Martial Cultivator

Xie Nandu looked earnestly at the Dean.

She really wanted to know about these matters, as they were not just related to her senior brother but likely concerned the entire Great Liang as well.

However, the Dean shook his head, his expression somewhat ugly.

“You should stay out of it. Too many people are already involved... As your teacher, I really don't want to see that kind of situation.”

The Dean reached out and gently ruffled Xie Nandu's hair, saying softly. “There's something I've always kept in my heart but never said. In truth, I wish you could be a carefree girl... After all, if you aspire to accomplish so much, life naturally becomes exhausting. I already have so many brilliant disciples. When I first took you in as my student, I didn't expect you to shine so brightly. But how could everything in life ever go as one wishes?”

Xie Nandu said, “So Teacher is saying that after feasting on delicacies, you originally planned to settle for a bowl of pickles with plain porridge.”

The Dean laughed. “Must you put it so bluntly?”

Xie Nandu smiled but said nothing.

“But as I said, nothing ever goes perfectly. Since you're no ordinary person, it's an unexpected joy too. I can't just deny you as my disciple because of that.”

The Dean withdrew his hand and smiled. “So...”

“So, Teacher won’t tell me what’s in the letter. And regarding the things that are about to happen, it would be best if I remain a bystander and not get involved.”

How could someone like Xie Nandu, known for her intelligence, fail to grasp the Dean's intentions? With just a few words, she already understood his plan.

The Dean nodded silently.

Xie Nandu gave a slight bow.

The Dean waved his hand, signaling that Xie Nandu could leave.

Xie Nandu said nothing further, turning to depart. She continued letting her flying sword carry the lantern ahead of her.

The Dean watched Xie Nandu's back view, though his thoughts were entirely on another disciple.

That fellow named Zhou Xianshan was also as exceptional and brilliant as this girl back then. Although his temperament was overly unrestrained, no matter how one looked at him, he was an excellent scholar. At the time, the Dean had practically decided to make him the next dean.

“Liu Banbi and Wei Xu never got along. At first, I thought it was just a clash of personalities, but now it seems as though there's some kind of providence at work.”

“As for you, you stinking brat, your temperament has always been so unyielding. There's nothing this teacher could do to change you. But in the end, the two of you are still fellow disciples under the same master. Must it come to one of you dying in the end?”

The Dean sighed deeply, gazing at the bright moon above. Just as he was about to speak, a dazzling pillar of light suddenly appeared in the southern sky.

The Dean frowned slightly.

In the next moment, his figure suddenly soared into the air, swiftly ascending above the sea of clouds. From there, he scrutinized the distant and resplendent beam of light, its precise distance impossible to gauge.

In the world of cultivators, qi refiners had the closest connection to the heavens and earth, often triggering heaven and earth phenomenon. Aside from them, the cultivators of the Three Schools, while less directly and frequently connected, also resonated with the Great Dao. Reaching the end of the path to Nepenthe would inevitably invoke such phenomena.

The brilliant pillar of light carried an air of righteousness. Even from above the sea of clouds, the Dean could faintly hear the resounding sound of scholarly recitations echoing between heaven and earth.

All these phenomena indicated that a Confucian cultivator had reached the end of Nepenthe.

"Becoming a Saint..."

The Dean chuckled at himself self-mockingly.

Before this moment, he had been the world's only so-called Saint.

“You really never fail to surprise, kid. Even after confining yourself for so many years, you've managed to walk out of it. As your teacher, I can't help but admire you.”

After all, he was his student. Although he only saw a bright pillar of light, the Dean could clearly sense whose aura it belonged to.

After lamenting emotionally, the Dean shifted his gaze back toward the sea of clouds and murmured softly, “Wei Xu, oh Wei Xu...”

……

……

Divine Capital, the ancestral home of the Wei Family.

Wei Xu sat on the doorstep of a small courtyard, gazing at the night sky. Similarly at the Nepenthe Realm and a fellow scholar, how could he not recognize what this aura signified?

From now on, the world would have another Saint, and the Confucian lineage would gain another who had reached the end of Nepenthe.

Since the pillar of light had not originated from the Academy, Wei Xu's first thought was to look toward the direction of White Deer Prefecture. After all, the nation's scholars were primarily concentrated in these two regions. However, he quickly realized it was not White Deer Prefecture but rather the neighboring Wei Prefecture.

Thinking of Wei Prefecture, only Chen Chao's name came to Wei Xu's mind.

But soon after, he recalled that old matter and thought of his fellow apprentice.

At this thought, Wei Xu's expression became somewhat unnatural.

The contest for the position of Dean might currently seem to be a rivalry between him and Little Junior Sister Xie Nandu, but only a select few knew that years ago, he had already competed with others for it.

Before Xie Nandu was ever taken in as the Dean's disciple, he had virtually already secured that position.

It was just that...

Wei Xu lowered his head quietly, gazing at a stalk of wild grass sprouting from the cracks between the stone bricks at his feet.

As the legitimate heir of the Wei Family, Wei Xu thought his life should have had nothing to do with wild grass. He was a refined gentleman, born into a prominent and noble family. So why did it feel like he was no better than a stalk of weed?

Lowering his head in silence, Wei Xu reached out and plucked the wild grass from the crack.

Then, he casually tossed it aside.

……

……

Northern Frontier, atop the city wall.

Perhaps because the heavens seemed closer here, the moon appeared unusually large.

Sitting atop the wall, the sword immortal Liu Banbi looked as though he were immersed in the radiant moonlight itself.

He looked at the dazzling pillar of light that appeared in the southern sky and suddenly laughed. “Senior Brother, oh Senior Brother, it seems I, your junior, was too shortsighted. Who would've thought that you were the true star all along?”

