Chapter 122: I Want the Sword and My Face
“It needs to be more complex—”
“The powerful and wildly imaginative Gui Qu Lai charged head-on, and Ji You’s incredibly complex Sword Intent produced incredibly complex Sword Qi, meeting it fiercely.
Under that powerful strike, sparks flew from the iron sword as it was blunted, and the person holding the sword was sent flying.
But no sooner had he landed than Ji You picked up his sword again and met the next Gui Qu Lai.
“Not complex enough, it needs to be even more complex.”
“Stupid brain, think fast.”
Amidst his murmurs, the second strike of Gui Qu Lai became even sharper and more direct. The whistling sword was like lightning tearing through the sky, giving no one any time to react.
This was the characteristic of the third sword of guarding the forest: incredibly swift. It was Qi Elder’s ultimate fast sword in his Dao of the Sword.
Ji You had already soared into the air, holding the most complex sword, and fiercely struck down towards that Gui Qu Lai. At this moment, his Sword Heart was like a hundred weeds growing wildly, chaotic and disorderly.
But without surprise, he was once again fiercely struck down by Gui Qu Lai, falling into the forest with a bang, then picking up his sword again.
“It’s complex enough—”
“Now, it needs to be simpler. The heart must be clear, understanding what shouldn’t exist and what should remain.”
“You must see, only see.”
“If I only use one sword, it will be this straightest sword—”
With a bang, sword waves surged, and Sword Qi pierced through the forest with a roar. Violent Qi waves continuously erupted, causing the forest to resemble mountains roaring and seas surging.
Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi’s expressions had changed at this moment. Looking at the figure whose sword momentum was diminishing but whose sword moves were becoming increasingly wild, their hearts trembled incessantly, while Gongshu Chou couldn't help but retreat backward.
The only one remaining at the forefront was Yan Shujing, who had already passed through the third layer of the Sword Forest, but at this moment, she watched with extreme seriousness.
Her sword was also a famous treasured sword in Feng Province. It was originally stable within its scabbard, but with this sword strike, it couldn't help but tremble slightly.
With a hum, sword light spread in all directions, and the sword was like overlapping waves. The Sword Intent before everyone’s eyes suddenly became simpler.
It was as if many things had been stripped away, and now it began to become transparent.
Yan Ye frowned deeply: “It’s Xiao Chong Shan—”
Yan Qingchi couldn't help but shake his head gently: “It’s not Xiao Chong Shan, but—it’s somewhat similar, about forty percent similar.”
“Forty percent Xiao Chong Shan?”
“Indeed, Qi Elder’s sword, I won’t mistake it.”
Yan Ye couldn't help but open his mouth, his gaze towards Ji You changing repeatedly in an instant.
The Dao of the Sword is like the Immortal Dao, vast and profound. Lingjian Mountain has deeply researched the Dao of the Sword for a hundred years, and can only be said to have touched the tip of the iceberg.
However, those who can comprehend the Dao of the Sword through observation of the sword are as rare as Phoenix feathers and Qilin horns, even on Lingjian Mountain.
Therefore, even forty percent of Xiao Chong Shan, having learned less than half, was enough to deeply shock Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi.
The phrase “Sword Heart is clear” often spoken by Disciples on the mountain has been regarded as a compliment for thousands of years, but as Elders, they knew that this was not just a compliment, but that there truly were people in this world who were born with a clear Sword Heart.
Their Master Jian was one of them, and Yan Shujing, who was present at this moment, was also one of them.
Yan Ye suddenly understood at this moment why Ji You had used as many as sixteen swords to pass through Xiao Chong Shan.
Because others had taken on Xiao Chong Shan, but he had used sixteen swords to learn forty percent of Xiao Chong Shan.
This—what an enlightened Sword Heart! Such talent is almost comparable to Yan Shujing, who is ahead of them.
At this moment, Gongshu Chou couldn't help but turn his head and look at Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi behind him, with doubt and incomprehension in his expression.
With his Rongdao Realm, he could actually understand what they meant by “forty percent Xiao Chong Shan,” but he felt as if something was not quite right, because he had not seen Xiao Chong Shan.
“It’s not Xiao Chong Shan.”
“It’s not Xiao Chong Shan at all.”
Yan Shujing suddenly took a step back, then frowned and walked out of the forest. As she passed by Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi, she couldn't help but murmur something.
