As Long as I Am Here, You Are All Inferior

Xiao Guike and the green ox walked out of Yunmeng Marsh, their spirits somewhat dampened. "Xu Fu traveled to Shangjing Palace this time to invite me to emerge and walk the world," Xiao Guike said as he reached the shore of Dongting Lake. He halted and snapped off a willow branch, his voice sorrowful. "I listened to what he said—how Nuo methods run rampant today and how the people of this world willingly offer themselves up as meat for anglers—and my heart ached with grief." He snapped the willow branch in two, speaking bitterly. "The true path is the path of Qi Refinement, the path to eternal life, not a path that throws one's life away. Since they are lost in delusion, I came to beat them awake and make them realize that Qi Refinement is the true art of longevity. But I lost, just like that. I didn't lose to Xu Ying; I lost to a mere girl. I have failed Xu Fu, and I have failed the ancestral masters of Shangjing Palace." "Young Master," the green ox said, "a temporary defeat is not a lifelong defeat. A Qi Refiner’s lifespan is vast; you still have more than three thousand years before you, while those who cultivate Nuo methods have no more than three hundred years to live." Xiao Guike looked out across the billowing green expanse of Dongting Lake and sighed. "If I cannot defeat Xu Ying, I cannot prove that Qi Refinement is the orthodox way. Allowing a wicked art like the Nuo methods to flourish across the world is a humiliation to all of us Qi Refiners!" "The woman who defeated you used divine powers of a Qi Refiner, not Nuo arts, much less Nuo methods!" the green ox said. "That is not enough to prove Qi Refinement is inferior to Nuo methods." A small spark of hope gradually lit up in Xiao Guike’s eyes. That was true—what Shi Yuqing had used was the divine power of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, which had nothing to do with Nuo arts! In that battle, he had lost, but Qi Refinement had not lost! "It was my own skill that fell short, not Qi Refinement falling to Nuo arts!" The flame in his eyes burned brighter. If his skill was lacking, he would cultivate more and study further; there would always be hope of victory! Just then, the sound of a zither drifted across the lake, stirring wandering thoughts. Deep and melodious, the notes pierced through the dense white mist over the water like beams of light shining across the passing years. Xiao Guike followed the sound and saw a small boat cutting through the choppy lake, emerging from the white mist. An old man in green robes worked the scull, making a rhythmic creaking sound. At the bow sat a man clad in white robes, his brows like distant dark hills, plucking the strings of the zither. When the piece came to an end, the white-robed man set down the seven-stringed zither, rose to his feet, and looked toward Xiao Guike from the bow, speaking softly. "You must be Shangjing Palace’s Xiao Guike, correct?" Xiao Guike nodded. "I am Xiao Guike. And you are?" "Nuo master Yuan Weiyang." The white-robed man possessed an aloof, untamed elegance. Gazing across the water, he said unhurriedly, "I heard you challenged the twenty great clans of Shendu, and not a single descendant among them could best you. Believing Nuo arts to be nothing more than child's play, you declared that Nuo arts should be abolished and Qi Refinement alone exalted. Is that true?" Xiao Guike’s face darkened as he recalled his recent defeat. "It is." Young Master Yuan Weiyang said, "If I defeat you with Nuo methods and Nuo arts, will it make you realize your error?" Xiao Guike raised an eyebrow and could not help bursting into laughter. "You, defeat me with Nuo methods and Nuo arts?" Yuan Weiyang nodded gently. Xiao Guike said coolly, "Ever since I left the mountains, I have visited the great clans of Nuo masters. Those so-called scions of distinguished families seemed to duel me with Nuo arts, but in truth, they merely borrowed the magical arts and divine powers of us Qi Refiners. When told to unleash genuine Nuo arts, they didn't dare, fearing only that their arts were crude, riddled with flaws, and utterly frail. You are the first who dares suggest fighting me purely with Nuo arts." Yuan Weiyang raised a hand. "Please." Xiao Guike drew a deep breath, summoned his Golden Core, and gathered vital essence