A peculiar stillness followed Chen Ping’an’s audacious claim, broken only by a series of inquiries that seemed almost insultingly basic to the ears of any cultivator.

“Honored Daoist,” he began, addressing the hapless Ding, “When did you first embark on the path of Bigu? Prior to this self-denial, were your daily meals structured and disciplined? Upon your path of cultivation, at what precise moment did you ascend to each realm? Can you recall the specific date? And finally, recount to me in exhaustive detail, the patterns of your breath and the flow of your chi through the lesser and grand cycles within each of these realms…”

Ding, understandably, was lost in a cloud of bewilderment. Even Xie Gou, who often feigned understanding, found herself truly perplexed, unable to fathom the Mountain Lord’s intentions.

‘If indeed he seeks to impart the Tao, to bestow some grand “Ascension Art,”‘ she mused, ‘Surely even Chen Ping’an, with his penchant for the unorthodox, would not resort to such crude and unrefined methods!’

The official tasked with recording this discourse dutifully transcribed each word. While deeply respectful of the Hidden Officer Ancestor, even the White-Haired Child could not suppress a few critical thoughts. ‘A fitting title for this chapter,’ she thought, ‘but its substance… is it not excessively bland?’

Chen Ping’an pressed on with his tedious questioning, probing into the most mundane details, before finally pausing to ask, “Daoist Ding, have you reached a decision?”

Honest to a fault, Ding countered with a question of his own. “If such an art of ascension exists, esteemed Chen, why have you not yourself pursued this path?”

The White-Haired Child, perched nearby, nodded eagerly. ‘A worthy question indeed!’

Chen Ping’an smiled serenely. “I am needed to observe the Tao and safeguard its unfolding.”

Xie Gou, ever the opportunist, raised a thumb towards the Mountain Lord. “Word and deed aligned, sincerity embodied!”

Ding took a deep breath. “I have decided,” he declared, “I shall wager everything on this chance!”

Chen Ping’an’s eyes narrowed with amusement. “For now, remain here,” he instructed, “continue your cultivation as before. Do not succumb to anxiety. Simply proceed as you always have. Soon, you and I shall partner in a gambit of our own devising.”

Ding exhaled slowly, trying to compose himself. Xie Gou let out a sigh of exasperation, reminding “Little Daoist, what ails you? You forget so easily! The tension in your core has shifted!”

Chen Ping’an then made his way to the Sword Worship Terrace, where he personally inscribed a seal for Bai Xuan’s collection. It was a token of congratulations for his successful breakthrough.

The inscription read, “Fleeting Clouds Carry Mountains, Wander Azure Skies,” a tribute to the name of the lad’s flying sword, “Cloud Wander.”

Chen Ping’an remarked, “At True Martial Mountain, I encountered a sword cultivator who possessed a flying sword of a single character.”

The Old Deaf Man chuckled, “Rare indeed! A most uncommon sight.”

Bai Xuan, curious, inquired, “Master Cao, a single character flying sword? What does that signify?”

The Old Deaf Man explained, “Consider it akin to noble titles, where ranks are distinguished by length. Most titles are composed of two characters. But a figure such as the Duke Luo, that one from Great Li’s secondary capital, he bears a single-character title—one of the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder’ kings of legend. Such a title carries far greater weight than those with two characters.”

Bai Xuan remained perplexed. “Zong Yuan has a flying sword with four characters in its name. Is it not exceptionally powerful as well? Where is the sense in this?”

The Old Deaf Man chuckled. “In matters of discourse, one must first establish the common rule, before venturing into exceptions.”

He then revealed that, on one occasion, he had witnessed a flying sword, but a single word: “Ransom.”

The Old Deaf Man hesitated, then asked, “Hidden Officer, does the Summer Abode maintain a record of these?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “There are fourteen such blades registered within our archives.”

The Old Deaf Man sighed. “A pity…”

His lament carried a twofold meaning. Firstly, it was a lament for the masters of these blades. None had managed to ascend beyond the realm of the Sword Immortal. Secondly, it was a lament for the lost potential. Some flying swords, possessed of the innate qualities to become single-character blades, were lost to the battlefield far too soon. Their masters fell before they could raise their swords to greater heights, before they could unlock the final restrictions and ascend fully, unhindered by any worldly limits, to become true single-character blades.

