Chapter 27 – An Old Dream

“Shixiong, this mountain is so high, ah!I”

On the thousand-step staircase that led to the peak of the mountain, Fang Yang was walking in the front, and had to stop from time to time to wait for the people who were walking slowly behind him.

As he walked, he looked around and marveled at the towering mountain.

It was Fang Yang’s first time walking up this stone staircase. It was also his first opportunity to cross the natural mountain barrier and enter Lingxiao Sword Sect’s inner gates.

He was extremely excited the entire way there, hopping about like a rabbit.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen were actually climbing the mountain at a normal speed, but Fang Yang was hopping around so fast that it made them seem slow.

After his exclamation, he didn’t wait for the two people behind him and trotted forward more than ten meters.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, your shidi is…..truly energetic,” Hao Chen commented, watching Fang Yang’s back as he hurried off. 

He had been in tears due to his enormous loss in cultivation not very long ago, but now he seemed like he was on stimulants.

“Young people, ah.” Hao Chen could only lament with a smile at the thought of this. Only a teenager of fifteen or sixteen could contain such vitality.

Feng Ye suddenly asked: “Is Fellow Daoist Hao Chen…..very old?”

Hao Chen’s smile froze. Old…..he was indeed very old. As a heavenly deity at the level of a living fossil, there were not many people older than him.

But he didn’t want to admit such a thing, especially in front of Feng Ye.

It would make him look like an old cow eating young grass.

Although the relationship between him and Feng Ye was purer than tofu or green onions, Hao Chen still hadn’t figured out why his heartbeat had quickened when he saw Feng Ye standing in the ring. Was it his fighting spirit igniting or the blossoming of desire?

If it was the latter, the issue of age must be taken seriously. It was fine to say he was older, but not to say he was old.

Older men could be said to have a mature charm. Old men were a generation older. He and Feng Ye were here to be companions in life, not to recognize grandchildren.

However…..speaking of age…..how much older was he than Feng Ye?

Thinking of this, Hao Chen responded a bit probingly: “Compared to Fang Yang, you and I are indeed rather old.”

Feng Ye recognized this as a leading question, but didn’t deny it. After all, he wasn’t as thick-skinned as Hao Chen, who could shamelessly pretend to be young.

When it came to the fifteen or sixteen year-old Fang Yang, both he and Hao Chen were many times older than him.

Feng Ye didn’t continue the topic of conversation, but instead quickened his pace up the mountain. Fang Yang had run so fast that even his shadow could barely be seen.

When Feng Ye stopped talking, Hao Chen didn’t ask further questions. Anyway, there was ample time. As long as he revealed Feng Ye’s true identity, all of his doubts would be solved.

The two of them quickened their pace in silence, walking for a while until they spotted Fang Yang far ahead. 

Fang Yang was standing on the steps, but not for the purpose of waiting for them. He was staring at the mountain wall not far from the staircase, where the four huge characters “Lingxiao Sword Sect” were inscribed.

These four characters were engraved so deeply that even so many years of wind, rain, and sun hadn’t worn away the edges.

On the characters occupying the entire mountain wall, each stroke ended where it should without being drawn out, each of them extremely fierce.

These four characters were incredibly eye-catching, and were the first thing a person saw upon arrival at the foot of Lingxiao Sword Sect. It was exactly the same for Hao Chen when he arrived.

And he had exhibited some disdain for the word “Lingxiao” – Rising to Heaven.

Mortals still dreamed of rising to the heavens?

It was a foolish dream.

Different from the unintentional sneer on Hao Chen’s lips, Feng Ye stared at the words in a daze.

“Shixiong, you’re finally here!” Fang Yang noticed the two behind him. He withdrew his attention from the four characters and sent them a toothy smile as he greeted them.

The sound of his voice interrupted Feng Ye’s thoughts. He approached Fang Yang and asked: “Why did you stop here?”

These four words could be seen every day. Only those who came to Lingxiao Sword Sect for the first time would stop and take a look, but people like he and Fang Yang had already gotten used to it.

