The seventh "Seven Swords Ascend Mount Tianshan" gathering concluded successfully, with the Taihua Sect winning back its sect master's heirloom sword.
Fang Shaobai did not choose to take the sword back with him either. Instead, he left it deposited with the Tianshan Sect, waiting until all Seven Great Sword Sects emerged victorious before reclaiming them together.
This served both as encouragement for the other five sects and as a trial for the Tianshan Sect.
After all, if the Tianshan Sect declined and let someone else snatch away the sect master swords of the Seven Great Sword Sects, the embarrassment would be monumental.
With the gathering over, the crowd dispersed.
The disciples of the Seven Great Sword Sects returned to their respective courtyards to pack their belongings and prepare for the journey home.
Fang Shaobai came to Wang Yu's quarters to ask if they would travel together.
"I'm not sure if the pills Brother Sun is concocting for me are finished yet. I have to wait for him." Wang Yu was still thinking about the Tianshan snow lotus he had entrusted to Sun Wenzhu.
As luck would have it, Leng Jiangzhu also came looking for Sun Wenzhu. "He was just at the square a moment ago. How did he vanish the second I turned around?"
Xin Yilong suddenly appeared. "Brother Sun was in a hurry to return to his alchemy. He asked me to pass along a message: concocting the Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill requires resting the Seven-Star Huang and Three-Leaf Dragon Whisker Ginseng for three days after the preliminary processing, so it will still take a few days."
Wang Yu understood. "Who knew it was so troublesome."
Leng Jiangzhu said, "I'll wait for him."
The others looked at one another, suppressing smirks that threatened to spill over.
Leng Jiangzhu swept a glare across them. "What, never seen a woman chase a man before?"
Everyone fell silent at once. Even Fang Shaobai, whose martial arts were far superior to Leng Jiangzhu's, dared not utter a peep. A female disciple of the Meishan Sect who roamed a martial world dominated by men naturally had no docile temper.
Leng Jiangzhu could afford to wait, but it was inconvenient for Fang Shaobai to do so. He had arrived alongside Meng Wei and Shen Zhijun, so he naturally had to return with them.
Thus, six of the representatives from the Seven Great Sword Sects departed, leaving only Leng Jiangzhu behind, who moved her quarters closer to Wang Yu and the others.
Meanwhile, Ardai summoned two White Qiang warriors up the mountain, penned a letter to the White Qiang King, and then busied herself packing her bundles, chattering excitedly.
"I've never been to the Central Plains before. I wonder if it's fun there?"
Yan Xiangxue and Ardai would be returning to Longshan Prefecture with Wang Yu.
Yan Xiangxue had been severely wounded by Shi Mo. Though she had taken Sun Wenzhu's pills to suppress her injuries, she could not circulate her internal strength, rendering her almost no different from an ordinary person.
And without Yan Xiangxue's protection, Ardai could easily be abducted by Shi Mo to threaten the White Qiang King.
Therefore, they could not return to the White Qiang.
Furthermore, although Yan Xiangxue had taught Wang Yu the complete Ice and Snow Divine Art, ice and fire inherently conflicted after all. Worrying that Wang Yu might encounter problems in his cultivation, she wanted to be on hand to guide him at any moment, and thus proposed staying temporarily at the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor in Longshan Prefecture.
First, it allowed them to evade danger; second, it gave her time to instruct Wang Yu—not to mention that teaching Wang Yu was also saving herself.
The White Qiang were on close terms with the Han lands, so Wang Yu naturally agreed. This would also draw the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor closer to the White Qiang. If the Black Qiang pressed the White Qiang hard again, the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor might even find an opportunity to thoroughly pacify the Black Qiang.
Originally, Yan Xiangxue had intended for Ardai to remain on Mount Tianshan, as Ye Tianlin had already agreed to accept her. But Ardai could not bear to part with Yan Xiangxue, insisting on accompanying and serving her master.
This was a minor matter, and the Tianshan Sect naturally would not force her to stay. Besides, the agreement to take her as a disciple had mainly come about because everyone believed Yan Xiangxue was about to die.
