Chapter 22 p1: The Destined-to-be-Abandoned Good-for-Nothing (2)
Sword Sect, Platform of Enlightenment.
This was the place where inner disciples of the Sword Sect practiced their swordsmanship daily. Located on the peak of Sword Mountain, it was built by the founding patriarch of the Sword Sect using a piece of the ancient divine artifact, the Sky-Mending Stone, to forge a simple stone platform on the steep peak. The center of the Platform of Enlightenment was a towering peak that emerged from the broken stone platform, surrounded by a circular platform.
The Platform of Enlightenment appeared vast, but it wasn’t. The howling mountain winds blowing up from the bottom of the peak alone could make ordinary disciples tremble in fear.
If one arrived late and only the edge of the platform remained, a moment of carelessness could lead to facing the bottomless abyss below, a true test of one’s mental fortitude.
The Platform of Enlightenment was particularly lively today.
Because Gui Mian, the disciple of the Jade Elder, who possessed an innate sword bone but couldn’t control her spiritual weapon due to her lack of emotions and could only wield an ordinary iron sword, usually practiced early in the morning. But today, she arrived extremely late, leaving very few empty spaces on the platform.
And less than fifteen minutes after she started practicing, she was forced to the edge of the platform by the flying spiritual swords of her fellow disciples.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to that spot, and the murderous intent in their originally fierce sword moves significantly decreased.
A few female disciples gathered nearby, frowning as they saw the slender figure being cornered. The leader was the eldest disciple under the Sword Sect Master, her features exceptionally heroic. She was about to move towards Gui Mian with her sword—
But another person grabbed her wrist, dissuading her: “Senior Sister Qiongying, let it go.”
Qiongying’s furrowed brows didn’t relax. She said coldly: “As fellow disciples, we should care for each other. It’s disgusting to see them bully the weak like this.”
She was referring to the few disciples who were intentionally or unintentionally forcing Gui Mian to the edge of the platform with their swords.
The person who advised her sighed. “It’s not the first time they’ve done this… If Senior Sister intervenes, it will inevitably escalate to the Sect Master, and in the end, it will just become another elders’ competition of protecting their own disciples. It’s fine for others, but our Jade Elder… Even though she has taken disciples, she always lets them fend for themselves and never stands up for them.”
“Even if Senior Sister helps Gui Mian this time, after the elders intervene, they will only be even more ruthless next time. Why bother causing trouble for our Master over such a small matter?”
The person who persuaded her was also a disciple of the Sect Master, sharing the same master as Qiongying. Seeing her about to intervene out of righteousness, she subconsciously analyzed the pros and cons, considering the consequences. Finally, she looked at Gui Mian with a complicated expression and whispered: “As long as… they don’t cause any fatalities.”
Qiongying tightened her grip on her sword hilt. She looked at Gui Mian’s plain clothes and the iron sword with a chipped blade in her hand. It was because of her appearance and behavior, so out of place among the inner disciples of the Sword Sect, that she was ostracized by others.
Thinking about how her own master cherished her disciples and how protective the other peak elders were, the Jade Elder of Mount Lingyu Seemed even more unusual. It was said that she had taken in seven or eight disciples over the past few hundred years. But she only accepted them and didn’t bother raising them, letting them grow like weeds. Even if they perished outside, she never intervened.
—If she didn’t want disciples, why bother accepting them? Why give people hope and then make them despair?
—
Not far away.
Two flying swords, one red and one blue, circled around the slender and thin figure, their blades emitting dazzling light.
But their power was more than just flashy appearances. Judging from Gui Mian’s tattered clothes and the strands of hair scattered on the platform, one could tell how sharp these two spiritual swords were.
“Clang…”
A crisp sound.
Gui Mian, seeing the trajectory of the two swords, drew her sword and blocked one of the incoming attacks.
But this was only a temporary solution. As expected, the moment the blades clashed, her own sword broke in half.
“Tsk, don’t tell me you think that scrap metal in your hand can compare to the treasured sword gifted by my master? Don’t overestimate yourself.”
A figure flew towards them on a sword. As he approached, he half-squatted, one hand on his knee, a wicked smile on his lips, his tone full of disdain.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the other person raised his hand and summoned the red flying sword to his side, echoing his words to Gui Mian: “Stop struggling. Just stand still and let us poke a few holes in you so we can test the power of our swords. Anyway, you’re insensitive and emotionless, you probably don’t even feel pain—we’re all fellow disciples, why don’t you do your seniors a favor?”
The girl, trapped at the edge of the platform by two flying swords, her back half a step away from the cliff, her clothes and hair fluttering in the mountain wind.
But her expression was exceptionally calm. She only tightened her grip on her broken sword, her doe-like eyes meeting theirs, her voice earnest and hoarse: “It hurts.”
She felt the pain from the wounds on her body.
However, the two senior brothers who heard her answer only exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. For a moment, the valley was filled with their echoing laughter.
“Hey, Senior Brother, do you believe her? She actually said she feels pain?”
The one holding the red flying sword leaned towards the other, asking with a chuckle. Without waiting for an answer, he stroked his chin and said to himself: “Anyway, I don’t believe it. Why don’t you let me strike her first? If she doesn’t roll on the ground in pain, I’ll consider it a lie—”
“Take this!”
The spiritual power in the red sword surged, its red glow intensifying. With such a level of charging, it was clear that it couldn’t be blocked with ordinary cultivation. Gui Mian was only at the Qi Refining stage, and she didn’t have any decent protective talismans on her. If she took this attack head-on, she would either die or be half-dead.
Moreover, behind her was the bottomless abyss of Sword Mountain. If a disciple with her level of cultivation fell, she would definitely be shattered to pieces, beyond redemption.
