Chapter 309 - 207: Became Famous

Chapter 309: Chapter 207: Became Famous

Even for Sword Dao prodigies like Qin Zhenyang and He Jin, the chief of the Sword Storage Pavilion—men who were already on the cusp of the Grandmaster Realm—the absolute most they could achieve with a Grandmaster Level Swordsmanship technique was to become thoroughly proficient in it.

Yet Xie Yuan, by contemplating on Sword Peak—or rather, by contemplating with the help of the Black Celestial Book—had directly comprehended it to the level of Minor Success.

’I have Sword Peak to thank, the Black Celestial Book to thank, and of course, my own unparalleled talent,’

Xie Yuan mused. ’Cheats really are useful.’

Anyone else, even if they were constantly immersed in the environment of Sword Peak, right beside the Black Celestial Book, would not necessarily gain anything.

But thanks to the appearance of his progress bar, as long as Xie Yuan kept "working," he could reap rewards—and of course, letting the sword wind blow on him counted as work.

Although Xie Yuan knew in his heart that he would have diligently pursued the martial path even without his cheat, now that he had such excellent tools and talent, he was naturally going to take full advantage of them.

This 500-point breakthrough for the Black Celestial Book had indeed yielded extraordinary rewards. The leap in his Cloud Dragon Nine Forms had raised his combat power by a huge margin.

And then there was this strange Sword Heart...

Xie Yuan pondered its function, a vague understanding dawning on him.

’Back when I faced Yao Tianchuan, that exquisitely perfect counter I used to break his ultimate move... that must have been a brief manifestation of the Sword Heart, right?’

’Having seen so much within the world of swordsmanship, I now have a fundamental grasp of its myriad variations; nothing can escape the framework of the Sword Dao. Even if I’ve never seen a technique before, I can always find traces of its form during a fight. And once I have a trace of its pattern, I have a way to break it.’

’This ability... is it a Swordsman’s bane?’

Xie Yuan was left speechless. He had come here to practice his swordsmanship, yet he’d ended up with an ability that countered it.

’With the Sword Heart, my odds of winning against any Swordsman have probably just increased by thirty percent.’

’Perhaps the more one understands and masters something, the better one knows its weaknesses.’

’And this is only the Initial Tier. I wonder what effects the Middle and High Tiers will have?’

[Black Celestial Book: (1/1000)]

Looking at the Black Celestial Book before him, its progress reset and its upper limit doubled, Xie Yuan let out a silent breath.

’If I can consistently gain rewards from this ancient marvel, the benefits are simply immense—far greater than any other treasure.’

For now, though, he was likely the only one who could achieve this, all thanks to his status panel. The Mu family had possessed the Eight Trigrams Lotus for who knows how many years, yet they could only rely on luck to gain any enlightenment from it.

’It’s useful, alright, but the next breakthrough requires a thousand points. Who knows how long that will take?’

’Hmm, then again, getting five hundred points this time didn’t actually take that long. I’ve probably only been on Sword Peak for a few days...’

...

...It has only been a few days, right?

A sudden jolt went through Xie Yuan. He snapped awake and opened his eyes.

The sword wind swirled around the green mountain, blowing and blowing, until it washed over Xie Yuan.

It was a little chilly.

He glanced around. There was no one left beside him. As far as he could see, he was the only person on the stone platform.

Xie Yuan scrambled to his feet and looked around in a daze. Just as he was thinking he should probably sneak down the mountain before anyone noticed him, he saw what looked like a large group of people standing on the platform of the distant Back Hall.

’Hmm, that white-haired one is Li Xingtuo, the one with the super long beard is Lu Pei, the one wearing a veil and trying to look young is Luo Shuang... and a bunch of others.’

...

Xie Yuan wished his eyesight wasn’t so good. Then he could have just pretended to be nearsighted, claimed he saw nothing, and headed down the mountain on his own.

But he had clearly seen the intrigued gazes of several Grandmasters, and their eyes had already met.

’That look, those gazes... it’s as if Sword Peak is just some decorative rockery, the Forbidden Array is the enclosure’s fence, and the Back Hall is the zoo’s viewing platform. A crowd of tourists has gathered here just to watch the monkey.’

