Song Yingxu was also a cultivation genius. Otherwise, he would not have glimpsed that threshold within these years and successfully crossed it. However, even though he had reached the Nepenthe Realm, there was not much to fear for Chen Chao.
That great daoist sage had advanced to the late-stage of Nepenthe, entering the realm of Great Liberation, but Chen Chao attacked him without any regard.
Even if Song Yingxu was a Nepenthe powerhouse, if it really came to a point where he had to take action, Chen Chao would attack without any hesitation.
His hand rested on the saber hilt, ready to draw at any moment.
Earlier, when Song Yingxu called him weak, it made little sense. None of Chen Chao's past actions proved him weak. From killing those qi refiners in Tianqing County in the beginning, to the martial examination later, to the journey to Sublime Bright Mountain, what Chen Chao demonstrated had always been boldness. He had never been a weak person.
The things he did not like to do were simply because he did not want to.
Whether was it the world, or being the emperor, putting aside whether or not it could be accomplished, Chen Chao did not want to do it just because he did not like it.
If you don't like something, then don't do it.
Even if there were countless people hoping for you to do it.
Song Yingxu's expression remained unchanged as he said softly, "Your Highness, apologies for the offense."
As he spoke, a faint light appeared at his fingertips, instantly forming a long thread extending towards Chen Chao, intending to bind him.
The thread continued extending, but soon encountered a dazzling saber light.
Chen Chao unsheathed his saber and slashed at the thread.
In the tavern, a surge of qi unfolded, causing the tables, chairs, and benches to shake at this moment.
The thread from Song Yingxu's fingertip instantly tensed up, now resembling a long sword sweeping toward Chen Chao.
Song Yingxu was not someone like Teacher Zhang who neglected cultivation for the sake of studying. In fact, because he had been constantly thinking about these things over the years, he dedicated more time to cultivation, demonstrating diligence and not neglecting his cultivation at all.
Therefore, Chen Chao found it difficult to identify any weaknesses. Without external assistance, relying solely on his cultivation in the Bitter Sea Realm, Chen Chao was unable to defeat the blue-robed man in front of him at all.
Fortunately, Song Yingxu harbored no killing intent towards Chen Chao. Hence, Chen Chao need not worry about losing his life at the hands of this man and could be bolder.
The slender longsword swept over, sweeping up endless qi, yet this qi appeared very harmonious; devoid of any terrifying or murderous intent. Chen Chao held his saber in front of him and, when struck by the sword, he was sent flying toward the doorway, eventually crashing heavily into the wall, causing the entire small tavern to shake.
Song Yingxu had only exerted about 20% of his strength; had he used his full power, Chen Chao might have been seriously injured by now.
Leaning against the wall, Chen Chao slowly stood up, glanced at Song Yingxu, and showed no emotions.
"Your Highness, is this necessary?"
Song Yingxu said calmly, "Being born in this world, each of us has things we must do. This is our destiny, and no one can resist it."
Chen Chao gripped the hilt of his saber and said, "That's not my destiny."
……
……
After half a month of recuperation, Liu Banbi's injuries improved considerably. He finally decided to take advantage of this time to travel south back to the Divine Capital to visit the academy and see his teacher.
His relatives had long since passed away, and now, perhaps the only person he cared about was his teacher.
Of course, there was also that little junior sister who had exchanged many letters but whom he had never met in person.
He wanted to see what the nine lifeblood flying swords of his junior sister looked like. He had heard that his junior sister had a total of nine lifeblood flying swords, something he had only heard of but had never seen.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiyi had been staying near the Northern Frontier Great Wall. Upon learning that Liu Banbi was heading south to the Divine Capital, this successor of the Sword Sect chose to travel with Liu Banbi, to go to the Divine Capital together.
Hence, the two sword cultivators traveled together. They did not choose to ride their swords but to travel on foot, stopping and chatting about Sword Dao difficulties from time to time. They seemed like a master-disciple pair, but also like friends.
Their relationship was peculiar, but fortunately, neither of them sensed anything amiss, so no one had anything to say about it.
On this day, the two of them paused by a lakeside for a moment. Liu Banbi sat down on a rock by the lake and casually asked, "Did your Sword Sect's great talisman originate from stolen daoist techniques? Then it was modified by some great sword immortal, taking on its current form?"
