Chapter 1
The Diancang Sect is located in the Diancang Mountains, at the border between the Daqian Dynasty and the Kun Kingdom. The scenery here is unique, evergreen all year round, and it is a resort for health preservation and summer retreat.
Legend has it that more than three hundred years ago, there were 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends, a total of 108 demons, who escaped from the celestial realm and entered the human world, wreaking havoc.
Since then, the once unified Qiankun Continent has been broken into multiple kingdoms, the two most powerful of which are the Gan Dynasty and the Kun Kingdom. The former practices male supremacy and female inferiority, while the latter advocates women’s rights.
It was around that time that the great hero Li Wuji retired to the mountains and founded the Diancang Sect on Diancang Mountain, establishing a rule that his disciples would not participate in the struggles between dynasties.
The Diancang Sect has been passed down for over three hundred years. Today, it is in its sixth generation of leaders and seventh generation of disciples. It is one of the nine major sects in the martial arts world and enjoys considerable prestige and a prominent position.
On a hot summer day, the sun shines brightly on Diancang Mountain, and birdsong fills the air.
Beneath a towering ancient pine tree in the mountains, Qi Fei sat cross-legged, breathing deeply, practicing the internal energy cultivation method of the Diancang School, “Taihe Gong”.
Qi Fei, fourteen years old, joined the sect very early and ranked seventh among the disciples of the Diancang Sect.
When he was still an infant, he was sent to Diancang Mountain, where he was adopted and raised by Li Lingyun and his wife, the leaders of Diancang Sect. They taught him to read and write, and imparted martial arts skills to him.
Unfortunately, Qi Fei was born with damaged meridians. Although he has been practicing the Taihe Gong since childhood, he has not made much progress. Among all the members of the Diancang Sect, he has the worst martial arts skills and is often ridiculed.
In addition, possibly due to the influence of his meridians, he is thin and shorter than his peers.
Fortunately, Taihe Gong is the gentlest and most effective way to maintain health. It is especially effective in repairing meridians. After more than ten years of arduous practice, Qi Fei’s damaged meridians are gradually being repaired.
“call!”
Qi Fei slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, stood up, patted the withered leaves off his clothes, and showed a hint of excitement on his face.
After practicing Taihe Gong for so many years, he finally repaired all his damaged meridians!
From then on, he could formally cultivate his internal energy. With internal energy, he could truly unleash the power of the Diancang Sect’s “Eighteen Swords of Panlong” and no longer be ridiculed!
Qi Fei picked up a pine branch from the ground and performed a set of “Panlong Sword Technique”. After finishing, he felt refreshed and was covered in sweat.
Looking at the time, it was almost noon, and I had to start cooking.
The disciples of the Diancang Sect all have their own duties and tasks. Some of the fellow disciples are responsible for guarding, some for patrolling, and some often go down the mountain to purchase supplies, run shops, act as bodyguards, and protectors.
Because of his low martial arts skills, Qi Fei could only do odd jobs and cook. Although he couldn’t be considered to be contributing much, he was still working hard for the sect.
He hurried to the woodshed at the mountain gate, took some firewood, went into the kitchen, started a fire, rinsed the rice, cooked the rice, and then washed the vegetables. A little over an hour later, Qi Fei had prepared a fragrant meal.
“Junior Brother Qi, is the food ready?”
A man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a burly build walked in and asked.
“It’s done, Third Senior Brother.”
Qi Fei wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead; after working so hard for so long, his clothes were almost soaked through.
The one who came was Qi Fei’s third senior brother, named Lu Bao. He was the most rugged and carefree person in the entire sect.
“Wow, this smells delicious! Junior Brother Qi’s cooking is truly amazing! Everyone loves your food. Let’s take it out together—”
“good.”
The two carried the food out of the kitchen and into the dining hall.
Dozens of fellow disciples from the sect were already waiting there, along with a few junior sisters. Everyone brought their bowls and chopsticks, got their food, and sat around the octagonal table, eating heartily.
