Chapter 18: Realm Four

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 18: Realm Four

This was a luxurious horse carriage.

The two tall horses pulling the carriage had strange silver-colored hides and were extremely clean. They shone as if they had been polished with wax. The carriage cabin was made of top-quality sandalwood, its surface carved with overlapping patterns and adorned with jade and gold.

Even the carriage driver was a silver-robed swordsman with a long sword at his waist.

This swordsman was elegant and noble, tall, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes. His black hair flowed behind him, with two strands loosely tied in the middle with a green cloth, and the remaining strands were left loose. His hair would not reach the sides of his face even when blown by the wind. This kind of adornment made him appear free and casual.

He appeared to be only in his twenties, but his actions appeared very calm. When the carriage reached the wine shop, it stopped beside a parasol tree near the wall. After ensuring that he would not disturb others, this silver-robed swordsman slowly walked into the wine shop.

Ding Ning looked at this silver-robed swordsman, who was brimming with elegance and nobility, and his eyebrows raised. At a glance, he noticed the crane-shaped talisman hanging from the jade hilt of the swordsman's sword and discerned the origins of this uninvited guest. He realized that this uninvited guest was related to the unknown Chu person who had arrived here not long ago.

The alley was short. So, while this silver-robed swordsman’s movements were calm and elegant, when he entered the wine shop and appeared in Ding Ning's line of sight, Xu Heshan had just recovered and was catching his breath before speaking.

Zhangsun Qianxue's gaze also fell on this swordsman.

Unknowingly, everyone's gaze was on this swordsman.

Xu Heshan was about to speak but was interrupted by the arrival of this swordsman. He paused, naturally displeased.

The silver-robed swordsman saw so many disciples in the wine shop and paused slightly. When he saw Zhangsun Qianxue, his eyes revealed a hint of surprise.

In the next moment, he kept his composure as he bowed slightly to Zhangsun Qianxue. He said, “I am Chen Moli, in the service of Prince Li Ling. Greetings to Miss Zhangsun Qianxue.”

Xu Heshan’s expression suddenly changed.

Nangong Caishu’s eyebrows rose like two small swords.

Xie Changsheng snorted slightly.

The students around them reacted differently, but hatred burned in everyone's eyes.

Because this was related to an insult to the Qin Dynasty.

Prince Li Ling was a hostage prince of Chu who was exchanged for six hundred square miles of fertile land belonging to the Qin.

These young men of Changling would become renowned cultivators in the future. They bore different burdens than the common people and the poor. Without needing any verbal provocation, they already felt hostility.

Unlike the common people, each of them knew that Prince Li Ling was no ordinary person.

Apart from his status as the emperor's son, Prince Li Ling's history could be described as bleak.

His mother was a court musician and favored by the Emperor of Chu. She gave birth to Prince Li Ling, but years later, because she verbally offended the Emperor of Chu, she was assassinated.

To avoid encountering him, the Emperor of Chu bestowed a plot of land on him, which no one wanted, so that Prince Li Ling could be sent to a place far away from him. It was said that it was the result of pressure from the people in the court. Otherwise, with the Emperor of Chu’s personliaty, he might have used a secret edict to send Prince Li Ling to follow his deceased mother.

Although Prince Li Ling's lands were far from the capital of the Chu Dynasty, to the point where people had forgotten about him, when the Chu Dynasty needed a prince as a hostage in exchange for the cities of the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Chu immediately thought of him!

Everyone knows that the fate of the hostages was mostly terrible.

For emperors with countless armies and cultivators, when war broke out, they would not care about the life and death of a son they disliked.

However, as a Chu person who came from afar and did not possess much wealth, in less than a decade in Changling, Prince Li Ling became a prominent figure.

He had over a thousand dependents, including hundreds of cultivators.

No one knew how he had slowly risen from an insignificant position to his current status in Changling. However, everyone was certain that he must have possessed some unmatched qualities.

For the academy students who had not yet reached such a level, they naturally felt respect and admiration for such a person.

As Chen Moli, the cultivator serving Prince Li Ling, spoke, Xie Changsheng and the others turned to Zhangsun Qianxue again.

Unexpectedly, Zhangsun Qianxue did not say anything.

She appeared like a celestial who had stepped out of a painting, frowning slightly before turning and walking back into the courtyard.

Even Chen Moli was speechless at such a response.

Xie Changsheng was also speechless at Zhangsun Qianxue's actions, but then he noticed Chen Moli's slightly awkward expression. This arrogant young man from a distinguished family felt a sense of amusement in his heart.

He suddenly laughed, his eyes narrowing. The disdain in his eyes grew even stronger.

“You think you can intimidate people with Prince Li Ling. However, Prince Li Ling isn't a marquis of Changling. Otherwise, Miss Zhangsun Qianxue might have paid attention to you.”

Ding Ning looked at Xie Changsheng calmly. He felt that this arrogant young man with many shortcomings possessed great courage. His opinion of Xie Changsheng instantly rose.

Chen Moli's hand subconsciously touched the hilt of his sword.

The sparrow did not know the ambitions of the swan. These two were not from the same world. Indifference and politeness sometimes stem from a lack of concern. In Chen Moli’s mind, these students were not on the same level as him. So his handsome face was expressionless, and he did not show any anger.

To many Changling families, whether prosperous or declining, Prince Li Ling was an outsider. So no matter how bad the students' words were, he still would not care.

But today, Zhangsun Qianxue was the person Prince Li Ling must obtain. This matter was so important that he needed a quiet place to speak. He needed to do something.

His expression remained unchanged. He did not even look at Xie Changsheng. He only shook his head and said softly. “So young, yet you don't even study swordsmanship and instead do unnecessary things.”

Xie Changsheng was still very young.

He and Ding Ning were about the same height and slender build. Even his satin robes were slightly loose. When he smiled as usual, he could be described as adorable.

Yet he was already a cultivator.

The people around him who knew Xie Changsheng fell silent for a moment upon hearing Chen Moli's words.

A chill permeated the air.

Xie Changsheng’s small face turned frosty. He was silent for a few seconds. Then he raised his head slightly, looked at Chen Moli, and shook his head. He said, "I hope your sword will make you feel worthy of saying such things.”

Chen Moli smiled slightly.

He did not say anything.

However, a strange presence suddenly extended out from him. A gust of wind suddenly blew through the wine shop.

All the students stopped breathing.

Chen Moli remained motionless. But the primal energies of the universe emanating from him grew stronger.

Pew pew pew…

Numerous small wind tunnels formed around him. Countless gusts of primal energies of the universe blew out. Even though this kind of speed was very gentle in the eyes of cultivators, the immense force caused the surrounding tables and chairs to move outward.

Xie Changsheng's eyes grew colder, and his expression began to pale.

His satin robes and the robes of all the students around him fluttered in the wind.

This was realm four.

Only cultivators who had reached realm four could incorporate primal energies of the universe into their vital energy during normal cultivation.

Nangong Caishu’s eyelashes fluttered. She was angry but also helpless.

However, at this moment, Chen Moli's presence began to weaken.

A dam seemed to form within his body, emitting a strange sound.

“I’m older than you. If I subdue you using my cultivation, I don’t think you’ll accept it.”

Chen Moli looked calmly at these Changling students and said coldly, “Whoever is the strongest among you… I can suppress my own cultivation to the same realm as him. If he can defeat me, I’ll apologize and leave. But if I win, please leave immediately.”

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

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