A Pawn's Passage

After Qi Xuansu finished speaking, even someone as slow-witted as Qin Xiang understood that this was not the first meeting between the two groups. It seemed they had previous conflicts and enmities over something called the Xuan Jade, though Xie Jin stubbornly denied it.

Qin Wubing regretted inviting Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. Who would have thought the situation would come to this? The old saying that enemies often crossed paths sure held true.

As such, the room descended into an awkward silence. Qin Wubing, Zhang Yuelu, and Zhao Xuanting all sat calmly, neither speaking nor moving.

Xie Jin rubbed the jade pendant hanging from her waist, her expression unreadable.

Qi Xuansu no longer maintained a wide squat. Instead, he stood upright while flexing his wrists and fingers. Clearly, the earlier bout had not been easy for him.

Thanks to Madam Qi’s influence, Qi Xuansu rarely engaged in direct confrontations. He preferred firearms to cold weapons, weapons to bare hands, and ambush to direct combat. He relied on experience and cunning in fights, so fair duels left him at a disadvantage by negating his strengths.

If he had not obtained the Xuan Jade of Divinity, Qi Xuansu might not have been a match for Xie Jin.

At this moment, Qin Xiang broke the silence by calling for the attendants. “Bring another chair and a pair of chopsticks.”

Previously, the attendants had removed the extra chairs to avoid clutter after everyone was seated. Hearing the command, the attendant quickly answered and left.

With this short interruption, the stagnant and awkward atmosphere became a bit more relaxed.

Before long, two attendants brought in a chair, and another brought chopsticks.

The chairs here were made of solid wood and were so heavy that two ordinary people were needed to carry them. Yet Xie Jin had shattered one with just a chopstick during her confrontation with Qi Xuansu, demonstrating the power of the Taiyin 13 Swords.

In this sense, the Xuan Jade had compensated Qi Xuansu’s shortcomings, leveling his cultivation to that of the top young talents. However, he still lagged far behind in mystical abilities, which put him at a disadvantage in real combat.

After all, Qi Xuansu’s original cultivation level was not particularly high, and the opponents he faced were not particularly formidable. Thus, average-attainment and high-attainment methods had sufficed.

However, as Qi Xuansu rose the ranks, the opponents he encountered became increasingly powerful, including prodigies on par with Zhang Yuelu. Naturally, he would struggle to keep up.

Many of his strategies relied on catching opponents off guard, but once they were prepared or familiar with him, his tactics became less effective.

Back then, the Holy Xuan had dominated the world with the average-attainment Wanhua Divine Sword Palm and had few rivals. But that was only because the Holy Xuan had unmatched cultivation to back it up. This was something Qi Xuansu did not yet possess.

However, obtaining a perfected method was not easy.

The Daoist Order imposed various restrictions on such knowledge because they did not want the core secrets of each sect to spread freely. Unless taught directly by a master, studying such methods through the Daoist Canon Division had certain requirements.

Moreover, those who had mastered these perfected methods and could take on disciples were no ordinary individuals. Thus, earning their approval was itself a significant hurdle.

Xie Jin’s grandfather was a Confucian Great Master. Given the cordial relationship between the Daoist Order and the Confucian School, it made sense that she could learn the Taiyin 13 Swords.

However, since Qi Xuansu was no longer an unknown pawn—still a pawn, but one with a reputation within the Daoist Order—he had some connections and resources that would make it easier for him to learn a perfected method.

Another difficulty lies in the challenge of mastering a perfected method, which was further categorized into orthodox and unorthodox methods.

The unorthodox methods, such as the Beidou 36 Swords and the Taiyin 13 Swords, had significant risks, but they offered rapid progress.

The orthodox Daoist methods, including the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method and the Cihang Sword Sequence, had the advantage of being free from hidden dangers, but the progress was slow.

Comparing the two, unorthodox methods were easier to master and would yield quick results.

If two individuals with equal cultivation levels each practiced a different method over a year, the one practicing an unorthodox perfected method would have a significant advantage. Even after 10 years, the unorthodox method maintained a slight edge.

