Chapter 57: Refusing the Wager

The next day.

Changqing Mountain.

As soon as Jiang Min arrived at the sword practice grounds, she saw Qi Yan walking straight toward her. He cupped his hands in greeting and, without preamble, said, “Junior Sister Jiang, I wish to challenge you to a match of swordsmanship, wagering the spot in the Sword Discourse as the stake. What do you say?”

This was the last solution Qi Yan could think of.

If the slot was at stake and Jiang Min lost, wouldn’t the spot rightfully fall to him?

He was very confident that he could defeat Jiang Min in swordsmanship!

As soon as he spoke, many disciples paused what they were doing and turned their attention to the two of them.

Qi Yan wanted to win the Sword Discourse spot through a duel?

However, Jiang Min was not one to act on impulse, nor did she wish to draw too much attention after having won the slot. She politely declined, cupping her hands and saying, “Senior Brother Qi, my cultivation is still shallow. I would rather not embarrass myself.”

Her response was exactly as Qi Yan had expected. He quickly changed tack, blocking Jiang Min as she was about to leave. “What if I added another stake—say, a second-tier demon core?”

Jiang Min halted at his words and gave him a strange look. To wager a precious second-tier demon core on a Sword Discourse slot—had he lost his mind?

A year ago, she might have been tempted, but now, a single second-tier demon core held no attraction for her.

The other disciples, though, were clearly surprised. For those of humble birth, even if they saved spirit stones for years, they might never be able to afford such a treasure. Qi Yan’s generosity proved the depth of his background.

Jiang Min said nothing. She only nodded politely to Qi Yan and walked toward her usual spot.

But Qi Yan’s voice suddenly sounded behind her. “I made some inquiries about you. You once went to the Sutra Pavilion to study the Wind and Thunder Body. I imagine you’re in desperate need of Wind Jade Marrow, aren’t you?”

As his words fell, many disciples stared at Jiang Min in shock.

That Wind and Thunder Body technique, valued at five hundred spirit stones?

So that was the costly body-forging art Jiang Min had chosen!

And everyone knew the price of acquiring such arts was only the beginning. The ongoing expenses were a bottomless pit, draining money like water.

Jiang Min froze, her eyes narrowing as a chill flashed across their depths. Qi Yan had investigated her background—and even made it public?

She had always kept a low profile, hiding her wealth as an outer-sect disciple with no power or influence. Qi Yan’s actions would surely bring her endless trouble!

When she turned around, she concealed all trace of coldness from her eyes and looked at Qi Yan with a smile. “What are you trying to say, Senior Brother Qi?”

Qi Yan let out a cold laugh. “I have half a bottle of Wind Jade Marrow. I’m willing to wager it in a sword match with you.”

At this, the surrounding disciples could no longer contain their astonishment, bursting into excited murmurs.

“Wind Jade Marrow? That’s an even rarer treasure than Thunder Jade Marrow! Qi Yan actually has half a bottle?”

“I doubt I could afford half a bottle of Wind Jade Marrow in my entire life!”

“Senior Brother Qi comes from the renowned Qi clan of Dayi, and his elder brother is already an inner-sect disciple. With such a background, it’s no surprise he’s so well off.”

Jiang Min herself was taken aback. Qi Yan was truly wealthy, possessing so much Wind Jade Marrow—a treasure virtually priceless.

Half a bottle… more than enough to complete the entire Wind and Thunder Body.

She quickly regained her composure, replying with a gentle laugh, “Senior Brother Qi, you overestimate me. Even if I got the Wind Jade Marrow, I can’t afford the Wind and Thunder Body technique. I’m just a poor girl hoping to see the world at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

She was confident she could win against Qi Yan.

But how could she possibly agree?

Wind Jade Marrow was a peerless treasure coveted by cultivators above Foundation Establishment. If she won it openly, she’d be announcing to everyone that she possessed such a treasure.

She could never forget that menial disciple who, after selling a slot in the Spirit Gathering Valley and earning two hundred extra spirit stones, died that very same night.

And being an outer-sect disciple was no guarantee of safety—even someone as accomplished as Lin Mingyue, with her cultivation and status, could die without anyone caring about the truth.

Qi Yan could rely on his background to shield his Wind Jade Marrow.

