Gu Qing Shan stood in the barren wasteland, silently waiting.
If the one who took my Inventory Bag was Shifu, then she’ll quickly return once she discovers the items from Bai Hua sect.
Sure enough.
In just 20 breaths’ worth of time, a strong gust of wind descended from the sky, sucking up dirt and rock to manifest into a female form.
After several layers of light, the female’s appearance became clear.
She was wearing a white silk dress with a jade crown on her head, a beauty like no other.
There was a faint sense of otherworldly simplicity, her eyes were clear like an autumn pond that reflected the full moon above.
Xie Dao Ling.
She placed the mega-sized jade tag in front of Gu Qing Shan and curtly asked: “Where did you obtain this jade tag?”
Gu Qing Shan smiled.
“At the time, I had just arrived in Shen Wu world, when I asked second brother to give me a few cultivation scriptures, he gave them to me”
He then clasped his fist and praised: “Shifu is now able to manifest your body through dirt and rock, such skillful technique is beyond my imagination”
Xie Dao Ling silently observed him for a while and asked: “You are Gu Qing Shan? Why do you look like this?”
Gu Qing Shan explained everything to her from the very beginning.
Xie Dao Ling pondered his words, then said: “Your story is without flaw, but the previous time I left Shen Wu world to come to the cultivation alliance, someone had attempted to impersonate Gu Qing Shan to infiltrate our Bai Hua sect. Xiao Lou’s group was so lax that they were nearly hurt, it was only due to Qing Rou and Wan Er’s quick-wittedness that made the experience frightful but without dangers”
Gu Qing Shan followed up: “Then…”
Xie Dao Ling continued: “Swordsmanship is a sword cultivator’s spirit and soul, a person can be impersonated, but not his swordsmanship. You must prove to me that you are the real Gu Qing Shan”
Gu Qing Shan then grabbed the Earth sword from the void of space, sincerely telling her: “In the past when I was taken in and taught by Shifu, this disciple had always kept it close in mind. Ever since our parting at the 900 million World Layers alliance, things had become impermanent, while this disciple lives among the streets of the infinite worlds, I had never forgotten Shifu. Today with my swordsmanship as proof, I hope that Shifu will teach me once more”
Xie Dao Ling displayed a warm smile and replied: “Come, let your master see how much you’ve improved”
Gu Qing Shan clasped his fist and bowed, then abruptly vanished.
Fwah!
A layer of frosting air manifested from the tip of the sword, abruptly piercing into Xie Dao Ling’s chest.
Xie Dao Ling’s figure slowly faded away.
——it was an afterimage.
Gu Qing Shan looked up, only to see that Xie Dao Ling had taken to the air, her sleeves fluttering like a heavenly fairy.
Gu Qing Shan turned his hand to grab the Heaven sword and thrust upward at the sky.
Glittering light surged forward from the sword, manifesting as a single giant sword phantom.
Boom!
The sword phantom shot upwards, causing the dirt and rocks around to tremble, almost like an earthquake.
——Secret Art, [River Traversing Iron Sword]!
With Gu Qing Shan’s current swordsmanship, he had already fully comprehended all there is to comprehend from the Secret Art, [Water Flow Severance], from which he had created a new, more powerful Secret Art!
The giant sword phantom flashed through the air and appeared immediately in front of Xie Dao Ling.
Xie Dao Ling waved her long sleeves without even the slightest hint of flinching.
——-Divine Skill, [Sleeves of Holding]!
The giant sword phantom immediately vanished, taken somewhere by Xie Dao Ling.
Xie Dao Ling abruptly turned and threw a punch into the air.
Just in time for Gu Qing Shan to appear right at that location, whereas he originally planned to attack, he could only block her punch with his sword due to losing the initiative.
Bam!
The void of space shook.
Gu Qing Shan was sent flying into the ground like a cannonball.
Xie Dao Ling clasped her hands behind her back while standing in the air, only to feel the wind picking up.
“Sword-infused wind… seems like it is a sword array”
She softly sighed and summoned a long whip from the void of space.
Sha—-klak!
The whip swung forward and made a loud snap.
The wind itself seemed to have been struck by this whip and scattered.
There was no longer any wind in the air.
Xie Dao Ling put the whip away and casually descended.
In front of her, Gu Qing Shan had only just jumped out from the crater.
“No need to continue. I ask you; do you face your enemies the same way when you’re outside?” Xie Dao Ling asked.
Gu Qing Shan replied: “When I’m outside, I naturally fight to kill the enemy”
Xie Dao Ling then glared at him and said: “You fought like you had their arms and legs twisted together, nothing like a sword cultivator at all. If I wasn’t your master, I wouldn’t have been able to see your original swordsmanship from that fight just now at all”
Gu Qing Shan was glad and casually replied: “It’s been a long time since I saw Shifu, but my swordsmanship had improved too quickly, so I was afraid that I might hurt Shifu without meaning to”
——the fact that Xie Dao Ling was scolding him this way meant that she had accepted his identity.
Xie Dao Ling commented: “Your swordsmanship truly has surpassed the realm of Sword Saint, which realm had you reached now?”
Gu Qing Shan replied: “After a thousand swords is a single sword”
Being a person of her caliber, Xie Dao Ling immediately understood: “One sword to surpass one thousand, so it was the realm of power convergence, what realm follows that?”
