Unsheathed

Chapter 189 (3): Discussing Swordsmanship Outside The Badass Building

Wei Bo found Chen Ping'an near the bamboo building. When he saw the young boy, he was practicing standing meditation under the dusk sun on a piece of empty land.

Meanwhile, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink appeared even more like masters than their master. They were sitting on bamboo chairs and enjoying some small snacks.

Wei Bo walked over to stand next to Chen Ping'an. However, he didn't disturb the young boy, and he waited until he finished his session of standing meditation. Only then did Wei Bo turn around to ask the little girl in pink to bring two bamboo chairs over. He said that he had some proper matters to discuss with her master.

Before the little girl in pink could even move, however, the little boy in azure had already grabbed a chair in each hand and sprinted over like an obedient lackey. After putting the bamboo chairs down, he didn't forget to bend down with his bottom raised high to wipe the chairs clean with his sleeves.

When he returned to the little girl's side and saw her disdainful expression, he said in a righteous manner, "What do you understand? This is called a great person knowing when to yield and when to stand tall!"

Wei Bo and Chen Ping'an sat down on the bamboo chairs. The former spoke first, saying, "Don't blame me for spying on the bamboo building at that time. Your battle of will with that sword billet was far more dangerous than you imagined, and it would have been extremely easy for you to fall to a heretical path. In fact, it was also possible that you could have been killed on the spot."

Chen Ping'an nodded in acknowledgment, and the admission from Wei Bo allowed him to untie a small knot in his heart.

"Sword cultivators need to focus on two matters, practicing the sword and refining the sword. Practicing the sword refers to practicing sword techniques, and refining the sword refers to tempering one's sword and bonded flying sword," Wei Bo said slowly.

He paused for a moment after concisely describing the most important matters for swordsmen, and it was clear that he viewed today's conversation with utmost importance. "I can't determine the quality of your sword billet, so it's not easy for me to draw any conclusions. However, there are some universal principles that I can talk about briefly. For example, refining a physical flying sword or tempering and nurturing a bonded flying sword are both tasks that require an exorbitant amount of precious resources.

"Thus, my goal of taking you around to the different mountains was to allow you to understand one thing. Cultivating is something that will swallow up mountains of gold and silver. Wealthy mortals can have their wealth described as enough to last several generations, but when it comes to cultivators, no one has enough wealth that they can't use it up in a lifetime. Perhaps... only the founders of the three teachings are an exception?"

Behind them, the little girl in pink was sitting upright and listening with her ears pricked.

These principles were completely unrelated to her, a fire python. However, they were extremely relevant to her master! Thus, how could she slack off and not listen carefully? If her master missed something, then she could help fill him in later.

Meanwhile, the little boy in azure rolled his eyes in boredom.

As for Chen Ping'an, he was naturally very attentive as he listened to Wei Bo's explanations. If Wei Bo hadn't come to talk to him about this today, then he would have soon visited the blacksmith shop to ask Ruan Xiu about these matters.

Wei Bo placed his hands inside his opposite sleeves, and this was an action quite similar to the young Cui Chan. "The first barrier facing a Qi refiner is whether they have the aptitude to become a swordsman. After becoming a swordsman, the second barrier facing them is whether they have the money to buy a flying sword. This barrier isn't low at all. The toughness of a sword is decided by the density of its blade, so this requires the blacksmith to hammer the sword hundreds upon thousands of times.

"The sharpness of a sword also requires continuous work, and this is the reason why Dragon Slaying Platforms are so expensive and valuable. In fact, they're so valuable that even Sage Ruan Qiong didn't dare to take that entire Dragon Slaying Platform for himself. Only by inviting Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain over to carve it up between them did he manage to prevent others from coveting his share of the Dragon Slaying Platform."

Chen Ping'an sighed with emotion in his mind. As it turned out, there were even times when sages would be helpless.

