Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an was unwilling to give up, so he asked, "How long is 'heh'?"

Ning Yao held back for a long time. However, seeing that Chen Ping'an had no intention of giving up, she could only reply honestly and reveal, "As long as it takes to say 'heh.' I mastered the Eighteen Stops Technique immediately after hearing the mantra."

Chen Ping'an sighed in grief. He grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd and silently took a gulp of wine before lamenting, "This was the case when I received the Mountain Shaking Guide and started to practice fist techniques, and this is still the case now that I'm practicing the Eighteen Stops Technique and sword techniques. Will I never catch up to you in my lifetime? Then how will I become a great sword immortal...?"

Before Ning Yao could say anything, however, Chen Ping'an had already offered an answer for himself. "However, this doesn't matter. We have to take things one step at a time, and how other people advance is other people's matter. We simply need to focus on ourselves and our own improvements. It doesn't matter even if we're a little slower.

"I promised you that I would practice the fist technique one million times, but even I didn't dare to imagine that I would be able to complete it in my lifetime back then. Yet, in the blink of an eye, I'm already just 20,000 repetitions away from reaching this goal. Who knows what will happen in the future?"

"Other people?!" Ning Yao interrogated.

Knowing that he had misspoken, Chen Ping'an could only chuckle with an awkward expression.

Ning Yao pondered for a moment and suggested, "Then go to the Sword Qi Great Wall earlier?"

Chen Ping'an retrieved the jade tablet from his waist and replied with a hesitant expression, "But I'm only allowed to enter tomorrow at midnight."

Ning Yao had already stood up with speed and vigor, and she said, "Pack your things up and I'll bring you over. Didn't the Flood Dragon True Lord say to look for him if we needed anything? Stalactite Mountain said this themselves, so they can't go back on their word, can they? Let's go."

There was nothing keeping Chen Ping'an on Stalactite Mountain, and he surmised that going to the Sword Qi Great Wall earlier to practice his fist techniques was also a good thing. Thus, he packed up his belongings and placed everything in his flying sword, Fifteenth. When Ning Yao saw this bonded flying sword again, she reminded him, "A flying sword that also doubles as a pocket treasure is extremely rare. You need to cherish it."

Even Ning Yao felt like this flying sword was rare, so it was definitely something of incredible value. Chen Ping'an nodded and committed this to memory.

Before leaving, Chen Ping'an went to inform Jin Su that he was going to head to the Sword Qi Great Wall earlier.

The osmanthus girl stood in front of her room with mixed emotions. In the end, she smiled faintly and bade farewell to Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao.

After leaving Stork Inn which was located near the Catch and Release Dock, Ning Yao led Chen Ping'an to the foot of Lone Peak. When the young Daoist priest, the second-in-command in Stalactite Mountain, glanced at the young boy's jade tablet that showed a different time and glanced at the young girl who had an expression as if this were justified, he became so angry that he immediately leaped up from his straw mat again.

Fortunately, Chen Ping'an had already started to explain the situation, saying, "Immortal Elder, while we were visiting the Lightning Lake Platform, we came across the Flood Dragon True Lord who informed Ning Yao that his teacher had issued an order, saying that some exceptions could be made for her. If there is a problem, then please discuss this with the True Lord. If it's not possible to make an exception, I'll return here tomorrow night."

The young Daoist priest shot a sideways glance at Chen Ping'an and asked, "Who are you? This young girl's lover?"

Chen Ping'an simply blinked without saying anything. He played dumb in front of the young Daoist priest.

The Young Daoist priest silently recited something in his mind before having a brief conversation with the Flood Dragon True Lord, someone who could be considered his junior nephew in terms of seniority. He then glanced at Ning Yao and Chen Ping'an and said, "The two of you can pass and go to the Sword Qi Great Wall."

Since a decision had already been made, the young Daoist priest didn't cause trouble for the young boy and young girl anymore. He plopped back down on his straw mat. Most likely because he was angered by that young girl, he decided to directly lie down and spread out his arms and legs. He was casually sprawled across the straw mat, and he opened a Daoist classic and placed it on his face. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ning Yao reached over and grabbed Chen Ping'an, saying in a soft voice, "Remember, it's normal to have sword qi funnel into your acupoints. There's no need to worry, because the more worried you are, the more chaotic your Qi will become."

Chen Ping'an nodded and replied, "I understand. I'll pretend that I'm molding pottery. As long as my mind is calm, then everything else will be calm as well."

Ning Yao rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Pottery-making country bumpkin!"

Chen Ping'an smiled and took her hand.

Ning Yao quickened her pace and hurriedly led Chen Ping'an into the mirror-like gate.

The sword-hugging middle-aged man sitting on top of the hitching post clicked his tongue in wonder and remarked, "Many people from the younger generation over there are about to go crazy. At that time, that silly young boy will be treated no better than the demons from Savage World."

"Even though I don't like that girl's stinky temper, my heart still aches a little now that she's been tricked into a relationship with that dumb boy," the young Daoist priest who had a Daoist book covering his head said in a gloomy voice. "One is heaven and one is earth, so how have the two of them ended up together? Isn't this an illogical relationship? Who helped them get together? Get yourself out here, and I'll definitely stab you to death! Mhm, I'll stab you half-dead first, then I'll scold you to death!"

