The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 432 The Free and Unfettered Sect is full of talented people!

The establishment of Xiaoyao Manor took only a little over six months.

At such a rapid pace, Xu Xingchen had already consumed almost all of the dozen or so boxes of gold and silver jewelry he had begged from various bandits and outlaws.

As the skilled craftsmen and laborers stood outside the valley, looking back at the expansive mountain villa—with its pavilions and towers, winding streams and bridges, artificial hills and verandas, and interconnected corridors—it was grand and majestic, yet also possessed the exquisite charm of a traditional garden.
I felt both pride as a builder and envy and jealousy for not being its owner.

Fortunately, their master's generosity and efficiency quickly brought them back to their senses. One by one, they received their wages from those ruffians and happily went down the mountain.

Although they have been busy and extremely hardworking for the past six months, the money they have earned is enough for them to live on for a year, which is a pretty good business!

During this time, some people wanted to volunteer to the owner of the manor to stay and work as servants who swept the courtyard, cooks in the kitchen, or even send their daughters to work as maids.

Xu Xingchen rejected all of these requests to his face!

Since his manor is named Xiaoyao (逍遥), he will inevitably be drawn into the dangerous struggles of the Xiaoyao Sect in the future.

Why leave those people in the villa when they might just lose their lives someday?

From the start of construction in March to the end in September, the weather in Suzhou remained hot and humid, just like in summer!

Xu Xingchen removed the restraints from those ruffians, rewarded them with a large sum of money, and then let them go.

Standing in front of the villa's gate, I admired the tall, long, snow-white walls and the blue tiles above them.

Even through the high walls, one can still see the undulating eaves and brackets inside, which tells one how tall and spacious the buildings are.

The gate of the villa resembles a memorial archway, with three large red-lacquered doors with copper tenons, arranged in a straight line, which looks very impressive.

Above the gate of the courtyard is a large plaque that is about three zhang long and seven cun thick.

The top is completely blank, with no inscription.

Xu Xingchen walked to the foot of the plaque, looked up and examined it for a moment, smiled gently, and said, "This manor is really well-built; if I could stay in this world forever, this place could be my home; it's just a pity, it's just a pity."

With a sigh, he raised his arm, and a black and white magnetic ring shot out, flying through the air for a few seconds before rushing to the plaque. Sparks flew and splintered wood chips as it tumbled and swirled past.

Once the Yuan Magnetic Ring flew back into Xu Xingchen's palm, the flames that had ignited on the plaque due to intense friction quickly went out, revealing several large, charred characters, three inches deep into the plaque and resembling gilded gold.

"Big Fish Manor!"

In the right corner of these four large characters, there are two characters, “逍遥” (Xiaoyao), which are in a significantly smaller font size.

Xu Xingchen's actions reflect some inner conflict.

He wanted to get involved in the affairs of the Free and Unfettered Sect, but he didn't want to get himself deeply involved.

In his heart, although the members of the Free and Unfettered Sect were all highly skilled in martial arts and unparalleled in the world, he, Xu Xingchen, had traversed several worlds and was the best in the world, so he was never inferior to them.
In short: the Free and Unfettered Sect is not qualified to accept him as a disciple!

After writing the final name on the villa, Xu Xingchen laughed heartily, pushed open the central courtyard gate, and strode inside.

three days later.

Madam Wang of Mantuo Manor, accompanied by her daughter Wang Yuyan, paid a visit to Xu Xingchen, the owner of Dayu Manor.

When they saw the four large characters "Dayu Mountain Villa" on the gate of the villa, they couldn't help but be stunned and somewhat puzzled.

Xu Xingchen opened the side door to welcome them in, and they took their seats in the main hall.

The servants brought by Madam Wang placed loads of congratulatory gifts in a corner of the hall, then turned and left.

Xu Xingchen personally brought over a tea tray and placed two cups of tea on the table next to Madam Wang and Wang Yuyan.

The two removed their straw hats, revealing one mature and the other young and beautiful faces.

Madam Wang's gaze swept across the spacious and bright hall, finally landing on Xu Xingchen at the head of the table. Her tone was much calmer than when they last met: "Master Xu, such a large manor, yet there are no servants to sweep, dust, water flowers, or cook?"
Now, you even have to personally serve us tea and water? Doesn't that seem a bit troublesome?

Xu Xingchen took a sip of tea from the white porcelain teacup and said with a smile, "This place is newly built and I haven't had time to recruit servants or maids yet."

Besides, my Xiaoyao Sect has many grudges and feuds, and conflicts are bound to occur frequently in the future.

Moreover, those people are all ruthless and arrogant. If they were to recruit servants and maids, they would probably not survive more than a few days before they had to be replaced.

Since that's the case, why should I bother with all this trouble?

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and her expression turned solemn as she said, "Judging from your words, could it be that the struggle within the Free and Unfettered Sect is extremely fierce?" Xu Xingchen nodded and said, "Not only fierce, but those guys are also among the most skilled in martial arts, renowned for their prowess; if I told you, it would terrify you!"

Wang Yuyan, who was sipping her tea, looked at Xu Xingchen with curiosity, thinking to herself, "This Master Xu of the Xiaoyao Sect speaks so suddenly and his temperament is rather unreliable."

Madam Wang let out a cold laugh: "Oh, is there anything in this world more powerful than the Murong family's reputation for 'using their own methods against them'?"

