I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 373 Lingxu Sword Sect (Seeking monthly votes)

Jiang Yi left a flying sword for Hong Li to deliver a message, and then led the demons away.

As children grow up, they will eventually leave home, and Jiang Yi hopes that she will return home in glory someday.

Jiang Yi, dressed in green, carried a sword and a gourd at her waist, embarking on her own path.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Qing Shi City behind, she strolled leisurely toward Ling Xu Sword Sect.

The Kunwu Mountains stretch for tens of thousands of miles from west to east, with the Lingxu Sword Sect in the west, the Qingwei Sword Sect in the middle, and the Taichu Sword Sect in the east.

If it weren't for the Qingwei Sword Sect, a sect that rarely intervenes in matters, mediating between the Lingxu Sword Sect and the Taichu Sword Sect, whose sword cultivators disliked each other, they would have been fighting each other long ago.

Sunlight filters through the dense foliage, casting dappled patterns of light on the mountain path.

The air was crisp and clear, and the mountain breeze carried the moist scent of pine trees and undried dew.

There was no one around, only the chirping of birds and insects in the forest kept her company.

Jiang Yi, on the contrary, felt... quite comfortable.

She abandoned the monks' method of traveling, calmed down, and felt the hardship of the mountain path with her feet firmly on the ground.

After walking for about an hour, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A towering peak, shaped like a sharp sword pointing straight to the sky, appeared before us. The peak was shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding a majestic and sharp aura. The architectural complex with flying eaves and corners was faintly visible.

This is the location of the Lingxu Sword Sect's mountain gate.

The mountain gate wasn't the solemn and imposing archway I had imagined; instead, it had a certain...

Perfunctory, casual, and lacking in sophistication.

Two particularly thick stone pillars, jaggedly cut by a sword, stand on either side of the mountain path leading up the mountain, one lower and one higher, one thicker and one thinner.

The stone pillar on the right is inscribed with 'Ling Zong', and the stone pillar on the left is inscribed with 'Xu Jian'.

What is this reading order?
Jiang Yi frowned, scratching her head as she looked back at the road she had come from. She shouldn't have... gone the wrong way, right?
This feels like a pirated sect.
Whose sect has such a poor and shabby gate? And the inscription... is hard to judge.

Jiang Yi scanned his surroundings, searching for the gatekeeper disciples.

Behind the stone pillar on the left, two young male disciples in the Qi Refining stage leaned crookedly against the tree.

One of them sat with his legs crossed, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and closed his eyes to rest.

The other one was tense all over, sitting cross-legged in mid-air. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that a sword was stuck straight into the ground under his buttocks, and he was sitting precariously on the top of the sword hilt.

Jiang Yi tilted his head back, curious about the point of support the young disciple was using while sitting cross-legged. He couldn't help but wonder, if the disciple relaxed his breath and slumped down, would he...?

"cough!"

Whoops!

Jiang Yi coughed, and the young disciple indeed fell down, thankfully, he fell to his side.

The two men stood up abruptly, and after seeing Jiang Yi clearly, they walked over with a respectful and proper demeanor.

"Sir, may I ask if you are visiting relatives or friends?"

"I have come to report to the sect."

Jiang Yi raised her hand, and her sleeve slipped down, revealing the mark on the back of her hand.

The two men widened their eyes in surprise. Jiang Yi had no sword aura on him, so they thought he wasn't a sword cultivator. But this sign of passing the trial couldn't be wrong. The two men quickly made way for Jiang Yi and told him that if he went straight up this mountain path, he would reach the largest internal affairs hall of the Lingxu Sword Sect.

Jiang Yi nodded and passed between the two stone pillars. She thought there would be some kind of formation, but after passing through, her vision suddenly opened up, and then she saw a magnificent architectural complex that was so impressive that it dazzled her.

As it turned out... they really were just two worthless stone pillars! There was no formation, no sudden enlightenment, just a very primitive and wild mountain landscape.

