Martial Cultivator

With nothing else to do, Chen Chao sat idly under the eaves, peeling away the paint coating on a pillar. The pillar was rather pitiful, it had only a small patch of peeling paint at first, but under Chen Chao's relentless picking, more than half of its paint coating had fallen off by now.

Staring at the smooth wood beneath the lacquer, Chen Chao said emotionally, “It reminds me of something. When I left Sword Qi Mountain, I brought back some bamboo. Those bamboos were quite interesting. When the wind blew through them, they made a crisp, pleasant sound. I originally thought of building you a bamboo house, but too many things came up, so it got delayed. Where do you think would be a good place to build it?”

With the power of the Xie Family, other than the Imperial City, there would be no problem acquiring a piece of land anywhere else in the Divine Capital.

Xie Nandu replied, “The green bamboo from Sword Qi Mountain is said to be ideal for crafting sword sheaths, and ordinary sword cultivators treat it as a treasure. You'd use it to build a house?”

Chen Chao countered, “Why not? But really, I noticed there was a lot of green bamboo on Sword Qi Mountain. With new bamboo growing every year, if they truly made them available for sword cultivators to use for sheaths, I'd guess it would satisfy at least 50% to 60% of them. It's just that they don't want to share.”

“In this world, rarity doesn't always depend on quantity, but rather on how few people have the means to acquire it.”

Xie Nandu said calmly, “Much like how a teacher takes on disciples, if they accepted everyone, it wouldn't seem so precious.”

Chen Chao sighed, “Fine, I can't win in an argument with you. Whatever you say goes.”

Xie Nandu laughed, “It's because the reasoning is sound that you can't win. How did it end up sounding like I'm twisting logic to win an argument?”

Chen Chao frowned slightly, recalling something, and asked, "That night, when your Xie Family’s ancestor took a stand so quickly, I've thought it over, and it just doesn't seem right. Given the type of shrewd person he is, he shouldn't have taken a stance so early. Could it be he knew in advance that His Majesty wouldn't lose that night?"

These influential families and clans, the family heads of those who did not take a position that night were not necessarily without allegiance. They had managed to endure for generations by relying on sharp insight and a keen understanding of situations, refraining from taking sides before things were clear.

The Xie Family taking a stand that night so quickly was indeed rather amiss.

Xie Nandu replied, “Sometimes, you have to take a gamble.”

Chen Chao frowned, “Is it really that simple?”

Xie Nandu shook her head, “Do you know how many people the Xie Family has? What they have to do every day is to calculate the outcomes of every choice the Xie Family might make.”

Chen Chao clicked his tongue, “That's a tough job.”

Xie Nandu extended her hand, “Give me the green bamboo, I'll find a place for it myself. You're such a busy person, where would you find the time?”

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow, “How did you know I was about to leave the Divine Capital?”

Xie Nandu replied calmly, “After meeting so many remarkable big shots, how much longer do you intend to stay in the Great Beyond Realm?”

"I've only been cultivating for a few years," Chen Chao said. "What's the rush?"

Xie Nandu looked at him and shook her head.

Chen Chao sighed, "I still can't hide things from you. I keep feeling that my uncle..."

He wanted to speak, but held himself back.

Xie Nandu did not say anything.

Chen Chao continued, "I'm planning to go to Deercry Monastery to listen to some Buddhist teachings, see if I can resolve my heart demon."

"I’ve told you before, heart demons are born from within. No one but yourself can help you," Xie Nandu said calmly. "Most likely, you'll be going for nothing."

Chen Chao chuckled and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Besides, it's keeping a promise. An old monk once invited me to visit if I had the time, so I'll take the chance to lay low for a while."

"Want to come with me?"

Chen Chao smiled at Xie Nandu, "Seems like you don't have much to do here in the Divine Capital anyway."

Xie Nandu shook her head, "I need to calm my mind and nurture my swords. And what do you mean, I have nothing to do in the Divine Capital?"

Chen Chao clicked his tongue in approval, "Single-minded cultivation, aiming to reach the realm of a female sword immortal soon?"

Xie Nandu smiled and did not speak.

Chen Chao sighed, "Then I'll just have to enter Nepenthe."

Xie Nandu said softly, "A Nepenthe in his early twenties."

Chen Chao laughed, "It's nothing impressive, but it's indeed a little faster than these so-called geniuses nowadays."

"Don’t be so smug, sooner or later, you'll be defeated by me."

Xie Nandu looked at him. "You only started cultivating a bit earlier than I did."

The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched, at a loss for a reply.

He did not take this seriously.

Xie Nandu said, "When I enter Nepenthe, I'll reward you with a thousand swords."

……

……

Before Yu Xiyi left that small town, the obsession in his heart dissolved, and he indeed stepped into the Nepenthe Realm, becoming a sword immortal in the true sense.

Speaking of the most talented person of this generation in the Sword Sect, he had already entered the eyes of countless people years ago when he took the Hundred Year Sword, Wild Grass, from Sword Qi Mountain. When people learned that this sword cultivator was from Sword Sect, many were certain he would definitely enter the Nepenthe Realm, becoming yet another sword immortal in the world.

But no one expected that this young genius, with such promising prospects, would end up trapped in place, unable to advance.

