Chapter 789: The Sword Holder
Over eighty sages and academy heads from the Confucian Academies were required to attend an internal meeting of the Literary Temple.
Except for a small handful of outsiders who continued to participate in this meeting, the rest were temporarily not permitted to leave and had to remain in Panshui County and other locations, awaiting the Literary Temple's specific arrangements.
This small-scale meeting had already lost half its participants, but it had gained over a dozen inconspicuous new faces, mostly young people, such as a Yellow and Purple honored Little Heavenly Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Lin Junbi from Shao Yuan Dynasty.
Chen Ping'an was nowhere to be seen, but the four who participated in the meeting as sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall were all present.
Still some distance from the Literary Temple's main gate, perhaps intentionally arranged by Ritual Sage, since they needed to hold three consecutive meetings, allowing people to catch their breath and chat a bit along the way without remaining tense the whole time.
A Liang cupped his hands in regret, looking at Zuo You and Qi Tingji beside him with a disgusted expression, complaining incessantly, "I'm different from you two. Can't you just treat me as half a Fourteen Realm?"
Lu Zhi sneered, "When I break through to a higher realm, I'll consider it my congratulations on your realm descending."
A Liang rubbed his chin and slowly nodded, "One up, one down... seems like I'm not losing out."
Lu Zhi's face turned icy cold, and she threw a fierce punch that sent A Liang spinning through the air. When he stumbled to a halt, the man had already shed the Confucian robe he was wearing.
Without this suppression of the Great Dao, next up would be Brother A Liang's little domain. Since several sages weren't around, he had to unhesitatingly take on the heavy burden.
A Liang scurried back to Lu Zhi's side with a flattering smile, whispering, "Where's Jun Qian?"
Zuo You shook his head, "He was absent from the second meeting."
A Liang was envious, "That counts as stealing the spotlight."
Then A Liang cursed loudly, "What nerve! Using such shoddy tricks to get attention, shameless!"
Liu Shiliu and Jun Qian were both pseudonyms used before they became disciples and sought education. Before joining the lineage of the Second Sage, they had traveled into the mountains seeking immortals for many years, alongside Bai Ye.
Liu — a pictographic character. Belongs to metal, governs killing. The sixteenth day of each month is called "Jiwang" (the full moon day). There's a saying down in the mundane world: the moon on the fifteenth is round, but the sixteenth is fuller.
Along with the "Kuai Xue Tie" (Quick Snow Calligraphy), many of history's rare treasures of calligraphy scrolls had the signature "Jun Qian."
As for Liu Shiliu, born as a spirit creature, as one of the longest-lived cultivation practitioners across several worlds, he was not unfamiliar with Bai Ze, the Blind Old Man, the old Daoist master of the Eastern Sea, and the Mountain-Moving Ancestor whose true name was Zhu Yan.
So when it came to seniority and generation, once one set aside his Confucian literary lineage identity, Liu Shiliu rarely needed to address anyone as "senior," and even in the Barbarian World, there were still a considerable number of descendants of his kind.
Thus, during the second meeting where the two worlds faced off against each other from afar, it was actually inappropriate for Liu Shiliu to appear.
A Liang looked around, rubbing his chin, "The people the Literary Temple called together this time... there's some flavor to it. The boss of the main branch Literary Temple, and one branch leader per continent? We just wait for the alliance leader to give the order, and then we'll be huffing and puffing, splitting up to go chop people up?"
This meeting was to be held inside the Literary Temple.
When the doors closed, it would be all family — none but the Literary Temple's own people.
And since it was all family, no one should speak different words.
If at the start of the meeting, the attendees still hadn't figured out the Literary Temple's true attitude,
Then after two meetings, even the slowest to catch on should now understand.
From Ritual Sage to Second Sage and Literary Sage, then to the three Teaching Masters of the Literary Temple, and then to old masters like Fu Sheng, the atmosphere was very different — from the discussion in the square to the confrontation with the Barbarian World.
For example, in this meeting, apart from Song Changjing of the Great Li Dynasty in Vase Bottle Continent, none of the other nine emperors were qualified to appear.
Whatever the Literary Temple said, just do it.
Just wait quietly for news.
