Chapter 43: The Famous Sword Record – It’s Normal for Kids to Be a Little Rowdy

“In other words, Xu Xianxing, Bai Li Que, and another sword cultivator splashed the Wunian Sect members with magical beast blood?”

At the main peak’s discussion hall, several elders stood listening as a Alchemy Cultivator disciple reported the situation.

Qin Yuan and Murong Yi stood together, accompanied by an Artifact Refiner elder, the Chief Body Cultivator Wen Yun, the Alchemy Cultivator Ji Mingyue, and the Sword Cultivator Guan Huailin.

Hearing the report, Qin Yuan chuckled. “No wonder the other three major sects suddenly quieted down yesterday. These kids… Well, it’s better than constantly swallowing their anger.”

Murong Yi’s eyelid twitched. “Xu Xianxing and Bai Li Que… who’s the sword cultivator?”

The Alchemy Cultivator disciple replied, “A newly admitted junior sister who seems close to the two chief disciples.”

Murong Yi asked, “Is it Lian Mu?”

“I think so.”

Murong Yi: “……”

If Lian Mu was involved, there was no need to guess—it was definitely her idea.

Qin Yuan noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s the deal with this sword cultivator?”

Murong Yi was silent for a moment before saying, “Nothing. Just a troublemaker who never does anything proper—always stirring up trouble.”

“Young people should be a little rowdy. Being too proper makes them easier to bully,” Qin Yuan said calmly. “This was probably started by Wunian Sect anyway. The kids didn’t do anything wrong.”

In the past, disciples of Guixian Sect often held back due to their upbringing and the sect’s declining position, which over time led other sects to see them as easy targets.

Qin Yuan would rather have more disciples with a backbone—ones who would stand up for themselves on the spot.

“They’re just kids messing around. Let’s leave it at that. If Wunian Sect comes looking for trouble, ignore them.”

Alchemy Cultivator disciple: “Understood, Elder.”

Ji Mingyue, who had been lost in thought, suddenly caught a familiar name and muttered, “Lian Mu? Didn’t expect it to be her…”

Her voice was barely audible, but Wen Yun, who was close, overheard.

Wen Yun asked, “Who?”

Ji Mingyue replied, “A sword cultivator from Cold Arrival Peak. If someone splashed magical beast blood on Wunian Sect members, it was definitely her.”

After all, among the three, only Lian Mu would pull something like this. Xu Xianxing was too steady, and Bai Li Que, as a noble family heir, wouldn’t come up with such a mischievous plan.

“…That sword cultivator sounds interesting,” Wen Yun remarked. “I always heard Guixian Sect was full of reserved types. Didn’t expect someone like that.”

The two whispered among themselves, while Guan Huailin stood awkwardly, feeling like an extra.

He had been eavesdropping and felt the name sounded familiar. After some thought, he recalled hearing about her a few days ago.

Once Qin Yuan finished instructing the Alchemy Cultivator disciple on how to handle Wunian Sect, he turned back to the main topic. “Where were we?”

Originally, Qin Yuan had gathered the recently returned chief disciples to brief them on the current situation, but they had been interrupted by the report.

Among the five chief cultivators, Xu Xianxing had been in the sect the longest and was already familiar with its affairs. Bai Li Que, being close to him, would naturally exchange information.

Ji Mingyue and Wen Yun, however, had left shortly after joining to deal with family matters, so they needed the most guidance. Guan Huailin, the eldest, had spent the past two years traveling and was out of touch with recent developments.

Ji Mingyue reminded him, “You were discussing the chief cultivators of the Four Great Sects.”

Qin Yuan nodded and turned to Guan Huailin. “Huailin, be careful in the next Immortal Sect Tournament. If nothing changes, the chief sword cultivators of the other three sects all have Heavenly Spiritual Roots.”

Guan Huailin was a single spiritual root sword cultivator, one of Guixian Sect’s most talented disciples in a century. Even so, there was a vast difference between a single spiritual root and a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

Guan Huailin lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. “Understood.”

Qin Yuan continued, “So far, only the chief sword cultivators have been announced. The other four disciplines remain unclear, but it’s certain that this generation includes many young cultivators from prestigious immortal families.”

Each immortal family had produced one or more world-renowned cultivators in history. These young cultivators, with their extraordinary backgrounds, had unparalleled talent and were formidable opponents.

“The tournament is in three months. In a few days, all four sects will announce their chief cultivators. When that happens, return to the discussion hall so we can decide on a team leader.”

“Understood,” the group replied in unison.

…

…

“You’re saying that magical beast materials can only differ in grade by at most two tiers?”

Meanwhile, the three culprits behind the prank on Wunian Sect elders were huddled in the library, surrounded by stacks of books.

The library was structured like a tower—the lower levels were larger and housed general texts for lower-rank cultivators. Xu Xianxing had already read everything useful, so he was explaining things to Lian Mu.

Xu Xianxing knew Lian Mu, as a sword cultivator, wouldn’t understand artifact refining. However, he suspected she was here on behalf of an Artifact Refiner friend. So, as he explained, he treated it as an indirect discussion with that friend.

“Yes, generally speaking. The magical beast material and metal used in an artifact can’t differ too much in grade. If the difference exceeds two tiers, they won’t fuse properly.”

