Chapter 20: Taibai Sword Sect

Taibai Sword Sect

"Xu Shaowei actually came."

Wang Panpan was sleeping in the accounting room of the Zhengqi Merchant Firm, but she didn't miss the good show of the Shangqing Sect's appearance at all. Ruan Ci was a Qi Condensation little partner in everyone's eyes, and couldn't even open her Heavenly Eye. She only saw Tai Shi Yi take action twice. If it weren't for the old manager's muttering, she wouldn't even know that Young Master Yue had arrived.

"This Xu Shaowei is a chaotic demon king. If she is here, nothing can be done. The Shangqing Sect sent her here, but only sent Chen Jun to suppress the formation. It seems that it is the same as I thought, and they are not very willing to get involved in this stall."

Wang Panpan, while licking her paws, commented on the situation of the Shangqing Sect like an old man. Ruan Ci chopped the fresh fish and shrimp that had just been delivered, added a few strands of spirit grass, mixed it into a bowl of cat food and sent it to the accounting room. Wang Panpan let Ruan Ci hold the bowl, buried her head and ate and drank, and then asked Ruan Ci to hold her and smooth her hair. Ruan Ci sat on the high threshold holding the cat, smoothing her hair while whispering to her. Others thought it was fun and cute. Three years passed, Ruan Ci only grew a little taller, had a bit of a boy's appearance, but looked very childish, much younger than her actual age. Wang Panpan said this was because her body was tempered by the Donghua Sword, so it was no longer a mortal body, so it grew slower.

"I heard the old manager say that Chen Jun is the second senior brother of this generation of the Shangqing Sect—the manager also said that Tai Shi Yi's cultivation is extremely high, even among Nascent Soul cultivators, he is an expert, a whole major realm higher than Xu Shaowei, and can easily kill her. However, Tai Shi Yi said that Xu Shaowei is the junior sister that the Matriarch likes the most, so it is not convenient to hurt her. The two didn't fight. Otherwise, Chen Jun would definitely have to take action. If the two major sects of the Central Continent fought in the sky above Altar City, the aftermath of the fight alone would be enough to shatter the space here, leaving no grass, and the entire Altar City would be destroyed."

"Tai Shi Yi is indeed a subordinate that the Demon Lord values very much. Among the eighteen Order Masters of Yanshan, he holds the Fazang Order. Although this order is not the first order of Yanshan, it is the first Heavenly Demon Order that the Demon Lord held in the past." Wang Panpan snorted, "Xu Shaowei can't beat him, but to say that Tai Shi Yi can kill her at will is to look down on people. She has a substitute-life golden bell, which is a spiritual treasure given by the Xu family's old ancestor. Tai Shi Yi can't kill her easily—and it's not necessarily that he must kill her. He just talks fiercely. Xu Shaowei has always admired Xie Yan. Who knows what she wants to do by following him this time? She told Chen Jun that she was monitoring Tai Shi Yi so that he wouldn't kill you, but that might just be talk. If she sees you, ties you up and hands you to Tai Shi Yi, or simply lets Tai Shi Yi kill you, that's all up to her. Chen Jun is loose and loose, and he doesn't want to manage much at first glance."

Ruan Ci escaped from the Xuanpo Sect, and then spent half a year refining the Donghua Sword to be as she wished. Wang Panpan took her to Altar City, randomly bewitched a merchant team, let the old manager raise a cat, and took in a little partner. She had been mixing in the street for two years, and she was no longer the little girl who knew nothing about the cultivation world. She knew deeply that the struggle between the immortal sects was only more intense and more treacherous than in the mortal world. She also understood the weight of the Donghua Sword—in these two years, the big and small sects in Southern Zhuzhou were moving frequently. Ruan Ci listened to the guests chatting and heard many anecdotes. The various sects are now combing through Song Guo and surrounding countries, and it is very frequent. Now the sects of the Central Continent have come. Prosperous Sect cultivators may not have to do this hard work, but when the Mao Sect cultivators come out, these countries are afraid they will have to be screened again.

Originally, Wang Panpan was optimistic about the Shangqing Sect, "The Sword Seed of the Shangqing Sect is Xie Yan. Xie Yan has only rebelled against the sect for more than three thousand years. After she left, the sect was in chaos for a while. In such a short time, they couldn't find another Sword Seed. You killed no one from the Shangqing Sect in that sword. If you enter the sect, there should be no great cultivator with high power and heavy weight who is staring at you, ready to catch your mistakes at any time and avenge his miserably dead Sword Seed disciple."

