Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

"Five Elements Divine Dragon Wood?"

As these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent.

A group of Integration cultivators looked on with disbelief and uncertainty, trying to identify the source of the claim, but their view was blocked by a private room.

On the auction stage, Lu Mingyu from E'mei raised her eyebrows slightly and looked toward that private room, "Is it the 'Five Elements Divine Dragon Wood' of Seventh Rank?"

"Of course!"

From within the room, a light and confident voice spoke.

Lu Mingyu hesitated for a moment, "May this humble one have the honor to verify it?"

"As you wish!"

The person inside didn't seem to mind and promptly sent out a five-colored radiant light.

Lu Mingyu's eyes narrowed as she caught the radiance, and upon inspection, she saw a piece of wood materialize, wrapped with dragons in blue, yellow, red, white, and black, exuding a dense aura of the utmost Five Elements.

"It is indeed the Five Elements Divine Dragon Wood!"

Lu Mingyu nodded and announced loudly to everyone, "The honored guest in private room number nine has offered a Seventh Rank Spiritual Object, a portion of the Five Elements Divine Dragon Wood. Does anyone else wish to bid?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Upon these words being spoken, the entire place turned utterly quiet.

The crowd of Integration cultivators was even more filled with astonishment and doubt.

"A Seventh Rank Spiritual Object?"

"Five Elements Divine Dragon?"

"This..."

Seeing the confusion and sensing an answer, several Grand Cultivators hesitated for a long time but ultimately gave up on their last gambit.

In the Southern Sea, where resources are scarce, Sixth Rank spiritual objects are already rarities of this world, let alone the Seventh Rank...

Such items would only appear a few times after Ancient Secret Realms or Ancestral Caves emerged from the Endless Sea.

Although this Five Elements Xuanyuan Sword was worth the equivalent of a Seventh Rank Spiritual Object, the focus right now was not on the object, but on the person who had offered it.

This person was unfamiliar and did not seem to be a cultivator from the Southern Sea.

If not from the Southern Sea, that would mean...

"Five Elements Divine Dragon Wood for the third time!"

"Congratulations to this guest for winning the Five Elements Xuanyuan Sword!"

"We now invite the second item for auction."

"..."

With a single gavel, Lu Mingyu concluded the contest.

Although the crowd felt a sense of loss, they dared not speak out and simply turned their gazes to the upcoming auction items.

The auction continued, yet Lu Mingyu seemed somewhat distracted; while there was no mistake made, the atmosphere had turned inexplicably strange.

This being so...

"The East Lai Grand Assembly now comes to a satisfactory close. I thank all fellow Daoists for gracing this event. The next assembly will be the once in a millennium Bright Moon Gathering, boasting countless treasures. We eagerly await the presence of all fellow Daoists once again."

The auction drew to a successful conclusion, and Lu Mingyu left in a hurry, with the crowd dispersing as well.

The atmosphere remained oddly tense, and unrest rippled beneath the surface.

In such a manner...

At Lingbao Island, within the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

A white-clothed youth stood, cold as frost and snow, hovering in the void. With his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he carried an air of indomitable pride as he gazed upon the Lingbao Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

Behind the youth stood two women, respectful and exuding nobility and extraordinary dignity.

In such a manner, they waited for a brief moment.

Soon, a streak of light flew from the island, transforming into a child.

It was the child Gui Sanqian.

A hundred years had passed, yet Gui Sanqian still bore the same visage, adorable and delicate as ever.

Upon approaching, Gui Sanqian offered a bow, "Esteemed guests honor us with your visit, which brings glory to the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion. Unfortunately, the master is in seclusion and we dare not disturb him. If the guests do not mind, you may stay on the island for a while until the master emerges from seclusion..."

"How presumptuous!"

Before he could finish, his speech was cut off by a maid whose face hardened as she spoke, "What status does my young lord have to be here to pay his respects to him, and yet he shuns him with excuses and even dares to make my young lord wait for him?"

