novelraw Chapter 205 : Liu Yuan Severely Injured; Strange Master and Servant
Chapter 205 : Liu Yuan Severely Injured; Strange Master and Servant
Chapter 205: Liu Yuan Severely Injured; Strange Master and Servant
To condense the sword embryo of the Canglan Flying Sword, one had to rely on the power of water fortune.
And the sea of clouds was also part of the celestial waters.
The sea of clouds beneath Tianzhu Peak was deep enough and vast enough. Therefore, it was a suitable place to condense a sword embryo. The Li Family named the sword embryo formed here the “Cloud Palace Sword” (Yunque Sword).
The best time to condense the Cloud Palace Sword was on the night of the full moon. At that time, within the sea of clouds beneath Tianzhu Peak, a vortex would appear.
That would be the best opportunity to form the sword embryo.
Ji Yuan had already calculated the date when he came earlier.
When he arrived at Tianzhu Peak, it was the tenth day of the fourth month—five days before the sea of clouds vortex would appear.
Those five days were just enough for him to calm his mind and enter the right state for condensing the sword embryo.
……
Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
That day.
A master and servant arrived at the summit of Tianzhu Peak. The master was a young man dressed in a white robe, handsome and refined, with an extraordinary bearing. Around his neck hung a jade pendant shaped like an old turtle.
He looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, yet his cultivation had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining.
Even if he were not in one of the Six Immortal Sects, anywhere else, he would be called a true prodigy among men.
Behind him stood a hunched old servant, who turned out to be a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The faint pressure he released made the surrounding crowd unconsciously avoid them.
Some who were more perceptive cupped their hands and saluted.
Everyone silently speculated which cultivation family these two might have come from.
Even if all the nearby cities around Tianzhu Peak were combined, few clans could afford to have a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a servant.
Unless they were from a Golden Core family.
But there were none of those nearby—so they must have come from a very distant place.
Because the appearance of the sea of clouds vortex was imminent, quite a few cultivators had already gathered to enjoy the sight.
This pair of master and servant ascended the mountain step by step until they reached the Immortal Gazing Pavilion at the summit.
Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could view the scenery here.
When they saw this master and servant—especially a Foundation Establishment cultivator acting as a servant—they all smiled and greeted them courteously.
The young man returned the greetings with a smile.
Then the hunched old servant took a step forward, heading straight to the best viewing spot at the center. Before a mid-Foundation Establishment man, he calmly said:
“Fellow Daoist, could you give up your seat?”
“Oh? And why should I?”
The man seemed half amused by anger. Not only did this fellow disregard the order of who came first, but he also lacked even the most basic courtesy. To demand the seat outright—this was hardly giving face at all.
“Because my young master wishes to enjoy the view.”
The old servant spoke unhurriedly, as if he hadn’t noticed the man’s irritation.
Seeing the man about to lose his temper, the old servant handed him a storage pouch. The man instinctively scanned it with his Divine Sense, and whatever he saw there made him swallow his angry words.
But just as everyone thought the man would accept the pouch as “passage money” and leave quietly—he didn’t even dare take it. Instead, he turned around and left immediately.
He even summoned his flying boat and sped away at full speed.
The old servant calmly put away the pouch, gestured toward the now-empty best viewing spot, and said respectfully, “Young Master, please.”
The young man naturally stepped forward without a word, simply watching the clouds shift and swirl in the distance.
The other cultivators, seeing this strange pair, no longer dared to speak.
The cautious ones furrowed their brows and retreated behind others, ready to flee at any moment.
Fortunately, after occupying the prime spot, the pair did nothing else. They just stood there silently, staring at the horizon as if they were stone statues.
They remained there from day into night, and from night into day again.
The fifteenth day of the fourth month.
The once-a-month sea of clouds vortex beneath Tianzhu Peak finally arrived.
At first, faint ripples appeared in the sea of clouds to the south of Tianzhu Peak, like a spring breeze rippling a pool of water. Just as the crowd gasped in awe, the young man seemed to sense something and glanced down the mountain.
Then, the old servant’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Master, it’s his aura!”
“Mm.”
The young man’s expression remained calm as he sent a voice transmission, “After all, he was once a figure of great renown. If not even a trace of his legacy remained, that would be the real surprise.”
“Should I capture him and bring him up for you to see?”
The old servant asked again.
This time, the young man did not respond with voice transmission. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking thoughtful. “When walking down the road, if you see a butterfly that looks beautiful, do you always have to catch it just to examine it closely? Sometimes, watching from afar is enough.”
