Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Everyone in the woodshed was happy to hear that Xie Yuan was being transferred to the Main Peak Hall to help out.

Xie Yuan was happy he was finally leaving, and the other handyman disciples were happy Xie Yuan was finally leaving.

"You all need to learn from Zhang Mountain," the steward said, his tone earnest. "Although he was the last to arrive, he's the best worker. Even his Cloud Mountain Sword Form is no worse than you old-timers."

"Yes, yes, of course! We'll definitely follow Junior Brother Zhang's example!"

The disciples replied, their sincerity feigned.

'Let him talk,' they thought. 'Now that the try-hard is gone, he'll only lecture us for another day or two at most.'

Xie Yuan was an educated man and knew how much resentment he had been stirring up lately. He quietly packed his things and left the woodshed.

Chopping Wood was his old trade. Although his next advancement seemed a long way off, with the help of the Black Celestial Book, a breakthrough might not be as distant as he imagined. Even with the shortcut the Black Celestial Book provided, the daily grind was still necessary; in fact, the accumulated effort was equivalent to several comprehensions from the book. After all, day-by-day accumulation could wear down stone, and a steady trickle could one day become a sea.

Therefore, he would still come back to help out.

The ability gained from Chopping Wood was incredibly powerful. With just External Training, he could cut down a Grandmaster. He didn't dare to imagine what he could cut down after his next advancement.

The phrases "Good Fortune and Success" and "Flowers Blossom for Wealth and Honor" carved on each piece of firewood had inflicted immense psychological damage on the other handyman disciples. Xie Yuan felt a little apologetic about it.

However, his objective was clear: to work on the main peak and get closer to the Sword Peak in the back mountains. So far, the results were obvious. He had achieved his goal.

In retrospect, those who annoyed others often knew what they wanted more than anyone else and frequently ended up better off. As long as one didn't truly harm others, it was probably better than living with regret.

Xie Yuan took his things and followed the steward up the winding stone steps, ascending the main peak of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect for the second time.

Amidst swirling clouds and the cries of immortal cranes, Xie Yuan gazed at the wide plaza, the imposing great hall, and beyond it, the Sword Peak of the back mountains, which stood like a peak upon a peak. He once again marveled at the grandeur of a Major Sect.

The steward led Xie Yuan across the plaza toward the great hall and instructed him:

"Zhang Mountain, I saw your diligence, your willingness to work, and your down-to-earth attitude, so I made an exception to let you come help at the hall. Normally, only handyman disciples who have been in the Sect for several years get to stand guard here. Of course, it's also because the hall is currently being renovated to welcome guests, so we're short on manpower. Work hard. This place is the face of our Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, so you can't afford to be negligent."

Xie Yuan nodded earnestly and asked with curiosity,

"Steward, I've also heard the rumors recently that a Major Sect is coming to discuss the Dao. It's supposed to be a big event, so much so that we're even renovating the gate. But the rumors are all over the place—some say it's the Prajna Temple, some say the Sword Storage Pavilion, and others say the Yuan Clan of Gubei. There's no consensus. I was wondering if you knew who it really is?"

The steward shook his head.

"You bunch of monkeys, your grapevine is certainly active. All you know how to do is gossip! Ahem. The ones coming this time are the Sword Storage Pavilion, who, like us, are a Sword Sect of the Great Li."

The Sword Storage Pavilion!

A glint appeared in Xie Yuan's eyes.

"It's actually the Sword Storage Pavilion, the one known as the number one Sword Sect in the Great Li? Er... their reputation is even greater than our Sect's. I wonder if they live up to their name. Why would they take the initiative to visit us?"

The steward didn't seem to mind Xie Yuan's subtle astonishment. He simply nodded gravely and said,

"The Sword Storage Pavilion has a thousand-year legacy, with countless famous swords and countless sword techniques in its collection. The names of top-tier swordsmanship techniques like 'Flying Bird Severing Aura Slash' and 'Autumn Water Long Song Sword' are deafening, and their 'Sea-Suppressing and Tide-Calming Sword Technique' is a peerless swordsmanship skill, unmatched in its ultimate power and firmness. Their strength is indeed not to be underestimated."

