Chapter Fifty-Five: The Pride of Kunlun, News from an Old Friend

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After hearing from Fang Qing and Chen Xuan about the crisis facing Mount Shu, a ripple of emotion stirred within me.

Ling Qingzhu…

Now, recalling the days we traveled together, I realize I never taught her a single technique. I only discussed the Dao with her, spoke of the ways of heaven and earth, of the waxing and waning of all things. Yi Yi, too, became her close friend, often calling her “Sister Qingzhu.”

She possessed extraordinary perception, and from observing the myriad phenomena of nature, she comprehended her own “Stainless Sword Heart” and broke through in her cultivation. After that, she bade us farewell, saying she had duties to her sect and must return to Mount Shu.

It has been more than forty years since that parting.

I had not expected that the next news of her would be of such dire straits.

“Father,” Yi Yi’s clear eyes were filled with worry, “that Kunlun Heir, what is this ‘Divine Sea Stage’? Will Sister Qingzhu be in danger?”

I explained to her, “On the path of cultivation we have traveled, there are the stages of Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation. But in these days, with spiritual energy so thin, most cultivators remain at Foundation Establishment, unable to progress further. To distinguish their ranks, they have subdivided the Foundation Establishment stage into several minor realms. The ‘Spirit Platform Stage’ is when one has succeeded in Foundation Establishment and condensed a platform of spirit in the dantian. The ‘Divine Sea Stage’ is when the dantian is expanded like a sea—this is the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, just a step from condensing a Golden Core, though the gap remains vast.”

Recalling Ling Qingzhu’s state from over forty years ago, I continued, “When Qingzhu left us, she had just stabilized her Spirit Platform. In this age of waning Dharma and scarce spiritual energy, even with her prodigious talent, crossing that gulf in forty years would not be easy. This battle, for her, is indeed perilous.”

“Then should we… go help her?” Yi Yi asked.

I gazed at the towering main peak of Tianshan in the distance, where Heaven Lake was located.

“We shared a bond of goodwill with her,” I said, smiling as I ruffled Yi Yi’s hair. “Since we have come upon this, there is no reason to stand by idly. Come, let us go to Tianshan and visit this old friend.”

I had wished for peace and detachment, but with an old friend in trouble, it seems I must walk this mortal world once more.

When we arrived at the small town at the foot of Tianshan, it had already become a temporary gathering place for the martial artists of the ancient world.

Contrary to the image of “flowing robes and swords in hand,” most people here wore modern casual clothes and outdoor jackets. Yet, the concentrated spirit and occasional fierce aura they exuded set them apart clearly from ordinary tourists.

This was a high-martial world hidden beneath the modern city. They had their own circles, their own rules, and knew how to blend into ordinary society.

Yi Yi and I found a hotel that seemed clean enough and checked in. In the lounge of the hotel lobby, scattered groups of martial artists sat, seemingly drinking coffee and playing with their phones, but in truth, all their conversations were about the upcoming “Tianshan Sword Meet.”

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“Kunlun is making a big show this time. The Heir himself is here, and he’s brought along the Four Guardians—Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. It’s meant to put Mount Shu in its place,” a young man in a trendy T-shirt murmured to his companion, his accent tinged with the distinctive flavor of the Tang Clan from Sichuan.

“Who doesn’t see it? I heard the Kunlun Heir has declared that if Ling Qingzhu loses, not only must she marry into Kunlun, but Mount Shu will have to give up the ‘Twin Purple-Green Swords’ as her dowry. This isn’t a sword meet, it’s an outright annexation!” another replied, shaking his head in regret.

“Alas, the situation is stronger than people. In today’s ancient martial world, aside from Kunlun, who else can still train a young expert at the Divine Sea Stage? Mount Shu will have to swallow this bitter pill.”

“What a shame for Fairy Ling Qingzhu—she is the moonlight in the hearts of our generation, as pure as the snow lotus of Tianshan, now to be forced into the arms of the Kunlun Heir, that tyrant…”

Their conversation was filled with sympathy for Mount Shu and awe for Kunlun, but no one dared to intervene.

At that moment, the hotel’s automatic doors slid open, and a group of people entered.

At their head was a tall, handsome young man in a perfectly tailored white suit, a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. Were it not for the arrogance in his eyes and the few middle-aged men behind him whose presence was as steady as mountains, anyone would have mistaken him for a wealthy scion.

The moment he appeared, the entire lobby fell silent. All eyes turned toward him in awe.

He was the Kunlun Heir.

Without turning his head, he walked straight to the elevator. As he passed by, I could clearly feel the surging true energy within him, like a mighty river. Indeed, he was at the Divine Sea Stage.

Only after he left did the lobby gradually come back to life.

Yi Yi and I were just about to go upstairs when the elevator doors opened again. Out stepped a cool, aloof figure.

She wore a simple white tracksuit, her hair in a neat ponytail, a long sword bag on her back. Her features were even more refined than forty years ago; her expression, however, was colder, with a touch of silver at her temples and a few wrinkles on her cheeks. She was like an unsheathed sword, radiating a sharp aura that kept strangers at bay.

It was Ling Qingzhu.

She saw us as well. When her gaze fell upon me, the icy look in her eyes instantly melted—shock, confusion, joy—all these emotions mingled together, leaving her momentarily stunned.

“Mr. Jiang…?” Ling Qingzhu’s voice was tinged with uncertainty and trembling.

“It’s been a long time, Qingzhu,” I replied with a gentle nod.

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Yi Yi had already run over joyfully, taking her hand. “Sister Qingzhu!”

Ling Qingzhu looked at my unchanged appearance, then at Yi Yi, who still looked like a young girl. Her astonishment was beyond words. Yet she quickly suppressed the tempest in her heart and bowed deeply to me: “Qingzhu greets Mr. Jiang.”

This bow came from the depths of her heart. She knew well that without Mr. Jiang’s guidance in years past, she would never have achieved what she had today.

“This isn’t the place to talk,” I said, glancing at the curious looks around us. “Where is your room?”

Ling Qingzhu gave her room number, and together, we took the elevator upstairs.

Inside, I poured myself a cup of tea and got straight to the point: “I have heard a little of the Kunlun matter. How much chance do you have of winning?”

Ling Qingzhu fell silent. After a while, she spoke in a cold, firm voice, “Less than thirty percent. From Spirit Platform to Divine Sea is a process of true energy changing from a stream to a sea—he far surpasses me in that aspect. Yet, we sword-bearers of Mount Shu would rather break than bend. Even if I perish, I will not suffer such humiliation.”

Her eyes burned with a resolve to perish together if necessary.

“Well said—better to break than bend,” I nodded in approval, then changed my tone. “But the ultimate sword path is not only about force. That which is too rigid is easily broken.”

I looked at her and spoke calmly. “Your sword is sharp enough, pure enough. But your heart is unsettled. You are bound by thoughts of victory and defeat, burdened by the honor and shame of your sect, and have lost your composure. You see only the gap in true energy, forgetting that the essence of the swordsman is to use intent to command qi. In this state, facing the Kunlun Heir—whose mind is whole and momentum at its peak—even that meager thirty percent chance will vanish.”

Ling Qingzhu’s body trembled slightly, and she lowered her head in silence. She knew well that Mr. Jiang had pierced directly to her greatest inner demon.

I set down my cup and stood. “Before tomorrow’s sword meet, come to my room. I will discuss the Dao with you once more.”

I did not say I would intervene, nor did I promise to teach her any peerless martial arts.