Chapter 28: Sword Flight

“But Master, the Alchemy Grand Competition is only a month away. Can I really learn alchemy in time?”

Su Wan’er fidgeted with her fingers, her voice growing softer and softer.

After sixty days of training, she had opened the door to the Taichu Five Elements Dao Canon. Her spiritual power had grown several times faster than when she had cultivated the Bishui True Art.

The words her master had spoken after waking up made her feel, for the first time, that she hadn’t let him down. She was happy.

But once the happiness faded, the harsh reality stood before her. The Alchemy Grand Competition was only a month away.

One month. She was a sword cultivator who had never even touched an elixir furnace. How could she possibly compete in the most prestigious alchemy gathering in the Cangwu Realm?

Meng Qiuran had thought she was an alchemy cultivator back then, and she hadn’t had the heart to deny it. Now the lie had been told, and in a month, she would have to face the truth.

Lai Li’an frowned, sinking into thought. When he had agreed to let Su Wan’er participate in the Alchemy Grand Competition, it had been purely because he had heard the words “a small token of appreciation will be offered.”

As for the competition itself, he had never once considered winning. Letting a sword cultivator win an alchemy contest? That was like asking a chef to sit for the imperial exams—completely mismatched professions.

But he couldn’t say that out loud. A great master was always calm and confident.

Seeing Lai Li’an frown, Su Wan’er’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly waved her hands and rushed to explain.

“Master! I’m not saying I don’t trust you! I just mean… in this one month, can I actually refine good pills? Yes, that’s right—good pills! And get results at the competition!”

The more she explained, the more uneasy she felt. The last few words were practically squeezed out through clenched teeth.

‘Damn, does this girl actually want to win an award? Talking about getting results—why not just say she wants to take the championship?’

Lai Li’an looked at her flustered and panicked expression, secretly amused. This girl had just said she wouldn’t doubt herself anymore, and yet here she was again.

Still, he couldn’t blame her. Learning alchemy in a month was indeed absurd. He couldn’t even do it himself.

“Ahem.”

Lai Li’an cleared his throat lightly and lifted his chin slightly.

“Just do your best.”

Su Wan’er was taken aback. Master hadn’t said “can” or “cannot.” He had said “do your best.” Did that mean he would do his best to teach her, but how well she learned was up to her?

“This disciple will do her utmost!”

Su Wan’er quickly nodded.

Lai Li’an nodded slightly and continued,

“But before that, we need to acquire the tools before we can begin learning.”

Su Wan’er’s eyes lit up. Right. Alchemy required an elixir furnace, a spiritual flame, and various auxiliary materials.

She had been wondering if her master would make her use a stone cauldron and ordinary fire, but she didn’t have her master’s skill. Now that he said they needed to get tools, it meant they would use a proper furnace and spiritual flame.

“Alright, Master! Where are we going next?”

Su Wan’er was back to being full of energy.

Lai Li’an thought for a moment. He actually had no idea where to buy things. He looked at her and asked flatly,

“Where do you usually go to buy items?”

Su Wan’er paused. She thought about it and answered honestly,

“Reporting to Master, this disciple was previously at the Tianlan Sect. All daily necessities were provided by the sect, so I rarely bought anything myself. However, I know that three hundred li outside the Tianlan Sect’s mountain gate, there is a market called Yunze Market. It’s the largest gathering place for cultivators within a thousand li. Pills, artifacts, techniques, and spiritual herbs can all be bought there.”

When she said the words “Tianlan Sect,” her voice unconsciously dropped.

She didn’t actually want to go back. Even just approaching that direction reminded her of the wind and snow at Si Guo Cliff, of the sect’s cold indifference.

But her master was asking where she usually went. She couldn’t refuse to answer because of her own emotions, nor could she claim ignorance just because she didn’t want to get close to the Tianlan Sect.

Besides, that market was only near the Tianlan Sect; it didn’t belong to it. Yunze Market was a gathering place for rogue cultivators, a melting pot of all kinds of people. Although Tianlan Sect disciples sometimes traded there, the market itself was independent of the sect.

She didn’t need to set foot inside the Tianlan Sect’s mountain gate. It was just a market. Su Wan’er bit her lip and suppressed the surging emotions.

“Master,” she looked up, “Yunze Market isn’t far from here. It’s about two days’ travel by sword flight. They have a wide variety of goods, and the prices are reasonable. If Master has no other destination in mind, this disciple thinks Yunze Market would be a good choice.”

Lai Li’an nodded.

“Good. Let’s go to Yunze Market.”

Su Wan’er breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and prepared to leave. Then she remembered something.

Yunze Market wasn’t far from here—two days by sword flight. If they walked… at her master’s unhurried pace, it would probably take a month just to get there.

Su Wan’er’s expression stiffened. The Alchemy Grand Competition was in a month. If they dawdled like before, they’d waste most of the trip just getting there. By the time they reached Yunze Market, there would be no time left to learn alchemy.

She stole a glance at Lai Li’an. Her master was standing with his hands behind his back, his gray robe gently fluttering in the morning breeze—the epitome of an enlightened being.

Su Wan’er mustered her courage.

“But Master, if we go to Yunze Market on foot, it will take a very long time. So… let’s fly there.”

After saying this, she carefully watched her master’s reaction.

Lai Li’an’s face darkened slightly. Fly. He had forgotten about that.

He had only just started cultivating immortality. His actual cultivation was roughly equivalent to Qi Refining Level 1. How could a Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator possibly control a flying sword?

