First Immortal of the Sword

Although Jiang Li faced away from the group as she looked into the starry sky, she’d obviously noticed what was going on.

After a brief daze, she inwardly shook her head. She couldn’t be bothered to pay this any more attention.

“Senior apprentice brothers and sisters, just watch: once Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu introduces us, that Su kid will jump as if someone pricked him in the but with a needle. He’ll rush over in a panic and bow before us,” Tao Yunchi transmitted to the others. The corners of his lips shifted upward, and his gaze was playful.

The ignorant were without fear.

This old friend of Qiu Hengkong obviously couldn’t tell who they were.

Otherwise, they feared he wouldn’t have been able to remain seated.

When they heard Tao Yunchi’s transmission, the others’ displeasure dissipated, and they couldn’t help but grin.

Indeed, this was a backwater rogue cultivator. It was to be expected that he’d fail to recognize disciples of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect.

His horizons were limited; he was the very picture of a frog in a well.

Su Yi’s casual bearing stunned Qiu Hengkong too. Then, his heart clenched, and he said hurriedly, “Fellow Daoist Su, let me introduce you to….”

He planned to use the introduction as a pretext to warn Su Yi that Jiang Li, Tao Yunchi, and the others weren’t simple, and that he couldn’t treat them so flippantly.

However, before he could finish, Su Yi cut him off. “No need to talk about other people while we reminisce. Quick, sit down.”

Qiu Hengkong’s expression shifted, but in the end, he merely sighed to himself, then decided to go for it. He sat on the nearby boulder, picked up the jar of wine, and took a swig.

This scene only made Tao Yunchi and his companions feel even more stifled. And here they were eagerly anticipating the moment Su Yi jumped in fright and bowed before them in panic and abject terror.

Who’d have thought that he wasn’t at all interested in them, or that he’d interrupt Qiu Hengkong before he could introduce them?

“Just wait! In a bit, that kid will surely bow before us in panic!” Tao Yunchi transmitted coldly.

 Not far away.

Qiu Hengkong hesitated, but he nonetheless lowered his voice and transmitted, “Fellow Daoist Su, don’t fault me for talking too much, but those men and women are all illustrious members of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, and their leader is the core disciple Jiang Li…”

The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect.

Even just the sound of its name was enough to intimidate the world’s cultivators. Qiu Hengkong trusted that since Su Yi was now wandering the Great Xia, he would surely understand the weight of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect’s name and how lofty its disciples were.

However, before he could even finish talking, Su Yi sighed ruefully. “Fellow Daoist Qiu, in the past, your Dao Heart was firm as iron, and your pride ran bone deep. When we fought, you had no fear of defeat, and you laughed in the face of death.”

He looked at Qiu Hengkong. “Yet now, you’re acting like this. What happened?”

When they first met, Qiu Hengkong was honored as the greatest sword cultivator in the Great Wei, and his attainments in the Dao of the Sword were incomparably firm and polished.

He was the only one Su Yi saw as worthy of his notice. 

A true sword cultivator.

Yet now, from the moment he first appeared, Qiu Hengkong had seemed meek and tentative, and he second-guessed himself at every turn. Neither his words nor his bearing had even the slightest trace of his former grandeur.

When Su Yi spoke, he didn’t transmit his thoughts; he disdained to do so. Instead, he spoke openly, and every word landed in Jiang Li, Tao Yunchi, and the others’ ears.

Jiang Li seemed thoughtful, while Tao Yunchi and company laughed dryly to themselves. Qiu Hengkong? A sword heart like iron? Bone-deep pride? What nonsense.

They’d never seen any trace of that. They just knew that Qiu Hengkong was an outer sect disciple who’d only recently joined up; his status was as low as a servant’s, and they could order him about as they pleased!

“I…” Qiu Hengkong’s heart swelled with emotion. A long time passed before he sighed, “Fellow Daoist Su, don’t tell me you don’t understand even now? Compared to the Great Xia’s world of cultivation, our former stomping grounds were as tiny as a stone well, while we were little more than frogs with delusions of grandeur. Our pride was ultimately due to ignorance.

“After arriving in the Great Xia, I learned how big the world was, and I understood how small I really am.” He then looked at Su Yi, his expression conflicted. “I have indeed changed, but that’s because I recognize the gap between the past and present, and the gap between myself and the world’s top cultivators. I naturally cannot be as… ignorant and fearless as I was then.”

He then let out a long sigh, raised the jug of wine, and drank in maddened gulps. His expression was desolate.

His words resonated with Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing. The Great Xia’s world of cultivation was indeed populated with numerous elites. Here, experts were as numerous as the trees; it was nothing like other countries.

They had once sighed upon realizing that they were just frogs in wells too. Only now did they realize how big the world was.

However, they didn’t completely agree with Qiu Hengkong’s words.

For one thing, Qiu Hengkong subconsciously assumed that Su Yi was a fellow “frog in a well.” This naturally wasn’t right.

No, it wasn’t just “not right.” It was way off!

However, Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing considerately chose not to argue.

Qiu Hengkong and Su Yi had only just bumped into each other. Qiu Hengkong most likely had no idea how terrifying Su Yi was.

Su Yi picked up the wine jar and took a sip. “Recognizing the gap between yourself and others isn’t a bad thing, but if you let your sword heart get coated in dust, you’ll have a hard time wiping it clean. Recovering your former sharpness will be far too difficult….”

What was a sword heart?

