At the rear cliff of Qingyun Dao Sect.
Daoist Tai Hua looked at the secret manual in his hand, his eyes filled with joy.
He had carefully selected this secret manual when he went down the mountain two days ago.
Since Ye Ping said he wanted a secret manual of fist techniques, Daoist Tai Hua immediately went down the mountain to pick one out for him.
Daoist Tai Hua did not consider the things in the Secret Yuan Pavilion. After all, Ye Ping was about to go to Jin Nation Academy, and if he bought a secret manual from Secret Yuan Pavilion, Ye Ping could probably find an exact copy of it in Jin Nation Academy.
In order to avoid causing that embarrassment, Daoist Tai Hua made a trip to the secret manual market.
After another full day of careful selection, Daoist Tai Hua settled on this one.
After spending so much time with Ye Ping, Daoist Tai Hua roughly knew what type of secret manual Ye Ping liked.
First of all, the manuals could not be too wordy because the more words there were, the more mistakes there would be. However, it had to sound reasonable.
He liked the secret manuals that made sense at first but would gradually sound ridiculous after reading carefully.
Hence, such secret manuals were the most suitable for Ye Ping.
Besides, the ‘Ancient True Dragon Fist’ completely fit the requirements of Daoist Tai Hua. If not for the fact that he had cultivated immortality before, he would have almost been fooled.
Thinking of this, Daoist Tai Hua could not help but mutter to himself.
“Who is this Heavenly Venerable Mo Xuan? Why does this secret manual sound so impressive? I was almost fooled.”
Daoist Tai Hua was a little curious.
The author of this secret manual was Heavenly Venerable Mo Xuan who was said to be a relatively well-known secret manual writer. However, of course, she was famous only in Qingzhou.
However, in any case, Daoist Tai Hua was elated that he had found the secret manual.
Daoist Tai Hua had meant for Ye Ping to use the secret manual to ease his boredom during the journey. Hence, he didn’t think much about it.
At this moment, in the rear cliff, Ye Ping was staring at the sword mark on the ground while Li Yu was seated at the side and thinking about something.
“Ye Ping.”
At this moment, Daoist Tai Hua spoke up.
As he did, Ye Ping instantly woke up from his enlightenment. He got up and looked at Daoist Tai Hua.
He then greeted respectfully, “Greetings, Master.”
Ye Ping got up and bowed to him while Li Yu hurriedly followed suit. “Greetings, Grandmaster.”
“Don’t stand on ceremony. Ye Ping, come over.”
Seeing that Li Yu was also there, Daoist Tai Hua did not dare to directly give the secret manual to Ye Ping and instead asked him to come over.
Afterwards, when Ye Ping came over, Daoist Tai Hua handed the secret manual to him.
He then said slowly, “Burn it after reading it!”
Those four simple words made Ye Ping instantly understand what he meant. Hence, Ye Ping stowed it away before he could understand what secret manual it was.
“Okay, it’s getting late. Set off early, lest you have to suffer the windy weather.”
Since he had already given him the secret manual, Daoist Tai Hua did not say anything more and simply patted Ye Ping’s shoulder. He told Ye Ping to set off early to avoid causing any delays and end up having to stay outside.
“Yes, Master.”
Ye Ping nodded.
However, after a while, Daoist Tai Hua could not help but speak up.
“However, Ye Ping, if you really suffer any aggravation in the Jin Nation Academy or you don’t wish to stay any longer, you can come back earlier. Don’t let yourself be aggrieved.”
At the end of the day, Daoist Tai Hua was still worried about Ye Ping. After all, Ye Ping had only been training for a few months and was going to the Jin Nation Academy where there were many experts. If he really got bullied, he would feel upset too.
“Master, don’t worry. I won’t bring shame to the Qingyun Dao Sect or make you worry.”
Sensing Daoist Tai Hua’s concern, Ye Ping felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart.
“Alright, be safe on the journey.”
Patting Ye Ping’s shoulder, Daoist Tai Hua didn’t say anything more.
He turned around and left.
After Daoist Tai Hua left, Ye Ping was also ready to set off.
He didn’t have anything to pack and could just go down the mountain.