beneath his feet to form the distinct patterns of Immortal Dao runes. "Please!" Yuan Weiyang let out a long cry and unleashed the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction. Divine light mingled with vital blood blazed forth from his acupoints, forming projections of gods and demons in the empty space around his body, resembling the orthodox gods of the Heavenly Dao governing the celestial sphere! The heavens surrounding him felt as though the Heavenly Dao world had descended. In that instant, Xiao Guike heard the chanting of countless gods and demons filling the sky, while the incense and prayers of infinite living beings across the myriad worlds transformed into the encroachment of the Heavenly Dao, throwing his mind into chaos with stray thoughts! Yuan Weiyang soared upward at an angle, bearing down with the supreme majesty of the Heavenly Dao to crush him! *Boom!* A terrifying shockwave erupted along the shores of Dongting Lake. The lake surface burst, throwing up white waves tens of fathoms high that surged across the water. A tempestuous blast swept outward in all directions, flattening trees and sending boulders tumbling like carriages. A moment later, everything settled. The waters of Dongting Lake poured back in, quickly filling the small crater-lake carved out by that single palm strike. The green ox stared with round, furious eyes at Young Master Yuan Weiyang. But upon seeing the green-robed elder behind him, he could not help recalling the dim-sighted golden crow perched in the Fusang tree behind Xu Ying, and he dared not act rashly. *That old man in green is most likely an extraordinary hidden master. I'd better not stir up trouble, lest I end up having to kowtow just to stay alive.* With that thought, the green ox withdrew his gaze, leapt onto a dark patch of demon clouds, and flew toward Mount Dongting dozens of li away. At the mountain, Xiao Guike lay splayed in a massive crater that still hissed with rising steam. The green ox looked down to find the young master of Shangjing Palace staring blankly into the sky, his eyes vacant. The ox inwardly gasped, thinking, *That girl Shi Yuqing practiced Nuo methods alongside Qi Refinement, but she took Qi as the foundation and Nuo as an auxiliary, which could still give the young master an excuse. But this young master named Yuan Weiyang also cultivates both, yet he took Nuo as the foundation. The technique he used was purely a Nuo method, not a Qi Refinement divine power at all! How can someone be so monstrously strong?* Just as he was pondering what to say, Xiao Guike suddenly grabbed his wrist, his voice raspy. "Martial Uncle, I want to study Nuo methods!" On the shore of Dongting Lake, Yuan Weiyang stepped onto land and turned to the green-robed elder. "Uncle Xiao, after this battle, I believe I can return to Shendu." Uncle Xiao bowed slightly. "This old servant shall gather our clansmen at once." Yuan Weiyang wore an indifferent expression as he drifted away, his voice carrying back from the distance. "I will go ahead and secure a foothold in Shendu. When our Yuan clan stages its comeback this time, none shall be able to shake us." *** Shendu was draped in a pall of gloom. No one knew how many times it had happened this year: another young Qi Refiner had marched into Shendu to challenge the younger generation of the great clans, pitting pure Qi Refinement against Nuo methods and reigniting the clash between Nuo and Qi. The younger generation of the great clans had been beaten past the point of endurance. One defeat after another had thoroughly battered their faith in Nuo methods and Nuo arts! These defeats brought an even greater shock than Zulong’s assault on Shendu! After all, Zulong was a legend, a myth, a grand emperor towering over the ages. Defeat at his hands was only natural, and exhausting the empire’s might to drive him back had been a matter of glory. This time was different. This time, young people cultivating Qi Refinement had defeated them fair and square, again and again, trampling them and their Nuo arts beneath their feet to tell them that the path they walked was utterly useless! These defeats told them that the things they held onto were worthless garbage, and that even if they practiced both Nuo and Qi, they were no match for the orthodox Qi Refinement! These defeats told them