What was bone-deep pride?

They were the courage to forge valiantly ahead with no fear of death or defeat. They were the willingness to die rather than submit!

Sometimes, it was okay to endure. Sometimes, it was okay to retreat.

But enduring and conceding for no reason would, over time, enshroud your sword heart in dust and grind your pride into nothingness.

When that happened, you were doomed to fade into obscurity.

The current Qiu Hengkong perhaps had yet to lose his iron-like sword heart or his deep pride.

However, he was already showing warning signs!

The clues were visible in his bearing and in his traces of abjection and sullenness.

“Coated in dust? My sword heart?” Qiu Hengkong shook his head, and pride appeared on his face. “Fellow Daoist Su, I won’t keep it from you: I am now an outer sect disciple of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect. Compared to its top experts, I’m perhaps unworthy of notice, but I’m already far beyond the vast majority of the Great Xia’s ordinary cultivators!”

Tao Yunchi was listening in from not far away, and he couldn’t help but chime in. “Junior Apprentice Qiu, you’re right. When you entered the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, you were like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate. Although you’re currently just an outer sect disciple, how could the world’s ordinary cultivators possibly compare to you?”

He might have seemed like he was complimenting Qiu Hengkong, but in truth, he was using this as an opportunity to highlight how extraordinary he and his companions’ statuses were. 

As he said this, Tao Yunchi looked at Su Yi. 

The way he saw it, he’d already made himself perfectly clear. Su Yi ought to understand who they were, and when he did, there was no way he could remain seated. He was sure to rush up to greet them frantically.

But to his astonishment, Su Yi just sat there; he didn’t even spare Tao Yunchi a glance. He was still behaving as if Tao Yunchi and his companions didn’t exist.

Tao Yunchi felt like a beauty who’d just wasted her amorous glances on a blind man. He felt stifled, and his expression darkened. 

This punk really doesn’t know what’s good for him!

The others were stunned too. Earlier, they were certain that when he learned who they were, this kid from the boonies would surely come up to greet them.

Who’d have thought that even now, he’d have no reaction to them at all….?

Was this how an ordinary cultivator was supposed to respond?

The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect disciples felt stifled and confused. How could anyone this dense exist in this world?

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

Although they didn’t know it, when they heard Tao Yunchi’s words, Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing almost burst out laughing.

Qiu Hengkong is only an outer sect disciple. He thinks that’s like a carp jumping over the dragon’s gate?

These Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect guys sure know how to make themselves sound impressive!

How would they respond if they found out that Master once killed inner sect disciples of Cloudsky Divine Palace as if they were nothing but clay chickens and porcelain dogs?

And what if they found out about that Spiritual Manifestation Realm black flood dragon? Ying Que dared kill the third-ranked inner sect elder of the Qingyi Dao Sect, Li Miaohong, but when he faced Master, he was as meek and modest as a schoolboy. What would they think if they found out about that?

Their superiority complex and inflated self-image are both due to ignorance!

Perhaps because of all the time they’d spent with Su Yi, even Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing had gotten lazier. In a situation like this, they couldn’t even be bothered to argue…

But Su Yi didn’t care about that.

He could tell that Qiu Hengkong had lost the fierce pride and iron-like sword heart of a sword cultivator. However, he seemed pleased to have become an outer sect disciple of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, and he took pride in this accomplishment. 

Su Yi couldn’t help but lose interest.

People changed.

After recognizing the gap between himself and others, Qiu Hengkong chose which path he wished to pursue. It wasn’t others’ place to interfere.

Su Yi wasn’t the type to offer unsolicited lectures. 

“Fellow Daoist Su, have you joined a sect yet?” asked Qiu Hengkong.

Su Yi shook his head and took a sip of wine.

Qiu Hengkong hesitated, then said, “In another three months, the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect will recruit new disciples. Your talent and accumulations are far beyond mine. If you participated in the entrance exams, it likely wouldn’t be difficult for you to pass.”

He lost to Su Yi during their first encounter, and he had great admiration for Su Yi’s swordsmanship.

When he saw that even now, Su Yi was a rootless rogue cultivator, he couldn’t help but feel aggrieved on his behalf. This was why he made this suggestion. 

Su Yi was stunned. He could tell that Qiu Hengkong was sincerely looking out for him, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

He actually rather hoped for someone capable of guiding his cultivation, but the crux of the matter was that… Well, did any such person exist in this world?

Before Su Yi could answer, someone snorted coldly. “Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu, that’s simply not true. How could just anyone join our Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect?”

The speaker was a young man in silver robes, and his expression was rife with disdain.

Earlier, Su Yi sprawled out leisurely in his wicker chair, completely ignoring them. This left them deeply displeased. 

When he saw Qiu Hengkong encourage Su Yi to participate in the sect’s entrance examinations, the silver-robed young man couldn’t refrain from mocking him.

Qiu Hengkong’s entire body went rigid; he found this rebuke hard to bear.

He opened his mouth and was just about to explain when Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and waved. “No need to say anymore. I have absolutely no interest in joining the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect to continue my cultivation.”

“Enough. Let’s part ways here.” Su Yi put away his chair. He had no interest in chatting any longer.

And since he’d lost interest, what need was there to stick around?

“Shameless boasting!” The silver-robed young man suddenly burst into jeering laughter. “You’re nothing but a measly little rogue cultivator, but you sure know how to talk. How dare you disregard the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect? Don’t you think you’re being ridiculous?”