First Immortal of the Sword

After a lengthy silence, Su Yi asked the old blind man, “What was your cultivation at your peak?”

The old blind man sighed.
“I was just one step away from entering the Imperial Realm, but now, never mind entering the Imperial Realm… I’m afraid I’ll never recover my former cultivation.

“Now, my only obsession is finding a suitable inheritor to take on the mantle of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers, but alas…” The old blind man sighed in exasperation.
“Although the Azure Continent has no shortage of extraordinary talents, searching for a good seedling capable of inheriting our legacy is simply too difficult.”

“Your lineage’s requirements are indeed rather particular,” said Su Yi.

During their hundred years fishing at the Pool of Rebirth, he and Old Ghost Coffin Bearer chatted about all sorts of things.
He was naturally well aware that, when the Ghost Coffin Sarcophagus Bearers chose a new inheritor, they had only one requirement—a specific type of talent, a “Nethervein Yin Bone”!

Never mind the Nine Provinces of the Wilds; even in the Netherworld, such talent was incredibly rare.
It could be found by chance, but not sought.

It wasn’t that this particular variety of talent was so strong.
Rather, only those with a Nethervein Yin Bone could accept and comprehend the legacy of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers.

This was the primary reason why Old Ghost Coffin Bearer’s legacy had so few inheritors.

“In just a few years, the Azure Continent is sure to welcome its Radiant Epoch.
When the time comes, countless talents will appear.
Perhaps then you’ll have a better chance of finding the suitable inheritor you’re looking for then,” said Su Yi.

The old blind man nodded, then grinned.
“I’ve been planning that for years.
I’ve been lurking in Little Fengdu’s ghost market for years all for the sake of helping that future inheritor gather resources, treasures, and materials suited for their cultivation.”

He paused for a moment, then asked, “Might this old man be so bold as to ask… What’s your relationship with the Debt Collector?”

“The Debt Collector?” Su Yi was briefly stunned, but then, he realized what this meant.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“When your founding patriarch reappears, he’ll naturally know who I am.”

How could the old blind man possibly fail to realize that Su Yi didn’t want to answer? He considerately chose not to pry.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “Going forward, should you need help, you can come looking for me.
Remember: my name is Su Yi.”

The death of the old blind man’s master, Five Burials, and the old blind man’s current predicament were both connected to Pi Mo, and Pi Mo had likely done this to learn about his reincarnation.
This infuriated Su Yi, but more than that, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about what had happened to the old blind man and his master.

After all, he was the one who’d implicated them.
They were innocent in this, yet disaster befell them. 

’

Su Yi… The old blind man silently repeated the name, then said respectfully, “Then I’ll just have to thank you in advance.”

He already saw Su Yi as the Debt Collector’s descendant, so he dared not disregard Su Yi’s words. It was just that Su Yi was still only a Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator, and he was so young.
The old blind man thought to himself, Even if I encounter trouble, I’m afraid I can’t really rely on his aid.

How could Su Yi fail to realize what the old blind man was thinking?

He didn’t explain anything.
He just took out a jade slip, thought for a moment, then engraved a secret art within it.
He then passed it to the old blind man and said, “This is a Buddhist method of condensing Yang souls and forming Yin souls.
However, it requires you to gather various auxiliary divine medicines first.
Hold onto it, but don’t leak it, or it’ll surely invite disaster.”

The old blind man was briefly dazed, but then, he was instantly so excited that his hands shook.
He couldn’t help but blurt, “A method of condensing Yang souls and forming Yin souls? Does such a miraculous secret legacy really exist in this world?”

The souls of living things were divided into “hun” and “po”, otherwise known as “Yang souls” and “Yin souls.”

Humans each had three Yang souls and seven Yin souls. 

If a mortal’s soul was damaged, they would die on the spot. 

If a cultivator’s soul was damaged, they could live on, but they had almost no hope of recovery.

After experiencing a calamity of that level, the old blind man had only one Yang soul and one Yin soul left.
This was why he said he had no hope of recovering the cultivation he’d had at his peak.

When the soul was in pieces, recovering really was harder than ascending the heavens.

To the best of the old blind man’s knowledge, even his master, an Imperial Realm expert, would have been helpless to treat his damaged soul!

Yet now, Su Yi had casually handed him a method capable of doing just that!

Of course the old blind man was stunned!

“You’ll know whether it’s real or not once you’ve seen it,” said Su Yi, not at all concerned.

The secret technique recorded in the scroll was called the “Soul Origin Technique of Withering and Rebirth”.
It was a secret core legacy of the Little Western Paradise, the greatest Buddhist holy land in the Nine Provinces.
It was specifically designed to nourish and repair the soul.

’

Su Yi told the old blind man not to leak it because he was worried about the man bumping into a Buddhist cultivator of the Little Western Paradise.
If he did, they’d surely target him…

The old blind man clutched the jade slip and said with great emotion, “I don’t need to look to know that you wouldn’t deceive me about something like this.”

With that, he threw himself to his knees and kowtowed.
“Young Lord, you granted me a miraculous technique.
That’s no different from granting me rebirth.
I’ll be sure to repay you in the days to come, and I’ll follow you loyally until the day I day!”

Su Yi sighed.
“I’m just doing what I ought to do.
You’ll understand later.
Get up.
I’ve already asked all my questions.”

He’d only just said this when someone knocked on the courtyard’s main gate.