Since they are master and disciple, they must inherit the causal link. That sword on the cloud peak was indeed swung by Ruan Ci's hand. Whether the person counts as her killing, it depends on how you think about it. However, Ruan Ci and Wang Panpan looked at it generally—the hatred of killing the disciple is remembered on her, which is better than being remembered on Xie Yan. If Xie Yan can really come back from outside the sky, with her cultivation at that time, wanting to seek revenge on her is like a dream.

"Furthermore, those who rebel against the sect die. Since Xie Yan rebelled against the Shangqing Sect, that is the great enemy of the Shangqing Sect. They naturally cultivate you with all their strength. At least you don't have to worry about being killed at will, or being raised like a pig, waiting for the next generation of Sword Seeds to grow up."

Wang Panpan has been very dedicated to her these past few years. Ruan Ci is picky, this one doesn't want to kill, that one doesn't want to kill, this one doesn't like to eat, that one doesn't like to eat. Although she was scolded by Wang Panpan many times, Wang Panpan finally followed her, but there is one point that is not very good. Wang Panpan doesn't like to talk about Xie Yan. In these few years, she didn't even tell Ruan Ci whether Xie Yan was a man or a woman. Ruan Ci was very curious about why Xie Yan rebelled against the Shangqing Sect and how the Demon Lord seduced her, but she didn't ask much, and sighed, "If I can really apprentice to the Shangqing Sect, it is naturally good. I'm afraid that the disciples of the Shangqing Sect who came this time are all people like Xu Shaowei."

Xu Shaowei and Xie Yan have a very good relationship. Xie Yan rebelled against the sect, and she still carries the protective magic weapon given by Xie Yan. Although the excuse is to protect herself in front of Tai Shi Yi, no matter how you look at it, it is not worth trusting. Wang Panpan said, "That's right, not everyone in the Shangqing Sect can be apprenticed to. This time recruiting disciples, the Sect Master's line didn't come, and the only background that can be mentioned is Chen Jun and Xu Shaowei. If you apprentice to the Shangqing Sect, it must be Chen Jun who takes care of you, but if he doesn't take care of you, or is entangled by Tai Shi Yi and can't take care of himself? If you are entrusted to Xu Shaowei, then there is something to say."

Ruan Ci was annoyed by her talk, and said angrily, "I'll just go out and apprentice to a master at will. Anyway, I can't cultivate. Just give me an artifact cultivation technique, how to cultivate it, don't give it to me."

She stood up and wanted to go, Wang Panpan hurriedly said, "You slow down—doing so doesn't matter to you. Anyway, every sect will treat you carefully, but many people will die to compete for you. Cultivators are fine, what mistakes do mortals have? You were locked up for seven hundred years, and before breaking the array, you didn't even know what rain was, and you didn't even know you were locked up. You understand what this taste is."

She is worthy of watching Ruan Ci grow up since childhood. This sentence touched Ruan Ci's heart. She thought, "That's right, fighting like this, I will definitely fall into the hands of the Central Continent's sect in the end. They fight here, and all the victims are the common people of Southern Zhuzhou. The sects of Southern Zhuzhou are so energetic to find me, perhaps they want to find me before the Heavenly Boat of the Central Continent presses the border and send me away as soon as possible, so as to avoid disputes from breaking out in Southern Zhuzhou. Southern Zhuzhou suffers the most, but can only get the least benefits."

"The old manager also said that Young Master Yue brought the Blood-Thread Golden Insect this time. The Blood-Thread Golden Insect wants to live in a mortal body. Mortals cannot resist at all. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators who have cultivated the 'Flawless Golden Body' can avoid invasion. If he fights with others, or in order to find me, releases the golden insect to invade all mortals in a country, then..."

Thinking of such a scene, she couldn't help but shudder, holding the jade disc on her chest, and staring blankly, "The old manager said that if Young Master Yue can't get what he wants, Southern Zhuzhou is afraid it will be devastated. This is really true. Three years ago, Xiunu and Linu had already appeared. There must be many hosts in Chen Guo. If it weren't for this, we wouldn't have to settle in Altar City. In three years, how much should their insect group have expanded?"

