Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 527 - 28: Cyan Lotus -

May 14, 2018

After the three of them discussed outside the Assembly Hall, they returned inside, with Zhao Chenlu leading the way, his bright smile lighting up the entire room.

"Everyone, good news."

With just one sentence, the Elder Cyan Lotus eagerly awaited, especially when they saw the elated expression on Zhao Chenlu’s face and the Sect Leader’s worried expression. They couldn’t help but imagine the Sect Leader reluctantly giving up the restoration of the Sword Manual, leading Cyan Lotus Academy to a peaceful future.

However, Zhao Chenlu’s next sentence plunged the room’s atmosphere into despair.

"Mr. Wang Jiu has agreed to help restore the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual, preserving our precious Primordial Inheritance!"

"..."

Several elders at the conference table were dumbstruck. Moments later, Shang Wuming was the first to stand up, incredulously asking, "Wait a minute, how suddenly..."

Beside him, Feng Xiaolu was also wide-eyed with surprise, her lips moving constantly, unable to speak, while her small face turned increasingly red.

The only male elder, Tan Luo, was constantly wiping his glasses, perspiring profusely.

The three elders all looked exceedingly conflicted and unwilling, yet Zhao Chenlu just smiled and said, "I know this news is a bit sudden, and it’s hard to accept right away, but since it’s about the academy’s interests, I believe everyone will understand."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by a cool voice.

"Sorry, we can’t understand."

As the words were spoken, a woman dressed in simple yet elegant attire slowly stepped into the Assembly Hall. She appeared to be in her early thirties—or late twenties. Her face was charming and slightly dignified, with calm eyes like still water, her serious gaze casting a cool mountain spring from head to toe.

If it weren’t for that unique True Essence Fluctuation and the faint scent of alcohol, suppressed with perfume but still lingering, it would be hard to associate her with the rambling Shang Miaoyu from before.

After entering the room, she bowed to everyone present and said apologetically, "Miaoyu was just drunk and lost her composure, please forgive me."

Zhao Chenlu laughed, "You sobered up?"

Shang Miaoyu glanced at him, "Disappointed, aren’t you? The Drunken Gold Thin didn’t work on me."

Zhao Chenlu said, "I didn’t expect your alcohol tolerance to improve so quickly. That paper was soaked in Eternal Intoxication Essence for three days and nights. Even if the Sect Leader ate it, he’d strip naked on the spot. Yet after you accidentally swallowed it, you were only drunk for a short while before sobering up. Perhaps you should take over as Sect Leader of the Saint Sect."

"City Lord Zhao, you haven’t drunk, so don’t talk nonsense. Besides, this is the Cyan Lotus Assembly Hall. Let’s not discuss unrelated matters."

Shang Miaoyu’s earnest statements quickly led Zhao Chenlu to shrug off, speechless.

The Sect Leader sighed, "Elder Shang, long time no see."

Shang Miaoyu showed a look of apology, "Sect Leader, indeed long time no see. My drunken cultivation has left me sober for only a few days in a whole year... Today, sobering up, I still have to decline your kind offer. Regarding the restoration of the Sword Manual, though I know it’s indeed crucial for Cyan Lotus Academy, as the academy’s Chief Elder, I cannot help but oppose."

The Sect Leader asked, "Reason?"

"Because the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual does more harm than good to the Cyan Lotus Academy now," Shang Miaoyu replied. "A sword is a weapon of destruction, meant for killing, an ominous object. If we were in troubled times for survival, everyone might have to arm themselves, even scholars bearing swords out of necessity. But today, the world is at peace, and the academy truly has no reason to cling to the Sword Manual."

The Sect Leader said, "Plan for the worst while living in peace."

"Planning for the worst while living in peace pertains to human civilization as a whole. However, humans, being social creatures, have division of labor and cooperation. The academy’s role is not to wield swords as guardians. That duty belongs to the Wuxiang Sword Academy and the Seven Families. If one attempts to take on responsibilities not one’s own because of some vague notion of planning for the worst, it only results in a tremendous waste of social efficiency."

Shang Miaoyu paused, glanced around, and said, "Pardon my bluntness, but if not for the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual, our Cyan Lotus Academy would not have lost both the head and deputy head overnight. Such a simultaneous loss of top leaders in a sect of three academies is extremely rare in the past few hundred years, even for the Shen Family, who constantly battles in the Chaos Battlefield, or the Wuxiang Sword Academy, actively exploring Primordial Ruins, have not suffered such a loss. The root cause lies in our Cyan Lotus Academy’s overreaching in pursuit of martial prowess. We are an academy, not a sword academy. Scholars brandishing swords only bring harm to themselves and others."

After these words, the Sect Leader sighed again.

"I almost wish you hadn’t sobered up."

Shang Miaoyu of Cyan Lotus, known for her eloquence, was a formidable debater participating in various debates on the Xiangzhou Continent on behalf of the academy before she became absorbed in alcohol.

Though a drunken Shang Miaoyu often caused amusing but harmless episodes, she even distributed benefits frequently. However, a sober Shang Miaoyu truly posed a headache.

