Chou Wantian's Knot in His Heart

"Uh, Senior, I suddenly remembered I still have some important matters at home. Can I withdraw from the academy first?"

"Hehe, what do you think?"

A Qi Sword suddenly condensed at Chou Wantian's fingertips, aimed at Xiao Chen's brow as he asked.

Xiao Chen: "..."

"Don't think you're getting the short end of the stick, either. With your jinxed-star constitution, Sword Immortal Academy is the only place willing to take you in!"

Only after seeing that Xiao Chen no longer mentioned withdrawing did Chou Wantian slowly put away the Qi Sword.

"But Sword Immortal Academy's Sword Spirit Stone has already been destroyed, and the Sword Dao inheritance has been severed. What good would it do for me to go back with you?"

Xiao Chen asked in confusion.

"Who said Sword Immortal Academy's inheritance has been severed? There's clearly still half a Sword Spirit Stone left! If you truly are an unparalleled seedling for the sword, you may still have a sliver of hope of entering the Sword Dao and becoming a sword cultivator!"

Chou Wantian lifted his wine gourd and took a fierce swig, speaking with displeasure.

Xiao Chen followed Chou Wantian for a long time.

Half an hour later, Chou Wantian stopped before a towering mountain that soared ten thousand zhang into the sky, and Xiao Chen halted as well.

He looked up, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.

Before them stood a majestic mountain, towering amid the clouds with an incomparably imposing presence.

At its summit, a grand hall could faintly be seen, wreathed in mist like an immortal realm.

At the mountain's foot stood a gigantic stone stele a hundred zhang tall, engraved with four large characters: Sword Immortal Academy.

Every character was razor-sharp, carved with a longsword. Though the stele was ancient and had stood for who knew how many years, the Sword Qi coiling around its inscription had endured through the ages without fading.

From what lay before his eyes, one could imagine just how glorious Sword Immortal Academy had once been!

Yet now, wild grass grew thickly beside the stele, making the place look desolate beyond measure.

"Old Man Chou, Sword Immortal Academy's mountain gate is something else. It's actually this domineering? Judging by the words on that stele, Sword Immortal Academy must have produced a True Dragon in its heyday. How did it decline to such a state?"

Xiao Chen could not help looking at Chou Wantian.

"Heh. When the Demon Race invaded, the people of Martial Hall thought only of preserving themselves and refused to fight to the death for the Human Race. Only Sword Immortal Academy was willing to stand before hundreds of millions of common people with three feet of azure steel, fighting the Demon Race in a bloody battle!"

"The Human Race was preserved, but Sword Immortal Academy's foundations were fought away as well. Worse still, those people from Martial Hall took advantage of the fire to loot us, coming to plunder our resources when Sword Immortal Academy was at its weakest! And the Demon Race hated Sword Immortal Academy to the bone, constantly coming to assassinate our academy's Heavenly Prodigy Rank!"

"So, little by little, Sword Immortal Academy's talents dwindled away, until it became the shabby sight it is today!"

A trace of loneliness and unwillingness flashed through Chou Wantian's eyes. He raised his wine gourd and gulped down several mouthfuls, wine running down his neck and soaking his collar, yet he did not notice in the slightest.

Xiao Chen nodded, admiration flashing through his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Don't all martial artists belong to Martial Hall? Doesn't Sword Immortal Academy belong to Martial Hall?"

A sneer curled Chou Wantian's lips. "Back when Sword Immortal Academy shook the world, Martial Hall was merely a rising junior. Though it was formidable, it was nowhere near worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Sword Immortal Academy. If Sword Immortal Academy had not later fought the Demon Race until both sides were grievously wounded, how could Martial Hall have had its turn to dominate the world?"

The two spoke as they walked, soon arriving at the mountaintop.

At the mountaintop stood only an ancient grand hall and a densely packed cluster of courtyards.

No one knew how many years the hall had existed. Although its materials were of excellent quality, many parts of it had already decayed. Even its outer walls were covered in dense cracks like spiderwebs. The main doors seemed broken and could only hang half-closed. Everything about it gave off an air of ruin, like the condemned buildings on Blue Star where Xiao Chen had lived in his previous life. It looked as though it might collapse at any moment!

After glancing over the hall, Xiao Chen's eye twitched. He looked at Chou Wantian. "I say, Old Man Chou, are you sure people can live here?"

