Upon hearing this, Shi Yuqing felt something was amiss and said, "The legacies on our Sword Immortal Precipice embody the wisdom of past ancestral masters and predecessors. If we don't study their swordsmanship and instead let their sword arts gather dust, isn't that far too selfish?"
Puzzled, Xu Ying asked, "Why do you say that, Yuqing?"
Shi Yuqing said, "I have heard it said that to live in this world, one should establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, secure a livelihood for the people, carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and bring peace to ten thousand generations. When we study the ultimate teachings of the Sword Sect's past ancestral masters and forebears, aren't we carrying on their lost teachings? We keep their wisdom from gathering dust and ensure that their Sword Dao and sword intent do not perish. By learning their Dao methods, it is as though they continue to live on in this world in another form."
Xu Ying thought for a moment and said, "Yuqing, I haven't read many books, so I might be wrong. I dare not comment on the other three sayings, but as for carrying on the lost teachings of past sages, I cannot agree."
Shi Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "I would like to hear your reasoning."
Xu Ying said, "If 'carrying on the lost teachings of past sages' only means thinking about inheriting them, then what real accomplishment is there in that? The past sages belong to the past, while the future holds promise. To face the future using only the past sages' ultimate arts—isn't that foolish? I have heard people speak of carrying forward the heritage and forging into the future. That is very well said. Only by inheriting the ultimate teachings of past sages while simultaneously forging new ones for the future can one truly move forward."
Sword qi flew from his fingertips, transforming into fine, flickering wisps dancing in the air. "Take how I learned swordsmanship, for example," he said. "First, I grasped the fundamentals of sword arts from Yuan Tiangang's sword casket, then derived sword intent and Sword Dao from Li Xiaoke's sword scars, and went on to comprehend the Thirteen Heavenly Sword Forms. By that point, my swordsmanship, sword intent, and Sword Dao had already reached heights beyond the reach of ordinary men.
"Then, relying on my own comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, I completed the Thirteen Heavenly Sword Forms. Reaching this stage, I have already surpassed Li Xiaoke. If I were to keep merely learning the sword arts and Sword Dao of others, how could I ever surpass my predecessors and carve out my own path?"
Hearing this, Shi Yuqing sneered, "Do you believe your swordsmanship can already match what the forebears handed down?"
Xu Ying smiled. "Why don't we have a contest to see which of us clears this Sword Immortal Precipice first?"
Rife with fighting spirit, Shi Yuqing immediately agreed.
Each using their own sword intent, the two pitted themselves against the sword intents upon the cliff. In the battleground of their minds, stances and techniques clashed fiercely.
This time, when Shi Yuqing made her move, she no longer tried to learn the sword arts on the cliff, but rather focused on breaking them. Her pace increased dramatically! Xu Ying was just as swift, and the two moved away from this cliff almost simultaneously, proceeding to the next.
Along the ten-li precipice, the sword arts, Sword Dao, and sword intents recorded further down became increasingly profound and inscrutable, containing the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Every sword move approached the Dao, the sword intents bordered on the Dao, and each possessed a lucid, penetrating sword heart!
Unknowingly, several days passed. Tempered by the Sword Immortal Precipice, Xu Ying and Shi Yuqing's Sword Dao cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, progressing a thousand li in a single day.
Both possessed extraordinary attainments and comprehension in the Sword Dao. Setting out to vie for supremacy and determine who was superior, they truly pushed their intellect and perceptiveness to the absolute limit.
Neither remained bound by what they had previously mastered; they even began inventing novel sword moves within their mental duels. When facing an otherwise insurmountable opponent, these newly created moves often yielded incredible results.
Another six days passed. Drawing closer and closer to the end of the ten-li precipice, they finally faced the Immortal Sword Cliff. Back then, Li Xiaoke had halted here, unable to witness the strongest sword arts that lay beyond.
Shi Yuqing had gone a step further than him: she had managed to learn the swordsmanship at this trial before finding herself unable to continue.