Before leaving earlier, Old Master Han had made it clear: today's meeting content — don't say a single word that shouldn't be said. Just do your duty.
Old Master Dong took the lead, with eight people following him.
From North Juzhou: Fire Dragon True Person. From Vase Bottle Continent: Song Changjing. From South Bosa Continent: Chen Chunhua. From Aiai Continent: Liu Jubao. From Fuyao Continent: Liu Tui. From Liuxia Continent: Cong Qian. From Tongye Continent: Wei Ying.
But as for Golden Armor Continent, why was it Shao Yuan Dynasty's National Teacher Chao Pu?
Additionally, Old Master Han had beside him the two ancestral masters of the Military Strategist school, Jiang and Wei.
The master of the Mohist school. The ancestral master of the School of Diplomacy. And Mr. Fan of the Merchant school.
The ancestral master of the Medicine school. The ancestral master of the Artisan school. And unexpectedly, there was also an ancestral master of the White Paper Blessed Land.
And the Divination school was especially honored, with three ancestral masters appearing together.
Yu Xuan, the Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Su Zi, Liu Qi, and also a trembling Lady Dan Dan of Lushui Pit.
Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City. Pei Bei of Great Duan Dynasty, Cao Ci. Zhang Tiaoxia. Huai Yin. Yu Panshui. A silent Guo Outing of Iron Tree Mountain.
From Vase Bottle Continent, including the Yunlin Jiang clan, there were also several ancient and powerful families from the mortal world: the Zhongtu Xuanyu Fan clan, the Zhuolu Song clan, the Maoling Xu family of Fufeng, and the Mishan Xie clan.
Rich and powerful, with books and people.
Every single one was a top-tier aristocratic clan of the Haoran World.
A Liang glared fiercely at those several ancestral masters of the Divination school, grinding his teeth. When he was a child studying at home, he had suffered greatly from the art of divination. Each book wasn't thick, but every single one might as well have been a heavenly scripture.
He'd add these three names to the old scholar's list later.
When one of the ancestral masters turned to look, A Liang immediately beamed and waved enthusiastically.
That ancestral master smiled and nodded, but inwardly wondered when this A Liang had become so familiar with him.
Xu Bai, Lin Junbi, the Little Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and a group of young people gradually gathered together.
They all held the honorary title of Military Secretary of the Literary Temple.
These young prodigies, the favored of heaven, were closest in distance to the four sword cultivators, including A Liang.
A Liang rubbed his chin and secretly pointed at Chao Pu, whispering, "Zuo You?"
Zuo You glanced at Chao Pu and said, "He and my teacher had a gentlemanly dispute over scholarship."
A Liang continued to fan the flames, "But what about Jiang Longxiang, who wrote the 'Kuai Zai Pavilion Chess Manual'? Can you tolerate that? I couldn't. Damn it, a lousy chess player like him dares to set up a challenge at Aotou Mountain, and they say he keeps a white crane by his side all year round, showing off the bearing of a hermit, unmatched in Haoran."
Zuo You hesitated for a moment, then said, "My teacher told me to be magnanimous."
If his teacher hadn't said that, he'd just make that crane take a ride west.
Back then, his teacher's status as an attendant sacrifice had been downgraded again and again, until finally even his statue was removed from the Literary Temple. The scholars of Shao Yuan Dynasty had been the most vocal in causing trouble, smashing statues, and Jiang Longxiang was the mastermind behind it all.
A Liang said helplessly, "Are you stupid? The old scholar clearly had a hidden meaning. He was telling you to chop people without leaving traces, and also not to kill them."
Zuo You began to seriously consider the matter.
A Liang was satisfied.
He really was the dog-headed strategist of the Literary Sage lineage.
From among the group of Confucian sages and academy heads, a tall old man walked out, came to Zuo You's side, and made a bow, "Senior Brother Zuo."
Zuo You nodded.
Mao Xiaodong straightened up, unwilling to leave just yet, and not knowing what was appropriate to say, he silently followed Senior Brother Zuo's footsteps.
Zuo You said, "Don't put too much heart into changing your literary lineage. It should have been done a hundred years ago. Xiaodong, your nature is good, but your aptitude for scholarship is average. Our teacher's learning is profound; you can't just mechanically apply it. Since you now have the opportunity to hone yourself with two lineages of learning, cherish it."
