First Immortal of the Sword

Azurecloud Court.

Su Yi ordered, “Just now, Ge Qian followed you back, but that doesn’t matter. Tomorrow, just continue participating in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly as if nothing happened.”

Yuan Heng hurriedly acknowledged his orders.

Meanwhile.

Ge Qian took a long detour, passing over a dozen streets. It was only after repeatedly confirming that no one was following him that he stopped beside a river flowing through the city.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a breath of turbid air. Suddenly, he realized that something wasn’t quite right. “Geezer?”

No one responded.

“Say something, old man! Weren’t you the one who told me to follow Yuan Heng? What, are you going to play dead now that I’ve been exposed?” 

Ge Qian relentlessly mocked him, but against all expectations, the typically explosive, argumentative old-timer didn’t utter so much as a peep. This was out of character.

Ge Qian was now certain that something wasn’t right here.

After a lengthy silence, he said, “Old-timer, there’s a big problem with the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra you taught me, isn’t there?”

A sigh echoed through Ge Qian’s sea of consciousness. “My mind is in a whirl, so can you please pipe down?”

Ge Qian grinned. “It’s enough so long as you respond.”

“All I can say is that what happened tonight was likely a trap, one targeting us.” The old man’s voice rang out once more. “But… It could also be just what I’ve been longing for even in my dreams. Argh… How do I put it? My emotions are in chaos, to the point that I can’t think straight….” 

Ge Qian had never seen this old braggart so conflicted and tentative. It seemed he was at a complete loss.

Ge Qian took a deep breath, then said seriously, “Never mind that for now. Just tell me this: should I participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly tomorrow or not?”

Time slipped by, but the old man remained silent.

This time, Ge Qian was extremely patient, and he didn’t hurry him.

Finally, the old man said in a low voice, “Participate. Act as if nothing happened and see how Yuan Heng responds. Should we truly encounter unforeseen danger, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you aren’t implicated!”

As he made this promise, his voice filled with determination.

Ge Qian nodded. “Okay!”

“Hm? You agreed awfully quickly this time. It seems I haven’t spent all these years teaching you to cultivate in vain,” said the old-timer, sounding a bit gratified.

He was well aware of Ge Qian’s cautious nature. For Ge Qian to agree so straightforwardly even left him feeling a bit moved.

“I mean, you did say you’d do whatever it takes to ensure my safety. What’s there to be afraid of?” laughed Ge Qian.

“.....”

The twenty-seventh day of the ninth lunar month.

The third day of the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. 

About seventy percent of the original thirteen thousand or so Origin Dao participants had already been eliminated.

From this point onward, the competition grew increasingly intense.

The monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day revealed their true strength, one by one, resulting in one dazzling showdown after another.

By nightfall, the city’s streets, alleys, teahouses, and restaurants were already noisy with conversation. Everyone was discussing the competition.

Just who among these experts would make it into the top hundred?

And which unsurpassed figures would make it into the top ten?

Outside Orchid Terrace.

“Miss Xinzhao, we’ve already arranged a banquet at Cloudmarsh Tower. Everyone hopes you’ll participate,” said a silver-robed, handsome young man eagerly.

Wen Xinzhao stood there, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m busy.”

“Senior Apprentice Brother Xinzhao, Li Handeng of the Qingyi Dao Sect is hosting a banquet tonight, and he sent me to ask if you’d like to participate.”

“Senior apprentice Sister Xinzhao, the sect leader says that tonight, he’ll take the sect’s legacy disciples to visit some of the most prominent citizens of Nine Tripod City. Would you like to participate?”

Numerous people came up to greet her, and all of them looked at her with respect.

The Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly had already ended for the day. The night was naturally a time for feasting and relaxation. Young disciples from various factions were seizing this opportunity to converse and get to know each other. 

And Wen Xinzhao, the famous Little Sword Demon, the most dazzling beauty of Cloudsky Divine Palace’s younger generation, naturally had numerous talented and handsome admirers.

However, Wen Xinzhao politely refused every such invitation.

She had something else to do tonight.

“Big Brother Yuan Heng!” Wen Xinzhao’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she rushed up to him.

The group clustered around her looked over and saw two people, one man and one woman, walking over. The man was tall, stalwart, and unexceptional looking.

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However, the young woman beside him was breathtaking. The sight of her left them stunned.

Her clothes were whiter than snow, and she had a sword on her back. Her black hair fell down like a waterfall, and her jade-like face was matchless in its beauty. She had an aloof, ethereal disposition, like the legendary lady immortal of the moon palace. She stood out from any crowd.

Even standing beside Wen Xinzhao, the famous Little Sword Demon, she didn’t seem the least bit inferior.

These were, of course, Yuan Heng and Yue Shichan. 

“Let’s go, Miss Xinzhao,” said Yuan Heng with a simple smile.

Wen Xinzhao said eagerly, “I’ve long since been eager to see Brother Su again. Right, my master will come too.”

She noticed Yue Shichan too, and even she was astonished by her aloof, icy beauty.

This was, however, their first meeting. Yuan Heng introduced them, and after a few brief pleasantries, the three of them left.