This blunt mention of the Sword Sect's secret techniques, without a hint of respect in his words and even being so casual, if it were another sword cultivator, they might have felt that it was disrespectful to their sect. However, Yu Xiyi had long regarded Liu Banbi as half a teacher, so he did not mind at all. He just said, "Discussing the origin is an endless topic. However, it's similar to what Senior said. The concept of the Sword Sect's great talisman initially came from the talisman lineage of Daoism."
Liu Banbi nodded, and took his wine gourd from his waist. After taking a sip and smacking his lips, he then said, "How many disciples does your Sword Sect have now? What realm has the Sword Sect's Sect Master reached? I heard rumors that he has surpassed Nepenthe, even greater than a great sword immortal!"
Yu Xiyi said, "This junior isn't sure how many Sword Sect disciples there are. In the Sword Sect, all disciples learn swordsmanship under their respective masters on various peaks. They might occasionally travel the world, so who knows how many there are. However, the number shouldn't be large, and most of them are this junior's senior martial brothers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be just me, one Sword Sect disciple, traveling outside."
Liu Banbi raised an eyebrow and said, "Actually, you don't have to tell me. I also know that the Sword Sect doesn't have many disciples now. I'm afraid that even including you, there are no more than a dozen over sword cultivators. The split between the two lineages of sword cultivation back then was quite illogical. Now, it has divided the world of sword cultivators into two, lacking the glory of countless years ago."
Although sword cultivators today remain the most powerful existences in terms of killing power, it was indeed different from many years ago.
Yu Xiyi continued, "Daoism also has two lineages, so there's seemingly no need to worry too much."
Liu Banbi nodded. After a self-deprecating smile, he stopped discussing the topic and said, "I hope that one day I can spar with your Sword Sect's Sect Master."
Fighting against the world's strongest sword cultivator was probably the dream of countless sword cultivators.
Liu Banbi was no exception.
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Xiyi slowly spoke, "There's something I've always wanted to ask Senior. If it's inconvenient, Senior doesn't have to answer."
Liu Banbi raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it the same question? Why did I choose to abandon the books and practice the sword instead?"
Yu Xiyi nodded and said softly, "Logically speaking, killing demons in the north, whether or not one is a sword cultivator, shouldn't be a problem. Why does Senior insist on cultivating the sword?"
Liu Banbi sighed, "It's not that I insist on cultivating the sword, it's just that I didn't want to study anymore."
Speaking of this, he could not help but pick up the wine gourd and take a sip. As a scholar, if one day, he suddenly did not want to study anymore, what did this mean for the scholar?
It would probably be agonizing to the extreme.
Yu Xiyi suddenly asked, "Senior, if one day the demon race can no longer advance southward, or if we completely exterminate the demon race, avenging the humiliation of the human race, would Senior continue to practice the sword, or would you put down the sword and become a scholar again?"
It was the first time someone asked Liu Banbi about this. Liu Banbi was silent for a long time before muttering, "How would I know?"
……
……
Infatuation Daoist Temple, the moon tonight was exceptionally beautiful.
Yun Jianyue carried a bamboo basket as he walked towards the cliff. Sure enough, there was a woman on the cliff, gazing at the moon.
It was precisely Ye Zhihua.
Yun Jianyue approached from behind, carrying a bamboo basket. He sat down next to Ye Zhihua and smiled, saying, "Senior sister, I made some pastries. Would you like to try them?"
Hearing this, Ye Zhihua turned around, glancing at Yun Jianyue. Then, her gaze fell on the bamboo basket he was carrying.
Yun Jianyue reached out, lifted the white cloth covering the top, and took out a peculiar-looking pastry, handing it to Ye Zhihua with some embarrassment as he said "Senior sister, don't mind the appearance. Although it looks ugly, it might not taste bad."
Listening to this, Ye Zhihua frowned slightly, puzzled, "Since you're not good at these things, why insist on doing them?"
Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow and said, "Because I like it."
Because he liked it, so he would try things that he did not know how to do, because fondness could lead one to do many things.
Ye Zhihua said, "Great Dao and eternal life, cultivation is endless. Why waste time on such matters?"
Yun Jianyue picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite, his expression changing slightly. Despite that, he forced himself to swallow and said calmly, "Time is too long. If one is entirely focused on cultivation, one might reach the end prematurely. Naturally, one must engage in other activities. Otherwise, wouldn't it be boring?"
