The Kingdom-Crushing Silver Shockwave.
The moment the name left Jing Tian's lips, Qin Yi felt a tremor run through his core.
He knew the weight of those words. This technique wasn't just a move; it was a legacy. Created by Long Yang, Jing Tian's past incarnation as the Crown Prince of the Jiang Nation, it was a devastating art born of war and sacrifice. After Long Yang's tragic death, the technique had been lost to the sands of time, only to be preserved by the Demon Lord Chong Lou and returned to Jing Tian centuries later.
It was the very power Jing Tian had wielded to stand toe-to-toe with the supreme lord of the Demon Realm. Its destructive potential needed no elaboration.
What truly stunned Qin Yi, however, wasn't just the technique itself. It was the realization of Xu Zhangqing's intent. The Sect Leader hadn't taught Qin Yi personally because he had something far greater in mind. He had entrusted Jing Tian to pass down his entire martial legacy.
Before Qin Yi had even realized it, the bond of master and disciple had been forged between them.
"Thank you, Master Jing Tian."
Qin Yi bowed deeply, the gratitude in his chest genuine and heavy.
"No need for that sort of formality," Jing Tian waved him off, leaning back with a casual air. "I've never been interested in Immortal Cultivation. Sure, it's powerful, but the realm is pitifully low, hardly enough to touch true eternity. In this life, I'm quite content remaining a mortal."
He looked at Qin Yi, his expression softening. "Xu Zhangqing told me you have the makings of an immortal, that your talent is rare. He claimed he was too busy to teach you himself, so he asked me to look after you, and perhaps see if I could find someone to carry on my own legacy."
Jing Tian paused, a knowing smile touching his lips.
"Now that I've seen you... You really do have the qualifications to be my successor."
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place for Qin Yi.
First, it explained why Jing Tian, a being who could fight Chong Lou to a draw, still aged like a mortal man. He had chosen mortality. Second, Xu Zhangqing's calculation was laid bare. He wanted Qin Yi to become Jing Tian's disciple for a very specific reason.
Jing Tian was the reincarnation of General Fei Peng.
The Divine General. The Guardian of the Well of Gods and Demons. The wielder of the Zhenyao Sword. A being born not of the gods' creation, but of the primal forces of the universe, fathered by the wind, mothered by the clouds. He was the only warrior in the Six Realms whom the Demon Lord Chong Lou respected as an equal.
Even though he was now Jing Tian, that divine soul remained. And since Fei Peng was born of the void and nature itself, who was to say he wouldn't one day awaken fully?
If that day came, Qin Yi wouldn't just be the disciple of a wealthy merchant. He would be the successor to the War God of the Heavenly Realm.
Xu Zhangqing, for all his righteousness, was still the leader of a sect. He was ensuring Mount Shu's future by tying Qin Yi to the strongest lineage in existence.
"Once you master this technique, you may leave," Jing Tian said, breaking Qin Yi's reverie. "I don't know what path you will walk, but I can offer you one piece of advice."
Qin Yi straightened, listening intently.
"Follow your heart. Go where you wish. Do what you desire."
Jing Tian's gaze grew intense. "Don't suppress the shadows in your soul. Magnify the 'demon' in your heart, face it, acknowledge it. Let it become a part of you."
Qin Yi stood frozen for a moment, the words sinking deep into his consciousness.
The Kingdom-Crushing Silver Shockwave was profound. It took Qin Yi the longest to learn of all the techniques. By the time he was ready to leave Jing Tian's tutelage, exactly three months had passed since his arrival.
The depth of Jing Tian's mastery was humbling.
During those long days of training, Qin Yi had once asked why Jing Tian refused the path of immortality.
Jing Tian had only chuckled, answering with the ease of a man who had nothing left to prove.
"I've lived too long already. I want to experience the texture of a mortal life."
"You know, my greatest ambition was always just to be a shopkeeper. Now? I'm the richest man in Yuzhou. I spend my days with the woman I love. What more could I possibly want?"
