Chapter 1944: Arriving at Lingyun Sword Pavilion

Others didn't know Zhang Xuan's identity, but Cao Chengli had seen with his own eyes that Shan Xiaotian called him teacher.

A cripple unable to cultivate at Saint Realm Level 6, in less than a single day, reaching the peak of Ancient Saint Level 1... Even seeing it with his own eyes felt as unbelievable as a dream.

Following such a person would surely allow one to soar to great heights!

Moreover, his subordinates were almost all dead, and with so many people surrounding him, if he dared to leave, he would likely be beaten to death by the angry mob on the spot.

Over the years, as a mountain bandit, he had done many evil deeds, and countless people wished him dead!

"Become my servant?"

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Save it! Go back to your promising career as a bandit!"

He had spared him only to use him to expose the schemes of Xue Chen and the others. Now that it was over, what did he care about a bandit who had committed every evil?

"If you won't take me in... I'd rather kneel here until I die..."

Cao Chengli gritted his teeth.

"Then kneel if you must..."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Master..."

Unexpectedly, the other was so resolute. Cao Chengli's face was full of sorrow. "Actually, I have my reasons. I was a kind merchant. One time, I got drunk, and my wife wouldn't let me in. I fell asleep in the carriage outside, woke up frozen in the middle of the night, and had no choice but to go to a brothel. In the end, I had seven women at once. It felt amazing. Later..."

"Enough, stop playing the victim. My teacher is noble and upright. Taking you as a servant after all the evil you've done would only tarnish his reputation. Get lost! Or believe me, I'll kill you right now?"

Shan Xiaotian raised an eyebrow.

What kind of person was his teacher?

Like a dragon in the sky. If he actually took a bandit as a servant, wouldn't his reputation suffer?

Besides, was this playing the victim?

It sounded more like bragging.

Seeing that Shan Xiaotian might strike at any moment, Cao Chengli's face turned pale. He knew he had no chance of becoming the other's servant. He extended his hand. "If you won't take me as your servant, these people will surely beat me to death. Either way, I'll die. Over the years as a bandit, I mostly robbed wealthy families and gained a lot. In this storage ring are ten Immortal Origin Pills, my savings over the years... I willingly offer them to you..."

"Don't try to bribe my teacher with such things. He won't fall for that..."

Seeing that playing the victim hadn't worked and now he was trying bribery, Shan Xiaotian frowned and was about to drive him away when he saw his teacher, who had been pale-faced, suddenly break free from his support, stand up straight, and with lightning speed, snatch the storage ring from Cao Chengli's hand.

Wiping away the soul imprint and taking a look, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

"Alright, from today on, you are my servant. Follow me!"

One Immortal Origin Pill was worth a hundred thousand Tong Shen coins; ten made a million, plus the storage ring... He hadn't expected this bandit to have such a rich haul.

With so much money, taking him on as a servant was nothing.

"Teacher..."

Shan Xiaotian was stunned.

Was this really his teacher?

Why did it feel so... embarrassing?

A person who could casually advance someone two major realms and possessed unfathomable swordsmanship and medical skills... being bought off with a few pills?

Where were his principles?

Where was the dignity of an expert?

...

There was nothing to pack in the clan, so before long, Shan Xiaotian brought Elder Yi and the others back to the city lord's mansion.

The horse and carriage insisted on following, but were refused and set free in the wilderness.

This time, they would be riding a flying sacred beast to Lingyun Sword Pavilion. Bringing a carriage would be inconvenient.

As for Xue Qin, her status as a menial disciple was naturally revoked. With her father dead, though she had never done much evil and was spared disaster, without the protection of the city lord's mansion, her life would likely be difficult.

Under these circumstances, Shan Xiaian did not pursue the matter further.

Though there was no affection between them, they had once been betrothed. Exterminating her would do him no good.

"Let's go!"

Once ready, the massive flying sacred beast flapped its wings, carrying Zhang Xuan and the others away from Xuanjiang City, speeding toward Lingyun Sword Pavilion.

"Lingyun Sword Pavilion is about ten days' flight from here."

Inside the enclosed room on the beast's back, Shan Xiaotian sat before his teacher. As a native of the Upper Firmament, he knew quite a bit about Lingyun Sword Pavilion, mysterious as it was.

The flying sacred beast beneath them had already reached the Ancient Saint Level 4, Void Shattering realm!

Such a powerful sacred beast could easily cover hundreds of thousands of kilometers in a day... Yet it would take ten days to fly there. Lingyun Sword Pavilion was truly far away.

It seemed that the area of this so-called God-Forsaken World was at least as large as the Master Teacher Continent, if not larger.

During the flight, Zhang Xuan swallowed two of the Immortal Origin Pills given by Cao Chengli, fully recovering his cultivation and vaguely reaching the early peak of the Void Shattering realm, on the verge of breakthrough.

But lacking a suitable cultivation technique, he forcibly suppressed it.

After several days of study, he also discovered that the time flow in the Upper Firmament was indeed different from the Master Teacher Continent, roughly ten to one.

That is, one day in the Upper Firmament equaled ten days on the Master Teacher Continent!

Tens of thousands of years on the Master Teacher Continent corresponded to a few thousand years here, which matched the time when Kong Shi founded the Tong Shen Hall.

The different time flow, combined with the density of mercury-like spiritual energy, also limited the lifespan of cultivators.

