Gu Wen regulated his breath to assimilate his gains, while Yu Hua, at the side, flipped through numerous volumes on the desk.
"Your poetry isn't bad, it's just that the characters are a bit askew."
Gu Wen replied without changing his expression, "They were not penned by Gu, they were copied for practice."
Yu Hua smiled without pointing it out and continued to look down at her books.
The book, made of hemp paper, cost a string of coins per volume, totaling fifty pages, and was the cheapest paper in Daqian. It was no different from the mundane world outside, lacking Immortal skills to call upon the wind and rain, leaving the common folk in hardship, not something a common person would use.
But neither was it meant to record poetry, for it was too poor to write on and easily damaged, likely used by Gu Wen for handwriting practice.
The verses inside she had also seen in the several booklets sent by Zhao Feng, but there were a few she had not heard before.
Her delicate fingers traced over the ink in the candlelight, her Divine Thought as if drifting into the ink, at first glance sloppy, but upon a closer look, standing alone between sea and sky.
Line after line, too quick to catch, as if talent was boundless.
"After being drunk, one does not know heaven in the water, a boat full of clear dreams pressing down the Milky Way…."
"On the riverbank, who first saw the moon? When did the river moon first shine upon a person…."
"I see the green hills full of charm, judging that the green hills must view me equally so…."
It is understandable that limericks cannot make it to the stage, but certainly not these lines, unless the people of Daqian have eyes on their thighs.
It was just that the artistic conception of these lines was greatly different, unlikely to have come from the hand of Gu Wen.
It was not to question his talent, as each life is different. Gu Wen, when holding back and biding his time, could say, "Heaven will place great responsibility on this man," and when the treasures were stolen, he could teem with killing intent and say, "Turning the inner treasury into brilliant ashes, trampling over the bones of the court on Heaven's street."
From his natural talent for cultivation to his creativity, they were all the greatest Yu Hua had seen, but all followed a traceable path.
Perhaps, as he said, they were not written by him, unless his talent had already transcended common reasoning.
On the side, Gu Wen officially began to refine the Spiritual Treasure.
-----------------
Divine Thoughts converged, and the shadow of the eel spiraled up, its size much larger than it seemed on the outside, like a yellow dragon looking disdainfully down at Gu Wen.
Gu Wen glanced at the bent Sword Intent in his hand, realizing that Sword Intent could be integrated into it, making it somewhat useful.
Looking up at the eel tens of meters long, killing it was not difficult. Divine Thought is an extension of the body; neither of the two's Divine Thoughts had achieved transcendence, they were in fact more fragile than the body.
The real challenge was to tame it, to tame it unharmed.
The Fate Diagram stirred, and the Imperial Ambrosia boiled.
This was his confidence, you talk earnestly with a Taoist, and he insists on playing mind games with you!
[One year of the Imperial Ambrosia]
There is order in heaven and earth, and all species coexist, the Five Immortals and the five insects; different fates, all beings are equal, in this realm eternal and indestructible.
A dull golden light swirled around the two of them, trapping them within a watery domain with edges beyond sight, reflecting the inverted images of a man and a snake beneath their feet.
Gu Wen came to an understanding about the purpose of the Imperial Ambrosia and also vaguely understood why he had not grasped it before; he could not truly understand the two words of cause and effect, nor did he believe all was predestined by heaven.
He had lost the heavenly mandate due to the Zhao family, doomed never to touch the Immortal fate.
And yet, the Imperial Ambrosia forged a special Daoist rhyme, allowing him to disregard the heavenly mandate and capture any fate and cause.
The Fate Diagram vibrated again, the profound and mysterious meanings were unraveled and transformed into more concrete things, into something Gu Wen could understand better.
Here, the Divine Soul is eternal, refining the Spiritual Treasure without fear of injuring the Divine Soul, no need to worry about erasing the Spiritual nature of the treasure. And all karma, heavenly mandate, and causality are ineffective, like the earth nurturing all things, all beings are of post-natal creation.
Ignoring the heavenly mandate, seizing the Immortal fate.
Gu Wen sighed helplessly, "Heavenly Marrow is not anointment, and the Imperial Ambrosia still brings death fights. Is the Fate Diagram all for toil? But it's fine, success relies on people, not heaven."
With his right hand gripping it, the three-foot green blade entered his palm, straight and sharp.
