Chapter 118: Ascending the Mountain to Observe the Sword! A Return Journey
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
The group’s climb up the mountain didn’t attract much attention from those watching the duel at the Sword Gazing Platform, for in this vast, densely packed crowd, everyone was focused solely on the ultimate outcome of victory or defeat.
From the performance of the first match, it was nearly certain that the Heavenly Script Academy was destined to lose.
Thus, the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, and especially those of Spirit Sword Mountain, didn’t want to miss a moment of this event.
Meanwhile, Ding Yao had already reached the mountainside. She noticed that the Sword Forest was tranquil and lushly green. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, creating dappled patterns on the ground. Combined with the silence, the scene was exceptionally calming.
The disciples of the mountain had gone to spectate the battle, so this serenity didn’t surprise her. She knew that only a few normally quiet, cultivation-focused disciples who avoided noise and commotion would remain in the forest. Other than them, there was only Ji You.
As Ding Yao pondered, she reached the edge of the forest and saw Elder Yan Qing Chi descending from the sky over Heavenly Sword Peak. He met with Yan Ye, who had come from the Sword Gazing Platform.
“Isn’t the Dao Inquiry battle happening down the mountain?”
Yan Ye replied, “Gong Shu Chou sent someone to inform me. It’s likely not baseless, so I came to take a look before the first match ended.”
“The first match is over?”
“Yes, the direct disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy was knocked off the platform.”
“And what of the one in the forest?”
“No need to pay too much attention, but it’s worth a glance.”
The two elders spoke in low tones for a while, then nodded to each other and, carrying their swords, ventured into the Second Layer of the Forest.
The disciple Huang Hui, who had been following Yan Ye, now stood outside the forest, watching as the elders entered the Second Layer. He was just about to follow when a melodious voice, like the ringing of silver bells, called out.
“Senior Brother, long time no see.”
Turning, Huang Hui saw Ding Yao approaching gracefully. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “So it’s Junior Sister Ding. It really has been a while. What brings you here? Are you planning to challenge the Sword Forest?”
Ding Yao smiled faintly and replied, “I’d thought about it before, but things have been too busy these past few days. I’ll give it a try after the disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy leave the mountain.”
“With Junior Sister’s current cultivation at the Mystic Enlightenment Stage, clearing the Second Layer shouldn’t be a problem. Even Yu Lin, who just entered Mystic Enlightenment, managed to pass Little Overlapping Mountain in eight sword moves.”
“That’s not necessarily true, Senior Brother. Doesn’t the Heavenly Script Academy also have someone named Ji You, who needed sixteen sword moves to pass Little Overlapping Mountain? My talent in the Sword Dao is about the same as his, quite ordinary.”
Hearing Ji You’s name, Huang Hui’s brows furrowed slightly, his expression momentarily distant.
Ding Yao, however, didn’t notice his reaction and instead voiced her curiosity. “Why has Elder Yan Ye ascended the mountain at this time?”
Huang Hui snapped out of his thoughts. “If Junior Sister has a question, feel free to ask.”
“Today is the last match of the Dao Inquiry battle, and it’s being fought by the direct disciple of your Heavenly Sword Peak. Why did Elder Yan Ye leave so suddenly and silently to come to the Sword Forest with you?”
Huang Hui’s smile faded. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his head and said, “Junior Sister, you know the Heavenly Script Academy’s Ji You, don’t you?”
Ding Yao paused, then nodded. “Of course I know him. I was there during the expedition to the Ruins of Qiling.”
“How could I forget that?” Huang Hui glanced at her. “Back then, with just the Peak Lower Three Stages, he led the disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy to fend off the Dao Seeking Sect and us from Spirit Sword Mountain. He nearly killed Gong Shu Chou. That’s not a rumor, is it?”
Ding Yao blinked and nodded again. She had been present at the battle. Fending off and nearly killing—those six words were undoubtedly true. However, Spirit Sword Mountain’s people should know that it was due to the killing qi within the ruins restricting their spiritual essence. She couldn’t understand why Huang Hui was bringing it up now.
“What does this have to do with the two elders ascending the mountain and Ji You?”
