Chapter 44#
Peak of Tingyun#
At the crack of dawn, the sound of sword practice echoed from every peak of Gushan. Xueyi Peak was no exception; the few disciples on the peak had already begun their daily cultivation. Without disturbing the focused Rong Yuan, Xiao Man quietly flew on the wind and left the Qiyin Abode.
Traveling above the clouds, the wind was extremely biting. As Xiao Man headed toward Tingyun Peak, his sleeves were blown into a mess. He inadvertently cast a glance below and saw the various scenes of the different peaks. He found that Qu Hanxing’s exclamation was quite right: they had only been down the mountain for training for half a month, but returning felt as if years had passed; many things looked slightly unfamiliar.
Xiao Man didn’t arrive at the mountainside or the summit of Tingyun Peak, as that would be somewhat disrespectful. He landed at the foot of the peak, first reaching out to test the air before stepping forward.
Restrictions are arrays laid out with spiritual power, and their existence is not difficult to sense.
The restriction here was remarkably different from the one on Xueyi Peak. At first glance, the restriction on Xueyi Peak had a somewhat light and airy feel, misleading one into thinking it was easy to cross. But once you stepped over, there was an oppressive force like Mount Tai crashing down on your face. Those with lower realms would be swatted away instantly, very much like its prank-loving master.
The restriction on Tingyun Peak, however, had a sharp and fierce aura that lunged directly at one’s face, making one’s whole body feel cold even just by approaching slightly. Fortunately, it didn’t block Xiao Man and let him cross. Xiao Man breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Then he began to ascend the peak.
This place seemed to have been left untended for years. The trees and grass grew in wild postures, and the birds and beasts were exceptionally bold, walking directly on the path and showing no fear when they saw humans.
Xiao Man didn’t go too far up, finding a spot by a stream and standing still. He practiced the sword, not starting from basic sword moves, but holding the sword with both hands and practicing the most fundamental vertical slashes.
He was very focused, gradually forgetting the sound of wind and water, with only his own breathing left to notice.
After swinging his sword about three hundred times, Xiao Man paused for a short rest. He was startled when he suddenly saw another person beside him.
This person was in a gold-edged black robe with a bright golden waistband cinched at the waist. He leaned against a rock with his arms crossed, his peach blossom eyes full of smiles. Who else could it be but Shen Juan?
Xiao Man immediately bowed to him: “Grandmaster.”
“Young lad, this isn’t the best place for sword practice. You should go to the mountain peak,” Shen Juan said with a light laugh.
Xiao Man was first surprised, then a look of joy appeared in his eyes: “Can I go up?”
Shen Juan left the rock he was leaning against, flicked his sleeves, and walked to Xiao Man. He looked up at the sky and then fixed his gaze on Xiao Man’s face: “Which little bird on Tingyun Peak doesn’t fly around at will? Why can’t you, young lad?”
“My name is Xiao Man,” Xiao Man said. Just as he was about to give thanks, Shen Juan had already pulled him along, commenting “Good name,” and added: “Come, I’ll take you up to learn the way.”
Xiao Man was thus pulled away.
It could be seen that Shen Juan had deliberately slowed down his flying speed. From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, it took quite a while to arrive. While memorizing the way, Xiao Man asked: “Grandmaster, can I stay here until the Sword Testing Assembly?”
“Stay as long as you want,” Shen Juan said.
Xiao Man hurried to thank him.
After another while, they reached the peak, and Shen Juan set Xiao Man down.
He raised a hand and pointed to the wide front terrace of the Dao hall, saying: “It’s here. This is the place with the fiercest wind on Tingyun Peak, which can help your sword practice.”
Then he put an arm around Xiao Man’s shoulder and turned him toward the Dao hall: “When you’re tired of practicing, go into the hall to rest. The second room on the left is the study, where there are some books you can read.”
“It’s great. Since you came here, even the birds’ chirping has become much more pleasant. I’m very happy.”
“My junior brother and I have to go out again. You stay here, don’t have any qualms, but do take care of yourself.”
Shen Juan talked non-stop. After finishing, he released Xiao Man, didn’t even say goodbye, and just as hurriedly as he came, he flicked his sleeves and suddenly walked away.
The word “Grandmaster” was still in Xiao Man’s mouth, unuttered, when Shen Juan’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.
This grandmaster was truly overly caring toward his juniors. Xiao Man sighed in his heart and stood there for a while before carefully observing the surrounding environment.
