Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Lonemoon thought that Fatty could not learn how to sword-ride because he had no foundation in sword techniques. Then again, which sword cultivator did not take years and years to establish their foundation in sword techniques? They could only make use of their spirit Qi to improve their sword techniques after establis.h.i.+ng that foundation. Since Fatty had never trained before, he was just beginning to interact with spirit Qi – much less sword Qi. That was why he could not even handle the little sword Qi that dharmic weapons contained. It was such a waste of his Nascent Soul cultivation.

Such circ.u.mstances normally were not that huge of a problem. After all, there were many cultivators, and a huge number of them could not become sword cultivators. Actually, all Fatty needed to learn was how to use the spirit Qi in his body to control the sword Qi in the weapon. Yet, he seemed to be having difficulty doing that. No matter how he tried to activate the spirit Qi in his body, he could not suppress the sword Qi. It was almost as if he was naturally averse to sword Qi. The moment his spirit Qi made contact with the sword, the sword Qi would begin to attack his spirit Qi. There was no hope of him even suppressing the sword Qi at all. As time went by, the reaction between the two types of Qi got stronger and stronger, so that the form of the sword weakened. That, in addition to the fact that Fatty was overweight, made it only natural that so many swords broke apart.

“Fatty, were you an enemy of a sword cultivator in your previous life?” Lonemoon glanced at him. They had been trying to teach him sword-riding for three days now, but he was still barely hanging on to the swords. Based on Lonemoon's calculations, even an immortal sword would not be able to withstand this. If Fatty could not even subdue the sword Qi in a flying sword, Lonemoon was really beginning to doubt whether he really did jump four stages.

“I'm… I'm sorry.” Fatty looked extremely guilty. His entire face was now blue and black. He looked meekly at Lonemoon. “I'll try my best, Master.”

“Who's your master!” Lonemoon glared at him. “I don't have such a useless disciple!” Not one of the disciples in Invincible Sect was as stupid as Fatty.

“Perhaps he's not suited to be a sword cultivator,” Yi Qing could not help but speak up. “He attracts loads of spirit Qi – perhaps he's more suited to become a spirit cultivator. What's more, he has a five-elemental spirit root. He can do anything, from creating talismans, to setting up arrays, refining pills and even refining weapons. Father Niu, how about you teach him another-”

“No!” Lonemoon interrupted, without waiting for him to finish.

“Why?”

“Rubbis.h.!.+” Lonemoon glared at him. “I can only teach sword cultivation. If you want him to learn other things, you can go ahead!”

“Sorry, I interrupted you.” Yi Qing turned around and flew back to Shen Ying's side, acting like he had not said anything. “Master, have some fruit.”

Shen Ying: “…”

“Father Niu, where are we going?” Shen Ying asked, taking the fruit and taking one bite. They've already been flying for three days.

“We're going to the southernmost part,” Lonemoon replied.

“Where?” Shen Ying hesitated.

“Master, we're going to the place where Fatty said there are lots of beasts and demons,” Yi Qing explained.

“Oh.” Shen Ying tilted her head. “What for?”

“All because you picked up this fatty.” Lonemoon glared at him. The contempt and disgust he was feeling because of Fatty was now directed at the master and disciple duo. “His flesh is extremely valuable – everybody wants a piece of it. He's helpless in terms of fighting, yet he wants to seek justice for himself. That's why we need to go to a quiet place to teach him some skills. Anyway…”

Lonemoon frowned as he stared at Fatty, who was flying crookedly. A minute later, he landed headfirst into the ground. Lonemoon pursed his lips and felt even more contempt.

“Why is it so troublesome?” Shen Ying complained. So they were going to stay in hiding in order to train him up? That did not seem like Father Niu's style. Shouldn't he face the threat head on like Chef would? Or would he not at least sneak up on the enemy and steal from them until they had nothing left? Since when did a high-flyer like Father Niu learn to wait in hiding?

“Master,” Yi Qing gently called out to her. “Father Niu means to say that those things the people did to Fatty have already become certain knots in his heart. That's why Fatty has to settle it on his own, otherwise it might affect his training. If we act on his behalf, we cannot get rid of those knots completely. They might later develop to become mental demons. In the future, he might even have trouble ascending to immortality.”

“Oh.” Shen Ying nodded. She did not understand a single word Yi Qing was saying, but she guessed that Yi Qing meant there were no psychologists in this realm. “Father Niu has already thought so far ahead… he's treating Fatty so well?”

“Master's right! He's treating Fatty better than he treats other people. Fatty has already destroyed more than ten spirit swords, yet he's still alive. Father Niu was not this nice to Boss Lan before.”

“He's even allowing Fatty to eat our food? When Little Black wanted food before, he had to bring his own ingredients.”

