Unsheathed

Ning Yao was cultivating on the Dragon Slaying Cliff, while Chen Ping’an chose to remain in his room to cultivate, as opposed to going to the pergola.

Ning Yao was rather puzzled by this decision. There was a much greater abundance of spiritual energy on the Dragon Slaying Cliff, making it inarguably the best place for cultivation in the entire Ning Manor. Even though Chen Ping’an stood to benefit a little less, seeing as he wasn’t a swordsman, it was still clearly a better choice than anywhere else.

Chen Ping’an offered no explanation as he looked back at Ning Yao with a resigned expression.

In response, Ning Yao scoffed that it was no wonder that he was progressing so slowly in his cultivation, and Chen Ping’an could only shake his head with a wry smile.

In immortal powers like the Spring Dew Garden, Cloudtop City, and Misty Mountain, becoming a fourth tier Qi refiner was not considered to be slow progress at all.

Unfortunately, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping’an’s rate of progression may as well have been as slow as a meandering tortoise.

Even his mastery of the Eighteen Stops Technique had come far slower than it did for everyone else. He and Ning Yao had once discussed the Eighteen Stops Technique taught to them by A’Liang, and on that occasion, he asked her how long it had taken Yan Zhuo and the others to master the Qi refinement and sword refinement methods of the Eighteen Stops Technique.

He was very much surprised by the answer, and out of curiosity, he asked Ning Yao how long it had taken her. In response, she merely gave him a smile, seeing no need to answer his question and further dent his confidence.

Hence, back then, Chen Ping’an felt like the old great sword immortal had only lied to him to make him feel better when making the claim that he had the potential to become an earth immortal.

Around four hours later, Chen Ping’an withdrew his consciousness from his internal small world. His consciousness had been immersed in his wood residence up to this point, but a slow exhalation marked the conclusion of this stint of cultivation.

According to his normal routine, he would’ve begun practicing his walking meditation, but on this occasion, he left the courtyard and traveled to a walkway some distance away from the Dragon Slaying Cliff, where he observed the pergola from afar. In doing so, he spotted an intriguing phenomenon.

The sword qi in that direction was manifesting itself in the form of iridescent sprites, slowly swirling around like a flock of birds. Up above, there was even something akin to a water vein. It seemed that the world at large and Ning Yao’s internal small world had been connected by a bridge of immortality, thereby forging a connection between her and heaven and earth.

Chen Ping’an tucked his hands up their opposite sleeves as he leaned against a nearby pillar with a wide grin on his face, clearly very pleased for Ning Yao.

All of a sudden, Nalan Yexing silently appeared beside Chen Ping’an, and there was a look of surprise on the former’s face as he asked, “Are you able to see the sword qi manifesting itself around Young Mistress Ning?”

Chen Ping’an hurriedly stood up straight again as he replied, “I can only see some indistinct signs, but it’s not very clear.”

“You already have a very keen eye on par with the earth immortal swordsmen here,” Nalan Yexing praised with a smile and a nod of approval.

“When will Ning Yao be able to overcome her Golden Core Tier bottleneck?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Even at the very earliest, it’ll probably have to be at the conclusion of the next battle,” Nalan Yexing replied.

“Can I ask how many guardian swordsmen accompany Ning Yao and her friends when they go into battle, and what their cultivation bases are?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“During the two battles that took place in your absence, every single one of the thirty or so top young prodigies of our Sword Qi Great Wall is accompanied by guardian swordsmen on the battlefield, and Young Mistress Ning is naturally no exception,” Nalan Yexing replied with a smile. “Those children are the most precious seeds of our Sword Qi Great Wall, and we go to great lengths to keep them safe.

“The swordsmen of the Northern Complete Reed Continent have been a big help in this regard. Otherwise, there aren’t enough native swordsmen on the Sword Qi Great Wall to go around. I suppose this is the problem with having too many prodigies in one generation. All guardian swordsmen are extremely powerful and decisive in battle, and their objective is to at least each take down a demon tribe assassin at the cost of their own lives.

“Aside from them, I am also always around to protect Young Mistress Ning in secret, and Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu each have a guardian sword immortal from their respective clans as well. After the first of the two battles, many of these young prodigies had made breakthroughs, and according to the rules of the Sword Qi Great Wall, anyone who reached the Golden Core Tier would no longer be assigned guardian swordsmen, regardless of their age or status.

“Young Mistress Ning and her group of friends are all considered to be extremely bright talents, so even though they are no longer accompanied by ordinary guardian swordsmen, they are still looked after by a sword immortal who serves as both their Dao mentor and Dao guardian. However, the sword immortal doesn’t have to go out of their way to protect them, and in most cases, Young Mistress Ning and the others are responsible for their own safety.

