Martial Cultivator

As the Great General left the Divine Capital and returned to his hometown, the two unparalleled martial artists of the Great Liang Dynasty departed from the Divine Capital one after another. Perhaps this signified the end of an era, but what the next era held for the Great Liang Dynasty was what concerned most people. After all, with the Great General retiring and the Lord Warden Commander taking over the post at the Northern Frontier, who would fill the vacant position of Lord Warden Commander?

Apart from this, the most important matter after this event was not about who would assume the position of Lord Warden Commander, but rather the loss of an unparalleled martial artist after the Great General's retirement. Such a powerhouse might not emerge in the Great Liang Dynasty for a long time to come.

This was an irrecoverable loss for the Great Liang Dynasty.

Chen Chao had the rare opportunity today to practice swordsmanship with Liu Banbi. This sword immortal who had not returned to the Divine Capital for long was going to leave the Divine Capital again. Therefore, before leaving again, he wanted to see his little junior sister for the last time, impart some of his Sword Dao insights, which he had already shared quite a lot in these days. Ever since he returned to the Divine Capital, his little junior sister has been his top priority, and he would spend hours every day teaching her about Sword Dao.

Initially, Liu Banbi also felt that imparting the sword was troublesome. There were several sword cultivators in the Northern Frontier Army, and they would often come to him with questions about Sword Dao. However, after he imparted the sword a few times, he started avoiding them altogether. After all, he could not imagine there were such stupid sword cultivators in the world who could not understand even the most basic principles. Despite explaining three or five times, they still could not grasp it. But he found his little junior sister to be an exception from the start. When he began exchanging letters with her, he discovered that his little junior sister was exceptionally intelligent. Almost every question she raised about Sword Dao, he only needed to answer them once.

Later, after he returned to the Divine Capital and they met in person, after imparting the sword several times, Liu Banbi deeply felt that his junior sister was indeed the same as him; a genius sword cultivator. In some aspects, she even surpassed him.

It was only later that Liu Banbi understood in hindsight how fortunate it was to have someone who could understand him.

Today's impromptu sword practice was Liu Banbi's idea. He had not notified his little junior sister in advance. He arrived alone at her courtyard, pushed the door open, and found the two roasting sweet potatoes in the yard. Liu Banbi dragged over a bench, sat down by the fire, and reached out to take one of the roasted sweet potatoes that Chen Chao had peeled very naturally. Taking a bite, Liu Banbi nodded in satisfaction.

Chen Chao silently retracted his hand, not saying anything. What could he say to this sword immortal?

After finishing a sweet potato, Liu Banbi began to talk about Sword Dao. He did not have any thought of avoiding Chen Chao at all, speaking extensively and imparting all his lifelong accumulation of Sword Dao to Xie Nandu.

"Little Junior Sister, you must remember this well. Sword cultivators cultivate the sword, but in reality, it's about the breath(qi). In terms of other cultivators, it's called sword qi, but it's actually heart qi. With this breath(qi) present, even if you suffer momentary setbacks, you won't be stagnant in your Sword Dao realm. If you lose this qi in your heart, even if you step into the realm of a Great Sword Immortal, you can never become a true sword immortal."

Liu Banbi narrowed his eyes and said softly, "With Little Junior Sister's talent, stepping into the realm of Sword Immortal is probably just a matter of time. So, don't rush it. When you encounter any problems, take your time to unravel them. If you can't figure it out for a while, you can temporarily set it aside. Maybe one day, you'll figure it out. You have too many lifeblood flying swords, it's too difficult to nurture each one to the extreme. It's best to prioritize them in order of importance, focusing on nurturing the most important flying sword as your killing move. The rest of the flying swords can be used for feints, making it impossible for your opponents to guard against."

Xie Nandu nodded and said, "I will remember your teachings, Senior Brother."

Liu Banbi laughed heartily, waving his hand. "No need. Other than martial artists, I reckon that it's only us sword cultivators who don't have that much etiquette. Today, Senior Brother imparted my Sword Dao to you. Who knows, maybe one day I'll see a talented junior sword cultivator and impart the sword to them as well. This way, there will always be someone on the path of the sword, continuously raising the peak of Sword Dao.

