Chapter 115: Three Steps, Three Turns
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
After midday, the early summer heat began to rise, but the mountain breezes of Spirit Sword Mountain remained refreshingly cool.
The eighth strike of [New Willow Color] descended, slashing Ji You directly through the air. Yet, without missing a beat, he raised his sword and charged forward again, as if unaware of fatigue.
Under the intensity of this formidable sword aura, the surrounding bamboo forest trembled violently, filling the entire Sword Forest with the sound of rustling leaves.
The ninth strike of [New Willow Color] arose with a resonating hum. The brilliance of the sword light bore down, seemingly poised to engulf Ji You completely.
However, from beneath the oppressive sword light emerged a heavy and deliberate sword intent, clashing with a sonorous clang and countering its force.
Amid the collision of sword qi, another figure approached from the depths of the Third Layer Forest. He wore a deep blue robe and carried a long sword at his waist.
The mountain was bustling today because the disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy had come to Spirit Sword Mountain to challenge its mysteries. Nearly all the disciples of the sect had gone to watch the matches. Yet this individual had chosen not to join them.
For him, the mention of the three words Heavenly Script Academy was nothing short of an insult.
Gong Shu Chou furrowed his brows as he entered the Second Layer Forest. Suddenly, the sharp sound of a sword chant reached his ears, followed by the keen edge of [New Willow Color]’s sword aura.
Realizing someone was attempting to overcome the Second Layer Forest, he turned to look. The moment his gaze fell upon the white-clad figure, his expression darkened.
“Ji You…” he murmured under his breath, coming to a halt.
During the battle against the Heavenly Script Academy in the ruins, his spiritual essence had been suppressed by malicious qi, and he had narrowly avoided a mortal wound from Ji You, who was then merely at the peak of the Lower Three Stages. This was a humiliation he would never forget.
After returning to the mountain, he consumed countless pills, eventually recovering from his injuries. Yet the scar over his heart lingered, an indelible reminder of that moment.
Gong Shu Chou observed Ji You, engrossed in the Sword Dao, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Unconsciously, Gong Shu Chou reached for his sword.
Residual sword intent and latent killing intent surged forth, yet after a long moment of contemplation, he released his grip and redirected his gaze, turning to walk away from the forest.
He had nearly lost his life to Ji You. For someone at his level—the Dao Fusion Stage—it was an unbearable disgrace. However, had it not been for that fateful strike, he would have remained in the ruins, pursuing immortal opportunities, only to end up as nothing more than a supplement for the Clan Ancestor Zheng’s alchemical concoctions, becoming someone else’s path to ascension.
So was that strike a grudge or a favor? Gong Shu Chou couldn’t untangle the truth.
The humiliation needed to be repaid—it was a matter of his Dao Heart. But for now, he could choose not to kill Ji You.
Not killing him would be a favor. And once that favor was repaid, all that would remain between them was enmity.
Resolving this in his mind, Gong Shu Chou turned to leave. Yet after taking just a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turning sharply to glance back at Ji You, his expression briefly stunned.
“The disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy arrived yesterday morning and were accommodated before noon,” he thought.
“How has he encountered [New Willow Color] so quickly?”
He recalled the timeline of the academy’s arrival, his face revealing a trace of astonishment.
From noon yesterday until now, it had been barely a day. Or to be precise, not even a full day. How could Ji You have reached the confrontation with [New Willow Color] so effortlessly?
He had already heard that Ji You had recently entered the Profound Comprehension Stage, and passing the First Layer Forest shouldn’t have been a challenge for him.
But the Second Layer Forest was far more perilous than the first. Its killing aura was overwhelming, and the intensity of its sword qi formidable. It had already trapped many disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain. Some whose realms were unstable were still stranded in the forest’s heart from yesterday, not even catching a glimpse of [New Willow Color].
Yesterday, he had overheard someone say it took Ji You sixteen strikes to overcome [Little Overlapping Mountain]. How then had he reached [New Willow Color] in less than a day?
“He truly lives up to being the one who injured me,” Gong Shu Chou thought, after a long silence. Though the speed felt abrupt, it was not entirely unreasonable. After all, if Ji You were truly ordinary, how could someone at the Dao Fusion Stage have been wounded by him?
