Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Duel, Young Man!
Editor: Henyee Translations
Ling Yunpo was baffled:
“Brother Lou, where do you start with such a catastrophe looming over us?”
Lou Zhizheng replied with a faint smile:
“Junior Brother Ling, do you know that your master, who is currently in seclusion, was gravely injured and returned to the mountain to face a life-and-death cultivation retreat?”
Ling Yunpo’s pupils shrank slightly.
In fact, given that Qi Sha True Person Su Jian had been in seclusion for so long, he had guessed some clues, but he had never imagined that it was due to a grave injury that led to the life-and-death retreat.
The so-called life-and-death retreat refers to sealing oneself in seclusion with one’s highest cultivation before the retreat.
Because with equal cultivation, it’s easier to seal the retreat than to break out of it, one must make a breakthrough to the next realm and significantly increase their cultivation level before they can break out.
This approach has such drastic restrictions that usually only those whose life is nearing its end and have no choice but to make a desperate move, or those who are seriously injured and dying and need to use secret techniques to cling to life, would choose to seal themselves in a life-and-death retreat.
To put it bluntly, it’s a matter of life and death. It’s not only a question of when one will emerge from seclusion but also whether one can survive the ordeal.
“Junior Brother Ling, when you joined Qingluo Peak, it was really too hasty. Didn’t you inquire with other senior brothers and sisters?” Lou Zhizheng continued with heartfelt urgency, “In our Shushan, who doesn’t know that Su Jian was seriously injured and would have perished immediately if not for the seclusion?”
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“According to the concept of a Nascent Soul cultivator, such an injury would require at least a few hundred years in retreat to heal. Which Qi Refinement disciple can wait that long?”
“Without reaching the Golden Core, your lifespan won’t exceed a mere two hundred years. By the time your master comes out of seclusion, you’ll already have turned to a pile of white bones!”
Ling Yunpo fell silent for a moment before speaking:
“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Lou, it’s just that…”
“Listen to me,” Lou Zhizheng interrupted, earnestly persuading, “Junior Brother Ling, you have not been cultivating for long and are unaware of the hardships involved.”
“The path of Sword Immortal cultivation is filled with countless difficulties and dangers. Without guidance, it’s almost impossible to make any progress in cultivation!”
“I’m not trying to alarm you without cause. Just think about it, when your mental method reaches a point of obscurity, who will teach you? When your sword technique becomes ineffective, who will correct you?”
“Even if you have an extraordinary opportunity and manage to successfully complete the Marrow Cleansing and Refining Mansion processes, when it comes to the final Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation, who will be there to protect and withstand it for you?”
Ling Yunpo was left speechless by his words.
He certainly couldn’t tell Lou Zhizheng, “You don’t need to worry about this; Qiu Changtian has already taken Ziwei Master as a mentor in Kunlun, who will look after everything from Daoist techniques and mental method to sword technique and even the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation.”
Seeing that Ling Yunpo had nothing to say, Lou Zhizheng took it as a sign he was convinced and continued to entice passionately:
“Look at your Senior Sister An, she was a disciple informally adopted by Su Jian outside and was already at the Refining Mansion stage when she returned to the mountain.”
“Half a shichen has passed since then, has her cultivation level made any progress?”
“Go and ask the other brothers and sisters, anyone who understands the stakes, who would dare to join Qingluo Peak as a Loose Cultivator?”
“It’s only because Senior Sister An regards Elder Su Jian as a father, willing to struggle for many years, barely maintaining Qingluo Peak rather than switching to another mentor.”
“We from Ziyun Peak cannot stand idly by and watch you ruin your future. Our master has requested the Sect Leader to grant you another opportunity to make a choice.”
“Once you join our peak, and after a shichen of hard cultivation under master’s guidance, perhaps you will have already surpassed Senior Sister An and stepped into the Golden Core Realm in advance!”
Ling Yunpo listened in silence, seemingly understanding what was going on.
Oh, headhunters have come to poach talents.
What he said was indeed true, everything else aside, just the lack of a “master” was truly detrimental here on Qingluo Peak, where cultivation was virtually the same as that of Loose Cultivators.
If it had been the usual Shushan Ling Yunpo, then even though Senior Sister An was gentle as water, since his entry she had been considerate and caring towards him, taking good care of him, however, as it involved the great path and longevity…
Sorry, but I have to go. I wish Senior Sister all the best in the future, goodbye.
However, ironically, Ling Yunpo was no ordinary person, but an undercover agent aiming to infiltrate the upper echelons of the sect.
A key point of being an undercover agent is not to arouse suspicions of being a traitor.
If he were to defect from his sect shortly after joining and switch his allegiance, even if the Peak Master of Ziyun Peak was willing to take him in, what would the brothers and sisters from Ziyun Peak think of him?
