Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1723 – National Advisor Visits

Hu Zhiming felt like he was in a dream.

Think about it – how many people did he turn away in the past few days? He had rejected South Sea Sword Sect Master Wei Heng the most, a total of six times.

After him, it was East Mountain Sect Master. The guy who did not like to show his face and who even let his junior brother take over his seat in the Main Sword Masters came four times.

Then, Spring Wind Sect Master Xie Chungang came three times.

Primordial Sword Sect, two times.

Purple Illusion Sword Sect, two times.

Empty Cave Sword Sect, one time.

……

Hu Zhiming instinctively knew that among the ten top sword sects, aside from the Frost Cold Sword Sect and the Pavilion Mountain Sword Sect, every other sect came.

Not only that, there were a few other great sword sects in Swallow Mountain who came to visit.

The first time Wei Heng from the South Sea Sword Sect came to visit, Hu Zhiming had felt incredibly conflicted about rejecting him outside. Back then, his heart was beating fiercely and he was afraid that Sect Master Wei Heng would lose his temper.

After all, Wei Heng personally came to visit as the Sect Master of one of the ten sword sects and a member of the Main Sword Masters. Even when the Opening Heavens Sword Sect was in its glory days in the past, they had to open the sect array and their Sect Master would personally come out to greet the guest.

Rejecting someone at the mountain gate was no different from spitting in their face.

However, nothing happened in the end. Wei Heng did not drop his smile and he even smiled brighter than before. His smile seemed to stretch to his ears and he continuously said that it was not an issue. Since Sect Master Qin Yu had closed himself in cultivation, he would come again at a later date.

Slowly, Hu Zhiming began to get used to rejecting people and he gradually grew numb to the feeling.

However, Hu Zhiming knew clearly that although Sect Master did not say much, all the troubles that the Opening Heavens Sword Sect had were settled.

Nonsense, who would be oblivious to what was happening now?

These polite visitors who maintained a smile even after being turned away were the best evidence. Unless one was blind and deaf, one would realize what was happening.

All of this occurred on that day when Sect Master left by himself…there was no other explanation.

Sect Master was truly amazing!

Hu Zhiming turned and look at the desolate mountain gate of the Opening Heavens Sword Sect. His soul was trembling in excitement and his mouth opened while he grinned from ear to ear. The best decision he made in his life was to join the Opening Heavens Sword Sect.

At the same time, many people started to pay attention to the Opening Heavens Sword Sect after the Sword Prison lost control. Things were starting to change here.

It was obvious that the Opening Heavens Sword Sect had not suffered any casualties.

Pavilion Mountain Sect Master had died and the Frost Cold Sword Sect was sealed away by the spring wind and rain sword aura. Furthermore, news started to spread from the various sword sects. The swordsmen of Swallow Mountain began to quieten down.

However, there was one thought that stuck in their minds and it gradually became clearer too – the Opening Heavens Sword Sect was truly returning…

……

Elite Sword Family, Jin Family.

Ancestral temple.

Old Ancestor Jin frowned deeply and there was a dark look on his face. He never imagined that things would progress to this stage.

There were many nails hammered by the Jin Family in Swallow Mountain. Some of them had already climbed to high-ranked positions in various sword sects.

As such, the Jin Family quickly learned about the events in the Sword Prison as well as the events that happened thereafter.

The Frost Cold Sword Sect's Sect Master Han Zhengyang had turned into a demon while Pavilion Mountain Sect Master had fought to his death in battle. The Opening Heavens Sword Sect's Sect Master Qin Yu had fought in the desperate situation and he revealed that he was the guardian of the seal in Swallow Mountain…

One by one, the news rushed towards Old Ancestor Jin and his expression grew even uglier. He originally wanted to sit on a side and watch everything, waiting for the Frost Cold Sword Sect to take action first before grabbing onto an opportunity and capitalizing on it.

Who would have thought that things would take a new turn. After today, the Opening Heavens Sword Sect had gained a strong foothold in Swallow Mountain.

It was not going to be easy to knock them down again.

Furthermore, from the situation reports, it was very possible that the Opening Heavens Sword Sect's Sect Master Qin Yu had that sealed item now. It was hard to grasp what he now held.

"Old Ancestor?" Jin Family Head asked.

Old Ancestor Jin said in a deep voice, "Pass them a message. Swallow Mountain has been utterly defeated; we can't do anything in the short term, but tell them to be prepared."

Jin Family Head stood up and bowed, "I will go now."

He left hurriedly.

Old Ancestor Jin waved his hand and the rest of the group left. He stood up and paced a few steps. His eyes fell onto the Sky Breaking Sword and he started to think deeply.

After some thinking, Old Ancestor Jin stepped out and in the next instant, he ended up in the secret cultivation realm of the clan, the Tempering Sword Tower.

