Xiao, the One at the Pinnacle of the Way of the Sword
Seeing that spiritual light and hearing these words, Xiao Qingpei could not help but feel a surge of delight in his heart—this “fellow sect senior” indeed possessed something of the heroic bearing of that “Protector of Justice”!
After all, no matter how much he embellished, he could not stray from the essence of sword cultivation, and so, he was nearing the limits of his eloquence.
Thus, Xiao Qingpei readily agreed, “Since senior brother has such a wish, how could I not fulfill it? However, we are in the midst of a lesson, and the junior disciples…”
“Uncle Xiao, please go ahead!” A disciple at the Qi Refining stage immediately spoke up, prompting other disciples of the Cloud Palace at the same stage to echo the sentiment.
After all, the way of the sword was notoriously hard to master, and most of these disciples had come here drawn by reputation. Now presented with a duel between sword cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, who would still prefer to listen to Xiao Qingpei’s lecture?
“Thank you, junior disciples. Senior brother, how shall we compete?” Xiao Qingpei continued to present himself as someone easily bullied.
After all, one must play a role to the end, always making these Qi Refining disciples believe that Xiao Qingpei was nothing special—someone they could easily manipulate by virtue of their family backgrounds.
“Junior brother Xiao and I are fellow disciples, and when sword cultivators strike, it often ends in life or death. Moreover, my cultivation is higher than yours. Therefore, why don’t we each unleash a single strand of sword energy?” The Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke with a beaming smile, keeping a cautious distance from Xiao Qingpei and carefully suppressing any malicious intent.
Unless one’s realm far surpassed the other’s, the state of clarity in sword intent was nearly impossible to overcome. Within the same level, even a trace of ill will or killing intent, once closer, would be instantly sensed. For this reason, sword cultivators who achieved such clarity often lived long lives.
“Let’s do as senior brother suggests!”
Hearing such a favorable method for the spar, Xiao Qingpei would never refuse.
The academy had many residences, but lessons were usually held outdoors—any random exchange at the Foundation Establishment stage could demolish a building, let alone a lecture by sword cultivators.
Thus, the area where Xiao Qingpei stood was particularly spacious.
Upon hearing the terms of the duel, the Qi Refining disciples hurriedly cleared the space and retreated far away, fearing collateral injury.
Xiao Qingpei and the Foundation Establishment cultivator faced each other from a distance. Gazing directly at his opponent, Xiao Qingpei felt the man’s smile was forced, but since his sword orb artifact showed no reaction, he simply noted it and thought no more.
This was, after all, a contest.
Whether in battle or in a friendly match, Xiao Qingpei never allowed his mind to wander.
“Junior brother Xiao, please!”
With those words, the Foundation Establishment cultivator tapped the sword pouch at his waist. With a sharp hum, a fierce arc of sword energy shot forth.
Though the sword itself remained sheathed, the sword energy was unleashed!
Xiao Qingpei did not hesitate. As his sword orb trembled spiritedly in his hand, a strand of lunar sword energy sliced outward.
This sword energy had no distinct qualities, only the most basic hallmarks of immortal power—precisely because Xiao Qingpei was not truly a sword cultivator. Otherwise, this strike would have exuded an invisible pressure, just as the other Foundation Establishment cultivator’s did.
Xiao Qingpei made no attempt to guide it, letting the strand of lunar sword energy collide freely, all the while keeping his sword orb ready to dispel any lingering force from the opponent’s attack.
He considered his own lunar sword energy to possess only a fraction of the authenticity of true sword energy, so naturally, he expected his strike to be far weaker.
Yet what happened next left Xiao Qingpei utterly astonished.
His unremarkable, willow-light lunar sword energy, gentle as a spring breeze, upon meeting that awe-inspiring arc of sword energy, instantly obliterated it and did not lose momentum!
This scene stunned not only the Foundation Establishment cultivator but also startled Xiao Qingpei himself.
Fortunately, his spiritual awareness was strong and his reaction swift; his sword orb, alive with intelligence, shot out as lines of bloodline pattern shimmered on its surface, intercepting the lunar sword energy before it could go further.
Even so, by the time it was stopped, the lunar sword energy was already before the Foundation Establishment cultivator, and its aftershock instantly scattered his hair, sending him staggering back several steps.
Only then did the Foundation Establishment cultivator realize he had almost been finished off by a casual strand of sword energy!
“So this is the clarity of sword intent, the pinnacle of the sword path?” Pale and still shaken, the Foundation Establishment cultivator looked at Xiao Qingpei in a daze, voicing the question that had welled up in his heart.
In previous matches within the Cloud Palace, even when facing those at the upper levels of the Foundation Establishment stage, he could trade hundreds of blows with them before an outcome was decided. But now, he—a sixth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator—could not withstand even a single strand of sword energy from Xiao Qingpei, who was only at the first layer?
In that instant, the Foundation Establishment cultivator finally understood why that boy from the Xu family had nearly succumbed to a heart demon after being struck down with a single phrase.
Now, he too felt the stirrings of an inner demon.
With this shift in mindset, he suddenly felt that his previous sycophantic behavior toward Xu Jiansheng, currying favor for family and personal gain, now seemed utterly foolish.
Shouldn’t a cultivator’s foundation rest upon their own strength and cultivation?
“Thank you, junior brother Xiao, for showing mercy and generously instructing me! You have my deepest gratitude!”
With sincere thanks, the Foundation Establishment cultivator turned and departed on his sword.
From this day forth, he would enter seclusion for arduous cultivation!
…
Xiao Qingpei, somewhat dazed, cupped his fists in response.
Was his single strand of sword energy truly that overwhelming?
He could not comprehend it.
He was, after all, a straightforward and honest man—how could this counterfeit golden core possibly have been exploited to such an extent?
A casual lunar sword energy, able to defeat those of the same rank in a single blow?
Was this something he’d ever dared imagine?
“Could it be that this counterfeit golden core, like the spiritual gourd, possesses some hidden effect unknown to me—such as amplifying power a hundredfold?”
Suddenly, a thought struck Xiao Qingpei, and as enlightenment dawned, he felt a sense of relief as well. It must be that the counterfeit golden core had boosted his lunar sword energy!
At this moment, all the Qi Refining disciples who had witnessed the scene were left gaping in astonishment.
In that instant, the phrase “the pinnacle of the sword path” uttered by the Foundation Establishment cultivator was deeply etched into their hearts.
Xiao Qingpei—the pinnacle of the sword path!
Among these disciples was a graceful young woman, her bearing as elegant as an orchid. She looked at Xiao Qingpei, and a fleeting, imperceptible smile crossed her lips.
Seeing that no one around was paying her any mind, she took out a special artifact she carried, and, using her finger as a brush, delicately wrote the name “Xiao Qingpei” upon it.
Meanwhile, in a shadowy, dim-lit place, there stood a green stele interwoven with wisps of blood-red aura.
At that moment, a name appeared on the stele—Xiao Qingpei!
Then, a hoarse, rasping voice suddenly echoed through the gloom: “Even in later generations, such prodigies still emerge? Ha! Heaven has not forsaken the ancient lineage of the Lunar Sect!”