Bai Di City.
On the imperial court, the young human emperor Zhao Jingyu sat upright.
Below the golden steps, the generals stood in one column, with Zhao Shutong, Li Chunyang, and Chen Xi among the most respected. The civil officials stood in another column, with Zhao Qiyang and Lin Yan at the forefront, each in their proper order.
"Your Majesty!"
Zhao Qiyang, holding a jade tablet, said respectfully, "Yesterday, news came from Gu Xiao Pass that the demon race's two hundred thousand cavalry were marching south and were amassed at the area of Que Yu Lake. Our Great Shang Dynasty's garrison at Gu Xiao Pass has only one hundred thousand Rock Solid Army. This old minister believes we should withdraw Lin Ruo and the Rock Solid Army to avoid conflict."
"Oh?"
Zhao Jingheng frowned. "General Lin Ruo is a renowned master of defense in the dynasty, and he has one hundred thousand Rock Solid Army. Why does Imperial Uncle believe the Rock Solid Army should be withdrawn?"
Zhao Qiyang said respectfully, "Your Majesty may not know, but General Lin Ruo currently bears a heavy responsibility. Not only must he guard Gu Xiao Pass, but he must also oversee the Rock Solid Army's station at Yang Ping Pass, and hold military authority over Yu Prefecture. General Lin Ruo has long been stretched too thin."
He paused and continued, "Moreover, our Great Shang Dynasty has just experienced the Southern Barrens campaign. Although we achieved a great victory, we also lost a significant amount of vitality and should not engage in war in the north again. If General Lin Ruo were to withdraw south and abandon Gu Xiao Pass, what could the demon race do? After they march south, they would still face the Fusang Great Wall and the Sword Washing River. They would not be able to do anything significant."
"Your Highness Prince Jīn Nán."
Chen Xi frowned. "That's not how it should be said. Once Gu Xiao Pass is abandoned, the demon race's cavalry can charge south unimpeded. This would isolate the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool and the Ten Sword-Guarding Towers, and even the nascent farming efforts in the Northern Region would turn to naught. This move would truly be a loss outweighing any gain."
Zhao Qiyang said, "There are things to gain and things to lose. This is what we ministers in the golden hall should be doing. Our Great Shang Dynasty's previous expansion was too widespread. We should consolidate our forces somewhat, strengthen the defenses of the Fusang Great Wall and Shan Hai Pass. That is the utmost priority."
"Your Majesty!"
Ju Yang Gong Lin Yan said respectfully, "This minister agrees with Prince Jīn Nán. Your Majesty, the Human Emperor, has only recently ascended the throne but is a young hero. While expanding territory for the human race is a good thing, one should not be overly ambitious."
"..."
Zhao Jingyu frowned. "What are the opinions of the other ministers?"
From the column of generals, Li Chunyang, who sat at the same level as Zhao Shutong, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the Rock Solid Army at Gu Xiao Pass is inherently an isolated force, facing the risk of being attacked from both north and south, or being besieged without engagement. Allowing Lin Ruo to lead the army south does have its merits."
Zhao Shutong's brows furrowed tightly. She had not expected Li Chunyang to side with Zhao Qiyang.
The reason for this was that Zhao Qiyang had agreed to the promotion of Li Chunyang's cousin, Li Yu, to the position of Third Rank Zhongshu Ling. While this official position was not particularly high in rank, it was a position of real power that Li Chunyang had long dreamed of. It was rare for Prince Jīn Nán to agree to it.
As for Li Chunyang himself, although he was a renowned general of Western Shu and a prominent figure in the military, he also had his own ways of surviving in the political arena. Whether it was overt or covert, he navigated the complexities of forming factions and colluding with others with equal ease. All he sought was the continued prosperity of his own lineage, even if his house were to fall.
Ultimately, Zhao Shutong was unable to overcome the collective opinion and had no choice but to compromise, issuing an order for Lin Ruo to march south.
...
Evening.
