Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 252 - 245: Sword Sect Part 1

Chapter 252: Chapter 245: Sword Sect Part 1

The remaining sunlight of the sunset spilled onto the road, as the lush, dense forests on either side flourished.

The road snaked through the trees, stretching toward a direction with no end in sight.

A somewhat grey carriage trundled slowly along the road, its driver drowsy and nodding off, and the horses sluggish in their pace.

Inside the carriage, Lin Xin and the plump girl sat opposite each other. Between them, a small round table was set with an assortment of food and drinks.

"The dishes arranged by my mother are a bit spicy, and I’m not sure if sir is accustomed to that," Ma Jingxuan said, sitting upright in a rigid posture that lent her an air of serious formality.

"It’s fine. I’m not too picky about food, as long as it’s enough to fill my stomach," Lin Xin replied indifferently.

"I heard that sir came all the way from the Southern Prefecture. I wonder, what brought you to the Central Prefecture?"

"I’ve heard long ago that the Central Prefecture is full of talented individuals. Also, life wasn’t so good over there, so I thought I’d travel the distance. Now it seems that the Central Prefecture’s reputation is indeed well-deserved."

Lin Xin simply answered her inquiries without prompting, the two of them traveling alongside the driver. He also began to form an initial impression of the plump girl.

She didn’t like to talk when it was unnecessary, preferring instead to express herself through actions. She wasn’t talkative, but when she did speak, it was mostly serious. She didn’t appreciate jokes and was quite perceptive.

"What exactly does being in charge of matters entail?" Lin Xin pondered for a moment, deciding it was best to clarify this matter.

The plump girl was also taken aback. This guy agreed without even knowing what the job was about – wasn’t that a bit too hasty?

Nevertheless, since it was already decided, and her mother was always astute, her choice probably wouldn’t be too off the mark.

She patiently began to explain.

"Mainly, it is to handle the communication with my family, assist me with things I’m unable to manage on my own. Since my family can’t reach everywhere, you would be the most timely support, essentially a senior figure taking care of me by my side."

"Is that so..." Lin Xin carefully mused, considering the plump girl’s personality – probably the trouble-free type – it seemed the job might be rather straightforward and easy.

The journey was mostly silent, but occasionally Lin Xin would ask about the Kunlin Sword Sect.

Ma Jingxuan was a fount of knowledge, answering all his questions thoroughly and without hesitation.

After traveling for over ten days and leaving the forest behind, they came upon a vast expanse of a freshwater lake to the side.

The road merged with others from different directions, becoming wider and busier with more pedestrians and carriages encountered.

Some carriages seemed worse off than those of the Ma Family, while others were pulled by more superior exotic beasts.

Yet, most were simply ordinary travelers, young disciples carrying burdens, with long swords on their backs donning garments that suggested humble origins.

"The Kunlin Sword Sect believes in teaching without discrimination, and hence all instruction is provided free of charge. However, special training locations and benefits do require payment."

Seeing Lin Xin’s puzzled look, the plump girl quietly provided an explanation.

"The Sword Sect was founded single-handedly by the Daoist Master from the heavens. His disciple, the Daoist Master Tianse, is our Sect Master and our founder’s junior. Below him are three divisions – the Hua Chen Hall, the Kong Xuan Realm, and the Tian Shu Palace – each corresponding to a different realm.

I am but an entry-level disciple in the lowest Hua Chen Hall."

"Aren’t you already a formal disciple?" Lin Xin asked again.

"That’s why I was able to join the Hua Chen Hall; otherwise, I would still be considered an Outer Sect disciple," Ma Jingxuan replied calmly.

Silence once again befell them as the carriage began to ascend a slope. After climbing for a few miles, they finally saw a vast lake resembling a giant mirror with its deep blue surface.

The lake seemed boundless, its smooth surface so still that not even wind-caused ripples disturbed it, as if it were frozen.

Silver and blue fish could be faintly seen swimming beneath the surface.

In the center of the lake stood a small island, irregularly shaped and crowned with a cluster of white buildings tinged with blue. Standing out among them was one structure at the island’s heart that resembled an inverted sword piercing the land.

Small boats carrying people made their way toward the island, while many more waited on the shore.

Ma Jingxuan disembarked with Lin Xin on the lakeshore, greeting a few fellow disciples with familiarity before gazing toward the boats on the lake.

"Don’t you know Qinggong?" Lin Xin asked quietly from behind her.

"Not at my current level of swordsmanship," Ma Jingxuan admitted with a serious shake of her head.

Watching her serious expression, Lin Xin felt an irresistible urge to tease her.

She was at an age that reminded him of his own son when he began to show independence, caught between maturity and immaturity, stubborn in her own views, whether right or wrong.

"Once settled in the Sword Sect, there will be dedicated lodging for you. You can stay there, and if I require assistance, I will have someone send for you." After finally squeezing onto a boat with two other disciples, Ma Jingxuan quietly introduced the arrangements to Lin Xin.

"That should work."

"Each month, the Sect assigns a mission that might require me to leave. Normally, you should accompany me, but I want to gain more experience; hence my request is that you only spring into action when I specifically call for your help," she said.

"No problem," Lin Xin agreed readily.

The two then followed the others onto the island.

Everywhere on the island, they saw Sword Sect disciples rushing about, all dressed in uniform white garments embroidered with the character ’Kun,’ making them quite conspicuous.

Some people were still receiving ships at the dock.

