Hundred Pace Flying Sword

Crackling sounds, Wood chips exploded outwards.

Gong Caiyu opened her eyes, the firelight warming her soaked body a little.

A young man in a green shirt sat by the fire, a long sword resting diagonally at his waist. He held a wooden stick skewering a fish, roasting it over the fire, turning it occasionally. Oil dripped down, the golden fish sizzling, its aroma spreading.

Grumble...

Gong Caiyu blushed. Just as she was about to say something, a grilled fish was handed to her.

"No salt, no seasoning, so this is the best I can do. It should still be edible."

Jiang Ding said calmly.

This woman seemed to be deliberately showing her shyness as a woman, or perhaps it was her nature. After all, she wasn't very old, just a young girl.

However, this wasn't something he needed to concern himself with. As long as she didn't act hostile, that was enough.

Gong Caiyu hesitated for a moment. "Young master, please wait."

She got up and walked towards the river, which was at least a kilometer away.

She undressed and washed herself.

Jiang Ding turned away his drone's view.

When he saw her again, she was a girl with snow-white skin, her white dress fluttering like an immortal's. Her black hair was lustrous, falling to her waist. Although her white dress had some tears, it was as white as snow, without a trace of dirt.

Internal Force cleaning? Still this much left?

Jiang Ding thought to himself.

Although he felt she was even weaker now, he could probably kill her in an instant.

"Thank you, young master."

Gong Caiyu carefully took the wooden handle, which Jiang Ding had not touched. Then, she used her Internal Force to cut off all the parts Jiang Ding had touched, even scraping off a thin layer of the fish meat, and placed it back by the fire to roast briefly.

Jiang Ding: "?"

Is your Internal Force that abundant?

Even my sister never rejected me like this!

Gong Caiyu took a small bite of the fish. It was indeed golden and crispy, with a lingering fragrance. Perhaps it was because she was too hungry, but it actually tasted better than the signature dish at Manxiang Tower in East Spirit Prefecture City.

People of the martial world weren't that picky. Although she ate daintily, in a short while, only the fish bones remained of the whole fish.

Her stomach, empty for several days, finally felt full.

"This."

Jiang Ding handed her a bamboo tube of water with a charred exterior. After she scraped off the part she had touched, drank it, and carefully washed her mouth and hands by the river, and tidied herself up a little, she said:

"When I was young, I apprenticed myself to a hermit. I haven't been in contact with the outside world for many years. Miss Gong, would you be willing to introduce me to some things, so that I don't offend others unknowingly in the future and die in the Jianghu."

Gong Caiyu's face turned pale.

"Young master, please don't worry," she said with a resolute expression. "Even if I am captured and unable to resist, I will take my own life immediately. I will definitely not implicate you, young master, with the Golden Saber Sect!"

"Golden Saber Sect?"

"In the Jianghu of the Yue Kingdom, there are the Three Sects, Six Factions, and Eight Heroes," Gong Caiyu explained. "For hundreds of years, the Three Sects - Green Ox Palace, Wolf God Cult, and Bore Temple - each possessed unique ultimate skills and stood at the pinnacle of the Jianghu. Throughout the generations, Innate Grandmasters have suppressed their foundations. Below them are the Six Great Factions, which have also produced Innate experts generation after generation without interruption. The Golden Saber Sect is one of them."

Gong Caiyu said word by word, hating, "The sect leader of the Golden Saber Sect, the Golden Saber Ancestor Wei Tunan, has been an Innate expert for decades and is renowned throughout the Jianghu."

"The Eight Heroes are various independent cultivators and heroes from smaller sects. Their strength is actually no less than that of the sect leaders of the Six Great Factions, but they cannot achieve generational inheritance."

"What about the Imperial Court's strength?" Jiang Ding asked after a moment of thought.

"I don't know. The Heavenly Secrets Tower actively conceals the intelligence of the current dynasty's experts, but they should not be weak," Gong Caiyu said. "Hundreds of years ago, the Yue Kingdom's Founding Emperor and his Twelve Generals of Heavenly Clouds swept through the Jianghu, conquering the previous dynasty's royal family. His twelve beloved generals became the Twelve Great Clans that suppressed various regions."

"For example, the East Spirit Prefecture where we are located is guarded by the Marquis of Zhen Dong, the Tang Family."

