"First, a secret art can be used to disperse it back into the lands of the State of Ji to augment this realm's earth qi and national strength. Dispersing it into other states is also an option, but Liumiao's karmic ties run deepest with Ji, so the effect would be greatest here. This is known as returning to the origin, though losses are inevitable and by no means small. Where those losses lie are Liumiao's primordial spirit and soul."
This method was straightforward and carried considerable merit, but the moment Wei Yuan heard it, he ruled it out.
On the surface, this appeared beneficial to the whole State of Ji, yet the vast majority of Ji remained under the control of the King of Ji and powerful aristocratic clans. Even if the land's yield increased tenfold, it would have little to do with the common folk, who would still barely scrape by on the brink of starvation.
Thus, while such an act would benefit the State of Ji, it would not necessarily benefit its people. Right now, Wei Yuan cared only about the people; the princes, dukes, and nobles clinging to them were nothing more than blood-sucking vines.
Immortal Zhao Li seemed to know Wei Yuan would not choose this option and continued, "The second choice is to bury it in Qingming, allowing it to dissolve gradually into nourishment and foundation for Qingming. Speaking of which, your Palace of Grand Beginning is best at this. How many years has it even been, yet you've managed to open three mountain gates in succession, each grander and on richer land than the last! A fourth mountain gate is already on the verge of emerging. If you relied solely on burying the few people your Palace of Grand Beginning has..."
The Sword Palace Master suddenly gave a cough. Immortal Zhao Li caught his meaning and did not elaborate further, saying instead, "In short, in this particular art, none under heaven surpasses the Palace of Grand Beginning. You can return to your sect to ask for the secret art. The conversion... efficiency—yes, that should be the word—far exceeds the first method."
Finishing his explanation, Immortal Zhao Li paused for a moment to let Wei Yuan mull it over.
Finally came the third method.
"This art is called the Xuanji Sky Refining Art, my own unique secret technique. If Boss Bai treats me a bit better in the future, I wouldn't mind passing it on to you. As for what you might obtain by using the Xuanji Sky Refining Art to refine Liumiao's remains, that depends entirely on the will of heaven. The foundation of this art lies in returning the remains to heaven and earth, and in turn receiving gifts anew from heaven and earth. That is all."
Having laid out the three methods, Immortal Zhao Li quietly awaited Wei Yuan's decision. Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng exchanged a glance, both hesitating.
The first method did not warrant consideration, but the second and third each had pros and cons, making them difficult to compare. Wei Yuan's instinct told him that the gains from the second method were exceptionally steady—a prudent and seasoned choice. The third method, on the other hand, held massive volatility; it could yield enormous rewards, or it might produce nothing at all.
Under normal circumstances, Wei Yuan would have unhesitatingly picked the third method based on his own karmic luck, making up for any shortfalls with it at worst. But right now, he did not possess even a shred of karmic luck, leaving him utterly without confidence.
As he wavered, the wealthy old gentleman spoke up: "Pick the third one."
Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "But Junior does not have enough karmic luck on him."
The wealthy old gentleman scoffed, "Stupid! Can't you just go back and amass some more? Besides, the fellow right in front of you holds a massive amount of karmic luck. How could he ever use up so much? Borrow some from him!"
Immortal Zhao Li said helplessly, "Old Bai, if you don't speak, no one will mistake you for a mute. Besides, wasn't my hint obvious enough? And does your Sword Palace always borrow things with such an overbearing attitude?"
The wealthy old gentleman snorted and continued to ramble: "Our Sword Palace borrowing from you is doing you an honor!
"Furthermore, the third method allows us to gain the Xuanji Sky Refining Art for free. This immortal art is by no means inferior to Liumiao's remains. If not for the fact that this old rascal's own juniors are utterly hopeless and he can't find a proper successor, he never would have brought it out... Wait! You little bastard! How underhanded of you! You're just trying a roundabout trick to kidnap my grand-disciple, aren't you?!"
The Sword Palace Master suddenly caught on, his gaze instantly turning hostile as he barked, "We don't want his immortal art anymore! Our Sword Palace also has a secret art that can refine Liumiao's remains into an immortal sword! This method is unrivaled under heaven!... It's only slightly inferior to the secret art handed down by your Grand Beginning Patriarch, huh?"
The wealthy old gentleman's expression suddenly grew strange. If one were to speak of forging an immortal sword from an immortal-path powerhouse, the Patriarch of the Palace of Grand Beginning had been the true pioneer.
Back when the first immortal sword was brought into the world, the immortal realm was thrown into an uproar, with countless people hurling curses and condemnation—he had truly been pointed at by thousands of accusing fingers! Yet the Grand Beginning Patriarch simply acted as though he heard nothing; after all, no one dared say it to his face. When the second immortal sword emerged, the voices abruptly vanished, and the Grand Beginning Patriarch's reputation underwent an overnight reversal, free of all slander.
