Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 383 Gossip Inside Story
"Michiko, you..."

"What's wrong? This isn't from the Xuanmen sect?"

Linglong looked at the mangled corpse on the ground, barely clothed and in a terrible state, and finally swallowed the words that were about to come out of her throat. She made a hand seal and silently released a beam of light from the Thousand Calyx Screen, which swept across the corpse and took away the head.

“She hasn’t reached the Nascent Soul stage yet, but she’s close to it. Moreover, she’s filled with resentment and has a burning anger that’s hard to quell. She could be useful… What would you like to exchange her for?”

"Are there any healing pills left? I don't have enough clothes either..."

His clothes were burned to ashes, and Huangfu Yi only managed to find a blood-stained outfit from the Sword Sect's iron plaque. It seemed to be Zhang San's old clothes from his previous murders, but it was better than being naked, so he made do with it.

"We certainly have no shortage of elixirs and robes, but the Purple Sun Immortal Mushrooms have a strong odor. Perhaps you could use a different preservation box?"

Linglong never expected that she would be summoned by the Primordial Spirit Technique to examine the corpse and draw up the prizes so soon after their separation. Looking at the huge, monstrous creature on the ground, radiating intense Yang Qi, and then at the naked, muddy body on the other side, she couldn't help but make many speculations and associations. She thought to herself that this Daoist looked like a decent-looking man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but she never expected him to have such heavy tastes...

Huangfu Yi was about to agree, but then fell silent for a moment, and finally shook his head.

"We don't need the box anymore, we just want to keep the flavor."

"Oh? You like this flavor? That's really..."

Linglong was speechless, her mind racing as she pondered the real reason why this Daoist prince disliked her plain appearance. Damn it, so that's what he likes? Then he really is the nemesis of the Free and Unfettered Sect…

Huangfu Yi had no idea what she was maliciously speculating about, so he casually wiped the stick clean.

"By the way, do you have any flying swords? This stick is uncomfortable to use."

"The stick isn't comfortable to use... I need to switch to a flying sword..."

Linglong became increasingly lost in thought, seemingly understanding something, before she shuddered at the scene she had imagined, quickly snapping back to reality and shaking her head.
"Hiss... Daozi is truly gifted, capable of what others cannot, which is admirable. It's just a pity that I don't have a single sword in my armory."

"Uh, a six-thousand-year-old Daoist canon, and not a single sword?"

At this point, Linglong finally stopped daydreaming, put her mind at ease, and said seriously,
"It is good to let Daozi know that it is not that I do not want to, but that I cannot. Firstly, flying swords are precious. There are only a handful of great swordsmiths in the world, and powerful swords are even more unparalleled. Possessing such a weapon would make one's skills three times stronger. Which one would not keep it close to their body? How could they trade it out and pawn it?"

Moreover, in this world today, eight or nine out of ten swordsmen, swordsmiths, and sword users are descendants of the Tiger Gate sect, enemies of my Free and Unfettered Sect. I am weak and alone; how dare I rashly provoke them?”

"Uh, an enemy?"

Linglong nodded, beckoned, and took out an exquisitely crafted pagoda from the Thousand-Petal Screen. Holding it in her palm, she gritted her teeth.
"This building is called the Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion. It was originally a place used by my Xiaoyao Sect to store swords. Of course, this one is just a prototype model made when the treasure was being forged."

Back then, the Demon Palace's Imperial Workshop collected all the gold weapons in the land and forged three thousand precious swords. These swords were incredibly powerful, capable of cutting through iron like mud. It was we, the people of Longguan, who risked our lives to infiltrate the Demon Palace and steal these swords. Later, the Mysterious Maiden Rebellion broke out, and all these Imperial Workshop swords were later hidden in the Sword Pavilion.

Within my Nine Heavens Free and Unfettered Sect, the branch responsible for guarding the Sword Pavilion is the Nine Heavens Sword Sect. It was these traitors who secretly colluded with the bastards of Tiger Gate to steal my precious sword, launching a sudden attack and ambush. My Dragon Gate forces were outnumbered and suffered heavy defeats and deaths.”

Huangfu Yi gazed at the nine-story pagoda, and hesitated for a moment.
"Are you referring to the Sword Sect of Nine Yin Mountain?"