It could be described with the word “plain,” and if one more word were added, it would be “simple.” On this vast front terrace of the Dao hall, there was nothing besides various strange rocks formed by wind erosion, a banyan tree as thick as several people’s embrace, and a few green pines.
He turned to look at the Dao hall. The doors weren’t closed, and at a glance, he could see various flowers and plants planted in the courtyard, stone tables and benches set up, and a pond built with channeled water. Although the handiwork was casual, it was full of charm.
The difference between the inside and outside was quite large, giving Xiao Man the feeling that two people had arranged this place. On second thought, there were two grandmasters on Tingyun Peak, which solved his own doubt.
Xiao Man turned around, his back to the Dao hall and his face toward the green pines on the cliff, raising his sword against the wind.
As Shen Juan said, the wind here was very fierce. With each swing, it felt as if a hand reached out to block it, not only reducing the force but also weakening the momentum.
It was as if he were fighting against someone.
A bright light flashed in Xiao Man’s eyes; he thought to himself that this was indeed a good place.
He practiced his sword day and night. When tired, he went to the study in the Dao hall to find a book to read, and when rested enough, he returned to the front terrace.
The books here were of a vast variety, ranging from secret manuals of blades and swords to storybooks and legends. Xiao Man would sometimes pick out a couple of storybooks to read, but most of the time he read books on sword manuals and arrays.
Days passed one by one. On the third day, that small premonition in Xiao Man’s heart was suddenly tugged.
It wasn’t a jolt like when Yan Wushu encountered danger last time, but rather like a feather brushing past, slightly itchy.
It was Yan Wushu who had arrived at the foot of Tingyun Peak and was calling for him to come down. Xiao Man didn’t want to pay any attention, but Yan Wushu kept plucking at it like a cat scratching with its claws, disturbing his peace and making it impossible for him to practice his sword.
He had to go down. Arriving at the foot of the mountain, he looked expressionlessly at Yan Wushu, who was separated from him by a restriction.
This man’s black clothes fluttered in the wind, and his silver hair was tied up very neatly. Seeing Xiao Man, he called out in a drawling tone: “Little Phoenix.”
“What’s the matter?” Xiao Man said coldly.
Yan Wushu smiled: “I’m worried you won’t eat well on Tingyun Peak.”
“…” Xiao Man was silent for a moment. “I learned the art of Bigu long ago.”
“But the tongue will crave,” Yan Wushu said solemnly, reaching out toward him. “I’m here to take you back.”
As expected, this person had no serious business.
Xiao Man deeply regretted paying any attention to him and turned to walk toward the peak. Unexpectedly, Yan Wushu actually flashed past the restriction of Tingyun Peak and arrived in front of him.
“You!” Xiao Man was shocked.
“A restriction, isn’t it just meant for people to break through?” Yan Wushu said lightly. “If an ordinary person came, they might be torn into ten thousand pieces, but I’m different. With you inside, you are a guide yourself, so I can easily find a flaw and walk in.”
Xiao Man frowned slightly; it was that premonition causing trouble again.
Yan Wushu continued: “Since you refuse to go back with me, I have no choice but to move into Tingyun Peak with you.”
“You are the master of Xueyi Peak,” Xiao Man looked up and glared at him.
“And also of these two on Tingyun Peak…” Yan Wushu calculated the seniority. He and Shen Juan and Shen Jiankong were not direct disciples, but in short, he could be categorized as a: “Grand-disciple.”
After a pause, he said in a low voice: “I didn’t handle things well before. It won’t happen again in the future. Don’t avoid me anymore.”
Xiao Man ignored these words. He couldn’t drive Yan Wushu away, so he simply bypassed the man, returned to the peak, and continued practicing his sword with the restless wind on the mountain day and night.
Yan Wushu stopped making small talk and stood aside to watch him. At first, Xiao Man acted as if he didn’t exist, but later when he settled his mind, he really couldn’t perceive anything external.
After finishing the daily sword swings, he began to review Gushan’s basic sword techniques, completely unconcerned about the passage of time.
After an unknown amount of time, a sudden aroma of roast meat wafted over.
Xiao Man had previously experienced the five flavors of the mortal world at Wugu Tower and at the foot of the mountain, and he had long since fallen in love with eating. He hadn’t eaten for many days, and upon smelling this aroma, he actually started, his sword edge went astray, and he got a face full of wind.
The wind couldn’t even blow away this meat fragrance, mixed with the scent of charcoal fire. It wasn’t hard to tell that a layer of oil had been brushed on the surface, and chili powder had been sprinkled. Xiao Man was moved by the craving. Realizing who was behind this, he glared at the source of the aroma.