Wang Panpan's original intention was to take her to hide in the city for three years, but because of the Blood-Thread Golden Insect, she changed to hide in Altar City. There are many cultivators here. Although not many have cultivated the Flawless Golden Body, there are many ways to distinguish insect traces, which is much better than in the mortal world.

Although it is said that women are soft-hearted, Ruan Ci's heart had long been hardened by the thousands of sword intent piercings. She didn't care about how many high-flying cultivators died, but she still felt pity for the ordinary people in Southern Zhuzhou, and was worried about Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian who didn't know where to flee: "If I quietly apprentice to the Prosperous Sect of the Central Continent, the commotion will be reduced to a minimum, and Southern Zhuzhou will be able to be peaceful. Rong Jie and Qian Ge have excellent aptitude. If there is fate, it is best to apprentice to the Prosperous Sect of Southern Zhuzhou. If not, apprenticing to a Mao Sect or Ping Sect is also good. They are now low in cultivation. If Southern Zhuzhou is chaotic again, I don't know how many twists and turns they will experience."

She has been in Altar City for two years, thanks to the old manager's love of telling stories, she already knows many allusions in the cultivation world. In fact, Chen Jun was right. The Shangqing Sect doesn't have to come to Southern Zhuzhou to snatch cultivation seeds. Ancient Prosperous Sects mostly have their own Grotto-Heaven worlds. Some Grotto-Heavens have abundant spiritual energy, and the mortals who multiply in them have solid foundations. These Prosperous Sects, it is really easy to find disciples with good foundations. Even if the foundation is not thick, there are many spirit elixirs and medicines that can make up for the foundation, and they are almost free to choose, and there is no one who cannot accept disciples.

But the more such sects are, the rarer they are to accept disciples. There is no fixed rule, all relying on the ethereal fate. For example, the monks of the Wangyou Temple, they accept disciples entirely by fate, and they can't accept a few a year. Like the Yunkong Sect, sending disciples to various places to recruit disciples and using illusion arrays like the Qingyun Ladder to test the aptitude of disciples is certainly a way, but it seems a bit poor compared to the Prosperous Sects of the Central Continent.

This time, other sects must have used the Qingyun Ladder method, which can not only examine aptitude, but also the secrets of those who climb the Qingyun Ladder are clear to the host. If Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian go to climb the Qingyun Ladder, their background will not be hidden from the host. However, they don't know the relationship between Ruan Ci and the Donghua Sword, and they may not even know what the Donghua Sword is now, so the harm is not great. Ruan Ci only hopes that they can apprentice to the Prosperous Sect, so that even if their identity is exposed, they can have the ability to protect themselves against minor sects like the Lingxiao Sect.

As for herself, she cannot perceive the Dao rhyme, which means she has no spirit roots. If she doesn't draw her sword, no sect will accept her. Ruan Ci didn't think about hiding her identity, but she didn't think it was appropriate to walk to Chen Jun and take out the Donghua Sword to ask him to accept her as a disciple. The Heavenly Boat of the Central Continent has just docked, opening for three years, stopping for three years, and returning for three years. She still has a lot of time to consider this matter. Anyway, she cannot perceive the Dao rhyme. Others don't know about this, and Altar City has combed through foreign populations several times. All teenagers are paying attention, but they have let Ruan Ci go every time. They all think she is a worldly expert who came to seek immortality, and many partners kindly told Ruan Ci that she cannot cultivate truth, and it is useless to seek cultivation techniques, so it is better to visit some treasures that prolong life, which is not in vain to meet in Altar City.

As long as she is not caught by Young Master Yue, the advance and retreat are all in Ruan Ci's hands. Apprenticing is a big event, and she feels that it is better to take a look. However, Ruan Ci dare not leave Altar City. Who knows how much Young Master Yue's Blood-Thread Golden Insect has multiplied outside. She hasn't left the shop for days, just busy with business for the old manager.

One day after work, a partner who was on duty with her asked her to go shopping, "Now that the people on the Heavenly Boat have come out, there are new goods in the shops. We help the host to explore the market. If we are lucky, we can meet the Immortal Sect recruiting disciples. Although you cannot cultivate, your aptitude is so good, you have practiced such a good martial arts at the age of sixteen, and you look good. Maybe the Immortal Venerable is happy and accepts you back to

She had been in the Altar City for two years, and thanks to the old shopkeeper's love for telling stories, she already knew many anecdotes about the cultivation world. In truth, Chen Jun was not wrong; the Profound Heaven Sect had no need to come to the South Zhuzhou to snatch cultivation seeds. Most ancient prosperous sects had their own Grotto-Heaven worlds, some of which had extremely rich spiritual energy. The mortals who multiplied within them all possessed solid foundations. For these prosperous sects, finding disciples with good foundations was truly easy. Even if the foundation was not thick, there were many elixirs and medicines that could mend the base. It was almost as if they could choose at will; there were no disciples they could not recruit.

