First Immortal of the Sword

Time was short, so the group decided to set off that very day.

Su Yi didn’t have anything to pack, but A’Li returned to her residence and gathered a few of her belongings.

Practically all of them were ordinary goods, like a change of clothes, a wooden hairpin, and her spear.

She also brought a pair of newly woven straw sandals.

In a cultivator’s eyes, her stuff was a pile of trash. A’Ning’s heart ached at the sight of it. My little sister has had it far too rough over the years.

“A’Li, you don’t need any of that stuff. I’ll buy you the best from now on,” A’Ning said gently.

A’Li froze, stunned, but she was clearly reluctant. She muttered, “Throwing them out would be such a shame.”

“You really can’t throw them out,” said Su Yi. “Hold onto them. Ideally… for the rest of your life.”

His tone was rife with meaning.

These ordinary goods were proof of the years A’Li had spent in poverty, and they carried the memories of those years.

Cultivating the Grand Dao was like sailing across an endless ocean. In the face of authority, desire, treasure, and beauty, most cultivators lost sight of their fundamental natures.

If A’Li took her possessions with her, they could serve as an anchor!

In the years to come, when A’Li lost her way, the memories stored within these items could help her find herself once more!

The same was true for Su Yi. Even as his cultivation grew, he kept every sword he’d ever used.

These weapons weren’t at all noteworthy to others, but to him, they served as anchors for his Grand Dao. When he combed through his experiences, they ensured that he’d never lose sight of his heart!

Alas, no one understood the true meaning of Su Yi’s words.

Only A’Li nodded with delight, then handed the sandals to Su Yi.

Su Yi looked at them, then noticed their size. He instantly understood. “Did you make these for me?”

A’Li nodded, then wrote on the beast skin, “They’re woven out of Golden Velvet Grass. When I was little, my grandfather told me that the cultivators in the city like to wear sandals like these. I just don’t know if they’re to your taste, Big Brother Su…”

The young woman seemed eager, but also nervous, as if she were afraid Su Yi would disdain them.

Su Yi was stunned, but after a moment’s silence, he accepted the sandals and smiled. “These are among the best gifts I’ve ever received.”

A’Li instantly sighed in relief, a huge smile on her face.

A’Ning took all of this in. Her delicate brow furrowed, but she said nothing.

Finally, the villagers watched as the group set off. A’Ning took out a treasure ship, which carried the group away.

“How could our Cloud Stream Village have been so fortunate? We didn’t just receive the protection of an expert like Senior Su. That girl A’Ning has even become a prominent expert of the Jing Province!” Meng Qi said with a deep sigh.

……

The treasure ship cleaved through the clouds as it carried them swiftly through the air.

The ship was larger on the inside, with numerous rooms and pavilions on board.

In one such room, Su Yi sprawled out comfortably in his wicker chair.

He had three goals he wanted to accomplish before he left for the White Reed Province.

First, he had to help A’Li regain her voice.

Second, he had to make sure she established the firmest possible foundations in the Grand Dao. If A’Li was willing to cultivate alongside her sister in the Jade Firmament Immortal Sect, that would naturally be best.

Third, he had to replenish his depleted cultivation base!

Of them, recovering his cultivation base was the most important. After all, not even a clever housewife could cook without ingredients. Once he recovered, he could cure A’Li with ease!

Relying on my recuperative powers alone will take too long. I have to find some heavenly materials and earthly treasures on the road ahead. If I can find a Dao Transformation Immortal Fruit or something comparably wondrous, all the better, thought Su Yi.

His external wounds had long since knit back together, but his internal wounds were still incomparably severe.

Especially since wisps of Immortal King source power still permeated his body. It’d be difficult to get rid of them on short notice, but their presence meant that his cultivation base still showed no sign of recovery.

Without it, Su Yi couldn’t access the treasures stored in his Nascent Divinity, like the Sword of the Human Realm or the Divine Replenishment Furnace.

Thus, the first item on Su Yi’s agenda was getting rid of that Immortal King source power as soon as possible!

Some rare earthly treasures like the Dao Transformation Immortal Fruit would be wondrously effective and cleansing his body of that Immortal King source power.

Of course, Su Yi knew another, even more direct approach: engaging in dual cultivation with a lady immortal!

That would cleanse his body of that Immortal King source power, and the lady immortal would benefit too; during their dual cultivation, she'd be able to refine that source power and make it her own. It was a win-win.

But as soon as this occurred to him, Su Yi laughed and rejected the idea. Where was he supposed to find a lady immortal to dual cultivate with now?

One day passed, then another, and another…

The ship flew non-stop.

Along the way, A’Li frequently visited to hear Su Yi expound on the Dao.

Su Yi learned that the brainless silver-robed man was called Qian Yu, while the man in dark armor was called Chang Lexing. Both were core disciples of the Jade Firmament Immortal Sect, as well as A’Ning’s junior apprentice brothers.

They were on their way to participate in the Seven Stars Immortal Assembly.

The so-called Seven Stars Immortal Assembly took place once a decade. The seven greatest immortal factions of the Jing Province took turns hosting it.

