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Chapter 197 - 166 Lonely Sword Peak_i
Chapter 197 - 166 Lonely Sword Peak_i
Chapter 197: Chapter 166 Lonely Sword Peak_i
Translator: 549690339 |
“Senior Brother Xu, feel free to visit me at Luo Jian Peak anytime in the future!”
Qi Yue and his two other fellow disciples flew away on their flying boat.
Xu Mu waved his hand, turned around, and walked towards Lonely Sword Peak.
“Junior Brother Qi, you should avoid associating with that kind of person in the future to prevent dividing your attention from cultivation!”
On the flying boat, Brother Fei couldn’t help but open his mouth.
“I know!”
Qi Yue nodded, neither refuting nor naively asking for the reason.
He was not a three-year-old child. He naturally understood what the other party meant.
However, he had his own judgment. He thought Xu Mu might not be so simple, but he chose not to say it as his companions wouldn’t believe him.
As Xu Mu walked up to Lonely Sword Peak, he thought back to the news about Lonely Sword Peak.
The Master of Lonely Sword Peak, known as Person on Gu Feng, is famous among the Golden Core Stage masters in the area of the Tianhe Sect.
Despite not being the most outstanding peak of Tianhe Sect, Lonely Sword Peak initially ranked in the middle upper level.
The reason for its current decline begins with a story from over thirty years ago.
At that time, Person on Gu Feng was brimming with ambition. With his Dao companion, they accompanied the Old Ancestor of Tianhe in a battle to destroy the Tongyou Sect.
As a result, his Dao companion died, and he himself was seriously injured, nearly destroying his path of cultivation.
Ever since then, Person on Gu Feng had been depressed, resorting to alcohol to drown his sorrows.
Spiritual Wine is itself a luxury in the cultivation world. It’s so valuable only because it can intoxicate Golden Core Stage cultivators. In just a few short years, Person on Gu Feng, who drank too much, used up all his savings, even pledging his lifebound magic tools for wine debts.
Later on, he set his sights on Lonely Sword Peak itself. Without a word, he stripped Lonely Sword Peak clean, and then he started exploiting his disciples. He not only deceived his disciples at Lonely Sword Peak, but also embezzled resources allocated by the sect.
Under normal circumstances, every ten years, Tianhe Sect would distribute fixed resources to the thirty-six peaks, provided for cultivation needs of the disciples by the Peak Master.
However, Person on Gu Feng used these resources entirely for his drinking.
Such actions led to a wave of resentment from Lonely Sword Peak.
But the sect could do little about Person on Gu Feng.
After all, a considerable part of the reason why Person on Gu Feng had turned out this way was because of Tianhe Sect. Moreover, Person on Gu Feng had made significant contributions in the past, and if he was severely punished, it would inevitably dishearten the sect’s elders.
After discussion, a compromise measure was taken.
Person on Gu Feng remained the Peak Master of Lonely Sword Peak, but the disciples under him could freely leave to join any of the other thirty-five peaks and enjoy equal treatment once they joined.
The original disciples of Lonely Sword Peak were reluctant to leave. Despite their grumbling, they had been living there for so many years and had developed emotional attachments.
However, with time, the problems of resource shortage and chaotic management soon forced them to make a painful choice.
In a few short years, almost all the disciples of Lonely Sword Peak had left.
The ones with a conscience would occasionally return for a visit.
Those with harder hearts no longer even wished to mention that they were once part of Lonely Sword Peak.
As of today, only a few low-level disciples at the Qi Cultivation Stage remain on Lonely Sword Peak.
Why they chose not to leave, was beyond the knowledge of Chi Feiyan’s intelligence system.
“Given my talent, being sent to Lonely Sword Peak is indeed quite appropriate!” Xu Mu couldn’t help but mock himself.
In the eyes of the people of Tianhe Sect, his talent had no value to cultivate, investing resources on him would completely be a waste.
In a resourceless place like Lonely Sword Peak, he couldn’t be more suitable.
It preserved the rules of the Tianhe Sect without wasting a single resource.
If you were to compare it to a palace, Lonely Sword Peak was just like a cold palace.
Xu Mu walked from the foot of the mountain to halfway up the hill. Along the way, he encountered neither protective formations nor guard disciples. Excluding the occasional sounds of insects and birds, he didn’t feel any human aura. It felt like a desolate hill.
It was hard to imagine that in a sect like Tianhe, there would be such a desolate place.
“It seems the rumors are not false at all!”
Xu Mu revealed a bitter smile.
This start really is extraordinarily difficult.
After bypassing a mountain hollow, a majestic palace appeared before his eyes. Judging by its layout, this place should be where disciples practice, study, and interact.
Yet now, the place was empty and overgrown with weeds. The red paint in the main hall was peeling off, covered with green mold and moss. The floor and the tables were covered with a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs were even hanging in the corners.
The spiders, whether they were naturally strange breeds or nurtured by spiritual energy, were all fist-sized.
Such a dilapidated scene, appearing in a sect that is currently flourishing, is simply unbelievable.
The Old Ancestor of Tianhe has not yet passed on the news of his passing, and coupled with the newly promoted Nascent Soul stage disciple, this sect has two Nascent Souls – it can indeed be called flourishing.
