CHAPTER 211: TEMPORARY FAREWELL TO WUDANG

After Shi Qianzhang and the others took their leave, Mou Yue also left to inspect the arrangements at the villa where Wang Sheng and the rest would be settling. The once lively courtyard soon returned to its usual quiet.

As Wang Sheng returned from sending them off, he passed by the Huilong Temple and stopped in his tracks, as if searching for the old bookstall. It was here that he had stood with two suitcases in hand, bringing with him a hint of disappointment and hope for the future—it was here that he encountered a Daoist master sleeping soundly in a chair.

This place marked the true turning point of his life.

Few probably knew that the now-famous Qing Yanzi used to make a living selling "secret martial art scriptures" and "sacred spring water from the Wudang Mountains" during his years of cultivation.

When he met his master here for the second time, Qing Yanzi had taken a bath and tidied himself up. He had also donned a brand-new Daoist robe, returning to his peak appearance.

At the time, his master probably already intended to take him as a disciple. Still, he likely worried that Wang Sheng was simply obsessed with novels and had come to the mountain on a whim to cultivate. After all, the primal qi of heaven and earth had not yet returned, and their Daoist heritage had nearly come to an end, maintained only by a master and a disciple.

He had met his master, and his master had met him, his disciple. It all seemed tied to fate, which was far too complex to clearly understand.

Wang Sheng dusted off his sleeves as he stepped onto the nearby path and slowly made his way uphill. Moved by the familiar scenery, he recalled the first time he walked this road. He remembered being quite nervous, afraid that the future Heavenly Rankings powerhouse would look down on him.

Walking up the mountain path, Wang Sheng stopped every now and then to admire the scenery of the Wudang Mountains. Though it was deeply familiar, he still found it remarkably fitting.

When he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly felt reluctant to enter. This would be the last time he'd be entering it before saying goodbye to this small courtyard. Though their sect had no plans to publicly recruit disciples, they couldn't remain under Wudang's name forever. It was time to establish their own mountain. If they were to create a mountain gate, the Zhongnan Mountains would be the best choice, but with Xi Lian unstable, it was best to avoid crowded places.

He had come to the mountains when he was seventeen, and many seasons had passed since. The boy from those years now walked with a sword in hand, fully aware of the path that he would take.

While lost in thought, he saw Mu Wanxuan come out of the main house with a few pieces of clothing, which drew him back from his memories. Finally, he stepped into the courtyard.

"Senior Sister, can you help me pack? I want to sweep the courtyard before we leave."

"Alright!" Mu Wanxuan responded with a gentle smile. She then flitted back and forth, setting aside her half-packed suitcase to help gather Wang Sheng's clothes and shoes.

Wang Sheng glanced up. The half-immortal fox was sitting beneath the eaves where he often meditated. With her legs crossed under her flowing skirt, she gazed into the distance. Amid her allure was a touch of ethereal grace.

She was probably looking in the direction of the Shu Sword Sect. It was hard to say whether someone so close to immortality could overcome the curvature of the Earth and see Mount Dajian from here.

Wang Sheng picked up a broom and began to sweep the courtyard, which was already fairly clean. The central area of the courtyard was noticeably lower than the surroundings, worn down by his sword practice. Especially when he had just entered the Spirit Convergence Realm, he often lost control of his true essence while training.

His Seven-Star Footwork back then had, more than once, been too forceful. The graceful Seven-Star Footwork he now possessed had been forged through sweat.

Recalling the hardships of that time, he couldn't help but realize that his path hadn't been easy. Still, as long as the path was right, every effort would yield a return.

As if trying to erase all traces of his time here, Wang Sheng swept each part of the courtyard carefully. Memories kept surfacing in his mind.

On snowy winter nights, he used to practice swordplay in the snow while Mu Wanxuan sat quietly on the doorstep, lost in thought. In the blazing summer heat, he'd sit cross-legged under the scorching sun to cultivate, stubbornly trying to grasp a few lines of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. That stubbornness had led him astray and gotten him stuck in a bottleneck for quite some time.

Sweeping a corner of the courtyard, Wang Sheng found a stack of wooden swords that he had worn out in the past. His master had made most of them. He would feel heartbroken whenever one broke, but his master would always say that it was fine before going off to chop more wood and make a few new ones.

At first, Wang Sheng had naively thought that the sect was too poor to afford metal swords. Later, once he had gained some cultivation, he realized that his master had simply wanted him to grasp the Dao of the Sword itself from the very beginning, not focus on the sword as a weapon.

His master accepting him as a disciple was the greatest blessing of his life. If it weren't for Qing Yanzi's selfless teachings and meticulous care, he wouldn't have reached the Illusory Core Realm.

Hence, when his master was gravely injured, he lost control and let fury consume him. Youth often came with impulse. If it were for his master, his senior sister, or his own family, he would never regret any price paid.

"Mm?" Wang Sheng's eyes lit up. Among the stack of wooden swords, he noticed two that appeared undamaged.

