Translator: SilverNeko
Editor: Dancing Dolphins Yo!
That young disciple asked: "When would it be our Qin Xu sect"s turn to host?"
"There"s still another 10 years. This time it just happened to coincide with the opening of Thirteen Mountain secret realm next to Sky Balance sect."
A disciple, off to the side, sighed: "Although there are a lot of treasures, it is hard to overlook that, many may enter but never leave."
That young disciple spoke up again: "In the sect compet.i.tion, I ranked nineteenth among the Qi Refining disciples and received plenty of spirit pills and weapons. Where do they all come from?"
The senior disciple answered: "This is something you definitely don"t know. I didn"t know either until I entered Foundation Building."
"Shixiong, do tell."
It seemed that the senior disciple had been at Foundation Building for a long time and had seen many young shidis who were curious about it. He cleared his throat: "It"s not a secret actually……Do you guys know that there is a mountain for refinery near Yu Rong peak? It"s not high, about half the size of Yu Rong peak, very ordinary looking, and has nothing out of the ordinary."
"I"ve seen it."
"On that mountain, there lives over a hundred Foundation Building disciples whose names aren"t in the sixteen peak records. They refine pills, weapons, talismans, and swords for our Qing Xu Sword sect. Some are very famous. You might know some of the sword refining masters: Song Shan cultivator, Qing Hui cultivator, Su Qin cultivator……"
"Yeah, I"ve heard of them."
"Our Qing Xu Sword sect places priority on sword cultivation, which no one can defeat. But having a good sword method is all for naught without a good sword. For thousands of years, the sect has spent a huge amount of effort in training sword refiners, discovering many secret sword cultivating methods that can not be disclosed and raising dozens of world famous sword refiners."
Among the group, a disciple said: "When I had yet to enter the sect, I had already heard that the swords refined in Qing Xu Sword sect are the most valuable."
"A normal Foundation Building cultivator"s sword could be sold for a few hundred high-grade spirit stones in the black market. It"s basically sky-high price. You guys don"t have to worry. Once you"ve entered Foundation Building and chosen your sword method, the sect will refine a suitable sword for all of you. It"s just that the other sects aren"t so lucky. If they want Qing Xu Sword sect to refine a sword for them, they would need something that is equally valuable to use as an exchange."
One young disciple couldn"t help but be carried away and asked: "When would we be able to choose a sword method?"
"That would take awhile. After entering Foundation Building, you have to first learn to swing the sword and then learn a few techniques which would take a year"s time. Then shifu would impart a sword method to you based on your talents. It would take a few years to see if the method was suitable. Basically, the first ten years of Foundation Building is all spent feeling things out. Everything can only slowly come together afterward."
"Practicing the sword method, wouldn"t that slowdown cultivation?"
That older disciple laughed: "As a sword cultivator, practicing the sword method is cultivating! When practicing the sword, your Qi would wander around your body, opening and clearing meridians. Reaching an epiphany and advancing a level in your sword method, your cultivation would also advance a level! If your talents aren"t suitable for sword cultivation, it is also fine to not cultivate in the way of the sword. For example, Hui Shi peak"s He Ling cultivates the Four Winds method."
"Our Qing Xu Sword sect is famous throughout the world because of its sword methods. If you don"t cultivate the way of the sword, it"s a bit of a waste."
"But all of this would rely on personal talent. That He Ling is a variant wind spirit root. The Four Winds couldn"t be more compatible for him. Plus, that wind method isn"t worse than our sect"s top grade sword methods." As he was talking, admiration leaked out.
"Earlier, Shixiong mentioned dozens of Foundation Building disciples who refine pills, weapons, talismans, and swords. What"s that all about?"
That older disciple sighed: "Have you heard of the saying: "If by fifty, one has yet to build their foundation, then their life ends at 100. If the lotus is not white by 80, there is no hope of forming a core"?"
"I think I"ve heard it. What does it mean?
"The meaning is that if you have not entered Foundation Building at 50, the chances of entering, in this life, are not high. After building your foundation, a lotus will take shape in your mind. At the beginning, the color would be darker. The higher your cultivation, the lighter the color of the lotus will be. If by the time you"re 80, and the lotus still had not whitened, then that disciple would have no hope of forming a core."
