Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Longxi Peak’s Situation, the Sword Cultivator’s Fate

After learning about the Seven Peaks competition, Zhong Ming thumped his chest and promised to go all out to help Longxi Peak take first place.

He said this partly because he was aiming for first place himself.

But more importantly, Zhong Ming subconsciously assumed that the senior sister of each peak would take pride in her own peak, believing her peak and its Cultivation Techniques were the strongest.

Not wanting to be disliked by his senior sister, Zhong Ming naturally spoke of their peak’s ranking in the highest possible terms in front of Mo Shuying.

However, after he said this, Zhong Ming noticed that Mo Shuying didn’t seem particularly excited by his words. Instead, her expression was quite complicated.

"Forget about first place. If you truly see Longxi Peak as your home, then do everything in your power to secure a spot in the top three."

After a pause, she spoke again. "If that’s not possible, at the very least, you must hold on to a top-five position."

"Huh?"

"Top three? Top five?"

His senior sister’s reply left Zhong Ming stunned.

With the Seven Profound Sect having only seven peaks, a top-five finish wasn’t a high rank—it was third from the bottom.

He didn’t understand why Mo Shuying, who had always acted so strong and even a little cold and proud, would set her sights so low for the Seven Peaks competition.

Zhong Ming’s confusion was soon answered.

After confirming Zhong Ming’s A Class rank was valid, Mo Shuying took out a silk scroll. Then, using her Magical Power, she wrote Zhong Ming’s name and rating onto it.

The scroll was a Magical Artifact that displayed the real-time rankings of the Cub Dragon List. Once Zhong Ming’s name was entered, he appeared at the very bottom, in thirty-ninth place.

This much wasn’t a surprise. With his mediocre Spiritual Root, having broken through on the very last day, his rank was never going to be high.

What made Zhong Ming’s eyes widen was that the Cub Dragon List didn’t just show the names of the Seven Profound Sect disciples, but also their respective peaks and cultivation levels.

And on it, the cultivation levels of the top three were all, shockingly, at the middle stage of Qi Cultivation.

[First Place: Yan Chen (Molten Fire Peak), Cultivation: Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, Points (517)]

[Second Place: Su Lingya (Cuixiang Mountain), Cultivation: Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, Points (487)] 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

[Third Place: Han Yu (Dharma Seal Peak), Cultivation: Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, Points (483)]

[Fourth Place...]

"Mid-stage Qi Cultivation? How are they so strong? Did they cultivate beforehand?"

Seeing Zhong Ming’s astonished expression, Mo Shuying shook her head. "No. They broke through to the middle stage of Qi Cultivation within these seven days."

Zhong Ming: "So fast?"

Sensing Zhong Ming’s shock, Mo Shuying explained, "Yan Chen, Su Lingya, and Han Yu may not have cultivated in advance, but they all come from major families or are the children of our sect’s elders."

"From a young age, they had their bodies refined with all sorts of medicinal baths and Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, making their meridians tougher than those of ordinary people. Furthermore, they were exposed to the knowledge of Cultivation long ago under the guidance of their elders."

"Being so thoroughly prepared allowed them to start several times faster than ordinary people."

"On top of that, they also have precious treasures bestowed upon them by their family elders."

"For example, Yan Chen has a top-grade Magical Artifact embryo, an Earth-Fire Melting Furnace. Although he can’t wield this artifact perfectly, even a fraction of its power has greatly increased his strength and can also assist his cultivation."

"Han Yu possesses a top-grade Jade Talisman. As for Su Lingya, she has a Treasure Moon Toad that can absorb and release the Essence of the Moon..."

Mo Shuying’s explanation made Zhong Ming understand the importance of wealth.

It also made Zhong Ming realize that Yi Yunya, Zhuang Yi, and Jiang Yue of Longxi Peak weren’t truly disciples from noble families.

The truly wealthy were mostly on other peaks.

’Is it because we were unlucky and didn’t get any disciples from truly wealthy families that Senior Sister has no hope for our ranking in this assessment? ...No, that’s not it!’

