Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 93 The Sword Breaks Through the Past, Snow Falls on the Cold Mountain

(Latest Update: Immortality: Starting as a Paper Craftsman to Grind Experience)

The aroma of tea enters the throat, followed by bitterness, and then a dizzying sensation.

A blinding beam of light dominated my vision, and a silent unease crept into my heart.

The air was filled with thunderous cheers, and the sky was a bright and colorful expanse.

Xiao Chen opened his eyes, and felt a familiar touch on the hilt of the sword in his hand.

This is Baiyun Peak of the Liuyun Sect.

Meanwhile, on the martial arts arena, the annual sect competition is being held.

At this moment, Xiao Chen was dressed in a snow-white inner disciple's robe, spotless, with golden flowing cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs, which was the glory he once took pride in.

"Senior Brother Xiao's sword strike that cleaved the Qinling Mountains was truly astonishing!"

"Yes, although Zhao Lingfeng is the son of the Grand Elder, he is ultimately nothing more than that in front of Senior Brother Xiao."

The murmurs from the audience reached my ears.

Xiao Chen fell into a daze.

He was all too familiar with this scene.

He knew it so well that every detail was etched into his very bones, and every time he dreamt of it in the middle of the night, it would turn into a venomous insect gnawing at his heart.

This was eight years ago.

That year, he was sixteen years old, at the sixth level of Qi Refining, with a clear sword intent. He was a recognized sword genius in the Flowing Cloud Sect, full of vigor and pointing his sword towards the true lineage.

Opposite him stood a young man dressed in a magnificent purple robe, who was scrambling to his feet in a disheveled state. This young man was Zhao Lingfeng, the only son of the Grand Elder.

"You flatter me, Junior Brother Zhao."

Xiao Chen heard himself speak, his voice clear and bright, carrying the unique pride and demeanor of a young man.

He sheathed his sword, turned to leave, and prepared to receive the cheers of the victor.

That was the closest he ever came to the position of a true disciple, and also the last time he saw the light in his life.

Just then, an unexpected whooshing sound, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, suddenly rang out behind him.

Even in the illusion, Xiao Chen's heart still clenched suddenly.

That's a bone-piercing nail.

A highly insidious hidden weapon; if one cannot dodge it in time, all one's cultivation will be ruined!

Back then, he was too young and too trusting of his fellow students.

Only when the chill pierced through his clothes did he react, relying on his swordsman's instincts.

"Clang!"

The longsword returned to defense, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning.

This move requires no thought; it's muscle memory honed through countless hours of practice.

The sword drew a fierce arc in mid-air, not only knocking away the poisoned bone-piercing nail, but also slashing down towards the attacker.

"what!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the sky.

Zhao Lingfeng clutched his right arm, blood gushing out like a fountain. A severed hand lay on the ground, its fingers still twitching stiffly.

Upon seeing this, the entire audience fell silent.

Xiao Chen was stunned. He looked at the blood dripping from the sword blade, then at the seriously injured Zhao Lingfeng, and felt a pang of regret.

"You beast! How dare you!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap from the heavens, shook Xiao Chen, causing his blood to surge and his ears to ring.

A terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the sky.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, filled with boundless rage, leaped down from the viewing platform.

This person is Zhao Wuji, the Grand Elder of the Liuyun Sect, and the biological father of Zhao Lingfeng.

"Snapped!"

Without giving Xiao Chen any chance to explain, a slap carrying the pressure of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was delivered hard to his face.

Xiao Chen was sent flying dozens of meters away, crashing heavily into a stone pillar at the edge of the martial arts arena.

"puff!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with a few broken teeth.

"Elder...it was him...he attacked first..."

Xiao Chen leaned on the ground with his sword, struggling to stand up and try to explain himself.

His hand trembled as he pointed to the bone-piercing nail on the ground, his face filled with grievance.

Zhao Wuji didn't even glance at it, snorted, and with a wave of his sleeve, an invisible force shattered the bone-piercing nail into dust, which then scattered in the wind.

"shut up!"

Zhao Wuji pointed at Xiao Chen, his face contorted with rage and anguish, and shouted, "Fellow disciples should stop when they've reached their limit! You've already won, so why did you have to resort to such a vicious act, ruining someone's future?! At such a young age, your heart is so cruel. If you were to become an immortal, wouldn't you be slaughtering all living beings?"

"I don't……"

Xiao Chen's eyes were bloodshot, and the grievance and anger of being wronged made him tremble all over.

He looked around.

He looked at his junior brothers and sisters who usually flattered him, and at the deacons who usually praised him.

Without exception, everyone avoided his gaze.

Some pretended to be indifferent, some sneered, and some showed gloating expressions, echoing the elder's words.

No one was willing to step forward.

Even though everyone saw that Zhao Lingfeng had launched the sneak attack first.