By the time the four immortal swords formed a sword array, only praise remained in the world, and this method was heralded as a supreme, sacred immortal art—an orthodox path of heaven and earth.
Afterward, the Sword Palace and the three great artifact-refining sects of that era had secretly joined forces, toiling for a century to finally develop a technique for refining an immortal's remains into an immortal sword. Through several millennia of continuous refinement, the method had improved drastically. Yet in comparison, though the four swords crafted by the Grand Beginning Patriarch were rough, they possessed a touch more of the Great Dao's true essence, leaving the distinction between them unmistakable.
Seeing the wealthy old gentleman fall silent, Immortal Zhao Li finally let out a soft huff. "If the Sword Palace were truly reliable, you wouldn't always be second under heaven, and occasionally even third."
The wealthy old gentleman bristled with fury.
Immortal Zhao Li refused to back down, continuing, "The Sword Palace's lineage has never been severed, and your ancestral blessings are vast. Yet precisely because of this, you always lack that edge of tempering found between life and death. Look at the Sword Palace through the ages—it has basically always had two sword immortals overseeing it, and at times even the glorious spectacle of three immortals standing side by side. But when truly critical matters of life and death arise, your Sword Palace often slicks grease on your swords and slips away, never daring to stake everything on a single throw, always prioritizing the preservation of your lineage.
"Now look at the Palace of Grand Beginning. Whenever trouble arises, they charge straight into it and never retreat. When matters concern the survival of the human race, they turn out in full force. It got to the point where they lacked an immortal overseer four or five separate times. In the eyes of your Sword Palace forebears, I imagine the Palace of Grand Beginning looked like nothing more than a bunch of hotheads, didn't they?"
The wealthy old gentleman looked somewhat sheepish and sighed. "The logic holds, but the ancestral foundation has grown larger with every generation. I can't very well let it be squandered away in my hands, can I? Those people from the Palace of Grand Beginning never had much ancestral property to begin with, so naturally they could fight with everything they had. They had nothing to lose anyway, and if they won, they stood to gain a great deal. How can you compare the two?"
Just as their conversation reached this point, the wealthy old gentleman's face abruptly changed. His entire body shook violently, and he rose instinctively to his feet, staring into the distance.
In a single breath, his expression turned into a whirlwind of complex emotions—delight, astonishment, and even a few glistening tears welling at the corners of his eyes!
At the far horizon of this heaven and earth, a young maiden came walking forward with slow, steady steps. Wherever she passed, all grotesque and sinister abominations were sliced apart, their cut surfaces smooth as mirrors, never able to knit together again.
The maiden was exquisitely beautiful, yet her sharpness was so dazzlingly fierce that no one could harbor the faintest disrespectful thought, nor dare approach her in the slightest. She was like an unrivaled sword in all the world, walking in solitude apart from the mortal realm.
She walked until she stood before Wei Yuan, pausing briefly to glance at Zhang Sheng, her brow furrowing slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she turned her gaze back to Wei Yuan and said, "Lend me your world for a brief stay. I might build a nest."
Wei Yuan fought with all his might to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching upward into a grin and said hastily, "Please make yourself entirely at home! If you lack anything, just give the word; Junior has always handled matters with the utmost care!"
The young maiden nodded. Just as she was about to take a step forward, a trembling voice suddenly sounded from the side: "D-do you still remember me?"
The maiden turned her head to see the wealthy old gentleman shaking slightly with overwhelming excitement, aged tears poised to fall from the corners of his eyes.
Immortal Zhao Li quietly took a step back and turned around.
The maiden looked at Bai Kaishui, her brow knitted in thought. "Have we met?"
"Back then, when you first visited the Sword Palace to spar with our elders. I had just been promoted to elder and was sitting at the very end of the row. I... I am Bai Kaishui!"
The maiden looked at him more closely. "No impression. Mm, this natal sword of yours now carries a bit more natural charm, returning to simplicity and truth—it is considerably stronger than those two sword immortals back then. Are you the Palace Master now?"
"Yes! There is a sentence I have kept hidden for over a thousand years. I..." The wealthy old gentleman knew that if he did not speak now, he would never have the chance again. Gritting his teeth, his sword qi erupted skyward as he finally forced out the remaining words: "...I like you!"
Not a single ripple stirred in the maiden's eyes. She said calmly, "You are qualified to say those words now, but unfortunately, I am already dead. Back then, across the entire world, there were perhaps two or three who were qualified to say that. Yet until the very end, not a single one dared say it while I was still alive."
The maiden took a step into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and vanished.
A single drop of water finally spilled from the corner of Bai Kaishui's eye. He let out a soft sigh and murmured to himself, "Back then I dared to say it too... it was just that you couldn't hear..."
Chapter 1006