Chapter 4: The Jade Sword

Qu Yi turned around in shock, looking up at the conical pit where he found himself.
The surface of the pit was extremely smooth, as if shaped by a tornado. Above was soil, and below lay layers of rock, reaching a height of a thousand meters—a truly majestic sight.
“How did I end up here? Who knocked me out and threw me into this pit?” Qu Yi was still very confused.
Though he couldn’t figure out many things, one thing was certain: he had to climb out of this pit, or he would starve to death.
So Qu Yi began trying to climb out.
Huh? These rocks?
He was astonished once again. When his hand touched the rocks, he found they weren’t hard at all. With a light grip, five fingerprints appeared on the rock, as if it were soft mud.
“That’s too absurd! When did my hand become harder than steel?” Qu Yi was somewhat pleased, but his face showed distress.
Too many strange things had happened that he couldn’t understand, some even unbelievable. His mind could no longer bear it.
Enough!
Qu Yi didn’t want to think anymore. He quickly moved his hands and feet, climbing up the pit wall swiftly and reaching the surface in no time.
“I’m alive! Haha… Why does this place feel so familiar? Isn’t that mountain the Hungry Wolf Mountain?” As soon as he reached the ground and announced his survival joyfully, he realized the terrain was extremely familiar.
Now he was sure—he was standing on what used to be the Beast Mountain. Though it had changed drastically, possibly overturned by some force, he still recognized the surrounding mountains, allowing him to deduce his location.
After scanning the area once more, Qu Yi confirmed his location and felt relieved.
“Qu Meng, you didn’t expect me to survive, did you? Since you wanted me dead, sorry—this time I’ll return to the village and deal with you, then wander the world from then on,” he thought calmly.
With nothing in his hands, Qu Yi set off lightly toward Linshan Village to seek revenge.
Before walking a hundred meters, he saw a black boulder hundreds of meters wide at the foot of the mountain, with a white jade sword shining brightly embedded in it.
Qu Yi immediately ran over and arrived at the foot of the mountain in no time, standing beneath the boulder.
Touching the boulder, he found that his hand, which could crush rocks into powder, had lost its power—the boulder’s hardness was beyond imagination.

“I just can’t believe it!” As Qu Yi climbed out of the pit, the exhilarating sense of power that allowed his fingers to shatter stones and break soil filled his heart. Now, seeing that he couldn’t do anything to this giant rock, he grew angry.
He formed his fingers into claws and attacked with all his might!
It hurt!
Qu Yi waved his hands vigorously to relieve the pain in his fingers, yet his eyes kept scanning the massive rock ahead.
Undoubtedly, this rock was harder than even the toughest stones—it must be a treasure.
Qu Yi was convinced of this, but there was nothing he could do. Though the rock was valuable, its size was beyond his ability to move.
However, his thoughts turned to the jade sword above the rock.
With the sword embedded in the rock, didn’t that prove just how sharp it was?
Qu Yi circled the rock once and finally found a spot to climb up. Sweating profusely, he managed to reach the top of the rock.
Without further delay, he went to where the jade sword was and immediately grasped its hilt with both hands.
Pull!
Qu Yi bent his legs, exerted all his strength, and shouted, trying to pull the sword out.
Crack!
Unexpectantly, his excessive force caused him to fall backward onto the rock, with his hands still raised as if trying to slay the heavens.
He quickly turned over and examined this strange sword.
The blade was made entirely of a white jade-like material, three fingers wide, with two edges emitting a cold white glow. Yet the whole sword exuded a sense of dignity and naturalness. At the tip of the sword was a lively ancient seal of the character “Xi,” adding to its mystery.
After examining it, Qu Yi immediately took a liking to this white jade sword. He lightly swung it, making two smooth cuts across the rock, easily creating two straight fissures.
“Besides being sharp, this sword must have some even more powerful abilities,” Qu Yi thought as he played with it.
Where did this sword come from?
……
Above the Flaming Valley.
The Xianyun Sect, Huoyue Gate, Xuanyang Temple, and Yusu School—these four groups had gathered again after the panic caused by the recent celestial disturbances.
Huai Qing, Yong Shan, Cheng Chang, and Qiu Yu, these four sect leaders who were also at the Yuan Ying stage, exchanged worried glances.
“Everyone, the entire Cuimu Planet was in chaos just now. What do you think is going on?” Yong Shan from Huoyue Gate asked anxiously.
Huai Qing, Cheng Chang, and Qiu Yu also looked troubled. The unprecedented chaos they had witnessed was something they had never experienced before, and even ancient records did not mention such an event.

“The planetary tremors—such energy is beyond the reach of those in our cultivation world. I think even the beings in the Immortal Realm would find it difficult to achieve.” Chengchang from Xuanyang Temple recalled the scene and spoke in a somewhat dry tone.

