Chapter 36: Arrival at the Mystic Sword Sect

When the cloud ladder was fully retracted, Chu Jianqiu found that there were already many people on the cloud boat, standing in groups here and there, with an estimated two hundred people in total.

The cloud boat was over ten zhang wide and a hundred zhang long, and even with nearly two hundred people on board, it did not feel crowded at all.

"Brother Luo, how did the recruitment go this time? Introduce us to the prodigies you've recruited!"

Luo Xiuyong had just stood firm on the cloud boat when several elders walked over. These were the elders in charge of recruitment from other counties in the Nine Southern Prefectures. The leader was his old rival, Wei Pengpo.

Although the Great Gan Dynasty had a hundred counties, there were also many sects, each with its own jurisdiction. Each sect could only recruit disciples within its own jurisdiction, unless the martial artists from other jurisdictions came to them voluntarily. Otherwise, it would be considered overstepping boundaries.

For example, the Mystic Sword Sect's jurisdiction was the Nine Southern Prefectures, so the Mystic Sword Sect could only recruit disciples within these nine counties and could not extend its reach to other counties. Similarly, other sects could not recruit disciples within the Nine Southern Prefectures.

"Yes, Brother Luo, don't be so secretive. Introduce us to the prodigies you've recruited. Maybe some of them will catch the eye of the Seven Peaks, and we can get a head start on forming alliances," another elder chimed in.

Luo Xiuyong had anticipated this. If it weren't for the Fourth Peak Master's intervention, he would have boasted about it. Chu Jianqiu's Heavenly-grade bloodline and the opening of nineteen meridians were something that hadn't been seen in the Mystic Sword Sect for many years. Recruiting such a genius would be enough to boast about for a lifetime.

But now, Chu Jianqiu's talent had become a burden. The better Chu Jianqiu's talent, the more uncomfortable he felt. Chu Jianqiu had been taken away by the Fourth Peak Master before they even returned to the Mystic Sword Sect, and Luo Xiuyong was worried that the other six Peak Masters would tear him apart when they returned.

Luo Xiuyong had no mood to deal with the elders' mockery and silently returned to his cabin.

Wei Pengpo was taken aback. This was not like Luo Xiuyong's usual style. Normally, no matter what, Luo Xiuyong would have retorted and would never have tolerated such insults.

Since Luo Xiuyong had backed down, Wei Pengpo did not push further. After all, they were still outside, carrying a large group of new disciples, and it was best not to cause trouble.

After Chu Jianqiu boarded the cloud boat, he realized that they from Tian Shui City were the last batch to board. After picking up this group of disciples, the cloud boat began its return journey to the Mystic Sword Sect.

"These are the trash from Tian Shui County. It's no wonder they produce nothing but trash. The martial artists from here are just as worthless!" As Chu Jianqiu was admiring the scenery, a cold and mocking voice sounded beside him.

Chu Jianqiu turned to see a young man in a brocade robe looking at them with a defiant expression. The young man was surrounded by a large group of people, indicating his high status among them.

"The crazy bunch from Qing Shan County is causing trouble again!"

"Let's go see. I heard they're targeting people from Tian Shui County this time."

"Tian Shui County, pfft. What kind of genius could come from such a trash county? They're probably just a bunch of trash. The fight between Qing Shan County and Jing Tong County yesterday was much more exciting."

...

From the conversations of the people around him, Chu Jianqiu learned that the young man in the brocade robe was a martial artist from Qing Shan County named Si Fengkai, who had awakened a High-Grade Mystic bloodline and reached the Third Level of the True Qi Realm.

Qing Shan County was the largest county in the Nine Southern Prefectures, known for its abundant martial talent, far surpassing the remote and small Tian Shui County.

Jing Tong County ranked second in the Nine Southern Prefectures, though it was not as strong as Qing Shan County, it was still formidable.

The people from Tian Shui County were overjoyed and excited to have boarded the Mystic Sword Sect's cloud boat. However, upon hearing the young man's words, their faces instantly turned red with anger.

But when they saw the other side, all of whom were True Qi Realm martial artists, with the highest being at the Third Level of the True Qi Realm, they realized their own weakness. On their side, out of eighteen martial artists, only five were at the True Qi Realm, and all were at the First Level. The remaining thirteen were at the Ninth Level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Their biggest trump card was Chu Jianqiu. With Chu Jianqiu's qualifications, he could easily defeat all of them. However, the Tian Shui County martial artists, seeing that Chu Jianqiu remained silent, also dared not speak up.

Moreover, with their current strength, if they clashed with the other side, they would only be beaten.

Luo Xiuyong was nowhere to be found, and the other Mystic Sword Sect elders showed no intention of intervening. The Tian Shui County martial artists felt lost and had no choice but to endure the mockery and provocation from the Qing Shan County martial artists.

"Looks like you're not just a bunch of trash, but also a bunch of spineless cowards." The Qing Shan County martial artists, seeing that the Tian Shui County people remained silent after being insulted, looked down on them even more. After saying this with contempt, they turned and left.

They found it too boring to bully such weak and spineless people; even if they beat them up, it would bring no sense of achievement.

Chu Jianqiu watched all this with a cold eye, completely indifferent to the provocation from the Qing Shan County martial artists. In his view, such behavior was boring and childish. As long as they didn't directly provoke him, he wouldn't bother with them.

The cloud boat swiftly traveled through the sky, and after a full day, it arrived at a towering mountain range.

In the undulating mountains, seven peaks stood tall, piercing the clouds.

On those seven peaks, numerous buildings were constructed, with houses and pavilions neatly arranged, creating a grand and magnificent scene.

The cloud boat finally landed on a vast platform, and the nearly two hundred young martial artists from various counties gradually disembarked.

The elders led the new disciples to a grand hall, waiting for the next arrangements.

The young disciples, as they walked, were extremely excited by the grand and magnificent buildings. Indeed, it was a sight that could not be seen in the mundane world.

While the new disciples waited in the hall, some of the Mystic Sword Sect's senior disciples soon arrived.

The senior disciples looked at the new recruits, seeing their excitement, enthusiasm, nervousness, and anticipation, and felt a strong sense of superiority.

"I wonder how many of these rookies will make it into the Inner Sect?"

"I think they're not bad, especially the disciples from Qing Shan County this year. They're all True Qi Realm martial artists, and one of them is even at the Third Level. I think quite a few will make it into the Inner Sect," a senior disciple said. He was also from Qing Shan County, named Gong Anran. With the outstanding martial artists from Qing Shan County, he naturally felt very proud.

The young man in the brocade robe, Si Fengkai, was already feeling smug, and hearing Gong Anran's words, he became even more elated.