However, the more such sects there were, the rarer it was for them to take on disciples. There were no fixed rules; it all depended on the ethereal concept of "affinity." Even coming to the South Zhuzhou to search for the Donghua Sword was not a matter of screening everyone one by one and taking whoever they saw. For instance, the monks of the Wuyou Temple relied entirely on affinity to take disciples, and they could not recruit more than a few in a year. Like the Yunkong Sect, sending disciples to various places to recruit and using illusionary realms like the Azure Cloud Ladder to test a disciple's aptitude was certainly one method, but compared to the prosperous sects of the Central Continent, it seemed a bit impoverished.

This time, the other sects must all be using methods like the Azure Cloud Ladder. Not only could it assess aptitude, but the inner secrets of those who climbed the Azure Cloud Ladder were laid bare before the organizers. If Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian went to climb the Azure Cloud Ladder, their backgrounds would not be hidden from the organizers. However, they did not know the relationship between Ruan Ci and the Donghua Sword, and perhaps they did not even know what the Donghua Sword was at present, so the risk was not great. Ruan Ci only hoped they could be admitted into a prosperous sect; that way, even if their identities were exposed, they would have the power to protect themselves against a flourishing sect like the Lingxiao Sect.

As for herself, she could not sense the Dao rhyme, which meant she had no spiritual roots. If she did not reveal the sword, no sect would accept her. Ruan Ci had not thought about hiding her identity, but walking up to Chen Jun, taking out the Donghua Sword, and begging him to admit her into the sect seemed somewhat inappropriate. The Heavenly Boat from the Central Continent had only just docked; it would open for three years, stay for three years, and return for three years. She still had plenty of time to consider this matter. In any case, she could not sense the Dao rhyme, a fact others did not know. The Altar City had combed through the immigrant population several times, and all the youths were under observation, but each time they had let Ruan Ci go. They had only casually asked for her name and shop before letting her pass, all assuming she was a secular expert who had come to seek the Dao. Many shop assistants even kindly told Ruan Ci that since she could not cultivate, seeking cultivation techniques was useless; it would be better to search for some precious medicines to prolong her life, so as not to waste her encounter in the Altar City.

As long as she was not caught by Young Master Yue, the initiative remained in Ruan Ci's hands. Taking a master was a major event, and she felt it was better to wait and see. However, Ruan Ci did not dare to leave the Altar City; who knew how many of Young Master Yue's Blood-Thread Golden Insects had multiplied outside over these years? For days, she did not even leave the shop, only helping the old shopkeeper with the business.

After finishing her shift that day, the shop assistant who worked the same shift as her invited her to go for a stroll. "Now that the people from the Heavenly Boat have all come out, the shops have all received new goods. We can help the boss scout the market. If we're lucky, we might even encounter an Immortal Sect recruiting disciples. Although you cannot cultivate, your aptitude is so good; at only sixteen, you have already cultivated such excellent martial arts, and you are born so beautiful. Perhaps the Immortal Venerable will be pleased and take you back to the sect to be a cup-bearing attendant. Isn't that still entering the Immortal Sect? It's better than struggling in the Altar City!"

Most of the trading firms in the Altar City were established by the outer sects of the Immortal Sects. The shop assistants were all hired; they were either loose cultivators with mediocre cultivation or mortals related to cultivators. They were replaced batch after batch. If one spoke of advancement, climbing a few layers meant reaching the Immortal Sect. If one spoke of benefits, there were naturally more in the Immortal Sect. To say nothing else, the spiritual energy in the Immortal Sect was rich, and ordinary people could also prolong their lives there. This assistant suggesting she become an attendant in an Immortal Sect was not speaking out of jealousy, but was genuinely planning for her. Ruan Ci was also curious about how this recruitment was actually done, so she smiled and said, "I dare not think of entering the Immortal Sect, but I do want to see the excitement. I am young and inexperienced, and since many immortals have come to the city, I fear causing offense, so I haven't dared to go out lately. Today, I will trouble Uncle Li to take me along to see the excitement."

