A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Sword-Forging Servant and Ascending to Immorta

Zhang Qian raised his head.

"Who?"

The trusted aide did not immediately give his name, but first looked around.

The courtyard gate was closed tightly, and the array was activated, so the conversation inside could not be heard from outside.

But he still kept his voice very low.

"Third Elder, Liu Quan."

Upon hearing this name, Zhang Qian stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

Another trusted confidant was also taken aback.

"The Third Elder is in seclusion most of the year and rarely interferes in the affairs of the peak. He doesn't even concern himself with the cultivation of his personal disciples. To bother him with something as trivial as Zhou Lingxuan is probably..."

"Shut up."

The person who spoke first glared at his companion.

"You only see that the Third Elder doesn't handle things, haven't you heard about his old feud with Chen Baichuan?"

Zhang Qian squinted his eyes.

"The Third Elder and Chen Baichuan are indeed at odds. But no one in the peak has dared to mention the reasons behind it."

"Senior brother, this happened a long time ago, and most of us disciples of this generation are unaware of it. I only heard about it a few years ago when I was taking inventory of the old storehouses for Master, and the two retired deacons mentioned it over drinks."

Explain yourself.

The trusted aide pulled up a chair, but didn't dare sit down, instead leaning forward slightly.

"Back then, the Third Elder had just entered the Golden Core stage and was in need of a natal flying sword that matched his sword technique. In order to forge the sword, he collected materials for many years and even obtained an extremely rare main material from elsewhere."

"At that time, Chen Baichuan had already made a name for himself in the Weapon Forging Hall, and his weapon forging skills were highly valued by the sect. The Third Elder then brought the materials and personally visited Chen Baichuan to ask him to help."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qian's brows gradually furrowed.

"Did Chen Baichuan answer?"

"I accepted it."

The trusted aide nodded.

"It is said that the two had a fairly good relationship at the time. Chen Baichuan also attached great importance to that forging, and went into seclusion for several months before handing the flying sword over to the Third Elder."

"When the flying sword was first forged, its grade, sharpness, and spiritual energy circulation were all perfect. The Third Elder was very satisfied after testing it, and Chen Baichuan also recognized it as one of his best works at the time."

"But then something happened."

Zhang Qian raised his hand.

"continue."

"Not long after the flying sword was forged, our sect had an important duel with another sect. The one who went into battle that time was the Third Elder."

"Both sides were of similar cultivation levels, and their swordsmanship was also quite even. In the end, the battle came down to the harmony between the natal flying sword and the cultivator. The Third Elder initially had the upper hand, but during the final exchange, the spiritual energy within his sword suddenly stagnated."

"In just that one moment, the sword's momentum was broken."

"The opponent seized the opportunity and turned the tables on the spot. The Third Elder not only lost the bet, but his foundation was also damaged by the sword energy. He had to recuperate for a long time before he could emerge from seclusion."

Another confidant was stunned by what he heard.

"Is there really a problem with the sword that Chen Baichuan forged?"

"Afterwards, the Third Elder had someone disassemble the flying sword and discovered a very fine old wound inside the blade. That old wound was hidden deep within the main material and normally had no effect, but once the spiritual power was pushed to its limit, it would cause a brief pause."

"So, who's really responsible for this?"

"I can't explain it."

The man shook his head.

"The main material was brought by the Third Elder. Chen Baichuan inspected it back then but didn't find any problems. If we're only talking about responsibility, we could say the material itself was damaged, or we could say the weapon refiner didn't inspect the material properly."

"After losing the bet, the Third Elder went directly to the Weaponry Hall, demanding an explanation from Chen Baichuan. I, your senior brother, have seen Chen Baichuan's temper today. He's willing to admit his mistakes, but admitting to mistakes that aren't his own is harder than killing him."

"I heard the two of them had a huge argument on the spot."

Zhang Qian took over the conversation.

"Chen Baichuan believes the flaws stem from the materials, while Elder Liu argues that since the weapon refiner received payment, they should investigate all potential problems."

"right."

The trusted confidant quickly responded.

"Everyone thinks they are in the right. The Third Elder destroyed the natal flying sword in public, while Chen Baichuan returned all the payment and declared that he would never again accept private weapon-forging commissions from anyone at Dijian Peak."

"From then on, the two elders never had any private contact with each other again."

"The outer disciples are unaware of this matter, and none of the deacons in the peak dare to mention it. But the older generation all understand that the Third Elder's inability to advance further in recent years is inextricably linked to that injury."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Zhang Qian did not speak immediately.

If this old grudge were merely a quarrel, it might not be enough to shake Chen Baichuan's protection of Zhou Lingxuan.

But Liu Quan lost the sect duel, lost face, and damaged his foundation.

The more complicated part is that the truth of this matter has not yet been determined.

Chen Baichuan denied it.

Liu Quan will not give up either.

Any incriminating evidence related to Chen Baichuan would carry more weight when presented to Liu Quan.

Zhang Qian sat down in the chair again.

"From which two old deacons did you hear about this?"

The confidant named two people.

Zhang Qian thought for a while and remembered the two men.

Both of them had stayed at Dijian Peak for over a hundred years and had indeed experienced that period.

Have they mentioned it to anyone else?

"After I sobered up, the two old deacons came to me and warned me not to tell anyone. I haven't mentioned it to anyone in the past few years. It was only today, when I saw Chen Baichuan standing up for Zhou Lingxuan, that I remembered this matter."

"very good."

Zhang Qian finally showed some satisfaction.

"I'll keep these words to myself today."

"Don't worry, senior brother."

The trusted aide bowed in agreement, then tentatively added a sentence.

"As long as we tell the Third Elder about this, he will definitely not stand idly by and let Chen Baichuan extend his reach into the outer sect. At that time, we won't need to show our faces, and Zhou Lingxuan's position as manager will naturally be in jeopardy."

The other person also realized what was happening.

"Senior brother is indeed wise. If we deal with Zhou Lingxuan, we will attract Chen Baichuan's attention. But if the Third Elder takes action, then it will be a matter between the two elders."

Zhang Qian glanced at the two of them.

"When did I say I wanted to deal with Zhou Lingxuan?"

Both trusted confidants fell silent.

Whether Zhou Lingxuan can become the steward of the abandoned hall has nothing to do with me.

Zhang Qian straightened his cuffs, his tone becoming calm.

"Chen Baichuan, relying on the power of the Weaponry Hall, forcibly interfered with the appointment of outer disciples and violated the sect's rules. As the eldest disciple of Earth Sword Peak, I naturally had to report this to the elders upon discovering it."

"As for how the elders should handle it, that's their decision."

The confidant who had initially proposed the idea immediately changed his mind.

"Senior brother is right. This matter concerns the sect rules and is by no means a personal grudge."

Zhang Qian stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles on his robe.

"You two stay here."

"Senior brother, shall we go now?"

"The longer this matter is delayed, the easier it is for it to reach the ears of the other elders."

Zhang Qian went into the inner room, changed out of the casual clothes he had worn when he went to the affairs office, and took out the formal robes of the core disciples of Earth Sword Peak.

He unfastened the sword from his waist, replaced it with a plain-colored belt, and hung the jade talisman symbolizing his status as the eldest disciple on the outside.

Being too casual would be disrespectful to the Third Elder.

Being overly serious might make people think he was prepared in advance.

Zhang Qian examined himself in the bronze mirror several times, and only after confirming that he could not find any problems did he come out of the inner room.