On the peak of the tall building above Lone Peak, one of the Bells of the Three Pure Ones shuddered and rang. However, it rang silently, and it didn't notify the world or echo through Stalactite Mountain.

Afterward, a wisp of aura instantly arrived above the young Daoist priest's head and flew into the Daoist book. As if possessed, the book closed with a snap, then flew up and starting to slap the young Daoist priest left and right. There were crisp cracks as the book made contact with his cheeks.

The young Daoist priest had no time to hide or run away in front of this "divine punishment." He immediately came to a realization, and he wrapped his hands around his head and begged, "Uncle Master, I was wrong, I've seen the errors of my ways..."

————

Ning Yao's heart jolted when she strode into the Sword Qi Great Wall. However, she quickly came to an understanding and felt a sense of relief.

As it turned out, the two of them hadn't arrived on the other side of the gate where Old Nalan and the Daoist saber nun were standing guard. Instead, stepping through the mirror-like gate had directly led them above the city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall. This saved them the effort of walking through the city and climbing up the city wall, two time-consuming tasks. However, this also meant that Chen Ping'an would have to suffer a bit more.

Sure enough...

Chen Ping'an's face flushed beet red when he suddenly arrived on top of the city wall. His complexion then turned dark, and his entire body started to tremble.

However, Chen Ping'an's eyes remained limpid and calm.

He had been completely caught off guard last time, while he was already mentally prepared this time. Thus, he remained calm even though they had directly arrived on top of the city wall where the sword qi was the most concentrated and powerful. After all, Chen Ping'an was far too familiar with enduring hardship.

Indeed, he could simply treat this as a return to the second floor of the bamboo building in Downtrodden Mountain. As long as he wasn't killed in an instant, Chen Ping'an's mental state would remain as stable as a hitching post and as immovable as a pillar.

On this section of the great wall where Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao were located, there was no sword cultivator standing patrol nor was there a sword cultivator tempering their cultivation.

A skinny and hunch-backed old man left his place and arrived here in a single stride. He smiled as he looked at Ning Yao, and this made her blush slightly.

The old man smiled and clasped his hands behind his back. Even though he had already seen through the young boy from the Great Li Empire's capabilities, he still walked in a circle around Chen Ping'an before nodding and saying, "As expected."

The old man felt slightly disappointed, and he murmured, "Even though A'Liang stayed here for a hundred years, he was still unable to fully grind away his temperament as a scholar. Otherwise, if he obtained that sword, he would have been able to rival the Daoist second disciple and almost be on equal footing with him.

"Yet, he's abandoned all of his belongings now, and he's simply exchanging punches with that person in the heavens beyond heavens. What's so interesting about that? A sword cultivator without a sword, and a Daoist priest treating himself as a pure martial artist... How unseemly...

"In any case, her temper meant that she wouldn't necessarily have wanted to follow A'Liang anyway... However, choosing to follow a rustic young boy instead? This doesn't make sense either! Perhaps this is her final struggle? Perhaps she's unwilling to vanish from heaven and earth just like that?

"No, with her personality, this definitely can't be the case. She's far too proud, just like... No, it won't be right to say this. I should say that she's extremely similar to her. Who in the world convinced her? Qi Jingchun from the Scholarly Sage's lineage? As a scholar, Qi Jingchun's knowledge was indeed very profound. However, his path was completely different from her path. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been able to convince her... How very strange..."

Even though the old man with the surname Chen was standing right next to Ning Yao and speaking aloud instead of speaking in his mind, Ning Yao was still unable to catch a single word of his long rambling.

The old sword immortal couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, so he decided not to think about it anymore.

There were far too many matters in the world, so those that didn't affect him naturally wouldn't be viewed as important matters.

Moreover, there was more than just a single bloody world.

The old sword immortal felt like it was necessary to think about something cheerful. Thus, he smiled and looked toward the young girl, Ning Yao. How wonderful.

Prodigies were appearing one after another in this generation of young sword cultivators in the Sword Qi Great Wall. This was an impressive phenomenon that hadn't been seen for three millennia.

She was showing subtle signs of outshining everyone else already.

Even the old great sword immortal who had carved more than one character on the wall was very eager to see her bonded flying sword making its debut in this world.

During a long journey to the outside world before, there was one time when Ning Yao had almost unleashed her not-yet-mature bonded flying sword without caring about anything else. Because of some secret technique in the Sword Qi Great Wall, he and a few other elders had all detected the phenomenon of heaven and earth even though they had been one small world and two proper worlds away from the young girl. The worst-tempered one among them had almost broken the rules and charged into Majestic World.

Thankfully, the young girl had stopped herself before it was too late. Otherwise, she would have damaged the foundation of her Great Dao.

"Grandpa Chen, will he be alright?" Ning Yao asked in a quiet voice.

