Hundred-Step Flying Sword

Crackling and popping,

Wood chips burst and flew.

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 as he roasted it over the flames, turning it from time to time. Grease dripped onto the ground, the golden fish meat sizzling as its fragrance spread in every direction.

Gurgle...

Gong Caiyu blushed, just about to say something when the grilled fish was held out before her.

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

Jiang Ding spoke calmly.

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

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

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

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 was a girl with skin as white as snow, her white dress fluttering like that of an immortal. Her black, glossy hair fell to her waist. Though her dress had been damaged in places, it was still snow-white, without the slightest trace of dirt.

Using inner force to clean herself? She still has 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 she used her inner force to cut off every part he had touched, even shaving away a thin layer of fish meat, before placing it beside the fire to roast a little longer.

Jiang Ding: "?"

Is your inner force really that abundant?

Even my little sister has never found me this disgusting!

Gong Caiyu lightly bit into the fish. It was indeed golden, crisp, and fragrant, leaving a lingering taste on her lips and teeth. Perhaps because she was so hungry, it somehow tasted even better than the signature dishes of Fragrance House in Eastspirit Prefecture City.

Children of the martial world were not so particular. Though she ate in small bites, before long the entire fish had been reduced to bones.

Her stomach, empty for days, finally felt full.

"Here."

Jiang Ding handed her a bamboo tube of water, its outer skin charred black. After she scraped away the parts that had come into contact with him, drank the water, carefully washed the corners of her mouth and her hands by the river, and tidied herself up slightly, he said:

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

Gong Caiyu's little face went pale.

"Young Master, rest assured." Determination appeared on her face. "Even if I am powerless and captured, I will take my own life at once. I will never let the Golden Saber Sect implicate you!"

"The Golden Saber Sect?"

"In the martial world of the Yue Kingdom, there is the saying of three sects, six schools, and eight heroes." Gong Caiyu explained, "For hundreds of years, Azure Ox Palace, Wolf God Cult, and Prajna Temple—the three sects—have each possessed their own supreme arts and stood at the pinnacle of the martial world. Every generation has had innate grandmasters to 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 enunciated every word, hatred in her voice. "The Golden Saber Sect's master, Golden Saber Patriarch Wei Tunan, has been an innate master for decades and is renowned throughout the martial world."

"As for the final eight heroes, they are outstanding figures from among independent cultivators 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."

"How strong is the imperial court?" Jiang Ding pondered briefly before asking.

"I do not know. Heavenly Secret Tower takes the initiative to conceal information about the experts of the current dynasty, but it should not be weak." Gong Caiyu said, "Several centuries ago, the founding emperor of Yue Kingdom and his Twelve Heavenly Cloud Generals swept through the martial world and destroyed the former dynasty's imperial family. His twelve favored generals became the twelve great clans that suppress the various regions."

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

"Based on the historical records of past dynasties in the sect's library, bloodline clans that do not accept outsiders would likely have little strength left after several centuries of being eroded by wealth and privilege. But one can never be sure when a genius might suddenly emerge."

"I see. I heard earlier that Miss Gong seemed to be the ninety-eighth-ranked Flying Snow Fairy on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking?"

Jiang Ding gently stroked his sword hilt.

Innate martial artists actually corresponded to the Qi Refinement realm of immortal cultivators. In theory, innate martial artists could exchange several moves with Qi Refinement immortal cultivators of the same rank. As long as the distance was not opened up, they could still accomplish something.

"It is merely a ranking compiled by Heavenly Secret Tower for martial artists under twenty-five." Gong Caiyu gave a desolate smile. "Empty fame. Even the one ranked first on the Dragon-Phoenix Ranking could not contend against an old-established innate expert."

Jiang Ding fell silent. Judging by her age, she was only seventeen or eighteen, yet she had already endured her father's murder, her mother's abduction, and the extermination of her entire sect.

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

"Young Master need not worry." Gong Caiyu put away the sorrow on 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 trouble Young Master any further. I will take my leave."

She rose. Her white dress went from pooling on the ground to spreading open as a thread-bound ancient book flew backward from her hand.

"I cannot repay the grace of saving my life. This Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword, passed down by our patriarch, has remained unmastered since the patriarch a thousand years ago, but perhaps it may still offer some insight."

Her wistful voice drifted over from afar.