Wei Bo casually pointed at a distant mountain behind him, a mountain where there existed a gigantic Dragon Slaying Platform. "As long as it's a divine weapon, it will have extremely high requirements when it comes to whetstones. This is also why Dragon Slaying Platforms are so exorbitantly expensive. They're in high demand but extremely low supply, and many people hold onto them instead of selling them. "After all, holding onto them will guarantee that one can make a profit no matter what. Unless one desperately needs money to save a life, one will almost never be willing to sell their Dragon Slaying Platform. If Cloth Wrapper Shop put out news that they're going to sell a palm-sized Dragon Slaying Platform, I reckon that the entire Ox Horn Mountain will be flooded with a sea of people."

Wei Bo pointed at the young boy before continuing, "Chen Ping'an, oh, Chen Ping'an, why are those snake gall pebbles that you give away like cabbage so valuable? This is because every medicine in the world has its side effects. Regardless of how effective ordinary pills and medicines are, and no matter how high quality they are, it's inevitable that they'll have some negative effect on one's acupoints. It's extremely difficult to avoid this, and the detrimental effects are extremely hard to remove.

"In the beginning, one can indeed suppress these negative effects and push them to some remote acupoint in their body. However, as one's cultivation base increases, this accumulation of impurities will also become increasingly obvious. When observing one's body using mystical powers, these impurities will appear more and more severe. This is something that can obstruct one's pursuit of the Great Dao.

"Qi refiners at the 10th tier can be referred to as sages by the mortal world, so why do so many of them stay in one place and seldom move around? Is it because they enjoy living like bastard tortoises? Of course not. It's because they're painstakingly removing these impurities one drop at a time."

The little boy in azure was slightly frightened. He immediately stopped moving around and sat up straight, and he didn't dare to goofily look around anymore.

The little girl in pink felt slightly guilty. In fact, she had always told herself that she was only looking after the third high-quality snake gall pebble for her master. She wouldn't eat this pebble.

"Chen Ping'an, I'm going to discuss some secret matters with you now," Wei Bo said with a serious expression. "Even I needed to pay an appreciable price for this, so I hope that you won't casually reveal it to others."

Chen Ping'an nodded and replied, "Don't worry, apart from Ruan Xiu and Brother Li, there aren't any other people in the small town whom I can chat with anymore."

After hearing this, Wei Bo continued, "Have you heard of Stalactite Mountain before?"

Chen Ping'an's expression changed slightly. However, he didn't say anything, and he didn't nod or shake his head either.

Seeing the young boy's reaction, Wei Bo presumed that A'Liang had told him about it before. This wasn't strange. He explained, "Stalactite Mountain was created by one of the Dao Ancestor's three disciples. An unfathomable amount of resources was used, and it can be said that this is the largest mountain seal in the world. It's supported by boundless Dao power, and this causes it to be indestructible. Stalactite Mountain is also the border between the Majestic World and the Savage World, and it's the first defensive pass that sits between the two worlds. Perhaps... it's also the final pass."

"Why is it the final pass?" Chen Ping'an asked.

Wei Bo smiled wryly and replied, "Once the floodwaters breach the dyke, what else can hold it back?"

The white-robed mountain god leaned back into his chair. Gazing up, he sighed, "Not only the swordsmen from the Complete Reed Continent that's renowned for producing swordsmen, and not only the swordsmen who flew over Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and descended to a lower height above the small town and temporarily showed themselves, but all of the swordsmen in the world have been summoned to Stalactite Mountain this time. They're going to make their way through Stalactite Mountain and go to a place called the Sword Qi Great Wall. Here, they're going to defend against the invasion launched by the demon tribe from the other world.

"Every time the demon tribe unleashes trouble and starts a war, swordsmen from all over the world will be summoned to Stalactite Mountain. They'll pass through the mountain and enter that city, and as they stand atop the great wall and do battle, they'll temper their Sword Dao while balancing on the fine line between life and death.

