Chapter 114: Chapter 96: The Old Tale of the Daoist Lord’s Ascension, the Origin of the Sword Cultivator’s Fearsome Reputation

Zhou Fan gripped the Wolf Hair Brush, his wrist trembling as he shakily wrote the five words, “Joined the Merit Supervision Institute.”

He then raised the roster high above his head with both hands, respectfully presenting it to Jiang Yi for his inspection.

“What you have written is correct. This is as it should be.”

Jiang Yi gave a slight nod, seemingly approving of the Qi Gong Institute’s registration process.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, a flicker of surprise crossed Xu Yan’s eyes.

’He actually chose the Merit Supervision Institute! Junior Brother Jiang truly has guts! Just as expected of his unconventional nature!’

He thought to himself, ’Master might not be satisfied with this outcome, but he won’t be disappointed either. At least we didn’t lose out to the Sect Leader’s faction.’

Xu Yan understood clearly. His master didn’t necessarily need Junior Brother Jiang to join Observing Fate Peak; he just needed him *not* to choose Observing Sun Peak.

By not letting the Sect Leader get the upper hand, Elder Sui’s prestige remained intact. He was still a respected and venerable elder of the Qianji Sect.

This was the matter of pride the old man was fighting for.

With this in mind, Xu Yan considered the matter settled. He cupped his fists toward Jiang Yi and said simply:

“Suppressing the Fire Cave and Water Cave has always been an arduous task. The slightest mistake can damage your Merit. I hope you’ll take care of yourself, Junior Brother.”

With that, he turned and strode away.

“I can’t believe Junior Brother Jiang even knows about the Merit Supervision Institute. That place is a vital point of our Dharma Lineage and exceptionally dangerous. Even someone at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer would have a hard time staying there for long.”

After the crowd dispersed, Han Li finally walked over and let out a long sigh.

“Junior Brother, your choice was the worst possible one. Even if you’d offended the Sect Leader by joining Observing Fate Peak, it would have just meant less Spiritual Energy and slower Cultivation growth.

That’s still better than grinding away your lifespan and depleting your foundation in the Fire Cave and Water Cave…”

Jiang Yi remained silent, deliberately putting on a determined expression to show his resolve for Cultivation.

With the Celestial Book in his possession, how could he not know the horrors of the Fire Cave and Water Cave? However, it wasn’t a situation without a silver lining.

’For anyone else, it would be an ordeal of endless suffering, but for me, it might just be a stroke of good fortune.’

But there was no need to explain these inside details to Han Li.

’The two mountain peaks are locked in a struggle like dragons and tigers, with treacherous undercurrents. The middling strategy is to pick a side and wave its flag, hoping to earn the pity of an Upper Cultivator.’

’The best strategy is to be sent down for training, logically and reasonably avoiding the whirlpool to accumulate strength and plan for the future.’

This suited Jiang Yi’s intentions perfectly.

“So be it, so be it.”

Han Li felt even more regretful. It was like a pawn that had crossed the river, trying to forge a path through a pincer attack of chariots and knights, only to send itself to its death.

“I also hold a Steward position at the Skill Transmission Institute. If you need any help in the future, Junior Brother, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Jiang Yi’s gaze shifted. Recalling the Wandering True Monarch mentioned by the Cat Master, he took the opportunity to ask:

“I’ve heard that the Skill Transmission Institute has ten Library Pavilions, filled with a dazzling and comprehensive collection. I wonder if the book *All Worlds* is among them?”

Han Li looked astonished, apparently not expecting to hear that title from Jiang Yi’s lips.

*All Worlds* was written by the Wandering True Monarch, one of the current Eight Great Wanderers, who had traversed the four continents of the Yanfu Vast Land on foot and poured his life’s blood into compiling it.

This was “knowledge” that only disciples from the Direct Lineage of upper-class Village Clans should possess.

’Could it be that Junior Brother Jiang has more backing him than just the Outer Sect Servant, Yang Xun?’

’Does he have other connections?’

Han Li pondered this inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he said:

“You must be joking, Junior Brother. It is said that the Wandering True Monarch’s *All Worlds* is divided into four parts, named ’Heaven,’ ’Earth,’ ’Ghost,’ and ’God,’ totaling approximately 36,900 volumes.”

“Although it is widely circulated, no one has yet managed to collect the complete set.”

He shook his head and added:

“The Skill Transmission Institute only has five volumes from the ’Earth Department.’ If you wish to borrow them, Junior Brother, just let me know later.”

Jiang Yi clicked his tongue in amazement. ’As expected of a masterpiece passed down by a True Monarch. The scale is simply boundless!’

