A Fortuitous Opportunity

This was indeed another Yuan Shi, just like the one Li Fan had hidden beneath the cushion of the tea table.

Of course, they weren't identical in content, but they were the same in nature.

When Qin Jianshi unfurled it, what appeared before Li Fan wasn't a specific image or scene, but a dense mass of writing. Ever since transmigrating, perhaps thanks to some passive benefit of being a transmigrator and the system's assistance, he could understand any scripture or cultivation method at a glance. But the writing in this Key Scroll of Breaking Evil and Manifesting Evidence, Volume One was something he genuinely couldn't make sense of.

Because it wasn't actually a text at all. It was just a heap of characters crammed together, with no real meaning as poetry, song, or prose. Of course, there wasn't any punctuation, either. He couldn't even tell whether to read it vertically or horizontally. How was he supposed to understand it?

The Yuan Shi Real Person Liang had shown him was the same. It didn't depict any specific demons or monsters that he could study and identify, either. It was just an ordinary landscape painting—literally a mountain and a river.

Both pictures were like some kind of puzzle game. They really were heavenly script.

Or perhaps the so-called Yuan Shi could only be recorded as pictures or writing because even the person who created it couldn't understand the information they had seen, and could only record those meaningless data directly.

This was much safer than directly coming into contact with Moon Worship, but with another person's senses standing between him and the source, the difficulty of understanding it increased by hundreds or thousands of times.

Maybe only a lunatic on the same wavelength could understand it?

But from the Profound Heaven Sword Intent's tone, it had apparently once obtained the second half of this so-called Key Scroll? The sword intent?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Hehehe, hahahaha, hohoho, hahahahaha!"

...All right. This fellow would probably stay in this half-mad state for quite a while.

Utterly confused, Li Fan could only ask Qin Jianshi, who looked as if he were afraid to watch a needle go in during an injection, "Master, I saw it. This is that Yuan Shi from the Luo Sect, right? Did you want me to look at what's inside? Should I copy it down?"

Qin Jianshi rolled the scroll up in a flash, gripped it tightly, and tucked it back into his robes. He made sure not a single character showed before turning around, panting heavily, and staring at Li Fan. "You can copy it down? You remembered it after just one look? So you really have never seen anything like this before?"

"I have indeed never read this scripture."

Li Fan shrugged. His incredible memory and comprehension definitely hadn't come from his original self. The system had probably given them to him for free. But the system hadn't given him the memories of the body he'd taken over, either.

As a result, he'd been kidnapped as soon as he transmigrated and had been completely clueless. He'd inherited none of the memories or experiences of the young boy whose body he'd taken, and had no recollection of his relatives or family. He didn't even know whether his parents were still alive or where his hometown was. The three Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples who had kidnapped him had worn Unknown Faces, so there was no way to trace his origins.

Qin Jianshi could tell he wasn't lying. He shook his head and said, "I heard you saw Dao Ancestor Void Star the first time you performed Moon Worship, and I wondered if this might be the reason.

"This Yuan Shi is a heavenly text written by Ancestor Luo of the Luo Sect after he beheld Void Star Dao Ancestor. The disciples of the Luo Sect compiled it into a scripture.

"Ancestor Luo was also a great cultivator at the Ascension level, a rare and peerless demonic overlord. If he hadn't suddenly gone mad after beholding Void Star, the Luo Sect might have risen just as the Divine Sect had in its day, becoming the world's fourth great power.

"But once he went mad, the Luo Sect lost its leader. The Three Great Sects joined forces to wipe out his followers, slaughtering them all. The Black Lotus Sect rebellion in Li Country was just one minor battle in the Three Great Sects' campaign against the Luo Sect.

"After that war, the Three Great Sects had worn down a great many people. Naturally, peace returned to the world, and there was little killing."

"I see..." So it wasn't even a firsthand account of the Yuan Shi. Who knew how many people had passed it along? How was he supposed to understand it? You can understand it, right, Sword Intent? Didn't you get the second volume? Recite it for me!

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Of course I can't understand it! How could I remember it after all these years? Ah—hahahaha! Ahahaha! Ahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

You couldn't understand it, and you couldn't remember it. So the two volumes were completely useless? What were you laughing for, then?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "So what if I can't understand it? Who wants to practice the Luo Sect's cultivation methods? I just want the whole world to know that Void Star's heavenly text is no match for the Beichen Sword Sect! See? How many people died fighting for this heavenly text back then! And now it's in my hands! Do you see? My Beichen Sword Sect is invincible beneath the heavens! Hahahaha!"

That was it. This fellow was mad. He wasn't going to be any help for the time being...

