First Immortal of the Sword

Morning the next day, Su Yi awakened from his meditation, then glanced down at Abstruse Celestial, which he’d laid across his lap. He couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.

Between departing the Six Paths Royal Territory’s Ziluo City and arriving in the Ghost Lands Territory’s Tianya City, Su Yi had continuously tempered Abstruse Celestial.

He had no lack of divine and spiritual materials.

Of late, he’d experienced numerous grand battles, and he’d killed too many Emperors to count on just ten fingers.

This meant he’d obtained a simply startling number of trophies, including quite a few divine and spiritual materials capable of tempering Abstruse Celestial!

As a result, its strength and quality had finally risen to a whole new level!

If not for Su Yi deliberately preventing this, the sword would have long since given rise to a true sword spirit.

Su Yi didn’t need a sword spirit.

Even in his past life, the sword he’d been most pleased with, the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos, had no weapon spirit.

The reason for this was simple. Other sword cultivators saw their sword spirits as useful assistants in battle. They could adapt to their wielder’s mental state, raise their combat prowess, and achieve numerous miraculous effects.

But in Su Yi’s eyes, sword spirits were a burden. When he fought and killed, he had no need for a sword spirit’s help.

The crux of the matter was that sword spirits were sentient, just like true living things.

If a sword broke, you could reforge it. But if a sword spirit died, it was just like when a person died, and their death would almost certainly influence their sword cultivator’s mental state. This resulted in anguish, grief, and melancholy.

More importantly, when one got accustomed to fighting alongside a sword spirit, losing them would leave one’s swordsmanship incomplete.

This was why, despite possessing numerous famous swords in his past life, none of his weapons had spirits.

Swords were swords. They were weapons used for killing. 

While sword spirits were living things.

The two were starkly different.

Of course, Abstruse Celestial had a degree of spirituality, as if it were psychically connected to him. When Su Yi fought, it acted according to his will, and he could control it as he might his own hands and fingers. That was enough.

As for the Netherflame Demon Spare soul essence sealed within the blade? It was no sword spirit.

Su Yi sheathed Abstruse Celestial, then rose from his meditation. 

When he walked into the lobby, he saw all manner of breakfast foods laid out on the table: steaming hot spirit congee, enticing side dishes, and all manner of refreshments.

“Old Butcher, since when were you this hospitable?” Su Yi couldn’t help but exclaim.

The old butcher snorted from the other side of the counter. “Over the years, Miss Ye Yu dropped by every once in a while.”

His eyes shone with reminiscence. “On more than one occasion, she told me that when you weren’t cultivating, you were as much a pleasure seeker as the silkpants of the mundane world. She said you loved good food and good wine, and that when you ate, you insisted on having someone attend to you.”

The old butcher looked at Su Yi. “She brought it up many times, so I naturally remembered it. Still, I find it difficult to understand. With your cultivation, why covet such things?"

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

After a brief daze, Su Yi laughed. “No matter how high my cultivation, I’m still human. The mortal world is vast. I cannot give everything my full attention, but I cannot neglect delicacies and fine wine.”

As he spoke, he sat down and started eating his breakfast.

“You can’t neglect food and drink,” said the old butcher, “But you can neglect women?"

Su Yi could tell that the old butcher was speaking up on Little Leaf’s behalf. Su Yi ignored him and continued eating.

The old butcher sighed. “Old Monster Su, if you’ve really got a conscience, hurry to the Dark Capital and bring Miss Ye Yu back.”

After a moment’s silence, Su Yi said, “Once I’ve resolved the Ghost Serpents’ imminent crisis, I’ll go fetch her.”

The old butcher said no more on the matter. He understood Su Yi’s character. If he said he’d do something, he would.

Just as Su Yi finished his breakfast and prepared to take a stroll through Tianya City, a woman walked into Auspicious Cloud Tower.

She wore a scarlet ruqun, and her flowing black hair was tied up, revealing an elegant, beautiful face.

Her skin was lustrous, and her gaze was bright and profound. As she looked around, she inadvertently emanated an air of lofty superiority. 

“Are you checking in?” the old butcher said indifferently from behind the counter.

“I’m looking for someone.” The woman swept her starry gaze across the lobby, then focused on Su Yi, who sat alone not far away.

She then walked over and sat across from him. “My name is Jiang Yingliu, and I’m from the Wilds. I’d like to chat with you.”

Her words were casual and not the least bit forceful, yet they revealed her bone-deep pride.

Behind the counter, the old butcher’s expression was a bit strange.

He naturally knew who Jiang Yingliu was, and he knew that she was from the Wilds, and furthermore, that she was the disciple of Pi Mo, the leader of the Abstruse Force Alliance.

Her status and origins were lofty to the extreme. Never mind Tianya City; none of the Netherworld’s grand orthodoxies would dare treat her with disrespect.

Why?

Because her master’s master, the founder of their lineage, was the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force!

When Su Xuanjun explored the Netherworld, no one beneath the heavens dared treat him with disrespect. Tales of his exploits spread even now.

Five hundred years had passed since word of his “death” spread, but that did nothing to diminish his deep-seated prestige!

However….

The old butcher couldn’t help but find this situation funny. Jiang Yingliu likely had no idea that she was speaking to the man who’d brought her so much glory!

