Martial Cultivator

The battle in the sky, Yu Xiyi grew more and more unrestrained. Everything he had learned throughout his life was on full display. Sword qi surged wildly across the sky, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, creating a scene unlike any other.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master never once held a so-called flying sword, relying solely on his own sword qi as he fought the young sword immortal before him. Yet after half an hour, he finally admitted to himself that this young sword immortal, whom he had once admired but not truly respected, had now reached a height almost unmatched among sword immortals within Nepenthe Realm.

At the Sect Master’s level, he no longer compared himself with the sword cultivators of his own era. The question was no longer who was the strongest of the present age, but rather, where would one’s cultivation rank across the entire river of time in the history of sword cultivation?

Just as when the Sect Master himself reached the end of Nepenthe and became a great sword immortal, he considered himself the undisputed number one of all time among all recorded sword cultivators throughout history.

Among all sword cultivators through the ages, none in this realm were his equal.

Tracing backward, the Sect Master also believed that before reaching the end of Nepenthe, he had likewise been the strongest in every preceding realm.

Yet as he looked now at Yu Xiyi, setting aside all emotion, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master acknowledged that Yu Xiyi, within the Nepenthe Realm, could be counted among the top three sword immortals in all of history. Whether Yu Xiyi stood directly behind him or if there was another figure between them, he could not say for certain.

But no matter what, the killing power Yu Xiyi displayed at this moment was such that if the Sect Master continued to fight without drawing his sword, he might truly be defeated.

If his intention were to help the young man before him achieve his breakthrough, he could easily go along with it and offer up a symbolic defeat, which would cost him nothing. But as the Sect Master had said before, he would never act in such a manner.

Thus, with a single thought, the sound of a sword’s cry echoed from afar. A streak of sword light flashed past, and a rust-covered flying sword came to a halt before the Sect Master.

Judging by the layers of rust on its blade, the sword must have lain buried in the earth for countless years, through endless nights and days.

The Sect Master extended a finger and lightly flicked the sword.

A ripple, barely visible to the naked eye, spread outward. The rust fell away in flakes, revealing a blade as clear as still water.

At the point where the hilt met the blade, two characters were engraved:

Autumn Water.

Few in the world knew of this sword’s name, and even if some did, they likely knew nothing of its origins. In truth, this flying sword had never belonged to any great master. Its previous owner had been nothing more than an ordinary sword cultivator of the Sword Sect.

His cultivation realm had not been high; barely at the Bitter Sea Realm.

After that, he made no further progress for many years. When his lifespan ran dry, he passed away within the Sword Sect.

Later, the flying sword was kept within the sect, waiting for the next sword cultivator to claim it. Yet this sword was extraordinarily stubborn. Though its original owner had been an ordinary man, those who later chose it included many of great talent and brilliance, but it refused to leave with any of them.

Because of this, it had lain buried in the soil for countless years.

As for why the Sword Sect’s Sect Master chose to wield this sword today, the reason was simple, because that ordinary sword cultivator had once spoken a casual remark that, by chance, had benefited the Sect Master’s Sword Dao. ℞Ãɴổ฿ƐS̩

So now, by choosing this flying sword, perhaps he was repaying that old deb, settling this karma?

It was hard to say.

In any case, once the Sect Master grasped the sword, Autumn Water’s sword qi erupted. Its ringing cry filled the air without pause, and the drifting clouds of the sea of clouds all seemed to retreat into the distance, as if in fear of the sword qi emanating from the Sect Master at that moment.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not waste words. With what seemed to be a casual swing, he cut out a single sword strike. Yu Xiyi felt a dazzling brilliance surge toward him. It appeared to be only one sword light, yet after a moment, he realized it was composed of countless overlapping layers, each more intricate than the last. Even standing opposite it, Yu Xiyi could not help but feel admiration.

This effortless strike alone was enough to tell the world’s sword cultivators why the Sword Sect’s Sect Master stood at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.

However, while the strike could be called the strongest sword within the Nepenthe Realm, to Yu Xiyi, it was not insurmountable.

He tightened his grip on his flying sword, Wild Grass, and within the countless threads of sword qi, he found a narrow path. Following it, he delivered his own strike, a blow equally fierce, to meet the Sect Master’s sword.

Though Yu Xiyi might appear careless and unrestrained, he had in truth poured great effort into his cultivation over the years. Especially after learning that Chen Chao had broken through to reach the end of Nepenthe, his diligence in cultivation during that time was likely unmatched in the world.

Though both hailed from the Sword Sect, their Sword Dao paths were vastly different. Their sword qi bore almost no resemblance to each other’s.

The Sword Sect had always been this way. Though it was revered as the holy land of Sword Dao, within the sect, no one ever imposed upon another the kind of Sword Dao to pursue or the path to walk.

There were countless paths of the sword. The Sword Sect merely laid many before you, the one you chose to follow depended solely on yourself.

