After Yun Zhong departed, Xia Changxun also planned to leave. Having gained profound insights while leading the process of reshaping Wen Qixue’s body, he intended to use this opportunity to enter seclusion and potentially break through his own bottleneck.
However, since Wen Qixue and Su Xuanlin were his guests in the Valley, it wouldn’t do to simply lock himself away and leave them unattended. Thus, he introduced them to Rong Mingmo with great ceremony: “You are already familiar with Mingmo. She is a personal disciple of Elder Jiang and holds a respectable position in the Valley. If you encounter any issues, seek her out, and she should be able to resolve them.”
He produced a token and handed it to Wen Qixue. “Keep this.”
“While this is also a messaging token, it differs from the standard sort. As long as one possesses cultivation, it can be used, but it is limited to the interior of Danxia Valley. It is useless once outside the Valley, which is why most inner-disciples have abandoned them, but it should prove useful for your current situation.”
Wen Qixue accepted the token and nodded to Xia Changxun. “My thanks, Brother Xia.”
“Then I shall summon Mingmo,” Xia Changxun said. “She doesn’t even know you’ve awakened yet!”
About a quarter of an hour later, Rong Mingmo arrived at the Cloud Pavilion. She was not alone; accompanying her was a young man in azure robes. The moment he appeared, he tossed a long sword toward Wen Qixue: “Wen Qixue, your reputation precedes you.”
Wen Qixue inspected the sword in his hand, then looked at the youth in azure, asking with slight confusion, “And you are?”
A smile played on the youth’s lips. “I am Lan Qinchuan.”
Wen Qixue pondered for a moment. “The name sounds familiar, but I cannot quite place it.”
Lan Qinchuan laughed heartily. “Indeed, we have never met. I have only heard of your great name and wished to come and spar with you.”
Rong Mingmo hurried forward. “Wait, Brother Lan, Fellow Daoist Wen’s condition is quite delicate right now, surely he cannot—”
“That is not what you said when you arrived!”
Lan Qinchuan patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Rest assured, I know my limits.”
Rong Mingmo couldn’t help but curse under her breath: “You have no limits!” She glared at him. “Once the First Senior Sister recovers, I shall certainly report your abuse of her savior to her!”
Wen Qixue weighed the sword in his hand. “A rare ice-attribute longsword.”
Lan Qinchuan pouted. “Of course. I spent two days scouring our inventory to find it. If I am to challenge you, a gift is only appropriate.”
Wen Qixue smiled. “If you truly wish to spar, perhaps wait a few more days. I am currently in the form of a child, and my mastery over sword techniques is not as refined as it once was.”
Lan Qinchuan waved him off. “Well, that is for now; we shall spar again later.”
Wen Qixue extended a hand. “In that case, proceed!”
Lan Qinchuan and Wen Qixue stood in the courtyard outside the Cloud Pavilion. Su Xuanlin stood by, his face dark, watching the two figures entangled in combat. “Who is this man?”
Rong Mingmo rubbed her nose guiltily. “Oh, you mean Brother Lan? He is the martial fanatic of Danxia Valley. Do not let his refined name fool you; his greatest passion is seeking out experts to spar with. He has challenged everyone of note in our Valley.”
“When Brother Xia sent me a message, he happened to be with me and insisted on coming along.” She looked toward the sparring figures. “Brother Lan should know when to stop, right?”
Fortunately, Lan Qinchuan did know when to stop. Before long, the match between the Golden Core cultivator and the Qi-Refining Level 1 youth ended, marred only by Lan Qinchuan accidentally unleashing a burst of spiritual energy.
Lan Qinchuan sheathed his sword, hoisted Wen Qixue up, and carried him toward Rong Mingmo, saying: “Although Fellow Daoist Wen’s form is small, his grasp of sword techniques remains exquisite—far superior to the disciples within Danxia Valley.”
“It is a pity his spiritual energy reserves are currently insufficient; otherwise, I would truly have loved to spar properly.”
“Brother Lan is not bad himself,” Wen Qixue said, his feet dangling in the air.