’To survey the structure of heaven and earth, to perceive the mysteries of ghosts and gods, and to compile it all into a magnum opus of over thirty thousand volumes.’

’An ordinary Mortal could spend their entire life studying it and still might not finish.’

Jiang Yi cupped his fists in thanks.

“Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Han.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Han Li waved his hand, his tone tinged with a bit of melancholy.

“I only hope we’ll have the chance to drink and discuss the Dao together again in the future.”

Upon learning that Jiang Yi was joining the Merit Supervision Institute to suppress the Fire Cave and Water Cave, Han Li had already concluded what his fate would be.

It was like a chronically ill patient diagnosed by a Physician; the sickness was terminal, and all that was left was to go home, buy a coffin, and wait for death.

“Senior Brother, why be so pessimistic? Haven’t you heard that heaven never seals all paths?” Jiang Yi said comfortingly.

“You’re quite philosophical about it, Junior Brother.”

Han Li couldn’t help but feel a little impressed. If Junior Brother Jiang truly knew the details of the Merit Supervision Institute and the dangers of the Fire Cave and Water Cave, yet could still be this calm and composed…

’…then his Dao Heart must be truly unshakable!’

…

…

「Inside the second floor of Heshui Cave.」

“The Merit Supervision Institute? Why would you choose a place like that?!”

The moment Yang Xun sat down, his expression changed drastically. He slammed a palm on the tea table, making the cups and saucers tremble.

He never would have imagined that Jiang Yi’s final choice would be the Merit Supervision Institute, which had been abandoned for many years.

“Grandpa, calm down. Have some tea to cool your temper first.”

Jiang Yi stood up, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of hot tea for Yang Xun.

The water poured in a steady stream, filling the cup and sending up clouds of steam.

There were no outsiders here, so he spoke a bit more casually.

“The Merit Supervision Institute… I went to a lot of trouble to find out about it from… Zhou Can, the Servant from Sewing Peak.”

Jiang Yi naturally pinned the source of his information on a dead man. It was the most convenient excuse, and no one could verify it.

“Son of a bitch! That animal Zhou Can actually dug such a huge pit for you! If his body hadn’t been obliterated, I would’ve dug up his grave myself!”

Yang Xun’s bald brows twitched, his chest filled with rage. He was so furious he could grind his teeth.

“Ah Yi, you don’t understand. When a Dharma Lineage receives a Talisman Decree to establish its mountain gate, the choice of location is extremely particular. It’s not as simple as just marking out a piece of land and claiming a few peaks.”

“I heard from Elder Sui that the Nanzhan Continent is where a Daoist Lord achieved their station. Just think, the three-thousand-mile Beimang Ridge maintained a Spiritual Aura of ’Sun Radiance’ for decades just because one Foundation Establishment True Master emerged from there.”

“So how profound must the impact of a Daoist Lord achieving their station be?”

This was the first time Jiang Yi had heard such a thing, and he found it quite novel.

He gently stroked True Master Xuanmiao, who was curled up in a ball in his arms, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

’A Daoist Lord ascended in the Nanzhan Continent? Is this something a Lower Cultivator should know?’

’Elder Sui really is more than he seems.’

“It is said that on the day the Daoist Lord ascended, the heavens collapsed and the earth split, rivers and seas surged and breached their banks, gold and jade dissolved, and the six directions merged into darkness…”

Yang Xun grew more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he were watching his own child walk to his doom, wanting to beat his chest and stomp his feet in despair.

“The entire boundless Nanzhan Continent was torn asunder, leaving behind a massive rift valley that is still there today, known as Two Realms Mountain.”

“However, after the Daoist Lord ascended, the primordial chaos was settled, forms were established, darkness gave way to light, radiance filled the four dimensions, sweet dew fell from the sky, and sweet springs welled up from the earth…”

He recited a long string of auspicious phrases praising the Daoist Lord’s greatness before finally returning to the topic at hand.

“For a full hundred eons, the Spiritual Energy of the Nanzhan Continent exhibited the phenomenon of [The Five Virtues Circulating, the Five Qi Flourishing].”

“The qi of the Five Virtues spread everywhere, and the roots of the Five Qi were planted deep. As a result, all ten species of beings appeared in the Nanzhan Continent. Demons and followers of Buddha all live jumbled together, making it arguably the most chaotic place in the entire Yanfu Vast Land.”

Yang Xun’s expression was grave, as if the sorrow of an old man burying his own child was about to be re-enacted.

