Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 253 - 246 Sword Sect Part 2

Chapter 253: Chapter 246 Sword Sect Part 2

Two people stood together and watched for a while, and soon a disciple hurried over and said.

"Teacher Nan, Luo Shengwu is here!"

"Luo Shengwu?!"

Nan Xiulu was startled all at once.

"Wasn’t he already confined? How could Brother Huo let him out again!"

"Someone specifically went to call for him!" the disciple said urgently, "Our people saw him and immediately came to report, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice echoed from afar.

"Huang Pusheng, are you trying to snatch my prey?" a somewhat cold male voice echoed from a distance, and before the sound died down, everyone saw a dusty shadow rushing toward them, quickly landing at the edge of a stilted building.

A group of disciples fought without any special Inner Qi, purely using swordsmanship, and there was no Sword Qi or sword radiance. Their footwork was sparse and ordinary, seemingly unimpressive, and very simple.

But this disciple was somewhat different. Dressed in grey, his hands wrapped in thick white bandages, his messy long hair looked like a mane, and his very presence subtly brought a chill with it. His eyes were sharp as knives, and staring into them for too long even gave a faint, piercing pain.

Immediately, everyone who saw him couldn’t help but tense up, even the previously composed young man in brocade, Huang Pusheng, inexplicably showed a hint of nervousness.

"Luo Shengwu, there’s nothing here for you; it’s all our personal grievances," he shouted loudly.

"Heh heh heh, how is that? You all started fighting without waiting for me, isn’t that too disrespectful to me, Luo Shengwu?" Luo Shengwu laughed.

Lin Xin also saw this guy, a trace of speechlessness flashing in his eyes.

"This young fellow at most has been exposed to bloodshed, killing a few people gave him a murderous aura, making a bunch of young fellows tense and clam up... Is the education here too lenient?"

The woman behind him, however, was far from as calm as he was.

"When Luo Shengwu acts impulsively, he disregards everything. He accidentally killed a person last time and it ended up unresolved. If he goes crazy again now...!" Nan Xiulu was clearly getting nervous.

"Such a demonic outlier, I really don’t understand what Brother was thinking to actually allow him to join the Sword Sect! It’s outrageous! This boy will definitely become a little demon in the future!" Suddenly a young man landed next to Nan Xiulu, speaking indignantly.

"Little demon..." Lin Xin was slightly amused. If such a little murderous aura could make him a little demon, having killed who knows how many, with piles of corpses possibly as tall as a mountain, what should he be called?

It seemed Central Prefecture had been too peaceful for too long.

Nan Prefecture is still exterminating the Queen Bug, with heavy casualties among the cultivators, as chaotic as wartime, yet here it was peaceful and tranquil, such a minor incident, just the death of one or two people causing such a bad impact.

He quickly lost interest, and as soon as Luo Shengwu arrived, two women behind him stepped forward and stopped the fight, ending everything.

The chubby Ma Jingxuan’s face was pale. During the chaotic sword exchange earlier, she had been hit with the hilt of a sword and frightened by Luo Shengwu’s murderous intent, looking somewhat unwell now.

No matter how mature, she was ultimately just a rich, sheltered girl. Her mental fortitude was laid bare in an instant.

Lin Xin watched from afar as she talked to a few friends before heading over to the shaded area.

"You’ve seen me in a laughable state."

"Laughable, not quite; your foundation is pretty solid," Lin Xin assessed frankly.

"It’s only sparse and ordinary," Ma Jingxuan shook her head, "Let’s go together to the main building first, that’s where the accommodations are arranged."

"Have you finished your business here?"

"There will be nothing more for me, they will handle it themselves," Ma Jingxuan explained.

The two left the clearing and headed toward an area slightly further inside the Sword Sect. Along the way, they occasionally saw disciples with personal bodyguards. Like them, they were all heading to the main building.

Halfway there, while Lin Xin was still observing the environment of the Sword Sect, he heard someone call Ma Jingxuan’s name from behind.

"Junior Sister Ma! You forgot your things at Ming Shi Pavilion!"

The two turned back and saw the robust young man who had previously confronted Huang Pusheng, holding a Jade Token and rushing over.

"Brother Fang." Ma Jingxuan hurriedly greeted with respect.

Lin Xin was somewhat surprised on the side.

As Brother Fang came out, Ma Jingxuan’s face suddenly reddened, and her neck slowly turned pink as well. She started to stand straight as if trying to make herself look slimmer and not so plump.

"We didn’t have time to talk about the affairs in the pavilion earlier. I heard you had something on, so I didn’t call you over. I didn’t expect to see you had left your things there," the young man said with a smile, then turned to Lin Xin, "And who might this be...?"

"This is the gentleman my family enlisted to help me," Ma Jingxuan quickly said.

"Really? Oh right, there’s a lot going on at the Pavilion. See when you’re free," the youth withdrew his gaze and asked again.

"How about this, as soon as I settle Sir in his residence, I’ll come to find Senior Brother," Ma Jingxuan quickly replied. Although she tried to hide it, that distinctly girlish demeanor was so obvious that even a fool could tell she liked the boy.

