The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 259 My name is Shi Qingguang, the number one swordsman in the world (two chapters combined)

After Gu Fangchen left, Wen San touched the "Golden Mother Pearl" in his arms, still feeling as if he had just woken up from a dream.

He subconsciously took the bead out and looked at it again and again, wiping it repeatedly. The unique material, as beautiful as gold and jade, emitted a special luster rarely seen in the human world, which made him realize that this was indeed a treasure that ordinary people could not possibly see.

"Ouch!"

Wen San pinched his thigh hard; the sharp pain was so intense that it finally dispelled the feeling of unreality.

"I'm not dreaming! Hahahaha, I'm not dreaming!"

Wen San was overjoyed and couldn't help but grin, but he still remembered the terrifying experience of being nearly beaten to death by the old Taoist priest.

If the immortal hadn't foreseen this, his head would probably have been smashed by a single blow before he could even warm up his treasure!
The principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime" is something even a fisherman understands very well.

However, judging from this, the reason why the immortal was so generous in giving him this treasure was probably to compensate for the risk of using him as bait in advance.

Wen San swallowed hard, thinking that the young, kind-looking immortal was actually more meticulous and decisive in his actions than the seemingly sinister old Taoist. The world of immortals was truly fraught with danger.

He hadn't yet experienced the benefits of being a cultivator, but he had already experienced the dangers.

Wen San's expression was uncertain, and a hint of hesitation arose in his heart.

But thinking of those immortals who soared high in the sky every day, and his days of groveling and exchanging a few fish for a meager amount of silver, he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, went into the boat, untied the rope tied to the shore, pushed off with the pole, and left Baima Temple by water under the cover of night.

The lake next to Baima Temple is connected to the surrounding waterways. If one follows the current, one can travel a thousand miles in a day, which is the fastest way for him to leave.

Tonight, the immortal and the old Taoist priest are fighting. I wonder if anyone in the White Horse Temple noticed.

If anyone notices something and comes looking for Wen Santou, his possession of a valuable treasure will be immediately discovered.

Therefore, he had to leave as soon as possible.

The disappearance of an ordinary fisherman should not attract attention in a short period of time.

"I am an old man, all alone, with no children or relatives, and no ties. If I miss this opportunity, the best I can hope for is to live a few more years and die an obscure death. Why not take a chance?"

Wen San looked at the bright moon reflected in the rippling water, took a deep breath, gripped the bead in his hand tightly, and his eyes changed slightly.

"With this treasure, who knows, maybe one day I, this old codger, will be able to have all-powerful abilities like those immortals?"

Wen San's eyes burned with desire, eager to test the bead's effects. Suddenly, he glanced at the boat and noticed a broken reed lying on the boat.

Wen San was stunned for a moment, then remembered that when the immortal was talking to the old Taoist, he broke off a reed and played with it in his hand before throwing it aside.

His heart tightened, wary that the reed might reveal his location by being tainted by the aura of the immortals. He reached out and picked it up, intending to throw it into the water and let it drift downstream.

But as soon as he touched it, Wen San sensed something was wrong.

"This...this reed...why does it feel like this?"

He looked bewildered, picked it up, and examined it carefully in his hand.

The reeds had changed; they were hard and smooth, reflecting the moonlight. Their material was neither gold nor jade, yet they possessed a certain toughness.

Wen San tried to bend it with force and found that it could bend slightly. He then tried to cut it with a knife and was able to easily make a mark.

How strange...

"It's weird!"

Wen San looked at the object in his hand with a face full of questions. It resembled a reed, but it didn't seem to be made of any material he had ever seen before.

It was only played with in the hands of an immortal for a short while, and it turned out like this...

It must be some kind of divine power of an immortal.

Wen San dared not investigate further, so he threw it into the water and watched as the waves rolled and submerged it.

—If he were a modern person, he would be able to tell at a glance that this thing is called plastic.

……

A few days later.

Gu Fangchen and De Yuanzi arrived in the southwest region together.

Although the ancient dynasty today has some minor differences from the Great Wei, the general regional divisions are the same.

The southwest is also divided into four routes, with many sword-wielding cultivators. However, because there is no leading sect, the Sword Pavilion, the situation of sword cultivators forming a united front has not yet fully developed.

At this time, "Sword Pavilion" was merely a small pavilion built by a female sword immortal who occupied a mountain.

As soon as Gu Fangchen entered the southwest region, he felt several divine senses sweeping over him, probing his strength.