……

Ling Yunhe, Qing Ya, Yuan Heng, and Bai Wenqing were resting in the main hall when they heard someone knock.

“Is my little martial aunt here already? Isn’t that a bit too quick?” Qing Ya’s eyes sparkled.
She immediately shot to her feet and charged to the gate.

However, when Qing Ya opened the door, the little martial aunt she was hoping for was nowhere to be found. 

Rather, it was a whole group of cultivators!

“We meet again, miss,” said the leader, a white-haired elder in inky black robes.

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This was none other than the Deathbringer’s Gates Yu Shanglin!

“So, it’s you!” Qing Ya instantly understood.

Earlier, when they were at the city temple, this man approached them and invited them to meet the Deathbringer’s Gate’s Nirvanic Winds Holy Son, only for Su Yi to refuse.

By now, Ling Yunhe and the two yao cultivators had exited the gates too.

’

When they saw the group accompanying Yu Shanglin, Ling Yunhe’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.
“Fellow Daoist, you’re actually quite capable.
I’m surprised you found us here.”

Yu Shanglin smiled faintly.
“It’s a bit shameless to say this, but there’s nothing the Deathbringer’s Gate can’t find here in Yin Mountain City.”

He paused, then clasped his fist.
“Please, don’t misunderstand.
We have no ill intent.
Rather, we wish to do business with one of your friends.”

As he spoke, he swept his gaze across the group, then asked, “Might I ask where that young lord in blue is?”

Ling Yunhe and company instantly understood: Yu Shanglin was here for Su Yi!

“My master is currently with a guest.
If you have business, please state it directly,” said Yuan Heng gravely.

Yu Shanglin furrowed his brow and said gravely, “Might I meet your master myself? Rest assured; I’ll meet him by myself.”

Ling Yunhe thought for a moment, then said, “Please, come in.”

Yu Shanglin instantly smiled, then said to his companions, “All of you, wait outside.
Remember, you are not to use your divine sense to spy on the proceedings; avoid causing any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

The cultivators nodded, and Yu Shanglin entered the courtyard without them.
Yuan Heng, meanwhile, hurried to Su Yi’s room to inform him.

“Members of the Deathbringer’s Gate have come to do business with me?” Su Yi couldn’t help but feel surprised.
He thought for a moment, then rose and headed for the door.
“Let’s go; I’m actually rather curious to see what kind of deal they’re hoping to make.”

The old man and Yuan Heng hurried after him.

When Yu Shanglin saw Su Yi leave his chambers, he immediately walked up to greet him, then smiled and bowed.
“Greetings, Young Lord.”

He was a Gathering Stars cultivator, and he was a member of the Deathbringer’s Gate.
Yin Mountain City was effectively his home turf.

However, when he addressed Su Yi, he was thoroughly courteous, and his attitude was modest and reserved.

Su Yi nodded.
“Let’s hear it, then.
What kind of trade are you after?”

’

Yu Shanglin was stunned; it seemed he hadn’t anticipated that a Grain Avoidance youth like Su Yi would be so direct with him. He didn’t even invite me into the main hall or ask me to sit down.
He really has no manners…

Ordinarily speaking, never mind a Grain Avoidance cultivator; even Origin Palace cultivators were beneath his notice!

Even as he thought this, Yu Shanglin maintained an amiable smile on the surface.
“Young Lord, you’ve been direct with me, so I’ll get straight to the point.
The truth is, my young master sensed that you have a pure spiritual body within your Soul-Nurturing Gourd, and…”

As soon as he heard this, Su Yi arched his brow and cut Yu Shanglin off.
“If that’s what you’re after, I’ll have to stop you there.”

Ling Yunhe and Yuan Heng furrowed their brows too.
Only now did they realize that the Deathbringer’s Gate was after Qing Wan!

How could Su Yi possibly agree to such a transaction?

Yu Shanglin didn’t know any of this.
When Su Yi refused him, he thought nothing of it.
He just burst into laughter and said, “Let’s put it like this: so long as you’re willing to part with it, no matter what you request, so long as it’s within the Deathbringer’s Gate’s abilities, we can offer it to you without so much as furrowing our brow!”

He spoke valiantly and with utter confidence, but Su Yi wasn’t at all moved.
He couldn’t even be bothered to look at Yu Shanglin anymore, so he waved.
“Yuan Heng, see our guest off.”

“Yes, sir!” Yuan Heng promptly stepped up and said, “Friend, you’d best leave.”

Yu Shanglin’s smile froze, and his expression gradually darkened.

The way he saw it, he’d already come across as perfectly modest and sincere.
Who’d have thought a mere Grain Avoidance Realm Youth would show him no respect at all?

He took a deep breath, then looked at Ling Yunhe.
“Fellow Daoist, I said it already: so long as you’re willing to part with it, we’ll agree to any request that’s within our power to grant.
Are you… sure you don’t want to give me face?”

The way he saw it, for Su Yi to have such assurance had to be because he had a Gathering Stars Realm cultivator like Ling Yunhe to back him up.

However, Ling Yunhe just said expressionlessly, “And so what if I don’t give your Deathbringer’s Gate face? Don’t tell me you’re planning to commit robbery?”

When Yu Shanglin saw this, he couldn’t help but sigh, his expression melancholy.
“Before we left, the young master ordered us to be polite and to avoid violence if at all possible, but now… It seems there’s really no other way!”