Mystic Gate Saber (Part Two)

Mystic Gate Saber (Part Two)

After returning to Lonely Peak, Li Qiye glanced at Nan Huairen, tossed the two ordinary iron daggers to him, and said leisurely, "Since you wanted to see them, take a good look."

Having had his thoughts seen through by Li Qiye, Nan Huairen felt rather embarrassed. He could not understand why Li Qiye had chosen these two ordinary iron daggers. He had desperately wanted to see what was so miraculous about them, yet had been too embarrassed to ask.

Now that Li Qiye had tossed the two ordinary iron daggers to him, Nan Huairen no longer stood on ceremony. He carefully examined the two daggers in his hands, but no matter how he looked, he could not see anything extraordinary about them.

The two Mystic Gate Sabers had already grown quite rusty, mottled and ancient. The entire daggers had been forged from ordinary iron, without the slightest trace of anything miraculous. Nan Huairen was utterly baffled.

"Why did Senior Brother insist on choosing these two Mystic Gate Sabers?" Nan Huairen believed that Li Qiye had set his sights on them the instant he entered the Weapon Repository.

Li Qiye smiled. "If even you could see through them, these two sabers would not have remained there all this time."

"What kind of treasure are these?" Nan Huairen asked humbly for guidance. He simply could not see the wonder of these two sabers.

"They are no treasure." Li Qiye smiled faintly. "They are merely two Mystic Gate Sabers forged from ordinary iron. Judging by the materials alone, sabers like these are not worth even an ounce of silver."

"But..." Li Qiye's words only left Nan Huairen more confused. If these two Mystic Gate Sabers were truly nothing more than that, why had Li Qiye chosen them?

"But," Li Qiye interrupted Nan Huairen's doubts, "cutting through the weapons of lords and the treasures of True Persons would be as easy as cutting tofu."

"How could that be possible?" Nan Huairen could not help being greatly startled. What sort of figures were lords? As for True Persons, there was no need to even mention them. Legend had it that the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had not produced anyone of such a level for thirty thousand years!

Li Qiye merely smiled at Nan Huairen's shock. Looking at him, he said unhurriedly, "You are clever, and you see the situation clearly. Follow me, and I will not treat you poorly. Imperial Techniques and sacred treasures are nothing. Work well, and I will let you cultivate core Imperial Techniques."

Nan Huairen's heart shook upon hearing those words. Not even his master, much less his master's master, Elder Sun, would dare make such a promise, because the Washing Yan Ancient Sect now possessed only a scant few core Imperial Techniques.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." After coming back to his senses, Nan Huairen hurriedly bowed to Li Qiye. Li Qiye accepted it calmly.

After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye picked up the two Mystic Gate Sabers. The two Mystic Gate daggers forged from ordinary iron had nothing special about them. Gently stroking their rusted, dulled edges, he could not help but sigh softly. The past could not be chased down.

Even an invincible existence such as an Immortal Emperor would eventually meet the same end. Mingren had been personally nurtured by him, had carried the Will of Heaven and reigned invincible for an era, and had even cultivated the Daytime Sky Physique. Yet in the end, he had still vanished into the river of time.

Li Qiye ground away the rust on the two Mystic Gate Sabers. Even after the rust was polished off, the sabers still did not appear miraculous. The only pleasing thing about them was their ancient simplicity and unadorned elegance.

Li Qiye gently stroked the blades, slowly feeling their chill. That was right—just as everyone had said, these two Mystic Gate Sabers had indeed been forged from ordinary iron. In terms of material, they were not even worth a penny.

Yet these two Mystic Gate Sabers possessed a heaven-shaking origin. These Mystic Gate Sabers forged from ordinary iron were precisely the two ordinary iron sabers used by Immortal Emperor Mingren in his youth.

In terms of material, these two sabers were indeed not worth mentioning. But they had followed Immortal Emperor Mingren all along. Later, after Li Qiye guided Immortal Emperor Mingren onto the path of cultivation, he had never been willing to throw the two Mystic Gate Sabers away, keeping them by his side at all times. This was especially true after he carried the Will of Heaven and became an Immortal Emperor.

Whenever he reminisced about the past, Immortal Emperor Mingren would gently caress these Mystic Gate Sabers that had accompanied his youthful years.

Immortal Emperor Mingren had not reforged these two Mystic Gate Sabers, but he had always kept them at his side, caressing them again and again.

What kind of figure was an Immortal Emperor? He carried the Will of Heaven, held the universe in his hand, ruled over the nine worlds, and swept across the eight desolations! Nurtured by an Immortal Emperor's blood energy and caressed by an Immortal Emperor's will, even two sabers forged from ordinary iron became extraordinary.

These two Mystic Gate Sabers had remained on Immortal Emperor Mingren's person throughout his entire life and had been caressed by him countless times. They now contained Immortal Emperor Mingren's Essence and Intent!

