Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 309 Reward
The character "地" (di) is 21, and the courtyard is made of bamboo.

"Om-"

Sword energy surged and rippled, causing bamboo leaves to flutter in the courtyard.

Xiao Ju was wielding her flying sword, engaged in a fierce battle with a man in black robes.

The black-robed cultivator wore a hideous and terrifying ancient Nuo mask, on which was a black talisman with gold characters.

With a flick of his sword finger, several sword shadows coalesced, swirling and tumbling around the black-robed cultivator, glaring menacingly.

This is the starting stance of the Cloud Sword.

The black-robed cultivator remained calm and unmoved. Every movement he made was extremely small, always narrowly avoiding the sword energy attacks.

The two exchanged blows, fighting with great enthusiasm.

The fierce battle is raging here.

On the other side of the courtyard, however, lies a completely different, leisurely scene.

"Two thousand...seven hundred..."

"Two thousand eight hundred?"

Song Yan lay on a bamboo recliner, basking in the sun, holding an ancient book in his hand, casually flipping through it.

Snake Baby was sitting on him, playing with the mechanical doll that Little Ju had given her.

This reclining chair was made by Song Yan some time ago when he was recuperating, using some spiritual bamboo from the courtyard, imitating Granny Qin's reclining chair.

It's so comfortable lying down.

No wonder my mother-in-law likes lying on this thing so much.

"Anyway, it was around three thousand years ago..."

Song Yan looked at the contents of the ancient book, pondered for a long time, and decided to stop worrying about it.

Let's say it's around three thousand years ago.

Since refining the Soul Nourishing Pill, I have focused on cultivating my soul, and it is rare to have such a leisurely time.

He would often go to the inner and outer gates' libraries to search for information about the ancient immortal dynasty.

However, there are still not many relevant classical texts that can be found.

I had to ask my friend Sun Zhengfu before I could find this book, and the content it mentioned was somewhat relevant.

Based on its contents, the ancient immortal dynasty was active about three thousand years ago.

Moreover, the last and most prosperous immortal dynasty was the Immortal Qin.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the rapid disappearance of sword cultivators in the human world occurred within the last two or three thousand years.

"The Immortal Qin Dynasty has swept across the eastern border regions and is showing signs of becoming the second largest immortal dynasty after the Tang Dynasty in the Central Region."

Then it was quickly destroyed.

This ancient book doesn't record much actual history; most of it consists of anecdotes and stories about the Immortal Dynasty.

Perhaps only books like this can be passed down through generations.

A short story in an ancient book caught Song Yan's attention.

Long ago in the ancient Chu Kingdom, there was an ordinary cultivator named Bian He. While cultivating in the mountains, he accidentally encountered a very strange bird.

The divine bird was covered in colorful feathers, much like the legendary phoenix.

The divine bird flew across the sky, landed in the forest, and perched on a blue stone.

According to a folk legend in the Chu Kingdom at the time, the phoenix would not land on a place without treasure, so Bian He believed that this piece of blue stone was a treasure and presented it to the King of Chu of the Celestial Dynasty.

However, the treasure appraisers in the royal palace at the time did not recognize this treasure and said it was just an ordinary stone.

The King of Chu was furious and, on charges of deceiving the king, had Bian He's left leg cut off.

A few years later, he still didn't believe in superstitions and sought an audience with the King of Chu again, presenting him with a blue stone.

It was still identified as an ordinary stone, and its right leg was cut off.

Many years later, the former king retired and a new king ascended the throne.

Bian He wanted to present the treasure, but he was worried that he would die in the palace. So he sat at the foot of Jing Mountain with the blue stone in his arms and cried for three days and three nights until his tears ran dry and blood tears flowed from his eyes.

Someone asked him why he was crying so sadly.

Bian He said, "What pains me is not that my feet were cut off, but that this precious treasure was regarded as an ordinary stone."

