The Seven Sons of the Sword Sect

Ye Jing sat by the window in the Hanlin Academy. He picked up a history book from his desk and was about to read.

Suddenly, a tremendous crash rang out in the street, nearly making the book in Ye Jing's hands fall to the ground.

"What happened?"

At the commotion outside, the Hanlin Academy erupted into a clamor.

"Look! Someone's fighting in midair. That crash just now came from those two experts!"

A sharp-eyed Hanlin Academy Official pointed at the three figures hovering high above and shouted.

People were actually fighting in midair in the Imperial Capital! Who were they, and how could they be so bold? Were they not afraid of the Night Watch Division?

Ye Jing, too, felt a flicker of curiosity. He opened the window and looked up.

Three figures stood suspended in the sky. One carried a long sword on his back. His features were refined and amiable, but his eyes were razor-sharp, and his entire being radiated a terrifying sword intent, like a divine weapon hidden in its scabbard.

The two fighting him were a man and a woman, both strangely dressed. One was clad entirely in white robes, the other entirely in black.

The sword-bearing elder was formidable. Even facing two opponents at once, he was not the slightest bit outmatched.

His sword moves were fierce, offense and defense alike. With a single slash, Sword Qi swept across more than ten miles. Fortunately, the battle was taking place high in the sky. Had the two of them unleashed their full strength on the streets of the Imperial Capital,

the shock waves alone would have destroyed most of the city's people.

What a formidable Sword Cultivator! Just watching for a little while had deepened Ye Jing's understanding of the Sword Dao. He had no idea who this man was, but with such mastery of the Sword Dao, he was surely no ordinary figure in Dali. Ye Jing sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, there was always a mountain beyond the mountain, a person beyond the person. Fortunately, after transmigrating to Dali, Ye Jing had always planned to stay in the Hanlin Academy.

If he had let himself get even a little carried away and decided to venture out into the world, with his current cultivation, he would likely have met his match against any one of these three.

Only if he had reached Grandmaster Perfection could he rely on his Time Domain and two supreme techniques to stand a good chance of defeating them despite the difference in rank.

"What a formidable Sword Cultivator! I wonder who he is. His mastery of the Sword Dao has reached an incredible level."

"That's right! Even in the Sword Sect, where Sword Dao experts abound, aside from the Sword Sect Master, who could claim to be stronger than this man?"

"Forget the Sword Cultivator. Those two unknown experts in black and white have fought him for so long without falling behind. Honestly, they're quite formidable too."

As the battle grew more and more intense, the officials watching from the Hanlin Academy began discussing it among themselves.

"Gentlemen, what you've just said has truly disappointed me! You don't even recognize such a remarkable Sword Dao expert. I'm ashamed to be counted among you."

A Hanlin Academy Official surnamed Wu stepped forward, his face brimming with pride, as though he were on close terms with the Sword Dao expert.

"Oh, Brother Wu, do you know that Sword Dao expert? Could you tell us who he is and broaden our horizons?"

The Hanlin Academy Officials clustered together parted to either side, making way for Official Wu to come to the front and enlighten them.

Usually, Official Wu had little presence at the Hanlin Academy. Now, seeing everyone's eyes fixed on him, he couldn't help but lift his chin and stride forward.

"Years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet this Sword Dao expert once. Later, I learned from his fellow sect members that this senior was Jian Xuzi, the seventh of the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect."

So it was Jian Xuzi of the Sword Sect! A flicker of shock crossed Ye Jing's eyes.

Three hundred years ago, after the Sword Sect Ancestor Zhu Yang died in battle, the Sword Sect hadn't declined. On the contrary, Sword Dao prodigies had emerged one after another.

Over the past three hundred years, countless Sword Dao prodigies had come from the Sword Sect. Seven of them had achieved the most, and they were known as the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect.

The current Sword Sect Master was the foremost of the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect. His cultivation had reached the Peak of Humanity, and even across all of Dali, he ranked among the Top Ten.

Though Jian Xuzi was the last of the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect, his Sword Dao cultivation was enough to place him among the top twenty Sword Dao experts in Dali.

What was more, he had the greatest talent among the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect. Before he was even a hundred years old, he had reached Great Grandmaster Perfection. He was the Sword Sect's most promising candidate to surpass the current Sword Sect Master and become the next leading figure in the Sword Dao.

"So it was Senior Jian Xuzi! No wonder his Sword Dao cultivation is so astonishing. I thought Dali had produced another Sword Dao prodigy!"

Only after the Hanlin Academy Official surnamed Wu revealed Jian Xuzi's identity did the officials present understand. Clearly, they all knew Jian Xuzi's name.

"But who are the two who have fought Senior Jian Xuzi for so long without falling behind? Brother Wu, could you enlighten us?"

Official Wu broke into a cold sweat. After a long pause, he stammered, "If they can fight Senior Jian Xuzi without falling behind, they're surely... surely not nobodies."

Seeing Official Wu change the subject, the officials present understood. He had simply been lucky enough to meet Jian Xuzi once, which was how he recognized him. He didn't know who the other two were at all.

Paying Official Wu no mind, the officials present had no intention of missing such an astonishing battle. They might never witness anything like it again in their lives.

As they watched, one official voiced his confusion. "Gentlemen, don't you find it strange? Why hasn't the Night Watch Division come, even after all this time?"

This...

The officials present had no answer. Watching the astonishing battle high above, they fell into thought.

Ye Jing sat by the window at ease, watching the battle in the sky while listening to the officials' discussion.

The question that official had raised was exactly the question on Ye Jing's mind.

The Imperial Capital was the imperial city, and the Night Watch Division managed its day-to-day security. With three Great Grandmasters fighting in the sky and causing such a commotion, there was no way they hadn't alerted the Night Watch Division.

It didn't make sense to think the Night Watch Division feared the three of them, either.

The Night Watch Division had Great Grandmasters of its own. It was said that the current Night Watch Commander had even reached the Peak of Humanity.

If the Night Watch Commander were willing to intervene, he should be able to put a stop to this conflict.

The battle had already been going on for quite some time, yet not a single Night Watch Envoy was in sight. It was truly strange.

After watching the astonishing battle in the sky for a little longer, Ye Jing lost interest.

His understanding of the Sword Dao was already profound. But his cultivation was too low—he was only a Grandmaster—and he couldn't fully display all his Sword Dao mastery.

Ling Xuzi's Sword Dao had given Ye Jing a slight improvement at first, but after a little while, his understanding of the Sword Dao stopped improving altogether.

Watching any longer would be a pure waste of time.

He turned his attention from the battle in the sky back to the history book in his hands. But as he turned his head, he caught sight of something outside the window, and his expression suddenly grew solemn.