Mao Xiaodong nodded respectfully, "Senior Brother Zuo's instruction is correct."
If Cui Dongshan had seen this, he would have been jumping with rage. Mao Xiaodong didn't have such a good temper with Cui Dongshan.
In the early years when he studied under the Literary Sage lineage, Mao Xiaodong was naturally straightforward and enjoyed arguing his point. Zuo You's scholarship was actually greater than his, but he wasn't good with words. He understood many principles in his heart but couldn't explain them thoroughly. Mao Xiaodong was stubborn, so he would often chatter endlessly, going around in circles like an unenlightened block of wood. Zuo You would then use force to shut him up.
A Liang said seriously, "Xiaodong, you're still in good health, right? You absolutely have to hold out until the Liji Academy's Libationer retires. If you really can't, I have a few jars of medicinal wine that I've hoarded for many years, gifts I received when I visited the Hundred Herbs Blessed Land. Take them to nourish yourself. Remember to have a conscience — when you become the Grand Libationer of the academy, you'll speak up for Brother A Liang."
The official world has its rules; the cultivation world has its own. That's the way of things: rats have rat holes, birds have bird paths.
The Literary Temple also has its own path of advancement: worthy -> gentleman -> sage -> attendant sacrifice, academy head -> director -> libationer -> teaching master.
Mao Xiaodong didn't respond, just silently followed beside Zuo You.
Zuo You frowned, "Why are you following us? Are you a sword cultivator?"
Mao Xiaodong's old face reddened, and he immediately took his leave.
Not far away, the Little Heavenly Master grinned, sidestepped while walking, made a Daoist bow, and greeted A Liang, "A Liang, when are you coming to my place as a guest again? I can help you move the wine, and we'll split fifty-fifty afterward."
A family thief is hard to guard against.
A Liang spat, "Who are you? Don't try to get familiar with me. I've never been to Dragon Tiger Mountain, and I'm not familiar with your Heavenly Master Mansion at all."
That Little Heavenly Master then looked toward Zuo You, because he had already gotten A Liang's mental reply: if fifty-fifty wouldn't work, then eighty-twenty could be arranged.
This Yellow and Purple honored one, named Zhao Yaoguang, was over a hundred years old. So back when A Liang first took a night journey to the Heavenly Master Mansion under the cover of darkness, the Little Heavenly Master was still a kid with two snotty nose trails, couldn't sleep at night, held a small peachwood sword he had carved himself, intending to catch demons and ghosts. Instead, he met A Liang, who claimed to be the Dao companion of "Lian Zhen," the ten-tailed celestial fox of the Heavenly Master Mansion. They hit it off immediately, became friends despite the age gap, and the child hitched a ride on A Liang's back, helping to guide the way. They strolled around, collecting treasures, and the little Daoist boy's two sleeves were stuffed full.
A Liang spun tales, saying he had once been a poor scholar, unlucky in fate, hopeless in seeking fame, disheartened, and then he met Miss Lian Zhen, and they fell in love at first sight.
The child was initially doubtful, thinking that his incredibly beautiful Fox Lady probably wouldn't fancy such a slovenly man who had nothing to do with handsomeness.
A Liang patiently explained that in earlier years, before he had become haggard in form and spirit, he had a face as fair as powder, eyes as bright as stars, well-read in poetry and books, graceful and elegant. Which fox spirit wouldn't like such a scholar who was talented but unrecognized? So when he first met Miss Lian Zhen in the mountains, a golden wind and jade dew meeting, she instantly fell in love with him. A perfect match of talent and beauty, a heavenly union.
But his Lian Zhen, due to her identity, was forcibly taken away by that Grand Heavenly Master of your Heavenly Master Mansion. He, A Liang, had endured countless hardships, for the sake of love, journeyed to the ends of the earth, crossed mountains and rivers, and finally made it here tonight, risking his life just to see Miss Lian Zhen one more time.
The child's eyes lit up, full of indignation for A Liang. It must be that his own old ancestral master was being unreasonable, forcibly tearing apart a pair of devoted lovers, a celestial couple — wasn't that immoral?