Gui Sanqian glanced at her, his expression just as icy, "The master is in seclusion and must not be disturbed. You've come from afar, and the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion treats guests with courtesy. But should you wish to act like a domineering guest over the host, then you can't blame the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion for lacking hospitality."

"You..."

"Enough!"

The maid was about to retort, but was silenced by a gesture from the youth.

Without further conversation, the youth merely glanced at Lingbao Island then turned and walked away, hands clasped behind his back.

The two Integration realm maids, upon seeing this, could only cast an angry glare at Gui Sanqian before following the youth's steps.

Gui Sanqian remained unflustered, just shook his head, and returned to the island.

...

With leisurely strides, the youth appeared calm and self-assured.

The two maids following closely behind him, however, were filled with indignation.

"That Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, with their hollow words and deceitful ways, has truly committed an unforgivable offense towards our young lord."

"We've come along with Lu Mingyu all the way here. If that Li Xuanyuan were truly in seclusion, she would have emerged by now. What business has she to stay inside the island?"

"Clearly, they're deceiving and mocking us!"

"That Li Xuanyuan, indeed arrogant with his talents, our young lord graciously condescended to meet with him, yet he has the audacity to shun us."

"He is clearly showing contempt for our young lord!"

The two maids continued to speak bitterly.

The youth merely laughed, as light-hearted as a passing cloud, "As a master of both formations and sword cultivation, a bit of pride is only natural."

Hearing this, the maids were still incensed, "But our young lord is a revered Integration cultivator, the Saint Heir of the Sword Sect, and that mere Return to Void cultivator dares not to even grant an audience, truly ignorant of his place."

"A frog in the well does not know the vastness of the sky. Coupled with someone's backing, they can afford to be unruly."

The youth chuckled softly, his words playful, "Let's wait for the person propping things up to fall, and see how much arrogance he has left, and whether he can maintain his composure like this."

Having said that, he cast a glance toward the distance, his expression unfathomable.

...

Meanwhile, at Lingbao Island, Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

Two individuals sat opposite each other, their expressions diverse.

Xu Yang smiled gently, his demeanor calm and composed, the picture of serenity.

Lu Mingyu's brows were tightly furrowed, her worry apparent, "Fellow Daoist, the visit from the Nine Heavens Sword Disciple must be to recruit you. Rejecting him outright, is that really...?"

"The vast Nine Heavens I roam at will, how can I be like a caged bird confined within the pavilion?"

Xu Yang smiled, unconcerned, "I am a cloud-crane, free and unrestricted. If he does not have the interest, he should not have come to disturb me."

"Fellow Daoist..."

At those words, Lu Mingyu didn't know what to say.

Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion, Immortal Sect Holy Land!

Who would dare not to give such an establishment its due respect?

He would!

Even a visit from the Saint Heir was met with rejection, completely disregarded.

This temperament, Lu Mingyu didn't know whether to praise or sigh.

With no other choice, she could only change the subject, "The visit from the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion this time must be for more than just recruiting you."

"Oh?"

Xu Yang smiled, feigning ignorance, "What else might they be plotting?"

Lu Mingyu gave him an exasperated look, saying helplessly, "I'm afraid it's because of the South Sea Sect and True Monarch Cangwu!"
Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

"Oh!"

But Xu Yang still assumed a knowingly naive stance, "And how do you figure that?"

Lu Mingyu, filled with helplessness, began to explain, "Though the South Sea's old ancestor fell in the battle, it has also made Sword Monarch Cangwu's name resound throughout the world. With an Integration body, he fought against the Left Path's Mahayana; such prowess is no less than that of cultivators born from the Immortal Sect Holy Land of the orthodox path."

"Although the South Sea is considered a Marginal Path, independent from the Central Plains of the Northern Domain, it still faces the jealousy of the Immortal Sect Holy Land.

With such talent as Sword Monarch Cangwu's, and his cultivation of the Heavenly Sword technique, if he were to achieve Dao and advance into the Mahayana realm, he has the potential to unify the Cultivation Realm of the South Sea and become the true Master of the Marginal Path."

"This does not align with the interests of the major Righteous Path Immortal Sects, especially the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion. They would certainly not wish to see True Monarch Cangwu's Heavenly Sword technique achieve Dao and advance into Mahayana!"