The Yuqing Sword Intent lacked the step of refining emptiness to reality, no need for much Mana and a strong enough Sword Intent. Thus, Gu Wen felt a little relieved, and the Heavenly Marrow he had used recently was not useless.
He raised his sword directly at the yellow dragon, and a hint of dark red outer aura clung to the blade.
"Now, it's just you and me."
The yellow dragon lunged with its mouth open, extremely fast; Gu Wen had no experience in desperate combat and not even an old hand from the jianghu or veteran from the frontier battlefield would know how to deal with it.
A dragon chariot rushing madly towards oneself, without any skills, just collision.
Gu Wen stood with his sword gripped, raising his hand, the sword held high, the clear and transparent Sword Intent reflected the yellow dragon, and also fully entered its pupils.
He murmured, "In beginning darkness profound and mysterious, Sword Intent crystal clear through the nine heavens."
A sword thrust out, sword light ten zhang, piercing skin, cutting flesh, breaking bone!
The eel split in two at a ten-step distance from Gu Wen, blood carrying the wind against his face, with flesh from both sides passing by swiftly.
This realm is formed by the heart, where Divine Thoughts clash and the heart presides, the Sword Heart clear is naturally invincible.
Boom!
The eel's huge body heavily fell on the ground, blood flowing into the surface of the water mirror, turning into wisp after wisp of essence merging into Gu Wen's body.
Gu Wen felt as if his Divine Thought had grown slightly stronger, though it was extremely subtle, to him who had yet to begin refining Divine Thought, every bit of growth seemed enormous.
Blinking, the corpse disappeared, and everything reverted, with the eel appearing once more.
This time it no longer showed its fangs aggressively; its pitifully small Spiritual nature was overwhelmed by confusion and fear.
[The great struggle of the Dao, all things return to one]
The role of the Imperial Ambrosia was not to refine the Spiritual Treasure, it was not so narrow a thing; it was more akin to a "big fish eating the small fish."
I can swallow it to strengthen my Divine Thought.
Gu Wen's heart suddenly enlightened, and with it, his gaze toward the eel took on a distinctly different meaning, its spiritual likeness promptly lying down, his divine thought extending with submissive intent.
It was to be expected; divine thought is an extension of the mortal flesh and blood body, and all beings with spirituality fear life and death— the lower their intelligence, the more they cling to instinct.
Gu Wen approached, staring at the eel as it fawned over him.
His murderous intent had markedly decreased. Indeed, what Yu Hua had said was truly the most convenient—Spiritual Treasures are not material objects, and even if they were, they could harm oneself.
It was still uncertain how much fortifying one's divine thought directly would benefit, much like how the Yuqing Sword Skill had consumed so much Heavenly Marrow and was only now truly proving its worth. Gu Wen needed something that could maximise his self-preservation ability, not the elusive and profound divine thought.
A Spiritual Treasure could definitely greatly enhance his self-preservation.
The eel shrank its form and rubbed against Gu Wen's ankle, looking rather cute, despite its ugly appearance...
Hmm! Shrinking and expanding its body?
Even I, a venerable Taoist, cannot do that—yet you dare to master it?
Bang!
The eel's head was suddenly pressed to the ground, and with a swift motion, a knife fell, and blood flowed like rivers.
Unknown equaled danger; in the realm of divine thought, the eel was further along than himself—he had to suppress it several times more to ensure it always remained in a weakened state.
It resisted on its second rebirth, indicating it had not yet been subdued. On its third rebirth, it begged for mercy again, indicating that it was conserving its strength.
Three times, four times, the fifth time...
Streams of essence flowed into him; holding the palm-sized loach, Gu Wen sighed, "In this life, I am truly treading on thin ice."
Even this Spiritual Treasure harbors a murderous intent against me.
[Emperor's Essence Exhausted]
-----------------
Thud!
The midnight bell tolled into the room.
Yu Hua, her right hand propping her chin, emerged from the sloppy ink and brushwork, her brows furrowed in annoyance.
The artistic hobbies of cultivators and mortals were similar: zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and composition. Aside from a few great powers who had attained the pinnacle, most cultivators were human too, subject to the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Even the bald donkeys who had reached the Buddha's Realm had their greed, hatred, and delusion, and the venerable Taoists of Sanqing Taoist Sect, despite their immortal demeanor, could be provoked into rage by their disciples.
