"Courting death!" The assailant stomped down hard, grinding her heel into his back a few times. Wei Yuan did not feel humiliated, merely somewhat embarrassed.
Seeing Wei Yuan remain unmoved, a pale-blue immortal sword plunged into the ground right beside his face, its sword qi shearing away a few strands of his hair.
Wei Yuan felt no fear. He merely said, "Why don't we have a proper talk first?"
"A defeated foe has nothing worth talking about."
Wei Yuan tried to turn his head, but the foot on his back bore down with a little more force, pinning him against the ground as a sharp warning came: "Don't look back!"
Wei Yuan said, "You aren't from the Xu family."
"What does it matter if I'm from the Xu family or not?" she snapped. "Besides, how do you know I'm not? As it happens, I am!"
"Impossible. The Xu family's ancestral sword art is far better than yours."
Her breathing quickened slightly, her voice turning chilly. "Since you're so intent on dying, I'll grant your wish!"
The immortal sword was pulled up and thrust straight down toward Wei Yuan's heart from behind. The strike pierced his back without difficulty, but stopped just in time the instant it touched his ribs.
Yet right at that moment, Wei Yuan's body suddenly flattened by half. Slithering across the ground, he dodged the sword and sprang up in an instant!
Standing behind Wei Yuan was a woman in white robes. She possessed sword-like brows and phoenix eyes, with three shimmering star marks at the corner of her eye, but other than that, her entire body bore no excess adornment. She clearly had not anticipated that Wei Yuan would escape in such a manner. In her shock, she saw Wei Yuan hurling himself bodily right at her!
This collision was like the earth shifting and Mount Buzhou toppling.
The distance between them was too short for the woman to draw her sword in time. Suddenly, a sword-wielding celestial maiden materialized above her head, countless blue ribbons trailing from the blade to drape over her and carry her backward with ethereal grace, utterly detached from the mortal dust. Wei Yuan's full-power collision shockingly failed to touch her!
Yet at that exact instant, a tall warrior and a scholar appeared expressionlessly, standing shoulder to shoulder to form a solid wall.
She slammed violently into the wall, only to see Wei Yuan's towering frame hurtling in like a mountain!
The entire main peak seemed to shudder.
The warrior and scholar quietly vanished, just as quietly as they had arrived, taking not a single wisp of cloud with them as they came and went.
The celestial maiden in the sky flickered between bright and dim, her hands seemingly trembling.
Wei Yuan supported the woman, gently helping her sit down in a chair, and smiled. "Please, take a seat and cool off first."
Biting her lower lip hard, the woman knit her brows and looked up at Wei Yuan. In that fleeting instant, she was so breathtaking that one would wish to paint her likeness.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, one hand clutching Wei Yuan's sleeve tightly. If not for holding on to him, she likely would have collapsed sideways in the chair. Even her dharma idol had nearly shattered, showing just how devastating the collision had been.
Wei Yuan sat down facing her, picked up a teacup, took a light sip, and waited for her to recover.
The woman slowly straightened her posture, but halfway up she wobbled again and had to slow her movements. Only after a while did she catch her breath, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth: "Despicable cur!"
Wei Yuan gave a faint smile. "I told you, in a fight to the death, you would definitely be the one to lose. And in a fight to the death, naturally any means are fair game."
"Is that so? I shouldn't have stayed my hand just now—I should have cut you down with a single stroke!"
"You ambushed me to begin with. Doesn't seem like the most honorable tactic either, does it?"
Having recovered somewhat, the woman regained her cool detachment. "I only wanted to see what kind of capability someone who talks so big actually possesses."
"How did I talk big?"
"Didn't you claim that the Xu family's dharma idols are all trash?"
Wei Yuan nodded. "I did say that. But you aren't from the Xu family. What does that have to do with you?"
"I'm not standing up for them. I only wanted to see what kind of ability gives someone the nerve to speak like that, treating the world's dharma idols as nothing."
Just as Wei Yuan was about to argue, she added, "No need to explain. Looking down on the Xu family is no different from looking down on all the world's dharma idols."
Wei Yuan sighed. "Then you've tested my abilities now. How about we leave it at that?"
She replied coldly, "You merely took advantage of my mercy to steal a victory. Do you truly believe you're a match for me?"
Wei Yuan said impassively, "If you think you're so formidable, why not forgo your sword and brawl with bare hands? I'll even fight you with one hand behind my back."