"That’s fine, thanks Xuanxuan," the youth stuffed something into Ma Jingxuan’s hands and gently pinched her hand. "I have other matters to attend to, I need to leave first."

"Senior Brother, take care," she said.

Watching the youth’s retreating figure, Ma Jingxuan stood dumbfounded, appearing somewhat dazed until he vanished from view, then reluctantly withdrew her gaze.

"You like him?" Lin Xin casually remarked at her side.

"Not at all."

Ma Jingxuan decisively denied.

Without further ado, Lin Xin smiled quietly and settled down.

*************************

Living in the Sword Sect was no different from living outside; nearby, there were still snack stalls and all kinds of stores. The only difference was that things were more expensive here, with purchases made mostly by people from within the sect.

After staying continuously for over ten days, Lin Xin had gradually figured out the general rules of the Central Prefecture.

The major powers in the Central Prefecture were complicated, but all existed in a state of undercurrents, rarely erupting into open conflict like in the Southern Prefecture. Here, it was all about pressing others with power. Direct confrontations were rare, except in cases of demon-slaying and exorcism.

Loose cultivators without power found it exceedingly difficult to survive here, so even they formed gangs of various sizes.

On the surface, all powers were suppressed and deterred by the Great Luo Imperial Court. The Imperial Court represented the interests of top powers like Heavenly Clouds Path and Shape-shifting Cave behind the scenes.

But due to the vast territory, it was impossible to govern thoroughly, so many local sects and gangs declared nominal fealty while effectively ruling independently.

Therefore, if one wants to operate independently, it’s best to find guidance from a commerce guild, which was a universally recognized entity by all powers. It was best to have a civilian identity, as any affiliation might hinder one’s passage.

Furthermore, Great Luo was also conducting a plague inspection, so it was best to have a physical certificate issued by a subordinate institution of the Imperial Medical Bureau, along with an identity proof. These three items were essential for traveling anywhere. Without them, unless one flew directly over from the sky, one would be confined to the wilderness with no inn to stay in, encountering constant pursuit and inquiries, which could be quite troublesome.

The Central Prefecture was primarily ruled by Great Luo, then subdivided and governed by various vassal states. However, different forces dominated behind the scenes.

Thus, before going anywhere, one must first clarify what the situation was like there, including specific taboos.

Having clarified these matters, Lin Xin planned to make contact with high-level cultivators within the Sword Sect to gauge the martial prowess here. He also intended to continue researching the functions of the Greenfish Lantern.

During these days, Ma Jingxuan’s friend, a girl named Jingjing, often came over. While chatting with Ma Jingxuan, she also informed Lin Xin about many things.

Ma Jingxuan had joined a disciples’ faction known as the Pavilion, led by the robust youth Fang Ziwen, her Senior Brother.

Initially, Ma Jingxuan didn’t want to be distracted from her cultivation. However, due to her secret crush on Senior Brother Fang, she had volunteered to join the organization and became its deputy leader, handling various affairs and practically managing the faction.

This responsibility took up a lot of her cultivation time. She had been diligently devoted for three years, and her affection was so apparent that even a fool could see it.

Fang Ziwen was originally just an ordinary disciple from a poor family with some talent, but with Ma Jingxuan’s full support in establishing his faction, his influence grew nicely. Coupled with occasional excuses to lend her cultivation resources to him, his cultivation had improved rapidly in the past year. His swordsmanship became increasingly exquisite, and his status among the Outer Sect disciples of the sect rose significantly. He was about to be promoted to a full-fledged disciple.

Yet, his relationship with Ma Jingxuan remained unclear and hanging.

Jingjing saw the issue and often came to advise her; however, Ma Jingxuan was stubborn and seemingly never looked back once she decided on something.

No matter how Jingjing advised, she wouldn’t believe.

********************

Swish... swish... swish...

At night, rhythmic sounds of slicing air echoed from a courtyard within a private small building area of the Kunlin Sword Sect.

Lin Xin sat leisurely at the entrance of the courtyard, slowly savoring a cup of hot tea, while a maid gently fanned him.

He occasionally glanced at Ma Jingxuan, who was still practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard.

The kid had been training all day with very little rest; the only break had been when she was called away to handle matters for the Pavilion.

"Combining work with rest during training enables rapid progress. In your case, overexerting might slow down your growth and even harm your body," he remarked, having stayed silent all day. He had seen Ma Jingxuan using a log the size of a bowl to ram her body for external skills practice during the day, and then she had practiced swordsmanship for a long time at night; she was covered in sweat, her lips slightly purple, and her face pale, obviously excessively overdrawn.

He finally spoke out of concern.

"What the teacher said is true, but my time is too limited. I have no choice but to train more." Ma Jingxuan, bruised in shades of blue and purple, replied seriously, enduring the pain as she practiced her swordsmanship. For a child her age, this was undoubtedly a display of tremendous perseverance. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Starting Point (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)