Fang Yang scratched his head and said uncertainly: “When I walked here just now, I seemed to feel…..um…..”

He was somewhat at a loss for words, and used what little literary talent he had to describe it: “It was a very sharp, powerful feeling…..right, a bit like your last strike in the competition this afternoon, the kind of intense feeling that makes people want to take a step back.”

Feng Ye raised an eyebrow at this. He looked from the mountain wall to Fang Yang. This kid had actually sensed the original sword intent on the mountain wall, which was a bit beyond his expectations.

Standing next to him, Hao Chen was also surprised that Fang Yang, this naive, slow-witted person, had actually noticed the sword intent.

That’s right, sword intent.

These four characters that occupied the entire mountain wall had been carved using a sword.

Therefore, the master’s sword intent was left behind, along with the intense sensation of the tip of a sword pressed against one’s throat.

But due to time, the sword intent in that handwriting had mostly dissipated. Hao Chen and Feng Ye had discovered the miniscule remnants of sword intent when they first came to Lingxiao Sword Sect.

But Fang Yang discovering it truly surprised them.

If they thought about it carefully, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, he had already cultivated sword qi. Even though Feng Ye had taught him how to use it and Fang Yang wasn’t yet able to completely control it on his own, he had cultivated it in the end.

Sword qi and sword intent were of the same origin, so it was unsurprising that Fang Yang would be sensitive to it.

Fang Yang looked at the gradually darkening sky and exclaimed: “Ah, it’s getting dark. Let’s go.” The intense sensation had only lasted for a moment, and he almost thought it was all in his head.

But whether it was or not, there were more important matters to attend to at the moment.

An earth-grade magic weapon! Stars twinkled in Fang Yang’s eyes. He had never seen an earth-grade magic weapon before. No, let alone an earth-grade magic weapon, he had never seen a magic weapon before, period.

It wasn’t very far to the Armory Pavilion. He was as happy as a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar. There were countless magic tools and weapons in there!

Fang Yang completely forgot about the sword intent and turned into a rabbit again, hopping away.

Feng Ye watched him go with amusement, but lifted his feet to catch up, Hao Chen following closely behind.

The three of them were all at Qi Refining stage – at least on the surface – so they could only walk up the mountain, unlike those fellow Foundation Establishment disciples who flew past their heads, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

After walking for nearly an hour, they finally arrived at the Armory Pavilion.

Different from that at the foot of the mountain, personnel management was extremely strict at the Armory Pavilion, and outsiders weren’t even allowed to get close.

But there was only one person standing guard, an elderly administrator in the sect. Like Administrator Zhang, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He didn’t feel that he had any hope of advancing, so he accepted such an idle position to live out his life.

Before Feng Ye and the other two ascended the mountain, Administrator Zhang had told them that the person guarding the pavilion was surnamed Zheng, and was an old friend of his. As long as Hao Chen showed him the token he’d been given, he would be able to pass through unobstructed.

Administrator Zhang, who seemed unreliable no matter which angle you looked at him from, was actually very reliable in matters where he shouldn’t be. When Administrator Zheng saw Hao Chen dressed like a foreign disciple, he immediately shouted for him to stop, but Hao Chen took out the token and explained everything to him.

Administrator Zheng stroked his beard and thought for a moment. Then he turned and opened the door of the armory, saying to the three people: “Come inside.”

Feng Ye: “……”

Wasn’t this a bit too casual?

But he knew that this ordinary-looking building was anything but ordinary. A powerful defensive array was engraved in a conspicuous location on the wall, and even a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to break through it in the short term.

But he still didn’t understand why Administrator Zheng believed Hao Chen’s words so readily and let him inside.

He kept feeling like the people in this sect were a little too enthusiastic toward Hao Chen, but he couldn’t tell what the issue was.

Never mind, forget it for now. Quickly pick out a weapon and leave.

Although this magic weapon was of no use to him, he wouldn’t say no to a free thing.

With this in mind, Feng Ye followed Administrator Zheng and entered the armory.

