The six pavilions of Heavenly Summit Mountain.
They were the Slaying Heaven Pavilion, the Water Mirror Pavilion, the Tracing Wind Pavilion, the Star Pivot Pavilion, the Imperial Qian Pavilion, and the Profound Origin Pavilion.
Among these six pavilions, five were claimed as territories by the Five Great Sects of the Chenping Continent.
The Kongshan Sect occupied the Slaying Heaven Pavilion.
The Mirage Palace occupied the Water Mirror Pavilion.
The Wind Ravine Valley took the Tracing Wind Pavilion, the Star Heaven Sect took the Star Pivot Pavilion, and the Lingxiao Temple took the Imperial Qian Pavilion.
The only masterless territory on Heavenly Summit Mountain, the Profound Origin Pavilion, was divided and occupied by the top-tier and first-rate cultivation sects of the Chenping Continent.
The Unmoving Sword Sect, a standout force from the Southern Region, had claimed a fairly spacious courtyard within it.
The courtyard was simple in layout, with several disciples clad in the dark daoist robes of the Unmoving Sword Sect, quietly practicing their sword techniques.
As sword light flickered, the air let out faint tearing sounds.
Right then, deep within the main hall of the courtyard.
The door to one of the courtyard’s rooms suddenly opened. A young man stepped out, holding a sword that was entirely crimson in color. He strode to the very center of the courtyard.
He looked to be not yet twenty, with a face that still bore traces of youthful innocence, yet it was also tinged with a sharp, aggressive edge.
After his gaze lingered for a moment on the Martial Spring Realm swordsmen practicing their techniques, he took his position in the middle of the courtyard. With practiced and nimble movements, he spun the crimson spiritual sword in his hand, performing a smooth flourish.
Then, he gripped the blade of the crimson sword and tapped the ground twice with its hilt.
The several Martial Spring Realm swordsmen training in the courtyard all stopped their movements and turned to look toward the young man.
“Are you warmed up?”
He said this, then pinched the sword in his hand and lightly tossed it into the air. His palm caught the hilt again, and with a gentle flick downward, a sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
“Let’s begin.”
Immediately afterward, the young man holding the entirely crimson spiritual sword spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.
The moment his voice fell, a fierce glint simultaneously flashed in the eyes of the several Martial Spring Realm swordsmen. Without any hesitation, they lunged toward the young man. For an instant, sword light filled the sky, blotting out the ground.
These Martial Spring Realm swordsmen of the Unmoving Sword Sect were all well aware just how powerful the Sect Leader’s most beloved grandson truly was.
Attacking He An from all directions were a total of seven men.
Standing at the very center of the storm, He An remained utterly still. He was simply waiting.
Then, in the instant before the first of those Martial Spring Realm swordsmen’s sword was about to touch his body, he finally moved.
A nearly imperceptible flick of his wrist.
The entirely crimson long sword in his hand let out a low, penetrating hum. Immediately after, a streak of sword light, condensed and blood-red, flashed through the air.
The sword in He An’s hand moved with ghostly, mind-bending speed, slapping against the sword held by the Martial Spring Realm swordsman closest to him.
*Clang!*
The sound of the impact rang out. The swordsman’s hand trembled from the blow, and the sword in his grasp fell toward the ground.
He An had used the spine of his blade.
If he had used the edge, the swordsman’s hand holding the sword would have been severed long ago.
Even though his sword was knocked away, the first swordsman, whose weapon was about to make contact with He An, did not give up. Instead, he hooked the falling sword with the tip of his toe.
Immediately after, He An’s figure flickered. His footwork seemed even faster than the sword light he had unleashed with that flick of his wrist just a moment ago.
A flash of crimson sword light. He An met the next swordsman charging toward him head-on. The tip of his sword slipped past the other’s guard, lightly tapped the sword’s hilt, and followed the momentum of his blade as he drove his body into the second swordsman’s embrace. He then raised his knee and slammed it heavily into the man’s upper abdomen.
This second swordsman doubled over like a boiled shrimp, collapsing to the ground with an expression of unbearable pain.
The remaining five swordsmen tried to seize what they thought was an opening left by He An’s recent movements, charging in from all sides.
In an instant, a web of sword strikes interwove.
But He An simply spun around, the entirely crimson spiritual sword in his hand tracing a circle in the air.
A ring of crimson sword qi slashed out.
The seemingly dense web of swords shattered on impact. The five attacking swordsmen were all knocked back by He An, unable to even stay on their feet, collapsing to the ground one after another.
One last sword was still spinning in the air.
Then, the first swordsman who had just engaged He An caught his fallen long sword. The moment his gaze found He An’s direction—
*Whoosh!*
Another ghostly, blood-red flash of sword light shot past. An icy cold blade came to rest against his neck.
This Martial Spring Realm swordsman couldn’t help but swallow hard.
The entirely crimson long sword slowly withdrew from the swordsman’s neck.
He An sheathed his sword and walked back toward the room he had just come out of.
“Come again in one hour.”
He spoke flatly.
In less than three breaths, he had defeated the encirclement of seven Martial Spring Realm cultivators.
And he hadn’t even gone all out!
He An, hailed as the Southern Region’s number one swordsman among this generation of young cultivators, was truly worthy of the title—absolutely no falsehoods attached.
In truth, before he turned fifteen, He An had not possessed this silent, withdrawn personality. He had been far more arrogant and domineering.
The reason his character had changed to what it was now was entirely due to that auction three years ago, when he was just fifteen.
The sword scabbard of Realman Cangyue.
