Chapter 978 Sword to Saber
“It’s because a part of the Sanctuary of the Way’s lineage came from Earth,” revealed the Grand Master with a twinkling smile. “You and I, we’re fellow humans and Green Ox once had an encounter with you where you helped him to defeat the Fairy Emperor of Light.”
Li Mu smiled.
The answer might be acceptable, but it was still not yet convincing enough for Li Mu.
But Li Mu knew better than to pry. If the Grand Master wished to maintain some secrets of his own, Li Mu could at least have the courtesy to play dumb.
Especially since the spiritual intuition of his Xiantian Skill discipline told him that the Grand Master harbored no ill will towards him.
“I thank you so much for your concern and kindness, sir,” Li Mu said. “But if it’s not too much of an imposition, it’s about the same matter that I’ve spoken to the Sword Savant earlier; I hope you could—with the influence of the Sanctuary—provide some a.s.sistance in the search of the fragments of my friend’s soul and psyche as well.”
Recovering the lost fragments of w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu’s psyche and spirit was after all his primary purpose for coming to this dimension.
The thought of trading G.o.dbreaker for anyone who could get him the remaining fragments of w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu’s psyche and soul had crossed his mind before. He would be amenable to surrendering G.o.dbreaker, no matter who it was or what the being could be—so long as he or she could fulfill that primary condition.
But he ultimately decided against it. Doing so would only mean surrendering his bargaining chip. If he were to put G.o.dbreaker on the auction block, Li Mu would be effectively endangering w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu. It would spark a race where everyone who has managed to get ahold of a piece of w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu would be able to threaten and strongarm Li Mu.
Therefore, Li Mu understood how important it was that the job of finding out the rest of w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu’s psyche and soul could only be entrusted to those whom he could trust.
That included the Brotherhood of Swords, the armies of Schuhauptstad, the Sanctuary of the Way, and the forces of Legion Serenity.
With such a vast information and intelligence network between these parties, a surrept.i.tious attempt at locating the missing fragments might yield better results.
Whatever happened, Li Mu knew that patience was paramount.
Being hasty would only do more harm than good.
“That’s easy enough,” responded the Grand Master.
“And one more thing, sir,” said Li Mu. “I could care less about my reputation, but Xiao Jianfei has been nothing but just a scapegoat in this whole affair. All he has ever wanted was just to serve as a loyal soldier. But I do not know how to help him. Is there any way we could have him transferred from Legion Kommodore to Legion Serenity?”
“Piece of cake. Consider it done. He can sight up at any time. I’ll make sure that his family will arrive to join him in ten days.”
“Thank you so much, sir,” exclaimed Li Mu with joy.
“I guess that means you’re ready to join the Sacred Deathmatch on behalf of the Sanctuary now?”
“I am,” Li Mu bobbed his head.
He did not need to be told how dangerous the Sacred Deathmatch would be. But no self-respecting warrior would shy away from a chance to pit his skills against the best and enjoy the thrill and adrenaline that accompanies a furious and gritting battle. After all, the Sanctuary of the Way has been nothing but kind and courteous to him, it was only right that he reciprocated the gesture.
“Very well then,” said the Grand Master. “Green Ox will come to you later with more details. Stay here in the meantime. You’ll be given a spot. Rest well and train. Get yourself prepared for the Sacred Deathmatch. In time, the Sanctuary would send you on missions as part of your training.”
Taking the cue to leave, Li Mu rose to his feet. He saluted.
“I shall take my leave for now then.”
He stepped out of the Hall of Virtue. There was Green Ox outside still waiting for him.
As one of the most famous mutants in Serenity Land and even the Battlefield of Chaos, Green Ox would have enjoyed great prestige and influence if he were to accept the offer to defect to the mutants. Yet he chose to stay here in the Sanctuary and this has become one of the main reasons behind the respect his name now carries.
“How did things go?” Green Ox asked with a beaming grin.
“Bountiful,” Li Mu returned a knowing smile.
They shared a glance and burst into laughter.
