Nine-Headed Mura Flower

"Ah!"

Li Caiyun was practically dizzy with joy.

Her second son had been accepted into the Sword Dao Academy, his future limitless. Her eldest son was also about to successfully become a full member. The Liang family's many years of hardship were finally coming to an end.

She quickly went to the family's ancestral tablets and lit several sticks of incense, muttering, "I knew it, the Liang family is full of loyal martyrs, they will surely protect us..."

However, seeing that her children were quite calm about it, as if they had known all along, she asked in confusion, "Aren't you happy for Xiaopeng?"

"Happy! Extremely happy!" Liang Yue and Liang Xiaoyun exchanged glances and nodded repeatedly.

They had both known that Liang Peng was going to take the exam and had always been confident in him. They had long considered it a sure thing, so they naturally weren't that surprised.

To prevent their mother from guessing that they had little secrets between them, they still pretended to have just found out.

The family was once again harmonious and joyful.

In the evening, Liang Yue finally had time to study the cultivation technique on his own.

This Sword Domain Swimming Dragon Movement Technique only had one visualization diagram. The first few pages were about the application of energy points and qi flow, which was the theoretical part and had to be mastered. However, even after mastering it, whether one could actually perform it depended on whether they could comprehend the Dao charm in the visualization diagram.

The text part naturally didn't trouble Liang Yue. He wasn't Da Chun, who would get sleepy just by looking at words.

The movement technique simplified manual looked a bit obscure. The various movements depicted were very casual, and their folding and flexibility were extremely astonishing.

If one only looked at this diagram, it hardly seemed like something for humans to cultivate.

According to what was recorded, the origin of this cultivation technique was indeed non-human. Back then, the ancestor of the Sword Control Branch had slain a dragon by the lake, unleashing a sky-filling sword domain that almost covered the entire Great Thousand World. Yet, that accomplished demon dragon was still able to find gaps to evade, not even a single scale was scratched.

That ancestor had comprehended such a set of movement techniques from this, which were incredibly fast and as agile as a swimming dragon.

However, after the movement technique was created, few disciples in the Mystic Sect were able to cultivate it. Upon careful investigation, it was discovered that the Qi Refiners' physiques were not strong enough to withstand such repeated tearing and folding, so this cultivation technique was set aside.

It wasn't until a few years ago, when a cultivator from the Sword Control Branch switched to the martial path, that it was rediscovered from the scripture pavilion.

As his divine sense slowly sank into the diagram, Liang Yue's consciousness also arrived in a landscape of clear mountains and beautiful waters. Under the blue sky was a vast green lake, and in the lake sat a green-robed Daoist with closed eyes, cross-legged.

As Liang Yue's consciousness entered, the green-robed Daoist suddenly opened his eyes, and in an instant, the world changed color!

The wind howled, the lake water trembled, and Liang Yue had a faint premonition. The ancestor in the Hu Family Blade Technique visualization diagram from last time was a realm apart compared to this one.

If that one was a Grandmaster, this one was at least a peak Great Grandmaster, or even the legendary Immortal Realm!

A cultivation technique created by such a figure was bound to be extraordinary!

Boom!

As the green-robed Daoist opened his eyes, a cold light suddenly shot out from the lake water, which was a formidable flying sword! Following closely were the second, third... countless, tens of thousands of them!

Innumerable flying swords drilled out from the lake water, stirring up a sky full of cold rain! As the rain curtain fell, the boundless sea of swords formed by the countless flying swords covered an entire mountain peak!

The green-robed Daoist pointed a finger, and the sea of swords, like a dragon, immediately twisted into one place, rushing towards a single point with a whooshing sound! Wherever it passed, mountains and rivers shifted, the sun and moon changed positions, the momentum was terrifying and earth-shattering!

Following this was a dragon roar, "Hah—"

A graceful white light soared into the sky, charging towards the sky-filling sword domain, not fearing the formidable sword energy formation in the slightest.

Clang, clang, clang—

Countless flying swords collided and converged towards the white demonic dragon. It transformed the universe, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes long, sometimes short, like lightning, like formless flowing water.

Swimming Dragon!

Seeing the white dragon about to get close, the green-robed Daoist priest once again twirled his fingertips, seemingly urging the sword formation to more swiftly snipe the demonic dragon charging the formation.

