Refining the Mountains and Rivers

By the riverside there was a mountain that was so wide it stretched as far as the eye could see, and the highest point of the mountain was known as Transcendent Peak.

The chivalrous disciples from the Transcendent Sword Sect sat here. However, today, there was no shouting or waving of swords. The air was completely silent.

There were two figures that stood outside the main palace on the summit of Transcendent Peak, and they were sending Rice Paper through the tear in space. The expressions in their eyes were cold.

"She has left. If all goes well, she will be able to bring back the true mastermind behind Bounded Zero Place," one of them spoke, his voice calm.

The other person was silent for a while before he spoke too. "There's too much of a coincidence in this matter…we should be careful not to be taken advantage of."

"Hmph! So what if they take advantage of us? We have to find that person no matter what and tear all his limbs apart to get rid of all my anger!"

The second person sighed and turned. "Let's go and make the necessary preparations…I feel a bit uneasy; it feels like an inevitable war is going to break out."

The first person nodded. Even though he hated that he could not kill that person right away, being able to destroy everything that the West Desolate had painstakingly built for many years was not an easy task. Not a single mistake or rash decision could be made.

Both of them turned and with a single step that caused the air to ripple, they disappeared just like a stone that had sunk beneath the water's surface.

……

In the cultivation room, Qin Yu let out a long breath before opening his eyes. A wave of energy surged in the air. He could not hide his happiness.

He had broken through!

The process was harder than he imagined, but it was also well within his expectations. After all, nothing worth having in this world came easy. The more powerful the five Divine Ways were, the harder it would be to cultivate them.

Taking a deep breath to calm his feelings of anxiety, Qin Yu tuned everything out and focused on his body. He let out a smile.

Even though he had not tried using the Divine Ways yet, he could sense that after breaking through, the Divine Ways had undergone a terrific change.

Having cultivated to this level meant that he would no longer be able to break through as fast or as easily as before.

The process of cultivation would only become more time-consuming from now on. He had to train bit by bit, and he would not see any visible results until his next breakthrough.

With this breakthrough, it meant that his closed-door meditation had come to an end. Thirteen days had passed since he signed the agreement with that mysterious being. There were still seventeen more days for him to kill a True Saint and offer them as a sacrifice to that mysterious being.

Time was tight. He could either kill any random True Saint and be done with it without caring about the consequences, or he would have to start planning his course of action now.

It was time to go and ask third apprentice brother whether there were other True Saints with ill intentions, other than Zhou Saint and Lin Saint who had already been killed.

He opened the door and rushed towards White Phoenix's courtyard.

The good news was that as the Peach Garden's official ambassador, White Phoenix was extremely busy. He needed to attend to a lot of matters, so he had not gone into closed-door meditation yet. However, the bad news was that Qin Yu did not get the answer that he wanted from White Phoenix. Qin Yu refused to give up and asked repeatedly, "Are you sure there isn't anyone?"

White Phoenix nodded his head. His eyebrows were knitted together as he asked Qin Yu in a suspicious tone, "Junior-apprentice brother, is something wrong?"

Qin Yu waved his hand dismissively. "Personal matters. It has nothing to do with the Peach Garden; please do not worry, third apprentice brother."

White Phoenix raised his brows. "Junior-apprentice brother is a member of the Peach Garden. Your problems are our problems too."

After being so direct, it seemed that White Phoenix came to a realization of how much weaker than Qin Yu he was and so his stance suddenly weakened. "Even though we might not be able to help, maybe you can share your problems with us and we can help you think of a solution."

Qin Yu laughed bitterly to himself and took a glance at White Phoenix's serious expression. If he continued to beat around the bush, he might really be disrespecting third apprentice brother.

Such a secret was impossible to keep, and sooner or later, third apprentice brother would learn about it. Thus, Qin Yu decided to let him know about the matter. "For reasons I can't say, I need to kill a True Saint within seventeen days…yes, third apprentice brother knows that I don't really like to murder innocent people, therefore I want to find someone that I can kill for a good enough reason. That's why I came here to consult you."

Qin Yu was very direct and straightforward about this matter; he did not conceal anything at all. But why did it sound strange…since when did killing a True Saint become something that could be mentioned so casually? Thinking about it carefully, it indeed was not very strange when it came to Qin Yu. After all, he had killed Zhou Saint and Lin Saint very recently.

As expected, I can't be of any help!

