Sword Grinding Cave

Sword Grinding Cave

Baibi City, Li Mansion.

In the backyard.

"Madam."

Steward Xu of the Li Mansion bowed respectfully.

He did not know why the Madam had suddenly summoned him.

Madam Ren Rong waved away the surrounding maids and stared at Steward Xu.

Steward Xu felt very uneasy under her gaze and bent his waist even lower.

Compared to the Master, the Madam was much harder to serve.

"Steward Xu, tell me the truth. Last time you went to the Divine Sword Sect, how many gold notes did you deliver to the eldest young master?"

Madam Ren Rong said in a deep voice.

With Master Li Donglin away at the prefectural capital, she was in charge of the vast Li Mansion.

She had quietly checked the accounts and discovered a large expenditure from some time ago.

"Madam, this..."

Steward Xu felt his scalp tingle, as the Master had told him not to speak of it.

"Is there something difficult to say?"

Madam Ren Rong asked sternly.

"Six thousand taels."

Unable to withstand the pressure, Steward Xu had no choice but to reveal it.

If he offended the Madam, he feared his days as steward would be over.

He knew all too well just how formidable the Madam could be.

"Six thousand taels? Hmph, is he planning to stop living a normal life?"

Madam Ren Rong's expression changed drastically.

Li Gan had entered the Divine Sword Sect to cultivate, and who knew how much more would need to be invested later?

She feared the entire family fortune of the Li Mansion would be hollowed out.

"Li Donglin, you really are biased."

Ren Rong gritted her teeth in hatred.

She did not believe that Li Donglin had only recently found out about Li Gan becoming a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect. It was possible that Li Donglin had deliberately sent Li Gan to the Divine Sword Sect.

Otherwise, how could a good-for-nothing wastrel, who had run away from home for over three years, become an official disciple of the Divine Sword Sect without a sound?

If Li Donglin was determined to support Li Gan's martial arts training with all his might, he could completely hollow out the Li family.

By the time her son Li Kun earned his official rank and needed money for bribes and connections, she feared there would be no money left to give.

Would all her scheming over these years go to waste?

Once Li Gan achieved success, he would surely overshadow her son. Given the hatred Li Gan held for her, he would definitely seek revenge, perhaps even taking it out on her son.

Steward Xu kept his head low, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.

In the vast Li mansion, there was likely no one who didn't know the mistress's intentions, save for the master himself.

After noon.

Li Gan finished his training and prepared to make lunch.

Suddenly, a figure walked into the bell tower.

Li Gan looked up and was surprised to see his master, Zhou Buping.

"Master, why are you here?"

He was very surprised.

This was the first time Zhou Buping had ever come to the bell tower.

"I came to see how you are living up here on the mountain."

Zhou Buping smiled gently.

He had watched the entire scene earlier, from Li Gan finishing the bell ringing to him practicing the heartless sword art.

"Master, I'm living quite well," Li Gan said.

He then brought over a stool for Zhou Buping to sit on.

"It is indeed quite good. Martial arts cultivation is inherently a dull process. The fact that you can endure loneliness, and even enjoy the peace it brings, shows that you have already found a martial arts path of your own," Zhou Buping chuckled.

To observe the practice of martial arts is to know the heart.

He had gained a deeper understanding of this disciple he had taken in halfway through his journey.

This was the disciple he had been searching for for decades.

For decades, he had guarded Yanmen Valley. The true purpose behind his assessment of every menial disciple seeking to join the inner sect was simple: to choose a successor.

After sitting down, Zhou Buping continued, "I have another matter to discuss with you. At the beginning of next month, the sect will hold a selection for true disciples. There is only one spot available. Not only have you comprehended the secret manual, but you have also mastered the basics of sword intent, so I have already registered you. I believe there is a very high probability that you will secure this true disciple spot. However, I do not want you to compete for it."

"Master, why is that?"

Li Gan was very surprised.

To have him participate in the selection, yet forbid him from competing for the spot.

"The true disciple spot is desirable, but you have a better choice."

Zhou Buping shook his head and said, "Didn't I tell you about the perfect xiantian before?"

Li Gan nodded.

"To achieve the perfect xiantian, besides reaching the pinnacle of internal qi and comprehending martial intent, one must also possess a flawless body. To cultivate a flawless body, one must have the flawless vajra method to complement it. The heartless sword art you practice was comprehended by your grandmaster from a mural in the Sword Grinding Cave, the very place where true disciple selections are held. However, your grandmaster once said that the heartless sword art he comprehended was incomplete; it lacked the flawless vajra method."

Zhou Buping began to explain.

"Master, are you saying you want me to find that mural in the Sword Grinding Cave, comprehend the flawless vajra method within it, and complete the heartless sword art?"

Li Gan asked.

"Correct. As long as you can comprehend the flawless vajra method for the heartless sword art, a mere true disciple spot will be of no consequence."

Zhou Buping nodded.

"What if I cannot comprehend it?"

Li Gan asked.

"If even you cannot comprehend it, then I fear the heartless sword art will never be completed."

Zhou Buping sighed. "To complete the heartless sword art, our lineage has persisted for six generations, starting from your grandmaster. Without achieving the perfect xiantian, one's future potential is limited."

"Master, does the Divine Sword Sect not possess the flawless vajra method?"

Li Gan asked, puzzled.

"My disciple, what do you think the flawless vajra method is? Is the perfect xiantian so easily achieved? Since the founding of the Divine Sword Sect, it is said that only the founding patriarch ever achieved it, and even that is just a rumor. Therefore, our Divine Sword Sect does not possess the flawless vajra method at all."

Zhou Buping chuckled softly.

"Could it be that the mural in the Sword Grinding Cave wasn't left behind by the predecessors of our Divine Sword Sect?"

Li Gan asked curiously.

"Of course not. Our founding patriarch simply discovered it while traveling and established the Divine Sword Sect here. As for who left the Sword Grinding Cave behind, that remains unknown."

Zhou Buping shook his head as he spoke.

"Master, what exactly is this competition for the true disciple quota about?"

Li Gan asked again.

"This involves the sword seed inheritance of our Divine Sword Sect. There are twelve sword seed inheritances in total, which correspond to the twelve fixed true disciple positions. In fact, they also correspond to the seven main peaks and the five directional sword envoys of our sect."

Zhou Buping explained.

"I can understand the seven main peaks, but what are these five directional sword envoys?"

Li Gan was very surprised, as he had never even heard of the five directional sword envoys.

"This is something unique to our Divine Sword Sect. Once you reach a higher level, you will naturally come to know about it."

Zhou Buping smiled and did not elaborate further.

"Master, if I cannot become a true disciple, does that mean I won't be able to enter the Sword Tomb?"

Li Gan suddenly remembered something else.

"You can rest easy on that. When you truly want to enter, I have ways to get you in."

Zhou Buping said.

Upon hearing this, Li Gan felt relieved.

According to the rules, only true disciples were allowed to enter the Sword Tomb. Yet, the sect had previously allowed all official disciples to enter once?

This meant that the rule wasn't actually set in stone and could be broken at critical moments.

Compared to the true disciple quota, he felt that the perfect xiantian was even more attractive.

I wonder if I can use the tolling of the Chen bell to comprehend the flawless vajra method of the Heartless Sword Art from the mural in the Sword Grinding Cave?

He felt a faint sense of anticipation rising within him.