17. The Lunar Essence Nourishes Life: The Key to Longevity and Perpetual Vitality

This conflict concluded with a lackluster resolution, ending abruptly and leaving a sense of dissatisfaction. The three individuals departed in silence, with the young man in particular appearing utterly disheartened. He seemed unable to comprehend why anyone would assume that all sword cultivators possessed the clarity of heart and mind typical of the Sword Heart Enlightenment realm. Moreover, the person they encountered was, maddeningly, an actual sword cultivator of the Sword Heart Enlightenment realm! The sheer injustice of it left him feeling as if the world made no sense.

After the trio’s departure, the remaining people hurriedly bowed. “Greetings, Uncle Xiao!” they said. The news that a newcomer to Cloudsky Palace had reached the Foundation Establishment realm as a sword cultivator had already spread throughout Cloudmud City over the past three days. After all, Cloudsky Palace only recruited disciples once every twelve years, so such an exception was exceedingly rare. What’s more, rumors had it that this matter involved an elder of the Nascent Soul realm! For cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, who wouldn’t be at least somewhat intrigued?

The reason they addressed Xiao Qingpei as “Uncle” was due to the tradition of the cultivation world, where seniority is determined solely by one’s cultivation realm, regardless of age. Those of the same realm are considered peers, but anyone of a lower realm must address the higher one as “senior,” no matter their age. Thus, a Qi Refining disciple of Cloudsky Palace who successfully advanced through the Immortal Examination would automatically rise in seniority, becoming the “uncle” to other disciples at the same stage.

“There’s no need for excessive courtesy, everyone. Please carry on with your business,” Xiao Qingpei replied. Though he was filled with confusion, he did not let it show. After a brief response, he continued toward the Sword Dao Stone, for that was his purpose here.

Cloudmud City was populated by both Cloudsky Palace disciples and ordinary people who had some connection to the palace. However, there were no sword cultivator clans here like the Yu family. This was because under the shadow of Cloudsky Palace, such clans would inevitably lose their luster and had to consider the palace’s opinion in all matters. Therefore, these major clans were spread out elsewhere, not even within the same dynasty.

Soon enough, Xiao Qingpei arrived before the Sword Dao Stone. It was a massive purple-brown rock, vaguely resembling a broken sword, placed casually and completely unguarded—because no one cared for it.

He paused and recalled what the first “female protagonist” had done when she guided the evil sword to break its seal. “First, she was oppressed, arrived here, swore vengeance, and then the evil sword emerged…” After reviewing the events, Xiao Qingpei concluded that he could not replicate her actions.

Therefore, he decided to try something simpler.

“Let’s go, treasure!” he said.

A gourd spun out and crashed onto the Sword Dao Stone with a bang. Instantly, cracks began to appear along the surface. Xiao Qingpei reached out, and the sword orb spun in his palm. As blood-colored veins appeared on its surface, a strong spiritual force was unleashed, directly alarming the entity sealed within the stone.

“Well, well, what a delicious young sword spirit!” came a chilling voice. Next, a streak of lunar sword energy burst forth, manifesting as a faint, shadowy sword.

“Did you awaken me? Then offer me the sword orb in your hand, and I will grant you the supreme sensation of wielding the Lunar Immortal Sword!” The eerie voice spoke again.

Yet the only reply was, “Let’s go, treasure!”

...

A startling message rapidly circulated through Cloudsky Palace. The news was so astonishing that within less than an hour, it had spread throughout the palace and even reached the ears of cultivators outside. The Sword Dao Stone in Cloudmud City, which had simply been left out in the open, truly turned out to be a relic left behind by an ancient sword immortal. This was what the outsiders had learned.

Within Cloudsky Palace, however, the details were even clearer. Now everyone knew that the seemingly useless Sword Dao Stone had actually sealed an ancient immortal sword. And the one who had discovered this sword was the newly admitted Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator, Xiao Qingpei.

“To cultivate to the Sword Heart Enlightenment realm on his own—he is certainly no ordinary talent! However, such an ancient immortal sword is not something a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator can possess. Go approach him. If he is willing to gift the immortal sword to our clan, I will personally promise to marry my daughter to him, letting him become our son-in-law!” A member of a great clan at the Golden Core stage, upon hearing the news, immediately coveted the ancient sword.

“Patriarch, it’s too late…” The one reporting this shook his head helplessly. “Xiao Qingpei has already presented the immortal sword to the palace. If nothing unexpected happens, the sword is now in the hands of the grand elder.”

“It’s with the grand elder?” The Golden Core cultivator’s brows furrowed in displeasure. “That Xiao fellow deserves to be ostracized by the sword cultivators!”

...

At this moment, Xiao Qingpei had obtained the ancient texts he desired—all original manuscripts from years past. His offering of the evil sword had greatly pleased the grand elder of Cloudsky Palace, resulting in this special reward. Otherwise, he would have only been allowed to copy a single transcript.

Though the path of the lunar element had indeed lost its legacy, its cultivation theories still provided valuable insights for those practicing the pure yang path.

After all, one may use stones from other mountains to polish jade, and all paths ultimately converge at the summit.

Now, gazing at the half-meter-high stack of ancient texts before him, Xiao Qingpei was overjoyed. These were all the records of the lunar path within Cloudsky Palace! The texts detailed the five major sects of the lunar legacy, each corresponding to one of the Five Lunar Books. For instance, the scripture Xiao Qingpei practiced, “Lunar Longevity Profound Explanation Classic,” contained not only cultivation instructions, bottleneck analyses, and experiential notes, but also the proper method for practicing its techniques.

“Lunar longevity means to nurture one’s essence by borrowing the power of the moon. To absorb moonlight and exhale morning energy is just the surface. To go deeper, one must draw the superior True Lunar Fire of the Celestial Moon into the body, then condense a Lunar Life Pill. One such pill extends life by thirty years and can instantly restore oneself in times of dire injury or danger…”

The more Xiao Qingpei read, the more startled he became. Once mastered, the “Lunar Longevity Profound Explanation Classic” allowed the cultivation of the Lunar Life Pill, which meant true longevity, for there was no limit to the number of pills one could create!

However, he quickly realized a crucial problem. “What is this True Lunar Fire?” Without it, one could not condense the Life Pill.

While Xiao Qingpei pondered this with furrowed brows, someone arrived on a cloud and landed outside his cave residence. “Junior Brother Xiao, are you inside?”

“I am. May I ask how I should address Senior Sister?” Xiao Qingpei replied, stepping outside upon hearing the voice, only to find a beautiful female cultivator waiting.

She smiled at him. “Junior Brother Xiao, I have here a detailed treatise on sword cultivation. If you have time, you should take a look.”

With these words, she handed him the book.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Though he did not know her motivation, she bore no malice, so Xiao Qingpei accepted the gift without hesitation.

Upon hearing his thanks, the woman immediately replied, “Don’t thank me—thank Uncle Taisheng! It was his idea.”

With that, she departed on her cloud, for she had nothing more to discuss with Xiao Qingpei. In her eyes, though they were fellow disciples, they belonged to two different worlds.

Xiao Qingpei was left momentarily stunned, for he had just seen “Uncle Taisheng” mentioned in the plot of the first “female protagonist.” As for Uncle Taisheng’s identity in that story? He was the strongest and most handsome cultivator, tasked with protecting the immortal maiden.