525 The Vicious Sword Ball (1/2)
The young man carrying the sword scabbard was seated near the door. In his apathy was a sense of solemnity and uneasiness, as if he was anticipating or fearing something.
Meng Qi had to restrain the urge to go up to the young man and say, ”Young man, I see a bleak aura around you and I sense a bad premonition for you.”
He decided against such an idea after considering where he was: in uncertain waters, with no knowledge of who his enemies were.
He turned his head to look at Xie Xuan and commented, ”You seem very interested in the flying sword earlier, Scholar.”
He took the opportunity to steer the conversation to this topic in order to get a basic understanding of the situation here.
Jiang Zhiwei smiled as she listened without inserting herself into the conversation. She knew she was far behind Little Meng when it came to networking and currying favors.
Meng Qi was pretty proud of this skill of his. He had, after all, been tricked by many old foxes and schemed against by people like Wang Siyuan and Jiang Hengchuan. His arduous grinding in the Jianghu over several years were not for nothing either. If he did not grow or progress, he would have long been reduced into a skeleton lying by the road!
Just after the word 'scholar' was mentioned, countless people inside the compartment turned to look at Xie Xuan as if they were shocked that someone as young as he would be able to become a Scholar.
Under everyone's intense gaze, a blush crept up to Xie Xuan's cheeks. Feeling ill at ease, he hemmed and hawed before saying, ”Who... who wouldn't yearn to be a sword immortal that can... can... behead a person from a distance of a hundred miles?”
”Yet how many in this world can be a sword immortal that powerful?” Taoist Ouyang Zheng mumbled. ”To break hundreds of thousands of techniques with just one strike of a sword is no more than boastful talk. The techniques of Taoism are numerous and complex, each with their own arcane uses. How can one strike of a sword break all of them?”
Jiang Zhiwei soundlessly relayed her voice to Meng Qi, saying, ”He's carrying plenty of charms, all of them divine charms of Taoism legacy entangled with Vital Qi. It was only after the predestinated fate of World-confounding Demon and the likes of Overlord and Demonic Buddha that their impartation saw a true end. They left only formations and charms as their inheritance, losing the cultivation method of one self. You can try him out from this aspect.”
With this angle in mind, Meng Qi easily dominated the conversation and got partial information out of Ouyang Zhen and Xie Xuan.
Darkness Palace, which was apt at stratagem techniques, and Divine Sect, one of the main Taoism sects, dominated this place with the former reigning supreme. The power of Darkness Palace rivaled even the imperial court, with branches in different prefectures and counties. Divine Sect was more removed from worldly affairs. With their two inheritances of charms and one inheritance of sword immortal, mystical methods and techniques, unyielding flying swords, they were considered the intermediary between humans and immortals. The sect had palaces in each prefecture and county to manage their business, including medicinal hills and mines, and assist Darkness Palace in handling the demons and ghosts as well as unorthodox sects. In the event of droughts, they would also pray for rainfall and a good harvest. Darkness Palace and Taoists would work together and contribute should there be floods.
The fairly talented Xie Xuan had been running around alongside the automaton architect of his village in his childhood. He later joined the branch of Darkness Palace in Firemist County and learned to handle mechanisms. His exceptional performance earned him the title of a scholar and he became an automaton architect in his own right. The branch recommended him to be a participant in the Sage examination this year so he could enter the headquarters of Darkness Palace and learn the even more profound stratagem techniques.
Xie Xuan mentioned that his current stratagem technique could produce a variety of items meant for substitution such as cattle, horses, and prosthetics. His technique carried no combat power, leaving the security of his village in the hands of martial artists. Ouyang Zheng, on the other hand, was dispatched by Divine Sect to oversee Mount Firemist and prevent the appearance of evil spirits.
”Once I become a Sage and start studying in Darkness Palace in Yongzhou, I'll be able to produce puppet automatons, tiger mechanisms, and a variety of improved prosthetics...” Xie Xuan's eyes were gleaming with hope.
”This kid is full of dreams...” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei felt as if they were experiencing something new. He laughed along, feeling no urgency as he replied, ”You're content with just being a Sage? Don't you want to be an Earl?”
The title of Earl was something that he had learned from Xie Xuan and Ouyang Zheng's conversation.
