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4036-chapter-61

Chapter 61

After watching Yu Xizhi’s first match and seeing her catch up successfully, Huang Li and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they wanted to keep watching, the free-for-all tournament didn’t consist of just one arena but dozens, all starting simultaneously.

Their own matches were about to begin as well.

Cheng Luocen, holding his sword, walked forward at a steady pace.

He usually stayed on Qianya Peak.

At first glance, the scenery there was novel, but over time, it became monotonous.

However, his temperament was exceptionally good, as steadfast as a rock, and he had never felt boredom.

The old man’s remnant soul, on the other hand, was growing increasingly restless.

Although the old man remnant soul greatly admired Cheng Luocen’s disposition—thinking that this was exactly how a cultivator should be—and considered the boy a promising talent he had keenly chosen, capable of carving out his own path whether as a casual cultivator or within a sect, he couldn’t leave Cheng Luocen’s side.

The old man remnant soul had been sealed in a secret realm for a thousand years, nearly driven mad with stifling boredom.

He had hoped that by attaching himself to a casual cultivator, he could once again marvel at the wonders of the world.

Yet, before he’d seen much, he’d found himself stuck with Cheng Luocen, day after day watching him swing his sword amid lonely forests, so bored he almost grew moss.

Now, amidst the bustling crowds and clamor of voices, the old man’s remnant soul felt as though it hadn’t seen this many people in 800 years.

The excitement made him feel as if he were 18 again overnight.

“Look over there! That female cultivator is truly a delicate beauty, so charming!”

The old man remnant soul clicked his tongue, commenting, “You should take a glance too! You’re still a hot-blooded young man. Don’t you get tired of seeing only Yu girl on Qianya Peak every day? Gosh, this one’s not bad either! Look, this female cultivator is even glancing at you. Look back at her!”

Cheng Luocen remained unmoved.

“What difference does one more glance or one less glance make? Cultivators should be clear-minded and free of desires. Wasn’t that what you repeatedly warned me about?”

The old man remnant chuckled awkwardly.

“I only warned you because I was afraid you’d be led astray. How was I supposed to know you were born like a monk? Bah, compared to you, most of those monks from the Duyuan Dao probably don’t even measure up.”

After a pause, the old man remnant soul spat a few more times.

“On such a fine day, why bring up those bald donkeys and ruin my mood? Look at the girls—so many girls!”

Cheng Luocen, sensing something amiss, asked calmly, “Old man, why do you get so angry whenever you mention those monks?”

“Angry? Of course, I’m angry! Back then, it was those bald thieves…”

The old man’s remnant soul suddenly realized what he was saying and clammed up.

“Hmph, trying to get me to spill the beans, huh? Not a chance!”

But after a few more steps, the old man sighed.

“It’s not that I can’t or don’t want to tell you, but in this world, many things are burdens once you know them. Burdens lead to karma. Your cultivation level is too low, and knowing too much now would do no good for your path. I’ve already guided you a lot, tying my fate to yours. When the time comes for you to know, you probably won’t be able to avoid it anyway.”

“When will I know?”

Cheng Luocen showed no trace of fear.

When he had agreed to let the old man’s remnant soul inhabit his body, he had already considered all the consequences.

What the remnant soul mentioned was naturally among them, so he didn’t feel deceived.

“Will it be when I reach the level of a Grandmaster? Or when I achieve the Free and Unfettered Stage?”

(T/N: After grandmaster stage is the free and unfettered stage)

The old man’s serious demeanor vanished as he snorted.

“So ambitious, aren’t you? Always playing the underdog while aiming for the top. How about become Overseeing the World first?”

(T/N: quick recap.. Overseeing the world is a stage before grandmaster stage and also known as true immortal stage)

As they spoke, Cheng Luocen arrived at the arena.

Just as the steward called his name, Cheng Luocen leaped onto the stage and looked across at a graceful young woman.

The girl had “Taiqing” written on her chest, clearly marking her as an inner disciple of Taiqing Peak.

Hearing the steward announce her name, he learned she was Ji Xiangtao, the renowned eldest daughter of the Ji family from Taiqing Peak.

Nearby, a delicate voice called out, “Xiangtao, it’s your turn!”