Opposite him, Jin Geng's face was slightly pale. His heart jumped and his eyes flung open. He quickly got up and bowed, "Greetings to Old Ancestor."

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Old Ancestor's Jin expression was straight, "Not long from now, there will be a fate descending. If you can emerge from the darkness, you may have a chance to fight for it."

He paused slightly before continuing, "If you can get this fate, the Jin Family Head position is yours. I may even pass the Sky Breaking Sword to you."

Jin Geng's eyes widened and he dropped down to the ground heavily, "Thank you Old Ancestor! I will definitely do my best and won't disappoint you!"

Old Ancestor Jin stomped down and the ground beneath his feet broke apart. There was a deep black hole that headed deep within Tempering Sword Tower.

"You can't redeem yourself with words only. This hole heads to the deepest floor of Tempering Sword Tower. Think carefully about whether you want to head there."

Jin Geng sighed deeply and then, there was a look of determination on his face as he exclaimed, "I am willing!"

He jumped into the hole.

A satisfied grin stretched across Old Ancestor Jin's face. If Jin Geng had shown any hesitation just now, he would have lost his chance to continue.

Successful people were harsh on themselves. This was the basic requirement. If he did not have any courage, how could he be successful?

The hole disappeared and Old Ancestor Jin turned to leave. He would not interfere with what happened in the deepest layer of the Tempering Sword Tower. If Jin Geng survived, he would be a new person who was much stronger than he was before.

Otherwise, he would lose his life there!

……

White Feifei's severed hand was living in him. It was not an easy process and it did not 'complete soon' as she claimed. It had been a few days and Qin Yu still felt incredibly weak as energy was continuously sapped from him.

Tch! Women!

Women like White Feifei, who were ridiculously beautiful and liked to reveal their skin, could not be trusted at all.

Rourou did not step forward and interfere which meant that things were still proceeding as per her expectations. Qin Yu had no choice but to tolerate this.

Thankfully, the mountain peak lake in the Secret Sword Peak Realm was helping him to recover. Otherwise Qin Yu would have lost consciousness a long while ago.

However, compared to the return on his investment, this suffering was not worth anything.

……

The Opening Heavens Sword Sect. Rourou lived in the sword peak of the Grand Elder.

Main hall.

She was curled up in her chair and her eyes were tightly shut as she slept comfortably.

Even though she was snoozing away, she would frown occasionally, revealing some tiredness.

All of a sudden, Rourou's eyes flung open and she sat up straight and looked out of the mountain gate.

She sucked in a breath of air and the tiredness on her face instantly disappeared. Her eyes grew lively.

He was here!

……

Hu Zhiming was sure that he had never met the old daoist in front of him. This meant that this guest was not a high-ranked figure in Swallow Mountain.

He was very confident of this. After all, because he was an elite rogue cultivator who lived freely before this, he had to be very discerning. He had to know who he could provoke. The less trouble he sought for himself, the longer he could live.

"Sword Immortal, please pass on a message. I would like to visit Sect Master Qin Yu." The old daoist spoke in a calm and collected manner. He wore a warm smile and gave off a kind feeling.

Hu Zhiming had turned down many people. Even when Xie Chungang from the Spring Wind Sword Sect came the last time, he smiled and politely rejected him.

However, Hu Zhiming did not know why his heart was beating when he saw this old daoist. He held a strange form of respect for him.

For someone who was in high spirits and kept his back straight often recently, this was very rare for Hu Zhiming.

There was a slight hesitation before Hu Zhiming cupped his hands, "Old sire, I am really sorry but my Sect Master is in closed cultivation and the mountain gate is closed temporarily. Please visit again another day."

The old daoist thought about it before saying, "I see. Then I will visit the Grand Elder."

Hu Zhiming strained himself, "Grand Elder is not…"

Before he could finish, his voice trembled and he suddenly realized that he had broken out into cold sweat.

Thankfully, he did not need to complete his sentence.

Shoosh –

The space vibrated and Rourou appeared. She stared at the old daoist who was outside the sect array and said, "National Advisor, please come in."

A hole appeared in the array silently.

There was a flash of light in the old daoist. Then he stepped forward with all smiles, "Grand Elder, it has been a while since the Jade Gate. Please do not blame me for the sudden visit."

Rourou shook her head and stared at Hu Zhiming, "No one shall speak of this."

"Ah…yes, yes. Grand Elder, please rest assured!" Cold sweat dripped down Hu Zhiming's face.

National advisor…which national advisor…where did he come from…

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Although he was a rogue cultivator, he was a top-ranked one in Swallow Mountain and he knew some things about the Central Desolate Divine Area.

The Central Desolate was an empire, Great Qin. The only one who could be called National Advisor was naturally the national advisor of Great Qin.

It was rumored that the national advisor was a professional at refining puppets and his cultivation realm was deep and mysterious. He also had many strange techniques.

