Shushan Immortal Sect.
In his mind's eye, a sword-shaped mountain rose majestically into the skies, a beautiful swirl of snow and frost.
The place that Feng Xueya had spoken of brought him to life again, transporting him back to his youth, when he had first arrived there.
Looking at the majestic city of the sword, bathed in sword light, a sense of pride and awe was definitely stirred.
One day, he would definitely rise above them all.
A pity that fate was a cruel mistress. His talent was deemed poor. Before his pride had a chance to truly show itself, he had been eliminated, sent away forever, never qualified to return.
His rose-tinted glasses had shattered like a dream. And the centuries passed.
Even after so long, he recalled the grandeur and majesty of the place. Huge swords that reached into the skies, and billions of disciples soaring around with the Art of Sword Flight. The picture was as clear as ever in his mind.
Such a wondrous thing to the Heavenly Sword Sect was just a small matter to them.
"Wu Yu, that we could become master and disciple was a miraculous stroke of fate. But I hope that you can grasp this chance and go to the holy land of sword cultivation, to shine even more brightly there. If that's the case, then Master will awaken from his dreams laughing."
Feng Xueya seemed to have aged considerably. A bitter smile, a tinge of hope, a gravity in his voice as he spoke to Wu Yu.
Wu Yu could see that this was the greatest unfulfilled desire of his life, and also the place that he could never forget. He himself could never return, but with this chance, he could unburden his own ambitions on Wu Yu.
"That place...."
Wu Yu let his imagination take the reins. At least his passion flared. The pride in his bones filled him with immense confidence. He would head for one of the biggest grounds of contest in the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent!
"Staying here, there is no way I will ever ascend to immortalhood. I will be a frog in the well for my lifetime. Only at the sacred ground of sword cultivation, at the Shushan Immortal Sect, will I know the powers of true sword cultivators, and possibly reach immortalhood...."
A wishful dream. But in this instant, he saw the path to his future.
Finally, he gave his word to Feng Xueya.
"If I go there, I'm afraid it will not be easy for me to come back to see you, or my sister." Wu Yu looked out at the plains, deep in thought.
Feng Xueya nodded. "A good man sets his sights on the world. Whether you return, whether we meet again, none of that matters. What is important is that you rise and fulfill your dreams of cultivation. All of us here are behind you."
That was his logic.
Wu You thought of Capital Wu. "If that's the case, then I will return to Capital Wu. My sister has no talent for cultivation. I'm afraid that the next time I return, she will already have passed on."
For martial cultivators, the years were plentiful. Those who reached Jindan would be granted 300 years of life. But Wu You had no such longevity.
"Go then. If there is news, I will call you back immediately."
Once the Shushan Immortal Sect representative arrived, Wu Yu's fate would be changed considerably. It was almost like there was a pair of feet moving ever closer, each step a mirror to his heartbeat.
Wu Yu used the Art of Sword Flight and returned to Capital Wu before long. He had not returned since the last time he left.
Appearing in the skies above Capital Wu, he looked down to see Capital Wu even more prosperous and secure than before. The people's faces glowed with health, and Wu You's hand could be seen everywhere.
Arriving at the palace, Wu Yu saw that a few martial cultivators were hidden here. They were core disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Seeing Wu Yu, their eyes lit up with reverent looks.
Amongst them, some were more promising than Wu Yu. They were roughly fifth tier Qi Condensation cultivators and above. After the defensive battle at the sect, Feng Xueya had sent some disciples to protect Wu You. Wu Yu had not known of this.
With them around, Wu Yu was even more assured.
It was morning, and Wu You was resting after morning court. Wu Yu walked in at this time. Seeing him, Wu You was struck, but managed a smile. She bid her ladies in waiting leave, then greeted him warmly. "You're back."
She was seated before the mirror, and currently removing the jeweled ornaments from her head.
They had not met in a long time. Matters of governance had kept her busy, and she was a little fatigued.
Wu Yu stood behind her, using his fingers to massage her shoulders. He sent warm waves of spiritual power coursing through Wu You's body from his fingertips, flushing Wu You's face and lighting up her eyes.
"This time, I will leave more good things for you. If you take them as I instruct, your life will be prolonged. Living to 100 should be no problem." Wu Yu smiled at her through the mirror.
"Why would I want to live so long for? I'll be old and a granny. Too ugly," Wu You joked.
"I will keep your beauty eternal, Sister." Wu Yu used a bit more strength. This was his wish - he dreamed to be immortal. It was said that an immortal could control the life and death of mortals. And till now, Wu Yu had yet to find a way to preserve the physical appearance of mortals without talent.
Some immortal essences and immortal medicines were efficacious, but a mortal like Wu You could not possibly withstand them. The biggest disparity of mortals was that they could not bear the power of such miraculous medicines.
"Forget about me. You can fly a thousand kilometers now. That makes me content." Wu You looked at him through the mirror with a look of glowing pride.
