Volume Two: Snow in Qinchuan Chapter 23: Tempering the Body with Sword Intent (Part I)

Following the Sword Discussion Assembly came the long-awaited Sword Intent Body Tempering.

There was a peak in the Snow Cloud Sect known as Thousandfold.
Upon the peak ran a narrow path known as the Sword Path.
Beneath the Sword Path lay a pool known as the Sword Sinking Pool.
Beside the pool stood an elegant pavilion known as the Sword Pavilion.
Beneath the Sword Pavilion was a prison known as the Sword Prison.

By extracting the myriad sword fires from the Sword Sinking Pool, infusing them with the countless strands of sword intent along the Sword Path of Thousandfold Peak, supplementing them with the primordial essence of the prisoners within the Sword Prison, and refining them over several years by the elders and disciples of the Sword Pavilion, Sword Pills could be successfully forged.

The conditions for forging Sword Pills were extremely harsh. Even with a master of the Harmony Realm stoking the furnace, a single batch could yield at most three pills.

Perhaps due to being blended with the sword intent from the Sword Path and the primordial essence of the major prisoners, the efficacy of the Sword Pills was extraordinarily potent—so much so that their medicinal force was too fierce for ordinary people to endure. Consequently, they could only be diluted using pool water; otherwise, disciples of the Primal Realm or even the Mind Communion Realm would find them utterly unbearable.

The so-called Sword Intent Body Tempering involved dissolving the Sword Pills into the Illusory Dream Pool of Chasing Moon Peak, after which the victors from each realm would enter the pool to soak. The longer one soaked, the more thoroughly the medicinal power was absorbed, and the better the body-tempering effect would be.

When Feng Qi received the notification regarding the body-tempering, it was already early the next morning.

He had anticipated this matter long ago. He thanked the disciple who had delivered the decree, tidied up briefly, and accompanied him toward Chasing Moon Peak.

Since there was still plenty of time, they did not fly on swords, instead taking a leisurely stroll that felt almost like walking through a private garden.

During their casual chat, Feng Qi learned the name of the messenger disciple: Pan Zhen. He had joined the sect four years ago and was selected for the inner sect last year, but lacking sufficient natural talent and refusing to accept the fate of being demoted down the mountain, he had stayed behind on Traceless Peak to serve as an odd-job deacon.

Along the way, quite a few people proactively greeted Pan Zhen, suggesting that he was well-liked and possessed a decent network.

*This fellow is a regular walking encyclopaedia,* Feng Qi thought to himself.

"Aside from the things you just mentioned, there must be other matters as well, right? For instance... intelligence?" Feng Qi asked out of the blue.

The fellow before him truly lacked exceptional innate talent, yet he had still managed to cultivate to the middle stage of the Mind Communion Realm. Relying solely on the standard monthly stipend for ordinary disciples across the peaks was absolutely out of the question. Coupled with his personality and connections, Feng Qi could think of no other possibility besides intelligence peddling.

Pan Zhen was slightly startled before smiling. "The Sword Child has a discerning eye. Aside from dealing with ordinary chores, I also peddle some intelligence within the sect in exchange for pills and elemental stones to aid my cultivation."

"What kind of intelligence do you have?" Feng Qi asked.

Pan Zhen beamed with delight. "From petty gossip between fellow apprentices to grand struggles between major sects, which one would Senior Brother care to hear?"

Before Feng Qi could speak, Pan Zhen hastily added, "Of course, all this information comes with a clearly marked price. Senior Brother must be considerate of your junior, as gathering intelligence incurs costs, after all."

Observing Pan Zhen's demeanor, Feng Qi paused for a moment.

Wasn't this precisely the modus operandi of the Carefree Pavilion?
Intelligence that could be answered was expensive, and intelligence that could not be answered was... even more expensive!

He fell silent for a moment and asked seriously, "This is my first time buying intelligence. Can't it be waived?"

He was not lying; he was indeed rather strapped for cash at the moment.

A Sword Child's monthly stipend was quite generous, amounting to as many as two thousand top-grade elemental stones alone. However, he had not yet been in the sect for a full month, so he naturally had not received these benefits. Coupled with the fact that he had given all his previous wealth to that swindling donkey-meat merchant in Wuyang City, his storage pouch was currently completely empty.

Considering his several lofty titles, it would frankly be embarrassing to speak of it.

Pan Zhen looked somewhat troubled. "This is a small-scale business, Sword Child. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Feng Qi thought for a moment and said earnestly, "How about this? I also know quite a few secrets; I can trade with you on equal terms."

