The Path Toward Heaven

The Inherited Sword Competition began.

The first one to come out was a sword washing disciple, named Chen Ling.

Chen Ling had been a part of the inner sect for seven years and obtained his sword five years ago, but he didn’t reach the State of Perfect Preservation until today, having finally achieved the prerequisite for the competition.

He was very composed after many years of Cultivation and waiting, something unusual for someone his age. He didn’t pay too much attention to the audience or to the pressure placed on the first competitor to step on stage, focusing instead on his performance.

A flash of clean and wintry sword light came out of his sleeve, leaving a clear rut on the cliff wall with slow flowing water before returning to him.

He jumped onto the flying sword before it came close to him, and began riding it above the cliff walls, showing his well-honed riding skills.

It was quiet by the stream.

On the stone platform surrounded by the clouds, the representatives from the Hanging-Bell Sect, Daze, Zhaoge City, and the Water Moon Nunnery, among a few other sects, this including the Principal Justice from Fruit Formation Temple. All stayed in their seats and remained silent.

This year was the first time the Mirror Sect sent a representative to observe the Inherited Sword Competition of the Green Mountain Sect, and his inexperience showed through when he hadn’t noticed the silence among the cliffs, clapping his hands and praising Chen Ling after seeing him ride the flying sword among the peaks with ease and in a robust manner.

Chen Ling landed his sword on a rock in the stream.

The elder of Shiyue Peak responsible for the Inherited Sword Competition asked without even a hint of expression, “Which peak’s sword would you wish to inherit?”

The expression on his face finally became nervous, and he replied with a slightly dry voice, “What capabilities do I have? This disciple dares not choose.”

While speaking, he saw the masters of various peaks on the platform look on with expectations and unease.

At the Inherited Sword Competition, every master of the nine peaks could only choose one inherited sword disciple, they would all choose very cautiously because of the limitation.

Chen Ling knew his Cultivation state was not outstanding in comparison to his peers, so he didn’t expect to be fought for by the peaks, and was merely hoping to be selected by one peak.

No sound came from the cliffs, very quiet.

The silence became embarrassing after awhile.

Those who didn’t have the prerequisite to participate in the competition, standing by the stream were unbearable to watch him.

Sister Yushan turned her head away, too nervous to watch.

Amid the deadly silence, Chen Ling still remained calm on the surface, raising his head stubbornly, like an offender waiting for his final sentence.

He knew that if he lowered his head or showed a hint of disappointment, those masters might assume that his Sword Heart is unsteady.

And then he would have to wait another three years.

That representative from the Mirror Sect felt somewhat embarrassed as well; looking at the expressions of other guests around him, he didn’t know where to put his hands, which had been clapping earlier. He really didn’t understand how it was that a disciple so outstanding, someone who could be regarded as a favorite to be cultivated not only at the Mirror Sect, but also the Green Mountain Sect…could be unwanted?

At last a voice came from the cliffs.

After some discussion, the Yunxing Peak decided to accept Chen Ling, perhaps considering they had no chance to win over several more important disciples from other peaks.

“Do you wish, Elder Chen, to study the Old Bird Sword Style?”

Feeling unparalleled happiness, he answered with a trembling voice, “Yes, this disciples would!”

Afterwards, he quickly rode his sword upward to join his peers of Yunxing Peak at a spot somewhere in the cliffs.

…
…

Later on, more disciples came up to demonstrate their Cultivation states and sword work.

These inner sect disciples practiced many years by the Stream of Sword Washing, and all of them reached the State of Perfect Preservation, with a few of them nearing the State of Inherited Will, riding the sword with much ease, like a bird flying among the peaks, and showing proficient sword work, their flying sword turning and twirling to weave a screen of light, which couldn’t be penetrated even by the waterfalls within ten feet.

Ji Yuanliang, Sikong Yiming, and Qi Faying, whose names appeared many times in the notebooks on the peaks, were chosen after some discussion.

It was very quiet on the cliff. The representative of Mirror Sect had learned his lesson and didn’t express his opinion anymore, and he glanced at the stone platform deep in the clouds every once in a while, wondering whether the Sect Master of Green Mountain Sect came or not, and whether he, as rumored, like his own Master, Immortal Taiping, was practicing a sort of incomparable magic.

The Principal Justice of the Fruit Formation Temple closed his eyes, fingering the rosaries in his hands.

