Li Fuyao didn’t know what happened outside, as he was completely wrapped up in climbing the mountain. After he walked merely a few steps on the passage, it suddenly became open and clear. As soon as he stepped out, there was a path made of bluestone with trees that he had never seen on both sides. These unknown trees were big, tall and straight, and every trunk was like the blade of a sharp sword. They all stood straight on both sides of the mountain path. When he looked into the distance through the path, he couldn’t see the end. In the distance, everything was covered under the cloud and fog, and he couldn’t see clearly how many more trees there were. It looked unusual.
Li Fuyao moved forward, following the trees that he didn’t know the name.
When Li Fuyao climbed Menchen Mountain earlier, because of Chao Qingqiu’s sword Qi, every time he took a step, he seemed to be stabbed hundreds of times, and the pain made him feel uncomfortable. The people under the mountain had said that it was much more difficult to climb Sword Mountain, so Li Fuyao thought he would suffer much more when he climbed this mountain, but there was nothing unusual with this mountain path, and as he was walking up, he didn’t feel it was difficult.
Li Fuyao held Xie Lu’s sword Light Snow before his chest and thought that he would try every means to keep his life at the critical moment. It didn’t matter if he would pay a price for climbing Sword Mountain, but if the price was his life, he wouldn’t agree anyway.
The mountain path in front of him was the same, but when he walked forward, he saw something rare in the forests on both sides. Some huge birds circled around in the forest and looked at Li Fuyao occasionally with evil intentions in their eyes, but he didn’t know why they didn’t rush out of the forest to attack him.
Li Fuyao frowned slightly and walked forward more slowly, but he climbed the mountain all the time. He held Light Snow in his arms, even with one hand on the sword handle. He didn’t want to throw this sword down the cliff immediately to let Xie Lu notice the situation on the mountain. Instead, he prepared to unsheathe the sword to resist the enemy at any time, but his posture appeared funny.
After he walked a few more steps, the mountain path made of bluestone became a path with black stones. The part connected with the bluestones looked weird. Li Fuyao stood in front of the first black stone for a long time and then finally stepped on it.
“Is it the start?”
After he stepped on this black stone, Li Fuyao couldn’t see anything almost at once. When he could see again, the thing before his eyes was not the mountain path but several peaks standing in the clouds. One man and one woman stood on the nearest two peaks respectively.
The man dressed in a white robe had a sword on his waist and his long black hair was hung on the shoulders at the back casually. While the woman on the other peak wore red clothes and also had a sword. Her face was beautiful but she looked indifferent. When she turned her head, Li Fuyao met her eyes, to see nothing else but many stars in them.
Looking at Li Fuyao who stood on this side of the cliff of displacement, the man in white smiled peacefully. “Xie Chen, this little guy holds Light Snow before his chest. Needless to say, he must be related to your Xie family, so shall I unsheathe my sword today?”
The woman in red named Xie Chen raised her head. “Lu Changyan, if you are itchy, just start as you want to. Why do you find a reason to make fun of me?”
Lu Changyan laughed and didn’t say more. He turned his head and looked at Li Fuyao, saying indifferently, “All people who climbed the mountain had to be stabbed by me or Xie Chen, and you are not an exception, but when I stab you, you can use your sword to resist. However, you can’t blame me if it’s more dangerous.”
Li Fuyao asked, “If I can’t resist this attack, I wouldn’t be able to climb the mountain, right?”
Lu Changyan looked calm and replied gently, “Little man, in the past six thousand years, nobody could resist my attack when he climbed the mountain. Even Chao Qingqiu who is kind of powerful spat blood under my sword that year.”
Li Fuyao furrowed his brows and thought, “Even Chao Qingqiu couldn’t resist this man’s sword when he climbed the mountain. Can I resist it?”
Li Fuyao didn’t want to think more and just cupped his hands. “Master, please.”
Lu Changyan didn’t show mercy. When he was speaking, a sword ray brightened the sky, and then a wisp of fierce sword Qi showed up next to the cliff of displacement. There was countless sword intent around Li Fuyao slapping him severely, like a furious storm.
