[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming":3,"chapter-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-186":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Unorthodox Sword of Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2337391,4570,"Chapter 186: I Think I Can Fight Too","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-186",186,"\u003Cp>Zhang Zi and Lin Jing parted on bad terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun was also unhappy; seeing Cao Ye and Liu Jing made her think of Wang Zhen, a thorn in her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun thought for a moment: she could do nothing right now, so she must focus on cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Yin Song left, she threw herself into cultivation and study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her determination frightened even the heads of each academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cultivation base was already far above her peers; after that day, it surged upward rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When asked how they knew, it was because she didn’t follow the usual path—besides cultivating spiritual power, she became deeply interested in sword techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day she went to Zhang Liuzhen, reportedly to learn swordplay from him; then the next day she climbed Si Guo Cliff to spar with Cheng Lingzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zi watched out of curiosity three times, and each time he saw Pan Yun’s progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides her core cultivation, her spellcraft advanced at an astonishing pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew how her mind and comprehension worked—her master demonstrated once, while everyone was still memorizing hand seals, she had already executed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she always extrapolated from one example to many, trying to devise spells and talismans that existed only in myths and legends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though uncertain if she could make them, the fact that she dared to propose meant she was already considering feasibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many couldn’t even reach that first step of thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the elders said nothing, everyone at their level knew how rare and precious such boldness and action truly were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Innovation~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoism hadn’t produced anything truly fresh in many years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither in thought nor in spellcraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zi watched her rapid growth with mixed emotions, his eyes filled with unspoken worry, especially as she grew closer to Zhang Liuzhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jing’s heart was equally complex—some bitterness, yet a spark of hope ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun was the only person in many years he’d seen who could match Zhang Liuzhen’s genius—no, perhaps even surpass him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Zhang Liuzhen was born with a Dao Body, Pan Yun’s comprehension was no weaker, and with all her focus on cultivation, she might reach the First Marquis before sixteen—then she would truly be the greatest Daoist of this generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Zhang Liuzhen had been one step away from entering the First Marquis, just barely missing becoming the first in five hundred years—unfortunately…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun had no idea how complex their inner worlds were; though she and Pan Xiaohei sensed someone watching several times, she couldn’t identify who—she knew their cultivation was higher than hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not sensing malice, and having done nothing wrong herself, she dismissed it, treating it like her past life’s livestreamed fieldwork assignments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t consider such stranger’s stares unusual, if not entirely ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Pan Yun and Pan Xiaohei became more cautious in their actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, except for Miao Zhen and Miao He, no one in the academy knew her talismans were better than her spellcraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her hidden trump card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun continued selling talismans under the name Xuan Miao, since she sent them money and goods every half-month anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time Pan Yun and the others went down the mountain to collect money and supplies, they’d casually sell talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Pan Yun’s talismans were genuinely excellent—far superior to her submitted assignments—neither academy insiders nor outsiders suspected their origin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, everyone knew: Mount Sanqing had produced a wastrel who sold his sister’s cultivation-saving talismans for cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun welcomed the rumors; she acted entirely as she pleased, her sole goal being to earn money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The money earned went either toward buying cultivation resources and accumulating merit, or was secretly sent to Datong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correct—after securing her footing at Long Hushan, Pan Yun resumed her path of benevolence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could do little: she brought warmth to street beggars, each act yielding only small gains, yet accumulating slowly—the golden progress bar on her spiritual realm crept forward, pulling the blue bar along with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, accumulating merit to unlock the seal progressed far faster than feeding it spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In September, Long Hushan grew bustling as countless Daoists arrived to take the Talisman Ordination Exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Long Hushan Talisman Ordination Exam was a major test rivaling the imperial credential examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Daoists across the land, obtaining an imperial credential to walk the mortal world openly as a Daoist was vital; gaining the Celestial Master’s Talisman Ordination, recognized by the profession, was equally vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This “profession” included, but was not limited to: Daoists, Buddhists, Confucians, gods, ghosts…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Pan Yun, Miao Zhen, or Miao He, all were witnessing the Talisman Ordination Exam for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the exam was held at the Celestial Master’s Mansion, many lodged in the academy, staying at Da Shangqing Palace and the academy, using the chance to consult academy masters and improve their odds of passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A significant portion were academy