Chapter 26: The Old Man of the Divine Sword

Zhenwu Mountain was originally named Divine Sword Mountain.

The Divine Sword Elder was the master of Divine Sword Mountain.

Decades ago, the Daoist Longshan traveled through these lands and met the Divine Sword Elder. The Divine Sword Elder had a fiery temperament, and for reasons unknown, the two entered into a dispute. Subsequently, the Divine Sword Elder personally made a wager: if he lost, he would cede Divine Sword Mountain to him.

Unexpectedly, he truly faltered by a single move in a game of chess and lost to Daoist Longshan.

Daoist Longshan declined the offer out of politeness.

However, the Divine Sword Elder kept his word and proactively departed with his servants.

Ultimately, Daoist Longshan simply rebuilt the Zhenwu Sect upon this very Divine Sword Mountain.

But the matter did not end there.

The Divine Sword Elder was deeply dissatisfied. Upon seeing Daoist Longshan establish the Zhenwu Sect, he, out of sheer competitiveness, founded the Divine Sword Sect. The two men then made a ten-year pact: every ten years thereafter, the Divine Sword Elder would ascend Zhenwu Mountain to battle Daoist Longshan.

If he won, he could reclaim Zhenwu Mountain.

Thus, the long-standing connection between the two families was forged.

However, it was quite obvious.

Daoist Longshan possessed superior talent. During their encounter decades ago, the Divine Sword Elder had only lost by a narrow margin, but now, Daoist Longshan had already reached the perfection of the Yuandan stage, with one foot already stepping into the realm of the Heavenly Man, whereas the Divine Sword Elder had only recently stepped into the Yuandan stage.

During the previous ten-year pacts, the Divine Sword Elder had always departed in frustration.

Yet, he arrived every single time as promised.

Thinking of these things, Ning Qi couldn't help but smile.

In his view, his master and the Divine Sword Elder might have even been close friends back then; it was just that the Divine Sword Elder had a volatile temper and couldn't let go of his pride.

But now that the Divine Sword Elder had once again ascended the mountain to fulfill his vow, as one of the true disciples of the Zhenwu Sect, Ning Qi naturally had to make an appearance.

Ning Qi walked with steady, light steps, his hands clasped behind his back like a miniature adult.

Following behind him was a white ape. The ape was currently wearing a Daoist robe, but its exposed fur was as white as snow and its eyes were spirited, giving off an air of divinity at a single glance. This served to make Ning Qi appear even more extraordinary by comparison.

At this moment, the disciples of the Zhenwu Sect had gathered, and the true disciples had all arrived.

"Is that the Ninth Martial Uncle?"

"I didn't expect Ninth Martial Uncle to be so young. He looks to be only seven or eight years old. I wonder if he has stepped into the martial path yet?"

Some of the newly joined third-generation disciples discussed curiously.

They were quite surprised to see the white ape, which was usually mischievous and troublesome, following so obediently behind Ning Qi.

Some second-generation disciples greeted him with smiles, addressing him as Ninth Martial Brother.

Ning Qi nodded with a smile to all of them.

The Zhenwu Sect was united in heart and mind, and there was rarely any internal strife.

Thanks to the Body Tempering Powder improved by Ning Qi, the foundation of the Zhenwu Sect was now beginning to show; the cultivation of the Body Tempering stage disciples was surpassing that of their peers.

"Greetings to Master and all my Martial Uncles and Seniors."

Ning Qi walked to the front and bowed respectfully.

The white ape did the same.

Daoist Longshan stroked his beard and smiled.

When Luo Wentian and the others saw Ning Qi, they all showed smiles. Over the past year, except for a few special days, they had rarely seen Ning Qi and missed him dearly.

"Little Jiu, you've grown taller again!" said the fifth Martial Brother, Jiang Baishan.

"Indeed, the little brat from back then is growing bigger and bigger."

Everyone remarked with emotion; time truly flew. It felt as if only yesterday Ning Qi had been carried onto Zhenwu Mountain, yet in the blink of an eye, five years had passed, and Ning Qi had grown this much.

After a moment, the eighth disciple, Qin Yun, arrived.

He first offered his apologies to Daoist Longshan and then greeted his martial brothers and sisters with a smile.

In the past two years, Qin Yun had become increasingly hardworking in his martial training, nearly becoming a martial fanatic.

His gaze fell upon Ning Qi, and he smiled.

"Little Jiu, you've come."

He felt a sense of uncertainty in his heart; he could not discern Ning Qi's true strength at all.

