Chapter Thirteen: A Brief Discussion on the World

  The food at Wangbolou was indeed good, and with Xiaoshi having not eaten a few good meals outside for over ten days, he dug in as soon as the dishes arrived, eating and drinking with gusto, causing Qingyu to frown.

  "Master brother, why aren't you eating? Don't cultivators eat?"

  Qingxu looked at the table of food being ravaged by Xiaoshi, and his appetite was gone. He could only say, "Even those who cultivate the Tao are human and need to eat. However, they eat a bit less." Xiaoshi didn't catch the helplessness in Qingxu's tone and continued eating voraciously with his head down.

  After a long time, the little stone finally lifted its head, wiped its mouth, rubbed its already swollen belly, and leaned against the chair. Ah, comfortable!

  Qingxu looked at the small stone who was full from eating and asked, "Little brother, are you full?" The small stone didn't even have the energy to speak, eating was also a very tiring thing, he just nodded.

  "Good kid! How come you didn't die from exhaustion!" Then he said "Let's take a rest first, nothing much happened today anyway."

  Xiao Shi Tou let out a satisfied burp, and weakly asked, "Big Brother Master, where did Master Gu fly off to just now? And what's with those people wearing yellow clothes?" It wasn't until after he ate his fill that Xiao Shi Tou remembered there were still things he didn't understand.

  With an empty stomach and suppressing his hunger, he said to the small stone, "Master Gu has a lifelong friend named Zhao Wuji. A few months ago, in Mount Qilian, he encountered the greatest calamity of the nine heavenly thunderbolts. Master Gu thought that Zhao Jianwang had already suffered the calamity, but I discovered the scar left by Zhao Jianwang's Red Flame Sword in Mount Qilian just over a dozen days ago, proving that Zhao Jianwang is still alive. Master Gu was naturally delighted and immediately rushed to Mount Qilian!"

  Xiao Shi Tou naturally understood the reason, Zhao Wu Jin's sword was still borrowed from his hand. However, he still had to show a very curious expression and asked, "Big Brother Master, why did you call Zhao Wu Jin Zhao Sword King? Is he a prince? What is Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Tribulation? And what is Chi Yan?"

  Qing Xū was prepared for this series of questions, and if Xiao Shi Tou didn't ask, it would be strange. He answered one by one: "Zhao Wú Jìn is known as the Carefree Sword King, and the Red Flame Sword is his divine sword. This Sword King isn't just a casual title; Zhao Sword King was a member of the imperial family in the previous dynasty and was a hereditary prince."

  Xiao Shi Tou was also shocked upon hearing this. Zhao Wu Jin had never told him about it, and he hadn't expected that the Sword King actually had a real background.

  Zhao Wu Jin naturally also heard it and let out a soft sigh.

  "Qing Xu knew all this, and said: 'Zhao Jian Wang has been fond of practicing Taoism and cultivating his mind since he was a child. At the age of 17 or 18, he abandoned his wealth and glory, left the royal palace, and devoted himself to practicing Taoist techniques. In just over a decade, he achieved great spiritual powers and became a generation of sword kings revered by the world. Zhao Jian Wang is a man of integrity, who only considers right and wrong, not good or evil. This has offended many disciples of famous schools, but his upright behavior has also left them speechless. The news that he was struck by the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt and materialized into a stone on Mount Gui Lian is indeed a great loss for the righteous path of the world. Fortunately, it seems that Zhao Jian Wang has survived the heavenly calamity and will surely make great progress in his cultivation in the future, becoming the first person to survive the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt in thousands of years, or perhaps even surpassing Tian Shi Dao's Bu Yun Zhen Ren to become the number one person in the world!' Qing Xu said this with a mix of emotion and blessing, 'Zhao Jian Wang! May you overcome this calamity and once again bring justice to the world!'"

  Xiao Shi Tou was overjoyed, knowing that Zhao Da Ge was very powerful, but he didn't expect it to be this extreme. He was thrilled to be his brother. Qing Xu continued without waiting for Xiao Shi Tou to ask again, "Bu Yun Zhen Ren is the publicly recognized number one in the world, with a reputation spanning 500 years and an unshakeable status. It's said that Zhen Ren has reached the highest realm of cultivation, the Tribulation Crossing Realm, and if he can cross the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, he will ascend to become a true immortal. Now, Zhao Jian Wang has taken the lead in crossing the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, and his ascension is imminent!" Qing Xu let out another sigh of admiration.