"According to the historical records in the sect's library, these bloodline clans that do not accept outsiders, after centuries of wealth erosion, their strength should not be much left. However, it's hard to say when a genius might emerge."

"I see. I heard before that you, Miss, were ranked ninety-eighth on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking, known as the Flying Snow Fairy?"

Jiang Ding stroked the hilt of his sword.

Innate cultivation was actually equivalent to the Qi Refining stage of immortal cultivators. Theoretically, an Innate martial artist could exchange blows with a Qi Refining immortal cultivator of the same level a few times. As long as they didn't fall behind in distance, they could still achieve something.

"It's just a ranking of young martial artists under twenty-five years old compiled by the Heavenly Secrets Tower," Gong Caiyu said with a desolate smile. "Some empty fame. Even the number one on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking cannot defeat an old Innate expert."

Jiang Ding remained silent. Looking at her age, she was only seventeen or eighteen, yet she had already experienced her father being killed, her mother being abducted, and her sect being wiped out.

In an Immortal Sect, she would still be a minor child about to go to college.

"Young master, you don't need to worry," Gong Caiyu said, her face regaining composure. "Wei Tunan is old. I will eventually destroy his sect and slaughter his clan."

"Now, I dare not disturb you further, young master. I shall take my leave."

She stood up, her white dress unfolding from her lap. An old thread-bound book flew backward.

"Your life-saving grace is immeasurable. This 'Divine Firmament Hundred Pace Flying Sword' passed down by my ancestor, although no one has successfully practiced it since my ancestor a thousand years ago, can still be of some reference."

Her melancholic voice drifted into the distance.

"A thousand years ago, when our founder was still alive, we were the number one sect in the Yue Kingdom."

Jiang Ding lightly drew his sword, using the flat of the blade to hold back the ancient book that had flown towards him.

There wasn't much force behind it, nor did any strange energies emanate from it. The sender likely meant no harm.

However...

It probably wouldn't be of much use.

All knowledge was shared within the Immortal Sect. If one's own talent and aptitude were insufficient, there was never a situation where divine techniques or supreme arts were beyond reach.

He casually dug a wooden box, and using his sword to keep the ancient book at bay, he nudged it inside and sealed it.

With the drone monitoring the surroundings, and everything returning to peace after Gong Caiyu's departure, with no black-clothed figures returning, Jiang Ding continued his specimen-collecting endeavors.

After school, Jiang Ding picked up his package. Carrying the small cage containing two hamsters and a small bag of hamster food, he headed home.

Jiang Yuan was, as usual, watching cartoons. To his surprise, his mother, Lin Wanqiu, was also busy in the kitchen.

"Ah! Brother! Did you buy this for me?"

Jiang Yuan, glancing over inadvertently, excitedly hopped over.

Based on her life experience growing up, Jiang Ding had never been interested in small animals like goldfish or turtles, apart from his sword-fighting cram school.

"No."

Jiang Ding coldly refused.

"Impossible! This is mine!" Jiang Yuan didn't believe him and shouted, "If you don't give it to me, when Uncle and Aunt get here, I'll tell Uncle that you're bullying me!"

"That's if Uncle believes you."

Jiang Ding suddenly understood why Lin Wanqiu had gotten off work early and was busy in the kitchen.

His uncle, Lin Yong, was a teacher at Rongcheng Seventh Elementary. His income wasn't as high as Lin Wanqiu's, but he had more free time. His cousin, Lin Yuanwang, was a prominent figure in the family.

He had gotten into the Cultivation Department at Spirit Veil University last year!

"It would be great if Brother Yuanwang could come too," Jiang Yuan said discontentedly. "Then I'll have Brother Yuanwang beat you up."

"Hmph."

Jiang Ding felt a little sour and walked towards his room.

When he was younger, Lin Yuanwang, relying on his superior height and strength, had bullied him quite a bit. Crucially, the kid had good martial arts aptitude. By the time he graduated high school, he was already at the Innate stage, and Jiang Ding truly couldn't beat him.

Putting down his schoolbag, Jiang Ding dragged out a rough wooden box from under his bed. A faint, fresh scent of raw wood diffused into the air.

Opening it, he found the ancient book given by Gong Caiyu. The material was special, said to be a thousand years old, yet showed no signs of decay and could still be read normally.

