The Sword Qi Great Wall, a place where once buying wine was easier than drawing water from a well, now hosted a bustling market, a garish sequel tacked onto a grand tale. Yet, better this than utter silence, a mere monument for wandering souls to lament what was lost.

Unlike the cautious Old Long’er, Xie Gou, with the forthrightness of a mountain stream, sensed Chen Ping’an’s present distress. “Mountain Master,” she inquired, “you’re sorely wounded! Did your foe possess celestial might? Shall Little Mo and I avenge you? Fear not, Master. Setting aside our swordsmanship, we excel at concealing auras and altering appearances. I even wield a unique sword art that cleaves at causality itself! I boast not, but it rivals even Lü Yan’s celestial flourish. Even the most skilled diviner will find no thread to trace back to you.”

She paused, a glint in her eye. “Were it a true immortal, I’d need but two strikes. Any less, and I’d not be worthy to stand as Little Mo’s comrade. As for the run-of-the-mill ascendants, the likes of Jing Hao, they’d crumble like paper beneath my blade.” She tapped her temple with a knowing look. “I’ve already skimmed through the first dozen pages of Chen Lingjun’s ‘Traveler’s Collection’.”

She conceded a limitation. “Save for a Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master, or the Fire Dragon True Man of Crawling Peak, those troublesome fourteenth-realm ‘Dao-Union hopefuls’, I dare not speak with utter certainty. But with Little Mo at my side, victory is assured!”

Chen Ping’an reached behind him, gently patting the hilt of his sword. “I’ve just finished a skirmish,” he said, “a hard-won victory, but at a steep price. Even Night Wanderer’s scabbard was cleaved in twain. Avenge me? No need. It’s been settled.”

Old Long’er, astute in the ways of men, understood the unspoken words. Bai Jing, the honored forebear, was treated as family, and the young Hidden Officer held her in similar regard.

Xie Gou gave a hearty thumbs-up. “From trials, true talent ascends! Master,” she declared, “this ordeal shall surely propel your cultivation to dizzying heights, a straight path to ascension!”

Old Long’er’s Daoist heart trembled. Could the atmosphere of Fallen Peak truly be akin to that of the Summer Retreat Palace? “I am too frank,” he lamented inwardly. “I lack such honeyed words. I am bound to be an outsider at Fallen Peak, forever languishing on the sidelines.”

Finding no trace of the elusive Sword Immortal Gao Yi, Wei Yudian summoned her courage and followed the party, close enough to observe but unable to overhear their exchange.

Chen Ping’an halted, turning to face her. “Does Sword Immortal Wei require something?”

Wei Yudian blushed, “This junior is unworthy to call herself a Sword Cultivator.” Her status was indeed precarious, her natal sword tainted by dishonorable origins, its innate ability a mere bauble.

Chen Ping’an responded, “I depart this place soon. Please, share what weighs upon your heart, Daoist Wei.”

Hastening to explain, Wei Yudian said, “I came here to seek refuge, to escape the attentions of Sword Immortal Gao Yi of the Azure Peak Sect.”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “I surmised as much. But such family and sect quarrels are of little concern to me. Furthermore,” he continued, citing the Summer Retreat Palace records, “it has been two centuries since the last Sword Cultivator of the Upper Si Sect arrived at the Sword Qi Great Wall to hone her skills against the demons. As for the other two groups of cultivators, they were not sword practitioners, nor did they earn any recorded merit. Surely, Hidden Officer Xiao Xun would not have intentionally overlooked your Upper Si Sect’s contributions.”

Wei Yudian flushed again. “The current Sect Master of our Upper Si Sect…”

Chen Ping’an cut her short. “Ding Fayi, known as Tong Jun, wielding the swords ‘Descending Truth’ and ‘Receiving God’, sits atop Rice Granule Mountain, the Upper Si Sect’s primary peak. Sect Master Ding excels in the arts of Zhuyou and Plum Blossom Numerology, especially in gleaning portents from sound. Legends abound in the rural regions of the Flowing Sunset Continent. She is a descendant of the ancient shamanistic line, rumored to curse opponents without bloodshed and heal others unseen, earning her the title ‘The Ghost Whisperer’, one not to be trifled with. Beyond these surface matters, I am aware of deeper secrets. I presume Sect Master Ding divined your path, directing you here to await an opportunity, to seek fortune and avoid disaster? Or perhaps she foresaw Daoist Longsheng’s noble aid?”

Old Long’er waved his hands in protest. “My powers are insufficient. I dare not intervene.”

