Chapter 278: Breaking Through

As the few of them spoke, the old man had already reached the mountain gate. He neither dodged nor avoided, nor did he look at the evil-path experts surrounding him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead as he walked directly into the gate.

That giant boulder stood on one side of the mountain gate, and Liu Chengxuan and the others were standing right on his path. As the old man drew closer, the suffocating sensation felt by Liu Chengxuan and Wen Lianrong grew increasingly intense. By the time he was a few zhang away, they were almost forced to use their true energy to assist their breathing. Even Qi Shuyun, who had one foot already stepped into the Peak Realm, had an ugly expression on her face.

"Heh."

Just as they were about to collapse, a disdainful sneer came from behind them—it was An Ziyang.

"How imposing."

Swish!

An Ziyang grabbed the sleeves of the two from the Huanhua Sword Sect with both hands, then nudged Qi Shuyun with his elbow to snap her out of it, before pulling the two of them aside.

Once out of the old man's direct path, Liu Chengxuan felt as if he had finally poked his head out of the water. He gasped, breathing heavily, his face filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Young Master An, this, this..."

"Heaven-Man."

An Ziyang smiled.

"And not the kind of Heaven-Man who cultivated in seclusion, but a proper Heaven-Man who fought his way up. Hero Qi is fine, but these two have weaker internal energy foundations and have spent less time wandering the Jianghu, so naturally, they couldn't withstand his momentum while their true energy was connected."

"Heaven-Man..."

Liu Chengxuan murmured.

"Is the realm beyond the Peak Realm, as mentioned by the Sword King Pavilion of Bashu, truly real?"

An Ziyang chuckled lightly.

"What are you saying, Sect Leader Liu?"

He reached out and patted the giant boulder, making a slapping sound.

Liu Chengxuan finally realized. That was right; the profoundness of the Heaven-Man realm was standing right in front of him, so why be so surprised? But then, he frowned.

"Young Master An... if this old man is also in the Heaven-Man realm, letting him go in like this, wouldn't it... cause trouble?"

"Him? Ha!"

An Ziyang sneered.

"Do you think the meat paste under this stone—isn't a Heaven-Man?"

Before he finished speaking, Liu Chengxuan's expression changed abruptly. He raised his hand to stop him, but it was too late. Although they had avoided the path directly facing the mountain gate, they hadn't moved far and were still on one side of it. An Ziyang had his back to the gate, while he and Wen Lianrong were opposite An Ziyang.

A tall shadow was cast from behind An Ziyang, almost enveloping him entirely. The old man had stopped behind An Ziyang. An Ziyang hadn't lowered his voice when he spoke; instead, he seemed to have deliberately raised it. Not only the old man but even the evil-path experts following him who wanted to enter heard it clearly.

Liu Chengxuan's hand was already gripping his sword hilt.

An Ziyang, however, smiled, waved his hand at him, and turned to look at the old man behind him with ease.

"What, old man, not convinced?"

The old man frowned as he looked at An Ziyang, saying nothing.

An Ziyang's realm was clear at a glance to a Heaven-Man. Even the mechanisms hidden on his body couldn't pose any threat to a Heaven-Man. If they were elsewhere, he wouldn't have even spared An Ziyang a second look.

But, if one added the stone beside him, it was different.

The old man's gaze shifted to the stone and the two severed limbs extending from beneath it. After a long while, he looked at An Ziyang again.

"Do you know whose handiwork this is?"

He said, his voice coarse and grating, like stone polished by sand.

An Ziyang smiled.

"What," he scanned the evil-path experts following the old man who wanted to enter together, "didn't they tell you the rules here?"

He gestured with his hand.

"Wanting to see the person who set the rules is simple."

"Enter from here; if you can pass the first courtyard, you can catch a glimpse of him from afar tomorrow. If your hearing is decent, you might hear the rules he set for this Jianghu."

"If you can pass the second courtyard, you can have a seat during tomorrow's moon-viewing."

"If you can pass the third courtyard, you can see him."

An Ziyang smiled.

"These are the rules. Of course, you don't have to follow them."

The old man said nothing.

"Please."

An Ziyang smiled.

The old man stepped toward the mountain gate.

Seeing that he had entered the gate, Liu Chengxuan's shoulders suddenly relaxed, his hand dropped from the sword hilt, and cold sweat ran down his temples. He looked at An Ziyang with shock and uncertainty and said.

"Young Master An, can you handle a Heaven-Man realm expert?"

"Of course not."

An Ziyang shrugged.

"Dealing with one Tang He almost exhausted everything I had on me. Even if I were prepared in advance and could choose the time and place, these crooked, evil things couldn't pose a threat to a Heaven-Man. Small paths are just small paths; being able to deal with a Peak expert is the limit."

"Then why did you..."

"Heh, it depends on the place."

A smile appeared on An Ziyang's face.

"If I met him in the Jianghu, I would definitely turn around and leave without a word. If he offended me, I would have to swallow the insult for now and find a way to deal with him later. But here and now, even if there were ten Heaven-Men, I wouldn't care."

