Chapter 1109: The Three Great Holy Lands for Cultivation in Dali

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ye Futian saw Li You’s smile and said, “If I am defeated, then I will fulfill my promise and go to Sword Mountain to practice my swordsmanship.”

“Mm.” Li You nodded. “Sword Mountain is the best place in the Dali Dynasty to practice swordsmanship. If you were to go there to train, you wouldn’t have to go to Dali Academy like last time.” Li You was certain that Ye Futian would be defeated. No matter how strong he was, his opponent was stronger; he was the foremost junior of Sword Mountain.

Ye Futian nodded slightly and didn’t say any more arrogant things. If he gave it his all, he believed that he could defeat anyone in Dali below the Saint level. But right now, he could only do it via his swordsmanship, and he had placed many constraints on himself. If he wanted to win, he could only do so with his sword. If he could not win with his sword, then even if he could defeat his opponent, he still could not win. If he won with his sword then he won, if he lost with his sword, then he lost. If he faced an opponent like Wang Chuan, he still did not genuinely have absolute assurance of victory with his sword alone.

“Oh right, one more thing. But it doesn’t have much to do with you. Are you interested in hearing it?” asked Li You with a smile.

“Please tell me,” said Ye Futian with a nod.

“Jian Wu is not the only one to come to Dali Imperial City now. Di Hao from Daoli Mountain has come as well,” she said.

“Di Hao?” asked Ye Futian, confused. He knew of Daoli Mountain. The records told him that it had been founded by King Tiandao, who controlled the Western Army.

“At the moment, there are three powerful holy lands for cultivation in the Dali Dynasty: Dali Academy, Daoli Mountain, and Sword Mountain,” said Li You slowly. “Dali Imperial City is not among them, but in the eyes of the dynasty, it lies at the center of these three holy lands. Dali Academy, which was founded by the Imperial Adviser, is there. Since it receives the full support of His Majesty and has the advantage of being located in the Imperial City, it is considered the best of the three holy lands.

“The second best is Daoli Mountain. King Tiandao has been stationed in the West for many years, and the Western Army completely controls that area. King Tiandao’s household holds absolute power in the West. Many families and sects look to them for leadership. Given this background, King Tiandao was able to leverage the power he held in the West to call together all the young geniuses and found Daoli Mountain. All the disciples of Daoli Mountain have experience on the field of battle. That is how Daoli Mountain, which is the foremost holy land in the West and the second best in all the land.

“The third best holy land for cultivating is Sword Mountain. Di Hao comes from Daoli Mountain, and King Tian Dao has adopted him. Many people look at him as the future king of the West. He has never been the Dali Imperial City before, and the great figures of the city have no concrete information about his power. Still, many people speculate that he is the strongest person in the Dali Dynasty below the Saint level.”

“None of the disciples of Dali Academy can defeat him?” asked Ye Futian curiously.

“Dong Chen of Dali Academy is indeed very strong. Now that the Imperial Adviser is going to choose another disciple, Dong Chen is probably best qualified for the spot. Many people think it will be him. His strength is obvious, but King Tiandao is very conceited and arrogant. He probably sent Di Hao to Dali Imperial City to attack the cultivators that the Imperial Adviser has summoned. You can see the trust he puts in Di Hao,” said Li You. “Thus, there are those who call Di Hao the most powerful figure in the Dali Dynasty below the Saint level. Of course, some think it is Dong Chen. But without a doubt, one must add Jian Wu to that list. They are certainly the three most powerful figures below the Saint level in the Dali Dynasty, and the most famous. And no, they will all be together in Dali Imperial City.

“But,” Li You looked at Ye Futian and smiled, “if you can defeat Jian Wu, you will be one of the top three.” Of course, she was being polite. In reality, she didn’t think Ye Futian could defeat Jian Wu.

Ye Futian smiled and said nothing. Li You took her leave, saying, “I will return. If there is more news, I will come tell you.”

“You can just send someone to tell me,” said Ye Futian.

“Very well. It’s also possible that the people from Sword Mountain will personally visit us,” said Li You with a nod. She couldn’t keep coming here all the time.

After Li You left, Ye Futian continued cultivating, doing all he could to integrate his power into his sword. He used Taixuan Sword Sutra to temper his sword. The next time he faced a powerful foe, it wouldn’t be like it had been in the Lower Worlds.

Jian Wu of Sword Mountain was ranked in the top three figures below the Saint level in the Dali Dynasty.

…

The cultivators from Daoli Mountain and Sword Mountain were arriving at Dali Imperial City one by one. The commotion shook the city at the center of the Dali Dynasty.

Everyone was waiting for some news. They did not have to wait too long. Soon, the people from Daoli Mountain went to pay a visit to Dali Academy and arranged to go to Dali Academy again in seven days to seek the Path. Daoli Mountain wanted to come into conflict with Dali Academy openly. And just like Ye Futian, they said they were “seeking the Path,” just because it sounded good. In reality, they were challenging them to battle.

