Chapter 112: On Lingjian Mountain

Each of the top five realms exerts a powerful suppression over lower realms, stemming from the depth of one’s comprehension of the Dao.

You Buyu, as a direct disciple of the Hall Master and still young, had already reached the Fusion Dao realm—truly a prodigy of heavenly talent.

He was still young, with ample lifespan, and boundless possibilities ahead.

But at this very moment, the aura outside the door made him acutely aware: he could not defeat it.

For that aura made him feel countless sharp swords hanging above his head, radiating lethal intent, as if his head would be severed in the next instant.

Could it be that someone from Lingjian Mountain intended to kill him under cover of night?

No, impossible.

Disciples of the Heavenly Book Academy came openly to seek the Dao; Lingjian Mountain would never be so foolish as to slay them at the foot of the mountain without even granting them entry.

But if not them, then why would a cultivator of such high realm appear tonight at this inn already fully occupied by the Heavenly Book Academy?

“May I ask, who is the elder?”

“Could it be that a Lingjian Mountain Elder, fearing Zhuang You might lose to me, sent assassins under cover of night?”

“Elder, if word of this gets out, Lingjian Mountain will be laughed at by all cultivators under heaven!”

You Buyu rose from the ground, gasping, and asked in a chilling voice.

Lingzhou, backed by the Xuan Sea, was veiled in mist; now the bright moon emerged from between the clouds, casting a tall, elegant silhouette onto the door before him, flickering in the dim light.

Seeing this, You Buyu was stunned.

The silhouette revealed a woman—apparently a young woman.

A possibility flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

It couldn’t be the Junior Master of Lingjian Mountain; even though I am the Hall Master’s direct disciple, she wouldn’t bother coming here under cover of night just for me.

Yet after racking his brain, he could not think of any Lingjian Mountain Elder it might be.

But just then, the silhouette vanished, and the oppressive aura with it.

You Buyu stood in the room, exhaling slightly, yet the fear in his eyes had not faded.

In the unseen night, a graceful figure had already flown up to Xuanjian Peak and landed atop the Cloud-Crowned Palace, wreathed in mist.

It was deep into the night; the two maids in the palace were nearly asleep when a gust of wind struck their faces, jolting them awake.

“Junior Master, it’s so late—where have you been?”

“I went to intimidate an ordinary disciple of the Heavenly Book Academy.”

Yan Shuyi spoke casually to the two maids, then thought to herself: yes, the intimidation was real—the Heavenly Book Academy disciple had called her “Junior Master” in terror—but the foot-touching and the pumpkin seeds fed to him could be ignored.

As stars and moon shifted, night quietly faded; dawn’s first light sprinkled down, awakening Nanhua City.

You Buyu stepped out of his room, his expression heavier than ever before.

The aura from last night had kept him on edge all night, leaving him barely any sleep.

He Lingxiu frowned slightly: “What’s wrong with Senior You? Why is his expression even tenser than before?”

“It seems Zhuang You is no match for me.”

“?”

You Buyu lowered his voice: “Last night, while I was cultivating in my room, a high-level cultivator suddenly attacked me under cover of night.”

“Someone attacked you last night?” He Lingxiu gasped.

“Yes, fortunately I thought quickly and drove him off—but this proves Lingjian Mountain lacks confidence, resorting to such underhanded tactics.”

You Buyu smiled: “It seems I don’t need to be so cautious in this battle—I need only unleash my sword fully.”

As he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the inn—the disciple sent to scout the mountain had returned with news.

The mist halfway up Lingjian Mountain had cleared; the climbing path now lay plainly before them.

All seven great immortal sects of Qingyun Realm maintain protective arrays, usually half-open, hidden by mist; now that the mist had vanished, their mountain gate array had fully opened.

Ji You, Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Pei Ruyi also descended from the upper floor, finding the Heavenly Book Academy group already ready to depart.

Then, facing the rising sun, they stepped outside and ascended the path up Lingjian Mountain.

Here, the peaks were treacherous; only halfway up did they see a grand mountain gate, already crowded with cultivators.

Most were Lingjian Mountain disciples, watching them with suspicion, some openly channeling spiritual energy, pushing their sword intent to its peak.

The others were disciples of the Questioning Dao Sect and the Mountain Sea Pavilion, scattered among the Lingjian Mountain disciples.

The Mountain Sea Pavilion held no personal grudge against the Heavenly Book Academy; its disciples wore expressions of idle curiosity.

The Questioning Dao Sect, however, wore grim faces, their gazes fixed entirely on Ji You; Min Cheng was among them, recalling yesterday’s events, his aura brimming with murderous intent.

“Ji’s younger brother insisted on climbing the mountain—clearly not a wise choice.”

Ban Yangshu, watching the Questioning Dao Sect disciples, grew uneasy: “Last night, You Buyu was cultivating in his room—apparently, someone nearly assassinated him.”

Ji You turned to him: “What assassination?”

“You don’t know? He claims Lingjian Mountain feared Zhuang You would lose, so last night a high-level cultivator came to kill him—but he scared him off with quick thinking.”

“No wonder he lives so happily.”

“?”

Ji You’s gaze drifted, scanning the crowd—he recognized several familiar faces, all of whom had dueled him in the ruins.

Back then, the ruins were thick with malevolent energy, suppressing many cultivators’ spiritual flow, giving Ji You the upper hand.

But now, seeing them again, their cultivation bases were clearly high.

Two of them were Fusion Dao cultivators from the Questioning Dao Sect, their aura fully unleashed, exerting immense pressure even on Ji You, a Tongxuan cultivator.

But since he had come this far, and Lingjian Mountain had not refused entry, he still had his eyes on the person and the sword.

