The stars in the sky sometimes feel so close, as if they hang right above our heads, embedded in the deep, dark expanse of the heavens.
Standing on a mountain, it feels like you could reach out and touch them.
But in reality, the light we see from those stars might have traveled for tens of thousands of years before reaching us.
Chen Ji didn’t know how long Xuanyuan’s lifespan was, but the fact that the other could casually spend 434 years just as a foundation for cultivation left him in awe.
He turned to the crow and asked, “Uncle Crow, do you know Lu Yang, the headmaster of Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple?”
The crow actually nodded.
Chen Ji then asked, “Then do you know how old he is?”
Before the crow could respond, Old Man Yao walked out with his hands behind his back. “Why are you asking about Lu Yang so early in the morning instead of sleeping?”
“Uh,” Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied, “Liang Gou’er said I’m suited to learn the Sword Seed. I heard that Lu Yang, the headmaster of Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple, cultivates the Sword Seed, so I wanted to ask about him.”
Old Man Yao scoffed, “You think you can just learn it if you want to? Who’s going to teach you? Didn’t your fever already go down? Why are you still talking nonsense?”
Chen Ji: “... Can you at least tell me how old Lu Yang is?”
Old Man Yao said casually, “According to rumors, he’s about 130 years old. His cultivation level is high, so naturally, he lives longer.”
“At what age did he become famous?”
Old Man Yao glanced at him and said indifferently, “Why should I tell you these things? Go ask someone else.”
Chen Ji thought for a moment, then went inside and brought out Old Man Yao’s bamboo recliner, helping the old man lie down.
As he massaged Old Man Yao’s legs, he said earnestly, “Master, I could ask someone else, but no one is as knowledgeable as you. As the saying goes, having an elder at home is like having a treasure. I’m already sitting on a gold mine with you here. Why would I go looking elsewhere? No one can compare to you, Master!”
Old Man Yao glanced at him and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly, “What did you ask earlier?”
“At what age did Lu Yang become famous?”
“At what age did he become famous?” Old Man Yao fell into deep thought, his eyes filled with nostalgia. “He’s a legendary figure, one of the few living legends in the martial world.”
“Lu Yang was born into a noble family in the Jing Dynasty. His father, Lu Xiao, was the Marquis of Jing Dynasty and was disabled in the Battle of Chongli Pass. So, he passed down the family’s Sword Seed cultivation method to Lu Yang early on. It’s said that Lu Yang entered the Xiantian realm at the age of 12, the Seeking Dao realm at 16, the Divine Dao realm at 21, and at 22, he became the headmaster of the Martial Temple, making him the youngest headmaster in Jing Dynasty’s history.”
“After becoming the headmaster, Lu Yang crossed the border into the Ning Dynasty twice. The first time, he ascended the Jinghai Mountain’s Linghua Temple and shattered the bronze bell in the temple’s courtyard, crippling the abbot’s cultivation.”
“The second time, Lu Yang stormed the Yuxu Mountain’s Jade Pure Temple, killed the temple’s leader, and split the plaque in front of the Jade Emperor Hall. Surrounded by hundreds of Jade Pure Temple disciples, he burned the plaque and used it to warm his wine. Before leaving, he left behind the words, ‘Nothing special.’”
Chen Ji was shocked.
Could a Divine Dao realm expert really do whatever they wanted?
“Why did he attack those two sects?”
Old Man Yao smiled. “Because Lu Yang is a martial fanatic. After entering the Divine Dao realm, he wanted to find a worthy opponent in Jing Dynasty but couldn’t, so he went to Ning Dynasty. The abbot of Linghua Temple and the leader of Jade Pure Temple were both said to be Divine Dao realm experts with the potential to cross the Heavenly Threshold.”
“Did the two Divine Dao realm experts lose so easily?” Chen Ji was puzzled. “Aren’t they all in the Divine Dao realm? Why was Lu Yang stronger?”
“Nonsense! Do you think the Divine Dao realm is as common as cabbage?” Old Man Yao shook his head. “The atmosphere back then was different. Many people exaggerated their cultivation levels to attract disciples. Back then, even a random carriage driver on the streets claimed to be in the Seeking Dao realm. It was all inflated. In reality, those two from Linghua Temple and Jade Pure Temple were only in the Seeking Dao realm.”
“What? They dared to exaggerate like that?”
