Chapter 9: Sword Cultivator
Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Sword Cultivator
Four streaks of Escape Light descended upon a plaza on the mountainside of Cyan Dragon Mountain.
This immortal mountain spanned dozens of miles and stood thousands of feet tall. Though not exceptionally vast, it housed a Tier Three Spirit Vein, filling the air with dense Spiritual Qi sufficient for even Core Formation Cultivators to train. It was a true paradise for cultivators.
As his feet touched the gray stone ground, Li Ping’s gaze immediately fell upon the simple, ancient palace hundreds of feet away.
The palace was constructed purely from neat blocks of cyan marble. Beyond that, it had no other adornments, giving it a rather crude appearance.
If Li Ping had to describe it, the palace was like the bare-bones shell of a building that had just been topped off, without even a finished facade.
With an unfinished facade, the interior was bound to be even worse. It had that real "bombed-out" look.
’What kind of person would live in a palace like this?’ Li Ping wondered.
"Fellow Daoist Li, Thirteenth Senior Sister is waiting for you inside. Let’s go see her," Meng Qingyi said with a smile. After speaking, she started walking toward the ancient palace.
Li Ping glanced at the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators flanking him, their gazes menacing. Sighing to himself, he followed Meng Qingyi.
’If it was a blessing, it wasn’t a curse. But if it was a curse, there was no escaping it.’
’Since their Thirteenth Senior Sister had ordered them to bring me for questioning and not to kill me on sight, it means there’s still some room for negotiation.’
’At least she won’t just strike me down the moment she sees me. Anyway... she probably won’t, right?’
...
HUMMM—
The moment Li Ping stepped into the ancient palace, before he could even take in his surroundings, a heart-stopping hum echoed in his ears. The entire palace, the very space itself, seemed to tremble violently for an instant!
A three-foot-long, cyan-and-white Flying Sword hovered just inches from Li Ping’s face. Its sharp tip was aimed at the bridge of his nose, a translucent Sword Aura pulsing from it, threatening to pierce straight through his skull!
In that instant, Li Ping’s mind went blank. A chill shot through his heart, and the hairs on his body stood on end—it was the abject terror of facing death!
His vision narrowed until only the hiltless Flying Sword remained. There was nothing else!
"Senior Sister!"
Meng Qingyi’s anxious cry rang out. The next second, the Flying Sword before Li Ping shot back like a streak of lightning, landing in a pair of hands as fair and smooth as jade.
Only then did Li Ping’s awareness return to his body. He looked up toward the depths of the palace and saw a gray-robed figure sitting cross-legged, the Flying Sword resting in her palm!
She sat there like a Treasure Sword resting in its Sword Scabbard—once drawn, it would sunder all creation!
"Li Ping!"
Her voice rang like a drawn sword. The gray-robed figure looked up at Li Ping, her eyes sharp, her piercing aura washing over him.
Li Ping finally got a clear look at her. She was a Female Cultivator with a youthful face, her hair tied in a simple bun. She had sharp brows and bright, star-like eyes, radiating a valiant aura. Her gaze was like a blade!
Meeting her gaze, Li Ping felt his skin prickle as if being pierced by countless needles.
’A Sword Cultivator!’
Li Ping cursed his luck. ’I can’t believe the "Thirteenth Senior Sister" who wanted to see me is a Sword Cultivator.’
’Only the sword, only the self!’
’Live with the sword, die with the sword!’
’Devotion to the sword is devotion to the Dao. Cultivate a single sword to shatter all techniques!’
This was what Li Ping knew of Sword Cultivators. In his eyes, they were all paranoid lunatics.
’Everyone else cultivates for long life, yet Sword Cultivators bind themselves to a single blade just to pursue power in Magical Combat. What are they, if not lunatics?’
’And then there were the unhinged ones whose skills were so poor they fell into the Demon Dao, killing their masters, their fathers, their friends... proving their Dao through slaughter.’
...
"Let me ask you a question." Without any sign of rising, Dai Sangyu remained seated cross-legged. Her voice, like the ring of a sword, vibrated in Li Ping’s ears as she stared at him, the Flying Sword in her hand humming eagerly. "The Foundation Establishment Pill you used for your breakthrough... where did it come from?"
Stared down by her blade-like gaze, Li Ping heard her words and understanding dawned on him. ’So, this is about the Foundation Establishment Pill. Was there a problem with the person who sold it to me?’
Li Ping had spent Spirit Stones to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill on the black market. Even back then, he had suspected its origins might be shady.
But the chance to reach Foundation Establishment was within his grasp. Even knowing there might be a problem, he could never have passed it up.
Besides, the black market existed with the tacit approval of the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect. His transactions there were protected by its rules, so what was there to worry about?
Although the Sword Cultivator’s interrogating tone infuriated him, Li Ping believed he’d done nothing wrong regarding the pill’s purchase. Besides, when you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to lower your head.
With this in mind, Li Ping sighed internally before slowly speaking. "I bought the Foundation Establishment Pill over two months ago from the Immortal City’s black market."
The Flying Sword in her hand didn’t react. Dai Sangyu pressed on, "Do you know who sold you the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"They used a special Dharma Artifact to hide their features. I don’t know who it was," Li Ping answered bluntly.
The Flying Sword remained still. Dai Sangyu asked, "Do you know Lin Yue?"
"I don’t."
Still, the Flying Sword gave no reaction, but Dai Sangyu’s questions continued. "What kingdom are you from?"
...
Question after question, she fired off dozens of them, probing every detail of Li Ping’s background, but the Flying Sword in her hand remained completely still.
A trace of disappointment flickered in Dai Sangyu’s eyes. She waved her hand, signaling that the interrogation was over and Li Ping was free to go.
Being summoned and dismissed so casually naturally infuriated Li Ping, but facing a Sword Cultivator at Perfect Foundation Establishment, he didn’t dare let his emotions show.
Silently filing the grievance away in his mind, Li Ping cupped his hands in a farewell salute and turned to leave.
...
Cyan Dragon Mountain was the domain of a Core Formation Master, so an outsider like Li Ping wasn’t permitted to wander freely. Led by an attendant, he was brought to a small, elegant courtyard.
"Senior, you may rest here for a moment. Martial Uncle Meng will be along shortly to see you out."
The attendant spoke and then respectfully withdrew, leaving Li Ping alone in the courtyard.
After that interrogation, Li Ping was fairly certain his troubles were over.
Still, he had no idea what had just happened and was utterly baffled by Dai Sangyu’s questions.
He could only vaguely guess that the person Dai Sangyu was truly after was the mysterious cultivator who had sold him the Foundation Establishment Pill.
He had just been unlucky enough to buy that person’s Foundation Establishment Pill and had gotten dragged into it.
As he mulled over their conversation, another question arose in Li Ping’s mind. ’Right, who is Lin Yue?’
After waiting in the courtyard for some time without any sign of Meng Qingyi, Li Ping simply sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.
He didn’t dare vent his frustration after facing a Sword Cultivator at Perfect Foundation Establishment.
So instead, he would cultivate with a vengeance and absorb as much of Cyan Dragon Mountain’s Spiritual Qi as he could.