  Upon hearing the words "ascension", Zhao Wuji let out a bitter laugh. Ascension? He had indeed survived the heavenly tribulation, but his physical body was already destroyed and his powers greatly damaged. The thought of recovering to his former state seemed like an impossible dream, so what was there to say about ascension?!

  The little stone also knows its own affairs, Zhao Wujin's state is not as good as Qingxu said, more than 300 years of cultivation almost destroyed in an instant, although not dead but can't be much different from a lonely soul or wild ghost. The physical body is gone, what's the point of flying up?

  Hearing Zhao Wuji's bitter laughter, he knew that he did not want to mention the Tianjie matter again. Xiaoshi asked Qingxu, "Where is Master Brother Buyu now? What sect is Tianshi Dao? Is it very powerful?"

  "Zhang Daoling, the true person of the Heavenly Master, has not been in the mortal world for over a hundred years. It is said that he is still cultivating the supreme Taoist method at the headquarters of the Dragon Tiger Mountain to seek to unravel the knot of life and death. The Heavenly Master Sect is a branch of Taoism, also known as the Orthodox Unity Sect or the Five Pecks of Rice Sect. The Five Pecks of Rice Sect was founded by Zhang Daoling in Mount Heming, Sichuan Province during the Eastern Han dynasty under Emperor Shun's reign. Zhang Daoling called it the "Orthodox Unity Sect". Because his disciples revered him as the Heavenly Master, it is also known as the "Heavenly Master Sect". After Zhang Daoling achieved great success in cultivating Taoist methods and alchemy at Dragon Tiger Mountain, from the fourth generation of the Heavenly Master Zhang Sheng onwards, each generation of the Heavenly Masters has resided on Dragon Tiger Mountain. The Heavenly Master Sect is currently the largest sect in the Taoist world, isn't it formidable?"

  Xiao Shi Tou heard this and was a bit puzzled. The other day, he had listened to Zhao Wuji boast about the Quan Zhen Sect being the best under the sky, so he took it seriously and asked, "Didn't you say that our Quan Zhen Sect is the number one in Daoism? Why is it Tian Shi Dao again?"

  "This is who said it. The number one Taoist school in the world, how could it be Qiongshan Sect? Even if there was no Tian Shi Dao, there would still be Quanzhen Jiao, Taiyi Jiao, Lingbao Pai and so on. Any of these schools would have more power and a stronger foundation than Qiongshan Sect. Of course, Qingxu couldn't bear to disappoint his younger brother, so he said, "Our Qiongshan Sect was indeed the number one Taoist school over 500 years ago." Qingxu felt a bit guilty saying this, and continued, "Nowadays, our sect doesn't have many disciples, so we don't dare to claim that title anymore!" He wiped away his cold sweat after finishing speaking.

  Zhao Wujin listened and said directly, "It's hard for this little Taoist priest."

  Xiao Shi Tou heard this and thought, "I said Big Brother wouldn't deceive me, would he? So that's how it is!" Thinking about it, Bai Yun Zhen Ren was already so old, yet still cultivating every day. He sighed, saying, "Alas! Every day, apart from cultivating the Dao, what's the point?"

  Qingxu smiled and said, "You don't understand the situation yet. When you cultivate to a certain level, you'll want to break through again and again, but it's not up to you. Even someone as powerful as Buxun True Person is still trapped by this. He can't help but continue cultivating in order to ascend, which is also a kind of seeking liberation. Maybe he himself doesn't want to be trapped by cultivation, but some things are beyond his control."

  "What about after ascending? Do we still need to continue cultivating?" asked Xiao Shi Tou.

  "Who knows what happens after ascending to immortality? Immortals! Who has ever seen it?"

  Xiao Shi Tou's face was filled with confusion, these things were indeed too far away from him. He thought about Zhao Wu Jin's experience, cultivating the truth! Was it really so difficult and helpless?

  Qing Xiao knew that Xiaoshi still couldn't understand these things, so he said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Weren't you asking where those people were from earlier? They are from the Huashan Sect. The man in blue is Luo Ming, the Luoyin Sword of the Five Swords of Huashan. Those four are his disciples. The Huashan Sect is the largest cultivation sect in the northwest, and its leader is Jian Bing, the Spring Water Divine Sword. Earlier, Master Gu called him by name, so naturally the Huashan disciples would get angry. Fortunately, Luo Ming knows Master Gu, otherwise the Huashan Sect would be in trouble."

  "Master Gu is really formidable, isn't he afraid of Jian Bing?"

