A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu’s realization did not stem from what he saw with his eyes, nor from the 99 wounds on his body, but from a fleeting moment of resonance.

Upon witnessing Elder Ning wield the Demonic Blade, he instinctively drew and struck with his own blade.

Recalling his mindset at that moment, Qi Xuansu realized that his intent was to prevent his opponent from striking. If he could kill them, they would be unable to attack.

The paradox lay in the fact that he sought to kill while simultaneously desiring to stop killing—a subtle contradiction in his thinking.

Sun Hewu had not personally trained in the Demonic Blade, but his vast knowledge allowed him to understand its intricacies.

He explained, “Back then, the Holy Xuan mastered the strengths of many lineages, yet he ultimately created his own technique, the Nandou 28 Swords. That was because techniques created by others are tailored for the creators. If you learn from someone else, you must also adopt their mindset and philosophy, which will never be as well-suited as something created for yourself.

“However, the threshold for creating one’s own techniques is too high, so most people must first learn from others. Take the Demonic Blade, for example. What was Song Zheng’s mentality?

“Song Zheng was not a bloodthirsty madman, nor did he kill for pleasure. He was an ambitious vigilante who even established his own separatist regime, the Zhou Dynasty. For him, killing was a means to an end, not the goal itself.

“His ultimate goal was to conquer the world. Regardless of his intent, the process of seizing the world required killing to stop killing. Hence, the second profound truth of the Demonic Blade is stopping war—not just in an external sense. It’s a means of self-restraint, preventing oneself from becoming a mindless killing machine.”

“How does one control oneself?” Qi Xuansu pondered.

He recalled how, during his moment of resonance, he had lost control and instinctively struck his blade. There was no question that he could not yet restrain himself.

Sun Hewu replied, “The most straightforward answer is through personal comprehension and willpower. Elder Ning has achieved this. But since you are asking, you must be wondering if there is a shortcut.

“Recently, I have been reviewing numerous records. I found some notes in Elder Shangguan’s Dongzhen Manuscript. One method is to cultivate the Taiping Sect’s Qingling Sutra, which will allow one to learn and use all techniques freely. But as an orthodox perfected method, the Taiping Qingling Sutra requires years of dedicated practice.

“Another method is to harness the advantage of the Ghostly Immortal lineage.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes brightened. “How does one leverage the Ghostly Immortal lineage?”

Sun Hewu countered with a question. “What is the realm for a Diviner in the Heavenly Being’s Xiaoyao stage called?”

Being a cultivator with the Diviner lineage, Qi Xuansu was well-versed in this subject.

He answered, “The Transformation Realm, where spells can shift from illusion to reality, gaining tangible properties. They are no longer suppressed by blood qi. Moreover, their condensed Thoughts have self-purification properties that resist inner demons, maintaining clarity of mind. It’s similar yet distinct from the Martial Arts Practitioner’s indestructible body. The difference is that one governs the soul, while the other governs the body.”

Sun Hewu nodded. “Exactly. Let’s set aside the inner demon of the Taiyin 13 Swords for now, as it involves reconstructing a separate persona and surpasses the scope of mere Thoughts. However, Song Zheng’s Demonic Blade does not contain a true inner demon. It is more akin to the beastly characteristics induced by consuming unrefined Demon Pills or Dragon Blood.”

The Daoist Order practiced alchemy not only to enhance medicinal properties but also to purify various materials of their impurities. Direct consumption of Demon Pills or Dragon Blood could cause drastic transformations in the body. At best, one might develop vertical pupils, dragon horns, or scales. At worst, one’s beastly nature could overpower their humanity, turning them into a murderous, rampaging madman.

A Diviner’s refined spiritual awareness could automatically purify such beastly instincts, but their physical body was often too weak to withstand such changes. Even if they managed to resist madness, they could not sustain excessive usage.

In contrast, Martial Arts Practitioners had resilient physiques that could endure mutations such as dragon horns and scales. However, they lacked resistance against the ensuing rage and risked losing control of themselves.

Qi Xuansu asked, “If I use the Diviner’s refined spiritual awareness to purge the madness and killing intent, will it weaken the power of the Demonic Blade?”

Sun Hewu replied, “Yes and no—it depends entirely on how you use your refined spiritual awareness.”

“What do you mean by this?” Qi Xuansu asked, increasingly puzzled.

Sun Hewu slowly explained, “How do you realize that you are dreaming while inside a dream? How do you free yourself from its constraints and act freely? Most importantly, how do you remain aware of being in a dream without waking up? The Yuxu stage of Diviners is the Dream Entering Realm.

“Wandering freely beyond one’s body begins with mastering this dream state. The concept of dreaming is profound. You should consider the idea of a dream within a dream to figure out how to eliminate madness while retaining your blade-wielding instincts. I can’t teach you more beyond that.

“Even an emperor, no matter how mighty, cannot have someone else eat his food for him. In the end, you must walk your own path. At best, a shortcut can only make the journey slightly easier.”

From start to finish, Sun Hewu never asked why Qi Xuansu, a Guizhen-stage Rogue Cultivator, was so interested in shortcuts related to the Ghostly Immortal lineage.

Some matters only required a vague conjecture. Probing too deeply would only be intrusive and unwelcome.

Sun Hewu spoke no further and turned to leave the chamber.

Qi Xuansu sank into deep thought.

Glimpsing and experiencing the second profound truth of the Demonic Blade—the principle of stopping war—did not mean Qi Xuansu had fully comprehended and mastered it.

To truly refine the Demonic Blade, he needed to become a Heavenly Being as soon as possible and complete the Xuan Jade of Death so that he could condense his Thoughts.