Pan Zhen remained skeptical.

"I am a Sword Child, after all," Feng Qi said. "Is there any reason for me to smash my own reputation over this?"

Seeing that Pan Zhen was somewhat tempted, Feng Qi coaxed him further, "Besides, since you're in the intelligence business, you naturally know what a Sword Child's stipend looks like. Do you really think I would renege on your debt?"

Pan Zhen sighed, looking as though he had resigned to his fate. "What does the Sword Child wish to ask?"

Feng Qi said, "Why was the Senior Senior Brother not appointed as the Sword Child?"

Pan Zhen's expression shifted, a trace of cold sweat appearing on his face as he stammered in response, "This... I don't know."

***

Feng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that this did not seem to be a topic worth discussing openly. He therefore asked instead, "Do you know the whereabouts of the previous generation's Sword Child?"

A cultivator's cultivation career was extremely long, but their growth was not always so uniform.
Some individuals with excessive innate talent could successfully attain the Harmony Realm by the time they reached thirty.

The very moment he entered Snow Cloud, he had reviewed the *Snow Cloud Chronicles* and discovered a grave issue.
Snow Cloud had not appointed a new Sword Child for nearly a century—across all five peaks.

The current batch of Sword Children had all been newly appointed only after the ascension of the former Grand Emperor. The one with the most seniority was Sheng Yun, who had been conferred the title of Sword Child in the very year the former Grand Emperor ascended.

He refused to believe that not a single person had been qualified to bear the title of Sword Child over the past hundred years.
Even if that truly were the truth, what about the previous generation?

According to the criteria for selecting Sword Children, even the weakest among the previous generation's Sword Children should now be at least in the Void Dao Realm, fully comparable to the masters of the various peaks.
Since the positions of peak masters were not vacant, they should at least be capable of serving as elders of a peak.
Why was there absolute silence regarding them?

Pan Zhen's expression shifted once more, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "I don't know about this either. Please don't ask any more, Senior Brother; I really know nothing."

He desperately wanted to slap himself a few times.
Why on earth had his mouth been itching to do business with the Sword Child?
Every single one of these questions was more lethal than the last.
And what was even more lethal was that he happened to know the answers to these questions...

Feng Qi quickly said, "Fine, fine. Let's ask about something minor."

Pan Zhen kept his mouth firmly shut.

Feng Qi sighed. "How about this? You sell me a piece of intelligence that you deem worthwhile, and I will price it based on its value?"

Pan Zhen thought for a moment and said, "The Grand Commandant of the Divine Dynasty has won consecutive battles and has currently advanced to Wutai Mountain, carrying the momentum of restoration to wage a decisive battle against a combined force of seven hundred thousand troops from the barbarian tribes and Bohai."

Not long ago, he had secured ten consecutive victories all the way to Yanyun.
And now, his troops were pressing upon the gates of Wutai Mountain.
He truly lived up to his reputation as the premier military strategist of the previous generation, employing divine tactics in warfare.

For some reason, Pan Zhen actually detected a trace of melancholy on Feng Qi's face.

He was somewhat perplexed, wondering why the Heir would wear such an expression upon hearing the triumphant news from the northern frontiers... Could it be that the Heir did not wish to recover Yanbei?

Feng Qi did not respond to his inner thoughts. Even if he didn't know, assuming Feng Qi truly knew what he was thinking, he still wouldn't offer any reaction.

"This piece of intelligence holds little meaning for me, so my offer won't be very high. In fact, your intelligence is not entirely accurate. If you are willing to pay a certain price, I can help you refine and improve it."

The situation in Yanbei was crystal clear by now.
Grandpa... the Grand Commandant would undoubtedly recover Yanbei.

Once the barbarian forces retreated past the Yufeng Pass, Wuyang and Yanyun would simultaneously manufacture momentum, shifting the blame for the Prince's defeat onto the Second Prince and the Third Elder of the Feng family. The Third Elder's crime was easy to establish: colluding with the barbarian Xu Hai and leaking the military defense secrets of Yanbei. The Second Prince's crime was equally easy to guess, as the two commanders of the Wuyang Patrol Bureau were his men; intercepting military dispatches was by no means impossible.

Once the case was brought to light, the entire imperial court was shaken.

The Divine Emperor wept as he executed his own son, while the internal investigation agency stepped forward to issue a decree of self-blame on behalf of the Divine Emperor.
*Though thousands of faults exist, the blame rests upon my single person.*

The Censorate and the Carefree Pavilion simultaneously built up public momentum, conveniently implicating the Bohai and barbarian tribes by alleging that their audacity in raiding the borders was instigated by the Demonic Race, thereby dragging this race—forgotten by the Divine Dynasty for two centuries—back into the public eye.

