Ten Thousand Sword Masters

The man in the yellow robe suddenly stopped clapping his hand in the air.

He thought of his past self. He had passed the initial selection but failed the final one. In the end, he knelt before the selectors, weeping and pleading, which won his sympathy and made him an attendant to the examiners. Later, through hard work, he eventually became a disciple of the Five Grains God Sect.

Looking at Zhong Yang's current expression, he felt as if he were seeing his younger self, and his heart softened for a moment. At the same time, he weighed the purse that Zhong Yang had stuffed into his hand with his left hand.

"Never mind." The man in the yellow robe sighed. "The sect doesn't explicitly state that those born in the year of the dragon cannot pass the selection, but you have absolutely no chance of passing the final selection." As he spoke, he took out a brush and wrote the two characters "Zhong Yang" in the booklet.

"Thank you, senior!"

Fifty people passed the final selection, but there were only three disciple spots. Upon hearing this, Zhong Yang thought to himself, "This ten thousand gold coins is a sure thing. Jiang Yi's daughter can't possibly be so powerful as to make it into the top three."

However, to avoid any unforeseen complications, Zhong Yang still needed to figure out how to take Jiang Xianxian away.

The fifty people were arranged in a valley of the Five Grains God Sect. They had to pay for food and lodging. Zhong Yang paid for a private room.

Before the final selection, there will be thirty days of doctrinal instruction. Zhong Yang guessed that this was probably brainwashing, to make these fifty people full of respect for the Five Grains God Cult, so that even if they were not selected, they would not complain about the Five Grains God Cult. These people can be considered as seeds sown, which may be useful someday.

It's quite expensive. The rice from the Five Grains Cult is a special variety that is difficult to grow and extremely expensive. Their vegetables are also exceptional, and ordinary people simply can't afford them.

In just five days, one person withdrew from the selection process.

"Brother Guo, what a pity." Guo Yang was the one who withdrew from the selection because he had no money, and Zhong Yang saw him off.

Guo Yang shook his head dejectedly, "The poor study literature while the rich practice martial arts. The path of cultivation is not one that a poor person like me can take."

Zhong Yang could certainly lend money to Guo Yang, but he wouldn't do such a thing. He and the Five Grains Divine Cult would have a conflict sooner or later, and there was no reason for him to transport outstanding disciples to the Five Grains Divine Cult.

"I wonder what your plans are for the future, Brother Guo?" Zhong Yang asked.

Guo Yang sighed, "What other plans do I have? I'm only at the second level of Body Refinement. I can either go to Dazu City Academy to study for a while, or join some small martial arts sects."

Zhong Yang was waiting for this very sentence: "To be honest, Brother Guo, my family also comes from a small sect. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to make an introduction."

Guo Yang was overjoyed. He was just a poor man with a bleak future. Now that Zhong Yang had made the introduction, things would be better. He hurriedly thanked him.

Zhong Yang took out a letter he had prepared beforehand. "Take this letter to Kaitian Valley and find a man named Guan He. He will make arrangements for you."

"Kaitian Valley?"

"It's the original Burial Valley of Swords."

Guo Yang took the silver given to him by Zhong Yang and left happily. Zhong Yang was also secretly pleased, and he really hoped that there would be a few more people like Guo Yang.

Just as Zhong Yang was feeling pleased, a clear voice came from behind him, "Zhong Yang is doing a great business."

Zhong Yang turned around and saw that the person speaking was Jiang Xianxian, who was dressed as a man and had changed her name to Jiang Hua.

Jiang Xianxian walked to Zhong Yang's side and said, "I see that you are a wealthy man, Brother Zhong. You can lend money to Guo Yang so that he can get through these thirty days and participate in the final selection."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed that Jiang Xianxian had seen through his thoughts, Zhong Yang said, "Brother Jiang, if you are short of money, I am willing to help you out."

Jiang Xianxian smiled upon hearing this, but it was a rather unsettling smile.

Zhong Yang thought to himself that most of the people who participated in the selection guessed that Jiang Xianxian was disguised as a man, but no one actually knew the truth.

After exchanging a few playful words with Jiang Xianxian, Zhong Yang headed towards Wolf Ape Peak in Wugu Mountain after they parted ways.