that there was only one road left: convert to the orthodox path and return to Qi Refinement! This was the counterattack of Qi Refinement against Nuo methods, the restoration of the Qi Refiners! On this very day, as anxiety gripped Shendu, Young Master Yuan Weiyang walked quietly into the city and issued challenges to every Qi Refiner who had come to contest Shendu. On that day, those prodigies from three thousand years ago witnessed Nuo methods pushed to their absolute limits, and they saw a figure whose mastery of the six secret depositories had reached perfection! Yuan Weiyang swept through all sixteen Qi Refiners who had occupied Shendu for over three months! These sixteen Qi Refiners were chosen talents selected three thousand years ago by the ancestral founders of ancient sects dwelling high in the Immortal Realm during the great cataclysm, sent to inherit their legacies. They had endured countless trials before gaining recognition from those immortal founders to serve as seeds for future generations. Their record in Shendu had verified the wisdom of their founders' judgment. Yet before Yuan Weiyang, every single one proved completely frail. "Young Master Weiyang! The hope of Nuo arts!" Inside Shendu, countless people wept with emotion, shouting Yuan Weiyang’s name. He became a god in their hearts—until Yuan Weiyang turned to face them. "Now, I shall test your Nuo methods using the techniques of Qi Refinement," Yuan Weiyang said to them. That day also became a deeply tragic day for the Nuo methods. Young Master Weiyang, adopting the role of a Qi Refiner, used divine powers to sweep through the younger generation of Shendu’s great clans without meeting an equal. "It is not that Nuo methods are inadequate, nor that Qi Refinement is flawed. It is that all of you are inadequate." Returning to the Yuan manor, Yuan Weiyang addressed the successors of the great clans who had come to pay their respects: "As long as I am here, you are all inferior." A few days later, a scattered few members of the Yuan clan returned to Shendu and rejoined the manor. Yuan Weiyang led his kin in paying tribute to their ancestors. The assets and lands stripped from the Yuan manor were returned in droves. The great clans flocked to build ties and curry favor, and matchmakers arrived in endless succession. One matchmaker, acting on Old Master Guo's wishes, even came to propose a match with Guo Xiaodie. Word also came from the imperial palace that the Emperor was indisposed and intended to bestow an imperial marriage upon Yuan Weiyang. Yuan Weiyang neither accepted nor refused, leaving everyone guessing at his intentions. The green-robed Uncle Xiao came up behind Yuan Weiyang and bowed. "Young Master, can you still not forget that person? If so, why not reveal that you are a woman?" Yuan Weiyang’s gaze turned deep and sorrowful. "If the Yuan clan wishes to survive in an era where humans devour humans, it requires a domineering and unyielding male patriarch, not a girl. A girl makes people think of weakness." He paused, then continued, "Since I have taken the burden of the Yuan clan onto my shoulders, I must be a proper head of the family and never allow our clan to suffer harm again. As for feelings..." Her gaze turned calm. "We will speak of that in the future." Uncle Xiao let out a sigh. "Young Master carries the weight of the Yuan clan. Returning to the capital has astonished everyone, but it also makes it easy to fall prey to hidden plots." Yuan Weiyang said, "I have already comprehended the way of the unity between heaven and man. Below, I connect to the myriad worlds; above, I connect to the gods of the Heavenly Dao. Even if a Nuo immortal acts against me, they may not be able to do anything to me." At that moment, news arrived from within the city. To the west, in the Qilian Mountains, divine light surged within Cangwu Abyss. Overnight, several peaks tens of thousands of cubits high had appeared, rising to unmeasurable heights. Immortal radiance cascaded over them, reaching high into the heavens and illuminating the Yellow Springs below—bearing a striking resemblance to the legendary Kunlun. Hearing this news, the great clans grew restless with anticipation. *** Mount Shu Sword Sect. The mountains of Ba-Shu were vast and imposing, rivaling the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Yunxiang. Among