The white snow on the tree branches melted into a spring rain, watering the entire Qingliu Sword Sect into lush green.
A half-grown man was standing on the bluestone road at the mountain gate, sweeping the gate diligently with a small broom. These young disciples who had just entered the sect ten years ago had grown taller like those young saplings. After taking off their heavy winter clothes, they looked like sword cultivators.
Sweeping the mountain gate is a common practice of the Qingliu Sword Sect.
Senior Su Yuan once said that the path of sword cultivation is extremely difficult, and sweeping these tens of thousands of bluestone steps is also a part of cultivating one's mind, so every disciple will take turns to sweep the mountain gate, and they are not allowed to use magic.
"Even your Grandmaster Wen once swept the long steps himself, let alone you?"
Of course, Wen Yun didn't want these young juniors to know about this.
Among them, a wheat-skinned girl was the fastest and soon cleaned the longest section of stone steps. She glanced down and found that others had not finished cleaning yet, so she picked up the broom and went to help her fellow junior brothers and sisters below.
Seeing her coming over, a slightly plump boy greeted her with a smile: "Hello, Senior Sister Abao."
"You called him the wrong name, it's Uncle Abao!" another young man nearby quickly corrected.
"It's okay. It's okay to call me that in private." A Bao smiled and waved his hand, not caring about the red tape.
She was the little girl who followed to Qingliu Sword Sect after listening to Wen Yun's story, and became a disciple of Bai Yushan of the Tenth Peak. However, the seniority of the Tenth Peak is too high, so even now she is occasionally called "Grandmaster" when she goes out.
However, the younger generation of Qingliu Sword Sect were too energetic, so these rules were only maintained on the surface, while those who were close to them just shouted randomly in private.
The slightly plump young man smiled and came closer, looking at A Bao expectantly: "Sister A Bao, didn't Master Wen and the others say that they would come to set up the sword formation to protect the mountain gate today? You are a disciple of the Tenth Peak, can you help us to ask for permission to stay here and see for ourselves?"
Now the other junior fellow couldn't help himself and looked over eagerly: "I was thinking so too. I've been a disciple for thirteen years and I've never met the legendary Grandmaster Wen and Grandmaster Ye."
"Yes, Senior Sister Abao, I went to the restaurant in Baiyun City before, and one out of every three stories was about the two ancestors. When others heard that I was from the Qingliu Sword Sect, they didn't mind that I was only in the Foundation Establishment Stage, and they all invited me to sit with them."
When did Wen Yun and Ye Shubai become legendary figures
Ah Bao suppressed his laughter and explained in a good-natured manner: "Master Wen and Master Ye have gone to travel to other realms, so it's normal that you didn't see them. However, they both have very friendly personalities. If you want to see the formation, just look at it directly. They will definitely not embarrass you."
The young disciples here were just wondering what kind of extraordinary figures the two seniors were when they saw a group of people flying out of the mountain gate.
The leader was a girl with some baby fat on her face. She was holding a little red pig in her arms and was smiling and talking to other fellow disciples beside her.
Seeing Wen Yun, A Bao was a little excited and bowed deeply: "Uncle Wen!"
After greeting Wen Yun, he realized belatedly that his master and grandmaster were still there, so he hurriedly greeted them one by one.
Wen Yun also recognized Abao, stuffed an orange into her hand, and said with a smile: "Abao, you are here too, that's great, just wait here, I'll need you when I set up the formation later."
Abao held the orange in his hands as if it were a treasure. He was so excited that he didn't even ask what he was going to do with it. He just readily agreed.
The formation that Wen Yun is going to set up today is the Qingliu Sword Sect's mountain gate sword formation.
There was also a sword formation at the mountain gate before, but that sword formation could only defend against foreign enemies in the world of cultivation. But now that it is placed in the upper realm, it is likely that any random cultivator in the Ascension Realm could defeat it.
The formation had been designed by Wen Yun earlier, and now all that was needed was to inject everyone's sword energy into the formation. At this moment, all the disciples in the sect who had comprehended the sword energy were standing here.
Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong standing by were holding their swords nervously, very excited: "We never thought that we would have the chance to set up a great sect formation one day. I will use my strongest move right away, so that all future generations can witness how powerful I am!"
As he was speaking, Wen Yun beside him had already reminded him softly: "The formation has been set up, everyone just swing your sword towards the center of the formation under your feet."
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Su Yuan, who was standing in the front, raised his sword and swung it first. A sharp cold light flashed across the blade, and then a righteous sword energy burst out.
"So strong! He is worthy of being the ancestor!" The disciples standing at the outermost edge and watching stared with their eyes wide open.
Then the three brothers from the Tenth Peak also used their sword energy. Yue Xingzhou and Bai Yushan ascended to heaven not many years after arriving at the Yunhai Realm, and Xu Wanfeng also temporarily put aside the flowers and moonlight and concentrated on practicing and successfully ascended to heaven.
Of course, after he successfully ascended to heaven, he went back to romance.
Hey, under the pretext of guiding fellow sisters in their practice, hey!
Looking at the sword energy of various attributes being slashed out, the young disciples were filled with envy.
Generally speaking, only those at the Jindan stage have the opportunity to comprehend the sword energy, so disciples like them who have just established their foundation can only watch...
"Brother, you are almost at the Golden Core stage. Have you comprehended the sword energy?"
"I'm ashamed that I haven't understood it yet. How about you, Junior Brother?"
"Me too!"
So this group of poor students began to comfort each other: "It's okay, we are young after all, it's normal that we haven't comprehended the sword energy."
After all, not everyone is like Master Wen, who can create a sword form when he is only in his teens.
Just as he said this, Abao, who was originally standing next to them, dropped his broom, drew his sword and flew forward. A terrifying aura condensed on the tip of the sword, like a gust of wind whistling past.
Wen Yun raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised: "A Bao is not bad, there are some signs of sword spirit transforming into a human form."
A Bao looked at Wen Yun with bright eyes. She, who was usually cheerful, suddenly became shy and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Uncle Wen".
“…” All the disciples looked at Abao as if they had seen a ghost. We had agreed to be bad students together, but you secretly got full marks in the exam!
As expected, there are no normal people in your Tenth Peak!
This lively scene lasted for most of the day in front of the mountain gate, and ended with the sword intent of Wen Yun and Ye Shubai taking shape.
The lifelike fire phoenix and the... cough, domineering and strong fire dragon circled in the sky above the Qingliu Sword Sect for a long time. Even the Baiyun City below the mountain could see this scene.
The citizens who were walking in Baiyun City also put down their things temporarily and looked up at the sky.
From time to time, you can hear their discussions.
"It's been years since I've seen the sword spirits of the two island masters take shape!"
"Haha, why does the sword intent of Island Master Yun look like this pig?"
"Oh, don't talk nonsense. If Lord Shenlong hears it, be careful that he will come to steal your roast goose in the middle of the night for revenge!"
They were not frightened or scared. After all, Wen Yun and Ye Shubai were the landlords and their own people!
However, there was a different young man among them. He stared blankly at the two sword intentions in the sky. After feeling the familiar breath in them, he felt happy and nervous for a moment.
"What...what is that?"
The waiter beside him smiled when he heard this and started chatting in a familiar manner: "Hey, young man, you just came to our Baiyun City, right?"
"Yes, I'm new here too."
"No wonder, those two sword intents came from two seniors in Baiyun City. The phoenix-shaped sword intent was released by Senior Ye Shubai, and the dragon-shaped one was released by Senior Wen Yun. The two of them are the pillars of Baiyun City. You have heard of the Dongxuan Sect that fell thirty years ago, right? There was once a great immortal who wanted to cause trouble for them, but he was killed as soon as he landed..."
From the waiter's mouth, the young man who had just arrived in this world heard an extremely tortuous and passionate story.
When the story reached its climax, the waiter stopped abruptly.
He skillfully took out a stack of storybooks and said with a smile: "If you want to know more about the two predecessors, I happen to have some wonderful storybooks here, all of which are about their stories. They are all hand-copied hardcover books, and you only need ten source crystals to pack them..."