Such words were something Yun Jianyue only dared to say in front of his senior sister. If it were someone else, he might incur others' jealousy after uttering it. Even if Yun Jianyue was a true genius, there were people who refused to acknowledge him, and were unwilling to see his brilliance. Ye Zhihua said, "Above Nepenthe, there are still realms. However, that realm doesn't guarantee eternal life. The path of cultivation is endless, and none of us can be considered true geniuses."
True geniuses clearly would not be confined by any cultivation realm. They kept moving forward, and no one knew where the end was. If there was no end, they would just keep going, and not get stuck in one place.
The Twin Pillars of Daoism were already the most amazing young geniuses in this world, but Ye Zhihua was still not satisfied.
Yun Jianyue said, "Actually, cultivation realm might not be of use. The most important thing should be a firm will. The young man I encountered before is like this. If he doesn't die early, he'll probably become an extraordinary person in the future."
Ye Zhihua said calmly, "The martial artist from the Great Liang Dynasty, the top scorer in the martial examination?"
Yun Jianyue nodded.
Ye Zhihua did not say anything. She had no particular opinion on those martial artists in the secular world. She neither liked nor disliked them.
Yun Jianyue glanced at Ye Zhihua and then quietly moved closer, attempting to hold her hand.
However, before he could, Ye Zhihua reached out and took his hand.
Yun Jianyue looked at his senior sister in the moonlight and smiled, "Senior sister, you're really beautiful."
Ye Zhihua had no reaction.
Yun Jianyue asked, "Senior sister, can I kiss you?"
Ye Zhihua did not speak.
Yun Jianyue looked at the profile of Ye Zhihua's face in the moonlight and said to himself, "Senior sister, since you didn't object, that means you've tacitly agreed, right?"
Then he slowly got closer to Ye Zhihua. Of course, he was also keeping an eye on the surroundings a the same time. If Senior Sister got angry, he would be the first to prepare for a quick escape.
However, as he moved closer, the woman suddenly turned her head, and the two of them ended up face to face. Looking at his senior sister's extraordinarily beautiful eyes at such a near distance, Yun Jianyue said softly, "Senior sister, you're very beautiful."
Ye Zhihua just looked at him quietly, exhaling like orchids. "Useless."
Hearing this, Yun Jianyue became a bit annoyed. Then, with determination, he pressed his lips onto hers.
Feeling the extraordinary softness, Yun Jianyue murmured, his face turning very hot.
However, soon Ye Zhihua raised her face, and the two separated.
Yun Jianyue was still unsatisfied, looking at his senior sister.
Ye Zhihua did not say anything, just turned her head and looked at the bright moon in the sky.
Yun Jianyue smacked his lips, savoring the aftertaste.
However, both of them were unaware that not far away on a tree, the Temple Master was watching this scene with relish. When he saw Ye Zhihua voluntarily turn her head, he could not help but sigh, "If those girls who liked me back then had half the domineering spirit of this girl, I wouldn't be without a Dao companion until now."
Speaking of this, perhaps feeling some regret, the Temple Master waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. The Great Dao is endless, and matters of love and youth, no need to think too much."
Then, as the Temple Master turned to descend from the tree, he added with a tinge of sourness, "If there's a beauty by your side, there is no need to seek immortality."
……
……
Myriad Heaven Palace, Mount Xi.
In the cold winter of the twelfth lunar month, Mount Xi suddenly felt a surge of heat.
A dazzling golden crow suddenly soared into the sky in the middle of the night, spreading its wings and flying, attracting countless onlookers.
The Myriad Heaven Palace's Palace Lord arrived at the entrance of the cave grotto. Looking at the golden crow flying in the sky, he said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Indeed the disciple highly valued by the old sage. It's time to spread her wings."
The golden crow circled in the sky for a moment before finally landing in a certain place on Mount Xi.
It landed on a certain young girl.
That young girl was none other than Zhu Xia, the Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace.
After the golden crow landed, she opened her eyes, took a bite of a bag of dried fruits from her side, and then rubbed her stomach.
After her master ascended to the heavens, Zhu Xia had been diligently cultivating these years, without any laziness.
She was a genius to begin with. When she seriously started cultivating, her progress naturally became extremely rapid, which was a reasonable and justified thing.
Otherwise, she would not have broken through tonight.
However, even after breaking through, Zhu Xia still felt emotionally down. She looked up at the stars hidden in the clouds, gazing at the star she felt was the brightest, and said softly, "Master, I miss you."
