Jiang Baoyun

## [source]

**Jiang Baouyun** is a self-proclaimed ascetic swordsman of the South Horizon Region. He is highly regarded as a top expert of the entire region and his residence is on top of a sword-shaped mountain brimming with sword intent.

Jiang Baoyun was the number one disciple of the Sword Faction in the Seven Profound Valleys. During his youth, he had fought Lin Ming in the Total Faction Martial Meeting for the championship.

In terms of temperament, Jiang Baoyun's heart for the sword is equal or even greater than that of Lin Ming's resolve.

### **130 years later**

Jiang Baoyun and Jiang Lanjian became the two greatest and most extraordinary sword immortals of the South Horizon Region. Generally speaking, there is no swordsman that can contend with them.

## Overview

* Direct disciple of the Sword Faction.
* He got defeated by Ouyang Ming in his first Total Faction Martial Meeting.
* Fought Zhang Shaoshan to a standstill one year prior to the Total Faction Martial Meeting.
* In one year, he had challenged four other geniuses from different sects, and defeated them all. One had to know that this was an extraordinary achievement. After all, the Seven Profound Valleys couldn’t be considered the highest of the third-grade sects.
* He ranks 2nd in the tournament Total Faction Martial Meeting. Only losing against Lin Ming.
* Entered the soldier smelting trial of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.

## Appearance

Jiang Baoyun appeared to be an 18 or 19 year old youth wearing all black, carrying a cold longsword on his back. His eyebrows were slanted like scimitars and he had a very solemn expression, his momentum was outstanding.

### **Cloud Sword Immortal**

High in the sky, the vague figure of a blue-clothed man appeared. This man seemed to be around 30 years old.

The man held dual swords and his eyebrows were straight and slanted. He was a dashing and heroic man.

His eyes were deep and profound, like glittering gems.

Jiang Baoyun wielded dual swords. It wasn’t that both swords were used at the same time, but that the two different swords corresponded to different moves.

Now, he was still the same as before.

## Personality

Jiang Baoyun is someone whose sword heart has reached a profound level and gained clarity over the world. In terms of disposition, he even surpasses Lin Ming.

Lin Ming couldn’t help but admire Jiang Baoyun’s temperament.

Normally, if a martial artist lost to anyone, then would usually return at some later day to place another challenge, if only to relieve their spirit so their true essence flowed freely.

However, Jiang Baoyun didn’t care at all about whether he won or lost, and only wished to challenge superior masters in order to enhance his swordsmanship.

## Weapons

Jiang Baoyun’s sword case on his back held two swords. One was blue, and the other was black. Both swords were slender and long.

### **Blue Peak Sword**

The blue sword was covered in teal scales, and it had a chilling luster to it, shining with a cold light.

### **Black Crystal Sword**

As for that black sword, it was inserted into a scabbard. That scabbard seemed to be made of some black stone, it was incomparably strange.

## Techniques

### **Sword Spirit Avatar**

Unexpectedly, Jiang Baoyun cultivated an avatar. It has the same speed and attack power as the original do – it is his Sword Spirit Avatar.To fight him, it could be said that you are fighting two Baoyun's.

### **Sword Step**

This so-called Sword Step was when one’s own movement fused into one’s sword intent. When a person’s movement achieved the boundary of becoming one with the sword, the sword would move as the person did, and the person would move as the sword did. Because of this, Jiang Baoyun was able to reach a truly terrifying speed.

To walk the sword path, one not only needed a deep cultivation, but also an extremely high perception. Jiang Baoyun was able to reach this Sword Step boundary because of his own indispensable talent and perception!

### **Sword Shattering Clear Sky**

This was the Sword Faction’s ultimate secret technique that was driven by his own Sword Spirit!

Sword energy cut through the void, and a sharp whistling sword wind howled through the entire mountain valley.

When Jiang Baoyun and Lin Ming had fought, Jiang Baoyun had used this move as his final strike. When he collided with Lin Ming, they had been evenly matched in power. This showed just how strong this ability was.

Moreover, Lin Ming also knew that Jiang Baoyun’s sword contained a soul attack, using the Sword Spirit as the weapon in the soul attack. When this soul attack had rushed into Lin Ming’s spiritual sea, it had an extremely lethal murderous intent to it.

## Sword Mountain

This mountain was majestically high and its sides were steep and dangerous. It was like a divine sword that had been stabbed into the ground.

Sword Mountain was extremely high. The skies above Sword Mountain were awash with light blue and clouds were scattered across; it resembled a beautiful watercolor painting.

Sword Mountain was also extremely cold. On the summit, snow fell year round. But strangely, there was a clear unfrozen spring that flowed out from Sword Mountain. Because of how steep Sword Mountain was, the spring eventually became a waterfall, falling down the skies like a dazzling white dragon that left one sighing in praise.

The place Jiang Baoyun lived was very simple. A bamboo house, a few huts, that was all. The arrangement of the house was also simple.

An old and plain wooden table. Several chairs. A bottle of bamboo. A written poem portrait filled with overbearing sword intent. And… rows of wine jars.

