First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2755 – A Martial Artists Seeks a Spar, and the Dao

Imperial Preceptor Lu Yuan had considered numerous possibilities, but he’d never considered that the people the Black Cliff Sword Sect wanted dead would be two such mysterious existences.

With a wave of his sleeves, the young man in blue called down lightning, illuminating heaven and earth!

Lu Yuan could now say with certainty that a true immortal had arrived in the mundane Huaihuang Empire!

“Nothing in this world is more terrifying than the unexpected. Who’d have thought the unexpected would really happen?” Lu Yuan sighed, then raised his hand and gazed intently at his fist. “But an opportunity to test myself against a true immortal is a blessing in its own right, is it not?”

The mighty, influential imperial preceptor of the Huaihuang Empire suddenly seemed like an altogether different person.

His gaze was cold and clear, and his presence was as steady as a mountain.

“I’m afraid to die,” said the black-robed Shen Duqiu. He looked young, but he had a head full of white hair.

He slowly straightened his back, then rubbed his cheeks. “I’m just one step away from shattering the skies and ascending. How could I possibly be willing to die now?”

“Come with me, then.” Lu Yuan turned, then took a step forward. The tyrannical power of his Martial Dao condensed into a blood-red auspicious cloud, which carried him toward the foot of the mountain.

“Very well. I’ll go with you!” Shen Duqiu suddenly blurred into a beam of light, practically teleporting toward the foot of the mountain.

Over by the sea of clouds, Xiao Zhixuan threw back his head and drank until there was nothing left. He couldn’t help but sigh.

He couldn’t help but envy the young man in blue at the foot of the mountain; his jug of wine never ran out.

…

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan floated to the ground at the foot of the mountain, sleeves billowing around him, almost like an immortal.

Shen Duqiu appeared silently not far away.

Pu Xuan examined the two of them. “Your bone structure and presence are quite rare and extraordinary.”

Climbing to the pinnacle of the Martial Dao, just one step from stepping onto the path of a true cultivator, wasn’t easy here in the mundane world. People who managed it were unquestionably capable.

The world of cultivation had never lacked geniuses, but had those geniuses been plunged into the red dust of mundanity, few would ever reach the pinnacle of the Martial Dao!

The reason was simple. The Martial Dao was about cultivating the self!

You needed immense strength of will and spirit, and you needed to temper yourself through combat. Only then could you draw closer to the peak.

There was no Grand Dao, so they couldn’t seek anything outside themselves. All they could do was excavate their latent talent.

That was a challenge that would have destroyed most of the cultivation world’s so-called peerless geniuses.

Thus, when Pu Xuan saw Lu Yuan and Shen Duqiu, he couldn’t help but feel a bit impressed.

“It’s indeed quite rare,” Su Yi said with a nod. He’d seen no small wonder of talents and geniuses, and they’d long since ceased to shock him.

However, people like Lu Yuan, Shen Duqiu, and Yun Zhao’an were conversely quite rare.

They’d managed to create a path to the peak of the Martial Dao in a place without the Grand Dao. That was fundamental proof of their mental strength, ability, and foundations.

“You exaggerate, Venerable Immortals.” Lu Yuan smiled and clasped his fist. “It was I who placed a bounty on your heads.”

He’d admitted directly, with no beating around the bush.

“Who told you to do that?” asked Su Yi.

“When you agree to work for another, loyalty is paramount,” said Lu Yuan, shaking his head. “I cannot divulge that.”

“Aren’t you afraid to die?” asked Su Yi.

Shen Duqiu suddenly said, “Yes, so all we can do is fight with all our strength to stay alive.”

Lu Yuan smiled. “I’d actually like to take this opportunity to spar with an immortal. Live or die, I’ll bear the consequences for myself. Might you enlighten me, O Venerable Immortal?”

Pu Xuan clapped and applauded. “He says he seeks a spar, but he’s obviously seeking the Dao. He wants to experience the wonders of cultivation with his mortal form. He’s got guts!”

“How about you fight him, then?” said Su Yi.

Pu Xuan hurriedly shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare to overstep!”

“Then I’ll do it,” said Su Yi.

“Many thanks!” said Lu Yuan, gratified. He then looked into the distance. “Meng Sansi, lead your people away. There’s nothing left for the Tiger Warriors to do here.”

Meng Sansi fell briefly silent, then said, “I’ll lead them further away and wait. If you survive, we’ll celebrate with you. If we die, we’ll tend to your corpse!”

With that, he waved, then led his army into the distance.

At the same time, Yun Zhao’an ordered his elites to disperse.

Before long, the area around the Mountain of Bitter Rains was all but empty.

“If you please!” said Lu Yuan. His robes billowed around him. He had the presence of a Flood Dragon emerging from an abyss, his blood and qi erupting like a volcano.

His power of the Martial Dao even shook the surrounding skies.

Su Yi put away his jug of wine. “Let us begin.”

Lu Yuan let out a burst of laughter, his eyes blazing like twin suns as he took a step forward.

His heart beat like a drum as the power of his blood and qi coursed through him. All of it gathered in his fist.

He was a martial artist seeking a fistfight. Even up against an immortal from the outside world, he was prepared to fight bravely!

When Lu Yuan threw his punch, he fought with bold momentum, as if there were nothing else in this world.

He’d kill his opponent with his bare hands, even if his opponent was an immortal from on high!

Pu Xuan’s eyes narrowed. It was just the punch of an immortal, yet it had such valiant momentum. That was truly rare.

Bang!

Wherever his fist force passed, heaven and earth swayed. The air currents exploded, as if windstorms were tearing the sky apart.