White Phoenix's lips twitched. "Junior-apprentice brother, you should reconsider this…it is extremely difficult to reach the cultivation level of a True Saint. If you kill one of them for no reason at all, I'm afraid that he or she would be greatly wronged."

Damn it, I am overstepping the boundaries here.

I'm just a pathetic Half-Saint, yet I am participating in this discussion about killing a True Saint. I even gave a suggestion!

Hiss -

However, I really think that it would be quite an easy task for Qin Yu to kill a True Saint. If he really wants to kill someone, that person would most likely end up dead!

Indeed, humans are adaptable…I've started to accept that Qin Yu can easily become a True Saint murderer.

Qin Yu bowed, "Thank you third apprentice brother for the reminder, I will be careful."

Unable to get the information that he wanted from White Phoenix, Qin Yu started to feel even more rushed for time. Without any delay, he said his goodbyes to White Phoenix and left. He felt that he could no longer keep staying in the Peach Garden. He had to go to the outside world to find a better opportunity to kill a True Saint.

After all, the Vast Brightness was undergoing a time of tribulation and turmoil was everywhere. The True Saints there would most likely be making their moves.

As Qin Yu was wondering whether or not to head towards the East Sea…hmm, killing a dragon sounded kind of thrilling to him. However, Qin Yu did not have such an intention, after all; the Dragon Saint had a rather good personality.

The Dragon Saint had even 'gifted' Qin Yu the East Sea Sword, and Qin Yu had personally witnessed its killing power. Apart from that woman, this sword was one of his most powerful cards.

Purely based on this alone, Qin Yu was not willing to repay kindness with vengeance by killing the dragon. He wanted to go to the East Sea to make a deal with the Dragon Saint, something along the lines of "I can help you kill an enemy, if you give me something in return."

Hehe, it was like getting an unexpected reward whilst fulfilling his mission.

Since the East Sea had 'gifted' him the East Sea Sword which was extremely precious, in Qin Yu's mind, their generosity had increased by a few notches.

Just when Qin Yu had made up his mind and was getting ready to head out, someone outside of the Peach Garden requested an audience with him.

Qin Yu's position in the Peach Garden meant that he was well worthy of becoming the Spring Master's successor. Every apprentice in the Peach Garden saw him as their protector, so naturally, Qin Yu's matters were the top priority. Even if there was a long line of people who were waiting to get his attention, the fastest way was still to communicate to him via a jade slip.

He used his divine sense to activate the jade slip and saw who was requesting an audience with him. He raised his brows before raising his head and saying, "Send her in."

She guessed that her request would not be declined, but to be able to meet Qin Yu so quickly made Rice Paper smile gleefully. This meant that Mister Ninth had no intentions of evading.

She quickly entered the Peach Garden without having the time to appreciate the atmosphere of the Vast Brightness' finest Holy Land and came to the outside of Qin Yu's courtyard.

"Mister Ninth, Lady Rice Paper is here."

Qin Yu's voice could be heard along with the sound of opening doors, "Let her in."

The Peach Garden cultivator who led the way for Rice Paper stepped aside and bowed slightly, "Please enter."

Rice Paper nodded her head and quickly entered the courtyard, her gaze landing on Qin Yu who was in the center.

"Greetings, Mister Ninth!"

Qin Yu looked at her and said, "You seem flustered. Did something happen?"

Rice Paper hurriedly replied, "Mister Ninth, something has happened to the Transcendent Sword Sect!"

In his head, he thought of Soaring Sky, before looking at Rice Paper whose face was filled with anxiety. He then said, "Tell me what happened in detail."

Rice Paper immediately told him about what she had been scouting so far, trying her best to be objective and not outrightly telling Qin Yu that there was a threat to him.

"That's basically what happened. They have been interrogating the Transcendent Sword Sect members about Bounded Zero Place. I did not dare to delay this matter any further so I came directly to the Peach Garden."

Qin Yu reached up to massage his forehead. "What you're saying is, you already infiltrated them, and then you withdrew."

Rice Paper nodded her head.

Qin Yu sighed internally, looking at her but not saying a word. Rice Paper was a smart lady, and she could tell what was going on just by examining the look in Qin Yu's eyes.

Her expression changed to one that looked pale and helpless. "What Mister Ninth is saying is that they've already realized I'm a spy, and they let me go on purpose?"

Qin Yu replied blandly, "There are Half-Saints, and even Soaring Sky in the Transcendent Sword Sect. The only people who are able to suppress them are True Saints. There was no way the True Saints were not aware of you entering and leaving the Transcendent Sword Sect. They did not do anything to you probably because following you would lead them to me…but since there has been no activity yet, then it could be because of another possibility."

