NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6 Leaving The Village, Searching For Great Xia
On the following morning,
Grandfather and grandson both rose early and promptly began tidying up their house. They worked diligently until noon, transforming their eight-year-old residence into a spotlessly clean haven. The young man, carrying a sword sheath resembling a coffin, was drenched in sweat from their tireless efforts. Around noon, an unusual sight graced their table: six dishes.
Li Guanqi glanced at the table, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Grandpa… Can’t we at least manage to prepare one hot dish among these six?”
Indeed, all the dishes on the table were cold.
However, the old man merely offered a faint smile, gesturing subtly to produce two exquisite jade wine cups on the table.
Li Guanqi was taken aback and quipped with a grin, “Grandpa, are you suggesting I should have a drink?”
Su Xuan chuckled lightly and whispered, “Tomorrow, you’ll be departing from the mountain. How can you not know how to handle your liquor?”
The young man smirked, lifted the wine cup, and downed it in one gulp, immediately scrambling for water to ease the spiciness. The rich and robust liquor flowed down his throat like a fiery river. Observing this, Su Xuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter, remarking hastily, “You’re quite the hasty drinker, young man. You can’t down it like that.”
“With such fine wine, you’re drinking it as if you were in a tavern.”
“Cough, cough… I never expected this stuff to be so fiery!”
After a while, the young man regained his composure and quickly devoured a few mouthfuls of food before inquiring, “Grandpa, what should I do after leaving the mountain?”
Su Xuan playfully tapped the young man’s head with his chopsticks, chuckling softly.
“You’ve already reached the pinnacle of Body Refinement.”
“All those years of hardship haven’t been in vain.”
“The next step involves drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into your body, reaching the stage of Qi Refinement.”
“You can potentially live for up to 120 years, your Dantian will gradually take shape, and you’ll acquire the fundamentals of some spiritual techniques. You’ll establish your foundation and develop your spiritual consciousness.”
“At that time, with your intuition, it will be no different than if your eyes weren’t blinded.”
A glimmer of longing appeared at the corner of the young man’s mouth as his pale eyes shifted.
The elder continued, “You’re already fourteen years old, the perfect age to join a sect. It’s time for you to leave the mountain.”
Since he was very young, Li Guanqi had always yearned for the day when he could practice and become a celestial being capable of traversing the heavens and earth with a sword.
However, these eight years spent with Su Xuan had been filled with joy, and he hadn’t expected the parting to arrive so soon.
In a low voice, the young man, picking at his food, asked, “The world is filled with countless sects, not only across the vast Great Xia region but also within the Blue Cloud Continent. So, which sect should I choose?”
He had originally thought that the elder would contemplate for a long time, but to his surprise, the elder answered without hesitation, “Join the Great Xia Sword Sect!”
The young man furrowed his brows slightly. Over the years, staying by Su Xuan’s side, he had learned a great deal about the secrets of this world. However, he had never heard of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Seeing the young man’s confusion, Su Xuan whispered, “Don’t overthink it. While it may not be a major powerhouse, it upholds an impeccable tradition.”
Afterward, the elder and the young man sat in the courtyard, chatting casually and enjoying their drinks. But the young man’s poor tolerance for alcohol caused him to get drunk after just a couple of sips.
He muttered, “What’s so great about this stuff…”
The elder grinned as he watched the intoxicated young man and chuckled, You’ll find out whether the wine is good or not in due time, my young lad.
The elder draped his robe over the young man and retrieved an antiquated, azure-colored ring, but ultimately decided not to give it to him.
We can’t let this youngster turn into a pampered playboy. He still needs to experience some hardship, haha.
Ah… it’s about time… Let’s go…
When he wakes up, the elder thought with a theatrical wave of his hand, sending three beams of spiritual light into the pitch-black sword coffin, he might shed a tear or two.
With a swift stride, the elder covered an immense distance and gracefully took to the skies.
—-
The next morning.
The bleary-eyed young man woke up, not finding the elder by his side, but he didn’t exactly fall off his chair in surprise. After all, he had passed out from drinking too much the previous night. As he roused himself, he opened his inner eye and took in the surroundings of the place he had called home for eight long years, all while nursing a hefty dose of sentimentality. He couldn’t hold back the tears as he gazed upon the map left behind by Su Xuan.
Grasping the map firmly, the young man muttered bitterly, “Grandpa… couldn’t you have slipped me some pocket money, at least!!!”
With a resigned sigh, the young man decided to raid the pantry for any available supplies.
With a massive stone coffin on his back and a bulging bundle upfront, he carefully closed the door with a creak. After an extended period of silence, he finally mustered the resolve to get up and set out downhill. The young man’s departure went unnoticed by anyone.
Li Guanqi had intended to visit the young girl at Aunt Li’s house, but he found the Meng family’s door tightly closed, so he refrained from knocking. So, with a cursory glance at the map, our protagonist ventured deeper into the mountains, ready to embrace whatever came his way.
Occasionally, he managed to catch some wild rabbits or mountain chickens to supplement his meals. In this manner, he had walked for half a month, covering only three hundred miles. The sword coffin on his back was incredibly heavy, but luckily, he had gradually adapted to its weight over this extended period.
He could even carry the sword coffin and move swiftly, with no trouble catching wild chickens or mountain rabbits.
Three months later, a dust-covered young man in gray attire emerged from the mountains. After some inquiries, he finally realized he had entered the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect!
He scratched his head, muttering under his breath, ‘Well, would you look at that – a whole three months.’
He casually tossed aside the wooden cane he’d been using and continued strolling along the official road, headed straight for the Great Xia Sword Sect.
As he meandered through towns and villages, he couldn’t help but overhear the locals chatter about the sect. In essence, they all praised the Great Xia Sword Sect for its excellent governance over a vast area of hundreds of miles, with few disasters to speak of. Even the nearby mountainous wilderness was said to be teeming with life, and malevolent creatures were rarely encountered.
Upon hearing this news, the young man couldn’t help but curl his lips into a slight smile.
Looks like the Great Xia Sword Sect lives up to my grandfather’s description, known for its impeccable reputation in the martial world. He thought, Guess I better pick up the pace on my journey…
In just three days, the Great Xia Sword Sect’s grand disciple recruitment event would be underway.
With resolve, the young man pressed forward, and by the crack of dawn the next day, he found himself at the base of an imposing mountain range. Most of these peaks stood tall like columns, with the shortest ones measuring over two hundred zhang*, and the grandest ones reaching several thousand zhang, as if attempting to challenge the heavens themselves.
Gradually, more individuals gathered around him, appearing to be fellow juniors from various families, all en route to the sect entrance in pursuit of discipleship.
The bustling crowd echoed with complaints. Before them lay the legendary Heavenly Stairs of the Great Xia Sword Sect!
This staircase consisted of precisely 3,333 steps.
The sect overseer stood beneath the staircase, holding a sign that read: “Prospective disciples must ascend the Heavenly Stairs unaided, without the use of any external aids!”
Observing the noisy crowd, Li Guanqi moved through them effortlessly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
With confidence, he stepped onto the Heavenly Stairs.
*Approximately 3.33 meters