Glancing over the Cub Dragon List again, a look of surprise appeared on Zhong Ming’s face, followed by a frown.

He discovered something: Longxi Peak not only lacked core disciples from top families, but it also had fewer ordinary geniuses than the other peaks.

’The Seven Profound Sect has seven peaks, and we on Longxi Peak only have four with an A-level Rating. I was an unexpected addition; without me, there would only be three. But there are already thirty-nine people on the list. That means we’re far behind the other peaks.’

Upon closer inspection, Zhong Ming discovered that Longxi Peak and a peak called Bright Stone Peak were brothers in misfortune.

Both peaks had very few A-level Ratings, far fewer than the other peaks.

This scene caused an irrepressible thought to rise in Zhong Ming’s mind:

’Is our Longxi Peak... actually really weak?’

Just as Zhong Ming was stewing in his confusion, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Junior Brother Zhong, you must be wondering why so few disciples from Longxi Peak made it onto the list."

The sudden voice made Zhong Ming turn his head.

And he saw that the speaker was Yi Yunya.

By now, she had recovered from her regret.

Deeply scheming but also resilient by nature, she hadn’t wallowed in despair but had instead approached Zhong Ming.

Unaware of her complex psychological shift, Zhong Ming didn’t find her approach strange.

Zhong Ming nodded and said calmly, "I am a bit curious. Do you know the reason, Senior Sister?"

"Of course I do."

After saying this, she didn’t immediately answer his question. Instead, she gave him a gentle smile. "Junior Brother Zhong, you should know that even with an A-level or B-level Rating, we still have to join the Demon Suppression Bureau and fight against demons and evil spirits, right?"

Zhong Ming: "I know, but does that have anything to do with Longxi Peak not having any top-tier geniuses?"

"It does. It has a great deal to do with it." After a slightly mocking smile, Yi Yunya began to explain the specific reasons. "You think that just because we all join the Demon Suppression Bureau, we Swordsmen will be doing the same work as Alchemists and Artifact Refiners?"

"Er..."

As soon as she said this, understanding dawned on Zhong Ming. Seeing his expression, Yi Yunya’s smile grew even gentler. "It seems you’ve already figured some things out, Junior Brother Zhong."

"Just as you’re thinking, Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, Talisman Masters, Array Masters... those who major in these skills will work in the logistics division even if they join the Demon Suppression Bureau. As long as they hand over a certain amount of Magical Artifacts, talismans, and Elixir Pills each month, they don’t have to go to the front lines."

"But we Swordsmen of Longxi Peak and the Body Cultivators of Bright Stone Peak can’t do that. We are the ones who must fight and kill the demons and evil spirits."

"Even for the sake of our own cultivation, we have no choice but to go."

Zhong Ming deeply agreed with that last sentence.

These past few days of cultivation had made Zhong Ming understand one thing: different paths of Cultivation had different requirements.

Other paths, even those for Cultivators who practice Magic Techniques, allowed one to advance by comprehending the nature of heaven and earth.

But Swordsmen were different. No matter how elegantly you put it or how much profound meaning you attached to it, you couldn’t change one fact: the sword is a weapon of slaughter.

And this meant that for a Swordsman to advance, they had to fight and undergo trials.

You could see the difference even in some storybooks. In those xianxia tales, Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and even Cultivators who practiced Daoist Skills could stay in one place and live like hermits.

But Swordsmen and heroes were always wandering, upholding justice.

This was a life of freedom, but it was also the fate of a Swordsman. They had to fight against men, against Demonic Fiends, and even against the heavens to allow their Sword Intent to flow unimpeded.

And only with a spirit that was unrestrained and free, fearless in the face of all things, even death itself, could a Sword Cultivator become a powerhouse on the path of the Sword Dao.

’This path is indeed a bit too dangerous.’

From Yi Yunya, Zhong Ming learned that the path of a Sword Cultivator had always been the most difficult and perilous one to walk.

Out of a hundred Sword Cultivators, eight or nine out of ten would perish along the way.

