World's No. 1 Swordsman

Chapter 278: Trapped for Five Years

Wang Sheng soon awakened from his state of cultivation and Dao comprehension. Though he was immediately informed of his senior sister's return, he did not feel much joy. The Small Nether Realm was bleak and desolate, and Mu Wanxuan stood guard alone outside the Earth Qi Seal. Just imagining it made his chest tighten with sorrow.

Although the area was rich in primal qi and beneficial for cultivation, his senior sister barely had any friends. If she spent too long here, she could become even more withdrawn.

Mu Wanxuan had only just recovered enough to say a word or two at once. Wang Sheng hoped that she wouldn't regress into only being able to say "mm," "hey," "ah," or "oh."

Even though he couldn't really do anything else but cultivate, Wang Sheng still worried about his senior sister's mental and emotional well-being. Now that he had thought about it, he realized that Mu Wanxuan's only friends were his friends. Fortunately, Xi Lian had come along. She dragged Mu Wanxuan everywhere, making her a bit more "active."

Having grown familiar with Yaoyun, Wang Sheng didn't hesitate to ask, "Fairy, are all female immortals of the Heavenly Court somewhat aloof?"

""Yaoyun replied."

"

"You've been quite kind to me," Wang Sheng said, then laughed helplessly. "When I first met you, I thought you were like the moon in the heavens—a star in a distant star domain. I couldn't dare speak to you the way I do now."

Deep down, though, he sighed. No matter what his senior sister did, she was always lovable. Even if she didn't like to talk to others, as long as she kept talking to him, that would be enough.

""

Wang Sheng fell silent. After a while, he asked, "Since my senior sister has already reincarnated before, will it be easier for her to become a Golden Immortal than it is for me?"

""

Yaoyun stared at Wang Sheng for a moment. 

Wang Sheng subconsciously touched his chin, thinking he had perhaps grown a beard. After a while, Yaoyun broke the silence. 

"

Her evaluation made Wang Sheng a little embarrassed. 

"Is the Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang really that hard to cultivate?"

"

Wang Sheng's eyes lit up. "Are they the six Great Daos that the Three Pure Ones have passed down?"

"" Yaoyun sighed. "

"

""

Wang Sheng could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Confused, Yaoyun asked, ""

Wang Sheng smiled. "I was at first, but I feel partially at ease now. With you and the six stone tablets here, even if the six Great Origin Daos are obscure and difficult, they can at least be translated into a language we can understand. The rest depends on my senior sister's insight. I have quite a bit of confidence in her comprehension abilities."

Yaoyun snorted. ""

"The Daoist heritage on Earth is an extension of the Heavenly Court's Daoist heritage." Wang Sheng smiled. "Of course, you'll help us."

"

Wang Sheng just smiled and made a mental note of it.

His senior sister's Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang would be difficult to walk in the future. Once he had gotten out of the Earth Qi Seal, he would have to discuss it thoroughly with his master.

What surprised him more was that Yaoyun had given him a rather good evaluation. She said that as long as he progressed steadily, gaining immortality wasn't impossible. He wondered if that was meant as encouragement.

He stood up, formed a qi sword, and resumed his compulsory training after each "cultivation cycle."

Now that he was at the Heavenly Abode Realm, he noticed that his meditation sessions had grown longer. The insights he gained and the Daoist principles he comprehended had increased as well. To top it all off, his understanding of Daoist realms had deepened.

He felt as though he had returned to his days in the Seventy-Two Swords, which he had always thought he had rushed through too much. At the time, he had quickly pushed through every challenge and then reluctantly parted with the formation spirit.

Now, he was trapped in arguably the best cultivation site on Earth, and his "instructor" had changed from the formation spirit to Yaoyun. Hence, he couldn't help but worry that he was advancing in cultivation too quickly. Once he had gone outside, he could face bottlenecks. 

To counter that, he avoided blindly pursuing advancement, and he constantly tempered his Daoist arts. According to Yaoyun, one should not fear slowing down their cultivation prior to immortality. A solid foundation was all that mattered. If one progressed too fast early on, they could get stuck after becoming an immortal due to their weak foundation. They would die of old age before they could achieve true immortality.