Even to this day, He An often had nightmares about that auction three years prior.
It was because of his determination to obtain that scabbard and the bold, public declarations he had made that He An had since been mockingly called “He Eighty-Thousand” by other contemporary prodigies of the Chenping Continent.
And it was precisely because of this ridicule that He An’s personality had become the quiet, withdrawn one it was today.
Seeing his grandson’s temperament change so drastically, the Sect Leader of the Unmoving Sword Sect, He Rui, was naturally anxious.
He Rui had once sent people to the Western Region to search for the cultivator who had won the bid for Realman Cangyue’s scabbard, but they had found nothing.
Of course, He An had his own pride as a young prodigy. Being ridiculed like this, a fire of resentment was bound to burn within him.
This Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry was the perfect opportunity to release it.
Many of those prodigies who mockingly called him “He Eighty-Thousand” would also be participating in this Dao Inquiry.
He *had* to get his revenge.
That was what He An was thinking.
This young man, hailed as the Southern Region’s number one swordsman, clad in the dark daoist robes of the Unmoving Sword Sect, and silent by nature, returned to his room. He sat down on a meditation cushion, resuming his breathing exercises to rest and recover.
Before long, a knock came from the door.
“Senior Disciple He.”
A young woman’s voice called from outside.
“What is it?”
He An slowly opened his eyes.
“Xin Ming from the Purple Mist Academy is waiting for you outside the courtyard.”
Xin Ming was waiting for him?
He An frowned. Of course, he knew exactly who that bastard Xin Ming was.
The Purple Mist Academy was also one of the top-tier cultivation sects in the Southern Region of the Chenping Continent. If they were discussing overall sect strength, the Purple Mist Academy even slightly surpassed the Unmoving Sword Sect.
But ever since they were young, whenever there was a chance for the Southern Region’s prodigies to spar with one another, He An had always been able to suppress Xin Ming easily.
Coupled with He An’s arrogant and overbearing personality before he turned fifteen, it was no wonder Xin Ming held a deep grudge against him.
The nickname “He Eighty-Thousand” was first coined by Xin Ming himself.
“What does he want with me?”
He An’s voice was cold from inside the room.
The female cultivator’s voice outside paused briefly. The disciple currently speaking with He An was naturally well aware of the grudge between He An and that Xin Ming.
“He said something very interesting happened at the Daoyan Arena today, and he wanted to tell you about it. But if you don’t want to see him, I can go send him away right away.”
The voice outside continued.
“...”
He An was silent for a moment. Then, he stood up from his meditation cushion and walked toward the door.
He made his way to the entrance of the courtyard.
Even from a distance, he spotted the familiar figure of a young man. He was dressed in light purple daoist robes, with white patterns embroidered on the collar, cuffs, and lapels.
Xin Ming.
“Long time no see, Senior Disciple He. I wonder if your swordsmanship has improved? When will you finally set aside your title of the Southern Region’s number one swordsman and become this generation’s number one swordsman of the entire Chenping Continent?”
Xin Ming’s tone carried a mix of flattery and biting sarcasm.
“After this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, I will be.”
He An simply replied flatly.
It was the truth. So far, among this generation of young cultivators on the Chenping Continent, no other swordsman had even reached thirty percent of He An’s level.
Xin Ming, who had originally intended to mock He An, saw that his goal had failed. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly before he let out a laugh.
“When that time comes, I will definitely present you with a generous gift to properly congratulate you, Senior Disciple He… How about I offer eighty thousand high-grade spirit stones as a congratulatory gift?”
A flash of blood-red sword light. The blade of He An’s sword was pressed against Xin Ming’s shoulder.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
He An said coldly.
“Look at you, Senior Disciple He, always so impatient…”
Xin Ming said with an unhurried smile. He then raised his hand, pressing it against the blade on his shoulder, and tried to push it away.
But it didn’t budge an inch.
This made Xin Ming look rather awkward. He cleared his throat twice and then said:
“Chief Disciple Li of the Kongshan Sect brought a rogue cultivator in cyan daoist robes to register for this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry. But that rogue cultivator’s letter of recommendation wasn’t from the Kongshan Sect. It was from the Mirage Palace—and even more surprising, it was personally written by Dao Traveler Zhou.”
“Just that?”
He An’s eyes fixed on Xin Ming in front of him. Then he continued:
“What does that have to do with me?”
“That rogue cultivator in the cyan daoist robes is said to be named Su Hongzhen. I’ve never heard of him before, but apparently, he seems to be a swordsman. And…”
Xin Ming paused briefly, then went on:
“The scabbard hanging at his waist is the very one from that auction three years ago, purchased for a hundred thousand spirit stones.”
He An’s pupils constricted sharply. He lowered the sword from Xin Ming’s shoulder, his hand trembling ever so slightly.
Finally…
This Southern Region’s number one swordsman of the current generation of young cultivators raised his head, looking up toward the sky above Heavenly Summit Mountain, which soared over eight thousand zhang above the ground. That white jade palace hung silently there.
…
At that very moment, inside the Heavenly Summit Palace.
A handsome young man in plain white daoist robes stepped slowly into the main hall of the Heavenly Summit Palace.
Twelve majestic pillars of pure white jade surrounded him in the center.
Then, he slowly stepped onto the pure white Dao Platform, about half a zhang high, in the center of the main hall, and sat down gently.
Afterward, he took the undamaged bronze mirror from his bosom.
It was time to begin.
Chen Yan thought to himself, his gaze falling upon the surface of the Heavenly Summit Mirror.