Among these pastimes, the four arts were the most coveted and profound; those who reached the pinnacle could even use them to attain the Dao. It just wasn't clear whether people pursued these hobbies because they led to Dao, or if there were those who attained the Dao simply because so many pursued these interests.
Yu Hua often enjoyed poetry, songs, strange tales, and anecdotes. It was a hobby that did not require interacting with others, which suited her well.
The only trouble was this particular book, which evidently had been used for practicing calligraphy, containing many of the currently popular poems. However, in Yu Hua's eyes, most were not worth considering. Many times, famous lines from hundreds of years might only be a few phrases, and these run-of-the-mill poems, coupled with Gu Wen's sloppy handwriting, were an eyesore.
Yu Hua could choose not to read, but unfortunately, it often contained many unheard golden phrases that captivated her with a few lines.
Turning the page again, another line caught her eye—where did he find so many famous phrases?
[To the sea's end where the heavens serve as shore, to the mountain's summit where I stand as the peak.]
At that moment, Gu Wen slowly opened his eyes, their gazes meeting.
He asked, "May I dare to ask the immortal, in the refinement of Spiritual Treasures, who stands as the peak?"
Yu Hua's chin lifted slightly, her voice soft and pleasant, "At Broken Sword Mountain, the home of martial artists, there's a sword refining list of a hundred and thirty-two names. Those who refine a spiritual sword by spring turning to summer can be listed; the one at the top refines thirty-nine thousand swords in a day, the second a sword in twenty days, the third a sword in a month."
Gu Wen's mouth fell slightly open, his face unavoidably revealing a look of shock—he had thought himself to be defiant of the heavens. He posed the question because he wondered if refining a Spiritual Treasure in under a few hours might be considered too shocking for the world.
He needed to maintain the image of a prodigy before Yu Hua, but always keep something up his sleeve.
But he hadn't expected someone to defy belief even more than him—someone refining thirty-nine thousand spiritual swords in one day? What kind of monster was that?
In the light of this, he need not worry about being excessively shocking after all.
There's always someone stronger; the world never lacks those born with overwhelming advantages.
Yu Hua leaned forward slightly, her mouth corners faintly visible behind her gauzy attire, curving up as she said, "So, you wish to be listed? I happen to know the way to Broken Sword Mountain. Should you enter the Cultivation World, I could take you there, though whether those sword maniacs let you ascend is another matter."
"Of course, that's if you can refine a Spiritual Treasure."
Hum~
Spiritual Energy that lingered in the void was stirred by an inexplicable force, and ripples of light began to surface around them.
Yu Hua's gaze solidified, her deep eyes reflecting a shade of jade green.
Gu Wen asked, "Could Gu someone possibly rank second?"
Of course, he could, for the top of the list was the founder of Broken Sword Mountain, the foremost person in the Sword Dao of heaven and earth—a person who stood shoulder to shoulder with the founder...
Yu Hua remained silent, speechless, unsure of how to respond.
Foundation Establishment in four days, refining a spirit in one—could there really be someone with such a natural gift in this world?
She didn't know; she merely glanced down unintentionally and saw the ink.
[To the sea's end where the heavens serve as shore, to the mountain's summit where I stand as the peak.]
The dull consciousness flashed like spirit light, as if a thunderclap split the heavens.
This did indeed seem like something he would write—with an ambition higher than the sky, his intention soared above clouds.
Perhaps his concealment wasn't out of caution but rather pride so deep that he disdained to show off before others.
Yu Hua closed the book and tucked it into her sleeve, stating solemnly, "Once this matter is concluded, I shall take you to Broken Sword Mountain. It is said the second on the list shall receive an Immortal Sword. Like this Spiritual Treasure, that sword should be yours."
"I'm an outsider; surely I cannot take a sect's prized possession."
Gu Wen was skeptical—it didn't line up with interests; they made rankings to motivate their disciples.
Yu Hua chuckled lightly, "If I can leave Immortal Land alive, they naturally will give it once I arrive. These are the rules their founder set down. It's just that over the years, people no longer respect honor and integrity."
"Whether it's my Sanqing Taoist Sect or Broken Sword Mountain, or even the Zhao family, they are all old things so foul-smelling it's repulsive."