Chapter 94

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Chapter 94: The Nine-Character True Words

The flying sword sliced through the heavens, weaving among the clouds before gradually descending, unveiling a vibrant vista beyond the mist.

Amidst the undulating mountains and verdant foliage, Ming He exhaled slowly, a sense of relief washing over her. She formed a seal with her hands, steering the flying sword over the familiar terrain of Liu Yun Sect until the Qingyun Peak Main Hall came into view, its sword energy piercing the sky.

“Phew!”

Ming He took a deep breath, avoiding a glance back at Qin Chu Yi. She spoke softly, “Sister Qin, we’ve arrived at the Perseverance Hall on Qingyun Peak.”

With that, she leapt off the flying sword. Qin Chu Yi remained on it, watching her with a gentle smile, her eyes reflecting a serene joy akin to a clear spring.

The two grand characters on the plaque of the Perseverance Hall were inscribed with the grace of dragons and the vigor of phoenixes, their sword energy sharp. Though not in Ancient Clan script, they exuded a spirit and momentum that rivaled the stars beneath the Deep Sea.

Ming He knew these characters were carved by her Master, Qu Lingyun, but back then, she was oblivious to the experiences behind the name Qu Lingyun. She only saw the imposing presence and sharpness, unaware of the deeper restraint and self-awareness.

“Master.” Ming He’s gaze shifted, spotting a gray figure on the cliff outside the hall. Her eyes lit up with surprise as she hurried over, bending slightly. “Disciple has returned.”

“You’ve reached the seventh level of the Dust Dispersal stage!” Qu Lingyun’s tone was calm as he sensed her aura, slightly taken aback. He knew Ming He was extraordinary and that she would shine brightly after leaving Liu Yun, but her rapid growth was astonishing, even for him who had anticipated it.

“You and I are master and disciple, no need for too much formality.” Qu Lingyun waved his sleeve, signaling her to rise and speak. As he raised his gaze, he noticed Qin Chu Yi standing lazily by a pine tree in the distance, a look of surprise in her eyes. The esteemed Young Master of the Qin Clan had personally brought Ming He back to Liu Yun; this relationship was remarkable.

“Why have you returned?” Qu Lingyun redirected his attention, smiling lightly, still the warm and gentle sect leader in Ming He’s memories. “How is your training at the Floating Cloud Sect? Has your Shishu guided you in your cultivation?”

“Master, the Floating Cloud Sect is wonderful. My Shishu and Senior Sister Qu are also very good,” Ming He replied, nodding. “Senior Sister Qu’s Swordsmanship is quite similar to yours; she has your elegance.”

“Yanyan…” Qu Lingyun murmured as he contemplated the name, his expression momentarily lost in thought. “That is very good.” He lowered his gaze again, and the atmosphere turned quiet.

“Master,” Ming He said, a heaviness in her heart, “I actually came back to give you something.”

“Oh? What is it?” Qu Lingyun looked at her, his eyes filled with teasing and expectation. “Xiao He has grown up and comes to show respect to her Master.”

“Master took me as your disciple and taught me the path, so I must feel grateful.” Ming He waved her sleeve, revealing a bright light, within which floated Glazed Blue Grass, Moonlight Leaves, bodhi seeds, and Glazed Tree Roots before Qu Lingyun.

These were heavenly materials and earthly treasures she obtained from the second trial in the Small Dragon and Tiger Rankings’ Tian Cang Secret Realm. Knowing her Master’s past, she had a lingering desire to return to the sect, but with the distance between Liu Yun Sect and Floating Cloud Sect being vast, separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, and her low strength at that time, she had to set it aside until now.

“This is…” Qu Lingyun was taken aback by the respectful gaze from Ming He, and almost instantly understood her intentions. “Xiao He, you…”

“These spiritual herbs are things I acquired by coincidence, and I thought they might be useful for your injuries.”

Ming He’s eyes were calm. “Master, I also want to ask you, what exactly did you say to the Demon Race back then that made them abandon their grudge against the Young Master and comply with the treaties between our races?”

Qin Chu Yi had mentioned that after Master returned from the Demon Race, his cultivation was rendered almost useless, confining him within the Liu Yun Sect of the Ninth Continent, but what exactly happened was never revealed to the human race.

“Do you know?” Qu Lingyun murmured, glancing at Ming He, his expression complex in a way she had never seen before. He waved his sleeve and took a blue spiritual mushroom. “Glazed Blue Grass has a gentle nature and may aid in my recovery. As for the others, you can keep them.”

He did not mention Ming He’s question.