Li Fuyao didn’t know which stage Lu Changyan was at, but this attack with his sword was more violent than any swordsman’s he had seen.
As the sword Qi intruded Li Fuyao’s body constantly, his skin had been cut off and there were many blood stains on him. After the sharp sword Qi cut his skin, it didn’t disappear but stayed on the wounds, so he felt more pain.
The strong pain stimulated Li Fuyao’s nerve and made him open his eyes wide. Big sweat drops emerged on his forehead and then fell on the dust.
The woman in red Xie Chen stood at the peak and didn’t watch what was happening here. She just glanced at Lu Changyan.
Lu Changyan laughed. “This little guy is the only one who climbs the mountain in these ten years. What? I didn’t stab him too severely.”
Xie Chen kept silent. Over the years, she just paid attention to the members from the Xie family who climbed the mountain. When others climbed it, no matter if she or Lu Changyan unsheathed the sword, she would always spare no effort and wouldn’t be partial.
Although the rules on Sword Mountain couldn’t disciple the two, they had their pride as swordsmen and wouldn’t lose it for such a trifle.
After a short while, Lu Changyan who prepared to withdraw the sword intent suddenly stated, “Oh.” He turned his head weirdly and looked at the cliff of displacement. That teenage boy unsheathed Light Snow unexpectedly under his sword intent.
In fact, it was pointless when he unsheathed the sword. Under Lu Changyan’s sword intent, Li Fuyao’s sword was like a small boat which was floating alone on the sea. When there were waves, this small boat was in a precarious state.
Although Li Fuyao knew that if he drew the sword, it might make the opponent’s sword Qi fiercer, and this process wasn’t easy, he still unsheathed it.
However, he thought he should draw his sword to prove something, so he really made it.
He didn’t do it for anybody, and it would show that he didn’t have the burden.
But at the same time, he would pay a price for what he had done.
After he unsheathed the sword, Li Fuyao felt more pain, but somehow, he grabbed the sword and moved it forward to stab.
Light Snow stabbed Lu Changyan’s sword intent.
The man in white stood in the distance and watched it, at a loss whether to cry or to laugh.
He had stayed here for so many years and it was his first time to see a teenage boy at the second stage draw a sword in front of him and even try to stab him, although the sword Qi was weak in his eyes and he couldn’t even feel the sword intent.
After the boy stabbed, Lu Changyan directly withdrew all his sword intent and sword Qi. His sword Qi was arrogant, and he was afraid that he would fight back subconsciously after he found the boy’s provocation. Then this little guy would die here.
But as soon as Lu Changyan withdrew the sword intent, the boy fell on the ground in a coma.
Xie Chen stood in the distance and didn’t look at Li Fuyao’s miserable condition. She just asked Lu Changyan, “How about the effect?”
Lu Changyan nodded. “This little guy has good talent and his mentality is nice, but what satisfies me most is his last stab.”
Xie Chen responded in a cold voice, “Since you have drawn your sword, just let him continue to climb the mountain. The mountain path is difficult to walk on. If you waste more time, he might not be able to reach the top before sunset.”
Lu Changyan tut-tutted. “You still think that he has something to do with your Xie family.”
Xie Chen didn’t say more but unsheathed the sword from her waist. Then the sword ray shone the sky.
Lu Changyan laughed. “Xie Chen, you are still as charming as ever.”
At the moment, the man’s eyes were scorching.
Unfortunately, the female Sword Immortal who was famous for her sword Qi which could spread ten thousand miles away sheathed her sword in an instant and turned around, unwilling to fight without any further consideration.
Lu Changyan’s sword intent disappeared gradually and he smiled at this woman in red. “Xie Chen, do you think that somebody’s sword Qi can really spread ninety thousand miles away?”
Xie Chen responded calmly, “Anyway, it’s not you.”
