Chapter 392: Like Jade in the Fields

“You’re courting death!” The person stomped down hard, grinding their foot into Wei Yuan several times. Wei Yuan didn’t feel humiliated, only a bit embarrassed.

Seeing that Wei Yuan remained unmoved, a pale blue immortal sword thrust into the ground right next to his face, its sword qi slicing off several strands of his hair.

Wei Yuan wasn’t afraid, though. He merely asked, “Why don’t we have a proper talk first?”

Wei Yuan tried to turn around, but the foot pressing down on him increased its strength and pinned him back to the ground. The person warned, “Do not turn around!”

Wei Yuan remarked, “You’re not a member of the Xu Clan.”

The person replied, “What difference does it make whether I’m from the Xu Clan or not? Besides, how do you know I’m not? I actually am!”

“Impossible. The Xu Clan’s hereditary sword techniques are far superior to yours.”

The person’s breathing grew slightly ragged, and they said coldly, “Since you’re so determined to die, I’ll grant you your wish!”

They drew their immortal sword and thrust it toward Wei Yuan’s back. The blade pierced the flesh without resistance, but came to a sudden halt upon touching his ribs. Just then, Wei Yuan’s body suddenly flattened by half, then slid horizontally along the ground to avoid the immortal sword, and sprang back up in an instant!

Standing behind Wei Yuan was a woman in white, with arched eyebrows and phoenix eyes. Three flickering star-like marks glimmered at the corners of her eyes. Apart from that, she wore no other adornments.

The woman clearly wasn’t expecting Wei Yuan to escape in such a manner. In her shock, she saw Wei Yuan charge straight at her!

It was a charge that looked like it could have shifted tectonic plates or toppled Mount Buzhou[1], and the two of them were simply too close for the woman to draw her sword in time. Suddenly, an immortal maiden wielding a sword appeared above her head, exuding not a trace of secular aura. Countless blue silk ribbons descended from her blade, wrapping around the woman and pulling her backward. Despite Wei Yuan’s full-force charge, he couldn’t even touch her!

However, just then, a towering warrior and a scholar appeared behind the woman, both wearing blank expressions. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder to form a wall.

The woman slammed violently into the wall. Then, she saw Wei Yuan’s massive form hurtling toward her like a mountain!

The entire central peak seemed to tremble.

The warrior and the scholar vanished as quietly as they had arrived, coming and going without leaving so much as a wisp of cloud behind.

The sword-wielding immortal maiden in the sky flickered in and out of view. Her hands seemed to be trembling.

Wei Yuan supported the woman, helping her settle slowly into a chair, and smiled gently. “Have a seat, and please, calm down.”

The woman bit her lower lip hard and furrowed her brow tightly, glancing up at Wei Yuan. In that instant, she looked so beautiful a painter would have loved to paint her.

Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and she was clutching Wei Yuan’s sleeve tightly with one hand. If she hadn’t, she would likely have slumped forward in the chair. After all, her Avatar had nearly dissipated—that was how hard he had slammed into her[2].

Wei Yuan settled into the chair opposite her before lifting a teacup and took a sip. He then waited patiently for her to recover.

The woman slowly straightened her back, but midway through, she swayed again and was forced to slow down. It took her another moment before she finally caught her breath and ground out two words through clenched teeth. “Cheater!”

Wei Yuan gave her a small smirk. “I told you you would lose if this was a life-and-death battle. Besides, any means are fair game in a fight to the death, no?”

“Is that so? I shouldn’t have held back just now and just cut you down from the very beginning!”

“You’re the one who launched a sneak attack at the start. That isn’t very honorable either, is it?”

By now, the woman had finally recovered enough to say in a cool tone, “I just wanted to see how capable you really are, since you’ve been spouting such arrogant boasts.”

“And what arrogant boasts have I been spouting, exactly?”

“Didn’t you say that the Xu Clan’s Avatars are all garbage?”

Wei Yuan nodded. “I did say that, but you’re not a member of the Xu Clan. What does it have to do with you?”

“I’m not sticking up for them; I just wanted to see how capable the man who dared to make such a statement, to dare to look down on all Avatars under heaven, really is.”

Wei Yuan wanted to defend himself, but she cut him off. “No need to explain. By looking down on the Xu Clan, you are essentially looking down on all Avatars in the world.”

Wei Yuan sighed and said, “Well, you've already tested my abilities, so let’s end things here, shall we?”

She replied coldly, “You merely took advantage of my compassion to win a single round. Do you really think you’re my match?”

Wei Yuan said indifferently, “If you think you’re so formidable, then we can go again. I dare you to fight me without using the sword. In exchange, I won’t use one hand.”

The woman was so enraged that her breathing grew heavy again, and her chest heaved. She instinctively tried to bite her lower lip but barely managed to restrain herself at the last second and replied as nonchalantly as possible, “We swordsmen live by the sword. If the sword lives, so do we; if the sword perishes, so do we! How could I possibly lay down my sword?”

