Although Xie Gu Hong gave Gu Qing Shan three years to continue training his sword skills, things don’t always go exactly as planned.
Two years went by.
Today.
Gu Qing Shan was still sitting in the middle of a mountain of jade tags.
His sword was left on the ground next to him.
——this was nothing but a mass-produced sword that belonged to the sect, something Xie Gu Hong gave him so that he could practice his sword skills.
With a jade tag in his hand, Gu Qing Shan currently wasn’t in the mood to study sword techniques.
And for some unusual reason, he was spacing out.
7 years ago, the Spirit Tortoise sent him into this time period .
That was the start of everything.
In the last few years, he gradually understood what the Spirit Tortoise told him back then”
「 Although this is only a piece of the phantom image of the Age of Old, the Laws of the worlds are interlinked 」
Throughout these years, whenever Gu Qing Shan would breakthrough to the next realm, a Heaven’s Tribulation would come.
The devils and fiends of the Age of Old were also in no mood to chat with him.
Since they didn’t know him.
And Gu Qing Shan didn’t need to smile or act polite to them.
He went all out, killing them to his heart’s content.
Erm….
A bit too much to his heart’s content…
To the point that the Devil Kings and Fiend Kings became a bit meek.
Since the Heaven’s Tribulation was almost over and Gu Qing Shan was a bit tired of killing them, plus the fact that he hadn’t had much social contact with anyone for the last few years, he decided to talk a bit with the evil creatures that came for the Tribulation.
And then they all became friends!
The Tribulation ended.
Everyone reluctantly said their goodbyes.
After this Lightning Tribulation, Gu Qing Shan was feeling a lot better.
The evil creatures from the Age of Old were all exceptional, not only can they hold a conversation, but they also liked to gossip and band together to make merry.
From their conversations, Gu Qing Shan learnt quite a bit.
There was one time that Xie Gu Hong came to check on his Lightning Tribulation out of concern.
Then Xie Gu Hong never came again.
After making it through his karmic adversities with great difficulty, Gu Qing Shan had a few days of peace.
Once the karmic adversity was over, he once again reached Virtualized realm.
At which point he noticed a certain thing.
——his real body replaced this young body.
In order words, from Virtualized realm onwards, the one who’s currently in this world is himself, both in body and mind.
All the knowledge, Skills, and Thaumaturgies that he gained from cultivating here can be brought back to his time.
——-how miraculous.
What great level must a cultivator reach in order to create such a fragment of time?
Gu Qing Shan couldn’t imagine it at all .
At this point, a flame talisman flew in.
A communication talisman.
Gu Qing Shan received and scanned it with his inner sight to hear Xie Gu Hong’s voice asking him.
“The ceremony is about to begin, where are you?”
Gu Qing Shan put the jade tag in his hand back where it was.
He stood up and flew out.
7 years.
He has stayed inside the Sword Abyss for 7 years straight.
During these 7 years, Gu Qing Shan hadn’t used a single bit of Soul Points.
——–with his understanding of swordsmanship, it wasn’t necessary to use Soul Points to comprehend these sword scriptures.
He only needed to read and think about them to understand the contents inside.
And through his studies, he found that sword cultivators from the Age of Old were different from modern sword cultivators.
In the Age of Old, sword cultivators highly emphasized the individual mastery of the sword without paying too much attention to specialized Skills, so the concept of Secret Arts didn’t exist.
——ancient sword cultivators can easily level a mountain and move the sea with a single swing of their sword, an exceptionally powerful sword cultivator can display immense power with every strike, so there was no need for Secret Arts.
But modern cultivators weren’t the same.
There was a hard limit to how strong one could become through cultivation, and since they didn’t have the ample resources and exceptional cultivation environment of the Age of Old, most sword cultivators began to manifest and create specialized sword techniques that obey the Laws of the world, siphoning its power to display an attack with power far greater than they could manifest on their own.
This was the origin of Secret Arts.
Gu Qing Shan wasn’t sure when Secret Arts began to appear.
But he didn’t want to bother learning about that either.
This era’s swordsmanship had its own mysticism and qualities, enough that Gu Qing Shan had immersed himself in it each and every day.
But he had to halt his cultivation for now.
Because today, the Barren Cloud Palace Master, Xie Gu Hong, would induct two more disciples.
As his Eldest Disciple, Gu Qing Shan must be present to observe the ceremony, perhaps even teach his junior brothers in his Master’s stead.
Recalling how he got accepted 7 years ago, Gu Qing Shan couldn’t help but sigh.
He leapt out, flying towards the small island in the middle of the seven peaks.
…
The small island in the middle.
All the peak masters were here.
Countless disciples of the Heavenly Palace had gathered.
