Immortal Soaring Blade

Everyone, welcome to 2021!  2020 has been an absolutely horrid year for many people on many levels, and I think many (most? all?) of us are glad to leave it behind.  With that said, I wanted to give everyone a preview for some of the things that are coming up in the coming few months for Wuxiaworld.

Front-End Site Redesign - This one has been a long time coming!  Historically, we've focused more on incremental changes and feature build-out rather than overhauling the site itself, but for quite a few months now...

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Zhao Jiuge quickly rushed forward and circled around the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf. The body of a spirit beast could be used as material for magical treasures. A spirit core from a spirit beast that could take human form was very valuable. Although this wolf was only at the Foundation Realm, it was still a fortune for someone as poor as Zhao Jiuge.

This was the first time he had encountered the corpse of a spirit beast, so he didn’t know how to deal with it. His understanding of the spirit beast was beyond pitiful. Zhao Jiuge eyes were filled with expectation as he thought about how such a large corpse could contain something useful. Aside from the tens of thousands of sect contributions required for the sword embryo, he needed various materials to forge a sword. He didn’t know how useful the things from the wolf would be. Although he was burning with passion, he was still very sensible and turned to look at Bai Qingqing.

After all, it was almost completely thanks to Bai Qingqing that that had been able to kill this Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf. He had merely helped a bit, so the ownership of this corpse was completely in her hands.

Bai Qingqing was still immersed in her own world and was very excited. Ever since she was a child, she never had to do anything on her own. As long as she stretched out her hand, there would be countless people to do her bidding. Today, she had killed the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf on her own, which gave her a sense of accomplishment she had never felt before.

She had a big grin on her face, making her delicate face even more charming. Seeing Zhao Jiuge turn toward her, she finally woke up from her own little world. She saw the longing in Zhao Judge's dark eyes and already knew what he wanted. She walked up next to Zhao Jiuge, bringing a light fragrance with her.

“Take this Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf, I don’t need it.” After she finished speaking, her beautiful eyes looked at Zhao Jiuge with understanding.

Zhao Jiuge didn’t reject her. After seeing the Wind Flower Sword, he knew Bai Qingqing didn’t lack these things, so he didn’t hesitate to put the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf into his storage ring. He would deal with it when he got back, because he didn’t know what parts of the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf were useful.

He felt a bit happy in his heart. He knew that as long as he accumulated slowly, he would have a flying sword of his own one day. The future was long, and he only needed to try his best. After finally resolving the problem, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

“The claws and blood of the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf are the most useful parts, but as for the rest, there is not much use. You should deal with those two parts after you go back. This is a Foundation Realm spirit beast. With the claws and other materials, you can forge a pretty good magic treasure. As for the blood, it seems like this wolf’s spirit force has a corrosive attribute. You can use the blood to temper a weapon to give it some corrosive attribute, and it can be considered a pretty good magic treasure.”

After watching Zhao Jiuge put the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf away, Bai Qingqing began to slowly explain. After all, she had been taught since childhood and knew a lot more, so she patiently passed the knowledge on to Zhao Jiuge. When Zhao Jiuge heard this, he was shocked and came to the realization that not all parts of the spirit beasts were useful. Only some parts were valuable, because they could be used to refine treasures. Thinking back to when he met Little Black, the only thing useful from the bear was its bile, which contained rich spirit force. He remembered this in his heart, There were too many things he didn’t know about the path of cultivation.

Zhao Jiuge was in a good mood, and when he thought about this, he smiled brightly, exposing his teeth. He was truly happy in his heart. It was the first time he had obtained materials from a spirit beast himself. Now the danger was gone. The next step was to find the seven different types of herbs. He had found the White Dew Frost, now there were six more. After all, the mountain was huge, so he couldn’t get far in three days.

He looked at the sky. Night still hadn’t receded yet. The two of them were exhausted after the battle and fatigue had set upon them, making them feel a bit soft throughout their bodies. After using the Wind Flower Sword twice, Bai Qingqing had almost used up all her spirit force. The more powerful a magic treasure, the more spirit force to use it.

Zhao Jiuge had collided with the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf several times, so his aura was a bit of a mess and his bones felt sore. After the excitement from collecting the corpse of the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf passed, he felt the pain rush in.

The two of them arrived back at where they were having a heart-to-heart before. They began to cultivate to recover the spirit force consumed during the battle.

Bai Qingqing’s spirit force had almost been completely drained by the Wind Flower Sword, so she now felt extremely uncomfortable, not to mention she was also deep in the mountains of an unfamiliar place. She quickly sat down and focused. Her cultivation method activated to absorb the spiritual energy in the air.