After watching them leave, someone couldn’t help but sigh, “That was Yue Shichan, right? She really is like an immortal beauty!” 

They were already three days into the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. Yue Shichan’s appearance was extraordinary to begin with. Add that to her mighty attainments in the Dao of the Sword, and he’d long since attracted widespread attention.

Some had even taken it upon themselves to start calling her Fairy Shichan!

“Who was that guy? Why does he get to accompany both the Little Sword Demon and Yue Shichan?” 

Quite a few people were envious of Yuan Heng.

“Interesting. He’s just a yao cultivator, yet two peerless beauties of their generation favor him? That’s really strange.”

The purple-haired, golden-crowned Huan Shaoyou stood nearby. He witnessed this entire exchange, and his eyebrows shot up. 

The woman in phoenix-print skirts said with sadistic glee, “Young master, it seems the two beauties you set your sights on are already taken.”

Huan Shaoyou said leisurely, “With my experience, I can tell at a glance that both Wen Xinzhao and Yue Shichan are still virgins. What do you mean, ‘already taken?’”

“Pervert!” The woman spat. “So, you’ve long since set your sights on them!”

Huan Shaoyou stroked his chin and said, “You’re wrong. I just admire their good looks and talent. I can’t bear the thought of mediocre men pestering them, which is why I plan to intervene and save them from calamity. I’ll take them on board my shop and give them a life of unfettered leisure.”

The woman was stunned. She sighed, “Young master… you really are shameless.”

Huan Shaoyou burst into laughter. “How am I shameless? This is obviously just my responsibility as a man!”

As he spoke, he walked off, taking big strides.

……

Tonight, Azurecloud Court welcomed two guests.

The sky was dark, with sparse starlight. A cold wind blew. It was a crisp autumn night.

Su Yi leaned back in his wicker chair and laughed between sips of tea, “So, you’ve been looking for me for the past few days?”

Wen Xinzhao sat across from him. She smiled faintly, “That’s only natural. To me, you’re like a living secret tome on the Dao of the Sword. Whenever I have questions about the Dao of the Sword, I can’t help but want to see you.”

Su Yi didn’t quite know what to say to that. 

Wen Xinzhao wore a long, simple dress, and her hair was tied back in a casual ponytail, revealing her long, slender neck. Her skin was fair and shiny, and she had a playful charm about her. In short, she was a feast for the eyes.

When the Little Sword Demon, the most dazzling member of Cloudsky Divine Palace’s younger generation, saw Yuan Heng at the assembly, she promptly followed him. She even had her master, Daoist Master Coldsmoke, accompany her.

Daoist Master Coldsmoke said gently, “Young Friend Su, forgive my boldness, but might I ask why you aren’t participating in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly?”

When she first saw Su Yi, she was stunned. Sure, he was handsome and elegant, but she couldn’t imagine why Wen Xinzhao would revere him to such an extent.

Over the course of their conversation, Su Yi’s indifference in the face of both insults and flattery and his calm composure won Daoist Master Coldsmoke’s admiration. She wasn’t averse to him, nor was she biased against him. 

However, she still had quite a few doubts.

Before Su Yi could say anything, Yue Shichan interjected, “Such an occasion is boring to Brother Su. Participating would only waste his time.”

She’d been sitting next to him this whole time, dressed in white, pretty as a painting, silent and aloof beneath the light of the moon.

Even silent, her beauty made her impossible to overlook.

However, this answer left Daoist Master Coldsmoke dumbfounded. “Boring?”

The whole world was paying attention! Countless monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day had shown up to participate. How did this grand spectacle become “boring” when Su Yi was involved?

Wen Xinzhao was stunned too, but then, she smiled. “Master, I said it a long time ago. Brother Su is different from those other monsters and geniuses.”

Daoist Master Coldsmoke calmed herself down, but in the end, she couldn’t stop herself. “Young Friend Su, earlier, Wen Xinzhao said it was highly likely that you were the Blue-Robed Swordsman who killed Elder Huo Tiandu on Cloudcomb Lake. Might I ask if….”

Before she could finish, Su Yi set down his teacup and said casually. “That’s right. I killed him.”

Daoist Master Coldsmoke froze. “......”

Wen Xinzhao’s delicate frame quivered, and her beautiful eyes widened. So, it’s just as I thought!

Daoist Master Coldsmoke took a deep breath and asked another question. “But if you really killed him, why hasn’t the Huo Family targeted you?”

Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. This master of Wen Xinzhao’s looks like a mature, elegant beauty, but she’s peppering me with questions like a curious child.

After a moment’s thought, Su Yi decided to forestall any further questioning. He said directly, “Over the past few days, I didn’t just kill Huo Tiandu. I killed the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect’s Zhou Fengzhi, and the Qingdi Dao Sect’s Lei Feng and Ting He too. However… None of the factions behind them have come looking for trouble. The reason for this is simple: someone has helped me seal off information.”

Daoist Master Coldsmoke was instantly stunned. Wen Xinzhao was dazed too.

Both master and apprentice were completely astonished.

However, Yue Shichan, Yuan Heng, and Bai Wenqing had already gotten used to this sort of thing.

The moonlight illuminated their starkly different reactions, and the juxtaposition only made their expressions more interesting!