The Old Deaf Man then inquired, “Could it be?”

Chen Ping’an replied, “Like the number of fourteenth realm cultivators, I suspect the number of sword cultivators wielding single-character blades will only continue to grow.”

The Old Deaf Man frowned, sighing. “The days pass swifty, time waits for no man.”

Chen Ping’an remained silent.

Since the previous year, his thoughts had been burdened by worries regarding the Floating Cloud Continent.

Since he had returned to the Blessed Land, he had only seen Lin Junbi and Deng Liang among the sword cultivators of the Summer Abode.

Xiao Mo had become his companion, and when he finally grew to trust her, Xie Gou came along. Now that Xiao Mo had gone to the Azure Sky and he was in seclusion, it was Xie Gou who was helping him guard it.

Xie Gou, sensing his Mountain Lord’s concern, laughed. “I paid a visit to the Floating Cloud Continent, sneaking around without permission. All is well. If you remain troubled, we can have Gan Tang watch over them. He is idle enough as it is.”

“What?”

The Old Deaf Man tensed.

‘More labor?’

Eyes that had witnessed the Old Mountain and Rivers could not bear to see the shocking New Mountain and Rivers; ears could not bear to hear of the grasses of springtime invading cities, for they easily caused the old to be heartbroken.

Of the Blessed Land, the most brutal battlefield had been that of the Floating Cloud Continent, without a single exception.

The Bottle Continent had been brutal, of course, but at the very least, the Great Li’s Song Clan had managed to keep half of the continent from being lost.

The Paulownia Leaf Continent? Barring the handful of mountain sects, how many battles had been fought down below?

Thus, on the Floating Cloud Continent, kingdom after kingdom was being restored, all using new reign eras.

The Gilded Jade Dynasty had been restored only three years prior. At the tail end of winter, in the Golden Filings Crossing’s Luan Family Shoal, inside an immortal inn, sword lights rose like a storm, and they were all headed in the same direction: toward the Quanjiao Mountain.

The sword lights were bright enough to rend the night sky, forming streamers behind the swords, drawing attention along the way.

Among them were well-known sword immortals, such as the Snowy White Continent’s Xie Songhua, the Golden Armor Continent’s Song Ping, and the Floating Rainbow Continent’s Yu Yue and Si Tu Jiyu.

And beside the immortals were some Nascent Soul old sword immortals, all figures to be respected in these three war-torn continents in the northwest.

And with them were swarms of young swordsmen, young enough to seem blindingly bright.

Perhaps no cultivator type outside of the swordsman could make it so “youth” held so much weight.

This reunion was not about making money, nor wading into murky waters, but simply to prevent the use of secret arts to destroy the ore veins, which would drag down the continent’s very earth veins and cause many countries to ‘sink’ into the land.

Si Tu Jiyu asked, “Can it be that this ore vein of unknown material can be used to forge a new money of the gods?”

Aside from the Snowflakes, the Lesser Heat, and the Grain Rain coins, there had been jade ore veins with such spiritual energy, but those had proven to be failures since the jade had been impure, the energy unevenly spread, meaning they could not become the model of money. Money could not circulate unless each coin was equal in worth. Furthermore, the reserves of such jade ore were a large problem. Thus, at best, the ore vein would be taken by a few sects and worked for the basic materials to create magical artifacts, or for some lucky money, and with that the sect would be able to have lower sects whose job it was to protect the mountain.

In truth, Si Tu Jiyu had been raised sheltered as a Jade Purity sword cultivator, and had been given such thoughts little consideration; he had asked simply because the silence was boring, as they flew on their swords.

But no one answered.

In other lands, if a Jade Purity sword immortal started a conversation, he’d be met with sucking up instantly.

Si Tu Jiyu’s only regret was not having taken a few children from Sword Qi Great Wall as disciples.

Which was why Si Tu Jiyu found those teams filled with children to his liking, while he couldn’t stand those with elders.

