Chapter Seventy-Four: "True Eminence"

Sword-Casting Mountain was a towering peak, its slopes steep and treacherous. There were no grand trees on its heights; instead, everywhere grew a kind of grass known as Dragon’s Tongue, also called Sword Grass. The rhizomes of Sword Grass could be used to soak in wine, said to increase the wine’s potency. Before leaving, Cheng Xinzhan planned to pull some up and add it to the already strong White Blade liquor, just to see if the effect was as rumored. If it worked well, he could plant a patch in front of the Carefree Cave.

The wind of Sword-Casting Mountain was dry and sharp, stinging one’s face. Cheng Xinzhan squinted against it as he rode a cloud down to the ferry landing.

He was quite familiar with Sword-Casting Mountain, having visited many times, and thus had no need to ask directions as he had for Pivot Mountain. He went straight to the Sword Vault.

The Sword Vault was a vast cavern. Guarding its entrance was an elder of Sword-Casting Mountain, his hair and beard white as snow, reclining at ease on a broad chair. He was a cultivator of the third realm, held in high esteem, and was one of the few elders who often dealt with low-ranking disciples.

“Elder Jingsi.”

Cheng Xinzhan stepped forward and saluted.

Though they had met only a few times, to his surprise, Elder Jingsi remembered him and greeted him with a smile.

“Ah, it's Yunqi. Are you here to browse again this time?”

The elder’s impression of Yunqi stemmed from two things: as a registered disciple of Mingzhi Mountain, and as someone who had visited the Sword Vault several times just to look, never to buy.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled in return. “Elder, I have now opened my mansion. I am a true disciple of Mingzhi Mountain, with the Dao name Xinzhan. This time, I am not just browsing—I intend to purchase.”

He produced a small pill bottle, holding it with both hands as he offered it to the elder. “My master asked me to bring you this, Elder—a Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill, to exchange for a magic sword.”

No sooner had he spoken than Elder Jingsi vanished from his chair and appeared before him, staring at the pill bottle.

“A Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill?”

Normally affable and unhurried, Elder Jingsi seemed as if nothing could ruffle him, not even the collapse of the heavens. Yet now, for the first time, Cheng Xinzhan saw him lose his composure.

He held the pill bottle out again. “It is indeed a Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill.”

The elder’s hand trembled slightly as he took the bottle.

“This time, I owe Master Wen a great debt,” he said, gripping the bottle tightly.

“No, Sword-Casting Mountain owes Master Wen a great debt.”

A flash of sword-light, and suddenly another person appeared beside Elder Jingsi—a man in his thirties or forties, with ordinary features, clad in black robes, neither tall nor short, handsome nor plain. He was the sort you’d pass unnoticed in a crowded street. If he had any distinguishing trait, it was the straightness of his back, upright as pine or bamboo.

“Mountain Lord.”

Elder Jingsi was unsurprised by his arrival, nodding slightly in greeting.

He was Ying Jingsong, the Mountain Lord of Sword-Casting Mountain.

Upon hearing Elder Jingsi’s words, Cheng Xinzhan quickly saluted.

“Cheng Xinzhan of Mingzhi Mountain, pays respects to Mountain Lord Ying. May you live long and prosper.”

Ying Jingsong smiled kindly. “May your insight be boundless, Xinzhan. Since you love swords, do visit Sword-Casting Mountain often. Our gates are open, branches entwined, no need for formality.”

Cheng Xinzhan acknowledged this.

The Mountain Lord regarded him, as if with a single glance he saw through everything. He said, “So young, yet already inheriting the true legacy of Mingzhi Mountain’s methods—remarkable indeed. No wonder Master Wen values you so highly. In future, spar often with our younger disciples, discuss swordplay together.”

“You flatter me, Mountain Lord.”

Cheng Xinzhan sensed that the Mountain Lord was not intentionally probing him—just a casual glance that inadvertently saw through his bamboo form. Yet he wondered at the sudden appearance of Ying Jingsong.

“Xinzhan, after you’ve chosen your sword, please inform Master Wen upon your return that Sword-Casting Mountain is grateful to her.”

Cheng Xinzhan agreed.

The Mountain Lord smiled, nodded to Elder Jingsi, and once more vanished in a flash of sword-light.

So the Mountain Lord had appeared just to deliver a message? Cheng Xinzhan was surprised, gaining a clearer sense of the value of the Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill.

Elder Jingsi stowed the pill bottle and led Cheng Xinzhan into the Sword Vault.