Well, if she went up from here, she wouldn't be surprised even if she saw three dilapidated houses resembling the Imperial Household Department.

The steps were built haphazardly, as if someone had blindfolded them and carved them randomly, resulting in uneven surfaces.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and leaped up, finally stepping onto the mountaintop platform. The sight before her made her pause.

"Really... three large brick houses! Lingxu Sword Sect, are you poor, lazy, or both?!"

A bare cobblestone square stretched out haphazardly, crisscrossed with cracks, its potholes filled with the previous day's rainwater, and there wasn't a single tree to provide shade, let alone any flowers or plants to adorn it.

At the end of the square stood three large, gray, tiled houses with mottled, crumbling walls and crooked, dilapidated roofs.

A wooden plaque hangs perfunctorily above the door, with the three characters "Neiwutang" written in a messy hand, as if scribbled on.

The window paper was torn and let in drafts, and with people coming and going, no one bothered to close the door properly.

This is less a Taoist temple and more a temporary refuge for refugees.

However, the disciples of Lingxu Sword Sect ignored the dilapidated environment and busied themselves among the various 'patched-up buildings'.

Under the scorching sun, Jiang Yi felt her throat was a little dry. She wondered if it was too late for her to go back to the inn for a drink of water and then join the Taichu Sword Sect.

But the way back is quite far. Since we're already here, let's just leave it at that. My master seems to be having a good time here.

Jiang Yi steeled herself and headed towards the Refugee Hall—no, the Internal Affairs Hall—where she saw a very conspicuous notice on the outer earthen wall.

Do not damage sect facilities. You cannot afford to pay for it. If you can, it's alright, the Internal Affairs Hall will increase the compensation amount.

Jiang Yi's forehead twitched. Is this kind of thing supposed to be written so bluntly?
So, is it because this place is constantly being damaged that it's given up and no longer needs repairs?
Jiang Yi's appearance attracted the attention of passing sword cultivators. Besides the fact that Jiang Yi was quite good-looking, the more important reason was that Jiang Yi was dressed very neatly and cleanly, which made her stand out from the other sword cultivators around her.

"Seeing this real person, and the new disciple who came a couple of days ago, reminds me of when I first joined the sect."

"Yes, our clothes were just as clean back then, without any tears."

Alas! The past is too painful to recall!

Jiang Yi left the sigh behind, went inside to find someone, explained her purpose, and completed the procedures for joining the clan.

The person who received Jiang Yi was a male sword cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. After setting up Jiang Yi's identity token, he cautiously asked a question.

"Master Crane Shadow...you don't cultivate the ruthless sword path, do you?"

"Why do you ask this?"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator deftly retrieved a thick booklet from under the counter. "These are the sect's rules. You can take a look when you have time."

Just then, a gust of wind blew in, opening the booklet's cover. Jiang Yi saw that the first rule of the clan was...

[The Ruthless Sword Path does not require killing one's wife, husband, mother, father, son, daughter, or entire family. Not even a chicken can be killed. If you violate this rule, the Punishment Hall will deliver a devastating blow, guaranteed to satisfy you.]

Jiang Yi picked up the booklet and turned to another page.

[It is forbidden to use 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to One' to steal another's flying sword within the sect. To learn this move, travel 30,000 miles to the east.]

Thirty thousand miles to the east, isn't that where the Taichu Sword Sect's mountain gate is located?
The Lingxu Sword Sect's targeting of the Taichu Sword Sect is far too blatant.

"Master Crane Shadow, I wonder which sword pavilion you plan to join next, so I can give you a heads-up."

The Foundation Establishment cultivator inquired again, and then briefly introduced the ten sword pavilions of the Lingxu Sword Sect. Each sword pavilion has a Nascent Soul stage cultivator as its pavilion master, representing the ten major schools of the Lingxu Sword Sect.

　see you tomorrow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)