All Splendor Is Emptiness; Only What Endures Is the Great Dao

Gu Yuanqing and Li Miaoxuan stood side by side in a scenic pavilion.

In the distance, a waterfall hung from the mountains like a bolt of white silk.

Neither of them spoke much. The girl before him was far too aloof and cool; whenever Gu Yuanqing said something, her reply was usually only a few brief words.

Gradually, Gu Yuanqing cast aside his many thoughts and speculations, treating her simply as another passerby accompanying him to admire the mountain scenery.

The two walked quietly through the mountains. Only when birds occasionally chirped and circled around Gu Yuanqing, even landing briefly on his shoulder, did Li Miaoxuan look at him with faint surprise in her eyes.

Gu Yuanqing smiled and explained, "I've stayed in these mountains for so long that we've grown familiar with each other."

Li Miaoxuan nodded slightly without speaking. Yet she gradually noticed that it was not only the birds—every animal in the mountains seemed especially close to him.

The two followed a narrow path to the mountaintop. Gu Yuanqing pointed at the mountains ahead and said, "Over there is the Guiyun Mountain Range. If you come here at dawn, when the sun first rises, the light shining through will be golden, like the radiance of Buddha. If you're interested, you can come up tomorrow morning and take a look."

Li Miaoxuan removed her veil and gazed at the endless mountain ranges. After a while, she said, "There is actually nothing bad about living in these mountains. Far from the clamor of the mortal world, one's heart can finally find peace."

Gu Yuanqing glanced sideways at her. "I never expected that, at such a young age, you would have thoughts so detached from the world."

Li Miaoxuan turned and met Gu Yuanqing's gaze. "All the splendor of the world is emptiness. Only when one's self endures forever can one attain the Great Dao."

At that moment, a steadfast longing shone through Li Miaoxuan's calm eyes. Her hair fluttered in the gentle breeze, and for an instant she seemed to possess an ethereal, otherworldly air. Entwined with her peerless figure and beauty, she looked as though an immortal maiden had truly descended into the mortal realm.

Gu Yuanqing was slightly dazed before he smiled. "Miss Miaoxuan, are you pursuing the path of immortality? But even if one becomes a Grandmaster, one only lives for two hundred years."

Li Miaoxuan did not answer again. She merely looked quietly into the distance, her expression returning to its usual calm.

Gu Yuanqing also put away his smile. Raising his gaze slightly, he looked at the sea of clouds above the mountain range and suddenly thought, Does immortality truly exist? Do immortals truly exist? They should, shouldn't they? Otherwise, how could my rebirth and the system bound to me be explained?

Thinking of Spirit Mountain and the daoist grounds, Gu Yuanqing's heart grew heated as well. If immortals truly existed in this world, then he too wanted to go and see the scenery above.

There were several extra dishes for lunch, and with a beauty by his side, even the food seemed to taste a little better.

That afternoon, the two continued touring the mountains, taking in all the distinctive sights atop North Spring Mountain.

Miss Miaoxuan's cultivation is no ordinary thing, Gu Yuanqing thought.

The mountains had long gone untended, and in some places the weeds had swallowed the paths, making them difficult to traverse. Yet this young woman drifted over the tips of the grass as though she were walking on level ground.

But it made sense. Without cultivation, how would she dare travel alone and even stay in the courtyard of a man she had only just met?

Could she... really be that person? Gu Yuanqing felt his temple twitch. If that was true, what had she come here for?

She did not seem to have come to this Forbidden Ground in search of the ruins of the North Spring Sword Sect. Could she truly have come just to admire the scenery?

That night, fine wine accompanied exquisite dishes. Li Miaoxuan only sipped a few cups before drinking no more, but to Gu Yuanqing's surprise, she personally poured him three cups of wine, leaving him somewhat flattered.

After dinner, the two sat in the courtyard drinking clear tea. The atmosphere gradually became harmonious, as though old friends chatting idly beneath the moon.

As they spoke, the subject turned to cultivation.

At this point, Li Miaoxuan became far more talkative. From Body Tempering to True Martial cultivation, her various insights into the martial path made Gu Yuanqing feel as though clouds had parted to reveal the sun and moon.

