C15 The First Time in the World

Shuo Yunfei and Chu Tian traversed the endless grasslands. As soon as they stepped beyond the borders of Yizera, Yunfei sold their two prized horses, along with Chu Tian, in exchange for food and medicine, which he stored in his storage ring. He explained that they were nearing the Hundred Blade Sect and no longer needed the horses. Chu Tian suspected that Yunfei might be short on funds, hence the need to barter the horses for supplies.

After half a month away from home, they still hadn't arrived at the Hundred Blade Sect. Chu Tian, growing impatient, questioned Shuo Yunfei, "Master, how come we haven't arrived yet? It's been half a month. You're a master of swordsmanship and a powerful cultivator. Why can't we just instantly return to the Hundred Blade Sect?"

Yunfei chuckled in response, "What's the rush, young man? Tell me, what places have we passed through these last few weeks?"

Chu Tian, a scion of Yizera's Prime Minister, was well-versed in geography and local customs. He confidently recounted their journey, "For the first six days, we were within Yizera's borders, which goes without saying. Over the next nine days, we spent two in Fang Country and three in Liu Country. After leaving Liu Country, we exited Southreach. We've been on this grassland for four days now. Master, you said the Hundred Blade Sect was close by. Why haven't we seen it since leaving Southreach?" Chu Tian was eager to determine the exact location of the Hundred Blade Sect, wondering if it had ceased to exist and whether he was the first disciple they had taken in years.

"Do you know where we are right now?" inquired Yunfei.

Without hesitation, Chu Tian replied, "We departed from the southern gate of the capital, without any major detours, heading straight south. This must be the Southern Domain."

"Correct. Our mortal realm is divided into four major regions: east, south, west, and north. The areas closest to the center are known as the Tian Continent, with Yizera situated in the Southreach Continent. The very heart of the world is the Free Land, home to the main gates of various sects," Yunfei explained, enlightening Chu Tian on the mortal world's geography.

Chu Tian was already well-versed in the information presented, finding nothing noteworthy to discuss. Noticing Chu Tian's nonchalant demeanor, Shuo Yunfei probed further, "Are you aware of the differences among the various sects distributed across the southeast, northwest, and northeast regions?"

Caught off guard, Chu Tian realized he was indeed ignorant of such details. This was not the kind of knowledge accessible through Chu Wuhan's court documents.

"I don't know," Chu Tian admitted earnestly, without any pretense.

Shuo Yunfei commended, "The willingness to acknowledge one's own gaps in knowledge is the first step towards progress. We both understand that the classification of individuals based on their power includes realms such as Martial Warrior, Martial Master, Martial Ancestor, Spiritual Profound, Spiral of Ascension, Saint King, Great Emperor, Celestial, and Supreme. These are universally recognized across both the mortal and divine realms. However, each sect in the mortal world has its unique strengths. Despite a common hierarchy, the sects from the southeast, north, south, east, and west each have their distinct characteristics. For instance, the sects in Southreach excel in artifact refinement and transformation, which you've already witnessed during your encounter with the two elders of Coldtalons. The sects in Northreach specialize in summoning and commanding spirits, with necromancy being their expertise. Eastreach sects have carved a unique path, mastering the rare power of light, while those in Westeria are adept at creation, using artifacts to triumph over adversaries. Nevertheless, there's an exchange of techniques among the various regions, so it's not uncommon to see individuals wielding skills that are typically beyond their traditional scope."

Chu Tian had never considered such diversity among the world's sects. He had assumed that all cultivators simply honed their skills with weapons or practiced Taoist techniques daily. The idea that people from different regions had such varied approaches, with some focusing on summoning and others on crafting, was entirely new to him.

Reflecting on his own sabre practice, Chu Tian inquired, "Master, how does our Hundred Sabre Sect categorize sabre practitioners of different levels?"

