Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 471 Sworn Brothers
"Thank you all for your help! This is just a small token of my gratitude!"

After slaughtering the demonic sect in the sky, they went down into the water to cut down the group of dragons and fished out the two old guys who had drunk their fill of water. For a moment, the Yu River turned red from the slaughter. Only then did Tie Dan catch his breath and thank his sworn brothers.

To be honest, he never expected that the few sworn brothers he had casually sworn brothers with back then would actually travel thousands of miles to come and save him. He immediately ordered the Eight Heroes of Fenyun to bring out dozens of boxes of Taoist materials to express their gratitude.

To everyone's surprise, the leader, Nie Yunlan, shook his head and politely declined.

“Ninth Brother, there’s no need for that. We’ve come on orders to help you through this ordeal. After we send you back to the mountain, we still have to return to the north to fulfill our mission.”

Tie Dan was taken aback. "On orders? On whose orders?"

Nie Yunlan handed over a jade pendant.

"Naturally, it was the abbot of Yuntai who sent a message here, saying that you, my brother, were in danger in the Central Plains and faced certain death. He specially sent us to come and meet you. It is truly wonderful that we were able to arrive in time."

"It was all arranged by the Chief..."

Tie Dan immediately understood upon seeing the Qingcheng jade pendant. It turned out that Ling Xuzi had foreseen his troubles and made this contingency plan, which surprised him quite a bit.

"However, one thing is one thing. If it weren't for the help of you brothers, I would have been in serious trouble. This is just a small token of my gratitude."

However, everyone declined, shaking their heads in polite refusal.

"Brother, there's no need for such formalities. We brothers don't need these things. Your Sword Sect is large and powerful; you should keep them for teaching disciples."

Tie Dan thought the other person was being too polite and should offer three times in courtesy, so he casually opened the container.

"Brother, please don't refuse. It is only natural to repay kindness and settle debts. We have received your help from thousands of miles away, so how can we not repay such a heavy debt? Come, come, let's share it."

Unexpectedly, Nie Yunlan suddenly grabbed Tie Dan's wrist, and the two of them crawled into the container. He said with exasperation, "I'm so disappointed in you!"

"Why don't you understand, Ninth Brother? We brothers aren't sect leaders or sect leaders. If one person is full, the whole family isn't hungry. You are the one who is to revive the Sword Sect!"

"By all accounts, what you're going through now is the tribulation of establishing your own sect! These are things you have to fight to the death for; you can't let go of even a single hair. How can you just hand them over to someone else!"

Tie Dan was stunned.
"Brother, what do you mean by this? Please explain."

Nie Yunlan pointed to the mountain of elixirs and medicinal herbs piled up in the container, then took out an abacus and showed it to Tiedan.

"You do the math yourself. This box contains exactly what you need, just enough to support a young boy from the Qi Refining Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage of cultivation."

Although cultivation ultimately depends on the individual, the direct descendants of the sect leader and the secret manuals in the mountains naturally need further training and testing.

However, if one has the opportunity to enter the sect and become a disciple outside the sect, one can be considered a successor of the sect.

So this time, the more boxes you can bring back to the mountain, the more of the inheritance fortune you can bring to Jiuyin Mountain.

Whether or not the Sword Sect can be revived depends on your first victory. How could we possibly share such important resources with you?

"There's actually such a saying..."

Tie Dan had never heard of any tribulation for founding a sect. He'd only cultivated for a few years, yet he'd already founded one! No wonder so many people had been chasing him; they really were after the Broken Sword Sect's fortune! He was utterly bewildered, lamenting his loss. His calculations were clearly flawed; Hua Zi had swindled him out of twelve portions of fortune! And Tian Gang, that guy—why didn't you at least let me know before you died? You should have packed more boxes!

Nie Yunlan comforted him,

"Ninth Brother, don't worry. Now that we're here, we'll definitely protect you on your way back to the mountain. We can settle any karmic issues later."

"Alright, then thank you all very much, brothers."

Tie Dan didn't linger any longer. After thanking them, he took advantage of the fact that the two were inside the box and unnoticed, and asked in a low voice,

"Brother, do you know which school's ultimate technique the Azure Sky Suppressing Calamity Hand belongs to?"

Nie Yunlan recalled the Eight Trigrams of Yuntai.
"The Suppressing Calamity Hand technique seems to be a secret technique of Mount Kongtong."

Tie Dan nodded.
"Kongtong, I've got it."

Nie Yunlan glanced at Tie Dan.
"Mount Kongtong is among the top nine Xuanmen sects. The Four Elders of Kongtong are all at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, Grandmaster level figures. They are not easy to deal with."

Tie Dan nodded.
"Thank you for your guidance, I understand."

He knew what was going on, so there was no need for others to say more.