It was said in the world that a Sword Immortal’s sword Qi could spread ten thousand miles away, and the Sword Immortal whose sword Qi could spread ninety thousand miles away was able to split the canopy of the heavens with the sword at one blow. Within the range that the sword Qi spread, nobody could defeat him.
When Li Fuyao opened his eyes again, the things before his eyes were not several peaks or the man in white and the woman in red, but the path made of black stone leading to the mountaintop.
If he didn’t feel the pain, Li Fuyao wouldn’t even dare to confirm whether he had been in the dream.
After he got up, Li Fuyao picked up Light Snow next to him and continued to hold it before his chest. Then he saluted somewhere seriously before turning around to move on.
Judging from all kinds of information, it could be confirmed that he was the only one who was climbing Sword Mountain now, so he didn’t expect that he could meet another climber on the mountain path. But after he walked a few steps, he saw a teenage boy next to the mountain path who was eating a chicken leg with appetite.
It happened that the teenage boy had a sword on his waist.
After being attacked for no reason, Li Fuyao was not as relieved as when he started to climb the mountain. Facing this teenage boy who was eating, he grabbed the handle of Light Snow subconsciously.
The teenage boy was leaning against a big and straight tree, but after he saw Li Fuyao, he opened his eyes wide, as if he saw a ghost. “Are you climbing the mountain?”
Hearing the boy’s question, Li Fuyao nodded his head.
The boy scratched his hair and asked in disbelief, “You killed the green tortoise in Green Lake and then climbed Menchen Mountain. More importantly, you reached the mountaintop. Didn’t Chao Qingqiu’s sword Qi stop you?”
Li Fuyao heard the boy’s words and thought about them. Then he confirmed soon that this was not a climber, but it appeared that he stayed on this mountain. And judging from what this boy looked like, he must not be one of the tests on the way to the mountaintop.
So Li Fuyao said a few words and told this boy simply why he could reach the top of Menchen Mountain. Of course, the main point was Sword Immortal Chao’s sword Qi.
After hearing that, the boy covered his head and couldn’t control his joy. At last, he even rolled on the mountain path, and his laughter lasted about thirty minutes.
Li Fuyao looked confused.
In the end, the boy stood up and tried his best to calm down. He explained with a smile, “I want to go down the mountain since ten years ago, but with the Sword Immortal’s sword Qi on Menchen Mountain, it was difficult to go down the mountain even for the masters on the mountain, not to mention me. This sword Qi was really weird. When the climbers reach the top of Menchen Mountain, he would disappear, but if somebody goes down the mountain, it would be up to him. If he is happy, he would let them go, but if he is unhappy, he would stop them. I have tried more than one hundred times in these ten years and have been stabbed many times, but I can’t go to Green Lake from this Sword Mountain. Thanks very much. After I get ready, I will go down the mountain. The scenery in the world is so beautiful. How can I, Wu Shanhe, not go to have a look?”
The boy whose name was common raised his hand and threw the chicken leg down the cliff randomly. Then he wiped his oily hand and tried to look arrogant. Afterward, he patted Li Fuyao on his shoulder like an adult and comforted him with a smile. “After you reach the top of Sword Mountain, you will know why nobody is willing to stay on the mountain.”
Li Fuyao kept silent.
This boy looked happy maybe because he hadn’t seen a person at his age on the mountain for a long time or perhaps because he finally got a chance to go down the mountain.
Li Fuyao stood on the mountain path for a long time and listened to this boy saying a lot about what happened on the mountain. Finally he asked, “How far is the mountaintop?”
This was a question not difficult to answer, but after Li Fuyao asked, Wu Shanhe stiffened and looked awkward.
He laughed and prepared to say something, but he immediately found that no matter what he would say, he couldn’t answer this question, so he expressed in depression, “I have never climbed the mountain. How would I know that?”
“You have never climbed the mountain?” Obviously, it surprised Li Fuyao.
Wu Shanhe stared at Li Fuyao, as if looking at an idiot. “Bloke, if both your parents are on the mountain, you will be like me and won’t think so hard about climbing the mountain.”
