Translator: kiribold
editor: yoantlers
The Jingxu Sword Meeting was a once-in-thirty-years sword event.
On a regular day, green plums boiled wine, and there were no shortages of sword compet.i.tions in the world of sword fighting. However, the reputation of the Jingxu Sword Meeting, which was pa.s.sed down for thousands of years, still resounded.
There were many swordsmen in the world, many people who loved swords, and many people who loved fame. The Jingxu Sword Meeting was a grand occasion in the world. Who didn’t want to come out on top? Who didn’t want to catch a glimpse of the sword in the stone?
Thirty years was enough for a cultivator to study and practice diligently to develop exceptional swordsmanship. It was also enough for a crop of rising stars to grow up, so it wasn’t surprising that everyone was looking forward to it.
Chi Xiaochi changed into the new Jingxu Peak disciple uniform and appeared at the Sword Meeting with Yan Jinhua.
The merman’s face stood out. Duan Shujue spent many years away from the world, nourished by the spiritual spring, and he had cultivated an air of immortality. He already had a hidden, peerless elegance, even standing upright with an ordinary spiritual sword on his back.
In his previous life, Duan Shujue hardly saw any living creatures except Yan Jinhua and Ye Jiming for a long time. When he first saw this crowd of people, he would inevitably cower, causing people to laugh.
Chi Xiaochi was afraid of ghosts, southern c.o.c.kroaches, and geese. Among all kinds of creatures, the one he feared the least was people.
He was neither curious nor avoidant. He just followed behind Yan Jinhua, making Yan Jinhua feel bored.
He deliberately asked, “Are you afraid?”
According to Chi Xiaochi’s character, he would boldly reply, f.u.c.k you.
But he was Duan Shujue, and Duan Shujue never swore.
So he said softly, “I’m scared to embarra.s.s Yan-da ge.”
Yan Jinhua smiled secretly. What a boring idiot.
During the conversation, the extra who mocked Yan Jinhua in the original plot debuted brilliantly, “Yan-shixiong, the sword meeting hasn’t even started, and you’ve already chosen your disciple?”
Yan Jinhua hadn’t even opened his mouth before Chi Xiaochi took the initiative to say, “Greeting Shishu.”
This person was Su Yun, the fourth disciple of Chi Yunzi. He was young, vigorous, and hardworking. After entering the Chi Yunzi’s Sect of Jingxu Peak, he couldn’t bear Yan Jinhua’s higher position as the second disciple. Yan Jinhua was a vegetarian
and didn’t want to improve his virtue. Su Yun had a mean-spirited and stubborn temper, so he often made cutting remarks at Yan Jinhua whenever he got the chance.
As soon as Duan Shujue opened his mouth, Su Yun glanced at him, frowning slightly. But he didn’t say anything hurtful and sour like in his previous life.
Duan Shujue had an upstanding form and an extraordinary temperament. At first glance, the difference between him and the lazy Yan Jinhua was like heaven and earth.
People openly probed around him and couldn’t find anything wrong. Why did Su Yun want to find his fault? He said “Hmm” and looked at him again, feeling a vague sense of regret.
He asked, “Who are you?”
Chi Xiaochi replied, “Junior Duan Shujue.”
A few days ago, he specifically asked Yan Jinhua to give him a name.
Unsurprisingly, Yan Jinhua still called him Duan Shujue.
Su Yun let out another hmm, didn’t say anything else, and turned away to leave.
As he left, he thought, if this person hadn’t taken a teacher, he would be suitable for little Shishu to bring up.
The appearance and temperament of the two were all in tune with each other. Such a good seedling. What a waste.
…This proved that there weren’t so many “brainless villains” in the world who found fault for no reason and took the initiative to give away their heads.
They could just be normal people in life who simply found you displeasing to the eye.
But Yan Jinhua didn’t think so.
Facing Su Yun’s back, he laughed secretly and thought, wait for the result of this sword meeting, see if I don’t face slap you.
In the past few years, he didn’t cultivate seriously. He knew that the original host Yan Jinhua’s talent was limited and cultivating was useless. Even if the system redeemed various props, cultivating would mean enduring hardships. He simply spent his time playing, raising himself into a well-known waste.
Nevertheless, he was patient. As long as he waited for the Jingxu Sword Meeting, he would be a salted fish turning over and obtain a heavenly destiny.
So what if he was looked down upon by others before? The trashier, the better. The more of a waste he was, the harder he would be able to slap these people in the face in the end.
With such expectations, Yan Jinhua hopefully welcomed the Jingxu Sword Meeting as a turning point in his life.
He had a Dinghai Pearl in his possession, originally fated for Duan Shujue.
Duan Shujue found this pearl in the original book after losing his parents. He wandered the sea, freezing and starving, before finding it in a rotting and decaying sea clam.
This pearl could shapeshift and send people anywhere.
