Chapter 145: The Hollow Sword

In the direction Guan Yibai pointed, there flourished a wood-element formation. Inside stood a green plant, three or four zhang tall, its lush branches and leaves so dense they blotted out the sky—perhaps an effect of the formation. A few white flower buds, each the size of a forearm, were sparsely scattered among the foliage.

Jiang Yan looked up, unable to imagine how massive those flowers would be once they bloomed.

Hong Jian was also watching, and she had already counted the buds: "There are nine in total."

Guan Yibai sighed. "The bloom lasts only for a fleeting moment, yet it consumes a vast amount of spiritual energy. Fearing it might drain the entire immortal garden, I set up this formation. I wonder how many will actually bloom."

Jiang Yan asked, "When will they open?"

"Who knows?" Guan Yibai replied. "Perhaps in three to five days, perhaps in half a month. Haven't you noticed your uncle dare not leave, guarding it day and night?"

The three admired the flowers for a while. Jiang Yan did not state his purpose, and Guan Yibai did not ask, allowing the two young people to chat idly.

In truth, Jiang Yan did not intend to be evasive. Influenced by Dai Mingchi and others over the years, the atmosphere of cultivation in the Daoist cultivation world had become increasingly utilitarian. Within the major sects, those like Guan Yibai who devoted themselves to researching spiritual herbs were becoming rare. Jiang Yan, possessing a metal spirit root, had previously paid little attention to the exotic flora in the garden, but hearing Guan Yibai’s words, he found himself genuinely intrigued.

Hong Jian asked curiously, "Senior, since the flowering period of the Immortal Epiphyllum is so short, will it not wither once picked?"

Guan Yibai glanced at her by the moonlight and said, "Naturally, it would. Rashly picking it would only destroy the flower. Do you see those jars?"

Hong Jian and Jiang Yan looked where he pointed and indeed saw a row of nine black jars on the ground by the stone table, corresponding to the number of buds. Hong Jian immediately understood that these jars were likely prepared by Guan Yibai to hold the flowers.

She wondered what was special about these jars that could keep the Immortal Epiphyllum from fading. As she pondered, Guan Yibai continued, "The jars are nothing. The key lies in the formation inscribed within. With this formation, if you catch a live ant and drop it inside, it will suffocate in a moment, but its corpse will remain unchanged for ten thousand years."

Jiang Yan and Hong Jian gathered around, each placing their hands inside the jars to feel the effect, clicking their tongues in wonder.

Jiang Yan praised him with admiration: "Uncle’s mastery of formations is not only unrivaled in our Xianyun Sect, but it is also renowned across the entire Daoist cultivation world."

Guan Yibai smiled indifferently. He drained his cup, smacked his lips in contemplation, and said, "The power of formations has long been utilized and carried forward. Did you not know? The talismans of the Talisman Sect are, in reality, just formations."

Jiang Yan had never truly crossed paths with members of the Talisman Sect, but Hong Jian had seen them deploy talismans, and upon reflection, she realized it was true. Individual formations were pre-inscribed onto the talismans; the sect members only needed to learn how to trigger them without understanding the underlying principles.

The most potent talisman of the Talisman Sect, as far as Hong Jian knew, was one that assisted a Metal-element Nascent Soul cultivator in unleashing a "Heart Sword." She asked Guan Yibai, "Senior, if one knows in advance what formation is inscribed on those talismans, is there a way to break them?"

Guan Yibai closed his eyes, stroked his beard, and with a tipsy demeanor, said, "That would require an opportunity to study their talismans closely. In terms of principles, there is certainly a way to break them. However, the more profound the formation, the more complex the method of breaking it. From the moment a talisman is activated to the moment it takes effect, only a brief instant passes. Seizing that sliver of an opening is not as simple as you children imagine."

Hearing this, Hong Jian was not discouraged. "As long as there is a way, that is enough. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will come to seek your guidance again, Senior."

Guan Yibai did not respond. After a moment, he opened his eyes just a crack to glance at Hong Jian.

Sensing the moment was right, Jiang Yan leaned over to pour the old man another cup of wine, smiling apologetically. "Uncle, this friend of mine is entering our sect's secret realm the day after tomorrow. She is a water cultivator. Does your esteemed self have any magical tools suitable for her?"

Hong Jian was not using the "Immortal Rainbow Glow" to disguise her cultivation at the moment, so Guan Yibai could tell at a glance that she was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Hearing Jiang Yan finally state his purpose, Guan Yibai simply grunted with his eyes closed, offering no reply.

Jiang Yan waited for a while, growing anxious as the old man appeared to be drifting off to sleep, and called out, "Uncle?"

Under the moonlight, Guan Yibai remained unmoved, stating calmly, "There are few tools suitable for a water cultivator. There is a 'Water-Moon Treasure Mirror.' With her late-stage Foundation Establishment, once activated, as long as she does not encounter a top-tier technique like your 'White Rainbow Piercing the Sun,' she can hold her own for a few rounds. It is quite good for self-defense."