Another person brought an extra meal and delivered it to the sect leader’s room.
After the meal, a middle-aged man stood up and said, “Fellow junior brothers and sisters, I will be going down the mountain tomorrow to take care of some business. Before I go down the mountain, I would like to practice swordsmanship with you all. Anyone who wants to practice swordsmanship, please come with me.”
After saying that, he turned and left the dining hall.
“Our senior brother is going to instruct us on swordsmanship. Let’s go, let’s go take a look—”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Everyone followed them out.
Qi Fei followed them to an open space, where everyone gathered together and looked at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was named Zhang Jian. He was the senior disciple of the Diancang Sect and the first to join the sect. He had a high talent for swordsmanship and mastered the Diancang Sect’s “Eighteen Panlong Swords” to perfection. He made a name for himself as “Fast Sword” Zhang Jian in the martial arts world.
Zhang Jian is a loyal and righteous man who takes good care of his junior brothers and sisters in the sect, and is respected by everyone.
He went down the mountain to gain experience a long time ago, and now he is the personal bodyguard of Boss Jia, the richest merchant in the capital. He can earn ten taels of silver a month, which is enviable!
Zhang Jian would occasionally return to his sect to report to his master, staying for a maximum of two or three days before heading back down the mountain. Tomorrow morning, he was going to descend the mountain, intending to give everyone some pointers on swordsmanship before doing so.
“The first move of the Panlong Sword Technique, Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water—”
Zhang Jian drew his sword incantation, and with a clang, the longsword was drawn from his sheath behind him. He casually scooped it up, held it firmly in his hand, and twirled it beautifully.
“Second move, Azure Dragon Raises Its Head—”
Amidst flashes of sword light, Zhang Jian moved swiftly across the arena, his longsword constantly shifting, making it impossible to discern his movements for a moment.
The dozens of disciples of the Diancang Sect stared intently at the figures in the arena, afraid of missing any detail.
Li Lingyun, the head of Diancang Sect, once said that his eldest disciple Zhang Jian’s swordsmanship was better than his own, only his internal strength was inferior. Therefore, everyone humbly learned from him.
“Azure Dragon Swings Its Tail—”
“Azure Dragon Probes with its Claw—”
Zhang Jian wielded his swordsmanship one move after another, which was not only dazzling and beautiful, but also carried a sharp sword wind, making everyone feel as if their faces were being cut by the sword wind.
After performing the eighteen sword techniques, Zhang Jian stood there without even breaking a sweat, finished his practice, sheathed his sword, and said with a smile, “Alright, everyone, carefully study and practice your swordsmanship. Remember not to slack off! Our Diancang Sect still needs everyone’s help to carry it forward!”
“Yes, Senior Brother!”
As they talked, everyone drew their longswords and began practicing swordsmanship on the spot, demonstrating the Diancang School’s ultimate technique, the “Eighteen Panlong Swords”.
Qi Fei also drew his longsword and began practicing in the crowd.
“Raise your arm a little higher, yes.”
“You need to align your arm and the tip of the sword in a straight line, like this.”
Zhang Jian pointed out everyone’s shortcomings, and then his gaze swept over Qi Fei.
He nodded approvingly and said, “Junior Brother Qi’s swordsmanship is perfect and doesn’t need my correction at all.”
At this moment, a pale-faced man laughed and said, “Although Junior Brother Qi’s swordsmanship is proper, it’s all show and no substance, weak and useless—”
“Ha ha……”
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
Qi Fei stopped and said, “Fellow disciples, please don’t make fun of me. I have now repaired my meridians and can start cultivating internal energy from tonight. If I surpass you then, don’t be surprised!”
“Wow, Senior Brother Qi, you can cultivate internal energy too? That’s amazing!”
“That’s right, that’s right, let’s see you cut a fruit with your sword!”
The crowd burst into laughter again.
Although their laughter was not malicious, it sounded very harsh and unpleasant to Qi Fei.
