Chapter 17: Have You Ever Heard of a Land Sword Immortal?

"Senior Brother Lu, I recall you have a Sword Spirit Root?" Tao Yaoye glanced at the archaic sword hanging at Lu Yang's waist, then at the calluses on the web of his hand formed by long-term sword practice. Such changes in a mere year were enough to prove how diligently Lu Yang practiced the sword.

Lu Yang nodded and said modestly, "I barely count as a sword cultivator."

Depending on their area of expertise, cultivators are divided into pill cultivators, talisman cultivators, array cultivators, body cultivators, sword cultivators, and so on. Among them, sword cultivators have the strongest attack power; in a battle between those of the same realm, no one is willing to face a sword cultivator.

The most famous trait of a sword cultivator is "breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword." No matter how heaven-defying your Dao techniques are, I shall break them with one sword.

Corresponding to sword cultivators are Dao technique cultivators: no matter how heaven-defying your sword techniques are, I can break your single sword with ten thousand techniques.

Beyond "breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword," sword cultivators have other famous moves, such as "Sword Opening the Heaven Gate," "Flying Sword," and more.

White robes like snow, stepping on a flying sword, riding the wind and breaking the waves—what a dashing and heroic bearing that is!

What does one seek in cultivation? First, to be strong; second, to be cool. Sword cultivators happen to perfectly meet both standards. Countless cultivators yearn to become sword cultivators, but alas, they lack the talent for the sword and have no affinity for it.

"So, Senior Brother Lu, what will you do after you learn the Flying Sword?"

Tao Yaoye had never heard of a sword cultivator who was afraid of heights.

Other people's cultivation involves flying through the sky and burrowing into the earth, carefree and at ease. This Senior Brother Lu's cultivation seems to be just burrowing into the earth, carefree and at ease.

Lu Yang said with a straight face, "A Sword Immortal is not necessarily synonymous with flying in the sky. Junior Sister Tao Yaoye, have you ever heard of a Land Sword Immortal?"

Tao Yaoye froze for a moment. Seeing Lu Yang so serious, and the term "Land Sword Immortal" sounding so familiar, she nodded along.

"Who says that immortals are all high and mighty? Immortal, immortal—in the end, it still contains the word 'human.' Immortals are in the heavens, humans are on the earth; immortals roam between heaven and earth, able to grasp the stars and moon above, and enter the nine abysses below, free and unfettered."

"The term 'Land Sword Immortal' explains that a Sword Immortal is not only in the sky; they can also walk upon the earth. With one sword strike, they can take the head of a demon from a thousand miles away!"

"My goal is to become an existence like a Land Sword Immortal!"

Tao Yaoye was just about to nod along with the atmosphere, but her long-accumulated calmness helped her react and discover the problem: "Wait, hold on. I've only heard of 'Land Immortals' (Earth Immortals). Where did this term 'Land Sword Immortal' come from?"

Lu Yang silently stared at Tao Yaoye for three seconds, as if brewing ancient secrets in his chest, and then said slowly.

"I made it up."

"..."

His attitude was so sincere that Tao Yaoye was left speechless.

Tao Yaoye did not discuss this topic further. In just three days of getting along, the image of this Senior Brother Lu had already collapsed into a mess in her mind.

During the first trial, she had seen with her own eyes Lu Yang testing for a Sword Spirit Root. At that time, in Tao Yaoye's mind, Lu Yang was like an upright and unyielding sword that could open the heavens—silent, yet unbreakable.

After the second trial, she heard Lu Yang describe his unique method of passing, and she felt that sword cultivators had flexible minds and might achieve even greater things in the future.

During the third trial, she was so tired on the Questioning Heart Mountain that she could barely open her eyes, thinking it impossible for anyone to climb to the 50th tier. That was when she saw Lu Yang reach the 50th tier and pass successfully. Lu Yang's success gave her great confidence, which gave her the perseverance to continue climbing and pass the trial.

A year later, she met a Senior Brother Lu who was afraid of heights and exceptionally talkative.

She finally understood what "distance creates beauty" meant.