Su Yi just stood there, unmoving. He, too, couldn’t help but admire Lu Yuan’s spirit and majesty. He’d initially planned to suppress his strength and fight as a mortal of the Four Realms of the Martial Dao as a show of respect.

But when he saw this, he changed his mind. Lu Yuan wanted to fight him, heedless of life and death. He wasn’t after a spar with another warrior. Rather, he wanted to taste the Dao and experience the strength of an immortal.

Su Yi naturally wouldn’t refuse him.

Thus, he stood in place, unmoving, and let Lu Yuan’s fist slam into him. Its tyrannical fist force vanished on impact, like a clay ox dissolving into the ocean.

Su Yi didn’t even budge. No, his clothes didn’t even rustle.

Lu Yuan was stunned. He’d poured all of his strength into this attack, and he fought with the resolve to face his death. It was absolutely the strongest punch he’d ever thrown.

He was confident that he was the mightiest martial artist in the Huaihuang Empire. None could compare.

Yet now, it was as if his punch had hit nothing but air. Its force just melted, like snow melting into water, vanishing without a trace!

That empty feeling was indescribably frustrating.

But it was then that Su Yi threw a punch of his own.

It was just one light, airy punch, but it surged with the formless power of the Grand Dao.

Lu Yuan’s heart shook. He felt as if his soul were about to be torn apart.

That punch bore a hole through heaven and earth, inverting Yin and Yang, and overturning creation. It seemed intent on reducing his body, soul, and even the thoughts racing through his head into powder.

It was just too terrifying! Terrifying to the point that Lu Yuan couldn’t even begin to think of fighting it.

An indescribable bitterness welled in his heart. Who says that mortals cannot shake the heavens? Who says that mortal martial artists can only sit back and wait to die in the face of an immortal?

I refuse to accept it!

He suddenly bit through the tip of his tongue, his face hideously contorted and his eyes bloodshot. With a bestial roar, he threw another punch.

But its fist force trembled, repressed before he could fully release it. In the end, it seemed extraordinarily weak.

Lu Yuan instantly flew backward, his whole body covered with blood and his breathing shallow.

Su Yi lowered his fist.

Pu Xuan could tell that Su Yi had held back. Otherwise, Lu Yuan’s soul would have dispersed a long time ago.

Shen Duqiu watched on, his expression conflicted. Imperial Preceptor Lu Yuan lost, just like that!

“Do you want to try me too!” Su Yi looked at Shen Duqiu.

After a moment’s silence, Shen Duqiu said, “I’ll try it! It’s fine even if you beat me to death!”

He raised his head, his gaze calm, then leaped forward, blurring through the air like lightning. He swung his palm like a knife, pouring all of his strength into his attack.

Shen Duqiu’s was even more ferocious than Lu Yuan’s. When he attacked, he directly activated a forbidden technique, sacrificing his strength to unleash his latent potential.

He left himself no escape route. This was a fight to the death!

Su Yi’s robes billowed as he swung his palm.

Boom!

Everything went black before Shen Duqiu’s eyes, and he soon found himself forced to the ground, his flesh an indistinct meaty pulp.

He coughed up blood, then raised his head with great difficulty and rasped, “So this is the strength of a cultivator? It’s powerful indeed!”

Pu Xuan stuck up his thumb. “They say a tiger remains standing even in death, and a man with balls ought to die facing the sky. Being afraid to die, yet facing death bravely, is one of the hardest hurdles a cultivator must overcome, but you’re well on your way.”

The corners of Shen Duqiu’s lips twitched; it seemed he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “But… it really fucking hurts!”

Pu Xuan burst into laughter. This Shen Duqiu guy is quite funny!

Meanwhile, Imperial Preceptor Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, head lowered, like a monk in meditation.

Shen Duqiu lay there, his eyes full of pain.

“I’d like to try too!” said Yun Zhao’an. His gaze heated up. “I won’t regret it even if I die!”

But Su Yi just glanced at him. “There’s no need for you to take action, is there?”

Yun Zhao’an froze, then furrowed his brow.

Pu Xuan was in an unusually good mood, so he laughed and explained. “Silly. You watched their defeat, but you still have the will to fight. The moment you stepped forth, knowing your defeat was inevitable, you overcame your mental barrier. Isn’t that enough for you?”

Had Yun Zhao’an wavered or contemplated retreat, he would have been ruined.

But he hadn’t.

Witnessing Lu Yuan and Shen Duqiu’s defeats had only ignited his will to fight!

This change in his mentality had effectively broken through an invisible barrier. Were this the world of cultivation, this shift would have been a stroke of good fortune in its own right, and it would have been inestimably beneficial to his future cultivation.

“Is that so…?” Yun Zhao’an murmured and sank into thought.

Pu Xuan looked at the three of them and sighed. “I didn’t expect to encounter such valiant figures in the mundane world. You’ve yet to step onto the path of cultivation, but your mental strength is superior to the vast majority of cultivators.”

He paused, suddenly curious. “And what about Xiao Zhixuan, the one they say can overturn seas with his sword? Why isn’t he here?”

Su Yi looked up at the peak. “He’s here, but… he’s different from those three.”

He’d only just said this when a figure appeared out of nowhere.

He was deathly pale and dressed in coarse cloth robes. He was frail and bleary-eyed, and he carried a jug of wine.

Like a down-on-his-luck drunkard.

But it was the sword on his back that drew the most attention.

It was covered in blood-soaked strips of cloth, and its hilt was shaped like a lotus in bloom. The whole sword was pitch black.

Pu Xuan frowned at the sight of it; he felt as if he’d heard of a sword like that before.

Xiao Zhixuan tossed his empty jug of wine onto the ground, exhaled, then looked at Su Yi. “Are you a sword cultivator too?”