Look, that Ling Yunpo, he’s the one who betrayed Qingluo Peak before. With such history, it shows that he’s utterly untrustworthy, and it wouldn’t be impossible for him to betray Ziyun Peak in the future…
How could he fit in after that?
In the eyes of others, whether it’s worth trading one’s reputation for a better cultivation environment might be a choice worth considering.
But for Ling Yunpo, there was no need to think about it.
After Lou Zhizheng finished speaking, Ling Yunpo revealed a determined look and said solemnly,
“Thank you for the generous offer from Ziyun Peak. However, I have already joined Qingluo Peak and taken Su Jian as my master.”
“Once a master, always a master, how can I easily betray him?”
“I, Ling Yunpo, am not such an unfaithful and disloyal person! Even if there are a thousand dangers and ten thousand difficulties in the future, I will shoulder them all!”
[Unyielding character, Synchronization Value +1.]
He spoke with fervent passion, his words resounding firmly, then he heard an excited cry from Senior Sister An from behind:
“Junior Brother!”
Ling Yunpo turned around and saw An Zhisu rushing out from the rear gateway, excitedly clutching his arm.
She had just returned to Qingluo Peak on her sword from the back when Lou Zhizheng mentioned “whether your master is in a life or death retreat,” and saw her junior brother talking to a strange young man in front of the Daoist temple, so she quietly hid behind the main gate to listen.
Upon hearing Lou Zhizheng mention “Who dares to join Qingluo Peak as a Loose Cultivator,” An Zhisu’s face first turned icy, then she fell silent, and finally her expression dimmed.
Lacking a master’s guidance was the biggest inherent flaw of Qingluo Peak itself; as long as the opponent insisted on this point, they would already stand on invincible ground.
So, over the years, aside from Ling Yunpo, Qingluo Peak had not taken in a single disciple, and it became increasingly dilapidated and decayed.
She remembered before her master entered his isolation, he had entrusted her, saying, “Su’er, Qingluo Peak is in your hands.”
At the time, she, naive to the ways of the world, cheerfully agreed.
It was only later that she experienced the coldness of human nature, contemptuous glares; her cultivation level had hit a bottleneck for many years, drawing mockery and disdain; and now, her stipend was being docked, leaving her without enough Spirit Stones for cultivation…
No matter how lonely and helpless she was, she still remembered her master’s entrustment, his voice as if it were right beside her ear, and thus she persevered with self-reliance, refusing to admit defeat.
When her stipend was docked, she would argue her case at the Administrative Hall; when someone trespassed into Qingluo Peak and provoked her, she would draw her sword and beat them until they could not care for themselves.
Since a Golden Core True Person, according to the Sect rules, was not allowed to act against a disciple at the Foundation Establishment Stage, she practiced the art of Sword Control day and night; she had now become the foremost below the Golden Core.
It was through her efforts that the Qingluo line had somehow managed to get by.
Only in taking in disciples was there an issue; after all, with Qingluo Peak’s current state, it wouldn’t be right to ask others to sacrifice their path and forcefully keep them at Qingluo Peak—thus, she had never managed to find junior brothers and sisters.
It was precisely for this reason that when Ling Yunpo joined Qingluo Peak, she cared for and protected him in every way possible, treating him as if he were her own younger brother.
Now that Junior Brother Ling had truly refused the invitation from Ziyun Peak for her sake, and since his earlier speech had been so moving and genuine, she felt a warmth in her heart and in a soft voice asked,
“Junior Brother, are you serious with what you said?”
“Naturally!” said Ling Yunpo resolutely.
[Unyielding character, Synchronization Value +1.]
An Zhisu’s gaze grew warmer as she asked again,
“In the future, our master may continue to remain in seclusion, not having the time to guide our cultivation; we will have to rely on ourselves for everything. Can you accept that?”
Ling Yunpo said undauntedly,
“Without master, what of it? In the future, I will support Senior Sister, and together we will keep the Qingluo line going!”
[Unyielding character, Synchronization Value +1.]
This unyielding character’s synchronization rate is a bit hard to increase, huh!
“Junior Brother…” An Zhisu was deeply moved, her eyes brimming with tears, her gaze tender, biting her lower lip, unable to speak.
On the other side, Lou Zhizheng had been stunned into silence by what he heard, and it took a good while before he came back to his senses, angrily flinging his robe sleeve and scolding,
“Foolishly stubborn!”
“Since that’s the case, Ziyun Peak has no need to show mercy anymore!”
After saying this, he threw down a Sword Talisman and then rode away on his Sword Light.
With quick reflexes, An Zhisu summoned Frostfall Sword, transforming it into a ray of light, and swept up the Sword Talisman before it hit the ground. Upon inspecting the inscription, her face suddenly changed dramatically.
On it was clearly written:
Approved by Shushan Decree Hall, Ziyun Peak disciple Lou Zhizheng is authorized to challenge Qingluo Peak disciple Ling Yunpo to a sword duel under the supervision of an elder in charge.