Linglong nodded and handed the pagoda to Huangfuyi.
"Nine Yin Mountain was originally the true lineage of my Nine Heavens Sect, but it betrayed my Dragon Gate lineage and has now been slaughtered by its own disciples. It is truly a case of the cycle of heaven and earth, and retribution is inevitable."

Although this tower is a model, it is meticulously crafted and also has the function of storing and concealing swords. While it cannot currently hold three thousand swords, it can certainly support nine. In the future, when the Dao Child forges a great weapon and receives support from the sect, he can continue to refine and expand it, and storing several hundred swords will be sufficient.

"Anyway, it'll just gather dust for me, so I'll give it to you."

"But one is enough, why do we need so many?"

Huangfu Yi held the Nine Heavens Sword Tower, admiring its lifelike craftsmanship. He was filled with praise, but then he realized what was happening and pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"Uh, wait a minute, didn't she also claim to be from Longguan?"

Linglong snorted coldly.
"A person who is several hundred years old has not lost his primordial yin. He is clearly cultivating the flawless golden body of the Tiger Temple. How could he possibly be a Daoist disciple of my Free and Unfettered Sect?"

The people of Tiger Gate were originally from the rebel guards. Although the golden body was extremely powerful, it was not a pill-making technique designed for female cultivators. Forcing them to practice this technique would only result in slight errors and vastly different outcomes. Sooner or later, they would end up with dry and fiery Qi, reversed meridians, and a death trap of qi deviation and demonic possession.

Besides, those traitors who committed such disgraceful acts back then, if they knew the details, they would have stopped calling themselves Tiger Temple long ago. They're probably just some scoundrel trying to glorify themselves.

"There's no need to worry about Daozi; killing him won't hurt. After all, those who now hold the Daoist teachings of the Nine Great Mysterious Gates are basically disciples and grand-disciples of Tiger Temple."

"Oh, what is the meaning of 'Crane View'?"

"Even Daozi Lianhe Temple has encountered this? This kind of destiny with immortals is too powerful..."

Linglong was taken aback.
"I have never seen the true disciples of Crane Temple. I have only heard that the disciples of Crane Temple are all offspring of immortals. They are born with superior talents, good fortune, and opportunities. Some sects have few people and it is inconvenient to take care of such talented disciples, or the children are troublesome, so they are specially sent together for education."

Back when the Free and Unfettered Sect still existed, there were quite a few such celestial children and Daoist prodigies. Various sects would raise some cranes that brought children to avoid delaying the cultivation of their Daoist partners.

But nowadays, the most popular method in the Xuanmen (Taoist sects) is the flawless Golden Elixir of the Tiger Gate, and each sect has its own master-disciple lineage. Those Crane Gates have probably closed down long ago.

That's true. If even immortals don't give birth, Crane Temple naturally can't attract any students, and even the cranes are out of a job...

So, while recuperating and playing with Linglong, Huangfu Yi learned a lot of esoteric historical records and secrets. He also caught his breath, calmed down and regulated his internal energy, and crawled out of the demon's den.

At this moment, Huangfu Yi was wearing filthy, blood-stained clothes, covered in sweat, and carrying the Purple Sun Immortal Mushroom on his back. The smell was so strong that even he himself couldn't stand it.

But the system said not to wash it. The stronger the smell, the easier it is to be discovered, and the more trouble it will attract. Kill all these troubles, and you can seize other people's opportunities and benefit yourself. This is the secret technique of killing tribulations. It is the fastest way to level up and can be equivalent to decades of hard work in seclusion.

Conversely, although the Ziyang Dragon Marrow is not yet fully mature, it is still a great treasure for the Nascent Soul stage. Its immortal destiny and fortune cannot be hidden. Even if it is stored in a box, it will inevitably be discovered by others, and the trouble it will bring will be even greater.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hide anything anymore. Life and death are predestined, so let's just start leveling up.

For the next few days, Huangfu Yi roamed freely in the mountains, killing monsters and leveling up. On each mountain peak, he encountered a bunch of random demons, monsters, bandits, and wild beasts blocking his way.