graduates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “If they couldn’t pass exams while studying, how could they pass after graduating and wandering the world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t everyone in her past life say their knowledge peaked during school years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miao Zhen stiffened, her face serious: “So we must receive our talismans before leaving school; the imperial credential exam can wait.” Miao He: “That’s exactly what Big Brother did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Talisman Ordination Exam and the Credential Exam weren’t entirely different—they were completely unrelated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Credential Exam tested nothing the Talisman Ordination Exam covered;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and the Talisman Ordination Exam tested nothing the Credential Exam touched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfectly forcing students to prepare for two entirely separate exams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Candidates dared not complain openly, but private grumbling ran rampant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many gathered, conversations grew heated, dredging up old grievances from past years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun and the two others were like happy wild boars in a melon patch—every time they passed these senior students, they heard fresh gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the ones who enjoyed the gossip most and most richly weren’t the three of them, but Xuan Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, Pan Yun and Miao Zhen and Miao He went to listen to gossip because Xuan Li dragged them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One sunny noon, after cultivation left everyone tired, Xuan Li invited them: “Let’s go find some senior students and have fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!. Read\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun also wanted to understand their cultivation and martial arts to better gauge her own standing in the martial world, so she eagerly went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she heard a whole bellyful of gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of it centered on the heads of the nine academies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, of the nine academy heads, except for Xue, head of Mingyuan Academy, and Yuan, head of Gaoshen Academy, all others had been replaced over the past six or seven years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s said that after Big Brother was injured, the former heads either died or were wounded and stepped down—like Zhang Ziming, head of Shihua Academy, who was hastily appointed, a tall man among dwarfs; hence his low cultivation, and why he loves seclusion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun suddenly understood and seized the opening: “Besides Xue and Yuan, among the seven new heads, isn’t Zhang Zi’s cultivation the highest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Among the heads, yes—but if you ask me, the highest cultivation in that generation is probably still Lin Tangzhu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think so—how did you forget Cheng Lingzi on Si Guo Cliff?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t Cheng Lingzi not part of that generation? He’s always been on Si Guo Cliff; everyone calls him ‘senior,’ but do you know when he first went there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun seized the opening again: “I don’t know—when?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know either, but it was certainly long ago. Still, no one talks about Si Guo Cliff or Cheng Lingzi, so I think he’s been greatly underestimated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you say that, I must bring up Zhang Li, who left Mount Sanqing—she was once second only to Big Brother in genius; Zhang Head, Lin Tangzhu, all looked weak beside her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t dwell on past glory—she later suffered severe injuries; her cultivation now far lags behind Zhang Head and Lin Tangzhu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mount Sanqing’s alchemy is famed across the land—I believe Zhang Li’s injuries were long healed; she could easily surpass Zhang Head and the others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun couldn’t help interject: “Could it be her cultivation has already surpassed Zhang Zi’s?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zi’s supporters frowned at her: “Who are you? Adults are speaking—children shouldn’t interrupt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “I’m a current student of the academy, the academy’s present master—can’t I speak here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Li feared she’d quarrel with seniors and ruin future gossip sessions, or worse, get beaten and drag her down—she yanked Pan Yun away: “Let’s go, quick, class is about to start.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun was dragged off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Li assumed this incident would make Pan Yun avoid these seniors and this place—but Pan Yun kept returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Xuan Li grew tired of gossip and stopped going—but Pan Yun kept going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time, they’d start with friendly gossip, but inevitably end in arguments, then fights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t fight hard—they knew this was the academy, where brawling was forbidden—so they fought quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, whoever ended up bruised and swollen, no one was allowed to report it to the Law Hall or academy masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Li was initially stunned, then gradually realized: this wasn’t gossip-seeking—this was training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Li: “You cultivation maniac—how did you turn gossip into a sparring opportunity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “It’s all accidental. Besides, it’s mutually beneficial—the Talisman Ordination Exam tests cultivation too. Why haven’t they complained after being beaten for days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because though they’re beaten, they benefit greatly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Li: “…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to Miao Zhen and Miao He: “Your little uncle has so many twisted arguments.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miao Zhen: “Not really twisted—fighting with Little Uncle, they truly gain a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miao He was eager: “Should we join too? I think my martial arts are decent—I’ve watched for days, I think I can beat one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1630,"2026-06-20T22:03:57.478Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","90184c8534b065c2597810665a26b36d7e15d851fd6c96d8796ee495e5d05969","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-187","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-185",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-cover.jpg"]