Great Grain Sword Palace

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Great Grain Sword Palace (大穗剑宫)
Alias(es)	Great Grain; Sword Palace
Affiliation	Great Chu Dynasty; maintains affiliated branches and secular academies across the dynasty 114 298
Occupation/Role	Ancient Sword Dao sect that trains sword cultivators, preserves sword arts, administers Sword Qi formations, and guards major cultivation grounds 114 126 601
Status	Active; its mountain gate and surrounding buildings were heavily damaged during the Imperial City's assault, though several main peaks remained standing and the sect survived 650
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background / History

The Great Grain Sword Palace is a Northern Territory Sword Dao power whose cultivators are renowned for their powerful divine souls and ability to command multiple flying swords. Its sword-cultivation tradition differs from the Daoist path: its second realm is called Divine Sense, while its third is Controlling Weapon. 25 48

The palace has endured for thousands of years through the legacy of thirty-three Sword Dao Sages. Their settled Grotto-Heavens became the Thirty-Three Grotto-Heavens of Jade Screen Peak, the sect's most important forbidden grounds. 116 423

During the Northern Territory Great Wall war, the Lotus Revered One—then master of the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven—turned the battle by personally killing ten Demon Realm Grandmasters. Her subsequent assassination and death caused the Sword Palace's fortune to collapse. 176

Ten years before the mountain's reopening, Sect Leader Zhao Chunyang ordered the Sword Palace sealed. Traveling disciples were recalled, Lotus Peak withdrew from the mortal world, and the sect ceased accepting disciples. 2 161

Following the collapse of the Northern Sea Mausoleum and the return of Great Chu's national fortune, the Sword Palace reopened its gates. The reopening drew cultivators, sword heroes, talisman makers, and major factions from across Great Chu, while also opening access to the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven. 107 111

After the Profound Water competition, the palace continued recruiting disciples and expanded the distribution of Sword Qi Message Tokens. 413

The Great Chu Imperial City later besieged the Sword Palace to seize the Dragon Vein beneath Lotus Peak. The five peaks activated their mountain-suppressing formations, but the sect suffered severe destruction before Xie Xuanyi and Ci Jing killed Zhu Yan and the Ren Shou Palace collapsed. 601 602 650

Organization

Main Peaks

Peak	Responsibilities
Lotus Peak	The highest-ranking peak and a place dedicated to Sword Qi cultivation. Only true disciples holding the Great Grain Lotus Token may enter. 114
Golden Turtle Peak	Oversees punishments and regulations across the sect; may act for the Sect Leader in exceptional circumstances. 114
Jade Screen Peak	Guards the Sword Cleansing Pool and the Thirty-Three Grotto-Heavens. 114 423
True Hidden Peak	Recruits guest elders, coordinates external forces, manages affiliated branches, and gathers intelligence through its disciples. 114 593
Little Chong Mountain	Houses sect servants and manages alchemy, sword forging, array work, and other logistical duties. 114 179

Leadership and Notable Members

• Zhao Chunyang — Sect Leader and Pure Yang Headmaster; ordered the ten-year mountain closure and later returned to public view to stabilize the sect's standing. 161 179
• Zhao Tongtian — Heavenly Law Enforcer; oversees Golden Turtle Peak and defended the sect against the Holy Empress's demand for the Dragon Vein. 135 605
• Qi Lie — Zhao Tongtian's disciple and Golden Turtle Peak Law Enforcer; led disciples into the Sword Forest to awaken the Sword Qi Dragon Vein during the siege. 135 623
• Huang Su — Acting Lotus Peak Mountain Lord during the reopening; later identified as Lotus Peak's Mountain Master. 107 171
• Jiang Miaoyin — Jade Screen Peak Mountain Lord and guardian connected to the Thirty-Three Grotto-Heavens. 116 174
• Si Qi — True Hidden Peak disciple involved in guest reception, intelligence work, and the deployment of Sword Qi Tokens. 112 179
• Xie Xuanyi / Xie Zhen — Former Lotus Peak disciple and later a central figure in the palace's revival, defense, and future succession. 155 650 711

Sacred Grounds and Facilities

Profound Water Grotto-Heaven

The Profound Water Grotto-Heaven opens once every sixty years and is one of the Sword Palace's greatest cultivation opportunities. Its first level, the Lotus River, contains sword intent left by generations of sages; cultivators may navigate it by sword or meditate upon its waters to comprehend the Sword Dao. 152

• The Sword Palace can use its Sword Qi Edict to project the Lotus River's scenery beyond the Grotto-Heaven, allowing outside observers to witness it. 152
• The second level contains a lotus sea deliberately reserved as a blessing for the Grotto-Heaven's new master. 154
• Xie Zhen became the new master of the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven. 483

Thirty-Three Grotto-Heavens

The Thirty-Three Grotto-Heavens are the settled Grotto-Heavens of thirty-three past Sword Dao Sages. They are Jade Screen Peak's most valuable forbidden grounds and can only be entered by successive Palace Masters and Mountain Lords under normal circumstances. 116

• They serve as a cultivation sanctuary for Sword Palace disciples. 423
• They also function as a prison for serious offenders, fiends, and great demons. 423
• The Sword Cleansing Pool is connected to them and continuously transforms Sword Qi into cleansing power to temper the imprisoned beings' Dao hearts. 423

