Old grudges

"I remember there are people from Prince Yue's Residence on the mountain too?"

Zhou Juechen asked.

"Of course."

It was Ren Qingshan who answered. "Yan Kaigui of Prince Yue's Residence enjoys quite a reputation throughout Jiangzhou. In the provincial capital, he is even known as one of the Lijiang Three Heroes. Moreover, he is accomplished in both letters and martial arts, which will naturally give him a smoother path than a purely martial practitioner when he comprehends primordial unity in the future. He certainly wouldn't miss a grand gathering like this."

He sounded somewhat reflective. "The Sword Discussion Convention is essentially about finding people to invest in and laying the groundwork for the next Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate. The Sword Saint Guangyuan offers guidance to his juniors, and I've brought my disciples here—isn't that also so the Sword Saint Guangyuan can look them over?"

The others wholeheartedly agreed.

The Sword Discussion Convention wasn't about discussing swords, but navigating human relationships!

Those intent on Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate would come to display their abilities in exchange for guidance from the Sword Saint Guangyuan.

The Sword Saint Guangyuan didn't mind doing them a favor, either.

Although anyone who had yet to enter the Hidden Dragon Ranking and receive substantial backing by this point had little hope, what if?

What if one of them worked a miracle? The eventual return would be tenfold, a hundredfold.

Many who couldn't make it themselves would even bring disciples under twenty-five and have them put on a good showing.

Leaping Over the Dragon Gate required participants to be under thirty and took place once every five years.

If this round didn't work out, there was always the next.

A martial master at blood exchange and marrow washing devoting all his efforts to training a disciple, versus that same master training him together with a top expert-the latter might give a disciple who was already quite talented entirely different prospects for growth, allowing him to leap through the Dragon Gate and ascend to the heavens in a single bound.

"Younger Brother Zhou, is this Li Xian a new disciple of yours?"

Yu Songnian asked curiously.

"A disciple? I can't afford a disciple like that."

Zhou Juechen snorted.

He had never imagined that instead of staying in the martial hall and practicing properly, Li Xian would actually chase after Yan Kaigui, Liu Yanran, and the others upon learning that they had come to Canglang Mountain.

Yes.

Zhou Juechen believed Li Xian had come to Canglang Mountain to pursue Liu Yanran and keep making a colossal fool of himself.

Hearing Zhou Juechen's words, the disciple beside him guessed that the visitor knew Zhou Juechen, but they probably weren't particularly close.

He immediately said respectfully, "Then, Hall Master Zhou... shall I tell him to go back?"

"Send him away. Don't let him come up the mountain swindling people in my name."

Zhou Juechen waved a hand.

"Yes."

The disciple acknowledged the order and was about to turn away.

But Zhou Juechen recalled that three-month agreement, then thought of Third Granduncle...

And the fact that Liu Yanran was bound to be with Yan Kaigui.

To keep Li Xian from getting hotheaded upon seeing the two together, doing something irrational, and being beaten to death by Yan Kaigui...

In the end, he spoke again. "Wait. I'll go chase him away myself."

With that, he offered Ren Qingshan and the others an apologetic farewell and left with the disciple.

Watching Zhou Juechen leave, Ren Qingshan couldn't help feeling some regret. "Master Zhou was full of spirit when he first entered the martial world. He began training at thirteen, attained bright force in three months, and achieved Muscle and Bone Great Accomplishment in three years. At twenty, he completed internal organ refinement and began blood exchange and marrow washing. After more than four years, he perfected blood exchange. Then he became stuck at the step of primordial unity and a Leakless body, and stayed stuck for five years... Now he's twenty-nine. His hopes are slim."

"Blood exchange and marrow washing, an impervious body-this is the dividing line between mediocrity and genius. Never mind Hall Master Zhou; aren't we the same?"

Yu Songnian gave a bitter smile.

