Translator: CinderTL
The Taixu Sword Sect.
Since it began ruling the Central Continent, it divided the vast territory spanning tens of thousands of miles into nine major regions.
These regions were named after the cardinal and intercardinal directions: East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest, North, and Northeast, with the central region being the location of the Taixu Sword Sect's mountain gate, collectively known as the Nine Provinces.
Each province was expansive, spanning thousands of miles with populations in the hundreds of millions.
The resources, mineral deposits, rare treasures, and exotic beasts that emerged from these lands were abundant.
Li Chunjun came from the Great Shang and entered the East Province, but he did not rush to the Central Province. Instead, he slowed his pace and proceeded gradually.
Compared to the Great Shang, where tall buildings and bustling shops were everywhere, the East Province had fewer high-rises, and its commerce and economy were less developed.
Although the roads along the way were smooth, they were not particularly wide, let alone of high quality.
However, compared to the Great Shang, the East Province had a strong martial culture.
Guangzhou City, with a population of a million, had only a handful of Integration Realm martial artists among the common people.
Even including local authorities, the military, and the garrison, the number of Integration Realm martial artists did not exceed a hundred.
This could be considered one in ten thousand.
But in the cities of the East Province, everyone practiced martial arts. External Training martial artists were common, and Internal Training martial artists were not rare.
Integration Realm martial masters were ten times more numerous than in the Great Shang.
To say one in a thousand might be an exaggeration, but one in two thousand was certainly not an overstatement.
This was related to the educational policies of the East Province, or rather, the entire Taixu Sword Sect's jurisdiction.
The Chiyang Sword Sect, which backed the Great Shang, focused on cultivating Spirit Root practitioners, viewing Body Refinement cultivators as mere laborers.
But in the nine provinces under the Taixu Sword Sect, "martial arts" had been a compulsory course for twenty-three years.
Once anyone reached the age of twelve and their bodies were fully developed, they began External Training of their bones and muscles, and Internal Training of their organs.
Unlike the Chiyang Sword Sect, which only had eight major academies, the Taixu Sword Sect had thirty-six institutes in addition to its ten major academies.
Anyone who achieved the Integration Realm before the age of nineteen could enter a cultivation institute. If they achieved the Innate Realm during their cultivation, they could apply for Primal Qi Infusion through the institute's formation arrays.
Those who endured the Primal Qi Infusion and became cultivators were considered probationary disciples of the Taixu Sword Sect.
If they transitioned to become Sword Cultivators, they would become official disciples.
Even if they did not become Sword Cultivators, reaching the fourth level of Body Refinement allowed them to take positions in various academies or local departments.
…
At this moment, in a small town in the East Province.
The dusty Li Chunjun was refueling his vehicle.
By now, he had already changed his vehicle.
The vehicle came from a middle-aged man who thought he was driving too fast and kept cutting him off and slamming on the brakes.
But that was yesterday, and it happened three thousand miles away.
While refueling, a conversation between two middle-aged men in their thirties or forties caught his attention.
"They're fighting?"
"Of course! Those little punks from the Chiyang Sword Sect have really gone too far, daring to harm our Taixu Sword Sect's people. We can't let them off without a beating!"
"Last time it was because of Yandang Mountain, right? What's the reason this time?"
"It seems that one of our Flaming Phoenix Sword Cultivators ended up in the Chiyang Sword Sect, but they detained him."
"A Flaming Phoenix Sword Cultivator? One who could grow into a Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy?"
"Pretty much!"
"How audacious! The Chiyang Sword Sect dares to detain our Taixu Sword Sect's future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy? We must fight! Beat them to death!"
"Exactly! But our sect master is benevolent. He only demanded that they drop all defenses and let us in to inspect. But the Chiyang Sword Sect clearly doesn't know what's good for them—they refused!"
"They refused? Then we should launch a full-scale attack! This is too humiliating! I say we should wipe out the Chiyang Sword Sect! How dare they detain our future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!"
"Sigh, the Chiyang Sword Sect has called in the Zhou Tian Sect, the Piao Miao Sect, and the Xian Tian Sect to act as troublemakers. The Chiyang Sword Sect alone is nothing, but with the Zhou Tian Sect, Piao Miao Sect, and Xian Tian Sect, it's a bit of a headache. If the war drags on, wouldn't our rival, the Wu Ji Sect, benefit for nothing?"
"So we're not fighting?"
"We're still fighting, but we can't go all out. It's been three days, and we've only killed four Core Formation cultivators on their side. Sigh, in the end, we're too weak!"
"Yeah! As long as those four or five sects unite, we'll struggle. Not to mention, there are still eight other sects in the Nine Immortal Sects… No! I need to go back and work harder!"
"I'll smoke a few more cigarettes!"
…
Li Chunjun listened but said nothing.
He didn't even contact the local Taixu Sword Sect outpost.
Because he didn't know if there were spies from the Chiyang Sword Sect in these places.
Since he had already chosen to trust the Taixu Sword Sect…
Or rather, chosen to trust the Flaming Phoenix Peak, he refueled and headed straight for the Taixu Sword Sect.
But unlike the past two days, where he had been stopping and starting, this time he was in a hurry.
Under these circumstances, he covered the remaining five thousand miles in less than two days.
…
Cultivators seemed to prefer staying in lofty mountains and remote areas, using the natural barriers to avoid being disturbed by mundane affairs.
The Taixu Sword Sect was no exception.
