Sword Leaves Mount Hua

Li Mu, currently riding high after his recent victory, had no idea he had just walked through the gates of hell.

Although he had done his best to conceal his strength during the duel, even masking his techniques, the Cangshan Swordsman he faced had failed to detect the presence of his sword intent.

Unfortunately, such deceptions were futile before a supreme master. After all, the prerequisite for breaking through to the supreme realm was to comprehend a trace of intent; they were all too familiar with the sensation.

Fortunately, none of this was a problem now. Thanks to Li Mu's previous performance and the assist from his Haoran Sword Intent, Ning Qingyu was convinced he was a humble gentleman.

"A gentleman can be deceived." No matter how high the martial arts of such a person might be, they would never become a threat.

The disciples of the Sword Sect were also disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. As the leader of Mount Hua, Ning Qingyu, who aspired to see Mount Hua stand as an equal to Shaolin and Wudang, naturally would not mind having another humble gentleman with high-level martial arts in the sect.

As a good disciple, Li Mu went straight to his master to listen to his teachings after shaking off the crowd of well-wishers.

"How was it? What did you learn from the fight just now?"

Zhou Qingyun asked with a smile.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. This disciple understands that one must never lower their guard while walking the jianghu; the enemy will not discuss jianghu rules with us."

Zhou Qingyun had helped select the opponent, and Li Mu did not believe he was ignorant of the Cangshan Swordsman's background. The intention behind choosing such an opponent for him was self-evident.

Although he disliked being manipulated, he still had to appreciate his master's good intentions.

The duel just now was intense, but the danger was minimal. No matter how arrogant the Cangshan Swordsman was, he would not dare to play dirty on Mount Hua territory. Furthermore, with sect elders watching, they would have intervened if there were any real danger.

Compared to the experience and lessons gained, victory or defeat was secondary. As a rising star, Li Mu's greatest advantage right now was that he could afford to lose.

When challenging a senior expert across realms, as long as one maintained a humble posture and observed proper etiquette, one would not be criticized even if the defeat was miserable.

Zhou Qingyun stroked his beard and said with satisfaction, "The Cangshan Swordsman has always operated in the Yunnan-Guizhou region and has always held the rules of the Central Plains martial arts in contempt. Your ability to react quickly was quite good.

The sect leader just sent word: you are permitted free access to the Scripture Library to study martial arts. The last person to receive such treatment was Junior Brother Feng. It seems he thinks very highly of you.

Except for the Purple Mist Divine Skill, all of our Mount Hua Sect's martial arts are recorded there. This is your chance to build your foundation of knowledge; do not let it pass you by."

The Scripture Library was absolutely the most important place in any sect, as well as the most secretive. Except for the Shaolin Temple, which could afford to display it openly, other sects kept theirs under tight lock and key.

Even elders of the sect had to trade sect merits to enter the Scripture Library. Even the "Cai" and "Yao" duo, cultivated by the Sword and Qi sects respectively, did not have the qualifications for free access.

If this news were to spread, it would immediately cause an uproar within the sect. If the beneficiary hadn't been his own disciple, even Zhou Qingyun would have been jealous.

Even as someone who had lived two lives, Li Mu was shocked. He had originally thought he would have to become a core disciple before he could even plan for such an opportunity; he never expected it to be handed to him on a silver platter.

After the shock subsided, a deep sense of gratitude welled up for the sect leader, Ning Qingyu, with whom he had never interacted.

He finally understood why Ning Qingyu could sit firmly on the seat of the Mount Hua leader and gain the recognition of so many Sword Sect disciples.

Li Mu admitted he had been bought. Regardless of the calculations behind this, he accepted the favor, and he guessed Feng Qingyang felt the same.

Yet, after this realization, Li Mu became even more confused. If Ning Qingyu was so well-liked, why would the Sword-Qi conflict ever erupt?

Even if the Sword Sect coveted the position of Mount Hua leader, everyone was competing for the next term; no one was arrogant enough to try and oust Ning Qingyu.

With Ning Qingyu holding them down, the two sides could not possibly fight. Fundamentally, they were still fellow disciples; although there were conflicts of interest, it had not reached the point of life-and-death struggle.

Unless...

Li Mu dared not think any further.

"Cai Buli of Mount Hua, requests guidance from Senior Flying Fork Taibao Zheng!"

"Yao Buzhou of Mount Hua, requests guidance from Senior Guanzhong Hero Zhou!"

Cai and Yao, who had been ordered down by Ning Qingyu, finally had their chance to take the stage. However, they no longer had the opportunity to spar with each other, so they could only vent their frustration on these unlucky souls who accepted their challenges.

Regardless of their character, their martial arts were truly formidable. Moreover, the two were competing against each other, determined to prove who was superior.

They fought with reckless abandon, showing no restraint whatsoever. They gave these martial arts seniors no face at all.

For a time, sword light flashed across the arena like lightning, and one could only hear the sound of shattered cold light falling, stirring the air as it descended.

The cruelty of the arena battles was pushed to a climax once more; missing limbs seemed to become the norm, and there was no shortage of those who lost their lives.

If not for the fact that the two were clearly in their right minds, Li Mu would have thought they had suffered from qi deviation. Fortunately, they were only challenging those who were not on good terms with the Mount Hua Sect; otherwise, the sect leader in the main seat would have intervened long ago.

Li Mu understood the sect leader's mindset. The Mount Hua Sect didn't just need "humble gentlemen" to polish its reputation; it also needed sharp swords that could kill. Since the two were willing to be those swords, he would certainly not stop them.

As for the issue of a successor, there was no need to rush. Ning Qingyu was only in his fifties, and Mount Hua's internal arts were excellent for longevity; with his cultivation, he could easily hold his position for another thirty or forty years.

It was naturally difficult to be a "killing sword." One only had to listen to the nicknames given by the jianghu peers to know they weren't exactly flattering.

Once a nickname was shouted out, it was hard to change, but the interpretation of its meaning could be altered. If the Mount Hua Sect wanted to whitewash them, it would actually be quite simple.

Kill a few members of the Demonic Cult, and the "Deadly Swordsman" or "Ruthless Swordsman" would instantly become righteous heroes who hated evil; everyone played the game that way anyway.

Regardless of how these two brothers, caught in their own trials of the heart, chose to vent, Li Mu also began his own path to fame.

"Li Bumu of Mount Hua, requests guidance from Senior Bashan Swordsman Wang!"

"Li Bumu of Mount Hua, requests guidance from Senior Northwest Blade King Yang!"

After defeating three famous experts in a row, with his internal energy more than half depleted, Li Mu finally stopped his challenges.

Compared to his two senior brothers, this battle record was naturally far inferior, yet his reputation within the pugilistic world was much better.

There is no harm without comparison; on the neighboring arena, challengers were carried up vertically and brought down horizontally, but while Li Mu also injured his opponents, the "senior experts" he challenged were all able to walk down on their own.

By stepping on the shoulders of several martial arts seniors, the title of "Mount Hua Sword Immortal" for Li Mu grew increasingly resonant, the only thing that depressed him being that the "Little" prefix still hadn't been removed.

Begging for votes, begging for tips, still need... to make up one hundred.

Babies, the stats are a bit cold, Haiyue is panicking!!!

Monthly votes, recommendation votes, I welcome them all!!!