"Oh?"

At this, Xu Yang became genuinely intrigued, "And why is that?"

Lu Mingyu shook her head with a sigh, "The Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion, South Sea Sect, and True Monarch Cangwu, they have a certain enmity between them."

"Enmity?"

Xu Yang's eyes narrowed, "What kind of enmity?"

"Affairs of love and hate!"

With a sigh, Lu Mingyu began to recount an old tale to him.

...

Meanwhile, at the South Sea Sect, Cloud Dragon Island.

Atop the spiritual island, everything was clad in white, filled with the sounds of mourning.

Inside the memorial hall, a figure garbed in plain white clothes faced the spiritual tablet of the Ancestral Master in silence for a long time.

Suddenly, someone entered the hall, breaking the somber stillness.

Li Cangwu's eyes turned stern, but without turning around, he spoke icily, "What are you doing here?"

The newcomer was silent for a while before stepping forward, lifting three sticks of incense, "I wanted to offer incense to our Master."

"Master?"

Without turning back, Li Cangwu scoffed coldly, "Who is your Master? Isn't your Master at the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion? What brings you to the South Sea Sect?"

"Eldest brother!"

The visitor turned around, and by the candlelight, revealed a grievously beautiful face, "I know you still hate me, but after all, I am Master's disciple, and now that he's gone, I don't wish to be denied the chance to offer him a stick of incense."

...

Li Cangwu was silent for a long time, saying nothing.

Seeing this, the woman said no more, simply stepping forward to place the incense and kneeling down to bow deeply, "Master, Qing'er has failed you, please forgive me!"

Saying so, she bowed her head three times with light thumps.

Li Cangwu remained standing with his hands behind his back, silent, never looking back.

The woman stood up and turned towards him, "Eldest brother, now that Master is gone, you are the leader of the South Sea Sect. There are things that may not be appropriate to say, but I still must advise you."

"There's no need to speak; I do not wish to listen!"

Without looking back, Li Cangwu spoke sharply, "You walk your broad road; I will cross my own log bridge. To think that I would bow my head and submit, leading the South Sea Sect to become a vassal to your Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion, is pure delusion!"

"Eldest brother!"

The woman shook her head, speaking solemnly, "Now that Master is gone and you can hardly support alone, do you intend to let the South Sea Sect, which Master gave his life to protect, simply vanish into smoke?"

"Disappear into smoke?"

"Even if it disappears into smoke, so what?"

Li Cangwu's words were icy cold, leaving no room for negotiation, "Master severed his reincarnation for the South Sea Sect and sacrificed himself to become the sword. As Master's disciple, even if I have to die for righteousness, I won't easily hand over the foundation of the South Sea Sect, the lifeblood of generations of Ancestral Masters, to anyone else."

"It's not about handing it over!"

The woman persisted, trying to persuade him, "The way of the Ninth Heaven Sword is the orthodox path of the Central Plains, the way of Immortal Gates. They have no desire to meddle with the South Sea, but…"

"But they cannot tolerate me, they cannot stand the thought of the South Sea unifying and the Marginal Path achieving Dao!"

Li Cangwu turned around abruptly, glaring at her, "All these years, who's been secretly supporting Mysterious Yin Island? Who's been sowing chaos in the South Sea Cultivation Realm? Who does not wish to see the South Sea Sect's Tao lineage continue?"

...

The woman fell silent, unable to respond.

Li Cangwu looked at her with eyes void of hate but filled with sorrow, "What they cannot accommodate is Li Cangwu. Very well, I shall comply with their wishes. Who will fight me, you or him?"

...

The woman was silent again, but at last, she said, "Mr. Xiao has advanced into Mahayana; Zhang Er has taken over as Saint Lord. I don't want him to suffer any harm from a conflict with you, my brother. Please heed my advice and bear with it for the moment, how about that?"

"Hmph!"

Li Cangwu snorted coldly, not bothering with further words, "Go back and tell your beloved Zhang Er that I accept this sword fight!"