“Everyone, could it be due to the treasure that appeared just now? Perhaps its grade is extremely high, causing a resonance with heaven and earth,” Qiu Yu from Yusu Sect said with hope.

“No!” Huai Qing, Yong Shan, and Qiu Yu all denied it at the same time.

“That light sphere exerted pressure on us at the Yuan Ying stage, but we could still withstand it. I think it’s at most a top-grade spiritual weapon—it definitely couldn’t cause planetary tremors,” Huai Qing from Xianyun Sect declared.

The other three sect leaders agreed, and the scene fell silent as everyone pondered and calculated carefully.

Huai Qing glanced at the three sect leaders, a hint of unfathomable joy flashing in his eyes, before calmly saying, “Everyone, I believe the chaos just now must have caused some disruption in our four sects as well. There’s no need for us four sect leaders to stay here any longer. Let’s return to our respective sects. I’ll head ahead first.”

Yong Shan, Chengchang, and Qiu Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, each responding before immediately ordering their followers to fly away.

Huai Qing led the five Golden Dan stage members of Xianyun Sect westward. After flying thousands of miles, they stopped atop a towering mountain.

“Junior brother, take the four of them back to the sect. I’ll go to a place first and will be back soon,” Huai Qing said indifferently.

Huai Qing’s master had taken four disciples in total: Huai Qing, Huai Jin, Huai You, and Huai Miao. Among them, Huai Qing became the sect leader because he had reached the Yuan Ying stage through cultivation.

Among the five Golden Dan stage members was Huai Jin. Hearing Huai Qing’s words, he immediately nodded, “Elder Sect Leader, we’ll head back first. Please go quickly and return soon. The current situation in the sect requires the sect leader to be there to restore order.”

Huai Qing nodded and smiled, “I know what to do. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Huai Qing’s figure became ethereal as he left the mountain.

……

During the planetary tremors in Yan Yu Valley, besides maintaining his true essence, Huai Qing also kept his eyes fixed on the light sphere treasure that appeared. He noticed that the light sphere was flying southward along with the turbulent air currents.

As for the other three sect leaders, they likely couldn’t detect this, because when Huai Qing was at the Foundation stage, he had encountered a miracle—he found a spiritual spring that purified his mind and sharpened his vision, allowing him to see for thousands of miles, on par with his spiritual perception.

The planet trembled, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became chaotic, and spiritual awareness was tightly restricted, yet vision remained unaffected. At this moment, Huai Qing was flying among the clouds, his face filled with joy, flying swiftly southward. Qu Yi was on the massive black rock at the foot of the Beast Mountain, vigorously swinging his sharp jade sword, pondering whether to rush back to the village to kill Qu Meng now or wait a few days before seeking revenge. Suddenly, a green figure appeared on the rock—it was Huai Qing. Qu Yi jumped back in shock, observing the newcomer. With his elegant and refined demeanor and simple green robes, his immense pressure could not be concealed, filling his mind with thoughts. “Who are you?” Qu Yi asked anxiously. “Young friend, could you give me your jade sword? Whatever your condition, I can help you fulfill it,” Huai Qing said with a gentle smile. Inside, Huai Qing was overjoyed—he had not only found the treasure from the Flame Valley but also discovered that the rock beneath his feet was starfall iron, a material used to craft spiritual weapons. Such a large piece would drive the entire cultivation world crazy if others knew about it, but now it belonged only to him. Qu Yi immediately realized that the jade sword he admired must be of great significance, otherwise it wouldn’t have attracted someone with such power. He had also heard rumors of immortals existing beyond the mortal world. “Uncle, can you tell me? Are you an immortal?” Qu Yi asked eagerly, his eyes shining. Huai Qing paused briefly before smiling and nodding. “Young friend, you’ve even heard of immortals—your insights are remarkable. Yes, I am the immortal as you mortals call me. Now you can rest assured. Give me your jade sword and state your condition, and I’ll help you fulfill it.” As he spoke, Huai Qing wondered how a mere mortal boy like Qu Yi could resist the spiritual pressure he deliberately emitted. Of course, Huai Qing didn’t know the answer, nor did Qu Yi himself. The glowing sphere Qu Yi had encountered was now hidden in his soul world. After absorbing enough spiritual energy from heaven and earth, it had changed from a greenish hue to a deep green. The planet’s tremors were caused by this sphere absorbing energy. Qu Yi glanced at his jade sword, then looked at Huai Qing meaningfully before bursting into laughter. Huai Qing was shaken. “Immortal, I want to become your disciple. As a gift of initiation, I’ll give you my sword,” Qu Yi shouted.

Huai Qing bit her lip, glanced at Qu Yi to confirm his spiritual root, then nodded.
“Okay, I agree.”