Chapter 38: The Little Sword Immortal

The next day, news of several students leaving the Xingwu Academy spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Two particular sentiments were most widely circulated, becoming the talk of the town. The first was the reason given by Gongye Shou and his peers: "We are no match for Chen Yi of the Marquis of Wuan’s estate; we must work even harder." The second was what Xie Dong’an left behind: "With Chen Yi in the Xingwu Academy, we have no hope of standing out."

The impact of these statements was as if the imperial court gazette had officially declared, "Chen Yi is a monster of talent." The fervor surrounding this news even overshadowed reports of drought-induced refugees from the Xijiang and Jiangnan prefectures.

Curious onlookers even began to compile a list of Chen Yi's "glorious deeds" since birth. These included "showing extraordinary promise at his first-birthday ceremony by grabbing the jade sword," "being abducted by a fourth-rank madman during the Lantern Festival yet returning unscathed," and "defeating the sword-cultivation successor of the Taixu Dao Sect with his sword technique."

Coupled with the fact that the children of the Prince of Zhennan, scholar-officials, and other nobility had now bowed to his superiority, the capital's populace became firmly convinced that Chen Yi was a "reincarnated Sword Immortal," bestowing upon him the flattering title: "Little Sword Immortal."

Little Sword Immortal?

When the news reached Chen Yi's ears, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. He had been too soft-hearted. He had let Gongye Shou and the others off the hook simply because of one bottle of Qi-Cultivation Pills from Old Daoist Gu; he should have demanded eight or ten bottles to soothe his wounded spirit.

"Hee hee, Little Sword Immortal."

"Brother Yi, your title sounds so imposing!"

As soon as Chen Yi entered the academy, Du Yan bounded over, teasing him with a giggle.

"It certainly is domineering. I wonder what kind of title I'll have in the future. What do you think of 'Life-Taking Chain'?" Before Chen Yi could respond, the chubby Wang Yongnian asked with an envious expression.

"'Life-Taking Chain' Wang Yongnian? If your father hears that, he’ll surely drag out the family discipline to thrash you!"

Du Yan rolled her eyes, covered her mouth, and laughed. "I have a title that suits you perfectly. How about 'Piggy Third'? It fits since you're the third child at home and you're so round and chubby."

Wang Yongnian hung his head in defeat. "Princess..."

"Don't bully Yongnian, Yan..." Before Du Yanqing could finish, Du Yan immediately shifted her target, firing off a title at him.

"Du Yanqing, the 'Void Prince'!"

"Void? Me?! You're dead meat! Don't run!"

Seeing the three lively friends bickering, Chen Yi’s mood improved considerably. Being the "Little Sword Immortal" wasn't so bad; at least it was much better than "Piggy Third" or "Void Prince." However, as for Gongye Shou and his crew—just wait!

"Brother Yi, I really like the title 'Little Sword Immortal,'" Lin Xueru said, stepping forward with a bright smile. "It sounds so majestic."

In her heart, only a figure as heroic and powerful as Brother Yi could compare to the legendary "Sword Immortals" found in storybooks. Today he was the "Little Sword Immortal," and when Brother Yi grew older, he would be the "Great Sword Immortal." Majestic, renowned, and awe-inspiring... and by then, Ru-ru would also...

At that moment, the Twelfth Prince, Wei Letian, and the Thirteenth Princess, Wei Xiaoyun, were escorted to the Qingzheng Hall by Liu Gao. Seeing the five of them, Wei Letian remarked, "Isn't this our capital's 'Little Sword Immortal'?"

"Your Highness, you flatter me. It’s just idle gossip; don't take it to heart," Chen Yi replied helplessly.

"It’s because your strength is genuine." Wei Xiaoyun walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said with the air of an elder, "Work hard. Once you return from your studies at the Taixu Dao Sect, I will ask my Imperial Father to appoint you as a Great General."

"'General of Wuan' Chen Yi—doesn't that sound even more impressive?"

Chen Yi: "..."

I thank you. If you weren't the little princess, I’d have thanked your entire family!

"It's not good, it’s not as good as 'Sword Immortal,'" Lin Xueru pouted, rarely contradicting someone.

"How is it not good? Ru-ru, let me tell you..."

Chen Yi watched the two of them debating, shook his head, and retreated to a corner. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

Before long, Gu Tiangang and Ning Xue entered. Seeing the seven children still present, both felt a surge of relief. After the "fright" of the previous day, not to mention Ning Xue, even Gu Tiangang—a powerful Second-Rank Spirit-Roaming stage master—found it hard to handle. Fortunately, there was still a chance.

"Greetings, Masters."

Chen Yi and the others bowed as usual. Gu Tiangang tossed a few items down before them. "These are gifts from the Taixu Dao Sect; they are just some decent little trinkets. Keep them well."

Without waiting for them to examine the items, Gu Tiangang continued, "You have learned much from Junior Disciple Ning during this time. Next..."

A long-winded speech followed, which could be summarized as: The Taixu Dao Sect has a long heritage with much more to teach. However, due to sect rules, they must formally join the sect before they can practice further. Nevertheless, they could prepare for basics, such as introductory sword techniques and methods of the Taixu Dao. Additionally, if they wished, they could choose an auxiliary path to study, such as formations, alchemy, or forging. The sect placed no restrictions on these, and if their talent was decent, they would receive extra help.

Chen Yi listened, but his mind had already drifted elsewhere. He examined the "gifts" while checking the progress on his panel.

[Age thirty-two: You have gained a pair of black-gold soft armor gifted by a Great Daoist Master.]
[Good fortune smiles upon you: Counterattack points +2]
[Age thirty-two: Your cultivation has seen slight progress, and you have gained a bottle of Body-Forging Pills gifted by a Great Daoist Master.]
[Good fortune smiles upon you: Counterattack points +5]
[...]
[Counterattack points: 66/100]

The five items were all useful, boosting his counterattack points significantly. This cheered him up quite a bit.

"Beyond what I have just mentioned, if you have any other requests, feel free to tell me. I..."

Other requests?

Chen Yi immediately raised his hand and asked, "Master Gu, could you give me one more bottle of Qi-Cultivation Pills?"

Gu Tiangang: "..."
Ning Xue: "..."

Wei Letian, Du Yanqing, and the others burst into laughter, amused by Chen Yi's bluntness. Chen Yi pretended to be embarrassed and smiled. "My foundation establishment rating was relatively low, so I hope Master can assist me."

Why turn down an opportunity that presents itself? He had been worrying that his counterattack points were growing too slowly.

"N-no problem."

Gu Tiangang fumbled through his robes, feeling slightly awkward, and secretly transmitted to Ning Xue, "Junior Disciple Ning, your Senior Uncle left in a hurry..."

Ning Xue understood and discreetly slipped him a bottle. Although there were only five Qi-Cultivation Pills left inside, it was better than disappointing a student with monster-level talent in swordplay.

After receiving it, Gu Tiangang handed it to Chen Yi and encouraged him with a gentle smile: "Cultivation is of the utmost importance..."

Chen Yi nodded while glancing at his panel, feeling quite pleased. To be able to hand out even half a bottle of pills—it seemed Old Daoist Gu was running low on stock.

What a pity.