Martial Cultivator

Before coming up the mountain, Chen Chao knew that asking Sword Qi Mountain to help forge a saber would be no simple task. Putting aside whether or not the swordsmiths here had the skill, just the act of forging a saber would raise many voices of dissent on Sword Qi Mountain. He had prepared many arguments, but in the end, he only met with the Mountain Lord and did not meet the other swordsmiths.

The trouble had been taken on by Yang Furen himself.

This Mountain Lord looked at the many swordsmiths present and, after a long silence, asked, "Can it not be done in this old man's personal capacity?"

Someone quickly replied, "Even if Mountain Lord thinks so, will those outside the mountain think the same?"

Yang Furen said, "Have you all considered that if he brings a saber up the mountain and leaves with a broken saber, people might think Sword Qi Mountain is nothing special, that we can only forge swords and cannot even repair a broken saber?"

Some of the swordsmiths frowned upon hearing this. Having spent their entire lives on Sword Qi Mountain, they valued the reputation of Sword Qi Mountain more than anyone else.

Before they could reply, Yang Furen just smiled and said, "It's not that complicated, you're all overthinking it."

"Anyway, this old man doesn't agree. If Mountain Lord insists on doing this, then this old man will leave the mountain today and never return, nor will I acknowledge myself as a member of Sword Qi Mountain."

The elderly man who had initially given Chen Chao a hard time at the mountain gate spoke up, his stance resolute.

Yang Furen asked, "Wen Hu, why go so far?"

The old man called Wen Hu frowned and said, "This old man simply cannot stand by and watch Sword Qi Mountain make a foolish decision on this matter. If Mountain Lord insists on going through with this, I'm afraid this won't work."

The other swordsmiths also spoke up. While not as extreme, their sentiments were roughly similar.

Such a situation had never occurred on Sword Qi Mountain, this was the first time in many years. Although Yang Furen was the Mountain Lord in name, oftentimes, he could not make decisions alone about matters on the mountain.

"When that girl came up the mountain and took away nine flying swords, it was already inappropriate. But at least she was a student of the academy and not someone from the Great Liang Dynasty. However, this person is an official in the Great Liang Dynasty, and his status makes this matter too delicate, Mountain Lord!"

"Yes, that girl took nine flying swords, which were still slightly inferior to the Hundred Year Swords. How many such flying swords does Sword Qi Mountain have? Mountain Lord, would the ancestors of Sword Qi Mountain approve of this if they knew?"

"Mountain Lord, we've never opposed any of your decisions, but today, we ask you to think this over carefully."

……

……

Everyone on the mountain voiced unanimous opposition to this matter.

"To be honest with everyone, this old man is actually helpless against that broken saber."

Yang Furen suddenly smiled and said, "Doesn't anyone want to try to reforge that broken saber and show the world what kind of place Sword Qi Mountain really is?"

Someone smiled bitterly, "If even Mountain Lord is powerless, how could we have any solutions?"

The world knew that Yang Furen was the world's greatest swordsmith. If even he could not accomplish this task, they naturally would not even think about it.

Yang Furen sighed, "Spending a lifetime forging only swords, isn't it boring?"

No one answered him. After a long silence in front of the hall, Yang Furen sighed again, "It seems you all have forged swords to the point where you're no longer like real people."

……

……

Chen Chao waited in the pavilion for a long time, even cycling his internal qi several times, but Yang Furen still had not returned. When he opened his eyes again, a middle-aged man had appeared in the depths of the bamboo forest. The man wore a gray robe and had a sword hanging from his waist. He did not have any otherworldly aura, looking instead like a simple, taciturn farmer.

Chen Chao stood up and exchanged a glance with the man. He was in no hurry to speak.

The man walked toward Chen Chao slowly. "You're that young martial artist, Chen Chao?"

Chen Chao nodded, "Who might you be, Senior?"

The man shook his head, "You don't need to know who I am. Do you know that coming up the mountain to forge your saber is causing a lot of trouble? Right now, at the main hall, the Mountain Lord and a group of swordsmiths are in a heated argument."

Chen Chao replied, "I apologize for disturbing the mountain."

The man said, "Since you know that you're disturbing, why persist? Especially when even the Mountain Lord has no solution. It isn't easy for our Sword Qi Mountain to establish ourselves between heaven and earth. Your actions could bring our Sword Qi Mountain disaster. Even if the Mountain Lord owes a debt of gratitude, you shouldn't leverage it for repayment." "If you can understand this, how about leaving the mountain now?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brows. Actually, when the man first spoke, Chen Chao roughly understood his meaning. But now that he said this, Chen Chao still asked, "Is this the Mountain Lord's opinion?"