Uncle Li was already over fifty this year, so it was appropriate for Ruan Ci to call him Uncle. However, he had cultivation, and although it was only early-stage Qi Condensation, he looked much younger than ordinary people, appearing to be in his early thirties. He had always been a warm-hearted person, and Ruan Ci spoke so pleasantly that he was delighted and laughed, "What trouble? We are just like this for our whole lives, but you, perhaps you still have a bright future. I dare not think of the great sects of the Central Continent, but I see that your swordplay is quite good, and you often use the precious swords in the shop to practice a few sword stances—I will point you in a direction. The Heavenly Boat has arrived, and all the sects of the South Zhuzhou must come to the Altar City to do business. The Taibai Sword Sect of the Zhuang Kingdom is also coming."

He said not without pride, "This is a flourishing sect that is most likely to climb the threshold of a prosperous sect within a thousand years! Originally, this is not something we small people could covet, but the rules of the Taibai Sword Sect are quite strange. They only ask about the sword and nothing else. As long as it relates to the sword, they accept any disciple. Your swordplay is danced well; if you can beg them to admit you into the sect as a sword slave, or perhaps rely on the old shopkeeper to get you in as a sword-refining boy, you will have your own benefits."

"Does the shopkeeper have a friendship with the Taibai Sword Sect?"

The two walked and talked, and just as they reached the door, Uncle Li said with great animation, "How could he not? Aren't we in the business of refining materials? The Taibai Sword Sect comes every hundred years to pick precious materials. The Immortal Master Lu who came last time is a close friend of the old shopkeeper..."

Just as he said this, he suddenly stopped his speech, squeezed out a smile to greet the person, and patted his cheek. "This mouth of mine, it really is 'speak of the devil'—Immortal Master Lu, please, I was just talking to this little brother so intently that I said some things I shouldn't have. I hope you don't mind, don't mind at all."

"It wasn't anything bad, so what does it matter?" That Immortal Master Lu had a pretty good temper. He had a bulbous nose and a smiling face, just like a blacksmith often seen in the mortal world. Behind him, he brought two disciples, one male and one female, both of whom looked quite good. They were standing at the door about to come in, and it was just a coincidence that they heard the shop assistant's words.

Immortal Master Lu walked in with a chuckle and called Ruan Ci over. "Little girl, this assistant says your swordplay is good, which is also an affinity—do you have a sword? Can you perform a set for me to see?"

In her capacity as a shop assistant, Ruan Ci was bound to be overjoyed at such an opportunity. Ruan Ci also played the part to the fullest, first touching her throat with a somewhat uncomfortable expression. Immortal Master Lu chuckled and said, "Oh, my mouth! I'm so old, yet I still have no filter."

His cultivation was at least at late-stage Foundation Establishment. Although he looked somewhat plump, Ruan Ci could feel that his aura was restrained, without a trace released externally. He must have cultivated a 'Golden Body without Leaks,' perhaps even higher than Foundation Establishment. But regardless, such cultivation was a big figure that a mortal martial artist could hardly touch. Ruan Ci heard Wang Panpan say that cultivators could observe aura, so it was normal to see through her female identity at a glance. She blushed slightly. "Little Ci only dressed in men's clothing for the convenience of travel, which made the Immortal Master laugh. I will go get my sword now."

She walked hurriedly toward the back of the shop. The handsome young man behind Immortal Master Lu said in a low voice, "Uncle-Master, she is a mere mortal, and she cannot sense the Dao rhyme..."

Immortal Master Lu laughed. "Since we are idle, we are idle. Changyuan, don't be so anxious. We have to stay in the Altar City for three years this time; if we don't find some amusement, how will we pass the time?"

Ruan Ci guessed that this Immortal Master Lu had only realized she could not sense the Dao rhyme halfway through his words, so he paused. It was also a whim, which was why he did not change his mind. People in the cultivation world valued the word "affinity" very much; not everything had to be weighed by pros and cons first.

For her, the Taibai Sword Sect was certainly not a good place to go, but it was good to have more contact with cultivators. Ruan Ci walked around the corner of the house and accidentally looked back. She saw that the exceptionally handsome young disciple was still looking at her, his gaze burning as if he wanted to burn two holes in her back.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Second update after going VIP