Chapter 71 Swordsmanship, the Sword Intent and Sword Qi

After the late spring, the beginning of scorching heat in summer came soon, but nobody knew if it was because Sword Mountain was full of sword Qi, and they didn’t feel hot at all even at the foot of the mountain.

These days, Xie Lu would tell Li Fuyao to stab her every day after practicing swordsmanship. Sometimes, she put forth too much strength and cut the wooden sword into halves, and then Li Fuyao had to run to the mountain path again and cut another sword tree before carrying it back to the foot of the mountain. Afterward, Liu Yibai would complain and make this tree a wooden sword. But after several times, Li Fuyao admired this master, who could make each wooden sword almost the same. He even thought that if this Master Liu stopped practicing swordsmanship in the future, he might be a good carpenter.

But when they practiced swordsmanship these days, the swordswoman Xie Lu would tell Li Fuyao to stab her every day patiently and then he would sit in meditation every morning and evening with Xian Chunan to operate the vital energy in the meridians. Liu Yibai just led Li Fuyao to wander on the mountain occasionally and taught him to recognize all kinds of flowers and grass.

Although Li Fuyao didn’t understand what it had to do with practicing swordsmanship, he still ran with him patiently probably because he thought these three masters were not ordinary people and would do something for a reason.

Xian Chunan finally started to explain swordsmanship after the Slight Heat and helped Li Fuyao solve many confusing problems. He even deeply expounded the vital energy’s coherence and talked a lot about something related, from shallow to deep. Li Fuyao thought he benefited a lot and even had promoted his stage. Liu Yibai liked to joke because Li Fuyao hadn’t entered the Sword Qi Stage, which made Li Fuyao feel awkward, but Chen Sheng entered the Sword Qi Stage in one year, which was too fast. Li Fuyao was slower, and it didn’t matter.

During the period of the Great Heat after the Slight Heat, Wu Shanhe who was grounded in the sword grave went down the mountain for the first time as he was determined to see Li Fuyao, but before he walked to the foot of the mountain, he felt the fierce sword Qi. Xie Lu held her sword in her arms in the distance and looked at this laziest disciple on the mountain coldly with a distant expression.

Wu Shanhe’s back was covered with gooseflesh. After he called “Master Xie” cautiously for twice, he found that she had no reaction, so he didn’t dare to step forward. He turned around resentfully and happened to see the old master when he climbed the mountain. This teenage boy was thrown into the sword grave by the old master for the third time.

Before he entered the sword grave, this boy howled with grievance several times, but soon the old master stabbed him with his sword. All the swordsmen on the mountain saw clearly that the sword ray was too dazzling. Many people thought this old master had promoted his strength and was expected to regain what he had lost, but none of them cared if Wu Shanhe was thrown into the sword grave for the third time. Anyway, this lazy boy should be tortured. After all, he had been practicing swordsmanship for almost ten years, but he was still at the third stage, the Sword Qi Stage, which made the swordsmen on the mountain feel ashamed.

Wu Shanhe failed in going down the mountain, and the rest swordsmen didn’t go down, so Li Fuyao stayed at the foot of Sword Mountain and didn’t see anybody except the three masters. However, after the Great Heat, news came from outside that the gifted Dao cultivator Ye Shengge didn’t attend the Taoist competition which attracted everybody’s attention at the Daoist assembly in Liangxi. And then news came from Liangxi that the gifted Dao cultivator had left Chenxie Mountain and nobody knew her whereabouts. This matter disappointed the cultivators who attended the assembly, but something significant happened on Chenxie Mountain on the day when the Daoist assembly started, and soon all people shifted their attention.

A swordsman challenged the Taoist temple on the path of Chenxie Mountain. This swordsman at the Dawning Stage had powerful sword Qi. After he waved his sword, the scene was magnificent, and even in the end, a Taoist dressed in a yellow and purple robe came down in person, but he couldn’t kill the swordsman and even had to watch him go down the mountain like flying. For this provocation, nobody knew if they feared Chao Qingqiu or thought that if they sent people to surround him, it would make Chenxie Mountain a laughingstock, so nobody on the mountain stopped him.

Moreover, the temple owner who was said to be close to a sage said something that day and surprised everybody, but at last, the temple owner didn’t show up in front of them, and all people felt it was a pity. However, it was logical that such a person standing at the peak of the human world as the temple owner ignored these common people. Nobody would comment.