Zhao Jiuge sat down and looked at the wooden sword behind him. He thought about the extraordinary-looking Wind Flower Sword, causing a bitter smile to appear on his face. However, the bitterness was only fleeting and his face quickly became as calm as water once more. He began to cultivate as well. He recovered his spirit force and slowly repaired the injuries in his body.

In the battle against the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf, he didn’t have any magic treasures he could take out during the critical moment. He didn’t even have any time to take out the only treasure he, the Purple Gold True Fire Gourd, much less inject spirit force into it to use it. He also didn’t dare to use the wooden sword on his back, in fear of damaging it. He had clearly heard the instructor say that this wooden sword had to last him a year before he could take on missions alone. Zhao Jiuge had grown up in an environment that made him very cautious as a child. He was unwilling to make a mistake that would cause problems for this future cultivation. He was afraid of damaging the wooden sword and making the instructors unhappy.

Night was when spiritual energy was densest, and this was in the Mysterious Heaven Mountain Range, where there was a formation gathering spiritual energy. When he began operating the Sanskrit Heart Sutra, spiritual energy poured into Zhao Jiuge’s body. If an outsider were here right now, they would be surprised to find two vortexes, one around Zhao Jiuge and one around Bai Qingqing. The spiritual energy here was clearly visible to the naked eye, swirling around them before entering their bodies. The spiritual energy here was showing signs of liquefying!

The spiritual energy entered his body and flowed through his meridians before being transformed into spirit force by the Sanskrit Heart Sutra. His unsteady internal aura caused by the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf’s attack gradually stabilized and the pain in his bones slowly disappeared. His dried-up meridians were like 30 sponges that hungrily absorbed all the spirit force that flowed into them. Zhao Jiuge’s body was slowly recovering bit by bit.

Inadvertently, Zhao Jiuge saw the laughing buddha in his dantian again. It was still sitting cross-legged, but its eyes were slightly closed. Its expressions were peaceful and it was motionless. Under its feet was the golden dragon, lazily coiled up as if it was in deep sleep. Looking at this, Zhao Jiuge fell into contemplation. The phenomenon that appeared when he fought the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf was undoubtedly closely related to the mysteries of the Sanskrit Divine Body.

When he first embarked on the path of cultivation, he didn’t notice what was so special about the Sanskrit Divine Body. Now, as his cultivation level increased realm by realm, the differences of the Sanskrit Divine Body began to slowly appear. Even now, Zhao Jiuge still didn’t know what the Sanskrit Divine Body would become once he reached the highest degree, other than the fact that there would be nine golden dragons. However, there was nothing about the buddha or the light around him in the record. When he reached a certain cultivation level, he would have to take a trip to the Carefree Valley his master, Ye Wuyou, had mentioned. Presumably, that was the origin of his master and this cultivation method. There had to be an explanation there!

However, Zhao Jiuge still didn’t quite understand how that phenomenon was summoned. The first time it manifested was due to the pressure from the stairs, and it shined brightly, shocking the instructors and the other disciples. When he was facing the powerful blow from the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf, it appeared again. Since he was now at the mid stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, it was even more clear than before. It seems like only when he encountered danger and oppression would that strand phenomenon appear.

After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t think of anything, so he gave up and began to cultivate. It was better to rush to the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm by accumulating more spirit force. Then he would use the last Blue Spirit Pill to attempt to break into the Foundation Realm in one try. After that, he would try to enter some spirit vein to try to give his spirit force an attribute, which would allow his strength to leap forward.

Feeling his spirit force growing little by little, Zhao Jiuge felt joy and satisfaction in his heart.

When the rising sun tore open the silent night and shined on the earth, the aura of the mountain and forest became fresher. When Zhao Jiuge opened his eyes, he saw a flash of light. After cultivating, the small injuries in his body had not only recovered, his spirit force had improved a bit as well.

“Ahhhhhh…”

Zhao Jiuge stretched his arms and let out a roar toward the sky as if he wanted to vent all the staleness and unhappiness in his heart to welcome the new day. His voice spread in all directions and echoed loudly. This shocked all the birds, causing them to fly away in panic.

“Yelling randomly early in the morning, annoying.” Bai Qinginq opened her beautiful eyes and wrinkled her cute nose. Her face was filled with helplessness. She had also recovered her spirit force after a night of cultivation and was filled with energy.

“Hehe, I’m welcoming the brand new day. I hope we will be lucky enough to find a few more herbs today.” Zhao Jiuge revealed an embarrassed smile. After their heart-to-heart and the fight, Zhao Jiuge’s impression of Bai Qingqing had changed a lot. The two could be regarded as friends now, and Zhao Jiuge would always remember the kindness Bai Qingqing had shown him. Drops of kindness would be repaid with a gushing spring. If there was animosity, he would get revenge; if there was kindness, he would repay with gratitude. This was Zhao Jiuge’s style of dealing with people.  

