“Disciple Qingran beseeches the heavens for mercy, to extend its benevolent protection, to drive away all calamities, and to bless my master with safety.”
The next morning, Li Qingran bathed and burned incense as usual, bowing three times towards the sky to pray for her master’s well-being.
She then boarded a crane sent by Senior Sister Zhaole to head to the Sword Pavilion sect plaza.
She had always been punctual, never arriving late if she could help it, and thought she was one of the earlier disciples to arrive. However, upon reaching the sect plaza, she froze at the sight of it being packed to the brim. The rooftops, ancient pines, and even the tips of bamboo shoots were filled with Sword Pavilion disciples in various positions—standing, sitting, lying down, or cross-legged. The better the view, the more people there were.
Clang!
A sudden sound of sword clashing pierced through the air as a beam of sword light shot up from the crowd ahead.
Soon after, sounds of battle erupted.
“Move aside! This spot is mine!”
“Who says it’s yours? I say it’s mine!”
“I placed my flying sword here to secure my spot!”
“What do I care about that?!”
The intense sounds of sword fighting echoed high into the sky.
None of the surrounding Sword Pavilion disciples seemed inclined to stop the fight; instead, they watched with great interest, even discussing who might win.
“Young sister, you should come even earlier next time.”
A person landed on a bamboo shoot beside her, none other than Xu An, who had given her the immortal wine yesterday.
“Senior Brother Xu.” Li Qingran quickly bowed in greeting.
“No need to be formal.” Xu An held a gourd of wine, his eyes slightly glazed with intoxication. “The early morning lessons are very important. They are where the elders gather to solve cultivation issues and where the direct disciples share their cultivation and combat experiences. After the morning lesson, each peak’s disciples will return to their respective peaks under the guidance of their elders to continue their sword cultivation.”
“So that’s how it is…” Li Qingran nodded, somewhat bewildered.
The teaching methods of the Sword Pavilion were vastly different from those of the Bluecloud Sect, seemingly more environmentally friendly.
“Therefore, it’s essential to arrive early to secure a spot. Sometimes, direct disciples compete with each other, so the closer to the front, the more details one can see, which is beneficial for both cultivation and sword combat.” Xu An seemed increasingly intoxicated, swaying on the bamboo shoot, but no matter how much he swayed, his feet remained firmly planted.
“But, Senior Brother, it seems you arrived quite late too.”
“Me?” Xu An waved indifferently. “No one dares to take my spot. The frontmost spots are reserved for the top three direct disciples from each peak. If you want them, you have to defeat us first.”
It appeared the sword duel ahead had concluded.
A Sword Pavilion disciple cursed and climbed onto a nearby rooftop, pushing another disciple who had chosen a spot ahead, taking his place.
Dong—dong—dong—
Distant mountains echoed with a distant, ethereal bell ringing nine times, and the entire plaza fell silent instantly.
“The early lesson is about to start.” Xu An’s expression turned serious, his drunkenness vanishing. “Young sister, I’m heading up front. Goodbye~”
As he spoke, Li Qingran blinked, and Xu An had vanished from her sight, leaving only the bamboo swaying slightly.
…
Throughout the early lesson, Li Qingran listened intently.
The elders of the Sword Pavilion did not simply impart their experiences; due to the vast difference in cultivation levels, many pieces of knowledge were incomprehensible to lower-level disciples.
Therefore, the elders broke down this knowledge into segments suitable for various cultivation levels, ensuring that every disciple could understand.
This approach also allowed disciples to gain an early understanding of higher-level knowledge without affecting their current cultivation.
Li Qingran couldn’t help but recall her time at the Bluecloud Sect.
When Qingxuan Daoist taught the Red Cloud Technique, he merely recited the mantra and left her to figure out the rest.
Translating the mantra into understandable words took her considerable effort.
After the lesson, all disciples left under the guidance of their respective elders.
Li Qingran didn’t leave immediately. She circled the small plaza.
Finally, she found Sword Pavilion Leader Su Qinian sleeping soundly under an ancient pine tree.
“Master, this junior has something to report!”
Li Qingran bowed under the pine tree, but there was no response.
She looked up and saw that this sword cultivator, who had reached the late stage of the Core Formation realm, was sleeping without any caution!
“Master?”
“Junior Sister, shouting like that won’t wake him up,” Su Qinian suddenly appeared beside her, smiling mischievously. “Even if an enemy’s murderous intent can be sensed from a hundred miles away, within the Sword Pavilion, no matter how close you get to him, he will still sleep.”
She rummaged through her storage bag and pulled out a bronze disk and a mallet.
She raised an eyebrow at Li Qingran. “Today, I’ll teach you how to wake up our sleeping Master.”
Li Qingran’s face changed. “Senior Sister, this, this isn’t appropriate, is it?”
She already knew what Su Qinian intended to do, and it was disrespectful!
Such actions would result in expulsion from the Bluecloud Sect!
“It’s fine.” Su Qinian leaped onto the tree and placed the disk over Su Qinian’s head, swinging the mallet in a large arc.
Bang—!!!
Li Qingran closed her eyes in fright.
When the echoes faded, she opened her eyes to find Su Qinian already sitting up, his face black and his muscles twitching.
Su Qinian, the instigator, had already disappeared.
Oh no!
Li Qingran quickly bowed and explained, “Master, it wasn’t me just now. It was…”
She gritted her teeth, ultimately deciding not to betray her senior sister.
Let the Master guess.
She closed her eyes and said despondently, “Junior’s eyes got something in them, so I saw nothing.”
“Heh! You think I don’t know it was that stinky girl who hit him?” Su Qinian clenched his fists in anger. “That brat is getting more and more mischievous. I’ll make her clean the excrement of the sect guardian beast later!”
“Oh? That’s good then.” Li Qingran sighed in relief.
Cleaning the excrement of the sect guardian beast wasn’t much of a punishment.
She had done it many times before, just a bit smelly.
Unexpectedly, Su Qinian’s expression changed, and a sinister smile spread across his lips.
“Hehehe! So it was that stinky girl, huh? Hehehe! Good! She did well! Hehehe…”
Li Qingran was stunned.
She hadn’t expected the leader to be tricking her.
Inadvertently, she had betrayed her senior sister?
Li Qingran lowered her head, clasped her hands together, and looked apologetic and remorseful.
[Senior Sister, I’m sorry QAQ, Master is too cunning!]
“There’s no need to pray for that stinky girl; she’s done for.” Su Qinian descended from the pine tree and stood before Li Qingran, straightening his robe. “But why did you seek me out?”
Li Qingran steadied herself and bowed deeply.
“Leader, my master, the Grand Elder surnamed Chen, is currently battling a great demon. He mentioned he was poisoned and fears his life is in danger. Thinking he is a Grand Elder of the Sword Pavilion, I felt it was necessary to inform you.”
My master, the Grand Elder of the Sword Pavilion, is poisoned?
What?!
Su Qinian’s mouth twitched.
Wait, this is real?