Obtaining a treasure in times of distress was getting the protagonist treatment. Yan Jinhua read the book with great interest when he saw the appearance of this strange treasure. He speculated how Duan Shujue would use this pearl to make his grand ambition. Overtly, it could be used to steal priceless treasures and kill while being unseen. Covertly, it could be used to peep at soft jade and enter the boudoir at night. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Who would have thought that this Surname Duan would be rescued by that carefree old Daoist and travel with him for many years? Duan Shujue said before leaving, Shujue has nothing to repay. He can only give this pearl to answer and hope that his benefactor will accept it.
Seeing this, Yan Jinhua, who was looking forward to the protagonist’s h.o.r.n.y operation, almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. He immediately wrote N negative comments:
Was there something wrong with the protagonist’s brain?
He finally got a good treasure. Why give it to a rotten old man?
Wasn’t this a waste of good things?
Many readers agreed with him. They all criticized the author’s brain for being full of bubbles, and they abandoned the novel one after another. Faced with the attack in the comment section, the author could only weakly explain that this was Duan Shujue’s character. He reciprocated kindness. If he had nothing, that would’ve been it. If he had a treasure, he must first give it to his benefactor. After all, for Duan Shujue, he may never see him again once he was separated from his benefactor.
The author didn’t elaborate, but already this explanation immediately reaped a giant number of Italian cannons:
What is this? This old man isn’t going to reappear?
He isn’t the protagonist’s stage hand? Then what is he doing here? To specially deliver experience packs to the protagonist? To be an elder NPC who gave tasks to the hero in the novice village?
WTF? Negative review!
At that time, Yan Jinhua was also one of the leading forces in the army besieging the author and he had a deep impression of the plot. Not long after he came to this world, he went to the area of the sea where Duan Shujue fled. He found the sea clam without much effort, took the pearl, and kept it for himself.
Now, the time, place, and people were all ready. What he had to do now was to prevent Duan Shujue from encountering the sword in the stone before him.
He had already thought about it, and as soon as the battle started, he would follow Duan Shujue.
Duan Shujue’s swordsmanship and cultivation shouldn’t be bad. They should be able to resist for a while.
However, no matter how cautious he was, he wouldn’t guard against Yan Jinhua.
Yan Jinhua needed to wait for the opportunity to knock Duan Shujue unconscious and drag him to a place with no one. Then he would use the Dinghai Pearl, transport the two of them directly to the vicinity of the sword in the stone, get Duan Shujue’s blood, take the sword, and everything would be ready.
When Chi Yunzi announced the start of the sword meeting, Yan Jinhua immediately looked at Duan Shujue. Before he spoke, Duan Shujue seemed to understand his intention, stretched his right hand behind him, and drew his sword.
The blade was unsheathed, the silver meandering.
But he wasn’t as eager to prove his strength as in the previous life to stand out for Yan Jinhua. Instead, he threw his sword in the air and stepped on it with one foot, “Yan-da ge, let’s go.”
Yan Jinhua’s expression changed slightly.
When did Duan Shujue learn to ride his sword?
Seeing him dumbfounded, the young man standing at a high place lowered his eyes to look at him with unironic surprise. In turn, this innocent look p.r.i.c.ked his body feverishly, “Yan-da ge, don’t you know how to steer the sword?”
Yan Jinhua, “…”
After years of laziness, how could he still remember the incantation for sword steering? When he went out, Yan Jinhua always freeloaded the swords of those men and women, taking the opportunity to get closer. Others thought he was just joking. After all, he was Chi Yunzi’s apprentice. How could he not use the sword?
Now, Yan Jinhua could shamelessly freeload off of Duan Shujue, but his feelings for Duan Shujue were extraordinarily different from others.
From the perspective of a G.o.d, Yan Jinhua hated this highly gifted and hardworking, saintly protagonist. Yet he had an unusually strong sense of superiority over him at the same time.
He was only a paper person, after all.
He was only a person whose fate Yan Jinhua knew after all.
No matter how hard he worked and no matter how talented he was, in the end, everything would still be Yan Jinhua’s.
Did he now have to rely on a hermit crab that could initially only depend on him?
There were many other disciples around. Yan Jinhua couldn’t use the Dinghai Pearl, nor could he put aside his pride. He could only secretly say to the system, “Help me.”
The system calmly said, “Reminding host that the system will not provide help casually. We will need to deduct a certain amount of progress points to make up for our losses.”
Yan Jinhua knew that this system was a sugar rooster. Not only did it never pluck its penny, but it also plucked pennies from other people, and would never help him in vain.
While he gritted his teeth secretly, he wasn’t very distressed.
This progress would be recovered from Duan Shujue’s body sooner or later.
As he stepped on the sword, Duan Shujue seemed to sense something, pointed his sword, turned around suddenly, and slashed!
A ray of light flashed. The young man who raised his sword to attack from behind couldn’t move after being crushed by a terrifyingly intense cyclone and flew backward. The front flap of his robes was half torn apart by the sword’s aim. The remaining wind pa.s.sed around his body and cut in half the tree behind him, which was wide enough for a person to wrap around.
The young man had never expected such a sudden change. He stuck his back to the remaining half of the tree root, his face turning ashen.
Duan Shujue never meant to hurt him. He just wanted to suppress him.