In the ancient Relic Site, he had already sensed the profound density of Ji You’s spiritual energy. That the youth had managed to press on to this place without pause was no less than astonishing.
At that moment, Gong Shu Chou heard a sharp sound of air splitting. Looking up, he saw Ji You’s figure hurled out of the violent Sword Qi, crashing heavily to the ground. Determined and unrelenting, Ji You rose again and charged forward, slashing at the reforming Sword Qi once more.
Gong Shu Chou couldn’t help but shake his head. “No matter how extraordinary he is, at his current stage, this is the limit of his capability.”
The Second Layer Forest marked the threshold of the Mystic Enlightenment Stage. No cultivator of this realm had ever overcome the New Willow Color technique. Even if Ji You’s talent was unmatched, advancing to the Third Layer Forest would likely take him considerable time.
Regrettably, with the Dao Quest already underway, even two full days and nights wouldn’t suffice to achieve such a feat. For the third time, Gong Shu Chou turned to leave. Yet, after walking only a few steps, he stopped again and glanced back. His eyes now shimmered with intrigue.
This was strange.
Earlier, he hadn’t paid close attention, but now he realized that Ji You’s Sword Intent was constantly evolving. If anyone in the world understood Ji You’s sword best, it was undoubtedly Gong Shu Chou. Not even Wang Xin An, Ji You’s own mentor in Sword Dao, could compare. Gong Shu Chou had crossed swords with Ji You personally, even engaging in battles on the edge of life and death.
Yet, as he now observed Ji You’s swordsmanship, he found it vastly different. The aura and intent held traces of familiarity, yet they carried an air of mystery, rendering them profoundly intricate. Gong Shu Chou furrowed his brow and watched silently as Ji You was repeatedly sent flying. Slowly, his patience began to wear thin.
Though the Sword Intent was becoming increasingly profound, its power showed no corresponding growth. At times, it even weakened significantly, leaving Ji You narrowly avoiding critical injuries. If not for Ji You’s swift reflexes, the youth would have already stained the Sword Forest with his blood.
There were also moments when the sword techniques and their accompanying Sword Intent became exceedingly intricate and unstable, only to suddenly shift to startling simplicity. Gong Shu Chou found himself baffled and, with a shake of his head, finally turned and left.
Not long after Gong Shu Chou’s departure, a piercingly clear wave of Sword Qi scattered. Ji You sheathed his sword and stepped back, spiritual energy surging from beneath his feet.
The eighteenth iteration of New Willow Color dispersed amidst the bamboo forest. The once roaring winds of the Sword Forest abruptly fell into silence. Ji You brushed the fallen bamboo leaves off his robe and raised his sword once more. His figure vanished in a burst of radiant light.
The sun soon began its descent, inching slowly across the horizon. On the Immortal Gazing Platform, the sounds of swords clashing and techniques roaring never ceased. Echoing through the valleys between the three surrounding peaks, these sounds reverberated from dawn until midday.
Having entered the Third Layer Forest, Ji You now emerged, heading down the mountain. The trials of the Second Layer Forest had drained him significantly. Tired and slightly famished, he felt far from his peak condition. The swords of the Third Layer Forest were indeed beyond what a Mystic Enlightenment Stage cultivator could contend with directly. He needed rest and time to consolidate his gains.
As Ji You descended, Gong Shu Chou, who had gone down the mountain earlier to search for food, now returned to the Sword Forest. The two crossed paths on the mountain road, and the air grew tense as their gazes met.
“If you’re going to pop pills in the forest, make sure to clean up your bottles afterward. Don’t litter in my domain,” Ji You remarked flatly.
“?”
Gong Shu Chou froze, his brows furrowing in confusion. [What does he mean by that?] he wondered. [This is Spirit Sword Mountain, not your Heavenly Script Academy!]
Ji You brushed past him, descending the mountain path with a slight frown. [How strange. Gong Shu Chou doesn’t seem to harbor any intent to kill me.]
Sheathing his sword, Ji You continued toward the foot of Mystic Sword Peak, where the resounding echoes of sword chants wrapped around the mountains. Stopping at a mid-mountain terrace, his eyes gleamed with golden light as his Spiritual Consciousness stirred violently.