“A single sword manifests into hundreds and thousands, that is Sword Deity” Gu Qing Shan told her.
Xie Dao Ling pondered briefly and praised: “Hundred and thousands of Secret Arts manifesting at will, unrivaled combat prowess”
With a single statement, she had clearly understood the path of godly swordsmanship, that is Xie Dao Ling!
Gu Qing Shan was fully convinced and smiled: “I hope to be taught by Shifu even more from now on”
Neither of them mentioned a single word about his Inventory Bag being stolen.
Xie Dao Ling observed his appearance and frowned: “Qing Shan, your current appearance is too soft, nothing like a sword cultivator”
Gu Qing Shan explained: “This is a kind of Technological power, a disguise done from the genetic level, capable of evading detection of my original appearance from even a clairvoyance technique, this was the only reason why I took on this face”
“Earlier, I tried a few other means as well, but couldn’t turn back”
Xie Dao Ling nodded and said: “I’m going to turn you back to your original form, what do you think?”
Gu Qing Shan replied: “Of course, there is no issue, I will listen to Shifu”
“Endure it a bit, it’ll be over very quickly”
“Yes”
Pap!
Gu Qing Shan was slapped.
He touched his face and found that it had returned to normal.
“Thank you, Shifu” he said happily.
“Hm” Xie Dao Ling clasped her hands behind her back and said: “Xiao Lou doesn’t like to compete, Xiu Xiu is still young, Qing Rou and Wan Er was taken in late; you are the only person in our Bai Hua sect to have come the furthest, so you must remember not to act like a feminine man again”
“Yes” Gu Qing Shan replied.
Xie Dao Ling added: “Compared to cultivation, I would rather that you and the rest be the best people that you could be, to have a clear conscience at all times”
Gu Qing Shan nodded: “I will make sure to follow Shifu’s model, always staying as a sword cultivator who can walk and talk straight”
Xie Dao Ling was pleased: “Hm, that is how we of Bai Hua sect should be”
As they were talking, a few black dots appeared from afar.
Xie Dao Ling instantly lost the presence she gave off earlier and said: “Qing Shan, we will come into contact again tonight, your master has other business to attend——-”
As soon as she finished, the light of the technique flickered and vanished, her body returned to become dirt and rock that collapsed to the ground.
Gu Qing Shan froze.
Shifu left a bit too quickly.
Was she under some sort of threat?
Gu Qing Shan scowled and looked at the black dots arriving from afar.
He started exuding killing intent as he wielded his sword.
…
10 minutes later.
Several cultivators searched Gu Qing Shan’s vicinity.
They released various spells, carefully searching every inch of dirt in the area, some even took to the air to scan the void of space with their inner sight.
Someone was even consoling Gu Qing Shan: “Fellow Dao seeker Gu, since it had come to this, you should readjust your mentality somewhat, after all, we will soon need to face the Tribulation”
Gu Qing Shan awkwardly stood there, endured it for a while, but couldn’t help himself muttering: “There’s no need to waste your efforts anymore, that thief ran away too quickly, we won’t be able to find them”
“Tsk!”
A cultivator angrily threw his weapon to the ground.
“Completely vanished, impossible to find!” another cultivator sighed.
The cultivator who was consoling Gu Qing Shan was unwilling to accept that result and insisted on asking: “Fellow Dao seeker Gu, did you perhaps see that thief’s appearance?”
When Gu Qing Shan was about to answer, a cultivator next to him chuckled bitterly and answered dejectedly: “It’s useless even if he saw them clearly, that thief took on the form of thousands and acted while everyone was strolling through the marketplace——- did everyone not fall victim the exact same way?”
Everyone was clearly irritated.
——-indeed, these people were also {Yama King} realm cultivators, real cultivators who came to Heaven Pillar World to face their Tribulation just as Gu Qing Shan had.
They came to face a Tribulation, but got their Inventory Bag stolen instead…
Gu Qing Shan silently sighed.
Shifu really did it this time.
But Shifu wasn’t really a materialistic person, so why did she take these people’s Inventory Bags?
While he was thinking, someone suddenly asked: “Fellow Dao seeker Gu, you seemed to have spoken with that person for a while, did you perhaps know one another?”
Gu Qing Shan patted his chest and opened his eyes wide: “How is that possible! You can ask anyone, I am the third-ranking disciple of Bai Hua sect, a renowned lawful sect that has always lived in the light——- we disciples walk straight and talk straight, being nothing but the best person we can be, living with a clear conscience at all times. We would definitely never get acquainted with such thieves!”
Seeing him filled with righteous indignation, the people recalled that he had also been stolen from; understanding his mentality, no one said anything else.
Truly.
If they knew one another, why would the other party steal from Gu Qing Shan as well?
At this point, everyone recognized something and looked up at the sky.
7-8 Inventory Bags were falling from above.
“My Inventory Bag!” someone called out.
Everyone waved their hands to summon their respective Inventory Bags.
Including Gu Qing Shan, everyone immediately checked their Inventory Bags.
Someone doubtfully said: “How strange, nothing is missing at all. But my cultivation scripture jade tag seemed to have been used”
