Edited by: Molly
Lin Xuanzhi’s comprehension of 《Teal Lotus Nine Styles》 had already reached the seventh level right now.
Ever since Xuan Wushe learned about Lin Xuanzhi’s identity, he quickly accepted the fact that he actually had one more son, and that his son was already grown up. Xuan Wushe could be considered extremely action-oriented. Originally, he was determined to welcome Lin Xuanzhi back to the East Land to have Lin Xuanzhi by his side and make up for the debts of so many previous years. After being rejected by both Lin Zhan and Lin Xuanzhi, he then tried every means to give Lin Xuanzhi presents — he sent over countless exceptional magic treasures, top-grade medicinal pills, and martial arts secret manuals.
In addition, what Xuan Wushe wrote about the most in his letters was his various insights when practicing 《Teal Lotus Nine Styles》, which was extremely valuable to Lin Xuanzhi. Xuan Wushe’s experience held great reference value during Lin Xuanzhi’s cultivation. With such communication and Lin Xuanzhi’s daily concentration on cultivation, he cultivated《Teal Lotus Nine Styles》to the seventh level in just one year.
Lin Xuanzhi calculated the time. Every September was the time when the golden osmanthus flowers were fragrant, and it was also the month when disciples had their first major exam.
The new disciples had been working hard here for a year and a half. According to the sect’s rules, the disciples could now accept all kinds of commissions from the sect. However, if they wanted to enter the evil spirit array or travel abroad, they must successfully pass the first exam. Otherwise, the academy would uphold the attitude of taking responsibility for the sect’s disciples and have them continue concentrating on cultivation.
“When is this year’s major exam scheduled?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
“The tenth day of September,” Yan Tianhen answered. “I didn’t pick the Alchemy Division’s assessment, but the Dao Division’s swordsmanship assessment instead.”
Lin Xuanzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. “How is the cultivation of your《Decline and Prosperity》? You should know that the assessment is not to compete with the disciples of the same year, but to compete with the disciples of the previous generation. If you lose too badly, you will be deeply hit.”
Yan Tianhen was very confident and winked at Lin Xuanzhi. “Dage, don’t tell me you don’t know how my cultivation is? We’ve already dual cultivated so many times, and I think Dage is deeply aware of the benefits and feeling.”
Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t help laughing. “You little rascal.”
Yan Tianhen blinked at him. “It’s not like we haven’t done worse things.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “…”
Ah Hen was truly more and more open. However, with Yan Tianhen accompanying him day and night in the past year, Lin Xuanzhi also felt the ice on his heart gradually melting, and he estimated that it wouldn’t be long before he could completely regain his former self.
Lin Xuanzhi calculated the time. “Since you have entered the sword path, you can’t always use this wooden blade. Why don’t I find a time and take you to Hidden Sword Pavilion to find a suitable sword for you?”
Thick excitement flashed through Yan Tianhen’s eyes, and he said joyfully, “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Dage, you finally acknowledged my swordsmanship and feel that I’m qualified to look for my companion sword!”
Lin Xuanzhi gently gazed at him. “I have no say in whether you’re qualified or not &#k2014; only your companion sword can decide that. It’s just that the journey to climb Hidden Sword Peak is full of hardships. I don’t want you to suffer too much.”
It’s always been the sword who chose the user, though the user would also choose the sword. Although some people never practiced swordsmanship all their lives, there was still a possibility that they would be chosen by a peerless sword. Conversely, even if some people practiced swordsmanship all their lives, they still might not find a satisfactory sword in their entire lives.
Lin Xuanzhi was just afraid that Yan Tianhen’s swordsmanship and cultivation weren’t good enough yet, so when he climbed Hidden Sword Peak looking for a sword, he would be unable to move a single step due to the arduous conditions. Now that Lin Xuanzhi personally witnessed Yan Tianhen’s growth, he was confident that Yan Tianhen could reach the peak smoothly.
Yan Tianhen clenched his fist and vowed, “Dage, I will definitely pick out the most powerful sword. I won’t let you down.”
Lin Xuanzhi said with a smile, “Then I look forward to that.”
They didn’t delay; the next day, Yan Tianhen prepared to climb Hidden Sword Pavilion.
It was called Hidden Sword Pavilion, but in reality, the pavilion was a peak.
Hidden Sword Peak was located north of Myriad Dao Academy’s North Courtyard and was tens of thousands of meters high. It was vertical — straight up and down — with jagged rocks, and it was surrounded by the natural barrier of Hidden Sword Peak, so people could only use both hands to climb and couldn’t fly on their swords.
Legend has it that an ancient Sword Venerable died here in order to protect the peace of the Nine Lands and stop the war between various gods. His sword bone transformed into a high mountain, and his sword spirit fell into the swords refined by the craftsmen family, thus giving those swords a soul.
The day the Sword Venerable fell, these swords who now had sword spirits all gave a mournful wail, as though they were crying bitterly. After the war between the ancient gods ended, these swords all flew to the mountain that the Sword Venerable transformed into and willingly sealed themselves there for tens of thousands of years, collecting dust and weeds.
If they met someone they were destined for, these swords would leave with them. If they didn’t meet anyone like that, the swords would continue to guard the Sword Venerable here while waiting for the arrival of their destined person.
Every disciple in Myriad Dao Academy had one chance to climb Hidden Sword Peak to find a sword, but if they couldn’t find the right sword, they would have to pay a high amount of contribution points if they wanted to climb again. That price was absolutely unaffordable for ordinary disciples.
Therefore, many disciples chose to search for their swords only when they were about to leave the sect. Three to five people in every generation of disciples would be able to find their sword, and even that was considered a high number. The vast majority of them could only gaze at the ocean and lament their own inadequacy.