It was none other than Xia Yiyao’s voice.

Ji Xiangtao and Xia Yiyao, both from Taiqing Peak, were known to be close.

Ever since Qianya Peak’s members embarrassed Taiqing Peak, Ji Xiangtao had been critical of them.

She and Xia Yiyao often gossiped about Qianya Peak in private.

While they dared not criticize the little uncle master and were somewhat wary of Yi Zui, they had no qualms spreading rumors about the others.

Cheng Luocen, of course, was one of the subjects of Ji Xiangtao’s scheming.

Although the disciples’ appearances at each arena were said to be random, the matchups had already been determined in advance.

Ji Xiangtao knew that if she won her first match, she would face Cheng Luocen of Qianya Peak next.

Qianya Peak had only four people besides the little uncle master.

She couldn’t beat Yi Zui, and Yu Xizhi’s swordplay in the main hall of Taiqing Peak that day had been truly remarkable.

That left Huang Li and Cheng Luocen—one hadn’t even begun Refining Qi before joining Qianya Peak, and the other was just at the Qi Refining stage.

There was no reason she couldn’t defeat someone who had only recently reached the enlightment stage within the past year, right?

(T/N: quick recap…enlightment stage is a stage before qi refining stage)

Now in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Ji Xiangtao had long made up her mind to teach Cheng Luocen a harsh lesson, to make him—and Qianya Peak—see who was superior!

As the steward waved his hand, a boundary suppressing their cultivation levels descended over the arena.

Ji Xiangtao thought she would be suppressed to the Qi Refining stage and had already decided which sword techniques to use.

But just as her hand touched her sword hilt, she sensed something was off.

She looked sharply at Cheng Luocen.

“What is your cultivation level?”

Cheng Luocen, always quiet and unassuming, was the least noticeable person even among the few on Qianya Peak.

But now, as Ji Xiangtao questioned him, the boy raised his head and looked back at her.

For the first time, Ji Xiangtao realized that this youth named Cheng Luocen had strikingly sharp features, with sword-like brows and starry eyes—a face as if carved by a master artisan.

When he looked at her like that, Ji Xiangtao’s heart gave an unexpected heavy thud.

Yet the boy, his expression impassive, merely said, “Foundation Establishment.”

Those two words were enough to shock Ji Xiangtao out of her brief moment of strange emotion.

She took a deep breath, all her earlier contempt evaporating, though she still couldn’t help but exclaim, “What on earth is Qianya Peak feeding you?! In less than a year, how have you leaped through so many levels? You’re not even a direct disciple! The little uncle master hasn’t formally taken on any disciples!”

The old man’s remnant soul, who had been grumbling moments ago about Cheng Luocen’s indifference toward the pretty girl, now bristled as though someone had stepped on his tail.

“That brat is so young—what disciples does he need? Besides, why wouldn’t you count as a direct disciple? You’re my personal disciple! Hmph!”

Cheng Luocen didn’t even furrow his brow.

Looking calmly at Ji Xiangtao, he rested his hand lightly on his sword hilt and suddenly smiled faintly.

“And so?”

***

“Xuecan Peak, personal disciple of Master Ji Liang, Shi Tian.”

The boy standing opposite Yu Xizhi—or rather the Yanxiao Sword—introduced himself as he drew his longsword.

As a personal disciple, Shi Tian naturally practiced the Duye Pill Sword of Xuecan Peak.

Among the most renowned Pill Sword techniques in the world, one was the Taishang Danyang Sword of Xiya Tower, and the other was the Duye Pill Sword of Kunwu’s Xuecan Peak.

As Yu Xizhi was the personal disciple of Pavilion Master Tan, she had, of course, learned the Taishang Danyang Sword.

Among the sword techniques she had learned in that mountain cave, there were styles from various peaks and sects, but the Duye Pill Sword was notably absent.

The reason was simple: for a true Pill Sword, the essence of its sword intent required the presence of actual pills.

In the cave, though traces of sword techniques and residual sword energy lingered, there were no pills preserved for her to study.

Having seen the Yanxiao Sword’s battle against Wang Gu, Shi Tian wasted no time on probing moves.

The pill in his hand shattered slightly and was then ground into powder by the force of his sword intent.

