Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 66 - 57: Mountain Shifting Sword Dao Club
August 2, 2017
The club where Shen Qingming applied for the ranking test was in the East City District, less than a ten-minute walk from Shen Garden.
However, during those ten minutes, it felt like stepping into another world after bypassing a few quiet alleys. Amidst a cluster of low houses, there lay a spacious courtyard. The entrance was bustling with people, and six or seven out of every ten people wore long swords at their waists. Among these six or seven, there was usually a cultivator who had set foot into the Immortal Domain.
When Shen Qingming arrived, many people had already recognized her and greeted her enthusiastically.
Even though she was just a newcomer cultivator at the Wind-Rising Realm, she was undeniably an upper-class figure in the vast QingCyan Cloud yun City, even without considering her background. Out of the two million population of QingCyan Cloud yun City, there were only over ten thousand real cultivators, and even including the transient population, it wouldn’t exceed twenty thousand, so the proportion wasn’t high. So even a rookie at the Wind-Rising Realm or someone who hadn’t yet broken through the Wind Barrier at Body Refining Perfection would be considered a significant figure by the ordinary citizens.
Shen Qingming responded warmly and gracefully along the way, while Wang Jiu, wrapped in a simple cloak, followed behind her, smoothly entering the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, there was a simple array that expanded the space by more than double. Five grand and magnificent halls were distributed in different corners, each designed as a sparring venue for sword cultivators of various levels. Shen Qingming pointed at one of them and quickly walked over.
Inside the hall, there were already twenty or thirty people, mostly cultivators at the Wind-Rising Realm, with a few at the Cloud Surge Realm. A middle-aged strong man wearing an instructor’s uniform stood in the center of the hall, unabashedly emitting True Essence Fluctuations of the Cloud Surge Realm Peak.
Just as Wang Jiu began calculating how many moves it would take with his current strength to take this person down, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Li Qingming, is that you!?"
Upon hearing that voice, Shen Qingming’s body stiffened involuntarily, but she quickly pretended not to have heard and continued walking silently.
She hadn’t taken two steps before a girl of similar height but quite different curves jumped in front of her, blocking her path: "I’m talking to you! It’s very rude to pretend not to hear!"
With those two sentences, the attention of everyone in the hall instantly turned to them. Shen Qingming sighed and responded helplessly, "Zhang Zhixi, you’ve got the wrong person, please let me pass."
The one blocking her way was indeed Zhang Zhixi, a civilian genius independent cultivator. A month and a half ago, this smart and capable genius girl was attracted by a unique Hundred Schools task in the Mutual Aid Association. She recklessly practiced cultivation techniques, intentionally driving herself into fire deviation to suppress her realm. As a result, the task was claimed in advance by Wang Jiu posing as Shen Qingming, creating a deep-seated grudge between them.
"Got the wrong person? What a joke, even if you shaved your head, I’d still recognize you! The Li Family Mansion’s ’self-reliant’ young lady!"
Shen Qingming’s expression instantly darkened: "What exactly is your problem?"
"What problem? After all the harm you caused me last time, you’re still asking what problem? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen from the Peak of the Wind-Rising Realm to this state! I wouldn’t have coughed blood and passed out in public and ended up being... resuscitated by an old immortal..."
Shen Qingming was utterly confused: "Resuscitated by an old immortal?"
Zhang Zhixi’s face was livid: "Are you pretending not to know what you did!"
Unfortunately, Shen Qingming truly didn’t know. She looked back at Wang Jiu, and he was equally baffled. Considering how focused he was, how could he pay attention to the artificial respiration issue behind him when he was seriously handling the task application formalities? While they were both bewildered, they heard someone nearby laugh heartily.
"Zhang Zhixi, you can’t just shift the blame randomly. You were greedy, which led to all those events later. Elder Yan was just trying to save a life; what’s the big deal with a little artificial respiration?"
Zhang Zhixi was furious, her ample chest heaving with each breath: "If you like artificial respiration so much, why don’t you kiss that old immortal yourself!"
"Haha, I didn’t cough blood and faint, so I wouldn’t dare trouble Elder Yan to save me with his mouth."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming finally put the pieces together in her mind. She only knew that Zhang Zhixi held a grudge against her over the fifteen thousand Spirit Stone Hundred Schools task and hadn’t realized there was such a convoluted backstory. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
Zhang Zhixi heard the laughter and was even more ashamed and furious. She pointed at Shen Qingming: "You’ll see!"
Fortunately, at this moment, the instructor couldn’t stand it any longer, stretched out a hand, and released a cyan ripple that spread throughout the hall. Instantly, no one inside could speak.
"Alright, most of the people are here, let’s not waste time. Today, there are 5 people for the standard ranking tests, 3 for the rank one tests, 3 for rank two, and 1 for rank three. Everyone knows the rules, we’ll start with the standard ranking. Fellow cultivators serving as testers, please pay attention to the strength of your output; I will be responsible for the final judgment. Alright, let’s begin."