Seeing that Li Fan still didn't react, Qin Jianshi took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and said, "Qingyue, to be honest, at first I suspected you were the reincarnation of a Luo Sect disciple."

Huh?

Qin Jianshi explained, "I guessed you were a great cultivator from the Luo Sect who had reincarnated through Severing the Body. That would explain why you resonated with the Yuan Shi in my possession, allowing you to see Void Star the first time you performed Moon Worship. But... I suppose I was overthinking it."

Why?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Obviously! Ancestor Luo went mad when he saw Void Star! I escaped disaster by merging with my sword! And you're completely fine! How could you be the reincarnation of some trash I casually killed? Who could reincarnate after falling to my hand? I don't believe it! Impossible! Impossible! Hehehe, hahaha, hohoho, hahahaha!"

...Was there really nothing wrong with this system?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent had achieved a small goal and was overcome with joy, excitement, and uncontrollable laughter. Please be understanding.

Oh, put it that way and I get it. If I made a small fortune, I'd be laughing like that too.

Qin Jianshi chuckled as well. "The Luo Sect's remnants are still being hunted by the Three Great Sects. They've already caused how many families to be wiped out? Anyone reincarnated from that sect would probably be pretending to be mad or stupid. Why would you perform Moon Worship so openly in front of me and expose yourself?

"Either you're born with a Dao Seed, or you're just an idiot."

Li Fan was speechless.

"Of course, I'm even more suspicious that your Human Dao family background may be tied to the Black Lotus Sect, or perhaps the Luo Sect's remnants. If you really were a reincarnated disciple of the Luo Sect, you'd at least have some foundation in its methods. You couldn't have seen the Luo Sect's heavenly text without showing the slightest sign of Dao Transformation or a breakthrough."

Qin Jianshi began wrapping the Key Scroll of Breaking Evil and Manifesting Evidence, Volume One in layers of silk cloth, banners, and a paper box. He had truly only let Li Fan see it once. "Qingyue, don't blame me for deliberately testing you. Our Mountain Lord's branch has always been small. When a promising disciple suddenly died, and you might have some unclear connection to our old enemies, I had to come and take a look at you."

"Oh... Oh!" Li Fan finally understood. "So you suspected I was a Luo Sect spy and had killed Senior Brother Lu?"

Qin Jianshi nodded frankly. "Exactly."

Li Fan froze. Cold sweat suddenly seeped down his back.

These people were so devious!

It made sense. From Ink Bamboo Mountain's point of view, Li Fan had seen Dao Ancestor Void Star the first time he performed Moon Worship. It was possible he was the reincarnation of a Luo Sect disciple. And he had joined Senior Brother Lu's Mu Long team at the last minute, only for trouble to break out that very day! What was more, he was a Qi Refining cultivator who had managed to kill a Golden Core cultivator! That made him even more suspicious! If he were a reincarnated remnant of the Luo Sect, it would explain everything!

And if Ink Bamboo Mountain were ruthless enough to care only about the evidence and not his intentions, they might have simply eliminated him!

They'd left him alone for so many days. Maybe they really had been testing and watching him!

And what about Fuling and Xuanbao? Had they gone off to fight with their swords of their own accord, or had they been sent away beforehand as part of some plan to let him lower his guard and draw him out?

What about Kun? The Profound Heaven Sword Intent? The dog frisbee? The system? Had all his trump cards been exposed, too?

And what did it mean that this old man had suddenly appeared, showing him the secret heavenly scroll in his possession?

Was this where they dropped all pretenses and closed the net?!

Li Fan's mouth went dry. Goosebumps covered his neck, and he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He nearly leapt to his feet and ran!

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Don't move!"

"Calm yourself. Have some tea." Qin Jianshi's voice rang out, too.

Reprimanded on both sides, Li Fan involuntarily picked up his tea and took a sip. He felt a little calmer for no particular reason.

"Don't overthink it. The Abbey Master only asked me to take precautions and come see you with my own eyes. If you really were a Luo Sect spy, why would you help the Mountain Lord and Wangshu cultivate, going out of your way to draw attention to yourself?"

After wrapping the scroll in layer upon layer, Qin Jianshi put it in a jade casket and stored it in his pendant. Then he took out a small-mouthed gourd with a purple jade body and a gold lid, and placed it in front of Li Fan. Gold wire edged the gourd, which was decorated with branching golden plum blossoms. Wisps of cloud and mist seemed to curl between the branches, while a gentle breeze seemed to flow through them. It was quite beautiful.

"The Abbey Master also instructed me that if you seemed to have no problems, Bamboo Mountain must not let a promising disciple like you down, nor hold back a Dao Seed born of Heaven and Earth.