Old Man Yao lay back on the bamboo chair and reminisced about the past.
“When Lu Yang first entered the Divine Dao realm, he was young and full of vigor. He heard that someone from the Demon Sect was about to touch the Heavenly Threshold, so he wanted to challenge them. The elders of the Martial Temple advised him not to go, fearing that if he lost, it would damage Jing Dynasty’s vitality. But Lu Yang simply said, ‘If the enemy can go, so can I,’ and went down the mountain to kill members of the Demon Sect for sixty years.”
“Did he find that Demon Sect expert?”
“He did.”
“Was the other person in the Divine Dao realm?”
Old Man Yao laughed. “When Lu Yang returned to the Martial Temple after sixty years of demon-slaying, someone asked him the same question. He replied, ‘The enemy lied.’”
Chen Ji: “... If they hadn’t exaggerated, they wouldn’t have brought disaster upon themselves.”
Old Man Yao continued, “During those years, he not only killed members of the Demon Sect but also challenged all those who claimed to be ‘on the verge of entering the Divine Dao realm’ or ‘about to cross the Heavenly Threshold.’ As a result, in the past thirty years, hardly anyone dared to exaggerate their cultivation levels. The name ‘Lu Yang’ became like a mountain pressing down on all the experts in the world, unmovable and unshakable.”
Chen Ji was filled with respect.
This man was like a professional fraud-buster.
He asked, “Was there no one in Ning Dynasty who could rival him?”
“It’s said that the leader of Huangshan’s Shituzi could. The two fought outside Chongli Pass for a month thirty years ago. After that, Shituzi returned to Huangshan to recover from his injuries and never came down again. Lu Yang, on the other hand, went into seclusion for thirty years and never left the Martial Temple.”
“Did Lu Yang lose?”
“He didn’t lose, but he didn’t win either.” Old Man Yao sighed. “I heard that Shituzi came down from Huangshan recently. It seems the two will have another battle…”
“Master, do you know Lu Yang? How do you know all this so well?” Chen Ji asked, puzzled.
Old Man Yao didn’t answer.
Instead, he asked, “You want to learn the Sword Seed? I advise you to give up. The Lu family’s Sword Seed has never been passed down to outsiders. With Lu Yang’s Divine Dao realm cultivation, he can live for at least another hundred years. Someone like him, who’s on the verge of touching the Heavenly Threshold, won’t take disciples.”
“He reached the Divine Dao realm at 21. Why hasn’t he crossed the next threshold even after a hundred years? Is it because there’s someone else cultivating the Sword Seed?” Chen Ji asked.
“Exactly,” Old Man Yao replied clearly. “Lu Yang once said that there should be another person in the world cultivating the Sword Seed alongside him, which is why he hasn’t been able to cross the final threshold. For decades, the entire Jing Dynasty has been searching for this other Sword Seed cultivator, but they’ve never found them. No one knows where they’re hiding.”
Chen Ji pondered silently.
If Lu Yang entered the Xiantian realm at 12, at what age did he start cultivating the Sword Seed? Even if we consider the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, it would take over four years for his divine sense to reach it.
How did Lu Yang nurture his sword?!
Chen Ji turned to Old Man Yao and asked directly, “Do you know what Lu Yang used to nurture his sword?”
Old Man Yao was surprised. “You even know about nurturing the sword? Did that kid from the fabric shop tell you?”
“... Yes!” Old Man Yao thought for a moment. “This isn’t much of a secret. In the north of Jing Dynasty, there’s the North Sea, vast and boundless. Lu Yang used the entire North Sea to nurture a single sword, making it the greatest in the world.”
Chen Ji: What?
He used the entire North Sea to nurture his sword?
Not a star?
This was different from the Sword Seed he was cultivating.
Did Xuanyuan leave something out?
...
...
By the apricot tree.
Old Man Yao, wearing a loose cloth shirt and black cloth shoes, stroked his beard and glanced at Chen Ji. “Don’t aim too high. The Mountain Lord’s path isn’t inferior to cultivating the Sword Seed. It’s just more difficult. You’ll understand in time.”
Chen Ji understood.
To reach the Divine Dao realm through the Mountain Lord’s path, half of Ning Dynasty’s officials would probably have to die.
The difficulty was indeed high…
But whether he could cultivate the Sword Seed or not, he had to try to find out.
