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Chapter 23: The Soul-Shaking Bell and Yin-Yang Art
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 08:57:01 +0000 UTCIn the mountain forest, Gu An couldn't withstand Li Ya’s insistence and ultimately performed a clumsy set of the Li family’s Seven Swords technique. Only then did he realize that pretending to be inept was far harder than pretending to be proficient.
Faced with Gu An’s stiff swordplay, Li Ya criticized him for quite some time before patiently teaching him how to properly practice swordsmanship.
Through Li Ya’s moves, Gu An could tell that he had already begun practicing the "Nine Strikes of Supreme Swordsmanship" and was indeed a prodigy, at least far more talented in swordsmanship than Gu An.
The next day, Li Ya still dragged Gu An along to practice swordsmanship.
Gu An couldn’t take it anymore!
"Brother Li, I’m not cut out for swordsmanship. Let’s just stop, alright? I only have a few decades to live. If I spend all my time practicing swords, wouldn’t that be a waste? I’d rather spend my time growing and tending flowers," Gu An said helplessly. He secretly activated the Dragon Force technique, making his eyes appear slightly red.
Li Ya, sword in hand, suddenly felt stifled.
What am I doing?
Am I repaying Junior Brother Gu with something he doesn’t enjoy?
Isn’t this a form of harm in itself?
Li Ya couldn’t help but think back to his childhood when his father forced him to learn from his older brothers, but he could never master the skills that came so naturally to them.
Sighing, Li Ya walked over, patted Gu An on the shoulder, and said, "Junior Brother Gu, I didn’t consider your feelings. I’m sorry."
Gu An forced a smile. "It’s alright, Senior Brother. I know you have my best interests in mind. It’s just that I’m not very talented."
The more Gu An spoke this way, the guiltier Li Ya felt.
The two sat down, chatting about their first year in the valley, gradually easing the tension from the sword practice.
For the next few days, Li Ya stopped pestering Gu An to practice swords, but he still spent an hour each day teaching Xiao Chuan and the others swordsmanship.
For Xiao Chuan and the others, whose dreams of becoming powerful cultivators had not yet been extinguished, the chance to learn from an Outer Sect disciple was invaluable.
Five days later, Li Ya was preparing to leave.
Gu An, along with his junior brothers and sisters, accompanied Li Ya to the valley’s entrance. Xiao Chuan and the others were reluctant to see him go, having learned so much from him.
"Senior Brother, this place will always be your home. Come back and visit often," Gu An said with genuine reluctance.
Home?
Li Ya’s heart stirred at the word, but his face remained calm as he smiled faintly and replied, "I’ll be back."
With that, he turned and left, his black robes resembling a flickering flame as he walked through the forest, burning with a resolve that not even the autumn wind could extinguish.
Gu An sensed that Li Ya was igniting some kind of fighting spirit, perhaps related to the injuries he had sustained.
Once Li Ya’s figure disappeared into the depths of the forest, Gu An turned to his junior brothers and sisters, smiling as he said, "Train hard, and one day, go to the Outer Sect to find Senior Brother Li and bring honor to our Xuan Valley."
Lu Jiu Jia immediately made a bold declaration, vowing to join the Outer Sect.
Xiao Chuan also expressed his determination, though with noticeably less confidence.
Ye Lan appeared to be lost in thought, her mind elsewhere.
Wu Xin then said, "I’m not going to the Outer Sect. I’ll stay with Senior Brother Gu forever!"
His words left everyone, including Gu An, surprised.
This kid...
Gu An felt a bit moved. Had he perhaps misjudged Wu Xin?
These days, Wu Xin had been very well-behaved, no longer sneaking around at night. Moreover, nothing had ever gone missing in Xuan Valley, so Gu An couldn’t definitively say that Wu Xin had any malicious intent.
Since that’s the case, I’ll just assign him more chores.
Ye Lan felt a pang of regret. Why didn’t she say that first? She also realized that while Senior Brother Gu was important to her, he wasn’t as important as pursuing the path of immortality.
Lu Jiu Jia couldn’t resist mocking Wu Xin for being such a bootlicker, which soon sparked a noisy argument between Xiao Chuan, Ye Lan, and Wu Xin.
As Gu An led them back to the valley, his thoughts drifted underground.
Now that Li Ya had left, it was time to deal with the trouble beneath the surface.
...
Late at night, in the Eight Views Heavenly Cave.
Gu An stood with the Heavenly Solemn sword sheathed in his hand, approaching Meng Lang, whose seven orifices were still sealed with earth, lying motionless on the grass.
"The grass around here has been disturbed. So, someone has been here."
Gu An keenly noticed slight changes in the grass surrounding Meng Lang. Most cultivators wouldn’t have detected such subtle details, but Gu An had specifically observed the area before leaving last time.
He gripped the Heavenly Solemn sword tightly, then began walking toward the tunnel where Meng Lang had originally emerged.
Before long, he disappeared into the darkness.
This tunnel lacked the crystals that illuminated the other paths, making it pitch dark, but that was no problem for the spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
A cold spiritual wind blew through the tunnel, causing Gu An’s robes to flutter as his spiritual sense reached the tunnel’s end ahead of him.
It was a spacious chamber, not as large as the main cavern of the Eight Views Heavenly Cave but still sizable. The chamber was filled with coffins, and a massive blue-green crystal, as large as a water jar, was embedded in the ceiling, casting an eerie glow over the coffins, making the scene both terrifying and unsettling.
Aside from the coffins, there was nothing else in the chamber.
Gu An’s spiritual sense quickly detected that one of the coffins contained a living person. The faint life force was impossible for a Nascent Soul cultivator to miss.
Though he didn’t sense any danger from this life force, Gu An remained cautious.
