Chapter 44

(Third update complete, seeking recommendations and new readers to follow. I'm still writing with enthusiasm and will continue tomorrow.)

Royal Cliff Peak.

Located to the north of Heavenly Pillar Peak, during spring and autumn, golden walls obstruct the sky, auspicious light intertwines, the setting sun reflects, illuminating the nine heavens, and after the rain clears, rainbows appear, beautiful yet unattainable.

At the foot of Royal Cliff Peak lies one of the six branch schools of Wudang's Outer Academy.

In an independent courtyard, a large area of winter jasmine is planted, with bright yellow petals blooming, their fragrance spreading for miles.

At this moment, a young man stands quietly in the courtyard. He has long, sword-like eyebrows, thin lips, and long hair tied with a white silk ribbon. He wears a pure white Taoist robe, and a jade pendant as white as sheep's fat hangs from his waist. The blend of Taoist and Confucian qualities makes him stand out like a crane among chickens.

Being in the Wudang Outer Academy, the outer disciples wear gray robes, which is not a strict rule but a convention. The fact that this young man can dress as he pleases indicates his high status.

In front of him, two gray-robed disciples stand cautiously. One respectfully says, "Senior Brother Gu, the two young Taoists guarding the mountain gate have received the message and will escort Su Qinnian here."

Waving his hand, this Senior Brother Gu caresses a bright yellow ancient jade in his hand. The jade, about the size of a baby's fist, is pure and flawless, resembling a tortoise but with a dragon's head and sharp teeth. It is not the Black Tortoise but one of the nine sons of the Dragon, known as Baxia, also called the Golden Turtle or Dragon Turtle.

After stroking the dragon's head a few more times, Senior Brother Gu slowly says, "Speak with propriety. He is one of the peak disciples of Qingyang Peak, so you cannot use the word 'escort.' Also, stand up straight when speaking. As fellow Qing generation disciples, do not disrupt the customs of Wudang or confuse the hierarchy. Otherwise, I will be ridiculed by others in the future."

"Senior Brother Gu is right. Judging by the time, he should be here in about half an hour."

The two gray-robed disciples exchange glances but do not straighten their backs; instead, they bend even more.

This is one of the few Foundation Establishment disciples in the Wudang Outer Academy, Senior Brother Gu Yuehe, who opened his dantian qi sea with the eighth level of the Turtle-Snake Skill and has already cultivated internal true qi, reaching the Heaven-Opening Realm, making him a third-rate figure in the martial world.

Gu Yuehe was born into the Gu family, a prominent pawnbroker family in Shiyan Prefecture at the foot of Wudang Mountain. In the entire Shiyan Prefecture, they are one of the few major financiers. There are even rumors that his mother's clan had a member who entered the palace and was made a royal concubine. Although the Gu family is far from being royal relatives due to the long passage of time, they are still seen as having a very thin royal bloodline. Therefore, the Gu family's pawnshop has operated for many years, with intricate relationships and political connections in Shiyan Prefecture, and has never been obstructed. They even exchange gifts with the current Shiyan Prefecture governor during festivals.

The two gray-robed disciples also know that recently, the Golden Lock Peak's Golden Light Daoist sent someone to summon Senior Brother Gu Yuehe, intending to take him as a personal disciple.

This is no small matter. Becoming a personal disciple of a martial arts grandmaster and a top-level spirit figure is different from being taken in by the peak's enforcers or elders. As a peak master's disciple, if he achieves success in cultivation, he not only has the chance to become a peak disciple and inherit the top martial arts of a lineage but also has the opportunity to compete for the position of one of the Seven Wudang Disciples.

Throughout Wudang's history, all the abbots have come from the Seven Wudang Disciples. Therefore, in the eyes of many Wudang people and the entire martial world, the Seven Wudang Disciples are equivalent to seven young abbots.

At this moment, under the winter jasmine trees, Gu Yuehe's pure white Taoist robe flutters lightly. His thin lips curl into a faint smile.

...

At the foot of Wudang Mountain, in front of the Sword-Release Stone.

Su Qinnian looks at the two young Taoists in front of him. He didn't expect that after a month, they were still guarding the mountain gate. By now, Su Qinnian has learned from Qing Yu and the others about the various rules, precepts, and daily operations of Wudang Mountain.

Upon seeing the two, he immediately understood that they had not taken Daoist Jingdu's words to heart.

