Chapter 216: Chapter 136: Peak Powerhouses, Inquiring Sword Pavilion’s Classics_3
The crowd was ashamed, and someone’s eyes lit up as they asked:
"Ancestor, have you perhaps taken that step already?"
The Sun Chasing Sword King’s voice was somewhat desolate:
"So difficult it is, merely somewhat of a clue, I wish for another thousand years of life."
He continued:
"True Man Tianjian had the courage to establish the True Martial Sword Stele; I think this move was very commendable, it inspired me to imitate it in the future. You should not harbor jealousy; instead, be humble, so that our Sunset Sword Sect can endure for a long time. If it is like the Inquiring Sword Pavilion, where there is always a higher mountain, we will inevitably face a time where we cannot recover from disaster."
Such earnest teaching made everyone lower their heads even more, as the layers of Sword Intent prompted reflection, making them understand their impatience over the years.
"Thank you, Ancestor, for your guidance!"
The Sun Chasing Sword King’s voice gradually quieted:
"In the Sword Dao of the world, there are individuals like True Man Tianjian, and I am not alone. When I come out of seclusion, I shall visit and spar; to have a comrade is such fortune."
The crowd was again embarrassed.
Originally, they thought the Ancestor would be displeased at being compared to others, but now they realized that the Ancestor’s realm was something they could not reach.
...
A mountain slope.
An old man with disheveled hair walked barefoot, and through the faint gaps in his hair, one could see the old man’s gaze was very cold, a kind of madness-like indifference.
"Misfortune, it’s only one old man!"
A burst of laughter rang out.
Bandits emerged from various parts of the forest, recklessly scrutinizing the old man in front of them, spitting while another laughed:
"Come over here, old man, and crawl under Uncle Liu’s dragon crotch!"
The crowd jeered.
"I didn’t expect Leprosy Liu to favor this!"
Leprosy Liu chuckled:
"You guys wouldn’t understand, the old man has his magic."
The crowd laughed even more joyously.
Yet the old man seemed to turn a deaf ear.
He kept moving forward.
The sound of his barefoot feet rubbing against fallen leaves and stones was conspicuous in the forest, further angering the crowd.
Leprosy Liu fumed:
"Damn it, turns out he’s a madman, a deaf fool."
He picked up his big machete, taking a step forward, ready to hack the old man alive.
The old man finally moved, his gaze flicked a glance, and Leprosy Liu felt as if he fell into an ice cellar, what pair of eyes were those, filled with terrifying madness, causing one to sink; vaguely he read in those eyes the meaning ’you dare use a blade’, and then fell into complete silence.
The old man walked barefoot.
The forest’s commotion altogether ceased, the bandits turned into statues, only after the old man had completely walked past did the statues start to bleed from the forehead, turning into fragments of corpses, precise and incredible.
The old man raised the black object in his hand, his eyes finally showed waves.
Vaguely visible, it seemed to be a piece of a knife handle.
Originally, it was an unparalleled divine blade, now only the handle remained.
This was the old man’s Dao.
If even the knife handle completely disappeared, that would be the day his Blade Path reached Perfection.
However, this was rather difficult; he needed to find a suitable method.
The old man continued wandering the mountains, somewhat aimlessly, passing by a tea house, where someone glanced at the mad old man and then withdrew the gaze, continuing the boastful dialogue:
"Speaking of that True Man Tianjian, merely with the sword stele, he summoned Heavenly Thunder, transforming into thirty-six unparalleled celestial swords, thereby slaughtering Wentian Sword, ranked fourteenth on the Celestial Being List, it was indeed a sudden emergence, nearly rivaling the Blade Demon’s terror when he slew the third-ranked on the Celestial Being List!"
"In my view, now True Man Tianjian not only has the power to compete for the world’s number one swordsman with the Sun Chasing Sword King, but possibly even has hope to battle the Blade Demon."
The old man paused his actions, his eyes rarely showed a trace of clarity, some distant memories finally surfaced from his heart.
"True Man Tianjian...?"
He murmured.
Suddenly, he knew how to completely ’disappear’ his knife handle.
...
A bustling town.
The blind storyteller narrated recent events.
When recounting the battle between True Man Tianjian and Wentian Sword, he couldn’t help exaggerating, ten thousand celestial swords tore through the void, while Wentian Sword pierced the earth with one strike; as they battled, the sky and earth darkened, ultimately Wentian Sword was defeated, slain by True Man Tianjian.
The crowd listened with enthusiasm.