He put away his sword and asked Yan Jinhua, “Do you want to go?”
As always, he didn’t say much, but it was ruthless enough to make Yan Jinhua feel slightly disoriented.
Yan Jinhua didn’t want to admit that the burst of Duan Shujue’s spiritual power just now had made his knees weak, almost forcing him to kneel directly.
He began to wonder if he could successfully stun him as planned.
But he immediately rea.s.sured himself. It didn’t matter. If it didn’t work, he would pay a small price and exchange for the drug-like props from the system to make him fall asleep. Even if he later found out that it was Yan Jinhua’s doing, it would be too late.
Duan Shujue went on the road with him, unaware of his motives along the way. Duan Shujue broke the formation and made the enemy retreat. An ordinary qingfeng sword swept open a prosperous, un.o.bstructed road for Yan Jinhua.
In other words, Yan Jinhua was firmly controlled by Duan Shujue’s side throughout the whole process and couldn’t strike from behind.
Yan Jinhua seemed to have countless opportunities, but whenever he thought he found an opening and had a chance to take advantage of it, Duan Shujue would turn his head keenly to observe the situation behind him.
After being forcibly interrupted several times, Yan Jinhua inevitably became anxious.
Could Duan Shujue kill his way to the sword in the stone?
When did he become so powerful?
After all, Duan Shujue was the male lead of The Mermaid Immortal. Wouldn’t his plans be ruined if he went all the way to the top and broke the seven great formations? Not only did he fail to take away Duan Shujue’s luck, he even pulled him into the situation and did someone else’s work.
The more Yan Jinhua thought about it, the more absentminded he became. Duan Shujue was guarding him, and he was even more distracted, not even paying much attention to the surrounding situation.
But how could the seven great formations be easily broken?
It was only the second formation, and Duan Shujue already had no time to worry about him.
Therefore, in a moment of Duan Shujue’s inattention, Yan Jinhua’s face became streaked with blood after being slashed by several wind blades.
He panicked for a moment, rolled off his sword, and fell to the ground. When he was dazed, he saw several dense nets of swords coming fast at him!
If he couldn’t avoid it, he was afraid that he would be smashed into pieces and die on the spot!
Yan Jinhua’s mind was blank, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. He even forgot to draw the sword around his waist. He instinctively closed his eyes to protect his face, but he didn’t experience the pain he imagined.
Duan Shujue jumped down from his sword and turned around, blocking thousands of dispersed sword lights for him!
Between the bursts of golden flowers, Duan Shujue pulled Yan Jinhua up and said, “Let’s go!”
Yan Jinhua was in a daze. Duan Shujue pulled him up from the ground with one arm, dragged him onto his back, and got away on his sword.
As a result, Yan Jinhua didn’t notice Duan Shujue stepping on the pouch belt around his waist and pulling it off his waist.
…The pouch with the Dinghai Pearl inside.
He deliberately stored it in the pouch on the side of his waist, intending to use it to transport at any time.
When the system noticed the loss of the Dinghai pearl, it felt ominous and shouted anxiously, “Host! Host!”
However, Yan Jinhua had a fright and was dizzy from the fall. He couldn’t hear what it said.
The system weighed its options and felt that if the Dinghai Pearl were lost, the pearl would be more than worth the loss. It had to grit its teeth and deduct a certain number of strategy values, intending to digitize the pearl and regain it.
But before it even started, a snow-white cloud shoe lightly stepped on the brocade pouch on the ground.
Bad!!
The system looked up and found that the man tilted his head slightly and stared at “it”!
The system froze over, thinking its data was disordered.
It was reasonable that this person was looking at the backs of Duan Shujue and Yan Jinhua breaking into the formation. Still, the system had an inexplicable feeling of being stared at directly.
…What the h.e.l.l.
No matter how bold the system was, it didn’t dare to act rashly in front of a master in an immortal cultivation world.
Even Duan Shujue needed to gather all of his energy to deal with the sword formations. But he could easily stand in it without a weapon in hand, which showed his terrifying strength.
Sometimes, the most powerful people in this world had the same vision and ability as a high-level system. It was afraid of attracting the other party’s attention and would backfire on Yan Jinhua, so it had to give up resentfully.
…this was a ma.s.sive loss.
The wind rose in the forest, and the person who obtained the lost pearl tucked the treasure into his chest and stepped on the fallen leaves in the forest, rustling while he walked away.
This person was a young-looking swordsman, dressed in white with a flute at his waist, and he carried a blue umbrella painted with a carp on his back. All the subtle wind blades coming towards him were pa.r.s.ed into scattered data when they were about to approach his body and disappeared into the wind.
The fourth junior brother Su Yun, who had accosted Duan Shujue and Yan Jinhua, came running, saw the person in front of him, and his footsteps came to an abrupt stop in shock.
The person in front of him…
Was that him? Why would he suddenly return to the mountain?
Su Yun was surprised, “Little Shishu? Why are you here?”
The young man whom he called Little Shishu heard his voice, turned his head, smiled slightly, and said succinctly, “To select a disciple.”