Chapter Sixteen: The Enigma of Blades and Swords

Chapter Sixteen: The Riddle of Blade and Sword

The middle-aged man’s tongue was certainly not as sharp as Linghu Jinjiu’s; he was left speechless, his complexion shifting from green to white in frustration. After casting a venomous glare at Fang Junmei, he sneered, “The sect rules are clear: new disciples must have their masters accompany them to collect these items. No one may take them alone. If this young brother wants his things, bring your master with you.”

This was plainly a deliberate obstruction—everyone in the Peach Blossom Sword Sect knew that the Venerable Daoist Cuotuo had been in a deep sleep for some time.

Linghu Jinjiu didn’t get angry at these words; instead, he chuckled, took a swig from his wine gourd at his waist, and said, “The rule does exist, so let’s not make things difficult for you.” Then, turning to Fang Junmei, he added, “Since that’s the case, let’s go, junior brother. I’ll just have to return you to the Sect Leader as his disciple. We can’t have you breaking the rules on your first day.”

He was using his status to exert pressure—a tactic well known among the pampered sons of the wealthy, and Linghu Jinjiu wielded it with the same shamelessness.

Had Fang Junmei been a nobody, the middle-aged man would never have relented; but as he’d been brought back personally by Old Daoist Tianhe, and word had spread that the elders were nearly at blows over who would take him as a disciple, the situation was different.

The middle-aged man glared hatefully at Linghu Jinjiu, then produced a gray cloth pouch and tossed it over.

Linghu Jinjiu caught the pouch but didn’t hurry away. He peered inside, his eyes flashing, then said, “Qi Fourth, it seems you’re short by a thousand pieces of lower-grade Sword Spirit Stones. My master is still an inner sect elder, and we of the Unmoving Peak haven’t been expelled yet! My junior brother is entitled to every last thing—nothing less!”

For once, he was serious; his gaze turned icy, his demeanor commanding.

Qi Fourth’s face twitched in fright, but after regaining his composure, his expression darkened. He pulled out a handful of gleaming white jade-like stones and threw them over. With a cold sneer, he said, “Linghu Jinjiu, don’t be too pleased with yourself. Your Unmoving Peak is about to be expelled; soon you’ll be outer disciples. Let’s see how long you can act so arrogant.”

Linghu Jinjiu spread his hand wide, and the flying jade stones seemed caught by an invisible gale, changing direction to land neatly in his palm. He tucked them leisurely into the gray cloth pouch and replied, “You won’t live to see that day.”

The words carried a deeper meaning.

With that, he turned to leave, Fang Junmei following behind, leaving only Qi Fourth’s cold, venomous gaze fixed on their retreating backs.

…

“Senior brother, you were so imposing today. Thank you for securing these things for me.”

Once they were back atop the white clouds, Fang Junmei offered his gratitude.

“As long as you don’t blame me for dragging you into trouble, junior brother.” Linghu Jinjiu handed him the gray pouch with a smile.

Fang Junmei returned the smile, carefree as ever. “Trouble, if it’s meant to come, can’t be avoided. It’s better to understand the situation early than to fall into a trap unawares.”

“You see things very clearly, junior brother. No wonder, after your years in the mortal world’s rivers and lakes. I needn’t worry about your way of dealing with people.”

Fang Junmei accepted the compliment modestly, but couldn’t help lowering his head to examine the palm-sized pouch, curious about its contents.

To his astonishment, the seemingly ordinary pouch would not open at all, as if glued shut, no matter how hard he tried.

Linghu Jinjiu couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t bother, junior brother. Let me explain. From today, it’s time you learned some basics of our cultivation world.”

Fang Junmei thanked him and listened attentively.

It turned out the pouch was called a storage bag. Only after cultivating a power called spiritual sense could one open, view, and retrieve items from such a bag. The one Fang Junmei held was the standard issue for all new disciples—not particularly valuable, but it held nearly five cubic meters of space, enough for many things.

“The method for cultivating spiritual sense—I’ll teach you once we’re back at Unmoving Peak,” Linghu Jinjiu concluded.

Fang Junmei nodded. “Senior brother, what are these Sword Spirit Stones?”

Linghu Jinjiu explained, “Sword Spirit Stones contain sword energy, much like the internal energy you trained as a warrior in the mortal world, but far more profound. Only by absorbing this sword energy can you become a sword cultivator. Most of your cultivation in the future will revolve around training sword energy and spiritual sense.”

He paused, then suddenly recalled something. “Junior brother, you intend to be a sword cultivator, right? If not, I can exchange these for another type of spirit stone.”

“Are there other spirit stones? I love the sword above all—I’ll be a sword cultivator, no need to exchange,” Fang Junmei replied.