”Heh, the exam only comes once every three years. How many titles of Earl can Darkness Place bestow?” Ouyang Zheng shook his head, indicating how difficult the task would be.
”So the title of an Earl can only be conferred after an examination.” Meng Qi nodded, looking thoughtful. His gaze was still fixed on Xie Xuan's face.
Jiang Zhiwei was so eye-catching that Xie Xuan, who sat opposite her, appeared ill at ease even though she was not speaking. ”I'd be lying if I tell you that I don't want to be an Earl. Which automaton architect wouldn't want to gain a true impartation and create a mechanism that can control fire and water to prevent disasters? But the examination to be an Earl is too challenging. It's considered impressive if each county can produce five Earls every three years. I... I don't know if I can make it...” he said, wearing a silly smile on his face as he scratched his head once again.
After hearing about Xie Xian's goal, Ouyang Zheng reflected on his situation and felt melancholic over what he assumed would be his future. ”Like you, I don't know if I'll ever be able to produce a True Charm and successfully receive the official permit to be a true Taoist,” he said, sighing quietly.
Meng Qi laughed cheerfully, breaking the somewhat sentimental mood. ”Why worry when you're both still so young? The path to the future is under your feet; you can just walk on it one step at a time. It's great to be ambitious but you can't let it hurt your spirits. If you talk about aspirations, I myself dream of becoming a Principal or a Divine Master!”
Ouyang Zheng could not help himself from remarking, ”Principal? Divine Master? Brother Su, look at your age. Even Unrecognized Pearl of the yesteryears had been too late in switching cultivations! Ah, the art of mechanism has little to do with the decline of one's physical body. If you're talented, it's not too late for you to become an Earl. However, after becoming an Earl, cultivation will involve the mechanism of the body, Vital Spirit, and the like. It'll be hard on the body of someone who has already lived half their lifetime.”
”It's best for martial artists to cultivate in the vein of sword immortals,” Xie Xuan said, interrupting. ”But sword cultivation demands such great talent and resolution that there are very few disciples.”
He appeared to be full of regrets. If the vein of sword immortals was open to the public like Darkness Palace was, he really would like to give it a try. Of course, he would not give up on his true interest, stratagem technique, either.
Meng Qi sighed, all seven emotions of life etched on his face. ”Could it be that the path of my martial arts would never lead me to the Heaven-connecting realm?”
Countless passengers laughed when they heard him. It was a common truth that martial artists were also mere mortals!
Ouyang Zheng suppressed the urge to laugh and said perfunctorily, ”How admirable for Brother Su and Lady Jiang to have such lofty ambitions and remarkable persistence in the face of hardship. However, it has been so long since martial artists can achieve the Heaven-connecting realm. That's unless they can return to the ancient times...”
”In ancient times, there were martial artists who were able to achieve the Heaven-connecting realm?” The one who asked the question was not Meng Qi but Xie Xuan. Many of the passengers from Darkness Palace also appeared to look doubtful.
”Plenitude Sect, my sect, has the longest heritage of impartation, experienced the ups and downs of many immortals, and saw the Darkness Palace crossing the sea to come here 10,000 years ago. Naturally, we'll have records of the ancient times,” Ouyang Zheng said, looking rather proud.
”Plenitude Sect?” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged looks, both thinking of Plenitude Immortal Venerable and the Plenitude Gate.
”Their sect too has records of ancient times?”
If that was true, they must find a chance to 'visit' the sect.
”The time when Darkness Palace 'crossed the sea' to come here seems to coincide with the time Demonic Buddha had caused chaos in the world,” Jiang Zhiwei suddenly said.
”Did they come through the Plenitude Gate as well? To avoid Demonic Buddha?” Meng Qi asked, making guesses.
”What is this place exactly? The paradise-like Heavenly Sea Source?”
”But it's evidently more vast and closer to the world!”
Ouyang Zheng eagerly demonstrated his knowledge since it was not a secret. ”How could there be so few practitioners and disciples in my sect if not for the changes in the world and thin Vital Qi? Before the times of Heaven Sovereign, those coming in and out of my sect are true Immortals! We were the true Divine Sect that communicates with the Immortals!”