And all of it was that young Hidden Officer’s fault, for not treating him as his best friend, after wasting all that alcohol.

Female sword immortal Xie Songhua of the Snowy White Continent had worked with the young Hidden Officer to slay a Jade Purity demon, since that demon was a sword cultivator, which made him far more valuable and thus her war spoils far greater.

She hadn’t spent much time offering swords at Sword Qi Great Wall, but had contributed plenty of war spoils. According to the Great Wall’s rules, she’d killed an immortal demon.

Since she wasn’t good at making money, and swordsmen were the most money-eating of professions, she’d found a path, all alone, but after taking two disciples, Xie Songhua became the Liu Clan of Snowy White Continent’s offering.

Because the God of Wealth Liu had given her far too much money.

Si Tu Jiyu finally said, “Xie Songhua, why’d you become some family’s offering? Why learn from Yu Yue?”

Yu Yue did nothing but accept money lying down, a true bum. No wonder his swordsmanship was so poor.

Xie Songhua said, “At least I didn’t ask if the God of Wealth would take me in.”

Yu Yue said, “Why bring me into this?”

Si Tu Jiyu laughed. “According to war spoils, I should be flying over you.”

Yu Yue chuckled.

Pu He spat, “Two chicks bickering.”

Xie Songhua laughed. “Three chicks in a coop.”

Pu He muttered to himself, not daring to speak.

He and Si Tu Jiyu shared a lot in common, like difficult brothers, one being a registered cultivator wilder than the wilds and the other being a leader of a sect in the Central Continent who’d lost his title. Both wanted to see the skills of Sword Qi Great Wall, and both had ‘used their own power’ to stay at the Great Wall. Both had made contributions to help Hidden Officer’s sect, and both had nothing but disdain for Yu Yue, who they thought was unfit to be a recorded offering of Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

Song Ping flew silently, hair fluttering in the wind, as pretty as any goddess.

These two ‘neighbors,’ female sword immortals Song Ping of the Golden Armor Continent and Pu He of the Floating Rainbow Continent, had shown themselves at the Inverted Mountain’s Spring Pennant Study.

Before that point, they had never come into contact with the young Hidden Officer.

And as for the swords of the female sword cultivators at Sword Qi Great Wall, they were practically molded from the same cast; Xie Songhua, Song Ping, Li Cai, they were all decisive and brutal.

Si Tu Jiyu, who had been a wild cultivator between the Golden Armor and Floating Rainbow continents, was the only Great Wall customer in those years who had liked to eat noodles and drink on the side of the road.

In terms of war spoils, Si Tu Jiyu was a bit below Song Ping, but on par with Pu He. But Pu He had lost his realm and was scorned by Pu Lao for ‘wallowing in the mud’ and Si Tu Jiyu had nothing to say. It was just too bad the Hidden Officer wasn’t here, since with their friendship, the Hidden Officer would never be on the other’s side – even if they both sold booze, some were still higher than others.

It could be said that Si Tu Jiyu and Si Tu Mengjing, the Dragon Beard Immortal of the Great Dragon Gut of the Central Continent who had become Mountain Lord of the Little Dragon Gut in the Paulownia Leaf Continent, were related.

Not long ago, he’d gotten a letter, where Si Tu Mengjing had spoken of the changes to the Little Dragon Gut, giving a not-low rating of the Hidden Officer, “His great name is well-deserved.”

This vein, said to be the fourth coin of the gods and targeted by the great powers, was very deep in the ground, like a maze. At its entrance had been an immortal place of some small sect, but the small sect had died in the war, and some who called themselves descendants had tried to plead with the Gilded Jade Dynasty, but the Ministry of Justice found that they were fakes, and they were immediately jailed.

The discovery of this vein was due to the changes in the weather. A cultivator who knew a bit of qi viewing had been passing the Quanjiao Mountain when he’d seen a great spiritual mushroom of purple and azure hanging there. Thinking it was a treasure, he’d gone in, going ever deeper, until finally he saw it: an endless cavern with a jet-black earth vein that was like a dragon, attached to the rock walls like it was imprisoned, of unknown length.

