Top Ten Famous Swords Under Heaven

Yang Jueding, startled by Xu Ning, began to argue with Cheng Canghai. Cheng Canghai, who had been scared, wanted to get up and fight as they argued, but Xu Ning glared at him, scaring him back to his knees.

"Alright, it's no use killing him now. Let's think about how to make amends," Li Qingqiu said. While stealing was detestable, what Cheng Canghai stole wasn't particularly valuable, so it wasn't a capital offense.

Yang Jueding shot Cheng Canghai a glare, then looked at Li Qingqiu and said, "This man's name is Cheng Canghai. His lightness skill is superb, and he's known in the martial world as the King of Thieves. He once stole a treasure from the prefect's mansion in the prefecture and sold it to other nobles, using the money to help disaster victims. He can be considered a good man. Moreover, his promises are well-known. Whatever he promises, he will fulfill, never having let anyone down to this day."

He actually admired Cheng Canghai quite a bit. In these degenerate times, there weren't many people in the martial world who still maintained a spirit of chivalry.

Li Qingqiu looked at Cheng Canghai and asked, "Why did you come to Qingxiao Sect?"

Cheng Canghai replied, "I was being pursued by the Government. The newly appointed magistrate of Black Stone County has good martial arts and cares for his people, but he specifically targeted me, the King of Thieves. He chased me all the way to the Tai Kun Mountain Range. I was starving, so I had to resort to desperate measures."

"That's not right. The world is vast, why did you have to run here?" Li Qingqiu's eyes sharpened, and his tone carried displeasure.

Cheng Canghai's expression changed slightly. Gritting his teeth, he said, "To be honest, next spring, the Crown Prince will come to the Tai Kun Mountain Range for a hunt. I came in advance to prepare to steal the Peace Sword from his waist."

Yang Jueding's eyes widened upon hearing this. He cursed, "You have quite the nerve! If you do this, the imperial court will surely send heavy troops to search the Tai Kun Mountain Range, and our Qingxiao Sect will be implicated."

The surrounding disciples looked at Cheng Canghai with changed expressions, not expecting him to be so audacious.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but interject, "The Peace Sword... that was bestowed by an expert when the late Emperor pacified the realm. It's the second-ranked sword among the top ten famous swords in the world. If you steal it, I fear it will stir up a storm of bloodshed throughout the land."

Cheng Canghai said proudly, "That's right. If I succeed, my reputation as the King of Thieves will reach a higher level. Moreover, I want to slap the imperial family in the face. They preach about a prosperous era, yet they refuse to lower their heads and see how the common people live. As for implicating Qingxiao Sect, I thought that after Lin Xunfeng retired from the martial world, Qingxiao Sect would disband. I only came up the mountain today looking for a place to stay, I didn't expect you to be roasting chicken..."

"It smells so good, I'm craving it, so craving it!"

By the end, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

After a beating, he was even hungrier.

Li Qingqiu looked at Yang Jueding and asked, "You said just now that his lightness skill is superb?"

Yang Jueding suppressed his anger and nodded, "In the entire Guzhou martial world, his lightness skill is considered top-notch."

He suddenly realized how Xu Ning had captured Cheng Canghai.

He couldn't help but turn to look at Xu Ning.

Cheng Canghai noticed his gaze and quickly said, "If I hadn't been too hungry, how could I have been caught? Of course, her lightness skill is also very impressive..."

Xu Ning, at the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, had already begun practicing the Gale Technique and was proficient at moving quickly through the mountains.

"Since that's the case, I'll punish you by having you stay at Qingxiao Sect for one year to teach my disciples lightness skill, as atonement. During this time, we won't let you go hungry. If you disagree, then I'll send you to Black Stone County."

Li Qingqiu stared at Cheng Canghai sternly.

Cheng Canghai's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Can the time be shorter? I'm afraid I'll miss my upcoming grand plan."

"So many people have heard your grand plan, do you think you can still succeed? Don't waste your effort. Be quick about it, agree or disagree!"

Li Qingqiu said impatiently, he was waiting to eat.

Cheng Canghai's expression shifted between gloom and cheer. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he finally nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's prepare to eat!"

Li Qingqiu clapped his hands, then walked towards the long table. The disciples began to bustle about and dispersed, leaving Cheng Canghai kneeling alone on the ground.

Cheng Canghai was stunned. He hadn't expected Qingxiao Sect to be so straightforward, nor Li Qingqiu to trust him so much.

He quickly got up and walked towards Yang Jueding.

He was too curious about Qingxiao Sect; it was completely different from the Qingxiao Sect he had heard about.

When dinner was served, Cheng Canghai shamelessly squeezed in next to Yang Jueding and started to freeload.

"Since we have nothing else to do, why doesn't the King of Thieves recount his deeds? That way, everyone can understand you better," Zhang Yu said with a smile, seeing the somber atmosphere. As soon as he spoke, everyone looked at Cheng Canghai.

Cheng Canghai couldn't help but look at Li Qingqiu. Seeing that Li Qingqiu didn't object, he drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp and began to tell his story.

"Where should I start? Let's start from when I began practicing martial arts. I was born in the first year of the founding of the dynasty. The situation was turbulent that year, and my family suffered a disaster. The Emperor ordered the execution of my entire clan. My father found an opportunity and sent me away. Unfortunately, I was discovered by the soldiers. They chased me and cornered me at a cliff. With a surge of desperation, I jumped!"