Still, once spoken, words could not be taken back. Gu Nanfeng formally accepted Ardai as his disciple, though he did not require her to switch her cultivation to the Jade Snow Art, teaching her only the Tianshan Sect's lightness skills and the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow.
At this point, Ling Feiyun appeared as well, sitting down with Gu Nanfeng to hold a discussion with Wang Yu.
"Ah? Trading the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow for my mid-air directional shift technique?" Wang Yu asked in surprise.
"Indeed. We wonder if Prince Zhao would be willing?" Ling Feiyun asked.
"I am certainly willing, but you're getting the short end of the stick here," Wang Yu said.
Wang Yu was no longer a martial arts novice; he had an understanding of the value of divine arts and secret manuals. Setting aside the turtle shell's enhancements, the original Swallow Carrying Spring was definitely nowhere near as valuable as the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow.
"Return of the Swallow" from Swallow Carrying Spring was at best an unorthodox secret technique, whereas the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow was the signature sword art of the Tianshan Sect!
Gu Nanfeng laughed. "We are not losing out. By obtaining this technique, we can pass it down through our sect."
Compared to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, whose direct lineage consisted of barely two or three people, the Tianshan Sect had far more disciples to inherit the art. That was why Gu Nanfeng claimed they were not losing out.
Strictly speaking, all martial arts were created by humans. With the martial attainments of Ling Feiyun—or even Ye Tianlin—having seen "Return of the Swallow," they could certainly create a similar technique if they were willing to expend the effort.
But the crux lay precisely in "expending the effort."
Researching something from scratch would cost untold mental energy and time, with no certainty of what degree of perfection they could achieve, not to mention that they had other pressing responsibilities.
Rather than going through all that, it was far better to acquire a finished technique directly, and on that foundation refine, absorb, and integrate it, ultimately transforming it into an inheritance of the Tianshan Sect.
To that end, they offered the Tianshan Sect's Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow, demonstrating utmost sincerity—and it was precisely what Wang Yu needed.
"We witnessed Your Highness's swordplay earlier. It is indeed first-rate under heaven, but the artistic conception of the swordplay belongs to fire, likely meant to pair with the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor's secret Flowing Fire Reflection," Gu Nanfeng said. "Yet Your Highness currently cultivates both ice and fire. Having only a fire-attributed sword art prevents you from displaying your full strength. Supplementing it with the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow would be a perfect fit."
Ling Feiyun added, "Please do not underestimate this sword art, Your Highness. Though Tianshan lost six matches in this sword contest, it was not because the art itself is lacking."
Wang Yu waved his hands repeatedly. "I wouldn't dare underestimate it."
What a joke—Ye Tianlin had become the world's number one swordsman relying on the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow. Would he have to be out of his mind to look down on it?
Moreover, despite the Tianshan Sect losing more than winning in this gathering, the quality of its new generation of disciples across the Seven Great Sword Sects was second only to the Taihua and Bashan Sects, tied for third alongside the Meishan Sect and surpassing the remaining four.
Gu Nanfeng said, "Furthermore, the better one's lightness skills, the greater the power of this sword art. And as it happens, Your Highness's lightness skills are superb."
Having reached this point in the conversation, Wang Yu naturally had no reason to refuse.
After all, when it came to utilizing his ice-attributed internal strength, he lacked an effective outlet, having only the tune Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain and the plucking techniques paired with it.
The newly acquired Star-Plucking Hand was originally a suitable technique, but replacing it with a Tianshan Sect sword art was naturally even better.
And so, Gu Nanfeng came every day for three consecutive days to pass down the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow to Wang Yu and Ardai, allowing the two of them to spar and exchange insights.
Three days later, Sun Wenzhu's pills were also finished.
"Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pills, three in all." Sun Wenzhu handed a porcelain bottle into Wang Yu's hands.
"Many thanks!" Wang Yu accepted the pills.