Wei Yudian produced an embroidered pouch from her sleeve, her face reddening as she presented it to the renowned young Hidden Officer, inwardly urging herself to speak quickly. “Before descending the mountain, the Sect Master gifted me three such pouches. The first instructed me to choose an auspicious date to open a wine shop here, the accompanying wind-thunder talisman bearing the inscription, ‘Halt upon encountering Dragon, rejoice upon finding Azure’. The second led my disciple, Wang Ke, to a night excursion, where he gained a dual-sword affinity. The third pouch, this one, she commanded I only open upon meeting Dragon and Azure, explicitly forbidding me from reading its contents, but instead, to present it to either the ‘Dragon’ or ‘Azure’ master.”

Chen Ping’an accepted the pouch, extracted a small note, glanced at it, then returned it to Wei Yudian, his demeanor noticeably softening. “Continue with your business here without worry. Should I ever travel to Flowing Sunset Continent, I shall visit the Upper Si Sect and the Fen Province Wei Clan. As for when you may return, await Sect Master Ding’s letter.”

Xie Gou, communicating via mental link, inquired, “Mountain Master, what’s afoot?”

Chen Ping’an sighed. “Hua Furong, the founding matriarch of the Upper Si Sect, Wei Yudian’s grandmaster, enjoyed close ties with the Ning family during her second sojourn at the Sword Qi Great Wall. She was a frequent guest.”

Xie Gou exclaimed with realization, “Had I known such a connection existed, I’d have beaten that self-proclaimed Sword Immortal Sect Master to a pulp!”

Chen Ping’an turned to Wei Yudian. “If I may be so bold, why do you deny yourself the title of Sword Cultivator?”

The Fen Province Wei Clan of Flowing Sunset Continent was a long-standing Daoist family, one of the six grand altars of the Grand Desolate Lands. The renowned Grand Talisman Temple was Wei Yudian’s ancestral shrine, its unique array of three hundred and sixty-five day-guardian deities in colored sculptures unmatched across the continent.

Carefully stowing the pouch, Wei Yudian felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Hearing the question, she respectfully replied, “I am not born with the innate aptitude of a Sword Immortal. An ancestor of my clan, venturing overseas long ago, acquired the remains of an ancient Sword Immortal and the secrets of his art, including a relic, a flying sword. Passed down through generations, I, by chance, was chosen by this sword in my youth. It seized a natal aperture and began to nourish itself. My ancestor temporarily named the sword ‘Imitation’. After a century of painstaking effort, I have only mastered a single innate ability: to mimic the natal swords of other Sword Cultivators, a feat I can sustain for a mere incense stick’s duration. Once the time is up, it reverts to its original form. Thus, ‘weaker against the weak’ is true, but ‘stronger against the strong’ is not necessarily so.”

Xie Gou grinned. Such a playful natal sword! The ancient Sword Immortal must have relished crafting it before his demise.

Chen Ping’an pondered, then inquired, “Did Sect Master Ding offer any divination regarding this hard-won natal sword?”

Wei Yudian hesitated. “Each divination drains the Sect Master’s Daoist power and exhausts her spirit. Despite this, she performed a divination for me, but the reading was vague, only a single phrase: ‘Once, then again, then a third time.’ The Sect holds the ancestral tenet that no matter can be divined twice.”

After a moment’s consideration, Chen Ping’an said, “I have a suggestion. Have your family or the Upper Si Sect expend vast sums or favors to acquire a flying sword. Try refining your sword with this new acquisition, using sword to forge sword.”

Wei Yudian looked perplexed. What did it mean to refine sword with sword? What was the underlying reasoning?

Xie Gou nodded emphatically. “Our Mountain Master’s mind is truly brilliant. Little Mo and I are no match.”

Chen Ping’an patiently elaborated. “Perhaps this sword should not be named ‘Imitation’, but something akin to ‘Cuckoo’s Takeover’. Sect Master Ding’s ‘third time’ may refer to the number of swords that can be usurped by the sword. It may have the chance to possess the innate abilities of three flying swords. That would explain why the ancient Sword Immortal, who meditated at sea until his dying breath, exerted such great effort to separate it from his soul, rather than merging it to enhance his future incarnations. This was because he held this flying sword in such high regard. If it were destroyed in the forge, even if he were reborn and remembered his past life, the world would be devoid of this unique and wondrous sword.”

Joy radiated from Wei Yudian’s face. She was at a loss how to thank the young Hidden Officer. She could hardly offer herself in marriage, a cliché from hackneyed romances. Even if she were willing, he wouldn’t deign to look at her.

Old Long’er nodded slightly. It seemed he was close to the truth. His somber expression remained unchanged, his mind undisturbed. Whether she was a Sword Cultivator or not, regardless of her current cultivation level, the Hidden Officer remained the Hidden Officer.

Chen Ping’an reminded her, “Some matters of the mountain, being extraordinary, carry a karmic debt.”

Wei Yudian quickly steeled her Daoist heart.

