Martial Cultivator

Facing this self-assured young sword cultivator, Chen Chao felt a bit helpless. However, the other quickly laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm different from those other cultivators. I don't have any prejudices against martial artists like you. In my eyes, there are only two kinds of cultivators in the world: those I can't beat and those who are interesting. Clearly, you belong to the latter."

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. "Why not the former?"

Lin Xian shook his head. "No, no, no, that's impossible."

Chen Chao could not be bothered to argue with him. After resting for a while, Lin Xian got up and smiled, "I'm heading off first. If you have time, come find me at Jade Summit Mountain. But the people there might not welcome you, so you might have to fight your way up."

Chen Chao twitched his mouth. What kind of talk was that?

Lin Xian laughed heartily, stood up, and continued climbing up the mountain.

Chen Chao did not rest for long. After restoring his qi, he resumed climbing. However, this time, the ascent was still arduous. It was not until he took a few steps that Chen Chao belatedly remembered what Lin Xian had said earlier. Slowly, he began to let the qi within his body seep out. However, this action was immediately perceived as provocation by the myriad sword qi surrounding him. The sword qi instantly became ten times more violent than before. Chen Chao had originally hoped to find a shortcut, but now he had brought trouble upon himself and was suffering greatly.

In just a moment, Chen Chao's black shirt was riddled with holes. Not only that, but his body beneath the black clothes was also cut by countless swords, with fine blood beads appearing instantly. However, due to Chen Chao's powerful physique, the wounds quickly healed and reopened in a continuous cycle of torment.

Chen Chao was in agony. What kind of situation was this?

However, he quickly noticed some subtle gaps between the myriad sword qi. Although the sword qi was dense, there were still spaces between each strand. This was because each flying sword was proud and unwilling to merge with the others, creating opportunities for Chen Chao. He even discovered that if he guided his qi to collide with a certain strand of sword qi, the other party would get angrier, making it even more difficult to control the sword qi. Hence, there were even exchanges of attacks between different strands of sword energy, leading to chaotic conditions amidst the sword qi on the mountain.

As Chen Chao maneuvered through the chaotic sword qi, he found opportunities amidst the chaos, making his progress less difficult than before.

However, after a moment, he heard a commotion and cursing ahead. "Who the hell is causing trouble? Your Father... ah... my ass..."

Expressionless, Chen Chao passed by a sword cultivator whose posterior had been unfortunate enough to be pierced by the chaotic sword qi, blood flowing freely, without saying a word.

With his unorthodox method, Chen Chao actually progressed much faster than many sword cultivators. Before long, Lin Xian's figure appeared in front of him again.

This guy was currently sweating profusely and struggling to resist the mountain full of sword qi. After seeing Chen Chao, he could not resist cursing with a pale complexion, "If Your Father finds out which bastard is causing trouble, Your Father will cut him down with one stroke!"

Chen Chao nodded solemnly, "Indeed, climbing the mountain has become even more difficult now."

But after saying this, Chen Chao passed Lin Xian and continued forward.

Realizing belatedly, Lin Xian watched Chen Chao's back and cursed, "Chen Chao, you damned son of a bitch!"

Chen Chao turned a deaf ear to it and continued his ascent silently, now approaching the halfway point up the mountain.

Ahead, he could already faintly make out a human-height stone slab with three characters etched on it.

"Sword Qi Mountain!" Having finally reached the true entrance to the mountain, Chen Chao rubbed his wrist and continued forward. It was then that he noticed the intense sword qi of the mountain had calmed considerably, no longer surging as violently as before. When he looked up, he saw a tall, elderly man with white hair and beard standing with his hands behind his back. It was clear that this expert of Sword Qi Mountain had intervened.

The old man gazed at Chen Chao, and an overwhelming surge of sword intent instantly rushed over. Chen Chao instinctively wanted to draw his saber, but he forcibly slammed it back into its sheath just as it was halfway out.

The old man's gaze lingered on the broken saber for a moment before instantly shifting away. He then said indifferently, "What a martial artist. No wonder your name stirs such resentment among your peers from the foreign lands. Just climbing this mountain, you've already caused such a commotion. If one day you set foot in the Nepenthe Realm, would you trample this entire Sword Qi Mountain?"

Chen Chao smiled bitterly and said, "How could I have such power? With a single command from Sword Qi Mountain, who knows how many sword immortals would appear at the summit of the mountain? Forget about the Nepenthe Realm, even if I reached the end of Nepenthe, how could I dare to have such plans?"

The old man was not considered pleased with the young man's response. If it had been any other cultivator, he might not kill them, but he would have expelled them from the mountain without hesitation. However, this young man in front of him had a special identity. In the end, the old man said with a stoic expression, "Sword Qi Mountain only forges swords. Please return."

Having learned of Chen Chao's identity, Lin Xian already knew his intentions. How could these old fellows who had lived for so many years not understand?

Chen Chao chuckled, then took out the pair of snow-white antlers and asked, "Are these items needed by Sword Qi Mountain?"

The old man glanced at them and responded indifferently, "They are merely intended to be used as a sword hilt for a newly forged sword on the mountain. Does your esteemed self think this could move Sword Qi Mountain?"