Scripture Pavilion

Floor	Access and contents
First Floor	Open to visitors while the Sword Palace is open; holds transcribed Sword Dao mental-cultivation methods that may be borrowed with Origin Pills as collateral. 126
Second Floor	Restricted to Sword Palace disciples; preserves internal, non-transmitted master copies that may be viewed but not borrowed. 126
Third Floor	Requires inner-sect status; contains relics of past predecessors that retain scattered Sword Intent for contemplation. 126
Fourth Floor	Requires core-disciple status and Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivation due to the sharp Sword Intent within its relics. 126
Fifth Floor	Requires permission from the Pavilion's Guardian or the Sect Leader. 126
Sixth Floor	Contents unknown, even to Xie Xuanyi in his former life. 126

Cultivation Tradition

Sword Palace term	Equivalent / function
Divine Sense	The Sword Palace's name for the second realm, called Foundation Establishment in the Daoist tradition. It emphasizes cultivating the divine soul for future natal-sword control. 48
Controlling Weapon	The Sword Palace's name for the third realm, called Controlling Qi by Daoists. 48
Natal Flying Sword	The central vessel of a sword cultivator's path; Sword Palace cultivators use natal flying swords to form and support their Grotto-Heavens. 266
Sword Qi Edict	A main peak's accumulated Sword Qi and Sword Dao Intent. Its holder can draw upon it to cultivate or greatly enhance combat power while defending the peak. 141

• Sword Palace cultivators are known for strong spiritual power and the ability to control several flying swords at once; the number of flying swords is generally treated as a sign of cultivation realm. 25
• The Lotus Swordplay is the overarching flying-sword art of the Great Grain Sword Palace and is compulsory for Lotus Peak core disciples. 627
• The palace possesses the Annihilation Chapter, a supreme sword technique said to have gone uncomprehended for a thousand years before Xie Xuanyi's attainment. 325
• Golden Turtle Peak's Thunder Manipulation Sword Art descends from the Profound Thunder Sword Immortal and follows an overwhelmingly forceful Thunder Dao. 422

Infrastructure and Defenses

• Sword Qi Edicts — Each main peak possesses an edict containing generations of accumulated Sword Qi and Sword Dao Intent. 141
• Mountain-suppressing formations — The five main peaks jointly suppress the earth veins through ancient formations. Activating them signifies a life-or-death crisis for the sect. 601 602
• Great Grain Dragon Vein — The Dragon Vein beneath Lotus Peak was developed by the Master and First Lord a thousand years ago; it sustains the palace's long-term fortune and ability to produce powerful guardians. 601 605
• Sword Forest — A key site for awakening and drawing upon the hidden Sword Qi Dragon Vein. 623
• Sword Qi Tokens — Communication tokens distributed by True Hidden Peak; they can summon traveling disciples and support contact between the Sword Palace and the outside world. 170 602
• Great Grain academies — Nearly one hundred secular academies throughout Great Chu teach practical skills and swordsmanship, including to those unable to become Qi Refiners. 298

Relationships

• Great Chu Dynasty — The Sword Palace exists within Great Chu and receives national fortune, but fiercely guards its independence and Dragon Vein from the imperial family. 111 605
• Daoist Sect — A major peer and frequent political counterweight; the Sword Palace is described as a super sect on the Daoist Sect's level. 161 602
• Ren Shou Palace — Hostile force that joined the Holy Empress's campaign to seize the Great Grain Dragon Vein. 593 606
• Jiangning Xie Clan — Its heir, Xie Sheng, attempted to compete for the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven, while the clan was later implicated in the assassination attempt on Xie Zhen. 122 150
• Affiliated branches and academies — True Hidden Peak manages external branches, while secular academies preserve the Sword Palace's influence throughout Great Chu. 114 298
• Vermilion Bird Great Demon — Once rescued by the Lotus Revered One, it entered a soul contract to guard the Sword Palace's mountain gate, though it later sought to escape after her death. 416

Major Arcs

Ten-Year Mountain Closure

Zhao Chunyang closed the mountain gate, recalled outside disciples, and withdrew Lotus Peak from the mortal world. The closure left the sect isolated and materially strained, with aging robes, damaged treasures, and declining reserves. 2 161 170

Mountain Reopening and Sword Qi Confluence

The reopening coincided with the return of Great Chu's national fortune. The Sword Palace recruited disciples, welcomed outside factions, and held the Sword Qi Confluence around the opening of the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven. 107 111 141

Profound Water Competition

The Sword Palace expanded the number of available Grotto-Heaven slots from ten to twenty, canceling the Confluence's final round. Xie Zhen later defeated Xie Sheng with one sword and invited all present to witness the Profound Water Grotto-Heaven's lotus scenery. 141 142 152 153

Recovery and Expansion

Following the reopening, the palace resumed recruitment, restored the Sword Qi Token network, and attempted to rebuild its influence after a decade of isolation. 170 179 413

Imperial City Siege

The Holy Empress surrounded the Sword Palace with a fleet and demanded the Lotus Peak Dragon Vein. The five peaks activated their formations, Zhao Tongtian wielded Golden Turtle Peak as a sword, and the disciples fought despite the eventual depletion of the Primordial Formation. 602 605 622 625

Battle Aftermath

The siege left most of the mountain gate and nearby structures in ruins, but the sect endured after Zhu Yan's death and the collapse of Ren Shou Palace. Its surviving disciples remained committed to rebuilding under Xie Xuanyi's emerging leadership. 650 711