"There are two hundred Nine-Turn Soul-Restoring Qi-Continuing Mysterious Purple Gold Pills in this gourd. (The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Holy crap, nine turns!") They're enormously beneficial to cultivation, and can also restore blood and breath, revive the soul, and save lives.

"By the way, you probably haven't used Golden Core pills before, have you? You're not supposed to swallow these whole. One way to use them is to buy a portable palm-sized furnace. Put a pill in the little furnace and refine it with true fire, then breathe in the medicinal qi it produces. You can use it repeatedly that way, and you won't waste any of its power.

"The other way is to split it open and place half under your tongue, letting it dissolve and swallowing the saliva it produces. But the medicinal power is usually too strong, and it's also hard to digest. You have to spit it out after a while to avoid pill poisoning, so this method is only for emergencies.

"These are top-grade pills that have undergone nine refinements. As long as your head isn't damaged, you could be down to your last breath and they'd still bring you back. Calling them immortal pills wouldn't be much of an exaggeration."

No, wasn't that a bit much?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Impossible! Giving Foundation Establishment disciples even three-turn pills would be generous! How could Ink Bamboo Mountain afford to waste so much money?"

...Wait. So they really could bring someone back from the dead?

Qin Jianshi continued casually, "Mysterious Purple Gold Pills are indeed excellent. The Abbey Master made these while treating your injuries. Even Golden Core cultivators can take them. Still, it'd be a waste to use them for cultivation. You'd be better off saving them for emergencies.

"Of course, your injuries seem mostly healed, and you can probably handle the medicinal power now, so use them as you see fit. Just remember that even medicine has some poison in it. Don't keep popping them like candy."

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "I can't believe Bamboo Mountain has a pill-refiner this skilled..."

"This... Thank you for saving me, Abbey Master, and thank you for thinking so highly of me." Li Fan swallowed. Had he almost had a flying sword circle his neck again? What was this? Beat him with a stick, then offer him a sweet? Slash him with a flying sword, then give him a gourd of immortal pills?

Kun swam back with the plate in its mouth, took a look at the gourd, and patted the back of Li Fan's hand with its fin.

Kun said, "Give me one."

I almost died again, and all you can think about is eating! Go drink some water!

Li Fan flung the dog plate away again.

Kun tearfully chased after it.

Qin Jianshi saw that Li Fan was angry and chuckled. "There's no need to take it that way. Just consider me someone who came to visit you. These days, spies from the various sects have infiltrated everywhere. This is all routine. Anyone would be treated the same way, so don't take it to heart.

"Heh. Any sect willing to send a Dao Child like you to spy on us would have to be mad."

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Hahaha! You think he isn't a spy? He already paid his respects to the Profound Maiden first. He's the heir to the leadership of my Beichen Sword Sect! You never saw that coming, did you? Hahahaha!"

Damn, when it put it that way, he really wasn't being falsely accused...

Covered in cold sweat, Li Fan bowed. "Qingyue thanks you for your praise, Master, and thanks the Abbey Master for thinking so highly of me..."

Qin Jianshi nodded with a smile and was about to say more when his left eye darted sideways. He closed his mouth, sat upright, and said toward the door, "Little Crane, have you come to visit Wangshu?"

Little Crane?

Li Fan couldn't help turning his head. He saw a streak of golden light land in the courtyard. Zhang Jiugao put away his flying sword and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master."

Pfft, Little Crane.

"I'm here to see Li Qingyue," Zhang Jiugao replied deferentially. "Something happened at Tiantai Mountain. I was worried he might hear about it and leave the mountain on his own, so I came to check on him."

"Something happened at Tiantai Mountain!" Li Fan's head rang. He jumped straight up from his cushion. "How many people died?"

"Probably a few dozen, maybe a hundred... Oh, no, no, that's not right. Those weren't casualties on our side... At least, not yet..." Seeing that Li Fan had already drawn his mace, Zhang Jiugao hurriedly explained.

"Calm down!" Qin Jianshi barked. "Don't overreact. Weren't they going there to plunder in the first place? If they were defeated, it just means they weren't good enough. They can go and win it back! Little Crane, explain what happened properly."

Seeing that he had been asked, Zhang Jiugao told them everything without holding back. "In reply to you, Master, we won at first, but then Tiantai Mountain called on the Immortal Palace for help. They used a magical treasure to trap a group of our disciples in the arena, leaving them unable to escape.

"Now the Immortal Palace has sent a large contingent. It seems they intend to make a major issue of this and use it to pressure our sect. The Real Person secretly keeping watch has already sent a message talisman back to the mountain, asking the Abbey Master to send reinforcements..."

"The Immortal Palace? Did the Nangong Immortal Family intervene in person?" Qin Jianshi stood up as well. "Could it be...?"