With the help of his eight sworn brothers, he finally passed the Yushui River hurdle without any major incident. Since his brothers refused to accept the chests, the spoils of the dragon magic treasures were naturally divided among them.

Ba Kui was the most seriously injured in this battle. He couldn't dodge or escape. He choked on water several times and ate several pieces of flesh. His whole body was covered in blood.

Of course, it was a rare species from the primordial era, and after being nourished by the elixirs and hormones of the celestial palace for many years, it was not so easy to die. Its growth was also incredibly fast. After eating some dragon meat mixed with some grass, it grew back to its original size.

Interestingly, the biggest beneficiary of this battle was actually Burning Cloud.

While cleaning up the battlefield, this guy picked up corpses all over the ground and actually found a dragon whip in the center of the dragon's body that looked like it was knotted up!
Yes, that's the whip. According to the appraisal of a group of brothers, this thing has pure dragon breath and is actually a real dragon whip!
Based on the location where it was discovered, it's speculated that a true dragon and a powerful demon of the jiao or python type were locked in a fierce struggle, either rolling and pulling too violently or being ambushed, resulting in the whip being torn off. Thus, the jiao-python returned with the true dragon's whip, and the dragon's essence on the whip infected and strengthened the entire swarm of snakes, elevating them to the level of jiao-dragons…

A group of mountain dwellers marveled at the sight, saying that Fenyun Daoist was blessed with great fortune and that they would not compete with him for such a treasure; it was his.

Fen Yun was speechless. If it were any other part of his body, he might have used the power of the starfish to consume and refine it. But the dragon whip... oh well, it's a rare treasure after all. He'll keep it for alchemy and going to bars later...

After packing up, the group set off again.

This time, eight older brothers came to help. The group often hunted demons and monsters in the north to support the border troops in dealing with the demon tide. They had prepared specially made flying treasure ships to carry with them to store prey and military supplies.

Therefore, the eight of them didn't need to travel far. They simply summoned three flying boats, loaded them with containers and the harvested materials, and flew towards Jiuyin Mountain.

This time, the three ships, the Nine Mysteries Sect, and the two Nascent Soul cultivators flew through the air, their vast divine light illuminating all around. There was no foolish clown who dared to come up and seek death. For several days in a row, they were safe and sound, and all was well.

Taking advantage of this rare respite, Tie Dan finally had the chance to get to know and befriend his few sworn brothers.

In short, Nie Yunlan is calm and reserved, Zheng Zhi is forthright and straightforward, Gong Zhongyuan is erudite and talented, Jiqiu Zi is meticulous, Ping Gongzhi is unhurried and patient, Yan Bodang is resolute and decisive, Zhao Xingjian is insightful, and Wang Fu is cheerful and generous. After all, they are all Nascent Soul cultivators, so naturally each of them is an outstanding individual with their own unique abilities. However, Tie Dan can also see that the core leader of the team is undoubtedly Nie Yunlan.

Unlike other obscure sects, Nie Yunlan is a true disciple of the Sanyuan Jizhen Sect of Tianfu Mountain. He had dealt with Tie Dan a few times before, and the Xuan Yue Divine Lord Wang Pengzu, who abducted a sister-in-law, was his senior uncle, the sect leader.

Upon closer inquiry, it turns out that not only is Nie Yunlan a direct descendant of Tianfu Mountain, but his sworn brothers, who have been working together for many years, can also be considered members of the Tianfu Mountain faction, or at least trusted confidants and fellow villagers.

To give a simple example, it's like how Guangxia Mountain is actually an outer branch of Jiuyin Mountain, a side branch of the Sword Sect. Siming Mountain and Qingtian Mountain are all vassal sects around Tianfu Mountain, branch sects that have their own lineages, and they are ranked in order of seniority.

For example, Zheng Zhi and Gong Zhongyuan are similar to Chen Huzi. They are direct disciples who received the Daoist talismans and magic tokens of Tianfu Mountain. They are just doing things for the sect and guarding the mineral veins and spiritual fields in other places. That's why they were assigned to open up other mountains to cultivate and guard them.

As for Jiqiu Zi and Ping Gongzhi, although they were not direct disciples of this mountain, they did obtain the remains of immortals from the Tianfu Mountain lineage, as well as Daoist calligraphy treasures. They were able to enter the Dao with the guidance of the mountain people. Although it is hard to say whether it was truly a divinely bestowed immortal fate or a predestined relationship between Daoist partners who had died in battle, it is certainly no problem to consider them as a side sect.

As for Yan Bodang and Zhao Xingjian, they were a step further back. They originally had their own lineage of cultivation, but either they were hermits who cultivated in seclusion, with only one lineage passing down the knowledge, or for various reasons, their masters had passed away and the lineage had been broken. In short, the lineage had gradually declined by this day. However, their mountain caves were located within the sphere of influence of Tianfu Mountain, and all the resources in all directions had been taken over by others. Therefore, in order to cultivate, they had no choice but to become subordinate to others. As a result, they were gradually merged into other sects and eventually incorporated into Tianfu Mountain.

