Sword Dynasty
Volume 1: Great Rebel
Chapter 36: Selection
The White Goat Cave was not large, and that small temple at
the highest point, like an island among the clouds, was only three hundred
meters above the ground.
Zhang Yi walked and stopped repeatedly while explaining the
uses of some of the White Goat Cave's buildings and its rules. They only
traveled for about half an hour before the important Library Cave appeared
before Ding Ning.
The Library Cave was a rough stone structure carved out of the mountain. The only entrance was a rope bridge that swayed in the wind.
The boards on the rope bridge were slightly black, giving
off an unsafe impression.
The younger sect uncle in charge of the punishments, Li
Daoji, was standing in front of this rope bridge.
Zhang Yi cautiously stepped forward and greeted him.
Li Daoji nodded, then his stern and authoritative gaze fell
on Ding Ning. He stared at Ding Ning and said slowly, “Cultivation is about
leaving the world behind and being undisturbed. One must devote one’s mind and
effort to sensing the primal energies of the universe in order to cultivate as
quickly as possible. Therefore, all cultivation sects are separated from the
outside world. However, there is also a saying that cultivating means merging
with the world. Some people cultivate in the world, and cultivate faster after
experiencing more. Even the strongest cultivators cannot escape intrigues and
schemes. Merging with the world to cultivate means one will not be like a
goldfish raised in a pond of clear water that is unfamiliar when it joins a
raging river. The sect master said that you are a special case, but ultimately,
it depends on your cultivation progress, and whether you are qualified.”
Ding Ning looked into his cold eyes and said, “Younger Sect
Uncle means I can return to Falling Parasol Alley if I can prove that my
cultivation will advance quickly enough?”
Li Daoji’s brow furrowed slightly. He did not know how much
the young wine shop owner understood from his words, but he nodded and said
clearly, “You can choose and study from the records in the Library Cave. The
sect master will adjust and arrange your residence and cultivation based on
your performance over the past few days.”
Hearing Li Daoji's words, Ding Ning showed no particular
reaction. However, Zhang Yi, Nangong Caishu, and the other disciples behind him
were once again filled with shock and confusion.
Although all cultivators used vital energy to attack the
vital energy of others, and the theory of vital energy cultivation was the
same, every cultivator was physically different and possesses a different type
of energy. Therefore, the vital energy cultivation methods left behind by
previous generations of cultivators were very different, and the vital energy
produced would have different attributes.
An extreme example was the True Fire Palace of the Yan
Dynasty. Only core disciples were qualified to learn the Mountain Demon True
Fire Art. When their vital energy moved the primal energies of the universe,
they could only transform into terrifying true fire. Ye Celeng was the only
female bureau chief in the Qin Dynasty who cultivated the Fire-Water Divine Art
of the Heavenly Prime Sword Pavilion which manifested as various streams of
water.
Different methods and swordsmanship would have varying
strengths and effects when used against other enemies.
Normally, when a disciple joined a sect, the sect would
teach them based on their potential and attributes, provide advice, and help
them choose the appropriate cultivation method and swordsmanship.
Choosing a cultivation method was the first step in crossing
the river of darkness and would determine the cultivator's life.
The White Goat Cave was giving special treatment by not
giving any advice and allowing Ding Ning to choose as he pleased.
Even after Li Daoji left again and disappeared, Zhang Yi
still did not fully believe this was true. However, he would not defy the
decision of the sect master he respected. He crossed the rope bridge and led
Ding Ning and the others to the stone building outside the Library Cave. He
could not help but warn Ding Ning, “Youngest Sect Brother, there are many vital
energy methods in the Library Cave, some of which are very powerful, and all of
which are unique. But you must see if there are any flaws or whether they are
suitable for you. You must think carefully.”
The stone door to the cave opened and revealing a staircase
leading upwards.
As they walked from the gate to the Library Cave, Nangong
Caishu deliberately kept her distance from Ding Ning. As she and Ding Ning
entered the cave, Nangong Caishu finally could not hold back and caught up with
Ding Ning to ask him a question. “When you took the Flowing Stone Disc test,
did you intentionally choose the wrong pebble?”
Ding Ning did not expect her to still be pondering this
question. He turned around and saw her curious and serious gaze. He could not
help but smile.
“You did it on purpose so everyone could immediately see the
contrast, right?” Nangong Caishu seemed to see something from his smile. Her
heart trembled.
“I can quickly pick four, of course I can pick all five correctly.”
Ding Ning glanced at her and said softly, “I just didn't want to waste too much
time.”
“From the start, you knew you could definitely pass the
entry tests like this.” Hearing his answer, Nangong Caishu’s brow furrowed even
more. She looked at Ding Ning suspiciously. “This matter is too strange. Even
if you know you're a genius, you should have such absolute confidence. And then
the sect master of the White Goat Cave gave you special treatment and let you
into the library cave without any advice… Being able to pass the Flowing Annual
Ring Disc and Jade Soldier tests, unless you've practiced with them several
times beforehand, are you… the illegitimate child of the sect master of the
White Goat Cave?”