She was so incensed that her breathing turned ragged once more, her chest heaving. Instinctively about to bite her lower lip again, she barely reined herself in, striving to sound as nonchalant as possible: "We sword practitioners anchor our very being in the sword. The sword lives, we live; the sword breaks, we die! How could I ever abandon my blade?"
Wei Yuan scoffed with a jeer. "Talk all you want, isn't it just that you don't know how to fight without a sword? I'll say it again: if you've got what it takes, let's brawl hand-to-hand. I'll give you a leg too. If you haven't got the nerve, clear out right now and never show your face in front of me again!"
Fury surging within her, the woman shot to her feet and declared, "I am a sword cultivator!"
Immediately realizing she had lost her composure, she gritted her teeth and said, "The way of the sword lies in purity and extremity! No matter how weak my physical body may be, it is more than enough to slay you."
"Brawl if you've got the guts."
"I'll give you three strikes—"
"Brawl if you've got the guts."
"If I lose, I'll give you—"
"Brawl if you've got the guts."
No matter what she said after that, Wei Yuan merely repeated that single phrase, remarkably composed as he sipped his tea and spoke at leisure.
In the end, only the word "brawl" echoed in her ears, leaving her so enraged that her vision went black.
Unable to stay a moment longer, she ground her teeth. "The next time I come, I will take your wretched life! There will be no mercy!"
The sword-wielding celestial maiden reappeared, and the woman leaped onto her flying sword, shooting into the sky.
Wei Yuan set down his teacup and sighed. "So ill-mannered. Probably from some fourth-rank sect."
Right then, a point of starlight blossomed before him, brilliant and dazzling, from which her gnashing voice resounded: "Sword Palace, Shangguan Qianmo!"
Once certain the woman was gone, Wei Yuan went to the Hall of Merits to exchange merit points for all records concerning Sword Palace, then studied them closely.
Wei Yuan actually held a very favorable impression of Sword Palace. Back when the Karma Great Curse struck, only an Immortal Monarch from Sword Palace had intervened from afar. Thus, after realizing that the woman truly carried Sword Palace's legacy, Wei Yuan had refrained from killing her, merely teasing her a little.
Now that he knew her name, he naturally had to look up her records to know his opponent as he knew himself—there was no other motive.
Soon, Wei Yuan found Shangguan Qianmo's entry, which read:
"Shangguan Qianmo. Innate Formless Sword Body. Dao Foundation is Blossoms on the Pathway, one of the Seven Palace-Guarding Swords. Attained dharma idol after fifteen years. Her sword is of utmost extremity and purity, formless and traceless, near impossible to defend against. Her temperament is gentle and detached, aloof from worldly strife."
Seeing the evaluation "gentle and detached," Wei Yuan scoffed in disbelief. Judging from their brief encounter just now, the girl had quite the fiery temper. How was that detached in any way?
Shangguan Qianmo's appearance sounded an alarm for Wei Yuan. That boastful remark of his had clearly spawned unintended consequences. During this period, she likely wasn't the only one who found him an eyesore. That baffling little monk from a few days ago might well have come because of it too.
After finishing the records on Sword Palace, Wei Yuan casually exchanged merits for materials on several other immortal sects and the top grotto-heavens as well, planning ahead to see who else might come knocking on his door looking for death.
The next day was when the fourth batch of Dao Foundation candidates attempted to forge their foundations. Wei Yuan was busy all day, working from early morning until late at night, before finally seeing the entire group settled.
This time, forty out of the five hundred candidates from the Cui family successfully established their Dao Foundations. Most chose the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword, across all three colors. There was no helping it—the appearance of the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword was simply too dazzling. If one looked only at the brightness and ignored the spiritual qi, people would readily believe it was an immortal sword.
Of the two hundred from the domain, thirty succeeded in building their Dao Foundations. Their choices were more diverse: aside from Immortal Sword · False Sun, three attained Innate Lifegiving Water, which Sun Yu regarded as prized treasures. When cultivators from the domain chose a Dao Foundation, they hardly cared whether it looked impressive; what mattered was which foundation made it easier to find employment.
