Unsheathed

Chapter 196: Martial Artists

The emerald green jasper sword in the young boy's palm was called Fifteenth.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but feel like whoever had named this sword was even worse at naming things than him.

Right now, he could clearly feel a slightly cool aura seeping into his skin. After entering his body, however, this aura surprisingly became a wisp of warmth that made his entire body feel cozy. It was as if he were enjoying the warm sunshine on a cold winter day.

Chen Ping'an noticed the mysterious aura flowing along his meridians and slowly passing each of his acupoints. In the end, it decided to stop and enter an acupoint in which a wisp of sword qi had been hidden before. The flying sword started to leisurely fly around the spacious "residence" that seemed to echo with the acupoint where the silver sword billet was residing.

Old Man Yang exhaled a ring of smoke and said with a nod, "This is slightly beyond my expectation. This sword seems to have a fairly good affinity with you. Things shouldn't have gone so smoothly, and I initially planned to help you all the way and subdue this flying sword for you. After forcing it into an acupoint, it would be up to you and your perseverance to win over the sword."

The old man used his mystical powers to observe the surprisingly obedient flying sword in Chen Ping'an's acupoint. After hesitating for a brief moment, he asked, "I'm genuinely curious about something, so I want to ask you two questions. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to. Chen Ping'an, you've been practicing fist techniques for so long, yet you've only just managed to reach the door to the third tier. Are you anxious? Also, when you practice your fist techniques, is there something that drives you, allowing you to last all the way until today?"

"I do feel anxious sometimes, but I also know that feeling anxious won't improve the situation," Chen Ping'an replied truthfully. "This is similar to firing pottery, and the more anxious and hurried one becomes, the easier it is to make a mistake. So I try to avoid thinking about the situation. However, it becomes impossible to stop these thoughts sometimes, so I empty my mind completely and do my walking meditation using only my instinct. "Or I might find a place with an open view to practice standing meditation. If neither of these methods work, then I'll try to read and practice writing characters. If even this fails, then I have no option but to let my mind run wild. For example, I'll think about how much money I currently have..."

Chen Ping'an's voice trailed off, and he couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed.

Old Man Yang's expression remained unchanging, and he said, "You can continue and answer the second."

Chen Ping'an subconsciously straightened his back and didn't try to hide anything. In fact, he wasn't willing to hide anything, and he was much like an impoverished person showing off the most valuable item in their home. He was filled with unreasonable confidence, and he continued, "I had a fight with someone on the Embroidered Flower River, and I became increasingly confident of one thing. That is, when I feel like I'm correct, my punches can be extremely quick no matter who my opponent is! And each subsequent punch will only be quicker!"

"Extremely quick?" Old Man Yang asked. "If I let you punch me 10,000 times or even 100,000 times, will you even be able to touch the hems of my clothes?"

Chen Ping'an wasn't discouraged at all, and he instinctively replied, "I'll compete with myself first, and only after I'm satisfied with my own skills will I compete with others!"

"Mhm, this mindset isn't wrong for you," Old Man Yang commented.

Ma Kuxuan was also a young boy from the small town, but his path was one that led him to another extreme. What he pursued was a position of absolute dominance and status, a position where he was the leader of his generation. This wasn't because he was too conceited. Instead, this was because his talent and aptitude were far too good, so much so that not daring to think like this would be a waste of his immense talent. This was a blessing from the heavens, so he would instead suffer a backlash if he didn't grab it with both hands.

As for the impoverished young boy who had removed his jade hairpin just then, he was most likely walking down a different path that appeared completely unremarkable in the beginning. It would still appear unremarkable when one looked again, and it would only end up appearing decent regardless of how many times one looked. They would feel like this path wasn't so stupid and pathetic after all, and it could indeed lead to some good things. In the end, most people would dismiss it as nothing more than this and pay no more attention to it.

Old Man Yang's expression was serious as he said, "I'll teach you two mantras to control Fifteenth with. One mantra is used to nurture the sword essence, and one mantra is used to open and close the pocket treasure."

"If I nurture two flying swords in my body at the same time, will they not clash with each other?" Chen Ping'an asked first.

Old Man Yang sneered and replied, "Doesn't Ruan Qiong possess two bonded flying swords? In fact, he only has two because he needs them for the sake of forging swords and pursuing Dao, and because he needs to expend an exorbitant amount of extremely rare treasures. His personal matters also play a part in this. Otherwise, with his aptitude and wealth, he could easily nurture two more bonded flying swords.

