The once gray and gloomy Battlefield Ruins finally saw a long-absent sun. It seemed to burn a hole through the heavy curtain overhead, and golden sunlight fell in turn upon weeds no one cared about and bones no one had gathered.
Overlooking the Battlefield Ruins alongside Chen Ping'an, Jing Hao said wistfully, "I never thought I would meet Senior Qing Zhu in this lifetime, or drink at Luopo Mountain. I certainly never imagined I'd one day talk heart-to-heart with Mountain Lord Chen like a friend."
Before Chen Ping'an could object, Jing Hao explained, "Only like a friend."
They were not people who walked the same road. Jing Hao knew that much about himself.
For a Dao Cultivator, being able to say he had attended a Qingshen Mountain Wine banquet in Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, or traveled through Hundred Flowers Blessed Land, was something that reflected well on him.
But a Sword Cultivator needed only say he had been to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Nothing more needed saying.
Hearing the former, others might envy his connections among Mountain Dwellers. Hearing the latter, they would sincerely respect his character and courage.
In Northern Juluzhou, anyone who claimed to be a good friend of Jiang Shangzhen was sure to receive quite a "welcome."
And throughout Vast Heaven and Earth, A Liang's friends would say they did not know A Liang whenever they went out.
That was what reputation meant.
Nowadays, whether a great cultivator had visited Luopo Mountain or had any dealings with Chen Ping'an had practically become the measure of whether he truly belonged "at the mountaintop." Jing Hao asked with a smile, "In Mountain Lord Chen's own eyes, are you a pure Sword Cultivator, or do you consider yourself a Martial Cultivator?"
Chen Ping'an said, "A Martial Cultivator who carries