The Path Toward Heaven

For the likes of Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui, whose names often appeared in this story,

it was almost a natural process for the Cultivation states, according to the classification

of the Green Mountain Sect, to progress from the Possession of Virtue State in the

beginning, to the Spiritual Stability State, then the Perfect Attainment State, the Perfect

Preservation State, the Inherited Will State, the Undefeated State, the Free Travel

State, the Broken Sea State, and all the way to the final state, the Heavenly Arrival

State. It seemed like a simple process, taking one step at a time all the way to the final

state, but it was actually not so easy.

In fact, cultivating was a very difficult endeavor. At least half of the Cultivation

practitioners would be unable to move up to the next state. And a Cultivation practitioner

had to break through five states from the Perfect Attainment State to the Broken Sea

State. Those practitioners who could reach the Broken Sea State without a glitch were

only one in of a thousand.

Some practitioners had a limited talent for Cultivation, but they were immensely strong

in their willpower. They attempted to step into the next state by spending enough time

cultivating diligently. However, if they didn’t have a high enough Cultivation state, their

lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to achieve it.

As such, most of the Cultivation practitioners would decide in the very beginning that the

ascension had nothing to do with them, and they would realize later that they would

stagnate at one particular state and that they would stay in that state for the rest of their

lives until they perished.

This was a despairing fact for a vast majority of the Cultivation practitioners.

It was similar to the mortals’ attitude toward death; they would be able to get used to it

after the despair occurred too many times.

This was a response like numbness; in fact, it was the result of refusing to think about

the issue.

Ming Guoxin was one of the Green Mountain disciples of this sort. He had entered the

Undefeated State a great many years ago, then…nothing had happened afterwards.

He had been responsible for registering the visiting guests at the mountain gate over

the years. He was actually doing the job of a caretaker, and though he was called the

immortal master. It wasn’t until two years ago that he had become a teacher at the

South-Pine Pavilion because of his long service at the sect. Yet, his condition hadn’t

changed, essentially, since he had no future in Cultivation.

He didn’t expect to be as lucky as Master Lü, who had encountered a few

extraordinarily talented disciples and was able to return to the nine peaks and break

through the next state after being given the magic pills.

However, he was having a good time at the South-Pine Pavilion; it was a pleasant

experience being admired by the young people.

Because of the admiration in the eyes of those young disciples, Ming Guoxin decided to

talk a bit more that day. “Have you already known about the event at the Hanging-Bell

Sect?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

The young disciples of the external gate nodded in tandem, waiting excitedly for more

information. Some of them couldn’t help but yell out.

“It’s Young Senior Master Jing Jiu!”

“Young Senior Master is awesome!”

Smiling faintly, Ming Guoxin said, “As you know, he graduated from the South-Pine

Pavilion, but you probably don’t know that it was I who received him at the mountain

gate.”

If asking for his name and recording the information could be counted as receiving…Big

Brother Lü wouldn’t come back here at the South-Pine Pavilion anyway, he thought.

Hearing this, these disciples of the external gate were astonished. The eyes gazing at

Ming Guoxin grew more intense in their gaze as they kept on asking him about what

kind of a person Young Senior Master Jing Jiu was. Ming Guoxin ran his fingers through

his beard while narrowing his eyes, as if he was recollecting his memories. “Back in the

days, that youth was too handsome to describe with words; his white cloth ruffled with

the wind. I could tell right away that he was not an ordinary…”

His voice stopped short.

The disciples of the external gate were bewildered, wondering what had happened.

Ming Guoxin walked to the window and looked at the distant peaks, his expression

growing grave.

…

…

The Sword-Washing Stream under the twilight looked like a golden whip in the hands of

the godly guards. It seemed as if the whip could swing up from the ground at any

moment and swipe at all the places of Chaotian.

The young disciples by the Sword-Washing Stream hadn’t inherited the swords yet, so

they were not qualified to go to Tianguang Peak. However, in comparison to the

disciples of the external gate at the South-Pine Pavilion, they at least knew that a

significant event was taking place right now. They were not in the mood to enjoy looking

at the marvelous scenery that they had watched for a few years already; their gazes

were fixed on the distant Tianguang Peak, as they discussed in low voices about who

would be the next sect master.

Some of them had even thought of something in the future; who among the disciples of

the third generation would become the sect master several hundred years later?

Guo Nanshan was the principal disciple of Green Mountain, and Zhuo Rusui was the

personal disciple of the Immortal Sect Master, both of whom were the possible

candidates. Several other names had also been mentioned.

Yet, a statement by a clever disciple had negated the possibility of those mentioned

above.

“You people shouldn’t forget this; Senior Masters Layue and Jing are quite young.”

It was true. Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu were the masters, but they were younger than Guo

Nanshan, Zhuo Rusui and others.

It was impossible for the disciples to contend with the masters for the position of the

sect master.