The oft-unsmiling old sword immortal looked at Ning Yao, a young girl whom he would never hide his smile from. He smiled faintly and replied, "If something happens to him, then something will presumably happen to Grandpa Chen as well, right?"

Ning Yao shot a glare at the old man.

"Oh, you're finally acting a bit like a young girl now. By the looks of it, this young boy from the outside has made huge contributions," the old man teased.

His expression became serious, and he continued, "This young boy's martial arts foundation is extremely strong, and his mind is also very stable. Very good, very good, he can definitely withstand this. There's no need to worry. You can let him endure this atmosphere on the city wall for the next while. Back then, my young neighbor Cao Ci also had to endure this and go through the same process. Make sure not to bring him to the city in the north. That place is full of filth and pollution, and any talent will be ruined no matter how impressive they are."

After saying this, the old man turned around and slowly walked away. He didn't use his mystical powers this time, and he didn't shrink this section of the Sword Qi Great Wall to a single inch.

The old man silently guarded the great wall just like that.

Millennium after millennium, it was unknown how many thousands of years had already passed.

Afterward, it took Chen Ping'an ten hours to finally find his footing. Even so, he could only walk slowly along the city wall.

After another ten or twelve hours, the young boy finally attempted to practice the six-step walking meditation. His movements were rusty, as if he were a little child practicing fist techniques for the first time.

Ning Yao would come to the top of the city wall several times a day. She wouldn't speak much, and she would return to her clan in the northern city after visiting.

Chen Ping'an gradually started to become more adept at performing the six-step walking meditation here.

He continued to walk forward and throw punches, advancing at a slow but steady pace. Whenever he reached the verge of exhaustion, he would immediately swap to standing meditation and freeze on the spot.

During this time, Chen Ping'an didn't dare to approach the parapet of the great wall. He only dared to walk along the wide carriageway.

It was said that Savage World lay to the south of the great wall.

Moreover, three bright moons would hang in the sky when night fell in this world.

Chen Ping'an felt like throwing a hundred punches in the Sword Qi Great Wall was more tiring than throwing thousands of punches in Majestic World.

He continued to advance and stop, and on the third day, Chen Ping'an could vaguely make out the outlines of the big and small thatched cottages. He also saw Cao Ci standing on top of the wall five hundred meters away and practicing fist stances, with his footwork nimble and his punches powerful. Even if Chen Ping'an wasn't a fourth tier martial artist and instead only a novice with mediocre judgment, he would have still sighed with emotion and praised Cao Ci's fist stances as... absolutely flawless!

Chen Ping'an was advancing from right to left along the great wall, while Cao Ci was advancing from left to right from his small thatched cottage.

The two of them exchanged a glance, and neither of them showed any signs of stopping. They continued to practice their fist techniques and walk forward, and they eventually brushed past each other from a distance.

Right now, Chen Ping'an's fist intent was extremely subtle, with most of it suppressed by the sword qi permeating across the great wall.

Meanwhile, Cao Ci's ferocious fist aura surged outward in a vigorous manner. It was visible to the naked eye, and it was seemingly suppressing the surrounding sword qi on the great wall instead.

Chen Ping'an slowly advanced while doing his walking meditation, and he eventually arrived near the thatched cottage of the old sword immortal. At this moment, Cao Ci had already finished a return trip and caught up to Chen Ping'an from behind.

Chen Ping'an then saw Ning Yao standing beside the old sword immortal.

At the same time, Cao Ci saw his master standing beside the old man. She was the martial goddess Pei Bei — the imperial preceptor of the Great Duan Empire.

After Ning Yao confirmed Chen Ping'an's progress with his fist technique, she finally felt at ease and led him toward the northern side of the wall near the thatched cottage. After leaping onto the parapet of the wall together, they gazed at the city that lay to the north of the great wall. Ning Yao told him where she lived, and she also pointed out where each of her friends lived.

Not far behind them, Cao Ci was practicing a new fist technique. The female martial goddess was standing nearby with a faint smile, and she would occasionally point out flaws or imperfections in his fist stances.

That night, the female martial goddess closed her eyes and rested her mind as she stood on the city wall.

Cao Ci practiced fist techniques for the entire night.

Chen Ping'an also practiced walking meditation until late into the night. Afterward, he sat cross-legged on the northern parapet and maintained the stance of standing meditation as he slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, the old sword immortal arrived near the two of them and suddenly suggested that they spar with each other.

Cao Ci didn't mind.

Chen Ping'an also didn't mind.

Thus, the old man used his fingers like a sword and created a temporary small world around them. The small world only measured thirty meters in radius.

A female martial goddess spectated the sparring session, and she surprisingly found the battles quite interesting.

On this day, with no restrictions suppressing them, the two young boys fought as if this were an ordinary battle in Majestic World. They could use flying swords, immortal treasures, fist techniques, and anything they wanted.

Before beginning their sparring session, the old sword immortal told the two young martial artists at the fourth tier that they should forget the fact that they wouldn't die on the great wall. Instead, they should treat this as a genuine life-and-death battle.

Chen Ping'an unleashed his full strength, yet he still lost all three battles.

It was unknown how much Cao Ci held back. Even so, he won all three battles.

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