Wu Yu brooded for a while, then said, "Recently, some things happened at the Heavenly Sword Sect, although they're resolved now, thankfully. But I might have to leave this place and go to an even further place, where there are more martial cultivators. The real battlefield of the Immortal Dao. This time, I don't know when I can return...."
His yearning for cultivation, and his unwillingness to leave Wu You behind, they clashed intensely in his heart.
"Will you return in my lifetime?" Wu You lifted her head to look into his eyes.
Wu Yu shook his head. "I can't be sure...."
"So far...."
"Its at the extremities in the east. I'll basically cross the world."
At this point, both lapsed into gloomy silence.
After a while, Wu You managed a smile, saying, "Wu Yu, if it's far, it's far. That is where you truly belong. Even if I don't see you again in this life, what does that matter? At least you and I know that our hearts will always be together, as sister and brother.
"Whether in the deep of night, or the dawn of day, all will be well as long as we remember each other."
"Sis...." Wu Yu still found it difficult to part. But it would be difficult for him to go to the Shushan Immortal Sect, let alone to bring a mortal with him.
"Wishy-washy. That's not like you. You haven't even gone yet. How do you know that you won't see me again? I'm just worried that if you see me again when I'm old, you might not recognize me." Wu You was struck by that thought.
Wu Yu sighed deeply. He knew that Wu You was right.
"Don't worry. If I can attain immortality, I will definitely see you rise by my side!"
A beautiful face aged easily, let alone mortals. Wu You was without a shred of cultivation talent, and was destined to be a mortal for her entire life. But Wu Yu could not imagine returning and being unable to see her. Then what use was cultivating....
He had actually arranged many things for Wu You, and left a portion with Feng Xueya to manage. His sister was the dearest thing to his heart, and Feng Xueya would definitely protect something so important to Wu Yu.
Hearing Wu Yu's stirring declaration, Wu You was all smiles.
"Whether it comes true or not, Sister is just content that you wish for this."
Wu Yu accompanied her thereafter, always by her side. He was afraid that she would age significantly before he knew it, and he wanted to see more of her while she was still alive.
When she lay down to sleep, Wu Yu would cultivate the Inner Vajra Buddha. He had been training for close to two months, and the last realm of the Inner Vajra Buddha was close to completion.
"I wonder what the person from the Shushan Immortal Sect will be like. I wish to be stronger before I go to the Shushan Immortal Sect." Wu Yu was very clear that when the person arrived, his own strength would probably be the crucial factor in his decision to bring Wu Yu with him or not.
He cultivated and accompanied Wu You. His dreams and brotherly love raged on inside him, but Wu You saw things in a more open-minded manner. Her words strengthened Wu Yu's resolve. He was certain that he had to leave the Heavenly Sword Sect and enter the Shushan Immortal Sect.
Otherwise, it would be exactly as Feng Xueya had warned: miss this opportunity, and regret it for a lifetime.
And so he continued to toil, pushing the second tier of the Invincible Vajra Body to the final stages.
One day, two days......
A month passed. On one afternoon, the sun beat down relentlessly on Wu Yu's body, which blazed with golden light.
Kacha!
From within his body, loud cracking sounds could be heard.
The Inner Vajra Buddha had finally reached six zhang - its complete state.
Wu Yu was sitting on top of a palace. When it successfully reached six zhang, the Inner Vajra Buddha materialized from within his body. A beam of light that all could see shot forth. They saw a figure on top of the palace - cross-legged at about three zhang tall - suddenly swell by 20 times, becoming a giant of gold. He was bathed in golden light and shone like the sun itself. He looked indestructible. Perhaps only Wu Yu knew that this was the likeness of Buddha.
"Invincible Vajra Body, second tier!"
The materialization of the buddha's image was Wu Yu's current body. He could feel the power of his physical form. Even the Ninth Spirit's previously incomplete energy within him had been reconstructed to perfection.
Completing the second tier, it was an even bigger jump than the first tier. The tremendous strength and defenses of his corporeal body, his superb recovery abilities - he was nearer than ever to an indestructible, unkillable body!
"Vajra Transformation."
The skill where he made the Inner Vajra Buddha materialize was called Vajra Transformation. The Vajra Body was unbelievably impregnable. On this earth, it was incredibly strong. Although only six zhang tall, it towered like a mountain.
"With Vajra Transformation in effect, even if I cannot attack, my defenses will be impregnable even to spiritual immortal treasures!"
This was a skill available after he successfully completed the Inner Vajra Buddha. Similar to the Immortal Ape Transformation, except this time, he had transformed into a Buddha's image. An immovable Buddha, as unyielding as a rock!
Two powerful spiritual immortal treasures, as well as the Triple Kill of the Heavens and the 72 Strikes of the East Sea's Mad Demon. The Invincible Vajra Body’s second tier completed. Wu Yu could clearly feel his own power swell.
As to how strong he actually was, he still had not tested it.
But he did not stop, instead retrieving huge quantities of spirit concentration pills.
"First, I will complete my qi condensation!"