Chou Wantian chuckled. "Don't worry, no one will die. Oh, right, you're different from this old man. You don't have Sword Qi protecting your body, so that may be another matter!"

Xiao Chen's eye twitched again.

That damned old man could actually say something so cold and sarcastic. He really was shameless!

"How about this? There's a cluster of courtyards over there. They're relatively less broken down, so the chances of them collapsing are a little lower. Go pick a room there. But no one has lived there for many years, so the sanitation is a little poor. You'll just have to make do!"

Chou Wantian pointed toward the right rear of the hall.

Following his finger, Xiao Chen saw an extremely desolate courtyard complex. It was utterly dilapidated, with weeds standing two meters tall. The hell kind of conditions were these supposed to be something he could make do with?

Suddenly, he noticed a brand-new courtyard at the left rear of the hall. It seemed to have just been renovated. Sword Qi swirled around it, and all kinds of spiritual flowers and herbs had been planted nearby. Amid the ruined Sword Immortal Academy, it stood head and shoulders above the rest, like an immortal realm descended upon the mortal world.

"Old Man Chou, that's not very fair! There's such a nice courtyard, but you won't let me stay there? You want me to live in that dump? That must be your residence, right? I don't care. I'm staying there!"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly.

Sword Immortal Academy was simply too decrepit, even more outrageous than the condemned buildings from his previous life.

He had been mentally prepared before coming, but he had never expected it to be this absurd.

Fortunately, there was still such a nice courtyard. It was like finding a path to survival in the depths of despair!

"You want to live there? Hehe, keep dreaming! Neither you nor I are worthy of living there!"

Chou Wantian glanced at the courtyard that resembled an immortal realm and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"That place isn't where you live?"

Xiao Chen asked suspiciously.

As the dean of Sword Immortal Academy, if even Chou Wantian did not live in such a fine residence, then who could?

"There are only four people in Sword Immortal Academy at present, counting you and me. The courtyard you've taken a fancy to is called Slaying Heaven Courtyard. My senior brother and his granddaughter live there. How could I have the good fortune to live there?"

Chou Wantian seemed to recall some unbearable past and lifted his wine gourd for another fierce swig.

"There's a story there?"

Xiao Chen asked curiously.

"I suppose there is! Fifty years ago, the Demon Race invaded Barren North City. Young and hot-blooded, I insisted on leading Sword Immortal Academy's elites to slay demons. My senior brother, Lin Jiansan, felt that something was wrong, that it seemed like a trap. He urged me not to go, but I refused to listen and insisted on taking men there!"

"When we got there, the Demon Race had already laid an ambush. Sword Immortal Academy was trapped deep within the enemy formation, while the five great academies stood by with folded arms. In the end, all one hundred and three sword cultivators of Sword Immortal Academy died in battle. Though I fought desperately to break out of the encirclement, I was grievously wounded, and my foundation was utterly destroyed!"

"After that battle, Sword Immortal Academy declined completely. My senior brother hated me to the bone because of it and never spoke another word to me. He lived alone in Slaying Heaven Courtyard, devoting himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the sword."

"I know my senior brother's temperament. He values Sword Immortal Academy more than his own life. As long as I fail to restore Sword Immortal Academy, he will never forgive me! But in my current state, I am merely dragging out a miserable existence. How could I possibly have a chance to restore Sword Immortal Academy?"

Seeing the sorrow on Chou Wantian's face, Xiao Chen could not help feeling moved as well.

Chou Wantian had risked his life to slay demons for the Human Race. It had been the act of a hero, yet he had fallen into an ambush and caused Sword Immortal Academy to lose all its foundations. He had meant well but brought about disaster instead; it was not entirely his fault.

"Old Man Chou, don't belittle yourself too much. Didn't you bring me back because I'm the opportunity for you to rebuild Sword Immortal Academy's glory?"

"You? A Heaven-Jealous One wants to rebuild Sword Immortal Academy's glory? I'm afraid you have no idea how invincible Sword Immortal Academy was in its glorious days. That is simply beyond anything you can imagine!"

"Although you possess the Born King Physique, you are envied by the Heavenly Dao and destined to be plagued by misfortune. Not to mention that those with talent for sword cultivation are few and far between. Having the Born King Physique does not mean you possess the aptitude of a sword cultivator! Rebuild my ass!"

Chou Wantian sneered.