Chapter 223: I Am Not Very Good at Talking
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
The legend of Zhu Shiyao has been a hot topic on Spirit Sword Mountain for many years.
The reason for this was also very simple: apart from a certain senior who was deliberately treated coldly by the Heavenly Sword Hall, since ten years ago, Zhu Shiyao fully deserved to be the first Successor Disciple, the eldest sister of all disciples of Spirit Sword Sect.
Ten years ago, Zhu Shiyao was just a childish young girl. Despite the fact that she has been living on the mountain for many years, when she formally started her Immortal Cultivation training, her cultivation base was low, and she didn’t have the brilliance abilities of Wang Lu when he was still a novice. However, starting from that time, in the eyes of others, this Big Sister possessed an awe-inspiring majesty that could not be offended.
There were three aspects of her awe-inspiring majesty. The first was her character. Unlike the passionate Wang Lu, or the cheerful and naive Liu Li... Zhu Shiyao has a very indifferent temperament, like a solitary flower on the tall mountain. Except for the necessary bottom line courtesy, she refused to have even the slightest connection with the others.
Secondly, because there was only Immortal Cultivation in her mind—her dedication to the way of the sword was enough to make anyone ashamed.
As the threshold entry to the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals’ Five Uniques, most of the disciples of Spirit Sword Sect strongly committed to Immortal Cultivation, only few were lazy. There were many who were like Wang Lu and Liu Li who risked their lives in fighting practice, however, compared to Zhu Shiyao, they were still distracted too much.
Needless to say, after their sparring match, Wang Lu and Liu Li would often go to the dining hall to pig themselves. If Liu Li was defeated, then she would go to the Misty Peak cafeteria to help Aya develop new dishes… Life outside Immortal Cultivation was very rich.
Other disciples were even more so. Outside Immortal Cultivation, Spirit Sword Sect has quite an active atmosphere. Even in the entire Nine Regions, it was extremely rare to see someone like those Immortal Cultivation madmen in the fiction novels who did close-door training for centuries.
However, there was really nothing in Zhu Shiyao’s life other than her sword. In her twenty years of life in Spirit Sword Sect, she nearly spent all her time practicing her way of the sword on the Stellar Peak. Only in recent years did she gradually become somewhat approachable. Obviously, she was the Big Sister of the Spirit Sword Sect’s disciples, however, for more than ten years prior, most of the disciples haven’t even seen her face!
Despite that, whether or not they have seen Zhu Shiyao, her legends reverberated in their ears like claps of thunder. Although very few people have actually seen her making her move, this rumor has already spread all over the sect:
Even in the entire Nine Regions, no cultivators in her peers could block Zhu Shiyao’s Stellar Soul Sword.
The third and the most important reason that people looked at Zhu Shiyao in awe was: power.
Five years ago, Spirit Sword Sect and Ten Thousand Arts Sect carried out a sect’s competition. Although the Spirit Sword Sect side was triumphant, the Ten Thousand Arts Sect have also fully demonstrated their power. If it weren’t for Wang Lu’s and Liu Li’s against the heaven performances, no one could block Zhan Ziye and the others.
Despite that, many of the older disciples of Spirit Sword Sect could not help but lament: What a pity Big Sister Zhu Shiyao could not enter the competition. Otherwise, Ten Thousand Arts Sect wouldn’t have had the opportunity to bluster and swagger around even for a tiny bit. Moreover, Wang Lu wouldn’t have had the chance to produce an unexpected victory.
The power of Zhu Shiyao has already been deeply engraved in the heart of many Spirit Sword Sect disciples as the truth.
Even Liu Li, who was similarly in awed and loved by many Spirit Sword Sect disciples, was also respectful to Zhu Shiyao. When asked, she always spoke without reservation that, "My skill fall far shorter compared to that of Big Sister."
Actually, although the time where Liu Li and Zhu Shiyao entered the sect were only different by a few years, their actual Immortal Cultivation time was similar. To be able to make such a talented geniuses like Liu Li to feel ashamed of her inferiority was enough of a proof of how powerful Zhu Shiyao was.