"When it comes to bonded flying swords, what's important is fated opportunity. If the time isn't right, then one won't be able to obtain a flying sword even if they try extremely hard to do so for a hundred years. If the time is right, however, they won't be able to prevent themselves from obtaining a flying sword even if they try their best to do so.

"Flying swords can't be compared to ordinary weapons either, where the more one has the better. The ultimate state that sword cultivators crave is being able to shatter all techniques with a single sword. Why not two swords or three swords? This is because for sword cultivators who have genuinely attained Dao and reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, it is already enough to have one bonded flying sword that's intricately connected with them. Having more will instead be a burden for them.

"As for you, Chen Ping'an, practicing fist techniques is needed in order to stay alive. But why do you want to practice the sword? I can't be bothered speculating. In terms of mountains, immortal treasures, and other items, you can treat these the same as copper coins. Will you ever complain about having too much money and complain about money weighing you down?"

Chen Ping'an felt slightly embarrassed, and he scratched his head and asked, "How big is the storage space inside Fifteenth? How many things can I put inside?"

Old Man Yang smiled and replied, "The length, width, and height of the space are approximately the same as the length of your locust wood sword. It's not too shabby, and it's already a little better than most ordinary pocket treasure. You won't be able to fit mountains of gold and silver inside, but you'll at least be freed from the need to carry a large bamboo basket around with you as you travel the world.

"But remember this. Don't put living things inside the pocket treasure. For example, the sword billet, First. If you forcefully put it inside the pocket treasure, you'll break some rule pertaining to 'blessed lands,' and you'll end up destroying both flying swords. At that time, you can have fun suffering by yourself."

Afterward, Old Man Yang taught Chen Ping'an the two mantras and repeated them two extra times. After Chen Ping'an committed them to memory, the old man continued to smoke and exhale clouds of rising smoke.

This was an imperceptible feeling, but it was as if a small bridge had formed between Chen Ping'an and the emerald green flying sword in his acupoint. He could communicate with it now, and this was an extremely mysterious and wonderful feeling.

With a single thought, Chen Ping'an's soul shuddered slightly and allowed Fifteenth to fly out from his body without any restriction at all. However, he was unable to stop it, and the flying sword continued to shoot toward Old Man Yang. The old man didn't blink, and after a second, it was as if the emerald green flying sword had slammed into a solid wall. It dazedly flew back toward Chen Ping'an and quickly disappeared into his acupoint in a flash. Like an angry little child, it then refused to acknowledge any of Chen Ping'an's subsequent mental calls.

Chen Ping'an was slightly flustered.

Old Man Yang found this a little funny, and he said, "All of Fifteenth's previous owners were fairly famous and capable people, and it's never come across an owner as stupid and poor at sword control as you. Thus, it naturally feels embarrassed and unwilling to come out to show itself. However, you don't need to worry about this. As long as you work hard and practice enough, the relationship between you and the flying sword will gradually grow stronger. When you receive its true acknowledgment, you'll then be able to have greater control over it. At that time, even commanding it to shatter itself and vanish into nothingness won't be too difficult."

Chen Ping'an nodded in understanding and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid as long as he could improve the situation through dedication and hard work.

What he was most afraid of was situations that he couldn't improve no matter how dedicated he was and how hard he worked. For example, firing pottery.

"Do you know why Fifteenth is willing to share in wealth and woe with you even though it understands that your aptitude is only mediocre?" Old Man Yang suddenly asked. "This is because you've discovered the crucial notion of 'quickness', a notion that is naturally aligned with the fundamental sword intent of Fifteenth. The unique nature of Fifteenth is its speed. It yearns to be so quick that its opponent has no time to react, and it yearns to make the first strike and be unparalleled in this area."

A look of realization spread across Chen Ping'an's face. At the same time, he also thought of the silver sword billet, Little Capital. It was most likely causing trouble for him because he hadn't comprehended its sword intent yet.

Old Man Yang waved a hand and said, "Don't run around too much for the next little while. Just quietly wait for Ruan Qiong's news."

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something, but he couldn't help but hesitate.

"A New Year's gift?" the old man scoffed. "Not to mention whether I'm willing to bend my rules to accept it, are you even able to offer me something that I'm interested in? Taking a step back, even if you truly possess something that I'm interested in, will you be willing to offer it to me?

