Volume Two: Snow over Qin Chuan Chapter Three: A Maiden on the Path of the Sword

Feng Qi moved quickly, almost at a sprint.

The disciples watching from the sidelines believed Feng Qi did not understand the Sword Path, but they were wrong. Aside from a poor sense of direction, his understanding of this mountain likely surpassed that of most disciples of the Snow Cloud Sect. This was because he read many books. He had always been reading; as for cultivation, that was merely something he did when he was bored. As the saying goes, "within books, one finds golden houses," and the mountain beneath his feet just happened to be one of those houses. He knew where the sword intent in this path came from and what sustained it.

The Snow Cloud Sect had a long-standing tradition of having disciples ascend the Sword Path. The sword intent they left behind settled onto the path, becoming part of the path itself. Thus, as he walked, he hadn't even considered using his "Traceless Sword Eye." The sword intent at this stage was too weak; it was likely left behind by disciples in the Hunyuan Realm. Since Feng Qi stood at the pinnacle of the Hunyuan Realm himself, he was naturally not trapped by such intent.

However, fighting against a crowd was troublesome, and breaking through the sword intent one by one was even more so. Thus, Feng Qi decided to take a shortcut. He did not believe anyone in the Hunyuan Realm could break his "Last Stand" technique, so he decided to simply endure the sword intent with his physical body.

A quarter of an hour later, he finally stopped. It was not because his internal energy was exhausted—though he did not have much left. Feng Qi looked down at his right shoulder. There was a sword wound there, deep enough to see the bone. The only difference between a sword mark and a sword wound was whether or not it bled. Feng Qi’s expression grew grave; he thought, had he already reached two hundred feet? If so, the sword intent here should have reached the early stage of the "Heart-Meeting" realm.

He dispelled his "Last Stand," pulled a random garment from his storage pouch to drape over his shoulders, put away his Overlord Spear, and drew a long sword from his internal reservoir. The sword intent of the early Heart-Meeting realm could no longer be withstood by the body alone. Even if he could... how much more blood would he have to shed?

The principle of "overcoming ten thousand techniques with one force" only works if one's own strength is superior. Since his strength was insufficient, he had no choice but to use the "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" approach. With a flash of silver, his Traceless Sword Intent was activated, and the dozens of sword intents waiting to strike became as clear as if they were right before his eyes.

"Less than ten feet left until the turning point. If I give up once I reach that place, even my master won't be able to say anything," Feng Qi muttered to himself. He only needed to parry a few sword beams; if he was careful, it shouldn't be a problem. He took a deep breath and walked calmly forward.

"If you take another step, you will die," a cold, clear voice suddenly rang out from nowhere.

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, stopped, and looked around. "Are you a spirit? Why can't I see you?"

The voice was silent for a moment, then said chillingly, "Do you want to die?"

Feng Qi thought this person was quite strange, and replied dismissively, "A coward hiding in the shadows—what can you do to me?"

The snow surface not far away shifted. Only then did Feng Qi notice someone sitting there: a young girl in white sword robes. Her hair was unbound, falling loosely behind her, which looked rather comfortable. From this angle, her robes were easily distinguishable from the Sword Path. Why hadn't he noticed her before? Perhaps because she had merged with the sword intent on the path?

"An Invisible Sword Body? Innate or acquired?" Feng Qi asked curiously.

The girl was expressionless. "Who did you just call a coward hiding in the shadows?"

Feng Qi thought, *You're an Invisible Sword Body in an environment dense with sword intent; it's natural you'd be hard to find. Am I wrong?*

The girl said, "Not being able to find me is a failure of your own skill. No matter how mysterious an Invisible Sword Body is, it is still human. It cannot become a sword, nor can it become sword intent."

Feng Qi thought about it and admitted his mistake readily. "My judgment was poor... What are you doing here?"

"Cultivating," the girl replied.

Feng Qi laughed. "What a coincidence, I am here specifically to cultivate as well. I haven't asked for your name, miss. How should I address you?" He emphasized the word "specifically."