And these two masters were also very young; so it was impossible for those disciples to

outlive them.

It seemed likely that Young Senior Master would be able to become the sect master a

few hundred years later.

…

…

The peaks were enshrouded in the twilight.

The top of Tianguang Peak was illuminated by the last leg of the natural light; it was still

bright, and the scene was still clear enough.

Nobody spoke, because they were all stunned.

Countless gazes fell on that chair.

It represented the seat of the sect master of Green Mountain.

What was going on?

What had happened?

Why was Jing Jiu sitting in that chair?

The crowd thought that their eyes must be blurred, or their eyes betrayed them.

The Round Turtle reacted very slowly. He responded by uttering “ah” only after the

Inherited Heaven Sword was taken away.

The Round Turtle’s response had woken everybody.

They all uttered “ah” in their minds, as they recalled the four words said by Jing Jiu:

“Let me do it.”

…

…

What was he going to do?

Would he call upon the wind and rain?

Would he wait for the food and dishes?

Would he take a rest or play a game here?

Could he mean…he wanted to become the sect master?

…

…

Sitting in the chair, Jing Jiu looked down at the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword; it

was evident that he had no intention of getting up from it.

The eyes staring at him had shown bewilderment first, then astonishment, then anger,

and bewilderment again in the end.

Did he intend to be the sect master of Green Mountain?

It was absolutely preposterous!

This was so preposterous that the peak masters and elders of various peaks didn’t even

know whether they should get upset or laugh out aloud.

Raising her eyebrows a few times, Nan Wang found it was rather interesting. “Is this

possible?” she pressed.

The Immortal Guangyuan cocked his head, as he looked at Jing Jiu curiously.

Now that it was a preposterous thing, they should resolve it as soon as possible,

otherwise the Green Mountain Sect would be humiliated!

Strangely enough, Yuan Qijing had remained silent, but somebody became angry faster

than the others.

“Are you crazy?!”

Bai Rujing walked out from the crowd and yelled at Jing Jiu sternly.

Nobody thought that Elder Bai behaved improperly, because they all believed that Jing

Jiu had indeed gone mad. If it were not in such a significant occasion, they would’ve

yelled the mantra of Green Mountain at Jing Jiu. The selection of the sect master of

Green Mountain was such a significant event for the sect that nobody should cause

trouble then, even if that person was Jing Jiu.

Yao Songshan, Lei Yijing and other young disciples who usually admired Jing Jiu felt

rather mortified, turning their heads away reflexively.

Even a thick-skinned guy like Zhuo Rusui felt a bit embarrassed; he fanned himself with

his own hands.

The disciples of Shenmo Peak were extremely nervous. Gu Qing was pale, and Yuan

Qü and Ping Yongjia were trembling together, though they were not actually hugging

each other.

Zhao Layue was the only calm person in the group. She seemed to know nothing about

the seriousness of the matter.

…

…

Jing Jiu looked very calm as well. It seemed that he was not the person involved in this

matter, and that he hadn’t stepped onto the back of the Round Turtle and taken down

the Inherited Heaven Sword, sat in that chair, and said, “Let me do it”.

He drew back his gaze from the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword, and looked at

those disciples on the peak top and in the sky, meeting hundreds of other gazes.

“Why are you all looking at me like this?”

He continued, “It’s not I who want to become the sect master.”

Having said that, he patted on the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword gently, devoid

of any special emotion on his face.

He patted on the sheath more like a fisherman patting on the hull of the boat while

singing a folk song than a poet patting on the railing while reciting the poems.

A band of sword will drifted out from the opening of the sheath.

The peak masters and elders of the peaks sensed it clearly; this was the sword will of

inherited heaven from the Immortal Sect Master, something nobody could forge.

The sword will had gradually shown its form when it turned into tiny beads of water after

encountering the steam of fog on the top of Tianguang Peak and being illuminated by

the setting sun.

The crowd was startled, wondering if this was the Will left by the Immortal Sect Master.

As the beads of water got denser, those words became clearer, and the crowd grew

more anxious emotionally.

They wondered whose name the Immortal Sect Master had written in his Will.

Was it Fang Jingtian or the Immortal Guangyuan, or a peak master nobody had

guessed, like Nan Wang?

Looking at the words that grew clearer by the second, Nan Wang felt grim.

Though she had no ambition for the position of the sect master, she would have to take

it if her Big Brother offered her the position.

At last, the words had revealed themselves.

The Will of the Immortal Liu Ci was very simple; it contained six words:

“Green Mountain belongs to Jing Jiu.”

…

…

No one could misunderstand the meaning of these words and explain them as

something else.

The Will of the Immortal Liu Ci was very unambiguous; Jing Jiu was the next sect

master of Green Mountain.

The crowd looked at that chair again in astonishment, but their gazes were different

from the previous ones.

They had thought that Jing Jiu sitting in the chair was madness.