A Saint Realm expert could live over a thousand years on the Master Teacher Continent, but here, a hundred years was the limit.

An Ancient Saint expert could live about two thousand years there, but here, two hundred was the end.

As for an Earth Immortal like Elder Lu Yun, his lifespan was only three hundred years.

These days, besides cultivating himself, Zhang Xuan guided Shan Xiaotian and Cao Chengli. As for Elder Yi, he was old and had suffered too much depletion; he needed a long period of recuperation and was not fit for cultivation.

Ten days passed in a flash.

One day, just as the sun rose above the horizon, they saw a massive mountain gate appear before them.

It was over ten thousand meters high and several thousand meters wide, standing in the clouds like a huge Southern Heavenly Gate.

In the center of the gate, a giant sword made of brick and stone pierced through it.

Before they even approached, they could feel sword qi howling, vaguely tearing space apart, giving a sense of mental oppression that made it hard to move.

"So powerful..."

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

No wonder it was one of the six great sects of the Upper Firmament. Just this gate and this sword could not have been built on the Master Teacher Continent, let alone the powerful sword intent contained within.

This sword intent was far stronger than the Sword Dao True Interpretation he had cultivated. It was foreseeable that if he ever encountered an expert using such swordsmanship, he would be easily defeated.

Terrifying!

His Eye of Insight squirmed as he looked at the sword before him, seeing a virtual sword hidden within.

That was the sword intent.

The artistic conception formed by this sword was somewhat similar to his Heavenly Way Sword Art, but more profound, giving a sense of greater transcendence.

Observing and sensing, Zhang Xuan felt his understanding of the sword dao deepen, becoming stronger.

Though a single glance could not lead to direct comprehension, the charm within was in the same lineage as the Heavenly Way Sword Art. Given enough time, he could fully integrate it, allowing his swordsmanship to undergo a qualitative leap!

"This is Lingyun Sword Pavilion! This sword was left by the founding patriarch, containing his understanding of the sword dao and his sword intent. Countless later generations have marveled at it!"

Elder Lu Yun approached, looking at the huge gate and sword with reverence and respect.

Shan Xiaotian also stiffened, his eyes reddening.

When he first practiced swordsmanship, he had dreamed of coming here. Today, he had finally arrived.

"Before entering the sect, let me tell you some of the sect's rules."

Seeing that the sacred beast still needed time to fly through the gate, Elder Lu Yun looked over.

"Lingyun Sword Pavilion is divided into four categories: menial disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and core disciples. Inner disciples are considered strong, but core disciples are the most dazzling existence in the entire pavilion."

"Core disciples?"

Shan Xiaotian's eyes flashed, and he clenched his fists.

"Once disciples of the pavilion pass the assessment, they generally have little to do. They usually practice swordsmanship and cultivate in their own residences. If they need to learn, they can borrow books from the library or visit senior brothers and elders. Of course, all of this requires Sword Pavilion Coins!"

Elder Lu Yun said.

"Sword Pavilion Coins?"

"They are a virtual currency issued by the pavilion that can only be used within the pavilion. You can buy anything you want within the sect: pills, weapons, techniques, even lectures by elders—everything is available. However, earning them is troublesome. You can either participate in open tournaments, do tasks, or help others answer questions and guide their cultivation... In short, here, everything requires Sword Pavilion Coins. Without money, you can't move an inch. With money, cultivation resources are inexhaustible, and your cultivation speed will be faster than others!"

Elder Lu Yun continued.

Shan Xiaotian was shocked.

He had thought that a major power like Lingyun Sword Pavilion would focus solely on cultivation, but it turned out they were also so money-grubbing...

"You mentioned open tournaments. Does that mean... Lingyun Sword Pavilion also has a Tong Shen Hall?"

Open tournaments were virtual battles that appeared in the Tong Shen Hall. Could it be that Lingyun Sword Pavilion, one of the six great sects, also had such a thing?

"Lingyun Sword Pavilion naturally does not have a Tong Shen Hall, but it does have Tong Shen Talismans, within which you can fight, trade, and do everything, similar to the external Tong Shen Hall. However, it is controlled by the pavilion and cannot connect to the outside world!"

Elder Lu Yun nodded.

Zhang Xuan understood.

It was essentially a larger local area network.

Disciples here could cultivate, fight, and even buy and sell herbs, but it was not managed by the Tong Shen Hall and had no connection to it.

"Also, there is a big difference in strength. Here, only inner disciples and above can use the Tong Shen Talismans. Therefore... when your consciousness enters, the base strength is no longer Saint Realm Level 1, but Ancient Saint Level 1!"

Elder Lu Yun continued.

In the Tong Shen Talisman of Xingyao City, no matter how strong you were, you entered as Saint Realm Level 1. Here, no matter how strong, you entered as Ancient Saint Level 1.

At Saint Realm Level 1, many exquisite sword techniques could not be performed, making open tournaments meaningless.

"Of course, like other Tong Shen Halls, you can remain anonymous here, so others won't know who you are. But since you don't know who they are either... the person you chat with could be an elder, or even the sect master! Therefore... do not be presumptuous here. Although elders and the sect master don't hold grudges, offending them will certainly bring trouble!"

Elder Lu Yun warned solemnly.

"Elder? Sect master?"

Hearing his explanation, Zhang Xuan was not nervous but instead brightened, his heart full of anticipation. "Would beating up such people... be more satisfying than beating up ordinary people?"