Autumn Wind, Falling Leaves, Sword Qi Like Frost

The autumn in Tiandu City was even more bleak than in the northern territories.

Golden plane tree leaves carpeted Vermillion Bird Avenue. Hooves trod upon them, making no sound, only a heart-wrenching crispness.

This was the center of the world, and also the vortex of power.

Beneath the prosperous facade, currents more turbid than the moat water churned. Battle reports from the north poured into the Grand Secretariat like snowflakes. The Emperor had not attended court for three days, while envoys from various regional kings frequented the mansions of powerful officials late into the night.

Ji Ye sat at a street-side tea stall.

Before him sat a bowl of plain noodle soup, topped with two pieces of greens. It was thin and watery.

Beside his hand lay the iron sword he had bought for fifty copper coins. Its scabbard was made of old peach wood, and the hilt was wrapped in black cloth. He looked like a down-on-his-luck wandering swordsman.

"Did you hear? The Grand Princess's mansion is recruiting retainers again."

At the next table, two men with swords at their waists lowered their voices, but it couldn't escape Ji Ye's ears.

"How many batches has that been? The 'Iron Arm Dragon' who went last month, they say he couldn't even take one move from the head steward before being thrown out."

"This time it's different. I heard the Grand Princess obtained a fragmented ancient sword manual and is offering a reward to the world. Whoever can complete three moves will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and can enter the mansion as a 'Tutor'."

"Completing a sword manual? That's a Grandmaster's work. Let's just drink our tea."

Ji Ye picked up a piece of greens and slowly put it into his mouth.

The Grand Princess, Xiao Hongxiu.

The current Emperor's elder sister, she wielded immense power in court and was known as the "Female Prime Minister." It was said her mansion housed three thousand retainers, among whom were many desperate outlaws and eccentric martial artists.

More importantly, she had the privilege of freely entering and exiting the Imperial Palace's Grand Library.

That was the closest path to the Supreme Induction Chapter.

"A Tutor, huh..."

Ji Ye finished the last sip of noodle soup and put down three copper coins.

He picked up the iron sword and stood up.

The autumn wind lifted the hem of his clothes, revealing a plain jade pendant at his waist.

It was his only adornment.

Yet, as he stood there, he was more upright than any tall building in Tiandu City.

The Grand Princess's secondary mansion, Tingxue Tower.

This was where the Grand Princess specifically recruited martial artists from the jianghu. The vermilion main gate was open, and two stone lions at the entrance stood imposent. But even more imposing were the two rows of Brocade-Clad Guards standing on the steps.

Their temples bulged, their breathing long and steady, clearly masters of internal martial arts.

And on the plaza before the gate, dozens of jianghu figures had already gathered. There were monks and Daoists, men and women, each armed and with defiant eyes.

"Make way, make way! Are you blind?"

A burly man, carrying a massive Horse-Chopping Saber on his back, pushed through the crowd and strode towards the registration area by the entrance. As he passed Ji Ye, he deliberately swayed his shoulder, intending to knock aside the thin youth blocking his path.

This was a common test in the jianghu, and a way to establish dominance.

Ji Ye did not dodge.

He didn't even lift an eyelid.

The instant the burly man's shoulder was about to hit him, Ji Ye's body shifted with an extremely subtle movement.

The amplitude was so small, it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

But this slight shift perfectly neutralized all of the burly man's momentum, while simultaneously allowing Ji Ye to push forward with his shoulder.

"Borrowing strength to return strength."

The burly man felt as if he had hit a ball of cotton, followed by a surge of immense rebound force. His footing faltered, and he stumbled back three steps before collapsing onto the ground.

The Horse-Chopping Saber clattered onto the bluestone slabs, sending sparks flying.

"You!"

The burly man, enraged, scrambled to his feet and reached for his saber.

"What are you doing? Trying to cause trouble in front of the Princess's mansion?"

From the steps, a steward-like middle-aged man shouted coldly. His gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the burly man before finally landing on Ji Ye.

Others hadn't seen clearly what happened just now, but he had.

Such control over balance and force was far from ordinary.

"Those who wish to test their swords, line up. Those who wish to cause trouble, get out." The steward waved his hand, and the guards on either side stepped forward in unison, exuding a murderous aura.

The burly man swallowed, glared hatefully at Ji Ye, and sheepishly melted back into the crowd.

Ji Ye's expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened. He moved forward with the line, until he stood before the desk.

"Name?" the steward asked, picking up his brush.

"Ji Ye."

"Specialty?"

"Sword."

"A weapon?"

Ji Ye raised the iron sword in his hand.

