Chen Ping’an opened his eyes, and almost instantly, four flying swords manifested themselves. Chuyi was eager to show off its merits, while Shiwu remained obedient. Pine Needle and Cough Thunder were, after all, merely imitations of true swords, and despite being reforged, they still lacked the innate spirituality of the originals.

The small house was filled with the familiar scent of medicine.

Looking at the sky outside the window, it was nearing dusk.

He closed his eyes, sensing the vague aura of the distant Sword Qi Great Wall. Then, opening them again, Chen Ping’an retracted his flying swords and immersed his mind in the microcosm of his own body, checking for any lingering effects from the great battle, primarily examining the four key acupoints.

Battles between cultivators, matched in pairs, could result in one’s natal Qi ocean becoming a wasteland, akin to battlefield ruins, damaging the very foundation of one’s Dao.

However, as soon as his spiritual mote manifested, a fierce fire dragon came swimming over. Atop the dragon’s head stood the golden miniature figure, still clad in Confucian robes, carrying not only a sword but also a golden scripture. Only now, it sported a bald head.

The golden figure, perched on the dragon’s head, glared fiercely at Chen Ping’an, poised to unleash a torrent of abuse.

Chen Ping’an feigned bravado, “Don’t start cursing, I can be merciless, even cursing myself.”

Did the little bald head care about that? It erupted in a stream of insults.

Chen Ping’an couldn’t possibly engage in a shouting match with the golden figure, so he pretended to be deaf. After all, without its help in surveying his inner world, guiding the pure martial artist’s vital energy, and preventing interference with the Qi flow of the cultivator, Chen Ping’an’s mental slumber after such a fierce battle would be like a small death. The martial energy and cultivator’s spiritual energy would already be locked in a chaotic battle within his microcosm, adding fuel to the fire and creating endless future troubles.

In the Water Mansion, the spiritual energy was completely depleted. The water patterns on the murals were dim, and the small pond was dry. However, the Water Seal, the colored murals, and the small pond’s foundations remained intact. It wasn’t that they were completely unharmed, but rather, they had a chance to be repaired. For example, some of the colors on the mural had peeled off, and many of the already unstable water god images were becoming increasingly scattered and blurred. The few water gods that seemed to have had their eyes dotted, originally radiating pure golden light, were now somewhat dim.

The entire Water Mansion seemed to be shrouded in a sense of twilight. The green-clad attendants were idle and listless. A clever cook couldn’t make a meal without rice. They looked up at Chen Ping’an’s spiritual mote, not complaining, but each with a furrowed brow and resentful eyes. Chen Ping’an had no choice but to assure them that he would try his best, as soon as possible, to replenish their household and restore the vitality of the place. The green-clad attendants hung their heads, unconvinced.

Near the Water Mansion’s entrance, the golden figure sat cross-legged on the dragon’s head, glaring at the green-clad attendants.

The dispirited little fellows immediately stood up to respectfully see Chen Ping’an off.

After leaving the Water Mansion, the golden figure resumed chasing Chen Ping’an on the fire dragon, showering him with curses.

The Mountain Shrine and Wooden House were in similar states of disrepair as the Water Mansion. He would have to act as a patch-up artist, using divine money and corresponding Five Elements treasures to slowly fill the holes.

The damage to the three key acupoints and natal objects caused Chen Ping’an to fall three realms, making him now a Second Realm Great Cultivator.

The good news was that the Eighteen Sword Stops, modified by Aliang, were now free of all obstacles.

Chuyi and Shiwu occupied two key Qi oceans, continuing to hone their sword sharpness on the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

Of the acupoints where the first three “extremely small” sword energies resided, only the last one remained, like an empty house, waiting for its occupant.

It was just waiting for Chen Ping’an to nurture a natal flying sword more worthy of the name than Chuyi and Shiwu, to become a true sword cultivator.

Few among the Sword Qi Ten Gentlemen had carved self-portraits.

This Dharma seal, however, was engraved with numerous ancient divine figures such as the Thunder General, Lightning Mother, Wind Earl, Rain Master, Cloud Official, Spirit Officer, and Celestial Being.

The inscription was the sixteen-character worm-and-bird seal script: “Gather Five Thunders, Command All Laws. Cut Off Five Leaks, Pivot of Heaven and Earth.”

These sixteen characters were quite an extravagant inscription, with a grand tone that seemed to swallow heaven and earth.

As long as one cultivated the orthodox lineage of the Five Thunders Righteous Method, and was a Taoist master who truly attained the Great Dao, one could indeed proclaim, “This body is the face of Heaven and Earth, all creation is within my palm.”

The Yellow-Purple Noble of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion in the Central Earth was one of the best among them.

There was a famous couplet, but it wasn’t written by the Dragon Tiger Mountain Taoists themselves, but rather gifted by an outsider.

