The Unfathomable Sword

Time flowed like water, silent and unnoticeable. In the blink of an eye, nearly five years had passed.

Winged Serpent Lake. Brightheart Island.

Brightheart Island was the name Ji Ning had given to the island at the lake's center. Buildings rose one after another on the island. What was once a desolate, barren isle had now been transformed into a paradise on earth. It was now the turn of spring and summer; a riot of competing flowers and a profusion of beauty were on display, made even more exquisite by the careful tending of the servants.

"Sister Qiuye! Sister Qiuye!" A young man in blue was running over while shouting.

Qiuye, who had been sitting there brewing some tea, turned her head and laughed. "Qingshi, are you done with your archery practice? Did Master Mengyu scold you?"

"Ugh…" Qingshi rubbed his head, looking helpless. "How could I not be scolded? When I practice archery, Master Mengyu scolds me every single time, and he's always comparing me to my brother. My brother is an unfathomable genius! How can I compare to him?"

"You need to cherish this opportunity," Qiuye said, looking at Qingshi as if he were her own little brother, her voice serious. "The young master said so himself. Although Master Mengyu's dantian was shattered, he has now devoted himself entirely to archery... his skill has actually improved as a result. It's only because Master Mengyu lives on Brightheart Island and the young master spoke to him personally that he was willing to take you on as a student. You must study hard. If you master this, it will be a supreme art."

Qingshi nodded firmly. "I understand."

Qingshi was very happy living on Brightheart Island. Ji Ning treated him completely like a younger brother, and they addressed each other as brothers. This could be seen from the way they addressed one another; normally one would say 'big brother' or 'elder brother,' but only those who had grown up together from childhood and were very close would use the intimate term 'gege.'

"Mn." Qiuye nodded with a smile.

"Where's Brother Ji Ning?" Qingshi pressed. "Is he practicing his sword?"

Qiuye laughed. "No, he's not practicing his sword."

"Oh, then he's sleeping on Winged Serpent Lake," Qingshi said with a grin. Having lived on Winged Serpent Lake for nearly five years, he was very familiar with Ji Ning's habits. These days, aside from practicing his sword, Ji Ning would lie on a small boat on Winged Serpent Lake, drifting with the current while sleeping.

"Yes, he's sleeping," Qiuye said, turning to look at the boundless lake.

Qingshi couldn't help but ask, "When I asked Brother Ji Ning why he always sleeps on Winged Serpent Lake, he said he was cultivating. I don't understand—how is sleeping on the lake cultivation? But Brother Ji Ning's sword art has gotten more and more incredible! Two years ago, Commander Ji himself admitted he was no match!"

"Yes, the young master's sword art has grown increasingly profound and unfathomable," Qiuye said with a sigh. "I once saw the young master practicing his sword, and a large flock of water birds flew over, surrounding him and refusing to leave for a long time."

"That miraculous?" Qingshi was astonished.

"Commander Ji used to spar with the young master once a year. After two years ago, when he admitted defeat, he stopped coming. It's a pity the young master won't let me watch. I have no idea what a sparring match between the Commander and the young master looks like." There was a hint of yearning in Qiuye's eyes. In her eyes, Ji Yichuan's sword art had long been legendary. As for her young master's sword art, its current realm was even more profound and unfathomable.

Ji Yichuan lived on Brightheart Island, but on the far end of the island. He was reclusive, cold, and proud, forbidding anyone from approaching. He had no servants at all. Only Ji Ning could go in occasionally to accompany his father.

"I'm so curious. Just what level has my brother's sword art reached?" There was a look of worship in Qingshi's eyes.

"Look." Qiuye suddenly pointed towards the lake.

"Mm?" Qingshi also turned his head to look.

In the far distance, a boat could be seen. Qingshi was first delighted, thinking it was the small boat Ji Ning used for sleeping, but on closer inspection… it was a large ferry, the one that regularly carried people to and from the island and the shore. After all, many people now lived on Brightheart Island, including nearly a hundred servants. Large amounts of grain had to be shipped to the island regularly, and sometimes outsiders would come to visit, requiring a ferry.

Aboard the ferry.

A group of young people were on the boat, chatting and laughing with each other.

"His Lordship sent us to pay respects to this Ji Ning." A tall, broad-shouldered young man with his chest exposed had a look of indignation in his eyes. "We are from the Ji Clan's Ancestral Manor, far stronger than the other four Prefectures! The six of us are the strongest of the younger generation in the Ancestral Manor. Having us come to spar with this Ji Ning is one thing, but saying we have to go 'pay respects' and have Ji Ning 'guide' us? And we have to be respectful?"

