On the grass in front of the bamboo hut, Qin Yun was using a tree branch as a sword to cultivate one of the three best skills of the Zhou Mountain Sword Sect, Frost Sword Chart.
“Chi! Chi! Chi!”
Dazzling sword flashes created misty frost. A layer of ice began appearing on the ground as it encroached outwards. It was quite ridiculous to see a freezing sheet of ice in the bright spring sun.
The more Qin Yun practiced, the more delighted he became.
“Impressive! The Frost Sword Chart’s basic sword technique—Three Thousand Frost Sword— is a sword technique with the most robust foundations I have ever seen. As long as I follow the prescribed order and arduously cultivate in it, reaching the Seamless realm is a certainty.” Qin Yun was rather astonished. “A basic sword technique that ensures one reaches the Seamless realm. In my homeworld, I’m deemed the best sword immortal in the world but even I cannot create something like this! But the generations of geniuses in this world have placed all their efforts on close combat skills. They have already created a system that is a lot more brilliant than my homeworld’s.”
Qin Yun was filled with joy.
The Frost Sword Chart’s basic sword technique, Three Thousand Frost Sword, had already benefited Qin Yun greatly. He could study and dissect the sword technique from a different angle.
“Each world has its advantages.”
“In ancient times, the moves might have been crude but it was easier to become a Godfiend. They had powerful souls as well. Cultivation was fast. I managed to gain insights into my Sword Dao within ten years. I perfected my Sword Dao in fifty years,” thought Qin Yun. “But this world, having existed for so long, has gaps in its known history. Immortals are already a legend. Divine powers and Dharma spells are already lost heritages. All of them research close combat techniques. As a result, the close combat techniques have reached an amazing stage through the cumulative wisdom of countless experts.”
“This is what I need to learn.”
Qin Yun learned many things from the Frost Sword Chart so he was naturally eager to learn more.
…
As a peerless sword immortal who had grasped Sword Dao, Qin Yun only needed half a day to fully dissect the Three Thousand Frost Sword. He absorbed the wisdom within and fused it into the Misty Rain Sword before cultivating the sword technique in the second volume of the Frost Sword Chart.
“The second volume of the Frost Sword Chart, Iceheart Sword Art.”
The first volume led straight to the Paramount realm.
When this sword art was cultivated to the Paramount realm, it would be called the Iceheart Paramount realm. Upon mastering it, one’s heart would be as still as an ice mirror. It could reflect all things and as such, perfectly see through the flaws in an enemy’s attacks. One could take the initiative and rapidly defeat their enemy.
Although Qin Yun was a sword immortal that had grasped Sword Dao and he had a total of nine Paramount realms contained within his Sword Dao, it lacked the Iceheart Paramount realm. Logically speaking, grasping a new Paramount realm was very difficult.
But when he truly began cultivating, Qin Yun found that everything flowed smoothly.
“How odd.”
“I feel that my mind in this world is especially calm and gentle.” Qin Yun was perplexed. “In the last world, my body was filled with bloodlust. The immense killing intent constantly tormented me. But in this world… it’s the opposite. I’m extremely calm. Even though I have discovered a sword art that revolutionizes my understanding, I remain composed when I should be very happy.”
The state of having his mind as still as water was naturally beneficial for cultivating. But if he constantly felt that way, the loss of his passion, anger, and strong emotions could be quite a problem.
“It feels like I have become an accomplished monk.” Qin Yun shook his head and chuckled. “In Meng Yiqiu’s memories, he was never in such a state or he would not have been so mesmerized by Fairy Gong. In my previous life, Wing was also very normal. After I descended into that world, I was constantly tormented by the bloodlust. In this world, it’s the complete opposite. I’m especially calm and gentle after descending into this world.”
After practicing for a while.
“I’ve… mastered it?” Qin Yun was astonished.
In just an hour, Qin Yun had grasped a new Paramount realm, Iceheart.