He bent down, picked them up, and brushed over their carvings with his fingers. Looking at the unfinished hilts, his eyes filled with a faint warmth.

It seemed his master never got to finish these swords.

Back then, Qing Yanzi likely hadn't expected Wang Sheng to make such rapid breakthroughs in sword cultivation. He stopped making the swords and instead went to fetch a Tai Chi performance sword for his disciple.

Wang Sheng put down the broom and took the wooden swords to the center of the courtyard, recalling the first time his master demonstrated the Seven-Star Sword Formation. His master's swordplay had stunned him at the time. Even without primal qi, his master's sword left afterimages, which had deeply impressed him.

Drawing the sword, the wooden blade softly whistled. Wang Sheng then suppressed his true essence and recalled how he had felt when he practiced sword moves for the first time.

He slowly began a set of the Seven-Star Sword Formation.

Though he was trying to recapture the feeling of those days and recall how things had been, Wang Sheng had already reached considerable mastery of the Dao of the Sword. He no longer had even the slightest hesitation or stiffness between one move and the next.

He moved according to the Seven-Star Footwork. Instead of seeking variation or speed, he followed the basic steps slowly, matching each movement of the wooden sword.

With a clear mind, Wang Sheng fully immersed himself in the memories, recalling the joy of completing the formation for the first time. His strikes were light and graceful, exuding a quiet sense of elegance.

His lips curved into a calm and relaxed smile.

Huh?

On the roof, Xi Lian blinked and looked down from her trance. As she watched Wang Sheng practicing swordplay in the courtyard, a trace of surprise appeared in her eyes.

Just then, a gentle breeze swept through. Wang Sheng's long hair waved in the wind, and the wooden sword seemed to flow and sway slightly with it.

As the breeze faded, he completed the final technique of the sword formation and stood quietly in the center of the courtyard. With his wooden sword raised, he savored everything that he had just gained.

The sword moved by the hand, and the hand followed thought. The thought came from the heart, and the heart was born from the Dao.

The Dao of the Sword was his Dao. Likewise, his Dao was the Dao of the Sword.

To him, the sword was the medium between him and the Dao. It was both the embodiment of the Dao in his hands and the Dao itself.

After a moment, Wang Sheng sighed softly. It had a hint of regret, but also a bit of satisfaction and the relief that came from untangling a knot in his heart.

As the sigh faded, a subtle Dao Rhythm spread around him. Though it lasted only two seconds, his Daoist realm had taken a step forward.

This advancement cleared away the hidden risks from his forced mid-stage Illusory Core Realm breakthrough a few months ago. His future cultivation would be free from bottlenecks or obstacles for some time.

Opening his eyes, Wang Sheng looked at the wooden sword in his hand and chuckled softly. He casually tossed the sword back into place, then quickly met his senior sister, who was coming out with a suitcase.

The Dao Rhythm around him immediately dispersed.

"Let me help, Senior Sister."

"Mm." Mu Wanxuan happily handed over the suitcase.

Ten minutes later, Mu Wanxuan and Xi Lian were already waiting outside. Wang Sheng did a final check of everything, shut the doors tightly, and came out with the suitcase.

After closing the courtyard gate, he stepped back and gave a Daoist bow toward the small courtyard. He then turned to catch up with Xi Lian and Mu Wanxuan, who had already begun descending the mountain.

At the end of the path, Gao Shixing and a few Daoist masters were waiting silently. They had come to send Wang Sheng off. To stop parting emotions from affecting his Dao Heart, Zhou Yinglong opted not to see him off.

Worried that Xi Lian and Mu Wanxuan would wait too long, Wang Sheng used his footwork to move ahead and speak briefly with the Daoist masters. Gao Shixing simply reminded him not to neglect his cultivation in the Dao of the Sword, and that they would spar again someday.

The Daoist masters escorted them past the mountain gate and watched as they boarded the vehicle that the Special Investigation Unit had arranged. Only then did they return to the mountains.

"It's finally time to temporarily say goodbye to Wudang."

Wang Sheng looked at the mountain gate from the passenger seat, smiled casually, and didn't think further. In the back seat, Xi Lian and Mu Wanxuan were already leaning toward each other, playing a mobile game and competing to clear stages.

Their journey would not be lonely.

***

Deep beneath Mount Pingdu, in the central region of the Small Nether Realm, stood a towering city.

The Nether Realm was not shrouded in endless darkness. Dim yellow light lit every corner, and Nether-Realm Yin Qi filled the air.

The great city lay empty. At its center, a deep chasm howled with the cries of the dead. Above the rift, suspended in the sky, hovered eleven great palaces.

Within a thousand-li radius, Yin qi fluctuated. A long, anguished howl—filled with unyielding sorrow and pain—reverberated from one of the floating great palaces above the chasm.

A white light then flashed past. A figure then shot out from one of the great palaces, toward another nearby palace...