The old cultivator had tried every method but was unable to chip anything off, wasting spiritual energy, anxious; he had treasure and yet could not take any! He considered for a long while, not daring to release word, and instead found some friends to help him take the treasure, but a Dragon Gate swordsman’s sword only managed to take a piece the size of a palm. Disappointed, they looked at each other, unwilling, and yet without a plan.

Finally, they considered a poor method: Forget working together, they would found a sect here!

They would use the endless treasures here as the root of their sect, and perhaps make it greater! How had the Liu Clan of Snowy White Continent made their name? It was because of the Snowflake ore vein!

But nothing could be hid in this world.

A ferry had been built before the gate to the Quanjiao Mountain, filled with shops. Everything was sold, including wine and women.

There were also elixirs, equipment, and antiques aplenty, including wedding shops and coffin sellers. There were those who came to find information or wealth for their powers, and there were those who were simply out for a walk.

The Gilded Jade Dynasty, newly restored, had made a stable passage underground that would allow two ferries to travel at once, stretching for over a hundred li and taking a great deal of money, half the national reserves. But the ministry had found that it would quickly make the money back.

Now, all types of people crowded the area, and there were already open and hidden conflicts. Lives had already been lost, not to mention those that had been hidden, and the Gilded Jade Dynasty couldn’t do anything about it. The initial displays of strength had instead cost a few members of the royal family their lives in unknown ways, their corpses not found. As for the cultivators fighting and killing each other, it wasn’t uncommon to hear about snakes from other continents coming. The waters were getting muddier.

Speaking only of the cultivators of the Floating Cloud Continent, the coalitions alone numbered seven or eight, ‘stationed’ in the towns within the caverns.

As for whether those gangs had powers from other continents backing them, who could say?

The Liu Clan of Snowy White Continent was plenty rich, as was the Sky Corner Grotto and the Floating Rainbow Continent’s Azure Palace Mountain. Could they do nothing but watch?

The problem was that the Wen Temple’s attitude was ambiguous. While the Wen Temple did not like fighting over treasure, if they said they would take the mine for themselves, then the fighting would end. To do so would cause trouble, of course, but none would dare to say anything. They were fighting with the Barren World and needed money, so taking from the world to use on the world was fair. Furthermore, the Wen Temple had been decisive, setting rules that anyone who broke the rules had to go to a local academy and read books. In the words of Wen Yu, the vice leader of Paulownia Leaf Continent’s Sky Eye Academy, “Better late than never.” And if the offense was grave enough, the offender would be sent to the Hall of Merits, where they might see Liu Cha.

Since the Central Continent’s Wen Temple had not stepped forth, and the Gilded Jade Dynasty could not handle it, and no sects dared to take the lead, it had become extremely complicated.

Xie Songhua wore clean clothes and had a bamboo box on her back.

Her two disciples, Ju Xing and Zhao Mu, now youths, each carried a box and a stick.

Even though her home was the Snowy White Continent, she had negative feelings toward it, and early on her views had not been high on the God of Wealth.

She wandered a life of clouds and water, spending much of her time in the Golden Armor and Floating Rainbow continents, and had fought with Si Tu Jiyu. They hadn’t gone all out, simply suppressing their realms. Later, when they shared a drink, they realized who the other was.

And there was a rumor that Xie Songhua might reach immortal realm within only a few decades.

Which was why her decision to become the Liu Clan’s offering had been so shocking.

An elder from the Liu Clan had asked Xie Songhua to become a guest, even if it was simply as a record.

But she’d been annoyed, asking, “Are you tired of living, old thing?”

But now she was going to be a record offering, rather than simply a guest.

Now, the Liu Clan would cover everything needed by her two disciples until they reached the Fifth Stratum, from materials to extras, down to clothes, food, housing, and travel.

Hearing this, outsiders couldn’t help but be moved. Money was nothing on the mountain, but money like the Liu Clan of Snowy White Continent’s meant you could say anything and be right.

Inside the Wind Water Hole, the private residence high up had been carved into the walls, with towers and pavilions suspended in the air.

