Hundred-Step Flying Sword

Crackling sounds rang out,

Wood chips burst and scattered.

Gong Caiyu opened her eyes. The firelight warmed her soaked body somewhat.

A young man in azure robes sat cross-legged beside the fire, a longsword slanted at his waist. A wooden stick pierced through a fish in his hand, roasting it over the flames. He turned it from time to time; grease dripped onto the ground, and the golden fish flesh sizzled as its fragrance spread in all directions.

Grrr...

Gong Caiyu's face reddened. Just as she was about to say something, the grilled fish was held out before her.

"There's no salt or seasoning, so this is all I can do. It should still be edible."

Jiang Ding said quietly.

This girl seemed to be deliberately displaying the shy side of herself as a woman, yet perhaps it was simply her nature. After all, she was not very old—just a young girl.

But that was not something he needed to care about. So long as she did not make any hostile moves, that was enough.

Gong Caiyu hesitated. "Young Master, please wait a moment."

She rose and walked toward the river, putting at least a thousand meters between them.

She undressed and washed herself.

Jiang Ding turned the drone's view away.

When he saw her again, she had become a girl with skin as white as snow, wearing a flowing white dress like an immortal. Her glossy black hair fell to her waist. Though her dress was torn in places, it was white as fresh snow, without the slightest trace of grime.

Using inner force to clean herself? She still had that much left?

Jiang Ding thought to himself.

Though she felt even weaker now, he should be able to kill her in an instant.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Gong Caiyu carefully accepted the wooden handle Jiang Ding had not touched. Then, using inner force, she cut away every part he had touched. She even scraped off a thin layer of fish meat before returning it to the fire for a brief additional roast.

Jiang Ding: "?"

Was her inner force really that abundant?

Not even his little sister had ever found him this disgusting!

Gong Caiyu lightly bit into the fish. It was indeed golden, crisp, and fragrant, leaving its scent between her lips and teeth. Perhaps because she was too hungry, it actually tasted even better than the signature dishes at Fragrance House in Eastspirit Prefecture City.

Children of the martial world did not stand on so much ceremony. Though she took small bites, before long an entire fish had been reduced to bones.

Her stomach, empty for several days, finally felt full.

"This."

Jiang Ding handed over a bamboo tube of water with a scorched-black surface. After she scraped away the portions that had come into contact with him, drank it, carefully washed the corners of her mouth and her hands by the river, and tidied herself up a little, he said:

"When I was young, I took a recluse as my master. For many years, I have had no contact with the outside world. Would Miss Gong be willing to tell me a little about it, so I do not offend someone unknowingly in the future and lose my life in the martial world?"

Gong Caiyu's little face turned pale.

"Young Master, do not worry." Determination appeared on her face. "Even if I am powerless and captured, I will take my own life at once. I will definitely not let the Golden Saber Sect implicate you!"

"Golden Saber Sect?"

"The martial world of the Yue Kingdom has the saying of three sects, six schools, and eight heroes." Gong Caiyu explained, "For hundreds of years, the three sects—Azure Ox Palace, Wolf God Cult, and Prajna Temple—have each possessed supreme arts and stood atop the martial world. Every generation has had Innate grandmasters to suppress and uphold their foundations. Below them are the six great sects, which have likewise produced Innate experts generation after generation without interruption. The Golden Saber Sect is one of them."

Gong Caiyu said each word through clenched teeth, her voice filled with hatred. "The Golden Saber Sect's leader, Golden Saber Ancestor Wei Tunan, has been Innate for several decades and is renowned throughout the martial world."

"As for the final eight heroes, they are outstanding figures from among the many independent wanderers and small sects. In terms of strength, they are not actually inferior to the heads of the six great sects. They simply cannot ensure that someone inherits their legacy in every generation."

"What about the imperial court? How strong is it?" Jiang Ding asked after pondering for a moment.

"I do not know. Heavenly Secret Tower actively conceals information on the experts of the current dynasty, but they should not be weak." Gong Caiyu said, "Several centuries ago, the founding ancestor of the Yue Kingdom and his Twelve Heavenly Cloud Generals swept across the martial world, conquered and destroyed the imperial family of the previous dynasty. His twelve beloved generals became the twelve great lineages that suppress the various regions."

"For example, this stretch of Eastspirit Prefecture where we are located is guarded by the Zhendong Marquis Tang Family."

