Chapter 65

Shen Lian stayed at the tavern for three days, wandering around the town all the while, and finally figured out some things.

Most of the people in the town were descendants of certain disciples of Qingxuan, or they had come here by chance and integrated into town life.

For those who entered Qingxuan, the benefits were even greater, and there were no shortage of those who had made it into Qingxuan.

Mostly, they were just a bit lacking in talent or temperament, and thus did not receive the true teachings.

Like the young people from martial arts families or hermit sects at the tavern, most of them were descendants of ordinary disciples of Qingxuan.

After failing to achieve their goals in Qingxuan, these ordinary disciples would often leave the mountain on their own, either to marry and have children or to enjoy a carefree life in the mortal world, passing down a legacy.

They were all people who had not received the true teachings, so they only knew some basic cultivation techniques.

Living in the mortal world, they could enjoy life, but when their time came, they would still end up as a pile of bones.

Some of them had learned a few Daoist techniques and called themselves half-immortals, like those from Feixian Island.

In fact, among these techniques, very few could match the mysterious and bizarre nature of the God-Slaying Sword Canon.

This was because the true orthodox sects relied on something far greater than these minor techniques.

If it were the purple-clothed girl he encountered that day, she would be a true inheritor of the immortal teachings.

Since his arrival, Shen Lian had met many powerful people, but the one who truly left him in awe of the immortal path was that mysterious purple-clothed girl, whose status in Qingxuan was unknown.

The tavern owner had never shown his face, but the bartender from that day was quite resourceful and had provided him with some information.

Shen Lian's gaze fell on the end of the long street, where clouds and mist swirled, sometimes seeming very close and sometimes very far. It was said that this was the Cloud Prohibition, separating the immortal from the mortal.

People from Qingxuan could come and go, but outsiders could not enter unless under special circumstances.

Apart from the natural advantage of the town's residents, Qingxuan only accepted ten disciples every fifty years.

Among these people, there might not be a single one with the potential for immortality.

The path of immortality was extremely difficult, and it could not be described in a few words.

But no one wanted to give up this rare opportunity.

As the days passed, more and more new people came to the town.

Shen Lian methodically refined his inner qi, focused his mind, and adjusted his state, ready to face any changes.

Everyone knew that Qingxuan only accepted ten people, and there was a rumor, true or false, that if the first ten people to come for discipleship were truly destined, the Heart Path was just a way to eliminate those who did not belong among the ten.

If one could eliminate the other competitors before the mountain gate opened, leaving only ten people, there would be a good chance of being accepted.

Even if the rumor was not true, some would still try.

This was why the bartender said they were all people on the verge of death.

Shen Lian did not believe it, but some might.

The strategy of "two peaches to kill three warriors" often worked because it only required one person driven by greed.

For Shen Lian and others who were alone, they were the first choice for those people, as they were easier to bully.

However, those who came in groups were not necessarily united, and they were divided into several batches. Ten spots were not enough for them to share.

The people who could come here were not fools, even if they were driven by greed. With so many smart people, fewer were willing to do the work for others.

Thus, those who often took the lead were the reckless ones, not the so-called wise.

As the autumn wind blew, all things withered.

In his room at the tavern, Shen Lian felt a sharp killing intent.

He had expected it, but it was only now that someone came for him, indicating that they were not ordinary.

Since he arrived, strangers came to the town every day, but the total number of outsiders did not increase.

Because the number of new arrivals was less than those who died.

Shen Lian had unblocked his Ren and Du meridians, and his confidence and the depth of his aura made many people wary.

He was recognized as one of the top experts at the tavern, and a few could even identify his background.

Shen Lian did not feel intimidated by the surrounding threats, seeing it as a form of training.

His divine soul did not grow stronger, but he became more stable and less restless.

His inner qi became purer over the past month.

To outsiders, Shen Lian appeared aloof and proud.

Leaves began to fall in the courtyard, and the sound of heavy footsteps accompanied the rustling leaves.

It was not that the person could not walk silently, but doing so would create psychological pressure for Shen Lian.

There were not just one, but three sets of footsteps.

It was said that after reaching a high level in martial arts, one could identify the martial arts background and the depth of one's skills from a person's footsteps.

Shen Lian had limited knowledge of martial arts, and even with his exceptional sensitivity, he could not accurately determine the background of others.

However, he knew the background of these three people. Even if they did not share the same surname, they must be related to Feixian Island or Guiyun Manor.

This was because their inner cultivation was identical to Xiao Zhu's.

Thinking of Xiao Zhu, Shen Lian thought of Ye Liuyun, who did not come.

He had a feeling that Ye Liuyun would not come to Qingxuan.

Looking at this Qingxuan recruitment, there might be people with similar or even greater power than him and Ye Liuyun, but no one could match Ye Liuyun in temperament.

Shen Lian asked himself if he could have done better than Ye Liuyun if he had lost his legs as a child.

Hardship and adversity make a person strong.

The flower of success, people often admire its present brilliance, but at the beginning, its bud was soaked in the tears of struggle and the blood of sacrifice. This was something Shen Lian read in a poem by the great poet Bing Xin in his previous life, and Ye Liuyun made him truly understand the depth of this poem.

The door opened without the wind, and Shen Lian stood at the steps.

He sized up the three people who came, not focusing on their appearance.

"Shen Lian, return my cousin's life to me." The speaker had a face that was one-third similar to Xiao Zhu's.

Then, two flashes of cold light appeared as his two companions suddenly attacked.

One used a curved saber, and the other used a saber similar to a Tang saber, with a curve.

The curved saber was unpredictable, making it hard to defend against.

The curved Tang saber, however, was more lethal, with vicious and swift strikes.

The saber blades cut through the air, the cold aura almost blinding.

The faint saber light showed the depth of their skills.

Being under twenty and having such power was not due to their talent but because they received the best cultivation guidance and many supplements to strengthen their foundation.

However, these people had not experienced true trials of blood and fire.

Shen Lian reached out casually, as if to grab the blades barehanded.

The first speaker had not yet attacked, as he was looking for an opportunity, waiting for his companions to force Shen Lian into a corner before making his move.

His plan was well thought out, but things did not go as he wished.

In an instant, a flash of white light appeared, and no one knew what happened.

The saber blades did not meet Shen Lian's flesh but met each other.

Equally sharp and unstoppable, they both broke into two pieces.

Shen Lian so easily found their weaknesses.

Nothing in the world was without flaws, whether it was Daoist techniques or immortal techniques.

Seeing the flaws was one thing, but grasping them was another.

Shen Lian's keen eyesight and strength instilled fear and dread.

He did not kill the three people, not because he was weak, kind, or guilty about killing Xiao Zhu.

It was because they had already been punished.

For a cultivator, there was no harsher punishment than severing the tendons in their hands and destroying their dantian.

Life was precious, and Shen Lian would not easily take a life.

However, he would not be overly lenient and let them off easily. After all, if one repays kindness with kindness, how does one repay kindness? Therefore, he repaid them in kind.

Until the ninth day of the ninth month, no one else came to trouble Shen Lian.

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