From the summit of Wolf Ape Peak, one can clearly see the entire terrain and architectural layout of the Five Grains Cult. This is a rare opportunity, and Zhong Yang naturally wants to seize it to deepen his understanding of the Five Grains Cult.

Just as he turned the corner of the mountain path, three people suddenly appeared.

One of them, dressed in a black robe, had a gloomy face.

"Zhong Yang, I've warned you several times, why are you still chatting and laughing with Jiang Hua?" This man was named Chen Kun, a member of the Chen family of Dazu City. The Chen family was a renowned family of physicians.

Chen Kun discovers that Jiang Hua, also known as Jiang Xianxian, is a woman disguised as a man, and is incredibly charming, and falls in love with her. He later discovers that Zhong Yang is always getting close to Jiang Hua, which greatly displeases him, and he has already warned him several times.

Zhong Yang raised an eyebrow. This Chen Kun really didn't know what was good for him. Did he think that the Chen family could do anything to Zhong Yang?

Seeing that Zhong Yang remained silent, Chen Kun immediately became furious. "There are some people you can't get close to. A person should know their place."

Chen Kun was furious, his hands clenched into fists, as if a spark could ignite the fire of anger within him.

"Who I associate with is none of your business?" Zhong Yang hadn't said anything the last few times, but this time, he couldn't take it anymore. This Chen Kun was just going on and on.

Seeing Zhong Yang's sarcastic remarks, Chen Kun's expression turned cold. "I can't teach you? I'm going to teach you right now."

As Chen Kun spoke, he threw a punch at Zhong Yang. The two men behind him looked embarrassed. These two were from somewhat poor families, and with Chen Kun acting as their older brother, they covered most of the expenses.

But this didn't mean the two were willing to act as Chen Kun's henchmen. Besides, Chen Kun was being completely unreasonable, so the two could only stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Chen Kun threw a punch at Zhong Yang, who snorted coldly. Perhaps it was because he had been in the Nanjiang Sect for so long that his heart had become increasingly ruthless.

puff!

Chen Kun's fist was aimed at Zhong Yang's head. Just as the fist arrived, Zhong Yang calmly waved his hand, revealing a small knife in his hand. With a soft "thud," the knife pierced through Chen Kun's palm.

"what!"

Chen Kun immediately screamed in pain, knelt on the ground, and tightly gripped his right wrist with his left hand.

The other two were stunned, their mouths agape. They never expected Zhong Yang to carry a knife, let alone that he would stab Chen Kun without hesitation. Wasn't he afraid of being pursued by the Five Grains Cult?

Zhong Yang was not afraid. Ever since he bribed the man in the yellow robe to pass the selection, he had communicated with the man in the yellow robe many times. During the conversation, he learned that in the previous assessments, many disciples had plotted against each other and died several times. He had only injured Chen Kun, which was a trivial matter.

Zhong Yang glanced at Chen Kun, then strode forward, only to be stopped by the two men following Chen Kun.

"What, you two want to spar with me too?" Zhong Yang looked at the two men, who quickly lowered their heads.

Zhong Yang continued walking, and the two hurriedly stepped aside.

As Zhong Yang walked between the two men, one of them spoke up: "Brother Zhong, Brother Chen is injured. Shouldn't we take him to get medical treatment?"

Without replying, Zhong Yang took a few steps and then turned back. "As the ancients said, 'One may have small ambitions, but one should not lack spirit.' As men, how can we be stingy? If you two don't have enough money, you can borrow from me."

After saying that, he strode away, leaving the two blushing. The two were embarrassed for a moment, but quickly helped Chen Kun up and left.

"What is a true cultivator?" Jiang Chengzi asked. He was in charge of instructing the Five Grains God Sect on its doctrines, but at this moment, he asked a question that had nothing to do with the Five Grains God Sect's doctrines.

Jiang Chengzi was somewhat special. He did not complete the blood transfusion, but he became a true disciple of the Five Grains God Sect. The reason was that he had an innovative understanding of the sect's doctrines. Moreover, Jiang Chengzi was a person who was well-versed in all schools of thought.