The two of them paused slightly, not yet fully understanding the words of this direct Disciple of Xuanjian Peak, when another doubt arose in their hearts.
They knew that Yan Shujing was a sword fanatic and had come to the Sword Forest to hone her sword, but they didn't know why she hadn't gone to the fourth layer, but instead retreated from the forest.
Yan Shujing naturally didn't explain to them, and walked into the second layer of the forest with an expressionless face.
However, she did not stay in the second layer of the forest, but continued to return to the first layer of the forest, finally stopping there.
Then, with a slight movement of her Divine Thought, she re-triggered that Gui Qu Lai.
Ding Yao and Huang Hui were waiting outside the first layer of the forest at this time, with Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi beside them.
Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi came to find Ji You. To avoid drawing attention, they took a detour through the covered bridge, arriving much later than Ding Yao.
They were still hesitating whether to pass through the first layer of the Sword Forest to find their Junior Brother when they saw Yan Shujing meeting that Gui Qu Lai at this moment.
At this moment, all four of them were bewildered.
They didn't know why this direct Disciple of Xuanjian Peak suddenly turned back at this time to confront this Gui Qu Lai, which she had already confronted before.
“It’s not Xiao Chong Shan.”
“Nor is it Willow Color New.”
Just now, not only Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi were speaking in the forest, but Gongshu Chou also couldn't help but murmur that the two Elders were talking about Xiao Chong Shan, while Gongshu Chou was talking about Willow Color New.
Different Sword Hearts perceive the Dao of the Sword differently.
Yan Shujing had heard that some people’s eyes are different, and they have different feelings when facing the same color.
When fragmented color blocks are pieced together, different eyes see different patterns.
Yan Ye and Gongshu Chou saw different swords, but at that moment, she suddenly understood when observing the sword.
It’s not Xiao Chong Shan, Willow Color New, Gui Qu Lai, or Si Wu Xie.
It is Willow Color New on Xiao Chong Shan, and Si Wu Xie within Gui Qu Lai.
That person was indeed constantly learning the Dao of the Sword, but while learning, he was also discarding.
He cut down a Willow Color New and gained half a Gui Qu Lai; he discarded a Xiao Chong Shan and added half a Willow Color New.
Having made his way through, what he used in the third layer of the Sword Forest was no longer entirely the sword he learned from Qi Elder; it also contained his own Dao of the Sword.
It is precisely because of this that different Sword Hearts perceive his sword as different swords.
Yan Shujing, relying on her cultivation and extremely profound Dao of the Sword, passed the first three stages, but was trapped in the fourth stage for a full sixteen days, and once even nearly had an arm severed.
Now that she thought about it, the reason this happened was because Qi Elder had reduced the intensity of the first three swords.
Many Disciples could get through as long as they had enough cultivation, but by the fourth sword, brute force was no longer the solution.
If they continued to clash head-on like this, they would surely be slain by the last sword.
So Yan Shujing did this: she passed through the first layer of the Sword Forest again, cutting her way back to the third layer of the Sword Forest.
At this moment, Ji You had already held his sword and struck the seventeenth Gui Qu Lai, his entire body’s Sword Intent boiling.
Old Cao often used to mumble a phrase when he was at Tianshu Academy: “The Great Dao is boundless, only to be understood implicitly.”
It means that the Great Dao is formless, and everyone’s perception is different, making it difficult to convey accurately to each other.
But he could see it.
From Yuyang County to Tianshu Academy, and then to Lingjian Mountain, he could see it every time.
Qi Elder’s Dao of the Sword had always been incredibly clear in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Yan Ye, Yan Qingchi, and Gongshu Chou were frozen in place.
The three of them watched as the complex Dao of the Sword continuously simplified, continuously purified, yet remained incredibly profound.
They couldn't help but fall into contemplation.
Simplifying the complex, then moving from simple to complex, and finally becoming a purified Dao of the Sword once again.
They recalled the words Yan Shujing had just left behind, and at this moment, they had discerned the true meaning within them.
That was originally Qi Elder’s sword, but now it was his sword.
“A born Lingjian Mountain Disciple, huh—”
“Why was he born in Feng Province and taken in by that Tianshu Academy?”