He had seen the person yesterday—but not yet the sword.

Yesterday on the street, he had heard Ding Yao speak of the Sword Forest set up on Tianjian Peak; he had already formed a plan—he could not possibly not come.

Thus, beneath countless eyes and boundless killing intent, the Heavenly Book Academy disciples ascended the mountain, and Lingjian Mountain’s inner sanctum unfolded before them.

Unlike the Heavenly Book Academy, this terrain had undergone little alteration, preserving the mountain’s natural ruggedness, yet dotted with pavilions, terraces, and towers.

Ahead lay a massive corridor bridge, suspended between two cliffs, with a waterfall cascading straight down from Questioning Sword Peak like a vertical blade, finally plunging into the roaring river below.

Several waterwheels turned with the current, while on both sides of the gorge lay the dormitories and training grounds of the outer disciples, arranged neatly in staggered order.

Then they reached a circular platform called the Sword-Gazing Terrace, directly opposite the thousand-foot waterfall.

At this moment, three figures awaited them on the Sword-Gazing Terrace.

One was the head elder of Tianjian Peak, Yan Ye, a bloodline member of Lingjian Mountain, clad in a Daoist robe, his gaze haughty.

The other two were no strangers: Zhuo Wanqiu, whom he had encountered repeatedly in the ruins, and Ding Yao, who had ordered the attack on them that day.

The Heavenly Book Academy had come to seek the Dao; naturally, no Patriarch or Junior Master would appear to greet them with smiles, as they had yesterday.

Yan Ye represented Tianjian Peak; Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao represented Xuanjian Peak; Questioning Sword Peak, lacking a direct disciple to compete and having long declined, had not intervened.

“The ruins were for immortal fortune—life and death, each relying on their own skill.”

“But the Heavenly Book Academy claims our disciples’ swordplay was unjust; if so, we accept your challenge to seek the Dao.”

“Tomorrow, we will set up a contest on the Sword-Gazing Terrace. Since words cannot settle right from wrong, our three-foot swords will determine justice.”

“You wish the Heavenly Book Academy to dominate the world and make Lingjian Mountain your backdrop? Then see if your swords are worthy.”

After speaking, Yan Ye turned to Zhuo Wanqiu.

Zhuo Wanqiu raised her eyes, glancing at Ji You among the crowd: “Travelers from afar, you must be weary. Your accommodations for the Dao-seeking period have been arranged on Xuanjian Peak—please follow me.”

Hearing Zhuo Wanqiu’s gentle tone, Yan Ye frowned slightly, thinking: Is she really treating them as honored guests?

This new personal attendant the Junior Master chose—compared to Ding Yao—was truly inferior.

Earlier, when arranging accommodations for the Heavenly Book Academy disciples, Tianjian Peak had suggested simply clearing out a few dormitory beds for outer disciples.

But no one understood why Xuanjian Peak had intervened, placing them all on the mountain itself—this was baffling.

Then the disciples ascended the mountain, seeing houses clinging to the cliff faces on both sides of the gorge.

“It seems they’ve assigned rooms by name? Strange…”

Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi whispered to each other, deeply puzzled.

If Lingjian Mountain meant to be thoughtful, why had they left the Heavenly Book Academy to wait overnight while inviting the Questioning Dao Sect and Mountain Sea Pavilion up the mountain?

But if they meant to be rude, why go to such elaborate lengths over such trivial details? It was utterly incomprehensible.

The disciples were then individually assigned to guest rooms on either side of the gorge; Wen Zhengxin and Pei Ruyi were given a small upper room.

But they did not enter; instead, they watched as Ji You was led to a higher location.

“Why is he staying so high up? I just saw a guest room nearby.”

“I don’t know…”

Pei Ruyi looked up—the massive Cloud-Crowned Palace stood atop the nearby peak.

At this moment, Ji You followed Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao to the vicinity of the palace, then entered a narrow path leading to a bamboo grove.

Within the grove stood a small courtyard, its gate wide open, the ground swept clean, and filled with everyday items.

Tea cups, meditation cushions, chopsticks—all new, all in pairs.

Ding Yao stared at the courtyard, frowning inwardly: the Junior Master placed him here? Then Zhuo Wanqiu’s voice sounded beside her ear.

“Young Master Ji, this is your residence. For these days, you need not draw your sword—rest well. If you need anything, call me.”

“My residence? Arranged by your Junior Master?”

Zhuo Wanqiu shook her head: “No, it was randomly assigned. The Junior Master has been deep in cultivation these past days and has not mentioned this matter—not a single word.”

Ding Yao stood at the doorway, watching Zhuo Wanqiu, thinking: I don’t know if the Junior Master asked or not, but even if she didn’t, you’d still find a way to slip him in.

To arrange one person’s lodging, you’ve rearranged every single Heavenly Book Academy disciple—what an elaborate effort.

But ever since she learned the Junior Master couldn’t wait even one night—that she had flown down the mountain to see him last night—she had grown more cautious, unwilling to provoke him further.

Ji You’s belongings were all in his storage gourd; he needed no unpacking. He looked at Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu and asked: “Where is the Sword Forest set up by Tianjian Peak?”

"Sword Forest?"

Zhuo Wanqiu opened her mouth: "Young Master, are you going to enter the Sword Forest?"

Ji You nodded: "I want to see the swords of Spirit Sword Mountain."

He had little time; only these few days of the Inquiry could he remain on Spirit Sword Mountain.

Once the Inquiry ended, he would have to leave the mountain with the Tian Shu Academy disciples; if he wanted to come again, he wouldn’t know when—perhaps never.

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(End of Chapter)