He straightened his back and said proudly.

"Alright, it's not easy to find someone who dares to break through. Tomorrow is the banquet; I reckon he's the last one, and a Heaven-Man at that. If you miss this excitement, you'll never see it again."

An Ziyang smiled and stepped into the mountain gate.

"Let's go, let's go."

The other three looked at each other and followed quickly.

The layout of the Songshan Sect was that of an ordinary major sect. Upon entering the mountain gate, there was a square, with buildings distributed on the left and right, usually where outer disciples lived. Past the square was the main hall of the Songshan Sect; any major events within the sect were held in this square and the main hall.

But at this moment, the square was empty. Only under the eaves of the corridors on both sides did Songshan disciples and Embroidered Uniform Guards walk by with swords at their waists. There were over a dozen evil-path experts following the old man, noisy and clamorous, but these disciples and Embroidered Uniform Guards didn't even glance at them.

The old man frowned, and the evil-path expert beside him hurriedly introduced.

"Senior, although this grand event is in Songshan, it is not held at the Songshan Sect, but at the summit of Songshan. Most of the Songshan Sect members have already withdrawn to the foot of the mountain. At this moment, only some true-transmission and inner disciples remain, and more are Embroidered Uniform Guards."

"The first and second courtyard matters that the kid mentioned earlier only start after passing the main hall."

Hearing this, the old man nodded and stepped toward the main hall.

The layout of a major sect usually takes the main hall as the boundary; the area before the main hall is for outsiders. This is where the terms "outer disciple" and "inner disciple" come from. Living in the area before the main hall means you are an "outsider," just someone to decorate the facade; being able to walk past the main hall means you are "one of our own," having walked inside the gate, hence the name "inner disciple."

Therefore, past the main hall, there wouldn't be too much spacious room, but rather courtyards divided for inner disciples, true-transmission disciples, and elders to live in.

The old man walked past the main hall, crossed a corridor, and finally entered a courtyard.

An Ziyang and the other four followed in.

Like outside, the disciples who originally lived in this courtyard had been cleared out. The surroundings were silent, with only the mountain wind slowly blowing the leaves in the courtyard, making a rustling sound.

Under this tree, there was a meditation cushion, and a woman was sitting cross-legged on it.

She looked to be in her early twenties and was beautiful, yet she made people feel no desire to be close, only a chill in their hearts. A long sword without a scabbard rested on her knees; one hand was on the hilt, the other pressed on the blade, and her eyes were tightly closed. A group of people walked in, yet she didn't react in the slightest.

Dew slowly slid off the blade and dripped onto the ground.

"Washing the sword with the mind."

Liu Chengxuan murmured.

This was a unique cultivation method for swordsmen: using true energy to seal the five senses, retaining only the touch of the fingertips, visualizing their own sword in their mind, and using true energy to simulate sword Qi to wash the meridians. After successful cultivation, the true energy would be sharper, and the visualized sword would be more like an extension of the arm.

However, not many swordsmen practiced this method.

Because it was too hard to endure.

Almost all Jianghu people know that the hardest barrier in martial arts cultivation is the first time entering stillness.

The best age to practice internal energy is around ten, when the bones have roughly grown and the meridians haven't fully closed; practicing internal energy at this time yields twice the result with half the effort. But most Jianghu people often wait until they are fifteen or sixteen, or even twenty-something, to start practicing internal energy. Half of this is because good internal energy methods are hard to find, and the other half is because the experience of entering stillness for the first time is too hard to endure for a child whose mind is not yet mature.

With the five senses sealed, all the itching and pain usually ignored are infinitely magnified. The sound of internal organs squirming and blood flowing echoes clearly in the heart. Thoughts rise and fall constantly, but one cannot pay the slightest attention to them, otherwise, one will immediately exit the state of stillness; in severe cases, one might even suffer from Qi deviation. Many geniuses with outstanding talent couldn't endure the suffering of this internal energy cultivation and would rather their martial arts make no progress than continue to advance.

And this method of washing the sword with the mind is ten times harder to endure than internal energy cultivation. Sword intent wanders through the meridians, scraping off impurities; the pain is almost no less than that of severe torture. Looking at the dew flowing down the woman's sword, it was clear she had been sitting here since last night, practicing the whole time.

Her mental toughness was likely superior to ninety-nine percent of the swordsmen in the world.

Suddenly, the woman opened her eyes.

Her gaze first looked at an evil-path expert beside the old man, then at An Ziyang, nodded imperceptibly, and then her gaze returned to that person.

"You, have killing intent."

She gripped the hilt and slowly stood up.

"Do you want to pass this first courtyard?"

Swish!

The long sword was lifted, pointing at the person's face.

"Come."

That person's expression suddenly became extremely ugly. He turned to look at the old man, only to see him just looking at the woman, with no intention of making a move.

"Senior—"

He said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, they were interrupted by the woman's cold voice.

"I won't fight him; he can pass directly."

That person turned his head abruptly to look at the woman.