Huang Hui regained his composure and spoke with a complex expression: “Junior Sister, the Ji You you spoke of, whose talent in the Sword Dao is supposedly mediocre, has already completed the trial of the Second Layer Forest and its challenge, New Willow Color. He is now venturing into the Third Layer Forest. I had just descended the mountain to report this matter to Elder Yan Ye.”
Ding Yao blinked, her eyes gradually widening in disbelief.
“Ji You has completed New Willow Color and entered the Third Layer Forest? How could that be possible?” she exclaimed.
Only the day before, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wan Qiu had followed Ji You into the Sword Forest. At the time, Ji You had struggled, requiring sixteen strikes to pass Little Overlapping Mountain. Now, in just one day’s time, how could he have reached the Third Layer Forest?
Hadn’t Elder Yan Ye remarked before that the Second Layer Forest was the limit for disciples at the Profound Comprehension Stage? Based on Ji You’s performance in the First Layer Forest, he shouldn’t have even been able to lay eyes on New Willow Color, let alone surpass it. The Second Layer Forest’s dangers were magnitudes greater than the First. Even the most seasoned disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain at the Profound Comprehension Stage had been trapped within for half a month.
The only disciple to ever overcome New Willow Color at that stage was Senior Brother Su Tong, a personal disciple of another elder from Heavenly Sword Peak. Su Tong was already at the upper ranks of Profound Comprehension Stage. Despite his prowess, it still took him seven days to clear the Second Layer Forest. Ding Yao vividly recalled Su Tong’s words when she and Zhuo Wan Qiu had inquired about Ji You’s performance on Little Overlapping Mountain. Su Tong had recounted his own harrowing journey through the Second Layer and even shared his experience of being repelled from the Third Layer—a tale delivered with self-deprecating humor that barely masked his pride.
For a disciple at Ji You’s mid-rank Profound Comprehension Stage to reach the Third Layer Forest, bypassing such challenges, was beyond belief.
It took Ding Yao a long time to collect her thoughts. [It seems that Ji You, though requiring greater effort, is not as talentless as I presumed. His aptitude rivals that of a personal disciple to an elder, a feat already worthy of admiration,] she admitted to herself.
“Even so, it hardly warrants Elder Yan Ye’s personal attention, does it? After all, there’s still the Dao Inquiry ongoing at the foot of the mountain,” she said aloud.
Huang Hui nodded in agreement. “Indeed. When I first descended the mountain to inform Elder Yan Ye, she too brushed it off, remarking that Ji You’s slight aptitude was no surprise given his reputation.”
Ding Yao blinked again. “Then why did Elder Yan Ye ascend the mountain the second time? And why is Elder Yan Qing Chi here as well?”
Huang Hui’s tone turned grave. “Because when I returned, I encountered Senior Brother Gong Shu Chou exiting the Third Layer Forest. He looked grim and ordered me to inform Elder Yan Ye immediately, saying…saying that if Ji You progressed any further, he might encounter the challenge of Return and Come.”
At this moment, Yan Ye and Yan Qing Chi were already making their way through the dense and verdant Third Layer Forest. The oppressive atmosphere was marked by howling Sword Qi, sharp and swift like bolts of lightning, slicing through the air with a formidable presence. Amid this storm of deadly energy, a lone figure clad in white darted between the chaos. His movements were fluid yet sharp, his sword piercing and slashing as waves of Sword Qi ebbed and surged in response. The clamor of clashing swords resounded through the forest.
Two figures had arrived ahead of the elders. One of them, a tall and cold-faced young woman, was none other than Yan Shu Jing, who had only recently injured He Ling Xiu in battle. As rumored in the forest, Yan Shu Jing had no interest in the Dao Inquiry itself. Even as disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy ascended the mountain, she continued her training in the Sword Forest. Following her victory over He Ling Xiu, she had returned to the Sword Forest the very next day, indifferent to her triumph, with her sole focus on honing her Sword Dao.
Now, as Yan Shu Jing journeyed toward the Fourth Layer Forest, she paused in the Third Layer, unable to suppress her curiosity at the sight before her. She stopped to observe.