Chen Chao could not help but admire, "Sword Immortal Liu has such breadth of mind."

Liu Banbi rolled his eyes. "Don't think that a few compliments will make me impart the sword to you, kid. Besides, you're not even a sword cultivator. What are you joining in for?"

Chen Chao was rather speechless. Before he could speak, Liu Banbi suddenly asked, "That Lord Warden Commander of yours and the Great General must have imparted you quite a number of good stuff, right?"

Chen Chao nodded and said, "I'm afraid I haven't lived up to the expectations of the two seniors." Liu Banbi scoffed, "What are you worried about, kid? Since two peerless martial artists have seen potential in you, you must be a promising martial artist seedling. Don't think too much about it. Just focus on advancing in martial arts. As for the sword, don't even bother trying to learn it."

Chen Chao wanted to say something, but after some thought, he decided against it, just smiling and saying, "What Sword Immortal Liu said makes sense."

Xie Nandu then asked, "Senior brother, are you going back to the Northern Frontier immediately after leaving the Divine Capital?"

Liu Banbi shook his head and said, "The Northern Frontier has finally been peaceful for a while. I'm not in a hurry to go back. I've finally come back this time, so I plan to travel to the south next and test my sword."

Xie Nandu inquired, "Is it the Sword Sect?"

Liu Banbi did not beat around the bush, saying straightforwardly, "Everyone in the world says that only the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect can dominate, the rest of the sword cultivators are mediocre. I don't quite agree with that, so I plan to go and see just how remarkable the swords of those sword cultivators in the Sword Sect really are."

Liu Banbi spoke casually, but he exuded confidence in his words.

Chen Chao asked at an inappropriate time, "Sword Immortal Liu, are you going to test your sword against the sect master of the Sword Sect?"

Liu Banbi was choked by this question and replied impatiently, "If you don't know how to talk, just keep mum."

The sect master of the Sword Sect was recognized as the foremost figure in the world of sword cultivation, a Great Sword Immortal whose cultivation realm was unknown. Even the temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple would probably not claim to guarantee victory over him.

Although he was confident, Liu Banbi would never presume that his Sword Dao cultivation could surpass that of the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, nor did he believe he was qualified to test his sword against him.

While sword cultivators certainly needed their own pride, they should not be arrogant or conceited.

Chen Chao chuckled and stopped talking.

Liu Banbi looked at Xie Nandu with a puzzled expression and asked, "Little Junior Sister, don't you ever feel like beating him up after spending time with him?"

Xie Nandu smiled and replied, "He's normally not that annoying."

Liu Banbi glanced suspiciously at Chen Chao, who had an innocent look.

Liu Banbi suddenly whispered, "I think this punk will be under your thumb for a lifetime."

This sentence was meant for his junior sister alone and was conveyed through a special voice technique, sounding out in Xie Nandu's mind.

Xie Nandu responded mentally, "I never said I was definitely going to marry him."

Liu Banbi smiled faintly and did not say much. Judging from the perspective of someone experienced, it seemed that his little junior sister would likely not escape the fiendish clutches of that punk. However, considering his status as her senior brother, he probably did not think Chen Chao was unworthy. After all, there were not many outstanding young people in the Great Liang Dynasty, and the one before him could be considered the most outstanding one.

But what a shame.

He was a martial artist.

If he were a sword cultivator, perhaps there would be a pair of sword immortal couple in the world in the future.

However, Liu Banbi would not say such things to avoid being disliked. After the final sword imparting, Liu Banbi left the small courtyard and went to the Dean's residence.

The Dean was basking in the spring sun in front of the house. Upon hearing footsteps, the leader of scholars merely narrowed his eyes but did not open them.

Liu Banbi stood somewhat awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to say.

Even though he no longer studied and had become a sword immortal, this young sword immortal still felt a bit like a disciple being fearful of his master in front of the Dean.

"Going south?"

The Dean said to himself, “When studying, you think of becoming the most amazing scholar in the world. After practicing the sword, you naturally think about becoming the most outstanding sword immortal in the world. You, Liu Banbi, have always been like this. Who wouldn't know?"

Liu Banbi chuckled, "I'm not thinking about achieving that now. I just want to find fellow cultivators from the Sword Sect to test my sword. Win or lose, it's no shame."

