Martial Cultivator

Originally, he had made up his mind to properly watch his own teacher’s unmatched bearing, but what Liu Banbi did not expect next was that the battlefield between the two quickly left the area and went off to some unknown distant place.

Although Liu Banbi felt some regret, he also knew full well that the most important thing now was to confirm his little junior sister’s safety, so he hurried toward the bottom of the valley.

But just as he had gotten up, Xie Nandu had already appeared. This female sword cultivator, who had suffered a strike from the demon lord, slowly returned to the mountaintop. Her face was somewhat pale, but her movements were unhindered.

Liu Banbi was first stunned, but then immediately understood the reason and sighed, “All thanks to that stinking brat.”

Xie Nandu nodded. When a demon lord made a move against her, without any accident, she would certainly have died. But fortunately, she had a suit of armor on her body. It had originally been obtained from overseas by the Great Liang Emperor and given to his nephew. After that young man received the armor, he immediately had Song Lian deliver it to the Northern Frontier and place it into Xie Nandu’s hands.

If Chen Chao had not been so insistent back then, and had instead waited until their next meeting to give this Skyglow Armor to Xie Nandu, then today she would likely have been unable to escape this calamity.

Liu Banbi took a deep breath and used sword qi to nourish the many acupoints within his body, then asked curiously, “Little Junior Sister, do you know that person’s origin?”

Xie Nandu nodded. “I heard Teacher mention it just now. It’s that demon lord White Jing. Back then, the great sword immortal Zhao Wuyan, with a single man and a single sword, killed his way into the demon domain. It is said he slew many great demons and demon lords. The demon domain fell into some chaos and urgency, and regarded it as a humiliation. Later, White Jing went south from the demon domain and used the same methods to kill many human powerhouses, even wiping out Great Sword Immortal Zhao’s sect. After that, there was no more news of that demon lord. After so many years, I didn’t expect that his reappearance would be to kill a weak woman like me.”

Hearing her call herself a weak woman, Liu Banbi felt a trace of amusement, thinking that if someone like his little junior sister counted as a weak woman, then there was probably no one in the world who wasn’t.

“But the funniest thing is that even a so-called weak woman like little junior sister couldn’t be killed by that demon lord.”

Liu Banbi narrowed his eyes. Although there was the reason of the skyglow Armor, this was still an undeniable fact.

“Many thanks, Senior Brother.”

Xie Nandu glanced at Liu Banbi. She knew very clearly that if not for her Senior Brother making a move and buying time, her teacher would not have arrived in time.

In other words, without Liu Banbi, after realizing that one strike could not kill Xie Nandu, that demon lord would definitely have attacked again and completely killed her here.

With that Skyglow Armor, she might have been able to withstand a few more strikes from a demon lord, but Xie Nandu’s realm was too low, and it was inevitable that White Jing would eventually break through the armor.

“It can also be considered a blessing in disguise. After that brief exchange with him, that already somewhat loosened realm has loosened even more. Now I’ve already placed one foot before the end of Nepenthe. Once I return to the city walls and go into seclusion for a time, the next time I escort Junior Sister, I’ll have more confidence.”

Liu Banbi smiled slightly, but then mocked himself, “In earlier years I also considered myself a genius. I thought that although I took up the sword halfway, among this generation of sword cultivators I shouldn’t have any opponents. But I didn’t expect that Yu Xiyi had already broken through the end of Nepenthe some time ago. One step slow, every step slow.”

All cultivators in the world have pride, but sword cultivators even more so.

Like Liu Banbi, who for many years in the Northern Frontier had slain demons and walked the path of nurturing the sword through killing, the most dangerous path, which by all logic should also bring the greatest gains. Yet he had not expected that he would actually lose to Yu Xiyi, who was younger than him.

He still remembered that back in the desolate north, when he met Yu Xiyi, that fellow had called him “senior” over and over, extremely enthusiastically. The next time they met, if he had not broken through this realm and become a great sword immortal, what face would he have left to brag and joke with him?

Xie Nandu glanced at Liu Banbi and consoled him, “I heard that Zhu Xia of the Myriad Heaven Palace has already reached Nepenthe and become a daoist sage. Aren’t I still just an ordinary cultivator? Senior Brother, why rush over a moment’s gain or loss? The Great Dao is long. Walk it slowly; victory and defeat are uncertain.”

“And you as well. If you put more of your mind into cultivation, how could your progress be this slow? You need to take it more seriously. To give the most practical example, he is already a martial artist at the end of Nepenthe. Taking one more step, he will reach Fuyun and live for many years. If you cannot reach the same realm in the end, the two of you will part.”

That the realm above the end of Nepenthe is Fuyun was no longer any secret.

Moreover, the currently confirmed Fuyun Realm cultivators numbered only two: one was the supreme Demon Emperor of the demon race, and the other was the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

In fact, many in the cultivation world felt some regret. If not for everything that had happened, there would likely be two more Fuyun cultivators today.

The Great Liang Emperor and Daoist Wuyang.

Although the world did not know their exact realms, everyone was certain that given enough time, they would have been able to reach that level.

But unfortunately, both of them were no longer around.