Among the nineteen peaks of the Taixu Sword Sect, the Four Governance Peaks formed a straight line from the outside inward.
The Nine True Transmission Peaks surrounded them like guards, protecting the main peak and the Six Inheritance Peaks at the center.
Li Chunjun arrived at the mountain gate.
Here, cultivators came and went in large numbers, mostly those in the first three levels of Qi Refining.
Li Chunjun thought for a moment, then slightly activated the Profound Phoenix Devouring Sun Sword Qi, drawing Solar Essence into his body.
This phenomenon was extremely similar to the cultivation of an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator in the Solar Essence Realm.
And an eighth-level Solar Essence Realm cultivator was nothing deep within the Taixu Sword Sect, but at the mountain gate, they were considered somewhat important.
Immediately, a receptionist disciple stepped forward and gave Li Chunjun a slight bow. "Greetings, Senior Brother. May I ask…"
"I'm here to visit Peak Master Jiang of Flaming Phoenix Peak. How do I get there?"
"Flaming Phoenix Peak?"
The receptionist disciple was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Senior Brother, you've come at an unfortunate time. Three days ago, Peak Master Jiang of Flaming Phoenix Peak went to the border."
"Has Elder Qin Zhou returned to the sect?"
"Not yet."
The receptionist disciple then asked, "Do you have urgent business? If not, you can rest nearby for a while, or leave your name and identity. We can report it to the elders, who can forward it to Peak Master Jiang or Elder Qin."
Li Chunjun listened and fell into thought.
Just as he was considering whether to reveal his identity, he suddenly felt a slight warmth in his body.
This warmth…
He focused and quickly realized that it was coming from the Flaming Phoenix Blood within him.
A moment later, he seemed to understand something and turned his gaze.
At the mountain gate, a figure in a gray-white long dress was flying towards him, riding a sword.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with a face as beautiful as jade, ethereal and otherworldly.
The moment he saw her, her eyes also fell on him.
A flash of insight.
Li Chunjun immediately called out her name: "Jiang Wanyu?"
Jiang Wanyu nodded, looking at him with a hint of curiosity but mostly calm and gentle.
"For the past few days, I've been maintaining a secret technique to sense where you were…"
She smiled softly. "Now, I've finally found you."
"Junior Brother Li?"
The receptionist disciple, hearing Jiang Wanyu's words, quickly connected it to the hottest topic in the sect over the past few days.
Immediately, his pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Li… you're Li Chunjun, Senior Brother Li!?"
Li Chunjun was surprised.
He…
Hadn't even arrived at the Taixu Sword Sect yet, but he was already this famous?
A moment later, he thought of Sect Master Huan Ming leading the troops to attack the Chiyang Sword Sect…
That was probably the reason.
"Junior Brother, welcome to the sect."
Jiang Wanyu smiled and extended her hand. "Come, let me take you home."
Li Chunjun looked at her fair, jade-like hand…
It was beautiful.
Without any blemishes.
He hesitated.
Considering that the mountain gate wasn't the place for conversation, he reached out and took her hand, letting her lead him.
Protective Energy flowed.
Li Chunjun's body was immediately lifted into the air, landing on a Flying Sword. With a flash of sword light, they soared into the sky, heading straight for Flaming Phoenix Peak.
As Li Chunjun and Jiang Wanyu flew away, several receptionist disciples quickly gathered around. "Ming Shan, was that Senior Brother Li!? Li Chunjun!?"
"The Flaming Phoenix Sword Cultivator from our Taixu Sword Sect's Flaming Phoenix lineage who was lost outside!?"
"They say he achieved the Profound Phoenix Devouring Sun Sword Qi without systematic training or the use of Great Sun Essence Gold. Is that true?"
"No wonder I felt a blazing, majestic aura when I passed by him earlier. Who else could have such an aura but a Sword Cultivator from our Taixu Sword Sect's Flaming Phoenix lineage!?"
"Martial Uncle Qin Zhou said that Senior Brother Li's talent is unparalleled. He's even passed the first mental barrier and has a high chance of becoming our Taixu Sword Sect's next Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy. Is that true!? Our Taixu Sword Sect will have a new Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy to crush the other eight sects!?"
The disciples chattered excitedly, their spirits lifted.
Not only the disciples, but even the nearby cultivators with direct or indirect ties to the Taixu Sword Sect gathered, their faces filled with curiosity, admiration, and longing.
This scene left the receptionist disciple named Ming Shan speechless.
"How would I know? I only spoke to Senior Brother Li a few times…"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel regret. "If I had known it was Senior Brother Li, I would have asked for his autograph! The future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!"
The others laughed and teased him. "You missed your chance! This was the closest you'll ever get to the future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy! From now on, the Sword Prodigy will soar to the heavens, and you won't even see his shadow!"
Hearing this, Ming Shan felt even more frustrated and regretful.
The nearby cultivators, listening to the disciples' words, looked in the direction where Li Chunjun and Jiang Wanyu had gone, their hearts filled with awe and aspiration.
The future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of the Taixu Sword Sect!
What a great figure!
And if the news from Qin Zhou was true, with the return of this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, if he truly possessed such strength…
The Taixu Sword Sect would dominate Blue Star for the next decade, or even several decades!
The entire Blue Star would truly enter the era of the Taixu Sword Sect!
At this thought, the receptionist disciples, as well as the cultivators and martial artists with ties to the Taixu Sword Sect, all felt a sense of pride and honor.
(End of the Chapter)
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