Zhang Jiugao nodded.

Kun brought the plate back, saw that the mood was off, and hurriedly burrowed into Li Fan's sleeve.

"This must mean..."

"They're really going to have a sword duel."

Qin Jianshi and Zhang Jiugao exchanged a glance. After a moment of silence, they both burst into laughter.

Li Fan stared at the two old men, eyes wide. What were they laughing about? Tiantai Mountain might be running with blood right now. What was there to laugh about?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "You don't get it, kid. This is a killing tribulation! The easiest path to proving the Taiji Xian Dao is through slaughter! It's been so long since the last fight. So many people are stuck at their current realms with no way to break through. They've all been waiting! Hahahahaha!"

Slaughter could help you prove the Dao? Wouldn't butchers be the strongest, then?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "Stop joking around. This requires the right opportunity to lead you there! Ah, there's no point in explaining. Go kill a couple of people yourself and you'll understand. Yes, yes! Beg them to take you along! This is a rare opportunity! Ehehehe!"

Even without the Profound Heaven Sword Intent saying anything, Li Fan would have asked. Fuling and Xuanbao were probably trapped at Tiantai Mountain, and this so-called "killing tribulation" sounded incredibly dangerous. How could he sit around waiting for news?

Li Fan immediately bowed. "Master, Real Person, please take me, Qingyue, with you to Tiantai Mountain for the sword duel!"

The two old men exchanged another glance, but neither rejected him outright. That meant there was still a chance.

Qin Jianshi asked again, "Do you know whom the Abbey Master is sending to lead the sword fight this time?"

Zhang Jiugao replied, "It's Master Yao, who serves under the Abbey Master."

"Yao Xuanzhou? He's going there to establish our authority. In that case, I won't go." Qin Jianshi pointed at Li Fan. "Little Crane, why not take this young fellow along to broaden his horizons?"

Zhang Jiugao replied, "As you wish, Master."

Qin Jianshi nodded and handed Zhang Jiugao the red sword he had been holding against his chest. "My old injuries haven't healed, and Chi Qiu has been hungry for a long time. Take it along and let it have a hearty meal."

"I'll obey your decree." Zhang Jiugao took the red magical sword in both hands. He and Li Fan bowed together, watching as Qin Jianshi flicked his sleeve and flew away.

"Master Zhang, Fuling and Xuanbao really are all right, aren't they?" Li Fan asked urgently.

Zhang Jiugao shook his head. "I don't know. There are so many disciples to account for. An urgent message talisman couldn't possibly list every one of them.

"But don't worry. Our side hasn't suffered many casualties. At least, only a few soul lamps are flickering in the wind and rain, and none have gone out yet. Fuling is probably fine. It's just that we were ambushed this time. The Immortal Palace waited in the wings and caught a group of our people before we could rescue them. The two sides are at a standoff at Tiantai Mountain now. At the very least, the Nascent Soul Real Persons will have to step in and settle things with a sword duel.

"...I guessed you'd sneak off if you found out, so since Master thinks so highly of you, come with me. It's a rare chance to witness a major sect's sword duel, especially since Master Yao is our sect's top Nascent Soul cultivator. He might become the next Mountain Lord or even the next Abbey Master. Getting to observe him up close is a rare opportunity."

"The top Nascent Soul cultivator from Ink Bamboo Mountain is leading the team, so he must be impressive?" Seeing how confident Zhang Jiugao was, and how eager he seemed, Li Fan felt some of his unease ease. "Then should we leave now?"

Zhang Jiugao held the Chi Qiu sword in one hand and made calculations with the other. "No need to rush. Since this is an official invitation to a sword duel, both sides will invite their fellow disciples and meet at the appointed time. The duel is in three days. Until the Nascent Soul cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain and the Nangong Immortal Family fight and determine the victor, no one else will make a move.

"Let me calculate. It'll take only a day to get there by flying boat. If we leave now, we'd probably have to travel at night, which wouldn't be very sensible. We only need to arrive a day early. It's a rare opportunity, so I'll find a few fellow cultivators and choose a couple of promising disciples to watch the fight with us. A bigger crowd will help us make a good showing, too. Get your preparations in order. Meet me at the foot of Lou Guan Tower tomorrow at the hour of the Rabbit."

Wait, were they going to a duel or on a spring outing?

Sigh... Still, it was good to have a ticket to Tiantai Mountain. He could wait one day. This wasn't something he could rush, and once they got there, he might not only be unable to help with the rescue—he might have to prepare to collect the body of a friend and avenge them.

All right. He might have gotten away with it before, but this time he probably couldn't avoid a real fight to the death. In that case, he really should spend some time preparing beforehand.

Mentally, physically, and... materially.