The Romantic Cultivator

It took Yuan Ji and Ling Feiyue more than a day to finally walk out of the misty valley to the other side of the mountains.

Along the way, they had encountered several fifth rank desolate beasts and even a single sixth rank primordial class desolate beast. Luckily for them, the encounters had ended quickly.

"Weird." Yuan Ji said to Ling Feiyue. "We didn't see any cultivators along the way?"

Ling Feiyue answered, "This is indeed a little strange."

With their lightless profound art, they were moving faster than the majority of the trial cultivators. Moreover they could move without rest for several days and they could cover a greater pace than any cultivators that were below the fifth realm level.

At the same time the misty valley was fraught with desolate beasts and the lower level cultivators would not be able to move hastily as they needed to move cautiously.

And if they had encountered a battle, they would need time to recuperate and to dress their wounds. Even their injuries would slow them down.

Yuan Ji was muttering, "At most they only got seven days head start on us. Moreover there should be a dozen of the same level three trials that are opened at the same time so there should be a constant stream of cultivators."

Ling Feiyue nodded, "You're saying that although we have covered three days of walk but we have yet to see a single cultivator?"

Yuan Ji nodded lightly as he looked at his surroundings again, "Unless of course there is more than one path that is available."

"I'm afraid that this must be the only conclusion." Ling Feiyue concluded gently.

All of a sudden they saw fire in the mountains ahead.

"Hmm, someone is there?" Yuan Ji said.

"Just when we thought that there is no one else. Let's go and take a look then." Ling Feiyue immediately said.

With that, they had sped toward the source of the mountains.

When they had reached the location of the fire, they found out that it was actually several huge bonfires with hundreds of cultivators around in a boot camp.

They were quite astonished to find so many cultivators around.

When they had entered the boot camp, they did not attract too much of an attention as they were not the only golden celestials that were around.

It seemed that the cultivators had established a camp here.

Yuan Ji quickly found a lone cultivator as he greeted him, "Li Yuan here. This is my companion Ling Feiyang. We have just arrived here. May I know why there are so many cultivators in this place? Shouldn't they be moving toward the portals of the fourth level trial?"

"Great Celestials. Mu Chen here." The cultivator returned a friendly greet. "You aren't the first group to ask me."

Mu Chen sighed softly, "The majority of us are actually struck in this place and that is why we are here."

"Oh?" Yuan Ji was curious.

Mu Chen explained, "You have better waited until daybreak and you will get your answers. In front of us is a valley with two routes. One route will lead to the Thunder Peaks where there are constant lightning storms. The other route is less dangerous but is guarded by an epic seventh rank desolate beast. If we cannot defeat that seventh rank desolate beast, we can't hope to reach the end of this trial."

Then he pointed at the cultivators in the camp, "Half of them have actually met with defeats and everyone is now regrouping to fight the epic desolate beast again in another three days."

He sighed softly, "We are just back from a fight only yesterday and a third of us did not make it back. Now the survivors are recuperating and nursing their wounds. If the two Great Celestials will be able to join us in three days' time, we will have a greater chance of success."

Yuan Ji thanked him, "We will definitely consider. After all an epic seventh rank desolate beast is beyond the two of us to handle."

After thanking him, Yuan Ji and Ling Feiyue walked off together.

They soon found a spot in the camp to sit down together to discuss their next course of action.

Yuan Ji turned to look at her, "So what do you think?"

Ling Feiyue was aware that Yuan Ji was now looking at her so she averted her eyes, "Can you sit a little further from me? We are two 'men'. Don't sit so close to me."

Yuan Ji laughed softly, "Precisely because we are two men and that is why I am able to sit so close to you."

Ling Feiyue hummed coldly, "You are definitely not a cultivator of the heart and is more like a street rascal."

Yuan Ji grinned, "In front of the Goddess Ling Feiyue, I am definitely a rascal…"

"Feiyang!" Ling Feiyue whispered softly. "Don't say out my name, badass rascal."

Yuan Ji laughed, "So what do you think of this?" In the end, he did not even bulge from his sitting position and he was still as close as ever to her.

Ling Feiyue pondered for a while before she said, "It seems that one is a lightning trial while the other is an epic desolate beast trial. Either one is actually easy so don't be fooled. In the past, I didn't manage to get past the fourth trial to the fifth trial."

Yuan Ji asked her, "So what is this lightning trial?"

"For the lightning trial, we need to go through the lightning zone. If we are unlucky then we will be struck by the lightning and may perish. It will actually depend on our luck whether we can avoid the lightning."

Yuan Ji frowned lightly, "Actually both trials require luck. The epic desolate beast won't be easy at all."

"Indeed but it is the most favored trial to overcome the fourth trial. It is because everyone expects the others to die in their stead. Therefore everyone is praying that the desolate beast won't be targeting them. But the odds of getting kill by the epic desolate beast are actually much higher than the lightning."

Yuan Ji nodded, "Moreover if we are struck by the lightning, we may still exit the trial intact. But if we are trampled or eaten up by the desolate beast then we may very well end up dead permanently."

"So you have decided on the lightning trial?" Ling Feiyue asked curiously.

Yuan Ji nodded, "We have a higher odd of survival with the lightning trial actually."

He heaved a soft sigh as he looked at her, "Are you alright if we take the lightning trial?"

Ling Feiyue smiled gently, "Why not?"

"You are not afraid?" Yuan Ji asked. "The lightning can be terrifying and our hearts may not be able to take it. I can teach you my sect heart intricate formula for controlling your heart beat to resist the lightning."