Gu Yuanqing spoke less, but whenever he did, his words also gave Li Miaoxuan much to ponder.

When the moon reached the middle of the sky, Li Miaoxuan suddenly said, "I have heard that your swordsmanship is quite exquisite. Might I have the chance to see it?"

Gu Yuanqing rose with a smile. "Why not? I ask for your guidance, Miss."

With that, he stepped into the center of the courtyard, drew the Kunwu Sword, and began performing a sword form.

In an instant, Sword Qi surged in all directions and Sword Shadows interwove. At its fastest, it was like a raging wind and torrential rain, thunder and lightning. At its slowest, it was like a breeze brushing one's face, like endless spring rain. When it paused at times, it resembled towering green mountains, as steady as a pillar supporting the heavens.

Li Miaoxuan seemed to see every natural spectacle between heaven and earth within this sword form.

The Dao follows nature. This is the embryonic form of Sword Intent. It is somewhat mixed, but it already possesses the foundation to become a Grandmaster. However, I seem never to have seen this sword form before. Li Miaoxuan had already reached her judgment. Thinking of Gu Yuanqing's astonishing transformation in only one year, she could not help but marvel.

Gu Yuanqing sheathed his sword and smiled. "Does this sword form still meet your standards, Miss?"

Li Miaoxuan nodded slightly. "It is passable."

Gu Yuanqing returned to his chair. Only passable? Well, he had never had a famous master to guide him and had practiced swordsmanship entirely on his own. Perhaps it truly was rather ordinary.

Li Miaoxuan also rose to her feet. "Since I have watched you practice your sword, I will demonstrate a movement technique for you as well."

As she spoke, her figure abruptly vanished from where she stood and appeared in the center of the courtyard. She seemed to take half a step backward, only to reappear several meters away at an angle before her. Then she took a step forward, yet appeared directly in front of Gu Yuanqing, startling him into unconsciously retreating half a step. The next moment, Li Miaoxuan had returned to the center of the courtyard.

In only a few moments, her afterimages filled every corner within a radius of ten feet.

Gu Yuanqing's eyes widened. He had never heard of or seen such footwork. Alarm filled his heart. If someone fought him using this movement technique, he feared he would be defeated within only a few exchanges.

The illusions between advance and retreat, the inversion of up, down, left, and right—all came without warning. It was as though every method of anticipating an enemy's moves became useless before this movement technique.

Gu Yuanqing could not help using the Mountain Observation method to watch her. Only then did he clearly see her true figure, yet that spiritual illusion remained. Every movement she made seemed false, and every burst of force seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Suddenly, the movement technique in the courtyard slowed. At the same time, Li Miaoxuan's voice entered his ears, as though it possessed some kind of magic. Every sentence branded itself deeply into Gu Yuanqing's consciousness.

"Vertically, release its force, pressing onward without return; horizontally, wrap its strength, opening a path with nothing to obstruct... Glance to left and right, yet let left and right not perceive themselves as left and right..."

This is the essential canon of a movement technique! Gu Yuanqing immediately understood. Miss Miaoxuan was using this demonstration to teach him a movement technique. He did not know why she was doing so, but that did not stop him from learning it first.

After demonstrating it three times in succession, Li Miaoxuan finally stopped. Her expression was unchanged, as calm as a breeze and light as drifting clouds.

Gu Yuanqing clasped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for teaching me, Miss. I have no way to repay you. If you ever have need of anything in the future, please give the word."

Li Miaoxuan said lightly, "There is no need. I merely thought your movement technique did not match your swordsmanship. It is late. You should rest today. Oh, and this is called the Great Yi Illusionary Sky Steps. I learned it from an ancient text. You may use it freely."

"Great Yi Illusionary Sky—it truly lives up to its name. This movement technique is indeed astonishing. Please do as you wish, Miss. While I can still remember it clearly, I would like to practice it."

In the darkness, Li Miaoxuan had returned to her room and quietly stood by the window, silently watching Gu Yuanqing beneath the moonlight. Her expression was calm, giving no hint of what she was thinking...