Chen Ping’an continued, “The manner in which this debt is repaid, in what form it will appear before you, depends on your fate with that individual. For instance…”

He paused, and seeing that the woman remained oblivious, Chen Ping’an amended, “For instance, the ancient Sword Immortal’s reincarnation might be Gao Yi, who seems to entangle himself in your affairs. Or it may not be Gao Yi, but someone else. When you refine your second flying sword, he may appear before you. What will you do then?”

Wei Yudian’s mind raced.

Chen Ping’an gently explained, “Such karmic cycles, debts and repayments, cannot be avoided. Escaping only delays the inevitable. Whether on or off the mountain, repaying debts and transforming negative karma into positive relationships is cultivation. We cultivate within the mountains, but act beyond them. A path to walk, whether upon the mountains or below, is the Dao. Fate and humanity aligned with Heaven’s principle is the Law. Together, they form the path of cultivation, the Daoist arts.”

Wei Yudian halted, bowing deeply. “I shall remember this, and follow your teachings.”

Xie Gou inquired to the Long’er “Daoist Longsheng, do you understand?”

Old Long’er, though wanting to declare the meaning easy to understand, said, “I don’t understand completely, but I think the reason is excellent and high level.”

Xie Gou patted Old Long’er’s shoulder, looked compassionate and said, “You are a little bit lacking in comprehension, no wonder you are falling behind!”

Chen Ping’an asked her about the events before Wei and Gao’s meeting, and roughly understand the story, so he said “I’m leaving now”, and Wei Yudian was sad, but could not keep him, and about to leave, she realized that one thing was unclarified, “what about Gao Yi.”

Chen Ping’an smiled “Maybe he has been scared off.”

Old Long’er was tired.

Wei Yudian came to the door of her wine shop, but couldn’t help but to look again.

The first man’s youth and reputation were true as those of the legends.

Chen Ping’an looked to the man who was about to break into pieces, Land Sword Immortal.

After a time, Xie Gou became curious: “How do you shout Wei Yudian at this guy on the ground?”

Chen Ping’an said: “I just want to tell Wei Yudian that she should depend on herself rather than on others!”

Old Long’er agreed.

Chen Ping’an asked: “Did you use heavy strength on him?”

Xie Gou laughed: “I’m saving his life here!”

Old Long’er still agrees, and it’s said to be true.

“Spit at him and wake him up.” Xie Gou started to be bossy at Long’er.

She wants Long’er to be her punching bag, and take out her anger on him, so that she doesn’t have to take it out on her friends!

Chen Ping’an said: “Wake him up so that I can talk to him. I will soon return to the Treasure Bottle Continent.”

Old Long’er then squatted down, pressing his shoulder to the ground and shaking it! So that everyone could find the position.

Seeing Gao Yi wake up, Chen Ping’an started the conversation: “I heard about the story between you and Wei, and understood it. There is indeed nothing righteous about the kingdom where Wei is, but it is not right to just start fights without saying so. She has no problem asking for her rights in a civil and polite manner, and I am not interested in love, I will not bother with this! Xie Gou hit you because you were saying… dirty stuff.”

Gao Yi pressed against the wall and said, “Good skills, I understand now, tell me your name.”

Xie Gou just didn’t want to do this, she kicked him, he passed out because he his the head!

Old Long’er helped him again.

Gao Yi, lowered his head, afraid to say anything,

Chen Ping’an continued: “Do not disturb Wei in her wine shop while she is here, but she is the one who comes to your continent to kill! I will not care.”

Gao Yi hugged his arms and closed his mouth.

Old Long’er scratched the place under his chin. This kid still doesn’t understand after being hit, it is weird!

Chen Ping’an said: “You can be mad, but I will just tell you a fact.”

He laughed: “It’s about time to visit the Zhenwu Mountain.”

Chen Ping’an looked at Gao Yi: “In the land to the north of the 100,000 mountains, I talk more.”

Gao Yi finally said nothing.

Chen Ping’an left.

Gao Yi had a terrible expression, and felt like he was still hurt! That girl’s strength was impressive, just what level was she at?

That power must’ve been at the heaven level and she was at the realm?

Xie Gou suddenly looked back, lifting a hand, frightening Gao Yi to shrink back.

Chen Ping’an looked at the time, and said: “You can go back, we’ll meet at Fallen Peak.”

Xie Gou then knew “Maybe the mountain master thinks he’s a spy?”

Continent Floating Sunset is not good at all, worse than most, and better than Tree Leaf!

Chen Ping’an nodded, “Don’t forget, Gao Yi is a Sword. Long Wall is not just a park for visitors! A swordsman saying things like that can only mean two things; first, he has the abilities and is full of arrogance, and thinks he can take it out on everyone! The other is that he does not care about Long Wall. He must have a master who does not support Long Wall. ”

“Or that Gao has a backer, like a man who is at war.”

“Oh, the lord can notice everything!”

Chen Ping’an saw that Xie Gou and the rest were there.

