The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 22: Affairs At Sword Conference | Chapter 405: Hengyang County

<Start Of Arc 22: Affairs At Sword Conference>

Hengyang County was not close to the Zhoutian Immortal Sect, even for a Nascent Soul cultivator traveling at full speed, it would take several days to reach.

After forming his Nascent Soul, Xu Ziqing refined a type of divine ability that allowed him to use the energy of plants and trees as a guide to tear through space. However, even so, the space within was extremely unstable, and he couldn’t traverse it easily, so he remained cautious. With his eyes slightly closed, he extended two fingers and pointed.

A flash of green light appeared at his fingertips, and where he pointed, a small black dot emerged, rapidly expanding into a crack.

Xu Ziqing, calm and unhurried, stepped inside. With another wave of his hand, the crack disappeared.

The surrounding space was in constant turmoil, but a halo of light around Xu Ziqing protected him as he walked safely within it.

After walking about several hundred steps, he made a pulling motion with his hand, as if drawing open a curtain. The crack reappeared, and he stepped out.

Outside, he was greeted by the sounds of birds singing and the scent of flowers. He gently touched an ancient tree, contemplated for a moment, and then re-entered the crack, walking another hundred steps.

After repeating this process several times, after about two hours, the crack finally opened up beneath a towering, tree-covered mountain.

Smiling, Xu Ziqing glanced around, waved his hand to close the crack, and with a flicker of his figure, transformed into a beam of green light, flying towards a nearby city.

This was Fengqu City, located in the southwest of Hengyang County, a hub that connected the two counties. The people coming and going here were quite diverse, and it was a bustling place.

It was also an ideal spot for gathering information. If he wanted to know the specifics of the sword discussion conference, this would be the best place to inquire.

Xu Ziqing entered the city at a leisurely pace, paying two low-grade spirit stones at the entrance, without deliberately revealing his cultivation.

Perhaps due to his long stay in the Zhoutian Immortal Sect, where even inner disciples were at the Golden Core stage, and Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators were everywhere, he never considered his own cultivation level particularly outstanding. But upon arriving in Fengqu City, he noticed that many of the passersby were of much lower cultivation. Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators were common, and there were even some ordinary people walking around, conversing with low-level cultivators without any sign of inferiority.

Seeing this along the way, Xu Ziqing’s mind calmed, and some of the earlier impatience he felt eased.

While he still missed his shixiong, he was able to remain composed.

—Earlier, he had considered sending a message to his shixiong, but it would have been too slow and could easily be intercepted, so he decided against it.

As he walked, Xu Ziqing listened to the conversations of those around him, searching for useful information.

Suddenly, something caught his attention, and he made his way toward a teahouse on the central street.

It seemed that people were buying and selling information there.

Entering the teahouse, Xu Ziqing found the interior to be quite spacious, with many tables and chairs arranged tastefully, separated by screens, creating an elegant atmosphere.

Buying and selling information was considered quite mundane, but brewing and tasting tea was seen as refined. The combination of both created a unique charm.

Xu Ziqing only briefly scanned the room before someone came to greet him.

It was a lively young boy, with bright eyes like ink spots. He had a round head, a round face, and dimples appeared on his cheeks when he smiled, making him look particularly cute. His movements were quick and nimble; although he was only at the Qi Refining stage, he skillfully guided Xu Ziqing to an elegant seat, served a fragrant cup of tea, and smiled warmly: “Senior, are you here just for the tea, or do you seek some information?”

Xu Ziqing smiled gently and pressed his palm on the table, revealing ten gleaming low-grade spirit stones. “This is for the tea.” He then smiled again, “I’m here for some information. Is that convenient?”

The young boy’s eyes lit up, and he became even more attentive: “Of course, it’s convenient. Please, ask whatever you need, Senior. If I know, I’ll tell you right away. If I don’t know, there are many others who might, and I can arrange for you to meet them.” His words were crisp and clear, and after accepting the spirit stones, his dimples deepened with his smile.

Xu Ziqing found this amusing and immediately asked, “I’d like to know if there’s a sword discussion conference happening in Hengyang County recently. Where exactly is it being held, and aside from sword cultivators, can others attend to watch?”

The young boy listened attentively and then breathed a sigh of relief: “So that’s it. This isn’t a particularly difficult piece of information to find. If Senior gives me ten mid-grade spirit stones, I can tell you everything.”

Xu Ziqing smiled warmly, brushed his palm over the table, and laid out the spirit stones.

The next moment, the young boy began speaking rapidly.

It turned out that the Sword Discussion Conference was being held in Luchuan City, in the eastern part of Hengyang County.

Luchuan City had produced a sword immortal in the past, someone with immense talent. The sword path they pioneered greatly benefited a small sect of sword immortals at the time, which was a low-grade sect of the eighth rank. With their influence, the sect grew much stronger, producing many sword cultivators. Over the years, more and more sword immortals ascended from the sect, and eventually, the sect rose to become a third-rank immortal sect, renowned for its sword cultivation.

Because of this, Luchuan City gradually became home to many who practiced the sword, and numerous small sword sects and sword schools emerged, making it nearly a “sword city.” This influence extended to many other cities in Hengyang County. Even commoners could casually recite a few sword techniques or demonstrate some sword moves.

