Flying Flowers

When he arrived outside the Tongtian Pavilion, he suddenly stopped and walked over to Xu Weibian, who was reclining in a chair. "Elder Xu, I'd like to learn about the Great Feng Dynasty. Which books should I read?"

The two characters "Qingying" on the Qingying Sword were written in Feng Script, the script of the Great Feng Dynasty.

The Great Feng Dynasty was thirty thousand years ago.

Though he had browsed the catalogues of all the collected books, he had no idea where to start in understanding the history of the Great Feng Dynasty.

"The Great Feng..." Xu Weibian opened his eyes and studied him for a moment. "The Heir Apparent is interested in the Great Feng Dynasty?"

"I don't know much about it," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Just curious."

"The Great Feng Dynasty is too far removed from us. Some of the legends are wildly exaggerated—don't take them too seriously."

"What kind of legends are there?"

"...Too many to list." Xu Weibian thought for a moment. "On the second floor, the third shelf from the northwest end—most of those books are about the Great Feng Dynasty, but they're all in Feng Script."

"I'll take a look first. Thank you, Elder Xu." Chu Zhiyuan clasped his hands and entered the Tongtian Pavilion.

Xu Weibian watched him go inside and shook his head.

It was rare for someone from the imperial family to take such a liking to reading.

Most royal descendants threw themselves into martial arts and military achievements. Only the line of Prince Qing's Estate placed such importance on scholarship.

What a pity...

He shook his head again, closed his eyes, and resumed basking in the warmth of the sun.

Chu Zhiyuan entered the second floor and arrived at the third shelf from the northwest end. Before him stood rows of ancient books, well-preserved, exuding a unique fragrance of aged paper.

Each book had been rebound, with the title written in Great Jing script on the cover.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

No wonder he hadn't been able to find them.

He pulled one out. The cover bore the Great Jing title "Chronicles of the Seven Seas," but the contents were in Feng Script.

Feng Script was archaic—concise in form but rich in meaning, often with multiple interpretations for a single character. Without sufficient cultivation, it was difficult to read smoothly.

He gritted his teeth and pressed on.

By the end of the day, he had only read six books. At his usual reading speed, he could have finished sixty Great Jing books in the same time.

But as he read more, he grew more familiar with Feng Script, and his pace quickened. He gained a basic understanding of the customs and culture of the Great Feng Dynasty.

The Great Feng Dynasty was utterly different from the present world.

The most fundamental difference lay in cultivation.

In the present world, martial arts flourished, and anyone could cultivate. The threshold was low, and the atmosphere for cultivation was fervent.

But in the Great Feng Dynasty, cultivation was niche—only a small number of exceptionally gifted individuals or those with deep karmic fortune could practice.

A punch that could shatter a mountain—in the present day, people knew it was the work of a Grandmaster and thought nothing of it. But in the Great Feng Dynasty, such feats were rare and thus considered miraculous, so these cultivators were called immortals or divine beings.

The books of the Great Feng Dynasty recorded many tales of immortals and divine beings, often exaggerated through hearsay—leaping a thousand zhang through the air, killing a man with a flying sword from a hundred li away.

He wondered: Was the Great Feng Dynasty a world of immortal cultivation?

He searched carefully but found no mention of ascending to immortality or achieving longevity. What was described was merely the application of martial arts.

He tentatively concluded it wasn't a world of immortal cultivation—perhaps the Spiritual Qi was richer than in the present world, allowing for a higher ceiling in martial arts.

By evening, he finally found a clue: the strange pattern was called the Phoenix Pattern.

It was said that an ancient man had once seen a divine phoenix.

The phoenix's body blazed with red light, too dazzling to look upon. This man, later honored as the Phoenix True Man, was a cultivator of supreme attainment. He managed to observe the patterns on the phoenix's body and used a secret technique to imprint them onto a Mysterious Stone.

But the moment he finished the imprint, his body exploded.

The Phoenix Pattern was preserved on the Mysterious Stone, and through it, the pattern could be stamped onto weapons or jade pendants.

Later, the Mysterious Stone suddenly burst into flames and turned to ash, making it impossible to transmit the Phoenix Pattern any further.

Within the Phoenix Sect, founded by the disciples of the Phoenix True Man, there were eight divine weapons bearing the Phoenix Pattern.

As for what those eight divine weapons were, no record remained.

Chu Zhiyuan guessed that the Qingying Sword he had obtained was one of them.

The Phoenix Sect.

What a pity no legacy had been passed down. If he had the inheritance of the Phoenix True Man, he might have had a chance to replicate the Phoenix Pattern. But now, it was almost impossible.

No one in the entire Great Feng Dynasty had ever managed it. He alone could not surpass the geniuses of that entire era.

He pulled a jade pendant from his sleeve—a piece of gold-inlaid jade covered in crack-like patterns.

It had first been glued together, then reinforced with a gold-and-silver alloy inlay, stabilizing the broken jade so the Phoenix Pattern within could be examined at any time.

He had done the work himself, using Super Sensation to ensure the pattern remained intact and perfectly aligned.

Phoenix Patterns were not all the same.

The two Phoenix Patterns on the Qingying Sword functioned like martial arts heart-methods, altering True Qi to grant the effects of clarity of mind and lightness of the blade.

The Phoenix Pattern within the Broken Jade was different, however.

After gazing at the Phoenix Pattern several times, his spirit had actually grown by a fraction.

This change was very subtle, yet it could not escape his Super Sensation.