them, the seventy-two peaks of the Sword Sect, while not quite as renowned as Mount Emei and other ranges, were still breathtakingly magnificent. In the sect’s golden age, sword qi had frequently crisscrossed the seventy-two peaks, weaving a dense tapestry across the sky. Xu Ying arrived at the Sword Sect alongside Shi Yuqing and asked, "Yuqing, where are our Sword Sect's ancestral founders buried?" Shi Yuqing eyed him warily. "Why are you asking about the ancestral founders' graves?" Xu Ying chuckled. "Looking at you, one would think you take me for a grave robber! I am the Sword Sect’s Grand Supreme Elder, after all. Coming up the mountain for the first time, shouldn't I pay respects to the ancestral founders?" Shi Yuqing felt thoroughly ashamed and explained, "It's not that I don't trust you, Martial Uncle Ah Ying. It's just that when I woke up, I discovered that our Sword Sect had been struck by grave robbers. Many of the founders' tombs buried in the shaded spots at the foot of the mountain had been dug up and pillaged." She took out several medallions. "I was furious and went inside to inspect them. Many of those grave robbers had died within the tombs, but they still stripped my ancestral founders' burial goods bare, leaving behind only these tokens." Xu Ying looked at them, but they were unfamiliar items: a Faqiu seal engraved with the character 'Zhou' and a Zhonglangjiang token engraved with 'Cao'. *I recognize the Zhou clan's token, but which clan does this Cao belong to?* he wondered. Shi Yuqing led him to pay homage to the ancestral founders of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Xu Ying noted down the locations of these tombs, thinking to himself, *I have no greedy designs on the ancestral founders' treasures; I merely wish to learn their Dao methods...* The moment the thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest. He felt an icy light envelop him, like a streak of sword qi piercing his heart. Shocked and uncertain, Xu Ying looked along the path of the sword qi. Atop the main peak among the seventy-two peaks of the Sword Sect, an immortal sword hung inverted. Sword light blazed in all directions, radiating a piercing aura that cast the sharpness of a blade over the entire mountain range! As that sword light fell upon him, he felt a sharp pang in his chest. "This sword is the immortal artifact left behind by our founding ancestor, named Siwuxie," Shi Yuqing explained. "The name means that the wielder's thoughts must be free of evil—open, upright, and magnanimous, using the sword heart to judge character. Legend says that anyone harboring wicked thoughts will feel a sword piercing their chest from afar. The deeper the wicked thoughts, the more agonizing the pain." Even as she spoke, the bronze bell began to chime frantically as invisible bursts of sword qi struck its body, sending it staggering backward. Xu Ying’s face also looked rather strained. The purple immortal plant on his shoulder tipped over, twitching violently. Only Juan Qi and Jin Buyi felt nothing at all. Shi Yuqing said, "Once you are tempered by Siwuxie's sword qi for a while, you will be able to cast aside wicked thoughts. Cultivating beneath this sword ensures that your Dao heart remains luminous and unimpeded." *Clang!* The bronze bell was struck by another burst of sword qi, sent tumbling and rolling into the distance as it cried out, "You can't blame me for wild thoughts! My old master Li Xiaoke was a two-faced hypocrite with the face of a man and the heart of a beast!" Stabs of pain pierced Xu Ying’s chest in rapid succession. He hurriedly channeled the Taiyi Guiding Technique to anchor his thoughts in the Taiyi oneness. Finally, the sword qi ceased its assault, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. *I must have been corrupted by Lord Bell,* he thought. *Maybe I should hang Lord Bell under Siwuxie so it can be reformed around the clock. Right, when I rob the tombs tonight, I also need to keep my mind completely free of stray thoughts, otherwise... Ouch! It hurts!* His chest throbbed with pain, and he quickly reined in his wandering thoughts. Shi Yuqing led them toward Siwuxie, saying, "Venerable Cangyang has been poisoned deeply by the Immortal Dao. Siwuxie is likely the only thing that can purge the Immortal Dao from his body."