Why do I have so many masters?

The aura soared to the heavens, transforming the celestial phenomena within dozens of miles around. Clouds gathered, obscuring the sunlight with streaks of crimson pulsing through them. Jiu Zizai's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"Azure Blood Art?"

"Nonsense!" Experience tales with empire

In his furious yell, he was about to strike, to subdue this familiar junior, destroy his Inner Strength, and perhaps even spare him a few more years of life. But at this moment, He Yuxuan enveloped by the might of his weapon, harbored a death wish, his strikes vicious, seemingly without mercy, aimed directly at vital points, and Gong Yu, who had previously bested him, was sent flying after only a few exchanges.

Clutching his sword, he knelt on the ground, his face growing paler, unable to strike again.

Jiu Zizai, filled with furious shock, started to show no mercy in his attacks. Famous for a long time, his Iron Palm Vigorous Qi was strong enough to Split Mountains and Sever Mountain Ranges. Even though He Yuxuan utilized the Life-Burning Technique and had a weapon to aid him, he was no match and gradually fell into disadvantage.

They exchanged over a dozen moves back and forth, and the elder slapped with his left hand, fending off the attack. His fingers then grabbed for He Yuxuan's chest; the right hand raised, in the sky above, a fierce tiger seemed to reach out its claw amid the roar of thunder, ready to end the life of this ruthless man under his palm.

Just then, He Yuxuan's expression became serene, and he softly said:

"Uncle Jiu..."

It was as if a sharp sword had pierced Jiu Zizai's heart.

The old man seemingly saw the upright young man from decades ago, sentiments from past days welled up in his heart, his killing intent vanished, and the palm that could shatter a small mountain halted in mid-air, unable to fall.

He Yuxuan's lowered gaze revealed a complex emotion, his left hand flicked over several major acupoints on the elder's body. With Jiu Zizai's cultivation, all acupoints were interconnected, making acupoint striking virtually ineffective in an instant. But at this moment, He Yuxuan had reached the strength of Upper Third Rank.

In an instant, life and death could be discerned.

Yet He Yuxuan did not attack Jiu Zizai but, instead, used the moment to execute the Light and Shadow Division movement technique, instantly creating seven figures of himself, escaping from under Jiu Zizai's palm, stepping out with seven figures merging as one, appearing inside the internal hall, his weapon shrieking as it slanted downwards in a slash.

Zhu Ling, as the Sect Leader, held his sword ready to strike.

The Great Elder had already drunk wine, and with one step forward, he turned his fingers into a sword and went for He Yuxuan's acupoint. But at that moment, He Yuxuan's face cleared of all killing intent, his features bright, softly apologized, and the vigorous qi on the Demon Blade suddenly retracted, allowing the Upper Third Rank Grandmaster's finger to hit his acupoint.

On Qingfeng Edge, a myriad swords cried out together.

The fierce Sword Qi pierced through He Yuxuan's frail body, breaking towards the heavens, shattering the provoked celestial phenomena so that, looking down from the sky, one could see the thick clouds part sharply to both sides, completely dissipating.

Three thousand miles of land, the sky completely clear.

Thunder roared in the clear sky.

A white rainbow pierced the sun.

This swift rise and quick fall happened in the blink of an eye, and the serene-eyed woman retracted her right hand, He Yuxuan's weapon fell to the ground, still unwillingly emitting low whines.

His body swayed and fell to the ground.

Not a drop of blood shed, for the Sword Qi of the Great Elder was so swift it produced a sound like thunder, and before any blood could flow, it was utterly extinguished. By the time Jiu Zizai rushed into the hall from outside, He Yuxuan had already breathed his last.

His features serene, as if he were merely sleeping.

........................

The death of He Yuxuan cast a somber shadow over the feast.

But what truly shook Wang Anfeng and others was the brilliance of that one sword strike.

A mere casual move was enough to make heaven and earth change; such power, almost as if they were not of the same world, truly worthy of being called an Immortal. Even Ni Tianxing, who previously entered the Upper Third Rank Grandmaster status and wielded a Divine Weapon, couldn't achieve such a terrifying feat.

An immense change occurred over three thousand miles of sky.

It almost enveloped a county-sized expanse, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of Great Qin could not possibly overlook it.

The day after the feast.

An urgent notice was posted on the Exceptional Beings List of the realm, omitting the Divine Weapon Five Phoenix Sword, and originally thought weakened in strength, the Elder Murong Qingxue of Qingfeng Edge re-entered the ranks of the truly exceptional, rising above the seventh in the world.

A sword's cold gleam over three thousand miles.

All under heaven were subdued.

Laughter erupted within the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect, stirring the long swords to a chorus of whistles; in the Wind Character Tower of Fufeng Academy, a figure in a green robe, illuminated by lantern light, seemed to bend slightly before straightening its back a bit more.