Sitting on the rooftop of a small building, Tong Yu, who had been nurturing her sword intent, suddenly stood up. In that moment, her mind cleared, and she saw many things she had not seen before. Even her cultivation of the Thirty-Six Transverse Sword Forms had advanced to a higher level.
She was overjoyed, her hands gripping her sword trembling slightly.
She was now a Nascent Soul sword cultivator. How terrifying was a ten-year-old Nascent Soul?
After all, back in the day, Sixteen-year-old Xǔ Zhī at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool had stepped into the seventh realm of sword cultivation and was already hailed as a potential sword immortal. What, then, was Tong Yu now?
Night.
In the small building on the mountainside, the mischievous child, after playing all day, took a bath and fell asleep.
In his dreams, Zhang Luobai muttered, "Daddy… Mama, you don't need to worry about me… I, Zhang Liucheng… will definitely not let you down in this life. I have the best master in the world… I must become a sword immortal in this life..."
As he spoke, tears flowed down his cheeks.
"Daddy, Mama, you died on the battlefield fighting demons… Your son is unfilial. If I become a great sword immortal in the future, I will likely also die on the battlefield fighting demons. However… I will be killing great demons, while Daddy and Mama only killed small demons..."
"Master, Master… don't blame me. Practicing the sword… Luobai has truly done his best..."
The next moment, Zhang Luobai woke up from his dream, only to find his face covered in tears. Furthermore, he had naturally broken through to become a third-realm sword cultivator at this very moment.
Deep within the Spiritual Ruins, beside the first sword-nurturing lake, the embryonic form of another deep blue sword-nurturing lake was slowly rotating, growing stronger and more robust. He had awakened his second sword-nurturing lake in his dreams, and it appeared to be a quite extraordinary one!
"Oh my… I've become stronger."
The mischievous child sighed and then fell back asleep, completely carefree.
To hell with sword-nurturing lakes. Sleep comes first. A sword immortal must have sufficient sleep.
Near the foot of the mountain.
Under the moonlight, Chu Yu was practicing martial arts with her disciple Zhuang Yirong. Zhuang Yirong practiced with extreme seriousness, meticulously following her master's guidance. Threads of increasingly dense fist intent flowed through her.
At a certain moment, Zhuang Yirong's body trembled slightly. She felt a surge of qi in her chest that she couldn't suppress. The moment she expelled this qi, a warmth spread throughout her entire body. She had broken through, a third-realm martial artist!
"Oh?"
Chu Yu couldn't help but smile. "Not bad, reaching the third realm so quickly. That brat Zhang Luobai entered the third realm an hour ago, and my Yirong is not far behind, entering the third realm an hour later."
"Hmph!"
Zhuang Yirong touched her nose and said, "Master, that brat Zhang Luobai always tries to bully me, relying on the fact that he is the Mountain Lord's disciple. When I haven't finished my homework, he publicly tells the teacher in the study hall that I forgot to write my homework, and I endured a beating on my palms..."
"It's alright."
Chu Yu stroked the young girl's head and smiled. "As martial artists, we practice a body as firm as rock. What is a beating on the palms? In the future, we will face mountains of knives and seas of fire."
"Mhm!"
Zhuang Yirong nodded with a smile. "Master, I understand!"
...
The next day, early morning.
With three joys arriving in succession, Lin Zhao personally went fishing. Breakfast was quite abundant. Each person received a bowl of noodles, along with a plate of stir-fried tender lotus roots, a dish of braised goby, and a portion of braised cured meat with green garlic. Soon after, Tong Yu, Zhang Luobai, and Zhuang Yirong each held a bowl of eel noodle soup and slurped it down with great gusto.
"Tong Yu has advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and Luobai and Yirong have both reached the third realm."
Lin Zhao said with a smile, "This is a momentous occasion for our Mountain Peak Villa. The younger generation is growing strong, and the Mountain Peak Villa has successors!"
"Cough cough!"