Yet this time was different. This time, she had to use the Sword Dao she had learned and comprehended to defeat the Sword Dao within the Immortal Sword Cliff!
Shi Yuqing steadied her mind and made contact with the sword intent of the Immortal Sword Cliff. Her vision blurred, and before her appeared a female immortal in flowing robes and colored ribbons. Using qi as her sword, with a Bright Moon Wheel formed behind her, she stood aloft in the void, gazing coldly down at Shi Yuqing.
Shi Yuqing's sword intent transformed into another Bright Moon Wheel, likewise using qi as a blade. She thought silently, 'Ancestral Master, to defeat Xu, I must overcome your Bright Moon Sword Qi!'
Within the mental battleground, tens of thousands of sword qi shot forth from the Bright Moon Wheel, sweeping toward the female immortal and transforming into a sword formation. Like a sprawling dragon, it surged forward, seeking to drown her! Shi Yuqing's sword intent surged to the heavens. Regardless of whether her opponent was an ancestral master, she had only one thought: to defeat her adversary!
Yet that female sword immortal's swordsmanship was exceedingly formidable. She tore through Shi Yuqing's sword formation as the Bright Moon Wheel spun and danced around her, firing immense, thick streaks of sword qi that slashed toward Shi Yuqing!
The two fought like soaring fairies dueling with swords. Though they darted back and forth with ribbons fluttering and robes fluttering like butterflies, peril lurked at every turn!
On the other side, Xu Ying likewise experienced the female sword immortal's immense strength. Even when facing his Heavenly Sword imbued with the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, she dispelled it with ease, plunging him into a bitter struggle within the mental arena!
Both exhausted their wits trying to crack the female sword immortal's techniques, but she shattered even the Heavenly Dao, demonstrating astonishing achievements in the Sword Dao!
In the end, Xu Ying and Shi Yuqing tumbled out of the mental battleground almost simultaneously. With the world spinning around them, they collapsed to the ground, eyes wide as they panted heavily. In their pursuit of speed, both had chosen to duel the female sword immortal head-on, only to end in mutual defeat.
Their mental energy was severely drained; with their sword techniques shattered and their focus scattered, they had nearly passed out. After panting for a moment, Shi Yuqing suddenly rolled over, propped herself up on her hands, and began dry-heaving.
Xu Ying had initially been holding it together, but seeing her retch, he couldn't help himself. He rolled over and began dry-heaving as well. Their faces were flushed red. Only after quite a while did they recover somewhat, exchanging lingering looks of dread.
Suddenly, Shi Yuqing giggled. "Now you see that the ancestral heritage isn't so beneath you after all, don't you?"
Xu Ying nodded and sighed with feeling. "That female sword immortal's swordsmanship is truly extraordinary. If I were to study her sword art, I would indeed be standing on the shoulders of a giant, able to see much farther."
Shi Yuqing gave a playful scoff and said, "She is the sixth-generation ancestral master of our Sword Sect, an existence who ascended to the Immortal Realm back in her day. Of course she is extraordinary. The Bright Moon Wheel passed down through generations of sect masters for self-defense was bequeathed by her."
Xu Ying looked toward the remaining two stone cliffs, his eyes flickering. "These two cliffs lie beyond even the female sword immortal. Whose sword arts are recorded on them?"
"The next cliff holds the sword incantation of our founding ancestral master."
Shi Yuqing said, "The founding ancestral master's sword incantation must be paired with the Immortal Sword Siwuxie to unleash its full potential. To cultivate his sword incantation, one must achieve an utterly lucid mind free of blockages and hindrances—unfettered by worldly things and untethered by sentiment." She shook her head. "Learning the founding ancestral master's sword incantation is simply too difficult. I went there once and took just a single look; it made me so dizzy that when I woke up, seven days had already passed. So I backed away knowing the odds."
Xu Ying asked, "What about the final cliff?"
"The final cliff is the very fountainhead of our Sword Sect: the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture."