Before leaving, Ye Ping also looked for the other Senior Brothers to say goodbye to each of them.
Xu Luochen was not there and Ye Ping reckoned that he should have gone down the mountain. Since he finished refining the pills three days ago, Xu Luochen did not know what to do.
Wang Zhuoyu and Chen Lingrou were both in the sect, so Ye Ping bade farewell to them.
Su Changyu and Xiao Muxue were likewise absent. As for the others, Ye Ping had never met them before.
After saying goodbye, Ye Ping and Li Yu left the Qingyun Dao Sect and rushed to the Jin Nation Academy.
In Lizhou of Jin Nation.
In the middle of a barren mountain range, a figure was stumbling through the mountains.
“Is there anyone or not?”
“It’s already been more than half a month.”
“Is there anyone?”
“My name is Su Changyu and my junior brother is Ye Ping. Can we be friends?”
In the middle of a deserted mountain range, Su Changyu looked a little haggard. He couldn’t accept it and he was very vexed too.
Ever since the Fiendcelestial Cult raided Qingzhou, he didn’t know where he had gone.
There were mountains everywhere and he had been walking for more than half a month but still hadn’t gotten out of the mountain range, and there wasn’t a single living person at all.
It was not rare for him to get lost either. After all, it was easy to go missing without a map under normal circumstances.
However, the issue was that there was not a single person in more than half a month. Wasn’t this ridiculous?
He was really furious.
The more Su Changyu thought about it, the angrier he became. In the end, he couldn’t help but slap himself.
If not for the fact that he was scared of getting disfigured, Su Changyu would have already hit himself.
Just as Su Changyu was aimlessly searching for an exit, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Su Changyu.
“Is there someone?”
Su Changyu was stunned.
After searching for half a month without meeting a single person, how could Su Changyu not be agitated after seeing a living person?
“Fellow Daoist!”
“Fellow Daoist!”
After snapping back to his senses, Su Changyu immediately got agitated. He called out, and at the same time, he rushed over.
Soon, Su Changyu got a clear glimpse of their appearance.
It was a middle-aged man who seemed a little thin and was wearing a green robe with a wooden sword beside his feet. He was staring quietly into the distance, as if he was zoning out.
“Fellow Daoist, I am Su Changyu of the Qingyun Dao Sect and I got lost in the mountains. Can you tell me where this is? Where’s the nearest ancient city?”
Su Changyu looked very polite, but his tone was impatient.
After all, he had been trapped here for more than half a month and what he wanted to do most now was to leave this place and return to the Qingyun Dao Sect where he could peacefully rest for some time.
However, after a moment, the middle-aged man still didn’t respond, thus making Su Changyu a little stunned.
“Fellow Daoist?”
Su Changyu tried to call out.
After a moment, the man still didn’t answer.
“Old friend?”
“Brother?”
“Big Brother?”
Refusing to give up, Su Changyu continued to call him.
However, the middle-aged man was still ignoring him regardless of how he called out, as if he was a stone.
That made Su Changyu even more perplexed.
He had painstakingly found someone, and yet the middle-aged man refused to speak.
‘I’m so unlucky.’
Just when Su Changyu was feeling troubled, he noticed a few words at the middle-aged man’s feet.
After taking a closer look, Su Changyu got excited.
‘What is the Sword Dao?’
‘I’m familiar with that.’
When he saw the wooden sword, Su Changyu instantly understood what was going on.
The middle-aged man in front of him was probably a Sword Dao cultivator who had been failing in everything he did. He was probably doubting the Sword Dao and was thinking about life there.
Thinking of this, Su Changyu could not help but carefully observe this middle-aged man.
After a short while, Su Changyu was sure of his guesses.
It was because he thought that the middle-aged man didn’t seem ambitious and seemed to be full of confusion.
After seeing the four words on the ground, Su Changyu was even more certain of his idea.
After figuring out what happened to the other party, Su Changyu also thought of a countermeasure.
“Ahem.”
He coughed and moistened his throat before continuing.
‘What is the Sword Dao?’
“Cutting through the sun, moon, and stars with a single blade of grass.”
“It’s for the Sword Dao.”
Su Changyu’s voice was soft, but when he mentioned that, it was rather penetrative.