The Dean sneered, "You really don't find it shameful?"

Liu Banbi could only answer honestly, "If we're at the same cultivation realm, I'll naturally have to think about winning. Otherwise, wouldn't it be throwing your face?"

The Dean said sarcastically, "I don't have the ability to produce a sword immortal like you."

Liu Banbi choked up, sighing inwardly. He could not help but feel a bit more annoyed at Chen Chao.

The Dean said calmly, "Go if you want. I can't hold you back, and I don't want to either. After you test your sword, go back to the Northern Frontier. You're an eyesore."

Liu Banbi acknowledged with an "oh," but still said softly, "Teacher, disciple doesn't know when I'll be able to come back and see you again after leaving the Divine Capital this time."

The Dean remained expressionless, "Either way, I'm not relying on you to take care of me in my old age. Why think so much?"

Liu Banbi did not say anything. After bowing, he was about to leave.

The Dean suddenly snorted coldly and uttered a few words, "Don't die."

Liu Banbi smiled and replied, "I won't. This student still has to see Little Junior Sister get married and drink a toast at her wedding!"

……

……

After seeing off his student without much formality, the Dean got up by himself and left the academy. Instead of heading to the imperial city, he walked down a long street and stopped in front of a pitifully small tavern, smiling, "The usual."

The lady boss of the tavern was a severely overweight middle-aged woman, with her arms probably thicker than an ordinary man's thigh. It could not be said that she aged gracefully. She promptly a jug of alcohol for the Dean with familiarity, a smile spreading across her plump face as she asked, "Sir, it's been a while since you last came."

The Dean nodded with a smile, "During the New Year, my student brought quite a bit of alcohol. I drank for a while."

The tavern lady boss smiled fawningly, "A knowledgeable person like Sir must have many students, and they must be grateful for your teachings."

The Dean smiled and did not say much. The woman only knew him as a teacher from one of the academies in the Divine Capital. She actually did not know the specific location or his name. She only knew that he would come every few days for a drink, never ordering much; just a jug of wine each time.

After handing over the jug of wine, the lady boss suddenly looked a bit awkward as she glanced at the Dean bashfully.

She was not particularly attractive, and with her body type, her bashfulness was not exactly appealing.

The Dean smiled and asked, "If there's something on your mind, just say it. We're old acquaintances."

The landlady then said, "My boy is about the age to start school, but the Divine Capital is so big, and there are so many academies. We don't know which one is good, and we don't know anyone. We were wondering if you could help us find a good school? If sir could teach him personally, that would be even better."

The Dean peered through the tavern door and saw a child sizing him up from inside.

With a smile, the Dean nodded, "No problem. I'll find a moderately priced academy for you later and have them come to you when the time comes."

The landlady was taken aback, not expecting the Dean to see through her thoughts so clearly. Actually, her earlier remarks about not knowing anyone and not knowing which school was good were just excuses. In reality, they were a small family, and they looked from afar at the prestigious academies in the Divine Capital. It was not that they did not want their child to attend, but they simply did not have the money for it.

Since the Dean had offered so considerately, it was naturally for the best. Seeing the Dean reaching for money to pay his hill, the landlady waved her hand and said she would not accept payment.

However, the Dean shook his head and said softly, "In the past, it would be fine, but today, this alcohol isn't for my own consumption. If I don't pay, I won't be able to face myself."

Hearing this, the lady boss did not insist further and simply smiled, "Then, next time sir comes, you must let me treat you to a drink, alright?"

The Dean nodded with a smile and soon left with his alcohol.

Once outside the Divine Capital, the Dean quickly arrived at the foot of a low hill. This hill was filled with red maples and was a magnificent sight in the autumn. Therefore, many literati and scholars would often come here to admire the scenery during that season. However, since it was spring, there were not many people around. As the Dean made his way up the hill, no one recognized him.

As he reached the deeper areas of the low hill, there was not a soul in sight.

After some time, the Dean arrived at a gravesite.

It was more like a small mound of earth with no tombstone in front of it.

Seating himself on the ground, the Dean looked at the small mound in front of him and lamented softly, "I've come to drink with you again."