Chapter 132: Changing Tides
In early May, after Xiaoman, the roosters crowed before dawn, and the frogs’ chorus faded as the rain began to fall.
During this time, the Yao Race continued to probe outside Hantie Pass, leading to frequent battles and widespread Chaos in the Northern Plains.
The Great Xia’s only Divine General who entered the Dao through martial cultivation and slaughter had been stationed at Hantie Pass for over half a year,
preventing countless murderous Yao Race powerful Cultivators from crossing that gate for now.
Meanwhile, the number of Yao Race entering Kyushu gradually increased, engaging in commerce, which temporarily caused Spirit Stone prices to drop. However, as these uninvited guests grew in number, conflicts also began to occur frequently.
For the Human Race, the Spirit Stones flowing in from the Snow Region were of extremely high quality, and the rare Ores mined from the Ten Thousand Mountains were also very suitable for forging Magic Treasures and Spiritual Artifacts.
But they only welcomed the Yao Race’s goods, not the Yao Race’s people.
These conflicts always ended with the Yao Race retreating, much like the saying, “When under another’s roof, one has to bow.” However, this did not eliminate the grudges in the hearts of the Kyushu Worldly Family and Immortal Villas.
“Don’t be deceived by their silence. The Yao Race’s current forbearance and Hibernation must be part of a larger scheme.”
“Is that even a question? They originally intended to seize our Human Race’s Luck, and they are birds of a feather with the Yao Race, just using different methods.”
“A few days ago, the Spirit Stones shipped from Yunzhou to the three southern states seemed to have become unsalable due to the Yao Race merchant team entering Yudu….
“The Yao Race’s Spirit Stones are indeed of extremely high quality; that cannot be denied.”
“Speaking of the three southern sects, have you heard about what happened at Lingjian Mountain?”
“The Tianshu Academy’s double defeat at Asked the Dao Sect — wasn’t this rumor circulating a few days ago? However, Lingjian Mountain didn’t widely publicize it, supposedly because a Tianshu Academy Disciple broke their Sword Forest.”
“This matter is no longer a secret. I’m talking about something else.”
“Something else? What else happened at Lingjian Mountain?”
“Qi Zhengyang of Tianjian Peak —”
Although the Tianshu Academy Disciple’s failure at Asked the Dao Sect was not publicized by Lingjian Mountain, it could not be concealed because Mountain and Sea Pavilion and Asked the Dao Sect were both on the mountain that day.
It was just that the two opposing Immortal Sects in this matter seemed to have agreed, maintaining a tacit silence.
And the best way to reduce the spread and influence of an event is for neither party involved to participate.
Thus, in this atmosphere, an event seemingly less eye-catching than the Tianshu Academy’s double defeat at Asked the Dao Sect,
became the more talked-about topic among Cultivators when discussing Lingjian Mountain.
That was, seven days after the Tianshu Academy Disciple left Lingjian Mountain, Qi Rong, the daughter of Qi Zhengyang, the Chief of Sword Dao at Tianjian Peak, officially became a Personal Disciple under Yan Jingxiang, the Peak Master of Xuanjian Peak.
Like Yan Shujing, Qi Rong was also accepted as a Personal Disciple of Xuanjian Peak.
But everyone knew that Xuanjian Peak had gained not just a Personal Disciple, but the unparalleled Sword Intent of Qi Zhengyang.
It should be known that Cultivators at the Perfection of the Upper Five Realms possess the power to move mountains and fill seas, and can be considered the Foundation of an Immortal Sect.
Lingjian Mountain ostensibly only has five Cultivators at the Perfection of the Upper Five Realms: one at Wenjian Peak, one at Xuanjian Peak, and three at Tianjian Peak.
And now, Qi Zhengyang’s act of sending his daughter to Xuanjian Peak seemed to subtly shift the situation.
While Yan Jingxiang, the master of Xuanjian Peak, was delighted by Qi Zhengyang’s actions, he couldn’t fully grasp the reasons. One point he could understand was that after Qi’s eldest son died in the ruins, Qi Elder likely did not blame the Chen Clan or the Zheng family, whose entire family had perished, but rather Tianjian Peak.
