Chapter 70: The Wind Rises in Qingzhou and the Undercurrents Surge
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Outside the Qingyun Dao Sect.
It was already dawn.
Su Changyu was standing quietly not far away.
He was wearing the brocade white crane cloud robe and emitting the aura of a peerless Sword Immortal as he stood still.
His long robe was themed around the color white, with green clouds on the corners and a few cranes spreading out their wings on the fabric at the bottom. It was obvious from the material alone that the robe was a superior-grade garment. The design was striking too.
It was the latest design of the Heavenly Clothing Pavilion, which was priced at 58 taels of gold. However, the demand for it was greater than the supply and thus, the price was hiked to 120 taels of gold per set due to speculation by garment sellers.
Yes, 120 taels of gold a set.
Su Changyu had always wanted to buy such a robe and it was the only dream of his life.
He originally thought that it would be a tall order to fulfill that dream, but he never expected that Daoist Tai Hua would really buy it for him a few days ago.
The brocade white crane cloud robe was not a Dharma artifact, but it had similar effects as it could prevent dust from acc.u.mulating. The material was a special type of silk that could provide protection against pests. Besides, it was handmade, so the price was definitely reasonable.
At this moment, Ye Ping also slowly appeared in front of Su Changyu.
Ye Ping was dressed in a long light green robe while Su Changyu was wearing a brocade white crane cloud robe. Ye Ping’s robe accentuated his Confucian immortal aura.
Both of them were handsome, but they had different auras. One of them had the aura of the Sword Immortal while the other had the Confucian Immortal aura.
In comparison, Su Changyu was a notch higher than him, but it was subjective. If one preferred a more refined aura, Ye Ping would trump Su Changyu
“Greetings, Senior Brother.”
Ye Ping was quite excited about his first trip down the mountain.
In the past, he was just a mortal, but this time, it was different because he was going to see the world of immortal cultivation.
He was naturally excited.
“Little Junior Brother, this is the Sect Token and the token for the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. Keep it with you, don’t lose it.”
Su Changyu handed the sect token and the Sword Dao Meet token to Ye Ping.
Ye Ping took them and put them into his belt immediately after.
“Let’s go.”
Su Changyu did not say much. It was not his first time going down the mountain anyway, so he was rather calm.
Just like that, the two figures slowly walked towards the bottom of the mountain.
Soon, Daoist Tai Hua slowly appeared on the cliff in front, looking quietly at Su Changyu and Ye Ping who were not far away.
Since his disciples were going on a faraway trip down the mountain, he was naturally worried because he was their master.
However, Daoist Tai Hua wasn’t pretentious or anything. He simply stood on the cliff and watched them.
However, after a while, he couldn’t help but speak up.
“Changyu, Ye Ping.”
Su Changyu and Ye Ping, who were far away, immediately heard Daoist Tai Hua’s voice.
The two of them turned around.
They looked at the Daoist Tai Hua who was on the cliff.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Have a safe trip.”
Daoist Tai Hua did not say much.
Hearing these words, Ye Ping and Su Changyu fell silent.
They then bowed to Daoist Tai Hua and turned around to leave without uttering another word.
At the same time, somewhere in Qingzhou.
On a certain cliff, a handsome man was bowing to an elder too.
The old man was dressed in rags and although he was blind, he seemed unfathomable and mysterious.
“Changyu, you’ve already learned most of my sword techniques. You’re the best cultivator of the Sword Dao that I have ever seen.”
“I can hardly imagine that I’d be able to find a peerless Sword Dao expert in this tiny Qingzhou.”
“In the past 20 years, you’ve learned a lot and the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet will be your first battle.”
“I haven’t taught you the last move yet, but I’m not being secretive. I’m just suppressing your destiny. Once you comprehend the Invincible Sword technique, you will take on a path of invincibility.”
“This path is extremely harsh and has strict requirements. You can neither fail nor lose. You have to push yourself all the way, until you go on the path of the Sword Dao.”
“However, I chose not to teach you the last move yet because this path is too harsh. On the day that you face your first defeat, come to me and I’ll impart that sword technique to you.”
“If you remain undefeated, you will comprehend the last move yourself.”
“Changyu, Qingzhou is your starting point, but you must know that your goal is to be invincible not in Qingzhou, not in the Jin Nation, not in the Ten Kingdoms, not even the Great Xia Dynasty, but the world.”