Liang Yue wanted to see more clearly, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temples.

"Ah..."

With a thud, he fell to the ground, feeling a dizzy spell in his mind. After a long while, the golden stars filling his vision finally dissipated.

"It's a divine sense overdraft." Liang Yue's expression showed no sign of dejection; instead, there was a full sense of excitement in his fatigue. "This cultivation technique is a bit strenuous for me."

If he were to delve deeper, it wasn't that he couldn't visualize the Dao charm within it, but that his divine sense was insufficient to support such high-intensity visualization. Even if he could visualize the scene, his divine sense wasn't enough to evolve it.

He wasn't discouraged at all, because the more difficult a cultivation technique was to comprehend, the stronger its power would be.

If he could ultimately cultivate to the form of that white dragon, it would be almost invisible, formless, and impregnable!

Early the next morning, when Liang Yue woke up, he still felt empty-headed and mentally exhausted. Since cultivating the martial path, with the replenishment of vital energy and a full spirit, it had been a long time since he had felt such fatigue.

Yesterday, he had taken leave from the garrison, but he still forced himself to get up because today was the day to send Liang Peng to the academy.

The Sword Dao Academy was located on Haoran Peak of Langyun Mountain in the east of the city, too far from Fukang Ward where the Liang family lived. He could no longer attend school from home every day but had to live in the academy.

Liang Yue rented a carriage, and the whole family helped load Liang Peng's luggage. Li Caiyun reluctantly held her son's hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "How did this happen so suddenly? You're leaving just like that..."

"Mother, I'll be back soon. I can come back for three days every half a month," Liang Peng said, caught between laughter and tears. "Besides, the east of the city isn't that far. I can still come home for dinner sometimes."

"Alas," Li Caiyun sighed. "Your father also said he'd be back soon when he went to the battlefield."

"Mother, mother, mother..." Liang Xiaoyun quickly stopped her. "Xiao Peng going to the Sword Dao Academy is a happy occasion. Say something auspicious."

Li Caiyun then instructed, "If anyone bullies you at the academy, come home and tell Mother, okay?"

"Okay!" Liang Peng nodded heavily.

Even after Liang Yue drove the carriage, taking Liang Peng and his luggage away, Li Caiyun was still looking at the carriage tracks with melancholy. "Alas, Xiao Peng is the kindest person. Now that he's far from home, I'm really worried he'll be wronged."

"Mother," Liang Xiaoyun comforted her. "Xiao Peng will handle it himself... You really don't need to worry."

The carriage slowly left the city. Spring flowers bloomed on both sides of the official road, and everywhere was a scene of lush greenery and vibrant colors. Liang Peng sat on the carriage shaft, and the two brothers chatted idly.

Along the way, families occasionally led young children or teenagers in the same direction for an outing, perhaps to witness the grand spectacle of the Sword Dao Academy. Spring had arrived, the flowers were beautiful, and the scholars were elegant.

Approaching, one could see the majestic appearance of Langyun Mountain and the solemn and grand Haoran Peak, both belonging to the magnificent mountains. Turning around, one could see a huge rock painting carved on a towering mountain wall directly opposite Haoran Peak.

The scene in the mural was a flower with nine branches growing together and slender petals, looking slightly demonic.

Liang Yue's gaze shifted, feeling that the flower in the mural looked familiar, so he asked, "What flower is this carved?"

"That's the Nine-Headed Mura Flower," Liang Peng glanced at it and replied. "Because it has always had nine stems connected, it used to be the national flower of the ancient Yang Kingdom. Later, when Nine Yang completely split, they weren't very willing to mention this flower anymore."

"Then why is it carved directly opposite the Sword Dao Academy?" Liang Yue asked again.

"They were carved by the academy's predecessors," Liang Peng said, his expression becoming slightly more serious as he spoke of this.

"Over four hundred years ago, Nine Yang invaded the Yin Dynasty, occupying Liang Province, Xi Province, and Bei Province for decades, and even constantly encroaching upon Zhong Province. It was thanks to Emperor Daxing ascending the throne during this crisis and then fighting for ten years to drive out Nine Yang that the Nine Provinces were saved from sinking."