Later that day, Green Ox led everyone down Old Sand Ridge, heading somewhere due east of the Serenity Mountains where they finally came to a cave.
Called the Bamboo Retreat, the cave that sat atop the crest of a bamboo-swathed hillside was formerly the abode of a senior member of the Sanctuary. Everything had already been well-prepared and the magical ward that guarded the place could be activated with just some restoring touches to its magic. With sceneries nothing short of breathtaking where picturesque vistas stretch as far as the eye could see, the proximity of the Bamboo Retreat—just less than five miles away—to the Tree of Eternity that stood vigil over the eastern side of the Serenity Mountains was what ensured the tranquil environment there to be eternally pervaded with rich Spiritual Qi.
Li Mu, little Feng Xingyan, and Schwarzdrachen made their home there at the Bamboo Retreat.
On the other hand, Xiao Jianfei was ecstatic when he heard that he could still serve in the military. Once Li Mu was properly settled down, a messenger of the Sanctuary of the Way accompanied him in his departure from the Serenity Mountains and they headed to the nearest military outpost.
The previously frenetic and brutal tempo of life took an abrupt turn and settled down into a relative peace of tranquility and calmness.
In the meantime, Li Mu used a month to provisionally a.s.similate all seventy-two techniques of the Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p.
The swordsmans.h.i.+p discipline was a very potent and powerful set of combat techniques.
And Li Mu wished to adapt the techniques into a set that would be fit for a saber.
He had been testing and tweaking the techniques.
The Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p is made up of seventy-two different techniques, but each of them was actually derived from twelve ultimate techniques. Each of the twelve has six derivatives, making the total seventy-two.
The twelve sets derived from the ultimate techniques include the Sky Cracking Six, the Sky Splendor Six, the Cloud Piercing Six, the Light Shadow Six, the Fierce Water Six, the Tempestuous Wind Six, the Twilight Six, the Bodhisattva’s Mark Six, the Atonement Six, the Arcane Glow Six, the Universe Six, and the Celestial Union Six.
Therefore, Li Mu decided to first start by getting familiar with the ultimate techniques.
He would move on to adapting the derivatives to the use of the saber when he was ready.
Many often underestimated the difference between the sword and the saber. In essence, they were not only different weapons; the techniques used on both weapons varied starkly due to the structural differences between both weapons. Therefore, to say that adapting the Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p for use with a saber was an insanely mind-boggling task is most definitely an understatement.
After two months at the Bamboo Retreat, Li Mu had finally—provisionally—converted the moves from the Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p into something that he could use with his saber. Nevertheless, its strength and potency were still a far cry from the real Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p he performed with the rusted sword.
But Li Mu was nevertheless pleased with his work.
The Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p, as an Emperor-cla.s.s martial discipline, would take even champions and elites at least a dozen years to fully master. To even understand and a.s.similate the discipline enough would take centuries. Yet, Li Mu was able to accomplish all that because of the Xiantian Skill and Zhenwu Boxing disciplines— disciplines that have afforded him ma.s.sive enhancements both internally and externally.
In the meantime, little Feng Xingyan was given the nod to be officially inducted as a member of the Sanctuary of the Way.
An opportunity that Li Mu had earned for her sake.
Everything that Li Mu had ever learned—despite how useful some of the techniques sometimes have been—was barely adequate enough to be compiled into a proper syllabus. Hence, what Li Mu did was that he had been teaching little Feng Xingyan the simplified versions of Xiantian Skill and Zhenwu Boxing.
But now that there was a chance for her to systematically learn the arcane arts of cultivation and fighting, the Sanctuary of the Way would be the most optimal choice for her. Even a genius would need proper tutelage for his talents to s.h.i.+ne at full radiance.
Schwarzdrachen too has found a cultivation discipline that suited him.
With Green Ox as a precedent, the Sanctuary of the Way was no stranger in the tutelage of mutants. Naturally, Green Ox’s Twenty-four Breath Control Technique worked best to help Schwarzdrachen a.s.similate the Deluge of Illumination substance that he absorbed not long ago. That helped Schwarzdrachen’s power to grow exponentially in just a couple of months, outstripping Li Mu and being just inches away from reaching the Great Way Realm.