Shi Yuqing explained, "Even our founding ancestral master had a heritage, and his came from the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture upon this very precipice. This scripture was carved into the rock face. Back then, the founding ancestral master was merely an ordinary person. He stumbled upon this place by chance and saw sword scars inscribed on the cliff in bird-and-worm seal script. Deeply shaken, he settled down beneath the precipice. He stayed for decades, turning from a young boy into an unkempt madman."
By the time the young ancestral master emerged from the mountains, he was already an unmatched sword immortal without equal under heaven.
From the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture, he comprehended the supreme Sword Dao. All Dao methods and divine powers came to him through spontaneous enlightenment—one breakthrough yielding a hundred revelations. Ultimately, he founded a sect and established the Mount Shu Sword Sect right here. He delayed his Heavenly Tribulation, remaining in the mortal realm to take in disciples and pass down his insights until worthy successors arose. Only then did he ascend amidst radiant mist, shattering his Heavenly Tribulation as he departed. And that Sword Immortal Dao Scripture is the final stage of the Sword Immortal Precipice.
"Since antiquity, no one has ever been able to master the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture. Reaching as far as we have is already virtually unprecedented." Shi Yuqing swayed as she stood up, clutching her chest where lingering discomfort still troubled her. Steadying her breath, she said, "Martial Uncle Ah Ying, though this was a contest between us, I actually figured things out during our duel and agree with your view."
As if guided by unseen spirits, Xu Ying bypassed the founding ancestral master's cliff and walked straight toward the final stone cliff.
Shi Yuqing said, "I think we should allow the Sword Sect's disciples to enter this precipice and choose a few sword arts to cultivate. Those of high ability will naturally forge their own paths, while those of lesser talent can still carry on the ultimate arts of our forebears."
Delightedly, she added, "I used to feel that holding down the Sword Sect alone was hopeless, with no idea how to make it flourish. Hearing your words has finally given me hope. Could Martial Uncle Ah Ying have been sent by our ancestral masters to help me? Martial Uncle Ah Ying?"
Shi Yuqing's expression changed abruptly. Seeing Xu Ying already standing before the final cliff, examining the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture carved upon it, she cried out hastily, "Martial Uncle Ah Ying, do not look!"
She rushed forward, speaking rapidly, "The Sword Immortal Dao Scripture was written by the Immortal Dao. Every single character holds the sword immortal's peerlessly tempered Sword Dao—it is Sword Dao at the immortal grade! No one without supreme aptitude and the attainments of a sword immortal must ever study it!"
Rushing before the rock face, she did not dare look up at the characters on the cliff.
For according to the records of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, countless disciples and elders obsessed with the Sword Dao had once come before this cliff to study the bird-and-worm seal script.
Yet as they studied and deciphered it, whenever they gained some comprehension, sword qi would inevitably burst through their bodies, killing them!
The most terrifying instance involved the seventeenth-generation sect master of the Sword Sect. Priding himself on his exceptional gifts and considering himself a rare genius of the Sword Dao, he too had sat beneath the cliff to meditate, seeking to unravel the mysteries of the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture.
On the fifth year of his contemplation, his physical body suddenly disintegrated one day. His flesh transformed into swords of gore piercing outward in all directions, his skeleton became sword bones, his vital organs were riddled with gaping holes, and even his Primordial Spirit dissolved into rainbow arcs of sword qi, obliterating both form and spirit.
On that day, swords of flesh and blood pierced through peak after peak of the Sword Sect, and the rainbow brilliance of sword qi hung suspended in the sky, lingering for decades without dissipating!
Just as Shi Yuqing was about to drag Xu Ying away, Xu Ying suddenly let out a soft exclamation. "Yuqing, the sword art on this cliff doesn't seem that hard to learn after all. In fact, it carries the elegance of the Great Dao being utterly simple."
Shi Yuqing was shaken to her core. She wanted to turn and look at the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture on the cliff, yet she dared not.
Xu Ying said, "Whoever wrote the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture used Immortal Dao runes to convey the Dao. The founding ancestral master presumably deciphered these Immortal Dao runes to comprehend his extraordinary swordsmanship. I can decipher runes as well. Perhaps I can simplify this Sword Immortal Dao Scripture."
