Sweeping both worlds: Starting from idealistic martial arts

Chapter 299 First Entry into the Sword-Snatching Mountain

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, sparse sunlight shone over Liangzhou.

Mount Jiejian, as the only existing fourth-level major sect in Dayan, is shrouded in cold clouds and mist all year round.

The rugged mountain ridges are like thousands of inverted swords piercing the sky, and the waterfall plunges down the cliff into the cold pool with a roar.

To outsiders, this place is always shrouded in mystery, a sect entirely composed of women, which makes it irresistible to outsiders.

At this moment, on the steps leading to the mountainside, the young man, dressed in plain white, with an unwavering calm on his face, climbed the steps alone.

The mountain-encircling staircase, constructed of tens of thousands of bluestone sections that would seem unattainable to ordinary people, moved backward beneath the boy's feet.

He took steps with the normal pace of an ordinary person, leaping over dozens of obstacles in one stride, his figure constantly flashing and shifting on the steps.

In less than half an incense stick's time's journey, the boy saw the mountain gate of Jiejian Mountain, marked with sword scars.

"May I ask which senior brother has visited Sword Tribulation Mountain?"

A woman in white carrying a long sword stood in front of the mountain gate, her behavior behaving in accordance with the sect's etiquette.

But when she saw the boy enter, the woman's breathing slowed down involuntarily, and her mind went blank for a moment.

Where did I come from? Where am I going? What lies at the end of the world?
All the questions that arose from boredom while guarding the mountain gate were now forgotten.

In the woman's eyes, there were only the boy's eyes, shimmering with the luster of rubies, beneath his silver hair.

The mountain breeze ruffled her silver hair, and the earlobes that were faintly visible among the strands were even more translucent than Kunlun snow jade, complementing her ethereal and aloof features.

With just a fleeting glimpse, the girl was immediately transported back to the tranquil scene of herself lying on her back by the lake at the foot of the mountain when she was three years old, counting the stars in the sky as she fell asleep.

'My love tribulation... perhaps it has arrived... or perhaps I'm just dreaming while guarding the gate... maybe? It doesn't matter anymore?'

Fang Can looked at the girl in front of him, who was staring blankly into space, with a puzzled expression: "Senior Sister, Sect Leader Liu asked me to come to Jiejian Mountain. Please inform him."

The girl snapped out of her daze, gazed deeply at the boy, trying to imprint the handsome man before her into her mind, and then revealed a look of disappointment.

She recognized the boy's identity after watching Bai Xiaosheng's live stream, but this only deepened her despair.

She is only at the fifth level of the Profound Gate this year, and breaking through to the Heavenly Path seems a long way off with little hope. Meanwhile, the young man in front of her has already accomplished the feat of defeating four cultivators a few days ago.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the gap between the two will only widen.

She never expected to fall in love so soon after their first meeting.

'Such beauty deserves only the strong.' The female disciple glanced at Fang Can's figure with a hint of sarcasm: 'Such a beauty, I wonder whose bed she'll end up in? It's so unfair!'

Suppressing the rising regret in his heart, the disciple's face softened into a gentle smile:
“Junior Brother Fang, please come with me, I will lead you into the mountain.”

"Thank you very much, Senior Sister."

Fang Can followed the girl into the mountain. Because Jiejian Mountain had been neglecting external communication for many years, the gate was deserted, and only one disciple was sent to guard the mountain.

But once inside the sect, things get lively.

Soon after entering the mountain gate, Fang Can could hear the clanging of weapons and the laughter of young girls.

After turning a corner, you can see a group of female swordsmen dressed in matching white dresses chatting and sparring with each other.

Watching this scene from afar, Fang Can couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration; it was much better than Suxinzhai.

Both sects are composed of female cultivators, but Su Xin Zhai was filled with loud "oohs" as people approached. The contrast was stark; Su Xin Zhai was clearly superior. "This is the kind of female cultivation sect I've always dreamed of," Fang Can thought to himself. "Focusing on martial arts, not thinking about anything else."

As Fang Can and the female gatekeeper entered, they attracted the attention of the other disciples.

Lu Zhirui, who was focused on practicing her swordsmanship, frowned slightly.

She noticed that her senior sister, who was sparring with her, was unconsciously distracted, while one senior sister and junior sister after another around her held their breath and stared wide-eyed.

Only then did she notice that one of her junior sisters, who was on duty that day, had run over and said with a stern face:

"Junior Sister Yan, today is not the time for you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the girl unconsciously softened her breathing.

Then came the formulaic silver hair... ruby ​​eyes... aloof bone structure... a revolving lantern...

Seeing the expressions on her fellow disciples' faces, the young woman sighed softly and instinctively stepped in front of Fang Can, saying:
"Senior sisters, Junior Brother Fang has important matters to discuss with the Sect Master. He will be staying at Jiejian Mountain for a few days. I plan to take him to meet the Sect Master."

“That’s not appropriate…” Lu Zhirui subconsciously stopped him, “Your duty today is to guard the mountain gate. What if other people come? Wouldn’t that be neglecting your duty? So, Junior Brother Fang, let me take him there.”

Junior Sister Yan: '...Senior Sister, your meaning is a bit too obvious.'

But due to her duty, she could only sigh and say, "Then I thank you for guiding me, Senior Sister."

After two incense sticks had burned, the disciples went from outer disciples to inner disciples, then back to outer elders, and finally to inner elders.

The road wasn't very long, but after going through five or six different groups of disciples to guide him, Fang Can finally met Liu Qingmeng with the help of an inner sect elder.

Watching the elders leave reluctantly, Fang Can decided to take back his previous words. This Sword Tribulation Mountain seemed a bit strange.

"Greetings, Senior Liu." Fang Can greeted him respectfully with a junior's bow upon entering.

As she watched the young man enter the main hall, Liu Qingmeng subconsciously frowned.

The commotion that had just come up from the foot of the mountain was as clear as day to Si Zhuan.

She felt somewhat displeased with the behavior of this handsome but oblivious young man; it was simply a case of "cultivating purity within a chaotic sect."

The woman gently raised her head, and with a flick of her wrist, she condensed lightning into a white mask with lightning patterns, tossing it out, saying, "Be careful to conceal your face while traveling in the mountains these next few days."

"If you continue to flaunt your wealth like this, do you intend to marry off the entire Jiejian Mountain? This is not Suxinzhai, where you can play around as you please."

He gently caught the mask thrown to him, covered his face, and concealed his monstrous appearance.

Fang Can asked, "Senior Liu, where is Jiang Qian... Ning An? Since we're here, why haven't we seen her?"

Looking at the young man who addressed her disciple by his given name, a fleeting darkness crossed Liu Qingmeng's deep blue eyes, before she calmly said:

"Ning An is currently in seclusion, focusing all her efforts on breaking through to the fourth level. She may not be able to emerge from seclusion for the next three to five years."

'Is that so…' Fang Can subconsciously felt regret. The path of martial arts is long, and it is normal to be separated for long periods of time.

But for an 18-year-old, three to five years is far too long.

For someone who has cultivated to this level in just six months, it is difficult to empathize with how terrifying it is for other martial artists to break through to the fourth level in three to five years.

(End of this chapter)