"Spirit," the girl said, turning to leave. "Didn't you say I was a spirit?"

Feng Qi rubbed his nose, thinking, *You served the topic up on a silver platter, don't blame me for throwing it back in your face.*

***

"Spirit, how much longer are you going to cultivate?"

The girl stopped and turned around, saying every word clearly, "Do you really want to die?"

Feng Qi shook his head firmly. "If you die, everything is gone. It's better to be alive."

"Do you think I can't beat you?" the girl asked.

Feng Qi shook his head again. "I sprinted for dozens of feet in one go; my energy is less than ten percent of what it was. How could I be your opponent?"

The girl looked at him. "It seems you are quite fearless... But this is the Sword Path; no one outside will ever know what happens here."

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow. "Then it seems I know more than you. I also know the Snow Cloud Sect has a magical artifact called the Suspended Mirror."

"That only works for depths of less than two hundred feet," the girl said.

Feng Qi was silent for a moment. "I don't believe there is anywhere that can block the sight of a Harmony-realm expert."

"The Sect Leader and the Sword Law are busy," she replied.

"They are definitely not busy today," Feng Qi said earnestly.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I joined the sect today," Feng Qi replied, even more earnestly.

The girl was silent for a while and decided to ignore him.

Feng Qi called out behind her, "Since you have an Invisible Sword Body, are you interested in the Traceless Sword Intent?"

The girl sped up.

Feng Qi added, "If you're not interested in the Traceless Sword Intent... how about the General Principles of Sword Techniques?"

A trace of shock finally appeared on the girl's face. "Who exactly are you?"

The smile on Feng Qi’s face grew more smug. "I am Feng Qi. The 'Feng' of a howling gale, and the 'Qi' of rising up."

The girl didn't seem surprised, just nodded. "Fine. If I need it, I will find you."

***

Yuan Yulong’s expression was calm, as if he knew nothing at all. Xue Qianzhang glanced at him but said nothing. Xue Wuji, standing nearby, asked, "How is that kid? He hasn't done anything reckless, has he?"

Xue Qianzhang thought for a moment. "I don't know if privately teaching the General Principles of Sword Techniques counts as reckless. Should I ask the Sword Law?"

Yuan Yulong didn't even look up. "The General Principles are the foundation of our sect. Apart from the Sect Leader and the Law Sword, no one is permitted to study them. If a Sword Disciple of the three peaks—Treading Snow, Wind-Thunder, or Traceless—is taught by their master, they may learn but not pass them on. Anyone who does so shall be stripped of their title. If an outsider learns the General Principles, the crime is treason..."

Xue Wuji hurriedly interrupted, "Don't try to scare me! Even if Feng Qi is a bit impulsive, he knows right from wrong! He would never teach the General Principles!"

Xue Qianzhang sighed, "Back then, Senior Brother peeked at the Senior Sister from the Chasing Moon Peak while she was bathing. Now, Feng Qi uses the General Principles to flirt with a young girl. I suppose this counts as 'like master, like apprentice'!"

Yuan Yulong said coldly, "Male disciples trespassing on Chasing Moon Peak face the death penalty by law."

Xue Wuji’s face flushed red. "Did any of you see it? That’s slander!"

Xue Qianzhang thought. "I didn't see it, actually."

Yuan Yulong said, "When you were being hung from the ceiling of the Asking Dao Hall by Master and whipped, that matter no longer required evidence."

Xue Wuji was furious. He smashed a wooden table in the Asking Dao Hall to pieces with one palm and vanished instantly. It looked imposing, but it was actually a sign of his guilty conscience. He knew Feng Qi well, but he dared not say he knew him perfectly. He could only assume that under normal circumstances, Feng Qi wouldn't leak the General Principles... It seemed he would need a good talk with him once he came down from the Sword Path.

Watching where Xue Wuji had disappeared, Yuan Yulong snorted and looked at Xue Qianzhang. "How is your wound?"