“I managed to grasp the Iceheart Paramount realm in such a short period of time. It seems that my mind in this world is especially suited for the Iceheart Paramount realm,” thought Qin Yun.
…
The Frost Sword Chart had three volumes.
After the Three Thousand Frost Ice Sword and the Iceheart Sword Art, the Frost Chart went from the basics to a profound level. But in fact, Qin Yun wasn’t impressed by the final Frost Chart. With his Sword Dao’s level, he quickly identified that the Frost Chart was a Sword Dao comprehended by a person known as Aged Frost. He was a peerless swordsman who had stepped into the Dao long ago. After the Zhou Mountain Sword Sect obtained his manual, it became one of its top three skills.
The Zhou Mountain Sword Sect disciples would look at the Frost Sword Chart and cogitate over the sword techniques. Every generation produced many accomplished figures.
This generation, the most accomplished person in the Frost Sword Chart was Meng Yiqiu who had the accolade, Frost Sword.
“Frost Sword Chart? This is only a Dao at the most ordinary level.” Qin Yun shook his head silently. He threw the branch away. “It’s far inferior to the Sword Dao I have comprehended. Instead, it was the basic sword techniques that have given me inspiration.”
“This Frost Sword Chart has been mastered and is useless to me. I need to gather more sword techniques.”
“Master! Master!” A clear voice sounded.
A green-dressed girl carrying a bamboo basket shouted from afar as she approached.
Qin Yun turned towards her and could not help but smile. “Qingsha.”
“Master, you look a lot better today,” praised the green-dressed girl with lit up eyes. For the past few days, her master would not exit the bamboo hut, especially after the sect master passed away and left him aggrieved. It was truly rare that her master came out today with a smile.
“Qingsha,” said Qin Yun with a smile. “I’ve become an Elder, and due to the sect’s rules, I need to take in at least two personal disciples. You and Meixia have been assigned to learn from me. Meixia recently came to meet me and never came again. As for you, you come daily to serve me food. Don’t you know that my days are numbered and that I’m about to die?”
“He who teaches me for one day is my father for life,” said the green-dressed girl solemnly.
Liu Qingsha entered the Zhou Mountain Sword Sect as a child. She cultivated arduously from a young age and after many selections and internal sect competitions, she was finally made an inherited-teachings disciple this year at the age of eighteen! She never expected to be designated as Frost Sword Meng Yiqiu’s disciple with Qi Meixia! It was the worst possible arrangement since everyone knew that Meng Yiqiu would die in the next few months.
Qi Meixia served her new master warmly in the beginning, hoping the Meng Yiqiu would guide her before his death. However, Meng Yiqiu was in pain and his beloved master was dead, so he was wallowing in sadness, with no mood to teach his disciples. Realizing that there was little hope, Qi Meixia decided to get in the good graces of other Elders.
As for Liu Qingsha, she brought food every day. From her point of view, he was still her master.
In the cultivation world… the relationship between master and disciple was very important. A master was truly like one’s parent.
“He who teaches me for one day is my father for life,” Qin Yun muttered softly. In Meng Yiqiu’s memories, the person he idolized the most was his master, the previous Zhou Mountain Sword Sect sect master, Feng Qingcang. This memory also made Qin Yun feel respect for Feng Qingcang.
“Qingsha, follow me.” Qin Yun beckoned. A sword flew out from the bamboo hut and landed in his hand. He then hung it at his waist.
“Yes.” Liu Qingsha was somewhat perplexed but she followed him with the bamboo basket.
…
Qin Yun led Liu Qingsha to a tomb located in the back mountains.
It was the grave of the previous sect master, Feng Qingcang.
Qin Yun observed it quietly.