Cheng Canghai's tone rose and fell, quickly capturing everyone's attention. Even Li Qingqiu became interested in his story.

The dinner that night lasted a full hour. For the disciples of Qingxiao Sect, such stories were rare. Everyone was deeply moved after listening and looked forward to Cheng Canghai continuing.

Li Qingqiu didn't care if the story was true or false; as long as the disciples were happy listening, he wouldn't stop it.

He arranged for Cheng Canghai to share a room with Yang Jueding. That night, he vaguely heard sounds of fighting from Yang Jueding's room, which soon subsided.

The next morning, the disciples noticed that Cheng Canghai's facial injuries had worsened. When they asked him, he just said he was fine.

Although Cheng Canghai's chicken theft was detestable, he successfully won the favor of the disciples with his chivalrous stories and quickly blended in with them. However, every time he saw Xu Ning, he would choose to take a detour.

In the following days, Cheng Canghai, like Zhang Yu and Yang Jueding, became increasingly curious about Qingxiao Sect.

Wu Man'er, who possessed immense strength, made him feel like he had encountered a monster.

What he found most absurd was that Li Sifeng, who was about to turn thirteen, could compare his lightness skill with him. Although he won, the gap was not large.

Did Qingxiao Sect have so many monstrous geniuses?

No, it must be that Qingxiao Sect was hiding some incredible secret martial arts inheritance!

Seven days later, Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia finally returned.

Upon receiving the news, Li Qingqiu returned to the sect's courtyard. When Jiang Zhaoxia saw him, he raised three fingers with a triumphant smile before heading inside to change into sect robes.

Nourishing Yuan Realm Third Layer!

This kid actually caught up. My cultivation advantage from cheating is gone again.

Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly, but he was happy about it. At least the Qingxiao Sect had grown stronger again.

Zhang Yuchun approached Li Qingqiu and pointed to an old beggar not far away. "Eldest Senior Brother, this is the expert. His name is Wu Baoyu. Third Junior Brother told me not to tell you, but he failed his first challenge against Senior Wu. He then went into seclusion for two days before challenging him again and finally winning."

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. Jiang Zhaoxia, at the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, could actually be defeated?

This Wu Baoyu is not simple.

Li Qingqiu sensed the inner energy within him, feeling as though he was looking at a second Lü Taidou.

"You arrange for him," Li Qingqiu said with a light chuckle. "After all, you were the one who recruited him." Zhang Yuchun often went down the mountain, and having such an expert by his side would put his mind at ease.

Hearing this, Zhang Yuchun was overjoyed and quickly bowed to thank Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu patted his shoulder and then went with him to meet Wu Baoyu.

Unfortunately, Wu Baoyu was aloof and uninterested in Li Qingqiu. Li Qingqiu didn't try to force the conversation, and after a slightly awkward chat, he left.

He still had to go back and continue cultivating the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle.

Summer turned to autumn. The mountain where the Qingxiao Sect was located was covered in autumn colors. Below the mountain gate, after descending a ten-zhang stone staircase, stood a new courtyard with five rooms. In the center was a simple training ground where disciples often sparred.

A month had passed since Wu Baoyu joined the Qingxiao Sect. The Qingxiao Sect had gained four more disciples, whom Zhang Yuchun had recruited from down the mountain.

That afternoon, Li Qingqiu sat at the mountain gate, fiddling with the small knife Jiang Kuotian had gifted him last year.

Yang Jueding came and sat beside him, his gaze fixed on Wu Baoyu in the courtyard below, watching the disciples spar.

After changing into the Qingxiao Sect robes, Wu Baoyu exuded the demeanor of a martial arts grandmaster. Although he was thin and slightly hunched, he gave off an impression of profound strength even when standing with his hands behind his back.

He was fifty years old, his hair already streaked with white, but his eyes remained sharp and imposing.

"This Senior Wu Baoyu is truly remarkable. He's likely an ultimate expert. Even though I've cultivated the Primordial Scripture to the Yangyuan Realm Layer 1 as recorded in the text, I'm still not confident I could defeat him."

Yang Jueding sighed softly. Every time he met Wu Baoyu's gaze, he felt uneasy, so he tried to avoid him.

Wu Baoyu was a man of few words, but when he occasionally guided the younger disciples, a few sentences from him could bring them sudden enlightenment. As a result, the disciples held him in very high regard in private.

Li Qingqiu looked up and smiled. "He is indeed remarkable, but that's a good thing, isn't it? How many people in the Azure Cult do you think could be his match?"

"Given the Azure Cult's current influence, they must have ultimate experts, likely their leader. However, I still think you should remain wary of Wu Baoyu. I find him very suspicious. The story of him waiting in the mountains near the Tai Kun Mountain Range for experts to challenge him sounds ridiculous. I suspect he's here for the Qingxiao Sect, perhaps not targeting your master, but your grandmaster."

Yang Jueding said with a grave expression, fearing Li Qingqiu might trust Wu Baoyu too easily.

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly. Wu Baoyu's loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect hadn't been particularly high since joining, but it was above sixty, so he hadn't paid it much mind.

It's worth noting that Wu Baoyu did not possess any special Destiny. Although he was an ultimate expert in the Martial Dao, his aptitude for cultivation was mediocre.