Chapter 15: Return to Azure Clouds, Heavenly Scripture!

It was time to return to Qingyun Sect. This journey had been remarkably fruitful—not only had I collected the first scroll of the Heavenly Book, but I had also taken in that girl, Biyou. More importantly, I had encountered an ancient Void Dragon, a creature that did not even exist in the original novel of my previous life, and managed to subdue it. My cultivation had also soared to the Nascent Soul Out-of-Body stage.

Bear in mind, Dao Xuan of Qingyun Sect was only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. The cultivation system in this world truly seemed somewhat lacking.

In the drama, Dao Xuan was killed by Cang Song. But now, Cang Song serves me. Should I allow the plot to proceed as it originally did, or spare Dao Xuan? After all, Dao Xuan is now my master.

“Never mind, I’ll decide after I return to Qingyun. I’ve been away training for half a year. Next year is the Seven Vein Tournament.” As he spoke, Qian Mo steered the little Void Dragon back toward Qingyun.

…

Qingyun Sect

Grand Bamboo Peak

With the activation of the Bloodthirst Bead’s energy, the greatest change over the past six months had occurred in Zhang Xiaofan. He had skyrocketed from the first level of Jade Purity to the third. Tian Buyi and his wife, being aware of this, were overjoyed.

“Xiaofan, you may have reached the third level of Jade Purity, but you must not become careless or arrogant, lest you hinder your future progress. You must remember, you are still weak. Do you understand? In a year, the Seven Vein Tournament will be held, and you will be one of the contestants. You must not let me or Grand Bamboo Peak down,” Tian Buyi admonished.

“Yes, Master. I will heed your instruction and will not bring disgrace to Grand Bamboo Peak,” Zhang Xiaofan answered respectfully with cupped fists.

“Good. Go and cultivate. A year is not a long time.” With that, Tian Buyi turned and left.

“Yes, Master!”

…

“If I have come to this world, I must change that tragic ending. Otherwise, what meaning would my presence here have?” Qian Mo muttered to himself as he approached Qingyun Sect.

“Little Void Dragon, return to your gurgling orb for now.”

With a low growl, the little Void Dragon obeyed and returned to the orb.

Qian Mo mounted his Lingqian Sword and flew directly to Tongtian Peak of Qingyun Sect.

Dao Xuan, who was reviewing bamboo slips, sensed a familiar aura approaching Tongtian Peak. He quickly set aside the bamboo slip and walked out of the main hall.

Qian Mo landed his sword by the bridge and walked toward Dao Xuan, who had just appeared at the entrance. “Master, I have returned.”

“Good, you’re back. What did you gain from your journey?” Dao Xuan observed the figure before him, noticing he had grown even stronger since six months ago.

“I did not let Master down. By chance, I managed to break through to the eighth level of Jade Purity,” Qian Mo replied respectfully.

“What?! Did I hear that right? You advanced three levels in six months? You little monster! I’m beginning to suspect we’re not cultivating in the same world! I’m really getting old!” Dao Xuan was shocked by Qian Mo’s words. Realizing his lapse, he quickly regained his dignity. “Excellent. As expected of my disciple, you have not disappointed me. You’ve returned just in time—the Seven Vein Tournament is in a year. You must claim first place, do you understand?”

“Old fox!” Qian Mo thought to himself, and quickly replied, “Yes, Master! I have just broken through and need to consolidate my foundation. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Indeed, don’t exhaust yourself. Go on, then,” Dao Xuan replied blandly.

“This old fox, why does he have to keep up this pretense? Isn’t it enough to just admit it, with only the two of us here?” Qian Mo muttered to himself after closing the door to his quarters.

“I am now a master at the Taiqing Mirror level. Should I take a look at the Zhu Xian Sword and seize the Heavenly Book within it? Never mind, I should just follow my heart. Tonight… let’s do it!” Qian Mo immediately sat cross-legged to consolidate his foundation.

…

Time slipped by, and soon evening had fallen.

In his quarters on Tongtian Peak, Qian Mo, who had been sitting in meditation, opened his eyes.

“It’s time. Heavenly Book… here I come!” Qian Mo rose, pushed open the door, and licked his lips as he glanced toward the location of the Zhu Xian Sword.

The night was peaceful and tranquil. No one in Qingyun Sect would have imagined that such a silent night would become Qian Mo’s opportunity to enter the Zhu Xian Sword’s chamber.

The ancestral hall’s rear courtyard was particularly quiet; it had long been deserted. Yet there resided a terrifying figure from a century past, once the foremost in Qingyun Sect, who had been crippled in the great battle between righteous and demonic, executed by Dao Xuan himself—Wanjianyi. Now, he was reduced to sweeping the grounds.

Clad in black, Qian Mo arrived at the rear courtyard. With a wave of his hand, a special current of energy enveloped the area, severing all connection with the outside world.

