Chapter 15
"Mmm…"
The morning light crept in and Yang Chun slowly stirred awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Fei Xing's profile.
Fei Xing seemed to be held in place, his body slightly turned to the side. She was lying on his shoulder, her face buried in the crook of his neck, her forehead pressed tightly against his cheek. One of her hands held his arm against her own swelling bosom, while the other covered his face, and her two legs clamped tightly around his thigh.
Fei Xing's brows were slightly furrowed. With his mouth covered and being held so tightly, his breathing seemed somewhat labored.
Yang Chun almost knocked Fei Xing off the bed with a burst of immortal qi, but thankfully she reacted in time and held back. She then hurriedly separated her body from his.
As she withdrew her legs, Yang Chun's gaze inevitably fell upon the bulge at Fei Xing's crotch.
She froze for a moment, staring directly at the tented fabric.
"Mmm…"
Just then, Fei Xing seemed to awaken from his deep sleep due to her movements, letting out a soft grunt.
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a flash of white before she quickly opened the door and fled.
Fei Xing blinked, rubbed his eyes, and realized that must have been the Master Yang Chun.
He got up, took a few deep breaths, then washed up. After tidying the bed, which still held Yang Chun's lingering fragrance, he stepped out and headed towards the room of Yu Shuang next door.
"Master."
"Come in." A cool voice came from within the room.
Fei Xing entered the room. Yu Shuang was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed, her expression as aloof and indifferent as ever, which was reassuring.
Ever since Yu Shuang had taught him immortal arts, he had been cultivating in the same room as her. Now that they were separated, he felt a bit unaccustomed to it, so he came to greet her after waking up.
Yu Shuang said, "Later today, the disciples of our sect will be engaging in a sparring match as agreed. You will accompany me to observe carefully."
"Undrstood."
"How is your cultivation progressing?"
Fei Xing said, "I had some insights today. I think I'm about to have a breakthrough."
"In cultivation, haste makes waste. You must properly settle the immortal qi within your body. Don't be impatient." Yu Shuang said softly, sweeping her immortal sense over him.
Hmm?
Yu Shuang opened her eyes to look at him.
The time it takes to enter the Opening Awareness stage is not fixed. Some can achieve enlightenment and enter the Dao in an instant, while others may take several days. The difference lay not so much in talent and comprehension but rather luck.
Only after stepping into the Opening Awareness Realm and truly embarking on the immortal path does talent get a chance to shine.
Ever since Fei Xing correctly opened his Awareness on the very night he was taught immortal arts, Yu Shuang had not used her immortal sense to check his condition again.
After all, beyond the Opening Awareness Realm, it's merely a matter of accumulating immortal qi. Once a certain amount of immortal qi is reached, one naturally breaks through to the Middle and Late stages. There wasn't much to see.
However—
The amount of immortal qi within Fei Xing's body didn't match that of someone at the initial stage of the Opening Awareness Realm.
Had he already reached the Late stage of the Opening Awareness Realm?
Yu Shuang was a bit uncertain. She carefully examined the immortal qi in his body and confirmed that it wasn't just recklessly absorbed, but had been properly refined and transformed into his own power.
For an ordinary person to go from entering the Opening Awareness Realm to the Late stage, even if they immersed themselves in immortal springs and took pills daily, it would take at least a year. So why was he so fast?
Was it the influence of that demonic flower? But he didn't cultivate the demonic path, and there wasn't a trace of demonic qi in his body... Could it be that he had an extraordinary origin, that he was born with such a heaven-defying and rare talent?
"Master?"
Seeing Yu Shuang staring at him without speaking for a long time, Fei Xing couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Could it be that something was wrong with him?
"You just said you had an insight and are about to break through. Is it a breakthrough to the Opening Awareness Realm?"
"Yes." Fei Xing nodded. "Is there a problem?"
He looked at Yu Shuang, meeting her gaze.
"There's no problem."
Yu Shuang suddenly averted her eyes. After a moment of silence, she slowly said:
"If you can successfully refine that demonic flower, you can go and try your luck at the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect."
"Try what?"
"To see if you can become a disciple, of course."
Fei Xing was slightly stunned.