Rice Paper paled even more. "What possibility…"

Qin Yu replied, "They're trying to lure me to the Transcendent Sword Sect."

He paced up and down, looking up at the peach blossoms that had already bloomed. "It seems like they are setting up a trap specially for me over there."

Rice Paper was almost as white as paper now. She bit her lip, not able to say a word at all. She knew that Qin Yu's guess was most likely correct.

This also meant that the Transcendent Sword Sect had been used as bait. How could she convince Qin Yu to rescue Soaring Sky? But if Soaring Sky was not rescued…it would only be a matter of time before the True Saints found out the truth. Then, they would inevitably come for both of them.

Just this thought alone was enough to cause Rice Paper to break out in a cold sweat.

Qin Yu continued pacing up and down with a calm expression on his face that hid his inner thoughts. Truth be told, he was experiencing a big dilemma now.

He was just trying to find a True Saint to kill, and right on time, there were two being sent to his doorstep. Since these True Saints were trying to find out information about the Bounded Zero Place, they must be from either the West Desolate or that clan.

Killing them was not emotionally burdensome for Qin Yu at all. However, there was one consideration. Since they had so obviously set up this situation for him, they must have some sort of certainty that they would win.

The West Desolate and that clan were extremely powerful. No one knew if they had any sort of extremely terrifying secret tricks up their sleeves. Even with Qin Yu's current abilities that were comparable to those of a Ruler, it would be a problem if he fell into their trap.

He would fight only if he could predict the level of danger beforehand or if he had a strong guarantee that he would be able to escape unscathed.

There was a high chance that he could win if he used the East Sea Sword. If he wanted even more certainty, it would be best if he could get that woman to fight alongside him. After all, with her level of cultivation, even lifting a finger could instantaneously change the outcome of the battle.

Having these thoughts, Qin Yu looked at Rice Paper who could not hide her anxiety-ridden expression. Unfortunately, he was unable to reassure her. All he could say was, "Please wait here for a while!"

He then turned and walked into the cultivation room and activated the restriction spell. He also sealed the aura fields inside and outside of the cultivation room.

Then, he took a deep breath and started to experiment…hmm, there's no harm in trying, right?

They were acquaintances, after all, and when she left last time, she did not say anything about not contacting her.

Whilst reassuring himself, Qin Yu raised both his hands up. The next moment, a Sun Moon illusion appeared and floated on top of his head, their light mixing with each other.

Ordinarily, Qin Yu should be chopping downwards using that sword, but since this was just to find someone, he did not need to use that move.

After a few moments, the Sun Moon illusion shone and the voice of an annoyed woman rang out from within, "You little rascal, what do you want this time?!"

Over the moon, Qin Yu quickly replied, "Greetings, Ruler!"

Afraid that she would cut him off immediately, he hurriedly explained his situation. "Something happened to the Transcendent Sword Sect today, and the main target was actually me. If I just ignore this matter, I will feel uneasy. So…"

"Hmph! So you just want to find a safeguard for yourself. If something happens to you, then I will be the one cleaning your buttocks!"

Qin Yu went rigid for a second. It was indeed exactly as you have described, but no matter what, you are still a lady. Isn't it quite rude for you to speak to me like that?

Evidently, the Ruler couldn't care less about whether Qin Yu felt embarrassed. She laughed coldly, "I can be your safeguard, but there is no free lunch in the world. I will give you an assignment afterwards, and you had better complete it without any mistakes."

There was an unspoken threat that if Qin Yu was unable to finish his assignment, then…we are all adults, there are some things that need not be spelled out, as long as one understands the meaning.

Without giving Qin Yu any space for negotiation, the Sun Moon illusion extinguished with two 'poof' sounds, like two lightbulbs that had been blown out. Clearly, the Ruler was unhappy that she was disturbed by him once again.

Qin Yu laughed bitterly, feeling like he had been sold to the Ruler. Whatever she wanted him to do in the future would definitely not be easy. However, this was something that he had already agreed to a long time ago; even if this matter had not occurred, he would still be unable to negotiate.

Forget it, he would deal with it when the time came. What was important was that the Ruler would not let him die like that.

He collected himself and pushed the door open. When facing Rice Paper, he became that calm and dignified Mister Ninth again. He said, "Let's go, let's pay a visit to the Transcendent Sword Sect!"