Chapter 37: Physics, I Added Physics
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
As the mountain mist thickened, the once-scattered Malignant Beings began to gather.
Instructor Wang’s sword was heated from relentless combat, and he couldn’t help but curse in frustration. Meanwhile, Ji You finally steadied himself, using his sword for support as he rose to his feet.
“We need to fight our way out of this,” Ji You stated.
“There are too many of them. If we fail to break through, we’ll be trapped here,” Instructor Wang warned.
Ji You sheathed his remaining two swords and adjusted his primary weapon. “Form a column. You and I will clear the way at the front, while the others guard our flanks and rear. These cursed things aren’t strong individually—there’s just an overwhelming number of them. It’s doable.”
Hearing this, Instructor Wang turned to the surrounding disciples. “It seems we’ve got no other choice.”
“Move!” Ji You infused his long sword with Spiritual Qi, channeling it into his palm. A resonant sword chant echoed as he unleashed a single, devastating strike, tearing through the horde.
The scene mirrored their earlier trek into the mountain, with dense clusters of Malignant Beings suddenly parted by a narrow, gaping path.
“Your turn now,” Ji You said, stepping back.
“Already? That was just one strike!” Instructor Wang exclaimed while slashing furiously. “You’re taking a break already?”
Ji You shrugged, casually dispatching foes like chopping vegetables. “I need to recharge my energy.”
After the Spiritual Spring within Ji You shattered, his breathing alone could naturally draw in Spiritual Qi, allowing him to recover rapidly. However, that one strike had depleted all his reserves. He needed time to recuperate, and during this interval, Instructor Wang would have to hold the line.
It was said that talented disciples come from capable teachers. Ji You held complete confidence in Wang Xin An’s swordsmanship. The reason Instructor Wang remained a mere Outer Court Instructor wasn’t due to a lack of skill but rather a scarcity of students.
Still, upon realizing Ji You was resting again, Instructor Wang was utterly exasperated.
[No wonder that earlier strike was so powerful—it drained everything he had. How long am I supposed to hold out? Until grass grows three meters high over my grave?]
At that moment, Ji You gripped his sword once more. “I’m ready. My turn.”
“You recovered that fast?!” Instructor Wang asked, incredulous.
“Do you want me to wait longer?”
“No! No! Go ahead!” Instructor Wang hastily stepped aside.
Under the moonlight, the group’s pace, which had slowed during the breakthrough, picked up once again. Another sword chant resonated, and a fresh opening appeared in the enemy ranks. Ji You knew Instructor Wang was resilient and capable, so he skipped using basic attacks altogether, instead acting as a walking skill cannon.
Only by alternating their bursts of strength could they hope to break free.
Instructor Wang, deeply impressed, wasted no words and charged forward with his blade. He had always maintained that martial skills were learnable by anyone, but true mastery required combat awareness. Ji You’s swordsmanship wasn’t extraordinary in its complexity but in its clever application.
[Dammit, I’m doomed. After tonight, the Sword Testing Forest is going to be overcrowded. My peaceful days are over.]
Meanwhile, on the cloud-covered mountaintop, a black-clad elder and a youth wearing a long blade at his waist were preparing to leave. However, the unfolding scene below made them pause.
The Malignant Beings, cloaked in an aura of death, formed an impenetrable black tide. Yet, the disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy, moving in formation like a long dragon, continuously pushed forward. Each time exhaustion threatened to halt them, a resonant sword chant would echo, carving through the darkness.
In the end, they miraculously led the entire horde to the outskirts of Thousand Marks Mountain without significant losses.
“Let’s go. Our objective has been achieved; there’s no need to create complications,” the young man advised.
“No,” the elder countered. “Kill him.”
“The three Stewards we diverted will return any moment!”
“There’s a brief window of opportunity. The Heavenly Script Academy is a critical step, yet this unexpected variable keeps disrupting our plans. I can’t rest easy until he’s dead.”
The youth reached out to stop him but was too late—the elder had already charged into the fray. His hand stretched toward Ji You, and a bolt of thunderous light descended.
[What curse did I break recently?] Ji You thought as the lightning surged toward him. Alarmed, he instinctively raised his sword to block.
The disparity between the Upper Five Realms and the Lower Three Realms was immense. This single thunder strike was enough to be fatal. Ji You’s spiritual shield wavered under the intense pressure, cracks rapidly spreading. In desperation, he summoned a second sword, channeling the thunder into it. As the two swords clashed, the redirected energy surged into the ground, dissipating in a blinding flash.
Everyone froze. Instructor Wang, the disciples, the black-clad elder, and even the three Stewards rushing back were utterly stunned.
[It’s physics. I added physics,] Ji You thought wryly.
As the elder retreated, seeing his attack fail, the three Stewards contemplated pursuit. Yet, before they could act, a suffocating pressure descended, lifting the elder into the air before whisking him away into the night. The Stewards, unable to match such overwhelming power, could only stand motionless.
Below, the Malignant Beings began pouring down the slope. With no hesitation, the three Stewards summoned their enormous flying swords, smashing the advancing horde into the cliffs.
With the crisis averted, everyone turned to Ji You.
“That elder was clearly at the Dao Fusion Stage, two major realms above the Lower Three Stages. Yet you withstood his attack without injury?”
“I didn’t block it. The Mother Earth did.”
Ji You wiped his dry lips and retrieved something cold and hard from his robe. Under the moonlight, it was revealed to be a fragment of a stone inscribed with mysterious patterns.
“What’s this?” Instructor Wang asked, puzzled.
“It fell off one of the Malignant Beings earlier. I stuffed it in my robe when I had the chance,” Ji You replied.
“You kept it… why?”
Ji You scratched his head, a hint of regret in his voice. “The Ruins of Ancient Times sound pretty ancient, right? There’s bound to be some antiques inside. Maybe I could sell it for some money.”
Instructor Wang’s eyes widened. “You were still thinking of making money during a life-and-death battle?!”
“People need dreams. What if it worked out?”
At that moment, Steward Qin descended, taking the stone from Ji You’s hands for inspection. Stewards Ji Qi Rui and Lang He Tong joined him, their expressions darkening as they examined the artifact.
If their assumptions were correct, this fragment came from the Ruins of Ancient Times, likely carried out by the Malignant Beings. They had previously believed the Malignant Beings would lose vitality if they strayed too far from the ruins. Clearly, this assumption no longer held.
“Steward Qin,” Instructor Wang interjected.
“Yes?”
“Have the disciples from the Pill Sect been found?”
Steward Qin shook his head. “They’ve vanished. They weren’t after money or goods—it seems the alchemists were their true targets.”
Just then, waves of Spiritual Qi from the capital approached. Several disciples stationed at the academy arrived, bearing grim expressions.
“What happened?” Steward Qin demanded.
“The Red Mountain Mine and Green Willow Manor were both attacked by Malignant Beings,” one of the new arrivals reported.
Steward Qin frowned deeply. “It seems someone has grown restless.”