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Qin Yi felt an inexplicable melancholy. In the blink of an eye, five years had passed, and only today did he learn that an old friend was no longer in this world.
During these five years, he had immersed himself in the Dao, wandering aimlessly across the vast land, following only his heart. He witnessed the myriad faces of life and the boundless rivers and mountains. Time had long since lost its meaning to him; he could no longer feel its flow.
When one is obsessed with something, with their focus utterly concentrated, everything around them naturally fades from awareness.
For those walking the Cultivation's Way, whose will is firm and spirit focused, this effect becomes even deeper.
"Senior Brother Zhangqing… the years slip by like flowing water. I wonder if there will ever be a day when we meet again."
With a long sigh, Qin Yi released the wandering swordsman he had grabbed and stepped away.
Once a cultivator chooses seclusion, they are like a dragon hiding in the depths, almost impossible to find. They see through worldly dust, transcend earthly concerns, and their state of mind becomes entirely different from ordinary people. Qin Yi understood well that this world of Chinese Paladin was nothing like those cultivation novels from his past-life Earth.
Although people here cultivated the Immortal's Way, their essence and nature were no longer those of mortals. Their minds had transformed, beyond greed, anger, and delusion.
Here, the Dao was about illuminating the heart and understanding one's true nature, tempering Essence, Energy, and Soul (Jin–Qi–Shen), fundamentally metamorphosing the mortal body and mortal mind. Immortal and mortal, between the two lay a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.
Immortals might have come from mortals, but they were no longer mortal.
After five years of cultivation, practicing the five-element Immortal Techniques (Senjutsu), Mount Shu Sword Skills, and the secret arts Jing Tian had passed to him, he had advanced further still. Compared to when he had just arrived in this world, his strength was already worlds apart.
Since beginning the Cultivation's Way, he had treated himself as an ordinary mortal. He never used magic power, never interfered. Detached from worldly affairs like a bystander, he quietly observed everything without participating.
He had begun to vaguely perceive what the Dao was, what the world truly was.
"I've seen it. Now I must walk into it, then walk out of it, and finally… forget it."
"Only then can I reach the realm of Forgetting the Dao."
Qin Yi understood his path clearly.
"I have comprehended my Dao. I know what I must do."
"…But unfortunately, "
He paused and sighed again.
"I did not make it in time to send off Senior Brother Zhangqing on his final journey."
Perhaps that warm, jade-like, ever-smiling Sect Lord Senior Brother had once stood at the gates of the Everlasting Pavilion, waiting for Qin Yi's return, waiting, and waiting, until finally leaving with regret.
Stepping across the blue-stone street, Qin Yi walked out of the small, nameless city whose name he had never known.
"Crash!"
Just as he left, the previously clear sky suddenly opened up into a torrential downpour. Jade-like raindrops struck the stone pavement, large and small droplets merging into one continuous melody.
After regaining clarity, Qin Yi no longer allowed himself to sink into obsession.
He continued his journey across thousands of miles, countless realizations welling up in his heart.
"I want to visit Miao Land."
"Perhaps Senior Brother Zhangqing's regrets lie there. I should do something."
"And Jing Tian and Xuejian must be missing that Xiqiong Tea."
With a faint smile on his lips, Qin Yi headed toward Miao Land.
This land was vast, so vast that he was tens of millions of miles away from his destination. With only two legs, it was impossible to arrive quickly.
Half a year later, Qin Yi arrived in Leizhou.
There, he encountered disciples of Mount Shu.
"Senior Martial Uncle Chang Yi, the Sect Lord has ordered all Mount Shu disciples to return. He has matters to arrange."
The young Mount Shu disciple recognized the torn and dirty Elder's robes Qin Yi wore and bowed respectfully.
"The Sect Lord? Chang Hao?"
Qin Yi shook his head, expression calm.
"I still have things to do. I still have the Dao to comprehend."
"I fear I cannot return."
The disciple looked troubled. "But… this is the Sect Lord's order."
"Then go tell Chang Hao, I, Chang Yi, am not someone he has the right to command."
Qin Yi's previously calm expression sharpened, an overwhelming sword intent erupted from him. The Mount Shu disciple staggered back several steps, face pale with shock.
When he raised his head again, the unfamiliar Senior Martial Uncle had disappeared without a trace.
"S-such terrifying sword intent! Since when did Mount Shu have such an Elder?!"
Panicking, he was about to hurry back to report when a streak of talismanic light descended from the sky. A cold voice echoed in his ears.
"Also, inform Chang Hao that I am still Mount Shu's Laws and Morals Elder. If he dares violate the sect's rules, he had better hope I don't catch him."
"Otherwise… I will not be polite."
The voice was calm, but carried overwhelming dominance.
"L-Laws and Morals Elder?!"
The Mount Shu disciple stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned.
When the former Sect Lord was still in office, he had indeed appointed a Laws and Morals Elder, said to be named Chang Yi. News of this Elder had long spread throughout Mount Shu. Rumor had it that he was a prodigious talent, within merely one year, he had cultivated to the Eighth Stage of Achieving the Dao, completing in a single year what took others ten or twenty.
But for the past five years, he had never once appeared. No one expected that the disciple would run into him here.
"He's actually the Laws and Morals Elder!"
The disciple trembled in shock.
What kind of joke was this?!
The Laws and Morals Elder oversaw criminal law and disciplinary authority; the power in his hands was second only to that of the Sect Lord himself.
