Chapter Sixty-Three: The "Absurd" Family Creed

Under the sweep of his spiritual sense, Liu Pan clearly saw the situation within Bailin Town.

In Liu Pan’s eyes, the battle between Liu Kuang and the Second Elder was without suspense.

After all, Liu Kuang now could not only control weapons, but also use his spiritual sense to lock onto his enemies. Compared with Martial Masters, the only thing he lacked was the depth of his elemental force.

Given his ability to control weapons and lock on with his spiritual sense, Liu Kuang would never be foolish enough to compete with the Second Elder in sheer elemental force. Naturally, the outcome was already decided.

Indeed, Liu Kuang dispatched the Second Elder with ease. However, his actions did not go unnoticed; the fluctuations of elemental force drew the attention of some higher-level cultivators in the town.

Soon, a small sword about a foot long flew out from near the Second Elder’s courtyard, heading straight toward the direction of the Baiyang Sect.

Liu Kuang frowned. Before killing the Second Elder with his blade, his spiritual sense had already detected a Martial Master in the vicinity, an elder from Baiyang Sect with the surname Qu, whom he vaguely remembered.

Elder Qu’s sudden appearance within range of his spiritual sense startled Liu Kuang. He hadn’t expected a Martial Master to be hiding in Bailin Town.

But though startled, Liu Kuang wasn’t truly worried. Now that his cultivation had reached the Martial Disciple realm and his spiritual sense had awakened, even if he couldn’t defeat a Martial Master, he could at least escape. If he couldn’t escape, there was still Liu Pan to help him, and at worst, the spirit of the Great Wilderness Blade, Yan, would intervene.

His body was no longer as fragile as in the Martial Apprentice stage. Though Yan still couldn’t unleash powerful techniques through him, ordinary moves were no problem; slaying a few Martial Masters would be effortless.

Yet, while Liu Kuang wasn’t concerned, he hadn’t expected Elder Qu to ignore him, instead taking out the small sword and tossing it away.

Liu Kuang didn’t know exactly what the foot-long sword was or what it could do, but he doubted it was anything good for him.

Having killed the Second Elder, Liu Kuang no longer cared for concealment. He strode out of the courtyard, mounted his blade, and flew boldly out of Bailin Town.

Now that the Baiyang Sect had discovered him, there was no point in hiding any longer. It was better to simply fly out. After all, his task was already completed.

Moreover, Liu Kuang thought that even though Liu Pan’s formidable spiritual sense covered the entire town, if Liu Pan became too absorbed in his own matters, he might overlook something. His bold exit might serve as a useful reminder.

But in reality, Liu Kuang’s caution was unnecessary. Liu Pan had finished his own business in less than an hour, while Liu Kuang had spent an hour just waiting in ambush for the Second Elder to return.

In fact, Liu Pan had noticed Elder Qu before even entering Bailin Town, but felt no concern. Elder Qu’s strength was not even on par with Li Liao.

Now, both Liu Pan and Liu Kuang were far stronger than during their battle with Li Liao. To worry about an Elder Qu who was weaker than Li Liao would be ridiculous.

When his spiritual sense registered Elder Qu throwing out the small sword, Liu Pan was briefly taken aback. As the author, Liu Pan knew much more than Liu Kuang, the hero who had yet to see much of the world.

That foot-long sword was a message-transmitting tool known as the Flying Sword of Transmission.

The Flying Sword of Transmission was crafted through special methods and was about as valuable as a common storage pouch. Though it was inscribed with several formation patterns, it was far inferior to a spiritual weapon and could only be considered an ordinary magical implement.

Although Liu Pan’s spiritual sense had caught Elder Qu using the Flying Sword of Transmission, he made no attempt to intercept it. In fact, with his current strength, he couldn’t have stopped the sword even if he’d tried.

Yet, Liu Pan wasn’t worried. Both he and Liu Kuang had finished what they had to do and would soon leave Bailin Town. There was little chance for anyone from Baiyang Sect to intercept them before they departed.

When his spiritual sense detected Liu Kuang leaving the Second Elder’s courtyard and flying toward the outskirts of town, Elder Qu’s face changed slightly. Not because of Liu Kuang’s power, nor his boldness in leaving, but because Elder Qu suddenly realized he should never have come so close just to confirm Liu Kuang’s return.

Given Liu Kuang’s display of technique, it was highly likely that Liu Kuang had noticed Elder Qu even before Elder Qu noticed him. In other words, his presence had almost certainly been exposed.

Watching Liu Kuang soar away, Elder Qu’s expression shifted several times before he gritted his teeth, took a long knife from his storage pouch, and followed by blade.

To ordinary mortals, those who could fly on weapons were like gods. To the cultivators of Bailin Town, who could only run and jump on the ground, those who soared through the air were beings to be revered.

Thus, the sudden appearance of flying cultivators caused no small stir in Bailin Town, with excited chatter everywhere.

