An hour later.
White Deer Grotto Academy, Imperial Library.
After hearing Lianshan Xin's report, Heavenly Sword suddenly laughed. "How did you convince Third-Place Qi to wallow in the mud with you?"
Lianshan Xin glanced at Qi Shiyun, who stood beside Heavenly Sword, asking with his eyes, Why did you tell Heavenly Sword everything?
Qi Shiyun looked entirely innocent. "I didn't say a word, but Lord Heavenly Sword's eyes burn like torches. Not even the finest autumn hair escapes his notice."
"I am one of the Nine Heavens, after all. What haven't I seen?" Heavenly Sword shook his head with a smile. "I could see through your little tricks at a glance."
Really?
Then I bet you don't know about the Millennium Snow Lotus.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here in one piece.
Of course, when a superior wanted to show off, his subordinate had to give him all the validation he wanted.
So Lianshan Xin praised him. "Nothing escapes your discerning eyes, my lord."
"Shiyun always rose from the mud unstained before, and she was somewhat ostracized within the Nine Heavens for it. Someone at headquarters deliberately transferred her out by sending her with me on this assignment to Jiangzhou. To think you actually managed to persuade her. You certainly have a way with words."
Heavenly Sword's praise did not leave Lianshan Xin overwhelmed by the favor. He explained, "I merely told Third-Place Qi that cultivation truly consumes a great deal of money. More importantly, my lord, if you wish to gain a foothold in Jiangzhou City, you will absolutely need money to pave the way. Wealth can sway even the gods. Third-Place Qi cannot let her personal reputation undermine the Nine Heavens' plans for all of Jiangzhou."
The appreciation in Heavenly Sword's eyes deepened.
The most brilliant part of Lianshan Xin's explanation was his emphasis on Heavenly Sword needing money to pave the way toward a foothold in Jiangzhou. All of this was to carry out the Nine Heavens' plans. It was official business.
It was certainly not for personal gain.
If anyone accused Heavenly Sword of taking bribes and bending the law, Lianshan Xin would be the first to object.
Naturally, Heavenly Sword appreciated a subordinate like that.
Whether or not he coveted wealth, having money on hand to get things done and having to submit reports requesting funds from headquarters meant two entirely different levels of efficiency-and might well produce two entirely different outcomes.
Naturally, Heavenly Sword wanted to win.
Thus, Lianshan Xin's actions suited him perfectly.
"In that case, you really are well suited to assisting Shiyun."
Heavenly Sword had already considered Lianshan Xin a talent. If Lianshan Xin wished to study the sword and had the aptitude for it, he would have been willing to accept him into the Heavenly Sword lineage.
But now, it seemed that placing Lianshan Xin beside Qi Shiyun would give him a more useful Qi Shiyun.
Compared with Qi Shiyun, Lianshan Xin was not so important at present.
Even so, Heavenly Sword offered Lianshan Xin a chance to change allegiances. "Lianshan Xin, would you be willing to study the sword under me?"
Of course Lianshan Xin would have wanted to.
Before yesterday, that was.
Now, he could only devote himself wholeheartedly to serving under Qi Shiyun.
"My lord, I have practiced the Falling Goose Sword before."
"Oh?" Heavenly Sword grew interested. "Did you master the basics in one hour or two?"
Lianshan Xin: "..."
Although he had said that to turn down Heavenly Sword's invitation, the question still struck him like a devastating blow.
"I practiced for half a month without mastering the basics."
A trace of bewilderment appeared in Heavenly Sword's eyes. "There are people in this world who cannot learn the Falling Goose Sword in half a month? Back then, I reached minor mastery in half an hour."
Lianshan Xin did not want to speak.
Even Qi Shiyun could not bear to watch anymore. She gave a light cough and explained, "My lord, I believe Lianshan Xin has an affinity with my lineage."
Heavenly Sword looked regretful. "An affinity with yours is his only option, then. Even if I wished to teach him, I fear my guidance would get nowhere. How can anyone in this world fail to learn the Falling Goose Sword in half a month? Can someone like that even be called human?"