Chen Chao was taken aback. That demon king was a demon of the Great Beyond Realm, extremely rare in the Great Liang Dynasty, and its antlers had caused many to fight over them. Yet, here at Sword Qi Mountain, this thing was only used to make a sword hilt?

However, Chen Chao did not show his surprise. He just smiled and said, "It's just a meeting gift. Since I plan to do something Sword Qi Mountain has never done before, I must show enough sincerity."

The old man shook his head indifferently, "Regardless, Sword Qi Mountain only forges swords."

Chen Chao was stunned and then asked curiously, "Senior, are you the Mountain Lord?"

The old man looked at Chen Chao and slowly shook his head.

Chen Chao then asked, "Did the Mountain Lord instruct you to keep me from entering the mountain gate?"

The old man shook his head again.

Chen Chao smiled, "In that case, why can't I enter Sword Qi Mountain?"

The old man was rendered speechless, his expression turning somewhat ugly. After a moment, he said softly, "I've always heard that your tongue is sharper than your saber. Seeing it today, it's indeed true."

Chen Chao smiled, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

The old man snorted coldly, his expression ugly as he turned and walked back up the mountain.

Chen Chao watched the old man's back view with a bitter smile. He had initially planned to keep a low profile on the mountain since he was here to seek a favor. Being too ostentatious would not work in his favor. Despite being a martial artist backed by the Great Liang Dynasty, he could not count on that to be truly effective, especially since the foreign sects typically disregarded the Great Liang. Who would have thought that before even stepping through the mountain gate, this old man would come out and make things difficult? However, given the current situation, Chen Chao was not overly worried either. After all, Sword Qi Mountain was a place for business. Whether forging swords for sword cultivators or forging a saber for him now, the principle remained the same. Forging swords for sword cultivators built goodwill; forging a saber for him should be no different. A major sect like this would surely consider the benefits and calculations involved. Otherwise, they would not have stood strong for so many years. As long as they felt the reward was worthwhile, their so-called rules might not be so rigid.

Despite this reasoning, Chen Chao still felt uncertain, even though he had several contingency plans.

Sighing, he finally reached the mountain gate of Sword Qi Mountain. The disciples guarding the gate seemed to have already been instructed by the old man and thus did not look too pleased. Upon seeing Chen Chao, they said stiffly, "Sword Qi Mountain is a restricted area. Idlers are not allowed."

Chen Chao had nothing to say to this. The rules of Sword Qi Mountain were just like that. They did not say that reaching the mountain gate after climbing the path would grant you entry, nor did they specify that you had to take this particular path to climb up the mountain. But ultimately, this was the domain of Sword Qi Mountain, and they decide the rules.

Chen Chao sighed but still smiled as he said, "I have a letter from an elder that I need to deliver to a senior on the mountain. Could you please notify them?"

Chen Chao had various methods to get into the mountain. As a last resort, he could fabricate a story about Sword Qi Mountain harboring a fugitive from the Great Liang Dynasty and claim he was here to investigate. But while that might get him into the mountain, it would nearly destroy any chance of forming a relationship; a situation he wanted to avoid.

Pressuring them with the authority of the Great Liang Dynasty might work, but it would certainly make others unhappy. Chen Chao understood this simple principle.

"Who is it for?" The gatekeeping disciple's tone remained as stern as ever.

Chen Chao looked at the disciple, not speaking immediately, but a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Constantly backing down sometimes would not make others respect you, it merely made others think you were easy to bully.

Chen Chao could make a concession for the big shots on the mountain, but what did it mean for a mere gatekeeping disciple to act with such an attitude?

The disciple noticed the chill in Chen Chao's eyes and his expression stiffened. When he spoke again, his tone was much more amicable. "Fellow Daoist, please tell us whose letter you're delivering and to whom in the mountain it is addressed."

Chen Chao said calmly, "I can only tell you who the letter is from. As for the recipient, you will find out after you report it."

That disciple's expression grew uneasy, but he still said softly, "Please speak, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Chao took a deep breath and said coolly, "Xiao Hezheng."

The two gatekeeping disciples exchanged glances, looking bewildered. Who was Xiao Hezheng? Why had they never heard of it before?

These three words sounded utterly unfamiliar to them. It was not some famous great cultivator from the foreign lands, nor was it someone with a long-standing reputation.

Chen Chao observed the expressions of the two gatekeeping disciples and realized they were unfamiliar with the name of that Great General. Indeed, the Great General had guarded the Northern Frontier for many years. The imperial court mostly referred to him as Great General. Even the foreign cultivators mostly only knew him as an unparalleled martial artist and the Northern Frontier Great General of the Great Liang Dynasty. Few people knew his real name.

Chen Chao exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling an inexplicable sadness. For so many years, the Great General had defended the North for the human race, almost dedicating his entire life to it. He had just passed away less than a year ago, and was he already going to be forgotten by the world?

Momentarily distracted by his chaotic thoughts, Chen Chao quickly regained his senses and said softly, "The former Northern Frontier Great General, Xiao Hezheng."

Chen Chao looked seriously at the two gatekeeping disciples and said earnestly, "He once defended the North for the human race for decades."