Cultivation Knows Not the Passing of Time

Xie Yuan watched Song Qingping stare at him with bright, piercing eyes. His thoughts raced, but his expression remained utterly calm as he answered respectfully:

"My name is Zhang Shan."

Song Qingping gave a grunt, still looking him up and down. He studied Xie Yuan for quite a while, enough to make Xie Yuan's scalp prickle, before suddenly asking:

"Who taught you to practice swordsmanship like this?"

"Eh? Well, everyone learns the sword forms together when they first enter. After that, this disciple figured things out on his own."

Unable to gauge Song Qingping's meaning, Xie Yuan answered slowly.

Song Qingping snorted.

"What a fine seedling, and yet you've been practicing your sword all wrong! Hey, do you people usually not correct your disciples?"

The latter half of that question was directed at Instructor Sun.

Instructor Sun stepped forward and bowed with great respect.

"Grandmaster Song, Zhang Shan has only just formally entered the outer sect. He was previously in the Servant Yard, so he may have practiced more on his own. Many of his habits were never corrected."

"The Servant Yard..."

Song Qingping paused, then shook his head vigorously.

"Such a good seedling, and you actually sent him to the Servant Yard? Your Yunshan Sword Sect really is something!

"Look at this boy—long arms, straight frame, steady gaze, full spirit and vigor, remarkably stable hands. He was born to practice the sword. He has only just learned your Yunshan Sword Style, yet the smoothness with which he transitions between forms is utterly beyond what an outer disciple should possess. To reach this level on his own in the Servant Yard—that is what I call talent. But—

"Though there are flashes of brilliance in the details, as a whole there is no method to the madness! You clearly grasp the finer points of the forms quite well, yet you always suddenly throw in something strange. You ruin the flavor of perfectly good sword moves. I thought you had some 'ingenious new idea.' So you were just blindly practicing by yourself in the Servant Yard!

"You lacked a master's guidance when you started and just fumbled around on your own. If I see you take another step back before that returning slash without first messing up your footwork, I'll break your legs. And also..."

Song Qingping immediately began critiquing several of Xie Yuan's moves, every point striking precisely at the crux—he had pinpointed exactly the flaws Xie Yuan had deliberately left in place.

Seeing that Song Qingping had merely noticed a few discordant aspects of his swordsmanship, Xie Yuan both relaxed and raised his guard.

His acting was already superb, and the Heaven Concealing Art was no ordinary technique, yet before a Soaring Dragon Ranking grandmaster, it was still easy to let something slip.

Originally, the Yunshan Sword Sect had no Soaring Dragon Ranking grandmaster apart from its sect master, who had always been as elusive as a divine dragon, showing its head but never its tail. Xie Yuan had felt perfectly secure. Who would have thought that Song Qingping would not only linger here, but insist on showing off...

Xie Yuan put on an attentive expression, demonstrated two moves, and finally did them normally.

Seeing that he understood at the slightest hint, Song Qingping nodded again.

"Your talent truly is decent. If your Yunshan Sword Sect does not know how to teach, this boy can return to the Hidden Sword Pavilion with me."

"What, you want to poach our disciple?"

A cool voice rang out.

"Senior Sister Luo, I was only joking. How could I possibly take away one of your people?"

The outer disciples nearby had already been green with envy after seeing Song Qingping speak to Xie Yuan for so long. Then they heard him praise Xie Yuan repeatedly, even saying he wanted to poach him. Whether he had been exaggerating or not, it was clear that he thought extremely highly of Xie Yuan's talent!

For a moment, the outer disciples all looked as though they had eaten lemons, their expressions sour beyond measure as they stared at Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan hurriedly bowed.

"Thank you for your esteem, Grandmaster Song. This disciple has benefited greatly."

Having a few traces of his talent noticed by Song Qingping had instantly drawn attention... That would not do. He needed to keep a lower profile before grandmasters.

He had heard that the Sword Sect was already searching for the Sword Sect member—whether disciple or senior—who had previously exchanged blows with Yao Tianchuan. Song Qingping seemed to have stayed behind to rekindle old ties with Luo Shuang, but perhaps he was also waiting for an explanation.