The steward glanced at the battered sword, its scabbard even losing its paint, and frowned slightly. But recalling the scene just now, he patiently said:

"Go in. The third courtyard, someone is waiting for you."

Ji Ye took a wooden plaque and stepped over the high threshold.

The third courtyard was a spacious training ground.

Several plum blossom stakes stood in the field, along with some stone locks used for testing strength.

But the most eye-catching sight was an old man sitting in the center.

The old man had white hair and beard, cradling an ancient longsword in his arms, his eyes closed in meditation. Around him, three challengers already lay on the ground, some clutching their wrists, others with broken weapons, all pale-faced.

"That's the Grand Princess's sword-fighting expert, 'Water-Severing Sword' Liu Bai."

Someone nearby whispered, "His swordsmanship is exquisite, said to have touched the threshold of the Organ Tempering realm."

"Next."

Liu Bai didn't open his eyes, his voice ancient and indifferent.

A martial artist wielding dual hooks gritted his teeth and stepped forward, "Please guide me, senior!"

Before he finished speaking, he crossed his hooks, twisting like scissors towards Liu Bai's neck.

Liu Bai remained seated.

Just as the hooks were about to strike, the sword in his arms suddenly sprang out half an inch.

Clang!

A cold light flashed.

The dual hooks in the martial artist's hands snapped cleanly, the cuts smooth. Liu Bai's sword, however, seemed never to have left its scabbard.

"Too slow, too messy."

Liu Bai shook his head. "Next."

A commotion rippled through the crowd, many showing fear and backing away.

Ji Ye watched this scene, a flicker of light flashing in his eyes.

[Martial Dao Heavenly Eye] activated.

The sword strike that appeared lightning-fast to others was deconstructed into dozens of movements in his eyes.

Liu Bai hadn't drawn his sword; he had used a mechanism on the scabbard to propel the blade, using that momentary burst of power to break the weapon.

This was not just swordsmanship, but a combination of mechanics and internal strength.

Interesting.

Ji Ye pushed through the crowd and walked into the field.

"Junior Ji Ye, I request your guidance."

Liu Bai slowly opened his eyes and saw the iron sword in Ji Ye's hand. A flicker of disdain crossed his eyes, but then it sharpened.

Because Ji Ye's stance was too casual.

So casual it was full of openings.

But to a master, full of openings often meant no openings, because you wouldn't know where to attack.

"Draw your sword," Liu Bai said indifferently.

"Senior is seated, junior dares not draw his sword,"

Ji Ye shook his head. "Because senior's sword cannot be drawn."

"Arrogant!"

Liu Bai snorted coldly and repeated his previous move. His finger brushed across the scabbard, the mechanism whirred, and the longsword shot out like a viper's tongue, thrusting directly at Ji Ye's throat.

This time, he used fifty percent of his internal strength.

Facing this killing blow, Ji Ye did not retreat, nor did he draw his sword.

He simply raised the sheathed iron sword in his hand and gently poked forward.

The movement was as slow as swatting a fly.

But this "poke" was incredibly precise.

Ding.

A crisp clinking sound.

The tip of Ji Ye's scabbard landed, precisely and unerringly, on the crossguard of Liu Bai's ancient sword, which had just sprung out an inch.

That was the node where the mechanism's power was transmitted.

This was the only fatal flaw of the mechanical sword.

"Click."

As soon as Liu Bai's sword sprang out, it was forcefully pushed back by this clever force. The mechanism jammed, emitting a muffled sound.

Liu Bai felt a jolt in his arms, a strange shock traveling through the scabbard, numbing his tiger's mouth and stiffening half his body.

His sword truly wouldn't come out.

The entire place fell silent.

Quieter than when the strongman had fallen earlier.

Liu Bai abruptly stood up, staring intently at Ji Ye, the indifference on his face replaced by shock.

"You... you saw it?"

"The power of a mechanism is direct and unyielding. Though fast, it's rigid."

Ji Ye retracted his iron sword, his tone calm. "Senior's swordsmanship may be brilliant, but this sword limits you."

"Good... good eyesight!"

Liu Bai took a deep breath, the contempt in his eyes completely gone. He placed the ancient sword aside, clasped his hands into a fist, and performed a bow of equals.

"You've passed this trial."

"However..." Liu Bai changed the subject, pointing to the moon gate behind him, "To become a tutor, mere eyesight isn't enough. The person inside is the true examiner."

"Thank you."

Ji Ye returned the bow and strode towards the moon gate.

His steps were still unhurried, as if his stunning strike just now was merely casual.

Passing through the moon gate, he entered an exquisite waterside pavilion.

In the pond, remnants of lotus leaves listened to the rain, and within the pavilion, zither music drifted melodiously.