Inside, the vault was immense—a cylindrical hollow with rings of small alcoves in the walls. Some were half a person tall, others twice that. From a distance, they looked like a honeycomb or an ant’s nest.

Each alcove was lit by fluorite, some with swords standing upright, some with swords draped in silk, others holding only sword cases, and some where the sword’s radiance outshone the fluorite, making it impossible to see their forms.

Along the cavern’s walls spiraled rows of wooden walkways, each plank embedded directly into the stone.

Elder Jingsi led Cheng Xinzhan up the walkways, sword-light from the alcoves painting his face in a rainbow of colors.

“This Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill is of great use to me,” Elder Jingsi said, walking ahead.

“My golden core has been cleansed six times, yet I cannot nurture a Dao embryo. The third realm has trapped me nearly two hundred years. When I first cleansed my core, I was full of ambition, vowing to be one who achieved nine cleansings. At three cleansings, I remained confident, believing six would suffice. At five, I grew anxious, barely surviving the cleansing tribulation. At six, my heart was full of unrest and fear. When the thunder tribulation passed and I still had not nurtured the Dao embryo, I nearly lost hope, cursing the heavens for making me cleanse my core six times and still not succeed, while some with weaker foundations succeeded at five.”

“My seventh cleansing tribulation should come in forty years, but my body’s lifespan is only thirty years more.”

Elder Jingsi’s steps were steady, his voice gentle.

“So I cannot await the seventh cleansing. My golden core cannot further harmonize, nor can I nurture the Dao embryo. When my thirty years are up, I will surely die.”

Cheng Xinzhan was shocked. He had not expected the elder to have reached six cleansings, nor that his lifespan would prevent him from seeing his seventh tribulation.

“But now, with this Minor Corpse Dissolution Pill, I can take it before my lifespan ends, entering a state of feigned death—locking my vitality, extending my life, severing my aura, evading the thunder tribulation’s detection. When the thirty-year effect ends, the tribulation will find me again, but I will have thirty more years to prepare, and may catch up to the seventh cleansing!”

“If I luck out and survive the seventh tribulation, and my golden core harmonizes, nurturing a Dao embryo, I’ll step into the fourth realm—a new world. Even if I still cannot transform into an infant, once the tribulation passes, I’ll gain another thirty years, able to eke out my existence a little longer. If I fail the seventh tribulation, it will be liberation—turning to ashes, returning to the earth.”

At this, Elder Jingsi laughed—a yearning for the fourth realm, mixed with the bitter smile of resignation.

“A pill like this is useless to the young, but to old wretches like me, clinging to life, it is a lifesaving treasure.”

“And as far as I know, since the twenty-first generation Mountain Lord of Mingzhi Mountain passed away, no one there can refine Minor Corpse Dissolution Pills. So for Mingzhi Mountain, each pill is one less, never to be replaced.”

Cheng Xinzhan was enlightened, finally understanding why the pill was so precious, and why even Mountain Lord Ying had come to thank him. Such medicine, capable of extending life and warding off tribulations, would be coveted anywhere. Even if it induced feigned death, as long as one lived, there was hope—a chance to change fate.

His gratitude toward his master deepened. No one would dislike having more of such pills; keeping one was truly a safeguard. Yet his master had given it up, not for herself, but to exchange for a magic sword for him.

“So, both I and Sword-Casting Mountain must acknowledge Mingzhi Mountain’s favor. Today you ought to choose the finest sword in this vault—Mountain Lord’s visit made that clear.”

Elder Jingsi spoke as he led the way. Unaware, they had reached the upper levels.

“For a magic sword, you should pick a sword embryo and forge it with your own power, then personally carve the runes. That way, it will best resonate with you, and your spells will flow effortlessly.”

Cheng Xinzhan was delighted to learn that the vault held unshaped sword embryos and agreed wholeheartedly. His own body sword and flying sword were ready-made; forging his magic sword himself would be ideal.

Soon, they reached the very top of the cavern.

Here, the swords seemed alive, emitting sounds and lights. Were it not for the restrictions in each alcove, the swords would have flown away.

Within him, the "Taodu" sword was also restless, eager to come out and spar with these treasures, were he not restraining it.

At last, at the end of the walkway, Elder Jingsi halted, and Cheng Xinzhan stopped as well.

“There are six sword embryos here—the finest in the vault. Three are unsuitable for body swords, two for flying swords, two for magic swords. Make your choice, and I’ll explain each one to you.”

“Thank you, Elder,” Cheng Xinzhan said.

First, Elder Jingsi gestured to the leftmost alcove. Cheng Xinzhan looked and saw not a sword, but a cluster of starlight suspended there.