"A thousand years ago, when our patriarch was alive, our sect was once the greatest sect in the Yue Kingdom."

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

There was not much force behind it, nor did any foreign object fly out. She should have meant well.

But...

It was probably useless.

All knowledge within the Immortal Gate was shared. There had only ever been situations where one's talent and aptitude fell short, never divine arts or supreme techniques beyond reach.

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

The drone monitored all directions. After Gong Caiyu departed, the surroundings fell quiet, and none of the black-clad men returned. Jiang Ding continued his great work of digging up specimens.

After school, Jiang Ding retrieved his delivery and carried home a small cage containing two hamsters and 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! Big Brother! Did you buy these for me?"

Jiang Yuan happened to glance over and excitedly bounced toward him.

From her experience growing up, other than swordsmanship tutoring classes, Jiang Ding had never shown any interest in animals like little goldfish or tiny turtles.

"No."

Jiang Ding refused coldly.

"Impossible! They're mine!" Jiang Yuan did not believe him and shouted, "If you don't give them to me, when Uncle and Aunt get here, I'll tell Uncle 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 with Lin Wanqiu's, but his job was relatively leisurely. His cousin Lin Yuanwang was even more of a prominent figure in the family.

Last year, he had been admitted to the cultivation department of Qianling University!

"It would be nice 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 as he headed toward his room.

When they were young, Lin Yuanwang had often bullied him by relying on his tall, sturdy build. The key was that the guy had good martial talent—by the time he graduated from his senior year of 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.

When he opened it, inside was naturally the ancient book Gong Caiyu had given him. Its material was special; it was said to be a thousand years old, yet it showed no trace 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 panicked and scurried everywhere, only to be blocked by the small walls formed from several stacked piles. After waiting for a while, they finally began eating the hamster food.

"It's fine. At least it isn't an acute poison."

Jiang Ding felt somewhat relieved. He even saw one hamster lick the book cover a few times without anything happening.

He went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks, then turned the pages one by one, dropping two pellets of hamster food into each page. After spending more than half an hour, Jiang Ding finally confirmed completely that there was nothing wrong with the book.

"That girl meant well."

Jiang Ding let out a breath, opened the package 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 more suitable.

The ancient book felt thick and solid, seemingly made from some kind of animal hide, with a faint scent of old books.

"Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword—can martial artists wield flying swords too?"

Jiang Ding gently stroked the six unfamiliar block characters on the cover, his heart stirring slightly before 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. It is too dangerous."

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

Rows of lower-classification information available for online viewing 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. Even knowledge of mortals wielding flying swords sounded miraculous and was extremely obscure, yet there was still a vast amount of material collected on it.

This was no mere hearsay or miscellaneous learning. Since it had been included in the Immortal Gate Library, it meant that these techniques could theoretically be cultivated and could reach their intended goals.

He clicked on Song Clan Hundred-Step Flying Sword.

With a ding, a dialog 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."

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

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

"Training in martial artists' Hundred-Step Flying Sword is dangerous."

Jiang Ding understood.

Beyond the danger, its power was only so-so. It looked miraculous, but a heavy machine gun could easily blast it to pieces from a thousand steps away. For Immortal Gate cultivators, it was simply not worth the cost.

But...

I really want it.

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.

"They're yours, but you have to be responsible for keeping them alive."

"Ah, my dear big brother!"

Jiang Yuan jumped up and down on the spot, readily agreeing.

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

"Dingding, help me cut shredded potatoes and radish chunks. Chop some scallions too." When Lin Wanqiu saw Jiang Ding come in, she gave him instructions.

"Okay."

Clang...

He drew his sword. Cold light shone through the kitchen, then he took a rag, wet it, and carefully wiped down the blade.

Jiang Ding actually did not want to do this. He was certain his sword was very clean. Any blood or sweat would be shaken off, so there was no need to go through such unnecessary trouble.

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

Sword Unfurling Form!

Arm Sword Form!

Pointing Sword Form!

Sword light flashed. Carrots and white radishes flew into the air, then chunks of white radish fell down. Shredded potatoes piled up layer upon layer, while bits of chopped scallion drifted down, forming a small mound the size of a fist.

"You..."

Lin Wanqiu stopped what she was doing and stared helplessly at her kitchen, filled with flashing sword light.

.