She had no such protection.

Even when exchanging for Thunder Jade Marrow, she’d been cautious and nervous, choosing to trade anonymously at the Chivalry Hall for fear of word getting out—so how could she openly wager for Wind Jade Marrow?

As tempted as she was by half a bottle of Wind Jade Marrow, she knew it wasn’t worth dying for.

Seeing Jiang Min unmoved, Qi Yan realized gambling wouldn’t work. He had no choice but to wonder if there was some other way.

Yet the next day, during sword class, just as Qi Yan was about to approach Jiang Min for another discussion, he learned that she had taken leave to enter seclusion.

“Damn it!” Qi Yan ground his teeth in fury but was powerless. Jiang Min’s move had caught him completely off guard.

He could only vent his frustration on Jiang Min in his mind, vowing, “Next year, at the outer-sect trials, if we end up in the same place—just you wait!”

...

Peach Blossom Slope.

Jiang Min stood in her backyard, preparing to practice her swordsmanship.

Now that she’d mastered the condensation of sword radiance, there was no need to attend further classes—a perfect way to escape Qi Yan’s pestering.

She looked inward to her dantian.

Within the cauldron where thunder and flame intertwined, the peach branch floated quietly in the sea of lightning and fire, rising and falling, perfectly docile yet showing no sign of change.

“It seems refining the peach branch into a sword will be a long and arduous process.”

With a twist of her wrist, a silver longsword appeared in her palm. Forged from a material called Starfrost Blackiron, she’d bought it specifically for practice. As for the Greenwood Spirit Sword gifted by Ming Ruoshui—it was a mid-grade spirit weapon, unable to withstand the power of her thunderfire sword energy, so she’d had to put it away.

“There are still over three months until the Sword Discourse at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.”

“With the help of a second-tier demon core, I should be able to break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refinement.”

“As for swordsmanship, I need to master the companion techniques of the Thunderfire Sword Radiance Sensing Chapter. Then, perhaps I can attempt to condense sword threads…”

Sword threads—sword energy refined to the thickness of silk.

When interwoven, sword threads could form a sword array.

Jiang Min had heard that sword threads represented the very peak of the Qi Refining stage. Anyone who reached this level was nearly invincible below the Foundation Establishment realm.

Thinking of this, Jiang Min set aside her thoughts. Sword threads were still a distant goal; for now, she needed to focus on the techniques from the Thunderfire Sword Radiance Sensing Chapter.

Recalling the contents of the chapter, an eager anticipation shone on her face.

“If the sword manual is to be believed, once mastered, I’ll be able to leap several minor realms and slay opponents with ease.”

These techniques seemed simple—merely the fusion of sword radiance and the powers of thunder and fire. Yet in truth, their variations were endless, as overwhelming as a thousand thunderbolts, as unyielding as celestial fire.

Once mastered, if she ever faced a peak first-tier Lava Python again, she wouldn’t be left helpless, unable to scratch its scales; instead, she’d be able to slice it into pieces with ease.

Even against cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement, she would have the strength to stand her ground!

Jiang Min calmed her spirit and began to recall the sword techniques.

The predecessor who passed down this legacy had left it complete; within her inheritance, there was even a sword-wielding phantom demonstrating each move.

She imagined the phantom standing before her now, like a master teaching her every stance by hand.

The sword manual’s verses surfaced in her mind:

“When sword radiance first condenses, the way of the sword is achieved;
Lightning and flame fuse in perfect harmony.
If you ask where this sword shall go,
It shall cut down all villains beneath the heavens!
Rise with the wind, step upon the firmament,
Move like clouds, rain falls, thunder crashes.
Attack with the might of ten thousand thunderbolts,
Withdraw as the sigh of souls near breaking…”

From then on, Jiang Min practiced the forms demonstrated by the phantom, matching them with the sword manual’s instructions as she trained in the Thunderfire Sword Radiance Sensing techniques.

In the small courtyard,

Sword energy slashed sharp and cold, scattering fallen leaves.

Sun and moon rose and set, days and nights passing endlessly.

By day Jiang Min practiced her sword, by night she cultivated; her days were monotonous, yet full.

Amid this unceasing cycle of training,

She was growing—slowly, but steadily, with every passing day.