Lian Mu sat cross-legged on the floor, hugging a book, and pondered for a moment. “Is there something that can compensate for the grade disparity?”

Xu Xianxing frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

Lian Mu considered mentioning that the sword she took from the Sword Pavilion was forged from mismatched materials. But in the end, she swallowed the words.

That sword had already been melted down by her and was still in the Star-Picking Tower, so there was no way to prove it to Xu Xianxing. But judging by his expression, he didn’t seem familiar with such a spiritual artifact anyway—perhaps even if he saw it, it wouldn’t make much difference.

Lian Mu asked, “Do you know which master artifact refiners crafted the swords collected in the Sword Pavilion?”

“There are too many to name at once,” Xu Xianxing replied. “The most famous ones are Tang Xu Hui from the Tang family, Gu Li from the Gu family, and the former number-one artifact refiner, Yuan Gui. But ever since Qingxuan Sect rose to prominence, they bought back most of the spiritual artifacts forged by Master Yuan. Only one sword remained in Gui Xian Sect, but later, it mysteriously disappeared.”

Lian Mu mused, “I see.”

Perhaps she could find books on these artifact refiners. There might be some clues hidden in them.

At this thought, Lian Mu couldn’t help but reflect—without realizing it, she had spent far more effort on artifact refining and alchemy than on swordsmanship.

If not for the goal of using better swords in the future, who wouldn’t want to be a proper sword cultivator?

Seeing her fall silent, Xu Xianxing shifted the topic to something sword cultivators would enjoy. “Although you can’t see the best swords in the Sword Pavilion, the Library Pavilion holds many high-grade swords’ recorded images. Want to take a look?”

“Where?”

She had been in the Library Pavilion for a long time but had never seen anything like that.

Xu Xianxing pointed upwards. “On the seventh floor.”

Lian Mu frowned. “Isn’t the uppermost level only accessible to cultivators with a single spiritual root or a Heavenly Spiritual Root?”

“You’re looking at a Heavenly Spiritual Root artifact refiner right now.” Xu Xianxing gestured toward himself, then nudged Bai Li Que, who had dozed off reading, waking him up. “I can bring you in.”

In his sleep, Bai Li Que felt himself being kicked twice. Groggily, he opened his eyes, realizing only then that he had unknowingly fallen asleep.

He removed the book that had been covering his face.

Lian Mu was right—artifact refining books were unexpectedly good sleep aids. It had only taken him a quarter of an hour to go from reading to dreaming.

Regaining his senses, he saw Xu Xianxing pulling Lian Mu upstairs and immediately followed them.

When they reached the staircase between the sixth and seventh floors, Xu Xianxing took out a jade token inscribed with his name and inserted it into a narrow silver-white slit in the wall. Suddenly, an invisible barrier revealed a glowing epiphyllum flower pattern.

Pointing at his earring, Xu Xianxing said, “Help me take it off.”

Lian Mu leaned closer and removed the epiphyllum-shaped earring, studying it for a moment. “You artifact refiners sure live with style.”

“This is a modified communication spiritual artifact—far more convenient than holding a Fish-and-Goose Stone.” Xu Xianxing deactivated the barrier and tossed the earring into a silver box mounted on the wall. “No communication artifacts are allowed on the seventh floor. You two should leave yours here as well.”

Lian Mu and Bai Li Que followed suit before stepping into the seventh floor with Xu Xianxing.

From this level onward, the bookshelves no longer held books but rather stored numerous recording stones. At the center of the floor, a white jade platform displayed ten particularly prominent ones.

Xu Xianxing activated the platform with his spiritual energy. Above the recording stones, ten long swords emerged, suspended in midair.

“These are the recorded images of the Ten Great Swords, each crafted by a top-tier artifact refiner.”

The moment the images appeared, Lian Mu was instantly captivated.

Bai Li Que, however, remained unimpressed. As a talisman cultivator, he had little interest in swords—he only found the intricate hollow engravings on their blades aesthetically pleasing.

Lian Mu’s gaze was immediately drawn to the sword in the center. Xu Xianxing explained, “This sword is called Fei Hong, the masterpiece of Master Yuan Gui. It is currently in Qingxuan Sect. Fei Hong is the pinnacle of first-tier swords. Since its creation, only the first-generation sect leader of Qingxuan Sect has wielded it. But I’ve heard that about a decade ago, the Fei Hong Sword recognized a new master—someone born with a natural sword bone and exceptional talent.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, that person will be competing in the same Immortal Sect Grand Tournament as us—Qingxuan Sect’s lead sword cultivator.”

Bai Li Que added, “I’ve met him before. He’s indeed formidable.”

Lian Mu, however, was too engrossed in studying the swords to hear the rest of the conversation.

She reached out and touched the sword’s projection, her fingers passing through it.

Even though it was merely an image, these legendary swords still left a profound impact on her. Just from their appearance, they were unlike any sword she had ever seen before.

If she could actually hold one, the sensation would undoubtedly be entirely different.

She glanced down at the white jade platform, where the names of the swords’ artifact refiners, their rankings, and their past owners were inscribed. Each past wielder was a prominent figure in the world of sword cultivation.

So this was what a first-tier sword was like…

Lian Mu’s heart wavered. She reached out again, running her fingers over the projection as if, through it, she could touch a real first-tier sword.

“……”

If only she had one, too.