Ning Qi nodded and smiled.

"I thought I was being hardworking enough, but it seems Eighth Martial Brother arrived even later than I did."

Qin Yun said helplessly, "There's no choice; when talent is lacking, one can only make up for it with effort."

Hearing this, Daoist Longshan frowned slightly.

Lately, he had focused most of his energy on breaking through beyond the Heavenly Man stage, leaving all the sect's affairs to his eldest disciple, Luo Wentian. Consequently, the other disciples did not have as much energy to worry about such things. He had previously heard Luo Wentian mention Qin Yun's obsessive training.

Now it seemed it was even more excessive than he had imagined.

The martial path lies in perseverance and moderation.

He intended to find time to have a talk with Qin Yun.

With Qin Yun's talent, which was not inferior to his own, there was no need to be in such a rush; by following the proper steps, his future achievements would only surpass his own.

As for Ning Qi, he was different.

Daoist Longshan knew that this young disciple could not be judged by conventional logic.

While he was lost in thought, movement came from the foot of the mountain.

Everyone turned their gaze toward it.

One after another, figures in tight martial attire carrying long swords came rushing up. They were like flying divine swords, moving with extreme speed, treating the rugged terrain as if it were flat ground, and carrying an inherent aura of sharpness.

"Is that the Divine Sword Steps created by the Divine Sword Elder? Truly extraordinary," Ning Qi thought, nodding inwardly.

As he habitually observed the intricacies of the movement, a bit of inspiration flowed into his heart; these were the nourishment and foundation of his growth.

Daoist Longshan laughed loudly and proactively went to meet them.

"Brother Divine Sword is indeed a man of his word. You are never early, nor are you ever late."

A cold snort rang out.

"Longshan, you old nose, stop talking nonsense here."

The disciples of the Zhenwu Sect all showed displeasure, but Daoist Longshan remained unbothered and continued to smile. He knew that this was simply the Divine Sword Elder's personality.

Ning Qi looked over.

He saw a robust, vigorous old man appear before them. His eyes were sharp, and he carried a long sword on his back—a sword that was wider and longer than average, possessing a very domineering presence.

It was indeed the Divine Sword Elder.

Behind the Divine Sword Elder stood the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect.

These disciples were all dressed in tight martial attire, carrying themselves with high spirits and displaying the sharp edge of swordsmen. However, their gazes toward the Zhenwu Sect disciples were quite unfriendly. Ning Qi found their expressions very familiar; it was the look a child gives when their toy is snatched by a bigger kid and they are unable to fight back.

However, one person caught Ning Qi's eye.

It was a pale, chubby little boy who also carried a sword, but he was looking around aimlessly with a runny nose, looking somewhat dim-witted.

When he met Ning Qi's gaze, his eyes lit up and he gave a silly giggle before being pulled back by a Divine Sword Sect senior brother.

Ning Qi returned a smile.

"Brother Divine Sword, ten years have passed, yet your elegance remains unchanged," Daoist Longshan remarked with emotion.

The Divine Sword Elder's expression softened slightly. He sized up Daoist Longshan, feeling a slight sense of shock in his heart; he could no longer fully see through the other man's strength.

The Divine Sword Elder couldn't help but ask, "Have you taken that step?"

Daoist Longshan shook his head. "Not quite yet."

The Divine Sword Elder fell silent. After a moment, he said sourly, "You old nose, you've lived quite well on Zhenwu Mountain these years."

Daoist Longshan smiled. "Thanks to Brother Divine Sword, Zhenwu Mountain is indeed a blessed land."

The Divine Sword Elder's face darkened. He felt that this fellow's words were incredibly irritating, yet he could not refute them.

He could only snort coldly, "Don't be so smug. I am only letting you look after Zhenwu Mountain temporarily."

Daoist Longshan shook his head and laughed, saying sincerely, "As long as Brother Divine Sword asks, I will return Zhenwu Mountain to you and find another place for myself."

"Stop! Stop right there!" the Divine Sword Elder roared.

"Don't give me that! I have lived my life without needing others to point fingers at me. Since I lost Zhenwu Mountain to you back then, I will not go back on my word. If I am to take it back, it must be done honorably!"

"Longshan, do you realize you are no match for me and are trying to surrender it to me ahead of time?"

"I'm telling you, impossible!"

"You haven't forgotten the ten-year pact, have you?"

The Divine Sword Elder's hair and beard bristled, his aura fierce, while the Divine Sword Sect disciples behind him stood tall and proud.