Chapter 066: Two Paths

Since ancient times, the nine ranks of martial cultivation on Earthstar have been clearly defined. Specifically—

Those of the ninth rank are called Masters; the sixth rank, Heroes; and the third rank, Kings.

“Masters” refers to those who, upon becoming martial artists, possess a status and identity above the common folk. “Heroes” denotes those who, after advancing to the sixth rank and obtaining true energy, become powerful enough to dominate a region, establishing themselves as local overlords. As for “Kings,” this title originally began as an honorary reward bestowed by ancient royal dynasties upon those who reached the third rank, granting them a ducal title.

Of course, this title held only symbolic honor, carrying neither real power nor land. Its practical purpose was merely to appease. Martial artists who reached the third rank understood this well and typically paid it little heed, largely ignoring it altogether.

However, with the passage of time, the nature of this “King” title gradually evolved into a recognized certification of strength, status, and identity, eventually becoming deeply rooted in people’s hearts. In the end, “being crowned King” became the aspiration of every martial artist.

Anyone who could advance to the third rank would acquire a corresponding title—for example, Sword King, Blade King, Spear King… For those who did not use weapons or whose names were known, the title would begin with their surname. For instance, if Su Jingxing were to reach the third rank, outsiders would call him “King Su.”

Thus—

The true title of “Stunning Sword Immortal” was actually “Stunning Sword King.” Yet she was called “Sword Immortal” because her aura was so extraordinary, reminiscent of the immortals in Earthstar’s legends—transcendent, ethereal, untouched by the dust of the mortal world. Her photos alone were mesmerizing, to say nothing of encountering her in person.

At this moment, Su Jingxing was momentarily dazed, but quickly recovered and lowered his gaze, no longer daring to look directly. The “Stunning Sword Immortal” was indeed beautiful, her bearing unparalleled, but she was also of advanced age—just past sixty this year! Practically a grandmother already; Su Jingxing truly dared not think further on it.

Once the “Stunning Sword Immortal” began her questioning and expounded upon the bottlenecks of martial cultivation, Su Jingxing immediately immersed himself, setting aside all hesitation, asking questions and seeking advice as needed.

Though she followed the Way of the Sword, her knowledge of other martial arts—their theories, variations, and explanations—was equally profound. These were insights distilled from decades of experience.

Su Jingxing listened, utterly enthralled. With such a third-rank expert, so well-versed in all manner of martial skills, personally instructing him, many of the puzzles that had previously confounded him suddenly became clear.

This included the reason behind his earlier unease when attempting to unlock the True Energy card, causing him to stop at the last moment. According to the Sword Immortal’s explanation, the first wisp of true energy formed in the dantian of a sixth-rank martial artist was of utmost importance. It determined the future path of the martial artist—whether it would be blazing as fire or cold as ice.

If one’s first energy was fire, then only that path could be followed to the end. To switch to water midway would require reshaping the dantian, abolishing all cultivation, and starting anew.

The reason for this was that the dantian was unique. Once true energy appeared within, only the same kind could exist thereafter.

This trait, when combined with Su Jingxing’s own circumstances, allowed him to quickly understand his prior hesitation.

It was simple. If, when unlocking the True Energy card, he had absorbed the energy into his dantian, it would have adapted to this sudden influx of attribute-less energy. When Su Jingxing later wished to cultivate on his own, his dantian would have lost its ability to generate true energy—not because it was damaged, but because it had effectively gone on strike.

With free energy to “consume,” it would no longer wish to laboriously produce its own. If that happened, the only way for Su Jingxing to increase his true energy would be to continue collecting True Energy cards.

Such a method would be akin to severing one of his paths. Relying solely on cards to increase his energy might be simple, but it was far too dependent on luck. After all, high-rank martial artists were not as common as cabbages, dying off every day.

Who knew how long it would take Su Jingxing to grow stronger and advance to the third rank?

Cultivating true energy on his own was a different story. As long as he had a specialized internal skill and could find a place rich in natural energy, he could continuously increase his reserves. If, in addition, he could supplement with True Energy cards, the growth of his true energy would be much faster—walking both paths at once!

Clarifying this, Su Jingxing felt a genuine sense of relief. His earlier foreboding had been correct! Stopping himself from unlocking the card was the wisest choice. Given the option to walk two paths, who would choose just one?

…

After listening to the “Stunning Sword Immortal” for an entire day, it was only at nine in the evening that Su Jingxing finally took his leave. The day’s lessons had swept away many of his doubts. As his comprehension was swift, there was no need for him to return to Stone King Tower the next day—the instruction had concluded. Tomorrow, it would be Jia Wei’s turn to visit the Sky Garden.

Su Jingxing felt no complaints or dissatisfaction about this. He never intended to formally become the Sword Immortal’s disciple; having cleared up his doubts about martial cultivation, all that remained was to proceed steadily and meet the requirements to break through to the third rank.

He was thoroughly content. If given the chance, he would gladly repay the Sword Immortal’s guidance, though he imagined such an opportunity would likely never arise.

Su Jingxing shook his head with a smile and returned to his cottage at the foot of the mountain. He had taken the day off and didn’t need to go to the crematorium. After a full day of “lessons,” he was famished. He dug out some packaged food purchased during his move, eating as he browsed the internet.

He was curious to see how the media he’d trampled outside Stone King Tower that morning would report the incident. Su Jingxing knew well that no matter what he had said at the time, the journalists would twist his words. That was why he’d left without another word.

Now, searching online, he found himself unsurprisingly the subject of widespread ridicule.

“Revealing the True Character of the Lucky One, Yang Jian”
“Yang Jian: An Arrogant, Reckless, and Unruly Youth!”
“The Truth Behind Yang Jian’s Identity! So That’s Who He Is…”
“What You Don’t Know About Yang Jian!”
…

Beneath all manner of sensational headlines, the articles were rife with sarcasm directed at Yang Jian. Of course, their wording was carefully veiled—using phrases like “allegedly” or “possibly”—never providing Su Jingxing with any grounds for complaint.

And as expected, the comments below the news stories were overwhelmingly one-sided.

“I told you, this Yang Jian is no easy character.”
“Heh, if I were him, I’d look down on everyone too.”
“Yang Jian is nothing! If not for sheer dumb luck, how could he possibly meet the ‘Stunning Sword Immortal’?”
“Wait, did Yang Jian really meet the Sword Immortal at Stone King Tower?”
“Obviously! Yang Jian entered Stone King Tower and hasn’t come out since.”
“So does that mean the Sword Immortal is inside Stone King Tower?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
…

Reading to the end, Su Jingxing was not surprised to see the words “Stunning Sword Immortal” appear. Clearly, there were paid posters steering the conversation—using him as a springboard to draw out the Sword Immortal.

“Stone King Tower… the Shi family?”