"That's ridiculous! Can the inner gate examination be messed with?"
Xue Yong 'e started the discussion, and some disciples followed suit.
Sister Yushan was disappointed to find that someone had taken the inner gate examination before her, but when she saw that person was Jing Jiu, her disappointment turned into surprise.
"Why not? Everyone at the Waterpine Pavilion knows about Brother Jing. I think you're just jealous. " She looked at the disciples led by Xue Yong 'e and said with a sneer, "Are you ashamed of mocking Brother too many times?"
During the two years at the South Pine Pavilion, Jing Jiu would occasionally answer questions from his peers. Though he didn't do it often, it was a very important help for these young people who had never practiced Cultivation. Some disciples would choose to forget about the help and treat Jing Jiu as a stranger; some disciples would even mock Jing Jiu because of the help they received; but most of them would still keep the gratitude in their hearts. They stood on Sister Yushan's side, made Xue Yong 'e and the other disciples speechless, and cheered for Jing Jiu, who had already entered the training hall.
…
…
"I thought his popularity was bad."
Hearing the noise outside the training hall, Ming Xingguo was a bit surprised.
The immortal master from Xilai Peak smiled and said, "He is a celebrity after all."
After saying this, the two of them looked at the tightly shut door.
They were curious about whether Jing Jiu could pass the inner gate examination, even more so than Liu Shisui a year ago.
The outer gate disciples at the South Pine Pavilion were famous among the nine peaks.
The most famous was naturally Liu Shisui with natural Dao quality, and then Jing Jiu. Everyone knew that a handsome youth in white had come to Aoyama Sect. Some female disciples of Qingrong Peak even came to the South Pine Pavilion a few times to see what he looked like.
But Jing Jiu always stayed in his own small courtyard, so the female disciples of Qingrong Peak had to go back disappointed.
Jing Jiu wouldn't have become so famous if he was only born beautiful. The key was that he was also very lazy …
This kind of contrast was very suitable for discussion.
Just like what Ming Xingguo had said, many people thought that Jing Jiu's relationship with others should be very bad because of these two points.
It was naturally shameful to not strive for progress, but it was easy to attract jealousy to be extremely beautiful.
Who would have thought that Jing Jiu had not only reached the consummate state of Spiritual Stability, but also had so many fellow disciples on his side?
All of a sudden, a chilly sword chime rang out from the closed door and spread to the surroundings of the cliff plateau.
Ming Xingguo and the Xilai Peak Immortal looked at each other and smiled.
This sword chime was much weaker than the one Liu Shisui had caused, but it was still clear.
At the main entrance of the training hall, Master Lü also heard the sword chime. His body suddenly relaxed and he revealed an emotional expression.
In the quiet room, Jing Jiu withdrew his gaze from the black sword embryo and turned to walk out.
Apart from himself, no one knew that he hadn't placed his hand on the sword embryo, nor had he mobilized all of Zhen Yuan.
If he had done it like an ordinary disciple participating in the inner sect examination, he might have melted the sword embryo into a lump of iron.
From beginning to end, he had only glanced at the sword embryo.
…
…
The door of the training hall opened and Master Lü walked out with Jing Jiu. He smiled at the disciples who had different expressions on their faces.
Cheers rang out, and one could vaguely hear a few sounds of bad luck and spitting.
Looking at the fellow disciples who came forward to congratulate him, Jing Jiu greeted them calmly, but he felt a little strange.
He didn't remember interacting with these people too much, and he didn't feel any friendship with them. He only remembered two or three of their names.
Was the little girl with the plum bun called Yushan or Jinshan?
Returning to the small courtyard, he looked around, and after a moment of silence, he left without any reluctance.
The bamboo chair and sand table also disappeared.
…
…
The peaks of Aoyama were shrouded in clouds all year round. Only when one arrived at the legendary Nine Peaks would the clouds become much thinner.
The clouds at the top of Tianguang Peak didn't disperse all year round, but they were much thinner than the rolling clouds at Yunxing Peak.