Ming He opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but upon meeting Qu Lingyun’s resolute gaze, she paused and followed his word, “If Master doesn’t wish to tell me, then how can I leave Liu Yun Sect and return to Floating Cloud? Surely you can share that?”

She stated her true purpose. “Although Master cares for the human race, you’re not someone who acts without consideration for the consequences, so the deal you made with the Demon Race cannot bind you to Liu Yun for life. There must be other conditions, right?”

“Right.” Qu Lingyun gazed at the upright Ming He, holding her sword, and smiled lightly, revealing a hint of pride. “Xiao He is indeed clever, and I did not take the wrong disciple.”

“The Demon Race said that as long as the disciples of Floating Cloud kill a million foreign races on the battlefield of the heavens, they would allow me to return to Floating Cloud, with all past grudges wiped away.”

Qu Lingyun maintained his mild smile, devoid of despair or anger.

For over twenty years, he was no longer the young genius whose ambition shook the five regions. Time had smoothed his edges, endowing him with a vast heart as broad as the ocean, allowing him to face everything with calmness.

“A million foreign races?” Ming He’s expression darkened. She knew that only those at the Human King stage could gain the right to choose to either leave or stay after killing a hundred thousand of the foreign races on the battlefield, while Earth Emperor needed to slay three hundred thousand, and Great Emperor, five hundred thousand. There had never been a standard of a million.

Even for those at the Great Emperor realm, killing a million foreign races alone was as difficult as ascending to the heavens, as the foreign races were fierce and resilient, unlike mere crops.

"Too much bullying!" Ming He clenched her fists. She had no right to judge the past, but since she left Liu Yun, she had personally witnessed the cunning and shamelessness of the Demon Race. They were simply not worthy of being compared with the human race.

"Master, if one day I can reach the Great Emperor realm, I might slay a million foreign races," Ming He declared seriously, her peach blossom-like eyes shimmering with fierce darkness. If she broke through to the Great Emperor realm, she would be respected throughout the World of Martial Arts. How could the mere Demon Race dare to bind her Master again?

It was simply the strong who commanded respect; this principle had been clear to her since the first day she entered this world.

"Xiao He, it is good to have such determination," Qu Lingyun replied with a warm smile, standing with a graceful and resolute demeanor. "But I hope that when you go to the battlefield of the heavens to slay foreign races, leading your long sword with unstoppable momentum, you will consider the greater good of the human race, not personal feelings."

Her black eyes concealed a deep emotion. "This is very important."

"Yes, disciple will follow your teachings," Ming He said, momentarily stunned by her gaze.

“It has been a long time since I last saw you. I wonder how your Swordsmanship has progressed. Would you like to perform a sword dance for your Master?” Qu Lingyun’s face brightened with a smile, still maintaining the familiar strong presence in Ming He’s memories.

“Of course,” Ming He responded naturally, drawing her long sword which split the sky as she executed her movements effortlessly. In a moment, her momentum became sharp, and her gaze shifted from gentle to determined.

Leaves fell from the trees, shattering upon the tip of Ming He’s sword, scattering pieces across the ground where she stood. The sword light was bright, and the sword tip was fierce. The Liu Yun Sword Technique under Ming He’s command flowed like the clouds in the sky, far surpassing the initial Swordsmanship she had grasped.

After finishing her sword dance, Ming He sheathed her sword. Her bright and fiery gaze stunned Qin Chu Yi from afar.

Qu Lingyun watched her, filled with reminiscence as she exuded vigor and sharpness, “With your sword intent reaching the ninth level, you can begin to comprehend the fourth stage of the Swordsmanship.”

She took out a jade slip and handed it to Ming He. “This contains my lifetime understanding of Swordsmanship that I inscribed after you left. Consider it a way of repaying the honor of being my disciple.”

“If there is anything you don’t understand, feel free to go to Snowfall Peak to ask your Shimu.” As she mentioned Shimu, her gaze wandered, her expression shadowed with a mixture of nostalgia and sentiment.

Ming He felt she understood it but also felt a bit lost; the emotions were quite complex.

"I have one more thing to give you," Qu Lingyun said, but didn’t move. Instead, she glanced at Qin Chu Yi in the distance, seeming a little hesitant.

In that moment, Ming He realized that the sect’s techniques were usually transmitted through generations and were not easily shared. Her Master must have something related to the sect to pass on, but she was cautious because of Qin Chu Yi’s presence.

“Master, I believe Sister Qin,” Ming He blurted out without thinking. The firmness and trust in her voice surprised even herself. She had never easily trusted others, but when did Qin Chu Yi stop being a stranger to her?

The doubt in her heart stirred, and for some reason, she remembered how Qin Chu Yi had taught her Sword Flight on the flying sword, speaking in a similar tone that the sect’s techniques should not be easily shared, let alone those of the Ancient Clan.