Because the winner after they discussed Taoist skills was from Chenxie Mountain again this time, no outsider had a chance to visit the Sky Building, so nobody could see the temple owner in the building.

However, Li Fuyao cared about Qing Huai most, but she wasn’t mentioned in the news. Even so, Li Fuyao was happy. Anyway, Ye Shengge didn’t attend it, so she didn’t compete with Qing Huai, who should be still alive anyway.

One evening after the Great Heat, Li Fuyao sat in meditation with Xian Chunan in the open space. After two hours, both of them opened their eyes. Xian Chunan suddenly laughed. “Fuyao, your master is showy this time. Few people know that he has been to the demonic land before. However, he provoked on Chenxie Mountain this time, and everybody in the world should have known it.”

Li Fuyao asked in surprise, “Is it Chen Sheng?”

Xian Chunan nodded with a smile and asked in reply peacefully, “If it’s not Chen Sheng, how can your Master Xie let you have a day off?”

Li Fuyao kept silent.

Xian Chunan stood up and patted Li Fuyao’s shoulder. He ended this conversation unexpectedly.

Looking at Xian Chunan’s back, Li Fuyao felt confused.

Liu Yibai brought a pot of rice wine from the shabby temple and came to Li Fuyao. He sat down and then said, “Xian and Xie Lu don’t drink, and it’s boring to drink alone. You are not a nice boy at a glance and must be able to drink. Have a drink with me.”

Li Fuyao smiled and didn’t refuse. He received the wine bowl and drank some after pouring the rice wine. He laughed. “Master Liu, your wine is nice.”

Liu Yibai didn’t respond in a hurry. After drinking some wine, he said with a smile, “When I was young, I didn’t leave the city and most liked to hear the storyteller in the tavern telling stories. Aha, I don’t remember anything else, but I liked only one saying, “When you walk in the world with a sword, you should have the best sword, drink the best wine and of course have the most beautiful girl.” So I was determined to practice swordsmanship. After I gave up the carpenter’s job, I went to a sect to learn martial skills. In only three years, I was one of the top ten powerful men in society. I have drunk much liquor and seen many girls, but I felt bored. So I left the society and came to Sword Mountain. Who knows that it’s so boring after I climbed the mountain? Except that I found Wild Grass in the Sword Washing Pool, it’s better to stay at the foot of the mountain.”

Li Fuyao said sincerely, “Master Liu, you are carefree.”

Liu Yibai replied crossly, “I am not as carefree as your master.”

Li Fuyao was speechless.

After drinking a bowl of rice wine, Liu Yibai stood up and drew Wild Grass from his waist, smiling peacefully. “Xian told me to teach you everything I know. How do you think I can show it to you? Xie Lu’s swordsmanship is unmatched on the mountain, and Xian’s sword intent is more profound. So would you learn my sword Qi?”

Li Fuyao got up and answered firmly, “Yes.”

Liu Yibai smiled. “We swordsmen keep the feelings in the chests and will express them when we meet something unfair. Do you think that is sword Qi?”

Li Fuyao responded cautiously, “No.”

“What’s that?” Liu Yibai asked with a smile.

“The spirit?”

Liu Yibai ignored this bloke and wiped the blade of Wild Grass with his finger. The blade chirped instantly. He grabbed the sword handle silently and waved it.

The sword Qi was overwhelming and spread to the top of Menchen Mountain, making Li Fuyao feel excited.

But it didn’t hurt any plant.

Liu Yibai sheathed the sword and smiled. “The swordsmanship, sword intent and sword Qi of the old master on the mountain are rare in the world, but his disciples divided it into three. Only Chen Sheng learnt all of the three, so who will the old master favor except him?”

Li Fuyao knew something different about his master for the first time, but in the end, Chen Sheng was not at the foot of Sword Mountain.

After waving the sword only once, Liu Yibai stopped and sat down to drink. The two drank all the wine in the pot. When there were stars all over the sky, Liu Yibai turned around and went back to the temple, and Li Fuyao was left alone. Li Fuyao looked at the place under the mountain by moonlight and thought if he succeeded in practicing swordsmanship, he would go to the demonic land to see what Qing Huai’s hometown was like.

But should he become a Sword Immortal to prove that he succeeded in practicing swordsmanship?