The flying sword tore through the air, bringing with it a whistling wind. Su Twelve stood at the very end, curiously peering downward, and saw the village beneath his feet rapidly shrink into a tiny black dot.
As far as the eye could see, the land rose and fell, mountain ranges crisscrossed, and countless rivers converged. It was quite a spectacular sight.
Su Twelve’s pupils constricted. Only then did he realize just how vast this world was. Thinking of that unknown black-clothed cultivator, his heart filled with rage, along with a sense of bewilderment about the future.
At the front of the flying sword, Han Yu stood tall with his chest puffed out, looking mature and steady. But his tightly clenched fists were enough to show that he was still somewhat nervous.
By comparison, the other three were faring far worse. They crouched on the flying sword, hunched over and trembling. They were only half-grown children, after all, and flying so high was terrifying; even the wind howling past their ears made them quake.
Seeing this, the young woman smiled and began telling everyone about Cloudsong Sect, helping them ease their tension.
Through her, everyone learned that the sect they were joining was Cloudsong Sect, a cultivation sect on the outskirts of the Cangshan Mountains.
Within Cloudsong Sect were seven peaks: Tianshu Peak, Tianhua Peak, Tianyin Peak, Yuntai Peak, Chaoyang Peak, Luoyan Peak, and Luofu Peak. To the outside world, Cloudsong Sect was a single entity. Internally, however, it was divided into seven factions, one for each peak. Each peak had its own master, who managed its affairs independently.
Among them, Tianshu Peak was the main peak and rarely recruited disciples. The other six peaks would head out into the mortal world every three to five years to recruit disciples with spirit roots.
The old man before them was named Lu Mingshi, the Peak Master of Cloudsong Sect’s Luofu Peak. After entering the sect, they would all become disciples under his tutelage. As for the young woman, her name was Xiao Yue. She was Lu Mingshi’s granddaughter, and at the same time, everyone’s Senior Sister.
The children, none older than twelve, understood only bits and pieces of what Xiao Yue told them, but her words clearly helped calm them.
Su Twelve pricked up his ears and silently committed everything Xiao Yue said to memory. He knew full well that his talent was poor, so he had to work harder and be more attentive than the others.
What surprised him, however, was that Xiao Yue and Lu Mingshi were clearly grandfather and granddaughter, yet they had different surnames.
Could it be… that they were not biologically related?
Su Twelve had seen little of the world, so he could only make wild guesses in his heart!
Time flew by, and the flying sword carried everyone for a full two days.
Early on the morning of the third day, the flying sword passed through a thick fog, finally bringing everyone to Cloudsong Sect.
Gazing as far as the eye could see, they beheld a majestic expanse of mountains surging beneath them, with thousands of peaks and steep cliffs winding endlessly.
Mountain peaks lay hidden within the thin mist, appearing and disappearing from view. Among them, the tallest were seven peaks arranged just like the Big Dipper.
At the summit of each of these seven peaks stood a grand, imposing architectural wonder. Unknown streams of energy flowed between them, occasionally emitting a dazzling radiance.
Such a spectacular sight stirred everyone’s hearts, instantly washing away the sorrow of parting from their homes.
Su Twelve watched without blinking, immediately realizing that these must be the seven main peaks Xiao Yue had mentioned. He simply did not yet know which peak corresponded to which name.
On the flying sword, Lu Mingshi and Xiao Yue visibly relaxed and smiled. Though they had recruited disciples for years, they still worried each time they left the sect.
The cultivation world was not exactly peaceful.
Wearing a smile, Lu Mingshi controlled the flying sword, steering it toward the most distant mountain peak.
Just then…
“Senior Sister, what is that?” Su Twelve quickly asked, pointing at a black dot in the distance.
The moment the words left his mouth, the black dot rapidly approached. In the blink of an eye, a thirty-zhang-long vermilion Flying Boat came speeding through the air.
At the bow of the Flying Boat stood a lean man in a vermilion robe with a sharp gaze. On the deck behind him, one could clearly see a dense crowd of bobbing heads—they were all children about the same age as Su Twelve and the rest.
There were well over a hundred of them!
Before Xiao Yue could answer, the figure at the front of the Flying Boat spoke out to Lu Mingshi.
“Senior Brother, it’s not as if I eat people. Why must you run so fast whenever you see me?”
“Me, run from you? Fu Boren, who do you think you are? Have some shame, would you?” Lu Mingshi scoffed, curling his lip.
As he spoke, his gaze quickly swept across the hundred-plus figures on the Flying Boat, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Fu Boren was the Peak Master of Tianhua Peak, a peak that had always been at odds with Luofu Peak. Now, this rival had actually recruited so many disciples in a single sweep. Though Lu Mingshi did not say it aloud, his heart churned with deep envy and resentment.
For a cultivation sect, its disciples were the foundation of its growth. A faction with many disciples would inevitably grow much stronger over time.
“Hehe, I do still care about my face, Senior Brother. As for whether you were deliberately trying to avoid me, I think you know the answer to that perfectly well.”
Fu Boren chuckled, his gaze sweeping quickly across the flying sword.
“But Senior Brother, your Luofu Peak really is getting worse with each passing year! How is it that you only recruited a measly five people this time? At this rate, I reckon that in less than a hundred years, your Luofu Peak will completely run out of successors!”
Lu Mingshi’s expression darkened. “Bah! Nothing good ever comes out of that dog mouth of yours. In the path of cultivation and the pursuit of the Dao, quality matters more than quantity. The rejects you’ve recruited would be no good even if you brought me five hundred more.”
Lu Mingshi was notoriously hot-tempered. How could he possibly stomach such an insult? He fired right back.
For many years, his Luofu Peak had always been the weakest branch in the sect. In the past, whenever he uttered such words, his voice would carry a hint of insecurity.
But this time, with the addition of Han Yu, a genius with Top-Grade dual spirit roots, Lu Mingshi was brimming with confidence.
“What a fine saying—’what matters is quality, not quantity.’ In that case, Senior Brother’s Luofu Peak must be full of confidence regarding the Newcomer Trial Assembly five years from now!” Fu Boren said, sizing Lu Mingshi up with a wide, mocking grin.
Lu Mingshi sneered in return, “Tch! In the past, we were just going easy on you. Understand?!”
Given Luofu Peak’s dire situation, even with the addition of a peerless genius like Han Yu, Lu Mingshi actually didn’t hold much hope for the Newcomer Trial Assembly.
But regardless, he could not afford to lose face in front of his rival! Moreover, if he nurtured such a peerless genius properly, it would bring him great honor.
“Oh? It seems Senior Brother recruited some promising disciples this year. Why not tell me about them and let Junior Brother broaden his horizons?” Catching the pride in Lu Mingshi’s words, Fu Boren lowered his voice, his shifty gaze sweeping over Su Twelve and the others.
“Broaden your horizons? In your dreams! Fu Boren, don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming. You want to poach my people? Not a chance!”
Lu Mingshi rolled his eyes. With that, he steered his flying sword, transforming it into a streak of flowing light that shot directly toward the most distant mountain peak.
At the bow of the Flying Boat, Fu Boren stared at the fading sword shadow in the sky, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Then, the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. Smiling to himself, he drove the Flying Boat toward the second mountain peak.