"Shoo, shoo, shoo. We've already finished discussing the proper matters, so hurry up and return to Downtrodden Mountain and wait for Ruan Qiong's news there. As for the belongings that you left at the blacksmith shop, I'll order someone to collect them and deliver them to you. It would be too eye-catching for you to appear near the blacksmith shop now. It isn't suitable."

Chen Ping'an understood the old man's temper, so he immediately stood up and left the Yang Family's medicine shop without dawdling around.

After stepping out the front door of the pharmacy, however, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but turn around and walk past the side building. When he saw Old Man Yang still sitting there and smoking, he bowed in gratitude toward the old man.

The old man calmly accepted his bow.

When Chen Ping'an left again, the old man tapped his yellowing bamboo smoking pipe in thought.

Many years had passed, and Old Man Yang had secretly completed countless different transactions. Even until today, he still didn't have very high hopes for the young boy from Clay Vase Alley. Some people had genuinely good fortunes, and it could be said that they enjoyed limitless blessings from the heavens. They would often enjoy good fortune for all of their life, all the way up until some point when they suddenly suffered their first misfortune. This would be an earth-shattering moment. Indeed, the lives of these people were happy yet tragic.

However, having a resilient life force wouldn't make things much easier. Such a person's life would be filled with ups and downs and all kinds of joys and sorrows. Thus, it would be genuinely difficult for them to reach a lofty height. Meanwhile, it would be extremely easy for those truly talented prodigies to increase the gap between them. In the end, these people would only be able to lag behind and eat dust.

In some sense, Chen Ping'an was like a blade of wild grass growing beside a field under the old man's nose. Wind and rain crushed him down time and time again, yet he continued to persevere and struggle on with life. Perhaps even a dog wouldn't be willing to near him to take a piss, yet a gust of spring breeze, and he would be born anew.

It was because of this that Old Man Yang was willing to go with the flow and place a bet on him, someone whom he had the least confidence in. Small gambles could bring entertainment, and losing this gamble wouldn't hurt him much at all. Meanwhile, winning would be an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

If one had a good life, then one needed to make a vigorous effort to reach the top in a single push.

If one had a resilient life, then one needed to take advantage of their stamina to push to the top.

However, Old Man Yang knew that the world was heading into a period of chaos where the hundred schools of thought would contend with each other and where heroic beings would rise one after another. This was a one-in-1000-year period where prodigies would appear in great numbers.

On the path of cultivation, falling behind at the start will often imply falling behind forever. Chen Ping'an, it will genuinely be difficult for you to catch up and stand out.

————

Chen Ping'an walked along the narrow street and murmured to himself, "I'm so sorry, Fifteenth. I'm sorry for embarrassing you. I'll definitely work hard to practice the sword control mantra in the future and do my best to avoid another embarrassment like today."

Chen Ping'an truly felt a little guilty.

When others showed kindness toward him, Chen Ping'an would feel uneasy if he couldn't return the favor or do something for them.

The emerald green flying sword in his acupoint jumped slightly, and it was as if were in a good mood again and forgiving the young boy for his comical attempt at sword control just then.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but smile. They were both flying swords, but Fifteenth was far milder and nicer than the bad-tempered First.

Just as this thought appeared in Chen Ping'an's mind, the sword billet, First, immediately left its acupoint and started to cause chaos again. Chen Ping'an was forced to bend down in pain, and he could only stand there unable to take another step forward.

Fifteenth noticed this sudden change, and it dashed out of its acupoint with a whoosh before soaring through the meridians and eventually arriving in front of First's "home". It hovered in the air and slowly floated in circles, seemingly hesitating about whether it should pay its fellow flying sword a visit.

Chen Ping'an was unable to walk normally, so he could only shuffle to the side of the street with great difficulty and sit down on a step.

First finally stopped causing chaos inside the young boy's body, and this was most likely because Fifteenth had attracted its attention.

The two bonded flying swords that were both extremely unfortunate when it came to getting a new master hovered on the two sides of the acupoint, one inside and one outside. It was as if they were aggressively facing off against each other, yet it was also as if they were having a hesitant chance meeting.

Chen Ping'an seized this opportunity to take deep breaths and have a short break. He then jogged to Dragon Riding Alley and collected the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink before setting off for Downtrodden Mountain.

First didn't want to meet Fifteenth.

The two of them parted in unhappiness.