Then he glanced enviously at Ren Qingshan. "Not everyone can be like you, Layman Ren, seeing through the mysteries of primordial unity and forming a Leakless body. Especially me... I damaged my foundations by seeking quick results when I was young. Though I'm about your age, I look far more than twenty years older."

The same was true of Zhang He.

Before attaining an impervious body, martial artists generally began to decline physically after thirty-five.

Their metabolism slowed, their memory deteriorated, their reactions dulled, their immune systems weakened, and so on...

If they trained excessively, they could end up like Yu Songnian: only forty-five or forty-six, yet already looking sixty, plagued day and night by kidney deficiency, frequent urination, incomplete emptying of the bladder, insomnia, and excessive dreaming, with only thirty or forty percent of their martial abilities remaining.

But an impervious body was different.

Once they reached that stage, they could maintain their peak condition until sixty, or even seventy. Only when their allotted lifespan was nearly over would they plummet.

Precisely for that reason, all martial artists sought every possible means of reaching the Leakless Realm.

"My attainment of an impervious body was entirely down to luck. I broke through without even understanding how. If you asked me to explain it, I couldn't tell you why. Otherwise, why would I attend the Sword Saint Guangyuan's Sword Discussion Convention for my disciples?"

Ren Qingshan said.

There was no telling whether the others believed him.

But since Ren Qingshan was unwilling to elaborate, they could only change the subject. "Speaking of which, quite a few people have come to this convention. There are four from the Hidden Dragon Ranking alone! Especially Su Jianxing-he's ranked sixth. I never expected even him to come."

"Indeed! The Sword Saint Guangyuan said he was taking a day's rest today, yet Su Jianxing could go straight into his courtyard to seek guidance. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Sword Saint Guangyuan had set aside an entire day just to give him private instruction."

"What can you do? He's someone who truly has a chance of Leaping Over the Dragon Gate! Right now, he hasn't made the leap yet, so he still has to treat himself as a junior before the Sword Saint Guangyuan. Once he succeeds, even the Sword Saint Guangyuan will probably be rushing to call him brother."

At the pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Disciples of the Canglang Sword Sect welcomed arrivals and saw off departing guests, escorting martial artists from across Jiangzhou in and out.

As for these martial artists...

Most parties consisted of an elder at internal organ refinement bringing three to five disciples in the Bone and Muscle Realm to broaden their horizons.

There were some at blood exchange and marrow washing, but they were exceedingly rare.

Setting aside sects and sacred grounds where martial artists congregated, a prefecture with a million inhabitants would have eight or ten at blood exchange and marrow washing at most. On average, it took a hundred thousand people to produce a single blood exchange expert.

That alone showed how difficult blood exchange was.

Li Xian sat in the pavilion, waiting patiently.

But he hadn't waited long before a party of eight hurried up from below.

Among the eight, the distinction between masters and servants was clear.

The three young people-two men and one woman-cut striking figures, with splendid clothes and spirited horses, and their swords at their waists were exquisitely crafted.

The five behind them, however, were powerfully built and watchful, dressed as guards.

Li Xian glanced over, initially paying them little mind.

But when his gaze fell on a burly middle-aged man among them, he paused slightly.

Memories belonging to "Li Xian" surged up in an instant.

On that stone bridge outside Soaring Dragon Ward, the original "Li Xian" had been kicked into the river. The person who had done it...

"It was him?"

The next moment, Li Xian rose to his full height and strode forward, heading straight for the party of eight.

Almost as he headed toward the eight, those about to enter the Canglang Sword Sect also turned to look at him.

Upon seeing him, several of them visibly showed a hint of an odd expression, clearly recognizing him.

"Li Xian?"

One of the men, holding a paper fan, said, "What's he doing here?"

"Li Xian? The one who, with Miss Liu Yanran..."

The other man looked somewhat surprised.

"He hasn't the slightest self-awareness. He actually dared chase her all the way to Canglang Mountain?"

The only woman's expression was icy. "Shen Hong, go deal with him. Wherever I am, I don't want to see anything this sickening."

(End of chapter)