He blew his nose vigorously, wiping it on the man's shoulder, and said, "Brother A Liang, wait for me. I'll definitely help you deliver that love letter to the Fox Lady, and I'll make sure you two reunite."
As for what A Liang said then about the great desires of life being the same for men and women — that passion and debauchery were vastly different in essence, the difference of one word making a world of difference — the child didn't quite understand, but felt it was quite reasonable. Truly something only a scholar could say. His own Heavenly Master Mansion had countless books, but flipping through them all, he couldn't find such a saying.
As for Zhao Yaoguang's ultimate fate back then — of course, he got a thorough beating, solid and without suspense. The child howled and cried, but refused to admit he was wrong.
At the time, the celestial fox Lian Zhen was holding the "love letter" that the Grand Heavenly Master had returned to her. After receiving the letter from that child Yaoguang, she naturally didn't dare open it herself, worrying it might be from some extraordinary person of high cultivation who had sneaked into Dragon Tiger Mountain to cause trouble. So of course she had to immediately hand it over to the Grand Heavenly Master for review. When she opened it and saw it, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Miss Lian Zhen, this child of ours has a simple nature, a once-in-a-century cultivation genius. Dragon Tiger Mountain's ancestral graves are smoking with good fortune. You must cherish him well. Mark my words."
And that half-hearted child, even after being beaten, was still indignant, crying and urging the Fox Lady to definitely meet A Liang, not to let him be sad anymore.
As for Grand Heavenly Master Zhao Tianlai, he didn't stop Zhao Yaoguang's parents from beating the naughty child, but he wasn't angry at all.
In fact, from that day on, Grand Heavenly Master Zhao personally taught the child Daoist techniques, several times guiding him through cultivation barriers and clearing the fog on his Great Dao path.
As for that Sword Immortal Zuo You, he was something of a minor taboo over at Dragon Tiger Mountain's Heavenly Master Mansion. The Daoists didn't talk about him much, but everyone knew in their hearts. The reason, aside from a promising sword immortal seedling whose Great Dao was cut short under Zuo You's sword, was that there was a highly senior female Daoist of the Heavenly Master Mansion whose attitude toward Zuo You was well known throughout the entire Mansion.
Zhao Yaoguang genuinely wanted to invite Mr. Zuo to visit the Heavenly Master Mansion.
Zuo You looked straight ahead, speaking calmly, "Are you challenging me to a sword duel?"
That Little Heavenly Master, who had been storing up a bellyful of words, immediately shut his mouth.
With the unserious A Liang, he could joke around freely, all without restraint. But with this man, the highest sword master of Haoran, Zuo You, Mr. Zuo, the Great Sword Immortal Zuo... he had to be cautious and careful in every word.
A young talented scholar from the Xuanyu Fan clan of Zhongtu said regretfully via sound transmission to his close friend, "It's a pity we didn't get to see the Hidden Official this time."
Lin Junbi replied via sound transmission, "There should still be a chance."
The young man laughed, "Junbi, at the Sword Qi Great Wall, you broke through three realms by drinking wine. Why haven't you mentioned that before?"
Lin Junbi was inwardly surprised, his mind racing, and he laughed, "Over there, breaking through realms as a sword cultivator is the last thing to make a fuss about."
Lin Junbi rarely spoke to others about his travels on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Even to this Fan clan scion, who was considered a close friend, he only mentioned things "that friendship compels one to share." And although they seemed to be chatting casually, every word was measured, carefully premeditated by Lin Junbi.
In fact, Lin Junbi had always been the meticulous, thoughtful Lin Junbi.
Probably only in that Summer Retreat Mansion did Lin Junbi truly let out a bit of his youthful nature.
Because being a sword cultivator of the Hidden Official lineage meant friendship that transcended worldly gain and loss.
At first, Lin Junbi had to do it — "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" — to integrate. Later, it came naturally, so naturally that one forgot about life and death.
The young man quickly added, "Junbi, this matter was just whispered to me by my great-grandfather. Just take it as heard."
Lin Junbi nodded, "Be cautious in speech and conduct. Let's encourage each other."