At the edge of the Third Layer Forest, Gong Shu Chou stood silently, his gaze locked on the flashes of sword energy and the white-clad figure within. His brow furrowed deeply.
The previous day, before descending from the mountain, he had noticed Ji You attempting to traverse the Second Layer Forest. After observing for a long time, he lost interest upon seeing Ji You repeatedly repelled by the formations. Early this morning, Gong Shu Chou made a point to check the Second Layer Forest again, finding no sign of Ji You. He assumed the defeat in the Heavenly Script Academy’s first duel had dampened Ji You’s spirits, or perhaps he had given up knowing time was running short.
But what he hadn’t expected was that upon arriving at the Third Layer Forest, Ji You would already be there.
“No wonder he managed to wound me,” Gong Shu Chou murmured.
The shock he initially felt quickly dissipated. Ji You entering the Third Layer Forest seemed plausible; after all, anyone capable of injuring him had to possess remarkable skill. If someone in the Profound Comprehension Stage could enter the third layer, why not Ji You?
However, as time passed, Gong Shu Chou’s tightly furrowed brows deepened further. The earlier thought, “No wonder he managed to wound me,” no longer brought him peace of mind.
A low hum resounded—Weng, weng, weng. Three successive sword chants broke the silence. Within the Third Layer Forest, the Three-Severed Sword Form of the Return and Come technique surged forward in a whirlwind of strikes. Each blade of sword energy slashed fiercely, like relentless waves crashing against the shore, stirring a wild storm of sand.
The air brimmed with a killing intent so overwhelming it seemed almost tangible, bearing down mercilessly upon the young man clad in white. In response, his three-foot iron sword rose sharply, countering the three incoming strikes with layers of Sword Qi. The collision sent the energies within the forest spiraling into chaos.
With a sharp hiss, the heated blade of the iron sword sliced through the air like a drawn bowstring. Three streams of Sword Qi were severed in an instant, and as the resulting shockwave dissipated, the white figure remained standing, his robes billowing wildly in the turbulent wind.
Witnessing this scene, the four observers within the forest collectively tensed, holding their breath. After shattering the three strikes, the white-robed youth wasted no time, striding deeper into the forest.
In that moment, an ascending Sword Intent swept across the forest like an icy gale, sending shivers through the spines of all present. This was the guardian sword of the Third Layer Forest: Return and Come.
Yan Ye, one of the spectators, instinctively furrowed his brows, his eyes glued to the youth with the raised sword. A flicker of astonishment crossed his gaze.
Earlier, Huang Hui had descended the mountain twice to report Ji You’s progress. The first time, he relayed Ji You’s entry into the Third Layer Forest, which had greatly surprised Yan Ye. His astonishment wasn’t due to Ji You’s earlier feat of parrying sixteen strikes of Little Overlapping Mountain but because even Su Tong, who had survived three strikes from Little Overlapping Mountain, had taken seven days to exit the Second Layer Forest. For Ji You, whose talent in the Sword Dao had once been deemed abysmally low, to arrive at the Third Layer Forest within a single day seemed incomprehensible.
But now, watching Ji You cleave through the Third Layer Forest, Yan Ye suddenly felt as though he had grasped something profound.
Each of Ji You’s strikes carried a shifting Sword Intent, and with every change in intent, his sword forms, techniques, and Sword Qi transformed drastically.
[How could someone’s Sword Intent shift with every strike?] Yan Ye struggled to fathom the phenomenon.
Suddenly, a tempestuous Sword Intent surged from the depths of the bamboo forest, as if summoned by a mighty storm. Even the most composed observers couldn’t help but feel their hearts tremble.
The white-robed youth lifted his gaze, his eyes fixed on the guardian sword Return and Come, and swung his sword in defiance.
The Sword Intent emanating from him grew ever more intense, boiling with unrestrained energy. It was a chaotic and turbulent force, seeming to charge forward heedlessly without any discernible target. Though his momentum had grown, the raw power behind his strikes seemed to wane.
In the doctrine of Heart of the Sword, purity and clarity were paramount. Yet the youth’s blade seemed to stray further from that ideal, clashing headlong with its principles.