"This…"
"The Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect is the leader of the immortal path. This Plum Immortal Gathering is hosted by them. This place is as prosperous as an immortal realm, and the person who greeted us yesterday was already at the Golden Core Realm, which shows their standing. If you can successfully become a disciple, you will naturally lack neither treasures nor pills. You will also have access to their profound techniques, which may help you reach the Mahayana Realm, or even ascend to the Immortal realm and live as long as heaven and earth."
It was rare for Yu Shuang to say so much at once. She was practically admonishing Fei Xing with earnest persuasion, telling him that joining the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect was nothing but beneficial, and that if he succeeded, his future would be limitless.
However, Fei Xing remained silent.
Yu Shuang pressed, "The path of immortality is for the pursuit of longevity. What is there to hesitate about?"
"If I join the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect…"
Fei Xing lowered his eyes and said in a low voice:
"I will have to part with you, Master."
His voice was flat, without much fluctuation, simply stating his reluctance plainly.
Yu Shuang's gaze fell on his face, her cherry lips slightly parted.
"Senior Sister."
The voice of Master Dan Feng came from the doorway.
"Isn't it about time?"
Yu Shuang came back to her senses.
"Yes, have them prepare to depart."
Dan Feng went downstairs. Over twenty sounds like immortal swords flew into every room. Moments later, many figures flew out of the rooms and fluttered down gracefully.
"We'll talk about this another time. Come with me for now." Yu Shuang said as she stood up.
As she spoke, she kept her eyes down, seemingly lost in thought.
...
The sun rose from the Eastern Sea, painting the morning clouds.
Dew still clung to the flowers as birds sang crisply.
Disciples from all four sects line up in formation, eager to test their skills.
The nameless Mountain was covered with Dragon's Plum trees. Some had already bloomed early, their pale yellow stamens like golden dew, dotting the snow-white petals, admired by the wandering visitors.
On the mountainside, there was a vast, flat expanse of land, as if it had been carved out by a giant axe. Disciples from the four sects each occupied one side, standing in strict formation.
The youth had its advantages; even in a simple spar, they would be extremely serious.
Chang Yi conferred with the Masters from the other three sects for a moment, and the competition began.
The four sects faced off in pairs. Since each sect had brought twenty disciples to the gathering, two would be sent from each side to fight per round.
The Lingxu Sword Sect was the first to face off against the Kangjiao Sword Sect. Master Dan Feng and a Master from the Kangjiao Sword Sect were in charge of refereeing the ten rounds of matches.
Yu Shuang led Fei Xing to watch from the shade of a nearby tree.
His appearance attracted the attention of many people from the other three sects, especially the female disciples, who glanced over frequently, puzzled by his presence among the all-female Lingsu Sword Sect.
If not for the vast difference in their cultivation realms, they might have even speculated if the two were a Daoist couple.
As the two watched the match before them, Yu Shuang explained to him:
"Our sect and the Kangjiao Sword Sect are both sword cultivators. Our sect excels at wielding swords directly; our thrusts and swings carry their own innate sword qi. The Kangjiao Sword Sect, on the other hand, specializes in flying swords. When cultivated to a high level, they can strike an enemy from a thousand miles away."
Fei Xing said, "So there are two schools of sword cultivation."
The books he had read weren't that detailed.
Yu Shuang said, "Not just two. Among the mainstream schools, there are also those who form a sword domain alone and those who form a sword formation in a group. There are even more unorthodox schools."
Not far away, a magic treasure set up four-sided barriers in the center of the plaza, dividing the area for the four matches.
The disciples of the two sword sects fought fiercely. For a moment, sword light flashed everywhere, but it would automatically dissipate upon touching the edge of the barrier.
Yu Shuang then pointed to the other side, where the Hongge Immortal Sect and the Blazing Fire Sect were.
Fei Xing looked over and saw that the battlefield on that side was even more magnificent, treasures radiated colorful glows, and various colored flames that wouldn't cease.
Yu Shuang said, "The Hongge Immortal Sect follows the orthodox path of using spells in conjunction with magic treasures to defeat enemies, allowing them to flexibly handle various situations. The Blazing Fire Sect, on the other hand, controls a divine ability of burning immortal qi. Every move and form has overflowing scorching waves, which injure upon contact, making it difficult for others to get close."
