Although Jiang Li faced away from the group as she looked into the starry sky, sheâd obviously noticed what was going on.
After a brief daze, she inwardly shook her head. She couldnât be bothered to pay this any more attention.
âSenior apprentice brothers and sisters, just watch: once Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu introduces us, that Su kid will jump as if someone pricked him in the but with a needle. Heâll rush over in a panic and bow before us,â Tao Yunchi transmitted to the others. The corners of his lips shifted upward, and his gaze was playful.
The ignorant were without fear.
This old friend of Qiu Hengkong obviously couldnât tell who they were.
Otherwise, they feared he wouldnât have been able to remain seated.
When they heard Tao Yunchiâs transmission, the othersâ displeasure dissipated, and they couldnât help but grin.
Indeed, this was a backwater rogue cultivator. It was to be expected that heâd fail to recognize disciples of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect.
His horizons were limited; he was the very picture of a frog in a well.
Su Yiâs casual bearing stunned Qiu Hengkong too. Then, his heart clenched, and he said hurriedly, âFellow Daoist Su, let me introduce you toâŠ.â
He planned to use the introduction as a pretext to warn Su Yi that Jiang Li, Tao Yunchi, and the others werenât simple, and that he couldnât treat them so flippantly.
However, before he could finish, Su Yi cut him off. âNo need to talk about other people while we reminisce. Quick, sit down.â
Qiu Hengkongâs expression shifted, but in the end, he merely sighed to himself, then decided to go for it. He sat on the nearby boulder, picked up the jar of wine, and took a swig.
This scene only made Tao Yunchi and his companions feel even more stifled. And here they were eagerly anticipating the moment Su Yi jumped in fright and bowed before them in panic and abject terror.
Whoâd have thought that he wasnât at all interested in them, or that heâd interrupt Qiu Hengkong before he could introduce them?
âJust wait! In a bit, that kid will surely bow before us in panic!â Tao Yunchi transmitted coldly.
Not far away.
Qiu Hengkong hesitated, but he nonetheless lowered his voice and transmitted, âFellow Daoist Su, donât fault me for talking too much, but those men and women are all illustrious members of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, and their leader is the core disciple Jiang LiâŠâ
The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect.
Even just the sound of its name was enough to intimidate the worldâs cultivators. Qiu Hengkong trusted that since Su Yi was now wandering the Great Xia, he would surely understand the weight of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sectâs name and how lofty its disciples were.
However, before he could even finish talking, Su Yi sighed ruefully. âFellow Daoist Qiu, in the past, your Dao Heart was firm as iron, and your pride ran bone deep. When we fought, you had no fear of defeat, and you laughed in the face of death.â
He looked at Qiu Hengkong. âYet now, youâre acting like this. What happened?â
When they first met, Qiu Hengkong was honored as the greatest sword cultivator in the Great Wei, and his attainments in the Dao of the Sword were incomparably firm and polished.
He was the only one Su Yi saw as worthy of his notice.
A true sword cultivator.
Yet now, from the moment he first appeared, Qiu Hengkong had seemed meek and tentative, and he second-guessed himself at every turn. Neither his words nor his bearing had even the slightest trace of his former grandeur.
When Su Yi spoke, he didnât transmit his thoughts; he disdained to do so. Instead, he spoke openly, and every word landed in Jiang Li, Tao Yunchi, and the othersâ ears.
Jiang Li seemed thoughtful, while Tao Yunchi and company laughed dryly to themselves. Qiu Hengkong? A sword heart like iron? Bone-deep pride? What nonsense.
Theyâd never seen any trace of that. They just knew that Qiu Hengkong was an outer sect disciple whoâd only recently joined up; his status was as low as a servantâs, and they could order him about as they pleased!
âIâŠâ Qiu Hengkongâs heart swelled with emotion. A long time passed before he sighed, âFellow Daoist Su, donât tell me you donât understand even now? Compared to the Great Xiaâs world of cultivation, our former stomping grounds were as tiny as a stone well, while we were little more than frogs with delusions of grandeur. Our pride was ultimately due to ignorance.
âAfter arriving in the Great Xia, I learned how big the world was, and I understood how small I really am.â He then looked at Su Yi, his expression conflicted. âI have indeed changed, but thatâs because I recognize the gap between the past and present, and the gap between myself and the worldâs top cultivators. I naturally cannot be as⊠ignorant and fearless as I was then.â
He then let out a long sigh, raised the jug of wine, and drank in maddened gulps. His expression was desolate.
His words resonated with Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing. The Great Xiaâs world of cultivation was indeed populated with numerous elites. Here, experts were as numerous as the trees; it was nothing like other countries.
They had once sighed upon realizing that they were just frogs in wells too. Only now did they realize how big the world was.
However, they didnât completely agree with Qiu Hengkongâs words.
For one thing, Qiu Hengkong subconsciously assumed that Su Yi was a fellow âfrog in a well.â This naturally wasnât right.
No, it wasnât just ânot right.â It was way off!
However, Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing considerately chose not to argue.
Qiu Hengkong and Su Yi had only just bumped into each other. Qiu Hengkong most likely had no idea how terrifying Su Yi was.
Su Yi picked up the wine jar and took a sip. âRecognizing the gap between yourself and others isnât a bad thing, but if you let your sword heart get coated in dust, youâll have a hard time wiping it clean. Recovering your former sharpness will be far too difficultâŠ.â
What was a sword heart?
What was bone-deep pride?