Of course, the trade-off was the Sword Cultivator’s transcendent combat power.

One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Techniques—this phrase was enough to show the power of a Sword Cultivator.

’It was better in the past. Gaining experience in the martial world mainly involved fighting other people. And disciples from a Major Sect would be shown some respect by others. Even if defeated, they wouldn’t likely be killed.’

’The martial world isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s also about human relationships and social etiquette.’

’Mutual courtesy meant that while there were casualties when Longxi Peak disciples went out to train, the rate wasn’t too high.’

’It’s true that consecutive defeats could tarnish a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Heart, to the point they could no longer even be called a Sword Cultivator, but at least they would survive.’

’But now, we’re fighting Demons and Evil Spirits. They don’t care if you come from a prestigious sect or a humble background.’

’And to maintain the indomitable mindset of the Sword Dao, the disciples of Longxi Peak can’t just turtle up and hide...’

Thinking to this point, Zhong Ming made a bitter realization. If he had a child, even if he himself was from Longxi Peak, he would have his offspring choose another peak rather than practice Sword Cultivation with him.

Under these circumstances, it made sense that Longxi Peak had fewer powerful prodigies than the other peaks.

After understanding Longxi Peak’s situation, Zhong Ming sighed. But soon, his spirits rose again, and he turned to Mo Shuying. "Senior Sister, since Longxi Peak’s situation is so difficult, doesn’t the Seven Profound Sect provide any support or preferential treatment?"

Mo Shuying thought more highly of Zhong Ming for being able to recover in just a few breaths, despite learning of Longxi Peak’s poor situation and the danger his own future held.

Then, in response to Zhong Ming’s question, Mo Shuying nodded. "There is some, but don’t get your hopes up."

"Why?"

This time, Zhong Ming was truly surprised. Troubled times produce heroes.

It’s hard to become a Sword Cultivator, but once successful, their combat power is exceptionally strong.

And in this dangerous world, Zhong Ming felt that the Seven Profound Sect should be in desperate need of powerful combatants.

Therefore, he believed that as long as the Sect Leader or elders of the Seven Profound Sect had any sense of crisis, they would fully support Longxi Peak.

Zhong Ming voiced all of his thoughts. Hearing his confusion, the sigh on Mo Shuying’s face deepened. "What you say makes sense. Initially, the Sect Leader and the elders thought the same way and gave us and Bright Stone Peak a great deal of support. We were allowed to pick and choose from some of the most outstanding disciples, and resources were skewed in our favor. But when those disciples went out to train, they were either killed, crippled, or otherwise almost completely lost."

"The sect couldn’t bear such losses, so they reduced their support for us."

This outcome left Zhong Ming at a loss for words.

In short, the Seven Profound Sect wasn’t a superpower.

A major power could afford the losses, considering it a net gain as long as they successfully nurtured a Sword Cultivator.

But for the Seven Profound Sect, there was a high probability that even if they invested all their resources and talent, they might not produce a single true Sword Cultivator.

If too many talented disciples died, the Seven Profound Sect would face a generational gap and risk its own decline.

As Zhong Ming fell silent, Mo Shuying continued, "Right now, the sect’s attitude toward us is split into two factions. One faction is on our side, believing the Seven Profound Sect cannot lose its sharpest blade, as that would lead to its gradual decline. Therefore, they believe that no matter the losses, we must nurture Sword Cultivators."

"The other faction believes that continued support consumes too many resources and talented individuals. They think we won’t even have to wait for the distant future; in thirty to fifty years at most, the Seven Profound Sect will completely collapse."

At this point, Mo Shuying’s gaze fell solemnly on the four of them: Zhong Ming, Xue Yao, Yi Yunya, and Zhuang Yi.

"Right now, the two factions are still endlessly debating, and your performance will, to a certain extent, influence the sect’s decision!"

"This concerns the future of Longxi Peak, and it is also inextricably linked to all of you."

"If you can prove your abilities and convince the sect to give its full support, your resources and benefits will be ten times what they are now."