Along the underground river, mansions stretched into the distance, with people everywhere.

In the hall in that residence, three young sword cultivators were waiting, chatting.

They were all Golden Core, just past youth and yet not thirty.

They were talented, with great realms, looks, temperament, intelligence, birth, and teachings.

Cao Gun’s looks were especially great, as he wore a violet gold crown, a blue robe, and a jade flute at his waist.

They had not come to the gate to greet them, simply rising and clasping their hands, with no unnecessary manners.

Even now, seeing the senior swordsmen, there were no greetings, no polite words of having heard of them.

This scene moved the elders who hadn’t gone to Sword Qi Great Wall, who were awed by the youth.

But even sword immortals like Pu He and Si Tu Jiyu felt nothing was wrong.

Earlier, in the Golden Filings Crossing inn, these known sword immortals had been bickering and swearing, but now, they were as serious as if they were in a sect’s ancestor hall.

Especially Pu Lao, who was known as the one who’d teach children manners for the sake of their parents and sect.

But now he was serious, clasping his hands upon seeing the new junior sword cultivators, and was careful to step inside the door.

Song Gaoyuan came from the Dear Antler Palace of the Floating Cloud Continent, and was certain to be the palace master if he reached the Fifth Stratum.

Song Gaoyuan had come from immortals, his parents having been Taoist partners and disciples of the sect master, and the esteemed Ancestor Rongguan respected Song Gaoyuan the most.

Xuan Can came from the Sky Spirit Sect of the Golden Armor Continent, from the Udumbara Peak, which had been said to have “Dragon’s rising from the cave, clouds of yellow and violet.” His ancestor, Yuan Qingyao, was an immortal, and had an immortal soldier called The Heroes of River and Mountain.

His ancestor had died in battle, the first immortal of Floating Cloud Continent to have done so.

Beneath the Moon Worshipping Mountain was the Seal Moon Stream, and on the Sun Training Peak was the Flower Sweeping Hall. Once, those two mountains had been the land where the monster cultivators of the continent looked to as a holy land.

It was also the place in the Blessed Land with the most monster cultivators offered in its ancestral hall, aside from the Central Continent’s Iron Tree Mountain.

In the brutal war, these monster cultivators from the Golden Armor Continent had gone to the front, and many of them had died.

Those two great sects had been destroyed and were now being rebuilt.

Cao Gun came from the Inch Square Sect of the Floating Rainbow Continent, known for creating objects of tiny dimensions, and was very strict in taking disciples.

There was a dead rock on the mountaintop, higher than all else, upon which were carved the words ‘Mending Heaven’ by Bai Ye himself.

The founding master had opened a study, the Longevity Study, which became the private space of the sect masters.

The previous sect master had been second only to the Azure Palace Great Guardian Jin Hao in the Floating Rainbow Continent.

He was the ‘previous’ sect master because he had been one of the few who had gone to the Golden Armor Continent, and died soon after returning.

The Inch Square Sect was building a lower sect in the Floating Cloud Continent, and it was said that Cao Gun might be able to win the Wen Temple’s permission to head it despite being Golden Core.

But all of those were not the reason.

The true reason was that the three youth had come from the Hidden Officer’s Summer Abode of Sword Qi Great Wall.

And that they had fought on the battlefield as swordsmen from the Hidden Officer’s line.

Among those sword cultivators, there were highs and lows. For instance, Xie Songhua, the one who had personally killed a Jade Purity sword demon, might not think much of Song Ping, and Song Ping definitely thought little of Pu He, who had lost his realm, and Pu He might look down on the one who never lost it, but ‘wallowed in the mud,’ and Si Tu Jiyu looked down on Yu Yue, who had only gone to the Great Wall and done nothing, and Yu Yue looked down on the elders who hadn’t gone to the Great Wall, and they looked down on those who had gone to the Inverted Mountain and not the Great Wall nearby

Reason?

The war zone that was Sword Qi Great Wall was the reason.

Within the hall were two rows of seats, with those who came from Sword Qi Great Wall seated on one side and those who didn’t seated on the other.