Old Long’er then told his apprentice that “When we get to Fallen, you will have to fend for yourself!”

“Why?”

Old Long’er said that you will be different!

Gao Yi sat back to meditate.

The girl gave him heavy damage, but it did not hurt the original source.

Gao Yi’s body then had the three powers of sky and earth and he was close! But it was not quite there yet, it’s a big jump! But in the heavenly body, he has opened up a court that is like a city, the gates are towards the east, and there is a dragon, it’s the source!

When Gao Yi tried to enter the court, he disappeared and could only hear the echo of the sounds of a gate!

Gao Yi then thought: “He is Chen…”

There was thunder and the echoing sound of “mind”

Gao Yi was then quiet, didn’t speak.

Gao Yi was then barefoot and said; “Why so much?”

No reaction from her, but instead asked: “Who is the person that you like the most?”

The next moment, Gao Yi lost all his senses, it was dark, but he could still think about it.

Gao Yi then spoke to her, but did not go towards the area that she claimed! Gao Yi was just sitting around the place: “It has been so long, there were so many changes and chances! But I can’t go on, what did you want me to do?”

Then came a woman’s voice, and she said that she was fair in everything, so that he shouldn’t ask too much!

Gao Yi was angry. She had helped him to have what he wanted, why wouldn’t she help him now?

She was not angry, just thought of it as the cicadas sounding during the summers.

Gao Yi asked: “How can you be without desire? What’s the point?”

Then, a lady, who had the ghost inside her and was named Zhen Dan, suddenly said: “You could stand here to gain the path to go back to the mainland.”

Gao Yi was scared!

She smiled: “If you get it, I can also give you!”

Gao Yi asked: “what about you?”

She answered: “You have to get to a point where you can fly up, and do the best you can.”

She didn’t need to tell him about the land over there, why should she? He would lose focus!

At this time, the barrier was broken, and the sword came.

The place opened up, and there was a boy wearing green clothes, a woman stood near him.

The woman could compete against other people in the looks and could be compared to Bai Jing. If not for what happened to her, she would be going to other parts of the mountain, by Lao Xiazi.

She also spoke of her name and abilities.

Zhen Dan then thanked her and said that she was honored.

Chen Ping’an told her to not be against the things of the day, like being against the rules.

Zhen Dan agreed. Chen Ping’an wanted to help and tell her how, but she was too stubborn!

Bai Jing told her to stop acting! If her plan works, she would have a big power!

Zhen Jing didn’t say anything back.

If there was a body, Gao Yi might’ve sweated!

Chen Ping’an laughed: “Are you scared?”

Gao Yi looked confused.

The place was taken over, someone else had come into the area, and was also named Zheng Jing, he asked: “Zhen Dan, are you here because the Bai Emperor needs a door guy?

Zhen Jing bowed to the man and said: “I wish to follow the path.”

Zheng Jzhong nodded. “Once we finish the events of Continent Flowing Sunset and settle your debts with Gao Yi, you may go to the White Emperor City and guard the gate.”

Gao Yi’s mood was extremely complicated. He could only look at the person who was wearing the green coat, Chen! What were you scared of?

Zheng Juzhong looked at Chen Ping’an, “Would you like to see what the Imperial City is like?

Chen Ping’an shook his head: “I have to go to the Treasure Continent.”

Zheng Juzhong nodded: “Okay then we will meet again!”

Before leaving, Zheng Jing said, as long as you斩陌, You can 合道

Chen Ping’an had no expression.

Bai Jing laughed. “But after I tried and locked myself away, I thought it would be much harder!”

Zheng Juzhong laughed “It’s a shame, that you should have the ability, but have not. It’s a shame that the path is too limited! 剑斩至人间悉数是断剑”

Bai Jing puckered his lips.

Zheng Jing said “Why is it that at this moment you started to feel that it was too much. Why did it take so long?”

Bai Jing shook his head and held his head to look at the sky! “This body would not know what worry is!”

What’s to be afraid of is gentle touches!

Zheng Juzhong nodded “Such a good thing, it’s worth it because it will not last for a long time.”

Chen Ping’an was confused and turned to Bai Jing.

The first woman to climb the doors of heaven?

He heard about the events of the days past when the Daoist was leading, and that was all.

Bai Jing said that he wanted to know what heaven looked like in the first place!

Zheng Juzhong left after saying bye.

It’s strange, Zhu Lian will say that you’ve met Xie Gou before?

Chen Ping’an asked: “Does Xiaomo know everything?”

Bai Jing agreed and smiled: “We have nothing to hide!”

Chen Ping’an held his breath and said: “The fuck, you’re such an idiot!”

Bai Jing scolded: “You shouldn’t say that about Xiaomo!”

Chen Ping’an had nothing to say, and soon was in the Treasure Bottle Continent.

About the tower being high and what people like.