Yan Ye murmured, then heard a strong sword hum rush to the nine heavens. Ji You was suddenly fiercely struck flying by Gui Qu Lai, falling heavily to the ground.
It was after this seventeenth sword that the young man’s sword did not rise again. Instead, he sat down on the ground, his Qi and blood surging throughout his body, and sweat steaming like vapor.
Upon seeing this scene, Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, their expressions becoming much more relaxed.
Just as Yan Shujing had said, even if one’s Sword Heart wasn’t clear enough, Lingjian Mountain Disciples could still force their way through here with their Realm, but they ultimately couldn’t pass the final layer.
But the converse was also true: without sufficient Realm and power to support them, relying solely on talent would also not get them very far.
Ji You was a Prodigy; with his Profound Realm, he had forcefully endured Gui Qu Lai, which even caused Integration Dao Realm cultivators immense headaches.
That was enough to explain everything.
But he could only go this far.
This wasn’t his fault; it was only because he was born at the wrong time and in the wrong place.
If he had been born a few years earlier, in Feng Province, and entered the Dao earlier—
Yan Ye murmured to himself, unaware that someone in Tianshu Academy had said the same thing to him. It was Wang Instructor, who had also sighed similarly when he bet on Chu River entering the Inner Courtyard, saying that Ji You was born in the wrong era.
“What a pity, no time left.”
“I can only see this far—”
Ji You murmured, then frowned, only to realize that four people were standing around him, looking somewhat dazed: “Elder Yan, long time no see.”
Yan Ye looked at him, and spoke with a complex expression: “Leave.”
1
“You can only go this far, can’t you? And your direct Senior Brother is about to lose. Your Tianshu Academy has been flaunting the name of Great Xia Holy Sect for so many years, it’s time you learned a lesson.”
Ji You raised his eyes: “Actually, I can understand why Lingjian Mountain is unwilling to apologize, but the reasoning doesn’t make sense.”
Yan Ye scoffed coldly: “What reasoning doesn’t make sense? Entering the ruins is for immortal edge. Do you expect us to hold back when we’re competing and fighting?”
“But my Senior Sister didn’t go to snatch the immortal edge. Your Lingjian Mountain and Asked the Dao Sect attacking them together wasn’t for immortal edge either, but for the Spirit Stones on my Senior Sister.”
“That’s no longer important. Your Tianshu Academy has already lost all face.”
Ji You sat cross-legged, then closed his eyes: “Not yet—”
Yan Ye couldn't help but let out a cold laugh: “Do you think You Buyu has a chance of winning?”
“No, I knew from the start that You Buyu would lose, so I calculated the time last night. I can indeed only observe the sword up to this point, but I haven’t tried brute-forcing it yet. The remaining few swords might just buy back a shred of face.”
“??”
The few people in the field were startled upon hearing this, and before they could understand what it meant, they suddenly felt the Spiritual Qi in the forest begin to surge towards this place with all its might.
Vast Spiritual Qi began to pour into Ji You’s entire body, scattering into his limbs and bones along with the shattered Spirit Origin.
With a sudden roar, the bamboo forest buzzed all around.
The Spiritual Qi within Ji You’s body was ignited, and the people standing around instantly felt a powerful aura surge from his entire being. At the same time, they heard a continuous thumping sound.
At this moment, Ji You opened his eyes. His Physical Body had reached its peak, and the scorching aura around him directly assailed them, truly explosive.
Then he took out a pile of Medicinal Pill bottles from his Mystic Jade Gourd, uncorked them one by one, and poured them into his mouth.
And when these Medicinal Pills entered his mouth, the Spiritual Qi surrounding Ji You instantly condensed into a milky layer,
Then it continuously thickened.
These Medicinal Pills were originally bought to block the way, but now they served a greater purpose.
That’s right, the Sword Forest can not only be passed by comprehending the sword, but also by brute force.
At this moment, the four people standing around were all stunned in place. Even Yan Shujing’s pink lips were slightly parted, her eyes wide as she watched his suddenly surging aura.
Amidst a flash of Mystic Light, Ji You rose. His strong arms slowly spread out in front of him, and seven sharp swords whistled and contended before him, radiating surging spiritual light.
Seeing this, Gongshu Chou secretly thought, “As expected!”
(If it stops here, it would be a capital offense, so there’s another chapter today. Please give me your monthly votes!)