Wei Yuan snorted derisively and said, “So many words, but they all mean the same thing: without your sword, you’re no good at fighting. I’ll say it again: if you’ve got what it takes, then fight me hand-to-hand. For this fight, I won’t be using a hand and a leg. If you don’t have what it takes, then get out of here and don’t show your face in front of me again!”

Rage surged through the woman as she leaped to her feet. “I’m a sword cultivator!”

The next moment, she realized she’d lost her composure, clenched her teeth, and said, “The way of the sword lies in purity and perfection! No matter how weak my body may be, it’s more than enough to kill you.”

“Fight me hand-to-hand if you dare.”

“I can give you a three-sword-strike handicap—”

“Fight me hand-to-hand if you dare.”

“If I lose, I’ll give you—”

“Fight me hand-to-hand if you dare.”

No matter what she said after that, Wei Yuan simply repeated that one phrase over and over again. Throughout the exchange, he even sipped his tea leisurely while looking as steady as an old dog.

Eventually, the only words echoing in the woman’s ears were “hand-to-hand.” She was so angry that her vision went dark.

Unable to bear it any longer, she gritted her teeth and said, “Next time I come back, I swear I’ll take your dog's life without mercy!”

The sword-wielding immortal maiden reappeared, and the woman leaped onto her flying sword, soaring into the sky.

Wei Yuan set down his teacup and sighed. “What a lack of manners. She must be from some fourth-tier sect.”

Just then, a speck of starlight suddenly erupted before him, dazzling and brilliant. From within the starlight came the woman’s voice, gritted with fury: “I am Shangguan Qianmo of the Sword Palace!”

Once he was certain that the woman had left, Wei Yuan went to the merit hall to retrieve all the records on the Sword Palace, then pored over them carefully.

Despite how he treated the woman, Wei Yuan actually had a rather favorable impression of the Sword Palace. After all, when the Great Karmic Curse struck that day, only one Immortal Lord from the Sword Palace had intervened from afar. That was why he had refrained from killing the woman upon discovering her background, content to merely tease her a little.

Now that he knew her name, he naturally had to look up her records. It was purely to know his opponent; he had no other ulterior motives.

Wei Yuan soon found Shangguan Qianmo’s name. The entry read: “Shangguan Qianmo possesses a Natural Formless Sword Body. Her Dao Foundation is one of the Seven Guardian Immortal Swords of the Sword Palace, Blooming Flower on the Path. It had taken her fifteen years to become an Avatar. Her sword is supremely pure, formless and traceless, making it difficult to defend against. She is gentle, aloof, and unconcerned with worldly strife.”

Wei Yuan was skeptical upon seeing the adjectives “gentle” and “aloof.” Judging from their brief interaction just now, the young woman had quite the fiery temper and was anything but aloof.

Shangguan Qianmo’s appearance served as a wake-up call for Wei Yuan. It was clear to him now that his earlier remark had produced unforeseen consequences. He suspected that Shangguan Qianmo wasn’t the only one who had taken a dislike to him recently. That baffling little monk from a few days ago could very well have shown up for the same reason.

After reviewing the Sword Palace’s records, Wei Yuan took the opportunity to exchange for more information on the other immortal sects and the top-ranked grotto-heavens. He would like to find out exactly how many more were liable to pay him a suicide visit.

The next day was the day the fourth batch of the Dao Foundation class attempted to forge their Dao Foundations. Wei Yuan was busy all day long, working from early morning until late and night, before he finally managed to get this batch all set up.

This time, 40 out of 500 Cui clansmen successfully forged their Dao Foundations, with most choosing the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword, in all three colors. It couldn’t be helped; the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword’s appearance was simply too impressive. If one were to judge it solely by its brilliance rather than its spirit qi, then some people would even believe it to be an immortal sword.

Among the 200 Qingming cultivators, 30 successfully forged their Dao Foundations. Their choices were more diverse than the Cui clansmen; aside from the Immortal Sword Fake Sun, three individuals successfully cultivated the Natural Recovery Water, which delighted Sun Yu to no end. Qingming cultivators generally cared less about aesthetics and more about practicality: they would practice any Dao Foundation that made it easier for them to find employment.

As for the 800 Dao Soldiers, 130 of them managed to achieve their Dao Foundations in one go, even though the vast majority of them had chosen to cultivate the flying sword Dao Foundation, and one individual even managed to cultivate as many as eleven of them. Although the flying sword Dao Foundation was unremarkable in terms of appearance, they were exceptionally well-suited for battle formations and slaughter when paired with specialized guns. They were even significantly more powerful than the Immortal Sword Fake Sun. In terms of combat power alone, they already approached the level of an Earth-tier Dao Foundation. With this, Wei Yuan had successfully fulfilled his obligations to the Palace of Absolute Beginning.

Wei Yuan ordered his men to urgently produce a batch of flying sword guns specifically for the Dao Soldiers. They would return to the sect as soon as the weapons were ready.