"So it was like that."
"Refining pills, weapons, talismans, and swords requires at least Foundation Building stage cultivation level. Unfortunately, young Foundation Building cultivators" most pressing concern is cultivation. Where would they have the time to learn these? In order to nurture a talisman refiner, a pill refiner, or a weapon refiner, it"s normal to fail a few thousand or ten thousand times. How much resources would be wasted? Thus, cultivators over 80 with no hope of reaching the Golden Core stage will be summoned by the sect head. The sect will give them a generous remuneration so that they can give up cultivating and focus on refining weapons, pills, swords, and talismans."
"So it was like that. No wonder none of the peaks have a Foundation Building stage shishu.[1] They were all moved to the sword refining mountain."
That older disciple continued: "Most of us here will go there in the future just like me. I had only built my foundation at 36 and I am now already 75- 76 something but have only just entered the middle stage of Foundation Building."
Wen Jing quietly sat off to the side and listened. Some of these things, he knew. Some, he wasn"t too sure.
It turns out, normal disciples only had to practice the sword for a year before being able to choose a sword method. No wonder Duan Xuan was that angry at him.
He had practiced for a year but had only learned how to swing the sword.
You Si suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Your shixiong is coming. Will talk to you another day. I"ll leave first."
Wen Jing didn"t have time to react, as a light fragrance floated in front of his nose. In the s.p.a.ce beside him, a person sat down. Light green clothes swayed gently, seeming to brush his cheek and then landed on his hand.
Wen Jing lowered his head. The palm under the cloth was slightly sweating.
Jun YanZhi"s gentle, low voice sounded beside his ear: "The person, who just sat here, he"s called You Si, right?"
"En."
"You guys have a good relationship?"
"We"ve talked a few times."
"So it"s like that……"
Jun YanZhi"s tone of voice lightened, sounding a bit spoiled. However, it was hidden under a warm and gentle expression, making it hard to perceive. His body gently leaned over. His head rested on the wooden railing behind him, as he closed his eyes.
The s.p.a.ce on the tortoise"s back was not big. There were many disciples sitting around them. It was unavoidable that their bodies would lean against each other as they talked and laughed. The way the two of them looked was very normal, and no one paid attention to it.
Wen Jing felt a bit uncomfortable surrounded by a fragrance with Jun YanZhi"s breath lightly spraying onto the back of his neck. It gave an itchy □□ feeling, making him go limp. It was hard to concentrate. He lowered his head and thought for a long time, finally deciding that it was best to focus and meditate and so he swallowed a fasting pill and said: "Shixiong, I"m going to enter meditation. Wake me up when we get there."
Wen Jing meditated for three days. Once his five senses returned, his four limbs were ice cold. Cold winds blew as if they wanted to freeze him into a popsicle. The setting sun was a blood red. The surrounding footsteps and voices were messy, but he couldn"t see their appearance. He could only see dark silhouettes.
His head was dizzy, but his hand was pulled up by Jun YanZhi: "Hurry, we"re leaving."
"We"ve arrived at Sky Balance sect?"
"En." That voice seemed to be a bit low-spirited.
"So cold."
Jun YanZhi lightly said: "In the Alpine zone, high up in the mountains, it"s covered with ice and snow year round. Naturally, it is cold."
Wen Jing prompted his inner flow of warm energy to hasten. His blood instantly felt more comfortable as if it was filled with tiny suns. Flying off the giant tortoise with everyone, the mountain peaks, highlighted by the setting sun at dusk, were left with a dark outline.
The sect head and many disciples of Sky Balance sect were already waiting. Out of politeness, they said a few phrases for welcoming the guests and then ordered the disciples to bring them to rest. Xi Fang and the peak masters lived on the main peak while the disciples were settled on a small peak.
The sky darkened rapidly. In the darkness of the night, seeing was difficult. The snow underfoot seemed to be as thick as the length of a hand.
