The Path Toward Heaven

Liu Shisui practiced sword work with Gu Han, but he wasn’t qualified to enter Liangwang Peak, so he stayed by the Sword Washing Stream to practice.

Jing Jiu knew about that place, but he hadn’t even stepped out of his cave manor, so he hadn’t yet gone there.

Up the stream from the Sword Washing Stream, the waterway became wider until one came to the end of it, and right in front of it stood a smooth cliff wall that was about one thousand feet high.

Pure, clean water, fell slowly from the cliff wall, swaying back and forth when passing countless sword caves, truly a wonderful sight to behold.

Round rocks were lined up in the middle of the stream, half-submerged in the stream and separated at ten-feet intervals; the rocks were wet, slippery, and hard to stand on.

A dozen or so disciples were practicing their sword work on these rocks.

The will of swords was awe-inspiring; once in a while, an air-piercing sound could be heard, with glinting white light appearing and disappearing instantly; these was the flying swords that manifested from time to time.

The flying swords flew deep into the cliffs and came back, and the disciples showed placid confidence in their expressions.

Sometimes the flying swords fell from the air, more than ten feet away from the cliff wall and down into the water, and the disciple who had to jump into the water to retrieve it looked awkward and embarrassed.

Some disciples watched these scenes from further away with admiration.

Their colleagues could already make their swords fly thirty or forty feet into the cliff, reaching the State of Perfect Preservation, and yet some of them couldn’t even get a sword from the Sword Peak.

Jing Jiu saw Liu Shisui standing on one of those rocks and walked over.

Seeing him walk toward that direction, the disciples were amazed and began talking immediately.

It mirrored perfectly the scene from when he walked out of the small courtyard at the South Pine Pavilion for the first time.

Liu Shisui retrieved his sword and saw the visible sword hole on the cliff wall, feeling satisfied with his own progress; then he saw Jing Jiu.

He was surprised and excited to see him, but soon felt quite uneasy; he couldn’t talk, so he shook his head to motion Jing Jiu to go back, that he would find him later.

Too late.

Gu Han had already noticed the commotion behind him and turned around toward Jing Jiu, saying coldly, “Is there a problem?”

A dozen eyes focused on Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu gazed at him and didn’t speak.

While the intention in Jing Jiu’s eyes wasn’t noticed by everyone, they knew full well that the feeling was there.

–Why would I be here if there weren’t a problem?

Your question is meaningless.

The atmosphere by the stream was suddenly full of tension.

Unexpectedly, Gu Han didn’t get angry, but asked, “What business do you have here?”

“None that concerns you,” Jing Jiu replied.

There was an uproar by the stream; the practicing disciples or the instructors were all considerably shocked by that.

A regular disciple dared talk to Brother Gu Han of Liangwang Peak like that!

Jing Jiu didn’t intend to embarrass Gu Han, and he didn’t quite understand what the shocking expressions in their eyes meant.

He merely answered Gu Han’s question.

What he was about to do indeed had nothing to do with Gu.

But he didn’t realize what his answer meant to these listeners.

Liu Shisui was extremely nervous, running away from the stream.

He wanted to explain on Jing Jiu’s behalf, but was stopped by Gu Han.

“It has been half a year now, and your state hasn’t progressed an inch; you can’t even see the shadow of the Sword Fruit”.

“I have heard that you want to use Senior Master Mo’s sword. Do you think you have the qualification,” asked Gu Han, looking at Jing Jiu, emotionless.

“Yes.” Jing Jiu said.

…

…

It was quiet by the stream.

“Ha Ha,” someone couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

They all wanted to see how Jing Jiu was going to deal with Gu’s reproach, but instead he used a simple word to end the conversation.

He didn’t even give it a thought when he said “yes”.

“Depending on the pills, you could never step on the path toward heaven, so you’d better give up,” said Gu dryly, with a depressed look on his face.

This time the answer didn’t come from Jing Jiu, but from a mild but authoritative voice.

“The paths toward heaven are many; who can decide which path is the correct one?”

The crowd formed a path to the speaker; Gu Han bowed slightly.

The speaker was Grandmaster Mei Li of Qingrong, whose face was like a plum in cold snow: beautiful but not aggressively so, giving people a chilling but pleasant feeling.

“No matter who brings you in, the Cultivation is up to you; how Jing Jiu chooses to cultivate has indeed nothing to do with you. You shouldn’t discipline him,” said she, looking at Gu Han.

“I don’t care about his fate; it’s his mouth that I take issue with,” Gu Han retorted, remaining emotionless.

