This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Chapter 417: Chapter 43: You Did Better Than Me_2

Master thought for a moment, then seriously said, “Compared to your own wishes, the loss of swordsmanship isn’t much to worry about.”

Li Zhao began to learn swordsmanship.

Reluctantly learning swordsmanship, Li Zhao turned out to be unexpectedly gifted as the master had said.

In less than five or six years, Li Zhao had already mastered seventy to eighty percent of his master’s swordsmanship.

On the day before he descended the mountain, the master gave him the sword he treasured like a jewel.

“This sword is named ‘Heavenly True.’ Cherish it well, and do not give it to anyone who asks for it,” the master instructed.

Li Zhao said with a chuckle, “It’s just a sword.”

The master didn’t speak, his expression stern.

Li Zhao gradually stopped smiling and promised, “I will.”

…..

Lu Qingshan looked down at the sword in his hands.

Two characters were engraved on the hilt.

Heavenly True.

At this moment, Lu Qingshan understood.

He had become the swordsman named Li Zhao in the picture.

Lu Qingshan waved the sword in his hand slightly.

It obeyed his arm as though part of it, truly a sharp weapon.

But he felt something was off.

All his cultivation was now gone without a trace.

What was going on?

Lu Qingshan called out to Qin Yitian in his mind.

He received no reply.

A moment of panic rose in his heart.

But then, the scene of his conversation with Qin Yitian flashed through his mind.

“He who controls the cycle of life and death, the will of the Netherworld Prison Master, will have a yardstick.

You have not yet come to the time of reincarnation, merely strayed into the realm of Netherworld.

So, even if the Netherworld Prison Master is unwilling to help you, he will not trouble you when the time comes.”

The Netherworld Prison Master would not trouble him.

So, despite the bizarre illusions of the moment, it certainly wasn’t a death trap.

Therefore, this must be a test.

Climbing the mountains is hard!

So, take it one step at a time, and see what the Netherworld Prison Master really wants.

Lu Qingshan, holding Heavenly True, quickly descended the mountain.

…

Time on the mountain is timeless.

After studying swords on the mountain for five or six years, Lu Qingshan descended and found that the idyllic era in Li Zhao’s memory had already begun to show signs of chaos.

The reigning Emperor was a man of loyalty; having ascended the throne, he generously rewarded those who had helped him overthrow the previous dynasty with offices and titles.

The loyalists knew the hardships of establishing a dynasty and remained disciplined, but their children, having never experienced the bloody battles, were arrogant and unruly, causing the people to suffer.

If it’s said that all prosperity must decline, then this decline had come too fast.

Having just entered the first city, Lu Qingshan saw the young prince of the great Deer King from the current dynasty, racing his horse madly in the streets.

In front of the steed, not far away, was a terrified little girl.

The next moment, tragedy would unfold.

Lu Qingshan frowned and, from under the hooves of the horse, narrowly saved the child, but this caused the young prince to fall from his horse.

The infuriated prince commanded his servants to teach Lu Qingshan a lesson.

Although Spiritual Power was gone, his swordsmanship remained; Lu Qingshan ended up teaching the prince a lesson, severing his leg tendons, ensuring he could no longer ride.

Lu Qingshan left gracefully.

In search of a way out of the illusion, Lu Qingshan roamed the world, intervening whenever he encountered injustice, and with his swordsmanship, carved out a great reputation in the vast Martial World, earning the title of the world’s number one swordsman.

Great reputation has its benefits, but also its downsides.

For this reputation reached the ears of the reigning Emperor.

The Emperor of Yue Country, a man who had fought his way through battlefields, had a life devoted to martial pursuits and naturally loved weapons.

The Deer King, harboring resentment against Lu Qingshan for crippling his son, suggested that the sword in Lu Qingshan’s hands was the number one sword in the world.

The Emperor, delighted by the hunt

One day, the Emperor’s eunuch found Lu Qingshan and conveyed the imperial edict.

“His Majesty is willing to buy your sword with a thousand gold coins and lucrative benefits,” said the eunuch.

The eunuch gestured, and the attendants brought forward several large chests, which upon being opened revealed glittering gold.

Lu Qingshan closed his eyes, unwilling to hand over the sword.

“His Majesty is the sovereign of the world, and desiring your sword is an honor for you. How dare you resist the edict and defy respect?” the eunuch’s expression turned gradually cold.

“A swordsman’s sword is his life, it cannot be given,” Lu Qingshan said.

“Whether your sword is your life, I don’t know, but what I do know is that if you don’t give it up, His Majesty will take your life,” threatened the eunuch.

Lu Qingshan shook his head.

Unable to bear it any longer, the eunuch stepped back and ordered, “Come, kill him!”

Apart from the gold, the imperial eunuch also brought an entire army.