Perhaps to ease the latter’s feelings, or perhaps so there wouldn’t be too many people on one side, or perhaps so they could get down to business, Cao Gun and the others sat across from Xie Songhua, facing the seven Earthly Immortal swordsmen.

Some food and alcohol had been prepared between the rows, with cakes, lotus root, plum alcohol, mung bean soup

Sun Zhao, Jin Luan, and Xue Zhou were all aiming for the food, waiting for the moment they could dig in. As for what would be said, they had little choice.

Clearly, the Summer Abode knew the habits of those children who had left Sword Qi Great Wall, for good or ill.

Xie Songhua found it amazing; truly, the Hidden Officer was better with children. It was just too bad he was bad at joking.

There were two Nascent Soul swordsmen of the Floating Cloud Continent, one a sect member and the other a wild cultivator.

There were also two old Nascent Soul swordsmen from the west, a man and woman, who had been in seclusion for many years, one trying to break through and one recovering from injury, who had been pulled to the Floating Cloud Continent. Song Ping and Pu He had simply sent letters, giving an address and nothing else, and they had gone.

Golden Core? Not enough to warrant an invitation.

It was only because others had invited that those three young Golden Core swordsmen had come, having ancestors who were sword immortals and had gone to Sword Qi Great Wall.

Thus, seven had never gone to Sword Qi Great Wall: four Nascent Soul and three Golden Core.

Xie Songhua had brought Ju Xing and Zhao Mu, Song Ping brought Sun Zhao and Jin Luan, and Pu He had taken Ye Du and Xue Zhou.

And Yu Yue had taken Yu Qingzhang and He Xiangting from Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

Ju Xing sat still with the box, while Zhao Mu put his stick across his lap.

Ye Du sat cross-legged, with his arms across his chest, going into meditation.

Xie Songhua had taken her two disciples to the snowy land to the north and the Thunder God Temple to train their swords.

Ju Xing only had one natal sword, called Thunder Pool, which had been ranked as ‘middle of B’ by the Summer Abode, which was plenty high.

Zhao Mu had two, called Torrential and Rainbow, ranked ‘low B’ and ‘high C.’

There were three levels, A, B, and C, and within each level, there were three rankings. To be ranked was already an honor.

Those Summer Abode rankings also looked to the battlefield, not the swordsmen fighting each other.

Back in the Great Wall, in the old Summer Abode, there had been sixteen sword cultivators, six of whom had come from the outside.

Aside from Chen Ping’an, there had been Lin Junbi, Deng Liang, Cao Gun, Xuan Can, and Song Gaoyuan.

Lin Junbi had been the first to leave the Summer Abode, becoming a national preceptor upon returning to the Shao Yuan Dynasty.

Deng Liang of the Nine Capitals Mountain of Snowy White Continent had been in Ascension City, but had become a Nascent Soul when leaving the Inverted Mountain.

Cao Gun, Xuan Can, and Song Gaoyuan had returned home, where each found their own circumstances. Cao Gun and Xuan Can were closer, living to the west.

While the new Summer Abode still retained many elders, it was worse than the past one.

The great sword immortal Mi Da was not in the new Summer Abode.

Cao Gun had said, “If I can live to leave the Summer Abode, I will never read a book again.”

And after leaving, they never mentioned their journey to Sword Qi Great Wall, as if intentionally fading the journey.

The Summer Abode had almost fallen to infighting, and the cultivators from inside and out had almost split up.

Xu Ning had scorned Xuan Can’s ancestors.

It had become a verbal war for all, with everyone cursing everyone.

Aside from three who had not spoken and the Worry Seed sword immortal who remained calm, there had been Guo Zhujiu, who had written down all the curses.

Lin Junbi had been the poorest, trying to keep the peace, only for Dong Bude to scold him.

In the end, it had been Chen Ping’an and Worry Seed who had stopped the situation from getting worse.

Back in the Summer Abode,

all the swordsmen had gone to battle many times, and had been hurt, but only one had died.

Worry Seed swordsman.

He had been talented and had the big picture in mind.

