Chapter 56: Unfairness
“Xue Wangxu has reached Mountain Moving Realm?”
In the deepest hall of Green Vine Sword School, which was covered in sword marks, Di Qingmei’s hands trembled as he spilled half of the tea in his cup. This was a great loss of composure for the master of a sect.
His direct disciple Duanmu Lian also had an ugly expression.
“No wonder he was fearless in his actions. No wonder Du Qingjiao could disobey the empress so and still retire in peace!”
Di Qingmei’s lips trembled. He had none of his usual dignity. He could not control his emotions at all.
Oft times, he’d called Xue Wangxu and Du Qingjiao dotards. He also thought that his cultivation was much superior to that pair up in the mountain.He had never expected that Xue Wangxu had reached realm seven! He himself had reached realm six first class nine years ago. Yet, in these nine years, he still could not touch the doorstep to realm seven.
Today, he had felt the primal energies of the universe in the mountains around Green Vine Sword School vibrate violently. Xue Wangxu had deliberately drawn the primal energies of the universe from here. This was a reminder, and also a threat!
Xue Wangxu was warning him to not go overboard in the upcoming sword trial festival and other matters of the sect. More importantly, he could not completely ignore Xue Wangxu’s threat.
Because cultivation was cultivation, just the difference of a breakthrough was the difference between heaven and earth. If Xue Wangxu willed, he could humiliate him in front of all the disciples of Green Vine Sword School and White Goat Cave!
“You disdain unfairness. You desire fairness. I will give you fairness in the sword trial festival. But, do you think that your disciples from White Goat Cave would win if you were just?”
Di Qingmei took a deep breath. The vital energy inside his body was still extremely restless. He cracked the teacup he held.
Much of Green Vine Sword School was in an uproar.
When Xue Wangxu had openly displayed his cultivation on the highway, the news spread to every corner of Changling, like the omnipresent autumn wind, swiftly. It even reached the other dynasties.
If another sect, suddenly had a cultivator like this, who unexpectedly amazed people all of the students in Green Vine Sword School would certainly be excited. But White Goat Cave had just affiliated to Green Vine Sword School. Every student of Green Vine Sword School felt an inexplicable danger when Xue Wangxu displayed such power.
However, it was a well-known fact that their principal Di Qingmei, was just a realm six first class cultivator.
In this world, only lions could command wolves. When had wolves ever ruled over lions? If the realm seven cultivator was a healthy lion, a realm six first class cultivator was just a lone wolf.
This cold and handsome youth, with a chiseled face, a particularly well-defined physique, dressed in thin blue robes, was an exception among the students of Green Vine Sword School.
He got out of bed at the rooster’s cry. He first drank large volumes of clean spring water to cleanse his gut, and then ate a balanced meal of a variety of appropriately measured simple grains and vegetables cooked using spring water. Then he practiced sword for an hour, read books for another hour and then mediated to cultivate …
This youth, similar in age to Nangong Caishu, strictly followed the cultivation plan he had made. He was not affected by the news at all and didn’t waste a second.
His name was He Zhaoxi. His father had named him in the hopes that he would ignore those meaningless bothersome matters, and fight for time. 1
In Green Vine Sword School, Nangong Caishu was also an exception.
She was not worried because of Xue Wangxu’s display of cultivation. She was only worried about Ding Ning’s advancement in cultivation.
The sword trial festival was in a few days. Would Ding Ning be able to breakthrough Energy Refinement Realm like he’d said?
She could not avoid taking up her pen again and writing an urgent letter to her father.
“How is it … with the pill medicines I mentioned last time?”
###
In the grass hut of White Goat Cave.
Ding Ning sat cross-legged on the meditation mat filled with spirit energy.
This time, Xue Wangxu had really been generous. The healing medicine he’d given was the rare Dragon-tiger Great Restoration Pill. At this time, the vast medicinal energy was traversing his body. He didn’t even need to use the Nine Death Silkworm. Before the sword trial festival would start, his internal wounds would be mostly healed.
Before he closed his eyes, his gaze, once again, landed on the Last Flower remnant sword resting on his knees. Sometimes, killing and avenging was very boring. The dead would not come back to life. Even more could die.
Even so, Wang Taixu was right. If one could not live happy enough, there was no meaning in living.
Zhangsun Qianxue appeared in his mind. He thought of the fairness she had spoken of. The fairness in people’s minds and the so-called fairness of the world were not the same.
###
“This sword is in my hand right now, but it could become yours.”
