Chapter 871: Entering the Dao Through the Mortal World
In the Moon Palace, Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er were indeed exchanging sword techniques. Although Bai Qiu'er's swordsmanship originated from Qin Mu, after forty thousand years of refinement, her sword techniques had undergone a qualitative leap beyond the foundation of Qin Mu's original teachings.
Back then, when Qin Mu and the Great Honored One returned to forty thousand years ago, he had demonstrated his sword techniques to Bai Qiu'er, Bai Qingfu, and others in Bailong City. However, with the fall of the Sovereign Emperor Era, only Bai Qiu'er survived among those who had witnessed Qin Mu's swordsmanship.
After Qin Mu left, she alone guarded the common people, searching for a place where the Sovereign Emperor Era could continue. Every hardship and obstacle, she bore alone.
Qin Mu's sword techniques gradually evolved in her hands, transforming into a divine art that protected the common people. She became like another First Ancestor Human Sovereign, yet different from him—she was more aggressive and enterprising.
Her starting point was lower. First Ancestor Human Sovereign, Qin Wu, was a descendant of the Kai Emperor, receiving the finest education from childhood and cultivating the most powerful techniques and divine abilities.
But she was merely the daughter of the Bailong City Lord, not even a pure-blooded dragon. The best divine abilities she had learned were Qin Mu's sword techniques and the incomplete Ancestral Dragon Grand Mystery Art he had taught her. At that time, Qin Mu had not had the chance to fully impart his swordsmanship, and the Ancestral Dragon Grand Mystery Art was also fragmentary.
She could only rely on herself to explore, improve, and refine. Although her sword techniques still bore traces of Qin Mu's influence, the essence and artistic conception had long diverged from his path.
This was also what Qin Mu admired and respected about her.
Only when swordsmanship embodies the spirit of an era can one enter the Dao.
This kind of entering the Dao was not the kind achieved through an Imperial Throne technique, nor was it the kind achieved through the "Imperial Heavenly Lord's" method of deconstructing ancient god Dao runes through mathematical calculations.
Entering the Dao through an Imperial Throne technique relied on the founder's Dao conduct, granting the cultivator supreme enlightenment.
Entering the Dao through deconstructing runic Dao was a shortcut, allowing one to wield the divine abilities of the ancient gods.
Both were expedient methods.
True entering the Dao came from being infected by the spirit of a great era, allowing one's Dao heart to reside within that era, to pulse with its rhythm, to be moved by its breath and pulse, to be stirred by the turmoil of mortal affairs, and thus enter the Dao.
This kind of entering the Dao was entering the Dao through the mortal world.
Entering the Dao through the mortal world was the true path.
The Village Chief's sword Dao was forged through repeated setbacks, dancing his sword to honor the fallen and broaden his spirit.
The Yan Kang National Teacher entered the Dao through reform and transformation, forging ahead with determination.
The Butcher entered the Dao by refusing to submit to heaven, earth, or defeat, striking at the heavens with his blade, settling grudges with swift vengeance.
Qin Mu entered the Dao inspired by the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, burdened with responsibility and helpless to change fate, delivering a furious strike on the battlefield of the Grand Heavenly Emperor, seeking to alter the calamity of the mortal world.
Bai Qiu'er entered the Dao by using her sword to protect the safety of the common people, shielding them and giving them hope to live.
Her sword Dao only came to a halt after the Sovereign Emperor Era completely ended and the people were safe, because the wars had ceased, and the people of that era had a chance to thrive.
At that time, her sword Dao had reached the twenty-seventh level.
The Kai Emperor and other rising talents also emerged then, and Bai Qiu'er, the Sword God of the Sovereign Emperor Era, could finally set down her heavy burden. It was precisely because of this that, in the tens of thousands of years that followed, her sword Dao could never advance further.
But her sword techniques and philosophy influenced the subsequent twenty-thousand-year Kai Emperor Era and even reached Yan Kang forty thousand years later.
Qin Mu exchanged sword techniques with her, teaching her the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Sword Styles he had created, while also learning her great sword Dao divine abilities.
From her great sword Dao divine abilities, he could see the suffering and torment this girl had endured and her stubborn persistence.
This time, Qin Mu fully imparted his sword techniques to her and also taught her the complete Ancestral Dragon Grand Mystery Art without reservation.
The reason Bai Qiu'er, the Sword God of the Sovereign Emperor Era, had failed to reach a higher realm was precisely due to the incompleteness of the Ancestral Dragon Grand Mystery Art. With this technique, although it could not elevate her sword Dao mastery, it could allow her cultivation realm to advance further.