Xie Nandu looked at Liu Banbi and was just about to speak when Liu Banbi suddenly cried out. It turned out he had been struck with a knuckle rap.

The Academy Dean returned here, glanced toward the valley floor. The battle over there had already ended, and the frontier cavalry were cleaning up the battlefield.

Liu Banbi rubbed his head and carefully sized up his teacher. After a long while, he cautiously asked, “Teacher, did you win?”

Unsurprisingly, the moment he asked this question, he received another knuckle rap from the Dean. The Dean sneered, “Great Sword Immortal Liu, do you think I’m like you? Training the sword for so many years only to end up as some worthless sword immortal?”

Liu Banbi gave a bitter smile and said nothing. His teacher was good in every way, except that he held grudges. Although he had already forgiven him in his heart for switching to sword practice, he would still bring it up from time to time.

And when he spoke of it, there was no holding back at all.

Liu Banbi said with a grin, “Give me some time, and this student will go to the demon domain and bring back the Demon Emperor’s head for you.”

The Academy Dean nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, “Good, good. If you, Great Sword Immortal Liu, have that ability, that would truly be impressive. I’m just afraid that when you really meet the Demon Emperor, you won’t even be able to deliver a single sword strike.”

Calling him “great sword immortal” again and again, yet every sentence was full of mockery.

Liu Banbi had no way to continue and looked toward his Junior Sister for help.

Xie Nandu understood and then said softly with a smile, “Teacher has worked hard.”

Hearing his last disciple speak, the Academy Dean finally showed a trace of a smile on his face. He waved his hand and said, “Just an ordinary flood dragon, nothing serious. It’s only because you’re fine. Otherwise, your teacher would definitely have skinned that white flood dragon and pulled out its tendons.”

Liu Banbi asked curiously, “Teacher, you didn’t manage to kill that demon lord?”

The Academy Dean shot Liu Banbi an annoyed glance, as if blaming this disciple for lacking tact. “That white flood dragon has so many life-preserving methods, how could it be so easy to kill? Your teacher isn’t a sword immortal, I’m not skilled at fighting, letting him escape is nothing strange.”

The Academy Dean kept a straight face and spoke word by word, but no matter how one looked at it, his expression seemed a bit off. Liu Banbi, for his part, did not dare to say anything further, lest he be scolded again.

Instead, Xie Nandu quickly smiled and said, “Teacher still has kindness in his heart.”

Hearing this, the Academy Dean was very satisfied. That’s right, that’s how it should be. Look at this little disciple of mine, speaks with exactly the right words. How could you, this bloody Liu Banbi, compare?

The corners of Liu Banbi’s mouth twitched. Kindness in his heart, this way of putting it... among all his teacher’s many disciples, probably only two people could say that against their conscience.

Aside from his little junior sister, it would be that fellow surnamed Zhou from earlier years, the one who could shamelessly flatter teacher every single time.

The key was that their teacher, the leader of the scholars under heaven, seemed to enjoy it every time.

That was something Liu Banbi could never understand.

What he understood even less was how that Zhou fellow, who had always been slick-tongued since early on, had actually broken through earlier than him and stepped into the end of Nepenthe.

A Confucian Saint acting like this? Liu Banbi truly could not bear to watch.

Xie Nandu asked, “Teacher, how is Senior Brother Wei now?”

Xie Nandu naturally knew that the Academy Dean was willing to remain in the Northern Frontier not only to atone on Wei Xu’s behalf, but also because Wei Xu was certainly there.

“That foolish boy is sometimes clear-headed, sometimes muddled, but most of the time muddled. He’s drawn a boundary and imprisoned himself within it. I think in this lifetime, it will be very hard for him to step out.”

Speaking of Wei Xu, the Academy Dean could not help but sigh. Among his disciples, although Wei Xu was not the most intelligent nor the most talented, he had been the one who accompanied him the longest.

In those years when the other disciples around him had either left or passed away, it was Wei Xu who, day after day, stayed with him in that academy.

The Academy Dean sighed and became somewhat sorrowful.

Time had passed and circumstances had changed.

The disciples had all grown up.

The Academy Dean suddenly joked with a smile, “Xie girl, when exactly is that brat planning to send a betrothal gift to the Xie Family? That brat now has achievements and has power, could it be that he has changed his heart?”

Xie Nandu merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

Hearing his little junior sister mention Wei Xu, Liu Banbi could not help but recall the earlier years. Back then, he had not yet gone to practice the sword, that Zhou fellow had not hidden away in that remote place, and Wei Xu was just a quiet young man who did not like to talk much.

And that Su Yi, his skill at chess had been quite ordinary at the time.

As for that young man who had not yet become an official, he simply liked wearing red robes.

At that time, they would occasionally gather in the teacher’s residence, some playing chess, some reading, some chatting idly.

But from when did it become impossible to gather like that again?

Was it when he stubbornly believed studying was useless and insisted on practicing the sword?

Or when that Zhou fellow was swept into that matter?

Was it when Wei Xu felt he should become the next Academy Dean?

Was it when Su Yi became the Imperial Go Advisor?

Was it when that man finally became an official?

......

......

It seemed like none of those.

It seemed it was simply that, without realizing it, everyone had grown up.