White fog flowed slowly on the ground in front of the peak like a sea of clouds. Ancient stone doors and pavilions were faintly discernible in the distance, almost like a fairyland.
Five flying swords hovered above the sea of clouds in Silence. These flying swords were either ancient and cold, or sharp and radiant, emitting an indescribable pressure.
The Three-Foot Sword!
The Sword of Emptiness!
The Sword of Zither!
The Sword of Returning Sun!
The Sword of Time!
Among the main swords of the peaks of Aoyama Sect, there were five of them.
The Sword of Heaven of Tianguang Peak was the sword of the sect master, and wouldn't show itself easily.
The Thoughtless Sword of Shenmo Peak had ascended to the Alien Realm with Martial Grandmaster Jingyang.
As for the Lone Sword of Liangwang Peak, it had disappeared for many years. That peak was the place where the young disciples cultivated their swordsmanship, so it usually didn't participate in the meetings of Aoyama Sect.
But why didn't the Tide Sword of Bihu Peak appear? Could it be that something had happened to this mountain peak that was ranked seventh?
It was quiet at the top of the cliff. No one questioned the absence of the Tide Sword.
An old voice came from the Three-Foot Sword.
Maybe it was because the main sword of Shangde Peak was square in shape, so the voice sounded square as well.
The owner of the voice was the Sword Justice of Aoyama Sect, Yuan Qijing, the Peak Master of Shangde Peak, famous for his coldness.
"The letter of reward and punishment has been sent to all the peaks by flying swords. If there are no objections, it will be decided today."
If the sect master didn't show up, Yuan Qijing had the highest position in Aoyama Sect. Besides, he held great power and was cold, so few people would oppose his opinion.
Today was no exception. A few voices came from the swords, "No objections."
A gentle and pleasant voice came from the Zither Sword; it should be the Peak Master of Qingrong Peak.
"Many disciples of the South Pine Pavilion have entered the inner gate, including a talented disciple like Liu Shisui. Since Young Master Lü has done a great service, why don't you reward him more?"
No voice came from the Three-Foot Sword, indicating that Yuan Qijing had acquiesced to the suggestion of the Peak Master of Qingrong.
This was not unexpected to the peaks, because everybody knew that Lü of the South Pine Pavilion was his personal disciple.
The voice of the Peak Master of Yunxing came from the Empty Sword, "After Young Senior Master's ascension, our sect has become even more famous than before. I think nobody will dare disturb us in the next ten years. However, we have to hope for the future. Every time I think of those talented youths of Zhaoge and the Underworld at the Plum Meeting, and those ice-eating monsters, I'm worried. Fortunately, Young Master Zhuo has Zhao Layue, and he is ten years old now, so I'm very relieved."
The Peak Master of Qingrong said, "Young Master Zhuo is behind closed doors, and Zhao Layue is cultivating diligently on your peak. But Liu Shisui is still too young. Should we summon him to the peak in advance?"
The voice of Yuan Qijing rang out again, still as cold as before, "My concern is whether Liu Shisui has the natural Dao quality or not. When Zhao Layue was born in Zhaoge, I sent someone to take care of her, so I know her situation well. But what about this Liu Shisui? "
The voice of the Peak Master of Qingrong grew even colder. "Big Brother, don't be suspicious," she said. "I've checked on Liu Shisui myself; there's nothing wrong with him."
By now Yuan Qijing knew that she had gone to see Liu Shisui. After a moment of silence, he asked, "When did it happen?"
"One year ago," said the Peak Master of Qingrong.
Normally, Yuan Qijing should drop the subject since the Peak Master of Qingrong had checked on Liu Shisui herself and had a clear intention to protect him. But he still said, "I've also checked on him. He had learned a rare breathing method before he entered the mountain gate. I suspect he is a spy, so we should investigate him thoroughly."
Yet, the voice of the Peak Master of Qingrong was calm, as she said nonchalantly, "Since you've checked on him, you should know that he is not a spy."