Bai Qingqing rolled her eyes and stretched lazily. She then stood up and pursed her lips. “Let’s go, I know you care about the tiny bit of sect contributions. I bet that if I don’t leave, you will lose your temper with me and give me the cold shoulder.”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Jiuge with her beautiful eyes and with a look that said “I understand you.” This made the corner of Zhao Jiuge’s mouth twitch.

The two of them chatted as the sun slowly rose into the sky and completely illuminated the earth. Zhao Jiuge looked at the sun. His eyes narrowed and he raised his right hand to shield his eyes. After hesitating a bit, he decided to head eastward, toward where the sun rises, because herbs needed sunlight to nourish them. That was why there were more herbs toward the sun. This was something he had learned from his experience of going into the mountains as a child to pick herbs. Bai Qingqing didn’t know where to go and therefore decided to listen to Zhao Jiuge without a worry. The two of them headed east as they spoke one minute and were quiet the next.

Bai Qingqing was in a relaxed pose and her steps were light. She had a happy smile on her enchanting face and she was still humming something. At this moment, she was like a little girl and was no longer that alluring girl back on the stairs that had everything within her grasp. The light shining on her body made her seem even more beautiful and seductive. After the great harvest they had yesterday, even Zhao Jiuge’s mood was a lot better.

Shortly after, a cliff appeared before them and there was no road ahead of them. It seemed like he had chosen the wrong direction. He wanted to lead Bai Qingqing in another direction, but Bai Qingqing suddenly became interested in everything and didn’t want to leave. She wanted to look at the magnificent and open scenery in the distance. Zhao Jiuge was eager to find the herbs and knew that time was precious, but he couldn’t easily refuse Bai Qingqing’s request. So he decided to let her be and followed her as he observed the plants around him. He recalled the appearance of the herbs and compared them one by one. Unfortunately, he didn’t find any. With how big this place was, how could it be easy to find the seven different herbs like the first time?

“Ah, quickly, come here, Jiuge, it’s the Seven-Leaf Green Jade Lotus!” Bai Qingqing began yelling as she pointed at the cliff, her face turning slightly red from excitement.

After hearing Bai Qingqing’s cry, Zhao Jiuge’s eyes lit up and he moved like a gust of wind to the edge of the cliff beside Bai Qingqing. The distant scenery suddenly appeared before Zhao Jiuge’s eyes.

At the bottom of the cliff, the towering trees were like a sea of green that swayed back and forth. The magnificent, open scenery—the vastness of the world—gave him a joyous feeling. Then he followed Bai Qingqing’s tender hand. Several meters below was a green jade lotus hiding between the protruding mountain walls.

It had a total of seven leaves that were delicate and glistening. Under the light from the sun, it was very dazzling, and its body swayed in the wind. It looked like the Seven-Leaf Green Jade Lotus! It was definitely the Seven-Leaf Green Jade Lotus.

However, just as the excitement appeared, it quickly receded because this place was too steep. There was a small, stone platform several meters below the cliff and then a path stretching more than 10 meters along the cliff. At the end was where the lotus was. There was also a strong wind that would make one feel frightened just from hearing it.

All of this was enough to make anyone want to retreat.

After gritting his teeth, Zhao Jiuge calculated the distance and every step to take. He took a deep breath and was about to jump onto the small platform to pick the Seven-Leaf Green Jade Lotus.

Bai Qingqing quickly grabbed Zhao Jiuge’s collar on his blue sword robe and anxiously said, “Do you want to die? You’re desperate to complete the mission for sect contributions, but without your life, what’s the point?” Bai Qingqing looked at Zhao Jiuge with a frustrated expression.

This cliff was thousands of meters tall, and even being at the Spirit Transformation Realm, they would not survive the fall. Only when they reached the Spirit Core Realm would they be able to fly in the air. This was not like the exam, where there were instructors to rescue them. Bai Qingqing was angry and anxious as she had a firm grip on Zhao Jiuge, preventing him from jumping down.

How could Zhao Jiuge not understand this? However, he was eager to improve his strength and to have a flying sword of his own! He also calculated in his heart that as long as there were no cracks on the path protruding from the cliff, he should be able to quickly go and return safely. Seeing Bai Qingqing revealing her true feelings and her anxious appearance touched Zhao Jiuge. He also felt apologetic and secretly wished he hadn’t treated Bai Qingqing so badly before.

However, how could a girl with a good family background like Bai Qingqing understand how a mountain boy had to crawl his way here? He no longer wanted to live his life like that anymore. He thought about the distant Su Su and the cold and noble figure that looked at him like an ant—he could not endure anymore.

He violently pushed away Bai Qingqing’s jade-like arm that was holding his collar and resolutely jumped off to the small platform below. Bai Qingqing’s face turned pale and she let out a cry as her eyes followed Zhao Jiuge’s figure.

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