Just as Ma Jingxuan disembarked, a petite girl squeezed through the crowd.

"Xuanxuan! Over here, over here."

The girl shouted loudly. Her voice seemed faint amidst the somewhat noisy and overlapping calls.

Ma Jingxuan, however, spotted her immediately and hurried over with Lin Xin.

"Jingjing, why have you come out?"

The two clustered together, and the girl named Jingjing whispered a few words into her ear, causing Ma Jingxuan’s expression to turn somewhat unsightly.

"Let’s go, let’s have a look!"

The girl nodded emphatically.

"Sir, please come with me," Ma Jingxuan called back to Lin Xin.

Lin Xin instantly knew something might have happened and followed the two of them closely as they entered an entrance of the Sword Sect’s enclosing wall and jogged along the inner perimeter.

The Sword Sect had everything: a variety of shops, blacksmiths, medicine stores, even clothing stores, and some vendors pushing carts of snacks had even managed to bring their business there.

It looked no different from the streets in the city, except that the main street was filled with disciples of the Sword Sect instead of the usual crowd.

After turning several street corners, nearing a dock area, on a somewhat desolate and open plot of land, two groups were confronting each other in front of some tall stilted buildings.

A young man in brocade, with a rebellious look in his eyes, was leading one of the groups, hands behind his back, watching the other side without the slightest hint of shrinking back from his forefront position.

"Please stay here, sir. I’ll handle this," Ma Jingxuan told Lin Xin to stay where he was, while she and the girl walked over together.

Along the way, the girl had already noticed Lin Xin accompanying Ma Jingxuan, but since the situation was urgent, she hadn’t had the chance to ask about his identity. Now, she followed Ma Jingxuan with a hint of curiosity.

Lin Xin stood from a distance, watching the two groups in a standoff and subtly sensed several powerful auras from hidden spots targeting him.

The auras were robust and strong, conveying a cautionary message. Clearly, they belonged to the masters from the other party opposing Ma Jingxuan and her associates.

"This Sword Sect is quite interesting," Lin Xin found a shady tree to lean against, as he was currently a ’Demon Path Cultivator’ with blood-red spiritual energy and thus absolutely could not use it, preferring to avoid combat when possible.

Allowing disciples to seek external help, the Kunlin Sword Sect seemed quite open, giving them much leeway in their competition with each other.

From afar, Ma Jingxuan had already joined one of the groups, and more and more people kept arriving, swelling the numbers on both sides.

The one Ma Jingxuan was opposing was the group led by that brocade-clad young man.

Soon, a robust and handsome young man with a calm demeanor and impressive features stepped out from her side. He clearly refuted the other side with well-articulated arguments.

Lin Xin found the children’s play interesting to watch, but it wasn’t long before a conflict broke out. Two hot-blooded youths, impulsively, drew their swords and went at it.

This ignited the fuse, causing both sides to burst into conflict.

Lin Xin had previously paid a bit of attention, just in case Ma Jingxuan got hurt—which would be difficult to explain, given that he had promised to accommodate her.

But then he let go of his concern.

The fighting among the young men and women didn’t result in any bloodshed. They all showed restraint, their swordsmanship devoid of any intent to kill, merely focusing on fancy maneuvers and not actually striking at each other’s bodies.

Such scuffles, compared to Lin Xin’s own life-and-death brutal battles, were hardly worth mentioning.

He simply stood by and watched. But he could clearly feel several auras nearby waver, obviously worried about the safety of the children they were protecting.

Even from a distance, there was a more powerful aura paying close attention to the situation. Hundreds of meters away, it had to be a master from within the Sect.

This type of altercation, devoid of bloodshed and more harmonious, was like suddenly stepping from a barbarous land into a civilized society for Lin Xin. The gap was so vast that he found it somewhat hard to adjust to at first. And yet these people still felt concern and tension. It was indicative of the amicable atmosphere here.

"What’s wrong? Does this gentleman have any opinions or views on these children’s swordsmanship?"

Suddenly, a solemn woman’s voice came from behind him.

Without turning his head, Lin Xin merely smiled.

"Nothing much, just reminiscing about my own youthful vigor and pride. Watching these children always brings back a sense of returning to my youth," he replied.

Behind him stood a young woman clad in a purple qinggong outfit, carrying a longsword. Her pretty eyes were cold as she gave Lin Xin a faint glance.

"In my view, Huang Pusheng, as the sixth panelist of Hua Chen Hall, indeed has both strong strength and swordsmanship, nearing the Heart Sword Realm," the woman remarked, her attire embroidered with the silver character ’Kun,’ unique to the Sword Sect and positioned on her shoulder.

The two of them stood under the shade, observing a group of young men and women quarrelling from afar. For a while, neither spoke.

From her concealed position, Nan Xiulu had been merely observing the progress of her disciples’ swordsmanship but hadn’t expected to see an outsider accompanying a disciple, looking down on the situation with what seemed like a faint hint of disdain.

The Kunlin Sword Sect’s swordsmanship was renowned, unmatched within thousands of miles, attracting even the high-level experts from other regions of the Central Prefecture to come to seek instruction and exchange knowledge.

This ordinary master, who had followed the disciple in and appeared to be a swordsman, seemed to have a hidden agenda regarding seeing through the Sect’s swordsmanship. This provoked the prideful Nan Xiulu, leading her to subtly mock the stranger.

To her surprise, the man appeared to have deep composure, showing no sign of being perturbed, and casually replied. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)