Who taught him to practice swordsmanship like this?

Chapter 142 Let's have a team building activity!

Master Shi Yan listened silently to the whole story... Clearly, he had no prior knowledge of the Formless Ones, and this news greatly shocked him.

The Sword Master Wufeng asked curiously, "The Zhenyue Sword Sect is a major sect in Qi, and should have a long and distinguished history. How come you seem completely unaware of this matter?"

Master Shi Yan gave a bitter smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but our cultivation community in Qi also experienced a catastrophe more than two hundred years ago... On that day, the gates of hell opened wide at the foot of Mount Tai, and countless ghosts came from the underworld. The cultivators of Mount Tai were the first to be affected..."

"We finally managed to reseal the Netherworld Passage, but the cultivation world of Qi has already suffered heavy losses. It's no surprise that all the elders of our Zhenyue Sword Sect have perished."

Su Baichen felt heavy-hearted. No wonder he felt that the sword cultivators in Mount Tai were not very skilled; it turned out there was such a story behind it.

No wonder when he was comprehending the Earth element in the mountains, what he felt most deeply was "suppression"—it turns out that this mountain was used to suppress Yin and Yang!

At this moment, Master Shi Yan asked somewhat nervously, "Do any of you fellow Daoists have a way to examine those without form? Thinking about it carefully, in the years when I have been traveling around searching for talented people and beautiful jade, I have indeed encountered some children who made me feel uneasy... Now I think that they may be those without form."

Master Shi Yan could be described as somewhat weak, lacking the sharp edge of a sword cultivator, and instead appearing rather simple and honest.

This may be related to the fact that all the elders of his sect have passed away, and he can only rely on his fellow disciples to help each other to support the huge sect.

Upon hearing this, the Sword Master Wufeng took out a handful of talismans and said, "Besides being able to sense whether someone is hostile through the Sword Heart Clarity, we sword cultivators don't really have any good ways to distinguish. However, my fellow disciples from Changchun Palace have discovered many methods of differentiation, and this 'Divine Detection Talisman' should be the most suitable for you."

"In essence, this 'Divine Probe Talisman' is a 'Divine Stabilizer Talisman.' When ordinary people apply it, it works normally, but when those without form apply it, its power is quickly depleted..."

The old swordsman with the blunt sword explained how to use the talisman.

Just then, Su Baichen suddenly said, "I was just about to go for a stroll in the mortal world. If you are interested, senior, you can come with me."

"After seeing enough, one will actually be able to distinguish the formless ones by sight."

This time, even the members of the Changchun Sword Sect were surprised. The Sword Elder Wufeng exclaimed in astonishment, "You have a way to help us distinguish those who are formless?"

Su Baichen nodded and said, "Strictly speaking, these Formless Ones have actually been playing the role of a person all along."

"They were not originally human, but were reincarnated as humans from a young age, so they can learn to be human from infancy. Because their souls maintained their original state and memories when they were reincarnated, their essence has not changed."

"But as long as you're playing a human, there will always be something that feels off."

Upon hearing this, the Sword Master Wufeng suddenly realized that compared to identifying those without form, the sword competition was meaningless.

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you bring some senior brothers and sisters with you to help them identify those without form... The more people who can identify those without form, the better."

Master Shiyan also made up his mind and said, "Alright, I will also bring a few disciples with me."

And so, Su Baichen's team for this trip to the mortal realm expanded considerably, feeling almost like a team-building event between two sects.

The "joint expedition team" followed the same route as before in the Wu Kingdom, starting their investigation from the foot of Mount Tai with Su Baichen.

however……

The situation this time is not optimistic.

In almost every village at the foot of Mount Tai, there are one or two people without a physical form!

Moreover, most of these formless beings are young and appear to be quite intelligent.

"So these are the Formless Ones? There don't seem to be many of them."

Shi Yan actually had such feelings.

But the worldly-wise Guanlan Sword Lady said with a solemn expression, "That's quite a lot. When we were in the Wu Kingdom, there were only one or two people in the thirty-three villages and towns around Tianxia Mountain. Here, almost every village has one or two people..."