Some people said that Big Sister stood tall like a towering monument.
However, some people have also said that, a shovel-wielding stone digger has quietly come to the front of the monument. The Lead Representative would, sooner or later, have a confrontation against Big Sister.
Wang Lu, as the Lead Representative who has always been in the limelight, has never heeded of such rumors.
He and Zhu Shiyao has no grievances at all, why would there be a need for a confrontation? In his ten years on the mountain, Wang Lu has met with Zhu Shiyao not more than three times. Every time, there would be a distance that separated them, so he could only catch her glimpse, without even exchanging some polite greetings. Therefore, it would be impossible to for them to become enemies.
The truth was, those were just words from some people who didn’t accept Wang Lu from getting the title of Lead Representative five years ago. Therefore, they always questioned his position as the Lead Representative and so on. However, Wang Lu never cared about them—if you have the ability, come and get the title away from him!
If someone tried to egg him by mentioning Zhu Shiyao’s Stellar Soul Sword, Wang Lu would just deal with them with a sentence, "Just ask Zhu Shiyao to tell this herself in front of me."
As for Liu Li? All these years she has become Wang Lu’s pet, not suitable at all to put her as a daring material.
Wang Lu himself was very aware that his greatest competitive advantage was not the strength of Non-Phase Sword, but his ability to utilize various conditions comprehensively. In other words, his comprehensive ability.
Five years ago, when he managed to defeat Liu Li in a surprise victory, did he rely on his cultivation base?
When he stirred up trouble on the Grand Cloud Mountain, did he rely on his cultivation base?
Therefore, he didn’t care even if his cultivation base was not as good as other people. Right now, because of the immortal chance in the middle of Green Lake, he has overtaken Liu Li’s cultivation base. However, even if in the future Liu Li were to overtake him again, he would think nothing of it. As for comparing with Zhu Shiyao, it was not even worth mentioning.
On the one hand, he didn’t care about the disparity in cultivation base. On the other hand, he has plenty of confidence that even if his cultivation base was not as good, in the actual fighting, he could find the opportunity to defeat Zhu Shiyao, just like when he defeated Liu Li five years ago.
Until today, when he heard Liu Li casually talking about it. Wang Lu was startled as he thought, " So Liu Li thinks that even if I give it all, I’m still not Zhu Shiyao’s opponent? "
With this curiosity, Wang Lu pulled Liu Li and joined the onlookers who welcomed the return of Big Sister.
—
The arrival of Zhu Shiyao from her experiential learning in the Southern Heaven Region has aroused a great deal of interest.
This was Zhu Shiyao’s first formal experiential learning. Seven years ago, her master, the Sect Leader, didn’t allow her to participate in that year’s experiential learning. Therefore, now was the first time she officially stepped out of the sect to participate in the Immortal Cultivation World event.
The content of her experiential learning has long been known to people. Sect Leader wanted her to go to the Ancient Sword Tomb in the Southern Heaven Region, to compete for the ancient sword of top rank spiritual treasure that was about to be born.
Despite so, the big pressure of the competition made the Spirit Sword Sect disciples secretly worry about Zhu Shiyao. Because all the powerful sects would gather there, no one would dare to say they were a hundred percent assured.
If it were Wang Lu who participated in this event, perhaps people’s confidence would increase by a couple of points. After all, Wang Lu was most adept at fishing in troubled waters; more people instead thought that this would be to his advantage. On the other hand, though Zhu Shiyao was well known for her godly swordsmanship, she has spent more than twenty years in isolation. Therefore, to a certain extent, she was even more ignorant of the affairs of the world than the naive Liu Li. She has been practicing sword her whole life, so when she came across a problem, the only way to deal with it that she knows of was through her sword, which was why people gave her a nickname of a sword against everything. It was said that many powerful cultivators gathered at that Ancient Sword Tomb. Allegedly, even a Deity Stage cultivator has also appeared. No matter how powerful Zhu Shiyao’s Stellar Soul Sword was, she was still in Xudan Stage, how could she possibly contend against a Deity Stage cultivator?
