Volume of Enlightenment, Chapter 57: Direct Disciple of the Sword Sect

At the extreme northern end of the Eastern Domain, where the scorching fire-qi of the Eastern Wilderness intersects with the frigid ice-qi of the Northern Domain, stand towering and majestic mountain ranges.

These peaks resemble swords unsheathed beneath the firmament, pointing straight into the heavens with sharp summits that pierce the clouds.

The spiritual Qi of metal and fire is at its densest here in all the world. The Chaotic Origin Sword Sect, a top-tier sect alongside the Heavenly Southern Array Sect, is established upon this land. For thousands of years, among the countless cultivators in the world, artifact cultivators have been the most numerous, and this place has forever remained the sacred sanctuary in the hearts of all artifact cultivators under heaven. Consequently, the number of disciples within the Sword Sect surpasses all others across the realm.

The Sword Sect wields the foremost sword beneath heaven, and its offensive might is peerless throughout the world. Unlike other sects, the Sword Sect has been passed down through a single bloodline of the Yuan family since ancient times, with the position of every generation's sect master being inherited by the descendants of the Yuan family.

The Sect Master of the Sword Sect and the masters of each peak all possess their own individual sword peaks. There are seventeen sword peaks in the present era. The primary peak, Azure Nether Peak, is the place where the Sect Master engages in quiet cultivation and enlightenment. Atop the summits of all the remaining peaks stands a peak master; each of them is a supreme powerhouse who has reached the pinnacle of the cultivation world, with heaven-shaking swordsmanship and illustrious renown.

At this moment, on Crimson Snow Peak, ranked thirteenth, a male and a female disciple are practicing their swordsmanship.

The sword light is like water, flowing ceaselessly. The male disciple, attired in a Daoist robe woven with golden threads, gazes with passionate eyes at the ethereal, fairy-like girl before him. The offensive momentum of the sword in his hand involuntarily slows down, appearing somewhat less sharp.

The girl opposite him wears pink robes that flutter in the wind, resembling the most exquisite and dazzling flower of spring blooming atop a snowy mountain peak. Her exceptionally beautiful countenance is filled with intense concentration.

Their swords intertwine and their sword shadows cross. What should have been a rigorous and pure sparring session of swordsmanship and spiritual arts now appears somewhat incongruous due to the senior brother holding back and the junior sister acting delicate, looking rather like harmless flirtation.

The pink-robed girl pouts with a trace of vexation, coquettishly complaining, "Senior Brother, you are holding back for me again!"

"How can I ever improve my swordsmanship this way?"

Hearing this, the golden-robed man opposite her withdraws his sword and smiles faintly. His gaze falls upon the girl with tenderness, carrying encouragement and doting in his tone: "Xue'er, you have only just touched upon the Dao of the Sword for a mere month, yet you are already capable of channeling sword radiance with your spiritual power. This innate talent is already remarkably precious; do not be overly eager for quick success."

This pink-robed girl is none other than Mu Chenxue.

As she looks into the man's burning gaze, she maintains a frail and delicate expression on the surface, while secretly feeling complacent within, as if this son of the Crimson Snow Peak Master, the direct descendant of the Yuan family, is already firmly within the palm of her hand.

She sighs softly, a trace of sorrow coating her tone: "There is nothing I can do. There is a very formidable person who utterly detests me and always wants to bully me. I must grow strong."

The man upon hearing this immediately turns somewhat serious, as though fearing that Xue'er might suffer even the slightest harm, and hastily asks in a cold voice, "Who dares to be so audacious? You are now the junior sister of our Crimson Snow Peak; whoever dares to bully you is going against our Sword Sect!"

"It is an elder sister my father adopted in the past. Seeing my father favor me, resentment arose within her heart, and she constantly makes things difficult for me and harasses me. Once, she even nearly sought to take my life!"

Mentioning this, she uses her sleeve to gently cover her face, the terror and helplessness revealed in her eyes adding a few more layers of pitiful charm.

Fingers of anger surge across the man's face, and an instinctive urge to protect her wells up: "Preposterous! A mere woman of unknown origins dares to bully you?"

Seeing that he is about to vent his anger onto her elder sister, Mu Chenxue hastily defends her: "Senior Brother, do not speak thus. My elder sister has flawed spiritual roots and finds cultivation difficult, which is why she holds so much resentment toward me. In truth, she is truly pitiable..."