To be exact, that was not the result of any training yet—just the effects of the Deluge of Illumination substance taking hold, even though the rate of growth was just incredibly unbelievable.
Li Mu was practicing with the saber one day when Green Ox came to visit.
“That’s a surprise,” Li Mu sheathed his weapon, “What do you have for me? A mission?”
“That indeed,” answered Green Ox, “Liuyun family of Schuhauptstad is beset by strange maladies that could be related to Cosmic Emperor Deathless. In fact, it could even be related to the fragments of your friend that you’re looking for. Therefore, the Grand Master wishes that you could take a look. The outcome might be rewarding. However, a word of warning: you will not be the only one heading there. There could be other people as well—prodigies and apprentices of other sects, orders, or factions—and these people could very well be your future opponents in the Sacred Deathmatch.”
“I’m going immediately,” said Li Mu.
There was no need to hesitate. Any news of w.a.n.g s.h.i.+yu’s fragments of soul or psyche warranted paramount attention.
He could care less about anything to do with Cosmic Emperor Deathless.
Liuyun family is one of the biggest and most influential families in the Human domain of Schuhauptstad.
For thousands of years, the family has enjoyed unrivaled prestige and power, producing numerous gifted heirs, most prominently the one known as the First Sword of the Liuyuns—a prodigy with pre-Emperor-cla.s.s powers. Liuyun family enjoyed the pinnacle of its fame and fortune during his heydays and was, at one point, the strongest faction in Schuhauptstad after the Brotherhood of Swords.
But as how all good things must and always eventually, come to an end, the First Sword of the Liuyuns was grievously injured in a skirmish against the Xenoses at the frontlines during the time of his service in the military. He was sent home but that did not stop him from dying any long afterward. His death would then mark Liuyun family’s fall from grace.
But Liuyun family understood full well that for the sake of its survival, the show must go on. Nevertheless, despite being just a shade of its former glories, the House still commanded fear through its ill.u.s.trious history, wealth, and influence.
Riding on his black steed, Li Mu sped all the way through night and day until he arrived at the gates of the Liuyun Manor. An elderly gentleman, with a stooped and weathered physique who could barely stop emitting a persistent cough, came out to receive him.
“My name’s Liuyun Huo… Cough!” The elderly doorman managed, “May I know your—cough!—name? Good sir? Cough!” One could almost wonder if he was going to cough up blood any minute now.
“I’m Li Mu of the Sanctuary of the Way.”
Li Mu did not attempt to hide his ident.i.ty.
“I see! Cough! A luminary of the Sanctuary!” Liuyun Huo exclaimed, “Please come in! Come in!” Deep inside, the doorman was wondering about since when the Grand Master of the Sanctuary had a student called Li Mu.
He did not even notice that this Li Mu and the one on the List of the Condemned were in fact one and the same.
At the same time, Li Mu had been making observations of his own.
He could see that Liuyun Huo’s coughing was not the symptom of a sickness, but rather, damage to his lungs. Some forms of injury caused significant harm that could not be easily healed. Even so, Li Mu could sense a strong emanation of power from the old man—a Deity-realm champion at least before he was hurt.
Surrurations from the skies diverted their attention.
A pair of handsome-looking eagles the size of a horse carriage swooped around them overhead, their wingspans like the bolts of lightning as they reduced alt.i.tude.
Finally, they landed, tossing up winds buffetting dust and soot up into the air.
Two women in crimson dresses dismounted, their hawkish appearance made it clear that they were not to be messed with. They approached the gates.
The two eagles were enough for Liuyun Huo to divine who these women were. He warmly greeted them, “Priestess of the Holy Land of Delirious Voices! Welcome! Welcome!”
“The Holy Land of Delirious Voices?”
Li Mu recognized the name of another order that shared equal prestige as the Sons of Lightning, the Brotherhood of the Swords, and the Sanctuary of the Way.
A curious Li Mu stared at the pair of newcomers.
Little did he realize that this would bring him insignificant and superfluous turmoil.