They were the courage to forge valiantly ahead with no fear of death or defeat. They were the willingness to die rather than submit!
Sometimes, it was okay to endure. Sometimes, it was okay to retreat.
But enduring and conceding for no reason would, over time, enshroud your sword heart in dust and grind your pride into nothingness.
When that happened, you were doomed to fade into obscurity.
The current Qiu Hengkong perhaps had yet to lose his iron-like sword heart or his deep pride.
However, he was already showing warning signs!
The clues were visible in his bearing and in his traces of abjection and sullenness.
âCoated in dust? My sword heart?â Qiu Hengkong shook his head, and pride appeared on his face. âFellow Daoist Su, I wonât keep it from you: I am now an outer sect disciple of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect. Compared to its top experts, Iâm perhaps unworthy of notice, but Iâm already far beyond the vast majority of the Great Xiaâs ordinary cultivators!â
Tao Yunchi was listening in from not far away, and he couldnât help but chime in. âJunior Apprentice Qiu, youâre right. When you entered the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, you were like a carp leaping over the dragonâs gate. Although youâre currently just an outer sect disciple, how could the worldâs ordinary cultivators possibly compare to you?â
He might have seemed like he was complimenting Qiu Hengkong, but in truth, he was using this as an opportunity to highlight how extraordinary he and his companionsâ statuses were.
As he said this, Tao Yunchi looked at Su Yi.
The way he saw it, heâd already made himself perfectly clear. Su Yi ought to understand who they were, and when he did, there was no way he could remain seated. He was sure to rush up to greet them frantically.
But to his astonishment, Su Yi just sat there; he didnât even spare Tao Yunchi a glance. He was still behaving as if Tao Yunchi and his companions didnât exist.
Tao Yunchi felt like a beauty whoâd just wasted her amorous glances on a blind man. He felt stifled, and his expression darkened.
This punk really doesnât know whatâs good for him!
The others were stunned too. Earlier, they were certain that when he learned who they were, this kid from the boonies would surely come up to greet them.
Whoâd have thought that even now, heâd have no reaction to them at allâŠ.?
Was this how an ordinary cultivator was supposed to respond?
The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect disciples felt stifled and confused. How could anyone this dense exist in this world?
Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.
Although they didnât know it, when they heard Tao Yunchiâs words, Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing almost burst out laughing.
Qiu Hengkong is only an outer sect disciple. He thinks thatâs like a carp jumping over the dragonâs gate?
These Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect guys sure know how to make themselves sound impressive!
How would they respond if they found out that Master once killed inner sect disciples of Cloudsky Divine Palace as if they were nothing but clay chickens and porcelain dogs?
And what if they found out about that Spiritual Manifestation Realm black flood dragon? Ying Que dared kill the third-ranked inner sect elder of the Qingyi Dao Sect, Li Miaohong, but when he faced Master, he was as meek and modest as a schoolboy. What would they think if they found out about that?
Their superiority complex and inflated self-image are both due to ignorance!
Perhaps because of all the time theyâd spent with Su Yi, even Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing had gotten lazier. In a situation like this, they couldnât even be bothered to argueâŠ
But Su Yi didnât care about that.
He could tell that Qiu Hengkong had lost the fierce pride and iron-like sword heart of a sword cultivator. However, he seemed pleased to have become an outer sect disciple of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, and he took pride in this accomplishment.
Su Yi couldnât help but lose interest.
People changed.
After recognizing the gap between himself and others, Qiu Hengkong chose which path he wished to pursue. It wasnât othersâ place to interfere.
Su Yi wasnât the type to offer unsolicited lectures.
âFellow Daoist Su, have you joined a sect yet?â asked Qiu Hengkong.
Su Yi shook his head and took a sip of wine.
Qiu Hengkong hesitated, then said, âIn another three months, the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect will recruit new disciples. Your talent and accumulations are far beyond mine. If you participated in the entrance exams, it likely wouldnât be difficult for you to pass.â
He lost to Su Yi during their first encounter, and he had great admiration for Su Yiâs swordsmanship.
When he saw that even now, Su Yi was a rootless rogue cultivator, he couldnât help but feel aggrieved on his behalf. This was why he made this suggestion.
Su Yi was stunned. He could tell that Qiu Hengkong was sincerely looking out for him, and he couldnât help but shake his head.
He actually rather hoped for someone capable of guiding his cultivation, but the crux of the matter was that⊠Well, did any such person exist in this world?
Before Su Yi could answer, someone snorted coldly. âJunior Apprentice Brother Qiu, thatâs simply not true. How could just anyone join our Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect?â
The speaker was a young man in silver robes, and his expression was rife with disdain.
Earlier, Su Yi sprawled out leisurely in his wicker chair, completely ignoring them. This left them deeply displeased.
When he saw Qiu Hengkong encourage Su Yi to participate in the sectâs entrance examinations, the silver-robed young man couldnât refrain from mocking him.
Qiu Hengkongâs entire body went rigid; he found this rebuke hard to bear.
He opened his mouth and was just about to explain when Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and waved. âNo need to say anymore. I have absolutely no interest in joining the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect to continue my cultivation.â
âEnough. Letâs part ways here.â Su Yi put away his chair. He had no interest in chatting any longer.
And since heâd lost interest, what need was there to stick around?
âShameless boasting!â The silver-robed young man suddenly burst into jeering laughter. âYouâre nothing but a measly little rogue cultivator, but you sure know how to talk. How dare you disregard the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect? Donât you think youâre being ridiculous?â