Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A figure walked out of a cave residence within the Sword Abyss of Taixuan Mountain. Sword will wrapped around him, and his eyes were full of sword light.
“Brother Wan has come out of his seclusion,” someone called as everyone looked towards the man who had emerged. Wan Shouyi smiled slightly and nodded to them.
“His aura has changed,” someone in the distance said.
A few of them walked towards him, calling out, “Brother!”
Wan Shouyi had shut himself away in cultivation once he had returned. This had lasted for more than two years. Now that he was emerging, he must have advanced a lot.
“Why are you all looking at me?” he said with a smile as he saw the group of people coming towards him. There was a note of happiness in his tone. He was obviously in a good mood.
“How was your cultivation, brother?” someone asked.
Wan Shouyi gave a smile that was full of meaning. The disciples of Sword Abyss reacted to this in many different ways. They looked at him and asked, “Brother, please tell us in detail.”
“I have almost touched upon the Renhuang path.” He looked up into the air, full of emotion. Many people had successfully completed the journey to the Divine Palace, the Sea of the Path, and the Land of Proving the Way, and he had experienced a lot on this trip. He had felt the will of the Sea of the Path as well as its incomparable vastness. This gave birth to lofty feelings within him.
But everything that had happened afterward showed him that although he had great ambitions, he was not strong enough to realize them. But Ye Futian had helped him with his song, adding strength to his sword and increasing his perception greatly. This had greatly moved him, and thus, once he had returned, he had locked himself away in cultivation.
It was not until now that he emerged from his seclusion. Moreover, he had truly touched the Renhuang plane. It was not empty boasting.
He could already feel that the Renhuang plane was not far away.
Everyone was stunned. Wan Shouyi had always been at a higher level than them, and he was the senior brother in Sword Abyss. He was an outstanding swordsman, but he was still far away from the Renhuang plane. They all knew that he must have advanced a lot while shut away in cultivation this time, but they would never have thought that he would touch the Renhuang plane.
They were familiar with Wan Shouyi’s moral character. He would not lie about something like this.
“Congratulations, brother,” someone said with a bow.
“You are the first person in Sword Abyss to prove yourself worthy,” someone said with a sigh of emotion.
“Not just Taixuan Mountain. With the level that you have now reached, no one on Taixuan Mountain can compare with you,” someone else said.
When he heard this, Wan Shouyi waved his hand and said, “Stop praising me to death, brothers. All the success that I have achieved today is due to what he gave me. When he is here, he is the foremost disciple of Taixuan Mountain. Everyone else can only hope to be number two.”
A figure flashed in everyone’s mind as he said this. It was the white-haired young man who had come back with Wan Shouyi. Everyone was familiar with his deeds, but they were not too sure about the concrete details of what had happened.
But Wan Shouyi had said that all his success today was thanks to him.
“Brother Wan, is Shen Jing—no—is Ye Futian really that strong?” someone asked. Before, Ye Futian had often come to Sword Abyss to cultivate, and many of the disciples there knew him. Thus, they still called him Shen Jing.
“He is not just strong.” Wan Shouyi thought back to the trip to the Land of Proving the Way. “The song that he gave me back then had as much impact on me as if it was at the Nirvana level. That was why my understanding of swordsmanship increased by leaps and bounds then. Afterward, he gave me a piece of fruit of the Way and captured the Divine Tree of Comprehension for us to cultivate at. That was why I was able to comprehend so much. Afterward, I came back and shut myself away in cultivation. Ye Futian’s help allowed me to skip over at least several dozen years of hard cultivation.”
Even though he was already at the peak of the Nirvana level, the time it would take him to reach the Renhuang plane should still be measured in at least decades. But Ye Futian’s assistance in the Land of Proving the Way had made it so that he was already close to achieving his goal.
His heart was full of wonder and excitement.
“Forget Taixuan Mountain. In all of the Higher Heavens Realm, there is probably no one who can compare with him, save for Huang Zhong of the Divine Palace,” Whispered Wan Shouyi. Ye Futian had defeated many cultivators, including heroic figures like Li Daozi and Gai Shi Shi. This kind of combat talent was incredibly rare.
Everyone was silent when they heard what Wan Shouyi said. Although they had heard of the things that Ye Futian had done, hearing someone who had personally touched the Renhuang plane praise him so highly was still a little shocking.
It was a pity that they had not gone to the Divine Palace and witnessed everything that he had done themselves.
“Has he come out of his seclusion?” Wan Shouyi asked suddenly.
“He is probably still cultivating at String Pavilion. Just like you, he is rushing towards the Renhuang plane,” someone said.
“In that case, he must not be far from achieving his goal?” someone else asked.
“Not necessarily. My level was higher than his in the beginning, and it was not long ago that he broke through to the Nirvana level. In fact, it happened on the trip to the Land of Proving the Way. In such a short time, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to cultivate faster than me, even with the fruit of the Way,” said Wan Shouyi. “After all, I also have had good luck. But no matter if he reaches the Renhuang plane quickly or slowly, it is just a matter of time. After Li Daozi was defeated by him, he ascended to the Renhuang plane, then thanked Ye Futian for defeating him. Could he say that he was stronger than him? For someone as talented as Ye Futian, how long it takes him to reach the Renhuang plane does not mean anything.”
Upon saying this, he walked away, everyone following him on either side.
Wan Shouyi’s words made their way around Taixuan Mountain very quickly. He went to String Pavilion and learned that Ye Futian was still shut away in cultivation, so he had to go back. On the way, he ran into Jun Mu and Luoyue.
Jun Mu glanced at him over his shoulder and said, “I heard that you touched the Renhuang plane? Is that due to the help he gave you?”