"My cultivation level is too low to identify and use it. It's such a pity that such a treasure cannot be used by my Great Chu Immortal Dynasty!"

Somehow, this matter reached the ears of the King of Chu, so he sent someone to bring Bian He into the palace and ordered the weapon refiners to carefully work on splitting the stone.

Sure enough, he obtained a flawless piece of jade from it and ordered the craftsmen to carve it into a jade disc.

To commemorate Bian He's discovery, people named it...

"The He Shi Bi jade..."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow. He knew a thing or two about the story of the He Shi Bi jade in his previous life.

However, this only applies to the story of returning the jade intact to Zhao.

Upon arriving in this world of immortals, perhaps some changes have occurred; who knows?

Few people know the exact effects of this ancient jade treasure; the ancient books only record its origin and whereabouts.

Ancient books say that the He Shi Bi jade later somehow appeared in the Zhao state of the Xian Dynasty, and then fell into the hands of the King of Qin when the Xian Dynasty attacked Zhao.

The Qin Dynasty at that time had always admired the saying "a jade disc is auspicious and a symbol of great fortune," so the King of Qin ordered people to polish the He Shi Bi jade disc, intending to use it as the imperial seal of the state.

This Imperial Seal was not completed until the Qin Dynasty unified the eastern border regions.

Legend has it that during the process of polishing and carving the national seal, there were some scraps of ancient jade.

It was also slightly polished and regarded as a treasure by the King of Qin, who bestowed it upon the most accomplished general of the time.

Upon seeing this, Song Yan's heart stirred.

He took out the ancient jade from the Immortal Qin Dynasty from his Qiankun bag.

"No way……"

As Song Yan watched, he couldn't help but laugh.

That should be right, the general who received the award is almost certainly Bai Qi.

Cultivating immortality is great; I can even touch the He Shi Bi jade with my own hands.

Although it's only a part, and it's not very useful.

But this feeling is also quite wonderful.

According to Bai Qi, this item has the effect of suppressing the evil aura of soldiers, so he obviously has no use for it.

But to give such a precious jade to Gou Sheng would be a terrible waste.

Wild boars can't eat fine bran, so Song Yan ultimately decided to keep it for himself.

"Om-!"

Just then, the battle in the courtyard reached its most critical moment. Xiao Ju's body surged with sword energy, and three sword shadows shot towards the black-robed masked cultivator.

The black-robed cultivator twisted his body strangely, dodging the sword shadows, and pressed forward.

Although Xiao Ju possessed the Lingyun Yi movement technique, this change was too sudden, causing her to lose her composure and stagger a few steps.

Once he regained his footing, a pair of iron fists with black, wrapped hands were already standing in front of him.

"call--"

The black-robed cultivator dispersed his power and slowly withdrew his stance.

Xiao Ju slowly stood up and bowed to the black-robed cultivator: "Thank you, Uncle-Master Xu, for showing mercy..."

The black-robed monk remained silent.

"Yes, Not Bad."

With a snap, Song Yan closed the ancient book and put it back into his Qiankun bag.

"I'm quite proficient with the Cloud Sword, but my movement techniques are relatively weaker."

"However, just take it one step at a time. Once you advance to the late stage of Qi Refining, you can choose a simple sword formation to practice, depending on the situation."

"With your expertise in formations, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance."

During this time, Song Yan was recuperating his spirit, and Xiao Ju would occasionally come to him for guidance. He took the opportunity to have Xiao Ju spar with the Void Demon.

On one hand, Xiao Ju is about to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining and go down the mountain to travel.

I can take this opportunity to share some practical experience.

On the other hand, it also allows the illusory demon to quickly become familiar with manipulating the demonic flame body.

Song Yan concealed the illusory Heavenly Demon completely.

Not only did he put on a mask, but he also had Xiao Ju sew him a complete set of Taoist robes and hand wraps that could slightly hinder divine sense probing.

Hopefully, no one will be ungrateful.