He squinted and blocked it all.

From various hidden places in the distance, muffled groans and even screams came from all directions, and after that, no one dared to come and test the waters again.

Even without using the "Unraveler" skill, with his strength, he couldn't touch the "Enlightened Ones," but below the first rank, he couldn't be said to be without opponents, only somewhat invincible.

Among these probing consciousnesses was a second-rank being comparable to De Yuanzi, but he was no match for Gu Fangchen.

"Hehe, even old woman Tianyin has met her match."

De Yuanzi immediately recognized the owner of that divine consciousness and began to laugh gleefully.

He has kept his strength hidden for many years, but as he travels around, he inevitably makes enemies.

It's just that the other side often doesn't take him seriously, which is why he has been able to escape danger time and time again.

The "Old Lady of Heavenly Sound" he mentioned was actually called "Fairy of Heavenly Sound." She appeared to be a young and beautiful woman, but in reality, she was older than De Yuanzi.

De Yuanzi was about three hundred years old, while this "Heavenly Sound Fairy" was seven hundred years old.

In theory, De Yuanzi could also transform into his younger self, but he preferred to conceal his cultivation level. To make his enemies underestimate him, he maintained a sleazy and old-fashioned appearance for a long time.

Unless for special purposes, such as being a sect leader and needing a more dignified image, cultivators generally do not change their appearance to look older, unless their lifespan is about to end and they can no longer maintain their physical vitality.

De Yuanzi often used this to lull his opponents into a false sense of security, pretending to be old, weak, and lacking in cultivation, before striking them down when they were off guard.

As for this "Celestial Music Fairy," she unleashed her ultimate skill in a secret realm, using her zither music as a killing move. She directly dealt an area-of-effect attack, which also affected De Yuanzi, who was fighting someone, and he almost lost his life for no reason.

De Yuanzi was naturally very vengeful and harbored resentment in his heart.

As Gu Fangchen listened to him, her expression suddenly became somewhat subtle, and she touched her chin.

Speaking of which, the Imperial Preceptor is five hundred years old, and in fact, when others mention her, they often refer to her as "the Imperial Preceptor herself."

Given Gu Fangchen's age, it should actually be the Grand Preceptor, an old ox eating young grass, a large cart crushing a young horse...

"In this southwestern region, the atmosphere is truly tense because of the arrival of the 'Tao Seed'... There are countless people coming to compete for it, it's really lively."

De Yuanzi's mutterings brought Gu Fangchen back to her senses.

He sensed the nearby cultivators, and most of them chose to retreat after realizing Gu Fangchen's strength. However, Gu Fangchen's performance just now attracted the attention of many cultivators with considerable cultivation.

Gu Fangchen didn't care. De Yuanzi, being an old coward who could hide his cultivation even at the second rank, had naturally made thorough preparations for coming to seize the "Dao Seed" and had investigated the southwest region thoroughly. Apart from the female sword immortal who had only recently arrived and was an "enlightened one," De Yuanzi knew very little about her.

But De Yuanzi does indeed have connections.

What he said earlier to make Gu Fangchen hesitate was indeed true; this old Taoist had traveled all over the world and made friends in various places.

Regardless of the depth of the relationship, they are indeed well-liked wherever they go.

According to De Yuanzi's description, none of the second-rank officials in the southwest region are a match for Gu Fangchen.

However, Gu Fangchen, with her peak second-grade cultivation in both martial arts and divine arts, truly shouldn't have any rivals.

Otherwise, wouldn't all his work have been for nothing?
Even if she encounters an "enlightened one," Gu Fangchen is not necessarily defeated.

In today's view, the so-called first rank is actually the attainment of a certain great path, and the achievement of the ultimate at the end of that path.

Xie Qian was able to create the "Eternal Unity" formation mostly because he had reached the pinnacle of the "literary" path, which included the supernatural power of making his words come true.

Using this supernatural power, a grand formation was set up, causing the river of time to flow backward and form a cycle.

He sensed that the two professional skills Gu Fangchen possessed at this moment might also be manifestations of the "Tao".

However, he has never grasped any of the "ways" and has relied entirely on cheating to level up.

Therefore, this "Dao" could not be from outside. There is only one possibility: before the "Master of Hengchang Dao" switched him and put him into another world, he already possessed this "Dao".

This may be the only "Tao" that is not external, but rather the "Tao" of this world itself.

"True" and "False".

Gu Fangchen also felt that the two could be called "matter" and "spirit".