I am ranked seventh among the disciples of Diancang Sect, and I should be respected. But because I am the weakest, I am made a laughing stock by them, which is really hateful.
Qi Fei was secretly furious and vowed to himself that he would fight for this honor sooner or later.
At this moment, Qi Fei suddenly felt a numbness in his arm, and with a “clang,” the long sword in his hand was knocked to the ground.
“Oh, still so easily defeated.” A voice came from over.
Qi Fei looked and saw that it was the pale-faced man, who was also the second senior brother, Song Qiang. This man was always restless and liked to cause trouble. Because he was the second oldest and his martial arts skills were second only to the eldest senior brother, he often bullied everyone.
“Second Senior Brother, what do you mean by this?” Qi Fei glared at him with displeasure.
“Uh, Junior Brother Qi, why are you angry? I was just joking with you!” Song Qiang stepped forward and patted him heavily on the shoulder.
A tremendous force struck, and Qi Fei grimaced, half of his body going numb.
At this moment, Zhang Jian also walked over and said with a smile, “That’s just how the second brother is, Junior Brother Qi, don’t take it to heart.”
“You…” Qi Fei felt extremely unhappy when he saw that everyone was looking at him like he was a clown.
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out: “Oh dear, you’re bullying Senior Brother Qi again!”
As soon as the words were spoken, a girl dressed in a blue gauze dress walked over.
The girl was petite, but her face was very pretty, with delicate features and a snow-white apple-shaped face that made people want to pinch it. Her beautiful eyes were like springs, filled with happy smiles. She looked youthful, lively, and innocent.
“Junior Sister, you’ve arrived!”
“Junior Sister”.
“Hello, senior sister.”
Upon seeing the girl, everyone sheathed their swords and stepped forward to greet her.
The girl in blue is named Li Yuyao. She is the daughter of her master Li Lingyun and his wife Gu Yinzhang. She is fourteen years old and was born in the same year as Qi Fei, a few months younger than him. However, she has already grown into a graceful young lady and is even a little taller than Qi Fei. She ranks eighth among the disciples. She has completely inherited her mother’s beautiful appearance and is very popular because of her lively personality.
Li Yuyao stepped forward and said, “I saw everything! I’m going to tell my father!”
“Senior sister, please don’t—”
“Please, little auntie!”
Everyone begged for mercy, their faces filled with bitterness.
Who in the martial arts world doesn’t know that Li Lingyun, the “Sword of Diancang,” is upright and has extremely strict discipline? Any disciple of the Diancang Sect who dares to violate the sect rules, such as engaging in internal strife, will be severely punished. Unless they seek the protection of their master’s wife, they might have a chance to escape punishment!
“What do you think, Senior Brother Qi?” Li Yuyao looked at Qi Fei and blinked.
Seeing that someone was standing up for him, Qi Fei’s mood immediately brightened, and he smiled, “Nobody meant it, let’s just let it go…”
“You!” Li Yuyao shook her head. “You’re always like this.”
Qi Fei laughed and said, “We’re all from the same sect, it’s just a joke, why take it so seriously?”
“That’s right, Junior Brother Qi!”
“Senior Brother Qi is truly magnanimous.”
Everyone praised it.
Qi Fei said, “If you dare to make fun of me again next time, I will definitely tell Master.”
After saying that, he left with his head held high and chest out.
Li Yuyao made a face at everyone and walked towards the gate.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes fell on Li Yuyao’s pert buttocks. Second Senior Brother Song Qiang’s gaze was filled with a strange lewdness, while Third Senior Brother Lu Bao’s eyes gleamed with a hungry light. The others were also drooling with envy.
A young girl in her early teens is the most enchanting!
Moreover, she is a stunningly beautiful girl like Li Yuyao, one in a million.
“cough!”
Senior Brother Zhang Jian was the first to withdraw his gaze, glancing at everyone with some displeasure.
“Cough cough…”
Everyone averted their gaze and continued practicing their swordsmanship.