"In my life, I have seen too many cultivators. Some cultivate for fame, fortune, status, power, or beauty. But when I was thirty-one, I met a cultivator and asked him why he cultivated. He said, 'For immortality.' Ten years later, I met another cultivator who said, 'For peace.'" Jiang Chengzi said as he walked.

"I often wonder, what is the purpose of cultivation, and what kind of person can be called a cultivator?" Jiang Chengzi said, looking at the group of people.

"Teacher, I think that only those who establish a moral compass for heaven and earth can be respectfully called cultivators," a boy stood up and said.

Jiang Chengzi nodded. "What's your name?"

"Xiao Ye," Xiao Ye said proudly.

After a long silence, Jiang Xianxian stood up. "Teacher, I think it's about establishing a life for the people."

Jiang Chengzi looked at Jiang Xianxian with satisfaction. He felt that the answers from both of them had exceeded his expectations.

Zhong Yang was late. He walked into the lecture room with his head down and was about to sit down.

"The student who came in," Jiang Chengzi pointed to Zhong Yang.

Zhong Yang had just bent down when he immediately stood up straight again, realizing something was wrong. Jiang Xianxian also turned to look at him, a smile of anticipation on her face.

"Student, I just asked everyone what a true cultivator is, and two students gave very good answers, but I feel something was missing. These two students answered 'to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, and to establish a destiny for the people.' Do you have any other answers?"

Hearing Jiang Chengzi's question, Zhong Yang felt very embarrassed. How should he answer it?

He remained silent in thought, and as time passed, small chuckles broke out among the seated crowd.

"To continue the lost learning of all sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

Zhong Yang's voice was very soft, yet it was like thunder from the heavens, resounding in everyone's ears.

Jiang Chengzi stared at Zhong Yang in shock, finding it hard to believe that such a mind-blowing answer would come from him.

Xiao Ye was stunned. He thought his answer was already quite profound, but he never expected that Zhong Yang, who usually kept a low profile, would say such a resounding statement.

Jiang Xianxian stared blankly at Zhong Yang, somewhat lost in thought. She knew Zhong Yang was approaching her, and she wasn't repulsed; in fact, she felt a little delighted. But she didn't know Zhong Yang well, nor had she considered a deeper relationship. And now, this seemingly ordinary person, who seemed to be trying hard to get close to her, uttered a sentence that struck her as incredibly domineering.

Her mind wandered, and her face flushed slightly.

Seeing that no one reacted, and that they seemed to be looking at him like he was an idiot, Zhong Yang stared at the two men who had originally been with Chen Kun. He glared at them fiercely, saying, "Others laugh at me, but they don't know how ruthless I am. Do you two want to taste my knife?"

Chen Kun, stabbed by Zhong Yang, had a gloomy face and his head down. He felt a surge of blood welling up in his chest. Why could Zhong Yang say such a thing? Why? He was furious!

"What's your name?" Jiang Chengzi asked, his tone tinged with respect, as he snapped out of his daze.

"Zhong Yang".

"Very well! If you don't pass this selection, you can come and serve under me as a disciple. You will learn everything that a disciple of the Five Grains Divine Sect should learn."

Hearing this, Zhong Yang knew that his answer was not bad, and the way everyone looked at him changed from shock to envy.

Zhong Yang calmly nodded to those who were looking at him as a greeting, then touched his chin with a smug look.

"You're quite bold to stab Chen Kun. But I didn't expect you to say something so domineering," said Jiang Xianxian, who was standing next to Zhong Yang.

With the final selection date approaching, Zhong Yang's relationship with Jiang Xianxian remained lukewarm, and he couldn't figure out how to take her away. The only idea he had was to secretly sabotage Jiang Xianxian during the selection process to ensure she wouldn't make it into the top three.

"Why did you come to participate in the selection?" Zhong Yang asked.

Jiang Xianxian blinked. "I want to become the cultivator you mentioned. Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore. Actually, I find it too boring at home. I want to become a disciple of the Five Grains Divine Sect and then go back in glory."

Zhong Yang really wanted to tell her that everyone could tell she was a woman disguised as a man, and that female disciples in the Five Grains Cult were treated like playthings.