The middle-aged man, who was as motionless as a rock, could not help but snap back to his senses after hearing these words.
His gaze was soulless but there was now some life.
At this moment, the middle-aged man moved.
He turned around, somewhat dumbfounded. He then gazed at Su Changyu with curiosity.
“Cutting through the sun, moon, and stars with a single blade of grass?”
The middle-aged man murmured. He then looked at Su Changyu and seemed to still be in a daze. However, he was shocked.
At this moment, Su Changyu stayed silent.
In fact, he even took a step forward to the edge of the cliff and stood still with his hands folded while looking at the sky.
‘No one is my match when it comes to bragging.’
Soon, the middle-aged man completely snapped back to his senses.
He turned to look at Su Changyu.
As a ray of sunlight sprinkled on Su Changyu’s body on the edge of the cliff, he looked somehow illusory, as if he was a peerless Sword Immortal.
However, the middle-aged man could see at a glance that Su Changyu was not a Sword Immortal but an ordinary cultivator.
However, what made him curious and surprised was why an ordinary person like him would say that.
‘Oh, no, his looks are extraordinary. In fact, he has the most extraordinary looks I’ve ever seen.’
‘Unfortunately, he’s a good-for-nothing.’
He looked at Su Changyu curiously but didn’t speak.
Sensing the other party’s gaze, Su Changyu couldn’t help but smile.
Indeed, there was nothing that couldn’t be solved by pretending to be impressive. If he couldn’t solve it once, he would do it again.
“Are you very confused about what the real Sword Dao is?”
The two of them were silent for a long time. When he saw that the middle-aged man was not speaking up, Su Changyu couldn’t help but take the initiative to speak up.
After all, he wanted to leave this place. If he kept staying there, he would be delaying his own schedule.
Hearing Su Changyu’s voice, the man could not help but stare at him before smiling.
However, Su Changyu had his back facing the man so he didn’t know that the other party had long seen through everything.
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man responded. Perhaps in a moment of playfulness, he was willing to play along with Su Changyu.
After he said that, Su Changyu continued to speak.
“I am Su Changyu and I’m a peerless Sword Immortal. Today, fate has allowed us to meet and I would like to take you as a disciple. I wonder if you’re willing.”
Su Changyu continued to speak. For the sake of leaving this hellhole, Su Changyu was willing to forgo his pride. As long as he could leave, he would flee.
‘Disciple? You and I just met each other, you won’t take it seriously, right? It’s just for fun.’
However, after Su Changyu spoke up, the middle-aged man froze in place.
His eyes were full of surprise.
The reason being… very few people in the world would dare to ask to take him as their disciple.
At the thought of this, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but speak.
“Senior, do you know Gu Jianxian?”
The middle-aged man asked slowly.
Su Changyu was slightly stunned.
‘Ancient Sword Immortal?’
‘What is Gu Jianxian?’
He had heard of the heretical Sword Immortals but not Gu Jianxian.
“Ancient Sword Immortal? Is he very famous?”
Su Changyu said.
‘Is there such a person in Qingzhou?’
‘Is he very powerful?’
Su Changyu’s answer made the middle-aged man dumbfounded.
He did not know how to describe it.
The ancient Sword Immortal was an insurmountable mountain for the world’s Sword Dao cultivators.
However, it would be too conceited of him to say that he was invincible.
He was just shocked that Su Changyu didn’t know who he was.
However, it made sense. Lizhou was just a small state and it was normal for others not to know him.
When Gu Jianxian wanted to clarify, he suddenly fell silent again and smiled.
“Oh, Senior, are you willing to accept me as a disciple? I have poor aptitude, please don’t mind.”
Gu Jianxian seemed flattered and surprised.
‘Poor aptitude?’
Hearing that he had poor aptitude, Su Changyu couldn’t help but feel at ease.
If he had good aptitude, Su Changyu wouldn’t have dared to mess around.
At the thought of this, Su Changyu couldn’t help but say, “Cultivators can conquer nature, so what if you have poor aptitude? I have a junior brother who has extremely poor aptitude, but he managed to come in second place in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. Pardon me, I’m not bragging. So, do you think aptitude is important?”
Su Changyu said slowly.
