Chapter 57: Chapter 54 The World-Famous
South, Nine Peaks Mountain Range, Sword Hut.
This mountain range is famous throughout the world, and the lifelong dream of many swordsmen is to ascend to the peak and look out over the pinnacle of Ten Thousand Zun Mountain. However, that fantastical sacred place actually has a very simple appearance.
On the grassy mountaintop, in the straw hut as plain and unadorned as a cattle shed, Jian Wudao sat quietly inside. The furnishings in the straw hut were also very simplistic, a desk and a few stacks of books.
The desk was extremely rough, as if it had been hewn with a few chops from a tree stump.
Its only advantage was its evenness, extremely even.
At the moment, incense smoke curled up from a burner on the desk as Jian Wudao, with the appearance of an octogenarian with white hair and beard, yet with a complexion as rosy and youthful as a child’s, sat with his eyes closed in tranquility.
In his hand, he held a scroll of sword techniques, and the side of it bore the name, “Detailed Explanation of Swordsmanship Basics.”
His other hand tapped lightly on his knee, as if he was mulling over something in silent recitation, deep in thought.
“Master.”
Suddenly, a call came from outside the straw hut.
Jian Wudao opened his eyes and saw a young man in a white robe hopping into the Sword Hut, a glint of gold in his palm turning into a floating piece of gold paper.
“Master, there’s a new Grandmaster on the Virtue List!”
He pointed to the last name on the gold paper, “Chong Er, such a strange name. I wonder which sect’s Grandmaster he is, to actually destroy a Ming Domain Level Mo River. This pseudonym doesn’t seem like someone from the Mo River Authority.”
Jian Wudao’s expression remained unchanged, he coldly asked, “What does that have to do with you?”
“Just curious.”
The young man knew his master’s temperament and said cheerfully, “Those old Grandmasters either sit at the helm of their sects, not daring to venture into danger lightly, or they cultivate in low profile, striving for the three Immortals to extend their lives. They wouldn’t do such thankless tasks. It must be some newly promoted Grandmaster. I want to go and exchange some pointers with him.”
“You want to go down the mountain again?”
Jian Wudao’s face was expressionless as he got straight to the point:
“To practice swordsmanship, you must endure loneliness! There are hundreds of millions of swordsmen in the world. How can you expect to stand proud among them with a three-foot sword in your hand without putting in a thousand times more effort than they do? If you could focus more on your sword, you would have already stepped into the Immortals.”
You dare to say it, and I don’t even dare to listen… The young man muttered to himself, as the idea of striving for the Immortals seemed daunting.
He looked down and muttered, “Master, if the disciple could exchange pointers more with other Grandmasters, surely I could make further progress…”
“Hmph, when I stepped into the Grandmaster Realm, I secluded myself to contemplate the sword for three years. When I emerged, I had become one of the three Immortals without the need to exchange pointers with anyone else.”
Jian Wudao snorted coldly, knowing that this third disciple of his had mixed desires. He couldn’t help but think of another disciple, and his gaze softened slightly:
“How is your little apprentice sister faring under your guidance?”
“My little apprentice sister is already half a step into the Divine Travel Realm, her spirit congealed 180 times. Tsk tsk, that’s much stronger than me back then. Master, you really do play favorites!” Although the young man accused his master of bias, he was actually grinning.
Jian Wudao rolled his eyes, “If you could understand the essence of the sword within a year of starting, I’d be willing to go to Gan Tao Palace myself to get you a real person’s Soul Succession.”
“I don’t want Master to have to ask favors for me.”
“Besides, my little apprentice sister has a passion for the sword, she will eventually comprehend the sword spirit. I can’t compare with that.”
The young man said cheerfully, “Speaking of which, my little apprentice sister really should thank Master a lot. Thanks to you taking her out of the Divine General Mansion, otherwise, she would have only succeeded the Li Family’s heroic spirit. Congealing the spirit eighty times is not bad, but that’s just the standard of us. To reach the current level that is comparable to the imperial family’s top-tier level would be difficult.”
“Plus, I heard that the Divine General Mansion’s Soul Succession has many restrictions…”
“Shut up!” Jian Wudao scolded.
The young man was slightly startled and promptly shut his mouth.
“The Li Family, after all, holds the Frontier Pass, slaying countless demons, how can you allow yourself to speak ill of them behind their backs?” Jian Wudao rebuked in a cold voice.
The young man knew he had spoken out of turn and scratched his head, “I was wrong, I do respect the Li Family greatly.”
“Humph, if you can’t perfect that ‘Moon Sleepless’ within three months, be ready to stay at the Sword Cliff instead.”
Jian Wudao spoke coldly, “As for that Mo River Household Register, you should look at it less. The matters of the Mo River are none of your concern. That’s the business of the Divine General Mansion. When you reach the three Immortals, I will naturally let you leave the mountain. Otherwise, with your current standard, if you were to start your own sect and someone challenged you, you would be the one losing my face!”
The young man left in a disheartened manner, not daring to linger.
“There’s a newcomer on the Virtue List?”
In a certain sect, as someone happened to be looking through the Virtue List, they immediately noticed the new name added to it.
“A full hundred contributions, is this by directly destroying a Ming Domain Level Mo River? Which Grandmaster has come out of seclusion?”
“Chong Er, a strange name. Go and check which sect’s Grandmaster it is quickly, see if we can bring him over.”
In a tall building within a certain city, someone ordered.
Yongzhou, in a courtyard of the Divine General Mansion.
“Miss, there’s suddenly a new name on the Virtue List, called Chong Er. Such a strange name.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, anyone willing to take action to solve the Mo River disaster is a righteous and brave person.”