It was a large-scale assembly, and every time it was held, the entire province’s cultivation world paid attention.

The core disciples of the province’s seven top immortal factions competed fiercely until they’d determined the top ten contestants. Different ranks would receive different prizes.

In addition to the main competition, they planned to select “immortal seedlings” during the assembly.

“Immortal seedlings” referred to those of great potential, young people with extraordinary aptitude and spirit roots.

Anyone in the province under sixteen years of age could, after undergoing numerous tests, receive an opportunity to compete for the title of “immortal seedling.”

However, there were only seven spots, so the competition was extraordinarily brutal.

A’Ning, Qian Yu, and Chang Lexing were on their way to participate in the main competition as core disciples of the Jade Firmament Immortal Sect. They’d compete with core disciples of the province’s other top immortal factions.

Su Yi didn’t care about this at all. Events like this were held all over the Immortal Realm, and the novelty had long since worn off.

Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, the most illustrious events in the Immortal Realm were the Central Immortal Court’s Immortal Peach Banquet and the three pure lands of Mount Buzhou’s Immortal King Night Banquet.

The Jing Province’s Seven Stars Immortal Assembly might have seemed large in scale, but it was for World Kings and young people who’d yet to even step onto the path of cultivation. Despite the word “immortal” in the name, it had no connection to the Immortal Dao whatsoever.

In stark contrast, without an invitation, not even Immortal Kings were qualified to dine at the Central Immortal Court’s Immortal Peach Banquet!

But after learning about the Seven Stars Immortal Assembly, Su Yi deduced that A’Ning planned to have her little sister vie for an opportunity to become an “immortal seedling.”

Later that day.

Su Yi was meditating in his room when A’Ning suddenly came calling. She entered his room and looked at him for a moment, then said, “Su Yi, just who are you?”

Her icy eyes were as sharp as swords!

Su Yi wasn’t at all concerned. He just sprawled out in his chair, holding a jug of wine, and replied distractedly, “Would you believe me if I said I was once the First Immortal of the Sword and that I once stood supreme at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao?”

A’Ning furrowed her brow. “I’m not here to joke around with you.”

“Then tell me directly. Why are you here?” said Su Yi.

A’Ning’s eyes glinted with cold light. “Your origins are suspicious. I have no idea what you’re after or where you came from, but I want you to stay away from my little sister.”

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “You’re looking out for your little sister. I can understand that. But all I can say is, you’re jumping to conclusions.”

“I’m jumping to conclusions?” A’Ning was obviously displeased, but she held back. “A’Li is still young, and she knows little of the world. As her big sister, I have to look out for her. I know full well that her talent isn’t anything special, so why would you approach her and teach her to cultivate if you weren’t after something?”

Su Yi asked with great interest, “What is it you think I’m after, then?”

A’Ning finally lost her patience. She snorted coldly and said, “You know full well, so why ask? Must I reveal your petty, shameless intentions?”

Su Yi was briefly stunned, but then, his expression turned a bit strange. “Surely you don’t think I’ve approached A’Li in hopes of an opportunity to get closer to you?”

A’Ning snorted coldly. “Should I take that as an admission of guilt?”

She wasn’t at all accustomed to Su Yi’s indolent, composed demeanor, much less to the aloof pride he inadvertently displayed as they conversed. All of it made her quite uncomfortable.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are letting your imagination get the best of you. I’ll be honest: I have no interest in you whatsoever. You can rest assured about that.”

“....” A’Ning fell silent.

Su Yi paused, then said, “You were right just now. A’Li’s talent for cultivation is indeed unexceptional, far inferior to yours. However, with me here, she’s sure to dazzle the Immortal Realm one day. She’s sure to become an immortal, and it’s entirely possible that she’ll have extraordinary accomplishments in the Immortal Dao.”

His tone was calm and casual, as if he were describing something completely obvious.

A’Ning couldn’t help but laugh coldly. She couldn’t even be bothered to argue.

An immortal had chosen her as their disciple at a young age, and she’d become a World King in her teens. Even by the standards of the province as a whole, she was a rare genius!

For this reason, she understood that with her little sister’s poor aptitude and spirit root, it would be extraordinarily difficult for her to accomplish much in her pursuit of the Grand Dao.

Yet now, Su Yi was saying that with his guidance, A’Li would one day dazzle the entire Immortal Realm! And that she might well have extraordinary accomplishments!

He was promising the moon. It was complete nonsense!

In the end, A’Ning’s interest waned. She got up, but before she left, she had one last thing to say.

“I’ve said everything I need to say already. Please, have some self-respect and set aside your petty schemes. Otherwise, I guarantee you won’t be able to bear the cost!”

After A’Ning left, Su Yi took a sip of wine. His heart was as steady as the waters of an ancient well.

He wasn’t angry.

He just… didn’t quite know whether to laugh or cry.

Seth's Thoughts

“Would you believe me if I said I was once the First Immortal of the Sword, and that I once stood supreme at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao?”

Title drop! I wanted to keep the title drop, but I ~probably~ would have translated this as "the greatest immortal of the sword" otherwise.

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