Seeing her to be so gentle and kind, the man feels even greater displeasure within: "Your innate talent, Xue'er, is peerless, and your spiritual roots are the purest and most powerful imaginable. Even my Father marvels at your endowment, yet what does that have to do with her? Truly hateful! Your father is the head of a great family clan, yet his actions are so muddled and lacking in discernment!"

Mu Chenxue lowers her gaze slightly, gently wiping the corner of her eye with her sleeve. She does not miss the displeasure and contempt in the man's eyes—even the head of a great family clan, in the eyes of a sect successor like him, is nothing much and can be freely evaluated and criticized.

A trace of chilliness and greed flashes within her water-like, delicate gaze; that is ambition for formidable power and boundless authority—the senior brother before her is a stepping stone for her ascent. He is the first, but by no means the last.

Realizing as if by accident that the trace of fierceness showing on his features might have frightened the girl, the man immediately restrains it, recovering his gentle demeanor. After pondering slightly, he speaks softly: "Before long, the Xuanwu Space will open. This time, the sect has assigned me to go and contend for the fortuitous opportunity."

Hearing this, Mu Chenxue appropriately displays a trace of admiration in her eyes.

Seeing this, the man is exceedingly pleased and confidently responds: "Junior Sister, hidden within the Xuanwu Space is a thousand-year-old turtle. Its flesh and precious shell are supreme spiritual treasures. When the time comes, I shall retrieve it for you. Once Junior Sister breaks through to the Perception Realm and finds a treasured sword in the Sword Tomb, I shall use this item to temper your spiritual sword."

Mu Chenxue smiles shyly upon hearing this, neither accepting nor refusing, simply shifting the topic: "Senior Brother, let us spar once more. There are still many obscure points within the profound principles of the Wind and Snow Swordsmanship that I have yet to comprehend, and I hope Senior Brother will not begrudge bestowing your instruction."

...

Ever since Mu Chenxue returned from Mingshan, her dreams have frequently been shrouded in gloom, and she harbors a deep dread that Mu Chenlan might still be alive.

Unlike Mu Yu, Mu Chenxue has never believed that Mu Chenlan would perish at Mingshan. She has already been deceived once; the other party is like a rat in a gutter, a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, ready to leap out at any moment to deal her a fatal blow.

Therefore, her mind remains constantly besieged by a sense of crisis. Ever since she was humiliated at Mingshan, she has diligently cultivated her spiritual arts. Before arriving at the Sword Sect, she had already completed spiritual Qi body-tempering and stepped into the early stage of the Qi Initialization Realm.

Mu Chenxue inherited Mu Chenlan's formidable talent, yet her inner self frequently falls into a subtle contradiction—while at times envying and reviling the other party, she simultaneously enjoys with a clear conscience all the convenience and glory brought by this talent.

Her spiritual roots are indeed extraordinary; after a mere month of bitter cultivation, Mu Chenxue has already stepped into the mid-stage of the Qi Initialization Realm. Such astonishing progress is breathtaking.

Not only is her cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, but her standing within the Sword Sect is also steadily opening up.

Rumors gradually begin to spread among the various peaks of the Sword Sect: Crimson Snow Peak has gained an exceptionally talented junior sister who is not only peerlessly beautiful but also possesses an utterly pure and kind disposition. What is even more astonishing is that she possesses formidable healing spiritual power, frequently treating and curing her fellow senior and junior martial brothers.

Her reputation gradually spreads across the sword peaks, and the disciples hail her as Fairy Mu...

Seeing that she has already become the direct disciple of a Sword Sect peak master, seeing that the senior brother who is already in the Perception Realm is so deeply enamored of her, and having a peak master master with unfathomable strength and majestic yet warm demeanor standing behind her, her heart settles slightly.

Her thoughts drift away. Thinking of the other side—Mu Chenlan, who has lost her spiritual roots, lacks any qualification to enter a sect, and has been abandoned by her family clan—she feels an incomparable sense of gratification in her heart.

Even if she manages to stay alive, she can only ever remain a thoroughly ruined rogue cultivator, at most squeezing into some third-rate organization like the Seven Stars Hall, and can never pose the slightest threat to her again. As long as she plays the role of her healing fairy well, she will attract the adoration and protection of countless proud sons of heaven.

Mu Chenlan is not worth fearing.

...