"You want to find the Guixu?"
Bai Qiu'er listened as Qin Mu spoke of the Guixu, thought for a moment, and said, "When I led my people into the Eastern Sea back then, the Yuandu had not yet been sealed. I encountered a giant dragon in a certain sea area, like the Longbo you mentioned. If the Longbo is there, the Guixu should be nearby."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked where she had encountered the Longbo.
Bai Qiu'er drew a maritime map for him and said, "The Longbo has a very bad temper. It is a descendant of the ancient divine dragons. If you go there, you must be careful."
In the Heavenly Diagram, the Yan Kang scholars were very industrious, like busy worker bees, repairing the flaws in the diagram's formations and altering its structural arrangements.
The Heavenly Diagram was a treasure, and the Yan Kang National Teacher intended to refine it anew, turning it into a formation weapon for Yan Kang.
The National Teacher had also considered taking the Heavenly Diagram away, but doing so would only allow the Heavenly Court to forge a new one more quickly, which would be even more disadvantageous for Yan Kang.
By exploiting the Heavenly Court's inertia and making Yan Kang appear harmless, that was in Yan Kang's best interest.
Qin Mu and Bai Qiu'er also left the Moon Palace to help the scholars repair the Heavenly Diagram and improve its formation structure. Their days were fulfilling.
Until one day, Qin Mu suddenly remembered the Imperial Heavenly Lord.
"Damn it, I left Imperial Brother at Jiangling Academy for almost half a year!"
Forced to leave, Qin Mu had no choice but to depart. Bai Qiu'er stood before the Moon Palace, waving goodbye to him.
Qin Mu stood on the head of the Dragon Qilin as it raced toward the world below.
He looked back and saw the woman dancing with her sword beneath the bright moon.
Qin Mu stared blankly at the woman dancing in the moon. He felt that Bai Qiu'er's stagnant sword Dao had suddenly seemed to improve again, advancing once more.
That woman seemed to have found someone or something worth giving her life to protect, and thus her sword Dao mastery had risen again!
"Is she trying to protect this Yan Kang, which inherits the ideals of the Sovereign Emperor Era, or is she just trying to protect me..."
Qin Mu shook his head and chuckled, "She wants to protect Yan Kang. It must be that."
At Jiangling Academy, Qin Mu, with a dark face, retrieved the Imperial Heavenly Lord and the Water Qilin, who had been fed plump by Yan'er. Over the past six months, the Imperial Heavenly Lord had followed Duke Wei Guo, and his voice had become astonishingly loud, making Qin Mu's ears ring.
Qin Mu's face grew even darker. He strictly forbade Yan'er from continuing to feed the Imperial Heavenly Lord and the Water Qilin, forcing the Imperial Heavenly Lord to train frantically on the road to shed his excess fat.
As for the Water Qilin, Qin Mu handed it over to the Dragon Qilin for training.
The Dragon Qilin was also quite skilled at shedding excess fat.
With no chance to feed them, Yan'er had to attend to Qin Mu instead. He bought her some sunflower seeds, letting the girl shell them one by one and feed them to him.
"Master, do you eat demons?" Yan'er caught a demon as massive as a mountain and tempted him.
Qin Mu shook his head.
Yan'er was very disappointed, ate the demon, then flew out and caught a deity, tempting him again: "Master, do you eat deities?"
Qin Mu shook his head.
After Yan'er ate her fill, she let out a burp.
They arrived at Jade Capital Academy. Wang Muran's Jade Capital Academy was somewhat inferior to the other academies. Once the most renowned sacred ground of Yan Kang, it had fallen behind due to its aloofness, failing to reform in time and failing to turn the foundation of Little Jade Capital into an attraction for scholars.
However, Qin Mu encountered the First Ancestor Human Sovereign here. Besides the First Ancestor, all the previous Human Sovereigns had also come here, becoming Imperial Supervisors to teach the scholars.
Little Jade Capital was originally a fragment of the Kai Emperor's Heavenly Court from back then. The First Ancestor had deep feelings for this place, and when he had been dispirited, he had turned into a stone statue here.
The Second Ancestor, Third Ancestor, Qi Kang Human Sovereign, and others were the most outstanding talents of the twenty thousand years since the fall of the Kai Emperor. Having been resurrected and revived, they were naturally even more formidable than before.
These Human Sovereigns had all reopened their Heavenly River Divine Treasures, possessing immense strength.
Moreover, they continued their domineering style from Fengdu, making Jade Capital Academy quite lively.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign also moved the scriptures from the Jade Bright Palace to Little Jade Capital, greatly enhancing Jade Capital Academy.