This peak was the guest area of Sky Balance sect. Although the peak was small, the scenery was beautiful. Scattered around were twenty-some sets of stone towers, each able to support twenty people. Wen Jing, Jun YanZhi, and He Ling lived halfway up the mountain, on a cliff.
After a few rounds of courtesy and tugging back and forth, Wen Jing ended up in a room with Jun YanZhi.
Things were like this.
In the tower, there were three types of rooms: single, double, and triple rooms.
Despite the trivialness of splitting up rooms, everyone had to live here for a month. Comfort was very important. Zhu Jin a.s.signed rooms according to the ranking in the sect compet.i.tion. It was completely fair, and n.o.body objected.
He Ling was one of the top ten Foundation Building cultivators; hence, he was a.s.signed a single room.
Jun YanZhi was ranked 17 so he would live in a double room.
Wen Jing, on the other hand, ranked second among the Qi Refining disciples and was also a.s.signed to a double room.
He Ling originally liked solitariness. A single room precisely fit his wants. Thus, he wasn"t polite about it and left to sleep without a word.
Jun YanZhi silently thought for a while and then lightly said: "Then let"s live together."
This was a very logical suggestion. Wen Jing didn"t have a single reason to refuse. He opened his mouth, stupidly, without making a single sound and let Jun YanZhi fetch two people"s tablets.
Sky Balance sect"s area was vast, and the rooms really weren"t small. The decoration was simple, but tables, chairs, and teaware were all present. A few glowing rocks were placed around the room, giving off a soft and gentle light, occasionally moving like water. The light at the head of the bed was dim and didn"t sting the eye.
"What kind of rock is this?"
Jun YanZhi set down the storage bag: "This is a night light rock produced by Sky Balance sect. During the day it is just like an ordinary rock, completely normal. However, at night it will release a dim light, just like a moon."
"The Xun Yang mountain sect also has moonlight stones, right?"
"Sky Balance sect"s are relatively better."
Jun YanZhi casually took off his outer layer of clothing and hung it beside the bed: "Shidi, are you going to bathe tonight?"
"It"s so cold, not going to wash."
"Then sleep." Jun YanZhi, with only a loosened middle layer of clothing, sat down on the edge of the bed somewhat slowly.[2] Touching the thick blanket, "Do you want to sleep on the inside or outside?"
That bed was very big; three to four people could even roll on it. Wen Jing was originally planning to sleep on the floor, but now it didn"t need to be followed. He gritted his teeth and gently asked: "Is shixiong afraid of me?"
That voice was slightly hoa.r.s.e, low, and attractive. It made Jun YanZhi"s mouth parched and tongue dry. His whole body was sweating from heat, but he still maintained a calm and warm tone of voice: "Not afraid."
Sourness swelled up in Wen Jing"s heart, and he quietly said: "Shixiong, relax. Last year, I wasn"t even better than an animal. From now on, I definitely won"t do anything presumptuous to you."
Jun YanZhi burrowed into the blanket and silently waited. Not long after, Wen Jing took off his outer layer and middle layer. With only a thin layer of undergarments, he also laid down.
"When I sleep I like to only wear my inner garments. Shixiong please don"t mind."
Jun YanZhi smelled the youth beside him and felt all of his blood boiling. That thing had already, under the darkness of the blanket, stood up. He slowly and gently stroked Wen Jing"s forehead, saying: "I don"t mind."
Footnotes:
[1] Shishu can also mean martial uncle which is someone of higher elder status than senior brother. They are normally your master"s senior or junior brother. Basically, someone in the same generation as your master.
[2] Ancient clothing has like three layers from what I"ve seen. The outer layer is the normal one you"ll be thinking of. I"ll use pictures since it"s easier to see than understanding through words.
The Middle layer
Tn: I"m finally back! *cries tears of joy* I"m so nervous for my grades, but you know what? At least it"s over, and I can finally start paying attention to my beloved danmei! I just checked on NU and there"s so many new danmei that just started being translated! *drools*
Wen Jing thinks he"s the predator here. You"re reading all the wrong signs! Jun YanZhi isn"t forgiving you because he"s a nice gentleman. He"s forgiving you because he wants the same things!
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