The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 22: Affairs At Sword Conference | Chapter 414: Departure

Earlier, due to the situation with the sisters Chen Ni and Chen Shang, Xu Ziqing had only briefly mentioned the matter of the Sword God Token without going into detail. Now that the two had left, he thought about it and asked.

Yun Lie replied, “With this item in hand, you can go anytime and anywhere.”

Xu Ziqing breathed a sigh of relief. “If that’s the case, Shixiong doesn’t need to hurry.”

That made sense; there were countless Sword God Tokens, and he had no idea when or by whom they had been obtained. If the Sword Pagoda indeed had a fixed opening time, many sword cultivators, even if they had the token, might not be able to go in time. Without that, the existence of the Sword Pagoda would lose its significance. The current situation was more reasonable.

However, as he pondered, he couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy.

The path of cultivation was indeed long. Even though he and his brother were already cultivation partners, it seemed that the longer they practiced, the more they drifted apart.

Just a few years ago, when he had just started cultivating, he had only spent a few days together with his brother, and now, in order to refine the sword soul, his brother was about to separate from him again…

Thinking of it this way made it hard to part.

Yun Lie glanced at him and said, “The Sword God Token can allow five people to go together.”

Xu Ziqing was momentarily stunned.

Five people…?

That’s right, it would indeed be wasteful for such a precious item to only allow one person to go. So, it turned out there were slots available.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Ziqing said, “I wish to go with you, Shixiong.”

This was not merely because of his attachment to his brother; it was also because he had reached a plateau in his closed-door cultivation and needed to travel and gain experience to advance further. The opportunity to go to the Nine Void Realm piqued his curiosity, and he wondered if he might encounter some fortuitous events there.

Yun Lie nodded slightly. “You can go, with one person filled, leaving three slots remaining.”

Xu Ziqing considered this—it was indeed a dilemma.

Since the Sword God Token had this function, he, not being a sword cultivator, would be borrowing his brother’s glory to join. However, the remaining three slots should ideally be filled by sword cultivators.

But those sword cultivators couldn’t be too weak; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to enter the Sword Pagoda, making the trip pointless.

The holder of the Sword God Token could bring four people to the Nine Void Realm, but only those who had perfected their sword intent could enter the Sword Pagoda to refine their sword soul.

There was no falsehood in that.

Yun Lie’s statement was a suggestion to Xu Ziqing regarding the selection of the remaining three individuals.

Xu Ziqing contemplated for a moment. He could only think of one sword cultivator from the Qingyun Great World named Xi Lin, who had reached the third level of sword intent. However, that person, though very respectful of his brother, was closely connected with a prince and was not easy to befriend. Furthermore, the Qingyun World was far from the Qianyuan World, making it difficult for them to return, so he would have to give up on that option. As for others… the only sword cultivators he had encountered were those at the Qiu Jian Hall.

Among them, there were a few who had reached the fourth level of sword intent, but they were still far from perfection. Only Jiwen Jing seemed to be on the same level as his brother, but as a direct descendant of the Jiwen Family, Xu Ziqing couldn’t fully trust him. The Jiwen Family was a major family in swordsmanship, and the complications within made it necessary for him to be cautious.

After considering this, Xu Ziqing found that he couldn’t come up with a single candidate. He gave a faint smile and looked at Yun Lie, saying, “I can’t think of anyone; does Shixiong have any suggestions?”

Yun Lie pondered for a moment. “When we return to the sect, we can ask Domain Lord Hang first.”

Xu Ziqing’s heart stirred. “That’s indeed a good idea.”

Domain Lord Hang had been in charge of the Wuling Mountain Domain for many years. Although most of the brothers were not sword cultivators, he must know a few close acquaintances. If they could recommend trustworthy candidates, it would also help establish connections, which would be a good thing. If they still couldn’t find anyone afterward, they could consider others as needed.

Once they made this plan, they decided not to dwell on the matter further.

The next day, since the sisters Chen Ni and Chen Shang had become servants, they had to accompany Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie in Luchuan City. Thus, when the two brothers went to the Qiu Hian Hall, the sisters entered the guild alongside them.

This action caught the attention of the sword cultivators present.

They wondered: How could such a solemn discussion about the sword path involve bringing concubines here?

While they might have joked about it, encountering the situation for real made it impossible to take it lightly.

Immediately, a straightforward sword cultivator furrowed his brow and asked, “Xu Daoist, Yun Daoist, why have you brought your concubines here?”

This question left Xu Ziqing speechless.

Jiwen Jing added, “These two young ladies are not sword cultivators; keeping them here will only lead to distractions. If you, Yun and Xu, are interested, after the sword conference, my Jiwen Family’s collateral branch has several beautiful and talented women. We can send one to you as a concubine… For now, it’s best not to have them stay!”

Xu Ziqing felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; this was becoming more absurd by the moment. He quickly clarified, “Friends, please don’t misunderstand. I rescued these two from evil hands while cultivating outside the city yesterday. Since they had nowhere to go, I made a blood contract and took them as servants, not concubines.” He paused and continued, “I appreciate your good intentions, Jiwen Jing, but my brother and I…”

Yun Lie, with an impassive expression, stated directly, “We have already sworn an oath to heaven, sharing the path of immortality, accompanying each other for eternity, with no other intentions.”

Xu Ziqing looked at him, his gaze softening and filled with deep feelings.

The straightforward sword cultivator felt ashamed upon hearing this. “So that’s how it is! I spoke too soon and tarnished the ladies’ reputations. I sincerely apologize!”

