Chapter Twenty: A New Beginning

  The Spring Water Divine Sword suddenly appeared and then instantly disappeared, leaving Xiaoshi's emotions stirred. One of the three greatest divine swords in the world, the master of Huashan Sect, who has been famous for over 200 years, is actually so young, looking younger than his disciple Luoying Sword Luo Ming by a dozen years or so. Is this the legendary youthful appearance and eternal youth? He also remembered that Zhao Wujin's portrait was also very young, not at all like an old man of over 360 years. And Gu Changfeng looked to be only around thirty years old, it's really too amazing! There is also such a mysterious and magical Taoist technique that can come and go without a trace, it's truly astonishing, so enviable! He must cultivate well and become like them! Xiaoshi secretly made up his mind.

  At this moment, what he was thinking about in his heart was how Jian Bing could have arrived in Lanzhou City. Could it be because Luo Ming was injured by himself? This is impossible! The time is too short, and with a move of his heart, he thought that Jian Bing should have come for Zhao Jian Wang! Last night, the Red Flame Sword soared into the sky, and the Carefree Sword King appeared in Lanzhou. It's likely that someone sent a message to Jian Bing, and with Jian Bing's cultivation, it's absolutely possible for him to arrive here in such a short time. Then, after meeting the injured Luo Ming, he came here. What's strange is that Jian Bing, who usually protects his younger brother, just chatted with his little junior brother for a few sentences and then left. This is really strange!

  As for why Jian Bing insisted on finding Zhao Wuji, the reason is actually very simple. Qingxu didn't tell the truth to Xiaoshi, and back then, Gu Changfeng was about to start a fight with Jian Bing at Huashan. Luckily, Zhao Wuji appeared in time to stop Gu Changfeng. When Jian Bing saw Zhao Wuji, she insisted on competing with him in swordplay, which was both for the sake of Huashan Sect's reputation and her own wish. Zhao Wuji knew that since he had come, he couldn't avoid this matter, so he agreed to compete with Jian Bing at the summit of Huashan.

  At that time, there were only three people on the mountain: Gu Zhao Jian. After a fierce battle, Zhao Wuji won! Jian Bing was defeated and felt extremely depressed, but Zhao Wuji comforted him by saying that Jian Bing's Spring Water Sword had not yet reached its peak, promising to wait for some time until Jian Bing reached his peak before fighting again. Only the three of them knew about today's events, and they vowed not to reveal it to anyone else. After that, they left. Jian Bing knew that his skills were still far from being the best after competing with Zhao Wuji in swordsmanship. He first instructed his disciples to show respect to Gu Zhao, then he himself focused on practicing the Spring Water Sword, hoping to make a breakthrough and reach its peak.

  Qingxu had heard Gu Changfeng mention that at this time, he knew the origin. Recently, he also heard that Chunshui Jianbing had spent a hundred years cultivating and had fully grasped the Chunshui Jue, reaching the realm of great completion. Qingxu felt that Jianbing's greatest wish now should be to have another sword fight with Xianyao Sword King Zhao Wujin!

  Jian Bing's guess was correct. After mastering the Spring Water Technique, he was eager to find Zhao Wuji for a battle. However, Zhao Wuji's whereabouts were unpredictable, and he had no fixed abode, making him not easy to find. A few months ago, rumors spread that Zhao Wuji had encountered the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt in Mount Qilian and died! Jian Bing was shocked and immediately ordered his disciples to pay attention to this matter, instructing them to notify him as soon as they received any news about Zhao Wuji. Last night, Zhao Wuji appeared on Wuspring Mountain, and the news was promptly conveyed to Jian Bing by Luo Ming, a disciple of the Hua Shan Sect, using their unique transmission method. Jian Bing hastily flew over on his sword but did not see Zhao Wuji; instead, he saw that his own disciple, Luo Ming, had been severely injured. Upon inquiry, it turned out that Qingxu of the Canglang Sect was responsible for this, which piqued Jian Bing's interest.

  The Kongtong Sect has almost been isolated from the world in recent years, and there are few disciples under its gate. The sect leader, Guangxian Daoren, seems to have only two disciples, one of whom has been missing for many years. Qingxu, who injured Luo Ming, is a low-key person who doesn't like to show off. It seems that his own disciple was forced by the honest man's anger and suffered a great loss. Others may look down on the Kongtong Sect, but Jian Bing knows that the sect's Taoist methods are actually extraordinary. The sect leader Guangxian's cultivation is also not ordinary. However, after seeing Luo Ming's injuries, Jian Bing realized that Qingxu's cultivation was higher than he thought, and his own five disciples, except for Old Five Ouyang Jian, were all inferior. Jian Bing's curiosity was piqued, and she found Qingxu and Xiaoshi again. When she heard Xiaoshi say that he wanted to defeat the Huashan Five Swords, she couldn't help but say a few words. After her Chunshui Sword Technique was completed, her personality changed, and she found Xiaoshi's naive and romantic words very interesting. Qingxu was calm and composed, with a majestic air about him. At that time, she felt a great affection for him, and as a senior and sect leader, she wouldn't treat the younger generation with ordinary courtesy. After saying a few words to Xiaoshi, she left, leaving the two of them stunned for a long time.