Xu Mu didn’t explore these things too deeply. He found a path obviously trodden by people in the weed cluster and continued to follow it inward.
Having circled around several palaces and moved through several quiet alleys, Xu Mu found a residential area that was obviously occupied.
Several intricately-constructed courtyard houses stood, and the flower bed at the entrance was obviously tended to. All kinds of flowers vied for beauty and brilliance. Not far in front of the courtyard, there were several spiritual fields with thriving spirit grains, and adjacent to the fields was a fruit orchard. Xu Mu could see the clusters of green fruit hanging from afar, they looked like peach and plum trees.
Xu Mu faintly saw two silhouettes weaving amongst them.
Just when he was considering whether or not to call out, the courtyard door to his side opened. A young man dressed in white, who looked to be in his twenties, was adjusting his clothes as he walked out.
When he saw Xu Mu, he couldn’t help but pause for a moment before reacting and displaying an awkward smile.
“You must be Junior Brother Xu?”
“Xu Da, I pay my respects to senior brother!” Xu Mu cupped his hands and replied.
“My name is Li Heng, you may call me Second Senior Brother!” Li Heng continued: “I originally planned to receive you at the Medicine Hall, but I didn’t expect you to come here yourself!”
“Thank you for your kind intentions. I had a friend who happened to be free and brought me here.” Xu Mu explained.
“Friend?”
Li Heng was a little surprised.
He didn’t expect Xu Mu of all people to be able to make friends, but he didn’t ask any further.
“Since you’re already here, let me arrange a place for you to stay!”
Li Heng led Xu Mu to a courtyard house at the farthest corner and took out a key from his storage bag to open the door.
The door opened with a key?
Xu Mu once again sensed the decay of Lonely Sword Peak.
Considering the foundation of the Tianhe Sect, even the courtyards where the newest disciples reside should have Formation protection.
The lock in front of him could be easily opened by someone in the earliest stage of Qi Cultivation. Its defensive power is even less than that of the slum area in White River City.
Although he complained inwardly, Xu Mu didn’t say anything and followed Li Heng into the courtyard.
The courtyard was divided into three sections. Each room was clearly labeled: a rest room, a practice room, an alchemy room, a kitchen, etc. This comprehensive layout didn’t look like the dwelling of a newly admitted disciple.
“This place was originally reserved for true disciples to live in, but now there are fewer people on Lonely Sword Peak, so we are not so strict about it. I’ve already cleaned up for you. If there’s anything you lack, I’ll help you purchase it later from the Artifact Hall!”
The Artifact Hall is a place in the Tianhe Sect where disciples can buy and sell things.
After touring around the rooms, Xu Mu found that various necessities were very complete, the only drawback was that these articles were old, but fortunately clean enough.
“Nothing is missing! Thanks, Brother!”
“You’re welcome!”
Seeing how easy-going Xu Mu was, the smile on Li Heng’s face widened.
“I’ll show you around and help you become familiar with the environment. Once they come back in the evening, I’ll help you get acquainted with everyone!”
“Thankyou, Brother!”
“No need to be so formal, we’re all brothers here!”
It took half a day, and Li Heng showed Xu Mu everywhere he could visit on Lonely Sword Peak, giving Xu Mu a new understanding of how debilitated Lonely Sword Peak really was.
Simply put, aside from the small residential area where they lived, all the other places were abandoned.
Not only were the fundamental protective formations gone, but even the most basic Spirit Gathering Arrays had been dug up and sold for money by the Person on Gu Feng. Apparently, he had even tried to sell the Spirit Veins of Lonely Sword Peak, but was stopped in time by the higher-ups of Tianhe Sect. However, the Spirit Veins were damaged and had to be temporarily sealed. That’s the main reason why they could reside in the places that were originally for true disciples, and why people from other peaks didn’t come to seize the territory.
By the time the two returned to the courtyard, it was already evening. Two disciples wearing grey clothes and of imposing stature, were busily preparing dinner>
As soon as he saw the two people, Xu Mu was reminded of the two figures he had seen in the fruit orchard earlier. Using Li Heng’s introduction, he confirmed their identities.
One was called Big Bull, and the other was Er Niu!
Upon hearing their names, Xu Mu was taken aback. The names were really unconventional, completely unfit for cultivators, even his name Xu Da was better.
Later, after listening to Li Heng, he learned the story behind the names. Elementary cultivation practices had damaged their memories and they couldn’t remember complex names, so for simplicity, Li Heng gave them these nicknames.
While explaining this, Li Heng stared suspiciously at Xu Mu. Initially, he thought Xu Mu would be similar to the two of them.
In addition to Big Bull and Er Niu, there was also a senior sister and a junior sister on Lonely Sword Peak, but unfortunately, Xu Mu didn’t meet either of them.
The senior sister had gone up the mountain to take care of the Person on Gu Feng, and she would only return once every three or four days. The junior sister, on the other hand, was elusive, even Li Heng, who lived on Lonely Sword Peak all the time, only got to see her two or three times a year.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Finally, Xu Mu got to meet the Senior Sister of Lonely Sword Peak-
Luo Qingchen!