The two most powerful holy lands of the Dali Dynasty were in open conflict. This was King Tiandao provoking the Imperial Adviser. He wanted to prove that Daoli Mountain trained better disciples than Dali Academy.

Since Di Hao had come, many people expected that they would get to see the battle between him and Dong Chen. Many people thought about what it would be like if Di Hao defeated Dong Chen. Would the Imperial Adviser’s authority come under threat?

Just as people were becoming worried about the Imperial Adviser, some news came from his household: In seven days, the Imperial Adviser would personally come to Dali Academy. And he had invited all the top figures of Dali Imperial City to go and observe the forum. Even Sword Mountain was on the list of those invited. And on that day, he would choose his next disciple.

There was a great stir in Dali Imperial City as the news spread. This was the Imperial Adviser’s manner. Just as many people were worried about him and were afraid that he would be defeated, he had said that he would personally observe the battle and choose a disciple. No matter if he won or lost, he had shown himself to be two steps ahead of everyone else.

On the second day, news also came from Sword Mountain. Jian Wu would invite someone to go to the forum at Dali Academy with him.

Seventh Swordsman. Suddenly Seventh Swordman’s name was once again ringing throughout Dali Imperial City. The strongest cultivators of the younger generation of Sword Mountain, Jian Wu, had challenged Seventh Swordsman.

The time: the day of the forum between Dali Academy and Daoli Mountain.

The place: Dali Academy.

This news caused great waves and shocked all the people in Dali Imperial City. They were now full of great expectations for the forum in several days. Not only Dali Academy and Daoli Mountain would be attending, but Sword Mountain would also be there and would fight with Seventh Swordsman.

The three greatest holy lands in the Dali Dynasty would all be there, and so would the three strongest cultivators in the Dali Dynasty below the Saint level.

On that day, Ye Futian was still in the residence where he was staying, tempering his sword. At that moment, he had a slightly strange feeling. He opened his eyes and looked up into the distant sky. He saw a group of swordsmen flying over, and they landed outside his residence.

“Greetings, Seventh Swordsman,” came a voice from outside.

“Please come in,” said Ye Futian. As he said this, the group of cultivators flew in and descended into the courtyard. They all looked at Ye Futian, who was sitting there, cultivating.

“I come in the name of the Shadow Bearing Sword Saint with news. In five days, Sword Mountain will await you at Dali Academy. Please keep your promise,” one of them said. Ye Futian already knew from Li You that Jian Wu would be there, so he knew what the promise the man had mentioned was about. But he was a little surprised about the location. It would be at Dali Academy.

“Alright. Please tell the Shadow Bearing Sword Saint that I will be there on time,” answered Ye Futian.

“Very well. Farewell.” The man nodded, and then the group of them flew up into the sky and disappeared in a flash. Not long after they left, Li You arrived and told him what had happened outside. This made Ye Futian anticipate what would happen in five days at Dali Academy. The three strongest people in the Dali Dynasty below the Saint level would all be there together.

…

The days finally passed as everyone in the city waited expectantly. On that day, powerful figures were continuously descending from the sky outside of Dali Academy. Some of them rode on swords, others on carriages. Some of the figures who were coming down from their carriages had powerful auras.

“Many people from the Imperial Family have come.” Everyone’s hearts trembled.

It seemed that the Imperial Family was quite interested in this forum.

A dragon roared in the sky, as a divine golden dragon came pulling a carriage. Several gold robed figures were on the carriage. Everyone gasped as they saw them. It was not just people from the Imperial Family who had come, as even the Prince of the Dali Dynasty had come to Dali Academy. If Ye Futian had seen this, he would have realized that the person on the carriage was the one that he had come to this place for.

It was Li Yao, the Prince of Dali Imperial City.

The huge golden dragon descended outside Dai Academy, and the carriage came to the ground. The Prince stepped into the academy, but no one came out to greet him.

The Imperial Adviser had founded Dali Academy and had desired to train the best fighters of the Dali Dynasty there. When he first founded it, His Majesty Emperor Li had once ordered people to build a statue outside the academy, a statue of the Imperial Adviser, highlighting his powerful position.

However, when the Imperial Adviser found out about this, he had personally requested that the statue be torn down. Emperor Li had agreed, and the Imperial Advisor had destroyed the statue with his own hands. He had declared that Dali Academy did not advocate advancing the individual, but was to be a place for training cultivators for the Dali Dynasty. There was no rank or authority here; everyone who entered the academy was equal. However, after that day, the people of the Dali Dynasty’s respect for the Imperial Adviser only grew stronger.

After this, His Majesty Emperor Li had personally ordered that anyone who entered Dali Academy must come down from their carriage. They could not rudely fly in, not even Princes and Princesses.

Afterward, Emperor Li had made the Princes and Princesses go to Dali Academy to cultivate. Thus, now that Li Yao and his entourage had arrived, they still had to get out of their carriage, even though they were royalty. They had to walk into Dali Academy, and there was no one there to welcome them.

This was Dali Academy, the foremost holy land for cultivating in the Dali Dynasty.

But today, Daoli Mountain was coming there to seek the Path!