Calling for more, for another segment.
The blind old man chuckled:
"In that case, let me tell you about the story of Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint from my hometown, I guarantee it will be even more exciting than the previous one!"
The audience cheered repeatedly.
The blind old man began to speak.
But his thoughts inevitably became turbulent.
"True Man Tianjian? Sudden emergence? Interesting... Just wondering if he might be an old friend?"
He laughed.
Thinking that maybe he’ll see the True Martial Sword Stele someday.
Don’t know why, but he recalled the young man who listened to him narrate in the rain long ago.
In all these years, there were few people he couldn’t see through.
That young man was one of them.
But he didn’t like peering into others’ secrets, just as he didn’t like others peering into his.
Someone noticed he was distracted, hastily urging:
"What happened next, where did Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint go afterward?"
The old man smiled:
"It’s said... He suffered heavenly punishment, picked up by a young lady, then got married and had children..."
...
Throughout Great Yan, everyone was hotly discussing the matter of True Man Tianjian, even some deeply hidden old monsters were stirred.
Most people under the heaven were merely watching for amusement, thinking True Man Tianjian was very strong for slaying Wentian Sword, but actually had no real conception of how strong; only those at that level knew.
True Man Tianjian had truly stood among the Martial Artists’ absolute pinnacle.
Countless gazes held deep meanings.
Numerous top sects, the Great Yan Imperial Court, Demon Sect, Southern Border, and even Northern Barbarian, were secretly discussing the matter.
Powerhouses of such caliber possessed sufficient threat to warrant serious consideration from all sides.
From this perspective.
Ning Qi’s intimidating tactics were very successful.
At least in the short term, the Demon Sect and Southern Border dared not undertake excessive actions; small moves might continue but at least overtly they wouldn’t be too vicious.
Meanwhile, now at True Martial Mountain.
It was more bustling.
After reopening the sect.
The True Martial Sword Stele attracted more swordsmen than before, while Martial Artists’ attitudes towards the Tower of Ten Thousand Paths were somewhat conservative. After all, it required one to trade their own Martial Arts Ultimate Skills in exchange, which made many hesitate, but there were always those who were the first to try, and those who entered came out excited.
The True Martial Sword Stele was excellent, but actually had a high threshold, requiring both insight and a high realm in Sword Dao to gain enlightenment.
But the Tower of Ten Thousand Paths was not.
After Ning Qi’s organization, its levels were more distinct.
Entering it is always rewarding.
Trading one for one.
In fact, it never loses.
Those who entered came out and began to spread the word madly, gradually more and more people entered the Tower of Ten Thousand Paths, and in just a short time, it was already full, Luo Wentian happily promulgated long-prepared management rules to let Martial Artists orderly enter.
He was glad to see the Tower of Ten Thousand Paths so popular.
As time goes by, this would become the heritage of True Martial Sect!
All kinds of Martial Arts under heaven emerged from it, it would become the truly named Tower of Ten Thousand Paths.
He looked in the direction of the Seeking Tao Institute, increasingly proud of his Ninth Junior Brother’s excellence, indeed an unprecedented prodigy, whose ideas completely differed from ordinary people; if the Inquiring Sword Pavilion had such courage before, it would probably have already become the foremost Sword Dao Holy Land.
True Martial Sect was thriving and prosperous.
Ning Qi too was delighted.
He perused numerous records of Inquiring Sword Pavilion, which documented many Secret Techniques and accounts, allowing him substantial gain.
That day, the thirty-six celestial swords’ suppression terrified Tang Qiu; he dared not miss anything, he recorded all the records meticulously, not daring to gamble if True Man Tianjian would notice, even some records he thought unimportant were brought over in original form.
As for the nearby Enlightenment Tea tree, it unexpectedly grew again before the True Martial Peach Assembly arrived, now already level with Ning Qi.
The reason was simple.
Gu Changhe and another Celestial Being from Inquiring Sword Pavilion’s corpses were buried beneath it, providing nourishment.
Ning Qi thought.
Once he finished digesting this wave of gains from Inquiring Sword Pavilion, his heritage would greatly increase.
Moreover, occasional feedback from the True Martial Sword Stele and Tower of Ten Thousand Paths made his heritage grow much faster than before.
But at present.
His primary focus was on the numerous records among Inquiring Sword Pavilion’s concerning the Martial Saint Realm, Inquiring Sword Pavilion’s millennia-long legacy might hold some clues.
Ning Qi patiently perused.