“System, locate Wanjianyi,” Qian Mo commanded.

A screen appeared before him, a red dot indicating Wanjianyi’s position.

In a flash, Qian Mo stood before Wanjianyi.

About to sleep, Wanjianyi was startled awake by the sudden appearance of a figure. “Who are you? Why have you come to Qingyun Sect?”

“I mean no harm. I merely wish to study the Heavenly Book of Qingyun Sect,” Qian Mo replied calmly, his voice low and unrecognizable.

“Please leave. Unless the Sect Master permits, no one may view the Heavenly Book,” Wanjianyi answered, firmly.

“I won’t harm you. After all, you are the man my Aunt You once loved. Sleep for a while—when you wake, nothing will have happened, Wanjianyi.” With a wave of his hand, Qian Mo sent Wanjianyi into a deep sleep before he could utter another word.

“When you wake, you’ll forget you ever saw me,” Qian Mo murmured, then began searching for the Zhu Xian Sword.

He entered a secluded chamber that looked utterly empty, which, of course, made it the most suspicious. “System, scan for mechanisms,” Qian Mo ordered.

A screen promptly appeared, the red dot marking the mechanism’s location.

Following the signal, Qian Mo found a switch on the wall. Examining it with sharp eyes, he saw it was surrounded by a gas-like barrier—a formation.

“A Nascent Soul-level barrier—nothing challenging.” With a gesture, Qian Mo broke the barrier without alerting its creator.

Without hesitation, he pressed the button and turned it to the left.

Moments later, a fissure appeared in the center of the wall, which then slid apart.

Suspended in midair within was a sword—the Zhu Xian Sword.

The Zhu Xian Sword, the treasured artifact of Qingyun Sect, brimmed with murderous energy. Only those possessing all five scrolls of the Heavenly Book could control it; anyone else would be consumed by its aura, driven to slaughter, and ultimately fall into madness and death.

“No wonder Dao Xuan met such an end in the drama,” Qian Mo said quietly.

“System, copy a brand new Zhu Xian Sword.”

A gleaming, perfect replica of the Zhu Xian Sword appeared in Qian Mo’s hand, which he used to replace the original.

“Detected the Heavenly Book within the Zhu Xian Sword. Would you like to absorb it?” the system inquired.

“Yes.”

A stream of pure memories, like digitized information, poured into Qian Mo’s mind. His aura underwent a dramatic transformation.

He felt his cultivation surge, stopping only at the eighth level of the Out-of-Body stage.

“Four levels in one go? From the fourth to the eighth Out-of-Body stage! Soon I’ll reach the Spirit Severing stage,” Qian Mo exclaimed in surprise.

“I’ll store this Zhu Xian Sword in the system warehouse for now. Once I collect all the Heavenly Books, I’ll fuse it with my Lingqian Sword—the power will soar.”

Zhu Xian Sword turned into a beam of light, vanishing into the system’s storage.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the Heavenly Book mission, 2 out of 5.”

“Keep it up, Host! Complete all the missions for a surprise!”

“Well, that’s another burden off my heart. There’s nothing left for me here—it’s time to leave.” Qian Mo glanced around, shook his head, and on his way out, moved the unconscious Wanjianyi into the bedroom.

“What a harvest tonight! Time to withdraw!”

With Qian Mo’s departure, peace returned to the rear courtyard.

…

…

Within Tongtian Peak’s territory

A door to one of the dormitories opened, and the young hero Qian Mo, who had stolen the Heavenly Book and the Zhu Xian Sword the previous night, stepped out. He gazed at the crisp, vibrant morning, utterly entranced by the clear air and rich spiritual energy. “What beauty! Clear air, abundant spiritual energy—this is the sort of place living beings yearn for—free and unburdened. Pity I can’t afford such leisure. I still have a mission to complete. Ultimately, my goal is to transcend and meet Emperor Yankan!” Qian Mo closed his eyes in the doorway, stretching and sighing in both enjoyment and regret.

…

Elsewhere

The Rear Courtyard

Wanjianyi awoke in his bedroom, propped himself up, and immediately sensed something was off. “Why does today feel different from any other?” Suddenly, a splitting headache struck him. “Ah! Why does my head hurt so much?” he cried, clutching his temples.

When the pain finally subsided, he lay staring at the ceiling, his brow furrowed. “Why do I feel as though I’ve forgotten something? Something important? Or maybe not?”

He got up and walked out to the yard, surveying the surroundings in a complete circle. The courtyard was as peaceful as ever—wind rustling, maple leaves dancing, the ground clean where it should be, and leaves resting where it shouldn’t. Everything was in its place.

“Still can’t remember. Perhaps I just slept too heavily. Everything seems normal here. Ah, getting old makes one suspicious of shadows. I must be overthinking. Time to get to work.” With a sigh, Wanjianyi began his daily chores.

(End of chapter)