First Immortal of the Sword

Two days later.

Beneath the vast dome of the heavens, a treasure ship forged straight through the sea of clouds.

Su Yi sat cross-legged in one of its rooms. He’d only just awakened from meditation.

When he sensed the changes to his cultivation, he couldn’t help but nod to himself.

With sufficient resources, his cultivation, which had long stagnated at the mid-stage Grain Avoidance Realm, had already entered the late stage. His power rose to new heights along with it.

Within his dantian, the Strongest Dao Seed blazed like the sun and emanated a dense, boundless aura, like the origin power fluctuations of primordial chaos.

The power of his physique and soul had advanced too.

His comprehensive power had increased by at least thirty percent!

Su Yi had never cared about how quickly he cultivated.

This latest breakthrough happened naturally, like water flowing through a canal or a cup filled until it overflowed. This was the transformation that occurred upon tempering his cultivation to the limit of a given stage.

The Dao Charm of the Five Elements only needs a little more tempering before it reaches full completion. The Dao Charm of Yin has only just barely reached the level of small success. In terms of the Dao Charm of Wind, I’ve only just barely crossed the threshold….

If I can combine the Dao Charm of the Five Elements with my attainments in the Dao of the Sword, even as a late-stage Grain Avoidance cultivator, I should just barely be strong enough to duke it out with the Spiritual Manifestation cultivators of the mundane world.

If I combine that with soul techniques and soul power, killing Spiritual Manifestation cultivators shouldn’t be too much of a problem, Su Yi thought to himself.

Going by cultivation alone, there was an enormous gap between him and Spiritual Manifestation cultivators.

However, if they really fought, relying on his cultivation base alone, not his trump cards and killer techniques, he had no need to fear a fight with Spiritual Manifestation cultivators.

The heart of the matter was that he’d condensed the Strongest Dao Seed, an unprecedented accomplishment.

The power of his soul wasn’t inferior to Spiritual Manifestation cultivators’ either.

His secret arts and his Dao of the Sword were first-rate, far from comparable to those of this world’s cultivators.

As for the cultivators of the mundane world of the Azure Continent? No matter their cultivation, their accumulations, cultivation techniques, legacies, and their comprehension of the Grand Dao were inferior to the cultivators of the Wilds, and by no small margin either.

The reason was simple: the influence of the thirty thousand years of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness had rendered the Azure Continent spiritually barren, and its ancient orthodoxies had practically disappeared. 

How could barren ground give rise to a towering tree?

The circumstances only highlighted just how indomitable and heaven-defying Su Yi’s cultivation was; it was enough that he could cross realms to defeat higher-level opponents. 

However, Su Yi wouldn’t underestimate the world’s Spiritual Manifestation cultivators either. 

These were people who’d managed to reach the Spirit Dao despite the poor local conditions; they were all undoubtedly incomparable with ordinary people.

If there were a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator around, I could actually test my strength and see how far I’ve grown… When this thought occurred to him, he couldn’t help but feel rather bored.

No matter where he looked, he found no foes of the same cultivation. It was hard to avoid boredom and restlessness.

Thus, he had no choice but to set his sights a little higher…

Su Yi rose, then left his room.

Yuan Heng was standing outside, but Su Yi didn’t know how long he’d been there.

When he saw Su Yi emerge, Yuan Heng hurriedly said, “Master, in an hour, we’ll reach the Jade Bottle Province. Miss Wen ordered me to inform you. They’re headed for a banquet at the home of the Green Fields Zuo Family, the top clan in the province, and Miss Wen hopes we can come too.” 

The Jade Bottle Province was one of the Great Xia’s thirteen provinces, and it was famed for its production of spirit jade.

As the top clan in the province, the Zuo Family controlled nine massive veins rich with spirit jade. Their forces were widespread and enormous.

Although they couldn’t compare with the Great Xia’s four great orthodoxies, and although their authority wasn’t as far-reaching as the three great clans, they were still a first-rate faction. 

Wen Xinzhao's group was nominally headed to the Green Fields Zuo Family estate to attend a banquet, but in truth, they were going there to buy spirit jades to bring back to the sect. They were useful for refining treasures and talismans.

After learning all this, Su Yi was tempted. With the methods at his disposal, if he could purchase a bunch of rare spirit jades, he could refine a batch of mighty talismans—talismans of invisibility, long-distance communication, defense, and more.

Even if he had no use for them, he could give them to those around him to help protect them.

“Alright, no harm in checking it out.” Su Yi nodded his agreement. 

……

The Jade Bottle Province.

The Green Fields Spirit Mountain, the home of the Zuo Family.

The night was dark as ink, and the stars glittered overhead. 

Lanterns illuminated the peak of Green Fields Spirit Mountain. A banquet was currently underway.

The head of the Zuo Family, Zuo Xinghe, as well as a group of the family higher-ups, were all in attendance. It was a grand, formal occasion.

The reason was simple: today, distinguished guests from Cloudsky Divine Palace were visiting!

During the feast, Zuo Xinghe smiled and transmitted, “Brother Zhang, might I be so bold as to ask where that young man in blue and the two yao cultivators he’s traveling with are from?” 

Zuo Xinghe was a peak Gathering Stars Realm cultivator. He was dressed in purple, with hair as dark as ink and a ruddy complexion.

Zhang Yuntao, who was seated directly beside him, didn’t let his expression waver. However, the look in his eyes was a bit complex as he responded, “They aren’t disciples of our Cloudsky Divine Palace. We met them along the way, and we’re traveling together.”

Su Yi had once defeated him. How could he possibly set aside their former enmity and praise Su Yi in front of other people?

