Hou Niao carried the sword case on his back and disappeared into the boundless sea of people.
His instincts told him this sword suited him well. A nameless man wielding the Nameless Sword-a perfect match!
He had spent everything valuable he possessed. Unless he earned something on the side, he would have no income for three months, but with his method of cultivation, he really could not find anywhere to spend spirit stones anyway.
Without spirit stones, he no longer had to dwell on those temptations in all their bewildering variety. In truth, he was not nearly as indifferent to them as he appeared. Besides, being penniless had another advantage: he did not have to worry about anyone asking to borrow money.
There had already been signs of this at the gathering of fellow townsmen. They might pool their money to solve one person's major difficulty, then take turns doing the same for everyone else; or they might put spirit stones together to invest in some promising business. People from Anhe were very good at this.
Others felt light with no debts weighing them down; he felt light with no money weighing him down. It was just as well-he could hole up in his courtyard to cultivate, seizing the time to make up for what he had lost. He had a premonition that, in the future, he would rarely have a schedule as carefree as drifting clouds and wild cranes.
...The destinations of this batch of Quanzhen Sect disciples gradually became clear. This was a grand contest of everyone's wealth, background, connections, and social skills. When cultivation became entangled with the mundane world, such shady dealings were inevitable.
Assignments like these were largely handled by the Pastoral Marshal Prefecture. Whenever this time came around, its cultivators ate until their bellies bulged and their heads grew fat. Especially this time-how could they possibly let these rogue cultivators escape with the ill-gotten wealth they had amassed over the years?
There were clearheaded people like Gongcheng Yi, and there were those who relied on their backgrounds to demand the best postings. Most, of course, were utterly bewildered and left themselves to fate. They could only blunder about the Pastoral Marshal Prefecture like headless flies, not even knowing where to spend their money.
Some were carried away by their success; others sighed in disappointment. There were, of course, those who did not care either way. Gradually, the commotion stirred up by a hundred or so newly admitted disciples subsided. Dust returned to dust, earth to earth; no one could escape their own fate.
Amid all this clamor, Hou Niao maintained his rapid progress. Of course, that was only relative. Dual dantian operation let him gather qi faster than most people, but he still fell short of true geniuses. Even with such a marvelous encounter, he was only somewhat better than an ordinary person, which showed that his own aptitude was actually unremarkable.
But he was not discouraged, because he understood that talent could not stay with someone forever; it always came in stages. Outstanding talent at Qi Gathering did not necessarily mean exceptional gifts at Foundation Cultivation. Standing like a crane among chickens at Foundation Cultivation did not necessarily mean blooming alone above the rest after Grain Avoidance. But his dual dantian would always be there!
Between advancing steadily at a pace slightly faster than normal and progressing erratically, sometimes fast and sometimes slow through the various stages of cultivation, there was no telling who would reach the finish first.
He did not spend all twenty-four hours of every day cooped up in his courtyard. He went out for walks too, always heading to the Sword Manor Area. His Sword Talisman entitled him to move freely through most areas, and he used that privilege to watch others engage in sword combat.
As a Demonic Sect tradition founded on the sword, it would never lack belligerent souls. Thus, apart from private sword bouts between friends, there was bound to be somewhere for these combative people to expend their energy.
The Quanzhen Sect in Jincheng had two such sword-fighting grounds: one in the Central Army Prefecture and one in the Sword Manor.
This was determined by the structure of the Quanzhen Sect's Jincheng branch. Here, there were four places where Quanzhen disciples usually gathered. One was the Sword Manor, which was more like a large residential district. Most Quanzhen disciples serving in Jincheng could obtain a residence here free of charge. Naturally, there was a minimum cultivation requirement, and they also needed an official post. Someone in his current situation did not qualify.
The other three were the Pastoral Marshal Prefecture, the Central Army Prefecture, and the Commandant Prefecture, where Quanzhen cultivators regularly took turns on duty;
Of these, the Pastoral Marshal Prefecture was the seat of authority for an entire province, representing the Quanzhen Sect's authority and public dignity. Naturally, fighting and killing within its grounds were out of the question. The Commandant Prefecture handled shady dealings that could not bear the light of day and had nothing to do with openness and honor. Thus, the Drill Ground of the Central Army Prefecture, whose duty was war and slaughter, was the highest-level arena in all Jincheng.
Unfortunately, he was not qualified to enter.
The fighting ground in the Sword Manor's residential district was much more rudimentary and casual. There was less iron and blood, more friendly sparring, and minor cultivators like him were not forbidden from watching. So he came over every day to take a look. Sometimes he feasted his eyes; sometimes he gained nothing at all.
Today, for instance, he recognized one of the two cultivators paired off in the sword-fighting ground: Senior Brother Zheng from the outer courtyard.
To be honest, his cultivation was immensely profound. The qi gang on his sword seemed almost solid, extending several feet as it surged out and drew back. If Hou Niao went up against him with his paltry spiritual power, no sword technique would do him any good.
But the two men's swordsmanship left him equally speechless: rigid, crude, and stuck in old ways. He could not say they had gone astray in learning the sword, but there was truly not a trace of inspired deftness to it.
The only thing worth watching was the assortment of law techniques mixed into their sword fighting.
Compared with the sword souls, law souls, body souls, and whatever other assorted souls inhabited the Soul Realm, they fell far too short. They seemed to belong to an entirely different cultivation system. This puzzled him too. Where exactly had this Soul Realm of his come from? Why was it so divorced from reality?
While his thoughts wandered here and there, Senior Brother Zheng finished his bout and, in a rare gesture, came over to greet him.
"Junior Brother Hou, why not step in and give it a try?"
Hou Niao waved his hands repeatedly. "You must be joking, Senior Brother. I wouldn't dare go up there and make a fool of myself. I'd spoil everyone's fun."
Senior Brother Zheng did not insist. He knew it really would be inappropriate. Since this lad's suggestion back in the outer courtyard had ultimately spared him punishment, he did not mind offering a few words of guidance.
"Among the Quanzhen disciples in Jincheng, most of those holding posts are at Grain Avoidance or Bridge Linking. Their dantians are full, and their qi flows long and deep. Someone at the Qi Gathering Realm, whose dantian hasn't even begun nurturing qi, simply cannot compare.
"Most junior brothers at the Foundation Cultivation Realm serve in various places around the province, tempering themselves. That is when campaigning and killing begin.
"There's nothing wrong with liking swordsmanship, but it isn't what you should be focusing on right now. What you most need to improve is your cultivation realm. Only once you enter the Foundation Cultivation Realm will you be qualified to consider your direction in combat.
"I see you coming here often to watch people fight with swords, so I'm reminding you: you've somewhat lost sight of your priorities."
Hou Niao lowered his head and accepted the lesson. It was the plain truth, even if he fell somewhat outside the usual rules.
There was no need to explain. After exchanging a few words, he slowly left, knowing in his heart that he should no longer come here to watch sword fights.
His reason, however, was not what Senior Brother Zheng imagined. Rather, he felt that these sword fights were not worth watching. They would only waste his time.
Everyone had the urge to measure themselves against others, and he was no exception. Having learned fine swordsmanship in the Soul Realm, he wanted to cross blades with people in reality, to compare and see where the strengths and weaknesses lay.
Now it appeared that they were not the same thing at all.
What he had learned was the Killing Sword, while what they practiced here was the Ceremonial Sword. Training in an environment like this would lead his own swordsmanship astray.
All swordsmanship not aimed at killing was mere thuggery.
Those wandering souls had taught him this through death.
...Before guests, speak no more of swords; retreat into meditation and close the doors.