“I don’t want you to lose, but I also want you to face defeat. Your greatest enemy will appear in the Great Xia Dynasty, but everything is unknown.”
“Go down the mountain. Come to me again when you face your defeat.”
The old man said many things in a row.
“Please rest a.s.sured, Master. I will push myself hard and aim to become the best in the world before coming to see you.”
After that, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed thrice to the old man before leaving.
Qingzhou Mountain Range.
In the Great Sun Demon Subduing Sword Sect.
Chen Li looked at his disciple, w.a.n.g Minghao, with a calm gaze in his eyes.
“The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet is about to begin and this is your first battle. Coming in the top three is enough, and I have a hunch that there are hidden experts in Qingzhou.”
Chen Li said calmly.
The disciple in front of him couldn’t help but reveal some doubts.
“Master, which sect can make you so afraid? The Great Sun Demon Subduing Sword Sect was also one of the three greatest sword sects of the Great Xia Dynasty in the past. What kind of an expert can there be in Qingzhou?”
w.a.n.g Minghao was really filled with curiosity.
Over the years, he had heard his master Chen Li say more than once that there were hidden experts in Qingzhou, but he could never understand it.
Qingzhou was a small region in the Jin Nation, and it was not considered an immortal land there. The Great Sun Demon Subduing Sword Sect was ranked among the top three sword sects in the Great Xia Dynasty in the past, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a peerless sect.
However, why was Chen Li so scrupulous?
He couldn’t figure it out.
Hearing his disciple’s question, Chen Li didn’t want to answer at all. He shook his head and sighed.
“However, this matter involves a lot of things. About 300 years ago, the old Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty was at his very last breath.”
“At that time, there was an uproar in the Great Xia Dynasty and the various sects all had their own intentions. The battle for the throne came even earlier, and the Great Sun Demon Subduing Sect stood on the wrong side. We’re not the only ones, almost everyone did.”
“We chose the wrong people. Perhaps, no one would have thought that an inconspicuous person would become the king of the Great Xia Dynasty.”
“The Great Sun Demon Subduing Sword Sect fell since then, and we went into hiding in this tiny Qingzhou.”
“However, this is not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing is that there were strange sights in the sky with beams of light shooting in the sky. All the people in the city saw it. The tenth son of the king of the Great Xia Dynasty was born. He was the chosen one.”
“However, on the same day, a supreme power infiltrated the palace and killed him when he was an infant. Hence, the courts were shaken. Many died and many clans were involved.”
“In particular, a peerless Sword Dao expert was hunted down and disappeared without a trace in the end. However, I seem to have seen him ten years ago. He isn’t dead, but he’s severely injured. He will definitely not let go of this obsession.”
“He will definitely train a disciple and make him become a supreme expert in order to take revenge. The Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet is very important and some people want to join the Ten Nations Academy through the Jin Nation Academy. In the end, they will use that ident.i.ty to set foot in the Grand Xia Dynasty.”
“Everyone has a purpose for surviving. Minghao, the Great Sun Demon Subduing Sword Sect bears no hatred. We just want to create glory again.”
“As long as you get into the top three of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet, that’d be enough. Go head down the mountain.”
Chen Li told a story about the past.
It made w.a.n.g Minghao fall silent.
At this moment, he understood.
“Master, wait for me to clinch first place in the Qingzhou Sword Dao meet to prove my sword heart.”
w.a.n.g Minghao stood up, bowed to Chen Li, and then went down the mountain.
The same thing happened several times all over Qingzhou.
In a mansion in the ancient city, hundreds of men in black clothes stood in a large hall.
There was a scholar standing in front of them, holding a folding fan, quietly looking at the group of men in black.
“On the third day of the third lunar month, the sect master is spiritually connected with Heaven and knows that the king of the Great Xia Dynasty has caused trouble and harmed living beings. They are almost peris.h.i.+ng, so it is time for the great revival of our sect.”
“There has been an order for us to siege and kill all the geniuses of Jin Nation. We are responsible for the territory of Qingzhou. We have to take the opportunity of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet to kill them and establish our dominance.”
“The Great Xia Dynasty will perish and fight for all living beings!”
The scholar’s voice was full of determination, without a trace of poise. There was nothing but mania.
“We obey the orders of the sect master.”
At the next moment, hundreds of voices sounded in the grand hall in unison.
As the voices sounded, hundreds of people disappeared.
No one would know.
The seemingly calm Qingzhou was full of hidden schemes…