As soon as he thought about how he talked to the national advisor for so long, Hu Zhiming's face turned pale. When the two people left, Hu Zhiming quickly rubbed himself down. When he found nothing amiss, his expression relaxed and he immediately sat down cross-legged as he carefully examined his current state.

Phew –

Nothing was wrong!

At that moment, Hu Zhiming suddenly felt as though he had escaped death.

"He he, do you really think that you would realize anything so easily if I actually made a move on you?" The national advisor's voice echoed through Hu Zhiming's mind.

He turned as pale as a sheet and blood drained from his face.

"Don't worry. I have to give some face to your Grand Elder…remember, don't be a big mouth. Those who speak too much will not live long."

"I understand and I will definitely not speak a word of it. National Advisor, please rest assured!" Hu Zhiming slapped his chest and yelled. He was very close to swearing upon his words.

After a few moments there was no other sound, and finally Hu Zhiming plopped to the ground, panting heavily.

As for why the national advisor would know the Grand Elder and why he would come to the Opening Heavens Sword Sect…he did not need to think about such things.

Nonsense, he was addicted to his life and even if he wanted to die early, he would choose a more comfortable method of dying.

Provoke the national advisor and he would turn one into a puppet alive. Just this thought alone made goosebumps form on his skin!

Rourou looked at the old daoist.

The national advisor smiled, "That young brat is lively and thoughtful. I was simply giving him a reminder." He looked at Rourou, "Senior's senses are very sharp. I am in admiration."

Rourou replied, "I don't like being called that."

The national advisor said in a kind tone, "Of course, whatever you say Grand Elder."

Rourou said, "National Advisor, tell me what you want directly."

The national advisor answered, "I am here to inform you of some things. For instance, that the Frost Cold Sword Sect was a chosen partner of that clan. The Pavilion Mountain Sword Sect was too…and so is the Jin Family."

As he said this, he laughed, "Sometimes, I really admire that clan's perseverance. They are already dried bones in a burial mound but they are still so hardworking and they place their heads on a chopping board for our king to behead. Everyone becomes delighted, how wonderful."

Rourou frowned slightly, "Thank you for the reminder, National Advisor. You are here at my sword sect today because of that clan?"

The national advisor nodded, "That's right." His feet shuffled, "Our Great Qin knew about the seal in Swallow Mountain back then. The reason why we did not take action was because we respected that senior.

"However, since the seal has been broken, is the Opening Heavens Sword Sect willing to do a deal? As long as you nod, I can represent His Majesty and make a promise to your sect. In a thousand years, you will definitely become the best sword sect in Swallow Mountain. You will be protected by the Qin Empire and your lineage will be protected like it is a part of the empire."

For a sword sect, this was very tempting.

Rourou shook her head and rejected his proposition without much thought, "The seal has been resealed. We are not able to do as you say."

The national advisor smiled, "You are not going to think this through seriously?"

Rourou said, "There is no need."

The national advisor sighed, "Since you are not willing, forget it. A stolen fruit will not taste good and I should not force it upon you. Grand Elder, if you change your mind anytime, you can come and find me. Today's proposal is still on offer."

He changed the topic, "Replying to your earlier question, I am here today to make a deal with the Opening Heavens Sword Sect. What do you think about collaborating to eradicate that clan?"

Rourou nodded, "How do we do that?"

The national advisor smiled, "Grand Elder, you truly are delighted."

Two hours later, the national advisor left the Opening Heavens Sword Sect. He smiled towards Hu Zhiming who was still pale. Then, he stepped and vanished.

The national advisor appeared in a sea of clouds in the skies above Swallow Mountain.

Opposite him, the guardian of the Jade Gate, Great General Zhao Yuan, slowly opened his eyes, "National Advisor, is the Opening Heavens Sword Sect truly worthy of you personally visiting them?"

The national advisor returned a smile, "The sealed item under Swallow Mountain is not ordinary. Our king wants it too but he can't make a move. Now that the sealed item is in the hands of the Opening Heavens Sword Sect, they are naturally worthy of it."

Zhao Yuan frowned, "You have it?"

The national advisor shook his head, "No. If I were them, I would not agree either. What a pity…" He obviously hesitated with finishing his sentence.

Zhao Yuan was silent.

The national advisor looked at him and smiled as he shook his head, "I am going to give you a warning on the basis of that Old Zhao. Do not interfere with the Opening Heavens Sword Sect or you will really be troubled. Of course, it is up to you whether you want to believe me or not. I am only going to say this once."

Zhao Yuan cupped his hands, "Thank you National Advisor." He gave up on his ideas.

"No wonder Old Zhao likes you. I think you are quite intelligent too."

"Thank you for the praise, National Advisor. However, I will tell my Old Ancestor how you address him."

"Do as you please. I am not afraid of criticizing him." The national advisor burst out laughing, "Let's go."

He waved his sleeve and left the white clouds behind.