In short, when Gu Fangchen stepped into the "Great Furnace Era", she had already automatically become an "enlightened one".

Today, even looking at the entire "Great Furnace Era," apart from the ancient human emperor Xiao Zhenwu, no other "enlightened one" is his match.

This is also why he is not in a hurry to find the Primordial Human Emperor, or the "Lord of Hengchang Dao".

Since we're already here, and we've already heard about that "female swordswoman" from the Southwest, naturally the female swordswoman is the higher priority.

Let's just leave that old man, "Master Hengchang," for now...

De Yuanzi and Gu Fangchen first found a place to rest and gather information.

As the female sword immortal of the Sword Pavilion had recently become a hot topic, Gu Fangchen learned about her known information within a few hours.

He listened with a sense of anticipation as De Yuanzi spoke eloquently:

"This female sword immortal suddenly appeared in the southwest three months ago. She occupied a mountain by an unknown lake and built this so-called 'Sword Pavilion'. She called herself the immortal of swords and put up a sign that read 'Number One in the World' in the 'Sword Pavilion'."

Gu Fangchen suddenly frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

Although she is described as a "female sword immortal of Jian Ge," this initial description alone makes her seem nothing like Ning Caiyong...

De Yuanzi continued:
"The southwest region has always been home to many sword cultivators. She claims to be the best in the world, which has certainly made many people unconvinced and challenge her. However, she has never been defeated, and her reputation has gradually grown."

"However, the time is too short. People outside the southwest only know that there is a female sword immortal. If it weren't for the sudden fall of the 'Dao Seed', the fame probably wouldn't have spread."

Gu Fangchen asked curiously:

"Does she just sit there all day, putting up a sign and accepting challenges?"

"That's not it."

The old Taoist priest shook his head:

"I've heard that this female swordswoman is also a swordsmith. Her sword pavilion is always filled with roaring fires, and the ground inside seems to be littered with swords that have failed to be forged."

Gu Fangchen paused, her expression turning somewhat strange.

This sounds like an old friend surnamed Zu...

Gu Fangchen sighed, rubbing her forehead, somewhat puzzled.

Probably not?
Was that auntie from this era?
"Forget it, I might as well go and see for myself, then I'll know."

Gu Fangchen breathed a sigh of relief.

He asked De Yuanzi about the location of the Sword Pavilion and found that it was exactly the same as the location of the Sword Pavilion in later generations. However, the magnificent Donglong Lake that later became the Sword Pavilion is now just an ordinary little lake with no reputation.

The mountain next to it is rich in spiritual energy, making it a good place for cultivation.

When the female swordswoman occupied this mountain, she also drove away several local cultivators.

……

The more Gu Fangchen listened, the more uneasy she felt.

Upon arriving at the destination, he landed by the lake and immediately saw the pavilions on the mountain.

Compared to the grand scale of the later Jian Ge, the Jian Ge on this mountain, hidden by lush trees, was indeed just an exquisite little pavilion.

It was even like a young lady's boudoir, with beaded curtains and gauze drapes, and wind chimes hanging with red ropes, which jingled in the wind.

But upon closer inspection, one will discover that the wind chime is actually made of a string of small swords.

Moreover, each of those small swords radiated a brilliant divine light, indicating that none of them were ordinary items.

Gu Fangchen squinted and, judging by sight, they were mostly gold quality, which meant they were "rare items".

From a player's perspective, this wind chime is practically a giant treasure chest.

We have the treasure chest... but what about the boss guarding it?
Gu Fangchen looked up.

I saw the plaque that read "Number One Under Heaven" on the pavilion, and a girl with bare white feet standing casually on the roof.

The young woman, dressed in a light blue gauze dress, with cascading black hair and star-like eyes, met Gu Fangchen's gaze, then raised her delicate white chin and gave a cold snort:

"I thought all the sword cultivators in the Southwest had lost their courage and none of them would dare to compete with me. I'm glad they didn't disappoint me."

She stretched out her snow-white jade foot, and with a pinch, a flick, and a hook, flipped a long sword casually placed beside her foot up into the air and held it in her hand.

With a swift turn, the sword was aimed at Gu Fangchen below.

"My name is Shi Qingguang, the number one swordsman in the world."

"State your name, and I will remember it regardless of victory or defeat."

The girl looked at the young man, only to see an expression on his handsome face as if the sky had fallen.

Shi Qingguang: "?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: The wasabi-flavored macadamia nuts are actually quite delicious (*▽*)
(End of this chapter)