"No need." Ling Feiyue smiled gently. "I will be alright."

Yuan Ji frowned lightly, "You have a cheat? What do you mean?"

Ling Feiyue giggled softly, "Have you forgotten that I had to overcome the lightning tribulation in order to become a great saintess? This lightning trial is actually far weaker than the lightning tribulation."

Yuan Ji was now frowning unhappily, "I really forget about that. So that means that I will be the only one that will be in danger?"

Ling Feiyue slapped him lightly on his cheek as she laughed softly, "That's right. So watch out for yourself and don't get strike by the lightning. I'm not watching over you."

Yuan Ji: …

"I have decided to change my mind now and go for the epic desolate beast trial." Yuan Ji frowned.

"Fine and I will be going for the lightning trial. You have better don't follow me this time or you will be struck by lightning." Ling Feiyue paused briefly before adding with a soft chuckle, "I have heard that only bad guys will get struck by lightning. I wonder if it is true for you?"

Yuan Ji smiled awkwardly, "If you got struck by lightning then you must be a badass villainess."

Ling Feiyue giggled, "I'm from the unorthodox sect so it doesn't matter for me because the lightning will only strike the hypocrites."

"You sound like you are quite eager to see how the lightning is going to strike me dead." Yuan Ji frowned unhappily.

"You're not my future lord, so why not?" Ling Feiyue chuckled.

"If I am dead then I won't be your future lord." Yuan Ji muttered.

All of a sudden Yuan Ji was suddenly quiet as he remembered that he would surely be dead in less than four months' time. Because of this, Ling Feiyue and he would never truly be able to be together.

He did not want to get her involved in his mess and he was also bent on rescuing Xue Qianxue. Although he knew that she had a formidable background but he did not want to make her an enemy of the orthodox fraternity or the Hundred Flower Divine Palace.

Therefore he had decided to leave her after the trials had ended.

In his heart, she was not an unorthodox cultivator but a dear friend now. Although his decision may be cruel and even be ungrateful but that was the best course for her sake.

"Are you angry?" Ling Feiyue asked him upon seeing his quiet countenance.

Yuan Ji returned a forceful smile, "No. I was just thinking about something."

Ling Feiyue returned him a dreamy look…

One Hundred Years ago…

The Spirit Blue Moon Sect;

Dark Mistress Ling Feiyue was the sectarian leader of the Spirit Blue Moon Sect, one of the five most powerful unorthodox sects.

Right now she was in the audience hall where several of her elders were in full indignant over a poem that had been spreading like wildfire and they were reporting it with plenty of furious looks on them.

​ "This Ji Yuan is too much!"

"He is courting his own death!"

"He dares to stroke our dark mistress with his beard?"

"It is not his beard! It is his hands!"

"Are the orthodox cultivators thinking that our Spirit Blue Moon Sect is a sect that they can trample upon anytime when and then?"

"We ought to teach him a lesson."

Ling Feiyue said gently, "Forget it. It is only a harmless poem."

"How can we let it rest in this manner? Now the entire fraternity is talking about it!"

"They are mocking our Dark Mistress now!"

Ling Feiyue chuckled softly, "Sacred Maiden Xue Qianxue is also in the poem. If she is alright with it, why can't I be alright with it? Moreover…"

She paused for a little while, "I do have the intention to meet him soon."

The elders: ???

"Our Dark Mistress is going to meet him soon?"

"But why?"

Ling Feiyue replied gently, "Naturally I will meet him to teach him a lesson but I will be using another alias."

When the elders heard her, they were quite relieved.

"Then may our Dark Mistress be careful."

"This guy is also a Sword Saint and he isn't weak…"

"Cripple his cultivation core!"

Ling Feiyue smiled to her elders, "I will be having some fun with him with a new friend of mine."

She was actually thinking, "Ji Yuan. Great Poet Ji Yuan. Sword Saint Ji Yuan. Which is the real you? I will like to meet you in person…"

"My uncle before he had passed away, once told me that Ji Yuan has the potential to become one of the three top Sword Saints and he had warned me to be wary of him…"

Her uncle had said to her, "He did not have any formidable weapons or cultivation profound arts. But he is able to use the most ordinary strokes and transform it into the most remarkable stroke. There exists a type of person, if you pushed him to a corner then his abilities will suddenly surge because he will then treat you as a stronger foe to overcome. Ji Yuan is such a person. I'm afraid that he has already attained the state of divinity of meeting the strong and becoming stronger. Never forget that he is a Sword Saint with an indomitable will."

Then her uncle dropped a revelation to her, "He had assassinated the leader of the Black Hand Guild after being hunted for three years. The tables had been completely turned by him."

She had questioned her uncle on the accounts as she found it unbelievable.

Her uncle had replied with a jovial laughter, "I have witnessed it myself. Mark my words! If there is anyone that is worthy of my niece then it must be him!"

"Hmph! He is an orthodox cultivator. I don't have eyes for him." She had replied back then.

"Orthodox or unorthodox cultivator, does it really matter?" Her uncle retorted.

Although her uncle had later perished in a difficult trial, his words had continued to haunt Ling Feiyue.

It was because her beloved uncle had aided her in many insights and in her heart, she had regarded her uncle as closely as her deceased father.

Back to the present…

"Ji Yuan…you are exactly what my uncle had described." Ling Feiyue muttered with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Ji Yuan: ???