"According to the historical records of past dynasties in the sect's library, bloodline lineages like these, which do not accept outsiders, should have had little strength left after several centuries of being eroded by wealth and luxury. But one can never say when some genius might suddenly spring out."

"I see. I previously heard that Miss was ranked ninety-eighth on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking, known as the Flying Snow Fairy?"

Jiang Ding gently stroked his sword hilt.

Innate actually corresponded to the Qi Refining realm of cultivators. In theory, Innate martial artists could exchange a few moves with Qi Refining cultivators of the same level. So long as they were not pulled too far away, they could still accomplish something.

"It is merely a ranking Heavenly Secret Tower made for young martial artists under twenty-five." Gong Caiyu gave a desolate smile. "Empty fame. Even the first on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking cannot defeat an old-established Innate expert."

Jiang Ding fell silent. Judging by her age, she was only seventeen or eighteen, yet she had already suffered the murder of her father, the abduction of her mother, and the complete annihilation of her sect.

In the Immortal Sect, she would still be an underage child about to enter university.

"Young Master need not worry." Gong Caiyu gathered the misery from her face and smiled calmly. "Wei Tunan is old. Sooner or later, I will destroy his sect and slaughter his clan."

"Now, I dare not disturb Young Master any longer. I shall take my leave."

She rose. Her white dress spread out from where it had fallen to the ground, and a thread-bound ancient book flew backward from her hand.

"For the grace of saving my life, I have no way to repay you. This ancestral Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword, passed down by our founder—though no one has mastered it since the founder a thousand years ago—may still offer some insight."

Her wistful voice drifted from afar.

"A thousand years ago, when our founder still lived, we were once the greatest sect in the Yue Kingdom."

Jiang Ding gently drew his sword and used its flat to catch the ancient book flying toward him.

There was not much force behind it, nor did anything foreign shoot out. She should have meant well.

However...

It was probably useless.

All knowledge in the Immortal Sect was shared. There had only ever been cases where one's aptitude and talent were insufficient, never cases where some divine art or ultimate technique lay beyond reach.

He casually dug out a wooden box, used his sword to pick the ancient book into it, and sealed it away.

The drone monitored the surrounding wilderness. After Gong Caiyu departed, all was quiet in every direction, and no men in black returned. Jiang Ding continued his great undertaking of digging up specimens.

After school, Jiang Ding collected his delivery and carried home a small cage containing two hamsters, along with a small bag of hamster food.

Jiang Yuan was watching cartoons as usual. Unexpectedly, their mother, Lin Wanqiu, was also busy in the kitchen.

"Ah! Brother! Did you buy that for me?"

Jiang Yuan caught sight of it by accident and excitedly hopped over.

From her experience growing up, apart from swordsmanship cram school, Jiang Ding had never shown any interest in animals such as little goldfish or little turtles.

"No."

Jiang Ding coldly refused.

"Impossible! That is mine!" Jiang Yuan did not believe him and shouted, "If you do not give it to me, then when Uncle and Auntie get here, I'll tell Uncle that you bullied me!"

"That depends on whether Uncle believes you."

Jiang Ding immediately understood why Lin Wanqiu had gotten off work early and was busy in the kitchen.

His uncle, Lin Yong, was a teacher at Rongcheng No. 7 Primary School. His income could not compare to Lin Wanqiu's, but he had much more free time. His cousin Lin Yuanwang was even a prominent figure in the family.

Last year, he had been admitted to the School of Dao Cultivation at Qianling University!

"It would be great if Brother Yuanwang came too." Jiang Yuan said unhappily. "Then I'll have Brother Yuanwang beat you up."

"Hmph."

Jiang Ding felt a little sour and walked toward his room.

When they were little, Lin Yuanwang had often bullied him by relying on his greater height and strength. The key was that the brat had good martial talent—when he graduated high school, he was already Innate. Jiang Ding truly could not beat him.

After setting down his schoolbag, Jiang Ding dragged a crude wooden box out from beneath his bed. A faint fragrance of raw wood spread through the room.

He opened it. Inside was naturally the ancient book Gong Caiyu had given him. Its material was unusual. It was said to be a thousand years old, yet it showed no signs of decay and could still be read normally.

"Squeak, squeak!"