Two days later, the Cui Clan’s flying vessel arrived to pick their members up.

Wei Yuan sought out Cui Yu and said, “We’re going to the Cui Clan, so let’s ride on this ship.”

Cui Yu, having only recently stabilized his Dao Foundation, felt a twinge of worry and uncertainty. He said hesitantly, “I really don’t feel confident about this.”

Wei Yuan grinned. “As long as there are no restrictions on the mystic artifacts, it shouldn’t be too hard for you, right? If you’re truly not confident, then I’ll berate him on your behalf until he agrees.”

Cui Yu threw Wei Yuan a glare and said, “I don’t need your help to issue a challenge!”

But he immediately lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “His strength might be on par with Xiao Yu’s. Are you sure I can do it?”

Wei Yuan leaned close to his ear and whispered as well. “Here’s what we’ll do: First, you’ll... then, you’ll... and then, you....”

After Wei Yuan was finished, Cui Yu exclaimed in a shocked voice, “Isn’t that a bit... brutal?”

“A lion must use its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.”

Cui Yu hesitated, but eventually agreed.

Prior to leaving, Wei Yuan briefly briefed everyone on the matters concerning the realm. Then, he gathered a small squad of soldiers and boarded the flying vessel bound for the Cui Clan estate alongside Cui Yu.

Commandery seat, Anxi Commandery, State of Zhao.

The Old Lady stood before a small tree, intently pruning its branches and leaves. An elderly servant hurried over and said, “Ancestor, the flying vessel bound for Qingming has returned. This time, Young Master Cui and Military Commissioner Wei have returned together.”

The Old Lady’s pruning knife paused briefly. Then, she resumed trimming a slightly damaged leaf. With every stroke of her knife, she would remove a fine thread almost invisible to the naked eye. Judging by this single leaf alone, it seemed the pruning would take several days to complete.

The old servant continued, “This time, Young Master Cui did not give advance notice, nor are there any special matters within the clan that would require him to return. Qingming recently fought another battle against the Mountain Dwellers, so military affairs should be particularly busy right now.”

The Old Lady replied calmly, “If you have something to say, just say it.”

The old servant said, “In this servant’s opinion, Young Master Tianli’s attempt to subdue Young Master Cui last time has already enraged Military Commissioner Wei. Considering their sudden return, they’re probably preparing to take action against him.”

“How do you think they’ll go about it?”

The old servant replied, “Wei Yuan has officially begun to cultivate an aura of invincibility. It so happens that Young Master Tianli is also doing so in secret. If Wei Yuan were to issue an official challenge against him, I’m afraid Young Master Tianli will have no choice but to accept it.”

The Old Lady paused her work and asked, “Are you worried that Tianli will lose?”

The old servant hesitated for a moment before replying, “I have observed Wei Yuan, and his cultivation is nothing like what it was before. Forgive my frankness, but I fear Young Master Tianli... is bound to lose, and in a way that will most likely affect his Dao heart.”

The Old Lady looked a little surprised. “Wei Yuan has already become this strong?”

“He can only be stronger than this old servant’s estimations.”

The Old Lady remained silent for a moment before resuming her pruning. “Very well. Let the younger generation settle their own disputes.”

The old servant was taken aback. “What if Wei Yuan really does challenge Young Master Tianlin? Are we just going to ignore it?”

The Old Lady replied calmly, “Those capable of achieving great things cannot be measured solely by their cultivation. The ability to leverage circumstances is also crucial. You all favor Tianlin and show him all sorts of preferential treatment, going so far as to turn a blind eye on him seizing resources from other branches of the clan. However, the fact that Yu’er was able to get Wei Yuan to travel all the way to the Cui Clan to stand up for him and compete—isn’t that a sign of his ability as well? You all may have underestimated Yu’er’s capabilities.

“Let this matter run its course. As elders, it is inappropriate for us to interfere with the younger generation’s business too much. Besides, in a clan as big as ours, we can’t always expect harmony. To rise to the top, one must always compete. No matter how the competition plays out, the one who stands until the very end is worthy[3].”

With a sharp swish, the Old Lady sliced off the leaf she had been trimming for a long time and casually tossed it to the ground.

1. Mount Buzhou (不周山 lit. "Unrevolving Mountain") was an ancient Chinese mythological mountain which, according to old texts, lay to the northwest of the Kunlun Mountains, in a location today referred to as the Pamir Mountains. It is the mountain said to have supported the heavens, against which the Chinese water god Gonggong smashed his head in a fit of anger, requiring the goddess Nüwa to repair the sky. Nevertheless, once the spacer between the Earth and Sky was damaged, the land of China was permanently tilted to the southeast, causing all the rivers to flow in that same direction. ☜

2. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I love this author. And myself, for being to translate all these innuendos of course. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ☜

3. I wonder how many people will admit this in their lives, even if just privately. ☜