“Wind, Thunder, Cloud, and Rain rise in the palm, myriad Dharma Gates open from here.”

Chen Ping’an held the “only fallen one realm” Daoist treasure in his palm and smiled, “You are the ancestor of the Great Numbers, with the central five elements, and you have the opportunity to restore the rank of a Semi-Immortal Artifact. You were unlucky to have an unrighteous master before, but now that you’ve fallen into my hands, it’s a stroke of good fortune for both of us. In the future, when I become a majestic Fifth Realm Immortal, mastering the Thunder Method, you can follow me in slaying demons and eliminating evil.”

Chen Ping’an wiped it carefully with his sleeve before gently placing it on the table. In the future, he could refine it further and hang it outside the Wooden House’s door, like the copper mirrors hung by the common folk in town to ward off evil.

He then took out another Immortal treasure that had also been reduced to a magical artifact, the bronze pagoda modeled after the White Jade Capital.

Chen Ping’an was most delighted to find and obtain this item.

After refining it further, he would place it in the Mountain Shrine.

Chen Ping’an didn’t have many ideas about opening up more key acupoints to store natal objects. Now that he had become a Second Realm cultivator, there was no point in thinking about it.

Finally, there was the scroll with the cracked ancient wooden shaft and damaged painting, depicting eighteen lifelike Sword Immortals, the top sword cultivators in the history of the Wild Lands.

It was a pity that the scroll was too damaged and almost worthless.

Chen Ping’an initially thought that he couldn’t be biased and that after refining it, he could give it to the golden figure. However, he suddenly felt a pang of pain in his chest.

What a demanding granddaddy! It looked down on it and disliked it.

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to change his mind and place it in the Mountain Shrine along with the bronze pagoda.

Chen Ping’an put away all the items, returned them to his Space Storage, walked out of the house, and walked to the small courtyard gate, then walked back to the yard.

In the end, he was still worried about the situation at the city wall.

He began the Six Step Stance.

However, after performing the fist stance several times, even though he was wearing a Dharma robe, he still couldn’t hide the faint smell of blood.

How could falling in realm be easy for a cultivator?

The reason why Chen Ping’an had unnecessarily asked Granny Bai whether the details of that fight had been leaked was not related to any conspiracy.

It was just that Chen Ping’an didn’t want too many people in the Sword Qi Great Wall to know about his other side.

During the process of the rising Thunder Pool and the descending Cloud Sea connecting, Chen Ping’an’s true body and Yin spirit were actually blurred and indistinguishable.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an, who was in a desperate situation at that time, had a kind of hearty and exhilarating joy.

It was as if life should be like this.

Sitting wasn’t peaceful, and walking the stance wasn’t calming.

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to go back inside the house to sit and carve seals. Even if he earned money, he would return it all to the Sword Qi Great Wall. But the process of earning money itself was a happy thing. The learning within was not to be divulged to outsiders.

There were countless sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall, but very few scholars. Whether it was carving seals or inscribing fan surfaces, those who held knives and pens lacked focus. It didn’t matter if they carved or wrote poorly.

Chen Ping’an sat at the table, took out his Sword Nourishing Gourd, and took a sip of wine from time to time.

Holding the flying sword Shiwu, he carved a new stone seal as white as jade.

The side inscription was: “In this world, human affairs are without exception, striving for fame and profit tirelessly, teaching this old riverside fellow to look at them with disdain.”

The seal inscription: “Going for a drink.”

Then he carved another one.

The side inscription was: “Since ancient times, poets and lyricists have wanted to kill the word ‘love,’ but I only hate that amorous sorrow doesn’t visit my door, drinking his mother’s wine, anger rising from the gut, smashing a stick on the book, shattering the delicate and euphemistic words.”

The seal inscription: “Worrying the lonely bachelor to death.”

Then he carved another seal.

The side inscription: “A penniless sword immortal has no wine to get drunk on, a graceful beauty suddenly has autumn fat.”

The seal inscription: “What to do?”

Finally, he carved a seal.

The side inscription: “The quiet moss beneath the steps, the young master shakes his fan. The scorched vegetables by the well, tears flowing profusely.”

Chen Ping’an was about to carve the seal inscription when he suddenly grasped the seal in his hand and crushed it into powder.

Chen Ping’an took a deep breath.

He got up and left the house, went to the table in the main room, and took the sword “Sword Immortal.”

He drew the sword from its sheath, and the moonlight was like water, shining on the blade, as if washing the sword.

Chen Ping’an returned the sword to its sheath, but did not carry it on his back. Instead, he hung it at his waist, and then summoned the Talisman Boat to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Heroes slay bandits, sword cultivators kill demons, how could I not long for it? Let’s go and f**k them up!