Now they thought that the whole world had gone mad.

The next sect master was Jing Jiu!

How could it be?

…

…

The disciples of Green Mountain were investigated thoroughly before they entered the

mountain gate.

The origin of Jing Jiu was clear enough. Shangde Peak had already made the

conclusion; it was spotless.

He was the second son of the Jing family. He was inclined to seek the Dao at a young

age and left his home as a youth, looking for the fairy men all over the place. He was

discovered by Master Lü, a disciple of Shangde Peak, in a village and brought back to

Green Mountain. Later, he had participated in the Inherited Sword Competition, the

Sword Trial, the Plum Meeting, and the Dao Competition, becoming famous in the world

and the strongest swordsman among the practitioners of the young generation in the

Cultivation circle.

There were many disciples of Green Mountain like Yao Songshan and Lei Yijing who

admired him tremendously. Young Senior Master had become the designated name for

him on Green Mountain.

His talent had surpassed the concept of genius. The speed at which he had improved

his Cultivation state might occupy the top spot in the history of Green Mountain.

After the battle of the West Ocean, many people had guessed his true identity in secret

due to some incidents, and even suspected that he was the offspring of the Immortal

Jing Yang.

No matter what, Jing Jiu was still a young man.

He had entered Green Mountain and studied the sword work no more than thirty years.

In comparison to the truly strong swordsmen, his Cultivation state was still far inferior.

How could the Immortal Liu Ci hand Green Mountain to him?

It was deathly quiet on the top of Tianguang Peak.

People there didn’t know what to say and what to do.

The Will of the Immortal Sect Master was so preposterous; how could they accept it?

And yet it was none other than the Will.

At this moment, someone came out.

“I object to this!”

The person who dared come out and oppose the Will was not Yuan Qijing who refused

to read it, nor was he the Immortal Guangyuan with the highest Cultivation state besides

Yuan Qijing. He wasn’t even an elder of the second generation. His name was Jian

Ruoyun, a disciple of the third generation.

Jian Ruoyun hailed from Yunxing Peak, and was ranked the fourth on Liangwang Peak.

He had been regarded as a genius. However, he was merely a regular disciple on such

an occasion as this; so nobody expected him to have the courage to come out first.

Many disciples of Green Mountain felt astonished, but those who knew the past took it

for granted.

Jian Ruoyun’s blood brother was killed by the devil man of the Underworld when he

investigated the murder case of Zuo Yi of Bihu Peak. Jian Ruoyun had considered Jing

Jiu and Liu Shisui being responsible for the death of his brother.

As such, it was impossible for him to see Jing Jiu become the sect master of Green

Mountain.

No! He wouldn’t allow it to happen, not even if he had to die to stop it!

Jing Jiu predicted that someone would oppose it.

He didn’t care about who would do it. All he did was glance at Yuan Qijing.

According to the sect rules of Green Mountain, it was the job of the Sword Justice to

settle the dispute.

“The next sect master will be decided by the Will; this is the sect rule.”

Yuan Qijing stared at Jian Ruoyun and demanded, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

The Will was enough to settle the matter.

It was written in the sect rules.

“As a disciple of Green Mountain, Refusing to comply with the Will of the Sect Master is

punishable by death.”

Jian Ruoyun landed on the peak top and bowed to Yuan Qijing. “I’ll commit suicide

afterwards for my crime; I’m still opposed to it,” he said sharply.

This meant that he would like to raise his objection at the cost of his own life.

Facing the Sword Justice of Green Mountain, he didn’t show any fear on his face; he

had no intention of backing away.

If he was not afraid of death, why would he fear the Sword Justice or anybody else?

Such a courageous act made many people feel moved.

Few Cultivation practitioners were willing to sacrifice their lives to complete a task, let

alone to prevent something from happening.

Yuan Qijing said, “Your opposition is insignificant.”

In fact, the death of Jian Ruoyun was insignificant to Green Mountain as well.

Standing on the peak top, he looked a bit lonely.

The sound of air being broken could be heard all of a sudden.

A slightly fat young disciple of Green Mountain landed on the peak to and stood by Jian

Ruoyun.

Yuan Qijing and the peak masters didn’t recognize him. Provided that Jian Ruoyun had

a slightly significant status on Green Mountain, who was this fat person then?

Zhao Layue knew that the name of this person was Ma Hua, with an ordinary talent in

Cultivation and in the ordinary state; but he had a thoughtful and sophisticated head.

She was nevertheless surprised that he would come out to oppose Jing Jiu.

Though many people on Green Mountain admired Jing Jiu, it was inevitable that many

others would be jealous of him, and even disliked and loathed him.

For different reasons, a dozen disciples of Green Mountain landed on the peak top, and

stood behind Jian Ruoyun.

Yuan Qijing said that the life of Jian Ruoyun was insignificant; but what about the lives

of a dozen disciples of Green Mountain?