Xie Gu Hong was standing in the middle of the field.
In front of them, two adolescent cultivators stood.
Due to the excellence they’ve shown since they entered the sect through daily cultivation, competitions and trials, their talents and mental fortitude were recognized and earned them the right to be inducted as the Palace Master’s disciples.
And now, the disciple induction ceremony would begin.
Gu Qing Shan quickly arrived on the island, landing in front of Xie Gu Hong and respectfully bowed.
Xie Gu Hong asked: “Why are you so late?”
Gu Qing Shan explained: “I was viewing a sword scripture just now, but I made it just in time, didn’t I?”
Xie Gu Hong just nodded and said nothing else.
He knew very well how obsessive Gu Qing Shan can be while learning swordsmanship.
Sometimes, even if he came back or left, Gu Qing Shan wouldn’t even notice.
While Xie Gu Hong casually let that slide, the same couldn’t be said for the peak masters and the other disciples.
Everyone was in a somewhat inexplicable mood.
Because Gu Qing Shan was the Eldest Disciple, this ceremony was supposed to be hosted by him.
But he almost arrived late.
Because he was studying sword scripture!?
While the peak masters only silently scowled, the disciples were clearly dissatisfied.
“Very well, let us begin”
Xie Gu Hong ordered.
Gu Qing Shan came forward and began to recite the two disciples’ backgrounds, experiences, and achievements.
While reciting what was written, he glanced at the two disciples kneeling on the ground.
Huang Zhan.
Shen Yang.
——Zhao Kuan isn’t here.
Seems like I already replaced Zhao Kuan’s position.
The ceremony proceeded as tradition dictated.
Once Gu Qing Shan finished reciting, it was time for the exceptional disciples of the sect to present their commendations to the peak masters.
After accepting the commendations, the peak masters praised the two disciples’ virtues and qualities, then reported it to the Barren Cloud Palace Master.
After receiving their reports, the Palace Master personally asked Huang Zhan and Shen Yang if they were willing to be inducted.
Naturally, the two of them expressed willingness and got accepted as his disciples. As the one responsible for the ceremony, the Eldest Disciple Gu Qing Shan took out the inheritance jade tag of the sect and recorded the induction of two more disciples under the Palace Master .
At this point, Xie Gu Hong began to give a speech to the two disciples on what to pay attention to on a daily basis, how to lead the other disciples, and how to become good role models…
Listening to this, Gu Qing Shan commented in his mind.
So the process of becoming a disciple of the Palace Master was this complicated——- and the two of them had to display their excellence for 7 years.
It seems like what I did on a whim back then was correct, it saved me a lot of trouble.
While he was thinking that the surrounding became silent.
“Your turn” Xie Gu Hong sent his voice to remind him.
Gu Qing Shan regained his sense.
Ah right, as the Eldest Disciple, it’s my turn to encourage my two junior brothers.
He came forward and looked at Huang Zhan and Shen Yang.
They were still only teenagers so they were anxious and stiff, Huang Zhan’s legs were still trembling.
Gu Qing Shan nodded to the two of them: “Cultivate well from now on”
After waiting for a long while more, both Huang Zhan and Shen Yang didn’t hear Gu Qing Shan say anything else.
Is that… it?
The two of them quickly clasped their fist and loudly declared: “We shall follow Eldest brother’s teachings”
“Hm”
Gu Qing Shan lightly said and returned to stand by Xie Gu Hong.
The others were also waiting for him to show more but only got to hear a few words.
An even more explicable mood filled the venue.
The ceremony ended here.
Xie Gu Hong then started to arrange for his three disciples.
“Alright, everyone is dismissed”
“Huang Zhan, Shen Yang, follow your First brother back to the Barren Cloud master peak, I will be out for the next three months, so your First brother will be responsible for teaching you”
“”Yes!”” the two new disciples both replied.
The disciples of the peaks who were just getting ready to return all froze.
Gu Qing Shan will be responsible for teaching these two excellent disciples?
Him?
A disciple who hasn’t shown up once in 7 years?
A sword cultivator who refuses every challenge directed his way so far?
A disciple who hasn’t even signed up even once for the sect’s competition?
HE will be responsible for teaching Huang Zhan and Shen Yang?
If he messes anything up, wouldn’t that be two wasted talents!?
The crowd became rowdy.
A crimson figure jumped down from Ancient Dawn peak, landing on the small island.
It was a muscular, burly teenager.
He clasped his fist: “Sect Eldest Disciple Gu Qing Shan, I am the current strongest martial cultivator of Ancient Dawn peak. I hereby challenge you, if you dare to accept——”
Gu Qing Shan looked at him.
The teenager felt his vision darken and fainted.