Lan Qinchuan set Wen Qixue down beside Su Xuanlin and walked into the Cloud Pavilion without ceremony. “Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Wen, have you heard? The Heavenly Fate (Fate Qi) of the Heavenly Sword Sect has begun to dissipate.”
Wen Qixue, who had been admiring the ice-attribute sword Lan Qinchuan had gifted him, paused. “Heavenly Fate… dissipated?”
Lan Qinchuan poured himself a cup of water, drank, and nodded. “Yes. I was traveling with Qin Yuyue and stayed for a time at the Tianhuan Sect. Their disciples mentioned it. Since the Tianhuan Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect are both based in the Western Continent, their news travels much faster than ours.”
“They say the Heavenly Sword Sect is already in turmoil. Now, everyone in the sect is desperate to find your legacy.”
Wen Qixue: “…”
Rong Mingmo couldn’t help but let out a sharp laugh. She covered her mouth, but the laughter still escaped. “Pfft, my apologies, but… hahaha…”
Wen Qixue looked at her. “If you wish to laugh, then laugh.”
“Hahahahaha…”
Su Xuanlin looked at Wen Qixue. “Xue-ge, you…”
Wen Qixue’s expression remained calm, as if the news did not perturb him in the slightest. “It is fine.”
“I am merely surprised. The Heavenly Fate of the Heavenly Sword Sect has existed for over a decade; why would it begin to dissipate now?”
Lan Qinchuan shrugged. “That, I do not know. I went to investigate out of curiosity, but I could discern nothing.”
Rong Mingmo stopped laughing, wiped away a tear, and straightened her posture. “Cough, that is normal. After all, phenomena like Heavenly Fate can usually only be seen by the word-spirit cultivators of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Brother Lan is a sword cultivator; naturally, he would not see it.”
“Has there been any word from the Heavenly Sword Sect?”
Lan Qinchuan pursed his lips. “They deny everything, of course, claiming there is no such thing. But I suspect there is.”
Su Xuanlin had no interest in Heavenly Fate, but he was angry. “What does the dissipation of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s fate have to do with Xue-ge? Why are they searching for his legacy?”
Lan Qinchuan smiled mysteriously. “The dissipation of the Heavenly Fate is not confirmed, but its existence is. Without it, the Heavenly Sword Sect could never have been elevated to the same standing as the Tianhuan Sect. If that fate truly begins to dissipate, the Heavenly Sword Sect is in for a rude awakening.”
It wasn’t obvious yet, but if their fate were to dissipate entirely, the entire Eastern Continent might descend into chaos. Regardless, that was a matter for the future. Besides, had the legendary “heaven-favored” protégé of the Heavenly Sword Sect not yet spoken? There might still be a turning point. Regardless, it was of no consequence to the Danxia Valley in the Central Continent.
Lan Qinchuan cast the matter aside and looked at Wen Qixue. “Fellow Daoist Wen, when will you recover? Let us have another match then.”
Rong Mingmo rolled her eyes. “You wait. Once the First Senior Sister recovers, I shall ask her to deal with you!”
Wen Qixue pulled a list from his sleeve. “Fellow Daoist Rong, I have a matter to trouble you with.”
Rong Mingmo sat up straight. “Speak.”
Wen Qixue handed her the list: “I need your help finding these medicinal herbs. Some of them may be difficult to acquire…”
Rong Mingmo scanned the list. “Some of these are indeed hard to find, but I can ask my master. He likely has them in stock.” She promised, “Rest assured, leave it to me!”
Lan Qinchuan leaned in to look. As a sword cultivator, he knew what was required for body tempering, and having spent years in Danxia Valley, he immediately recognized the nature of the list: “This is a body-tempering prescription, is it not?”
“Brother Lan has a sharp eye,” Wen Qixue praised.
“Is it effective?” Lan Qinchuan asked curiously.
Wen Qixue didn’t know. “It is a formula meant for rapid maturation. I haven’t tested it yet, so I do not know the results.”
Rong Mingmo looked at Wen Qixue, and after a long moment, said: “Wait, Fellow Daoist Wen, I have just realized you seem to have grown.” She gestured. “When I first saw you, you looked at most five months old; now you appear to be five years old.”