Wan Shouyi looked back at him. Some unpleasant things had happened between Jun Mu and Ye Futian at the Land of Proving the Way. He had stood by Ye Futian’s side through it all, so there was some friction between him and Jun Mu.
“Let us leave past problems in the past. I believe he does not care about what happened,” said Wan Shouyi. They were all cultivators of Taixuan Mountain. Jun Mu was the personal disciple of the Taixuan Hierophant, and the conflict between them should not be any cause for enmity. They could let it go. After all, it had all been for the sake of getting fruit of the Way, so Ye Futian would probably not pursue the matter.”
“I am speaking of something else.” Jun Mu turned to face Wan Shouyi. “I have been fortunate enough to see some success in my cultivation over these last two years. I would like to see how much you have advanced.”
“Brother.” Beside him, Luoyue frowned, seeming unhappy. Jun Mu had been in the wrong in the past, and now he was making trouble once again.
Everyone around them looked at them. It seemed there would be a conflict between the two of them.
Wan Shouyi and Luoyue had not purposely spread the news about what had happened, and thus the people of Taixuan Mountain were not very clear about the details. Only those who were there knew.
People like Li Zhiyin of Guqin Valley and Chen Deng. These two strode over to them now.
After the incident, Ye Futian had invited them to cultivate with him at the Divine Tree of Comprehension. Afterward, they admired Ye Futian greatly. Jun Mu stood alone.
“This has nothing to do with you,” said Jun Mu to Luoyue. She was Second Uncle’s daughter, and so she had no right to get involved.
“If you persist in this, it will affect your cultivation,” said Wan Shouyi.
Jun Mu frowned when he heard this, and an unhappy look crossed his face. “Are you trying to teach me?”
On saying this, he strode forward, and his aura bloomed.
Wan Shouyi felt a burst of pressure. Powerful sword will suddenly burst forth from him.
In a flash, endless swords filled the sky, covering the entire area.
Everyone’s eyes fell upon him. They all felt shaken. His sword will was so strong.
“Join the swords.”
As he said this, Wan Shouyi transformed into a sword and shot forward like a beam of light that dazzled everyone.
The Great Path roared within Jun Mu, and a burst of incredibly powerful Qi exploded out of him. He could feel an astonishing amount of pressure. Each step forward caused him great pain.
He raised his fist and slammed out with his fist will. However, the Great Path flowed in reverse, and his fist will was blocked. Wan Shouyi descended upon him. He struck out with a single finger, and all the swords returned together.
Woosh!
The tip of the sword hit the fists, and divine light pierced through Jun Mu’s body. At that moment, the area where Jun Mu was standing lit up with dazzling sword light that then disappeared in a flash.
Wan Shouyi returned to his original position as if he had never moved at all. But blood was flowing from the center of Jun Mu’s fist. He groaned, and more blood poured from his mouth. His face was pale, and his aura was very weak.
“A single stroke!”
Everyone felt their hearts tremble fiercely. Wan Shouyi had defeated Jun Mu with a single sword stroke.
Jun Mu had been the leader back during the journey to the Land of Proving the Way.
And after two years, he had been surpassed.
He looked like he was in a daze. He did not understand. How could this be?
“He has come out from his seclusion.” At that moment, someone walked towards them. The voice was somewhat unexpected, and it seemed that his words did not fit the situation.
However, this sentence still affected everyone greatly.
He had come out of his seclusion.
In a flash, everyone forgot about the fight.
“He’s coming!” someone else said. In the distance, a figure was coming towards them. He had white hair and white clothes. He had a powerful aura and a heroic air about him.
“His aura has changed.” Everyone seemed to forget about Jun Mu, and they all looked at Ye Futian. His aura was now even more outstanding.
Ye Futian walked over to them. He naturally saw Wan Shouyi and Jun Mu. Wan Shouyi turned and walked over to him, saying with a smile, “You’ve come out.”
Ye Futian nodded slightly. “Yes.”
All around them, people were drawing nearer.
Among them were Luoyue, Li Zhiyin, Chen Yu, and more. They were the ones who had gone with him to the Land of Proving the Way. Now they all stood on either side of him. From this, it was obvious how high a place Ye Futian held within their hearts.
Ye Futian seemed to sense something, and he looked at Jun Mu. He saw a bit of enmity in his eyes.
He did not understand. Why would he bear a grudge against him?
“That affair back in the Land of Proving the Way probably affected his state of mind,” said Wan Shouyi. “There’s no need for you to worry about it.” He still hoped to avoid friction between Ye Futian and Jun Mu. After all, Jun Mu was a disciple of the Taixuan Hierophant.
“I don’t mind,” said Ye Futian. He continued forward, passing by Jun Mu. It was not just that he didn’t mind; if Jun Mu had not been standing right in front of him, he would have forgotten about him.
“Wan Shouyi has touched the Renhuang plane, have you?” said Jun Mu as he passed by. “You’ve been shut away for more than two years. How has your cultivation gone?”
“Not bad,” said Ye Futian softly, “but I am still not quite a Renhuang.”
“Let me try you,” said Jun Mu, and his aura flared to life once again. Countless palm prints of the Great Path burst forth, shooting straight at Ye Futian.
“Enough!” shouted Wan Shouyi, but Ye Futian just stood there without moving. The palm prints descended in an instant, slamming into his back, but the light of the Great Path flashed upon him, and the palm prints were destroyed. He had not moved a muscle.
Not even his feet had moved.
“Are you up for it?” Ye Futian said calmly, not even turning his head. Jun Mu’s face went white. How could this be?
Although his palm prints were not his strongest technique, they were still astonishingly powerful. And yet Ye Futian was still standing there calmly.
“If there is nothing else, then I will say farewell,” continued Ye Futian. He stepped away, leaving Jun Mu staring after him with eyes and mouth wide open!
