Although it was impossible to determine Yang Xian’s realm from the hints, he seemed very strong, most importantly, he was only twenty-one years old.
Gu An contemplated as he read the information.
He even felt that the Da Hong Realm was stronger than the usual Great Heaven and Earth, casually decorated with the word ‘Immortal.’
“At twenty-five, your master, the Founder of the Thousand Swords Immortal, summoned you alone,” the message read. “When you went to see him, he claimed he wanted to pass on the position of head of the Thousand Swords Immortal Peaks to you. If you accept the Qi Fortune of the Thousand Swords Immortal Peaks, you will be able to command all the Immortal Swords, Divine Swords, and treasure swords there, and even gain longevity, but the price is the loss of your freedom. Do you choose to accept the position?”
Lose my freedom?
No way!
No!
Gu An immediately refused; in this life, he intended to experience the life of a chivalrous hero, not to pursue longevity.
And what about the Reincarnation Body’s original self if it obtained longevity?
“You refuse the position of head of the Thousand Swords Immortal Peaks. The Founder does not coerce you but assigns you an experience task to track down the eldest senior brother who has betrayed the sect.”
“At thirty, you arrive at Blood Deer City where the eldest senior brother was last seen. You meet Fang Meng, the City Lord’s daughter, and after a stream of fateful encounters, feelings blossom between you. Under her lead, you sneak into the Underground City and come across a heritage, learning the Killing Sword Technique.”
“At thirty-one, a mysterious Cultivator attempts to sacrifice the entire city’s population. You discover that he is the eldest senior brother you have been looking for. After a violent battle, he captures Fang Meng and threatens your life unless you destroy your Sword Intent. Do you choose to accept?”
Continue your journey with empire
Upon reading this, Gu An mused that love was indeed a stumbling block for swordsmen.
But as an aspiring Swordman, how could he not save Fang Meng?
If he listened to this eldest senior brother, he would be willingly surrendering.
A dilemma!
After a moment of struggle, Gu An decided to trust Yang Xian. If the eldest senior brother felt threatened by Yang Xian, it indicated that he was wary of Yang Xian, who must also have an ace up his sleeve.
If he died just like that, then it meant the path of chivalry was not viable; he would just read books in the future and give no further thought to it.
Gu An silently chose to agree.
“You agree to destroy your Sword Intent. You dissipate the Sword Intent within you and sustain serious injuries. Your eldest senior brother laughs wildly, mocking your foolishness and threatening to execute Fang Meng. At the critical moment, your master, the Founder of the Thousand Swords Immortal, acts. Using his finger as a sword from millions of miles away, he instantly kills your eldest senior brother. Enduring the pain, you catch Fang Meng as she falls from the sky.”
“At thirty-two, as you’re contemplating the Sword Dao in the courtyard, Fang Meng visits you. She confesses her true feelings, wishing to marry you and for you to inherit her father’s legacy and walk the path of Immortal Cultivation again. Do you choose to accept her?”
No!
Never marry!
Without hesitation, Gu An made the decision on behalf of Yang Xian.
If the original self has not married, what right do you have?
“You reject Fang Meng’s heartfelt proposal, leaving her deeply hurt. That night, you secretly leave Blood Deer City and pursue your own Sword Dao.”
The subsequent hints were all about traveling and performing chivalrous deeds. Yang Xian did not return to the Thousand Swords Immortal Peaks, nor did he go back to the Purple Micro Immortal Mansion.
Seeing Yang Xian walk the path he wished to, Gu An felt gratified.
Yang Xian was more obedient than the previous Reincarnation Bodies.
“At forty, based on your years of acting heroically, you earn a good reputation, but you still cannot re-condense Sword Intent, nor can your Dao Level grow. You find yourself in a quandary, uncertain whether to engage in a Killing Tribulation, executing those extremely vicious to seize their Lifespan and thereby restore your Sword Dao. Do you choose to undertake the Killing Tribulation?”
Kill extremely vicious people, what’s there to hesitate about?
Gu An felt that taking Lifespan did not conflict with being heroic; being a hero didn’t mean killing no one.
What he had to do was to punish evil and promote good!
“You choose to undertake the Killing Tribulation, but another voice within cautions you, placing you in another dilemma. Voices urge you to take up the butcher’s knife, warn you of the Demon King’s initial intentions, and in the end, you choose not to engage in the Killing Tribulation, remaining true to your Daoist Heart. In the esoteric process, you sense a wisp of Sword Intent close to you, yet invisible and intangible.”
Hmm?
It actually resists my choice?
For the first time, Gu An encountered such a situation; fortunately, Yang Xian had his own realizations, which made Gu An even more hopeful.