Even Lin Junbi thought Worry Seed was best suited to lead, and that he was worse than Worry Seed.

Today, Cao Gun’s first words had been frightening: “We have to assume that there is a demon of the Ascension Realm here.”

Xuan Can said, “With the power of an old king of the Barren World.”

Cao Gun had the appearance of a jade-like youth, but had a strong accent and was prone to dropping dialect, such as, “Chew it up, oh, so saucy, eh.” This had always been a topic of the Summer Abode, and Dong Bude and Guo Zhujiu liked to mock him, turning his face red.

Which was why the Hidden Officer had suggested they crossdress when going to battle.

Hearing that they had to face a demon comparable to a king, Song Ping felt nothing, but the young Golden Core swordsmen behind them did change color, although they quickly recovered.

Song Gaoyuan said, “That is unlikely. The Wen Temple would not ignore it. The greater possibility is that it is an immortal realm demon who can hide its presence. And it is good at formations. It has been lying low, looking to make waves. The formation and its opening has some requirements.”

Cao Gun laughed. “Think of the vein as a fishing rod and us as bait. That fish might not bite. Everyone should be prepared for the worst.”

Xuan Can rose and pulled out three scrolls, hanging them to show maps covered in annotations.

“Before you came, the three of us had checked Quanjiao Mountain inside and out, charting the veins, interior structure, and all powers. But it was rushed. And the surface powers also have backing, so that is charted, along with connections. Don’t be misled, but anything written in red has to be noted.”

“The best case is there is no Barren World plot, and we are simply here for sightseeing. But that’s unlikely.”

“Or there is a demon, but it doesn’t have the guts to fight to the end, simply stirring the waters from the dark.”

“And that is easier: cast a net. No one should be idle, and we shouldn’t worry about stirring things up, since the more precise the formation, the more precise we can find clues. If the Wen Temple has also sent someone, there won’t be many, and more might be useless. And they will not be as wild. So we should help them. If we were planning, we’d have a smart cultivator here and would provide a charm. And that cultivator would also keep an eye on Wen Temple, avoiding them.”

“The three of us have used a transformation rune. Our true selves are not here, but are hiding outside, at lower levels.”

Cao Gun looked to Si Tu Jiyu. Swords and powers had been recorded at the Summer Abode.

Si Tu Jiyu said telepathically, “Song Ping, Pu He, and I have our swords out. There are six cultivators looking at the area, four of whom can be taken out.”

Si Tu Jiyu pointed them out on the map.

Xie Songhua chuckled.

If she could find them, then killing an immortal wouldn’t be too hard. And even if she didn’t kill it, it wouldn’t be easy to get away from Song Ping.

Cao Gun said, “There are at least seven.”

Song Gaoyuan rubbed his head. It seemed that the effects of the swords wasn’t as great as expected.

Si Tu Jiyu’s sword, called Water Vein, could look into the flows of energy in the world and was strong where there was spiritual energy. It had been a method in the past to kill an Jade Purity cultivator as they trained.

And one of Song Ping’s swords, called Door God, would attach to the Water Vein as a water god looking over its jurisdiction, sending envoys. And one of Pu He’s swords, called Couplet, would help these blades work together.

It was just too bad Pu He only had two swords, which made his Couplet a bit weak. If he’d had three, then he’d be an immortal by now. He would be able to fight even Mi Yu and Yue Qing at Sword Qi Great Wall.

Si Tu Jiyu immediately realized that Cao Gun’s real body was here.

The seven sword immortals who hadn’t gone to Sword Qi Great Wall had finally realized that Cao Gun was using a secret method.

Xuan Can said, “Take it slow. It’s possible they haven’t acted.”

Song Ping said, “We don’t need these six.”

She had beautiful looks and many decorations. She and Xie Songhua were polar opposites.

Worldly women could not wear too much, but Song Ping could.

Pu He chuckled. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

An apprentice of the old swordsman, Ye Du, said telepathically, “Pu Lao, it’s said the Wen Temple is strict now, and if you go and kill people, you’ll lose your rank. Did you think of the future, where to live? How about we go to Fallen Phoenix Mountain?”

