, Lin Junbi. After all, sword cultivators speak through their swords. A win is a win."
The observing Sword Immortals nodded inwardly, most smiling knowingly.
The vast majority of local Sword Immortals had once been young and had personally guarded the Three Trials.
On the contrary, some young sword cultivators looked at each other in confusion. After hearing Ning Yao's words, they realized that they were actually so noble in spirit? That wasn't right; their original intention was to beat those outsiders into disarray, right? Like Qi Shou and his group, plus Pang Yuanji, who was supposed to just be there for the fun, joining forces against the Second Shopkeeper. At first, they all watched it as a joke. That the dark-hearted, stingy Second Shopkeeper actually won in the end was, of course, another matter. But that said, Ning Yao wasn't wrong. The Sword Qi Great Wall, for true experts, regardless of where in the Haoran World they came from, held no grudges and, more or less, offered sincere respect.
Sword Immortals: that damn A Liang, Zuo You whose swordsmanship soared above the clouds, and the dashing Wei Jin from tiny Vial Continent.
Among the young: first Cao Ci with his immortal bearing, then the shameless Chen Ping'an.
Lin Junbi took a deep breath. "Do you insist that I draw my sword and fight before you'll let it go?"
"That talk earlier was just politeness. I want you to draw your sword simply because I find you disagreeable."
Ning Yao said, "Since you claim to be young and ignorant, I'll suppress my realm lower than yours. If even then you dare not draw your sword, then when will you ever dare? Against Gao Youqing?"
As she spoke, Ning Yao turned her head and looked at the young girl standing between Gao Yehu and Pang Yuanji, her eyes red and swollen. "What are you crying for? Go home and cry."
At this moment, Gao Youqing had no tears on her face, but she was still so frightened that she hurriedly wiped her cheeks.
In an instant, Bianjing sensed something was wrong and was about to act, but he caught sight of Chen Ping'an's gaze and hesitated for a moment.
Lin Junbi felt as if he had fallen into an ice cavern.
On the street and at the doors and walls on both sides, flashes of sword light appeared everywhere. In another instant, Lin Junbi felt as if he were trapped within a great formation of flying swords.
Dozens of "lifebound flying swords"—as if personally manifested by Upper Five Realm Sword Immortals and Earth Immortal sword cultivators—surrounded the youth Lin Junbi. The purity of the sword intent and the density of the killing aura showed no signs of imitation whatsoever.
Each flying sword suspended around Lin Junbi pointed in a different direction, but without exception, they were all aimed at the most critical acupoints in Lin Junbi's cultivation.
But this was not the most chilling, gut-wrenching thing for Lin Junbi.
The most despairing sight for the youth was a flying sword suspended one zhang in front of him, its tip pointing directly at his brow.
Lin Junbi's lifebound flying sword was named "Slay Dragon."
And the one before his eyes was precisely "Slay Dragon."
Lin Junbi's lifebound flying sword naturally resided in his lifebound acupoint. The flying sword before him was, of course, an imitation. But aside from the fact that Lin Junbi could not communicate with it through will, its aura, sword qi, and spirit intent were identical to his own lifebound flying sword. Lin Junbi even suspected that this imitation of Slay Dragon, which should never have appeared in the human world, might actually possess Slay Dragon's lifebound divine ability.
Not to mention Lin Junbi, even Chen Ping'an only at this moment understood why Ning Yao had once casually said to him during a chat, "Realms mean nothing to me."
It was a pity that Ning Yao never liked to talk about her own cultivation with Chen Ping'an.
More often, she patiently listened to Chen Ping'an talk about trivial matters. At most, she would slap away his sneaking hand.
After Lin Junbi's greatest despair, there came an even greater despair.
If Ning Yao manifesting so many flying swords of unknown depth, especially the ability to imitate his own lifebound flying sword, and trapping him with dozens of offensive flying swords was already enough to shock the world, then over at Ning Yao's side, there were another dozens of flying swords forming a formation. Each sword was connected, creating—by some unknown divine ability—a genuine miniature world. With her realm suppressed to the Observing Ocean Realm, Ning Yao stood within it. It was indeed the Observing Ocean Realm, but what kind of Observing Ocean Realm was this?
Not to mention Lin Junbi—even his senior brother Bianjing, who was at the Golden Core bottleneck, would find it easy to break open a miniature world with his flying sword?
Ning Yao said calmly, "Draw your sword."