“That's not all – Master, don't forget he keeps asking us for allowance! When we went to the immortal city, I only got to bring about… ten bags of snacks for you.”

“Ah, Fatty is indeed different. Father Niu's taste in men is so strong. We're going to have a step-father!”

“I never knew he's that kind of Father Niu.”

Whoosh.

Lonemoon drew a ten-metre long sword.

“Why don't you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds try saying one more sentence?” Could they learn not to “whisper” in front of him? “You've already been talking the entire way here – are you about done?!” Would you believe I would cut you both into pieces?

“…” The master and son duo retreated a few steps. They absolutely could not afford to enrage Father Niu.

“Mas… Master,” Fatty called out weakly.

Lonemoon turned around and glared at him. “What do you want!” Was he seeking death?

Fatty jumped and s.h.i.+vered. He almost fell off his sword again. Weakly, he pointed in front of him. “We've… arrived at the Southern Land.”

Lonemoon turned and saw a vast piece of snowy white land. A certain white mist was descending from the skies and hovering over the ground, gathering just above a river. The mist was extremely mysterious. It did not dissipate. Instead, they kept themselves within the land across the river, seeming to split the entire area into two. The side of the river they were on was a normal plain, but the other side was a patch of white. Faintly, through the mist, they could see mountains and streams.

“This is…” Lonemoon activated his spirit Qi and gestured toward the mist, but he seemed to have met some obstacles along the way. It disappeared. The white mist began to part in the middle. “Indeed, the mist forms an array.”

He looked back at his group of companions before flying over. Looking down, he saw the river that divided the entire area into two. The water was so clear that he could see the river bed. Thick five-elemental spirit Qi was floating up out of the water.

“This is a spirit river!” Yi Qing exclaimed in surprise.

“Mm.” Lonemoon nodded. He could tell that there was a problem with this river as well.

“What do you mean spirit river?” Fatty could not help but ask, staring blankly at them.

“It is a river formed by the condensation of spirit Qi,” Lonemoon explained. “A river has formed here because large amounts of five-elemental spirit Qi has gathered. That's why this is called a spirit river. It's very similar to spirit meridians. They can continue flowing and flowing, never disappearing. The entire river can move as well. But this spirit river in particular seems dead. It can only stay in this one place.”

Lonemoon released his divine perception to explore the entire continent of the Southern Land. “It looks like the spirit river runs throughout the entire Southern Land, delivering five-elemental spirit Qi to all the different regions of the continent. The white mist is also a natural array that spreads across the continent, separating it from the rest of the world.”

“An… array?” Fatty asked.

Lonemoon glared at him. “Did you not come to the Southern Land before? Have you never heard of its condition?”

“I… I've only heard that the Southern Land is filled with free-range beasts and demons,” Fatty answered. “From time to time, formidable demonic beasts would appear. That's why the traveling immortals don't dare to enter this place.”

“It's not that they don't dare to – they just cannot!” Lonemoon tutted. “Demonic beasts are at most only twelfth-level beasts, the equivalent of Soul Formation cultivators in their late stages. Traveling immortals would not fear them. It is this natural array that is formed by the condensation of five-elemental spirit Qi that keeps the Southern Land separate from the rest of the world. All cultivators would experience a sort of disturbance in their own spirit Qi the moment they cross the river. When the spirit Qi in their body comes into contact with this five-elemental spirit Qi, they would cause an adverse reaction. Therefore, only cultivators who are strong enough to fight the force of all the spirit Qi in the river would be able to cross it. Otherwise, there is no way ordinary cultivators can cross that river.”

Fatty turned pale. “Then… you mean to say that n.o.body can go in?”

“No,” Lonemoon answered. “Mortals can go in!” They have no spirit Qi in their bodies – naturally, they would not experience an adverse reaction.

But he was no longer a mortal.

Fatty's expression fell. “What should I do? Is there no other way we can cross that river?”

“There's one!” Lonemoon narrowed his eyes and smiled warmly at Fatty. He gestured toward him. “Come here, cooperate with us.”

“Huh?” Fatty paused.

“Stand in front.” Lonemoon pointed to a plain patch of land in front of him.

Fatty looked confused, but followed Lonemoon's instructions and walked over. “Master, I'm supposed to stand- Ah!”

Before he could finish speaking, Lonemoon raised his leg to kick him on his behind, causing him to fly over.

There was a loud splash Fatty fell into the river like a huge sandbag, forming a human bridge across the river. The current was stopped by his huge body.

“Let's go – we can cross now!” Lonemoon shouted. Once he finished speaking, he walked across Fatty's body.

Shen Ying: “…”

Yi Qing: “…”

(⊙_⊙)

Was Lonemoon taking his anger out on Fatty because of what the two of them said earlier? He must be!