Chapter Sixty-Six: Let Him Meet That Person Too

On Peach Blossom Cliff, inside the wooden cabin.

After the four entered, Master Tianhe moved with exceptional caution, flicking a rapid succession of finger rays into the door and walls, severing any chance of outside detection.

Once he finished, Tianhe seized Fang Junmei’s arm, much as Chunyu Qian had moments ago, and began his own examination.

“Uncle Chunyu, what has happened?” Fan Lanzhou asked, his demeanor still calm.

Chunyu Qian gave a monster’s sly chuckle and replied, “See for yourself what’s happening inside this boy’s body.”

At these words, Fan Lanzhou grasped Fang Junmei’s other arm.

A stream of golden light immediately imprinted itself upon his mind. This golden light emanated from the bones of Fang Junmei’s arm where his hand lay—bones that seemed etched with countless golden brands, emitting twinkling golden radiance that continuously shimmered. It was not dazzling, but undeniably real.

Fang Junmei’s bones seemed to have turned to gold, and in that golden aura was a palpable sharpness.

“Has the Way of the Sword entered his bones?” Fan Lanzhou could not help but exclaim.

This was one of the manifestations of Sword into Bone. Fan Lanzhou himself had achieved this realm only at the late Mortal Dust stage—how could he not recognize it? The two most outstanding among the Peach Blossom Sword Sect—Gu Xijin and Long Jinyi—had both succeeded in grasping Sword into Bone at the mid-Mortal Dust stage.

But for Fang Junmei to attain it so early, at the initial stage, could it be his perception was even more terrifying than Gu Xijin’s and Long Jinyi’s?

Pills!

Just as this thought struck him, Fan Lanzhou’s mind flashed with understanding.

“Uncle, you couldn’t have refined the Bone-Penetrating Pill, could you? Was that the last pill Junmei took?”

Fan Lanzhou looked at Chunyu Qian in disbelief.

Chunyu Qian gave a proud smile and said, “Lanzhou, look again, look carefully—examine his blood.”

Obeying, Fan Lanzhou peered once more.

Now, the blood within Fang Junmei’s body showed signs of strangeness as well, faintly glowing with gold—though the light was weak.

“This is—Sword Tempered by Blood?”

Fan Lanzhou’s voice stuttered, his face now utterly shocked. Sword Tempered by Blood was a realm he had only heard of, never attained, and could not be certain.

“More precisely, it is only half of Sword Tempered by Blood, not the complete realm. The Blood-Tempering Pill I refined fell short—it’s not the genuine article,” Chunyu Qian admitted, his face tinged with embarrassment. For one who prided himself on his alchemical skills, such an admission was nearly fatal.

Fan Lanzhou gave a soft ‘oh’. Even so, for Chunyu Qian to refine such a pill was worthy of admiration, and Fang Junmei’s fortune was astonishing.

Tianhe and Fan Lanzhou withdrew their hands together.

All fell into thought. Fang Junmei remained silent, knowing that, for now, it was not his place to speak. As for the changes in his body, he had already guessed at them; confirmation brought both irrepressible joy and a trace of regret.

…

“Why was it not the genuine Blood-Tempering Pill?” Tianhe posed the question to Chunyu Qian.

Chunyu Qian briefly recounted how he’d obtained the formula. “Some of the ingredients, I substituted based on my own experience and speculation. The result, as expected, was inferior to the true pill—otherwise, this boy would already have reached the second realm of the Sword Way.”

Tianhe nodded, though disappointment clouded his eyes. “Are the ingredients rare? Difficult to gather?”

“Extremely so. It took me a hundred years to assemble a single set. Some of the herbs are all but impossible to chance upon, and I was lucky to succeed in refining it in one try.”

“How many pills did you make, and how many remain?” Tianhe pressed on—such a pill would be of immense benefit to the sect.

“Three in total. My eldest disciple, Tao Xi, used one, but it seems his fortune and temperament, his devotion to the sword, all fell short of this boy’s—he didn’t even manage Sword into Bone. The last one is still with me.”