For her remarks were indeed reasonable. The current Cyan Lotus Academy is no longer the same academy that once fought side by side with the Saint Sect and the Seven Families two thousand years ago. Back then, scholars wielding swords were both an inevitable lament of that era and an inspiring banner for all humanity. But now, scholars wielding swords have become more loss than gain.

"In fact, for nearly a hundred years, the academy has respectfully kept a distance from the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual. While we acknowledge the irresistible allure of the Primordial Inheritance to every cultivator passionate about research, we are also aware that human capability is ultimately limited. Attempts to do things one is not adept at rarely yield good results. How many academy scholars are truly skilled in Sword Dao? The Sect Leader knows that most scholars joining the academy were not adept at martial pursuits in their youth, marginalized by their families, and thus immersed in books. Among our 400 members, divided into five research groups, Sang Yue, holding the Sword Manual, has served as director for twenty years, and even then, the Sword Group barely exceeds 100 members. More than half of these also have roles in other research groups, reflective of a lack of focus and unity. As for the rivalry with the Wuxiang Sword Academy, it has indeed shamed the academy for a century, but we have long past the age of momentary pride. Losing is losing. In Sword Dao, the Wuxiang Sword Academy is indeed superior. Maintaining our academy’s reputation allows us to remain one of the leading Three Academies. Conversely, if we were to win and force the Wuxiang Sword Academy to rename itself, is that truly beneficial? The deteriorating relationship between the two academies began when the Cyan Lotus Academy first outcompeted them for the Sword Academy title, leaving the Wuxiang Sword Academy without a name. They took it as a deep disgrace and have since seen the academy as a lifelong enemy, sparking centuries of rivalry. What a waste."

After these words, even the Sect Leader began to hesitate.

It indeed made sense. Since a Sword Manual could cause so much trouble and invoke genuine dislike from the Sword Academy people, rather than forcibly restore the Sword Manual, it might be better to abandon it or entrust it to others, like the current Wuxiang Sword Academy with the highest overall Sword Dao strength, or the Cyan Cloud Li Family with their Sword Heart Inheritance. The Cyan Lotus Academy is more suited to be a pure research institute, away from strife.

As for Wang Jiu’s situation, as long as he can restore the Primordial Inheritance by himself, his reputation will be established. Whether it’s at the Cyan Lotus Academy or not becomes less important...

Yet just as the Sect Leader’s resolve wavered, Wang Jiu said, "What a colossal mistake. There are severe misunderstandings about Sword Dao and yourselves, leading to erroneous conclusions."

Wang Jiu’s words raised Shang Miaoyu’s eyebrows. "Eager to hear."

"You believe the existence of the Sword Manual led to a series of subsequent tragedies, but this is a backward way of thinking. It is precisely your insufficient research and grasp of the Sword Manual that led to later tragedies. If those two late directors had realized the Technique of Death and Rebirth or the Body Sword Replacement Technique of the Cyan Lotus Chapter, they could have escaped during the chaos at Yanqi Cliff. Their understanding, however, only reached the seventh layer, lacking just one to two layers."

Wang Jiu continued, "I just looked at Sang Yue and Sang Jing’s profiles, and if these profiles do not contain the usual exaggerated embellishments found in human society, their talent and age should not have led to such a rudimentary understanding of the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual. Given your earlier statement of the Sword Group’s lack of cohesion, I think it is precisely this negligence among the research group members that hindered their research progress, ultimately resulting in their unfortunate demise during exploration."

After these words, the atmosphere in the Assembly Hall shifted again. Elders like Shang Wuming and Feng Xiaolu began whispering among themselves, while Shang Miaoyu coldly retorted, "Impressive speech, yet it’s all your personal opinion. How can you decisively assert Sang Yue and Sang Jing’s Sword Dao cultivation? With the Cyan Lotus Chapter of the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual lost, how can you speculate about the content of the eighth and ninth layers such as the Technique of Death and Rebirth? On what grounds do you blame their tragedy on the Sword Group scholars’ negligence?"

Wang Jiu paused and said, "Because I’ve restored the Cyan Lotus Chapter."

As he spoke, Wang Jiu’s Sword Spirit True Form took the White Sword from his waist, raising it in front of his chest, where a cyan lotus flower slowly emerged on the blade, each petal a uniquely shaped small cyan sword.

The entire lotus was half-real, formed by highly condensed Sword Qi, converted from pure True Essence. Viewing through a Primordial Spirit felt like stepping into a vast new world. Each cyan sword held mystic Divine Techniques, and as the petals slowly rotated, these techniques combined and intertwined, generating countless new variations.

No member of the Cyan Lotus present would fail to recognize this lotus.

Though they’ve kept it at a respectful distance, even avoiding it out of fear for decades, no one could mistake the Cyan Lotus Chapter of the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual.

Seeing this lotus, the Sect Leader was equally shocked, "When did you restore the Cyan Lotus Chapter!?"

Wang Jiu said, "While you were chatting with Zhao Chenlu outside, I restored the Cyan Lotus Chapter out of boredom."