Speaking of treasured swords, Yan Huanyu was one of the most popular people in these years. He got his own sword in the fifth year after entering the academy, and he was the first person in his generation to get a sword from Hidden Sword Peak. Yan Tianhen originally asked Sword Saint Tianshu about what he needed to pay attention to while on the peak.
Sword Saint Tianshu said very unreliably, “Back in those days, I casually and easily went up, as though a cloud carried me up. It didn’t feel difficult at all, and I didn’t need to exert any effort. Later, I thought about it — it was probably because this Sword Saint is so heroic and domineering that he awed and intimidated those treasure swords. Not only did they not dare to move, but they also took the initiative to crouch down and greet…Hey, where are you going? I haven’t finished yet!”
Yan Tianhen deeply felt that Sword Saint Tianshu was unreliable, so he turned his head and walked away without wasting time, wondering who else to ask for experience.
He was afraid that Lin Xuanzhi wouldn’t work. Lin Xuanzhi brought his own companion sword Zhige. He did climb Hidden Sword Peak, but the swords on it seemed to be really afraid of him. It was said that every time he went up, these swords, which were originally stabbed into the cliffside, would tremble nonstop.
Speaking of which, although the Dao of Heaven made Lin Xuanzhi suffer in many ways, in terms of cultivation, it doted on him without fail.
So Lin Xuanzhi also didn’t have any reference value. After thinking about it, Yan Tianhen felt that he could only look for Yan Huanyu.
Thus, Yan Tianhen leisurely went to look for Yan Huanyu.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, he was blocked by Yan Chenxiao.
Ever since a year ago, when Yan Huanyu beat Yan Chenxiao a few times and sent someone to keep a constant watch on him to make sure he was cultivating, Yan Chenxiao never had the time to look for Yan Tianhen to trouble him again.
Prince Ye and Prince Zhang had no more interactions, and they were even in different courtyards, so normally, they would never meet each other.
Unexpectedly, Yan Chenxiao actually saw Yan Tianhen swaggering into their residence today. It was truly strange.
Yan Chenxiao blocked Yan Tianhen’s path and asked with a raised chin, “What are you doing here? Looking for trouble with my Dage?”
Yan Tianhen looked at Yan Chenxiao’s brain, which didn’t look like it got any smarter in this entire year, and answered with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “Yeah, I am here for your Dage.”
Yan Chenxiao was stunned that his guess was actually right. “What do you want with my Dage?”
Yan Tianhen blinked. “Oh, I have a crush on him.”
“You have a…” Yan Chenxiao’s expression cracked completely. He growled, “What the fuck are you talking about? Like hell you can take a fancy to my Dage! You, you, you–“
“Don’t talk loudly, and don’t be rude.” Yan Huanyu walked out of the gate, looked at Yan Chenxiao unhappily, and spoke lightly, “I haven’t seen you copy the sect rules for a long time. Don’t go out to play today; copy the precepts instead.”
Yan Chenxiao, “…”
Yan Tianhen, “Hahaha!”
Yan Huanyu then turned to Yan Tianhen. “Master has already told me about your situation. Prince can rest assured that I will tell you everything.”
Yan Tianhen said with a smile, “Then I will thank Cousin in advance.”
Yan Huanyu’s expression was light as he gestured with his arms. “Please.”
Yan Tianhen held his head high and leisurely walked past Yan Chenxiao’s stunned face. Yan Chenxiao stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly came back to himself. He jumped up and pointed to Yan Tianhen. “Dage, you must not be deceived by him. He is deliberately looking for opportunities to approach you. Just now, he said that he has evil intentions for you!”
Yan Tianhen raised his eyebrows and made a helpless expression at Yan Huanyu.
“Not only are you rude, but you also speak conceited nonsense, and now you’re even framing people.” Yan Huanyu coldly swept Yan Chenxiao a glance. “Copy it one hundred times. You’re not allowed outside until you finish.”
Yan Chenxiao, “…”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
This Dage really is strict.
Walking on the quiet road, Yan Tianhen asked, “Cousin, you clearly know that I was teasing him, so why did you punish him?”
Yan Huanyu said lightly, “Ah Hen must be joking. You wouldn’t have teased him if he didn’t take the initiative to pester and trouble you. Although Chenxiao isn’t young, he has been too proud and arrogant ever since childhood, and I haven’t been able to keep an eye on him over the years. Now, he’s already become such a supercilious and arrogant person. I’ve long wanted to suppress his temperament.”
Yan Tianhen tilted his head. “It seems that Cousin is also borrowing my hand for an excuse to discipline his younger brother, but I’m afraid that Yan Chenxiao will hate me to death again.”
Yan Huanyu said with a smile, “Not necessarily. This child doesn’t hold grudges. It won’t matter.”
Yan Tianhen nodded with deep feeling. “That’s true.”
They both went into the airy terrace and sat down face to face. Yan Huanyu had always been a thoughtful person. When he heard that Yan Tianhen was coming, he sent someone to prepare a lot of desserts and spiritual tea in advance. Yan Huanyu was clearly in a good mood. After chatting with Yan Tianhen about everyday matters for a while, he started talking about Hidden Sword Pavilion, “Hidden Sword Pavilion is tens of thousands of meters high — this is no exaggeration — but everything is based on fate.”
Yan Huanyu looked at Yan Tianhen, who was nibbling on snacks, and smiled. “If someone is destined and has experienced many hardships, they can find their own sword without even having to climb to the top, but if someone isn’t destined, that person will never find the swords’ burial ground in their entire life, no matter how much they climb.”