Zuo Xinghe smiled and nodded. “So that’s it!”

When Zhang Yuntao, Wen Xinzhao, and company arrived, he was curious as to why there were two yao cultivators traveling with them.

However, out of consideration for etiquette and the occasion, he didn’t ask questions. 

Now, hearing Zhang Yuntao’s words and seeing his cold, indifferent attitude, Zuo Xinghe couldn’t be bothered to pay any further attention to Su Yi, Yuan Heng, or Bai Wenqing.

Even Zhang Yuntao didn’t care about them, so why should Family Head Zuo Xinghe, an influential figure even by the standards of the Great Xia as a whole, concern himself with a few Grain Avoidance cultivators?

The banquet was lively. The Zuo Family was rich and overbearing. Everything, from the wine to the food, was a rare, utterly luxurious delicacy.

“A toast to Young Lord Huo!” 

The Zuo Family higher-ups repeatedly toasted Huo Yunsheng, QIan Tianlong, Sun Feng, and Zhang Yuntao. They were warm and respectful as could be.

Prominent members of the family clustered around Wen Xinzhao and Ren Youyou too, like stars gathering around the moon, going out of their way to strike up a conversation.

Only Su Yi, Yuan Heng, and Bai Wenqing’s section seemed a bit lonely and overlooked. However, since they’d come with members of Cloudsky Divine Palace, the Zuo Family didn’t completely neglect them either.

Su Yi didn’t care about all that. He just poured and drank his wine.

Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing sensed the somewhat chilly reception, and they figured that it was because they were yao cultivators. The Zuo Family higher-ups obviously thought poorly of them.

However, they were already used to this, so they naturally wouldn’t lose their temper.

“Young Lord Huo, who are those three friends of yours? And why are you traveling with them?” asked the delicate beauty in yellow accompanying Huo Yunsheng. She glanced at Su Yi and his companions. 

“Them?” A playful smirk tugged at Huo Yunsheng’s lips. “They’re from the Great Zhou, but their cultivation is extremely impressive. You’d best not underestimate them.”

The girl in yellow exclaimed, “Don’t tell me Cloudsky Divine Palace intends to accept them as disciples?”

Huo Yunsheng laughed dryly, “Cloudsky Divine Palace doesn’t take yao cultivators.”

“Oh,” said the girl. She promptly lost interest in Su Yi and his companions. 

Huo Yunsheng naturally wouldn’t explain anything. He hated that he couldn’t kill Su Yi himself. How could he possibly advertise Su Yi’s strength?

In truth, similar scenes played out around Qian Tianlong and Sun Feng too.

The Zuo Family members naturally weren’t stupid. When they saw that both Zhang Yuntao and the disciples accompanying him had only a perfunctory attitude when discussing Su Yi and his companions, they naturally understood: the three of them were unimportant minor characters.

As a result, perhaps intentionally, perhaps inadvertently, Su Yi’s group was overlooked during the banquet.

This was a world where the strong were respected. Something like “currying favor with those in power” was particularly apparent here.

With their accumulations and collective strength, only the Cloudsky Divine Palace disciples were worthy of grand treatment. 

This was just the way of the world.

Even if you didn’t like it, you had to acknowledge it.

“Servants, bring out the gifts we prepared for our guests.” Zuo Xinghe suddenly spoke up, drawing the crowd’s attention.

Zhang Yuntao smiled and tried to refuse. “Gifts? Brother Zuo, you’re too polite. We’re here as guests. How could we possibly accept your gifts?”

Zuo Xinghe responded with a hearty laugh. “Brother Zhang, please don’t refuse. Not long ago, the cultivators of the Zuo Family discovered a good deal of Spirit Source Ore deep within a vein of spirit jade, and we carefully selected some for this very occasion. Consider it a token of the Zuo Family’s sincerity.”

Spirit Source Ore!

The crowd’s eyes lit up!

Zhang Yuntao couldn’t help but feel surprised, and his interest was immediately piqued.

Before long, a group of servants poured in, each carrying a jade tray.

There was a piece of dark jade ore atop each tray, but none were eye-catching in the least. 

“Master, what kind of treasure is Spirit Source Ore?” Yuan Heng couldn’t help but transmit a request for guidance; it was his first time hearing of such a thing.

Su Yi casually answered his questions.

Spirit Source Ore was formed within the source of a Spirit Jade Mineral Vein.

Every piece of Spirit Source Ore was like a sealed treasure box. These “treasure boxes” could contain all manner of spirit jade, but some were empty.

In markets run by factions of cultivators, they sometimes used Spirit Source Ore to gamble. This was called “betting on stones.”

Having understood all this, Yuan Heng felt enlightened. He suddenly recalled something, then said, “These Spirit Source Ores are actually somewhat similar to the old blind man’s Ghost Lantern Sarcophaguses.”

Su Yi laughed. They’re just Spirit Source Ores. How could they possibly compare to the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers’ Stone Sarcophagi?

He didn’t tell Yuan Heng this part, but in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, there was an even rarer treasure known as Divine Source Ore. That was a treasure so priceless that even Imperial Realm experts would slaver over it. 

Sometimes, Imperial Realm cultivators would even go as mad as gambling addicts over them.

It was then that Zuo Xinghe rose, smiled, and said, “As I’m sure you’re all aware, Spirit Source Ore is rare and precious, but not every piece hides spirit jade. Furthermore, without opening the ore up to see its contents, no one knows their quality.”

He then pointed to the thirty or so paces of Spirit Source Ore on the various trays and swept his gaze across Zhang Yuntao and company.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

“The joy of stone betting lies in making your own choices, so I won’t overstep my bounds. I’ll let each of you select your ore for yourself.”