"Where are we going?" Su Qinnian asks calmly.

"It's your luck," one of the young Taoists says, his eyes narrowing as he looks at Su Qinnian again. "I didn't expect that after a month, you actually look more human and have somehow managed to inherit Qingyang Peak's legacy. But you are incredibly bold. What status do you have to think you can compare yourself to the peak disciples?"

"That's right. You come from a scholarly family. Don't you know the saying, 'He who knows himself is enlightened'? Your arrogance is ridiculous. You think you've found a lifeline," the other young Taoist says impatiently. "Enough talk. Follow us. Senior Brother Gu Yuehe from the Royal Cliff Peak's Outer Academy wants to see you. Not many people are remembered by Senior Brother Gu Yuehe, so consider yourself lucky."

At this moment, the two young Taoists' faces are full of mockery. In the Outer Academy, how many people who catch Gu Yuehe's attention can leave unscathed?

"Sorry, but please tell the two senior brothers that I have accepted the Demon-Slaying Order and need to go down the mountain to slay demons. There's no time to waste. I will visit when I have the chance," Su Qinnian says calmly, showing no anger.

"Huh? So disrespectful?" One of the young Taoists' eyes immediately turn cold. "Do you really think you've transformed and can consider yourself a peak disciple? I've heard that you were known as Su Qiniu in the Free-and-Easy Valley, but yesterday you got lucky and injured a few elders. Don't force us to act. If you come with us, you'll suffer less."

"Don't waste time. If we miss Senior Brother Gu Yuehe's scripture reading time, we can't afford it," the other frowns and steps forward to drive Su Qinnian away.

Seeing the two, Su Qinnian shakes his head. "It seems you really didn't listen to Daoist Jingdu. The Turtle-Snake Skill's latent strength is for accumulation and foundation. The Tai Chi rotation has both soft and hard elements, but you've practiced it into a cowardly turtle. This isn't the divine beast Black Tortoise or the Dragon Turtle, but a mud-dwelling, head-hiding turtle."

The two young Taoists' steps falter, and their eyes narrow. In an instant, their faces turn red, and their eyes flash with cold anger and humiliation.

"Ridiculous! You refuse our kindness!"

One of them steps forward, his bones cracking. A fist, silent and still, transforms the fifth form of the Turtle-Snake Fist into a palm, aiming for Su Qinnian's shoulder.

If this claw hits, the hidden force will surge, likely creating five bloody holes, fracturing the shoulder blade, and causing severe injuries that would take a hundred days to heal.

"Harsh words are beneficial. I advised you kindly, but you want to harm me. Since that's the case, I will cut away the evil in your heart and purify your soul. As scholars, with a clear conscience and righteous thoughts, you will transform and be reborn, no longer the same."

Whistling!

Su Qinnian says, his right hand transforming into a blade and slashing forward. This slash is not fast, and every trajectory can be clearly seen, yet it produces a sharp, fierce sound.

At this moment, Su Qinnian's eyes are very bright. To the two young Taoists, it seems like two suns, their light piercing through the barriers of their hearts, illuminating the dark places they had hidden.

Roar!

Spiritual energy gathers in Su Qinnian's eyes, and he sees two evil spirits with curved horns and blood-red bodies crawling out of the two young Taoists' chests, baring bloody fangs and roaring fiercely at him.

His eyes remain calm. Su Qinnian recalls standing at the peak of Qingyang Peak, the bright sun in the sky, and his fearless walk in the light, cutting through the darkness and driving away all evil.

His palm blade seems to radiate boundless light, and the two evil spirits scream as they disintegrate into ashes under the fierce light.

Passing the two motionless young Taoists, Su Qinnian walks to the Sword-Release Stone.

The famous Sword-Release Stone of Wudang is not very tall, only about three zhang. Su Qinnian gazes at the long sword behind the stone, rusted and unrecognizable, with no hilt. A Black Tortoise embraces the handle, extending a four-foot blade, with the rest buried in the ground, unseen.

Frowning slightly, Su Qinnian is puzzled. When he was near the foot of the mountain, he felt the illusory sword shadow in his ancestral acupoint tremble. He had some guesses, but now, standing in front of the Sword-Release Stone, it has become completely silent, with no further movement.

(Third update complete, seeking recommendations and new readers to follow. I'm still writing with enthusiasm and will continue tomorrow. The story will become even more exciting, with a new martial world, the court, order, demons, and immortality.)