Qiongying, who was watching from the side, had already drawn her sword, determined to stop this nonsense no matter what!
According to her plan, her sword would perfectly intercept the red sword. As for the remaining blue sword, Gui Mian would have to deal with it herself.
But she didn’t expect that as soon as her sword flew out, the red sword suddenly accelerated in mid-air, instantly surpassing the trajectory of her interception.
The disciple standing aside with his hands tucked in his sleeves had anticipated her move. Seeing her miss, he couldn’t help but turn around and give her a smug smile.
“Ah!” Qiongying could only watch helplessly as the two swords charged towards Gui Mian with lightning speed.
The person standing at the edge of the platform also widened her eyes, trying to see the trajectory of the swords clearly. She didn’t retreat, raising the remaining half of her broken sword. Even cornered like this, she showed no sign of yielding.
The junior sister standing beside Qiongying stomped her foot hard, took out the communication bell from her waist, and shouted towards them: “Changqi, Changsheng, if you don’t stop, I’ll immediately report this to Master and let him decide!”
Hearing this, the two were indeed a little nervous, but their flying swords only hesitated for a moment in mid-air before continuing to fly forward. Changqi, standing on his sword, smiled even wider: “So what if you report to the Sect Master?”
“My flying sword is so fast, I can still catch her before she falls off the cliff—”
“Qiongying, don’t interfere.” At the same time.
A voice filled with urgency, but only one person could hear it:
[Host, please rescue the female protagonist on the Platform of Enlightenment within fifteen minutes! Failure penalty: Endure sixty-four bolts of celestial lightning within one hour.]
Su Mingxiu stood in front of her cave abode on Mount Lingyu, listening to the system’s fifth urging with an impassive expression.
This was the punishment for the five OOC points she had accumulated in the last world… In this world, to prevent her from exploiting loopholes, the system had not only issued an ultimate mission but also daily missions with penalties for failure.
It was conceivable that even if Su Mingxiu didn’t want to use Gui Mian, she might not have a choice now.
Soon, a strong wind blew across the Platform of Enlightenment, even stronger than the howling mountain wind, even swirling the clouds and mist in the valley.
All the disciples couldn’t help but close their eyes. When they opened them again, they saw a figure with an immortal air and a cold and elegant demeanor standing in front of Gui Mian.
The ink-colored robe swayed slightly in the wind, the shades of black, grey, and white flowing on the fabric as if alive. Those who stared at it felt a wave of dizziness, only to be awakened by two crisp “clangs.”
Two faint lights flashed and extinguished. The two previously powerful flying swords were now reduced to fragments, falling at the newcomer’s feet.
This sudden turn of events plunged the Platform of Enlightenment into silence.
The two senior brothers, Changqi and Changsheng, one landed on his sword in shock, the other subconsciously took two steps back, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Only a slightly hoarse voice came from behind them, calm and respectful: “Disciple greets Master.”
Then, Qiongying was the first to recover. She bowed and said: “Greetings, Elder Lingyu.”
The others woke up as if from a dream and followed suit, their voices echoing throughout the Sword Mountain valley.
The two disciples who had fallen also scrambled to their feet, their palms sweating coldly as they lowered their heads. They had never imagined the day when the Jade Elder would stand up for Gui Mian.
After all, everyone in the Sword Sect knew that the disciples of Mount Lingyu had the lowest status. Because the master of that mountain never cared about her disciples, making their lives worse than even outer disciples.
—Why had the Jade Elder changed her character today?
They stared at the shattered spiritual swords at her feet, their hearts filled with both pain and fear. After standing there for less than a moment, their bodies began to tremble.
But the person who had destroyed the swords didn’t even glance at them. Instead, she turned around and saw Gui Mian kneeling on the ground, her posture respectful. Her gaze swept over Gui Mian’s tattered clothes and the broken sword hilt in her hand. Su Mingxiu’s eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips.
After a while, she said softly: “Oh, it’s you.”
As if it took her a lot of effort to recognize the disciple she had taken in over ten years ago, dressed in rags like a beggar, thin as a bean sprout.
Everyone present was a cultivator, their senses sharp. No one missed her simple words.
Many secretly wiped the sweat from their foreheads and let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it seemed that the Jade Elder wasn’t standing up for Gui Mian. Otherwise, even those who were just watching the show would be implicated.
Then, some disciples remembered that today was a special day on the Platform of Enlightenment. The Sword Sect had some unwritten rules. For example, to help inner disciples improve their swordsmanship, the elders of each peak would take turns overseeing the platform. The nameplate would be changed every hundred years, and during their tenure, disciples were allowed to challenge them—
Today happened to be the day for changing the supervising elder.
Sure enough, the Jade Elder soon formed a sword seal with her hand. Sword energy shot towards the towering black mountain rock in the center of the platform, creating a metallic clang. A golden light suddenly emerged from the black rock, absorbing the sword energy and transforming into the characters “Lingyu” in seal script before disappearing back into the rock.
For the next hundred years, any disciple who wanted to challenge the Jade Elder could simply strike the rock with their sword to schedule a duel.
After changing the nameplate, Su Mingxiu disappeared from the platform, not even glancing at Gui Mian again, as if she had never been there. Only the shattered fragments of the flying sword that had accidentally hit her robe remained as evidence.
The pressure that had been weighing down on the Platform of Enlightenment disappeared, and the disciples raised their sweaty heads. Qiongying looked at Gui Mian with a complicated expression, as if wanting to comfort her, but ultimately remained silent.
She felt that she had been overthinking it. This Jade Elder was still the same as before, cold and unfeeling.
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