"Why! What about the arrogance you had when you killed my brother a few days ago!?"

"I can't beat him."

The woman said coldly.

"The Pacification Commissioner said, below the Peak, I can fight. Above the Peak, I am not allowed to make a move."

She looked at the old man.

"You can go to the second courtyard."

She turned her head to look at the other evil-path experts.

"If you want to pass, you can come and try."

"Life or death doesn't matter."

"Good!" That person shouted, "Don't talk about Jianghu morality with this imperial eagle dog! Everyone, attack together!"

"Kill!"

The evil-path experts who followed the old man swarmed forward, killing toward the woman.

The old man and An Ziyang's group of four stepped around the battle circle and walked toward the second courtyard.

Liu Chengxuan followed quickly and whispered to An Ziyang.

"Young Master An... isn't she your colleague..."

"Aren't you staying to help her?"

An Ziyang smiled.

"No need, these people can't kill her."

"Let's go, to the second courtyard."

After saying that, he stepped into the second courtyard. Liu Chengxuan couldn't say anything more and had to follow.

The second courtyard was not as empty as the first; instead, it was filled with bottles and jars. There were also vats as large as a person could embrace, placed scattered everywhere.

On the stone table in the middle of the courtyard, there was food, and a petite back was sitting there, occasionally reaching out with a small hand to take some and stuff it into her mouth. Hearing footsteps, she hurriedly put down the food, wiped her small hands on the corner of her clothes, wiped her mouth, and then turned around to stand up, smiling at the few people who walked in.

Liu Chengxuan looked closely and was stunned again.

This was clearly a little girl under twenty, whose figure hadn't fully grown, with a pretty face, eyes as lively as a fawn's, juice still on the corners of her mouth, and a shy smile on her face. More importantly, Liu Chengxuan didn't feel a trace of true energy on her, and there were no signs of martial arts practice on her hands.

This is the courtyard guardian of the second courtyard!?

Is it really not just a pretty little girl found to make up the numbers!?

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt an extremely vigorous true energy erupt from his side.

Liu Chengxuan looked at the old man in astonishment. The old man, who hadn't even had any defensive intentions when facing the woman in the first courtyard, was now actually operating his true energy, his hands turning blue-black, clearly having used a hard-body cultivation technique.

The old man slowly scanned the bottles and jars in the courtyard, then turned to look at the little girl, and said in a deep voice.

"Miao King?"

"No."

The little girl tilted her head and smiled.

"The Miao King died long ago, old grandpa."

"No, you are the Miao King."

The old man shook his head and said in a deep voice.

"There is the smell of Gu soldiers in this courtyard."

"Only the Miao King's Gu insects can drive Gu soldiers."

The little girl frowned in dissatisfaction.

"Not at all, I already said no."

"Forget it, old grandpa, are you a Heaven-Man? Do you cultivate Sumeru or Jin Gang?"

The old man's pupils shrank.

After a long while, he slowly replied.

"Jin Gang."

"Then I won't fight you."

The little girl actually sat back down directly.

"Gu insects can't bite through your hard-body cultivation; I can't beat you."

"Go to the third courtyard; I want to eat."

The old man stared fixedly at her back. After a long while, he slowly stepped toward the next courtyard.

Liu Chengxuan was astonished to find that the old man was no longer walking in a straight line, but was circling left and right a few times. He observed carefully and found that the old man was avoiding the largest water vats from afar.

He turned to look at An Ziyang.

"Young Master An, she is..."

"Didn't I use witchcraft when I killed Tang He?"

An Ziyang smiled.

"This one is the ancestor of witchcraft. If Tang He had faced her, he would have turned into a puddle of pus before even walking down the stairs."

"Brother An is teasing me again."

The little girl said without looking back.

"Go quickly, the Pacification Commissioner is just awake now. If you are any later, he will go to sleep again."

"Okay, okay."

An Ziyang smiled and replied.

"Let's go, let's go to the third courtyard."

After saying that, he led the three of them forward.

Just as the three of them walked out of this courtyard, they heard a noisy sound from behind.

"Damn it, this little girl's sword is truly powerful! I almost left my life behind!"

"Everyone, you entangle her first; Brother Qi and I will go ahead and explore!"

Messy footsteps.

"Brother Qi?"

"Brother Qi! What's wrong with you!"

"This, this is! What's going on under your skin, what kind of thing is drilling under your flesh!"

"Save..."

"Brother Qi, hold on! I'll dig this thing out—ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!"

A shrill scream, not like one made by a human, suddenly rang out.

Then, it suddenly fell silent.

Only the extremely subtle sound of liquid flowing and the sticky sound of soft objects with liquid squirming and rubbing against each other sounded from behind.

"Don't look back, Sect Leader Liu."

An Ziyang said with a smile to the pale-faced Liu Chengxuan.

"If you look, you won't be able to eat tomorrow night's meal at all."

"Let's continue to see the excitement of the third courtyard."

He said leisurely.

"This old man will stop at the third courtyard."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 279 =====