He continued forward, walking for a long time before finally reaching the tunnel’s end.
Standing at the entrance to the chamber, he cautiously peeked inside and called out, "Is anyone there?"
There was no response, as if the chamber were completely empty.
Gu An picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it inside. With a soft thud, the stone hit one of the coffins, but nothing stirred. Still, he widened his eyes in feigned alarm.
He instinctively stepped back, putting on an act of fearful hesitation.
Why isn’t anyone responding?
This is getting awkward!
Gu An was growing anxious inside. He was stalling to gauge the intentions of whoever—or whatever—was in the chamber. After all, the being hadn’t harmed him before, so he didn’t want to kill someone innocent by mistake.
At least not without a clear conscience!
Grinding his teeth, Gu An suddenly drew his sword and charged into the chamber, slashing wildly. With a crack, the Heavenly Solemn sword struck a coffin’s lid and became lodged in it. He yanked the sword free, stumbling backward from the force.
"Heh-heh..."
A soft chuckle echoed through the chamber, its eerie tone sending shivers down Gu An’s spine. It was a woman’s voice, and for a moment, it sounded just like a ghost laughing.
Gripping his sword tightly, Gu An spun around, scanning his surroundings, afraid that a demonic spirit would leap out at him.
"Boy, are you one of Cheng Xuandan’s disciples?"
The mysterious female voice rang out again, her tone sultry and teasing.
Gu An hurriedly responded, "That’s right. Senior, Cheng Xuandan was my master. May I ask who you are and why you’re here?"
"If I’m here, I must be your grandmaster. Cheng Xuandan is my disciple, so if you’ve entered this place, it means his time has come, correct?" The mysterious woman’s voice turned more somber, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
Gu An replied, "So you’re my grandmaster. I greet you, Grandmaster. My master’s time has indeed passed. He told me he wanted to follow your example and find a secluded place to await the end of his life."
The chamber fell into silence.
Gu An remained vigilant, ready to strike if the other party attacked, regardless of whether she was his grandmaster. He wouldn’t hesitate to defend himself.
The Heavenly Solemn sword, after all, had yet to taste blood!
After what seemed like an eternity, just as Gu An was about to speak again, the woman’s voice returned. "Did Cheng Xuandan tell you who I am?"
Gu An answered softly, "My master told me everything. You’re from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, and he told me to be prepared to assist the people of Thousand Autumn Pavilion whenever they come..."
"By the looks of you, timid and cautious, I’d wager you’re not doing this willingly, are you? You only learned about all this after becoming the valley master, didn’t you?" The woman’s voice teased him playfully.
Gu An let out a long sigh, saying nothing more. His silence spoke volumes.
This time, he wasn’t acting—he was genuinely exasperated.
"Since you’ve acknowledged Cheng Xuandan as your master, you are naturally my grand-disciple. Guard this place for me for ten years, and after that, I’ll leave the Tai Xuan Sect and won’t trouble you any longer."
Hearing this, Gu An asked, "May I ask Grandmaster’s name?"
"My name is Jiang Qiong. As for my title in the cultivation world, it’s not worth mentioning."
Jiang Qiong?
Her name sounds nice, but I wonder how long she’s been alive.
As Gu An pondered this, one of the coffins suddenly opened, startling him.
Two objects flew out of the coffin and landed at his feet.
Looking down, he saw a small black bell and a cultivation manual.
"Consider these my gifts to you, my grand-disciple. The Soul-Shaking Bell can control all the techniques of the Ten Thousand Gu Mysterious Technique. With just a shake, every corpse puppet in this cavern will obey your commands."
"And that manual is my personal cultivation method, the Yin-Yang Art. It also contains the instructions for refining the Soul-Shaking Bell. Even Cheng Xuandan couldn’t learn this."
Jiang Qiong’s voice carried a note of weariness.
Gu An quickly bowed in thanks, but couldn’t help asking, "Grandmaster, why are you so kind to me when I’m merely of average talent?"
"Heh, average talent? Boy, though I don’t know what strange techniques you’re practicing, your actual cultivation far exceeds the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. I’d guess you’ve already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. For someone so young to reach Foundation Establishment, you’re definitely a genius. What I like even more is your humility, hiding in the Outer Sect as a servant. I don’t know what burdens you carry, but you clearly have issues with the Tai Xuan Sect."
"Your talent satisfies me, and your cautious approach suits me even more. Train well. In time, I’ll teach you more techniques. Eventually, I’ll recommend you to become a true disciple of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion."
Jiang Qiong’s coquettish laughter returned, making Gu An’s face stiffen as he felt a bit exposed, like his cover had been blown.
Taking a deep breath, Gu An said, "Thank you, Grandmaster. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask."
With that, he bent down, picked up the Soul-Shaking Bell and the Yin-Yang Art, and turned to leave.
Jiang Qiong’s voice didn’t call out again, and Gu An quickly made his way back to the Eight Views Heavenly Cave.
Sitting under the tree, he began reading through the Yin-Yang Art.
All the while, he was contemplating whether Jiang Qiong had any ill intentions.
If it’s only for ten years, I’m not too worried. After all, I’m already at the Nascent Soul stage and have mastered the Tai Cang Heavenly Shocking Sword.
Jiang Qiong is clearly no saint, and she’s wary of my Foundation Establishment strength. How could she possibly go from fearing Foundation Establishment cultivators to overpowering a Nascent Soul cultivator in just ten years?
She’s been hiding here for a long time, according to Cheng Xuandan—she’s supposedly been dead for seventy years already.
During these ten years, I’ll try to learn more techniques and skills from her. If, after ten years, she leaves peacefully, I won’t go against her.
But if she harbors ill intent, then the Heavenly Solemn sword will have to taste blood.
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