Chapter 111: All Switching to Swords?

"These are the spirit herbs you need."

Yun Suxin packed up all the herbs on the list, glancing sideways at Li Qingran and Yue Qianchi, and snorted, "The total cost is 80,000 low-grade spirit stones. How do you plan to pay?"

Chen Huai'an, who was waiting for his Meridian Opening Needle breakthrough while watching the plot unfold on his phone, wasn't happy.

What? He'd already cleaved Lingxi Valley in half, and now they still wanted payment?

[Please choose your response]

<1> Spend 4 million ¥ to purchase 80,000 low-grade spirit stones and help pay.

<2> Spend 88 ¥ to unleash another sword strike and instantly kill Yun Suxin.

<3> These items are fated with me.

...

Low-grade spirit stones cost 50 ¥ each here, and there wasn't even a hint of a discount.

Chen Huai'an's mouth twitched, and he chose option three.

No particular reason—he just liked forming connections.

Li Qingran's ears twitched as if she had heard something. Her face turned slightly red, and she stammered, "Um, Master just sent me a message to relay something…"

Yun Suxin's scalp tingled, and she took half a step back, wary. "Relay what?"

"He… he said… these spirit herbs are fated with him…"

Yun Suxin: "..."

Yue Qianchi: "..."

Li Qingran awkwardly averted her gaze, looking down in silence, though the tips of her ears gradually turned a shade of pink.

Everyone knew what that phrase meant.

It was no wonder the Sword Pavilion was so adept at robbery—it was clearly a tradition passed down through the generations.

Yun Suxin's chest heaved, her face flushed red, and her eyes seemed to spit fire. She took several deep breaths to suppress her anger and gritted her teeth, "Fine! Your Sword Pavilion's methods are ruthless!"

She pushed the spirit herbs toward Li Qingran and Yue Qianchi, turning her back. "Take them. Not a single spirit stone required. Are you satisfied now? Tell your master not to come to Lingxi Valley to form any more connections. We have no fate, and let's never meet again!"

Li Qingran stored the herbs in her storage pouch and said earnestly, "Lingxi Valley's reputation is renowned throughout the Cangyun Realm. If we ever need more spirit herbs in the future, I'll definitely come back."

Yun Suxin clenched her fists, her teeth grinding audibly.

She repeatedly reminded herself to stay calm—today, she had to endure it.

The swordsman behind Li Qingran was too terrifying to provoke!

For her mother, for Lingxi Valley… she had to bear any humiliation!

She remained silent.

Only after the footsteps of Li Qingran and Yue Qianchi completely faded did she turn around.

To her surprise, there was a slightly worn storage pouch left on the table. It looked like it had been used for a long time, with threads fraying at the edges. It was hard to imagine if anything stored inside would even stay put. Clearly, it was the Sword Pavilion's style.

Opening the pouch, she found it filled with specialties from the Sword Pavilion.

Though the total value didn't quite reach 80,000 low-grade spirit stones, it wasn't far off.

Yun Suxin's expression softened slightly, and she pocketed the pouch with a light snort,

"At least your Sword Pavilion has some conscience."

This was the best possible outcome.

The illusion array was broken and needed repairs, and the mountain gate had been cleaved in half, requiring restoration. They couldn't let others laugh at them, could they?

But the cost and effort involved were no small matter.

Just thinking about it was mentally exhausting.

Yun Suxin sighed, but suddenly, her mother's voice echoed in her mind.

"Suxin, come to the back mountain."

...

At the back mountain of Lingxi Valley.

Sect Leader Yun Baiyu had changed into clean clothes and was sitting beside the sword scar.

This scar was the deepest, spanning over twenty meters in width, with sword qi continuously emanating from it, leaving crisscrossing cuts on the surrounding rock walls.

Yun Suxin shivered as she gazed at the unfathomably deep scar.

What was even more chilling was that, although the swordsman had already left, his sword intent remained deeply embedded in the scar, refusing to dissipate.

"Suxin, this is an opportunity."

Yun Baiyu looked at the scar, a faint hint of joy in her eyes. "This person's mastery of the sword is unparalleled, the likes of which I've never seen before. He's even stronger than Zhang Yibai, the strongest swordsman of the True Martial Sect!"