When Song Qingping had approached just now, Xie Yuan had nearly thought he had been discovered. Fortunately, both his acting and Heaven Concealing Art were more than sufficient. Moreover, that greasy grandmaster's main attention was focused on currying favor with Luo Shuang. He did not truly care that much about the disciples, so Xie Yuan had managed to muddle through.

Song Qingping passed Xie Yuan and looked at Lin Cheng, frowning.

"Your Sword Sect... truly teaches without discrimination. You send those with good talent off to become servants, yet make those without even enough talent to be servants practice the sword. His bones have already grown into shape, and his aura is not clear or fluid. At the Hidden Sword Pavilion, he would not even qualify to be a servant disciple!"

Lin Cheng's face went pale at that assessment, and he silently lowered his head.

Xie Yuan and Instructor Sun beside him both frowned. Instructor Sun stepped forward, his expression respectful as he said:

"Grandmaster Song, our Sword Sect has its own standards for selecting disciples. Lin Cheng's aptitude is a little lacking, but his character is excellent. Neither I nor the other outer sect instructors and stewards see any problem with him practicing the sword."

"That is why your Yunshan Sword Sect's disciples cannot compare with ours."

Seeing that an instructor actually dared to contradict him, Song Qingping's eccentric temper flared. He instantly forgot his goal and began speaking with thinly veiled mockery.

A cold voice came from behind him.

"Song Qingping, do our sect's disciples need you to pass judgment on them? Valuing aptitude over character is precisely why your Hidden Sword Pavilion falls further behind us the later things go."

Song Qingping's expression changed at those words.

Those words were rather merciless. The outer disciples all tensed, thinking that the two grandmasters were about to come to blows. Yet Song Qingping's face immediately turned ingratiating.

"Senior Sister Luo is right. That is exactly why I have been your defeated subordinate all these years!"

"Hmph."

Seeing Song Qingping shamelessly sidle up to her, Luo Shuang gave a soft snort. She swept her gaze over the outer disciples and Lin Cheng before saying flatly:

"Do not listen to his nonsense. Practice properly."

"Yes, Elder Luo!"

Lin Cheng clasped his hands seriously and answered loudly.

The two grandmasters departed together. The outer disciples, who had all been standing tall with their chests out, finally let out sighs of relief and excitedly began discussing Song Qingping's guidance.

Xie Yuan moved closer to Lin Cheng and patted him.

"Do not mind what that pretty boy said."

Lin Cheng froze. His eyes widened as he whispered nervously:

"Junior Brother Zhang, you dare call a Soaring Dragon Ranking grandmaster that?"

"Heh, he is not here, after all."

Only then did Xie Yuan realize that, in the eyes of martial artists, grandmaster was such an exalted term, such a lofty identity.

Forget a Soaring Dragon Ranking grandmaster—even if disciples were scolded or reprimanded by an ordinary grandmaster, they would not dare discuss it behind that person's back.

Grandmaster was not merely a title. In the eyes of martial artists, those two words carried weight.

But Xie Yuan's own sense of hierarchy had never been as strong as theirs. Moreover, he had encountered quite a few grandmasters along the way. He had even lived with an extraordinarily gifted young female grandmaster for so long...

Especially Mu Chaoyun. After living together day and night, he felt that this so-called grandmaster was nothing more than a young refugee woman who stared eagerly at him every day, waiting for him to bring back meals. He had to buy her clothes and fetch her bathwater. What was so impressive about that?

With Mu Chaoyun absent, Xie Yuan felt bold as brass, utterly forgetting who had been sleeping on the floor every day. But even if he remembered, it would not matter. He only did so because he could not beat her; he was letting her have her way, after all. Taking care of her was not the same as serving her. Once the day came when he could beat her, and they still lived under the same roof, that inner room... it was not as if he could not go in there!

All in all, Xie Yuan admired and respected a grandmaster's cultivation, but aside from cultivation, he did not feel inferior to anyone.

