Snowy Night Sword Duel, Nascent Soul Against Nascent Soul

"Is this... a lightning tribulation?"

Gu An looked at the thunderclouds outside the window. His brows gradually relaxed, and curiosity appeared on his face.

He was not worried, for he could sense that the heavenly might was far from Mystic Valley.

Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin, who were clearing snow from the garden grounds, all turned to look. Ye Lan, meditating and cultivating in the mountain forest, opened her eyes as well. Xiao Chuan emerged from his house and looked at the rolling thunderclouds overhead.

Wuxin sat meditating atop the mountain. The flying snow filling the sky could not conceal his figure. Looking toward the horizon, he frowned deeply.

"Such powerful Sword Intent..."

Wuxin murmured to himself. Although his cultivation was low, he came from Thousand Autumn Pavilion and had seen much.

Thunderclouds swiftly blanketed the entire sky, like a boundless ocean whipping up towering waves. The snowy forests below sank into darkness. The wind between heaven and earth grew stronger and stronger, swaying the mountains and woods and shaking loose sheets of snow.

Distracted by this heavenly might, Gu An had no heart to write. He rose and went downstairs, calling on the disciples to watch over the various garden grounds.

An hour later, several cultivators flew over Mystic Valley, heading toward the source of the heavenly might before vanishing into the vast flying snow.

The sight made the disciples in the valley even more nervous, unsure what exactly had happened.

Near dusk, a clap of thunder resounded through heaven and earth.

Gu An stood atop the mountain and saw lightning and thunder flashing at the horizon. Bolts of lightning intertwined toward a point on the ground, forming an enormous fan-shaped display, magnificent beyond compare. Lightning shone across his face as his black robe swayed in the wind.

"This lightning tribulation is so terrifying. No wonder I failed so many times in simulated cultivation."

Gu An sighed inwardly. The resentment he had suppressed for years finally dispersed.

Though simulated cultivation consumed more lifespan than reality, it was safe. Looking back at his achievements, he was at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul Realm at twenty-eight. Could Taixuan Sect find a second person like him?

Then he turned and descended the mountain, intending to continue writing.

That night, thunder rumbled without end, preventing everyone in Medicine Valley from cultivating in peace.

By noon the next day, the thunder still had not ceased. The wind between heaven and earth grew fiercer and fiercer, as though a blizzard was about to descend. Gu An occasionally led the disciples out to tend the medicinal herbs.

Only after three full days and nights did the thunder finally stop. As the thunderclouds parted overhead, sunlight at last spilled down, making the Mystic Valley disciples breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet before they could rejoice for even half a day, a sharp and oppressive pressure blanketed heaven and earth, making their chests feel stifled and their hearts pound in alarm.

Inside the loft.

Gu An set down his brush and looked out the window, his brows tightly furrowed.

He sensed a powerful Sword Intent coming from the horizon, though for the moment he could not judge how far away it was.

"What is he doing?"

Gu An was puzzled. He had only just passed his lightning tribulation, and he was already comprehending the sword?

Was he really that desperate?

Gu An could only pray that the other party would not affect his Medicine Valley.

Though the man's Sword Intent was powerful, Gu An secretly compared it to his own and felt it did not measure up to the Great Vast God-Startling Sword.

After all, he had poured two thousand years of lifespan into the Great Vast God-Startling Sword!

How many people in this world could live two thousand years?

Late at night, Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.

Gu An came to visit Jiang Qiong. He made his way beneath the Azure Vine Tree and raised his hand in salute to Jiang Qiong.

"For the next while, do not come in again, lest Zuo Yijian discover you," Jiang Qiong said without opening her eyes.

Zuo Yijian?

Gu An remembered this man. He was Zuo Lin's father. When father and son had flown over Mystic Valley before, he had cast Lifespan Inspection on both of them.

Zuo Yijian's cultivation had previously been precisely at the ninth level of the Golden Core Realm.

After crossing the tribulation, he was now a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

Gu An's thoughts raced, but his voice sounded nervous as he asked, "Who is Zuo Yijian?"

"He is the one who crossed the lightning tribulation these past few days. I heard from your master that he has already made a name for himself as the Canghu Sword Fanatic," Jiang Qiong answered.

Canghu Sword Fanatic?

Gu An asked curiously, "Martial Ancestor, are you old acquaintances with him?"

"Yes, we are indeed old acquaintances. Back then, he overestimated himself and wanted to pursue me as his Dao companion. I humiliated him fiercely, making him the laughingstock of the Inner Sect. From then on, he devoted himself to sword practice and shut himself away. Even after I was injured and feigned my death, I never saw him again."

At this point, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes and looked at Gu An. With a teasing smile, she said, "Good disciple-grandson, do not let your heart be stirred by love in the future. It is easy to suffer for it."

Gu An replied, "Thank you for your instruction, Martial Ancestor. I will remember it well."

Then Jiang Qiong had Gu An sit down and began instructing him in the gu arts of the Myriad Gu Profound Technique.

The Myriad Gu Profound Technique contained both a qi absorption method and numerous gu arts, all of which required a great deal of time to study.

Only after staying in Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven for two hours did Gu An leave.

Three days later, at dawn.

Gu An was leading the disciples through their exercises. They stood atop the snow, the cold wind cutting to the bone, yet they still wore thin clothing.

Whoosh!

A piercing sound tore through the air, startling everyone into turning their heads. An eastern mountain peak had been struck by a strand of Sword Qi. Two large trees on the slope were severed and crashed down, rolling all the way downhill before finally being stopped by a line of trees. Snow and dust flew up like white mist.

Looking upward, they saw a fissure two zhang long in the mountainside, as though someone had cleaved it open with a colossal sword. It was a spectacular sight.