"Shut up." A handsome young man with a refined appearance spoke out brusquely. "His Lordship instructed us to be respectful and to address him as Young Master Ji Ning."

"Fine, fine. Young Master Ji Ning." The tall young man couldn't help but say, "That's fine for us, but Ji Mo—you are the unparalleled genius of our Ancestral Manor's younger generation. You reached the Xiantian stage at fifteen, and you've long mastered our clan's supreme art, the 'Song of Ten Thousand Swords.' As for this Ji Ning… Young Master Ji Ning, although he reached Xiantian a few years earlier than you, at best it's a sparring match. How can you be sent to pay respects and have him guide you?"

"Ji Mo." A woman in black said, "Tongzhan is right. Although none of us dared to openly disobey His Lordship's orders, everyone here is secretly unconvinced. We are the most outstanding of the Ancestral Manor's younger generation. That Ji Ning… Young Master Ji Ning is only from the Western Prefecture. No matter how talented he is, he's only a bit stronger than us. How can he be qualified to have us respectfully go and pay our respects?"

"Enough."

The handsome young man's gaze was as clear as water. He swept his eyes across his companions, and the other five youths all fell silent.

Ji Mo was the undisputed number one of the Ancestral Manor's younger generation. Moreover, he had been following Granny Shadow since childhood, which gave him an even more special status… Many people had already decided that Ji Mo would be the next Prefectural Lord of the Ancestral Manor.

"As you all know, I have been following Granny Shadow," Ji Mo said slowly.

"Mm." The five youths all revealed looks of reverence in their eyes.

Granny Shadow…

Within the entire Ji Clan, there were two figures who stood at the very peak. One was the Clan Leader, Ji Jiuhuo! The other was Granny Shadow! Granny Shadow was the Clan Leader's biological younger sister, an old grandmother who had lived for nearly four hundred years. Needless to say, she had also crossed into the Zifu Disciple stage three hundred years ago.

The two of them were the Ji Clan's two publicly acknowledged Zifu Disciples.

As for whether there were any hidden Zifu Disciples in the shadows, that was hard to say. A tribe naturally had to keep some cards hidden. A mix of truth and deception was the only way to survive long-term.

"Granny Shadow taught me the sword arts with her own hands," Ji Mo said softly. "Compared to Granny Shadow's sword arts, mine are far, far inferior. Do you know why we six were sent here by His Lordship to pay respects to Ji Ning?"

"Someone said it was because the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Prefectures all sent their younger generation disciples to pay respects to Young Master Ji Ning, so our Ancestral Manor also sent us six."

"Wrong."

Ji Mo shook his head gently.

"Our Ancestral Manor is the foundation of the Ji Clan. The Clan Leader and Granny Shadow all belong to the Ancestral Manor," Ji Mo said. "The territory our Ancestral Manor occupies is the largest, and our number of Xiantian lifeforms far exceeds that of the other four Prefectures. Even the Crimson Armored Guards are stationed in our Ancestral Manor. Why would our Ancestral Manor need to imitate the other Prefectures?"

"Then why?" Everyone looked at Ji Mo with eager eyes.

Ji Mo said softly, "Because a year ago, Granny Shadow came to Winged Serpent Lake once."

"Granny Shadow came to Winged Serpent Lake?" The other five youths immediately began to churn with many thoughts.

Ji Mo said, "The Clan Leader once lavished praise on Young Master Ji Ning, believing that he would surely become the number one person in our Ji Clan in the future! Therefore, Granny Shadow came to Winged Serpent Lake to see for herself what this Ji Ning was capable of…"

"What happened?"

"What did Granny Shadow say?" The five youths all stared at Ji Mo, eagerly awaiting his answer.

A peculiar look appeared in Ji Mo's eyes. He said slowly, "After Granny Shadow returned, I pressed her on how I compared to Young Master Ji Ning. Granny Shadow only said, 'Hard to compare, hard to compare.' I continued to press her on what level Young Master Ji Ning's sword art had actually reached. Granny Shadow only said one thing—'Unfathomable!'"

"Unfathomable!" The five youths were astonished. For Granny Shadow to say such a thing, just how terrifying must Ji Ning's sword art be?

"Everyone, time to disembark!" a boatman shouted loudly.

Only then did the six of them look. The ferry was already nearing the shore. In the distance, buildings rose one after another, and the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. They all couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Ji Mo's eyes lit up. "So this is where Ji Ning lives?"