However, Huangfu Yi relied on his super powerful Three Revolutions and Nine Transformations Mysterious Maiden Refining Form Divine Skill, and just fought his way through with a stick. He was covered in blood all the way, and he kept getting it dry and then splashing it on himself. He was too lazy to take care of himself. In the end, he was covered in dried blood scabs and his whole body was stained reddish-brown.

This situation only improved temporarily after leaving the mountain valley and reaching the plains.

Because all the people and animals around had already died.

White bones lay exposed in the wilderness, and for miles there was not a rooster's crow. This was the scene that Huangfu Yi witnessed when he arrived in Hedong County.

The 100,000-strong Northern army besieged the area for a hundred days, like locusts swarming across the land, slaughtering everything in Luzhou. Everywhere you looked, you could see bones gnawed by wild beasts, and the villages along the roadside were dug up and burned to ashes. For miles around, there wasn't a single living creature to be seen, except for the occasional cry of eagles soaring high in the sky. These were probably the eagles and falcons sent out by the Northern army to scout and hunt carrier pigeons.

Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos...

"waste."

At this moment, the system, which had been silent for several days, finally made a sound, immediately cursing. Fortunately, Huangfu Yi was now quite familiar with the system's minimalist style, which made it seem like annoyed to say anything more, and knew that there were some low-to-mid-grade eighth-rank waste items around that were worth recycling.

In its eyes, materials for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, and even most magic artifacts for the Golden Core stage, were utterly worthless trash. The very few rare and precious spiritual herbs and fruits were also considered bottom-ninth-grade dregs. Even if it encountered them, unless Huangfu Yi specifically asked for a system evaluation, it wouldn't bother to utter a sound.

Only when someone reaches the Nascent Soul stage, and is considered a rare treasure, divine skill manual, or other valuable material by force in the eyes of a Xuanmen True Person, will the system proactively chime in, deeming it trash and acknowledging its value for recycling and reuse.

As for that Nascent Soul treasure he carried on his back, which everyone coveted and would risk their lives for, it was simply deemed useless. Even higher-class items, those that were utterly useless, were merely average; anything truly exceptional was a matter of fate, something one could only encounter by chance. Without some karmic retribution, a confluence of circumstances, a halo of protection, and the blessing of good fortune, one would naturally never encounter such a thing.

In short, even a piece of trash is already very strong.

"Is it here?"

Following the system's guidance, Huangfuyi entered the ruins that had been destroyed by the Tu Kong. It was clear that this place was originally a town, but it had been turned into a graveyard after the war. A large number of human bones, arrowheads, and armor plates were scattered on the ground, making a rustling sound when stepped on.

Suddenly, the wind whistled past his ears, and Huangfu Yi felt a sudden connection, as if he heard the sound of a sword ringing out from the darkness. He understood immediately and followed the clues, eventually finding a dry well in the backyard of a burned-down courtyard.

Huangfu Yichao glanced at the well opening and immediately frowned.

The well was piled high with corpses, bones everywhere. It was unclear whether a group of people had been trapped and died there or killed and thrown in. The well was completely filled, the pile of corpses almost overflowing the opening. Remnants of rotting flesh clung to the bones, and countless snakes and insects could be vaguely seen slithering among the skeletons, clearly fattened by human flesh.

Suddenly, he sensed another sword's cry, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. Huangfu Yi stared intently and saw only stark white bones and white limbs, with a leather bag hanging from a bone fork.

The leather bag had black and white patterns, resembling the scales of a snake or python. It was smooth and soft, and about three feet long. The opening was very small and could be tightened or loosened. Inside, there was clearly something else, about two feet long and half a finger thick. It was unknown how it had fallen into the well.

Sword sheath...

"Wait a minute!"

Just as Huangfu Yi was about to jump down to grab it, the system stopped him.

"This sword is extremely fierce, its malevolent energy soaring to the heavens. You have not yet mastered the true art of sword control, and you may not have the ability to wield it. You may even be in mortal danger!"

Huangfu Yi didn't care.
"Then why don't you teach me how to control a sword?"

The system was momentarily speechless.
"Why...why should I teach you!?"

"Didn't you want to optimize and upgrade it? Flying swords are so powerful, you must know the art of sword control, right?"