Meng Yiqiu and his younger sister depended on each other for survival since he was young. They were later saved by Feng Qingcang and brought back to the sect. Feng Qingcang also frequently took care of him. Later on, Meng Yiqiu quickly became a personal disciple of Feng Qingcang. Meng Yiqiu thought of Feng Qingcang as his father! Feng Qingcang also treated Meng Yiqiu as his child. After Meng Yiqiu was poisoned, Feng Qingcang went into a rage and left the sect. First, to seek a cure to the poison and secondly, for revenge.
Feng Qingcang’s death was in some way a result of Meng Yiqiu.
Therefore, Feng Qingcang’s death left Meng Yiqiu ridden with guilt and grief.
“I only absorbed a portion of his memories. Why do I feel this pain?” Qin Yun held his chest as he looked at the tombstone. “Is it an obsession of the body?”
“This Meng Yiqiu fell into this state mainly because he was too foolish. He was completely used by that vicious woman. He was a pawn for her and he even implicated his master.”
“That vicious woman…”
A cold glint flashed in Qin Yun’s eyes. “Meng Yiqiu might be thirty-eight years old but the amount of darkness he has seen in the hearts of others is just too little! From the looks of it, that vicious woman had been using him and scheming against him from the beginning.”
“Meng Yiqiu, I know you hate her. Don’t worry. The Heavenly Dao will shine its light. There will be retribution,” murmured Qin Yun.
Liu Qingsha peered around from the back.
She knew that her master and the previous sect master had a deep relationship.
“Gong! Gong! Gong! Gong! Gong! Gong!”
Hurried gongs sounded six consecutive times.
“Six times?” Qin Yun’s expression changed. Liu Qingsha’s face turned pale. The six gongs meant that the sect was on the brink of destruction.
“Master!” Liu Qingsha was panicking.
“Go!” Qin Yun bellowed as he led Liu Qingsha in a rapid rush towards the sect’s main hall.
******
The Zhou Mountain Sword Sect had deep roots. Although a number of disciples were out in the wild, they immediately gathered three thousand outer-sect disciples and five hundred inner-sect disciples, as well as inherited-teachings disciples and Elders. They stood in a square in front of the sect’s main hall.
The dense crowd of disciples was looking stoically ahead. They had already set up a sword formation with countless amounts of sword Qi taking form as phantoms above the mountains. All of these disciples joined forces in the form of a sword formation. With its power, they could easily destroy the imperial government’s hundred-thousand-strong army! However, they were now facing the appearance of a massive enemy. Right in front of the sword formation were the present sect master, Zuo Tang, the Elders, and the inherited-teachings disciples.
Those that could become Elders were Connate realm experts at the Heavenly Dao intent realm. All of them were mighty figures that could fight ten thousand alone.
Whoosh.
With his disciple Liu Qingsha, Qin Yun arrived in front of the crowd. They were the last to arrive since they came from the rear of the mountain.
“Meng Yiqiu.” The other Elders looked at Qin Yun with disgust. He was a poisoned Elder with little strength left. Furthermore, the previous sect master’s death was because of Meng Yiqiu. They naturally detested him.
“Fooled by a woman and caused our master’s death. Foolish and useless.”
Many people felt that way as they looked at Qin Yun.
Qin Yun stood to the side when he appeared.
“Yiqiu.” The sect master, Zuo Tang, looked like a slightly plump middle-aged man. He was about eighty years old. However, the Connate False Core realm gave one a lifespan of two hundred years. He was still considered young and strong. He was also Qin Yun’s eldest senior brother. Zuo Tang looked at Qin Yun with a mix of emotions. They were still close as fellow disciples. He too felt his heart ache as he watched his junior brother approach death.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” inquired Qin Yun.
Zuo Tang looked at the distant foot of the mountain and said, “Yiqiu, the situation is terrible. The Blood Saber Palace is invading us on a large scale. The disciples at the foot of the mountain are probably already dead. It won’t be long before the Blood Saber Palace’s experts storm up the mountain. With the grudge we have had with them all these years, they will not hesitate to wipe us out.”