“Even if, heavens forbid, Young Mistress Ning and her friends all perish on the battlefield, while that sword immortal survives, they won’t be held reprehensible at all by the Sword Qi Great Wall. You may think that this is a rather harsh arrangement, but you have to realize that once Young Mistress Ning and her friends grow into their full potential, they will also become guardian swordsmen for the generation below them.

“This has always been the tradition on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Of course, things like wealth and status aren’t completely useless, even in a place like the Sword Qi Great Wall. During times of peace, those from more prominent clans will inevitably receive more cultivation resources than their less affluent counterparts. However, on the battlefield, none of that matters in the slightest, and the higher one’s cultivation base, the more peril they’ll find themselves in.

“There have been cowards in the history of our Sword Qi Great Wall, ones who possessed good aptitude and came from affluent backgrounds, but lacked courage and resolve. Those people would intentionally hold themselves back in their cultivation, and they go their entire lives barely setting foot onto the battlefield at all.

“However, the good thing about the Sword Qi Great Wall is that the rise of each prominent clan is always accompanied by a spectacular story related to slaying great demons. Hence, even for those who come from humble and impoverished backgrounds, as long as they possess sufficient aptitude, they know that they possess the potential to change their own fate.

“As long as they can slay enough great demons and survive long enough, they would be able to write their own rags-to-riches story, single-handedly altering the fate of both themselves and their entire clan. One of Master Ning’s biggest wishes was to return the Ning Clan to its former glory, restoring its status as one of the most powerful and respected surnames on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

“Of course, his other biggest wish was for Young Mistress Ning to find a good husband.”

“Many people in the Majestic World don’t think that way,” Chen Ping’an said. “I was one of those people back when I was a child. Whenever I see other kids my age who don’t have to worry about having food in their bellies and clothes on their backs, I would tell myself that they’re just lucky because they still have their parents, and their clans are wealthy.

“I would convince myself that the pastries on Dragon Riding Alley weren’t anywhere near as appetizing as they looked, and that I would only get sick if I ate too many of them. Whenever I thought this, I would salivate a little less, and my stomach would growl a little more quietly. If that didn’t work, then I would run back to my house to look at the dried fish that I caught from the stream and hung up on the wall. Just by looking at them, I would feel a little less hungry.”

An embarrassed look appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face as he apologized, “I’m sorry, Grandpa Nalan, hearing that story was probably a bit of a killjoy.”

“It’s fine,” Nalan Yexing replied with a smile. “On the Sword Qi Great Wall, I’m constantly hearing people talk about the big picture and things of great importance, so it’s a breath of fresh air to hear such a down-to-earth story. The last time I got to hear stories like this was when Young Mistress Ning had only just returned from the Majestic World.

“Unfortunately, Young Mistress Ning isn’t very talkative, so I didn’t get to hear many stories from her. However, the few that she told me already painted a very alluring picture of the Majestic World, particularly for people like me, who have never ever gone to Stalactite Mountain. Young Master Chen, even though you’re still not a swordsman, you should still strongly consider honing that sword on your back and the other flying swords in your possession, even if they’re not bonded items of yours.

“Don’t waste that Dragon Slaying Cliff. The Ning Clan has fought so hard to protect it so that it can be put to good use, not sit around and gather dust. If you don’t understand even something so simple, then that’s truly rather disappointing. Master Ning often spoke about how he wished a descendant of the Ning Clan would be able to use up the entire Dragon Slaying Cliff.”

“In that case, I’ll go right ahead,” Chen Ping’an said.

“Please do, Young Master Chen,” Nalan Yexing encouraged. “It’s not good to always be so formal and reserved.”

“Be that as it may, would you not be at least a little bit annoyed if I had gone to sharpen my sword on the Dragon Slaying Cliff without your permission?” Chen Ping’an asked with a smile. “You would inevitably think to yourself that I’m rather rude and uncultured.”

Nalan Yexing faltered slightly upon hearing this, then burst into laughter as he conceded, “I suppose you’re right.”

Chen Ping’an chuckled. “Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for you to give me permission for quite some time, Grandpa Nalan.”

Nalan Yexing feigned a furious expression as he smacked Chen Ping’an in the shoulder and grumbled, “You present yourself as a good and innocent young man, but deep down, you’re quite a tricky little rascal, aren’t you? You should count yourself fortunate that you’re at least earnest and sincere when it comes to Young Mistress Ning. Otherwise, I’d have you kicked out in an instant!”

The Sword Qi Great Wall was a natural cultivation paradise for all Qi refiners, but in order to enjoy the cultivation benefits this place provided, one first had to be able to withstand the pervasive and unforgiving sword intent here. If any Qi refiner outside of swordsmen were even slightly lacking in aptitude, they would be unable to cultivate in peace on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

As soon as they opened their acupoints, sword qi and spiritual energy would both come flooding in at once, and just the endeavor of expelling the unwanted sword qi from their acupoints would be a massive headache.