But Su Wan’er was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

He couldn’t very well say he couldn’t fly. His earlier nonsense about “wandering the world for over three hundred years without ever using aerial travel” was still fresh in memory. If he suddenly changed his tune and said they should fly, he would be slapping his own face.

Lai Li’an’s mind raced. Three seconds later, he had an idea.

“Wan’er.”

Su Wan’er immediately straightened her back.

“This disciple is here.”

“Can you carry another person while flying?”

Su Wan’er blinked. Carry another person? Did her master mean… she should carry him on her flying sword?

Her face flushed bright red. Carrying someone on a sword meant the two of them would have to share a single flying blade. Her sword was a three-foot longsword, slender and elegant. Standing one person comfortably, two people would have to stand very, very close.

Su Wan’er felt her ears start to burn.

No, no, her master must have a deeper purpose for this arrangement. He never did anything without reason.

Making her carry another person must be some kind of training. Yes, her master was honing her sword control technique.

Flying with a passenger was much harder than solo flight. It required more precise control of spiritual power and a more stable sword balance. Her master must have seen that her sword control still had room for improvement and was using this method to help her practice.

Su Wan’er took a deep breath, pushed away all the distracting thoughts, and nodded solemnly.

“Reporting to Master, this disciple has no problem with that.”

Lai Li’an was overjoyed. ‘Perfect! I don’t have to fly myself!’

He kept his expression impassive and simply nodded.

“Mm.”

Su Wan’er walked out of the cave onto the leveled ruins. She formed a Sword Hand Seal with her right hand, and with a resonant clang, the longsword at her waist flew out of its sheath, hovering midair. The blade turned horizontal, steadying itself in front of her.

“Master, please.”

Lai Li’an looked at the flying sword suspended in the air, and an uncontrollable surge of excitement welled up inside him.

Flying! Flying in the sky!

Back in his previous life, whenever he watched xianxia dramas, what he envied most were the immortals soaring through the sky on their flying swords. In the three years since he had crossed over, he had dreamed of experiencing sword flight. Now, he finally had the chance!

He took a deep breath, struggling to maintain the calm, detached expression on his face, and stepped onto the sword blade.

But then he realized a problem. This sword was way too damn narrow. Still, it would have to do. At least he was going to fly.

Su Wan’er glanced at Lai Li’an, her cheeks reddening, and she also stepped onto the flying sword.

Wait? What’s going on? Why are you also getting on? Isn’t this “carrying another person flying”?

Lai Li’an shifted his position, squeezing both feet together on the sword blade, his heels hanging off the edge. He felt like he was standing on a balance beam.

Just as he was about to ask, Su Wan’er suddenly launched the flying sword.

The sword shook slightly, and Lai Li’an’s heart leaped into his throat. Instinctively, he reached out and placed his hand on Su Wan’er’s shoulder.

The girl’s shoulder was slender. Through the fabric of her clothes, he could feel the warmth of her skin.

Su Wan’er’s body stiffened for a moment. Her master’s hand rested on her shoulder, carrying a faint coolness. That cool seeped through her clothes into her skin, but it made her ears burn even hotter.

“Master… are you steady?”

Her voice was a little tight.

“Mm,” Lai Li’an’s voice came from behind, flat as usual.

Su Wan’er collected her thoughts, channeled her spiritual power, and the flying sword rose higher and higher. The ruins leveled by heavenly thunder grew smaller beneath them.

The wind howled past their ears, stirring Su Wan’er’s hair. A few stray strands drifted onto Lai Li’an’s face, carrying a faint fragrance.

Lai Li’an stood at the tail of the sword, both hands on Su Wan’er’s shoulders, his whole body as stiff as a board.

The scenery was indeed beautiful, but he didn’t dare look down at all.

The sword was flying too high. The forests below became patches of dark and light green, and the rivers turned into thin silver threads. He could feel the sword trembling slightly in the high-altitude air currents, and each tremor made his heart shudder.

His hands unconsciously tightened on Su Wan’er’s shoulders. She felt the change in pressure.

Her heart tensed. ‘Master is testing me! When carrying a passenger, every shift in the passenger’s center of gravity affects the sword’s balance. Master is deliberately changing the pressure on his hands, using this method to test my sword control from all angles!’

Su Wan’er’s eyes sharpened. She took a deep breath, cycling her spiritual power with greater precision. Every tiny wobble of the sword was corrected instantly.

Lai Li’an suddenly felt the sword stabilize, no longer shaking. His tense nerves relaxed slightly, and the pressure of his hands eased accordingly.

Su Wan’er felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She flew even more steadily.

Finally, Lai Li’an dared to glance down at the scenery below.

Mountains and rivers painted a picture; clouds rolled like a sea. It was actually quite beautiful.

In his previous life, he had flown in airplanes, but watching the clouds from inside a plane and standing on a flying sword above the clouds were two completely different experiences.

Flying was also an interaction with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Lai Li’an closed his eyes and tried to sense the surrounding air currents.

Although he couldn’t control the currents like Su Wan’er, he could still feel them. Sensing was the first step.

Su Wan’er noticed that her master’s aura had changed. He was cultivating. Standing on her flying sword, tens of thousands of feet above the ground, her master was actually cultivating!

A wave of reverence rose in Su Wan’er’s heart. ‘Master’s practice is everywhere. This is a true enlightened being.’

She silently resolved to fly even more steadily, so that her master could peacefully comprehend the way.