“What would you like to talk about?” Su Yi sat there, evaluating Jiang Yingliu. His expression was as tranquil as ever.

This cool-headed response surprised Jiang Yingliu; she wouldn’t have guessed that a young Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator could be this calm even knowing who she was.

But a moment later, she understood.

It was most likely because he was under the innkeeper’s protection. That was why he was so composed.

“I need the Ghost Serpents’ Ancestral Jade Seal,” said Jiang Yingliu, getting straight to the point. “So long as you hand it over, I can let bygones be bygones, and I won’t let the Ghost Serpents’ affairs implicate you in the slightest.”

Su Yi smiled. “And if I don’t hand it over?”

Jiang Yingliu’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. “I refuse to believe you can spend the rest of your life in Auspicious Cloud Tower.”

Su Yi laughed. “So long as I wanted to, staying here for the rest of my life would be no problem. But then, you’re not wrong. Staying here for a while is fine, but if I had to live here for the rest of my life, it’d be little different from a jail cell.”

Behind the counter, the old butcher’s expression shifted erratically. The past thirty-six thousand years, I really might as well have been in prison!

“Since you understand, this will be simple.” Jiang Yingliu looked directly at Su Yi. “I’ll give you ten minutes to think it over, but bear this in mind: you shouldn’t even think about haggling, nor should you even consider using the Ancestral Jade Seal to acquire benefits. I can agree to let you live, but that’s already my final offer.”

Her tone was casual and understated, as if she were a heavenly sovereign issuing a divine decree.

Incontrovertible, with no room for disobedience!

Were Su Yi any other Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator, Jiang Yingliu’s words would have already left him overcome with fright, and he would have already been forced to lower his head.

But not Su Yi.

Instead, Su Yi rubbed his nose. In the end, he couldn’t resist the urge to laugh.

When he saw this, the old butcher behind the front desk couldn’t help but laugh along. He simply couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Anger arose on Jiang Yingliu’s face, and when she next looked at Su Yi, her gaze was even colder. “Do you think that’s funny?”

Su Yi, however, ignored her and looked at the old butcher. “What are you laughing at?”

The old butcher immediately suppressed his laughter and averted his gaze.

He could tell that Su Yi was displeased by his desire for a spectacle.

Jiang Yingliu was dazed, and her eyes glinted with cold light. I asked that punk a question, yet he ignored me and addressed someone else?

But before she could say anything, Su Yi distractedly tapped the table and said, “Answer some of my questions, and I’ll tell you my choice.”

Jiang Yingliu’s gaze frosted over. How dare a Spiritual Revolution Realm kid make conditions! How utterly brazen!

But in the end, she took a deep breath, suppressed her murderous intent and agitation, and said, “Speak.”

“Why would you, Pi Mo’s disciple, get involved in the Ghost Serpents’ affairs?” asked Su Yi. “Rather, why do you want their Ancestral Jade Seals?”

Jiang Yingliu said expressionlessly, “Is that any of your business?”

Su Yi’s gaze was distant and inscrutable as he stared directly at Jiang Yingliu. “Was it Pi Mo’s idea?”

After a brief daze, Jiang Yingliu suddenly felt that the young man before her was a bit out of the ordinary.

What Spiritual Revolution cultivator would, when their life was threatened, turn around and ask questions about things that had nothing to do with them?

This wasn’t simply a matter of courage.

“Why do you care about that?” Jiang Yingliu frowned.

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. It seemed obvious that this conversation wouldn’t give him any answers.

Instead, he said, “On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, I’ll bring the Ancestral Jade Seal back to the Ghost Serpents. If you want it, when the time comes, we’ll see if you’re capable of obtaining it.”

Jiang Yingliu’s eyes flashed. “Is that your final choice?”

Su Yi nodded.

“Consider yourself fortunate that you said that to me in Auspicious Cloud Tower. If you don’t show up on the fifteenth, I’ll do everything in my power to destroy you!”

With that, Jiang Yingliu rose and left without so much as a second look at Su Yi.

There was no doubt about it: Pi Mo’s disciple had left seething with hatred and murderous intent, and she made no attempt to hide it.

After she faded from view, the old butcher couldn’t hold back any longer. “Old Monster Su, that was your grand-disciple! Why not tell her your identity?”

Su Yi said flatly, “I have no such unfilial grand-disciples.”

The old butcher froze, stunned, then had a sudden revelation. He exclaimed, “Don’t tell me that the rumors are true, and your eldest disciple really betrayed you?”

Su Yi sighed. “Is it funny?”

The old butcher shook his head. “I just suspect that Miss Ye Yu fell for his lies. She must have no idea that Pi Mo is a traitor. Otherwise, how could she possibly have allowed Jiang Yingliu to take up residence in Tianya City?”

Su Yi said, “That’s one of the reasons I came to visit the Ghost Serpents. Fortunately, it seems the situation isn’t unsalvageable.”

The old butcher furrowed his brow. “In that case, why didn’t you retain Jiang Yingliu earlier. That way, no matter what you wanted to know, you’d have your answers within minutes.”

Su Yi was briefly stunned, but then, he smiled faintly. “Old Butcher, do you suspect that I let her go because I wasn’t capable of stopping her?”