“No wonder Teacher has never stopped thinking about you over the years. Looking at it now, it all makes sense. Among Teacher's disciples, you're the one most likely to inherit his mantle.”

Liu Banbi tilted his head back, taking a big swig of alcohol, laughing with unrestrained delight.

……

……

White Dew Garden, Imperial City.

The Great Liang Emperor and Li Heng looked at the horizon at the same time.

Li Heng smiled and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Our Great Liang now has another Saint.”

Though it was clear at a glance that it was a cultivator from the Confucian lineage, and while the academy was not strictly under the jurisdiction of Great Liang, who could deny the close ties between the two?

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and asked, “Do you know who it is?”

Li Heng thought for a moment before replying, “It should be the Dean's disciple, the last remaining member of the Zhou Family.”

The Great Liang Emperor nodded and said, “He nearly became Our son-in-law.”

Li Heng was not in a hurry to speak. He naturally understood the twists and turns of that old incident. Back then, despite His Majesty's best efforts to protect the Zhou Family, in the end, only that one person managed to survive by sheer luck.

“After so many years in hiding, the clouds have finally parted to reveal the clear sky."

The Great Liang Emperor lamented, but soon appeared downcast. “It's a pity Yuan'er is no longer here. Otherwise, who knows how happy she would be.”

Indeed, a pity that Yuan'er was no longer here.

……

……

When that dazzling pillar of light appeared between heaven and earth, many Nepenthe cultivators of the world saw it.

Virtually the entire cultivation world became aware of one fact at that moment.

A new Saint had emerged in the world.

Yet, those who felt it most profoundly were Bai Yu and Xiang Mu.

At this very moment, the two of them were facing the newly ascended Saint.

Zhou Gouqi stood alone on a solitary bridge, his face devoid of expression as he stared coldly at the two Nepenthe cultivators before him.

At this point, whether these two had entered the Dao through chess or some other means no longer mattered.

When facing someone who had walked to the end of Nepenthe, a Confucian Saint, no words or actions held any more significance.

Bai Yu and Xiang Mu had long been rendered speechless.

Zhou Gouqi looked at them and asked, “Although I already know, I still want to ask. One word will suffice.”

Bai Yu and Xiang Mu remained silent.

“I will only ask once. If there's no answer, I'll kill you guys. Cultivation isn't easy. After so many years, reaching the Nepenthe Realm only to die, it would be a pity, even to me.”

Zhou Gouqi waved his sleeve, all the illusions around them dissipated completely. The group returned to reality.

However, a paper kite hung distantly in the horizon.

Zhou Gouqi stood with his back to the kite, looking at the two before him, waiting for an answer.

Bai Yu said, “Since you already know, why ask?”

Zhou Gouqi smiled and said, “Some things are just like that. Even if you know, you still want to ask.”

Xiang Mu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. “It looks like some people have already fallen a step behind.”

Zhou Gouqi smiled and nodded. “There's no such thing as a flawless plan in this world. If a person is truly bad, even if they've pretended to be good for hundreds of years, they'll eventually be revealed for what they are.”

“But at this point, even if you can let us go...”

Xiang Mu furrowed his brows, expressing deep concern about his future.

Zhou Gouqi said calmly, “Just wait a little longer.”

……

……

Unlike the battle between Zhou Gouqi and the two Nepenthe cultivators, Chen Chao's battle in the small alley was exceedingly arduous. After finally managing to slay the sword cultivator, he was almost overwhelmed by the layers upon layers of converging qi. Though these cultivators did not hail from those renowned sects, they compensated for it with sheer numbers. The dazzling array of magic spells they unleashed made Chen Chao suffer endlessly.

Fortunately, his body was sufficiently tough. After enduring the barrage of overlapping qi, Chen Chao grabbed a cultivator by the collar and hurled him heavily into the alley.

At the same time, he shot forward with his saber and unleashed a powerful slash into the cluster of cultivators crowded in the alley. The surging saber qi instantly tore through the blockade.

Under this one strike, no matter how many methods the cultivators tried to use in resistance, they were forced to retreat one step after another, unable to maintain their footing. They resembled a massive ship capsized by crashing waves.

Chen Chao continued slashing at the cultivators in front of him. At this moment, it felt as though he had returned to his time on Clearwater Mountain.

He had transformed into a god of slaughter, cutting through everything in his path with strike after strike.

Without that sword cultivator who possessed tremendous killing power to hold down the fort, the frail bodies of these cultivators were like eggs striking a rock when confronted by Chen Chao.

One cultivator saw Chen Chao charging toward him and hastily began forming a seal. Just as the qi in his palm started to coalesce and take shape, Chen Chao's fist smashed through it, sending the cultivator flying backward to land heavily on the ground.

The cultivator coughed up a mouthful of blood, his life or death uncertain.

Chen Chao then stomped down hard on the cultivator's chest. Whether he had survived earlier or not, this blow ensured he was undoubtedly dead.

Chen Chao had already made it halfway across the alley.

He had walked this alley countless times before, but never had it been as arduous as today.

But no matter how difficult it was, he had made it this far.

Gripping Cloud Mud tightly in his hand, Chen Chao exhaled a turbid breath and looked at the few remaining cultivators. A grin spread across his face.

The cultivators stared at the young martial artist before them and fell silent, unable to utter a single word.

At this point, there was no other option but to kill one another.

……

……

An hour later, Zhou Gouqi appeared outside Peach Blossom Alley.

The Peach Blossom Alley was now littered with corpses.

The young martial artist dressed in black stood at the mouth of the alley, gazing at Zhou Gouqi, who approached carrying a kite.

Zhou Gouqi clicked his tongue and said, "Why didn't I know you were so adept at killing people?"

Chen Chao's face was filled with exhaustion. He just slowly raised his hand and gave Zhou Gouqi the middle finger.