The other three swords remained silent, but the three peak masters hiding behind the swords, perhaps ten miles away, had heard the conversation clearly. Sensing the implied meaning in the words of the Peak Master of Qingrong, they knew that this was the end of the day.
As expected, Yuan Qijing didn't say anything after hearing what the Peak Master of Qingrong said.
However, the Peak Master of Qingrong didn't insist on calling Liu Shisui to the nine peaks ahead of time.
A moment later, the five flying swords dispersed, and the ocean of clouds on the top of the cliff returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
…
…
It was very cold on the top of the Shangde Peak, especially after the sword light entered the stone room. The temperature dropped a few degrees, and a layer of frost instantly appeared on the stone walls.
The main sword of this peak, which was responsible for monitoring the whole Aoyama Sect, was called the Three-Foot Sword.
The name of this sword was not derived from the saying "God Is Watching Three Feet Above His Head", but from the saying "It takes more than one day's cold to freeze three feet of ice".
In the deep end of the manor cave, an old man looked at the frost on the wall, remaining silent.
The Peak Master of Shangde Peak, Yuan Qijing, was in charge of the Sword Justice, and his status in the Aoyama Sect was second only to that of the Sect Master. He had a cold and gloomy temperament, and was feared by the disciples of the younger generation.
"It seems that the disciple named Liu Shisui was indeed chosen by one of the peaks in advance."
The middle-aged sword master who spoke was Chi Yan, Yuan Qijing's Young Brother of the same peak. It seemed that he had listened to the entire meeting.
A hint of coldness flashed in Yuan Qijing's deep-set eyes.
Over the years, more and more such things had happened in the Aoyama Sect. In order to ensure the inheritance and development of the sect, the peaks had gotten used to planning ahead of time, looking for talented disciples in the world to bestow favors on them, and even teaching them the mental methods in secret. With such predestined relationships, it would be easier for them to compete for talents at the Inherited Sword Competition in the future.
The talented Junior Master Zhuo, who was staying behind closed doors on the Tianguang Peak, received a jade pendant from the Sect Master at the age of six.
The young people on Liangwang Peak had also been contacted by the peaks before they entered the mountain gate. Zhao Layue was protected by the Aoyama Sect even before she was born, and she was brought to the mountain gate at the age of twelve. The only problem was that no one knew which peak had found Zhao Layue. The answer to this mystery could only be revealed at the Inherited Sword Competition one year later.
Of course, due to the rules of the Aoyama Sect, the peaks might not be able to compete for the desired disciple even if they had prepared in advance, but it was still better than nothing.
What Chi Yan said was based on this judgment, but he was still curious why his Big Brother didn't say anything else after the Peak Master of Qingrong said that. Did his Big Brother already know what kind of breathing method Liu Shisui had practiced in advance?
"The Yumen Breathing Method."
Yuan Qijing's voice was very cold, as if mixed with the wind and snow.
Hearing this, Chi Yan was slightly startled, thinking that Liu Shisui was the disciple chosen by the Sect Master. No wonder the Peak Master of Qingrong didn't point it out, and his Big Brother didn't continue.
Thinking of this, he felt a bit regretful, and also a bit angry.
It seemed that neither his Big Brother nor himself would be able to compete for Liu Shisui at the Inherited Sword Competition one year later.
No matter how special the position of Shangde Peak was in the Aoyama Sect, it couldn't be compared to the Tianguang Peak, where the Sect Master was.
"We already have Junior Master Zhuo, and half of the disciples on Liangwang Peak are his, and now we still need Liu Shisui …"
Chi Yan sighed, saying, "In this case, we can't miss another disciple with natural Dao quality."
Though he said this, he didn't have much confidence. Among all the peaks in Aoyama, who didn't want Zhao Layue to inherit the sword?
Thinking of something, he said, "Junior Master Lü has done well at the South Pine Pavilion in the last two years. I heard that another disciple has passed the inner gate examination. Should I go and observe him?"
"What's his name?" asked Yuan Qijing expressionlessly.
"Jing Jiu," said Chi Yan.
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