She has lived at the bottom of Jianhu Palace in Wuliang Mountain since she was a child.

Because of Wuya Zi's disappearance, her mother, Li Qiushui, wished she could kill all the members of the Xiaoyao Sect in the world. Therefore, she never mentioned anything about the Xiaoyao Sect in front of her.

Later, after leaving the Sword Lake Palace in Wuliang Mountain, the top figures they came into contact with were Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Zhennan of the Dali Duan Clan, or Murong Bo, who inspired awe and fear throughout the world.

In Madam Wang's mind, her lover Duan Zhengchun might be slightly inferior in martial arts, but his family background in martial arts, including the One-Finger Divine Skill and the Six Meridian Divine Sword, made him a force to be reckoned with.

Murong Bo, on the other hand, was a peerless master who was renowned throughout the world. He was a top figure in the martial arts world, and there were very few people who could compare with him.

That's why she said those words.

Xu Xingchen said in a serious tone, "Although Murong Bo is powerful, in the Xiaoyao Sect, no one's martial arts skills and reputation are inferior to his; that is, except for you, Madam."

A hint of displeasure flashed across Madam Wang's face as she frowned and said, "If you're going to talk about the Free and Unfettered Sect, then talk about the Free and Unfettered Sect. Why drag me into this comparison? What's the meaning of this?"

"Besides, you say that every member of the Free and Unfettered Sect is no less capable than Murong Bo. I'd like to ask you, what are their surnames? What are their given names? What titles do they have in the martial arts world?"

Xu Xingchen's gaze lingered on Madam Wang's face for a moment before shifting to Wang Yuyan, who was as beautiful and stunning as a budding flower. He shook his head and sighed softly, "Madam Wang, as the daughter of Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, it's one thing that your martial arts are mediocre, but why does your daughter not possess even a trace of martial arts?"

Before the two could refute him, he continued, "Madam Wang, the reason I brought you into this comparison is because you are related to my Xiaoyao Sect in some way; most importantly, you want to know about your parents."

"Do you know that once you learn about your parents, you will inevitably step into that terrible vortex? One wrong move and you will be dead, your body never to be found."

"So, knowing the situation is extremely dangerous, do you still want to know about your parents?"

"Master Xu, why are you spreading such alarmist rumors and scaring my daughter and me?" Madam Wang's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she said coldly, "I really don't believe that just inquiring about my parents' whereabouts would be in mortal danger."

"Today, the four major families of the Murong clan will not be present. If Master Xu has something to say, please speak freely."

Xu Xingchen looked at Madam Wang's stubborn and indifferent face, and after a long while, sighed: "Your temper and personality are quite similar to your mother Li Qiushui's; well, since you are prepared, I will tell you about your parents!"

Xu Xingchen looked up at the Wang family servants who were hiding far away outside the door, and only after confirming that they could not hear the sound inside did she slowly speak.

The founder of the Free and Unfettered Sect was Xiaoyaozi, who had four great disciples.

"Senior Sister Wu Xingyun cultivates the martial art 'Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies, I Alone Am Supreme Technique'."

"She resides year-round at the Lingjiu Palace in the Tianshan Mountains, and is revered in the martial arts world as the Tianshan Child Granny. She commands thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands, with tens of thousands of martial artists under her command, making her the most powerful figure in the martial arts world."

Upon hearing Xu Xingchen's introduction of the first successor of the Xiaoyao Sect, Madam Wang's expression changed drastically, and even her heartbeat slowed down involuntarily.

She had long heard of the formidable reputation of the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny, the Palace Master of the Heavenly Mountain Lingjiu Palace.

Because the Lingjiu Palace in Tianshan is too far from the Central Plains, many martial arts practitioners do not take it seriously, even though they have heard of it for a long time.

Madam Wang never expected that the first successor of the Xiaoyao Sect she had heard of would have such a illustrious reputation and such immense power, which made her tremble with fear and feel somewhat shocked.

Wang Yuyan had been living in Mantuo Manor for a long time. Although she had read all the martial arts in the world in Langhuan Jade Cave, she had never heard of the name of Tianshan Lingjiu Palace. Therefore, she was only surprised by the great power under Tianshan Tonglao and the powerful and domineering name of the divine skill she cultivated.

Xu Xingchen continued speaking.
"Second Senior Brother: Wuyazi, who is also your father; he is the current leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, and the martial art he practices is the Beiming Divine Art, a technique that is mysterious and profound beyond imagination."

"Unfortunately, he mistreated his disciples, leading to his own betrayal and fall off a cliff. Now, he can only fake his death to escape and eke out a living in the shadows."

Madam Wang's expression changed again, and she cried out excitedly, "What? You're saying my father was ambushed and killed by his disciple, and could only fake his death to escape?"

"So, this is why he didn't return to Wuliang Mountain to see my mother and me back then?"

"Who is it? Who exactly is that villain who killed my father?"

Xu Xingchen looked at Madam Wang, whose expression had become agitated, and calmly said, "Your father's apprentice is named Ding Chunqiu."

"He founded the Xingxiu Sect in the Western Regions, calling himself the Xingxiu Old Immortal; he mastered a set of insidious martial arts, among which the 'Dissolving Power Technique' was particularly famous throughout the world, causing fear and trembling among the people."

Madam Wang's body trembled violently, and her originally stubborn and agitated face turned even paler.

His eyes revealed shock and horror.
(End of this chapter)