Stealing Immortal

Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Long Sword

Inside the Brocade Box lay three items.

Two books and a longsword.

Setting the books aside for a moment, Chen Qingyang found the longsword incredibly familiar. His thoughts were instantly pulled back many years.

He was nineteen back then.

Li Qianxue had returned from the Immortal Sect and had specially shown him this very sword, explaining it in detail. ”Brother Qingyang, my master gifted this to me and told me to give it a name. So I called it Qianxue...”

That was the first time the farm boy had ever seen an item of the Immortal Family. Li Qianxue had generously let him see it, and he had even touched it with his own hands. The sensation was unforgettable.

Back then, Li Qianxue was not yet the prodigy of the Tai Hao Sword Institute, nor was the person who gifted her the sword that Sword Master. But this was what had set him on the path of the Sword Dao.

’How could something so precious end up on Cyan Bamboo Peak, and fall right into my hands?’

Chen Qingyang held the sword, examining it closely.

The sword was three feet three inches long and about two fingers wide. It was narrow at the tip, gradually widening toward the hilt, and its entire body radiated a cold light. The Sword Scabbard was made of ebony. While not exactly exquisite, it possessed a solid, heavy feel.

At a mere thought, Sword Qi flooded into the blade. Like parched earth meeting a long-awaited rain, the longsword let out a resonant HUM. The full power of a Sword Cultivator erupted in that instant!

’What a fine sword!’

Sheathing it carefully, Chen Qingyang turned his attention to the two books. One was an Outer Sect True Skill for cultivation, and the other was the Wind Control Skill. It wasn’t much, but for a Disciple who had just entered the Outer Sect, it was just enough.

Since he was already cultivating the Sword Dao and the Purple Star True Skill, Chen Qingyang didn’t bother opening the other cultivation technique. The Wind Control Skill, however, was worth examining to see its merits.

If it was superior to the Void Step Introduction, then it would be worth cultivating.

The path of Cultivation spanned hundreds of vast years; knowing what to choose and what to abandon was equally important. Even for an Immortal Seedling, there was no need to waste time on meaningless things.

Nearby, Zhang Ping and Li Sheng, exhausted from their journey, had already laid out their bedding and fallen asleep. Just as Chen Qingyang was about to study this Dharma Gate, his powerful Divine Sense detected someone outside.

Holding the Cyan Bamboo Peak Token, he pushed the door open and walked out into the courtyard.

A figure in cyan stood with his back to him. When the gentle breeze passed, it ruffled his long hair, and one could sense that his gaze was unsettled.

”Disciple greets you, Martial Uncle!” It was Liu Pei.

The man turned around, his eyes burning. ”I made it so you couldn’t cultivate in the Pill Institute. You don’t hold it against me, do you?”

Though they had met once before, this was the first time he had spoken to Chen Qingyang so earnestly.

”You jest, Martial Uncle. If not for you, I’m afraid I would never have obtained the Dragon Pearl.”

Liu Pei said, ”So you already understand how precious it is?”

Chen Qingyang shook his head. ”I don’t. I just feel that something that should have been mine shouldn’t have been so easily taken away.”

The man’s eyes filled with appreciation. ”Good. You have ambition. I knew my senior brother wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. It’s a great fortune for you to become his disciple. When it comes to teaching disciples, no one on Cyan Bamboo Peak can surpass him.”

’I have my doubts about that,’ Chen Qingyang thought. After all, it felt like he had been isolated, dismissed with just two random Cultivation Techniques. He hadn’t heard a single word of his master’s teachings.

As he was thinking, he heard Liu Pei speak again. ”You must understand why he arranged for you to be here. After all, you thoroughly offended Lu Jinzhang back at the Pill Institute. People like them don’t let things go easily, so having you lie low for a while is a good choice.”

”Besides, my senior brother is on the verge of breaking through to the Life Light Realm and needs Earth Deity to supplement his efforts. His thirty-six disciples were all from the Inner Sect, so no one was holding him back. But then you came along. By the way, what’s your Cultivation realm now?”

Chen Qingyang didn’t hide it. His Cultivation had changed again in the past few days. ”I just broke through to the Seventh Realm of Qi Cultivation.”

Hearing this, Liu Pei’s expression changed slightly. ”So, you’ve been hiding your true strength all along, haven’t you? Haha, this is getting more and more interesting. Give it another fifty years, and you might even make it into the Inner Sect!”

’Fifty years... I can’t wait that long,’ Chen Qingyang thought.

”Thank you for your kind words, Martial Uncle.”

”Never mind, never mind!” Liu Pei waved his hand. ”Your joining Cyan Bamboo Peak was all my doing. Since my senior brother is too busy to look after you, I’ll have to step in. Tell me, what do you need?”

Chen Qingyang thought about it seriously. ”My master gave me a Brocade Box containing two Cultivation Techniques and a longsword. I just remember that this sword was once used by Senior Sister Qianxue. How did it end up on Cyan Bamboo Peak?”

Liu Pei shook his head. ”That’s probably part of my senior brother’s plan. I have no idea what it means!”

Chen Qingyang then asked, ”Martial Uncle, what did you mean by Earth Deity just now? And why would I be a burden to my master?”

Liu Pei clapped his hands and sat right down on the ground. ”That Shen Chongzhou is getting lazier and lazier. Since he’s already accepted you, he should have told you these things, seeing as you’re a disciple of this lineage.”

”Below this peak’s Golden Core True Monarch, there are 642 Foundation Establishment Masters. The number of Outer and Inner Sect Disciples far exceeds a thousand. In terms of Cultivation, my senior brother ranks at least in the top five among these Masters.”