Lin Junbi also spoke only halfway, unhurriedly adding, "Later, over at the Hidden Official's place, I'll help you scrounge up a jar of authentic Green God Mountain wine."
One shouldn't be too rigid. In dealing with friends, one needs a balance of relaxation and tension. Be a friend who admonishes, and also one who mischievously teases.
The young man named Fan Qingrun, of the Fan clan, brightened. "That would be great! By the way, Junbi, if I'm not mistaken, the Hidden Official must be a romantic and talented gentleman of high elegance, right? Do I need to hold a banquet at Yuanyang Islet? Otherwise, I'd feel embarrassed visiting empty-handed. I wouldn't dare present vulgar women; you've seen those talisman beauties in my study — would the Hidden Official mind?"
Fan Qingrun was famously a romantic, naming his study "Form and Shadow." He had a passion for calligraphy, painting, bamboo, and stones, styling himself "Flower Farmer," and also by the alias "Apricot Blossom Spring Rain Lyricist."
Many of his graceful and restrained poems circulated widely in Zhongtu Shenzhou. For instance: "The little maid urging wine, never stopping the zither," and "A beautiful woman seated under the moon, famous wine drunk amidst flowers."
He was obsessed with epigraphy, having carved no fewer than a thousand seals. He boasted that his "life's career was chess, calligraphy, painting, fine wine, and beautiful women."
Lin Junbi smiled slightly, "The Hidden Official is easy to get along with, don't be nervous. As for talisman beauties and the like, I'll pretend I haven't heard. You understand — it's all your own idea."
Don't be fooled by Fan Qingrun's appearance of idling all day; in truth, his talent for practical affairs was extremely high. Half of the Xuanyu Fan clan's business was actually managed behind the scenes by this young man, and very efficiently too, earning money without the stench of copper. That was impressive.
Otherwise, Lin Junbi wouldn't have become friends with him.
Fan Qingrun caught on, "Got it, got it."
Lin Junbi patted Fan Qingrun's shoulder, his face full of smiles, encouraging. Inwardly, he silently recited, Brother Fan, you're on your own.
Earlier, when the meeting concluded, Liu Jubao and Yu Panshui had each received a secret letter from Zheng Juzhong, appearing out of thin air in their sleeves. Zheng Juzhong said it was compensation from Embroidered Tiger, to be opened after the meeting ended.
Yu Panshui felt it was burning hot in his hands, worried that opening the letter might cause Zheng Juzhong to possess him. Damn it, that demonic overlord — what malicious things wasn't he capable of?
Liu Jubao asked with a smile, "Mr. Zheng, do you still have arrangements in the Barbarian World?"
Zheng Juzhong smiled, "Yes."
Liu Jubao was determined to get to the bottom of it. "When did Mr. Zheng go there?"
Zheng Juzhong gave an answer that made Yu Panshui shiver.
"Within the last century, I've been there three times. Which time are you asking about?"
Liu Jubao asked no further.
Yu Panshui, who liked playing chess, suddenly recalled a saying.
Suppose Zheng Juzhong, Cui Chan, and Qi Jingchun discussed something together.
It would probably go something like: "Like this? Not good." "How about this?" "Okay." "Agreed." "Then it's settled."
And just like that, the three of them would finish discussing a matter.
If an outsider were listening in, they would either not understand or pretend to understand. Either way, they wouldn't get it.
Chao Pu.
The soon-to-retire National Teacher of Shao Yuan Dynasty, heading to Golden Armor Continent.
This Confucian scholar of the Second Sage's lineage had not climbed within the Literary Temple, never sought a position as academy head, and up to now only held the status of a Worthy, not even a Confucian Gentleman.
But his yin spirit had actually left his body for over a hundred years, wandering far and managing a mountain immortal sect across continents.
Wei Ying at this moment still appeared somewhat solitary.
But compared to when he first arrived for the meeting, this "deserted" Jade Gui Sect Master had at least a few people voluntarily chatting with him.
Wei Ying didn't care about any of that.
Now he only cared about one thing: how the Literary Temple would handle the Tongye Sect to the north of his homeland.