At a waterfall not far outside Green Vine Sword School, the most important advisor of Li Lingjun, Lu Siche, stood calmly and looked at a youth clad in the robes of Green Vine Sword School, as he spoke persuasively.
This youth clearly looked to have been in the school for many more years than Nangong Caishu. He had the beginnings of a beard, and his Adam’s apple was extremely obvious. He also had old calluses on his hands; from his time with the sword hilts.
This youth, with a clear and square face looked relatively calm. But his eyes were filled with shock and undisguised desire as he focused on Lu Siche’s right hand.
It was a small silver sword.
Only a foot long, even shorter than Ding Ning’s Last Flower sword.
Yet, its short blade was covered in numerous seals. Lu Siche did not need to channel in any vital energy for the seals on the blade to shine on their own and appear like countless dandelion seeds dancing in the air.
This was the Snow Dandelion Sword. It came from a famed master of the Chu Dynasty, Ji Tianxue.
The unique material and the seals meant it could hold the mental power of the cultivator who wielded it. This could also be used as a flying sword by cultivators after they reached realm five. The sword by itself also had unique powers.
Very rarely in the world were there forging materials that carried power on their own.Only a few forging sects in the Chu Dynasty were privy to using such materials and making all kinds of seals and weapons. The Chu Dynasty’s dominance was founded on these unique forging methods and powerful weapons.
This Snow Dandelion Sword could be considered a famed sword in the Chu. No matter how stupid this Green Vine Sword School student was, he knew he had to pay a great price for a sword like this.
Thus, he inhaled deeply and tried to make himself seem calmer. He asked, “You came as a representative of Li Lingjun. Now you say that a sword like this can belong to me. What does Li Lingjun want me to do?”
“Mo Chen, I have carefully investigated your history. You do come from the Mo Family of An City like the personages of the An Establishment and have good cultivation talent. But in your grandfather’s generation, your branch and the personages of the Mo Establishment had bad blood. So, while their branch has been ennobled to a marquessate establishment, your family is still in An City with dwindling wealth. You came to Changling to study and have received some special care. You were bullied by those that wanted to curry favor with the Mo Establishment. In the end, you finally managed to enter Green Vine Sword School. If you do not have any opportunities, I fear you will not be noteworthy in Green Vine Sword School and cannot avoid the ensuing depression and dejection.”
Lu Siche cast a profound gaze on this student from Green Vine Sword School called Mo Chen. “I found you on behalf of Li Lingjun because I want to use this sword to trade for your promise … Li Lingjun wants you to become one of his retainers.”
Mo Chen dazedly said, “Only so?”
He was filled with disbelief because for him, even if he did not benefit, being able to join Li Lingjun’s command after leaving Green Vine Sword School was a kind of glory in itself.
“With this sword, you should be able to enter the top three of the sword trial festival.” Lu Siche looked at him and softly added. “Li Lingjun greatly dislikes that youth from White Goat Cave who had reached Profound Understanding in half a day and hopes you will not let him reach the last three.”
Mo Chen shook, and he exclaimed in shock. “Let me take this sword into the sword trial festival? Don’t you feel it would be unfair to others?”
Lu Siche sneered. “Given my understanding, the Green Vine Sword School’s sword trial festival does not have a rule on the type of swords to be used. However, others lack the advantage of such good sword. But you have the ability to possess a sword like this, so how is it unfair? And when was fairness ever in this world?”
Mo Chen’s heart beat wildly, his lips trembling. He was extremely nervous and his body uncontrollably heated up.
He wanted to possess this sword. If he could win the sword trial festival, win the opportunity to cultivate on the spirit vein, and also win the green suet jade that was extremely useful for future cultivation … with all those, he would not be like now, ordinary within Green Vine Sword School.
“Do I have to kill him in the sword trial festival?” he asked, lifting his head to look at Lu Siche, sweat on his forehead.
“As long as there are other solutions, do not ever think of using the simplest, crudest, most dangerous and stupidest method.” Lu Siche shook his head. “To make a genius into a dullard, one only has to make sure he doesn’t have enough time to cultivate, to wound him, and stop him from achieving conditions that he can cultivate quickly. If he were not a true freak who mastered Physical Energy Realm in a month, and Vital Energy Realm in a few months, why would Li Lingjun find him special?”
Mo Chen feared that this opportunity would not come again. He nodded heavily, but cold sweat still rolled down his back.
He feared the high status of these personages. Also, Lu Siche’s words made him feel … was it like the rumors said? The new White Goat Cave disciple might reach realm two in a month?