He saw Yan Wushu sitting on the steps of the Dao hall, having piled up some stones with a few pieces of charcoal inside. A rabbit was skewered and placed above, being slowly roasted.
“Hungry?” Yan Wushu looked up and smiled at Xiao Man. “But you have to wait a bit longer; it’s not cooked inside yet.”
Xiao Man remembered a barrier technique he had read about in the study yesterday. He raised his hand to gather spiritual energy, sketched a few strokes in the void, and then threw it, covering Yan Wushu.
The aroma of roast meat was cut off in that instant, but in the next, Yan Wushu tapped his finger and broke it.
“The third stroke wasn’t drawn well. Don’t use too much force at the beginning; be gentler, and then inject spiritual power when you finally tap down.” Yan Wushu smiled lightly, raised his left hand, and threw an identical barrier over the stones and the roasted rabbit, demonstrating to Xiao Man: “Look, it’ll be more stable and secure this way.”
Xiao Man didn’t expect to be taught by Yan Wushu on such an issue. On second thought, he felt that Yan Wushu had a point and couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed in himself.
He turned around, redrew that barrier, and after seeing that it was more stable, he turned back to continue practicing his sword.
Yan Wushu stood up: “There’s a saying in Gushan that realms are all fought out. Practicing moves alone won’t yield results. Why don’t I be your opponent?”
“Upper Taixuan Realm against Upper Shouyi Realm?” Xiao Man tilted his head and shot him a glance.
In an instant, he saw Yan Wushu suppress his cultivation to the same realm as Xiao Man, then snap off a tree branch and stand opposite Xiao Man.
For Xiao Man, Yan Wushu voluntarily lowering his realm to let him practice was purely beneficial. But Xiao Man didn’t want to spar with this man.
Yan Wushu, however, gave Xiao Man no chance to refuse. With a flick of the tree branch, he made a move.
Xiao Man had to raise his sword.
This person was really annoying, acting completely without regard for others’ wishes. He didn’t know what kind of blindness made him fall in love with him back then. Thinking thus, Xiao Man’s moves became sharper, completely unlike his attitude when sparring with the instructor on Baihua Peak.
Yan Wushu, however, was full of instructional intent, intentionally revealing flaws and leading Xiao Man to strike. Xiao Man didn’t hesitate; his sword qi surged out, heading straight for the man’s chest.
This strike was carried with anger and hit the mark. Xiao Man immediately followed up with a second strike. Yan Wushu also didn’t avoid it, but unexpectedly, a muffled grunt was heard, and Yan Wushu took a step back.
Injured?
Realizing this, a feeling of surprise arose in Xiao Man, along with some confusion.
Even if Yan Wushu had suppressed his cultivation, he was still in the Taixuan Realm after all, and his physical constitution was far superior to Shouyi. It was impossible for Xiao Man’s sword to injure him to this extent.
Unless the injuries from the previous battle with the Believer hadn’t healed, and he was hit again just now!
Xiao Man retracted his sword and took a step back, looking him up and down and frowning imperceptibly: “Injured like this, can you still go south to kill the Sword Saint?”
“I only promised the Emperor to help him kill the Sword Saint, I didn’t say when I’d go kill him,” Yan Wushu swallowed the blood surging to his throat and smiled lightly.
Before Xiao Man could answer, he added: “Little Phoenix, I can tell, you’re concerned about me.”
Xiao Man: “…”
This person was truly thick-skinned; he shouldn’t have asked.
“Don’t despise me,” Yan Wushu took a step toward Xiao Man and reached out to him, his tone quite aggrieved.
“Go back to Xueyi Peak and nurse your injuries yourself.” Leaving these words, Xiao Man turned and entered the Dao hall.
With that premonition there, Xiao Man knew exactly when Yan Wushu left, and he left the roasted rabbit at the door. That barrier was still on it, but it had been slightly modified, not only blocking the wind but also ensuring the rabbit meat didn’t lose its warmth.
Xiao Man stared at that rabbit, not knowing what to do with it. At this time, a monkey actually ran up, gesticulating wildly toward Xiao Man. Xiao Man then gave the rabbit to that monkey.
They say there is no time in the mountains. Since Yan Wushu was driven away, Xiao Man practiced his sword alone in peace. Without anyone reminding him of three meals, he would accidentally forget the days.
Fortunately, Qu Hanxing sent a transmission to him:
“Brother Man, tomorrow is the Sword Testing Assembly. Brother Wei has come out of seclusion, so don’t lock yourself on the back peak anymore. Come out and relax!”