The female disciples of Water-Moon Nunnery and Qingrong Peak got together, talking amongst themselves in whispers and in familiarity, their giggles sounding like silver bells.

“It’s really boring.”

The guests of Hanging-Bell Sect were sitting on the west side of the stone platform.

A young girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old felt a tickle in her eyes while staring at the water beneath her feet in the crack of the rock.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned once, the little bells hanging on her lovely earlobes jingling.

Those two little bells were silver. Was this young girl actually a high-ranking silver-bell messenger?

“What do you know?” A young woman rubbed her hair gently, saying, “The Green Mountain Sect is a Major Sword Sect, the sword work seems to be boring, but it is actually complicated.”

“But it is still too boring, one sword being wielded here, another sword being wielded there; there is nothing exciting about them.”

“If I knew it would be so boring, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place,” complained the young girl of Hanging-Bell Sect, pursing her lips.

Suddenly there was a noise coming up from beneath the cliff, she stood up and took a look, finding the crowd had become slightly uneasy. Watching a slender youth walking into the stream, she became interested, saying, “Look, Senior Master! Is he, you have just pointed out to me, the one with natural Dao quality?”

…
…

Liu Shisui arrived at the stream.

The cheers rose up from both banks of the stream.

The commotion could be felt vaguely among the cliffs, and many gazes were fixed on him.

On the top of the high cliff, the Principal Justice of the Fruit Formation Temple opened his eyes, the guest of Daze stood up, and the representative of the Mirror Sect had walked over to the cliff edge earlier, looking downward.

The visiting guests showed a great deal of interest in Liu Shisui, or at the very least, simple curiosity.

It was well known in the cultivation circle that Liu Shisui possessed natural Dao quality, and he was the third such person of natural Dao quality at the Green Mountain Sect in the last ten years.

Anyone with natural Dao quality was a one-in-a-million Cultivation genius. It would be very lucky for the regular sects to meet one in a hundred years. So the luck of Green Mountain Sect was really making other sects jealous.

Zhuo Rusui and Zhao Layue were from West Sea and Zhaoge City respectively, and their family backgrounds were special because they had connections with the Cultivation world, so they were easier to be found. But it was said that Liu Shisui lived as a child in a remote small village, and had no connection to Cultivation circles, so then how was he found by the Green Mountain Sect?

Watching the youth standing on the rock in the stream, the people from various sects were filled with complicated thoughts.

Standing on the rock in the stream, Liu Shisui, not affected by the commotion, focused on one thing, which was pulling out his sword.

The flying sword rose up from the ground without shadow and sword light, arriving at a cliff wall thirty yards away after a brief time.

It was quiet and didn’t cause even a ripple on the flowing stream water, but a tiny round hole appearing on the cliff wall.

The seemingly normal scene attracted a few surprised cries from the cliffs.

Liu Shisui closed two fingers on his left hand, using a sword style most common in the Scripture of Sword for making the flying sword return from the cliff wall.

He then stepped out into the stream with seeming recklessness, landing right on top of the sword as he flew upward after leaving blur behind; at an increasing speed, the flying sword turned into green light, flying out of the cliffs within a few seconds as it created an ear-piercing whistle, breaking through the clouds.

As people raised their heads up to watch, he had already turned into a black dot in the sky, far above the nine peaks.

After a short while, Liu Shisui came back on his sword, not an ounce of red on his face, his heart calm, his breathing even; he bowed silently, as if he had done nothing.

The sudden cheers broke through the quiet atmosphere among the cliffs.

“Good! Great! Marvelous!”

Liu Shisui’s sword looked simple enough, but it was actually very steady and balanced, needing nothing more than that, a sword style pursued by the Green Mountain Sect.

Though his state was still relatively low, such a feat was performed by a youth of fourteen years, who already showed some aura of a great swordsman; it was only natural that it would bring about appreciation.

“Is he the one with natural Dao quality?” murmured the young girl of Hanging-Bell Sect.

At this young age, she was already a silver-bell messenger, so her life experience was naturally not ordinary, nor was she lacking in the talent of observation. She knew the seemingly simple performance by Liu Shisui was actually extraordinary; but craving excitement, she didn’t feel that was enough.

The next moment, her eyes lit up in excitement.

A young disciple, with steady emotion, walked over onto the rock in the stream, standing opposite Liu Shisui.

“Brother Liu, could you perhaps provide some guidance.”