If he purely stood in the position of the Jade Gui Sect Master, of course he hoped the Tongye Sect would seal its mountain for a thousand years, never again having a chance to rise as the leading sect of the continent.
But if he stood in the position of a cultivator of Tongye Continent, Wei Ying actually sincerely felt that the young people of the Tongye Sect should each have a bright future.
The Jade Gui Sect wasn't big enough.
One should look at the entire continent. So Wei Ying planned to help the Tongye Sect.
He wanted to regain the momentum of closing the gates over Tongye Continent. Relying solely on the Jade Gui Sect was destined to fail. As for after closing the gates, how to open them again, and how to interact with the other eight continents of Haoran — the Jade Gui Sect would decide.
This matter was very difficult.
But if they didn't take the first step, it would remain difficult forever, and the situation in Tongye Continent would become increasingly perilous.
At Qushan Crossing, just having a single sword immortal like Xu Xie, a guest elder of the Liu clan of Aiai Continent, was a huge deterrent. Not to mention the infiltration from Vase Bottle Continent and North Juzhou, breaking through like splitting bamboo, with nearly every mortal dynasty in Tongye Continent reduced to "vassal states."
If a continent's mountains and rivers could be manifested as a certain Dao heart, then when the shattered mountains and rivers of Tongye Continent were finally rebuilt, both on and off the mountains, it would actually be an even more thorough fragmentation.
Half of Tongye Continent would become someone else's Tongye Continent.
Wei Ying would never allow his homeland's mountains and rivers to become a "blessed land" in the eyes of cultivators from other continents, to be slaughtered at will.
At the entrance to the Literary Temple, a mild-mannered Confucian scholar in blue robes stood at the bottom of the steps, welcoming the crowd.
He was the scholar responsible for opening and closing the gates of both the Literary Temple and Merit Grove, and his name was Xiping.
He wasn't actually a cultivator, but a condensation of Haoran's literary fortune, born from the manifestation of the Great Dao.
A Liang jumped and waved with his trademark flair, laughing, "Brother Xiping! Long time no see!"
Actually, it hadn't been that long.
That scholar smiled, "To see each other frequently is very simple."
As long as you, A Liang, were locked up in Merit Grove, you could meet him every day.
---
By the riverside.
Second Sage took out a scroll, unfurled it, and a Mount Holding Moon appeared out of thin air by the riverbank, nearly tangible, approaching the truth.
Because Second Sage had personally made a trip to Mount Holding Moon through the Buddhist Kingdom of the West.
A Liang, on the other hand, had passed through Mount Holding Moon to reach the Buddhist Kingdom, cutting down countless resentful souls and fierce ghosts, greatly depleting his Great Dao, causing his realm to fall from Fourteen.
After appearing behind Mount Holding Moon, Second Sage had shattered most of the mountain's protective restrictions before heading to the Sword Qi Great Wall. But Chen Ping'an was no longer atop the city wall; Cui Chan had thrown him into the Creation Cavern on Reed Flower Island.
So it was actually Second Sage who saw the Haoran Embroidered Tiger for the last time. It seemed Cui Chan had been waiting for Second Sage's appearance.
The two sat on the city wall, discussing the Dao, talking about that old dispute between the Third and Fourth.
Ritual Sage and Bai Ze remained by the riverside, neither stepping onto Mount Holding Moon. The woman in white also had no interest in Mount Holding Moon, so she chatted casually by the river with Ritual Sage and Bai Ze.
Ten thousand years had passed.
This might be the most genuine "reminiscing about old times" in the world.
She joked, "Bai Ze, why don't you just have a fight with that Little Confucian here? You win, and the Literary Temple won't touch the Barbarian; you lose, and you continue to reflect on your seclusion."
Bai Ze shook his head.
The matter of the Ancient Heavenly Court ruins concerned several worlds, so Bai Ze was willing to appear here.
But if the Literary Temple launched a large-scale attack on the Barbarian World, he wouldn't stand idly by this time.
If it were really that simple — a fight deciding the ownership of two worlds, without hurting those on or off the mountains — Bai Ze wouldn't actually mind taking action.
Over at Mount Holding Moon, the various Fourteen Realm cultivators began to ascend the mountain.