Yaoyun had seen far too many such cases.

Hence, Wang Sheng had built a daily routine. First, he would cultivate, gain insights, chat with Yaoyun, and hone his swordsmanship. He would then refine his arts, chat with Yaoyun again, and bathe in heavenly tribulation. Afterward, he would repeat it all over again. 

***

Time flew by as Wang Sheng delved deep into his endless cycle. In the blink of an eye, another two years passed. 

Wang Sheng had been trapped for five full years.

He had now advanced to the middle stage of the Heavenly Abode Realm. Moreover, his Dao of the Sword had grown even more profound, and he had started cultivating using the Seven-Lotus Soul-Calming Method, an extremely rare soul-preserving technique. His grasp of the Shu Mountain's Sword-Controlling Art had also deepened.

Wang Sheng now stood among the top cultivators in the Hua Republic's entire cultivation world, matching his master and the Celestial Master. However, that was partly because most of the older generation of cultivators had already exhausted their "Daoist realm reserves." Their speed of breakthroughs was slowing down, returning to "normal levels."

Apart from his "standard practices," he had also developed some "unconventional methods."

Having endured years of heavenly tribulations, his Dao Body and soul had undergone changes. His physique had become more resistant to beatings, his skin had turned smooth and refined, and he seemed to have developed some resistance to lightning. Moreover, his Primordial Soul now contained faint traces of lightning, forming a "heavenly tribulation soul shroud."

Having been struck by lightning so many times, Wang Sheng had begun to grasp a few aspects of the Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent. At the very least, under certain circumstances, he could unleash it to cause unique effects. 

For one, he could use it to passively draw Tribulation Realm opponents into their heavenly tribulation even if they weren't prepared for it yet. It could also serve as the perfect marker to guide the Great Dao's judgment against ghosts, devils, or corrupt cultivators who had ways to evade the heavens' punishment. 

Cultivation relied on imagination; scheming relied on tactics.

It was just a matter of who would be unfortunate enough to provoke Wang Sheng before or during their tribulation.

***

Upon returning to the Small Nether Realm, Mu Wanxuan began devoting even more time to cultivation. She was more diligent and determined than ever.

Ever since Lady Meng revealed that her junior brother could still be alive, Mu Wanxuan had been considering all the future possibilities. No matter the danger, she would protect him from it.

To cultivate was to master the Dao; to master the Dao was to protect her brother.

In the fifth year of Wang Sheng's entrapment, Lady Meng appeared again and asked Mu Wanxuan whether she wanted to leave the Small Nether Realm to respond to the summons from those outside.

While cultivating inside the thatched hut at the forest's edge, Mu Wanxuan furrowed her brow slightly. "A fight?"

When she stood up, her training attire rippled softly like flowing water. Judging by her expression, she seemed a bit hesitant.

Lady Meng said, "Your master is simply concerned about you. He's worried that you're alone and unattended in this place. I secretly investigated various locations a few days ago and found that the mortal world is currently at peace. They have even begun promoting a foundational immortal art known as the Universal Cultivation Method. It can extend a mortal's lifespan to over 150 years, with the long-lived reaching up to 200.

"They're simply summoning you now to eliminate a few fiends that survived from a thousand years ago and are hiding in remote areas. It isn't urgent, though. The cultivators now are capable of handling it."

Mu Wanxuan thought for a moment. She looked at her phone, long out of power, then picked up a nearby brush and wrote a few words.

"Certainly. Just give your instructions, and I will obey," Lady Meng replied.

Mu Wanxuan nodded gently and raised the brush. She thought for a while, but she could not bring herself to write.

At last, inspiration struck her. With bold strokes, her hand moved as if guided by the divine. In no time, she had drawn a meme of Nezha[1].

She carefully blew on the ink to dry it. Afterward, she handed it to Lady Meng. Lady Meng clasped her hands in farewell and instantly vanished.

1. A child deity from Chinese mythology known for his rebellious spirit and fiery temper. ☜