“The Dongsheng Continent was enlightened by the Immortal Dao; it has numerous Spirit Caves and abundant Spiritual Energy. The Nanzhan Continent is the exact opposite. Spiritual Energy is scarce, but Demon Acupoints are everywhere.”

“Malevolent energy accumulates within them, and Yin Demons are born. It can be described as a place of great evil.”

“Elder Sui specifically revealed that one of the main reasons the Eight Sects established their Dharma Lineages was to suppress these Demon Acupoints.”

Jiang Yi looked like he was listening intently, committing every word to memory, but in truth, he had already learned these secrets by petitioning the Celestial Book.

“The Qianji Sect’s Leader is Cultivating Kui Water, and the Elder is Cultivating Ding Fire. Do you think there’s no reason for that?”

Yang Xun grew more and more agitated, yet he couldn’t bring himself to blame Jiang Yi. He just assumed the boy was naive and had been deceived and misled by that animal Zhou Can.

“Demon Acupoints are also formed from the Five Elements and Five Qi, and their attributes are highly variable.”

“The Demon Acupoint that our Qianji Sect’s Dharma Lineage was assigned is a combination of [Bing Fire] and [Ren Water], which is why it’s called the Fire Cave and Water Cave.”

“Both of these are yang in nature and must be suppressed with [Kui Water] and [Ding Fire]. That’s why we have the Sect Leader’s *Cloud Formation Rain True Spirit Technique* and the other technique, the *Red Brightness Nurturing Virtue True Flame Technique*.”

Jiang Yi took a sip of tea. He had already glimpsed from the Celestial Book that the Kui Water Technique the Sect Leader cultivated was of the Qi Cultivation Seventh Grade.

’It seems that Cultivation Techniques of the Fifth Grade or higher are a rarity even within a Dharma Lineage.’

’Thinking about it this way, the Qi Cultivation General Outline that the Cat Master taught me, which can absorb the essence of Techniques and then use Spiritual Energy to cultivate and elevate them, is simply incredible!’

’It truly lives up to the term “world-shaking”!’

“It sounds like suppressing the Demon Acupoint is a fundamental duty of the Dharma Lineage, so why was the Merit Supervision Institute later abandoned, and why did they stop sending Disciples to the Fire Cave and Water Cave?”

Jiang Yi timed his question well, both following Yang Xun’s train of thought and allowing him to calm down a little.

“I don’t know the specific details myself.”

Yang Xun shook his head, his tone vague. This was clearly beyond his knowledge.

“I only heard a few words about it from Elder Sui occasionally. It seems to have something to do with the Zhongyi Sect.”

“That Grand Sect’s Dharma Lineage is one of the rare Sword Cultivator Mountain Gates in the Nanzhan Continent. For some reason, every single one of them is like a madman. They love fighting, are belligerent and bloodthirsty, and they follow some doctrine of ’completing calamities’ and ’facing calamities’.”

“In a life-or-death battle, if one of their sect members is defeated, the martial brothers will set a time limit and take turns fighting until the opponent is dead. Only then will they stop.”

“If the other party gets entangled and the grudge escalates into a blood feud, they will ’break their swords to make an oath’ and then carry out the act of ’severing all karma’.”

The information Yang Xun had access to was limited, so many of his explanations were vague.

But Jiang Yi understood. ’In short, Sword Cultivators love to fight, and once they start, they have to fight to the death. Otherwise, it’s easy to leave behind a “calamity” that leads to endless entanglement.’

’If the other side refuses to back down and wants to keep fighting the Sword Cultivator, the grudge between them will escalate to the serious point where one of their sects must be annihilated.’

’No wonder everyone wants Xuan Chanzi dead wherever he goes! So he’s shouldering all of the Zhongyi Sect’s past “karmic debts” by himself!’

Jiang Yi grumbled to himself. ’It’s a good thing I didn’t go with Xuan Chanzi. Otherwise, if you threw a brick in Beimang Ridge and hit ten people, nine of them would probably have a grudge against me.’

“The Merit Supervision Institute was already an extremely dangerous place in its early years. Then, after the Zhongyi Sect was destroyed, its homeless remnants started causing trouble everywhere, causing the malevolent energy in Beimang Ridge’s Spiritual Aura to deepen by several degrees.”

Yang Xun sighed heavily, the wrinkles on his face growing more pronounced.

“Perhaps because of this, as early as fifty years ago, the Fire Cave and Water Cave our sect was suppressing had spawned quite a few Yin Demons, leading to the consecutive deaths of ten Inner Peak Disciples.”

“With no other choice, we had to seal the entrance and abandon the Merit Supervision Institute.”

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