Lin Junbi was stunned. He did not draw his sword. His voice trembling, he asked, "Why is it that clearly just swordsmanship can reach such divine mastery and comprehend the profound?"
Ning Yao said, "Before the many techniques of the world, there is swordsmanship. Don't you even know this? You don't think that the Sword Immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall only smash their swords and flying swords into the battlefield, do you?"
Ning Yao looked at the youth, shook her head, and withdrew her flying swords and the miniature world around her.
The dozens of flying swords around Lin Junbi also vanished.
Bianjing shouted, "Don't!"
Bianjing rushed forward in a single step, no longer caring about hiding his cultivation, needing to stop Lin Junbi from recklessly summoning his lifebound flying sword.
Chen Ping'an was not unaware of the youth's malicious intent, but he still made no move, keeping his hands tucked in his sleeves, calmly leaving the battlefield to Ning Yao.
Ning Yao was the number one of her generation in cultivation realm; how many battles had she fought outside the city, and how great were her military merits?
A small, exquisite sword formation appeared before Ning Yao. Golden light guided it, and Lin Junbi's suddenly appearing flying sword, Slay Dragon, was firmly trapped within.
Not only that.
The dozens of flying swords that had flashed around Lin Junbi earlier shot like arrows, simultaneously piercing through dozens of acupoints in Lin Junbi's body, then suddenly stopped. The tips pointed outward, the hilts toward the youth. Among them was the imitation Slay Dragon, which flashed through Lin Junbi's brow and stopped one zhang behind him, a single drop of blood coalescing at its tip.
Lin Junbi was drenched in blood, swaying unsteadily.
Lin Junbi stared fixedly at Ning Yao, who already seemed like a Sword Immortal.
The youth, who should have conceded defeat without a doubt, had two points of golden light suddenly flare up deep in his eyes.
They were two lifebound flying swords that had been secretly nurtured in his eyes for many years. This meant that Lin Junbi, like Qi Shou, possessed three innate flying swords.
But those dozens of suspended flying swords, which had only lightly wounded the youth, traced arcs of various colored sword lights, their tips converging and clustering before Lin Junbi's eyes.
Lin Junbi did not move a muscle.
But the youth's yin spirit left his body, moving sideways several steps, holding a long sword, about to strike at Ning Yao.
Ning Yao also did not move. Her yin spirit, swaying like an immortal, also appeared, holding a semi-immortal weapon that had long been refined as a lifebound object. Without even looking at Lin Junbi's yin spirit, she held the sword with one hand, its tip already pressing against the youth's forehead.
Ning Yao's true body slowly said, "It's harder for me to hold back from killing you than to kill you casually. So you should cherish your life."
Only at this moment did Lin Junbi understand what the National Preceptor meant by saying that even among geniuses, there was still a difference as vast as between clouds and mud.
Lin Junbi was covered in blood, his eyes dim, his heart like dead wood.
Bianjing, to show his sincerity, did not deliberately hurry. He strode to Lin Junbi's side, reached out and pressed the youth's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "How can there be no victory or defeat in playing chess?"
Lin Junbi's eyes regained a bit of their former brightness.
A Sword Immortal watching laughed, "How unsatisfying! Even with her realm suppressed, that girl Ning still held back most of her strength."
Beside him, a Sword Immortal friend said, "That's enough. At that youth's age—sh-t for brains—we were probably even worse."
Sword Immortal Tao Wen suddenly blurted out, "Probably drank too much of Chen Ping'an's wine."
Many Sword Immortals and sword cultivators nodded in agreement.
An old Sword Immortal of the Immortal Realm smiled, "Ning girl, my 'Horizontal Star Dipper' imitation isn't good enough; it's still lacking. What, you look down on my lifebound flying sword?"
An old Sword Immortal watching from his mansion on Grand Elephant Street sneered, "That broken sword of yours is inherently useless. Every time you go into battle, it's like something that only protects its head but not its arse. Even if it imitates well, what's the point?"
Liu Tiefu wiped his eyes, excited beyond measure. Truly, Lady Ning—whom he only dared to watch from afar and secretly admire—was too strong.
Chen Ping'an, hands tucked in his sleeves, said bluntly to Lin Junbi, "Victory and defeat are small matters to you. Face is only a slightly bigger matter. Besides, you got to make my Ning Yao draw her sword. How much can you actually lose? So don't play your tricks here. Take your gains happily, pocket them, and go home and laugh to yourself. Otherwise, I really will be unkind to you."