After scattering some hamster food, Jiang Ding tossed the two hamsters inside.

The two hamsters frantically ran about, but the small walls formed by several folded layers blocked them. After waiting a while, they finally began eating the food.

"It is fine. At least it is not an acute poison."

Jiang Ding relaxed slightly. He even saw one hamster lick the book cover a few times without anything happening.

He went to the kitchen for a pair of chopsticks and turned the pages one by one, dropping two pellets of hamster food inside every page. After spending over half an hour, Jiang Ding finally confirmed completely that there was nothing wrong with the book.

"That girl meant well."

Jiang Ding sighed in relief, opened the delivery containing the transparent gloves he had ordered yesterday, and put them on.

He had thought of this yesterday. In another world, contact with foreign objects was unavoidable. A pair of thin, breathable transparent gloves that were difficult to notice with the naked eye could not be better.

The ancient book felt thick and solid, as though it was made from some kind of animal hide. It carried a faint scent of books.

"Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword. Can martial artists also control flying swords?"

Jiang Ding gently stroked the six square characters on the cover that he did not recognize. Excitement stirred slightly in his heart, but he suppressed it.

"I need to learn the writing of that world first. But I cannot casually study techniques that have not been verified by the Immortal Gate Library. That would be too dangerous."

Thinking of something, Jiang Ding turned on the computer in his room, logged into the Immortal Gate Library, and searched for martial artists' Hundred-Step Flying Sword.

Rows upon rows of lower-classified information that could be viewed online appeared.

Song Clan Hundred-Step Flying Sword, Blood Refinement Hundred-Step Flying Sword, Azure Void Minor Realm Spirit-Nurturing Hundred-Step Flying Sword, Fire Refinement Hundred-Step Flying Sword...

Just as Jiang Ding had expected, the Immortal Gate Library contained everything under heaven. Even knowledge of mortals controlling flying swords sounded miraculous and extremely obscure, yet a great deal of it had still been collected.

This was not some rumor or miscellaneous learning. Since it had been included by the Immortal Gate Library, it meant that these techniques could theoretically be cultivated and that one could follow the path through to the intended goal.

He clicked on Song Clan Hundred-Step Flying Sword.

With a ding, a dialogue box popped up.

"The knowledge you are attempting to access is dangerous. Minors are prohibited from accessing it. If you need to access it again, please obtain authorization from your guardian."

Unwilling to give up, Jiang Ding closed the box and clicked on Azure Void Minor Realm Spirit-Nurturing Hundred-Step Flying Sword. With another ding, a box appeared, containing exactly the same information.

He tried again and discovered that every Hundred-Step Flying Sword had the same restriction. There was not a single exception among the hundreds or thousands of techniques.

"Martial artists cultivating Hundred-Step Flying Sword is dangerous."

Jiang Ding understood.

Aside from the danger, its power was only so-so. It looked miraculous, but a heavy machine gun could casually blast it to pieces from a thousand paces away. To Immortal Sect cultivators, it was simply not worth the loss.

But...

He wanted it so badly.

With a sigh, Jiang Ding put the ancient book back into the drawer, carried the hamster cage and food out of his room, and handed them to Jiang Yuan.

"Take them. But you have to be responsible for keeping them alive."

"Ah, my dearest brother!"

Jiang Yuan jumped up and down on the spot, agreeing without hesitation.

Jiang Ding ignored her, turned around, and went to help in the kitchen.

"Dingding, help me cut shredded potatoes and chunks of radish. Chop up a handful of scallions too." Seeing Jiang Ding enter, Lin Wanqiu instructed him.

"Okay."

Clang...

He drew his sword. Cold light shone across the kitchen. Then he took a rag, wet it, and carefully cleaned the blade.

Actually, Jiang Ding did not want to do this. He was certain his sword was very clean. Any occasional blood or sweat would be shaken off anyway, so there was no need to make such an unnecessary fuss.

Unfortunately, Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Yuan did not think so.

Sword Unfurling Form!

Arm Sword Form!

Pointing Sword Form!

Sword light flickered. Carrots and white radishes flew into the air, then chunks of white radish fell down. Shredded potatoes stacked in layers, and bits of chopped scallion drifted down, piling into a little mountain the size of a fist.

"You..."

Lin Wanqiu stopped and looked at her kitchen, filled with flashing sword light, utterly helpless.

.