Ding Ning listened with interest, but when he heard her
conclusion, he nearly tripped.
“Miss Nangong, your imagination is too rich.”
He looked at Nangong Caishu, whose eyes were filled with
suspicion, and said helplessly, “A person with your imagination should go to
the Bureau of Astrology as an investigator.”
“Were you relying solely on your talent?” Nangong Caishu's
gaze remained doubtful. She pondered as she spoke, “But since you're so
confident in your talent, why don't you take the entrance tests of some sects
held in the spring? Everyone in Changling knows that most sect entrance tests
have no restrictions except for the Min Mountain Sword Sect and the Spirit Void
Sword Sect. Anyone of the appropriate age can participate. Besides, based on
your performance today, if you didn't cheat, you can get into a better sect.”
Ding Ning's heart clenched slightly.
This was a flaw that could arouse suspicion. Others would
have similar questions. He had to provide a logical explanation.
He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said,
“Cultivation… isn't something everyone thinks about. Initially, I didn't know I
had the potential to become a cultivator until Fang Xiumu saw me, until I
encountered Wang Taixu.”
“Fang Xiumu? Fang Xiumu of the Fang Marquessate
Establishment?” Nangong Caishu was surprised.
Fang Qilin, one of the thirteen marquessate establishments
of the Qin, was already old. However, the Fang Marquessate Establishment showed
no signs of decline, but was on the verge of surpassing the other marquessate
establishments because Fang Qilin had two sons whom others could only admire.
One of his sons, Fang Xiang, was similar to Nangong Caishu’s
father, a powerful general stationed in the border towns. The other son, Fang
Xiumu, was renowned for his love of swords and nothing else.
Although the world did not know Fang Xiumu's true
cultivation realm, even ten years ago, many influential people in Changling
were convinced that Fang Xiumu was the fastest cultivator among all the people
in Changling of his age.
Based on the speed of his cultivation breakthroughs, even
the two ministers and Emperor Yuanwu had declared him the cultivator with the
best hope of reaching realm seven first class among the young cultivators of
Changling.
Above realm seven lies realm eight, a realm few have ever
reached in history.
Someone who could receive such evaluations from both
ministers and His Majesty was a legend that Nangong Caishu should respect.
“Who is Wang Taixu?” Nangong Caishu took a deep breath to
calm herself as she asked Ding Ning.
“The master of Two Level Tower, one of the gangs.”
Ding Ning looked at Nangong Caishu and said calmly, “Fang
Xiumu came to see me, and I learned I had good cultivation potential. But Fang
Marquessate Establishment still gave up on me because I had troublesome health
issues… Later, I met Wang Taixu who was fighting with another gang and wanted
to take a risk. I decided to take a gamble and asked for his help to join the
White Goat Cave.”
“Gamble?” Nangong Caishu asked in incomprehension.
“Troublesome health issues?”
Ding Ning looked at her. “My energies were too strong. I
will die early if I don’t get special opportunities. Once I start cultivating,
I will probably die even earlier.”
Ding Ning’s words were calm, but they were like thunder in
Nangong Caishu's ears.
Her breath hitched. “Die earlier… how much earlier?”
Ding Ning said, “Probably in my thirties.”
Nangong Caishu stopped walking.
Her face was pale. She could not imagine how a cheerful
young man like Ding Ning, with only about a decade left to live, could discuss
this matter so calmly.
“So I'm not the illegitimate son of the White Goat Sect
leader. He's giving me special treatment, perhaps because he feels that
whatever I cultivate might be useless in the end.” Ding Ning looked at her and
smiled slightly. He said, “Another possibility is that he wants to see my
judgment. Cultivation ultimately depends on oneself. He wants to see, based on
my intuition, whether I can choose a suitable method and live a few more
years.”
Seeing his smile, Nangong Caishu fell silent for a long
time. She remembered a saying: some people cultivate to achieve greater glory,
while others cultivate because cultivation is their life.
Ding Ning continued walking. The stairs ended, and a cave
appeared before him, shrouded in a soft light.
This was a cave with numerous ventilation holes.
Numerous reflective crystals were installed in these
ventilation holes. The soft light spread to every corner of the cave, but
blocked out the rain, making it seem frozen in time.
Various books were placed on shelves around the cave.
A narrow staircase ahead led to the inner cave.
Ding Ning stepped into the Library Cave. Starting from his
left, he began to thoughtfully examine the books on each shelf.
Nangong Caishu focused and followed him.
As a disciple of the Green Vine Sword School, she was
fortunate to be able to enter the libraries of other cultivation places. She
needed to take advantage of every moment and explore more to find something
that could significantly aid her cultivation. However, at this moment, most of
her thoughts were focused on Ding Ning.
She wanted to know immediately what cultivation method Ding Ning would ultimately choose.
Notes:
This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a
Chinese web novel written by
No comments:
Post a Comment