The internal troubles were resolved, but the external threats remained.
The entire world was astounded.

Once this stage was reached, the plotting between the Divine Emperor and the Grand Commandant was essentially complete. Afterward, they only needed to use the Carefree Pavilion to propagate the might and cruelty of the Demonic Race externally, which would naturally twist the subjects of the Divine Dynasty into a single rope, even including the newly recovered Bohai.

***

Yet the Yihua Palace remained a problem.

Zisang Boshou was dead, but Zisang Bumu still lived. Furthermore, the combat strength of the Yihua Palace had not been impaired; it remained a first-tier sect second only to Snow Cloud and Taixuan.

Therefore... how could Yihua be eradicated?

Feng Qi had not yet fully thought through this section, so he remained silent.

Pan Zhen wore a stiff expression, wheezing heavily as he sucked in cold breath after cold breath, looking utterly ridiculous.

"Did the Heir deduce all of this himself?"

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, displeased. "What do you mean by 'deduced'? It's merely a rational inference. If you're interested in this matter, you can keep an eye on the Carefree Pavilion's movements. Of course, by the time that actually happens, this intelligence I'm giving you won't be worth anything anymore."

Pan Zhen was left speechless. After a long period of silence, he finally said, "It seems I have nothing of equivalent value to trade for this intelligence."

Feng Qi said lazily, "Everything I just mentioned hasn't happened yet, and whether you believe it or not is up to you. Tell me another piece of intelligence regarding the Sword Intent Body Tempering, and in exchange, I can tell you a rock-solid fact that is perhaps more valuable than all your intelligence combined."

Having one's professional authority challenged was something absolutely intolerable to anyone with professional ethics.

Pan Zhen was somewhat unconvinced, thinking that the other party had no inkling of what a trump card truly was.
Feng Qi sneered dismissively, thinking that the other party had no idea what a genuine secret was.

Pan Zhen frowned and pondered for a moment, trying to find a piece of intelligence that would not leave him at too much of a loss if spoken aloud, yet would not leave Feng Qi dissatisfied.

After a long while, he suddenly recalled news leaked not long ago by a sword attendant from Treading Snow Peak. Lowering his voice, he said, "It is rumored that this Sword Discussion Assembly originally only intended to select the victors of the Primal and Mind Communion realms for body-tempering. After the Sword Child defeated the Senior Senior Brother of Thousandfold Peak, Grand Ancestor Fajian erupted in the Hall of Asking the Dao and single-handedly faced four... persuading the other four peak masters to yield. The Sword Pavilion thus exercised grace, following ancestral precedent to select the top three from both realms for body-tempering."

Although it was phrased somewhat exaggeratedly, it was indeed the result of Xue Wuji arguing with reason to secure that quota for Feng Qi.

A ripple crossed Feng Qi's eyes, and he nearly failed to control the emotional stirring within his heart.
After all, he was still a young man; how could he remain as calm and unruffled as an old fox?

Thinking of his master, at such an advanced age, jumping up and down within the Hall of Asking the Dao, Feng Qi found it somewhat amusing.

Seeing Feng Qi's expression, Pan Zhen knew that the intelligence he had provided this time was sufficiently useful.
He was waiting for Feng Qi to tell him the secret, and then he would loudly mock the latter for claiming he had already known such things!

A man must take back whatever dignity he had lost in the exact same manner!

Feng Qi glanced sideways at Pan Zhen, leaned close to his ear, and whispered rapidly, "My master once had a secret crush on the Peak Master of Chasing Moon Peak."

With that, he stepped back at an even faster speed, widening the distance between them.

Pan Zhen wished he could slap his own mouth several times over.
He was living a perfectly fine life; why on earth did he have to grow this pair of ears?
This wasn't intelligence at all; it was a sure path to self-destruction!

Just like the two questions Feng Qi had asked earlier, such secrets could only be buried deep in his heart. If he ever dared to gossip about them anywhere, he wouldn't even need Grand Ancestor Fajian to step in—the regular disciples of Traceless Peak alone could torture him until he wished he were dead.

Let alone gossoping—even if Grand Ancestor Fajian merely found out that he knew about this, he would be in unspeakable misery.

Living was truly difficult...
For a moment, a wave of despairing resignation washed over him.

Looking at Feng Qi's departing back, he suddenly found himself hesitating as to whether or not he should follow.