But because Zhao Lingfeng has a good father, because the Grand Elder is in charge of the sect's punishment hall, and because Xiao Chen is just a genius with no background.

Those without a background or the talent to grow up are nothing but a fart when faced with the power of the Grand Elder.

"According to the sect's rules, those who harm fellow disciples should have their cultivation revoked and be expelled from the sect!"

Zhao Wuji's voice was cold and ruthless, like a judge pronouncing a death sentence.

"Wait!"

A red figure rushed onto the stage and blocked Xiao Chen's path.

That's Song Hong.

Back then, she wasn't as feisty and charming as she is now; she was just a young girl dressed in outer disciple's robes with a stubborn look in her eyes.

Back then, she wasn't as feisty and charming as she is now; she was just a young girl dressed in outer disciple's robes with a stubborn look in her eyes.

"Elder, so many people saw it! It was clearly Senior Brother Zhao who launched the sneak attack from behind! Senior Brother Xiao was only acting in self-defense; he had no intention of harming his fellow disciple!"

"presumptuous!"

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, and with just the lingering power of his gaze, Song Hong's face turned deathly pale and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"A mere outer disciple dares to question me? It seems the rules of the Flowing Cloud Sect really need a serious overhaul!"

In the end, it was only through the sect leader's "mediation" that Xiao Chen was spared the loss of his cultivation.

But while the death penalty may be avoided, punishment is inevitable.

Those cold words still echo in Xiao Chen's ears:

"Effective immediately, Xiao Chen, a disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect, is stripped of his inner disciple status and is immediately exiled to the Demon Suppression Division of Changning County as a Suppression Commissioner. He is not permitted to return to the sect without an imperial edict!"

This seemingly reasonable and lenient treatment is actually the greatest humiliation for a genius.

Changning County is a desolate place with little spiritual energy and rampant demons. If you go there, you will find it difficult to make any progress on your cultivation path in this lifetime.

The image shattered and then reassembled.

The scene has changed.

It was no longer the sunny Liuyun Sect, but the rainy Changning County.

That rain lasted for eight years.

Over these eight years, his sword has become dull, his heart has grown cold, and his back has become bent.

Under the eaves of the backyard of the Demon Suppression Division, Xiao Chen sat on a dilapidated rattan chair, holding a pot of cheap liquor in his hand, staring blankly at the raindrops falling from the eaves.

"Senior brother, have some tea."

Song Hong walked over carrying a cup of hot tea. Her red dress was slightly faded, and her long hair was tucked behind her ears.

For the past eight years, she could have stayed in the sect. With her talent, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage would have been a natural progression. However, she still chose to come to this godforsaken place with Xiao Chen without hesitation.

"Junior sister, do you regret it?"

Xiao Chen looked at the fine lines at the corners of her eyes, his voice hoarse.

"regret?"

Song Hong smiled and straightened his slightly disheveled collar. "Regretting not marrying that good-for-nothing Zhao Lingfeng?"

Xiao Chen gave a bitter laugh, tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor. The spicy liquid burned his throat, but it couldn't warm the chill in his heart.

This is what it means to meet someone you hate.

He not only resented the cruelty of the Zhao family father and son, but also resented his own incompetence, the injustice of the world, and the wasted eight years.

This sense of powerlessness made him feel as if he were trapped in a swamp, being swallowed up little by little by nothingness.

Day after day, year after year.

He was killing an endless number of low-level demons in Changning County, and writing official documents that no one would ever read.

His swordsmanship became more and more skillful, but his heart grew colder and colder.

Until one day, a commander named Gu Changsheng came to the Demon Suppression Division.

That smirking guy who, in his pursuit of justice, disregarded all rules and turned Changning County upside down.

The image freezes again.

The image is frozen on Zhao Wuji's arrogant and disdainful face.

"Xiao Chen, do you accept your fate?"

In the illusion, Zhao Wuji's figure grew infinitely taller, like a god looking down at Xiao Chen, who was like an ant.

"That's fate! So what if you're a genius? Without connections or resources, you're just a dog! A dog that can only wallow in the mud!"

Xiao Chen lowered his head, his hand gripping the sword trembling violently.

Resign yourself to fate?

Over the past eight years, he has asked himself this question countless times.

Will things get any better if I just bow my head and admit my mistakes?

Is it true that as long as you kneel down and act like a dog, your path of cultivation will be smooth sailing, and you won't be stuck at the Qi Refining stage for so long?

Suddenly, Gu Yan's honest and kind smiling face appeared in my mind.

"Senior brother, this rule is a death sentence, but people are still alive."

"We sword cultivators, aren't we cultivating a spirit of righteous indignation?"

"Look at the sky, when it's been dark for too long, someone has to poke a hole in it..."