The talismans on the mask were just something Song Yan casually stuck on while pretending to be a ghost.

After all, he told Xiao Ju that this was one of his puppet servants, so he had to at least make it look convincing. For Xiao Ju, having such an opponent to hone her swordsmanship was perfect.

The opponent was his master's puppet servant, and with his meager cultivation, he couldn't harm the opponent in the slightest.

We can exert our full efforts.

In just a few months, she felt that her sword control skills had improved considerably.

Just then, the sound of bells tolling came from Dragon Head Mountain.

"Oh? It's time."

Xiao He jumped off Song Yan's body, placed the mechanical doll under a bamboo tree in the courtyard, and then transformed into a small snake and slithered into his sleeve.

The illusory demon was then retrieved by Song Yan and its form dissipated.

"Perfect timing, let's go together."

Song Yan waved to Xiao Ju and led her to Dragon Head Peak.

Today is a special day. The sect leader, in conjunction with the elders' council, is going to reward the disciples who have made contributions in the battles against the Demon Ruins.

If all goes well, Song Yan will also receive a reward.

As disciples of Bamo Peak, the requirements for many tasks on the front lines are much higher than those for ordinary cultivators.

Dragon Head Peak stands majestically, and although there are no special regulations prohibiting flying, no one dares to fly over the sect leader's head.

The sword light subsided, and the aura dissipated.

Song Yan ascended the steps, with Xiao Ju following closely behind.

Many fellow disciples had also arrived nearby, walking in twos and threes, discussing the matter of the rewards.

Many of the cultivators recognized Song Yan and greeted him.

"Senior Brother Song!"

A crisp, cheerful shout came from behind.

"Senior Brother Song! Wait for me!"

Song Yan turned around and saw a delicate figure in a pale yellow dress.

It turns out to be little Gu Qingqing.

Several years have passed in the blink of an eye. Junior Sister Qingqing has grown quite a bit, her figure is beginning to show the slenderness of a young girl, and her face has lost some of its childishness, but she is still full of liveliness.

"Wow, Junior Sister Qingqing, you've made quite a bit of progress. It seems you've been cultivating diligently and having many fortuitous encounters over the years."

Gu Qingqing felt a little embarrassed by the praise and scratched her cheek, "Hehe, no way~"

Speaking of which, Junior Sister Qingqing has made great progress over the years, and has also gained some experience in the Demon Ruins battlefield.

Although he has only just advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining, he is already preparing for Foundation Establishment in advance.

"With a solid foundation, success will come naturally. While opportunities are important, the fundamental thing is still one's own accumulation of knowledge and skills; one must not be impatient."

As Song Yan walked, he began to lecture.

"I know, Senior Brother Song is talking like an old man now."

"Okay, okay, I'll tell Xiao Ju."

We chatted along the way, and on the road near Zhoutianping, we even ran into Li Yi.

The group took their seats together.

Longshou Mountain, Zhoutianping.

Sect Master Chen Linyuan sat in the center on the platform in front of the altar, with several peak masters and elders sitting on either side.

The disciples from each peak lined up in order on the square.

Everyone held their breath and remained completely silent.

After the grand sacrificial ceremony concluded, Luo Xiaming, the peak master of Wipe Sword Peak, holding a shimmering jade slip, rose and walked to the front of the platform.

"The Demon Ruins are causing chaos and widespread suffering. We, the disciples of Dongyuan, must fight against the demons and protect the immortal path."

"Today, at the Demon-Slaying Ceremony, those who have made contributions should be recognized and rewarded by the sect."

"Disciples whose names are called, come forward to receive your reward."

Although Luo Xiaming was decisive in his words and actions and had a serious appearance, his expression was very gentle.

He said with a smile, "This time, it's the Sect Master himself who bestowed these rewards upon you."

Luo Xiaming began reading out the long list of names and their corresponding merits and rewards.