Bursting with enthusiasm, he put words into action immediately, returning to find Pi Qi, who was diligently training, to fetch brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. "In about six or seven days, I should be able to decipher the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture and hand it to you," Xu Ying said. "Once you master it, restoring and reviving the Sword Sect shouldn't be difficult."
Xu Ying dipped his brush and began writing, saying, "This set of sword techniques is called the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art. It consists of only four characters. The founding ancestral master likely gained the most from the three characters 'Sword Dao Truth,' but had little comprehension of the Sword Dao within the character 'Return,' which made his swordsmanship very obscure."
Shi Yuqing came to his side and ground the ink for him. Looking down, she saw that what Xu Ying was penning was a true incantation of the Sword Dao. It was not merely a sword formula, but an entire cultivation method, beginning with drawing in and refining qi!
Shi Yuqing fell into a daze. She looked at Xu Ying, then glanced up at the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture she had previously not dared to behold. Comparing it against the scripture Xu Ying was transcribing, the sweeping strokes of the Sword Immortal Dao Scripture—surging like grand sword qi—gradually became comprehensible.
"Martial Uncle Ah Ying, you are a Nuo master, aren't you?" Shi Yuqing said softly. "You don't need to deny it. Those Nuo methods you intentionally taught me were each of the highest caliber, containing only the operations of cave-heavens without any complicated mental techniques. That is something only a grandmaster among Nuo masters could accomplish."
Xu Ying did not speak, continuing to write furiously.
Shi Yuqing asked, "Since you are a Nuo master, why help me? In this era, strife between Nuo masters and Qi Refiners is inevitable, and it will only grow fiercer. By helping me rebuild the Sword Sect, aren't you betraying Nuo masters?"
As Xu Ying wrote, his brush came to a halt. He stared blankly into space, and only after a while did he speak: "For as long as I can remember, I lived in a small village to the left of Lingling in Yongzhou. That village was called Jiangjiatian. The highest official I had ever seen was the county magistrate, a man named Zhou Yang. Zhou Yang's father was named Zhou Yihang, the magistrate before him."
Shi Yuqing listened quietly without interrupting.
"Tracing two generations further back, the magistrates of Lingling County were still surnamed Zhou. Not only Lingling County, but even the magistrates of Ningyuan, Dong'an, Xinning, and Qiyang were all surnamed Zhou. Later, when I went to Yongzhou, I learned that the regional inspector of Yongzhou was also surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Heng. Zhou Heng's father had been the regional inspector of Yongzhou before him."
Xu Ying's expression was calm as he continued, "Even later, when I came into contact with the Zhou clan, I finally understood that this was a great patrician clan of Nuo masters. They controlled Nuo methods and Nuo arts, they held power, and they held wealth. Anyone with talent who did not submit to the Zhou clan had no way to learn Nuo methods, no way to rise in the world. After the Zhou clan was destroyed, I went to Shendu and saw that the place was full of aristocratic clans just like the Zhou. They monopolized authority and power, held wealth and land, greedy to the core, refusing to allow the weak to rise. I knew that this was wrong."
He lowered his head and resumed writing. "Yet I could not change it, nor did I know how. But after encountering sects of Qi Refiners like yours, I discovered that you select those with talent from among ordinary mortals, welcome them into your mountain gates to study, and give them a future. And so I thought..."
He smiled slightly. "Someone like me from a tiny village, if I submitted to the Zhou clan, could at most become a lowly Nuo master, living day to day without knowing when I might be sacrificed. But if I were to enter a sect like yours, perhaps my fate would change, and I could become a grandmaster of my generation."
Shi Yuqing waited until he finished before saying, "But you are already a grandmaster."
Xu Ying's eyes sparkled brightly, and he chuckled. "Yes, but in those little villages, there are still countless people like me. And they have no such chance."
At that moment, Shi Yuqing felt that within the boy's eyes shone an extraordinary, brilliant light.
Chapter 216