Even if one were able to overcome this obstacle, they still wouldn’t be able to cultivate here for long, and the reason for this no longer had anything to do with cultivation aptitude. Instead, the problem was that those on the Sword Qi Great Wall had always detested Qi refiners of the Majestic World.

Only with the necessary connections would one be able to secure permission to cultivate on the Sword Qi Great Wall for extended periods of time, and even then, it would cost them dearly. Each tier had its own price, and this system had been put in place by the ancestors of the Yan Clan. Throughout the course of history, the prices had been changed a total of eleven times, and every single time, the price had been raised, with no chance of any reductions.

Earlier, Chen Ping’an had learned a great deal about the history of the Yao Clan and Ning Yao’s childhood from Granny Bai, and on this occasion, he asked Nalan Yexing many questions about the two most recently concluded battles south of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The two of them chatted for a while longer before parting ways. Prior to his departure, Chen Ping’an raised one final question, asking Nalan Yexing who the sword immortal that had served as the Dao guardian for Ning Yao and the others in the previous battle had been.

Coincidentally, it was a swordsman from the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, a man by the name of Wei Jin.

Chen Ping’an had a very deep impression of Wei Jin. During his journey with Li Baoping and the others to the Great Sui Nation, it was Wei Jin who had split open the heavens with his sword during Chen Ping’an’s encounter with the ghost bride.

At the time, the sight of Wei Jin’s incredible feat had swept up massive waves in Chen Ping’an’s mental state, waves that refused to subside even many years down the line.

Even in the history of the Sword Qi Great Wall, swordmen who reached the Unpolished Jade Tier before turning sixty were extremely rare. Nalan Yexing had a positive impression of Wei Jin, and the same applied to just about everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

He had earned everyone’s respect with his exceptional swordsmanship and his decision to come and risk his life on the Sword Qi Great Wall when he could’ve had a far brighter future by remaining in the Majestic World. Furthermore, he had mentioned that he had only been able to overcome his Nascent Tier bottleneck so quickly thanks to A’Liang’s guidance.

Otherwise, according to the old ancestors of the Wind Snow Temple, it would’ve taken him sixty years to slowly and painstakingly whittle away at his Nascent Tier bottleneck, and he would’ve only become a sword immortal at around a hundred years of age. In truth, this wasn’t an entirely fair assessment.

Out of all of the paths that Qi refiners could take, the path of the swordsman was the most expensive one, and also the one that had the most stringent requirements when it came to aptitude. If Wei Jin hadn’t built up a sufficiently solid and strong foundation, even A’Liang wouldn’t have been able to forcibly elevate him to the Unpolished Jade Tier.

Following Chen Ping’an’s departure, Bai Lianshuang appeared beside Nalan Yexing and sneered at Nalan Yexing. “You sure are in a talkative mood today, O’ Great Sword Immortal Nalan. Are you worried that Young Master Chen wouldn’t hear about your past embarrassing stories unless you told him yourself?”

Nalan Yexing chuckled. “You’re just jealous. With you, he mostly spoke about general affairs of the martial world, but with me, he discussed a wide range of topics, from trivial life stories to important matters that concern the fate of the entire Sword Qi Great Wall. It’s clear as day who he feels more of a connection with.”

“Shameless bastard!” the old woman scoffed.

“Can we not resort to personal attacks?” Nalan Yexing asked in an exasperated manner.

“What do you mean by personal attacks? I’m just stating the objective truth!” Bai Lianshuang countered.

Nalan Yexing could only heave a forlorn sigh before departing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Ning Yao had always taken her cultivation very seriously, and over the next two days, she would only take a glance up at the pergola on the Dragon Slaying Cliff to see if Chen Ping’an was there during brief breaks in her cultivation. Even if he wasn’t there, she wouldn’t leave the mountain to go and find him. Instead, at the very most, she would only take a short stroll before returning to her cultivation.

Before long, Chen Ping’an had gotten the hint, and he would appear at the pergola whenever Ning Yao took one of her short breaks, but once he began doing this, she started to ignore him, pretending not to have spotted him as she returned to her cultivation.

On those occasions, Chen Ping’an could only watch her for a while before departing.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay longer. Instead, he was eager to focus on his own cultivation. After reaching the fourth tier, the rate at which he was able to refine the thirty-six bricks from the Daoist temple had sped up by 30%, and to his surprise and elation, this rate was even further enhanced on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Thus, he was eager to capitalize, often becoming completely immersed in his own cultivation in the small residence where he was staying as he simultaneously focused on Qi refinement and item refinement at once.