The young man thought of the dozen or so source crystals left in his bag, turned his eyes away from the storybook, and interrupted the waiter's introduction: "You said they are currently clearing..."
"The Qingliu Sword Sect, their sect is on the mountain not far from Baiyun City." The waiter quickly replied, "They just came back from outside the other day and bought a storybook from me. Do you want the same one?"
After a while, the young man appeared outside the gate of Qingliu Sword Sect with a stack of storybooks in his bag.
Completely different from the solemn and austere atmosphere of the immortal sect in imagination, the area outside the mountain gate of Qingliu Sword Sect is not quiet at all. There are many small vendors from the Yunhai Realm setting up stalls here to sell magic weapons and medicinal materials. Some local mortals with no cultivation are even shouting and hawking their wares here.
"Tofu pudding for sale, both sweet and salty!"
"Cold noodles, cold noodles, fragrant cold noodles with shredded chicken, the island master Yun said it was delicious after eating it!"
The young man looked at the scene with some confusion, and was stunned for a moment, suspecting that he had come to the wrong place.
He asked the vendor who was selling cold noodles, "Uncle, is this the Qingliu Sword Sect?"
The uncle pointed in the direction enthusiastically: "Yes, just follow this path and you will reach the mountain gate of the outer gate."
"Then why are you selling here?"
The young man was very puzzled. Although he had always been a casual cultivator, he knew that the more powerful the sect, the stricter the rules, and beings like mortals were not allowed to approach.
How could a food street be developed at the foot of a mountain gate like this? Moreover, the lines promoting it use the words of the supreme powerful being. This is too disrespectful!
The cold noodle uncle laughed loudly: "Young man, you are from the outside world, right? It's normal that you don't know. The Qingliu Sword Sect is not as difficult to talk to as other sects. Aren't they recruiting disciples right now? Many independent cultivators and young people have come here, so businessmen like us can take this opportunity to come here and make some money."
Of course, the boss wisely omitted words like "In fact, the food court is open here all year round because sword practitioners come here every day to enjoy a feast. Senior Wen really likes to eat shredded chicken cold noodles."
After all, in front of outsiders, we have to maintain the image of our sect!
The young man thought for a moment, then accurately grasped a piece of information.
Qingliu Sword Sect has begun recruiting new disciples again!
Going forward along the mountain road, the young man indeed saw quite a few people on the road.
Over the past hundred years, the Qingliu Sword Sect has gradually established a firm foothold in the upper realm. Although it is still a brand new force compared to those large sects in the upper realm with tens of thousands of years of heritage, no one dares to underestimate it.
Perhaps it was because they had been suppressed for too long in the world of cultivation. After coming to the Cloud Sea Realm and experiencing such abundant spiritual power, the strength of the sword cultivators began to grow rapidly.
Not to mention that the Tenth Peak already has five Ascension Stage masters, even the other five peak masters have all ascended. Among the younger generation, Meng Ran is the most outstanding and has already cultivated to the Tribulation Stage. Judging from this trend, I think there will be several more Ascension Stage masters in another hundred years.
Moreover, the Qingliu Sword Sect is not just a sect. Behind it stand many geniuses from the world of cultivation. Moreover, although the relationship between Baiyun City and it is not subordinate, it is inseparable. If someone offends the Qingliu Sword Sect, it is tantamount to offending the entire Yunhai Realm.
More importantly, everyone knows that Wen Yun and Ye Shubai, the two ascended masters, are capable of killing the supreme beings in the fairyland, and they may break through any day.
At that time, they would be two powerful beings in the fairyland!
Because of these reasons, many people came to become disciples, ranging from the direct descendants of major families to ordinary cowherds in the Cloud Sea Realm, and even orphans from the lower world who were selected by various sword cultivators from the world of cultivation.
The Qingliu Sword Sect does not discriminate against the rich or the poor. No matter what their background is, they all line up obediently at the gate, waiting for the entrance examination.
The young man was stunned. He was used to being alone and had no intention of joining the Qingliu Sword Sect, so he went to find the inner disciple who was in charge of guiding this assessment.