“Xiaotao understands, but the name really does sound a bit unpleasant…”
The lady wearing gossamer silk gave a disparaging look at the little maid who had followed her from childhood, “What do you know? Go and listen outside my father’s room to see if you can find out who it is. If we can invite him here, we’ll give him the position of a junior supervising officer.”
“Yes, Xiaotao will go right away.”
As the little maid ran off, the lady looked out to the courtyard, a slow smile spreading across her lips as she casually broke a twig and lightly sketched two words on the ground:
Wind and Moon.
“Interesting…”
Inside the main hall of Black and White Hall at Tan Palace Academy.
Song Yufeng stealthily took out a small packet of tea from his sleeve, just about to pour it into the cup to brew, when he suddenly noticed several elders hurrying over, his heart skipped a beat:
“Old Huang? Can’t be, they found me so quickly? And brought others along?”
He hurriedly covered the cup, maintaining a calm and composed expression.
“Palace Master!”
The leading elder, Huang Licao, approached with an excited expression.
Song Yufeng’s face twitched slightly as he coughed lightly, “Old Huang, no offense, but do you need to be so agitated? It’s just some…”
“Palace Master, Fengshan Menghe River has disappeared!”
Huang Licao exclaimed, “Elder Ni just detected some activity and went to check, the Regional Lord’s Temple has vanished. It only disappears immediately after being permanently cleared, otherwise, the temple would have shattered where it stood into mud.”
“What?”
Song Yufeng was stunned, immediately relieved that they weren’t there to hold him accountable… Wait, Fengshan Menghe River had been cleared? By whom?
“What’s the situation? Explain clearly, who did it?” Song Yufeng pressed on.
“Don’t know, didn’t find the person.”
Huang Licao shook his head, “But your granddaughter seems to have seen it.”
“Yue Yao?”
Song Yufeng was surprised and immediately said, “Then quickly have her come over.”
“She’s already waiting outside.” Huang Licao immediately turned and gestured, and soon, under the accompaniment of an elder, two young girls entered. It was indeed Song Yueyao and Lin Feifei from the moss-covered ground.
The two women had heard the commotion earlier and had rushed to the Regional Lord’s Temple, only to witness the shocking scene of its disappearance.
“Who cleared it?” Song Yufeng asked immediately.
Lin Feifei glanced at her friend, and Song Yueyao, with a calm demeanor, replied, “Reporting to the Palace Master, it seems to have been an external disciple. Feifei and I were training nearby, and only saw the side of that person’s face. It’s not someone I recognize.”
“How many do you know, spending all your time training…” Song Yufeng muttered to himself, then turned to Lin Feifei beside him, “What about you? Did you see clearly?”
“Reporting to the Palace Master, I too only saw a side profile.”
Lin Feifei hastened to add: “But if I see that person again, I will definitely be able to recognize them.”
Song Yufeng nodded slightly, “Alright, then you two go ahead and try to recognize who it was. This is good news, deserving of a great reward!”
“Should we notify the Mo River Authority?” Huang Licao asked.
“The Mo River Authority is destitute enough; we don’t need that bit of royal treasure. Eradicating Mo Rivers is everyone’s responsibility, and also our duty. That Feng Mountain was originally a rural farmland; such a pity that it was ravaged by the Mo River, the entire village perished miserably, enslaved by the river…”
As he spoke, Song Yufeng sighed and shook his head.
Huang Licao nodded and said, “Then I will take them now to recognize the individual, and also put out the word so the person who cleared it can come forward to receive their reward.”
“Mhm.” Song Yufeng nodded.
Huang Licao immediately left with the two girls. Just as he was about to go, he suddenly remembered something and turned to say, “By the way, Palace Master, what were you about to say earlier?”
“Hm?” Song Yufeng replied with confusion, “What was I about to say?”
Seeing his expression, Huang Licao thought he had misheard and promptly made a slight bow before retiring and leaving.
News spread throughout the academy, not just amongst the four external houses, but also disciples within Black and White Hall were stirred.
Especially those from Black and White Hall, all of whom had experienced the brutal challenges of Fengshan Menghe River, were now shocked to hear that someone had cleared the river?
“Who was it? Was it one of the elders?”
“Which elder would be so idle? Besides, even for elders, it’s not easy to clear it. I’ve heard each Mo River’s requirement to clear is incredible, very tough to find.”
“A reward of the Red Sky Precious Sword? That’s forged from meteorite iron, reputed to crush anything it strikes, even able to harm the divine soul!”
The disciples of Black and White Hall bantered amongst themselves.
The four external houses were likewise abuzz, especially Alpha Academy, where everyone vying for the Martial Arts rankings was dumbfounded upon receiving the news.
The Mo River is gone?
Wasn’t that the place they were to be tested for entry into Black and White Hall after one year?
How could it just disappear?
How would they enter Black and White Hall when the time came?
In contrast to Alpha Academy, the other houses were simply bewildered.
The Mo River? What’s that?
Clearly, their primary task given by the house was to first make it into Alpha Academy.
Whatever the Mo River was, it had nothing to do with them. Without a place in Alpha Academy, they wouldn’t even qualify to enter.
“Yue Yao, do you think that person is really an external disciple? Judging by the number of flower patterns on that clothing, I remember it might be, but…”
Among the woods, Lin Feifei and Song Yueyao walked side by side, heading towards the outer houses.
Lin Feifei looked hesitant; she had also challenged Fengshan Menghe River before, and it was tough. Once one entered the village, all the villagers would be alerted, and that was hundreds of Zhou Tian Realm fighters!
Furthermore, if it turned into a prolonged battle, that black-robed scholar would also intervene, making it treacherous even for someone with early Soul Succession Realm power.