Elder Jingsi cast a spell at the starlight, and a sword’s cry rang out. The light dispersed, revealing its form—barely a sword, more like an iron rod, all black, speckled with gold and blue.

“This is forged from a block of meteorite—agile, resilient, attuned to the stars, blending with the five elements, able to lodge in the apertures. It can be refined into a body sword, magic sword, or flying sword.”

He moved to the next alcove, which was stranger still—a small phoenix tree, half a person tall, with yellow branches and green leaves.

Elder Jingsi cast another spell, revealing a sword embryo with a yellow hilt and green blade. It looked wooden, yet the yellow and green parts were seamlessly fused, naturally forming hilt and blade.

“These phenomena are the spiritual reflections of the sword embryos’ materials. Top-tier treasures often display such manifestations,” Elder Jingsi explained.

No sooner had he spoken than the "Taodu" sword in Cheng Xinzhan’s aperture transformed into a tiny peach tree in full bloom, vibrant with color. Among its branches, a white-feathered, red-crowned rooster could be glimpsed.

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised at the sword’s spirit. With a thought, he praised it; the peach tree responded by shaking its branches, sending out dazzling spiritual light.

“This is an old phoenix tree that died, buried underground and pressed into the mountain's roots, tempered by spiritual energy. It became a treasure, then forged into a sword embryo. It’s attuned to wood and earth, rich in spiritual energy, light or heavy as needed, but lacks toughness. It’s good for magic swords, not for body or flying swords.”

The next sword’s manifestation was a lotus flower; its true form, a stone sword shimmering with watery light.

“This is a piece of lake stone from Poyang Lake, attuned to earth, metal, and water, but brittle. Suitable for magic swords, not for body or flying swords.”

The fourth sword displayed a bouncing golden bead, glowing but undulating like a drop of water. Its true form was a slender sword.

“This is made from golden mercury dew, extremely lively, adept at transformation, and keen—only fit for flying swords.”

The fifth sword’s manifestation was a coiled yellow serpent; its true form, a broad heavy sword.

“This embryo is forged from earth-sand jade and lunar gold, fusing metal and jade, yin and yang, attuned to earth and metal, extremely heavy. Not suitable for magic swords, but good for flying or body swords.”

The last sword displayed a purple and silver light chasing each other, like two dragons contending for a pearl. Its true form was broadly purple with black markings, resembling script but actually natural patterns, and at the tip and edge, gleaming silver, like frost.

“This sword embryo is forged from a block of symbiotic ore at the junction of Purple Book Copper and Moon Essence Silver. Attuned to thunder, fire, and metal, agile and resilient, suitable for body, magic, or flying swords.”

Elder Jingsi finished his explanations, leaving Cheng Xinzhan to choose.

He replied, “Elder, I wish to forge a thunder-type weapon. My first opened mansion is of the heart, and I plan to open the gold mansion next. It seems the last symbiotic ore of Purple Book Copper and Moon Essence Silver suits me best.”

Elder Jingsi nodded. “If you want a thunder magic sword, this is ideal. Purple Book Copper, also called Thunder Book Copper, is said to have formed from ancient thunder gods’ documents falling to earth. See the markings? Don’t they resemble thunder script?”

Cheng Xinzhan looked—they did, though perhaps it was just the suggestion. If someone said they looked like cloud script, he might agree.

“Moon Essence is the currency circulating on the mountain, highly attuned to thunder. In ancient times, people would seek places struck most often by lightning to find Moon Essence ore.”

Elder Jingsi handed the sword embryo to Cheng Xinzhan.

He accepted it with both hands; it felt cool, tinged with the faint tingle of a lightning strike. Though only barely sword-shaped, Cheng Xinzhan was exceedingly satisfied, already envisioning how it would look once forged.

“Give it a name. I’ll record it here—my last duty guarding the Sword Vault. Since, thanks to Master Wen, I won’t die just yet, I’d best not lie around waiting. Once this is done, I’ll prepare for my tribulation.”

Elder Jingsi laughed, clearly in high spirits.

Cheng Xinzhan thought for a moment. “Since I intend this sword as a thunder weapon, and thunder is the highest power between heaven and earth, I’ll take the character ‘High’. Thunder is also the purest spiritual force, the primordial form of nature—so I’ll add ‘True’. Let it be called ‘High True’.”

Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and welcome to comment and leave messages!

After this chapter, I’ll append two hand-drawn bonus chapters—one of Carefree Cave, one of the Sword Vault. They’re rather ugly, but hope you enjoy them nonetheless.