When they approached True Jewel Mountain, First started to cause trouble for Chen Ping'an again, and the young boy suffered so much pain that he almost fell to the ground and started rolling around. He had no option but to squat down and clench his jaws. His body was drenched in sweat, and he was almost on the verge of losing consciousness.

In the end, Chen Ping'an could only summon all his strength to practice the Eighteen Stops breathing technique. Moreover, because he had broken the barrier between the sixth stop and the seventh stop now, Chen Ping'an was able to maintain a sliver of consciousness while competing in a tug-of-war with the sword billet. However, the price that he paid for this was clearly feeling the severe pain caused by the shuddering of his soul. This torturous pain was no lesser than that of being skinned or facing death by a thousand cuts.

Fifteenth was itching to do something about this, yet it continued to stay in its acupoint. It was seemingly going to observe the situation from afar before making its decision.

When First had enough fun and finally calmed down again, it was as if Chen Ping'an had just been fished out from a body of water. He continued to hobble forward, and even his walking meditation postures were wobbly and unstable. However, even Chen Ping'an didn't notice that the fist intent flowing over him was imperceptibly growing stronger and more concentrated.

In the large mountains, there was a barefoot and disheveled old man randomly running around like a headless chook. His eyes were murky, and he stumbled and fell as he continued to murmur, "Where's Cui Chan's teacher? Where's my Cui Chan's teacher?"

The crazy old man's eyes suddenly cleared up a little. He observed his surroundings, but he didn't leap into the air or fly on the wind. Instead, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He carefully analyzed the terrain of the mountains, and with a single stride, he immediately arrived before a group of three people. The disheveled old man looked at the young boy who was drenched in sweat and practicing walking meditation, and he asked, "Are you Chen Ping'an?"

Chen Ping'an tensed up, and he nodded and replied, "Yes, that's me. Old Mister, is something the matter?"

The little boy in azure's eyes became glassy, and his expression became ashen.

After leaving the small town, he had initially thought that he would have the freedom to do whatever he wanted. Yet, walking along a small and desolate mountain path, they had still come across an immortal who could kill him with a single punch?

There was an anxious expression on the old man's face, and he asked in an urgent voice, "I'm Cui Chanchan... I'm Cui Chan's grandfather. Are you his current teacher?"

Chen Ping'an faltered for a moment, and he became increasingly cautious as he replied, "You could say that."

The disheveled old man spoke extremely quickly, and he asked, "How is he doing right now? Is he being bullied by others?"

Chen Ping'an thought about this for a moment. However, this was a very difficult question to answer, because the young Cui Chan — also known as Cui Dongshan who had headed off to Mountain Cliff Academy — had endured quite a challenging time during their long journey to Great Sui Nation. Chen Ping'an wasn't willing to lie to this disheveled old man who claimed to be Cui Chan's grandfather, yet he didn't dare to tell the complete truth either.

In his subconsciousness, Chen Ping'an felt like the old man before him had a very similar aura to Sun Scorch Mountain's mountain-moving ape. In fact, the only difference between them was their cultivation base. However, whether it was the mountain-moving ape who was more powerful, or whether it was this old man who was more powerful, Chen Ping'an couldn't tell at all.

The old man frowned, and Chen Ping'an and the two little children instantly felt a stifling pressure wash over them. The old man humphed and said, "Even though you're my grandson's teacher, meaning that I should show respect toward you, you're a pure martial artist who has yet to even reach the third tier. What gives you the right to be my grandson's teacher?! If my grandson encounters problems in the future, will you, his teacher, only be able to stand on the sidelines and watch on helplessly?! No, this is completely unacceptable!"

The disheveled old man's gaze was as intense as a blade, and he stared at Chen Ping'an and stated, "Bring me to a place that you think is safe. I'm going to help you out a bit!"

Before Chen Ping'an could even nod or shake his head, the old man had arrived by his side and grabbed one of his shoulders. "Hurry up! Time won't wait for us, and I can only maintain consciousness for 15 more minutes at most. Don't waste any time!"

Chen Ping'an had no idea what was going on.

However, the old man's grip on his shoulder caused a piercing pain to shoot through his body and reach his soul. In fact, even First and Fifteenth, his two flying swords, started to ring in grief. After all, the power that they could unleash was intricately linked with Chen Ping'an's cultivation base. Thus, they were naturally helpless against the old man's aggressive and overbearing actions.