"Calculating the time, it's about time to get off the boat."

Lu Yang spread out a large map. The map was drawn in great detail, with the Wendao Sect, the Imperial City of the Great Xia Dynasty, famous mountains and rivers, important cities, and blessed lands all marked upon it.

This was one-eighth of the Central Continent map.

There was a small red dot on the map, moving very slowly; if one didn't pay attention, one might think the red dot was stationary.

The red dot marked their current location.

This was no ordinary map, but a magic treasure essential for travel.

Although the map was excellent, Taiping Township was too small a place to be marked on it; being able to mark Quhe County was already rare.

This flying boat started from the Wendao Sect and traveled to the Imperial City of the Great Xia Dynasty, a journey of countless tens of thousands of miles. Let alone Taiping Township, even Quhe County was just an insignificant little dot at such a distance, barely leaving a name on the map.

The flying boat would not stop in small places like Quhe County. If it stopped everywhere, the speed of the flying boat would be greatly reduced, and its efficiency advantage would not be much more than that of a horse-drawn carriage.

This flying boat would only stop at a few major transport nodes such as the Wendao Sect, Qingyun City, Tongtian Valley, Fulong Mountain, and the Imperial City.

Lu Yang had heard from the Senior Sister that if one wanted to get off the flying boat, one just had to jump off.

Hearing this made the corners of Lu Yang's eyes twitch.

The flying boat was similar to the airplanes of his past life, extremely fast and prioritizing efficiency. The biggest difference was that passengers in his past life had to wait honestly for the plane to land before getting off, while passengers in the Cultivation Realm could jump off whenever they wanted.

It highlighted a sense of freedom and openness.

This was Lu Yang's first time jumping off a boat, and he was very excited.

This was specifically manifested by his legs trembling.

This was ten thousand meters in the air, after all.

"Senior Brother Lu, do you know how to get off the boat?"

"Naturally." Lu Yang puffed out his chest, somewhat proudly.

At ten thousand meters in the air, without using clever force, just falling straight down, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would be smashed into meat paste.

Lu Yang had asked the Senior Sister how exactly to get off the boat. The Senior Sister did not answer, only saying not to read books or ask others, but to think of a way himself to cultivate the good habit of independent thinking.

And so, Lu Yang successfully thought of a way to get off the boat and prepared for it.

It wasn't just Lu Yang and the other person preparing to get off; there were seven or eight other strangers.

Lu Yang and the other person stood at the edge of the deck with the seven or eight strangers, forming a row.

The seven or eight strangers took out standard-issue paper umbrellas.

Tao Yaoye took out a red paper umbrella that had been meticulously refined.

Lu Yang took out a parachute.

"Hmm?"

Lu Yang felt that he didn't seem very gregarious. How come the things everyone else took out were different from his?

Just as Lu Yang was wondering what they were going to do, an impatient middle-aged man in black held his umbrella and leaped off the flying boat.

The middle-aged man in black fell like a cannonball, his speed getting faster and faster.

He calmly injected spiritual energy into the paper umbrella. The light spiritual energy was like silk threads, like a nimble green snake, winding up from the handle and wrapping around the ribs of the umbrella.

The paper umbrella seemed to come to life, waking from hibernation and stretching its body. The falling speed of the middle-aged man in black gradually slowed down, swaying as he landed safely.

The middle-aged man in black let go, and the paper umbrella closed, turning into a stream of light that shuttled through the sea of clouds and returned to the flying boat.

The paper umbrella was not the property of the middle-aged man in black, but was temporarily lent to customers by the flying boat.

The seven or eight strangers and Tao Yaoye turned their heads to look at Lu Yang in unison. Even in Tao Yaoye's eyes, there was confusion.

They were holding umbrellas to jump off the boat; why were you carrying a bag on your back?

Lu Yang's face didn't turn red and his heart didn't beat faster on the surface, and he returned a brilliant smile to their confused gazes, as if he wasn't the one who was out of place.

In reality, his heart was churning, and he didn't know where to start complaining.

All words turned into one sentence—Senior Sister, you've ruined me! ===== CHAPTER 18 =====