“Yes, Master, I understand.”
The old servant replied respectfully via transmission.
The young man turned toward him, smiling faintly. “Oh? Then tell me, what is it that you understand?”
Some cultivators nearby, finding the master and servant’s behavior increasingly strange—one speaking aloud, the other through transmission—quietly left the pavilion.
The old servant ignored them and replied mentally, “We only need to know that his inheritance exists here. We don’t need to interfere or concern ourselves with it.”
“No.”
The young man shook his head.
“What I mean is, we can wait—wait until he comes out and take a look.”
“This… yes, Master.”
The old servant looked slightly embarrassed.
The young man explained patiently, “He’s at a critical moment in his breakthrough. If you were to seize him now, wouldn’t that create a grudge? Why make unnecessary enemies?”
“Unless you think you’ve lived too long already?”
“But if you wait until he finishes his seclusion and then offer him a few pointers, that transforms enmity into friendship. On the path to longevity, it’s better to form bonds—good ones—than to accumulate grudges.”
“Master’s insight is profound. This disciple will remember it well.”
The old servant bowed respectfully.
The young man turned back toward the distant clouds. “If you truly remembered my teachings, how could you have fallen to this state?”
After that, he said no more.
His words, however, caught the attention of the surrounding Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the pavilion.
To speak with such profound insight—he did not sound like a youth at all, but more like an ancient monster who had lived for centuries and witnessed countless lives and deaths.
“Quick, it’s starting!”
Someone shouted.
The young man and his servant looked toward the sea of clouds. The faint ripples had now formed a rotating spiral—a vortex was gradually taking shape atop the sea of clouds.
It looked as if a giant stood upon the clouds, stirring the heavens and earth with a massive iron rod.
Once the vortex formed, it spun faster and faster.
It devoured the sea of clouds around it continuously.
Even the peak of Tianzhu Mountain was buffeted by violent Gang Winds.
Watching the rapidly spinning vortex, joy flashed in the young man’s eyes. He turned to the cultivators outside the pavilion and asked with a smile:
“Do you know how wide this sea of clouds vortex is?”
Hearing this, the cultivators were taken aback. None of them knew how to answer, looking at one another in confusion.
Finally, an old man leaning on a cane, eyes clouded with age, stroked his beard and said, “When my senior brother and I first saw this sea of clouds, we were curious and tried to measure its breadth. We estimated it to be about seven hundred li wide.”
“Seems your estimate was accurate.”
The young man chuckled and turned back.
The middle-aged female cultivator beside the old man frowned and wanted to scold the youth for his arrogance—but the old man raised a hand to stop her.
The young man saw it but pretended not to. Smiling faintly, he clasped his hands behind his back and said slowly, “Because the iron rod I once used to stir this sea of clouds was exactly seven hundred li long.”
At first, the old man didn’t react and simply nodded as he turned away.
But a moment later, realization struck—he turned sharply back, staring in disbelief at the young man. Then, thinking again, he just shook his head and turned back around.
‘He must be a fool driven mad by cultivation. Daring to spout such wild claims… not afraid his tongue will freeze in this mountain wind.’
The other cultivators eyed the young man suspiciously—none believed such absurd boasting.
“Let’s go. Watching the vortex of Tianzhu Mountain’s sea of clouds was my final wish fulfilled. A pity, though… such a pity that your Uncle Gou’er didn’t come this time.”
The old man sighed, leaning on his cane, while the middle-aged female cultivator supported him as they left.
The young man ignored their gazes, watching quietly until the vortex beneath Tianzhu Mountain dispersed. Only then did he withdraw his eyes.
The other cultivators who had come to admire the scene left one after another once the spectacle ended.
But the young man and his old servant did not leave. They stayed atop the Immortal Gazing Pavilion.
They waited—one day, then another. People came and went, yet they remained.
After five days, the old servant, who had seemed half-asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
“Master.”
Because there were still others in the pavilion, he spoke through voice transmission.
The young man, sitting at the stone table, set down his teacup and smiled. “Don’t worry. He’ll come up.”
And indeed, Ji Yuan, after coming out of seclusion, really did ascend the peak. Since the Cloud Palace Sword embryo had been formed, he naturally wanted to take one last look at the majestic sea of clouds.
Unfortunately, he missed the grand sight of the great vortex.
He considered waiting another month to see it again, but after some thought, he gave up the idea.