The true value of these two Mystic Gate Sabers did not lie in the sabers themselves, nor in their materials, but in the Immortal Emperor's Essence and Intent concealed within them.

How terrifying was an Immortal Emperor's intent? Though these two Mystic Gate Sabers could not compare to an Immortal Emperor Artifact or an Immortal Emperor's True Artifact, they were still far, far stronger than the treasures of lords, True Persons, or even ancient sages. A wisp of an Immortal Emperor's intent could annihilate everything!

Li Qiye slowly stroked the blades, sensing the Immortal Emperor's Essence and Intent hidden within their bodies. Faintly, he could feel a savage ferocity concealed inside the sabers.

Of course, it was impossible to fully commune with the Immortal Emperor's Essence and Intent in such a short time. It required time and skill. However, Li Qiye was not in a hurry. He merely continued to sense it slowly, gradually catching hold of the Immortal Emperor's Essence and Intent within the saber bodies.

If one spoke of who in this world was most familiar with Immortal Emperor Mingren's intent, it could only be Li Qiye. Immortal Emperor Mingren had been nurtured by him, and Li Qiye knew the profundities of his Essence and Intent better than anyone.

In the days that followed, Li Qiye proceeded step by step, cultivating the Moon Vortex Sun Art and the Kun Peng Six Transformations. Every day, he also contemplated the Immortal Emperor's Essence and Intent within the Mystic Gate Sabers.

Although Li Qiye was the Chief Disciple of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, virtually no one paid attention to his circumstances or even his cultivation while he remained in the sect, apart from Nan Huairen and his master.

Li Qiye was becoming like a transparent person within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. Not only were the Elders too lazy to ask about him, but no one else could be bothered either. To the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, Li Qiye seemed to have become a dispensable existence.

The sole regular visitor to Lonely Peak was Nan Huairen. Whenever he had time, he would often come visit Li Qiye. In fact, everything Li Qiye needed was arranged by Nan Huairen, whether daily necessities or items every cultivator required, such as a spatial pouch.

Protector Mo also came once. He had intended to offer Li Qiye some guidance in cultivation, but upon seeing that Li Qiye already had everything well in hand, Protector Mo tactfully abandoned the idea.

Finally, after three months, while Li Qiye was meditating quietly one day, his entire body suddenly trembled. In that instant, his Palace of Fate emitted wave after wave of light, and his eyes burst forth with blazing radiance.

At that moment, a dramatic change occurred within Li Qiye's Palace of Fate. To the east, the Spring of Life began to bubble forth waters of life. The flowing waters murmured without cease, forming a small stream.

To the west of his Palace of Fate, flames suddenly soared into the sky. The Furnace of Life had been ignited, burning fiercely with the legendary soulfire, as though that soulfire could refine everything in the three realms.

To the south, the enormous Tree of Life radiated rings of light. Its branches and leaves swayed, as though in that instant it had erupted with boundless vitality. It was like a slumbering giant dragon suddenly awakening, brimming with inexhaustible power.

To the north, the sound of the Dao suddenly rang out. At that moment, the Pillar of Life seemed to connect heaven and earth at once. The Dao markings upon the immense pillar seemed to come alive, flowing and circulating without end.

At this time, Li Qiye clearly felt as though something within his body had awakened. Looking inward, he felt that the True Fate within his Palace of Fate had opened its eyes. In an instant, it was like a sleeping infant opening its eyes for the first time and taking in everything it could see.

Awakening! The second level of the Palace Knocking Realm—awakening. Li Qiye's True Fate had finally awakened, and it had taken him a full three months.

At this moment, the runic Dao rhythms of the Kun Peng Six Transformations rejoiced without measure. They transformed into a Kun Peng, sometimes circling the True Fate, sometimes merging into it, and sometimes leaping into the air like a fish breaking free from water...

Li Qiye was delighted. He took a deep breath. His True Fate had finally awakened, and the process had taken him a full three months.

If it had been anyone else, taking three months to awaken their True Fate would have been nothing worth celebrating. At that level, they would hardly be any different from an idiot!

Yet for Li Qiye, this was something worth celebrating. A journey of ten thousand miles began beneath one's feet. The awakening of his True Fate was a very good beginning.

After his True Fate awakened, Li Qiye was only pleased for a moment. He did not stop cultivating, instead advancing toward the next level.

Li Qiye knew clearly that his innate talent and physique were lacking, but he could make up for them through hard work and diligence. So long as his Dao Heart remained resolute and he persevered, he would certainly reach the summit, carry the Will of Heaven, and sweep across the nine worlds!

The clumsy bird flew first; diligence could make up for inadequacy. Over countless years, he had seen one ordinary-talented expert after another rise to prominence through an unwavering Dao Heart and diligent cultivation, and he had also seen tragedy after tragedy in which geniuses ultimately fell.

This made Li Qiye understand better than anyone that talent and physique did not represent everything. So long as one's Dao Heart remained unmoved and one persevered, one day one would laugh last; one day one would reach the summit!