The four who had clashed in the Dao Abyss had left after a few exchanges. Their strength was nearly identical, so there would have been no result had they continued, but "not dying" did not mean "not wounded." The injuries those four suffered would have been fatal to anyone who had not reached the Harmony realm.

Hearing Yuan Yulong, Xue Qianzhang shook his head. "It's nothing."

Yuan Yulong continued, "You didn't bleed, did you?"

Xue Qianzhang glanced at him. "Naturally not. I was careful."

Yuan Yulong nodded and said no more. Xue Qianzhang’s sword robes fluttered slightly. Yuan Yulong had already vanished. Xue Qianzhang was silent for a long time before sighing. It was unclear what he was sighing about.

A young acolyte from the Asking Dao Hall poked his head in. "Ancestor, do you have any instructions?"

Xue Qianzhang pointed his head at the debris on the floor. "Replace the table." He paused, then added, "When you replace it, inform Chasing Moon Peak that the cost should be billed to Traceless Peak."

***

"Did you hear? The kid climbing the Sword Peak today is the top of the Romantic Ranking, Feng Qi!"

"So what if he's on the Romantic Ranking? Any inner mountain disciple of the Snow Cloud Sect at the peak of the Hunyuan Realm could easily top that list."

"The point is, he's the Prince of Yanbei!"

"What does that have to do with us? The Snow Cloud Sect is a place where strength speaks. A background might help, but it's not the proper path... and isn't Yanbei in trouble?"

"Speaking of strength... can you climb two hundred feet?"

"..."

Feng Qi did not know that the outside world had divided into two camps over his performance. He only knew that shortly after parting with the girl, he had been dragged back to Traceless Peak by his teacher, and he had been fighting ever since. First, he fought disciples of the upper Hunyuan stage, then peak Hunyuan, and now the early Heart-Meeting stage.

He had just defeated a disciple of the early Heart-Meeting stage. Though his stamina and energy could recover quickly, he had spent a lot of mental effort on the Sword Path, and being forced into high-intensity combat without rest left him exhausted. He just wanted a good, sound sleep. But Xue Wuji had been hovering nearby with a foul expression the whole time. Just looking at his face made Feng Qi not want to speak.

The disciple he was sparring with was named Li Ruoyu. His name meant "like a fool," and his sword techniques were just as clumsy. But there was a benefit to being clumsy: stability. This stability made Feng Qi feel like he didn't know where to strike, and he quickly fell behind.

"Stop!" Xue Wuji shouted.

Li Ruoyu withdrew his sword instantly. Feng Qi’s "Cloud-Breaker" strike landed on empty air, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"Do you know your error?" Xue Wuji asked.

Feng Qi asked in confusion, "What did I do wrong?"

Xue Wuji mimicked Yuan Yulong’s tone, saying coldly, "Using the Traceless Sword Intent I taught you to woo a young girl—not bad, are you?"

Feng Qi was stunned, then gave an awkward laugh.

Xue Wuji snorted, "That might be forgivable. The Traceless Sword Intent is precious, but given the talent of that girl, Zhou Zihan, she might have been taught it eventually. But what did you think the General Principles of Sword Techniques were? Giving them away just like that? What a grand gesture! I almost thought you were going to propose to the Empress!"

Feng Qi said sheepishly, "I was just teasing her..."

"Teasing her?" Xue Wuji was so angry his beard bristled. "What if she had actually wanted to learn it then? Even though the Sect Leader would have surely stopped it, the moment you said even one word, it would have been treason!"

Xue Wuji stressed the word "treason" heavily.

Feng Qi thought, *So I just joined the sect and I've already been walking the line of death?*

Xue Wuji looked at him and scolded, "Know fear now? See if you ever speak without thinking again!"

Feng Qi curled his lip. "So, that girl today is called Zhou Zihan?"

Xue Wuji was taken aback.

Feng Qi continued to himself, "She saved my life, so logically, I should go and thank her."

Before Xue Wuji could respond, Feng Qi hurried away. Xue Wuji watched him, dumbfounded, both angry and amused. "This kid! He really is a slippery rogue!"