Those sounds were like heavy hammer blows, striking Xiao Chen's dusty sword heart.

"Click."

That was the sound of shackles breaking.

Xiao Chen suddenly raised his head, his eyes changing.

He was no longer the decadent drunkard who was just loafing around in Changning County, nor was he the boy who had to compromise on the martial arts stage.

Those were eyes that had weathered eight years of trials and tribulations, seen through the fickleness of human nature, yet remained as sharp as a sword.

"I don't acknowledge it."

Xiao Chen spoke, his voice soft, yet it pierced through the rain.

"Zhao Wuji, you called me a dog."

Xiao Chen slowly straightened up, and the long sword in his hand emitted a clear dragon's roar. The rust on the sword peeled away inch by inch, revealing a bright edge as clear as autumn water.

"But you've forgotten, I'm a sword cultivator."

"The sword in the hands of a swordsman will not bend for the powerful or wealthy, nor bend for the tyrannical."

"These past eight years, I haven't been cultivating immortality, but rather cultivating my mind."

"I am mending this heart that you have trampled into the mud, yet it still yearns to pierce the sky!"

"boom!"

The illusion began to tremble violently.

Zhao Wuji's enormous Dharma face revealed a look of terror: "What are you doing?! This is the Flowing Cloud Sect! How dare you draw your sword against an elder? This is treason!"

"Fuck your Flowing Cloud Sect."

Xiao Chen uttered a swear word he had learned in the streets over the past eight years, a smug smile curving his lips.

"I used to wield my sword for the glory of my sect."

This sword strike had no fancy moves, no dazzling spiritual energy.

Only that resentment, hatred, and resentment that had been suppressed and fermented for eight years, so intense it couldn't be dissolved!

It is the resolute determination to destroy and then rebuild! It is the enlightenment of controlling the sword with the mind and the spirit!

"No!"

Zhao Wuji's dharma form let out a miserable scream as it was cleaved in two by that stunning sword light.

Along with the White Cloud Peak, a symbol of power and oppression, and the martial arts arena, filled with hypocrisy and injustice.

They were all shattered by this one sword!

Heaven and earth collapsed, and all things returned to nothingness.

All the images shattered like shards of glass, turning into specks of starlight.

……

Inside the underground palace.

Xiao Chen, who was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and his body soaked in cold sweat, suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no confusion in his eyes, like someone waking from a deep dream.

Only two tangible sword beams flashed by, cutting two tiny cracks in the air in front of them.

The energy within his body surged and roared like the Yangtze River.

The bottleneck in his Qi Refining stage that had held him back for years was easily broken through the moment he severed his inner demon with that sword.

The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be summoned by a king, frantically converging into his body.

Within his dantian, the originally gaseous spiritual energy began to compress, rotate, and collapse violently.

One drop. Two drops.

Countless drops of crystal-clear, faintly silvery liquid true essence began to condense in the dantian.

Each drop of true essence contains a wisp of incomparably sharp sword intent.

That was Xiao Chen's Dao.

This is the way of indomitable spirit, the way of dispelling delusion.

"Clang!"

The iron sword he had held in his arms for eight years automatically unsheathed itself three inches, emitting a long, joyful cry, as if celebrating its master's rebirth.

A powerful aura erupted from Xiao Chen, sweeping across the entire underground palace.

That's the pressure of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!

However, this pressure was not domineering; instead, it carried a calmness and sharpness that came from washing away all pretense.

If Xiao Chen in the past was a sharp, yet easily broken, steel sword...

So now he is like a peerless divine weapon, its edge hidden in its sheath, ready to draw blood when drawn.

"call……"

Xiao Chen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, which shot out like a sharp sword for three zhang before slowly dissipating.

He looked at his hands and felt an unprecedented surge of power within his body.

Eight years of drinking ice water cannot cool the burning passion in my blood.

The broken sword of yesterday is now forged into a soul.

He turned his head and looked at the red-eyed old man not far away, his eyes shining brightly, like a galaxy hanging upside down.

"senior."

Xiao Chen clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, but his manner was neither humble nor arrogant. "Thank you for the tea."

Without this cup of resentment and hatred, he might have remained trapped in that knot in his heart for another ten or twenty years, until he died outside the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

This cup of tea truly proved to be as bitter as good medicine, and it benefited him greatly.

The red-eyed old man looked at the swordsman whose demeanor had drastically changed, a hint of surprise flashing in his single eye, before clapping his hands and laughing loudly, "Good! What a fine swordsman!"

"Destruction precedes construction, and death precedes life. This Changning County has produced two interesting oddities."

He glanced at Gu Yan, who had just woken up, and then at Xiao Chen, who had successfully established his foundation. The smile in his eyes deepened.

"Now that you're both awake..."

"This last cup is called 'Parting of Love.' Do you two still have the courage to try it?"