Fei Xing watched the constantly changing magic treasures in the hands of the Hongge Immortal Sect disciples and asked:
"Are magic treasures precious?"
"It depends on their grade. Magic treasures are divided into four classes: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, and four ranks: A, B, C, and D. The treasures in the hands of those two disciples are both Yellow class, C rank. They are nothing special."
Yellow class, C rank: wasn't that almost the lowest tier?
Fei Xing asked, "Are immortal swords also graded by class and rank?"
"Not just immortal swords. Pills and magical beasts are also graded, and it's the same as for magic treasures." Yu Shuang said. "Immortal swords originally belonged to the category of magic treasures, but because so many people use them, they have now become their own category."
"So does that mean sword cultivators originated from immortal cultivators?"
Yu Shuang nodded and said, "In terms of cultivation, the two are quite similar as well."
"What class and rank is your immortal sword, Master?"
"Profound class, A rank. It was a gift from my master back then."
Fei Xing nodded, committing it to memory.
"Was it Master Liu Xi?"
"It was Master Yun Xie." Yu Shuang said flatly. "She passed away many years ago."
...
The sun rose higher. With Nascent Soul realm Masters refereeing, both sides fought to a standstill, and even if they were injured in the exchange, they were only minor wounds that could be healed quickly with a smear of medicinal paste.
Yu Shuang and Fei Xing watched one of the matches. At that moment, the two disciples had just executed a sword technique and were taking advantage of the peak of their sword momentum to gather sword essence, preparing to unleash a final move to decide the outcome of the match.
Fei Xing suddenly said:
"That disciple from the Kangjiao Sword Sect is about to lose."
Just as he had said, after both sides unleashed their sword techniques, the Kangjiao Sword Sect disciple's sword essence suddenly failed, and his technique was interrupted. The Lingxu Sword Sect disciple naturally withdrew her move.
The outcome was clear.
Yu Shuang looked at Fei Xing with some surprise.
Before that final move, the level displayed by both sides could be described as evenly matched. Even she could not have predicted the result, yet Fei Xing had stated it directly.
"How did you know?"
"That person from the Kangjiao Sword Sect, I don't know if it's due to an old injury or some other reason, but the immortal qi in his body suddenly broke off as it passed through the Tianling acupoint, so his subsequent sword technique was naturally affected."
"How did you manage to see the flow of immortal qi inside his body?"
"With a little focus, I could sense it." Seeing her expression, Fei Xing realized something and asked, "Master, is that very unusual?"
Hearing this, Yu Shuang's almond eyes narrowed.
As expected, he was born with extraordinary talent. If this child could be taught the Great Dao, his future would surely be extraordinary.
Being so sensitive to the perception of immortal qi would naturally make his cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.
If he were to fight others, he could constantly perceive the flow of immortal qi within their bodies and use that to judge their next move. If such an ability were known to others, they would surely cry out that the heavens are unfair.
She was silent for a moment, then looked at him and said:
"This ability could bring fatal disaster. You must never reveal it to anyone."
Seeing her serious expression, Fei Xing naturally took her words to heart.
One match ended, and Dan Feng looked towards the two under the shade of the tree.
She and Fei Xing didn't know each other well, and she didn't know what had happened to make her senior sister, who was so bent on achieving longevity, treat him with such favor.
Suddenly, plum blossoms scattered, and the branches and leaves shook.
A bone-chilling cold, deeper than the winter snow that already covered the mountain, suddenly appeared.
Yu Shuang's brows furrowed slightly. Her figure flashed as she moved to shield Fei Xing behind her.
They saw plum blossoms stained with frost, mountain rocks turning to ice. Over a dozen figures descended from the sky, appearing in the center of the four sects.
They were tall and burly, dressed in dark blue clothes, with a five-clawed blue dragon spitting ice and frost embroidered on their chests. All of them had stern, cold eyes.
Many disciples didn't recognize them, but the Masters present all changed color.
The newcomers were from the Heavenly Frost Sect!
*****
Read 50+ chapters ahead at:
patreon.com/DayEmperor