Around Qingfeng Edge's County City, movements began within the Jianghu forces as well, people from the minor sects and the crooked paths felt as if a wild fire was lit under their seats, frantically relocating their own disciples' resources.

High up in the Kunlun Mountains, that old man who seemed to have kicked the entire world out of his domain paced back and forth outside his thatched cottage, taking a few steps forward, glancing outside at the world, almost popping his eyes out, yet unable to take the step forward.

Scratching his belly through his clothes, he turned with a long sigh, then ducked back into his small cabin.

Let it be, whether the world outside is in chaos or peace.

The door then closed.

What does it have to do with me?

Perhaps it was a bit too much force, or perhaps due to long-term disrepair, the door wobbled and directly fell backwards.

From the Kunlun Mountains, the sound of the old man cursing could be heard.

The outside world might start to show signs of turmoil due to the Great Elder's sword, but Wang Anfeng and others, situated at the center of this storm, had not the slightest inkling. It might take months before the triggered undercurrents surfaced, and they would finally realize.

The people from Fufeng Academy lingered for several days around Qingfeng Edge before rising to take their leave.

Master Fu Mo had originally planned to fly back to the academy alone, but his mechanical bird had shattered into pieces. So, he simply borrowed a horse from Qingfeng Edge, traveling with Wang Anfeng and others. Once out of the confusing Bagua formation, the young man reined in the Green-Maned Horse, looked back, but could no longer see the tall and graceful Qingfeng.

Master Fu Mo had left the Qingfeng Edge and seemed to relax considerably in a moment.

Sitting on the horseback, he stretched his muscles and cheerfully said,

"I plan to buy some materials for mechanical devices on the way. If you have anything else to address, feel free to mention it now."

"So that we can decide which route to take back."

All three of Baili Feng shook their heads. Wang Anfeng was also about to say that he had nothing else, but then he remembered the boy, Ah Ping, whom he had saved, and his voice paused slightly.

Although staying with his father was the best arrangement for Ah Ping,

that village was indeed no place for a child to grow up.

With this thought in mind, Wang Anfeng lifted his eyes to look at the elderly man and said,

"Junior has one more matter to discuss."

.....................

Before Wang Anfeng and the others had left, Jiu Zizai had already taken his leave.

Having known He Yuxuan for a lifetime, the old man couldn't bear to let his body lie exposed in the wilderness, yet not knowing where his family was, he had no choice but to take it back to his hometown for burial. In front of his grave, he drank turbid liquor all night. As the dawn light gradually broke, he swayed the gourd and spilled the remaining liquor onto the grave before standing up and leaving.

The roads of Jianghu are long.

Seven days later, two figures appeared in front of this crude grave.

The man leading wore black vigorous attire and bowed to the grave. As he straightened up, an invisible burst of vigorous qi emanated, causing the black coffin to rise from the ground. With a sweep of his sleeve, the coffin lid was flung open, revealing the body of He Yuxuan, whose cultivation had been as high as Fourth Rank in life, ensuring his body was preserved as if imperishable for a hundred years, thus it still appeared as it had in life.

The man apologized and reached out to touch the sword wounds on He Yuxuan's body, but as his hand came within an inch of the wound, his expression abruptly changed. He stepped back repeatedly, stopping only after retreating seven or eight steps, his breathing slightly hurried, his Heavenly Silkworm silk gloves shattered, revealing palms full of cuts.

The Taoist dressed man behind him said with a complex tone,

"So strong."

"It seems we must remain hidden for a while longer."

"Hmm."

The reply of his companion was quite cold, but he was used to it and did not mind. His gaze settled on the composed face of He Yuxuan and he sighed,

"But, I didn't expect that he would choose to withdraw his Inner Strength, taking that sword strike from Murong Qingxue head-on."

"It's almost like he was courting death."

The man in front, covering his wounded, slightly trembling hand, said calmly, his eyes downcast,

"It was his only option."

"To wield the Demon Blade and battle Murong Qingxue, to die from one strike was also to fulfill the requirements."

"That was the furthest he could retreat."

"Even coerced, at his core, he was still a Confucian scholar."

"A true gentleman."

His voice paused momentarily, then he looked at his companion and added,

"Unlike you, he had his principles."

The Taoist laughed out loud.

What should have been a very amiable laughter sounded like an owl in the night, somewhat eerie, as he said,

"A gentleman? Principles? You should know that those are but shackles they impose on themselves."

The Taoist felt the topic was rather pointless and abruptly stopped talking, then he turned to inquire about another matter,

"Right, you said he has fulfilled the requirements."

"What about his elderly father and his family? How do you plan to deal with them?"

Axiao's expression was very cold.

He was meticulous in his actions and really did not like to smile.

"Cure the poison, give them money, send them away."

The Taoist was not surprised, and looked Axiao up and down, suddenly stating,

"I actually didn't know you were also a man of your word—a gentleman."

Axiao shook his head and earnestly said,

"No, I am a villain."

"Through and through, a villain."

PS: Second update