With his spirit growing stronger, True Qi circulated faster, both increasing cultivation efficiency and enhancing martial arts power.

Thus, he added another item to his daily training regimen: before sleep, he would gaze at the Phoenix Pattern within the Broken Jade.

--

Bright sunlight bathed Yujing City.

The alley north of Phoenix Avenue was called Horse Rearing Alley.

At this moment, Horse Rearing Alley was quite lively.

On one side were officials from the City Patrol Guard, the Infantry Bureau, and the Imperial Household Department.

The City Patrol Guard and Infantry Bureau blocked the road on both sides, keeping idle people away, while officials from the Imperial Household Department and clerks from the Ministry of Rites directed their subordinates in setting up the ceremony.

On the other side, more than twenty young men and women clustered around four middle-aged men and women, restlessly staring at the alley across from them.

The alley twisted and turned, wide enough for only four people to walk side by side, yet it led to the bustling and lively Phoenix Avenue.

A pretty young girl spoke in a crisp voice: "Master, the time is almost here. Why hasn't he come yet? He won't be late, will he?"

"He won't."

The woman beside her had a charming, alluring face, a lake-green silk robe wrapped around her slender, lithe figure. At first glance she seemed in her twenties, but on closer look she appeared in her thirties—already middle-aged.

Her charming face was taut, with a stern air between her willow-shaped brows.

The pretty girl said: "Master, is it the Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites who will preside over the ceremony?"

"Mhm." The middle-aged woman gave a slight nod.

Another young man snorted: "Just an Assistant Director, Subordinate Fifth Rank at that."

A young man beside him shook his head: "It's a bit excessive. Word has it that in recent years, court officials have been suppressing our martial arts sects more and more harshly. Seems it's all true."

"I wonder what rank of official presided over the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Four Great Sects' detached estates?"

"Too long ago, who remembers? Besides, times are different now—you can't compare them."

"We can't compare ourselves to the Four Great Sects now, but we will in the future. Having only a Subordinate Fifth Rank official preside over the ceremony—isn't that looking down on us?"

"Enough noise!"

The middle-aged woman gave a light snort.

Everyone fell silent at once.

She turned to glance at them and said flatly: "All blessings and punishments come from the sovereign. If you don't have that awareness, you'd better go back to Flying Flower Peak and stay there!"

"Yes..."

They obediently complied.

She continued: "The Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites who came this time is only Subordinate Fifth Rank, but he is also the Young Master of the Prince's Mansion, born of imperial blood. If you slight him, don't blame This Seat for being harsh!"

"Yes, Elder Lu." Everyone responded in unison.

Lu Wan shook her head and sighed inwardly.

People get carried away when things go well—no one is immune to this. Not just the young disciples, even the elders within the sect couldn't avoid it.

After producing a Grandmaster, one could enter court service and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Great Sects. With such a heaven-defying opportunity descending upon them, who could maintain an ordinary state of mind?

The court had already granted immense favor by setting aside a place to build the Flying Flower Sword Sect's detached estate, yet they were still unsatisfied, feeling that sending only an Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony was too dismissive.

Especially with officials from the Imperial Household Department and clerks from the Ministry of Rites still present, they spoke so recklessly—truly ignorant of priorities, utterly foolish!

Martial arts sects operated on strength, with little of the twists and turns, but the court was different.

Fortunately, they would be entering the Town Martial Division in the future, not the treacherous and deceitful court bureaucracy, or they wouldn't even know how they died.

"They're here!"

Suddenly someone shouted in a low voice.

Their gazes immediately turned.

Several blue-robed experts were seen escorting a slender, upright young man with a handsome, striking face as he walked slowly forward.

He wore a red official robe with a silver pheasant rank badge, his eyes clear and bright, his spirit soaring.

"Assistant Director."

"Young Master."

The City Patrol Guard and Imperial Household Department officials clasped their fists in greeting from afar.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his hands in return, smiling and nodding. As he approached, he said to the leading Lu Wan with a smile: "Elder Lu, This Official isn't late, am I?"

"Assistant Director Chu, you've worked hard." Lu Wan smiled faintly. "The time hasn't come yet."

"Congratulations, Elder Lu, and congratulations to the Flying Flower Sword Sect..."

Chu Zhiyuan exchanged pleasantries with Lu Wan, the atmosphere harmonious.

The surrounding disciples of the Flying Flower Sword Sect stared at the prince's guards, secretly marveling.

As expected of a royal heir apparent, every guard had temples bulging high and eyes sharp as needles—all of them masters of the Innate Realm.

Beside him followed a eunuch, his demeanor gentle, his eyes clear with sharply defined black and white, and his skin faintly shimmering with a jade-like luster—clearly a Grandmaster.

Lu Wan also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She hadn't expected Chu Zhiyuan to be so approachable, devoid of the arrogance and airs of a prince. Then, recalling his experiences, she understood.

This Fourth Heir Apparent was different from the others. That was probably why the court had sent him. If it had been another heir, brimming with pride, things might have turned unpleasant.

As Chu Zhiyuan spoke with Lu Wan, he inwardly shook his head.

Four middle-aged people—only Lu Wan was a Grandmaster. Of the remaining three, one was at the Sixth Level of Innate Realm, one at the Seventh Layer, and one at the Eighth Layer.

The twenty-three young men and women were all incomplete in the Postnatal Realm.

This was beyond his expectations.

Far worse than he had imagined.

Was the Flying Flower Sword Sect showing weakness, or was their true foundation truly this shallow?