"During the great war, Emperor Daxing moved the capital from Qingdu Yunlu City to Divine Capital Dragon Abyss City, directly facing Nine Yang and personally guarding the nation's gates. At his suggestion, the Confucian Saint Ancestor founded the Sword Dao Academy, specifically to cultivate Confucian cultivators who combined scholarship and swordsmanship for the imperial court."

"The reason for carving the Nine Yang national flower on the opposite side is to remind the students of the Sword Dao Academy that the enemy is right before them, never far away, and the shame of the Nine Provinces must not be forgotten."

Liang Yue listened to his narration, nodding gently.

He had heard some of this history, but the Nine-Headed Mura Flower was indeed the first time he had seen it.

He had seen something similar before...

It was on the tattoo on Phoenix Butterfly's back shoulder, but Phoenix Butterfly's only had three flowers.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Does this flower only have nine heads? Are there any with three or four heads?"

"Heh." Liang Peng chuckled. "Big Brother, why are you so fixated on this flower? The Mura Flower naturally only has nine heads. Oh, right, historically there seems to have been a three-headed Mura Flower, but that was just a symbol for a merchant association."

"Just curious," Liang Yue shook his head, not asking any further questions.

The carriage traveled up the mountain along the main road and was stopped in front of the academy's main gate halfway up the mountain.

In front stood a tall statue of a Confucian scholar holding a sword, the tip of the sword pointing towards the Nine-Headed Mura Flower on the opposite mountain wall.

This was also a decisive figure in the victory of the recovery war, the Confucian Saint Ancestor.

He and Emperor Daxing had known each other since they were young, were close friends, and later had their own encounters, eventually reaching the peak together and establishing a prosperous era, which had long been passed down as a beautiful story.

On the platform below the statue were also carved two lines of golden characters.

"Governing the nation requires maturity, saving the world requires youth."

It is said that these words were personally inscribed by Emperor Daxing back then, to commend the great achievements of the young scholars who shed blood and sacrificed themselves in the recovery war four hundred years ago.

During the years when Nine Yang occupied the three provinces, they tried to erase all influence of the Yin Dynasty within a few decades, destroying books, poems, and paintings, and killing anyone who dared to use the script of the Nine Provinces.

It was countless young people who resolutely went forth, spreading the culture of the Nine Provinces in the enemy-occupied territories through word of mouth and teaching with sand and soil. This made the people of the three provinces remember their roots and constantly look forward to the royal army marching north.

In this process, countless Confucian scholars bravely faced death.

The meaning of these words is thus: governing a peaceful nation requires maturity and stability, so that the country will not easily fall into turmoil and chaos. If one lives in a chaotic era, only the youthful spirit can save the world!

The carriage slowly stopped outside the mountain gate.

Here, a young Confucian scholar stood smiling beside the statue and said, "Junior Brother Liang Peng has arrived a bit early, but thankfully I also arrived ahead of time."

"Senior Brother Bian." Liang Peng jumped out of the carriage and bowed in greeting. "Of course I should arrive early, I wouldn't dare make Senior Brother wait for me."

"I am from the Bamboo Character Division, named Bian He. Junior Brother Liang Peng has just entered the academy, and I will take him to familiarize himself with the mountain gate these next few days," Senior Brother Bian said to Liang Yue. "Family members and carriages cannot go up the mountain, please hand his luggage to me."

"Senior Brother Bian, I can carry it myself," Liang Peng quickly said.

"Hey." Senior Brother Bian waved his hand. "Why bother."

After Liang Yue and Liang Peng had moved all the luggage out of the carriage, he confirmed, "Is this all?"

With that, he formed a hand seal, and a gentle breeze surrounded him, Liang Peng, and the luggage on the ground, instantly lifting them into the air.

Floating in the air, his steps light and airy, Liang Peng experienced this profound sensation for the first time, yet his expression remained relatively calm. He waved goodbye to Liang Yue from mid-air, saying, "Big Brother, I'm off now. Be careful on your way home."

"Study hard and improve every day!" Liang Yue earnestly exhorted.

Then Liang Peng flew upwards and away. Liang Yue returned alone in his carriage.

As he descended the mountain, he looked up at the Nine-Headed Mura Flower on the opposite cliff face, his gaze flickering with thought. "Whether it is or isn't, I'll know once I investigate."

Good morning.