The orthodox perfected method would begin to catch up only after 20 years and achieve parity. After 30 years, the orthodox method would firmly take the lead.

However, if one reached immortality, the two approaches would converge, and their differences would become irrelevant.

This was one of the reasons why Zhang Yuelu could not gain the upper hand when she faced Xie Jin back in Yulan Temple. While it was true that Zhang Yuelu had fought multiple opponents, her semi-immortal object barely compensated for the key differences between the two perfected methods.

Similarly, at the Guizhen stage, Zhang Yuelu had only practiced the Sword Series and Heart Series of the Cihang Sword Sequence, while Xie Jin had already mastered 12 of the Taiyin 13 swords in one go. Even though Xie Jin had only partially learned the latter few techniques, she still surpassed Zhang Yuelu, who had not even touched the Nought Series and the Self Series of the Cihang Sword Sequence.

Thus, at lower cultivation levels, the Taiyin 13 Swords was indeed more powerful than the Cihang Sword Sequence.

There were pros and cons. The hidden danger of the Taiyin 13 Swords lay in the growth of inner demons. As one delved deeper into practicing the Taiyin 13 Swords, their inner demon would also grow stronger with the increase in their cultivation. If one failed to handle it carefully, their inner demon would take over entirely, turning the practitioner into a completely different person.

To suppress or even eradicate the inner demon, one could rely on external intervention from a senior with a much higher cultivation level or choose to overcome it with great personal willpower.

Using external forces to suppress the inner demon would eventually eradicate it, leaving no hidden dangers. However, this would inevitably weaken the sword technique’s power. If one relied on their own willpower to get through, they would be able to subdue the inner demon and unleash the full power of the Taiyin 13 Swords.

From this perspective, the perfected methods, especially unorthodox ones, required a guide. Practicing without guidance might put one in danger even if one had obtained a jade slip or related texts.

With the current situation, Zhang Yuelu was not suited to be Qi Xuansu’s master. At most, they could discuss and learn from each other because she was only one realm higher than him.

Madam Qi would be an excellent choice, as she was more than capable of teaching Qi Xuansu a perfected method. Unfortunately, Madam Qi never did anything for free—she would certainly charge a significant fee that would likely be more than Qi Xuansu could afford. Furthermore, with Madam Qi’s nomadic lifestyle wandering across the world, she could not consistently accompany Qi Xuansu to guide him through the perfected method.

This made Qi Xuansu’s situation complicated.

Thinking about all this, Qi Xuansu felt troubled.

Due to these unexpected developments, the meal turned out rather dull.

However, Zhang Yuelu seemed to be enjoying herself. Although she was practicing the Fasting Technique and did not eat, she drank quite a bit of wine.

Earlier, in the pavilion, she had been drinking alone for quite some time. At this moment, she had downed half a jug of wine. Since Qin Xiang was hosting, she did not order strong liquor. Instead, she chose a mild rice wine that was more suited to women’s tastes.

Even without using her cultivation to dispel the effects of the alcohol, Zhang Yuelu’s face remained unchanged.

Zhang Yuelu drank the last cup of wine and set the cup on the table with a thud, immediately drawing everyone’s attention to her. She then expressed her gratitude and apologies to Qin Xiang and Qin Wubing.

“Thank you for your hospitality, District Princess and General Qin. I hope you will forgive us for any offenses. If you ever visit Jade Capital or Shangqing Prefecture in the future, I will surely welcome you with open arms.”

Before Qin Wubing could respond, Qin Xiang said joyfully, “It’s a deal then! I’ve never seen Yunjin Mountain. Sister Zhang, you must take me to all 32 scenic spots!”

Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to accept it, smiling as she nodded in agreement.

Then Zhang Yuelu turned to Xie Jin and Zhao Xuanting. After a moment of silence, she said slowly, “I hope you two will tread wisely.”

Xie Jin raised her brows and wanted to retort, but Zhao Xuanting stopped her. Until now, he had been silent throughout the meal. He smiled slightly and responded, “We will heed your advice.”