Martial Cultivator

By the time Huang He returned to his senses, Yu Xiyi had already disappeared into the horizon, never to be seen again.

He turned around rather reluctantly, and saw his mother waiting by the bridge, her eyes slightly red as if she had been crying.

”Mom.”

Huang He called out to her softly, ”Mom, do you know him?”

The woman glanced at Huang He and nodded.

Huang He gave an ”oh,” thought for a moment, and said, ”I won’t tell Dad.”

The woman was silent.

Huang He took his mother’s hand and walked home, asking carefully, ”Mom, did he almost become my dad?”

The child was quite perceptive and could grasp many things.

The woman patted Huang He on the head and smiled, ”There are many things that almost happened, why do you care so much about this?”

Huang He sighed and said with regret, ”What a pity, I almost had a sword immortal for a dad.”

The woman frowned and said, ”What nonsense are you talking about?”

Huang He laughed and replied, ”But Dad is great too.”

The woman nodded and smiled, ”To me, your dad is the best in the world.”

……

……

The journey southward for the Sword Sect’s Master was similarly slow. However, unlike Yu Xiyi, this generation’s Sect Master of the Sword Sect, the undisputed leader in Sword Dao, did not feel guilty. Instead, after the battle in the desolate north with the Demon Emperor, he had gained some enlightenment. Thus, during this trip down south, although he traveled slowly, his sword intent grew ever more profound.

For a figure like him, advancing even half a step further in the cultivation of Great Dao was exceedingly difficult. Otherwise, he would not have taken such a great risk to battle the Demon Emperor in the demon territory to seek that glimmer of enlightenment. Fortunately, this gamble had turned out to be a significant victory for the Master of the Sword Sect.

A journey of ten thousand miles with a sword was indeed worthwhile.

After arriving in Changping Prefecture from Xinliu Prefecture, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master quickened his pace. Following the official road, he resembled a sheathed flying sword, with the scattered sword qi around him slowly returning to its sheath at this very moment, completely contained.

When he traveled north, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master was like a flying sword slowly unsheathing. Only when he fully arrived in the demon territory did he truly draw his sword. This time, returning south was the opposite.

After leaving Changping Prefecture and nearing Yellow Dragon Prefecture, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master encountered a group of daoists in green clothing marching along the official road. They held many daoist magic artifacts and seemed to be heading to some famous mountain for a mystical ritual. The Sect Master of the Sword Sect had never had much fondness for the daoist sects among the three schools, but he had no intention of harming them for no reason. Thus, he merely stepped aside, allowing the group of daoists to pass by him.

The group of daoists in green robes did not so much as glance at the middle-aged man before them. They would never have imagined that this man, with his salt-and-pepper hair and rather handsome features, was the number one sword cultivator of the current era.

After the daoists disappeared from the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s line of sight, he resumed his journey. However, after only a few steps, a handsome daoist appeared before him. The daoist stood by the roadside, smiling as he watched the Sword Sect’s Sect Master traveling from north to south.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master furrowed his brows slightly and quickly realized the identity of the man before him. Looking at the daoist, he asked, ”Do you intend to stop me?”

The daoist smiled and said to himself, ”You just had a battle with the Demon Emperor. Though you’re a bit wounded, I’m guessing your sword intent has grown stronger, hasn’t it? If we fight now, would you give this penniless daoist the sword strike you held back?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master said indifferently, ”It wasn’t saved for you. You’re not worthy of that strike.”

The daoist was not bothered by this obvious disdain. He just took a few steps forward, clicking his tongue as he said, ”Hearing you talk, people who don’t know might think you’re already invincible under the heavens. If you’re so formidable, why didn’t you kill the Demon Emperor for this penniless daoist to see?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master snorted coldly, unwilling to engage further. Despite the saying ”don’t hit the face when hitting someone,” the daoist’s words were even sharper.

The daoist did not try to stop the Sword Sect’s Sect Master from moving forward. Instead, he walked alongside him, lamenting. ”This penniless daoist truly never expected that your sword strike wasn’t meant for the Demon Emperor. Do you really think that person is more interesting than the Demon Emperor?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master remained silent and continued walking silently.

The daoist was not angered and just said softly: ”That sword of yours is still incomplete, so you’re reluctant to use it. After all, once it’s unleashed, it will more or less be the final form. You’ve spent your whole life painstakingly honing this sword, so naturally, you want it to be the best it can be. But you’re really walking an unconventional path, your first choice for sharpening your Sword Dao is actually the strongest opponent. Do you really place so much hope in that one strike? Hoping to deliver a sword strike that has never existed before, and one that future generations will never be able to replicate?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master furrowed his brows slightly, somewhat surprised. He had not expected that this daoist, who was not even a sword cultivator, understood his ambition better than any sword cultivator in the world.

”I started researching that sword strike when I first began practicing the sword. It’s been so many years, and yet it’s still incomplete. My battle with the Demon Emperor brought it a little closer to completion, but for it to reach perfection will take more time.”

Since the daoist understood Sword Dao, and even more so, understood him, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master was willing to talk more, as a way to pass the time.