Delaying his plans just to enjoy the scenery—wasn’t worth it.
After gazing at the sea of clouds that had given him a flying sword embryo, he was about to leave when he noticed the pair of master and servant in the pavilion staring directly at him.
He felt a bit uncomfortable, but still kept a polite smile.
After all, the old servant’s cultivation was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage vs. Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage—
The advantage lay with him, so Ji Yuan maintained the courtesy he should have.
But just as he was about to summon his flying boat, that young man smiled and spoke,
“Haven’t had the chance to congratulate Fellow Daoist on condensing your sword embryo yet.”
Anyone else, upon hearing this, would probably stop and ask.
But Ji Yuan was no ordinary man. The moment he heard those words, his speed increased instead.
He even slapped a few Divine-Walk Talismans on his flying boat, vanishing instantly into the distance.
Seeing this, the young man turned toward his old servant and smiled helplessly.
“Truly cautious—just as his lineage would be.”
“No matter, allow this disciple to bring him back,” the old servant said, about to take action.
But the young man moved even faster—before the old servant could finish speaking, he had already disappeared.
Just when Ji Yuan thought he had shaken off that pair and could finally relax— he suddenly discovered that the young man had somehow appeared on his flying boat!
What kind of insane speed was this!
Ji Yuan instinctively wanted to activate the scales on his body and tear a page to return to the Sect…
That damned Shang Court—how did they find me so quickly?!
This made no sense at all!
“Relax, I’m a friend, not an enemy,” the young man said with a smile.
Ji Yuan saw that the man possessed the strength to easily crush him, yet hadn’t made a move, so he didn’t rush to escape. Instead, he clasped his hands respectfully.
“Junior Qiu Qianhai greets Senior.”
The young man stood at the stern of the boat, hands clasped behind his back, and ignored Ji Yuan’s self-introduction.
Instead, he asked directly, “How many sword embryos have you condensed?”
Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment but eventually replied, “Three.”
This guy could catch up to him so easily— he most likely could see through Ji Yuan’s cultivation level, and since he also knew about the Canglan Sword Manual, there was no point hiding it.
“Remember to keep one original-attribute life-bound flying sword as your main sword,” the young man instructed.
Ji Yuan frowned slightly, puzzled, and cupped his hands in inquiry.
“May I ask, Senior, what is an original-attribute flying sword?”
“A flying sword condensed purely from the power of water fortune,” the young man said, pointing toward Tianzhu Mountain behind him.
“The sword you condensed using the sea of clouds has a special property—it counts as an attribute sword for your cultivation technique.”
“Well then, fate has brought us together. That is all I have to say. Farewell.”
“Ah—wait…”
Ji Yuan still wanted to ask a few more questions, but the young man gave him no chance.
The moment he said farewell, he disappeared on the spot.
Even though Ji Yuan stared straight at him, he couldn’t see how he left.
A Golden Core Real Person? Or an old monster at the Nascent Soul stage?
As his flying boat sped north at full speed, Ji Yuan slowly came to his senses, realizing his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He exhaled deeply and sat down where he stood, no longer thinking about using the Sky-Escape Shuttle to flee.
If that person had truly wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t even have had time to activate it.
But since the man clearly bore no killing intent, there was no need to waste the talisman treasure.
Besides… I, Ji Yuan, have spent my life saving others and alleviating suffering—where would I have made so many enemies?
And it was their first meeting—no grudges, no enmity—why would anyone attack him on sight?
Even demonic cultivators weren’t always that mad.
From his words and manner, he must have had some old connection with someone who practiced the same Sword Manual.
Now that he happened to encounter me cultivating it as well, he probably just wanted to offer a few pointers—
‘A meeting by fate,’ as he put it.
Ji Yuan pondered for a while and found that this explanation made the most sense.
To keep an original-attribute flying sword as the main one…
That must refer to my first sword embryo, the one I condensed using the water fortune of Yunyu Marshlands.
Using it as the main sword—Li Changhe also mentioned something like that before, saying it was related to the Canglan Sword Formation at the Golden Core stage.
However, according to the Li Family’s method, the final sword should be condensed at the mouth of the Falling Star River, with the ninth sword serving as the main sword…
Yet by their experience, that ninth sword was still an attribute sword—its attribute being vastness, as it was formed from the tremendous water fortune of the river’s mouth, making it slightly larger than ordinary flying swords.
But according to that young man, the main sword must be an original-attribute flying sword.