What frightened the disciple even more was that this Laws and Morals Elder was so domineering, he actually dared to warn the Sect Lord!
"That terrifying sword intent… even among the Elders, it must rank among the strongest."
Swallowing hard, the disciple recalled the sensation and shuddered again.
This Laws and Morals Elder truly possessed fearsome talent. Five years after descending the mountain, he had already reached such a realm.
Very soon, news of Qin Yi's appearance reached Mount Shu. The first to arrive was naturally the current Sect Lord, the twenty-fourth Mount Shu Sect Lord, Chang Hao.
Chang Hao's personality was rigid, stubborn, and conservative. He adhered strictly to rules. Upon hearing that Qin Yi had dared defy his order, he instantly erupted in fury.
"Impudence! That Chang Yi, does he intend to rebel?!"
"He even dares to warn me! Does my authority as Sect Lord mean nothing to him?!"
Below him, a young, steady man immediately spoke up.
"Sect Lord, please quell your anger. The Laws and Morals Elder is likely at a critical moment in cultivation, so he is unable to return."
"Elder Zhen Wu, don't make excuses for him! That arrogant attitude of his had nothing to do with being 'busy cultivating'! Even if Senior Brother Zhangqing appointed him as Laws and Morals Elder, for him to completely ignore my orders is far too excessive!"
Chang Hao sneered coldly, flames of anger burning in his eyes.
At this moment, Elder Zhen Wu was none other than Dugu Yuyun, who had been promoted after Xu Zhangqing stepped down.
"And what does the Sect Lord intend to do?
The Laws and Morals Elder is not someone you can dismiss just because you wish it… nor someone you can simply kick out of Mount Shu."
Dugu Yuyun paused slightly as he spoke, but another man nearby cut in.
"Situ Zhong! How dare you speak so brazenly!"
Chang Hao barked.
"Brazen? Heh… I think you are the one being brazen, Sect Lord."
"Since you took office, you expelled Nangong Huang. Because of your prejudice against female disciples, you even disbanded all the women of the sect."
Situ Zhong sneered repeatedly.
"Now, I would very much like to see what you intend to do with this Laws and Morals Elder."
Hearing this, Dugu Yuyun's expression turned cold. "Situ Zhong. Leave."
The latter let out a loud laugh and strode out of the Everlasting Pavilion.
Chang Hao's face darkened, eyes blazing.
"Sect Lord, please calm your anger. He's just a drunk; his words don't count."
"At present, Mount Shu is hollow and in dire need of capable people to remain here. Now that we've received word of Senior Brother Chang Yi, what does Sect Lord plan to do?"
Dugu Yuyun shifted the subject with a deep tone.
Hearing him, Chang Hao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, though his expression remained icy.
"If he refuses to return, then capture him and bring him back!"
"I want to see just how capable Chang Yi thinks he is, to dare defy my orders!"
"To treat the great Mount Shu's rules as nothing!"
After the previous Mount Shu crisis was resolved, Xu Zhangqing realized that it was precisely because he had expanded Mount Shu so aggressively over the past decade that the imbalance between human and demon forces had caused turmoil. Coupled with Zixuan's situation, he eventually chose seclusion, passing the Sect Lord position to Chang Hao. With his retreat, several Elders of his generation also departed.
Adding to this, many Mount Shu disciples were lost during the collapse of Mount Shu's Immortal Land. By the time Chang Hao ascended to leadership, Mount Shu's strength had already weakened.
Afterward, he even dismissed numerous female disciples, causing their power to shrink further.
Now, with outside forces pressuring them on all sides, the Mount Shu Immortal Sword Faction had grown significantly weaker. It was precisely the time when the scattered disciples out in the world desperately needed to return.
A year ago, Chang Hao had already issued the order. But Mount Shu disciples were scattered far and wide; it was difficult to gather them quickly. Only when disciples met each other would the message be passed on.
Qin Yi was discovered under these circumstances. But because he refused to acknowledge Chang Hao's authority, the Sect Lord flew into a rage.
Soon, Chang Hao summoned three Mount Shu Elders, all experts of the Eighth Stage of Achieving the Dao.
"You three will descend the mountain and find Chang Yi. Bring him to me!"
"He openly defies my commands, he, the Laws and Morals Elder, is the first to break the rules! I intend to question him thoroughly!"
Chang Hao declared loudly.
"We obey the Sect Lord!"
The three Elders answered and quickly descended the mountain.
Dugu Yuyun's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
Meanwhile, in Leizhou, Qin Yi paid this trivial matter no mind. Even if he learned of Chang Hao's order, he would only smile faintly.
In these five years, although his cultivation stage had not increased, his comprehension of the Dao had risen day by day. His Sword Skill and Immortal Techniques (Senjutsu) had advanced tremendously.
In such a state, even against a Ninth Stage expert, he was confident he could fight.
From Jing Tian, he learned that one's "cultivation level" was only a general measure of one's overall progression and understanding of the Dao. Attack power, true combat strength, was an entirely different matter. Jing Tian's cultivation realm was not high, yet his offensive power had already reached an astonishing, Mount-Shu-shaking level.
Qin Yi was not as powerful as Jing Tian, but he had long surpassed his former self.
It was simply that, in Qin Yi's mind, the realm of the Dao was what he sought above all else.
Three months later, in a small town, he once again encountered Mount Shu disciples.
But this time, the person who spotted him raised his eyebrows.
"It's actually him!"
(End of Chapter)
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