Shi Yan's expression also changed. He thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Qi state is stronger and more cultured than the Wu state."

Su Baichen hesitated, feeling that there were some things he really couldn't say.

But the Sword Maiden of Guanlan didn't care so much. She smiled faintly and said, "No, I think she knows there are many righteous sects in Mount Tai and is deliberately waiting here to have someone recruit her!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan felt a chill run through his body.

He was horrified, thinking, "How could this be?!"

Then, realizing that this was very likely true, a flash of fear crossed his face, followed by a resolute look: "If this is indeed the case, then my Zhenyue Sword Sect shall shoulder the responsibilities of a righteous sect!"

Seeing this, Wufeng Sword Elder hurriedly advised, "Brother Dao, do not act rashly. This Wuxiang has been planning for a thousand years, with countless hidden tricks and contingencies. After discovering its existence, my Changchun Palace could only silently accumulate strength in secret."

"Even another of our allies, a senior expert with old ties to the major sects of Qi, has vaguely sensed that there are already people from these righteous sects in the cultivation world of Qi."

"Even many of the major righteous sects in Qi know of the existence of the Formless Ones, yet they do not harbor hostility towards them!"

Upon hearing this, Master Shi Yan fell silent, then calmly said, "Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist. I know this matter is important and cannot be taken lightly. Now, let's go and observe more with you, young friend, and strive to distinguish those without form as soon as possible."

The group set off again, this time arriving in a more densely populated area.

Just like in the state of Wu, many landlords and powerful families had people without the ability to manifest.

However, compared to the Kingdom of Wu, the situation in the mortal realm here seems much better.

Su Baichen asked curiously, "Why aren't there so many powerful families here?"

Master Shi Yan's expression froze. He hadn't really paid much attention to this, so he couldn't answer.

Seeing this, Su Baichen didn't ask any more questions, but simply led his people to continue their visits.

They remained undetected under Su Baichen's illusionary magic, observing as they walked... By the time they had passed through two prefectures, Master Shiyan was already able to distinguish the Formless Ones by their appearance and demeanor, just like the Sword Maiden Guanlan.

It was from this that he awakened an instinct belonging to the human race.

He felt an overwhelming sense of disgust when he saw those faceless people trying so hard to play the role of a person.

He felt that being with these formless beings was an extremely disgusting thing... This is perhaps similar to the "uncanny valley effect".

"I see. The emperors of the Gao clan in Qi would occasionally fall into tyranny, and the existence of such tyrants was a disaster for those powerful clans in high positions..."

"It seems that the powerful clans of Qi have been almost wiped out by the Gao family, so those without the ability to distinguish themselves can only disperse among the local gentry in order to enter the court through the imperial examinations."

Su Baichen also figured out his previous doubts.

It can only be said that, from a humanitarian perspective, the Gao family, with their hereditary neurosis, was like a "pillar of stability."

Almost whenever the concentration of non-faceless beings in the Qi court became too high, Emperor Gao would activate his tyrannical mode and wipe out all the non-faceless beings in high positions.

The fact that they could act so recklessly and still maintain their power is actually related to the chaos in the underworld two hundred years ago.

The cultivation world in Qi Kingdom appears prosperous at this time, but in reality, most of the high-level cultivators have died.

Without high-level cultivators overseeing the situation, it is difficult for cultivators to exert any restraint over secular imperial power.

With such a large target as Liang Kingdom standing there, the three countries controlled by the Formless One naturally focused their firepower on Liang Kingdom...

Just as they were about to conclude their visit and return to Mount Tai, Master Shi Yan suddenly said, "I want to see Emperor Gao."

Everyone was surprised.

Su Baichen thought for a moment and then agreed: "Senior is right. Since we're already here, why not meet the Gao family emperor... Regardless of what the Gao family's original intentions were, at least from a humanitarian perspective, they have preserved this corner of humanity from being usurped."