As far as the eye could see, He Ling Xiu stood bathed in the radiance of her techniques. The interplay of lightning and fire surged around her as she continuously clashed swords with Yan Shu Jing from Mystic Sword Peak. Yan Shu Jing’s sword, swift as a startled swan, moved with an elegance that resonated across the skies. Her strikes, clean and precise, carried a sword intent that seemed to pierce the heavens.
Disciples at the Profound Comprehension Stage could barely follow their movements, while those at the peak of the Lower Three Stages and below could only catch fleeting shadows. Flashes of light and the relentless exchange of sword qi collided mid-air, sending vibrations through the surroundings. Their sword edges trembled against one another, each strike revealing their mastery.
One’s swordsmanship was merciless, her heart wholly attuned to the way of the sword. The other’s Daoist techniques were profound, her figure accompanied by the ghostly swirl of wind and the crackle of thunder entwining her blade.
Suddenly, there was a resounding boom. He Ling Xiu swung her sword downward, lightning roaring within its glow. The ferocious aura swept far and wide, so intense that even the mountainside felt its force. The sheer power of her strike shook the air, demonstrating not just swordsmanship, but also mastery over spells.
Ban Yang Shu had once spoken about this: the Daoist cultivators of Heavenly Script Academy often employed what He Ling Xiu now displayed—the technique known as Endowment of Myriad Arts. It was said that Chu He, taken back to his family for Dao transmission, practiced similar arts.
Yet at this moment, Ji You furrowed his brow slightly, sensing something amiss. Though he was at the Profound Comprehension Stage and unable to discern the full extent of their skill, he could feel the fluctuations of their sword qi. Just yesterday in the Sword Forest, he had encountered Yan Shu Jing. Emerging from the forest at her peak, her sword qi had been at its most formidable. Now, however, her current sword intent was noticeably less potent. This could only mean that Yan Shu Jing had not yet unleashed her full strength.
At that moment, footsteps echoed along the mountain path. Zhuo Wan Qiu approached, calling softly, “Young Master.” She, along with Ding Yao, represented Mystic Sword Peak for this Dao-seeking assembly and had been tasked with personally attending to Ji You. The two had arranged shifts; today was Zhuo Wan Qiu’s turn, while Ding Yao would take over tomorrow.
During Ji You’s time in the Sword Forest, Zhuo Wan Qiu had waited on the Sword Gazing Platform. Calculating the time, she had decided to meet him here.
“Which match is this?” Ji You asked.
“The third. One win, one loss,” she replied.
Just as the two conversed, an overwhelming surge of sword intent suddenly rose. Yan Shu Jing lightly tapped her foot, and an unbridled wave of sword qi shot skyward. Her sword radiance, as luminous as moonlight, descended with the force to cleave the heavens.
For five breaths, the Immortal Gazing Platform fell into absolute silence. All sound ceased, as if the world itself held its breath.
At the edge of the high platform, a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of He Ling Xiu’s mouth. Her eyes burned with fury and unwillingness.
Seeing this, disbelief flickered in the eyes of the Heavenly Script Academy’s disciples. Frozen in place, they found it hard to accept the outcome before them. They had traveled thousands of miles from the northern lands, crossing Central, Liang, and Yong Prefectures, all to restore the reputation of their academy. Yet none of them had expected to lose the very first battle of this Dao-seeking assembly.
“The Divine Sect of Great Xia is truly weak,” someone murmured.
“And this isn’t even the full extent of Jing’er’s strength. That girl has held back,” remarked another, a hint of amusement in their tone.
On the high platform, the inner elder of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, the Dao-protecting envoy of the Dao Seeking Sect, and the elders of Spirit Sword Mountain all stroked their beards with faint chuckles, their ridicule unhidden.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the platform, the son of the Demon Emperor, his azure demonic eyes glinting, closed his folding fan. His gaze was profound. Before he set out for the nine regions, his father had warned him to be wary of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, especially the Heavenly Script Academy. Yet, in today’s battle, he saw nothing warranting such caution. Judging purely by their combat strength, he found little to fear.
The performance of Spirit Sword Mountain, however, had caught him by surprise. If not for the concern of being labeled too arrogant by the human race, he might have considered testing Yan Shu Jing’s sword for himself.