The ranking tests of the Mountain Shifting Sword Dao Club are one of the club’s hallmarks, renowned for their rigorous procedures, and the ranking certificate carries considerable weight. The sword cultivators present are very familiar with this process, and they quickly dispersed, each carving out areas in the hall, setting up protective arrays, and then the clashes began.
The standard ranking test is very straightforward: find a tester of similar level to spar with, and as long as you remain undefeated for the duration of a cup of tea, you pass, thereby possessing standard strength consistent with your True Essence Realm, not hastily achieved by medicinal enhancement.
The standard ranking test is not particularly difficult, especially for the Wind-Rising Realm, unless you’ve been raised on miraculous elixirs from a young age; passing should be relatively smooth. In a short time, five sword cultivators each completed their tests, four passed, one was unlucky to be defeated just as the test time was about to run out. However, the instructor serving as the judge nodded to signal that person passed, instead advising the tester, "Your strikes were too forceful, pay attention next time."
Next was the rank one test, which signifies a cultivator has preliminary strength to challenge across levels: Wind-Rising Realm early stage can fight mid-stage, mid-stage can fight late. Though odds of victory aren’t high, it’s not without the ability to fight back. Typically, those highly talented and with exceptional cultivation techniques are set at this rank. The test procedure is simple: in the time it takes for a cup of tea, defeat three standard rank cultivators of equal level in succession to pass. Rank two consists of sparring three rank one cultivators of equal level.
About half an hour later, the rank one and rank two ranking tests were all completed, results varied, with joys and sorrows. For its reputation, the Mountain Shifting Club held standards for ranking tests quite strictly, especially for upgraded ranks; testees’ performance must be convincingly strong to pass.
After watching several tests, Wang Jiu felt he gained considerably.
Although these Wind-Rising Realm sword fights, in his view, didn’t even qualify as chicken pecking—they were nothing to him; when he was twelve, he could instantly defeat every cultivator here including the instructor—but it’s undeniable that these weak cultivators displayed many novel ideas within the diverse Hundred Schools Swordsmanship.
Unlike the swordsmanship that flourished in an era of war. Nowadays, Xiangzhou’s cultivators wield long swords with less killing intent and more spiritual and craftsmanship qualities, a showy atmosphere. Although many thoughts are impractical, for the Celestial Divine Sword who pursues the Sword Dao throughout life, these whimsical ideas hold significant value.
While Wang Jiu immersed in the test duels just now, everyone’s attention has already turned to the final test.
Rank three ranking test.
Even in the frequently held ranking tests of the Mountain Shifting Club, rank three certifications are rare. This rank signifies a cultivator can perfectly challenge across levels, even across two levels with considerable odds, deemed as defying nature, constituting but a small and unique percentage, and few pursue such ranking purposely.
After all, undefeated within one’s own realm is merely a superficial fame limited to lower realms. As one advances to higher realms, not only does overall strength significantly increase, but also possesses various divine techniques of higher realms; spending time to achieve invincibility in one’s own realm rather than directly advancing in realms reaps much greater benefits. Moreover, truly encountering an enemy, who will engage you in same-level combat? They might simply crush you with several-level-higher True Essence Realm, where same-level invincibility becomes useless.
Thus, those applying for rank three usually either have truly overwhelming talent, cultivating extremely powerful special techniques, resulting in strength far surpassing peers, or are those who enjoy showy behavior for attention.
In recent years, as the immortal cultivation civilization on the Xiangzhou Continent flourished greatly, entertainment waves continue sweeping, with more and more performance artists...
Shen Qingming is certainly unrelated to performance art. The rank three certification isn’t for vanity, but after breaking through to mid Wind-Rising Realm, further breakthrough requires at least several months. With her Immovable Tyrant Body, her strength greatly exceeds fellow cultivators of the same realm, and sparring with ordinary people yields no benefits. Thus, she seeks a rank three certification to gain various club privileges.
Unfortunately, in others’ eyes, this might not be the case.
Just when Shen Qingming walked to the center of the hall ready to accept the sparring tests, a sarcastic laugh was heard beside her.
"Oh my, I say, who in these days would apply for rank three certification at Wind-Rising Realm? As expected, it’s our self-reliant Miss from the Li Family! What, are you showing off superiority again to us common folk?"
Shen Qingming, having endured repeated provocation from this person, accumulated a bellyful of anger, turned to retort: "If you’re unconvinced, why don’t you apply for the test and see? Aren’t you a famed folk genius of the original Wind-Rising Peak Realm? Even if your True Essence Realm has regressed now, your insight, experience, and Spiritual Sense Cultivation remain, completing a rank three test should be a breeze!"
Zhang Zhixi scoffed: "I’m not interested in showy antics like you, but don’t feel too proud too soon; for the rank three certification, you still have to be able to pass it!"
Having said that, she then placed a red badge prominently on her chest.
The tester’s identity badge prominently displayed!
