Key Smoke's beautiful eyes narrowed as she sized up the woman before her. As far as she knew, this woman was the eldest daughter of the Dongfeng Mo Family, born with the Sword Heart, Sword Bone, and Sword Body. Since her birth, she had been revered by countless swords. Her gaze then shifted to Su Bei, curious to see how this man would react.
Su Bei felt embarrassed. What was wrong with his second disciple? Was she really turning down such a heaven-sent opportunity? He coughed loudly and turned to Mo Li, saying, "Disciple, do you realize what a great honor it is to receive guidance from the Saintess?"
I'm counting on you to achieve something and make your master proud.
"I understand, Master." Her voice was still cold, but her eyes now held an unfathomable meaning that Su Bei couldn't discern. "But I don't understand, Master. Why would you willingly give up such a precious opportunity? Is your cultivation level that high?"
Hearing Mo Li's words, Su Bei was clearly stunned. Spoken by his disciple, why did her words carry a hint of humiliation? Feeling somewhat awkward, he glanced at the Saintess and then at the Eastern Emperor. He felt his dignity as a master was being trampled at this moment. 'Furiously,' he said, "My cultivation level is very high! So high it can't get any higher! Why do you care what your master does? Instead of dwelling on such things, you'd better listen to the Saintess's guidance!"
Mo Li looked seriously at Su Bei, trying to detect any trace of pretense in his eyes. Her heart filled with doubt. Could this man really be giving up such a chance for her? Could there be something she was failing to understand?
After all, she had no idea this opportunity was originally meant for Su Bei.
Xiao Ruoching glanced at Mo Li, seemingly aware of her confusion, and said flatly, "A month ago, at the foot of the Unrepentant Cliff, Master also gave up an opportunity."
Mo Li opened her mouth and stammered for a moment. She looked deeply at Su Bei, contemplating. If this was all an act, what was it for? It seemed rather counterproductive. Feeling somewhat confused, when she looked at Su Bei again, there was a hint of hesitation in her gaze. "I apologize, Master. I was wrong," she said. Perhaps he had truly changed?
Watching his three disciples being led into the back courtyard by the Saintess, Su Bei smiled at Ji Nanjue and leaned on the railing. Ji Nanjue greeted him and then left; she still had conflicts to resolve with Queen Lin. Su Bei looked up at the sky, silently waiting for his disciples to attain some enlightenment.
"Elder Su!" a voice suddenly called out.
Su Bei instinctively smiled, turning his head to greet, "Good morni— Die Yi?"
Die Yi looked at Su Bei with puzzlement, unsure of what he was doing as he just stared blankly at the sky. Was there something up there? She looked up but saw nothing. "Elder Su, what are you doing?"
Su Bei straightened up, looking at the woman before him who emanated a red aura of luck, and said with all seriousness, "This elder is contemplating the true meaning of life!"
Die Yi chuckled. Then, she gently slipped off her silk socks, lifted the hem of her goose-yellow dress, and dipped her delicate, rosy feet into the cool pond water. Shading her dark eyebrows with one hand, she squinted at the dappled light filtering through the tender willow leaves. "I've been watching you for a long time. You were clearly just daydreaming!"
Su Bei's mouth curled into a smirk. He didn't bother to argue with this young woman, simply shooting her a glance. "A summer insect cannot discuss ice!"
Die Yi clearly wasn't convinced. She looked up at the sky again, only to see a few crows seemingly cawing in derision at her, and nothing else. Could it be that he was perceiving something she couldn't?
Su Bei regarded the charmingly naive young woman before him. What a pity, she was Key Smoke's niece; otherwise, he would have definitely tried to trick her into becoming his disciple!
"Then what can you perceive? What can you see?"
As she spoke, she playfully splashed the water with her little foot, sending droplets flying. However, she hadn't expected the stones beneath the water to be so slippery. Her whole body trembled, and with a cry of alarm, she was about to slip and fall into the pool.
Su Bei watched the young woman before him with a peculiar expression. This was already the second time! Could this be one of those attributes that makes someone prone to falling anywhere, anytime? Should I also take a tumble? Preferably landing in certain positions, becoming the next Rito Yuuki? But he still extended his hand and caught her. Though separated by several layers of clothing, the soft, delicate feel of her body was still distinctly palpable.
She suddenly found herself half-lying in Su Bei's arms. Die Yi's earlobes reddened, her heartstrings trembled. She squirmed a little before hurriedly moving away from Su Bei, her watery eyes filled with a complex mix of resentment and shyness. What was wrong with her? Every night, she reaffirmed her resolve to save the world, to save all living beings, and to prevent the advent of the Great Desolation Calamity. When she stabbed the straw man impersonating him, her movements grew increasingly proficient.
Yet, when truly faced with him, she always felt a sense of unease.