The daoist smiled and said, ”This penniless daoist would be happy to serve as the grindstone for your sword.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master laughed. ”What? You, the Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, the leader of Daoism under the heavens, aren’t afraid I’ll kill you with one sword strike?”

The Infatuation Daoist Temple Master replied, ”This penniless daoist has always known you don’t think much of my combat skills.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not deny it, simply saying, ”If I were to fight you, I’d rather go to Deercry Monastery and fight that old monk, to see if his years of cultivation have truly granted him a buddha’s Golden Body.”

”The monk won’t fight you. If you insist on causing trouble for him, you’ll likely not leave Deercry Monastery alive. That old monk may not be as skilled in killing as you are, but he’s lived too long, knows too much, understands too much. Even this penniless daoist wouldn’t dare step into that temple lightly.”

The Infatuation Daoist Temple Master smiled. The affairs of the world often involved just two or three people, yet even those two or three could be too many.

The two continued traveling together, eventually reaching a commandery city. They went up a restaurant, chose a seat by the window, and ordered some wine along with a few small dishes. When the waiter saw their attire, he was initially a bit dissatisfied. But fearing the temple master’s daoist status, he said nothing more.

If the waiter had known who these two actually were, he probably would not have even dared to breathe too loudly.

The Temple Master could represent the entire daoist lineage of the world, and while the Sword Sect’s Sect Master could not represent all sword cultivators, his cultivation realm was high enough that he had the qualifications to sit at the same table as the Temple Master.

”Some things, when kept hidden for too long, lose their original meaning when finally spoken. If you want something from me, now is the time to say it. If you hold it in any longer, I might lose interest in hearing it,” the Sword Sect’s Sect Master said, looking at the wine cup before him. In an instant, ripples formed on the surface of the wine. Upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny flying swords clashing and battling within the cup. This level of absolute control over sword qi, there was no more than a handful of people in the world who could match it.

The Temple Master smiled and said, ”There’s a sword artifact in the Infatuation Daoist Temple. You know of it.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master was momentarily distracted. As the Dao leader in Daoism, the Infatuation Daoist Temple had a well-established inheritance and countless treasures within their sect. Yet, none of these so-called treasures held any meaning for the Sword Sect’s Sect Master. His lifelong desire was to progress ever further in Sword Dao. He just wanted the sword in his heart to be the highest in the world. Hence, aside from swords, he cared little for the things of this world. However, he had long heard of a sword artifact in the Infatuation Daoist Temple named ”Genesis.” There was no definitive consensus on which flying sword was the sharpest in the world, and the sword called Genesis was not among those discussed. Yet, it was famous for its mysteriousness. It was said that in the past, the Dao Ancestor wielded this sword and fought with many great sword immortals of the world. The Dao Ancestor was not a sword cultivator, yet he could defeat those sword immortals while wielding this sword, making its mysteries even more intriguing.

“Are you giving me this sword?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master grabbed the wine cup and downed it before saying mockingly, “Do you have the guts for that?”

As a relic of the Dao Ancestor, even with all the authority and power the Temple Master had, he would not dare easily give it away.

The Temple Master said, “Giving it to you is naturally impossible. But if you agree to one matter for me, this penniless daoist can lend it to you for a look.”

“How long would I be allowed to view it?” the Sword Sect’s Sect Master asked.

The Temple Master smiled and replied, “The sword lies with this penniless daoist. This penniless daoist can accompany you back to the Sword Sect. As for how to travel and how long, Sect Master can decide for yourself.”

“Aren’t you afraid I might take a liking to that sword artifact and claim it for myself?” The Sword Sect’s Sect Master looked at the Temple Master.

The Temple Master smiled, “Sect Master truly thinks that this penniless daoist cant fight. But even if Sect Master forcibly takes it, our Daoism would lose face, and I’m afraid that the Sword Sect might disappear from the world entirely.”

Daoist cultivators were the most numerous under the heavens, and among them, the number of powerhouses were beyond count. Even in a sect like the Sword Sect, filled with sword immortals possessing formidable killing power, if they truly angered the daoist sects, there was likely no sect in the world that could remain unshaken. Especially considering that the Sword Sect was the last remaining sect in the world composed solely of sword cultivators.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master said calmly, “If that really happens, my Sword Sect will simply side with the Great Liang.”

The Temple Master was at a loss whether to cry or laugh, “If we’re discussing business, let’s discuss it properly. Why does Sect Master always want to flip the table?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master gave a faint smile.

The Temple Master did not mind. He merely dipped his finger in some of the wine and wrote a few characters on the table.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master was expressionless as he looked at the words. Then, he fell into deep thought.

The Temple Master was not in a hurry and slowly sipped his wine.

No one knew how much time had passed, but the wine stains on the table had dried by the time the Sword Sect’s Sect Master finally spoke. “The price you’re asking is so high, yet you only want this little in return. I’m curious, what exactly are you thinking?”

The Temple Master replied, “I’m naturally thinking that I must seal the deal, so even if I take a loss, I’ll take the loss.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Show me the sword.”

That meant he had agreed.

The Temple Master smiled faintly and waved his hand. A seemingly ordinary peachwood sword appeared just outside the window.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master looked over solemnly, his expression becoming peculiar.