If Guan Yibai said it was good, then it truly was. Jiang Yan turned to seek Hong Jian's opinion. He hoped she would have a defensive tool, which would ease the minds of both himself and Lu Yanzhang, who was waiting outside the secret realm.

Hong Jian looked at Guan Yibai on the recliner. He was a Nascent Soul expert, and she dared not rashly use the "Sutra of Great Tribulation." However, she felt that his attitude might be swayed further. Honestly, defensive tools were not her preference, so she pressed her luck: "Senior, could you lend this junior an offensive magical tool?"

It was a common flaw for water cultivators to be weak in offense unless they practiced top-tier techniques like the "Sutra of Accumulated Elements," so Guan Yibai was not surprised. He pondered for a moment and asked Jiang Yan, "Does your master know you brought her to see me?"

Jiang Yan hesitated before speaking the truth: "I haven't told him yet."

Guan Yibai asked again, "I heard that for this secret realm, some have already declared that life and death are of no consequence once inside?"

"It was Pu Pingping of the Talisman Sect who said it. To avoid trouble, all independent cultivators have been made to sign life-and-death waivers. I will act according to the situation. That man surnamed Pu is suppressing his cultivation; he won't necessarily be able to run rampant inside."

Hearing this, Guan Yibai closed his eyes for a long time. He stopped drinking, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. After a pause, as if having made a decision, he opened his eyes, sat up, and said to them, "I have no offensive tools for water cultivators here..."

Hong Jian could not help but look disappointed, but then he continued: "However, a while ago, while inscribing the formations on those jars, I had a sudden inspiration and tried forging a tool that can be activated by essence of any attribute. Naturally, a water spirit root can use it as well. This tool was just finished, and it doesn't even have a name yet."

Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Where is it? Uncle, show us and broaden our horizons."

Guan Yibai smiled slightly. He opened his hand in the air, and a hum like a sword-ringing echoed deep within the flower shadows. Then, amidst the flowing moonlight, a palm-sized sword flew through the air and landed in his open palm.

The blade was crystalline white, faintly wreathed in blue light.

Jiang Yan naturally favored sharp weapons like blades and swords, and this tool’s design pleased him more than anything else. He leaned in to admire it for a moment and said, "This coincidence feels like destiny. Uncle, please give it a name."

Guan Yibai gently stroked the delicate blade of the small sword. After a moment of thought, he said, "Let’s call it the 'Hollow Sword.' The power it ultimately exerts will depend on the person using it."

Hong Jian was quite surprised. She had expected this old Nascent Soul expert of the Xianyun Sect to brush her off, never imagining he would produce such a unique tool. She had encountered a few tools that did not require specific elemental essence—both "Fu Jiang" and "Immortal Rainbow Glow" had their peculiarities—but the "Hollow Sword" was the first one she had encountered that was truly suitable for combat.

"Senior, may I take a look?"

Guan Yibai was quite generous and handed the "Hollow Sword" to Hong Jian immediately.

Hong Jian channeled her essence, and with a slight flick of her mind, the "Hollow Sword" flew out. A tiny glimmer of silvery-white light flickered around her. The speed was so great that the human eye could barely track its trajectory; it appeared as if seven or eight stars were shining and dimming around her simultaneously.

Jiang Yan watched from the side, clicking his tongue, at a loss for words.

Hong Jian stopped and recalled the "Hollow Sword." She could hardly hide her excitement; her water-element essence was a perfect match for this tool. She wondered if the metal-element essence she had absorbed via "Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Origin" could also drive it. If so, she hoped not just to borrow it, but to truly obtain it, refining it into her first magical treasure after achieving the Golden Core stage.

However, she feared this Senior Guan would not part with it easily.

As she was thinking this, Guan Yibai said, "You are a water cultivator, yet at such a young age, your aura should not be tainted with such heavy bloodlust. If I were not careful, I would have thought you were a metal spirit root like Jiang Yan. Since Jiang Yan brought you, I will not concern myself with your identity or background, nor why you wish to enter the Xianyun Sect's secret realm. Take the 'Hollow Sword' and use it, but know this: if you use it to take someone's life within the realm, you are no longer welcome here, and you need not return the tool."

Hong Jian felt a chill. Coming to ask for help, she had not concealed her cultivation out of respect, yet she had not expected Guan Yibai to see through her so quickly. The bloodlust and the massive amount of metal-element essence she had absorbed were the keys to her recent breakthroughs, and her urgency in obtaining an offensive tool was indeed to kill within the realm.

Hong Jian understood why Guan Yibai wished to draw a line between them. She felt no resentment, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "Thank you for your generous gift, Senior. I shall take my leave."

Guan Yibai waved his hand to let her go, but said to Jiang Yan, "You stay and keep your uncle company."