"My fellow Daoist, may I ask if Senior Ye and Senior Wen are available?"
Coincidentally, the person in charge this time was Senior Sister Meng Ran.
She saw at a glance that this person was very powerful, and she became alert and asked cautiously, "What do you want, fellow Taoist?"
"I'm Lin Fan."
The young man bowed and explained his purpose.
"I was born in a humble lower world, with no hope of ascending to heaven, but one day a ray of energy suddenly flowed in between heaven and earth, and I had this opportunity to realize..."
"… For more than ten years, I have been wandering in the upper realm, until I accidentally came to Baiyun City not long ago. Today, I felt the familiar breath coming from the sword, and I learned that the benefactors who gave me the opportunity to preach in the past were actually the two seniors of your sect. I came here to pay my respects to them."
Lin Fan originally thought that after he said this, the female swordsman in front of him would be shocked and look at him with new eyes.
However, Meng Ran's expression remained calm, and even his tone was very indifferent. He only nodded slightly and replied gently: "I see, then fellow Taoist, please follow me."
This time it was Lin Fan's turn to be puzzled. He followed Meng Ran into the mountain gate and finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Fellow Daoist, are you just letting me in like this?"
Don't they check the identity
Does that mean...she was just like those confidantes he had made before, falling in love with him at first sight
Meng Ran replied calmly: "It just so happens that the sect's formation has been set up today. If any fellow Taoist who enters the mountain gate has any ill intentions, I think he will be turned into ashes in an instant."
Lin Fan: “…”
Meng Ran's eyes curved, and a smile appeared on her gentle face: "Besides, you are not the first one to come here for this matter."
After seeing Lin Fan's stunned expression, Meng Ran raised an eyebrow and asked, "Daoyou always keep to yourself? And rarely appear in the city's shops?"
Lin Fan agreed. He usually went to the mountains and deep forests to practice, and this was his first time in Baiyun City in the past ten years.
Meng Ran nodded in understanding: "That's right. If you go to the teahouse more often to drink tea and listen to books, you will know that Master Ye and Junior Sister Wen opened the sky and granted opportunities to thousands of lower realms. Including you, in the past hundred years, forty-four lower realm cultivators have come to pay homage to them."
Lin Fan was obviously shocked by the news. He was stunned for a long time without any reaction. He could only follow Meng Ran in silence.
It's just that he came at an inopportune time. Wen Yun and Ye Shubai happened to go out after setting up the formation, so Meng Ran arranged him to stay in the guest house inside the mountain gate.
After Lin Fan checked in, he discovered that there were already three fellow Taoists living next door to him.
This courtyard located under the lush forest was exceptionally elegant and secluded. The four of them practiced silently here with the door closed, and they adapted surprisingly well to it.
At sunrise, they all looked up at the sword cultivators flying on their swords on the top of each peak, looking at the sword energy and light shadows, and silently judged their strength.
After watching it for a long time, it's hard not to feel itchy.
After watching for two days, they each invited each other to have a sparring match. After the match, they gathered together to drink and exchanged names.
Lin Fan cupped his hands and said calmly, "I am not from the upper realm, but from the lower realm."
After he came to the upper realm, he knew that many people looked down on the people of the lower realm. He thought that if these three people showed the slightest contempt, he would give up the idea of making friends with them.
However, the other three said: "What a coincidence, we are also from the lower world."
Lin Fan was stunned, took a sip of wine and said, "I owe a favor to the two seniors of Qingliu Sword Sect, and this time I am here to repay them."
The other three: "What a coincidence, us too!"
Lin Fan felt something was strange.
At this moment, the piece of broken jade on his chest became slightly hot.
An old voice that only Lin Fan could hear came to his ears—
"Lin Fan! The origins of these three people are unknown. I sense unusual powers in them!"
It was at this time that Wen Yun, who had just returned to the sect, was completely dumbfounded after hearing the news told by Senior Sister Meng Ran.
"What? You said there are four more Long Ao... No, some strange people came to visit?"