Chapter 72: No Way Out

Once again, a banquet was held in the Valley of Falling Blossoms.

Within the valley, the season’s flowers were in full bloom—brilliant hues of purple and crimson, petals drifting through the air like rain.

This time, Jiang Min was specially seated at the head of the row reserved for Qi Refining disciples, the place closest to the esteemed Golden Core masters. It was a position worlds apart from her former obscurity upon arrival.

As cups passed from hand to hand, many disciples came to offer her toasts and strike up conversation, seeking her acquaintance. Even after learning of her five spiritual roots—a rare but generally less favored aptitude—none looked down on her. Among sword cultivators, it was martial prowess and mastery of the sword that commanded true respect. The one most accomplished in swordsmanship, with the greatest talent, was the one most admired.

Contrary to Jiang Min’s expectations, these social exchanges were refreshingly direct. The disciples spoke little of pleasantries or customary words; there was no circuitousness—when they met, they simply drank, straightforward and sincere.

Of course, as the wine flowed, the scene grew increasingly comical.

For instance, a disciple from the Myriad Swords Sect, after several rounds, suddenly summoned his life-bound sword with a flash of spiritual light. At first, it looked as though he was about to pick a fight, but instead, his gaze was hazy with drink as he pulled over a disciple from the Eastern Spirit Sect, proudly showing off his treasure: “Do you know, my life-bound sword was forged from a millennium-old flood dragon’s bone, refined for years in the furnace of my dantian, blended with dragon-tiger gold, celestial sand, purple gold water, true yang gold, and marrow of fire... This sword is my life’s fortune. I show it to you because I see you as a brother!”

He stroked the sword in his hand as gently as one might caress a lover.

“Demon bone sword forging?” The Eastern Spirit Sect disciple frowned, summoning his own life-bound sword—a blade gleaming with crimson light. “Forging with demon bone makes for a strong start, but advancement is difficult. How do you plan to improve it later? Now, my sword is based on Fire Yang Iron, infused with dozens of the purest yang and strongest materials. It can break all techniques and repel all evil! Future refinement will be easy as well.”

“How can the likes of Eastern Spirit Sect appreciate the profound sword-forging methods of Myriad Swords Sect? No matter the demon bone, we can always advance its quality. As for Fire Yang Iron, fine material though it is, among our disciples it’s so common as to be unremarkable.”

“So you look down on my sword?” The Eastern Spirit Sect disciple’s tone sharpened. “If you have the guts, let’s duel.”

“Gladly! My hands are itching for a match.”

Just as the two were about to come to blows, a formidable force descended, separating them by sheer power.

It was Master Wen Yu intervening.

With the fight forcibly broken up, the Myriad Swords Sect disciple composed himself, saluted with his sword, and earnestly requested, “Master, I wish to spar with this friend. I hope for your permission.”

The disciple from Eastern Spirit Sect refused to back down. “I was just about to make the same request. I hope you will grant us this chance, Master.”

*

“This...” Master Wen Yu looked somewhat troubled and glanced toward Qing You and the others.

After exchanging glances with Qi Yun and Zi Feng, Qing You replied, “Daoist Wen Yu, let them be. Does your esteemed sect have a suitable place for such sparring?”

All the masters understood—these young ones had been overshadowed by the Myriad Swords Sect for too long and needed to let off some steam. Let them fight it out and vent their frustrations.

Master Wen Yu nodded kindly. “We do. I’ll have someone take them to Sword-Discussion Valley.”

No one expected that at the mention of a duel, many disciples sprang to their feet.

“I want to go, too!”

“So do I!”

Seeing the eager faces, Master Qing You was not surprised; a smile tugged at her lips as she turned to Master Zi Feng. “Junior Brother Zi Feng, I’ll have to trouble you to accompany them, in case anything goes wrong.”

Zi Feng smiled as well. “No problem, Senior Sister. Rest assured, I’ll take good care of them.”

With that, a large crowd set off for Sword-Discussion Valley, Master Zi Feng going with them to oversee the matches and prevent any mishaps.

Instantly, the banquet hall was half-empty.

Jiang Min, not as hot-blooded as the younger disciples, simply found her peers endearing. She could tell they were only stirred by pride, eager for a proper contest with the Myriad Swords Sect before parting ways. They could accept defeat, but they yearned to see if they might win.

She picked up a piece of spiritual delicacy and took a few bites, when she saw Yu Qinghe leading Yu Qingqiu toward her, a jug of wine in hand.

But Yu Qingqiu was not holding wine—only a cup of fruit juice. Her little face was earnest as she declared in her childish voice, “Sister, I want to toast you! You’re amazing. I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

Jiang Min raised her cup to clink with her, finding the little girl too adorable to resist. She softened her tone and asked with a smile, “Do you want to become a sword cultivator too?”

“Mm-hmm! Sword cultivators are so strong. I want to be a mighty, mighty hero who can protect everyone!”

Yu Qingqiu gestured with her hands, drawing a big circle, her eyes sparkling.

Standing beside her, Yu Qinghe affectionately ruffled his little sister’s hair, then picked up his wine cup. Just as he was about to speak, he realized Qingqiu had called Jiang Min “sister.” What should he call her, then? The seniority would be all mixed up. Unable to resolve the awkwardness, he simply avoided addressing her directly and asked, “How did you... manage to persevere in the end?”

*

Jiang Min hadn’t expected this question. Her expression grew more serious. “It was hard to keep going, but I had no way out.”

“Compared to the pain of being powerless in the face of death, I’d rather endure hardship at times like these. With that thought, no matter how bitter or difficult, I forced myself to keep going.”

She was never afraid of suffering—only of being helpless, of regrets she could not remedy, of being unable to change what could have been different. As long as she could grow stronger, what did it matter if she suffered along the way?

The trial for the outer sect drew ever closer.

Less than a year remained.

It was pure fantasy to think that a few months of seclusion and swallowing demon pills would be enough to form a foundation. Sooner or later, she would have to face the trial.

And during the outer sect trial, though there would be Golden Core cultivators overseeing, it was the inner sect disciples who supervised the candidates. If Jiang Ziyi took the opportunity to deal with her, or enlisted others to do so, how could she face off against Foundation Establishment disciples? The only way was to strengthen herself as much as possible, so that in the trial and in any crisis, she would have a better chance of survival.

Yu Qinghe was briefly stunned, then composed himself.

So that was it—he lacked the resolve and endurance. In truth, with his current level of spiritual sense, another step forward was possible...

The path of the sword demands unwavering advance.

He admitted his defeat wholeheartedly.

Exhaling deeply, Yu Qinghe raised his cup, his tone solemn. “A single conversation with you is worth ten years of study.”

“In perseverance, I have much to learn from you.”

Jiang Min showed a trace of embarrassment and clinked glasses with him, only to see him purposely lower the rim of his cup, placing himself in the position of humility. Startled, she followed suit, lowering her own cup, but Yu Qinghe gave her no chance to yield, tilting his head back to drain his wine in one go.

As the banquet wore on, more and more people left to join the duels, until even Yu Qinghe went off to Sword-Discussion Valley.

Left on her own and growing bored, Jiang Min looked for someone to talk to. Seeing Lin Guanyu sitting alone across from her, nursing a cup of wine, she picked up her own and went over.

“Senior Lin, may I join you for a drink?”