Hence, within the Sword Sect, it was rare for one’s Sword Dao to truly inherit another’s legacy.

Their sword qi clashed and tore through the air, each seeking to overwhelm the other. Yet it was not a one-sided battle, it went back and forth. When Yu Xiyi’s sleeve was torn by the Sect Master’s strike, he immediately retaliated with his own sword, slicing open the Sect Master’s robe in turn.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master lowered his head to glance at his torn robe. His eyes showed no trace of emotion, but neither did they hold any admiration. Since he regarded Yu Xiyi as an equal, then not to mention slicing open his robe, even if Yu Xiyi were to heavily wound him with a single sword, that too would be within reason.

As for the years that separated them, there was no need to mention them now.

The flying sword in his hand, Autumn Water, rippled like a lake stirred by wind. With a casual downward pull, a long azure line extended slowly, growing longer and longer. Moments later, it stretched over a hundred feet.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master finally spoke, his voice calm,“Yu Xiyi, aside from the two emperors, it has been many years since I have exchanged blows with anyone. Since you’ve come this far today and still refuse to stop, insisting on deciding victory and defeat, I shall grant your wish.”

At his level of cultivation, how could he not see that Yu Xiyi had already reached the threshold of breaking through? In other words, those earlier exchanges that seemed light and effortless in his eyes were already enough for Yu Xiyi to break through and become a great sword immortal.

Unfortunately, the man before him refused to stop here. Yu Xiyi insisted on fighting until the very end. Furthermore, it was not just to decide who was stronger, but to defeat him outright.

Watching that azure line stretch longer and longer, and feeling the terrifying sword qi contained within it, Yu Xiyi took a deep breath and said nothing.

He was well aware of his current state. The sword qi in his body was surging wildly, racing through his meridians faster and faster. If he waited any longer, he would truly break through his current realm and step into the end of Nepenthe, to become a true great sword immortal.

But he only suppressed the urge to break through.

Because once he did, if he were to face the Sword Sect’s Sect Master as someone newly stepped into the end of Nepenthe, he had no confidence of victory.

After all, a brand new realm required time to adapt to and master.

If one were to suddenly enter it and immediately fight, how could one possibly win?

Yu Xiyi did not think it would be easy. In fact, anyone in the world would feel the same.

And if anyone dared to speak lightly of it, Yu Xiyi would ask them: did they truly take the Sword Sect’s Sect Master for some ordinary sword immortal?

Even the words sword immortal alone implied that there was nothing ordinary about it.

Thus, Yu Xiyi could only suppress his breakthrough, choosing instead to fight freely and fiercely before it came.

At this moment, however, he truly felt an overwhelming desire to drag the Sword Sect’s Sect Master down from his lofty height.

With that thought, Yu Xiyi suddenly looked up and asked curiously, “Sect Master, after all these years of standing alone at the highest peak, aren’t you tired? Don’t you ever find it dull?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not answer this question. He only waved his sleeve, and after that azure line had extended long enough, it began to widen in breadth, then became extremely thick, as if standing upright between heaven and earth.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master glanced at that sword qi, seeming somewhat dissatisfied, but in the end could only shake his head slightly. Within this Great Beyond realm, this was already the limit he could reach.

Anything more, and it would no longer be Nepenthe.

When the two fought, Yu Xiyi only needed to put his full strength into his sword, but the Sword Sect’s Sect Master still had to split his focus to control his sword qi. Once he crossed that threshold, it could actually be considered as losing to the other party.

The sword qi was formed, and the Sword Sect’s Sect Master casually waved his hand.

That thick sword qi began to move, surging from the sea of clouds toward the firmament, and in the end, in a place Yu Xiyi could not see, it suddenly fell.

It was right above Yu Xiyi’s head.

Between heaven and earth, it was as if a rainstorm of sword qi was falling.

Yu Xiyi who bore the brunt was the first to feel it. He raised his head, looked at that tyrannical and unmatched rolling sword qi, and muttered, “No wonder you’ve stood at the highest peak for so long.”

“But... that’s enough, isn’t it.”

Yu Xiyi smiled faintly. As he said this, before him, there was likewise a sword light that could be said to soar straight from the ground.

An equally thick sword qi crashed toward the firmament.

Faced with the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s sword qi, Yu Xiyi had many ways to deal with it, perhaps cleverly, perhaps by evasion. But among all those methods, not a single one was as exhilarating as this.

Head-on confrontation.

He would compete with him in whose sword dao stood higher, whose sword qi was sharper.

Only in this way, after winning, would it truly be satisfying!

And this was also the one way of fighting that the other party could find no fault with.

As for whether he would lose?

The corners of Yu Xiyi’s mouth twitched. Damn it, that man had already been invincible in that place for a lifetime; wasn’t it only natural for sword cultivators to lose to him?

But right now, Yu Xiyi truly wanted to tell them that there had never been anything in this world that was “only natural.”