For the last few weeks, filled with curiosity and worry, the disciples of Spirit Sword Sect have been guessing the result of the experiential learning. Now that the news of the arrival of Zhu Shiyao has spread out, countless of sword lights came from all directions to the Four Divisions Peak, which was the transit station of the Spirit Sword Sect to the outside world.
When Wang Lu and Liu Li arrived at the Four Divisions Peak, the square has been filled with a sea of people. Hundreds of cultivators crowded in groups, talking noisily among themselves. Some curiously inquired about the situation, and some were shouting out their love for their Big Sister; the scene was extremely chaotic. If based on this scene alone, no one would believe that among the Five Uniques, Spirit Sword Sect was the most withered in terms of population.
In spite of the crowd interference, Wang Lu was among the first who saw Zhu Shiyao.
Because though there were many people at the square, their sense of existence was far less than that of the indifferent girl that came flying on the Imperial Sword in the distant.
This was the first time Wang Lu has carefully observed Zhu Shiyao.
Just like the rumor, the woman seemed aloof and indifferent. Her whole body was like a treasured sword that radiated coldness which kept people from getting close. She was born with a slim and slender figure, delicate and refined face, but her pair of sharp as sword intent eyes made people unable to be intimate with her. Even just a simple peripheral glance from her was like being pierced by needles...
She was indeed the majestic Big Sister. Though they never saw her in a real fight, however… to be able to make a certain practitioner of Non-Phase Sword feel uncomfortable as if he was being punctured, the power of the Stellar Sword Intent of Zhu Shiyao was already beyond imagination.
When he caught the sight of Zhu Shiyao, Wang Lu had already guessed correctly the result of her experiential learning—it wasn’t really hard to guess because a sword with a profound sword intent could already be seen tied to her waist. The ancient sword of top rank spiritual treasure was already in her hand, what more could be said about the result of her experiential learning?
People who noticed that sword were not just Wang Lu. Soon, everyone cheered incessantly. Although Zhu Shiyao herself was always indifferent as ice, it did not prevent the warm enthusiasm on the square to erupt.
A moment later, a white-haired old man appeared on Zhu Shiyao’s side, letting the cheer level on the square went up a notch.
That was the Sect Leader of the Spirit Sword Sect, Daoist Master Feng Yin.
It was as if Daoist Master has already expected for Zhu Shiyao’s victorious return. Seeing the ancient sword on Zhu Shiyao’s waist, Feng Yin was gratified but not surprised. He nodded and said with a smile, "Well done!"
Zhu Shiyao’s response was very nonchalant. She didn’t even nod back at her master to acknowledge his praise. Instead, she furrowed her brows and looked all around her.
It meant that there were so many people looking at her, and she wasn’t used to it.
However, Daoist Master Feng Yin seemed to have made a decision to put his disciple in the limelight. He shook his head and said with a smile, "This time when you went to the Southern Heaven Region to do the experiential learning, everyone is very concerned about you."
Zhu Shiyao slightly cocked her head. Her meaning was: What does it have to do with me?
"You’re the Big Sister in the Spirit Sword Sect, and also the example for your fellow disciples. However, you have always been mysterious, which has been the main critic against me as your master. This time, I want you to stay a bit longer on the Four Divisions Peak. I hope that in this opportunity, you can show everyone here some of the harvests from your experiential learning, which could also satisfy everyone’s curiosity."
Then they saw Zhu Shiyao furrow her brows even more tightly, and there was a trace of feeling embarrassed on her face, which meant: I-I don’t know how to do it.
However, after a moment, seeing that her master did not intend to let her get away this time, Zhu Shiyao finally reluctantly bowed her head as she pondered about it.
After a while, the girl whispered some words. However, her voice was not as sharp as a sword and instead it was slightly trembling, showing a modicum of helplessness. She really had no experience of speaking in front of a crowd.
I-I am not good at talking…"
The next moment, her unfamiliarity with speaking converged into one.
"Therefore, I shall demonstrate it with a sword."