## Quotes

* (To Jiang Lanjian, martial way)

> *“If a martial artist wholeheartedly expects and desires only resources from the sect, then his heart of martial arts will suffer and waste away. This sort of person will never become anything great! I am a swordsman, and I will only believe in the sword I hold, not the resources that the sect provides me! Much less, the Seven Profound Valleys is only a third grade sect. In terms of resources, who can we compare to? Can we compare to Divine Phoenix Island? Can we compare to Peacock Mountain?*
>
>

> *“My goal is clear, and that is to pursue the ultimate sword, to find out what lies at the end of the sword path. I do not fear that others will be my rivals; on the contrary, what I fear is that no one will be my opponent! If one day a peerless talent of Sky Spill Continent were to appear in front of me, and I were to be able to surpass his shadow, then I will become one of the true heroes of this era!”*
>
>

* (To Lin Ming, hero of the era)

> *“I cannot help but acknowledge that your talent far exceeds mine. When you and I were the same age, I did not have your strength. But more than that, I am even more enthusiastic. A peerless powerhouse needs a grand stage to grow.*
>
>

> *This small Seven Profound territory does not qualify for such a stage, and even being the number one hero of the Seven Profound territory holds no meaning for me. Even worse, my eyes might be clouded by this title, and I might become complacent, weak! Therefore when I was 18 years old, I began to challenge to talents of all other third-grade sects, including even Peacock Mountain. At the start, I lost many and won only a few times. But after that, I won many times, and lost only a few! And now this year, I challenged four geniuses, and was defeated not even once!*
>
>

> *“Therefore, I once again became confused, thinking that I would lose my way. And then you appeared! You are the rival of my destiny. Once I defeat you, I will become a hero of this era. The greater your talent, the higher my spirit burns with passion!"*
>
>

* (To the 'dead' Lin Ming, South Sea Battlefield)

> *"My sword is your monument and the sand is your mound. This wine is my parting gift to you. In life you were a heroic man, and in death may you be an outstanding ghost!"*
>
>

* (To Jiang Lanjian, martial tea party)

> *Nine through nine, all returns to one. My dance of 99 sword moves just then was a single samsara…*
>
>

* (Jiang Baoyun heartily drinking to one's content)

> *"The charm of wine comes from the mood of drinking wine. Those that understand wine taste not just the wine but also the mood. From the spiciness when it first enters the throat, to the fresh heat once it is swallowed, to the lasting fragrance that one can mull over. It’s just like life. In the world, countless people struggle. They experience hardship, they experience tribulations, and if they can survive all of that then they can return to their true state and release the mellow fragrance of life."*
>
>

* (Jiang Baoyun sharing one's deep thoughts)

> *"For me, whether it is thousand year fog flower wine or some coarse distilled grain wine, the truth is that there is no essential difference, because what I am drinking is not wine, but life…"*
>
>

* (He sighed, saying to Lin Ming)

> *“You are indeed somewhat similar to my old friend, but you are actually different. You don’t seem as persevering as he was, but instead like an old man in the twilight of his life. But, that makes the weight on your back seem that much heavier…"*
>
>

> *“That old friend… I once tried to chase after his footsteps, but he kept running further and further away until I could no longer see him. Now, he should have already stepped onto the road towards the peak of martial arts, after all, that was his dream…”*
>
>

* (His unyielding spirit, the will of a true martial artist)

> *“When I mount the summit of Sword Mountain, I can overlook a country, but overlooking a country is far from enough. In this world there are endless mountain peaks. But, there must be a single mountain that is the highest. The higher a mountain peak, the more difficult it is for me. And to me, the most terrifying, the most horrifying thing is that I simply don’t know where this mountain is.”*
>
>

* (“And will you keep searching?” Lin Ming suddenly asked Jiang Baoyun, the illusory martial peak.)

> *“Why wouldn’t I?” Jiang Baoyun laughed and filled his wine cup once more. “I will never stop searching. I know that my vision is limited and I might never be able to find it, but I will climb up as I did before, unendingly. I do not need to truly reach the highest peak in the world, but as I climb, I will be more than happy to simply see that peak above me!*
>
>

> *“This is because when I climb to a new peak, my vision will expand further and I will be able to see where a higher peak lies. And when I climb up that new peak, I will find yet another higher one, and I will keep repeating this…”*
>
>

* (“Is there any meaning to it? Is there meaning to search for the martial peak?” Lin Ming asked)

> *“There is.” Jiang Baoyun solemnly nodded. He tossed back the wine in his cup. “Even if I have to climb without end in my life, even if I forever remain small and never see where the highest peak is, then at the very least… I will keep surpassing myself, I will keep defeating myself.”*
>
>

## Trivia

* He had a natural inborn Sword Spirit.
* Whether it was Jiang Lanjian or Jiang Baoyun, both were addicted to alcohol as if it was their life. Sword and alcohol, those were the two things most essential to their lives.
* In the entire South Horizon Region, Jiang Baoyun could have been considered an extraordinary young elite.
* On Lin Ming’s road of martial arts, Jiang Baoyun couldn’t be considered an amazing rival. Compared to those favored children of heaven like the Good Fortune Saint Son and Sheng Mei, he was not worthy of mention at all. But Lin Ming had a very deep impression of Jiang Baoyun. This was because of his daring pride and his ambition that seemed to reach into the clouds. But what a pity, the limit of his birth had become Jiang Baoyun’s shackles! No matter how high his heart was, he would never be able to break free!

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 1932 – Sword Mountain
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chapter 1934 – Old Friends Meet Once More
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 272 – The Hero of Our Era
4. ↑ Chapter 288 – The Peak of All Battles
5. ↑ Chapter 405 – War Begins
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chapter 1935A – Revisiting Familiar Lands
7. ↑ Chapter 1933 – How Can I Defy the Heavens?