And as for who the monkey was...

Expressionless, Xie Yuan leaped down from Sword Peak.

As soon as he entered the Back Hall, he heard the astonished voice of a gate-keeping disciple:

"He’s here! He’s here!"

’...That’s really not necessary.’

Xie Yuan felt a little helpless, but seeing the eyes of the surrounding disciples all fixed on him—eyes filled with curiosity, admiration, shock, and even reverence—he could only politely cup his hands in greeting.

"Thank you all for standing watch over the peak."

"It’s nothing. It’s our duty, after all. Besides, betting on when you’d finally come down made things more interesting."

The gate-keeping disciple, who seemed to know him, said with a laugh,

"Looks like Junior Brother Zhang had quite a harvest."

"I did alright."

Xie Yuan exchanged a few more pleasantries. Just as he was wondering whether he should go up to greet the Sect Leader and the elders, he saw Li Xingtuo and his group walking down.

Everyone in the Back Hall’s main hall hurriedly bowed. Li Xingtuo gave a dismissive wave, his gaze settling on Xie Yuan. With a calm expression, he spoke:

"Zhang Shan, you’ve gained quite a bit this time, haven’t you?"

"I made some small gains."

Xie Yuan hadn’t known what to say. Li Xingtuo then said:

"If nine days only counts as ’some small gains,’ then that’s a real pity."

’Nine... nine days?’

’I’m screwed.’

Xie Yuan felt his vision go dark, and he was overcome with the urge to flee.

But with Li Xingtuo standing right in front of him, he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.

’This sword addiction is going to be the death of me...’

Just as Xie Yuan was wondering whether he should confess and beg for leniency, he heard Li Xingtuo ask in a seemingly casual tone:

"Zhang Shan, how is it that all your classmates left on the first day, yet you stayed for so long? In all these years, no other External Training disciple has ever been able to last this long."

Xie Yuan opened his mouth, stammered for a moment, and then put on his customary blank expression.

"I dunno."

Li Xingtuo looked at him and smiled faintly.

"Right. You are, after all, only an External Training disciple. It’s perfectly normal that you can’t explain it.

"Being able to last nine days on Sword Peak at the External Training level is enough to prove your astonishing talent. Within our entire Sword Sect, you’d rank among the very best."

Hearing this, Xie Yuan put on an expression of someone unworthy of such praise.

"I was just lucky."

The three Grandmasters—Li Xingtuo, Lu Pei, and Luo Shuang—all watched Xie Yuan’s humble act with inscrutable expressions.

"Luck is a part of strength, but I doubt luck can truly replenish one’s Blood Qi and internal energy."

Li Xingtuo said pointedly,

"Zhang Shan, you were on Sword Peak for nine days. How is it that you’re still so full of energy? Aren’t you tired?"

At these words, Xie Yuan’s face fell. Steeling himself, he said,

"You are right, Sect Leader. I am indeed a bit tired."

Li Xingtuo watched him, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"So now you’re tired?

"Hmm, it’s normal to be so excited after gaining some enlightenment that you don’t notice your fatigue. Still, one cannot force things on Sword Peak.

"Never mind. Since you’re tired, go back and get some proper rest."

Huh?

Xie Yuan could hardly believe his ears. ’He’s letting me go, just like that? He’s not even going to ask what I comprehended?’

’Is he being that considerate?’

He stood there stunned for a moment, until Li Xingtuo raised an eyebrow and said,

"What, is there something else you’d like to discuss with me?"

"N-no, that’s not it. I am indeed tired, so I’ll go back and rest. Sect Leader, I’ll take my leave now."

Xie Yuan quickly bowed, bid farewell to Lu Pei and Luo Shuang, and then slipped away in a flash.

After Xie Yuan had gone, the Back Hall gradually grew quiet.

The onlookers had all dispersed, but two more Grandmaster elders arrived, gathering together by Li Xingtuo’s side.

「In the tea room.」

Li Xingtuo and the other Grandmasters exchanged glances, and he spoke slowly.

"Everyone, regarding this matter with Zhang Shan... what are your thoughts?"