Meanwhile, the little boy in azure and the little girl in pink didn't dare to move at all. It wasn't because they didn't want to, but it was instead because they couldn't.

It was rumored that pure martial artists who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation — for example, those who had reached the ninth tier, the Mountain Summit Tier — could condense their aura and unleash it as if it were unstoppable sword qi. With a single roar, they could also shatter their opponent's courage. This wasn't a rare sight, regardless of whether it was in the cultivation world or on the battlefield.

"Hurry up and say! If you continue to dither, I'll pulverize your hands and feet with a single punch! I won't care if you're my grandson's teacher or not!" the old man roared in anger.

Chen Ping'an's expression was resolute, and he gritted his teeth and channeled his Qi. He was going to make a last-ditch effort and fight for that sliver of a chance to stay alive.

The old man looked into Chen Ping'an's eyes, and he suddenly burst into loud laughter. He released the young boy's shoulder and took a backward step before laughing heartily and saying, "Little child, you're on the right track. Not bad, not bad. You're a good talent to work on! If you fell into the hands of some other bullshit martial arts grandmaster, they would have failed to make much of you regardless of how much effort they put into training and polishing you. However, I'm not the same!"

Wei Bo's white robe gracefully materialized on the mountain path. After remaining silent for a brief moment, Wei Bo said to Chen Ping'an, "There's no harm in bringing this old mister to the bamboo building first. If you agree, then I'll lead the way."

The old man looked at Wei Bo and remarked, "Oh? I haven't seen such a dog-like mountain god for a long time. Interesting, very interesting. After I recover a bit of my strength, I'll definitely seek you out for a sparring match if I have the opportunity."

Wei Bo smiled and replied, "Old mister, there's no need for you to seek me out for a sparring match. You should put your effort into polishing your grandson's teacher's martial arts cultivation, and that will probably keep you busy for long enough."

There was a smile of ridicule on the old man's face, and he said, "Enough with the nonsense. Bring me to Chen Ping'an's territory, that Downtrodden Mountain or whatnot. I know that there's a place suitable for training there. Now, lead the way!"

Wei Bo wasn't angered by the old man's overbearing nature, and he nodded with a smile before snapping his fingers and causing their surroundings to contort. The five of them instantly appeared in front of the bamboo building on Downtrodden Mountain.

Chen Ping'an looked at Wei Bo, and the mountain god gently nodded in reply.

The disheveled old man grabbed Chen Ping'an's shoulder and easily jumped onto the second floor of the bamboo building. He pushed the door open and led Chen Ping'an inside. The old man raised an eyebrow and said with delighted laughter, "What a nice place, what a truly nice place! I can maintain clear-headed for at least a few hours a day. This place is truly no inferior to a small world or blessed land. You're finally showing some of the magnanimity that's expected of my Chanchan's teacher."

The old man took several steps backward and asked, "Chen Ping'an, can you endure pain and hardship?"

Chen Ping'an, who was confused from the beginning to the end, instinctively nodded and replied, "Yes, I can."

"Can you endure immense pain and hardship?" the old man continued to probe.

Chen Ping'an didn't dare to answer this question.

The old man was slightly displeased, and he scolded, "Why are you acting like a little girl? If you can, then say yes, and if you can't, then say no! Is it that difficult? You're far too hesitant! If it were anyone else, I would have genuinely been unwilling to help anymore!"

Chen Ping'an quietly told himself that the old man standing in front of him was a bit mentally challenged, so he didn't need to pay any heed to his words. He would let the old man say whatever he wanted.

The disheveled old man stepped forward and entered an ancient stance where he thrust one fist forward and held one fist tight against his chest. This was a simple stance, yet his aura instantly became astonishing.

"Those who can endure the most difficult hardships can rise to become the most extraordinary people. If a martial artist wants to climb to the top, then they must suffer like a wild dog scavenging for food beside the street before reaching the pinnacle! They need to tell themselves that they must challenge the Great Dao of heaven and earth if they want to live an enjoyable life! They need to challenge those bullshit immortals! They need to challenge fellow martial artists! They need to challenge themselves! And they need to fight for that single breath!

"When this breath is exhaled, it should force heaven and earth to change colors! It should force immortals to kneel and kowtow! It should force all of the martial artists in the world to feel as if you are the paramount heavens!"

The white-haired old man, who appeared even more ragged than a beggar, radiated with an unparalleled aura of might and spirit.

The old man was clearly telling the young boy one thing; he was peerless!