The old man did not conceal this from Tianhe.

“How many know you have such a pill?” Tianhe’s tone grew heavy. If word got out, disaster would follow, perhaps even the sect’s annihilation.

Fang Junmei and Fan Lanzhou both realized the gravity of the matter and grew solemn.

Chunyu Qian considered. “Besides Tao Xi, there’s Shede, and—oh yes, your Xiaoman from the Unmoving Peak.”

This last was directed at Fan Lanzhou.

“Why would Xiaoman know?” Fan Lanzhou asked in surprise.

“She once sought me out to take on the pill-testing task, but I refused.”

He said no more, but all sensed there was more to the story. Yet, since Chunyu Qian did not elaborate and Yang Xiaoman’s knowledge was now a fact, no one pressed further.

“Order them—under no circumstances is news of this pill to spread. Only we seven may know of its existence. Otherwise, the Sword Palace of the Five Demon Sects will stop at nothing to seize it, and sword sects from other lands might come as well—our sect would face ruin,” Tianhe instructed gravely.

All three nodded.

Tianhe’s face finally relaxed a little.

…

“Junmei, this competition ought to have been your grand stage, to astonish the cultivation world and gain renown. But I must bar you from participating. If you step onto that platform, your abilities will inevitably be revealed for the sake of victory.”

Tianhe looked at Fang Junmei, his tone stern.

Fang Junmei was taken aback, and slowly turned his gaze toward a spot beyond the computer screen.

Old Gao, wasn’t the script written differently? Wasn’t I supposed to shine, seize first place, and stun the entire sect and cultivation world? Isn’t this the classic protagonist’s path? Didn’t we agree to set aside lofty restraint and rewrite for a more mainstream story?

After his moment’s pause, Fang Junmei managed a wry smile and nodded, signaling his understanding of Tianhe’s reasoning.

But to say he felt no regret would be a lie. He did not crave the spotlight, but missing this competition, missing the chance to face true masters, was a loss—and now he couldn’t contribute to saving Unmoving Peak.

His eyes flickered over to Chunyu Qian. That old fox must have planned this from the start: to stop him after his success, and yet use the promise of the competition and the salvation of Unmoving Peak as bait to coax him into testing the pill. Truly, he was too naive.

Chunyu Qian seemed to sense his thoughts and laughed heartily.

“Grandmaster!” Fan Lanzhou suddenly spoke.

The other three turned to him.

A sly, foxlike smile played on Fan Lanzhou’s face. “Junmei is already halfway into Sword Tempered by Blood. If he were to compete, breaking into the top four of the Mortal Dust group would be more than possible—he might even contend for first place. For you to prevent him now, is it not too unfair to our Unmoving Peak?”

“You three never counted his strength in your calculations, did you?” Tianhe gave a wily smile.

Fan Lanzhou returned the smile. “Whether counted or not, Junmei is one of us.”

Tianhe considered, then nodded. “Very well. In the end, you Unmoving Peak are making this sacrifice for the sake of the sect. State your demands.”

He paused, his tone suddenly stern. “If you wish me to guarantee Unmoving Peak’s inner-sect status outright, do not bother. I will not agree; I cannot answer to Elder Ning.”

This man was nothing if not principled.

“I know my limits. What I ask is only on behalf of Junmei. Since he cannot compete, he forfeits all reward.”

Fan Lanzhou grew serious, casting a glance at Fang Junmei, signaling him to leave this matter in his hands.

Fang Junmei had no objection. Even if he were told to make demands, he wouldn’t know what to ask for; he knew too little of the cultivation world, let alone the prizes.

“My first request: I want my junior brother to have the same opportunity as the champion of the Dao Embryo group—to visit the Sword Dao Elder.”

As soon as these words fell, Tianhe’s face darkened, torn between laughter and exasperation, while Chunyu Qian grinned mischievously.

Such a first request—to demand the same treatment as the top of the Dao Embryo group—Fan Lanzhou truly dared! So much for knowing his limits!