Xǔ Zhī held his noodle bowl and glanced at Huang Tingyu. "I heard that Vice Marshal Huang, during his travels in the ancestral land of the demon race, killed countless demon souls and obtained many treasures. Since you are an elder, shouldn't you show some sincerity?"
"Got it, got it. I'll do it after I finish my noodles."
Huang Tingyu wolfed down a bowl of green pepper and shredded pork noodles, then stood up and walked to Tong Yu. With a flick of his hand, a stream of blue light appeared in Old Huang's hand. It was an exquisitely crafted sword embryo, seemingly born of jade… its quality was undoubtedly not low!
"Ah?"
Tong Yu's lips parted slightly. Looking at the sword embryo in Huang Tingyu's hand, her heart began to race. This sword was so beautiful. Just a fleeting glance captivated Tong Yu. She felt an inexplicable fondness for this sword.
"Tong Yu."
Huang Tingyu said sternly, "This sword has a very pure origin. I snatched it from the demon soul of a thirteenth-realm great demon on Demon Soul Mountain. Moreover, this sword embryo has a very beautiful name, Yu Sui. I think it suits you perfectly. I present it to you."
"Ah?!"
Tong Yu stood there dumbfounded.
"What are you waiting for, silly girl?" Lin Zhao said with a look of exasperation, "Hurry up and accept it, and then thank Old Vice Marshal Huang!"
"Yes!"
Tong Yu happily accepted it and immediately knelt down, bowing. "Tong Yu thanks Old Vice Marshal Huang for bestowing this sword!"
Huang Tingyu smiled heartily. This was Lin Wanhua's disciple showing great respect to him. He chuckled, "Alright, alright, get up quickly. Be careful not to let your ill-tempered master see this."
Tong Yu rose with a smile.
Huang Tingyu turned to Zhang Luobai and extended his palm. A new sword embryo appeared above his palm. The blade was extremely exquisite and slender, but the entire body was shrouded in a remarkably striking golden radiance. The aura of the sword embryo was exceptionally intense, clearly an artifact of immortal sword caliber.
"Zhang Luobai!"
Huang Tingyu held up the sword embryo and smiled. "As an elder to you and your master Lin Zhao, Old Huang has nothing else to gift. This flying sword embryo was also something I desperately acquired in Demon Soul Mountain. Its name is Jin Zhan, and its righteous aura is extremely strong. I present it to you!"
"Thank you, Old Sword Immortal!"
Zhang Luobai flipped over and knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly. For an immortal sword embryo, a few kowtows were nothing. A true hero knows when to bend and when to stand firm!
Huang Tingyu wished he could kick the brat away. His ability to seize opportunities was identical to Lin Zhao's.
He approached Zhuang Yirong and flipped his palm. In his palm appeared a piece of emerald-green warm jade. He said, "Zhuang Yirong, this is a treasure bestowed upon you, also a supreme treasure from Demon Soul Mountain. Carrying it with you can calm your mind and consolidate your qi, greatly benefiting a martial artist's cultivation. Its name is Kou Shao, and it is quite fitting for you."
"Thank you, Old Lord Huang!"
Zhuang Yirong knelt and kowtowed.
Lin Zhao couldn't help but cover his face. The Mountain Peak Villa had a righteous and upright tradition, and they showed extraordinary respect to elders who bestowed gifts.
...
Daytime, another day of practicing punches and swords.
Late at night, Lin Zhao stood on the summit of Mountain Peak Villa, practicing the Eternal Sword Scripture. Suddenly, a very chaotic martial artist aura came from below the mountain. This aura was exceptionally potent and majestic. Among all the martial artists in the entire Mountain Peak Villa, only Chen Ben possessed such an aura!
However, this aura was currently in utter disarray, as if Chen Ben's cultivation had reached a bottleneck.
Peak of the eleventh realm, God of War's Gallbladder. Chen Ben was now infinitely close to the legendary twelfth realm.
And once Chen Ben stepped into the twelfth realm, he would likely be the strongest twelfth realm in the Three Realms!