”However, as far as the Sect is concerned, the amount of Earth Deity a Master receives is no longer determined solely by their own cultivation level. It also depends on the number and cultivation of their disciples. This matter should have been simple. After all, my senior brother has thirty-six disciples, and every one of them is top-tier. Even the weakest is above the Fourth Realm of Essence Condensation.”

”But, as it happens, the Golden Core True Monarch issued a decree, something about masters having a responsibility to teach all comers without discrimination. The allocation of Earth Deity now depends not only on a lineage’s strongest disciple but also its weakest. So, you...”

His gaze shifted over, and Liu Pei chuckled. ”...have become a drag on my senior brother. Especially now, at this critical juncture right before his breakthrough!”

Chen Qingyang was suddenly speechless. So, Liu Pei had his moment of satisfaction, his senior brother made a sacrifice to clean up the mess, and in the end, he, Chen Qingyang, was the one who got the short end of the stick.

To avoid being the weakest in this lineage, he needed a Cultivation of at least the Fourth Realm of Essence Condensation.

’Difficult. Very difficult!’

Seeing Chen Qingyang’s grave expression, Liu Pei added, ”But my senior brother is famous for his benevolence. Since he’s accepted you as a disciple, he won’t easily expel you from the sect. It’s a common occurrence for other Masters to expel a disciple or two every day.”

Chen Qingyang nodded. Since things were as they were, he had to find a way to do his part, get more Immortal Seedlings, and raise his Cultivation quickly.

To advance from the seventh to the eighth stage of Qi Cultivation using the One-Origin Sword, he needed sixteen hundred Immortal Seedlings.

”Martial Uncle, I have one last question.”

”Go ahead.”

”It’s been decades since I last saw Senior Sister Qianxue. We’ve rarely met since, so I have no idea what connection she has with my master.”

Since he couldn’t explain the sword, he might as well ask about this.

Upon hearing this, even Liu Pei’s expression turned solemn. ”I only know that when Li Qianxue was injured, my senior brother was among those traveling with her.”

SIGH! Chen Qingyang let out a soft sigh. Memories of Li Qianxue constantly swirled in his mind. He didn’t usually think of them, but when they surfaced, they were incredibly vivid.

They had a significant impact on him, the one who had inherited the original owner’s memories.

”I understand. Thank you for clearing my doubts, Martial Uncle.”

Liu Pei stood up and dusted off his hands. ”I’ve been asking you all this time, and you still haven’t said what you need. My senior brother already prepared a Pill Furnace for you. I see you don’t have any raw materials, so tomorrow I’ll have someone send you a supply of everything. It should be enough to last you a year or two.”

After speaking, he stirred up a gust of cyan wind and vanished without a trace.

When Chen Qingyang entered the house, Xu Baoling came forward. She had been by his side throughout the journey.

”Master is worrying about Li Qianxue again. Although the Glazed Heaven Repairing Pill is extremely hard to find, if Master can study Master Liu’s elixir to Tier Nine or even higher, wouldn’t that be a true Glazed Heaven Repairing Pill?”

With so much going on recently, Chen Qingyang hadn’t really given it serious thought. Her reminder was like a sudden awakening.

”You’re right. The chances are still good. You must have heard my conversation with him just now. Is the competition for Earth Deity at Four Golden Peaks also this fierce?”

Xu Baoling shook her head. ”I don’t think it’s as intense as it is here. First, there are fewer Foundation Establishment Masters. Second, Four Golden Peaks is a barren land, so the Earth Deity there is far less effective than here. And if there’s a third reason, it’s that no one there could contend with my master.”

She paused again as if thinking hard. ”And here... Master Liu just made it very clear. That means this lineage is benevolent, just like Master Jing Yuan’s was. For other lineages, being expelled is a common occurrence. Four Golden Peaks is nothing like this place.”

It seemed he had to hurry up with his Cultivation, find a way to get some Immortal Seedlings, and also research that elixir to see what its upper limit was—could it really compare to the Heaven Repairing Glaze Pill?

”Mm, in a few days, I’ll set up this Array. You should focus on your Cultivation here in the courtyard.”

Xu Baoling bowed. ”Yes, Master.”

With the power of a Foundation Establishment Master, Liu Pei naturally knew he was hiding a Divine Soul. But since even Master Yun Ci had accepted it, what did he have to worry about?

The day broke with exceptional clarity on Cyan Bamboo Peak.

The sun felt as if it was hanging right overhead. From the first hint of dawn in the sky, everything became remarkably clear.

The two young boys were up early. One was busy sweeping the courtyard, while the other had chopped down a pile of bamboo and was weaving it into something they needed.

The Alchemy Room needed many shelves to hold alchemy ingredients. Many rotten spots on the walls, and even the floor, needed repairs. There were other areas too, but thankfully, the boy was skillful with his hands.

While they were busy, a group of Miscellaneous Task disciples arrived, bringing a large delivery of supplies that soon filled the house.

They were all from Master Liu.

Chen Qingyang stood before the Pill Furnace, recalling the Nameless Elixir he had refined that day in the Separation Dragon Pill Institute, and began his second attempt.

He continued for a long time. By the time he was finished, smoke was already curling up from the kitchen chimney in the small courtyard, and Zhang Ping and Li Sheng had started their meal.

”Take a look at this elixir. What do you think?”

Xu Baoling took it and examined it carefully, but she couldn’t identify anything particularly miraculous about it.

”Refine it now!” The elixir rested in Xu Baoling’s palm. She brought her hands together in a circle near her Dantian. A faint golden light emanated from her Divine Soul Body as she began the elixir’s Refinement.

After a very long time, Xu Baoling opened her eyes, a look of astonishment on her face. ”It’s simply profound!”