Among them were cultivators who provided support on the front lines of the Red Maple Plains, as well as disciples who made contributions in the rear defense lines and in the mopping-up squads.

The rewards vary, mostly consisting of spirit stones, pills, talismans, magical artifacts, and even some precious cultivation manuals.

“Wang Renming, a disciple of Bamo Peak.”

When his name was called, Senior Brother Wang walked seriously up to the altar.

"Seven Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators were killed in battle, and three demonic ruins were wiped out in coordination."

"Is bestowed with five Fusion Pills, one thousand spirit stones, one thousand sect contribution points, and three months of cultivation in the Lesser Heaven Realm."

The rewards bestowed by the sect certainly have value.

But in reality, for a true disciple like Wang Renming, these things are not precious; he can get them if he wants them.

The most precious thing is actually the reward for cultivating in the Lesser Heaven Realm.

The spiritual energy in the Lesser Heaven is abundant, and the cultivation effect is far superior to that in the outside world.

Moreover, as a true disciple, Wang Renming naturally knew that it represented much more than just cultivating within it.

The sect leader will intervene and provide guidance on cultivation.

The value of guidance from a Golden Core cultivator is self-evident.

However, such an honor is naturally reserved for only a few disciples.

"Song Yan, a disciple of Bamo Peak."

When Song Yan's name was called, many people looked at him, and a subtle commotion clearly arose in the square.

Whether it was the sword strike in the clouds on Dragon Pool Mountain or the outstanding performance in the subsequent battle against the demonic cultivators, it was all captivating.

"Sixteen Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Demonic Ruins have been killed in battle; two Demonic Ruins cultivator outposts have been wiped out; and resistance has been strengthened..."

Luo Xia recounted each point in detail.

Although the disciples knew how terrifying Song Yan was, they were still unconsciously shocked when they saw his meritorious achievements listed one by one.

Wang Renming scoffed and said to Yu Nanxi, who had just received her reward, "What a beast..."

Is it really that easy to kill a cultivator of the same level?
Even though these few true disciples considered themselves the cream of the crop, they still fought their way through those Demonic Ruins cultivators of the same realm one battle at a time, with solid, hard-fought victories.

Of course I know how difficult it is.

But when it came to Song Yan, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary.

"I will bestow upon you five Fusion Pills, one thousand spirit stones, one thousand sect contribution points, six months of cultivation in the forbidden area, and one mid-grade spiritual weapon."

A mid-grade spiritual weapon?
Everyone was whispering to each other.

In fact, a mid-grade spiritual weapon is a very precious thing.

Aside from sect disciples, most Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the sect cannot obtain any decent magic artifacts.

Not to mention magical artifacts.

However, the disciples and cultivators below the stage did not react with much surprise.

Given Song Yan's record, it seems there's nothing to it.

On the contrary, Song Yan stepped out from the crowd, while feeling surprised.

A mid-grade spiritual weapon!?

It should be understood that without unleashing his sword intent, even his natal flying sword, Bu Xi Zhou, would only possess the power of a low-grade spiritual weapon after his constant nurturing.

Song Yan had actually seen many magical artifacts, the earliest being Fellow Daoist Cong Yuzhen of the Sheyang Sect.

Later, it was the Buddhist cultivator Yuanzhen from the Central Region, and those few people from the Xuan Yuan Sect.

But either they break it themselves, or they can't be openly robbed.

Looking at it this way, it's clear that the Xuan Yuan Sect is truly wealthy.

Amidst countless gazes filled with either admiration or envy, he steadily ascended the altar.

He received a Qiankun bag from the sect leader, Chen Linyuan.

Chen Linyuan looked at the young man in front of him and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Sect Master."

The awarding of prizes continues, with outstanding disciples from each peak going on stage to receive their rewards.

Among them were many names familiar to Song Yan, such as Li Qingfeng and Lin Qing.

Near the end, Luo Xiaming called out his last name.

"Lianyou Peak, Qin Ying."

(End of this chapter)