Then Chen Ping'an said to Bianjing with a smile, "You worry about him for nothing."
Lin Junbi turned a deaf ear. His yin spirit sheathed its sword and returned to his body. He clasped his fists and bowed his head: "Thank you, Senior Ning, for instructing me in swordsmanship. Junbi will never forget this for the rest of his life."
Ning Yao retracted her sword-wielding yin spirit and said, "As you wish. I won't remember who you are anyway."
Then Ning Yao looked at Yan Lü and Liu Tiefu on the street, frowning. "Still watching the show?"
Liu Tiefu jumped to his feet. 'Mother!' Lady Ning had actually looked at me for the first time! So nervous! He was really a bit nervous.
Yan Lü, however, felt that this fight of his, whether he fought or not, seemed utterly uninteresting. Winning would be boring; losing would be embarrassing. He guessed that no matter how desperately the two sides fought from then on, few would have the interest to watch.
Seeing that the woman had stopped, the Sword Immortals had already taken to their swords in groups and flown away. As they left, these lofty immortals seemed quite cheerful.
Lin Junbi turned and walked away, staggering.
The other side's attack had not harmed the foundation of his cultivation; it just left him looking rather miserable.
As for this victory and defeat, as that fellow had said, Ning Yao had proven that her swordsmanship was too high, which actually did not damage Lin Junbi's Dao heart too much. There would certainly be an impact. For the next few years, it would probably hang over Lin Junbi's sword heart like a dark cloud, like an invisible mountain pressing on his heart lake. But Lin Junbi believed he could dispel the clouds and move the mountain. However, it was Chen Ping'an's words outside the battle that truly disgusted him! They filled Lin Junbi with deep resentment.
Bianjing was the first to walk to Lin Junbi's side.
Lin Junbi's face was pale, but he smiled lightly: "I'm fine. I can take a loss."
Bianjing turned his head to look at that blue-clad young man, who looked more and more like he deserved a beating. He felt it was a bit strange. This Chen Ping'an was different from the white-clad Cao Ci, who also deserved a beating.
Cao Ci's martial arts had an imposing and majestic aura. Getting close to him was like looking up at a great mountain. Thus, even if Cao Ci said nothing, he gave others the illusion that "you really can't beat me; I advise you not to try." But that Chen Ping'an seemed to have written on his forehead: "You can definitely beat me. Why don't you give it a try?"
Bianjing couldn't help but sigh. Had he encountered a senior fellow practitioner of the same mind?
Once Lin Junbi and Bianjing left, Jiang Guancheng and the others followed.
Lin Junbi did not forget to nod to a Golden Core sword cultivator, who nodded back.
Zhu Mei still refused to leave, and so five or six people stayed with her.
After all, there were still two more trials to go.
Zhu Mei felt a strange emotion. That incredibly formidable Ning Yao—she had only seen Ning Yao draw her sword once, and an overwhelming admiration welled up inside her. But why would Ning Yao like the man beside her? In matters of love between men and women, how lacking in discernment must this Immortal Ning be?
Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao walked together to the side of Yan Zhuo and the others.
With Ning Yao present, no one on this road dared to cheer, boo, or whistle.
No wonder there was a saying circulating on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
What happens when Ning Yao draws her sword? Being a realm higher than her is useless.
This made Chen Ping'an both happy and aggrieved. Why was he the only one so unpopular? There were quite a few bastards who had drunk and feasted with him, calling him brother, or who squatted on the roadside eating pickled vegetables with him.
Die Zhang was in high spirits, whispering to Ning Yao.
Chen Ping'an rubbed his chin with his palm, turned his head, and asked Fan Dache, "Dache."
Fan Dache was startled. "What now?"
Chen Ping'an asked sincerely, "What do you think of me as a person?"
Fan Dache cautiously glanced at Ning Yao beside him and nodded vigorously. "Excellent!"
Chen Ping'an humbly asked for advice, "Is there anything that needs improvement? I really like it when people point out my shortcomings without holding back."
Fan Dache shook his head. "No!"
Ning Yao beside him smiled and nodded.
Fan Dache almost shed tears. So if he hadn't said "excellent," Lady Ning would have taken it to heart!
Lady Ning, you weren't like this before.
On the street.
Yan Lü and Liu Tiefu began the second trial.
Unlike the instant victory and defeat between Lin Junbi and Gao Youqing, both Observing Ocean Realm sword cultivators, these two fought back and forth, employing various means.