The sisters Chen Ni and Chen Shang understood that most of these sword cultivators were high-level experts at the Nascent Soul stage, and they quickly replied, “No offense taken,” and “It’s fine.”

Given their current situation, anyone with a bit of insight would see through it at a glance; it was perfectly normal for people to have suspicions, and they understood that there was no intent to insult.

Jiwen Jing was surprised but quickly realized he had misunderstood. He promptly apologized. It wasn’t surprising when he thought about it; he was solely focused on pursuing the sword path. Unless it was a matter concerning his family, he didn’t pay attention to other affairs and had never been close to women. Most cultivators like him, who were somewhat accomplished, were often single-minded, and few were fond of beauty. Given that Yun Lie had such exceptional sword cultivation and a soulmate, it was indeed strange to discuss concubines. Moreover, how could someone like Yun Lie, who recognized the worth of a soulmate, possibly be interested in someone simply seeking pleasure?

It turned out that Jiwen Jing had been too eager to build a friendship with Yun Lie, leading him down a misguided path. Now, casting aside those thoughts, he found his earlier ideas somewhat laughable.

With the misunderstanding resolved, the sisters Chen Ni and Chen Shang were now servants, so it was fine for them to follow their master. As long as they didn’t bring their concubines along to indulge in pleasure during sword discussions, thus tainting the sword path, merely being present to listen didn’t count for much.

Therefore, the group didn’t linger on this topic and resumed their discussions about swordsmanship.

From then on, the Chen sisters accompanied Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie. During the day, Xu Ziqing would first go with Yun Lie to listen in at the hall for a while, then they would head to the woods outside the city to meditate and cultivate. Because the sisters were not very familiar with Yun Lie, they often stayed behind Xu Ziqing, diligently practicing. If they encountered anything they didn’t understand, they could ask Xu Ziqing, who was generous with his guidance. In just a few short days, they managed to resolve many of their doubts and overcome some obstacles that had been hindering their progress, significantly increasing their cultivation.

As these days passed, the sisters began to feel a sense of ease and joy reminiscent of their time cultivating under their eldest sister, Chen Cailian. It was a feeling they hadn’t experienced in a long time.

After lingering for half a month, Yun Lie participated in the Sword Conference once again. However, because there was no one to oppose him and he had already encountered many sword cultivators and their techniques, the gains were gradually dwindling. In the Qiu Jian Hall, everyone had discussed swordsmanship several times, and not much new could be said. Both Yun Lie and Jiwen Jing had sparred multiple times, but they remained evenly matched, both lacking in new insights.

At this point, Xu Ziqing realized that with his shixiong’s talent, staying here any longer wouldn’t lead to any further progress.

The people in the guild could also see this. Although they were reluctant to let Yun Lie go, they couldn’t keep him there against his will.

Jiwen Jing, in particular, felt a deep sense of reluctance. Eventually, he took out a token and handed it to Yun Lie. “It’s rare to find a kindred spirit in the sword path. Knowing that Brother Yun is about to leave, I present you with this token. Should you wish to discuss swordsmanship in the future, simply bring this to any of the Jiwen Family’s properties, and I’ll be able to learn of your whereabouts and challenge you to a duel.”

Yun Lie glanced at him and accepted the token. “We shall meet again in the future.”

Seeing Yun Lie’s calmness, Jiwen Jing was very pleased. “Until we meet again, Brother Yun!”

Xu Ziqing observed this interaction and felt more positively toward Jiwen Jing. Regardless of whether he was deeply scheming or had many connections behind him, his genuine sincerity toward Xu Ziqing’s brother and their rare rapport in swordsmanship seemed commendable. Given Jiwen Jing’s goodwill, if his shixiong genuinely wanted to befriend him, it didn’t seem inappropriate. Reflecting on this, Xu Ziqing kept his thoughts to himself and decided to see how things unfolded in the future.

After bidding farewell to everyone at the Qiu Jian Hall, Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing took the two sisters as their servants and headed back to the Zhoutian Immortal Sect.

Their journey was unhurried, and after a few days, they successfully returned.

Since the Chen sisters were accompanying them this time, they couldn’t directly enter the inner gate and had to descend at the outer gate.

However, the Zhoutian Immortal Sect was a top-tier immortal sect, far superior to the large sects in the lower realms. Even the powerful Wuling Immortal Sect in the Qingyun Great World was merely a branch under it, making it an impressive entity that astonished all who saw it.

The Chen sisters, though well-traveled, were astonished upon catching a glimpse of the sect’s outline from the outside.

Even though it was just the outer gate, its grandeur was beyond imagination.

Once they landed, their astonishment only grew—they saw that within the outer gate, various sects and families were flourishing. From their vantage point on the ground, every faction they could see was immense, far surpassing their original sect in scale.

And this was just a few of the lesser-known sects within the outer gate.

It was only at this moment that the sisters realized how fortunate they were to become Xu Ziqing’s servants.

At the same time, they felt a mixture of confidence and anxiety about what lay ahead.

Standing on a street, Xu Ziqing turned to the two sisters and said, “My brother and I are inner disciples, but a few shixiongs are living together in a certain mountain domain, so I can’t bring you both into the inner sect. I’m considering having you manage a faction here; what do you think?”

The two sisters had traveled far and wide for many years, possessing strong wills and the ability to endure and conceal themselves, so they likely had some skills.

Translator: Lynn

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

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