"Really?!" Yun Suxin's eyes widened.

Zhang Yibai, the master of the True Martial Holy Land.

It was said that he had reached the peak of the Void Formation stage and was known as the strongest swordsman in the Cangyun Realm.

"Could this mysterious swordsman be stronger than Zhang Yibai?"

"Not necessarily." Yun Baiyu pulled her daughter closer and shook her head. "Zhang Yibai hasn't drawn his sword in 500 years.

500 years ago, he only needed three strikes to slaughter the entire demon race, killing four of the nine Demon Emperors.

No one knows what level he's at now…

But in terms of swordsmanship, this swordsman is indeed stronger than Zhang Yibai was 500 years ago!"

"So what…" Yun Suxin, hearing how strong this swordsman was, felt even more disheartened. She pouted, "He's amazing with the sword, but what does that have to do with us?"

Yun Baiyu pointed at the scar. "Look."

A strand of sword qi suddenly flew out of the scar.

With a sharp clang, it left a gash in the rock beside Yun Suxin. Just the sword wind grazing past made her break out in a cold sweat.

"For swordsmen, the most important thing is sword intent. Comprehending sword intent is the key to advancing in the sword dao." Yun Baiyu's lips curved slightly, her eyes bright.

"Now, this scar contains sword intent that hasn't dissipated. Isn't it the perfect condition for comprehension? From now on, all Lingxi Valley disciples will study this peerless sword intent and switch to using swords. We'll focus on healing but also cultivate the sword, so our disciples can protect themselves outside the sect."

Yun Suxin opened her mouth.

She felt like this wasn't how things should be.

But it didn't seem entirely wrong either…

After all, Lingxi Valley disciples' combat abilities were indeed lacking. But they had no way to study something as profound as sword intent.

It's not like they could move to the Sword Pavilion, could they?

Even in the Sword Pavilion, a scar imbued with sword intent would be a treasure of the sect.

"That senior likely left this scar intentionally." Yun Baiyu sighed with regret. "The Sword Pavilion's people are straightforward, but they know when to advance and when to retreat. They don't go too far, nor do they suffer losses.

Since you didn't harm those two Sword Pavilion disciples, he destroyed our array and cleaved our mountain gate as a warning, but in the end, he also left us an opportunity. This opportunity is like rain after a drought!"

"Is it really that profound?"

Yun Suxin wondered if her mother was overthinking things.

"Exactly so." Yun Baiyu sat up straight, speaking seriously. "A cultivator of this level does nothing without deep meaning. Go and notify the entire sect. From today onward, all disciples will spend three hours a day comprehending this sword intent!"

"Ah… alright…"

Yun Suxin scratched her head and went to pass on the message.

Not long after her daughter left, Yun Baiyu felt a surge of blood in her throat and spat out another mouthful of blood. Her cheeks were flushed with a sickly pink, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.

"Old wounds not yet healed, and new ones added…"

She murmured to herself, clutching her chest with a bitter smile.

"Ah well, I was already a dying person. It's just a matter of time… At least before I die, Suxin and Lingxi Valley have found a path forward. This way, we won't need to seek help from the Yaochi Holy Land."

Yun Baiyu seemed to recall something and shuddered.

Three years ago, she had the fortune to visit the Yaochi Holy Land for healing.

But she never wanted to go there again.

...

...

"Boundless Heavenly Lord! The Meridian Opening Needle has reached perfection!"

After waiting eagerly, Chen Huai'an finally saw the proficiency of his Meridian Opening Needle max out by noon.

"But my money's almost gone too."

Chen Huai'an chuckled bitterly. Paying to level up was fast, but if the Meridian Opening Needle turned out to be useless, he'd really be crying.

Still, things were better now than before.

Back then, he had no idea how to make money.

Now, if he ran out of money, he could always take on missions at the Demon Slaying Bureau.

Chen Huai'an washed his hands and sterilized them, then took out the set of silver needles. Just as he was about to start on his leg, he paused. "No, this is my first time using the needles. I need to be cautious."

His eyes darted around.

If humans could open their meridians, so could cats.

If he messed up the cat, he could take care of it for life. But if he messed up himself, would the cat take care of him?

With that thought, his guilt instantly vanished.

"Let's test it on Ba Ji first!"

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