A woman in red stood with her back to him, playing the zither. The music resonated, carrying a martial aura of clashing swords and galloping horses.

Behind the woman stood a silent man in black, like an iron pagoda.

The man in black had no discernible breathing.

Ji Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

Perfected Organ Tempering, or even... half a step into Grandmaster.

This was the true foundation of the Grand Princess's estate.

"You are Ji Ye, the one who saw through Liu Bai's mechanical sword with a single glance?"

The woman in red didn't turn around. Her finger swept across the zither strings, producing a sharp sound like tearing silk.

"Your swordsmanship is decent. But I don't keep idlers here."

"I heard you can complete the sword manual?"

A yellowed, tattered page, propelled by internal strength, shot towards Ji Ye like a flying dagger.

Ji Ye extended two fingers and gently caught the page.

The paper didn't move, and the ink hadn't even smudged.

He lowered his head to look.

It was a few lines of vigorous cursive script, exuding a chilling killing intent between the words, but it only had the first half, not the second.

[When Heaven unleashes its killing intent, stars shift and constellations change. When Earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise from the ground. When Man unleashes its killing intent...]

"Such arrogance."

Ji Ye murmured softly, his fingers stroking the yellowed paper.

This wasn't a sword technique at all; it was clearly the mental state and enlightenment left behind by some martial arts fanatic of the previous dynasty. These three sentences spoke of momentum, of the destructive force of the resonance between Heaven, Earth, and Man.

"Your Highness offered a thousand gold pieces as a reward, seeking heroes from across the land to complete this manual. I imagine you've received many 'exquisite' sword techniques?"

Ji Ye looked up at the red-clad figure, a hint of faint mockery in his tone.

"Some people added 'blood flows like a river,' others added 'sweeping across the six directions.' I assume they were all incredibly powerful killing moves."

"Indeed."

The woman in red didn't turn, merely pressing a finger on the zither string. "But I felt they were all lacking something. Do you also wish to add a few moves?"

Ji Ye shook his head, loosening his grip.

The page, worth a thousand gold pieces, drifted down and landed on the ground, gathering dust.

"These few lines of incantation speak of the operation of the Heavenly Dao, of the induction of vital energy, of great momentum. These are already supreme principles, the pinnacle of the Dao."

Ji Ye's voice was calm, yet it exploded like thunder in the waterside pavilion.

"Those people attempted to use mundane sword techniques to fill the killing intent of the Heavenly Dao. It's no different from trying to patch the sky with mud. Not only does it fail, but it's like adding a dog's tail to a snake, a sign of inferiority."

"This sword strategy doesn't need to be completed."

"Because the true killing intent isn't on paper."

"Insolence!"

The man in black, who had been silent as an iron pagoda, let out a low thunderous sound from his throat.

He didn't move, not even shifting the tip of his foot.

But his black robe suddenly billowed, and an intangible yet substantial oppressive force instantly emptied the air around Ji Ye.

That was the aura of a half-step Grandmaster, like a collapsing mountain, forcing one to kneel.

The zither music stopped abruptly.

Xiao Hongxiu slowly turned around.

It was an extremely beautiful, yet ice-cold face. Her brows and eyes carried a natural, commanding presence that made one afraid to look directly.

She looked at the torn pages on the ground, then at Ji Ye, her eyes showing genuine interest for the first time.

"Not on paper?"

Xiao Hongxiu stood up, her red robes like fire. "Then where is it?"

"In the heart, in the hand, in..."

Ji Ye gripped his iron sword and slowly drew it out half an inch.

A sharp chill instantly filled the entire waterside pavilion, causing ripples even on the surface of the pond.

"Your Highness, if you wish to see a sword, this humble one's iron sword can demonstrate one or two."

"I just don't know if this full garden of autumn scenery..."

Ji Ye glanced at the withered yellow leaves around them.

"...can withstand this humble one's sword."

Xiao Hongxiu narrowed her eyes.

The man in black behind her suddenly took a step forward, his aura locking onto Ji Ye like a crushing mountain.

But Ji Ye stood there.

Like a proud pine tree in the snow, neither humble nor arrogant, neither avoiding nor yielding.

After a long while.

Xiao Hongxiu suddenly smiled.

That smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, yet it carried a deadly poison.

"Interesting."

She waved her hand, signaling the man in black to step back.

"You have permission to draw your sword."

"If this sword can satisfy this Princess..."

She pointed to the empty seat beside her.

"The chief position at Tingxue Tower will be yours."

Ji Ye nodded.

"I shall make a fool of myself."

Zheng--!

The iron sword was drawn from its sheath.

This sword was named "Autumn Kill."