Sword Master Gu Wangchuan
The weather had grown much warmer by April, and the snow on the ground had soon melted.
When Sang Ying walked out of the cave carrying the frost-coated branch, only patches of snow mixed with scarlet blood remained on the ground, the faint outline of a human figure still visible.
As for the owner of that pool of blood, he had long since fled.
The voice sounded somewhat regretful. "Tsk, he actually got away. It seems it wasn't his time to die!"
Sang Ying disagreed. It wasn't that the Cold Crow Devil Lord's time had yet to come; he simply wasn't meant to die by her hand. Judging by the time, Su Fuyun's close male confidant had probably already arrived outside White Foothill City. Presumably, the Cold Crow Devil Lord would still end up in his hands.
But Sang Ying had no intention of chasing after him to snatch the credit. For one thing, even though she had wounded the Cold Crow Devil Lord, he was a Nascent Soul Cultivator who might well have a powerful life-saving Law Artifact. If she rashly pursued him, she probably wouldn't come out ahead.
For another, that one strike had consumed most of her spiritual power. She was already like a spent crossbow bolt; how could she have the strength to pursue him?
She had already swallowed three of the ten medicinal pills her parents had left her. Sang Ying's injuries were all superficial and would heal with some rest, but her Spiritual Qi was depleted, and she needed to cultivate properly for a while.
After making sure there was no danger outside the cave and that the venomous insects had all frozen to death, Sang Ying trudged back inside, step by weary step. She soon sat down cross-legged beneath the stone pillar.
"Your swordsmanship was somewhat lacking, but fortunately, your comprehension is quite good. At least you won't tarnish my mighty reputation!" For the first time, the voice carried a trace of satisfaction, leaving Sang Ying somewhat overwhelmed by the praise.
Sang Ying had originally sat down to meditate, but the voice kept going, disturbing her so much that she couldn't continue cultivating.
She had no choice but to ask, "May I know how to address you, senior? It was only thanks to your guidance earlier that I survived. Otherwise, I surely would have died on the spot."
This was more than a life-saving favor. If Sang Ying was right, a few words of guidance from the other party had allowed her to comprehend a sword instruction. For a sword cultivator, that was an immense fortuitous opportunity, and no amount of thanks would have been too much.
Sang Ying had asked, but the voice gave no answer. After an unknown stretch of silence, she instinctively raised her head and found herself facing the Sword Qi that should have been resting safely on the stone pillar!
The Sword Qi was wreathed in a ring of blue Spiritual Qi, though on closer inspection, it looked as though it were wrapped in wind. If anyone dared reach out and touch it, they would probably be sliced away, bones and all, in the next instant.
"Didn't you want to see me? I've come out, so why have you gone quiet?" When Sang Ying remained silent for a long time, the voice sounded somewhat displeased as it spoke again.
Sang Ying hurriedly explained, "I was just too surprised for a moment, senior. I didn't know what to say."
The Sword Qi gave a haughty snort. If it had hands, Sang Ying could imagine it planting them on its hips. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You think I'm just a strand of Sword Qi, so you don't take me seriously. Well, let me tell you, I'm no ordinary Sword Qi!"
"Oh? Then you have an extraordinary identity?" Sang Ying's interest was piqued.
"Naturally!" The blue Sword Qi flickered, showing its excitement. "Little girl, have you heard of the Sword Master?"
Sang Ying was taken aback. She pursed her lips and considered her words. "I've always been ignorant and ill-informed, senior. I only know that Immortal Venerable Smoke and Dust of the Flowing Light Sword Sect is currently recognized throughout this realm as the Sword Master."
She didn't think this Sword Qi had any connection to Gu Huaiwei. After all, Gu Huaiwei's sword techniques also came from the Flowing Light Sword Sect and followed a nimble style. The swordsmanship this Sword Qi had taught her, however, was sweeping and expansive, with the force to cleave mountains and split rivers.
So Sang Ying guessed that the "Sword Master" the Sword Qi spoke of was probably someone else. But she had no elders to teach her and knew little about some of the people and affairs of the cultivation world.
Sure enough, her words made the Sword Qi jump with rage. It bounced furiously in midair twice before snapping, "What kind of Sword Master is he? Is he worthy of the title?! He merely received a few pointers from the Sword Master and relied on the fact that no one in the Twin Orchid Realm was skilled with a sword to gain a little empty fame. And he dared claim the title of Sword Master for himself! His audacity knows no bounds!"
Sang Ying raised an eyebrow. She knew the book recorded that this cultivation world was divided into five small worlds, but there were no paths connecting them, so the people of the five realms had rarely interacted.
Even a male supporting character who fled from another small world in the latter half of the original book had suffered considerable injuries while crossing between the two realms. Su Fuyun had saved him, gaining yet another powerful helper for herself.
She simply hadn't expected that Gu Huaiwei, the strongest person in the book, had gained such abilities through someone else's guidance in another small world.
For some reason, hearing this made Sang Ying feel that Gu Huaiwei, who had been as insurmountable as a mountain in her heart, had suddenly become much smaller and no longer seemed so far beyond her reach.
"Then, senior, who is the true Sword Master, and what is his connection to you?" Sang Ying couldn't help interrupting the Sword Qi's repetitive cursing.
The Sword Qi was already tired of cursing, so it fell silent at Sang Ying's question.
It was full of resentment at the mention of Gu Huaiwei, but when its master came up, its pride immediately swelled again. "Since fate brought us together, I'll tell you about him. Listen well: the only person in this world worthy of the title of Sword Master is the man who once severed the passage between two realms by his strength alone and split the tribulation clouds with one sword strike when he ascended-Gu. Wang. Chuan!"
With every sentence the Sword Qi spoke, Sang Ying's eyes grew brighter. Although she had never met him in person, just hearing about those two things he had done filled her with longing.
Indeed, only someone like that deserved to be called the "Sword Master"!
"As for me..." The Sword Qi deliberately paused to build suspense. "I am a strand of Sword Qi the Sword Master left behind before he ascended, solely to help him find a disciple who could inherit his swordsmanship and sword intent!"
Hearing this, Sang Ying couldn't help envying the person the Sword Master would take as a disciple. She didn't think the Sword Qi would choose her; after all, it had made its disdain for her clear in everything it had said before.
Though she had a single Spirit Root, she was hardly the only cultivator in the world who did. There were plenty of people with a talent for sword cultivation; how could it ever be her turn to become that disciple?
Having thought it through, Sang Ying asked, "Then, senior, have you found one yet?"
"If I had, would I still be stuck in this miserable cave?" The Sword Qi flew once around Sang Ying's head. "But now, I may have found one."
Sang Ying's eyelid twitched. Though reason warned her not to get carried away, she couldn't help feeling a little hopeful. "What do you mean, senior?"
"Tsk! Can't you even understand that? Hurry up and pay your respects to your master, then respectfully welcome me into your sword. I'm about to dissipate!" the Sword Qi urged her repeatedly.
At that moment, Sang Ying could never have imagined that this demon-slaying journey, undertaken by a twist of fate, would be the beginning of her future rise to fame throughout the cultivation world.