His intent was so concentrated that he bypassed the most conventional combinations.

“Pill Sword Carrying!”

“Longing for the Milky Way!”

“Wash It All Away!”

The elder with the clay teapot, who was idly shaking his leg nearby, softly recited the names of these three techniques and smiled faintly.

“To string these three moves together without guidance—quite a clever approach.”

Yu Xizhi didn’t know the standard sequence for the Duye Pill Sword but could tell that Shi Tian wasn’t starting from the opening move.

Shi Tian’s three strikes were filled with intense sword intent, and the pill intent blended with the powerful sword energy.

In battle, pill intent was useless against the sword itself, but it often caught the sword cultivator off guard, becoming a surprising means to win.

Yu Xizhi didn’t wield a sword, but being present in the arena, she instinctively held her breath.

Although it was the Yanxiao Sword facing Shi Tian, Yanxiao was her sword, so she was still controlling it.

The three attacks came fiercely, and she retreated again and again, using three defensive moves in quick succession.

She retreated, and Shi Tian advanced.

After exhausting the three defensive moves, Shi Tian changed his technique.

It was still the Duye Pill Sword, but now he used two other moves.

“Fragrant Breeze Scattering!”

“Laughing at the Dirty World!”

The Duye Pill Sword had seven moves in total.

Shi Tian, with his limited cultivation, had learned five of them, surprising the surrounding disciples of Xuecan Peak.

Among the same sect’s direct disciples, others like Gao Xiude had only learned the first four moves!

When he used the “Laughing at the Dirty World” move, the pill intent gathered into a single point in the air before suddenly exploding outward, as though trying to envelop the entire space in this pill intent.

Since they were fellow sect members, the pill used was merely an ordinary pill.

But in a real battle, what if he used a poison pill?

Although Shi Tian was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, it seemed as though he had truly mastered the first five moves of the Duye Pill Sword!

“Good sword!” someone couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Thankfully, it’s just a sword duel. If it were a real fight with a person, how could anyone withstand this overwhelming pill intent? When he was about to fight against Yanxiao Sword, I thought it was just as Senior Sister said… I didn’t expect it to be Senior Sister who ended up at a disadvantage?”

The Yanxiao Sword seemed to be shaken by the overwhelming pill intent, trembling slightly.

Shi Tian had completed five moves, and now, with another swing of his sword, he was about to strike Yanxiao down!

“Huh? Is that all?” Yu Xizhi suddenly remarked from the corner.

Just as Shi Tian’s sword was about to strike Yanxiao, it seemed as though there was no way for it to retreat anymore, as though she would indeed lose.

With no way to retreat, she chose not to retreat any longer.

The air was filled with pill intent, yet it suddenly became slightly damp.

The moisture felt heavy, almost like the joy-bringing spring rain or the sorrowful cry of a grieving night—a sudden rainstorm with a gust of wind.

The pill powder was scattered everywhere, but with the onset of water intent, the pill powder no longer remained light and airy!

The sword intent of “Laughing at the Dirty World” hadn’t finished, but it was now entangled with the pill powder and pill intent, as if it couldn’t laugh at the dirty world anymore.

Just as Shi Tian’s sword was about to strike Yanxiao, at the final moment when the sword was only an inch away, the distance between them grew vast.

Yanxiao trembled slightly, the water intent carrying the pill powder as it cascaded down.

But since the water intent was also sword intent, the pill powder, swept up by the rushing flow of water, was suddenly turned back and flew directly toward Shi Tian!

“Jiang Mei Xian Qu!”

The elder with the purple teapot suddenly stood up, gazing in shock at Yu Xizhi.

“Someone in this world can still perform Jiang Mei Xian Qu!”

Yu Xizhi didn’t know what Jiang Mei Xian Qu meant, but when she initiated this sword strike, she suddenly shifted her sword intent midway.

Yanxiao was a sword and couldn’t crush the pill, but within the water intent was pill powder, which, although sticky, was still bound to the sword intent of Yanshao.

Thus, Yanxiao’s sword intent withdrew before it advanced again.

The pill powder scattered again, and once more, it was as though she had performed the “Laughing at the Dirty World” move!

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