He had looked out over the city he practically owned. "As Jing Tian, how am I any different from a god? Life is meant to be free. What suits you is what is best."
"But... you are a god," Qin Yi had pressed.
Jing Tian shook his head. "That was the past. Now, I am just a person, the Shopkeeper of the New An Workshop. And, apparently, your master. Taking on a disciple who's technically over fifty years old, never thought I'd see the day! Hahaha!"
Qin Yi could only shake his head and smile helplessly at the memory.
On the day of his departure, Jing Tian handed him a small, unassuming object.
"Chong Lou gave this to me after our duel at the New Immortal Realm. He said it belonged to Fei Peng and hoped that mastering it would make me fight him again."
Jing Tian shrugged. "But your master has zero interest in fighting that maniac. I've never even looked at it. Since you seem so keen on cultivation, take it."
He grinned, clapping Qin Yi on the shoulder. "Train hard. And someday, go beat up that old devil for me, consider it filial piety! Hahaha!"
For all his divine power, this master of his was eternally mischievous. He stood at the entrance of the workshop, looking every bit the refined gentleman, yet with a rogue's glint in his eye.
"Then, Master, I'll be on my way. When I return, I'll bring you the finest wine I can find."
"Bah, keep the wine. Your mistress prefers Xiqiong Tea from the western borders, if you pass by there, bring some back for her."
Jing Tian stood with his arm wrapped lovingly around a beautiful woman in red, Tang Xuejian. Beside them stood a young man, their son, Jing Xiaolou.
Qin Yi waved, not lingering on the farewell. He turned and strode out of the city gates.
From this moment on, his true journey seeking the Dao in the world of Sword and Fairy had begun.
With the Azure Edge Sword on his back and a full gourd at his hip, Qin Yi walked.
He didn't fly. He didn't use the Sword Control Technique. He simply walked.
He followed no map, only the pull of his own heart. He savored the landscape, the majestic rivers, the towering peaks, the taste of wild fruit and the texture of the wind.
Countless sparks of wisdom ignited in his mind, fueling his understanding of the Dao.
When the spring rains fell, he carried no umbrella. He let the water soak him to the bone, feeling its chill, its gentleness, and sometimes its fury.
Under the scorching summer sun, his skin darkened. He let the sweat pour like rain, embracing the raw heat of existence.
When frost and snow buried the world in white, he sat cross-legged in the drifts, becoming a snowman, quietly watching village children play.
In autumn, he walked through carpets of gold and crimson, meditating on the cycle of decay and renewal.
This was the process of Comprehending the Dao. He compared his experiences with the ancient texts of the Clear Radiance Manual, but he perceived the world through his own eyes. The fog that usually clouded a cultivator's vision peeled away, layer by layer.
He lost track of the miles. He lost track of time.
One day, standing atop a nameless peak, he finally mastered the realm of the Sword God. But as the energy settled, a sudden, disorienting thought struck him.
"How many springs and autumns have passed?"
"How many times have the flowers withered?"
"What year is this tonight?"
The confusion brought a flicker of unease. The Dao was so profound, so intoxicating, that he had allowed the years to slip through his fingers like sand.
He descended the mountain and grabbed the first wandering cultivator he saw.
"Who is the current Sect Leader of Mount Shu?"
The cultivator looked at him like he was mad. "Chang Hao, Sect Leader Chang! Who else? And who are you?"
Qin Yi ignored the question. "What about Sect Leader Xu? Xu Zhangqing?"
"He retired ages ago! Rumor has it he ascended to the Immortal Realm."
Qin Yi froze. The clarity of reality snapped back into place, shattering the timeless trance of his journey.
"Five years..." he whispered.
"The seas change into mulberry fields, and the clouds shift endlessly."
He looked toward the direction of Mount Shu, a melancholic smile touching his lips.
"Senior Brother Zhangqing... in the end, you really did step away."
(End of Chapter)
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