In the end, he didn't say it aloud. Regardless of whether Jiang Xianxian believed him or not, this was, after all, the location of the Five Grains Divine Cult. Openly revealing his purpose would be detrimental to the future development of the Nanjiang Sect. After all, he was still the venerable leader of the Nanjiang Sect.

At night, Zhong Yang finished reading, put down a book called "The History of the Five Grains Divine Arts", washed up, and slowly fell asleep.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Since joining the Nanjiang Sect, he had become much more alert.

He instantly summoned a wind eagle, leaped onto it, and saw three two-headed centipedes swarm into his room. The three centipedes entered his room, climbed onto his bed, searched around for a while, and then quickly retreated.

Riding the wind eagle, I followed the centipede from a distance, and saw the centipede enter a room.

"What? The centipedes are back so quickly?" Chen Kun said to the person next to him in surprise when he saw the three centipedes return.

The man smiled and said, "My centipede is highly poisonous; just one bite will kill Zhong Yang."

Hearing this, Chen Kun became happy, "Good, good, as long as I see Zhong Yang's body tomorrow, I will send you 20,000 gold coins."

"No problem, no problem."

Chen Kun happily walked out of the room and headed towards his own room.

Zhong Yang rode his Wind Eagle, following far behind. As soon as Chen Kun stepped into the darkness, the Wind Eagle swooped down and with a single sword strike, Chen Kun's head fell to the ground.

They returned to the room and flew high above it.

Early in the morning, a man walked out of the room. He stretched his body and tilted his head back.

puff!

A sword descended from the sky, piercing through his head, blood gushing out. The man stared at Zhong Yang in disbelief before collapsing to the ground.

The three centipedes, now out of their owner's control, instantly attacked the man's corpse and began sucking his blood.

With a hiss, three swords slashed, and three centipedes met their demise.

"Have you heard? Chen Kun and Yang Wei are dead."

"Their deaths were so gruesome. Chen Kun's head was severed, and Yang Wei's body was pierced straight through his head. Oh my, it scared me to death."

Today is the last day of Jiang Chengzi's teaching. The final selection will be held in three days. But at this critical juncture, two people have died.

The two men who had been following Chen Kun glanced at Zhong Yang from time to time, their faces pale.

"Cough cough~"

A man entered the lecture room; it was the yellow-robed man whom Zhong Yang had bribed earlier. "Everyone be careful lately. A demonic cultivator has infiltrated our sect and killed Chen Kun and Yang Wei."

The moment the words left his mouth, the crowd panicked.

"Silence. Do not be afraid. The mountain-protecting formation has been activated, and the demonic cultivators cannot enter. The final selection will be held in three days. I hope you can all calm down before then," the man in the yellow robe said, warning everyone not to make any more moves.

He and the higher-ups of the Five Grains Cult believed that the deaths of Chen Kun and Yang Wei were caused by a fight between the students.

The Five Grains God Cult believes in the supremacy of the strong, regardless of means; those who survive are those who gather the fortune of heaven and earth.

They can ignore this kind of fighting, but they shouldn't condone it either; it's better to have fewer deaths and injuries.

Three days later was the day of the selection. Zhong Yang bribed the man in the yellow robe again and learned about the selection process.

The selection process consists of three stages. The first stage involves slaying demonic beasts and obtaining their demon cores, with each core representing one prize.

The second level is a quick memorization guide. After passing the first level and reaching the designated location, you will find relevant books. Quickly read and memorize them before answering the questions.

The third level is the Blood Transfusion Illusion. Participants will be trapped in an illusion where a blood transfusion will be simulated. The first person to complete this level will receive the highest score.

The top three scorers from the three rounds will be selected.

After learning the procedure, Zhong Yang pondered how to ensure Jiang Xianxian's ranking was outside the top three. Of the three rounds, the second round was the most likely to differentiate scores, as it included not only the score for answering the questions but also the score for completing them quickly. In short, the faster and more accurate the answers, the higher the score, and the more likely one was to be ranked higher.

Unfortunately, after getting to know Jiang Xianxian over this period of time, I realized that she has an exceptional memory, capable of remembering everything she sees.

The third level can't be used to harm anyone, so it seems the only thing to do is work hard on the first level. Thinking of this, Zhong Yang smiled, already having a plan in mind.

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.