“There certainly are. Blade Spirit Stones, Five Elements, and Ice and Thunder Spirit Stones. The cultivation world isn’t limited to sword cultivators. Training with a particular stone enhances the corresponding magical arts. For the Five Elements and Ice and Thunder, only those with the right spiritual roots can absorb them, but Sword and Blade Spirit Stones can be used by anyone.”

“So, only those with certain spiritual roots can embark on the path of cultivation?” Fang Junmei asked.

“Exactly,” Linghu Jinjiu confirmed.

“Then what spiritual root do I have?” Fang Junmei’s expression shifted, realizing he might not possess any.

Linghu Jinjiu saw through his worry and laughed. “Don’t fret, junior brother. Though we haven’t tested you, the Sect Leader certainly has. Otherwise, why would he take you as a disciple?”

The reasoning made sense, and Fang Junmei relaxed, though he still wished to know his exact constitution.

The cloud came to a halt.

Linghu Jinjiu brushed a storage bag at his waist and produced seven spirit stones, each glowing a different color. Without asking, Fang Junmei could already guess: the golden one was the Metal Spirit Stone, the green one the Wood Spirit Stone, and so on.

“Hold out your hand, palm up.”

Fang Junmei did as instructed.

Linghu Jinjiu placed each stone in his palm, covering them with his own hand as if to trigger something. Six stones remained inert, but the gold one suddenly flashed with light, and Fang Junmei felt a stream of energy flow from the stone into his body—exquisitely comfortable.

“Metal spiritual root,” said Linghu Jinjiu succinctly, stowing away the stones and moving the cloud onward.

Fang Junmei was finally at ease. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Senior brother, could I cultivate both metal and sword energies? Would that make me stronger?”

Linghu Jinjiu smiled. “Whatever you do, it’s never wrong to focus. There are examples of those who cultivate multiple energies, and their power does seem greater. But that’s for old masters with ample time and lifespan, and special techniques besides. At our level, with limited years and no such methods, it’s best to master one path first.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Fang Junmei replied, a bit embarrassed.

Linghu Jinjiu nodded. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”

Fang Junmei thought, then asked, “With so many weapons in the world, why are there only Blade and Sword Spirit Stones? Are blade and sword cultivators special in some way?”

“That’s a mystery even the masters cannot answer. There are seven types of cultivators, and any can use blade or sword arts, so why are blade and sword cultivators singled out…? It remains an enigma,” Linghu Jinjiu sighed.

Fang Junmei acknowledged this, then asked, “From what you said earlier, the Sword Spirit Stones I received are of the lowest grade. There are higher ones?”

“Yes. Above the lower grade are medium and upper grades, determined by size and concentration of energy. One medium stone equals a hundred lower ones, and one upper stone equals a hundred medium. It’s said there are legendary supreme-grade spirit stones above even those, priceless beyond measure—but I’ve never seen one.”

“Where do these spirit stones come from?” Fang Junmei continued.

“They’re mined from spirit stone veins. Our Peach Blossom Sword Sect has its own mines—mining is one of the most common tasks and duties for disciples. Besides stones, the air of spiritual mountains is also rich in ambient energy that can be absorbed, though it’s more mixed and slower to take in.”

Fang Junmei nodded in understanding.

Linghu Jinjiu continued, “The first four cultivation realms are Gathering Qi, Floating Dust, Dao Embryo, and Dragon Gate. Our Sect Leader is said to be at mid-Dragon Gate, so I won’t speak of the higher levels for now.”

He went on to explain the first four realms in detail, broadening Fang Junmei’s horizons.

“At Unmoving Peak, our master is at early Dragon Gate. If not for his long sleep, he would surely be higher. Second senior brother is at early Dao Embryo, I am at late Floating Dust, and Xiaoman is at mid-Floating Dust.”

Fang Junmei nodded, then asked, “How can you distinguish the realms?”

“Unless someone uses a technique unique to a certain realm, you can only judge by their aura. Once you start cultivating and meet more cultivators, you’ll learn. However, some methods can mask aura, so it’s not foolproof,” Linghu Jinjiu explained.

Fang Junmei quietly recalled the auras of those he’d met, trying to compare them.

“In addition to cultivation realms, blade and sword cultivators have their own unique Dao realms. Once you begin refining your sword, I’ll teach you about those.”

“Thank you for your guidance, senior brother,” Fang Junmei said gratefully.

…

In the midst of their questions and answers, the two returned to Unmoving Peak.

Though Linghu Jinjiu had initially been reluctant to teach Fang Junmei, when he did, he was thoroughly attentive, imparting much foundational knowledge of cultivation along the way.

Once they reached Unmoving Peak, it was finally time to teach the secret arts.