  "Be afraid! Master Gu is not someone to be trifled with. It's already a blessing for others if he doesn't go looking for trouble. However, little brother, you must remember that today it was Master Gu who was here. If it were someone else, Luo Ming wouldn't have given up so easily. Not to mention the Spring Water Divine Sword, Jian Bing is one of the top three divine swords in the world, and even among the Five Swords of Mount Hua, he's not someone to be underestimated." Qingxu feared that Xiaoshi was unaware of the danger, thinking that the Huashan School was just a soft persimmon that anyone could squeeze at will, so he solemnly warned him a few times.

  Zuo Qiu Shi thought Huashan School was nothing special because of what happened today, which led to big trouble later on.

  Xiao Shi Tou agreed readily, but didn't take it to heart and asked, "Master Third, what are the three great divine swords?"

  He didn't notice that he was listening with his right ear and letting it out with his left, continuing to say "And then there's Tai Shan Guan Ri Shen Jian Yu Hua Zhen Ren and Nan Hai Dan Feng Xuan Xuan Zhu Dan Feng Shen Jian Shui Qing. Little brother, the cultivation of these three great divine swords is not much different from that of Master Gu and Zhao Sword King, they are absolutely among the top masters in the world."

  Xiao Shi Tou furrowed his brow and said, "Big Brother Master, where is our master? Is he a high-ranking expert?"

  A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face as he stammered, "Master has always been indifferent to fame and wealth, so his reputation is not great."

  The little stone didn't notice Qingxu's unusual expression and nodded saying "Highly skilled people are all like this, deeply hidden and not revealing themselves, humble and open-minded!"

  Qing Xū was again covered in cold sweat, and hastily chimed in, "Younger brother is right, our master is indeed very reserved." He too did not want to mention Master Guang Yan Dao Ren anymore, so he changed the subject, saying: "Among the countless cultivators of the world, only about a hundred can be considered top-notch. But beyond the heavens, there are more heavens; beyond humans, there are more humans. Even if Bai Yun Zhen Ren is hailed as the number one person, it's not necessarily true that no one can surpass him. In this world, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Not to mention us cultivators, but even among those heterodox creatures, some have lived for thousands of years. Once they've cultivated to a certain level, they too can possess great divine powers and abilities, not inferior to ours."

  Xiao Shi Tou heard this and was taken aback, saying "Really, are there monsters?! What's with the fox spirits and black bear spirits?"

  "Of course, young junior brother, don't underestimate these heterodox creatures. Although humans are the most spiritual of all living things and can learn to master various Taoist arts, mysterious skills, magical treasures, and immortal swords, some of these heterodox creatures have innate talents that far surpass those of humans. Once they encounter an opportunity, they can possess great divine powers! However, they usually cultivate in seclusion in deep mountains and desolate wilderness, rarely venturing into the world."

  Xiao Shi Tou was shocked, never thought that there really were such things as monsters in the world. After listening to Qing Xiu's words, he said "Big Brother Master, you know a lot!"

  "Ha ha, I've been drifting outside for over a hundred years, so naturally I know more. Today is the 15th of the first month, and since the weather looks good, let's go appreciate the moon tonight!"

  Xiao Shi Tou naturally agreed and Qing Xu continued, "Take a look, shall we go to the White Pagoda Mountain in the north or the Five Springs Mountain in the south?"

  The little stone looked out of the window and saw that the White Tower Mountain was majestic and undulating, with a magnificent momentum embracing the Golden City. On the other hand, the Wuspring Mountain in the distance had temples built on the mountain, with corridors and pavilions connected, scattered and arranged in a harmonious way. After taking a look, he found it difficult to choose between the two mountains, both of which he wanted to visit.

  Qing Xū saw it in his eyes, knew what he was thinking, and said lightly "Going somewhere to appreciate the moon is actually simple, you can go north first and then south. But sometimes some things can only choose one, at that time it's not going north first and then south!"

  "Go to Wuspring Mountain!"

  Zhao Wujin thought to himself, "This little Taoist priest indeed has the demeanor of a great master's eldest disciple, with a broad and discerning eye!"

  Qing Xū's face faintly smiled in appreciation. Suddenly his expression changed, and Xiao Shi Tou hastily asked "What's wrong, Big Brother?"

  Qingxu patted his belly, forced a smile, and shouted loudly "Waiter, bring the dishes!"

  The little stone heard it and burst out laughing!

  (I am from Lanzhou, and I hope you can understand my homesickness.)