Su Han frowned. "This is not the first time. If this continues, it will sooner or later harm us."

The other disciples were also heavy with worry, and even their exercise movements slowed.

Wuxin sighed. "When sword cultivators comprehend the sword, it can take days at the shortest and decades at the longest. Who knows how much longer that person will continue?"

For once, Gu An was not smiling. His expression was gloomy.

He was worried about the medicinal herbs in Mystic Valley.

Yesterday, he had gone to the Outer Sect and reported the matter to Alchemy Hall. The higher-ups had said he could temporarily move to Outer Sect City and forgo this year's harvest, but Alchemy Hall would not bear any losses suffered by Mystic Valley.

The medicinal herbs in Mystic Valley were all Gu An's treasures. How could he possibly be willing to abandon them?

If Mystic Valley collapsed, Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven might be exposed as well.

No!

He had to think of a way!

Gu An's eyes flickered. For the sake of making a living, he could swallow his anger and endure humiliation. But for the sake of his medicinal herbs, he was willing to take a gamble!

"Alright, hurry and finish the exercises, then cultivate on your own. Wait another two days. If that person still has not left, we will go take shelter in the Outer Sect," Gu An said.

At those words, all the disciples perked up. They too feared that Mystic Valley might collapse, so they had long wanted to leave and take refuge elsewhere.

Winter days passed swiftly.

Night gradually descended.

On a mountain summit, Zuo Yijian sat meditating in a gray robe. Five swords stood before him, each with a different shape, even their blade widths differing from one another.

Under the night sky, snow filled the air. The instant it landed upon him, it swiftly melted into wisps of white vapor, making his entire aura seem even more formidable.

On another peak a hundred zhang away, Zuo Lin sat meditating at the edge of a cliff. Three large banners were planted around him, fluttering in the wind. Whenever Sword Qi swept over, an invisible barrier neutralized it, leaving him entirely unharmed.

Though he was uninjured, the thunderous boom of Sword Qi striking the Formation still startled Zuo Lin awake.

He raised his eyes toward his father, his sword-like brows tightly knitted, envy gleaming in his eyes.

They said dragons gave birth to dragons, and phoenixes gave birth to phoenixes. Why had he not inherited his father's talent for the sword?

Feeling his father's powerful Sword Intent, Zuo Lin's heart soared with longing.

Though his Spirit Root aptitude was exceptional and his qi absorption far outpaced those of his peers, all he wanted was to become a powerful sword cultivator like his father.

If not for his need to comprehend the sword, his cultivation realm would have gone far beyond the second level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Alas!"

Zuo Lin sighed, then prepared to continue comprehending the sword. He refused to believe that he truly could not achieve anything in the Dao of the sword.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly saw his father rise to his feet, and he froze.

Was it over?

Zuo Yijian stood atop the mountain, facing Zuo Lin's direction, though his gaze was higher, fixed upon an even taller mountain in the distance. The night was vast and hazy, with no figure in sight, yet he could sense a Sword Intent locking onto him.

The five treasured swords before him began to tremble and hum, as if facing a great enemy.

Zuo Lin rose as well and called out, "Father, what is it? Did you succeed?"

Zuo Yijian did not answer him. Instead, he asked, "May I ask which fellow Daoist has arrived? Why not show yourself?"

Ten li away.

Gu An, dressed in white, stood atop a mountain peak. A Wooden Mask covered his face, and spiritual energy concealed his features beneath it, preventing divine sense from probing him.

His white robes fluttered, merging into one color with the snow behind him.

He toyed with a leaf in his right hand. Wisps of Sword Qi coiled around it.

From his high vantage point, he could see Zuo Yijian and Zuo Lin as well.

Before releasing his Sword Intent, he had already inspected the land within a hundred li, confirming there were no other powerful cultivators before coming to this mountaintop.

Gu An did not like killing innocents, but Zuo Yijian had endangered his Medicine Valley and had to be driven away.

"Blame yourself for choosing the wrong place."

Gu An murmured. He was already circulating his cultivation technique, pouring spiritual energy into the leaf.

At the same time.

Hearing his father's words, Zuo Lin quickly turned around. But with only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, he could not see a person ten li away, especially not in the dark of night, with the boundless snow obstructing his vision.

Unable to see the newcomer, he could not help growing nervous.

Zuo Yijian sensed the other party's Sword Intent rising. He knew this battle could no longer be avoided.

"A spy of the Demonic Path? Or... one of their people?"

Zuo Yijian's gaze flickered. His right hand gripped one of the treasured swords before him. It was slender, its blade crimson red. The instant he grasped it, flames ignited along its edge, making it the brightest presence beneath the night sky.

He drew his sword and rose. With a sweep through the air, the blade sent up a wave of fire that hung horizontally across the night sky.

"To use the Flame-Devouring Sword Technique in this freezing weather—these days of comprehending the sword seem to have greatly advanced Father's sword Dao..." Zuo Lin turned his head. Seeing the fire on his father's sword, worship filled his face.

No matter who the newcomer was, he believed his father would not lose.

"Since Fellow Daoist refuses to speak, I can only assume you intend to disrupt my comprehension of the Dao. Then let this frozen world of ice and snow bear witness to whose Sword Intent is stronger!"

Zuo Yijian's icy voice echoed between heaven and earth. As his words fell, a soaring Sword Intent erupted from his body. The mountain beneath him shook violently, snow collapsing down its slopes, while even the mountain where Zuo Lin stood began to tremble.

Ten li away.

"Too much talk."

Gu An murmured softly, so quietly that only he could hear it. As his words fell, he fiercely hurled the leaf in his hand.

What flew forth seemed not to be a leaf, but a divine sword piercing through time and space!