Chapter 12 Sword Dao Small Success

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[Mission completion, reward: Small Success in Sword Dao.]

[Please find a quiet place to receive the reward.]

Two days later, messages came from both Marquis Xing Mansion and Duke Wu'an Mansion, announcing their alliance through a marital bond.

Chen Yi then received the mission completion notification on his panel.

He chose to accept the mission reward directly.

"Hiss!"

This time, what emerged in his mind weren't those sword techniques but various scenes of famous mountains and rivers, deep seas and long rivers, and all kinds of demons and strange creatures.

The one similarity was that in each scene, there was a person whose appearance couldn't be discerned, wielding a three-foot green blade and practicing swordsmanship.

At the summit of majestic mountains, watching over a quiet valley of peaks, the sword in hand danced with the weight of ten thousand catties, powerful and forceful.

By the riverside, the sword techniques communicated with one another, yet the Sword Shadows were dense and continuous, with a relentless momentum.

And in front of demons and strange creatures, the figure battled and subdued them, with lightning-fast moves from the longsword in hand, no longer confined by specific techniques but instead pursuing swiftness, precision, and ruthlessness.

Each thrust, slash, or cut targeted the demons' vulnerabilities and struck with lethal Sword Qi.

Immersed in those scroll-like visions, Chen Yi felt as if he himself had become that Swordsman, wielding the longsword to witness the landscapes and slaying demons.

[You have begun to comprehend Sword Intent. Your swordsmanship is now one with your spirit. Your longsword can now express your will and possesses a certain spirituality.]

Chen Yi didn't see this message, but as he became more absorbed, the Little Jade Sword hanging on his wrist seemed to move and sway slightly, almost as if it had gained sentience.

Time passed unknowingly.

"Second Brother, Second Brother, Second Brother..."

Voices approached from afar, and Chen Yi woke from the visions.

"What's up?"

"You," Chen Yuan reached out his little hand and touched his forehead, seriously like a little adult, "are you sick?"

"No, I'm not."

"I couldn't wake you no matter how loud I called; I was thinking about going to find Second Mother..."

"I was just asleep."

Chen Yi thought about the scenes he had witnessed before and summoned the panel's light screen to read its contents.

[Name: Chen Yi]

[Age: 31]

[Cultivation: None]

[Talent: Late Bloomer - The older the bone age, the faster the cultivation speed.]

[Sword Dao: Small Success - Travel far and wide, skilled in battle and usage, and you can comprehend Sword Intent.]

[Rebellion Point: 0/100]

Chen Yi exhaled deeply, he had attained Small Success in Sword Dao!

While he had not fully grasped Sword Intent, his understanding of Sword Dao was far deeper than before when he only knew sword techniques and moves, especially the memories of slaying demons that gave him the sense that "with one sword in hand, he could go anywhere in the world."

Alas, he still lacked cultivation and couldn't support his profound sword knowledge.

Foundation Establishment!

Once his Foundation Establishment evaluation was complete, he could temper his physique and practice Basic Skills!

"Second Brother, I have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

Chen Yuan's little face was a mix of puzzlement and slight embarrassment, "Should I go talk to Mother... about getting engaged?"

"Engaged?"

"Yep."

Chen Yi thought to himself, could it be that his previous bluff had actually sparked interest in his elder brother?

"Why do you suddenly want to get engaged?"

"Today I heard Mother say that you're getting engaged and that relying on Duke Xing will certainly lead to great achievements. I also want to..."

"What else did Eldest Mother say?"

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"Also, also," Chen Yuan tilted his head, thinking for a while, then said: "Something about you passing the Foundation Establishment evaluation... I forgot."

Passing the Foundation Establishment evaluation?

Chen Yi pondered for a few seconds, the smile on his face slowly fading away.

Perhaps what Auntie meant was "not passing the Foundation Establishment evaluation", right?

"Did Auntie say all this to you?"

"No, no, it wasn't to me, but to my nanny," Chen Yuan scratched his head, looking pitifully at him: "Second brother, you can't tell mother I was eavesdropping, she'll beat me."

"Don't worry, I will absolutely not betray you."

"Then, then do you think I should go to find mother?"

"Don't."

Chen Yi's face became instantly serious as if he were an enlightened monk, slowly speaking:

"Big brother, do you know why I agreed to an arranged marriage?"

"I don't know." Chen Yuan shook his head.

"Do you remember the temple we visited before?"

"I remember, bald donkey, thieving baldy."

"…That's not important. What matters is that at the time of the Buddha's son's descent, he told me that all women are but skeletons of beauty."

"Skull, skeleton." Chen Yuan's face panicked, "A demon?"

"Not a demon, but might as well be!"

Chen Yi closed his eyes in a compassionate manner: "The Buddha's son came to my dream and said 'If I do not enter hell, who will?', and instructed me that I must get engaged early to save all the beings in this world."

Chen Yuan couldn't help but widen his eyes, after a pause, he hesitantly asked: "Second brother, then, can I also save all the beings in the world?"

"You?" Chen Yi shook his head and sighed: "I'm afraid it's too late for you, you've already cursed 'bald donkey' too many times."

"Then I'll change!"

"That works, once you've changed, I'll talk to the Buddha's son, and ask him to give you a mission to save the beings as well."

Chen Yi struggled to hold back his laughter, his face turning red as he said: "Before that, you need to study every day, striving to first grow into a towering figure of a man."

"Uh-huh, I, I definitely can!"

Watching Chen Yuan run out energetically, Chen Yi quickly covered himself with a blanket and started laughing.

He wondered whether when the eldest grew up, he'd remember this black history and come after him to settle the score.

If it were him, he might've wanted to tear that person into pieces.

After laughing for a while, Chen Yi got up and went to the window, looking out at the willows and pondering.

As the Foundation Establishment evaluation approached, Auntie's actions would become more frequent.

"It looks like Soft Bone Powder is not her ultimate method; other incidents might occur in this final period."

"Poisoning? This would be the safest approach, she's most likely to choose this method."

With the protective talisman at hand, Chen Yi was not worried about this.

What he feared was if her plan failed, she might resort to more extreme actions.

An assassination, perhaps?

Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly, as he glanced at the Jade Sword on his wrist and grabbed it, feeling a faint sense of joy emanating from within.

"Can't stand it anymore, Little Sword?"

"Don't like this name? How about Xiao Yuyu?"

"Ah, you don't like that either?"

After talking to himself for a while, a smile once again appeared on Chen Yi's face.

Although the ancestral blessing energy in the Little Jade Sword was not much, it was still enough for him to deliver one strike.

However, if it really came to that, it would be a fight to the death with Zhou Wanyi, Chen Yuan, and the entire Zhou family of the Marquis of Heaven Strategy.

"I do not seek to kill my betters, but that doesn't mean they aren't seeking their own death!"

Chen Yi's face lost its usual innocence and childlike cheerfulness, turning unusually cold.

He could temporarily tolerate being poisoned and injured, and he could choose not to blame others, provided they did not touch his bottom line.

Otherwise—death!

PS: Thanks to the generous tips from the grand sponsor of the Deep Blue Waltz.