Huangfu Yi shrugged and patted the thing on his back.
"Today is the seventh day. As you said, if we exchange this thing for money, we can exchange it for skills."

"Settle the money for the Five Immortals Swords first. If that's not enough, can you give me some more on credit?"

"Humph……"

The system was silent for a moment.

"There are more than one sword maker in the world, and the sword-wielding techniques of different schools are also different. It's too early to say now; let's take it and see."

"okay."

Seeing that the system had agreed, Huangfu Yi flipped down into the well, climbed onto the well wall like a monkey, stretched out an iron rod, passed it through the bones, and with a flick of his wrist, picked up the sword sheath from the rod.

"Stay away! The flying sword hasn't killed anyone in a long time; it'll drink blood when it's unsheathed!"

"Oh."

So Huangfu Yi took off his dried, blood-stained clothes and squeezed some sweat into the bag to give it blood to drink.

system,"……"

However, it was indeed effective. After all, Huangfu Yi had slain countless monsters these past few days, enduring countless killing sprees. The stench and blood of hundreds of demons and beasts, mixed with the intense, fiery hormones of men, created a pungent and horrifying stench! But it also greatly satisfied the flying sword, which, after being sealed away for so many years, had finally found a matching soul! It groaned with pleasure and rang out a sword-like cry!

With a "whoosh!" blood gushed out, and with a "whoosh!" a burst of light erupted!
Huangfu Yi looked up and saw that the sword was about two feet long, with a dazzling light, but it had no hilt or guard, just a pure beam of light.

When unleashed, the sword's edge was enveloped in a silver light, as bright as lightning, like a long snake spitting its tongue, leaving a silver rainbow about ten feet long in the sky. The light was dazzling, and even solid rocks and thick walls, black iron and true gold, if touched by even a trace of its tail light, would immediately crumble like mud and rot like rotten wood. It was truly a divine weapon from a celestial abode, a rare and precious weapon.

"Wow……"

Huangfu Yi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; this sword was just too good!

It's not that you don't know the value of something, it's that you're afraid of comparing it to other things. Indeed, compared to genuine trash, Tengkong really is garbage... cough cough, of course, garbage isn't bad either, Huangfuyi is still quite sentimental...

What's even more absurd is that the system itself seemed surprised.

"It's actually it... How come you have such a connection, kid? No wonder it happened so early... Tsk, what a hassle..."

"how?"

"That sword sheath is useless, but this sword is not. It must have been broken and fell to earth, where it was taken in by someone."

I'm afraid you're not capable enough to hold onto it. Holding it for too long could be fatal. You might as well give up..."

Being looked down upon like this, Huangfu Yi's temper flared, and he immediately became indignant.
"Who says I can't hold it! How could I not hold it! As long as my fist is strong enough, what can't I hold! System, trust me! I'll definitely get it! I'll take it!"

It actually held on tight. With just a pinch of the index and middle fingers, the two-inch blade was firmly held between the fingers, as if holding a slender willow leaf. It thirstily drank in Huangfu Yi's essence blood and the Yangming sword energy supplied by the Shangyang acupoint, radiating silver starlight and shining brightly in the howling sword wind.

The system seemed to sigh.

"What good is a strong fist if you're not tough enough... Fine, I've already taken it, so let's give it a try. I'll teach you how to fly with a sword."

Upon hearing that he had acquired divine powers again, Huangfu Yi was overjoyed.
"Okay, okay, is this something special, or is it just so-so? It can't be useless again, can it?"
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. Even trash has its uses. I'm fine with anything!"

But the system remained silent for a long time, and just when Huangfuyi thought it had disconnected, it finally spoke.

"Detected a non-material item of grade three, identified as entry-level. Xi'an Xianyang IV, original body bound, gate access application."

Uh, third grade? Not a material? Just started learning?
Before he could even ask any further questions, a faint, ethereal female voice, unlike anything he had ever heard before, seemed to emanate from the top of Huangfu Yi's head, as if seen through a thin veil or a curtain of water, coming from a distant point in the void. It pierced his mind like needles.
"Application confirmed, authority granted, non-object containment."

"Huangfu Yi, you can now use the Key to the Door."

(End of this chapter)