And since I already have one, this could be considered a blessing in disguise—
though, to be fair, it wasn’t much of a disaster to begin with.
The only thing left to decide is which sword embryo to choose as the main one after forming my Core.
Ji Yuan thought it through carefully and finally decided to heed the young man’s words.
Why?
Because the man seemed incredibly powerful… and his reasoning about keeping the original-attribute sword as the main one fit Ji Yuan’s own understanding of cultivation better.
The sword condensed from the Falling Star River might be large, but it carried other attributes as well.
The main sword should be pure—nothing else.
Not long after, once the Divine-Walk Talismans lost their effect, Ji Yuan lowered his flying boat and landed on an unnamed mountain peak.
He put away the Sky-Slicer Boat, a lower-grade spiritual artifact, into his storage pouch. He was worried that the young man might have left a tracking mark on it.
Perhaps he bore no ill will, but being cautious was always wise.
After stowing away the Sky-Slicer Boat, he took out another flying boat from the pouch—
one he had never used before.
Its name resembled that of the Sky-Slicer Boat—Sky-Splitter (Lie Kong)— but its grade was vastly superior.
The Sky-Slicer was merely a low-grade spiritual artifact, but the Sky-Splitter was a supreme-grade spiritual artifact.
Ji Yuan had spent a fortune acquiring it at an auction.
Its speed, they said, could rival even the Escape Light of an early-stage Golden Core cultivator when fully activated.
To win this flying boat, Ji Yuan had nearly emptied his savings, spending close to two thousand middle-grade spirit stones.
Now was the time for the Sky-Splitter Boat to show its power.
Its shape was somewhat similar to his old Thunder Falcon Boat—sleek, streamlined, entirely gray-black, without the slightest trace of color.
With a thought, Ji Yuan restored it to normal size.
There were no unnecessary decorations on the boat— only a hollowed pit at the stern.
That was where spirit stones were stacked to power the vessel.
Otherwise, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he couldn’t sustain a supreme-grade artifact’s speed for long using only his own mana.
He leapt aboard the Sky-Splitter Boat and waved his hand, fifty middle-grade spirit stones falling neatly into the recess at the stern.
The Sky-Splitter roared to life.
“Boom—”
The flying boat trembled slightly, its protective barrier flaring to life, and Ji Yuan instantly felt what true artifact speed meant.
Mountains and wilderness flashed by beneath his feet. In mere moments, the boat had risen into the clouds and continued full speed northward.
Any faster, and only a Golden Core cultivator’s Escape Light could match it— or perhaps a Sky-Escape Shuttle talisman treasure.
After the initial thrill, Ji Yuan glanced back toward the stern and felt a twinge of pain in his heart.
That single takeoff had burned through twenty middle-grade spirit stones.
Damn, this supreme-grade artifact is like a luxury car—
for ordinary people, they couldn’t even afford to run it!
Thankfully, once the Sky-Splitter stabilized its speed, the spirit stone consumption dropped drastically.
Ji Yuan observed for a while—it consumed only two middle-grade spirit stones per hour.
Twenty-four a day…
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that was still nearly unaffordable.
After all, when Ji Yuan had guarded Linhai City for three years, he had only earned about four hundred middle-grade spirit stones— and that was thanks to his title as a “Golden Core Disciple.”
An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding a city would earn barely two hundred stones in three years.
The Sky-Splitter consumed heavily, but its speed was truly astonishing.
A journey that had previously taken Ji Yuan over twenty days was now completed in just two.
Only after he entered the borders of Yunyu Marshlands did he retract the Sky-Splitter Boat,
restoring his original appearance and aura.
He didn’t dare use the Sky-Slicer Boat again— instead, he summoned the Red Dawn Boat distributed by the Sect.
Until Hua Yaoyue examined the Sky-Slicer Boat, he wouldn’t dare touch it again.
Yet just as Ji Yuan returned to Yunyu Marshlands, before he could even reach Misty Island, he happened to encounter someone riding a flying sword back—
—it was Rou Yi.
“Senior Sister Rou,” Ji Yuan halted his flying boat and saluted, quietly grateful he’d switched back to his own appearance beforehand.
“Ji Yuan?”
Rou Yi looked surprised, then immediately sent a voice transmission,
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Ji Yuan was puzzled by her sudden concern.
Rou Yi let out a breath of relief.
“It’s good you’re safe… Junior Brother Liu Yuan was injured—badly injured!”