After learning that Yu Xiyi's sealed memories had resurfaced, many of Sword Sect's seniors already lost hope that he would ever reach the Nepenthe Realm. Yet, with Yu Xiyi's recent return to Sword Sect, they finally realized that this young man before them had already stepped into the sword immortal realm.

For a time, the entire Sword Sect was shocked.

In the world of cultivators, most understand one key point: in cultivation, accumulating qi and comprehending magic spells are secondary. The most crucial aspect was still the heart.

The heart was the foundation of cultivation.

No matter the speed of one's cultivation, regardless of talent, what mattered most was the state of mind.

Back then, when Yu Xiyi's mental state plummeted, it was widely believed that no matter how talented he was, he would not be fated to reach the sword immortal realm. But now, with his state of mind restored, he was able to instantly break free from his shackles and step into the sword immortal realm.

This also illustrated the importance of one's state of mind.

To celebrate Yu Xiyi’s breakthrough in becoming yet another sword immortal in the history of the Sword Sect, every sword cultivator in the sect who was not in closed-seclusion gathered that night to congratulate him. Among the attendees, there were still two or three sword cultivators in the sword immortal realm.

This night's banquet was one of the few grand gatherings Sword Sect had held in recent years.

By midnight, most of the sword cultivators had dispersed. An elderly sword immortal with a head full of white hair approached Yu Xiyi, wine jug in hand, and asked with a smile, “Can you still drink?”

Yu Xiyi who was already somewhat intoxicated looked at the elderly sword immortal before him. His gaze instantly cleared, and he said in disbelief, “Martial Uncle Qiu?!”

The elderly sword immortal was none other than Qiu Wanli, a martial uncle that Yu Xiyi was extremely close to. He was his master's junior brother and the last disciple of Yu Xiyi's grandmaster. Yu Xiyi's master's generation had many fellow disciples, about seven or eight who truly trained under the same master back then. But as time passed, only this one remained.

Even Yu Xiyi's own master was no longer in this world.

This old sword immortal called Qiu Wanli was exceptionally gifted. He reached the sword immortal realm in his thirties and swiftly advanced from there. By the time he reached the realm of knowing heavenly fate, he had already glimpsed the end of Nepenthe; just a step away from the great sword immortal realm. Yet, despite some progress over the years, he had not been able to take that final step.

As such, he had remained in seclusion for years, rarely appearing before others.

It had been Qiu Wanli himself who personally sealed Yu Xiyi's memories back then.

Qiu Wanli tossed the wine jug aside, then pulled out another jug, sat down next to Yu Xiyi, and looked up at the bright moon in the night sky. He said calmly, “Honestly speaking, when I sealed your memories back then, I figured you'd probably never have a chance to step into this realm in your lifetime. It troubled me quite a bit. Master took in seven or eight disciples, but among us, none of the disciples we accepted have amounted to much. Only you showed some promise. If you couldn't make it, our lineage would've lost face completely.”

Yu Xiyi smiled bitterly and said, “I've brought shame to you, Martial Uncle.”

Qiu Wanli shook his head. “If anyone's to be shamed, it's me first.”

As the last sect in the world devoted solely to sword cultivators, the Sword Sect's root system was complicated, with many sword immortals passing down their own traditions, each generation forming distinct branches.

In Yu Xiyi's lineage, nearly every generation had produced a great sword immortal, but in Qiu Wanli's generation, he was the one with the highest cultivation level.

Yet, he had not stepped into that realm too.

A lineage's rise and fall can depend on just one or two outstanding generations.

“But you've rebuilt yourself from the ground up. Your future achievements are destined to surpass your martial uncle's.” Qiu Wanli looked at Yu Xiyi, nodding in satisfaction. “The glory of this lineage likely relies on you.”

Yu Xiyi said softly, “This disciple is unworthy.”

Qiu Wanli patted Yu Xiyi on the shoulder, smiling warmly. “A trip to the Northern Frontier has tempered your temperament a bit, that's a good thing. But being too humble isn't great either. Tell martial uncle, what did you gain from your journey north?”

Qiu Wanli took a sip of wine and savored its taste before nodding in satisfaction.

After a brief silence, Yu Xiyi asked, “Martial Uncle, we practice the sword, become sword immortals, even great sword immortals, what’s the point of it all?”

Qiu Wanli was taken aback, not expecting this question from the young man before him.

“At the pinnacle of Sword Dao, the view is magnificent. Isn't it worth seeing?”

At this point, Qiu Wanli suddenly laughed, “You already have an answer in your heart, so why ask me?”

Yu Xiyi nodded and, not holding anything back from his martial uncle, and said, “Sect Master he...”

Before he could finish, Qiu Wanli shook his head and said softly, “Don't speak of it.”

Yu Xiyi had a puzzled look.

Qiu Wanli said gently, “There are countless paths in the way of the sword, like rivers that diverge, each leading to a different destination. How can one say which is right or wrong?”

Yu Xiyi did not speak and just remained silent.

Qiu Wanli advised, “A sword has its weight. Wait for the right time, there's no need to rush.”

Yu Xiyi then asked, “Is the Sect Master still in seclusion?”

Qiu Wanli did not answer, but his gaze grew tender as he looked at Yu Xiyi before him.