The man shook his head, "This is the opinion of Sword Qi Mountain."

Chen Chao asked with a smile, "Since when does the Mountain Lord's word no longer hold sway on Sword Qi Mountain?"

The man did not answer this question and simply said, "If Fellow Daoist insists on staying, then I will have to take action."

Chen Chao looked at the sword hanging from the man's waist and asked with a grin, "Are you a sword cultivator or a sword immortal?"

The man's expression remained calm as an ancient well as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Chen Chao shook his head and replied, "Even if I were to leave the mountain, I would have to see the Mountain Lord first. Besides, since you're not a sword immortal, there's no need to be so harsh in your words. It's easy to be beaten up."

The man narrowed his eyes, a hint of sword intent emanating from him.

Chen Chao lamented, "At least you all have some dignity and didn't send a sword immortal to drive me away."

He grasped the hilt of his saber, muttering to himself, "I just lost one fight; surely I can't lose two in a row, right?"

As he spoke, the man had already arrived in front of him. Sword qi filled the bamboo forest, scattering in all directions. With a flick of his sword sheath, the man's flying sword was unsheathed, accompanied by sword cries echoing through the deep bamboo forest.

Chen Chao drew his saber at the same time and attacked first. He delivered a powerful strike with an imposing momentum.

As the man gripped his sword, he already saw the saber descending. He had no choice but to place his sword horizontally in front of him at that moment, intercepting the powerful strike. However, it was only after the clash of blade and sword that the man realized he had underestimated the young martial artist before him. The boundless force behind the saber nearly made him lose grip of the flying sword in his hand.

Chen Chao could not be bothered to say much to the man before him. After his saber strike, the blade slid along the body of the flying sword, finally getting stuck at the sword's guard; unable to advance further.

Just as the man relaxed, Chen Chao suddenly threw a punch. The man frowned, about to block the attack. But he was already struck on the shoulder by the punch, sent flying back several dozen feet, barely managing to stand steady. Eventually, he barely stabilized himself with his sword after nearly falling down. Chen Chao chuckled, "Stop practicing the sword. Stick to forging swords honestly."

Despite considering himself to have a decent temperament, the man inexplicably felt a surge of anger upon hearing these words. Without a word, he thrust his sword forward, overlapping sword images and abundant sword intent. This sword strike was actually quite skillful.

However, Chen Chao paid no mind. Not all cultivators in the world were as powerful as the demon girl he had encountered before. This sword cultivator before him was clearly nowhere near as strong as that demon girl.

The man's swordsmanship was different from that of other sword cultivators in the world. It lacked that elegant feeling and was instead more down-to-earth, which actually closely matched the style of Sword Qi Mountain. Those obsessed with sword forging would not bother with such complexities.

Afterward, the bamboo forest was filled with sword qi, yet not a single green bamboo was damaged. Chen Chao faced the enemy with his broken saber and quickly gained the upper hand. In the end, with a final strike, Chen Chao used a technique to disarm the man of his flying sword. The simple and unadorned flying sword, similar to the man, fell to the ground nearby, quietly embedding itself in the earth.

Chen Chao's blade halted before the man's neck.

Then, Chen Chao sheathed his saber.

The man looked incredulous.

He had no enmity with Sword Qi Mountain; killing someone here would be unreasonable. Chen Chao sheathed his saber out of restraint and also because the other party had not harbored any killing intent towards him from the beginning.

Chen Chao walked back to the pavilion, picked up the green bamboo, and said with a smile, "You seem to have forgotten that I'm also ranked third on the Latent Dragon List."

The man remained silent. Having been bested, what more could he say?

Chen Chao turned and continued up the mountain, leaving behind one last remark, "Rest assured, if I see the Mountain Lord and he still wants me to leave, I'll go down the mountain."

The man stood there, dumbfounded.

……

……

The standoff in the great hall continued.

As the Mountain Lord of Sword Qi Mountain, Yang Furen looked at the swordsmiths, who were also looking back at him.

No words were exchanged.

Until, not long after, a figure appeared, carrying a green bamboo.

Yang Furen turned his head to glance over, curious.

The swordsmiths also looked over.

Many of them were curious about this young martial artist whose fame had already resounded throughout the world.

But even if they were curious, they would not do anything for him.

Chen Chao arrived before the great hall, followed by many disciples of Sword Qi Mountain, each carrying some degree of injury. Chen Chao looked at Yang Furen and said with a smile, "Someone just tried to make this junior leave the mountain, but their skills were average, so they didn't succeed."