As for the eight hundred Dao soldiers, a full one hundred and thirty achieved Dao Foundations in one go. Though the vast majority cultivated flying swords, the most accomplished among them formed eleven flying swords. While flying swords seemed unassuming, when paired with specialized guns they were exceptionally suited for slaughter on the battlefield, proving far more potent than Immortal Sword · False Sun and approaching an Earth Tier Dao Foundation in sheer combat power. With this, Wei Yuan had delivered a thoroughly satisfactory result to the Palace of Grand Beginning.
Wei Yuan ordered the hurried manufacture of a batch of flying-sword guns tailored specifically for the Dao soldiers, so they could bring them back to the Palace of Grand Beginning once finished.
Two days later, the flying boat sent by the Cui family to collect their people arrived.
Wei Yuan sought out Cui Yu and said, "I'll go back to the Cui family with you. It's the perfect chance to take this ship."
Cui Yu had only just stabilized his Dao Foundation. Hearing this, he felt somewhat diffident and hesitated. "I truly have no confidence."
Wei Yuan chuckled. "So long as magical treasures aren't restricted, you shouldn't have much trouble arranging that, right? If you aren't confident, I can go curse him out on your behalf until he agrees."
Cui Yu glared at Wei Yuan. "When it comes to calling someone out, I don't need your help!"
Then he shifted tone, lowering his voice: "His strength might not be inferior to Xiaoyu's. Are we truly certain of winning?"
Wei Yuan leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "We'll do this, then that... and then this..."
Cui Yu was suddenly startled. "Isn't that... a bit too brutal?"
"A lion uses all its might even when hunting a hare."
Cui Yu hesitated, but agreed nonetheless.
After giving brief instructions regarding affairs in the domain, Wei Yuan took a small squad of warriors and boarded the flying boat back to the Cui family alongside Cui Yu.
***
Zhao, Anxi Commandery, commandery seat.
The Old Matron stood before a small tree, attentively pruning its branches and leaves. An old servant hurried over and reported, "Old Ancestor, the flying boat that went to Qingming has returned. This time, Young Master Yu and Military Commissioner Wei have returned together."
The trimming knife in the Old Matron's hand paused slightly before continuing to prune a slightly damaged leaf. With each stroke, she raised a fine thread barely visible to the naked eye. From the look of it, that single leaf alone would take several days to finish.
The old servant continued, "This time, Young Master Yu gave no prior notice, nor did the clan summon him back for any special matter. Qingming fought another battle against the Mountain Folk not long ago, so military affairs ought to be at their busiest."
The Old Matron said placidly, "Whatever is on your mind, speak plainly."
The old servant said, "This old servant believes that Young Master Tianlin's previous attempt to subjugate Young Master Yu has already angered Military Commissioner Wei. Their sudden return this time means they have likely prepared themselves to make a move against Young Master Tianlin."
"How will they make their move?"
The old servant said, "Wei Yuan has formally begun cultivating a momentum of invincibility, and by coincidence, Young Master Tianlin has also been secretly cultivating a momentum of invincibility. If Wei Yuan challenges Young Master Tianlin in public, I fear Young Master Tianlin will have no choice but to accept."
The Old Matron's hand paused. "You worry Tianlin will lose?"
The old servant hesitated for a moment. "This old servant has already seen Wei Yuan. His cultivation is not what it used to be. Forgive my bluntness, but I fear Young Master Tianlin... is certain to lose, and it will very likely compromise his Dao heart."
The Old Matron was somewhat surprised. "Wei Yuan has grown that strong?"
"He will only be stronger than this old servant's estimate."
The Old Matron remained silent for a moment before resuming her trimming. "The affairs of the younger generation—let them vie for it themselves."
Surprised, the old servant asked, "What if Wei Yuan truly challenges Young Master Tianlin? Are we not to intervene at all?"
The Old Matron said placidly, "Those destined for great things cannot be measured by cultivation alone; borrowing momentum is equally vital. You all favor Tianlin, showing him every form of bias and even indulging him as he plundered resources from the other branches. Yet Yu'er managed to have Wei Yuan travel tens of thousands of li to the Cui family to take a stand and fight on his behalf—is that not an ability in itself? All of you may well have underestimated Yu'er's capabilities.
"Let this matter unfold as it will; we elders need not intervene. In a clan as vast as ours, things cannot always remain harmonious. To rise to the top, one must fight. No matter how the battle is waged, the one who stands to the very end is the true talent."
With a soft snip, the Old Matron sheared off the leaf she had spent so long pruning, tossing it casually to the ground.
Chapter 391