Chapter 20
Yes, that master from Xilai Peak had known about Jing Jiu.
And all the disciples by the Stream of Sword Was.h.i.+ng, numbering in the hundreds, had also known Jing Jiu.
Although he had stayed at the South Pine Pavilion for the last two years, he had already become a celebrity the moment he stepped into the inner sect.
The reason for this was not simply because he’d given the perfect answer; it was also because of the rumor that he had such a beautiful face that was beyond imagination, as well as a lazy disposition that was equally unfathomable.
The moment Jing Jiu walked into the Hall of Washed Swords, the excited discussion instantly stopped, and countless looked his way.
The disciples at the Hall of Washed Swords were divided into several cla.s.ses based on their States and performance in the external sect; the young disciples here were the newly admitted externals just like Jing Jiu, totaling a dozen students.
Used to attracting attention, Jing Jiu moved forward and sat at an inconspicuous spot by the window.
But no matter how inconspicuous the spot was, his face was simply too attractive, and even the Master Teacher couldn’t help but look at him once when entering the Hall of Washed Swords.
This Master Teacher, having an immortal air about him and being unthinkably profound, was from Tianguang Peak, a second-generation disciple named Lin Wuzhi.
Lin Wuzhi was unlike his other Brothers on Liangw.a.n.g Peak; he was aggressive and ambitious, and was also unlike his famous Brother Zhuo behind closed doors. Yet he was the personal disciple of the Sect Master, and so one could imagine just how much emphasis the Green Mountain Sect had placed on the Was.h.i.+ng Swords since he was sent to teach the initial knowledge of the Sword Style.
Lin’s lectures were interesting and humorous enough to suit these beginners of the Sword Style, attracting great interest in the topic.
"What kind of sect is our Green Mountain Sect?"
Lin Wuzhi didn’t intend to get an answer from the disciples. "Of course, it’s not the Zen Sect, not the Demon Sect, or the Fire Sect; we are the Sword Sect," he answered himself with a smile.
Looking out the window at those willow trees by the stream, Jing Jiu thought how over the years they still lectured in a seemingly interesting way, yet it was actually an uninteresting way of conveying useless drivel.
Not sure where Liu s.h.i.+sui is right now or how he’s doing.
He expected laughter right then.
Sure enough, the cheerful laugh of the young disciples filled the sword hall.
With a gentle smile, Lin Wuzhi continued, "The practice of the Sword Sect obviously involves the sword. First, we need to understand the sword. There are so many sects with their own ways of practicing the sword; the Wu’en Sect uses sword, the Old Ones use swords, and that old guy, the Xilai Sword, also uses one, but why is it that only our Great Green Mountain is regarded as the orthodox sect of the sword? It’s because the Green Mountain has nine peaks that have nine swords, and all nine of these swords can maintain peace in the world!"
Jing Jiu expected a round of laughter right then.
And once again, the excited cheers and handclaps of these young disciples sounded throughout the sword hall.
"The sword of the Tianguang Peak is called Inherited Heaven, meaning to inherit or take on the great task of heaven, and its sword style is also called Inherited Heaven; the sword on Shangde Peak is called the Three-Foot Sword and utilizes the Rolling Snow Style; the sword on Yunxing Peak is called the Sword of Absolute Emptiness and uses the Old Bird Sword Style; the sword on Qingrong Peak is called the Zither, and uses the sword style known as Endless; the sword on the s.h.i.+yue Peak is called the Returning Sun and uses the sword style of the Six Dragons; the sword on the Xilai Peak is called the Ancient Sword, utilizing the sword style of the Seven Plums; the sword of the Bihu Peak is called the Tide, and uses the using the sword style of the Eight Sides."
The disciples felt somewhat confused when Lin Wuzhi stopped jut then, and someone with some degree of courage raised his hand, "What about the Ninth Peak?" he asked.
"The sword of the Shenmo
…
Jing Jiu turned his sight away from the window and took the Scripture of Swords distributed by the caretakers, turning it open to the first page and recognized familiar handwriting.
He remained silent amid the continuous laughter and cheers in the Was.h.i.+ng Sword Hall.
…
"Then what is Perfect Preservation?"
"Perfect preservation leads to harmony; this means we have to preserve the Way to obtain harmony."
"At this state, zhenyuan will flow like mercury and turn into the Sword Source, while the Sword Fruit gradually takes on a gold quality, ta sign of the Sword Pill’s formation."
"When the Sword Pill is formed and the Sword Will is solidified, the flying sword can cut the stones and gold within thirty yards, just like being controlled by your own hands and fingers; and by simply lowering your eyes, it can kill people."
"However, the most interesting part for you is perhaps how to drive the flying sword."
"Without a doubt, I’d like to congratulate you in advance, as once you have formed the Sword Pill, you’ll be able to travel around by riding the sword; if enough Sword Source exists within you, you’ll be able to fly directly to Tianguang Peak."
"There is another benefit, of course. As mentioned before, you’ll be able to partic.i.p.ate in the Inherited Sword Compet.i.tion after reaching this state, and will become a personal disciple of the peak."
…
The laughter and cheerful discussion in the Sword Was.h.i.+ng Hall continued.
Jing Jiu gave it a thought while looking at the familiar four words on the first page of the Scripture of Swords.
…
"Somebody has just asked: ‘If the Sub-Realm is different from the Initial Realm and you cannot judge the degree of progress made in practice by observing the Spiritual Fountain; what standard do we use then?’"
"This is a very simple question, at least at our Great Green Mountain."
"The Soulfire is judged in the Underworld; the Zenheart is judged at the Fruit Formation Temple; and the Sword Fruit is our standard. If the Sword Fruit is formed, then how do we judge? That all depends on your skill in driving the sword."
"If your sword can kill opponents as far away as a few hundred yards, that is the Inherited Will."
"If your sword can fly a few miles to kill your opponents, that is Free Travel."
"If your sword can fly and kill hundreds of miles away, naturally that is the Heavenly Arrival."
"If you can control your sword to penetrate the sky to kill the celestial demons in the outside world, then you are the strongest man on the land of Zhaoge.
…
These standards for judging were so simple and shallow that they sounded like a joke. The disciples in the Hall of Sword Was.h.i.+ng were engaged in a heated discussion, and yet the expression of Lin Wuzhi didn’t show any sign of bogus intention, so they had to believe them.
Jing Jiu gazed at those four words all this time no matter how noisy the cla.s.sroom was:
EVERYTHING IS A SWORD.