Chapter 58: Passing Through the Official Road (Part 9)
Such secrets of the Yan family, how would an outsider like Bai Chunsheng know?
Seeing that Bai Chunsheng didn’t respond, Jiang Ji smiled quietly. While she didn’t know exactly how these two had dealt with Yan Fengxing, based on their cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage and early Dao Stage, it was impressive regardless of what their exact cultivation level was. Their achievements were remarkable.
Indeed, with the fall of the Sword Sovereign, heroes from all corners of the world had emerged.
It seemed that these two had once been reclusive hermits. Sensing the opportunity in the changing tides, they must have emerged from seclusion to engage with the world.
Bai Chunsheng, wearing his mask, was hard to read, making him seem much more profound than the younger Yan Yi. Moreover, since Jiang Ji hadn’t seen Bai Chunsheng in the carriage earlier, he appeared more like a reinforcements invited by Yan Yi. Based on her common sense, Jiang Ji presumed that Bai Chunsheng must be the elder among the two.
Jiang Ji spoke to Bai Chunsheng, “There’s a rumor that before the Sword Sovereign cultivated, he practiced a method of mental cultivation through unorthodox spells. This method requires isolating the five senses and closing the seven emotions and six desires, so the divine sense becomes deeply immersed in the sword techniques, making it hard to connect with human desires.”
“I heard that this is actually a forbidden technique used for punishment. Unless one reaches the realm of life and death, it would be difficult to break free from this technique.”
“Wait!” Bai Chunsheng suddenly exclaimed. “Did you say the realm of life and death?” At that time, Yan Jingqiu had clearly still been a mortal, but according to Jiang Ji, didn’t that mean he had already been a Transcendent Realm cultivator?
No way! No way!
Yan Jingqiu had indeed been teasing him!
Bai Chunsheng forced himself to stop staring at Yan Yi and directed his gaze toward Jiang Ji, trying to keep his reaction hidden from the sharp woman.
Jiang Ji: “I just heard rumors.”
“Everyone knows that the realm of life and death is the highest realm of all the great paths, and no one can explain why the Sword Sovereign’s cultivation speed was so fast. Even the most gifted spiritual beings couldn’t surpass him. Even if he was an innate Dao body, it still wouldn’t explain this. But if you think about it from another perspective, if he were originally a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator at the realm of life and death, then his later cultivation might have simply been him regaining the realm he had once achieved. Doesn’t that make it easier to understand?”
Jiang Ji’s last sentence wasn’t a question, but rather a statement of certainty. Though it sounded even more unbelievable, how could it be possible? Was she suggesting that Yan Jingqiu had used those few years of being trapped in seclusion to reach a realm that few in the cultivation world could ever attain?
Bai Chunsheng was filled with confusion, but he also knew that these were likely just rumors and speculations Jiang Ji had heard. They were probably greatly exaggerated.
He couldn’t believe everything.
The carriage was filled only with the soft sound of breathing. Jiang Ji’s beautiful eyes flickered, and a confident smile graced her lips. “It does sound quite incredible. What’s worth mentioning is that this ‘realm of life and death’ is not a cultivation stage but a realm within the Sword Sovereign’s swordsmanship.”
“Unlike cultivation levels, which require steady progression, mastery in swordsmanship can be attained through sudden enlightenment. That is why, in just a few short years, he was able to grasp it in the darkness where all human desires were sealed away. This is why he has never been defeated, and why his cultivation realm remains unmatched.”
“He was already exceptionally gifted, beyond comparison. Yet, in that endless suffering of numbness and unawareness, his swordsmanship only advanced at an astonishing pace.” Jiang Ji continued with a smile.
“But cultivation is not just about improving one’s skills—it is also about understanding the world and one’s place in it.”
Jiang Ji let out a sigh. “Before the Sword Sovereign fully matured, the Yan family’s patriarch protected him with great care, especially during the time he was practicing secret techniques and refining his swordsmanship. No one had the chance to approach the secluded realm where he was training.”
“No… that’s not entirely true. There was one opportunity—one and only one.” Jiang Ji let out a mocking laugh. “The only time anyone could have interacted with the Sword Sovereign while he was still just an ordinary man.”
“And that was on the day he lifted the effects of the secret technique—his birthday celebration.”
—The Yan family’s birthday celebration?
What a coincidence.
Bai Chunsheng mused to himself. It just so happened that he had been there that day as well.
He had overheard the Fairy Hongtao of Cuiwei Palace telling his grandmother that something major had occurred in the Yan family. Yan Jianxing had executed two female cultivators at the Combined Dao stage, and the entire third branch of the Yan family had been sentenced to imprisonment in the Cold Abyss. However, he had never realized that all of this had happened on the very same day.
Unaware of Bai Chunsheng’s thoughts, Jiang Ji continued, “Do you know that Yan Jianhang, the patriarch of the Yan family, and Yan Fengxing were both part of the third branch of the Yan family?”
“The third branch of the Yan family was blinded by greed and consumed by power. Before the Sword Sovereign fully matured, no one could have predicted that he would reach such heights. At the time, Yan Jianhang had already become the head of the Yan family, while the person in control of the third branch was none other than Yan Fengxing, the youngest brother of the Yan family’s patriarch.”
“Since he couldn’t seize power from his own elder brother, he set his sights on the Sword Sovereign instead.”
“I must admit, even today, his plan still appears flawless. Yan Fengxing intended to give the unparalleled Sword Sovereign a weakness that should never have existed.”
At the mention of the word “weakness,” Bai Chunsheng’s ears perked up. “What kind of weakness?”
Jiang Ji didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, “Sealing away the five senses is an excruciating experience—it is like being dead, and to maintain one’s focus on the path of the sword under such conditions is nearly impossible. This is why many who attempt it go mad. It is also why there is only one Yan Jingqiu who has ever been unmatched in the world.”
“So when he regained his human emotions and desires, it was as if he had fallen from the realm of the immortals—free from all worldly wants—back to the mortal world. When he once again felt the wind’s touch, when he once again saw the myriad sights of the world, he would also—”
“Possess human love and desire.”
Jiang Ji waved her hand helplessly. “The only thing Yan Fengxing did not anticipate was that the Sword Sovereign’s talent was far greater than he had imagined. He had people lure away the cultivators protecting the Sword Sovereign, and he had prepared a female cultivator with an exquisite appearance.”
“He had prepared many things.”
“Unfortunately, before the unparalleled beauty Yan Fengxing had arranged could arrive, the Sword Sovereign had already broken through his realm.”
Author’s Note:
Yan Fengxing’s unparalleled beauty never arrived, but no one expected the true unparalleled beauty—Bai Chunsheng—to show up uninvited.
[What are you looking at.jpg]
[Bai Chunsheng obediently rolling up his sleeves, ready to have the ‘mere mortal’ Yan Jingqiu serve him.]
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