As for Wang Fu's background, it's even more straightforward: he's a member of the Wang clan, and he joined with his own capital. Whether he's a grandson of the old patriarch or whether the hermit chose someone else's son to possess his body after his death is unclear.

In short, the relationships within this small team—including direct descendants of the sect leader, members of the inner and outer sects, those with celestial affinity and Daoist lineage, fellow practitioners from other sects, and aristocratic families of immortals—are roughly a microcosm of the entire Xuanmen social circle.

Needless to say, every sect has people from every circle, and each circle must be managed well in order to grow and thrive. The way Nie Yunlan, with his direct disciples leading teams and spending a century training outside the sect, clearly demonstrates a unique educational approach for a sect leader's successor.

When his cultivation level reaches a certain point in the future, he can naturally and logically inherit the position of sect leader. These brothers and fellow cultivators with whom he has accumulated deep connections and friendships will be his trusted team to help him lead the sect, ensuring the sect's succession remains as stable as a mountain. Unlike some people who are surrounded and beaten wherever they go, without even a single person to help them.

Of course, upon further reflection, it does seem rather suspicious that the prospective leader of Tianfu Mountain would be forming such connections. Furthermore, Tianfu Mountain is listed among the second-tier sects that the masked man mentioned, potentially vying for the position with the Sword Sect. Therefore, the motives of these sworn brothers are indeed quite questionable.

However, Nie Yunlan was frank, stating that the Sanyuan Jizhen Sect was still very weak. Although under the leadership of Xuan Yue Shenjun, it had attracted investment from the Immortal Palace Royal Clan and had grown rapidly in the last thousand years, cultivating many experts, it was still insufficient in terms of Daoist foundation compared to the ancient Xuanmen sects like Hu Guan.

Therefore, not only do the true disciples have to exorcise demons on the frontier and prepare their own materials for the Nascent Soul breakthrough, but even the sect leaders and elders have to work odd jobs to earn money for the sect's disciples. Even if the nine great sects change their leaders, it won't be their turn for one or two terms.

Moreover, Tianfu Mountain has been on the rise in recent years, and has been working under Lingxuzi. As a result, the two sides have cooperated well and have a deep relationship. If Tiedan is Lingxuzi's trusted protégé in Jiuyin Mountain, then Nie Yunlan is the representative of Lingxuzi's faction in Tianfu Mountain.

Therefore, Ling Xuzi had foreseen that Tie Dan would leave the mountain early to face the calamity, and that he would be unprepared and inevitably encounter difficulties. That's why he specifically entrusted Nie Yunlan with the task of rushing to his aid from afar to help him break through the predicament.

Having gone this far, Nie Yunlan no longer concealed anything, stating that it was indeed arranged by Chief Ling Xuzi that they, as brothers, had taken the initiative to befriend Tie Dan.

Yes, all those magical robes and equipment, including the jeweled crown and fairy garments, were specially prepared to help Tie Dan wipe out Benshan and turn the tables on Tian Gang.

Even the Northern Star Flying Sword that Yunlan used to befriend Tiedan was actually thrown on the ground by Ling Xuzi, who then told him to pick it up...

That's right. There's no such thing as chance. It's all cause and effect, all calculation, all arrangement.

What? How could Ling Xuzi be so accurate and so divine that he could even predict Tie Dan's journey to Canghai Pass?

Oh, it's not that difficult, after all, to get back to the Central Plains from the Arctic, you definitely have to pass through the Nine Border Passes.

Therefore, Ling Xuzi arranged a team at each checkpoint specifically to wait for Tie Dan. It just so happened that at Canghai Pass, Nie Yunlan was leading the team.

Upon hearing this, Tie Dan was truly impressed.

So this is the scheme of the head of the Xuanmen sect...

He didn't quite understand when those two scheming women were gritting their teeth, spitting everywhere, and spewing insults at him before, but now he does.

Lingxuzi, whose strategies are flawless, is the greatest of his time...

Well, in any case, it was Tie Dan's own idea to attack Benshan. Others were just going along with it and giving him a helping hand. It was a willing exchange, so there was no question of any conspiracy or scheming.

This series of coincidences resulted in Tie Dan receiving a tremendous favor from Ling Xu Zi, truly cementing his place in the First Seat faction.

If the Sword Sect disciples don't serve Ling Xuzi like slaves for hundreds of years, they really won't be able to repay the karmic debt owed to these two hundred-plus disciples.

Well then, life is like a game of chess, let's just take it one step at a time.

(End of this chapter)