With the medicinal potency of the Tianshan snow lotus and the supplementary herbs, combined with Sun Wenzhu's skill in concocting pills, the potency of each Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill would likely be on par with the Snow Lotus Jade Marrow Pill.
Consuming all three pills would probably push him right to Xiantian.
Sun Wenzhu said placidly, "The medicinal potency of these pills is tremendous. Although I did my best to eliminate pill toxins, all medicine carries a degree of toxicity. It will still impact your meridians and internal organs, and you could easily build up a tolerance. Take one pill per year; do not take more, lest it go to waste."
"Understood." Wang Yu nodded solemnly, then asked, "Do you want me to dispatch a thousand soldiers to accompany you to Huichun Valley?"
Sun Wenzhu nearly stumbled and waved his hands frantically. "No need! Besides, I'm not going to Huichun Valley for the time being."
Wang Yu nodded. "All right. But if you encounter any trouble, you can always find me at the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor."
Sun Wenzhu was silent for a moment before nodding as well. "I understand."
Leng Jiangzhu came up beside Sun Wenzhu. "Where do you plan to go next?"
Sun Wenzhu lowered his eyes and did not answer, for he did not know where he would go next either.
Leng Jiangzhu's gaze burned brightly. "If you want to keep harvesting spirit herbs, why not head south into Chuanxi Circuit? Both Chuanxi and Chuannan Circuits are covered in ancient mountains and dense forests, and further south lie the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Miao Frontier. There are bound to be plenty of spiritual herbs and medicines."
"We'll see." Sun Wenzhu shook his head, then took his leave of everyone. Leng Jiangzhu followed after him.
After resting on Mount Tianshan for one final night, Wang Yu and his group finally descended the mountain.
This journey to Mount Tianshan had yielded a bountiful harvest.
In martial arts, he had learned the Ice and Snow Divine Art and the Seventy-Two Forms of Wind and Snow; in elixirs, he had obtained three Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pills; he had established friendly ties with the Tianshan Sect, and would soon have a life-saving grace over Granny Snow Mountain of the White Qiang.
The Five Great Bandits of Mount Qi were completely wiped out, with any remnants posing no real threat. So long as the Black Qiang were pacified, the three prefectures of the Northwest would finally be secure.
His position as the Prince of Zhenxi was growing more secure by the day.
Sitting astride his horse, Wang Yu felt the various changes within his body after consuming a Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill yesterday.
Because he had channeled all the medicinal power into cultivating the Ice and Snow Divine Art, his meridians had not widened much, and his cultivation had grown only marginally. However, the transformation in his ice-attributed internal strength and the Ice and Fire Dual Heavens was enormous.
The medicinal power of the Snow Lotus Yellow Dragon Pill was even stronger than that of the Snow Lotus Jade Marrow Pill. Under the deductions of the turtle shell, the Ice and Snow Divine Art and Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain had already merged.
As the saying went, extreme yang gives birth to yin, and extreme yin gives birth to yang. The internal energies of both arts fused, transforming into a true qi of extreme, bone-chilling cold whose core had returned to simplicity, flowing like a spring brook.
At the same time, Ice and Fire Dual Heavens evolved once more. The frost held a slight edge over the flowing fire, but with the turtle shell present, the two remained in rough balance, preventing any risk of Qi deviation.
It was only because he had just mastered the art and was not yet proficient that Wang Yu could not immediately heal Yan Xiangxue.
Well, that was merely a passing thought; Wang Yu did not want to be regarded as a freak. He decided it was best to conceal his cultivation and reveal it gradually, waiting six to eight months until next summer before healing Yan Xiangxue.
The group descended Mount Tianshan and rode straight for Yumen Pass.
Yet before they had traveled far, in the nearest small town, they spotted a group of Black Qiang warriors dressed in black.
"Hm?" Wang Yu wondered aloud. "They haven't left yet?"
The next moment, an emaciated old man clad in black with his hands tucked inside his sleeves walked through a path cleared by the warriors. "Old crone Yan, I truly didn't expect you to still be breathing."
Yan Xiangxue's eyes narrowed. "Shi Mo!"
Chapter 87