In a loft, watching Liu Kuang and Elder Qu fly out of town one after the other, Liu Xuanfeng’s eyes flickered, but he could only sigh inwardly.

Soon, a commotion rose from below as a group of important Liu clan members rushed into the loft, excitedly exclaiming, their words filled with “Liu Kuang,” “master,” and “glory for our ancestors.”

Yet, hearing their excitement, Liu Xuanfeng felt no joy, only irritation.

His gaze swept the room. Noticing a familiar face missing, and recalling where Liu Kuang had mounted his blade, Liu Xuanfeng’s expression grew somber as he guessed the truth.

Liu Kuang, Liu Pan—Liu Xuanfeng suddenly felt the family’s long-standing policies were deeply flawed.

According to the ancestral precepts, everything was for the clan. With few members, they had always managed the family with gentle measures, believing this would allow their people to grow without limitation, and thus the clan to prosper.

Yet now, this seemed utterly mistaken. With gentle management and few external resources, many found their cultivation stifled by lack of opportunity. Knowing advancement was impossible, what was the point of striving?

As the years passed, the elders realized that no matter how hard they worked, their strength would go no further, and so their hearts turned away from cultivation and toward money and power.

When everyone sought money and power, what motivation remained in the Liu clan?

And the Liu clan was so small—how much money and power could there be to go around?

The elders lost faith in cultivation, and were blinded by the desire for power. How could such a Liu clan possibly become strong? How could it avoid chaos?

From Liu Pan’s parents to Liu Kuang’s, and then to Liu Kuang himself—who among them had not become victims of schemes over money and power? And surely, there had been other such tragedies before.

In the end, only the mediocre escape envy. If Liu Pan’s father, Liu Kuang’s father, or Liu Kuang himself had not been so outstanding, how could those obsessed with money and power have entrapped them?

The exceptional were destroyed, while the mediocre survived, thanks to the gentle ancestral precepts. If the root was neglected for the branch, how could the Liu clan ever grow strong?

As he pondered, Liu Xuanfeng’s somber gaze brightened. As clan chief, now that he saw the problem, he knew how to change the situation.

With the Second Elder, who controlled clan punishment, slain by Liu Kuang, the Liu clan had lost an arm, but obstacles to revitalization had been removed.

With the Second Elder dead, authority over punishment would return to Liu Xuanfeng. With that power, he could remake the clan rules and find trustworthy allies. With such changes, what was there to fear?

As for the precept of gentle treatment, let it be swept away by the wind! In Liu Xuanfeng’s view, if the Liu clan wished to grow strong, gentleness had no place.

Having understood the reason for the clan’s decline, Liu Xuanfeng silently cursed the ancestor who had left behind the precept of gentle treatment.

What kind of fool of an ancestor would leave behind a rule that stifled the clan’s development?

If not for these two children, bearing the shadow of the clan’s darkness, who had managed to leap out of the mire and display their true strength, who would have ever blamed the ancestral precept for the clan’s decline?

But Liu Xuanfeng did not know that the ancestor he cursed had been wrongly maligned.

The precept of gentle treatment had been passed down for thousands of years. Back then, the Liu clan on the southern border was pitifully small—less than a tenth its current size.

Without gentleness, the clan would have scattered and vanished in the river of time.

It was precisely to prevent the clan’s disappearance that the precept was established.

As Liu Xuanfeng pondered the future of the clan, the other important members continued to discuss Liu Kuang’s achievements.

At last, as excitement faded, someone noticed Liu Xuanfeng’s strange mood and asked, “Clan Chief, what are you thinking? Now that Liu Kuang can fly on his weapon, his cultivation must have reached the Martial Master realm. So young—a Martial Master! Surely our ancestors are watching over us; the Liu clan is destined to rise again!”

“Clan Chief! Clan Chief! Trouble—great trouble!”

Before the previous speaker finished the word “watching,” a panicked cry came from below, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Who is making such a ruckus downstairs? If you keep shouting, I’ll tear out your tongue!” barked an old man, roused from his dream of the clan’s rise.

Others joined in his scolding, annoyed at having their hopes dashed by bad news.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, but no one entered the loft. Instead, a voice carried up from the landing, “Clan Chief, the Second Elder has been killed!”

At these words, the loft fell into sudden silence. Only Liu Xuanfeng sighed inwardly: “As expected.”

A moment later, a younger clansman recovered and turned to Liu Xuanfeng, asking, “Clan Chief, this—”

He was cut off by a wave of Liu Xuanfeng’s hand. Glancing around at the assembled elders, Liu Xuanfeng drew a deep breath, then declared, “Everyone, stop dreaming—Liu Kuang will not return.”

At his words, the room fell silent once more.

“Why? Why not?” someone finally asked.

“Think of Liu Kuang’s parents.” Liu Xuanfeng replied cryptically, then walked toward the stairs.

At the landing, he faced the messenger, who stood frozen midway up, and ordered, “Go. Gather all Liu clansmen at the usual square. Tell them that today, the Liu clan will rewrite the ancestral precepts and the family laws!”