At the Huashan Sect's training grounds, green mountains surrounded the area. The precipitous peaks of Mount Hua rose like sharp swords thrusting into the clouds, while mist curled through the mountains like gauzy veils, lending the grounds beneath Jade Maiden Peak an air of mystery and ethereal beauty.
It was obvious that the founder of the Huashan Sect had not chosen this place at random.
After all, training in such an environment for years seemed to have a subtle cleansing effect on the mind. It might temper the worldly bloodlust of swordsmanship and replace it with a sense of serenity and transcendence.
Whether that sort of feeling was actually good for swordsmanship, however, was anyone's guess.
In any case!
At that moment, Yue Lingshan and the others were practicing their swordplay in one corner of the training grounds.
The flagstone paving was relatively smooth and spacious. After being trodden by countless disciples and tempered by sword energy, it had developed a warm sheen—and countless footprints. There was no doubt that Huashan disciples had left them over years of training.
Unfortunately, the Huashan Sect had only about twenty people left. There were barely a handful of them, and even counting those who were away from the mountain, they couldn't muster twenty. So Yue Lingshan and the others occupied only one corner of the training grounds, making for a rather pitiful sight.
The autumn wind swept past, bringing with it the sound of waves rustling through the pines...
With autumn deepening, more pine needles and dead leaves from the deciduous trees drifted down. As they fluttered about, they seemed like a thousand troops galloping—or like the notes of a lilting guqin melody—resonating above the training grounds.
Fortunately, more than a dozen towering, ancient evergreen pines stood around the training grounds like loyal