“So this is what’s inside…..” Fang Yang said in a disappointed tone. He thought he would see magical instruments strewn across the floor as soon as he entered, not expecting that there would be piles of jade slips inside.

The jade slips were neatly placed on the shelves like books. Fang Yang was just about to reach out and take one to see what was written on it, when he heard a stern scolding. 

“Don’t touch!”

Administrator Zheng glared at Fang Yang’s outstretched hand, and the youth retracted it awkwardly.

The administrator glanced over them again, his gaze ultimately falling on Feng Ye. He asked: “You’re here for an earth-grade magic weapon?”

Feng Ye took a step forward and affirmed: “I am.”

Administrator Zheng turned and approached a table near the door. He took out a thick list and said as he paged through it: “I must verify your identity. What is your name?”

“Feng Ye,” Feng Ye replied honestly.

“Feng Ye…..” Administrator Zhang continuously repeated the name, flipping through the pages in his hands until he stopped at a certain one.

He compared the portrait on the list to Feng Ye’s facial features. After confirming that he was the right person, he was about to give Feng Ye the instructions for picking out a magic weapon when he inadvertently caught sight of a small line of words on Feng Ye’s profile.

“Five spiritual roots?” Administrator Zheng’s tone was somewhat incredulous.

Feng Ye and the others were a bit mystified. What about five spiritual roots? Administrator Zheng was as shocked as if he’d discovered that Feng Ye was an imposter.

The three of them stared at him in confusion for a long time before Administrator Zheng returned from his shock-induced trance. He realized his gaffe and explained: “Don’t overthink it. I’m not mocking you for your poor talent and low cultivation.”

Feng Ye: “……”

I wouldn’t have thought so until you brought it up.

“Ai…..” Administrator Zhang suddenly sighed. “It seems that my Lingxiao Sword Sect has truly declined. We’ve even recruited…..this.” He glanced at Feng Ye as he spoke.

Feng Ye: “……”

This was simply mocking his poor talent and low cultivation.

Seeing that the more he spoke, the more wrong it seemed, Administrator Zheng quickly made amends: “I’m really not mocking you, it’s just…..”

At this point, he couldn’t help but lament again: “When I first joined Lingxiao Sword Sect, someone with five spiritual roots certainly wouldn’t have had the chance to join one of the most powerful sects in the world.”

“Aren’t we one of the most powerful sects right now?” Fang Yang cut in.

“Right now?” Administrator Zheng looked at Fang Yang and shook his head with a smile: “You just don’t know what it was like a hundred years ago, when we were truly unrivaled in the world. There was no need to bring anything with us when we went out. Just by wearing the robes of Lingxiao Sword Sect, people would treat us like guests of honor no matter where we went.”

“Wow, our sect is so powerful?” Fang Yang’s eyes lit up again. It turned out that the sect he’d joined was so impressive.

However, he had overlooked the key words – a hundred years ago.

All of that glory and fame was just an old, hundred-year dream.

A long lost dream…..to reach the heavens.

“What happened a hundred years ago?” Hao Chen interrupted, having been listening silently. Unlike Fang Yang, who was immersed in the joy of the sect’s power, he keenly identified the key point.

Although he had only been in the mortal world for a short while, he had spent a month wandering around, and knew that the current Lingxiao Sword Sect just barely secured a place among the top ten sects. They were at the tail end, and could be squeezed out by newcomers at any time.

What had caused this powerful sect, which should have been the best in the world, to fall to this point?

Somehow, Hao Chen had a feeling that the answer pertained to why Feng Ye had appeared here, as well as his own reason for coming to this place.

When he asked this question, he sent a covert glance toward Feng Ye. But Feng Ye, who should have been just as curious about the past, seemed a little absent-minded. His gaze drifted aimlessly, without really focusing on anything.

This was the look of someone lost in memories.

He knew about the incident that had led to the decline of Lingxiao Sword Sect. Hao Chen came to this realization at once. Even further…..Feng Ye had been an eyewitness to that event that took place a hundred years ago.

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Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28