‘Second in the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet?”
Gu Jianxian fell silent.
The last impression he had of this kind of Sword Dao Meet was still stagnated at 300 years ago. However, back then, it wasn’t a Sword Dao Meet but an Ancient Martial God Arena.
Thinking of this, Gu Jianxian couldn’t help but nod and say, “You’re right. I was being silly.”
Next, he smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, I’m willing to acknowledge you as my master.”
Gu Jianxian said.
“Okay, in this case, I will accept you as a disciple but just an in-name disciple. At the same time, I’m also not a very particular person. We can spare the formalities and wait until you become my official disciple.”
“Are you willing?”
Su Changyu wanted to deceive him in the first place so he naturally wouldn’t accept Gu Jianxian as a disciple.
“I’m naturally willing.”
Gu Jianxian chuckled.
Su Changyu could not help but sigh with relief after hearing that he had agreed.
‘Good, I’ve succeeded in fooling him.’
“Since you’re willing, I shall not be stingy. When we return to the sect, I will impart a supreme sword technique to you. By the way, what is your name?”
Su Changyu asked sternly.
“My name is Gu Mingshi.”
Gu Jianxian said his name.
“Gu Mingshi? There’s such a name? How about I call you Old Gu from now on?”
Su Changyu said.
After all, Gu Mingshi was old and it would be strange to call him Little Gu.
“It’s up to you, Master, it’s just a name anyway.”
Gu Jianxian said casually.
He did not care what name he was going to be called. Besides, it was good for him to have a new name, at least he could try to be an ordinary person.
“Okay, good. In this case, Old Gu, you lead the way ahead, I want to discuss the Sword Dao with you properly.”
Su Changyu said.
He wanted Gu Jianxian to lead the way.
The latter had no complaints either as he merrily took the lead.
However, Su Changyu would never know that this random disciple he had taken in was one of the strongest Sword Immortals in the entire world of immortal cultivation. In fact, he was probably the strongest.
Immortal Martial Era.
The 5th of May.
Outside the capital of Jin Nation.
Two carriages were moving slowly towards the capital of the country.
Among the carriages in front.
Ye Ping closed the Ancient True Dragon Fist secret manual in his hand and cast a spirit fire which burnt the manual immediately.
That was the Sect Leader’s instruction.
He was told to burn it after reading it.
After the secret manual was burned, Ye Ping closed his eyes.
His mind was filled with the insights of the Ancient True Dragon Fist.
The secret manual was extremely arcane and it was the supreme cultivation method of the True Dragon clan.
There were four realms.
Turning into the dragon with the fist.
Turning into the dragon with Qi!
Turning into the dragon with one’s body!
Turning into the dragon with one’s senses!
However, in order to truly comprehend the Ancient True Dragon Fist, one had to visualize the spirit of the True Dragon.
At this moment, Ye Ping began to visualize the soul of the True Dragon.
However, when he closed his eyes and began to visualize…
All of a sudden, a dragon shadow appeared in his mind and he almost didn’t have the time to breathe.
However, the dragon shadow could not be seen clearly and could only be seen that it was red.
Roar!
In the next moment, a terrifying dragon roar sounded.
Ye Ping instantly woke up and the fist techniques appeared in his head.
It was the Ancient True Dragon Fist.
This set of fist techniques was running through his mind.
The fist techniques were domineering and contained endless killing intent. In fact, if they were put to practice, their bodies would be strengthened too.
It was a supreme cultivation method.
Besides, he was just at the stage of practicing fist techniques. If he reached the extent of transforming into a True Dragon with Qi and Dharmic powers, he would be able to simulate the True Dragon shadow. The momentum was terrifying.
It wouldn’t be difficult but it would take some time.
Just like that, the two carriages entered the capital of Jin Nation.
That night, Li Yu brought Ye Ping to the middle of the imperial palace.
Ye Ping had learned about Li Yu’s identity when they were in Qingzhou, so he wasn’t very shocked.
On the other hand, as soon as Li Yu returned to the palace, Princess Taihe came to his door.
As soon as she saw Li Yu, Princess Taihe directly took out an ancient token, which was the special token of the Jin Nation Academy.