"Squeak squeak!"

Sprinkling some hamster food, Jiang Ding dropped the two hamsters inside.

The two hamsters scurried around in a panic, but were blocked by small walls formed by stacks of books. After a while, they finally began to eat the hamster food.

"It's fine, at least it's not an acute toxin."

Jiang Ding felt a little relieved. He even saw one hamster lick the cover a few times without any ill effects.

He went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks, then turned the pages one by one, dropping two grains of hamster food on each page. After more than half an hour, Jiang Ding was finally completely certain that there were no problems with the book.

"That girl was kind."

Jiang Ding breathed a sigh of relief, then opened the package of transparent gloves he had ordered yesterday and put them on.

This was something he had thought of yesterday. In another world, he would inevitably come into contact with foreign objects. A pair of thin, breathable, and almost imperceptible transparent gloves would be perfect.

The ancient book felt thick, seemingly made of some kind of animal hide, and carried a faint scent of old paper.

"Divine Firmament Hundred Pace Flying Sword. Can martial artists wield flying swords too?"

Jiang Ding gently stroked the six unfamiliar block characters on the cover, his heart filled with a slight excitement, and then pressed down.

"I need to learn the language of that world first. But I can't casually learn cultivation methods that haven't been verified by the Immortal Sect's library; it's too dangerous."

Remembering something, Jiang Ding opened the computer in his room and logged into the Immortal Sect's library, searching for "martial artist Hundred Pace Flying Sword."

Rows of information with lower security clearance, available for online viewing, appeared.

Song Family Hundred Pace Flying Sword, Blood Refinement Hundred Pace Flying Sword, Azure Void Minor Realm Spirit Infusion Hundred Pace Flying Sword, Fire Refinement Hundred Pace Flying Sword...

Just as Jiang Ding had thought, the Immortal Sect's library was all-encompassing. Even the knowledge of mortals wielding flying swords, while sounding magical and extremely niche, was still extensively collected.

This wasn't mere rumor or trivial knowledge. Since it was included in the Immortal Sect's library, it meant that these cultivation methods were theoretically viable and could lead to the intended outcome.

Jiang Ding clicked on Song Family Hundred Pace Flying Sword.

With a ding, a box popped up.

"The knowledge you are attempting to access is classified as dangerous. Minors are prohibited from accessing it. If you wish to access it again, please obtain authorization from your guardian."

Jiang Ding refused to give up. He closed the box and clicked on Azure Void Minor Realm Spirit Infusion Hundred Pace Flying Sword. With a ding, the box popped up again, with the exact same information inside.

Trying again, he found that all the Hundred Pace Flying Sword techniques had this restriction. Not a single one out of hundreds or thousands of cultivation methods was an exception.

"A martial artist's Hundred Pace Flying Sword cultivation is very dangerous."

Jiang Ding understood.

Besides the danger, the power was just so-so. It looked magical, but a heavy machine gun could easily shatter it from a thousand paces away. For those in the Immortal Sects, it was simply not worth the effort.

However...

He really wanted it.

With a sigh, Jiang Ding placed the ancient book back into the drawer, picked up the hamster cage and its food, and left the room, handing them to Jiang Yuan.

"Here, but you're responsible for feeding it."

"Ah, my dear brother!"

Jiang Yuan jumped up on the spot and readily agreed.

Jiang Ding ignored her and turned to help in the kitchen.

"Ding Ding, help me cut shredded potatoes and diced carrots, and some chopped green onions too," Lin Wanqiu instructed when she saw Jiang Ding enter.

"Okay."

Clang...

He drew his sword, its cold light illuminating the kitchen. He then took a damp cloth and meticulously cleaned the blade.

Actually, Jiang Ding didn't want to do this. He was sure his sword was very clean. Any accidental blood or sweat would be shaken off, making this extra step unnecessary.

Unfortunately, Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Yuan didn't see it that way.

Exhibiting Sword Style!

Arm Sword Style!

Point Sword Style!

Sword light flashed, carrots and white radishes flew through the air, followed by slices of white radish falling, piles of shredded potatoes, and dots of chopped green onions, forming a small mountain the size of a fist.

"You this..."

Lin Wanqiu stopped, looking at her kitchen filled with flashing sword light, utterly helpless.