Seeing Xie Yuan brave such taboo words on his behalf, Lin Cheng was touched. He said quietly:

"Thanks, Junior Brother Zhang, but it is fine. Heaven moves with vigor; a gentleman strives unceasingly for self-improvement! A few words are nothing.

"Besides, Instructor Sun and Elder Luo both spoke up for me, and so did you. I feel even more driven to practice martial arts in the sect now."

Xie Yuan nodded. Luo Shuang appeared cold, but she was clearly someone who cared deeply for the sect and its disciples. It was hardly surprising that she had directly rebuked Song Qingping.

What was more admirable was that, although Instructor Sun's strength and status were vastly inferior to a grandmaster's, he had still dared to refute one face-to-face for the sake of a disciple.

The Yunshan Sword Sect truly had a pure and upright atmosphere. It was a fine place. No wonder Mu Chaoyun had recommended it to him as a place to cultivate.

Back then, he had naturally considered many things. Who could have expected that, through a twist of fate, he would end up here after all? The affairs of the world were truly unpredictable.

Since he was here, he might as well settle in. Cultivating here was faster than down the mountain, and there were excellent techniques such as the Yunshan Sword Qi Art. Not to mention that the Sword Wind Rock Crevice allowed one to comprehend the Black Heaven Book. Xie Yuan made up his mind to stay here for now.

At the very least, he was a formal outer disciple of the Yunshan Sword Sect, unlike someone like Song Qingping.

Knowing that the disciples had gained greatly from a grandmaster's guidance, Instructor Sun was excited as well. He dismissed the group cultivation session early and told them to contemplate what they had learned properly on their own.

The disciples dispersed. Many secretly cast glances toward Xie Yuan, thinking to themselves that it was no wonder he had climbed out of that enormous Servant Yard so quickly. His talent truly was extraordinary, and even Song Qingping regarded him highly.

Such good talent, and so hardworking too. How irritating...

Of course, even a Celestial Dragon Ranking grandmaster standing before him had not noticed the tiny bit of talent Xie Yuan had revealed. It was merely a corner that he had accidentally let slip, and he had not wanted to reveal it at all.

Back in his room, Xie Yuan pondered silently:

"This Song Qingping keeps wandering all over Yunshan Mountain every day. Who knows when he will leave? I need to be careful. Pretending to be a swordsmanship novice before a sword grandmaster is not easy. From now on, besides being twelve times more cautious, I will have to keep track of where he is... Honestly, does he not have a sect of his own? The Sword Sect just lets him wander around here? What if he uncovers some secret? There is that thing on Sword Peak.

"Come to think of it, the Yunshan Sword Sect probably does not know the truth about Sword Peak itself. Otherwise, no matter what, it should not allow outside-sect grandmasters like Wei Dong and Song Qingping up the mountain, so close to Sword Peak."

Xie Yuan let out a breath. He thought of the Sword Wind, the Black Heaven Book, his perfected basic swordsmanship and the overwhelmingly powerful Cloud Dragon Nine Forms, as well as the peerless sword arts the two grandmasters had displayed during their sword discussion—the Fleeting Light Shadow Sword and the Ocean Suppressing Tide Calming Sword Art, which shook mountains, toppled cities, and changed the color of heaven and earth.

He was growing restless.

"Lately, it feels as though everyone is looking for the 'mysterious expert'... Once things quiet down a little, I will go let the wind blow on me in the Rock Crevice every day. The Black Heaven Book costs five hundred points. If I do not persist, who knows whether the next chance will come in the year of the monkey or the month of the horse.

"And the Yunshan Sword Qi Art, the Nourishing Body Skill, the Cloud Dragon Nine Forms... I can never practice them enough! My cultivation addiction is acting up. I only worry that the days are too short and there is not enough time!"

Xie Yuan put down roots in the outer sect. He practiced without pause by day and without rest by night, discussed swordsmanship every day with his like-minded good roommate Lin Cheng, stirred up the outer sect, and immersed himself in the growth of his cultivation.

Cultivation knew not the passing of time. It was only when the first snow fell upon Yunshan Mountain that he realized two months had passed in the blink of an eye.