Yu Dou stepped directly to the summit in one stride.
Lu Shen was chatting with the Dragon-Slayer, though the latter didn't look happy.
Wu Shuangjiang raised a hand, and a miniature mountain constructed from four colors — gold, silver, black, and white — appeared in his palm, as if he were gradually "dissolving by spells" Mount Holding Moon.
Old Scholar walked at the very end, leading Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an asked via sound transmission, "Teacher, could you help ask Ritual Sage why it's named the Five Colors World? Is there some significance? Is it similar to the Li Zhu Cave Heaven in our homeland? Does this Five Colors World hide five opportunities for enlightenment or five supreme treasures?"
Chen Ping'an's cultivation path was quite eclectic, but when it came to divination and deduction, he was utterly lost — he could rival Jiang Shangzhen in that regard.
Old Scholar sighed, "Back then, Bai Ye and I stabilized the heavens and earth, and I did notice some clues, but they may not be the true threads of the Great Dao. Some opportunities are relatively obvious — like Bai Ye's thatched hut in that world, which is one of them. As for Ritual Sage, it's hard to get anything out of him. Naming it Five Colors World was his idea alone. He definitely knows the inside story, but unfortunately, Ritual Sage is good in every other way except that he's too stubborn. Once he decides something, even ten old masters from Guan Dao Guan can't pull him back."
Old Scholar suddenly said, "If you ask Ritual Sage, you might have a chance — more reliable than if I ask."
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Ritual Sage seemed to have anticipated this and already warned me, hinting that I shouldn't think too much about it."
Old Scholar whispered, "Don't be afraid. Ritual Sage is just intimidating you. You're a junior and have made great contributions. You won't lose anything by yelling a few times. Ritual Sage has good cultivation; he won't get angry. Besides, your fairy god-sister made a great achievement earlier — even the blind old man could see it. People have scales in their hearts, you know."
Chen Ping'an nodded vigorously, "Teacher is right. Ritual Sage's hint might even be a clue, right?"
Old Scholar punched his palm, "Look at that — by chatting like this, we've straightened out the complicated reasoning!"
Chen Ping'an got his reassurance. Whether it worked or not, after coming down the mountain, he'd at least go beg Ritual Sage. If the Five Colors World really did hold five Great Dao opportunities waiting for various forces to contend for, helping Ascension City find one of them early, tracking down the clues and taking the first step to secure it — that wouldn't be too much, right? Besides, the Fifth World was found and opened by the Confucian Literary Temple, and Ascension City was family to the Haoran World. Let good fortune not flow into outsiders' fields — one wouldn't be too few, two wouldn't be too many, and three wouldn't be too much.
Old Scholar began to explain in detail to this last disciple about Ritual Sage's temperament — which pitfalls to avoid, which would backfire, which topics were safe to discuss, and even if Ritual Sage turned gloomy, he shouldn't feel guilty. Ritual Sage had many rules, but he wasn't rigid.
Chen Ping'an listened attentively, committing everything to memory, then cautiously asked, "Teacher, Ritual Sage can't hear our conversation, right?"
Old Scholar patted his chest assuredly, "Rest a hundred percent assured. He's not that monk Shenqing; Ritual Sage is the most particular about rules and etiquette."
The old monk walking ahead intoned another Buddha's name.
By the riverside.
Ritual Sage reached out and rubbed his brow.
Those two sly ones.
Bai Ze laughed, "Senior has excellent taste in choosing people."
He was referring to that young man, and the subtle fluctuations in his state of mind the instant he saw the Sword Master and the Sword Attendant.
Some hearts are good at deceiving themselves — for instance, they subconsciously hope the Sword Master and Sword Attendant are one and the same. Some hearts are prone to disappointment, insatiably greedy, troubled by moving from number one in the world to number two.
And for a deity, observing the human heart is an innate divine ability. The smallness of a mustard seed can be as great as Mount Sumeru.
This Sword Holder probably didn't mind if the person she chose was good or evil. But the Sword Holder, dormant for ten thousand years, whatever her original intention, in ultimately choosing a "Sword Holder" for herself, would place great importance on the purity of the latter's nature. The River of Time flows and disperses; sun, moon, and stars, even the Great Dao itself, shift and change course. If Chen Ping'an had originally identified one being as a Sword Spirit, but because of the abrupt appearance of the Sword Master, there was any additional dissipation of his nature, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What she needed was a Sword Holder who could hold firm to his original heart.