  Qingxu came back to his senses and found that he had patted Xiaoshi awake, who was still in a daze. Xiaoshi was startled and saw Qingxu's embarrassed smile, asking "Big Brother Master, what are you doing?"

  "Helpless and frustrated, what else can be done? Let's go, little brother still has a long way to go."

  Xiao Shi Tou just returned to his senses because he had exchanged a few words with Zhao Wu Jin and asked about Jian Bing's situation.

  Zhao Wuji felt it as soon as Jian Bing arrived. At first glance, he knew that Jian Bing had already cultivated the Chunshui Sword Technique to perfection, and was no longer comparable to his past self. He was indeed a great opponent, but Zhao Wuji had become like this, otherwise, having a fierce battle with such an opponent would be exhilarating! Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but feel melancholy.

  He then heard Xiaoshi asking if Jian Bing was very powerful now. He said, "Jian Bing's cultivation in Chunshui Jue has absolutely surpassed the highest masters of Huashan Sect throughout history. Even at my peak, I would need a bit of luck to win against him!"

  Xiao Shi Tou looked at Jian Bing's demeanor and knew that this person was not ordinary, but he also couldn't let himself lose confidence. Hearing Zhao Wu Jin say so, he said "Big brother, I think you're being too modest. Once you recover, you'll definitely be more powerful than him, I believe in you!"

  Zhao Wuji was also helpless in the face of Xiao Shi's blind worship, and could only say "Then wait for it!" But in his heart, he thought "Foolish kid, I don't know when big brother will recover... unless..." Unless what, Zhao Wuji didn't say.

  Xiao Shi Tuo has recently encountered the most formidable person in the past few days, and his enthusiasm for cultivating Taoism is getting higher and higher. He can't wait to see Master Guang Xian and start practicing Taoist magic. Looking at the road ahead, he asked, "Big Brother, how much longer until we reach Kongtong Mountain?"

  Qing Xū stretched out his hand and pointed eastward, saying "Soon, walking along the main road for over a thousand miles will get you there."

  "Ah! We've still got over a thousand miles to go, and we're walking from west to east!" Little Stone exclaimed.

  Qing Xū's face relaxed, he seemed to enjoy walking, and smiled: "This is just the beginning of our journey, I recall that last time I started from Kongtong Mountain, first arrived at East Sea, then went to South Sea, then again went to West Kunlun, and finally arrived at Sai Bei. This trip was at least a few million miles, now that's what I call walking!"

  A small stone let out a groan, it turned out that Big Brother had this hobby, he could clearly fly but insisted on walking, isn't this just being stubborn?! Thinking about the over 1,000 miles of road ahead, another painful groan was heard!

  Qing Xū looked at the small stone's painful expression, but his face was serious as he said, "Younger brother, walking is also a part of cultivation. If you can't even bear this little suffering, then what's the point of talking about cultivating the truth and the Tao?"

  Xiao Shi Tou's heart skipped a beat as he heard Qing Xu's words, which were like the morning drum and evening bell that woke him up. He thought to himself, "Yes, indeed! There are no easy things in this world. Without diligent practice, how can one learn great skills? Master has also explained: 'Heaven will destroy its soldiers, so it must first make them suffer.' It must exhaust their minds, labor their bodies, starve their skin and flesh, and empty their actions. Only then can they move forward without chaos. Therefore, to cultivate the heart and nature, one must endure what they cannot do." He thought that Zhao Da Ge must have also gone through many hardships to achieve his current level of cultivation. He felt ashamed of himself for not understanding this earlier. Then he said to Qing Xu, "Big Brother is right! I know my mistake now. Let's go!"

  Zhao Wuji also sighed in his heart, foolish brother finally woke up!

  Qing Xū didn't know that his words would have a profound impact on Xiao Shi Tou. Seeing the determined and serious expression on Xiao Shi Tou's face, he thought to himself "I've gone too far, this kid is taking it too seriously!" He couldn't say anything more, so the two of them continued on their way towards Cui Hua Mountain.

  A few words from Qingxu actually gave Xiaoshi a very good guide for his future cultivation path. Cultivating the truth is not a game of house or hide-and-seek that children play! If you lose a game, you can start again, but if you make a mistake in cultivating the Tao and let your heart demon backlash, and external objects invade, the consequences are unthinkable. In the past, Xiaoshi had always been safe and sound with Zhao Wujin's help, and Zhao Wujin hadn't really let him cultivate either. Even Zhao Wujin had told Xiaoshi that one must rely on oneself! But at that time, Xiaoshi still didn't understand that cultivating the Tao wasn't as simple as sunbathing, and he still didn't know what he was supposed to do.

  He is getting closer and closer to the Kunlun Mountains, his cultivation path is about to begin. If he still approaches it with a playful mindset, he will be disappointed. Some things are just that simple, Qingyu's words changed Xiaoshi's perspective greatly, letting him know how he should face the cultivation path he has always yearned for.

  A new world is waiting for Xiaoshi's arrival, how will it welcome him?

  Only Heaven Knows!