Lu Qingshan was naturally well aware that he was surrounded by the army.

But he still chose to refuse.

Because a sword protects a swordsman, and when necessary, a swordsman must also protect his sword.

It began with a volley of thousands of arrows, followed by a light cavalry charge.

Lu Qingshan’s swordsmanship had reached the peak in this world, but worldly sword techniques ultimately could not defy the heavens. Bathed in blood and slaughter, he managed to break through the encirclement but was gravely injured in the process.

Six months later, with the severe injury incurable and his strength waning.

He still hadn’t found the exit from the illusion.

He knew he wouldn’t die, but since he hadn’t found the way out, it meant that he had presumably failed this test.

Lu Qingshan felt some regret, but there was nothing he could do.

He decided to go back to the mountain to see his master one last time before dying.

It was the same path full of peach blossoms, but as he walked, Lu Qingshan noticed the clouds and mist swirling, and the scenery changing drastically.

It turned back into the narrow mountain path of Mount Tai.

A figure appeared ahead on the mountain path, holding a sword in his hand.

The Heavenly True Sword.

The figure gradually became clear.

Li Zhao.

Lu Qingshan was startled and took another look at himself.

He had returned to his original form, with Spiritual Power circulating endlessly within him.

“Young master, what happened to you just now?” Qin Yitian’s voice echoed in his mind. “I’ve been calling you, and you didn’t respond.” @@novelbin@@

Lu Qingshan shook his head and gently reassured Yitian, “It’s nothing.”

Afterward, Lu Qingshan stepped forward and offered a salute to Li Zhao.

Li Zhao looked at Lu Qingshan and remained silent for a long while.

Lu Qingshan waited quietly.

After a long time, he finally spoke, “What is your name?”

“Lu Qingshan.”

“Lu Qingshan….” Li Zhao muttered to himself, his emotions complex.

After a while, Li Zhao spoke again, “The Emperor wants to receive a sword as a reward; it’s just an inanimate object, why would you rather die than give it up?”

“Because I am a Sword Cultivator.”

“A Sword Cultivator?” Li Zhao furrowed his brow.

“A true Sword Cultivator inevitably has something they wish to protect in their heart, whether it’s a sword, a person, or even the entire world,” Lu Qingshan said indifferently. “Since it is my sword, I must protect her well.”

Li Zhao seemed thoughtful and, after a long silence, sighed, “Even with my high talent in swordsmanship and superior sword techniques, without this heart to protect, I am still not a qualified swordsman.”

“I understand now,” Li Zhao nodded and thanked Lu Qingshan. “Thank you.”

Immediately, Li Zhao waved his hand broadly.

A scene of light and shadow presented itself before Lu Qingshan.

The same scenario, the same imperial eunuch, the same gold, and the same army.

Faced with this difficult choice, Li Zhao hesitated for a long time.

His master once told him that no matter who asks, the sword must not be given away.

But in this situation, was it really necessary to risk his life for an inanimate sword?

He was unsure.

After pondering for a long time, Li Zhao handed over the sword in his hand.

One month later.

The imperial eunuch led the troops, a thousand riders, to kill Li Zhao.

Li Zhao was enraged, hadn’t he already handed over the sword?

The imperial eunuch sneered coldly, saying nothing.

At the moment of life and death, his master appeared, holding a sword, with Sword Intent emanating chillingly.

An old swordsman with white hair, his presence dominating, slashed towards the thousand riders.

The imperial eunuch, pointing at Li Zhao’s master, trembled as he said, “Li Sword God.”

Li Sword God, the most dashing in Zhao Country.

He once defeated the whole Martial World of Zhao Country with a single sword and was taken in by the Emperor of Zhao as an esteemed guest.

That year, the current Emperor of Yue Country revolted, winning battle after battle, eventually breaking into the Imperial Palace of Zhao Country.

It was Li Sword God who, with one sword’s might, pressed back the armies and within the Imperial Palace, saved the innocent Crown Prince, who was still in swaddling clothes, preserving the last vestige of Zhao’s bloodline.

Li Zhao was that Crown Prince of the former Zhao Country.

Heavenly True was Li Sword God’s accompanying blade.

After Li Zhao offered Heavenly True to the current Emperor of Yue Country, the Emperor realized Li Zhao’s true identity.

To eliminate the roots, the Emperor of Yue sent an army to kill Li Zhao.

On that day, Li Sword God fought valiantly, slaying thirteen hundred enemies before dying from exhaustion.

Li Zhao also perished.

…

“I didn’t keep the promise I made to my master to protect the Heavenly True Sword, and ultimately my master died for me,” Li Zhao said to Lu Qingshan. “You did better than me; you are a true Sword Cultivator.”

Li Zhao stepped aside and said softly, “Continue down the path.”

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