Having been expelled from the ranks of humanity, Lianshan Xin no longer wanted to speak to Heavenly Sword. "I shall take my leave."
"Wait. Du Jiu reported that Thousand Faces might be hiding within the Nine Heavens. That was your idea, wasn't it?"
Heavenly Sword stopped Lianshan Xin.
Lianshan Xin nodded in confirmation.
"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
Lianshan Xin said, "My mother is a Buddhist, and we have quite a few Buddhist scriptures at home. I have read the Great Nirvana Sutra. In its seventh volume, the Tathagata Nature Chapter, there is a passage that reads:
"The Buddha said: 'The Buddha's teachings are the true Dharma. No power can destroy them.'
"Mara Papiyas said: 'When your Dharma-Ending Age arrives, I will send my disciples and their disciples into your temples, wearing your kasayas, to destroy your teachings. They will twist your scriptures and break your precepts, accomplishing what I cannot accomplish through force today.'
"Both you and Third-Place Qi have said that the Nine Heavens is too powerful for the Demon Cult to contend with. So I thought, if the Demon Cult cannot confront the Nine Heavens directly, perhaps its best option is to infiltrate the organization and wait for a chance to destroy it from within. An embankment a thousand miles long can collapse because of an ant hole."
Heavenly Sword and Qi Shiyun both fell silent.
Lianshan Xin grew uneasy. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No. You are absolutely right."
Heavenly Sword's tone was seven parts desolation and three parts appreciation.
"Thousand Faces hid in White Deer Grotto Academy, one of the World's Four Great Academies, for who knows how many years without being discovered. During that time, he supplied the Imperial Court and the Nine Heavens with many talented individuals. Now that Thousand Faces has been exposed, quite a few of those people already hold high office. Pull one hair, and the entire body moves."
Something stirred in Lianshan Xin's heart.
"We cannot leave these people uninvestigated, yet we cannot openly investigate them all, either. Otherwise, people will grow unsettled, and the political situation will become unstable. I never expected a young outsider like you to possess such insight."
"If you will have me, my lord, I am willing to help shoulder your burdens," Lianshan Xin volunteered.
This was precisely his chance to prove himself.
Moreover, his innate divine ability would be remarkably effective in this area.
Heavenly Sword turned to Qi Shiyun. "Shiyun, what do you think?"
Qi Shiyun nodded. "Lianshan Xin has a clean background and has made mortal enemies of the Demon Cult. He is indeed a suitable candidate for the investigation. However, he is still too young and too weak, and we do not yet know the extent of his abilities. In my opinion, we should first have him secretly investigate the Demon Cult fiends hiding within the academy. If he earns further merit, it will not be too late to entrust him with greater responsibilities."
"We shall do as you suggest. Lianshan Xin, from now on, you will serve directly under Shiyun. Report any matters straight to her. If something serious arises, you have my permission to bypass the chain of command and come directly to me."
"Thank you for nurturing me, my lord. Thank you for nurturing me, Third-Place Qi."
Lianshan Xin hurriedly bowed.
Heavenly Sword nodded, then pushed the box before him toward Lianshan Xin.
"This is the Qi Condensation Pill you sought so earnestly before. You earned the foremost merit this time, and I always reward merit. This Qi Condensation Pill is yours. Take it, study diligently under Shiyun, and improve your strength as quickly as possible. Jiangzhou is vast. There is more to it than a single academy. I hope you will cast your gaze farther afield. The world is wide, and there is much you can accomplish."
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lianshan Xin bowed to Heavenly Sword again. "Thank you for granting me this pill, my lord!"
With the Qi Condensation Pill in hand, the martial bottleneck that had shackled him for eighteen years was as good as gone.
Regardless of his prospects for immortal cultivation under Qi Shiyun, with this Qi Condensation Pill in hand, he was assured of becoming a martial artist in the third-grade qi condensation realm.
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