The crowd was split in half, and from the middle of the crowd appeared Sister Yushan and the youth Yuan from Lelang County, who had brought Master Lin Wuzhi with them.

“Brother Gu, Jing Jiu is a disciple in my class, so the person who disciplines him is me, not you,” said Lin Wuzhi, looking at Gu Han with a smile.

Gu Han took a deep breath, sending a gaze toward Jing Jiu before turning around and walking away.

“You should decide for yourself which path to take.”

This statement was not for Jing Jiu’s benefit, but for Liu Shisui; its meaning was clear enough.

If Liu didn’t follow him, and instead chose to stay with Jing Jiu, then he would never have another chance to walk on Liangwang Peak.

Liu Shisui glanced at Jing Jiu once, then turned to look behind him, seeing Gu’s figure a long distance away; his small face was full of hesitation and struggle.

Jing Jiu turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Watching his back profile, Grandmaster Mei Li of Qingrong showed a hint of appreciation.

“Jing Jiu, you have to try harder to get the sword first,” she said after him as a reminder.

Jing Jiu didn’t turn his head around, and didn’t slow down his steps either.

“Oh…Okay.”

…

…

Watching Jing Jiu’s back profile disappear at a curve section of the stream, Grandmaster Mei Li narrowed her eyes, thinking about something.

Lin Wuzhi walked to her side and asked with a smile, “Senior Master Mei, is the Qingrong Peak also interested in Jing Jiu?”

Master Mei Li looked at him and said, “If he is the disciple that the Sect Master wants, then we won’t even try, of course.”

“Senior Master Mo wants to find out if there is any hope for Jing Jiu,” Lin Wuzhi said.

Master Mei Li sneered, “Then you don’t need to think about it; as long as Jing Jiu can inherit the sword, he must come to our Qingrong Peak; just look at his looks, if he doesn’t come to our place, where else can he go?”

The two of them gazed at each other before parting.

As far as the Green Mountain Sect was concerned, the Inherited Sword Competition was exceptionally important for the inheritance of each peak.

If they could get a truly outstanding disciple, it would be a few decades, perhaps several hundred years before another swordsman of unparalleled power could break through the State of Oceans.

If you missed this outstanding disciple, then it meant that you had handed over this unparalleled swordsman to the other peaks.

Obviously, Jing Jiu was an abnormal disciple; who didn’t want to pay attention to him? If he was finally proven to be useless, then that was it, but the Inherited Sword Competition would happen in half a year, and if he didn’t do well this time, there would be another chance at next competition. Who would want to give up hope beforehand?

The reason why Gu Han behaved that way was that Liangwang Peak didn’t need the inheritance; they were not short on talent either.

…

…

Jing Jiu knew exactly why Mei Li of Qingrong Peak and Li Wuzhi came to his rescue, and he didn’t care.

He didn’t even know himself which peak he wanted to go to.

Back in his cave manor, he opened his hand and looked at that light-blue colored tablet, sitting silently for awhile.

This tablet was called the Xuanji pill, something that could help the disciples at the State of Perfect Preservation stabilize the Sword Pill, making it was very precious.

Yesterday Sister Yushan told him about the Inherited Sword Competition, so he thought Shisui might need it, and so he took the trip today, but then the unexpected incident happened.

Thinking of the gaze from Gu Han before he left, Jing Jiu raised his eyebrows slightly, a slight smile forming on his handsome face as he said to himself, “Kind of interesting.”

As far as Jing Jiu was concerned, boredom was a rare emotion, as well as the emotion of interest.

Gu Han observed him carefully before he left and checked him out using his Piercing Discernment.

He did so in a dominating and aggressive way, like an authoritative figure looking down on his subject, without any reason and justice.

Jing Jiu hadn’t experienced this situation in a long time.

He wasn’t used to it anymore and felt unpleased.

If it happened in his time, what would he have done, after encountering this incident and feeling displeased?

Jing Jiu recalled carefully.

If displeased, of course kill him with a swing of the sword.

Of course, he couldn’t do it now.

Gu Han’s wrongdoing doesn’t deserve the death penalty.

He isn’t a violent person.

But the most important thing is to kill your opponent with a sword…

First of all, you need a sword.

He doesn’t have a sword.

Without a sword, he naturally can’t participate in the Inherited Sword Competition.

It looks like he really needs a sword now.

The bracelet on his wrist vibrated a little.

“I can’t use you.”

“Besides, I promise Little Mo.”

…

…

Need a sword.

The sword was on the Sword Peak.

So Jing Jiu went to the Sword Peak.