Chen Ping'an watched intently.
Chen Sanqiu asked, puzzled, "Do you really need to observe so carefully?"
Chen Ping'an nodded, carefully tracing the complex trajectories of the flying swords. He smiled and said, "I regard everyone besides you friends as potential mortal enemies first."
Fan Dache hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Am I counted as a friend?"
Chen Ping'an subconsciously withdrew his gaze, looked at Fan Dache, and said, "Of course."
Fan Dache gathered his courage and said, "But I'm still not as good friends with you as Sanqiu and the others, right? Otherwise, when you speak to me, you wouldn't have to deliberately look me in the eye."
Even Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment. He did not deny it and laughed, "Tell me, you're a grown man—why are you so sensitive?"
Everyone except Ning Yao laughed and looked at Chen Ping'an.
Fan Dache quietly sidled over, his smile forced, and lightly elbowed Chen Sanqiu. "Five Snowflake Coins for a pot of wine—I get it."
Chen Sanqiu said irritably, "You get nothing."
Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Dache, from now on, come to the Ning Manor often with Sanqiu. We'll take turns sparring with you. Remember, if you do break through, go drink at the tavern and howl a few times. That pot of wine worth five Snowflake Coins, I'll give it to you as a congratulatory drink."
Fan Dache stood there stunned.
Chen Sanqiu stepped on Fan Dache's foot. Fan Dache woke up, said "Mm," and said no problem.
The second trial, as Chen Ping'an had expected, was a narrow victory for Yan Lü.
Liu Tiefu didn't lose too disgracefully either.
Boos came from both sides of the street. Liu Tiefu, not thin-skinned, grinned, clasped his fists, and smiled, thanking all the Sword Immortals for watching.
The third trial: Situ Weiran guarded the pass.
His opponent was a Golden Core sword cultivator named Jin Zhenmeng. He had recently broken through to the Earth Immortal realm, over thirty years old, and was also a renowned prodigy of the Shaoyuan Dynasty. But on this trip south, all his luster was overshadowed by Lin Junbi and Yan Lü's sword talent, and Zhu Mei and Jiang Guancheng's illustrious family backgrounds. Moreover, Jin Zhenmeng himself was not the type of sword cultivator who liked to stand out. During this passing of the Three Trials, even knowing that he was Lin Junbi's only "abandoned piece," he held no grudge. Being able to spar with peers from the Sword Qi Great Wall and with true geniuses—Jin Zhenmeng, the oldest among the traveling companions, had no regrets. Following a group of young prodigies south to Hanging Sword Mountain, staying at the Plum Garden, and then coming to Senior Sword Immortal Sun's residence on the Sword Qi Great Wall, he did whatever Lin Junbi arranged, but he had many small plans of his own, all related to the sword.
Thus, although the outcome of this pass defense was not in doubt, it was the most like a proper sword duel.
Situ Weiran did not deliberately seek a quick finish with his sword. He simply treated the sparring as training.
So after a quarter of an hour, Jin Zhenmeng sheathed his sword and conceded. The usually proud Situ Weiran rarely smiled, returning the greeting after sheathing his sword.
Actually, if one only spoke of the Three Trials, Lin Junbi's side had won a great victory.
But by now, no one on Lin Junbi's side felt they had gained the slightest advantage.
The Three Trials concluded, and the sword cultivators watching on the street all dispersed.
Many went directly to Die Zhang's tavern. After watching the trials, they had seen one more show. Today's appetizers for wine were very exciting—much better than those plates of salt-crusted pickles that killed you with saltiness. But now there was also a bowl of plain noodles, also free of charge, so they would tolerate the Second Shopkeeper a bit.
Ning Yao didn't go to the tavern to join the fun. She said she needed to go back and cultivate, but she reminded Chen Ping'an that he was injured and should drink less.
Yan Zhuo asked, "What's the matter?"
Chen Ping'an answered with a sound transmission, "I've been refining a lifebound object these past few days. Ran into a bit of trouble."
Yan Zhuo didn't ask further.
Chen Sanqiu didn't say much either.
Earlier, something seemed to have happened at the Ning Manor. Ordinary Sword Immortals didn't know about it, but it had actually alarmed their ancestor Chen Xi. Chen Sanqiu, who was practicing swords at the time, was baffled, not knowing why the ancestor had appeared. The ancestor only chuckled to Chen Sanqiu, "That old monk on his cushion dozing on the city wall for so many years probably ought to open his eyes and look now."