Many things in the world were unfair indeed. Especially when you risked your life and tried to climb this mountain, you found that somebody had been on the mountain after he was born. So Li Fuyao got angry for the first time since he started to climb the mountain.
It was because he thought of what happened to him in Luoyang City and what he had experienced after he spent so much time in walking here from Baiyu Town. At last, everything turned into one emotion.
He was angry.
But Wu Shanhe comforted him at once. “At least, before you climb the mountain, you have been held in high esteem even by Master Xie Lu. Otherwise, how can you bring Light Snow with you when you climb the mountain?”
Li Fuyao lowered his head and glanced at the long sword in his arms silently.
Wu Shanhe pursed his lips and continued crossly, “Just be content. Master Xie Lu is bad-tempered. Although I have never climbed the mountain, anybody has been punished by her. She can let you bring Light Snow when you climb the mountain, so she helps you a lot.”
Hearing this boy’s words, Li Fuyao was unable to reply.
In the end, Wu Shanhe looked at Li Fuyao with a smile. “Just climb the mountain now. When you reach the top of Sword Mountain, you will be my junior fellow apprentice. Then you can see the real Sword Mountain and will have a chance to see those old guys’ capabilities.”
Li Fuyao didn’t say anything but turned around, continuing to climb the mountain.
Wu Shanhe shouted loudly from not far away behind him. “Hey, bloke, what’s your name?”
Li Fuyao didn’t look back, but his voice came from the distance. “Li Fuyao.”
Wu Shanhe took a few steps and murmured, “Wu Shanhe, Li Fuyao. Aha, our names are almost on a par. But you are merely at the second stage, inferior to me, so I am superior. In the future I will be your senior fellow apprentice, so you will be more inferior to me. Aha, needless to say, Li Fuyao, you will be much inferior to me in the future.”
After speaking, this boy wanted to go down the mountain to have a look, but after he walked only a few steps, an awe-inspiring voice came from the mountaintop. “Wu Shanhe, you come to the way of climbing the mountain without permission. Get out and go to the sword grave!”
Wu Shanhe showed a sad face and protested in a low voice, “Master, don’t do that to me.”
“Do you want me to stab you as a reward before you go to the sword grave?” The voice was indifferent.
Wu Shanhe was stimulated instantly and grinned. “Master, how can I bother you to unsheathe your sword? I am going now. I am going.”
Six hours later after Li Fuyao climbed the mountain, Xie Lu finally returned to the temple from that passage. Seeing Liu Yibai staying at the door, she wasn’t in the mood to talk. She jumped onto the big bluestone and sat down. Then she wanted to touch Light Snow on her waist, but when she reached out her hand, she didn’t find the sword, so she was dispirited.
Liu Yibai moved closer to her and stated in a low voice, “Xian covered up for you in the temple when the old guys inquired about you. Don’t you think that they can find that you have lent your sword to somebody?”
Xie Lu frowned but soon got relieved. She replied slowly, “He owes me.”
Seeing that this lady was in a good mood, Liu Yibai said, “In fact, if I can go down the mountain, I will surely capture Chen Sheng and bring him back for you.”
Xie Lu looked calm and stated gently, “He wants to travel around outside and nobody can stop him. But if he doesn’t go to the demonic land to kill a great demon, I will compete with him on swordsmanship even after he comes back.”
Liu Yibai grinned. His senior fellow apprentice Chen Sheng might not live in peace after offending Xie Lu.
If somebody dared to go to the demonic land to kill a great demon, they had to enter the Ascending Stage first, and only the Sword Immortal could be confident.
If Liu Yibai remembered correctly, his senior fellow apprentice was still under the age of one hundred. Nobody could find a Sword Immortal in the world who was under the age of one hundred.
For the first time, Liu Yibai felt pity for his senior fellow apprentice. Of course, he also felt pity for that teenage boy who just climbed the mountain.
Both the master and disciple met Xie Lu.
The swordsman on Sword Mountain that nobody could offend was not the old master but this lady.