Though she only grasped the basics of Sword Flight, she knew it was profound. But why was it that Qin Chu Yi shared such an intricate technique so freely?

"It’s fine." The woman’s clear voice echoed in her ears, resonating deep within Ming He.

Why was it fine? Was it because she was no longer seen as an outsider by Qin Chu Yi?

Ming He stole a glance at Qin Chu Yi, who stood under a green tree in white attire, looking at her with a slight smile that exuded gentle warmth, like a flawless jade without a speck of dust.

Her emotions stirred, and a spark of inspiration flickered within her. Just as she thought of something, Qu Lingyun interrupted, "You trust her."

Qu Lingyun smiled, then withdrew her hands, revealing a bone book that hung in front of Ming He. "This is what I want to give you. Take a look."

"This…" Ming He felt a profound and vast aura, and in an instant, she forgot her earlier uncertainties. This was the bone book, one she was not unfamiliar with.

The bone book given to her by Nineteen in the ancient cave dwelling resembled this one, made from beast bones, ancient and heavy, as if it came from the wild, its essence revealing the mysteries of the Great Path. It was clear it was no ordinary item for training.

"This is a method of dual cultivation of the soul." Qu Lingyun’s smile faded, her tone serious with respect. “Have you heard of the Soul Clan?”

The Soul Clan.

Ming He narrowed her eyes. “I have heard of them.”

"Do you know about the Soul Ancestor?" Qu Lingyun glanced toward Qin Chu Yi, thinking she had told Ming He, showing no surprise.

“I’ve heard a little.” Ming He’s calm expression veiled a hint of longing.

She recalled Qin Chu Yi mentioning how the Soul Ancestor rampaged in ancient times, slaying a million foreign races single-handedly, which was just the limit set by the foreign races on her Master.

"The Soul Ancestor, a woman of the Great Emperor realm, was a peerless expert who stood alongside the Sword Master in battle and was ultimately buried in the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb. This bone book once represented her path, and the Nine-Character True Words were part of her method for slaying foreign races."

The Nine-Character True Words?

Ming He looked down and opened the first page of the bone book, revealing four ink-black characters that sent a tremor through her heart. The brush strokes were like the stars beneath the Deep Sea, and she recognized it was the ancient script of the Soul Clan.

Realizing this, she confirmed the identity of the mighty being buried beneath the Deep Sea, but her Master said she lay in the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb.

Ming He’s expression stiffened, but she instinctively held back her discovery, raising her head with a slightly puzzled look. “Master, disciple does not recognize Soul Clan characters.”

“I know.” Qu Lingyun remained unfazed, a smile blossoming in her eyes. “Look at the bottom right corner.”

Ming He gazed down, feeling as if her spirit had been captured. In an instant, she felt transported to a new world. The words danced in three dimensions like golden notes, swirling around her, and her mind illuminated with the conversion between the Soul Clan’s characters and the common language.

“This is the inheritance of the Soul Clan characters from the bone book. The techniques are called Qian Kun. You should first understand the Soul Clan’s Qian Kun and then gradually study the Nine-Character True Words.”

Qu Lingyun’s eyes were filled with expectation. “The Nine-Character True Words are not classified by technique levels; they are an ancient method passed down from the ancients, and their mysteries cannot be grasped quickly. Do not be too impatient.”

Her clear voice carried a note of caution, “I originally intended to wait until you broke through to the Wind Master realm before giving this to you, but I did not expect your advancement would come so quickly. I believe you are not far from the Wind Master realm now.”

“Master, did you happen to obtain this bone book during your youth?" Ming He asked curiously. Its mystery was similar to the bone book Nineteen had given her, clearly connected.

The Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Technique must have been Nineteen’s family inheritance, but the Nine-Character True Words were different. She pondered the connections among them and was puzzled.

“Sort of.” Qu Lingyun gazed at the sunset on the horizon, her expression somewhat dim. “When the time comes, you will naturally know its origins and the past.”

She said no more, simply watching Ming He with a nostalgic look. “If there are no other matters, you should return to Floating Cloud to cultivate. It is not suitable to stay here for long.”

“By the way, before you leave, remember to visit your Senior Brother Qingfeng and tell him you obtained the bone book.”

Qu Lingyun’s voice drifted as she stepped through the hall door, disappearing from sight.

Senior Brother Qingfeng?

Ming He envisioned the figure of a young man in white attire and softly murmured to herself, filled with confusion. Her Master clearly would not mention this casually, so did Senior Brother Qingfeng have some connection with the Soul Clan’s bone book?