However, what he couldn’t understand was who exactly persuaded him to join Xuanjian Peak.
“This is not something that can be decided in a snap. After all, Qi Zhengyang’s status dictates that this matter will have significant implications; it couldn’t have been an impulse, nor could it have happened without prior notification.”
“There must be a catalyst involved.”
“This catalyst must bring goodwill to Qi Zhengyang and Sword Intent to Xuanjian Peak for both sides to have a tacit understanding; otherwise, it would be a one-sided endeavor.”
“But after the ruins, Qi Zhengyang had not met anyone from Xuanjian Peak.”
In his early years, Qi Zhengyang entered the mountain as the eldest son of the Qi family, then secluded himself deep in the mountains to diligently comprehend the Dao of the Sword, living a reclusive life and rarely meeting guests other than a few Elders from Tianjian Peak.
Yan Jingxiang had also thought of befriending him, but never had the opportunity.
As for his daughter, as the current Master Jian, she was already under the scrutiny of Tianjian Peak, so she naturally had no chance to contact Qi Zhengyang.
Therefore, the occurrence of this matter puzzled many people.
Thus, after Qi Rong became a Disciple of Xuanjian Peak, Yan Zhong, the current Sect Master of Lingjian Mountain, and countless Elders under him began to review Qi Zhengyang’s guest list.
“These are all Elders of my Tianjian Peak. When have there ever been outsiders?”
“Then, Elders, do you think there might already be people in my Tianjian Peak who favor Xuanjian Peak? My niece, after all, is the legitimate successor of Lingjian Mountain, isn’t she?”
“Sect Master Senior Brother, I believe it’s best not to harbor such suspicions at this time.”
“But there must be a catalyst for this matter to be reasonable. You must know, when Qi Rong became a Disciple of Xuanjian Peak, I saw Yan Jingxiang’s expression and could determine that he didn’t know the details beforehand.”
Yan Qingchi and Yan Ye were also in the Sword Pavilion of Tianjian Peak at this time, listening to several venerable Sword Peak Elders exchanging words, unable to interject.
These two Elders had attained their positions due to their main family Bloodline and seniority, and usually handled the sect’s mundane affairs.
For such a major matter of contention between two peaks, they naturally had little say.
However, at this moment, both of them held a copy of Qi Zhengyang’s guest list, and they were staring at a line of text on it, their brows slightly furrowed.
【Tianshu Academy Disciple, entered Qi Zhengyang’s residence after breaking the Sword Forest, then was cut out with a single sword stroke】
Ji You was the only outsider on the list.
Yan Ye and Yan Qingchi looked solemn, yet felt they couldn’t delve deeper or speak out.
Because they knew that if this conjecture were voiced, it would likely be met with ridicule.
A Tianshu Academy Disciple in the Tong Xuan Realm, with a low Realm and humble status, even with a clear Sword Heart, how could he be involved in such a major internal conflict within Lingjian Mountain? Subsequently, temperatures began to rise, and midsummer arrived in the blink of an eye.
In the Bi Shui Lake of Tianshu Academy, the lotus leaves stretched endlessly green, and the lotus flowers reflected the sun in a different shade of red.
Students emerged from their rooms after morning meal, appearing on the Baiyu Platform in the Outer Courtyard, bathed in the faint morning light. Some were heading to the Wudao Field, but more were going to the Trial Sword Forest.
A portion of those heading to the Trial Sword Forest came because of a certain rural rogue Cultivator’s display of Divine Might.
But a larger group came because of Tianshu Academy’s double defeat at Asked the Dao Sect this time.
Because sometimes envying someone’s strength cannot be a motivation, but fearing death can.
Thus, many people began to waver in their commitment to pure Dao cultivation. Instructor Wang also became an unmatched workaholic in Tianshu Academy, though his monthly salary remained the same.
“Look, that Cao fellow is here again—”
“Yes, he comes every day.”
“Instructor Cao’s chest, even I feel a bit inferior…”
A group of female Cultivators walking by Bi Shui Lake were looking at the Baiyu Platform, where a male Instructor with an exceptionally proud chest was strolling around, smiling and waving at them.