Chen Ji glanced at Old Man Yao.
Should he secretly cultivate without telling his master? It seemed unnecessary.
If Old Man Yao wanted to harm him, he would have died ten times over by now.
He tentatively asked, “Master, if there’s a chance… I mean, if I could cultivate the Sword Seed, would you be angry?”
Old Man Yao chuckled. “If, and I mean if, you can cultivate the Sword Seed, then go ahead and do it. It’ll be perfect for cutting down officials and princes. The Mountain Lord’s path will progress even faster!”
In the next moment, ignoring the surprised looks from Old Man Yao and the crow, Chen Ji used the method taught by Xuanyuan.
He gently cut his forehead with a dagger.
A drop of blood seeped from his forehead and slowly slid down.
Chen Ji used his right thumb to smear the blood upward, leaving a crimson mark on his forehead.
It looked as if a third eye had opened!
Chen Ji sat cross-legged under the apricot tree, using his blood-stained right thumb and index finger to pinch the base of his left ring finger, while his left thumb pressed against the tip of his middle finger.
Old Man Yao suddenly stood up from his bamboo chair, utterly shocked.
Wasn’t this the Daoist Zi-Wu Hand Seal?
The base of the ring finger was “Zi,” and the tip of the middle finger was “Wu.” The hands crossed in front of the chest—this was indeed the Daoist Zi-Wu Hand Seal, identical to the one used in Daoist rituals.
Strange.
Where did Chen Ji learn this?
But Chen Ji paid no attention to Old Man Yao’s astonishment.
As the Zi-Wu Hand Seal formed, he felt as if he could see the “world” through the wound on his forehead.
But this world was different from the normal one.
It was a vast, boundless sea of stars.
Sirius, Dubhe, Alkaid, Orion, Fomalhaut… the stars were dazzling!
But Chen Ji didn’t look at them.
Instead, he focused his gaze on the nearest star—the sun.
In the next moment, he floated up lightly, as if his spirit had left his body, and flew toward the sky.
Looking down, Chen Ji saw the small courtyard of the Taiping Clinic.
His physical body was sitting cross-legged under the apricot tree, while Uncle Crow tilted his head curiously, hopping between branches and observing him from different angles.
Old Man Yao paced around him, his eyes wide with shock.
In front of the breakfast shop across from the clinic, a worker was removing the door panels.
On the bluestone road of Anxi Street, an old man carrying firewood hurried along, the load on his shoulder swaying rhythmically.
Looking further, Chen Ji even saw Wu Yun squatting on the roof of the fabric shop, facing off against a tabby cat.
The two seemed to be arguing fiercely, their words likely quite vulgar.
The tabby cat pounced at Wu Yun, but Wu Yun pinned it down and began smacking its head with his paw, delivering a series of rapid blows…
Chen Ji had never experienced anything like this before.
It felt as if he no longer belonged to this world, yet at the same time, the world belonged to him.
For some reason, the long-accumulated frustration from dealing with Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, Jin Zhu, and Si Cao was completely swept away.
Chen Ji couldn’t help but want to let out a triumphant shout, but no sound came out.
He wanted to fly elsewhere, but he had no control.
He could only be pulled toward the sun.
Chen Ji suddenly turned and flew at an incredible speed toward the rising sun.
It felt like a long time, yet also like no time at all.
He traversed an immense distance and arrived beside the blazing sun.
There was no burning sensation.
The explosive, churning flames had no effect on his “divine sense.” He felt no change in temperature.
Chen Ji gently extended a finger and touched the sun’s roiling “lava.”
In that instant, he began to plummet downward.
The fingertip that had touched the sun was connected by a fiery red thread, which retracted through his forehead and returned to his body.
Everything returned to normal.
Chen Ji could feel the wind and hear sounds again.
He felt a strange connection between himself and the sun.
A continuous stream of heat flowed through the red thread, gathering within him.
The sixteen furnaces inside his body burned fiercely, resonating with the warmth he had drawn from the sun.
An invisible yet sharp energy flowed through his meridians and blood, like a tiny sword.
So this was the Sword Seed!
This was the sword energy that could cut through the injustices in his heart!
Chen Ji opened his eyes and wiped the wound on his forehead.
It healed instantly, leaving no trace.
Old Man Yao stood beside him, exclaiming in shock, “You? You? You!”
(End of Chapter)