"The Sword Qi Great Wall is a place that gathers the greatest number of sword immortals in the world, gathers the most renowned sword immortals in the world, and also witnesses these sword immortals performing the most dangerous and magnificent feats in the world. However, do you know what they're lacking?"

Wei Bo turned around to look at Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an could only shake his head.

"They're lacking swords!" Wei Bo revealed.

"Because the battles are far too frequent and far too intense, many divine swords brought over by the swordsmen either have their blades snapped, their sword intent shattered, or their master killed. These are renowned swords that have the right to be ranked in the top echelon in their respective continents. Because of this, it's extremely difficult for native-born swordsmen in the Sword Qi Great Wall to obtain a good sword.

"Moreover, the demon tribe also has an impressive number of sword cultivators, and these demon sword cultivators like to collect the remains of renowned swords. That being the case, the swordsmen fighting against them in the Sword Qi Great Wall naturally need a huge number of swords. In fact, they need to link up with Stalactite Mountain to continually purchase swords from the outside world. Because of this, there are piles of merchants gathered outside Stalactite Mountain, and these people wantonly raise prices and only sell their products when a satisfactory offer is made. Countless people have become filthy rich thanks to this."

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something, but he eventually chose not to.

As if reading the young boy's thoughts, Wei Bo scoffed, "Do you think everyone is the same as you? Do you think everyone is a foolishly kind person who casually gives treasures away? And after giving them away, they even worry about whether the treasure is too heavy and whether they need to help carry it?"

An awkward expression appeared on the little boy's face. He rubbed his nose, and he considered whether he needed to rediscover his conscience in the future. Perhaps he should treat Chen Ping'an a little better in the future?

Chen Ping'an remained silent.

"Chen Ping'an, don't take my bastard remarks to heart. Truth be told, I actually quite admire you."

There was a slightly apologetic expression on Wei Bo's face as he heaved a long sigh. It was as if these words had been buried in his mind for a long time, so he just had to spit them out to make himself feel better. His gaze became intense, and he chuckled coldly, "Considering only the information that I know, there are at least three supreme sword immortals in that world who have already established themselves for a long time. Their combat power and destructive ability are simply unfathomable. Now that so many years have passed, I can't say for sure whether there are more or less supreme sword immortals."

Wei Bo slapped his head and exclaimed, "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Why is the demon tribe tirelessly attacking the Sword Qi Great Wall? The answer is very simple. The environment in their world is far too harsh, and the thin spiritual energy in the atmosphere is not conducive to cultivation. However, they have powerful physiques, and they're also very skilled at battle. As such, the Savage World is much like a gigantic breeding farm for powerful demons.

"Those who are strong rule over most of the land, own most of the cultivation resources, and also have the most descendants. Meanwhile, our Majestic World is like a big piece of fatty meat in their eyes. They have nothing but scraps in their bowls, yet we have large pieces of fish and meat in ours. Thus, it's only natural that they're drooling over this piece of fatty meat that's right in front of their eyes."

Wei Bo's expression gradually became calm, and he continued, "In reality, how should we determine who's right and who's wrong? One side is attempting to expand their territory for the sake of survival and for the sake of giving their descendants a better life, while the other side is defending their territory and doing their utmost to keep the aggressors out. If a third party were to observe this struggle, then perhaps they would no longer see such an intense division of good and evil.

"It was only after entering Cloud Drape Mountain and agreeing to become the formal god of the mountain — in essence becoming an important ally of the Great Li Empire — that I was able to learn these secrets. In terms of what I say next, you can simply treat them as stories or something unintelligible. You don't need to pay too much attention to them."

"It's said that an extremely tragic battle once occurred, where a dozen or so great demons joined forces and went to the Sword Qi Great Wall. They negotiated with the most powerful human cultivators, and in exchange for stopping battle, they hoped that they could obtain a piece of land as large as Eastern Treasured Vial Continent next to Stalactite Mountain. However, the human cultivators naturally didn't agree. After all, even children understand the concept of giving an inch and taking a mile.