Xue Zhou nodded. “Good. But you’re the only one who loses your rank, so we can prepare for that.”

Xuan Can explained, “They don’t need to die.”

Song Gaoyuan said, “Let’s watch them for a few more days.”

Xuan Can nodded. “They are already in the stars.”

Xuan Can’s natal sword was called Three Altars, and was ranked ‘middle of A.’

His sword was good at offense and defense and could grow, which made it very desirable.

For the Taoist altar method, there were three upper, three middle, and three lower levels. Before going to Sword Qi Great Wall, Xuan Can had built the Lower Three Altars, which held eighty-one stars, one-hundred and twenty stars, and two-hundred and forty stars. Upon returning home, he’d gained the ancestral item The Heroes of River and Mountain, and had built the Middle Three Altars.

He had also gained the reputation of the Summer Abode.

A natural formation master, a walking Taoist, the more natal items the better, the little invincible of his realm, destined for ascension

Wang Xingshui had said, “Xuan Can, the Hidden Officer has you, and after he goes to your land, you need to take care of him.”

The young Hidden Officer had nodded, saying that was right.

Which was why Xuan Can had been shy.

Pu He, that wild-looking old swordsman, was tall and thin, giving off bad vibes.

He truly was bad, a certified sect immortal with high status. He’d been spoiled by his sect early on due to his talents, and the old master had quickly died.

The sword had many old enemies as well.

Which was why Jiang Shangzhen had been called a ‘second Pu He’ in the Northern Reed Continent.

The cultivators who had overseen the sect’s newsletters had been paid more than in any other sect.

At Sword Qi Great Wall, the statuses of Xie Zhi and Pu He were flipped.

Pu He had been badly defeated by Mi Yu and had lived outside the city, in the Jade and Emerald Pavilion, while Xie Zhi had lived nearby, in the Flirting Intent.

Xie Zhi hadn’t been too talented, but had struggled to get to the Fifth Stratum.

The old swordsman hadn’t taken a disciple and couldn’t return home.

He had died in battle, offering his sword to let the young live.

In the Summer Abode, Song Gaoyuan and Deng Liang had been closer to the Worry Seed gang, while the Hidden Officer had not been close to that gang, which had been led by Guo Zhujiu, with Cao Gun, Xuan Can, Wang Xingshui, and Gu Jianlong as dogs.

But Song Gaoyuan knew that Luo Zhenyi had feelings for the Hidden Officer.

When leaving, Worry Seed had come to send Song Gaoyuan off on behalf of the Hidden Officer, giving him a package that contained items of Xie Zhi’s and records of him.

Before the meeting ended, the seven Earthly Immortals had been given jobs, showing off their techniques.

There was a swordsman who flew his sword like a mirror, walking into it to become a different person.

There was a swordsman who went into a ‘corpse’ and turned into smoke. There was a swordsman who shook a hairpiece and vanished. There was a swordsman who used an ancient item that could share laws for a time. There was a swordsman who turned into a speck and went into a doll, using it to travel the land. There was a swordsman who made a clock ring and secretly showed himself in an alley.

The two female sword immortals looked into the distance.

Song Ping had been far less brutal since leaving Inverted Mountain, where she had been like that.

Xie Songhua asked, “Want to see who gets to immortal first?”

Song Ping chuckled. “That would be unearned.”

Xie Songhua said, “Beautiful women can want beautiful things.”

“If you can’t envy, then don’t envy.”

“There’s a reason you don’t have a Taoist partner.”

Song Ping’s sword, called Soaring Flight, contained much of Floating Cloud Continent’s luck.

But she hadn’t been willing to take that treasure, having set a rule for herself to never use that luck.

But after fighting at the Great Wall once, she regretted it. Being a swordsman meant you couldn’t be too precious.

Which was why she had let her two disciples stay at the sect.

She had secretly come to the Floating Cloud Continent, hoping to hone that luck.

Honing that luck was like fighting a sword immortal, and not easy.

Song Ping and Xie Songhua, and Li Cai, had different styles.

When she had returned to her sect, Song Ping had