“At forty-one, while saving someone, you are severely injured by a Great Cultivator. You flee into the river and drift down into an isolated island, where you find an abandoned bamboo tower to recover.”
“At forty-three, having observed the mist in the forest for a long time and contemplating the natural world, you begin to create your own Swordsmanship.”
[At forty-five, you founded a thousand forms of swordsmanship, reconvened your Sword Intent, and you welcomed the Path Enlightenment.]
[At forty-eight, your Achievement in the Sword Dao surpassed what came before, every blade of grass and tree seemed alive with intent, as did the mountains and rivers, and you embarked on a path of the Sword Dao that belonged only to you.]
[At the age of fifty, a youth stumbled upon your island, mistaking you for an Immortal and wishing to take you as his master. As soon as he arrived, the bamboo swords you crafted quivered, and you sensed a Sword Intent from him, realizing he was the Innate Sword Intent the Sword Immortal Ancestor spoke of, a person naturally suited for sword practice. Did you choose to take him as a disciple?]
Innate Sword Intent?
Is it that formidable?
Without much thought, Gu An chose to agree.
Taking a disciple was not a bad thing; after all, he himself had taken disciples.
Every choice brings both fortune and misfortune. As long as he did not resist in his heart, willingness was sufficient.
[You chose to take the youth as a disciple, hearing that he was raised by bandits and had no real name, thus you named him Yang Ping’an.]
[At fifty-two, Yang Ping’an had mastered all your sword techniques, but he could not yet perceive Sword Intent nor could he refine his own.]
Moving on, Yang Ping’an’s name appeared in every prompt. Yang Xian advanced his own understanding of the Sword Dao while observing Yang Ping’an’s Cultivation.
Gu An was astonished; the natural talent of Yang Ping’an in the Sword Dao was truly exceptional, even exceeding Yang Xian’s by some measure.
[At sixty, your Sword Dao reached even greater heights. That year, Yang Ping’an desired to leave the island to gain experience. Did you choose to allow him to leave?]
No!
Having only practiced for a few years?
With such little skill going out, is he seeking death?
[You disagreed with Yang Ping’an’s departure. Dissatisfied, Yang Ping’an thus agreed to the rule you set: he could leave to gain experience only after he defeated you. He dedicated himself to intensive Cultivation.]
Reading this prompt, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Gu An’s heart.
Could it be that master and disciple will turn on each other later?
As Gu An pondered, he watched the incessant flow of prompts before him.
It was still about Cultivation, yet now included the challenges from Yang Ping’an.
Every five years, Yang Ping’an would challenge Yang Xian, and according to the prompts, both master and disciple were growing rapidly.
[At one hundred, you once again ascended a step in your Sword Dao, and your consciousness peered into the Sword Dao River. You saw figures standing upon the river, and yearning for it, you drew closer only to encounter one of the figures swinging a sword at you, damaging your Sword Dao. Your consciousness retreated back to your body, and you found your Sword Intent temporarily dispersed, with your internal Spiritual Power also depleted. At this moment, your disciple Yang Ping’an came to challenge you. Did you choose to consent to his challenge?]
Such terrible timing!
Gu An wanted to refuse, but on second thought, refusing meant showing weakness; Yang Ping’an likely harbored no intent to kill him. It would be a good test of Yang Xian’s true strength.
Without Sword Intent and Spiritual Power, could Yang Xian still defeat Yang Ping’an?
[You agreed to Yang Ping’an’s challenge, and after a fierce battle, both of you were injured, with Yang Ping’an winning by a narrow margin. He shouted out excitedly, venting out years of repressed frustration, and you could only let him travel the world. Before parting, Yang Ping’an gave you three deep kowtows, saying he would never forget the kindness of your teachings.]
[At one hundred and one, your wounds healed, you reconvened your Sword Intent and gained new insights.]
Seeing Yang Xian actually lose, Gu An felt helplessly resigned, but thankfully Yang Ping’an still had some conscience.
The path of practice continued.
Yang Xian gave up the ability to seize life span, yet his growth rate remained swift. He secluded himself in the deep mountains without wandering out, delving into the Sword Dao, his Cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.
Yang Ping’an, however, did not return again.
One prompt followed another.
Quickly, time brought Yang Xian to the age of five hundred.
[At five hundred and seven, you attained the accomplishment of perceiving everything in heaven and earth as a sword, and you buried all your swords at the bottom of a lake outside your island.]
[At five hundred and eight, a masked woman arrived at your island, claiming to be Fang Meng’s daughter. Fang Meng was near death and wished to see you one last time. Did you choose to agree?]
Fang Meng?
She actually had a daughter, but that was normal, not all women can wait forever, especially since she was rejected by Yang Xian.
With a sense of reminiscence in his heart, Gu An then fell into hesitation.