Shuo Yunfei explained, "The classification of skill levels is consistent across the mortal world, ranging from the initial understanding to mastery and the establishment of one's own sect, creating a world of one's own, and achieving eternal growth. You're currently at the peak of mastery, yet still not considered particularly strong. Within our sect, we classify practitioners based on their proficiency in sabre techniques: blade aura, blade force, blade domain, and sabreplay. You've just managed to reach the level of blade force. It's quite remarkable that you've attained this level through self-discovery, without any formal guidance."

Shuo Yunfei's casual praise left Chu Tian feeling somewhat irked. He had single-handedly defeated Chang Qianyu with his sabreplay, and yet Shuo Yunfei's comment that he was "rarely seen" came off as dismissive, almost like a veiled insult.

Sensing Chu Tian's irritation, Shuo Yunfei probed, "Do you truly believe you were the one who defeated Chang Qianyu?"

Chu Tian, his pride wounded, retorted with a mix of anger and embarrassment, "Was there someone else assisting me that day?"

In response, Shuo Yunfei extended his palm before Chu Tian, revealing a small black knife. Despite its size, Chu Tian recognized it instantly as the nameless knife he had wielded that day.

"This blade is known as the Ink Blade," Shuo Yunfei boasted, a hint of pride in his voice. "I spent an entire year refining it, forgoing food and drink, battling with the consciousness lingering on the remnants of a divine corpse. It was as dark as ink and malleable like it too, hence the name. The Divine Sense within it hasn't fully dissipated and has been sealed by me, making it wildly ferocious. Anyone slain by this blade has their soul shattered, beyond any hope of revival. You managed to strike Chang Qianyu because of the Ink Blade I entrusted to you. Did you really think you could have gravely injured a Coldtalons elder who was taking you seriously?"

Chu Tian fell silent, uncomfortable with Shuo Yunfei's blunt revelation. Such a face-saving teaching style was bound to breed discontent.

Seeing Chu Tian's silence, Shuo Yunfei decided to offer a glimmer of hope. "My disciple, why so quiet? You may not be strong now, but in two years, Chang Qianyu will be like a powerless child before you. Oh, are you upset? I've given you a blade; are you still angry?"

Chu Tian's mood lifted instantly, and he asked with a beaming smile, "Master, what kind of blade is it?"

Chu Tian's swift change of heart left Shuo Yunfei torn between laughter and exasperation. Reluctantly, he retrieved his Storage Ring and pulled out an adorably pristine white skull. Despite being a skull, it was surprisingly endearing. It wasn't the usual fearsome skull with a gaping mouth and dark eye sockets; this one was fist-sized, with a sealed mouth and shallow eye sockets, lacking any hint of horror.

Chu Tian couldn't resist asking, "Master, what is this?"

Shuo Yunfei explained, "This skull belonged to a god who fell during the Divine War. I found it alongside the remnants of the ink blade. I've kept this skull with the intention of forging it into a weapon, but it's proven to be quite peculiar. Even though I successfully refined it, it has never obeyed me, remaining just an ordinary skull in my possession. I suspect that the owner of this skull was an enemy of the ink blade's owner, and since I've been tainted with the essence of the ink blade, the skull refuses to serve me. Today, I'm passing it on to you to see if you can wield it."

Holding the skull, Chu Tian felt nothing unusual. He cast a skeptical glance at Shuo Yunfei, "I'm not sensing any reaction, Master."

"Try infusing your energy into the skull."

As Chu Tian directed his energy into the skull, it began to transform. The skull morphed into a handguard, and in his grasp was a semi-transparent purple mist emanating from the skull's eye sockets, startling him. "Master, this mist isn't toxic, is it?"

Shuo Yunfei shook his head, "Not at all. If it were, you'd have been dead long ago."

Chu Tian gave Shuo Yunfei a sidelong glance, increasingly aware that his master was quite the playful elder, only feigning profundity in the presence of others while being quite the joker in private.

"See, the mist is actually contained within your blade and doesn't disperse. Your blade is essentially a transparent beam of light. It's possible that the original owner of this skull ascended from the Eastreach in their lifetime. As for the mist, I can't quite explain it—it may be related to the cause of his death," Shuo Yunfei's analysis reassured Chu Tian that he wouldn't be inexplicably harmed by his own master.