He indeed came here to stroll every day, waving proudly at his surroundings with a proud expression, and would spend half a day doing so.
The female Cultivators here glanced at their own chests, felt deeply ashamed, and then hurried away.
And under the morning light, Lu Qingqiu, Lou Siyi, Sun Qiaozhi, and Fang Ruoyao, who was following behind the three,
took another look, then headed to the Trial Sword Forest.
“Instructor Wang, I want to learn swordsmanship.”
“Really? I want to resign—”
Sword cultivation consumes a lot of physical energy, and for these female Cultivators who had not laid much Foundation for their Physical Body before, wielding a sword was quite strenuous.
So from early morning until noon, many plump-hipped women were drenched in fragrant sweat, and the snowy whiteness at the neckline of their sheer skirts reflected a faint glimmer in the sunlight.
But Instructor Wang had no time to appreciate it, his eyes filled with despair as he cursed someone’s ancestors.
After noon, the sun began to descend. Lu Qingqiu and the others emerged from the Trial Sword Forest, washed up, and headed to the Immortal Meal Workshop.
However, before reaching the entrance, their steps involuntarily paused, and they stood on the mountain path east of the Instructor Building, gazing ahead.
Some students who followed suit also stopped, their expressions and gazes identical to theirs.
Not far from their line of sight, on the north side of Bi Shui Lake, a man with a jade-like face and sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes appeared at the courtyard gate, seemingly out for air, stretching lazily and looking around.
And with his every gesture, the faintly revealed Aura was deep and fervent, his spirit as sharp as a sword.
It was now past Mangzhong, and over half a month had passed since Tianshu Academy returned from Asked the Dao Sect.
Although many details were not disclosed by the two sects, the continuous rumors had caused the Tianshu Academy students to experience constant ups and downs over the past half month.
First, He Lingxiu’s defeat, which caused countless people to feel depressed after the news reached Tianshu Academy.
Then came You Buyu’s defeat, which was even harder for the students in the academy to accept.
During those two days, even the Worldly Family Disciples in the capital rarely hosted Tianshu Academy students for banquets, and some even acted discreetly when conducting business in the city and encountering Disciples from other sects.
Such was the so-called sectarian prestige: Tianshu Academy went to Asked the Dao Sect with high spirits, only to be defeated twice, causing Tianshu Academy Disciples to feel unable to hold their heads high.
Even the Immortal Villas under Tianshu Academy became much more low-key within the three northern states.
But this only lasted for two days. Then, a piece of news arrived, which left the Tianshu Academy students stunned for a long time, their scalps tingling.
【Ji You broke through the Sword Forest with seven sword strikes, a step ahead of Xuanjian Peak’s Personal Disciple.】
This incident and You Buyu’s defeat occurred on the same day, but at first, it was just a rumor.
The Tianshu Academy’s Outer Courtyard agents in Lingzhou did not dare to report it directly; it was only when masked Lingjian Mountain Disciples extensively publicized it that they dared to send the news back.
At first, no one truly believed it, but Lingjian Mountain’s unexpectedly silence after their victory seemed to implicitly corroborate the matter.
Inherited Physique, unparalleled Sword Intent…
After that night, countless female Cultivators in Tianshu Academy tossed and turned sleeplessly. However, Ji You had entered seclusion after his return and only appeared now; no one had been able to see this rumored man until this moment.
Upon seeing him again now, they found that the Aura around him had changed significantly, appearing sharp and profound.
The Tianshu Academy Outer Courtyard Disciple’s prominence now rivaled that of the Tianshu Academy Inner Courtyard Personal Disciples.
“It’s always so unexpected, yet I never get to witness it firsthand. If I had known earlier, I should have gone to Asked the Dao Sect as well.”
Lu Qingqiu opened her pink lips and whispered, voicing the sentiments of countless fellow Cultivators and Senior Sisters.
Tianshu Academy’s double defeat was a regret in their hearts, but not being able to witness Ji You’s rumored sword strike that broke through the Sword Forest was an even greater regret for them.
Lingjian Mountain often said that swords and youths matched perfectly. Perhaps such a scene for a woman would be as captivating as a man seeing a woman whose body is barely concealed by sheer gauze.