"After that fierce battle, the two sides agreed to a wager. This would be a series of battles where both sides sent out 13 of their most powerful cultivators. In fact, this battle occurred not long ago, just a few years ago. There were 13 separate battles, and the side that won the most battles would win the wager. If the demon tribe won, then they would gain control of the Sword Qi Great Wall without needing to sacrifice a single soldier. If we won, then we would obtain all of the swords in the Savage World!"

After saying this, Wei Bo couldn't help but stand up in emotion. "Fight! Why wouldn't we dare to accept this wager?

"Do you know?!"

Wei Bo was filled with spirit as he raised a hand and pointed toward the south. "The Majestic World racked its brains extremely hard just to come up with an order for the 13 cultivators. The Middle Earth Divine Continent's Lu Clan, whose knowledge and philosophy are said to make up half of the teachings in the School of Naturalists, had an old ancestor who paid a huge price to approximately divine the order of the demon tribe's cultivators.

"This was a pinnacle battle with no precedent, and both sides agreed that they wouldn't send out their three most powerful cultivators, lest they get carried away and obliterate the border between the two worlds. After all, destabilizing the two worlds would bring more harm than good, and doing so would also completely nullify the entire point of the fair battle.

"Apart from one battle, the human cultivators guarding the Sword Qi Great Wall won each of the first seven battles. With six victories under our belt, it was looking like the overall victory was firmly within our grasp. However, we lost the eighth battle, and that female sword cultivator became the first human to be killed. Afterward, we suffered loss after loss, all the way until the 12th battle. This 12th battle was one that the Sword Qi Great Wall was extremely confident in winning. That human sword immortal was publicly recognized as extremely powerful, and he had never lost a single one of his over 100 battles!

"However, he still lost, and he became the second human to die in battle.

"Afterward, the entire Majestic World fell into slight despair. This was because everyone thought that defeat was inevitable. This wasn't because the final sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall wasn't powerful enough. Quite the contrary, in fact, as he was indeed very powerful, so powerful that he was seemingly invincible. However, the final cultivator from the demon tribe...

"This was a demon widely regarded as one of the three most destructively powerful demons from the past 10,000 years. However, it had only just passed a trial of life and death after cultivating in seclusion for the past 1000 years. Thus, it wasn't included in the ranks of the three most powerful demons. The old ancestor from the Lu Clan had sacrificed a great deal to perform the divinations, yet even these divinations had failed to take this demon into account. It was extremely evident that the demon tribe had also paid a significant price to conceal their plans from prying eyes.

"That great demon was also a sword cultivator! A 13th tier sword cultivator!

"In the countless battles that the demon tribe waged against the Sword Qi Great Wall in history, there were many times when this demon was the first to charge onto the great wall and the last to retreat from the great wall."

Sitting behind Chen Ping'an and listening to this, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink had already become as pale as a sheet.

Even Chen Ping'an, who had a far stronger mental fortitude than ordinary people, couldn't help but clench his fists and push them into his knees. His back was drenched in sweat, yet he was completely oblivious to this fact.

Wei Bo suddenly roared with hearty laughter. He strode forward and thrust his finger toward the distant south, causing his sleeve to violently billow in the air. Turning around, he clenched one hand into a fist and revealed, "But we still won.

"The man who slew that great demon... Everyone calls him A'Liang! No one knows from where he came, and no one knows to where he will go. However, we simply know that he's the one who has killed the most demons at the Sword Qi Great Wall!"

Wei Bo was elated, and he vigorously gestured with his arms as he loudly exclaimed to heaven and earth, "His name is A'Liang!"

Chen Ping'an slowly turned his head to look at the small bamboo building that the man wearing the bamboo hat had personally named The Badass Building.

Tears trickled down the face of the unyielding young boy.

He remembered the first time that they met.

Wearing a bamboo hat, leading a donkey behind him, and with a saber by his waist, the middle-aged man had smiled and introduced himself to the young boy.

"My name A'Liang, Liang as in kindness.

"I am a swordsman."