Qin Mu brought the Imperial Heavenly Lord here to study. After more than ten days, he had finished learning the results of the reforms, but the Imperial Heavenly Lord had not yet finished, so he had to wait.
"Human Sovereign Qin, you care a lot about this little fatty."
Qi Kang Human Sovereign casually rubbed the "little fatty's" chubby cheeks, squeezing the Imperial Heavenly Lord's mouth into a flower shape, and laughed, "Could it be that you plan to train him as the next Human Sovereign?"
Qin Mu's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought about how to arrange for the Imperial Heavenly Lord.
He only wanted to live up to the expectations of the old man with the lantern, cultivating the Imperial Heavenly Lord into an existence no less than his previous incarnation, once again becoming a Heavenly Lord who would shake the world.
But he couldn't always keep the Imperial Heavenly Lord by his side. Perhaps he could train him to become the next Human Sovereign.
"Our Human Sovereigns get stronger with each generation."
Qi Kang Human Sovereign said with a grin, "Do you think he can beat you in the future?"
Qin Mu humbly replied, "Our Human Sovereign Hall does have that tradition. Imperial Brother is indeed extraordinary, far surpassing me. But I am the Overlord Body after all..."
Qi Kang Human Sovereign sneered, "Leave the little fatty here. We old-timers will teach him together, and we guarantee he'll beat your Overlord Body until you cry for your parents!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily and actually left the Imperial Heavenly Lord there, instructing, "Don't teach him any techniques or how to open his divine treasures. Anyone who dares to teach him, I'll beat until they cry for their parents!"
The successive Human Sovereigns sneered, intending to teach this disciple who had betrayed his masters, but Qin Mu quickly called the Dragon Qilin, brought Yan'er, and galloped away.
"Master, where are we going?" Yan'er saw his high spirits and asked with a smile.
"The Eastern Sea!" Qin Mu pointed east and shouted loudly.
Yan'er asked curiously, "Master, are you tired of eating land deities and demons? Want some seafood? The deities and demons in the sea are a bit fishy."
"We're going to find the Guixu!"
Qin Mu laughed loudly, "To find the trail of the founding ancestor of the Heavenly Sage Sect, Senior Brother Wei Suifeng, and see what secrets he left for me in the Guixu!"
The Dragon Qilin galloped joyfully toward the Eastern Sea. Once on the water, the frolicking beast trampled thousands of waves.
Months later, the Dragon Qilin floated belly-up on the water's surface, refusing to get up and continue the journey no matter how much Qin Mu beat it.
"According to the maritime map Qiu'er gave me, the place where she saw the Longbo should be nearby."
Qin Mu looked around, comparing the map, but still found nothing.
He opened the willow leaf on his brow, and his divine consciousness fell into the Qin Continent. He said politely, "Heavenly Lord, can you see me?"
After a moment, the Heavenly Lord's avatar said, "I can! What do you want this time?"
Qin Mu quickly said, "Please trouble the Heavenly Lord to help find the Guixu."
The Heavenly Lord stared at him.
Qin Mu's expression remained unchanged.
After another moment, the Heavenly Lord snorted coldly, "The sea surface is very flat. There is no Guixu here."
Qin Mu was stunned, then looked at the Molten Earth Lord, who ignored him.
He had no choice but to withdraw his divine consciousness, opened a Gate of Inheritance behind him with a swoosh, and waited respectfully outside the gate.
After a long time, a small boat drifted leisurely through the gate, with the old man holding the lantern standing at the bow.
"Dark Heavenly Lord, may I ask how to get to the Guixu?" Qin Mu asked.
The old man's lantern almost went out. He shook his head silently.
Qin Mu pressed on, "Then what about the Longbo Kingdom?"
The old man's lantern trembled. Through the gate, he raised his hand and pointed in a direction.
"Thank you." Qin Mu said politely, preparing to close the Gate of Inheritance.
"Wait a moment!"
The old man reached a hand out from the gate, and the lantern shone directly on Qin Mu's face. The old man behind the lantern looked very displeased: "You called me out just to ask for directions?"
Qin Mu nodded.
The hand holding the lantern trembled slightly. The old man behind it took a long, deep breath, forcing himself to restrain his anger. "Considering you're taking care of the Imperial Heavenly Lord... Where is the Imperial Heavenly Lord? Where did you dump him?"
—Sorry, the update is half an hour late. This morning's chapter was written by Zhai Zhu on the high-speed train. I've been out all afternoon and only had time to return to the hotel to write at six o'clock. The update is late. My apologies.