This Sword Discussion Conference was organized by some of the famous sword cultivation families or sects. In the Greater World of Qianyuan, there were countless sword practitioners, and cities like Luchuan were quite common. This time, the prominent Jiwen family, a major sword cultivation clan based in Hengyang County, initiated the event. After careful deliberation, they chose Luchuan City as the venue. As a result, not only nearby sword cultivators, but also disciples from distant sword sects had come rushing to participate.

One must understand that sword cultivators are different from ordinary cultivators. Often, they must spar with others, exchanging sword techniques to improve their skills. Given the opportunity to participate in such a Sword Discussion, most sword cultivators who can make it will not want to miss it. Gaining even a glimpse of another’s sword technique would be highly beneficial to their own progress.

In theory, such information should not have been hidden, and an event like this should have sparked widespread discussion.

The reason Xu Ziqing hadn’t heard about it earlier was that the Sword Discussion Conference had already been going on for several days.

The peak of public discussion had already passed.

Xu Ziqing was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

The young boy continued, “However, Sword Discussion Conferences usually last for many days, and this one hasn’t ended yet. Even after it concludes, some senior sword cultivators might linger with like-minded companions for years.”

The young boy then answered several other questions.

Only sword cultivators could enter the Sword Discussion Conference. However, those who had trained in swordsmanship could also enter to observe, though they would need to make their own arrangements for food and lodging, as the event did not provide hospitality.

Only sword cultivators who had comprehended sword intent would be treated as guests; everyone else would be treated equally.

Xu Ziqing nodded to himself. Since anyone who had practiced swordsmanship could enter, he had once comprehended a four-seasons sword technique. With his current cultivation level, his execution of the technique was far superior to what it had been in the past, so there should be no issue.

He then inquired about the route to Luchuan City, any taboos that might exist there, local customs, and what kind of family the Jiwen Family was, along with things to be mindful of.

The young boy answered all of his questions fluently and thoroughly.

Xu Ziqing was very satisfied and gifted the boy a top-grade magic tool aligned with his attributes before taking his leave.

After watching Xu Ziqing’s figure disappear out the door, the young boy eagerly grabbed the magic tool, overjoyed.

Just then, a tall young man descended the stairs behind him, rapping the boy on the head with a knuckle and teasing, “Lazy brat, you’re this happy over one magic tool?”

The young boy chuckled, “Second Shopkeeper, don’t laugh at me. It’s rare to come across a generous customer, how could I not be pleased?”

The second shopkeeper snorted, “You’re always so rash. You’re lucky that senior didn’t mind your behavior. Otherwise, with that attitude, you could’ve been punished for disrespecting him!”

The young boy was surprised, “A senior? Wasn’t he just a Foundation Establishment cultivator looking to observe the Sword Discussion Conference?”

The second shopkeeper shot him a glance, “Foundation Establishment? Foolish boy, that was clearly a Nascent Soul ancestor!”

The young boy was dumbfounded, “A Nascent Soul ancestor with such a good temperament?”

The second shopkeeper gave him another rap, “Watch your words! Loose lips can cause trouble! You’re fortunate this time to have met someone kind, but you need to be more careful in the future. In this world, there are plenty of kind-hearted cultivators, but there are just as many who are not. The higher their cultivation, the more they view those below them as ants. If one of them takes your life, you won’t even be able to complain. I’m telling you this because I see you’re sharp-witted, so consider it a word of advice. Next time, when you encounter a senior of that caliber, don’t be so eager to serve them.”

The young boy repeatedly nodded and said, “Yes, yes.”

Xu Ziqing had already gone some distance, but he noticed a fellow cultivator of the same realm hiding nearby and couldn’t help but listen more closely.

The second shopkeeper probably thought the person passing by was an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, so he didn’t conceal much. Xu Ziqing, however, used his wood element ability to connect with a tree in the teahouse and overheard everything clearly. Though he found it somewhat amusing, he also became more cautious.

After all, those who run teahouses in places where powerful people gather tend to have far more experience than he does. Since the shopkeeper had sternly warned the young assistant, it was likely that killing over a disagreement was not uncommon here.

Even though Xu Ziqing was already at the Nascent Soul stage, he needed to act carefully.

He withdrew his enhanced hearing and looked in the direction of Luchuan City. It was best to head there quickly and contact his shixiong.

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Luchuan City, Qiu Jian Hall.

On the edge of the training ground, over ten sharp-aura cultivators sat cross-legged, their gazes fixed on the center of the field.

There, two cultivators were currently sparring.

To the untrained eye, it would seem like two figures flying back and forth, or like two balls of different-colored light, occasionally colliding and then weaving past each other.

The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously—soft and dense like fine rain at times, rapid and forceful like drumbeats at others. Many sword lights flickered unpredictably, revealing the profound sword techniques being tested and exchanged between the two.

However, the killing intent was not heavy.

After only a few breaths, there was a sharp sound, and half of a sword blade broke off and fell to the ground.

At the same time, the two figures separated. One held the broken sword, smiling bitterly, while the other stood calmly, expressionless.

On the edge of the field, the spectators began to comment:

“Daoist Yun has impressive sword skills!”

“Daoist Yun wins again this time; we can’t compare!”

“Daoist Qin held out for five breaths, one more than last time. His progress is notable.”

“It seems we’ll have to wait for Daoist Jiwen to return before Daoist Yun can enjoy a more satisfying match…”

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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