Feeling the more potent Spiritual Energy within him, Su Bei's mood improved greatly, and the young woman before him also seemed much more pleasing to the eye. Perhaps to alleviate the awkwardness, Su Bei cleared his throat, looked at Die Yi, and said leisurely, "Since you asked what this elder has seen, then this elder will ask you: A crane stands on snowy ground. What do you see?"
This was indeed an interesting question. Perhaps Su Bei was just idly chatting to pass the time with this young woman, but he was also looking forward to her answer.
"What do I see? Naturally, a big white crane!"
Die Yi looked at Su Bei with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he was trying to say.
Su Bei, however, showed an expression as if he had anticipated such a reply. With his hands clasped behind his back, he said leisurely, "That is why you fail to see that this elder is contemplating the true meaning of life! As the saying goes: 'When a crane stands in the snow, the fool sees the crane, the wise sees the snow, and the Zen practitioner sees white.'"
Die Yi's face flushed red instantly. Pointing at Su Bei's nose, she retorted, "You... you're calling me a fool? Are you insulting me? Moreover, you're clearly using sophistry! What kind of logic is that? A big white crane is just a big white crane. Who would specifically look at the snow beneath its feet? And see white? Perhaps that group of Confucian scholars from the South Wind Ancient Country would debate with you all day long!"
Su Bei smiled and shook his head, his face exuding an air of profound mystery. "What this elder speaks of concerns the great maxims of the path of cultivation! When a crane stands in the snow, fools only notice the superficial, moving aspects, thus they see the crane. Wise people are not swayed by external movements and can see through appearances to grasp the essence, thus they see the snow! And Zen practitioners' perception transcends the physical; they perceive not with the eyes, but with the heart, thus they see white. It is just like this azure sky. If you only look for what moves, your eyes will naturally only see a few crows, whereas this elder beholds the entire vastness!"
Die Yi blinked, unsure of what to say. She merely stared at Su Bei, as if mulling over his words.
Su Bei sighed inwardly. His image in her eyes must have grown much grander now. She might even be entertaining the thought of asking to become his disciple! Back when he was merely at Half-Step to Reverie, he could barely suppress Luo Ritian even if he went all out. Now, at the Mid Stage Refining Void Realm, his ability to fight those at higher levels should be comparable to someone at Peak Refining Void, right? Although he knew the gap between each sub-realm above Refining Void was enormous, with so many trump cards up his sleeve... After some thought, he gave a wry smile. Even if he could battle someone at Peak Refining Void, how would that be of any use for tomorrow's battle at the Ascension Platform? Half-Step into Dao Integration isn't true Dao Integration, but it still has 'Dao Integration' in its name, after all. Speaking of which, the might of Sword One and Sword Two was already terrifying. How much of a surprise would this Sword Three bring?
Su Bei gently touched the hilt of the sword at his waist. The scabbard quivered softly, and then streams of greenish-purple Sword Qi began to seep from it, merging into a long, intertwining greenish-purple rainbow.
Die Yi's eyes widened as she watched the man before her. Suddenly, she felt a movement at her own waist. Around Su Bei, all swords began to tremble ceaselessly, as if paying homage to a sovereign. The Qingping Sword had not been unsheathed, yet the Sword Qi merely emanating from it was already potent enough to surge into the heavens and strike the stars.
「Elsewhere」
Xiao Ruoching took a deep breath, feeling the Energy of Great Dao circulating through the meridians in her body. Her gaze, fixed intently on the Saintess, was profound. The Saintess was truly worthy of her title; just a slight hint from her had been enough for Xiao Ruoching to thoroughly understand the Sword Three technique she had struggled with for so long. "Ruoching thanks the Saintess!"
A small thrill of triumph bloomed in her heart. What kind of expression would Master have if he knew she had comprehended Sword Three? Surely, no one at her age had ever managed to comprehend the first three forms of the Sword Scripture consecutively within just two months.
Key Smoke, with a popping candy fizzing in her mouth, was immersed in the delightful crackling sensation—a novel experience she had never encountered before. She couldn't help but grow even more curious about Su Bei, this young man who always managed to surprise her. She stood up and led the three young women from the back courtyard. Then, she witnessed the scene before her.
A greenish-purple long rainbow soared to its zenith, then burst magnificently across the vast sky. Countless streams of greenish-purple Sword Qi, like a torrential downpour in distant lands, scattered from the heavens and enveloped the entire courtyard, as if a great rain had fallen. Xiao Ruoching watched this dreamlike sword rain in amazement. It was as if songs filled the space between heaven and earth, and the resonant hum of swords vibrated through the air.
Su Bei remained motionless, his hand still resting on the scabbard at his waist. The Qingping Sword, formed of Sword Qi, circled around him in the sky like a guardian, lingering for a moment before gradually dissipating.
Moments later, Su Bei slowly opened his eyes and murmured softly, "Sword Three."