However, after leaving the pergola this time, Chen Ping’an didn’t immediately return to his residence. Instead, he sought out Bai Lianshuang and invited her and Nalan Yexing to his residence, telling her that he had something to discuss with them.

Bai Lianshuang happily agreed, following Chen Ping’an back to his residence. Instead of going out of her way to fetch Nalan Yexing, she merely stomped a foot onto the ground and yelled for him to come out, at which point he immediately appeared nearby like an apparition.

Chen Ping’an invited the two seniors into the room, then poured a cup of tea for them each.

There were already three items placed on the table, namely Sword Immortal, Golden Sweet Wine, and the jade tablet that he had purchased from the Ganoderma Inn on Stalactite Mountain.

After the three of them sat down at the table, Chen Ping’an’s face became heavily flushed, and he opened his mouth several times to speak, but didn’t seem to know how to begin.

In the end, it was Nalan Yexing who broke the silence, asking, “Are these meant to be marriage gifts, Young Master Chen?”

The old woman was delighted, raising a hand to her face as she chuckled in amusement. “You can’t offer up your marriage gifts yourself, Young Master Chen.”

Chen Ping’an hurriedly waved his hands as he replied, “Rest assured, I’ll definitely follow the rules and traditions and find an official matchmaker. The problem is that I don’t know anything about the marriage customs and traditions on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and there’s no one else here that I can ask, so I can only trouble the two of you to come and give me some advice.

“I’m worried that these gifts are going to be inadequate, or that it’s inappropriate to present them so directly. I want to do things the right way so that I don’t bring shame to the Ning Clan’s name.”

Bai Lianshuang and Nalan Yexing exchanged a smile, and neither of them said anything.

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath, then continued, “I’ll do everything in my power to follow the relevant customs and traditions of the Sword Qi Great Wall, but I’m going to personally propose to Ning Yao. The two of you or the Yao Clan can raise objections, and I’ll listen to them, but no matter what happens, I want to personally propose to Ning Yao. That’s non-negotiable for me. I don’t care who comes to try and dissuade me or how compelling their reasons are, I’m not going to change my mind.”

Bai Lianshuang and Nalan Yexing exchanged a glance with each other, and both of them continued to remain silent.

Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, then extended a deep bow as he cupped his fist in a salute and said in a solemn voice, “Both of my parents have already passed away, and the two seniors that I respect and admire the most on the path of cultivation have also passed on.

“I have a teacher, but he’s not in the Majestic World right now, and I have no way of finding him. Otherwise, I would’ve definitely called upon one of them to come with me to the Sword Qi Great Wall and visit the Ning Clan and the Yao Clan on my behalf.”

Nalan Yexing was just about to speak, only to sheepishly close his mouth as Bai Lianshuang shot him a cold glare.

“Take a seat, Young Master Chen,” she said in a warm and gentle voice.

Chen Ping’an sat back down, his back ramrod-straight. Even though he was doing his best to appear calm and composed, there was a palpable sense of unease about him.

“For starters, can you tell us about the origins of these two items?” the old woman asked as she pointed at Sword Immortal and Golden Sweet Wine.

Chen Ping’an hurriedly nodded in response, then spoke briefly about the two items in question.

Nalan Yexing remained silent this entire time, merely sipping his tea. Even though he had seen more than his fair share of powerful treasures, he still couldn’t help but be astonished by Chen Ping’an’s account.

According to him, Sword Immortal had somehow been elevated by half a tier under rather inexplicable circumstances and had been personally appraised by Spiritual Master Fire Dragon of the Northern Complete Reed Continent, who deemed it to be a celestial weapon.

As for Golden Sweet Wine, it had initially only been a rather ordinary Dao robe, but it had since also been elevated into a celestial tool from devouring gold essence copper coins, a form of currency completely unheard of on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Nalan Yexing was at a slight loss for words. On the Sword Qi Great Wall, even for marriages between individuals from prominent clans like the Chen, Dong, and Qi Clans, a marriage gift of just a single pseudo-celestial treasure or celestial treasure would already be considered quite a hefty offering.

Furthermore, there were only so many pseudo-celestial treasures and celestial treasures on the entire Sword Qi Great Wall, and that led to a rather awkward phenomenon, where these precious treasures were often gifted back and forth between the prominent clans for important marriages.

Every hundred years or several centuries, one such treasure would reemerge to be gifted again, and many of them had already passed through the hands of over a dozen clans. Everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall was already accustomed to this phenomenon, and back when A’Liang was around, one of his favorite pastimes was to take bets on which pseudo-celestial treasures or celestial treasures would come up during important marriages between the prominent clans.