Resisting the Demonic Blade with sheer willpower was dangerous. It also could not be achieved overnight. A person’s will constantly evolves, tampered with by experience.

Elder Ning could wield the Demonic Blade freely because his tumultuous past had hardened his resolve. Just considering his massacre of half the horse bandits in the Western Region made Qi Xuansu’s experiences seem insignificant. On a larger scale, anyone who reached the peak must have undergone unique trials and naturally possessed extraordinary qualities.

Qi Xuansu did not believe he possessed the same willpower as Elder Ning.

Until then, he could only remain at the first level of the Demonic Blade—able to unleash its killing intent but not yet control it.

Qi Xuansu did not dare claim mastery, but he could at least say he had glimpsed its profound truths.

Sun Hewu had already done his duty in guiding this disciple to the threshold, so the rest was up to Qi Xuansu’s own efforts. If Zhang Yuelu were to ask about it in the future, he would at least have an answer.

Overall, Qi Xuansu spent 10 days practicing the Demonic Blade. It seemed short, but he had trained without taking breaks and with an esteemed Sage personally instructing him. He also had the original texts, annotations, insights, and illusions left behind by his predecessors.

Additionally, he was almost a Heavenly Being, so he could bypass the foundational training of the original Demonic Blade and focus solely on its blade techniques. If he still could not grasp its essence even under these conditions, then there was no point in continuing. It was better to give up early.

To truly master it—if not to an extraordinary level, then at least to proficiency—he would still need many years. It was not something achievable in a few days.

Thus, Qi Xuansu set his future goals. In the next three months, he would continue refining the first level of the Demonic Blade’s essence, striving to move from initial comprehension to proficiency.

After leaving the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he would seek divine power to replenish the Xuan Jade of Divinity’s depletion so that he could become a Heavenly Being. Then, he would find a way to complete the Diviner’s lineage so that he could condense his Thoughts and use the refined spiritual awareness to neutralize the Demonic Blade’s wild nature.

Only then could he reach the second level of its essence and wield the Demonic Blade with both power and control.

Since further progress was not possible in the short term, Qi Xuansu decided to stop spending day and night cooped up in training.

Instead, he would dedicate two hours a day to practicing the Demonic Blade and use the remaining time to attend some courses at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

After all, every student had to submit an essay, much like the imperial examinations, as their final assessment for the training period after three months.

Qi Xuansu recovered some of his energy before sheathing Flying Shadow and leaving the library.

The passage of time was imperceptible when one was stuck in a chamber. Only upon stepping outside did Qi Xuansu realize that a full moon hung high in the sky and stars dotted the void. It was already midnight.

The entire Wanxiang Daoist Palace was cloaked in silent darkness, with only the Ming Hall still lit brightly.

Standing at the entrance of the library, Qi Xuansu stretched lazily and sighed, a poem coming to mind. “There are no calendars in these high mountains; the winter ends with no clear signs of how many years have passed...”

Just then, an untimely voice interrupted him. “You’ve come out of the library so late, fellow Daoist. Are you burning the midnight oil?”

Qi Xuansu turned his head and saw a young man in a simple Daoist robe descending from the air, his expression carrying an air of careless arrogance.

This reminded Qi Xuansu of Situ Xingluan, whom he had met in Jinling Prefecture. For some inexplicable reason, Qi Xuansu felt repulsed by the man. This dislike instinctively transformed into a flicker of killing intent.

The man seemed to sense Qi Xuansu’s hostility and did not approach. Instead, he chose to keep his distance.

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath, calming the excessive killing intent that had surfaced due to his practice of the Demonic Blade. He tried to maintain a composed tone as he asked, “May I ask what is your name, fellow Daoist?”

Although this man was dressed plainly and looked unremarkable, his irreverent expression betrayed him.

After years of wandering the world alone, Qi Xuansu had enough experience to discern that much. However, Qi Xuansu did not mistake this person for Li Changge.

According to Sun Hewu, Li Changge was the youngest among the top three Daoist prodigies—a year younger than Zhang Yuelu. However, this man appeared to be a few years older than Qi Xuansu himself.

“Chen Longtu—a nobody, not worth mentioning.” The man responded with feigned humility.

Qi Xuansu thought carefully, but having spent limited time in the Daoist Order, he had never heard of this name. Still, he remained polite and asked, “Daoist Chen, are you also here for advanced training in the Upper Palace?”

Chen Longtu nodded. “Indeed. That day in Qian Garden, you were seated at the front. I suppose you didn’t notice me, Daoist Qi.”

Hearing Chen Longtu’s tone, Qi Xuansu became even more certain that he had ill intentions.

“It seems you have known about me for some time. Have you been waiting for me on purpose? What do you want from me, Daoist Chen?”

Chen Longtu did not deny it and mocked him. “I heard that you have a good relationship with Deputy Hall Master Zhang of Tiangang Hall. It looks like you enjoy riding on her coattails, huh?”

Qi Xuansu did not get angry. Instead, he grinned, revealing a set of teeth that appeared ghostly white in the night. “What does my relationship with Deputy Hall Master Zhang have to do with you, Daoist Chen?”

Chen Longtu sneered. “Nothing in particular. I’ve just long heard of Deputy Hall Master Zhang’s great reputation and always wanted to test my skills against her. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance—”

Qi Xuansu interrupted him. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang is already a Heavenly Being, so you’re not her match.”

Stumped by Qi Xuansu’s words, Chen Longtu showed a hint of displeasure. “Since Deputy Hall Master Zhang isn’t here, why don’t you spar with me in her place, Daoist Qi?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I don’t mind, but Wanxiang Daoist Palace forbids private duels—”

Chen Longtu cut him off. “Let’s go to Xun Garden. We can fight there.”