Soon, Princess Taihe looked a little nervous and said, “Brother, this is the special token of the Jin Nation Academy, but let me tell you something. I heard that this time, the Jin Nation Academy has more than one special enrollment student. Both the Academy Master and a Grand Elder have used their special privilege. There will be three including you, and the Senior Brothers of the academy are now just waiting for them.”
“Brother, I bet that those guys are bent on finding new disciples to vent their anger on. Why don’t we just forget about this? After all, you invited him here and if you cause him to take a beating for nothing, won’t it ruin your reputation?”
Princess Taihe said with some concern.
However, after hearing her words, Li Yu didn’t feel scared at all. Firstly, it was because he believed in Ye Ping’s abilities. Secondly, it was because he couldn’t ask Ye Ping to leave since they had just reached.
Thinking of this, Li Yu could not help but speak.
“Sister, you can rest assured that the person I invited here is not ordinary.”
“But don’t spread the word for the time being. Anyway, just don’t worry. Go back and rest, leave the rest to me.”
Li Yu said with utmost confidence.
“Alright, I’ll leave everything to you. Brother, like I said, if you can help me deal with those people, those girlfriends of mine are at your disposal.”
“The lantern festival is going to take place in seven days. Haven’t you always wanted to go? I’ll take you there.”
Since Li Yu was so confident, Princess Taihe had nothing more to say.
“Good, I’ll hold you to your word. Don’t lie to me.”
Li Yu immediately perked up after hearing about the lantern festival.
“Okay, okay, don’t worry, let’s go. I stole this. If anyone from the academy finds out, I’ll be doomed.”
Princess Taihe didn’t say anything more and turned around to leave.
After Princess Taihe left, Li Yu thought about it and decided to go and talk to Ye Ping about this matter.
After all, there would be trouble if he had overestimated Ye Ping’s abilities.
Hence, Li Yu went to see Ye Ping that night.
He managed to give a clear explanation.
In the hall, Li Yu was making tea for Ye Ping and spoke to him while doing so.
“Master, don’t worry, those fourth generation disciples aren’t all impressive and many of them are good-for-nothings. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to deal with them.”
“However, if they really dare to bully the weak, I’ll definitely let my father intervene and ensure your safety.”
After saying that, Li Yu lifted his teacup and handed it to Ye Ping respectfully.
“It doesn’t matter, since it’s the rule of the Jin Nation Academy, you don’t need to interfere. I’ll win if I can.”
Ye Ping shook his head. He didn’t bother about it and it just so happened that he had recently learned the Ancient True Dragon Fist which he had to sharpen in actual combat. Hence, it was just the right opportunity.
Of course, it’d be best if he could win, but if he couldn’t, he would just take it as an opportunity to sharpen his Dao Heart.
After hearing Ye Ping’s words, Li Yu was relieved.
“Alright, since you have said so, I have nothing more to say.”
Li Yu didn’t have much to say anymore. Seeing that it was getting late, he put down the teapot.
“Master, it’s getting late. I’ll head back to handle some matters before coming to see you tomorrow morning. I’ll take you to get familiar with the Jin Nation Academy.”
Li Yu said.
“Excellent!”
Ye Ping nodded, seemingly casual.
At the same time, in the main hall of the Jin Nation Academy.
The two figures stood facing each other.
Li Mocheng looked at the old man in front of him and seemed to be somewhat silent.
On the other hand, the old man in front of him seemed a little crazy as his hair was all messy and unkempt. He was holding a black gourd in one hand and sipping on some wine.
After finishing a large mouthful of wine, the old man wiped his mouth with his sleeve and burped before speaking.
“Take good care of this girl, she’s quite talented. Senior Brother, I don’t like teaching others, so stay here and teach her. You don’t have to take too much care of her, just do what you want.”
The old man said casually.
“It’s a trivial matter.”
Li Mocheng answered calmly, but after that, he looked at the elder in front of him.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Brother, are you really not going to go back?”
Li Mocheng continued to ask.
The old man shook his head before waving his hand and saying, “Don’t ask such questions again from now on. Okay, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”
“I’ll leave that girl to you. By the way, her name is Mo Xuan. Bye.”
The old man waved his hand and disappeared on the spot the next moment.