Just as the youth could "kill" the Sword Spirit in his heart with Ning Yao, today's young sword cultivator could "kill" the Sword Master with the Sword Spirit.
She needed this ten-thousand-year-unbroken thread to keep climbing, step by step to the summit, and finally ascend to the heavens.
She said, "Someone else picked him for me. I was just bored at the time."
Wu Shuangjiang's four immortal swords were all imitations.
In fact, the earliest four immortal swords were also imitations.
Ten thousand years ago, she had stripped away a part of her divine nature and refined it into a longsword, becoming the first Sword Spirit in the world. She used it to deliver sword strikes in her place.
Because she had already reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, doomed to never advance further, repeatedly striking on the battlefield became meaningless.
In later ages, the four immortal swords — Daozang, Taibai, Wanfa, and Tianzhen — were never tempered by cultivators. That is to say, the cultivator was the cultivator, and the Sword Spirit was the Sword Spirit.
The Tianzhen Sword Spirit took the form of a little girl; the Wanfa Sword Spirit's transformation was a little Daoist boy. In truth, they were manifestations of part of the immortal sword master's nature, while at the same time, the Sword Spirits preserved more of their own innate intelligence from the moment of their birth.
The terrifying thing about divine nature is that it can completely overwrite another divine nature without any ripples.
And those ripples could become the inner demons of later cultivators. Every obsession, even of ordinary mortals, would fall upon the Buddhist Kingdom of the West.
Someone once said that the length of a person's stored memories is the true duration of their life.
And as for Zheng Juzhong of White Emperor City, one reason he was so feared was that this demonic overlord was best at modifying a cultivator's memories, and he did it seamlessly, making the false indistinguishable from the true.
She laughed, "You might think I was testing Chen Ping'an earlier, but I wasn't. I just found it interesting and wanted to tease him."
Because she trusted him.
She said, "The Chen Ping'an from before wasn't actually this dull. He was very interesting."
A taciturn, silent gourd doesn't necessarily mean a person is uninteresting.
For instance, the straw-sandaled youth carrying a bamboo basket on his back, furtively and stealthily crossing a stone arch bridge — that was very interesting.
What made the youth less interesting seemed to be this world.
She propped her hand on the pommel of her sword and glanced at the Second Deputy Leader of the Jade Capital at the summit of Mount Holding Moon.
Truly invincible?
Self-proclaimed, was it?
Even Chen Qingdu didn't have such thick skin.
Ritual Sage smiled slightly, "He is quite asking for a beating."
Asking for a beating, he was.
But one had to admit that this Yu Dou was highly accomplished in both Daoist arts and swordsmanship.
If each went all out, in the Qingming World, Ritual Sage would lose. In the Haoran World, Yu Dou would lose.
As for beyond the heavens, where there was no bias of time or place, the outcome was unclear, but it seemed there was no chance to settle the score.
But Ritual Sage thought his own odds of winning were higher. To be cautious, he'd say a seventy percent chance.
Fighting was something — Yu Dou was young, a junior. Losing to him wasn't anything to be ashamed of.
Ritual Sage looked around, then down at the River of Time, whose golden light was gradually fading.
Bai Ze's mind suddenly quaked, and he turned to look at this Little Confucian.
Because vaguely, being by the riverside and closest to Ritual Sage, Bai Ze had sensed traces.
Ritual Sage nodded and said via sound transmission, "To all Fourteen Realm cultivators, this is a major examination. As for Chen Ping'an, he can temporarily stay out of it. Or rather, he has already passed this examination."
The chief examiner was the Patriarch of the Three Teachings, who had never shown himself.
This time, Ritual Sage was merely the one distributing the exam papers.
Ritual Sage said, "Senior, do you really need to strike at Mount Holding Moon? It might not be necessary."
She turned to look at Chen Ping'an ascending the mountain, squinted her eyes, and said slowly, "I follow my master's orders. Now he is the Sword Holder."