"Of course, our Cloud Mountain Sword Sect's legacy of swordsmanship is no less impressive. The 'Cloud Dragon Nine Forms' and the 'Thousand Mountains Mist Concealment Sword' are equally renowned. Our Sect's ultimate technique, the 'Floating Light and Shadow Sword,' is a swordsmanship skill on par with their 'Sea-Suppressing and Tide-Calming Sword Technique.' In terms of the ingenuity and unpredictability of its moves, even the Pavilion Master of the Sword Storage Pavilion has personally admitted that they are inferior."

"We are both Sects of the Sword Dao, so we often hold discussions on swordsmanship and interact quite frequently. However, the 'Floating Light and Shadow Sword' is extremely difficult to comprehend. Even Elder Grandmasters may not master it, and there have even been times when no one in the entire Sect had comprehended it. This is unlike the Sword Storage Pavilion, where in every generation several people are able to inherit the 'Sea-Suppressing and Tide-Calming Sword Technique.' Overall, based on the wins and losses from past exchanges, we are indeed at a slight disadvantage."

After listening to the steward's explanation, Xie Yuan finally understood the power comparison between the two great Sword Sects. While the Sword Storage Pavilion was a top Sword Sect in the world, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect wasn't far behind. At least in terms of their ultimate inherited swordsmanship, they were on equal footing. After all, this was a Sect that had historically produced a Grandmaster and the number one sword in the world, and had even suppressed the Sword Storage Pavilion in the past. It was just that in terms of talent reserves, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect was probably a step behind.

The steward continued,

"As for why the Sword Storage Pavilion is taking the initiative to visit this time..."

He smiled faintly.

"Some time ago, our Sect Leader had another breakthrough in his comprehension of the 'Floating Light and Shadow Sword,' his sword piercing through layers of clouds, reaching a new height. When the Pavilion Master of the Sword Storage Pavilion heard of this, he sent a letter on his own initiative, expressing his desire to bring his disciples here for an exchange."

"This discussion on swordsmanship will be on a scale unlike any before. From the Sect Leader down to the disciples, everyone will likely have a chance to spar. If we win, we'll truly have to rebuild our gate even higher. How could we not take this seriously?"

The steward's eyes burned with a hidden fervor. The Sword Storage Pavilion was powerful, but the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect was no less impressive and had always harbored the ambition to claim the title of the world's number one Sword Sect.

Xie Yuan also felt a sense of anticipation, though he didn't share the same sense of mission as a Sword Sect veteran like the steward. It was simply a good opportunity to watch a grand spectacle, witness a spar between top-tier Grandmasters, and broaden his horizons and experience.

The steward said a lot more before leading Xie Yuan to a side door of the great hall and patting him on the shoulder.

"Alright, go on. There's another steward here who will assign you tasks. Work hard. Our Cloud Mountain Sword Sect has never cared about one's background. As long as your character and aptitude are good, handyman disciples have always had the chance to become official disciples."

He gave Xie Yuan a look of profound encouragement, handed him over to another steward, and then left alone.

Xie Yuan paid his respects to the steward in charge of the hall's renovations and was then assigned menial tasks. He was an old woodcutter by trade and skilled with an axe. With his current skill, he could carve flowers on firewood, so part-time carpentry was well within his capabilities. He quickly settled into his role, hammering and banging away on the periphery, much to the satisfaction of the steward in charge here.

And so, after a few days, the steward said to Xie Yuan,

"Zhang Mountain, you've seemed quite skilled these past few days. Go help out in the Back Hall."

Xie Yuan agreed and headed toward the Back Hall.

Walking through the main hall with its ceiling dozens of feet high and passing through a straight corridor, he looked at the uniquely prominent Sword Peak behind it and thought,

'The closer, the better. I didn't feel much on the outskirts. I wonder if it will be different here, right at the entrance to the back mountains.'

The area behind the great hall connected to the entrance of the Sword Peak. The closer Xie Yuan got, the more he could feel a strange sense of sharpness that faintly stimulated his arm.

As he walked forward, Xie Yuan suddenly felt as if he had crossed an invisible boundary. A sudden warmth spread through his arm, and he vaguely seemed to see a strand of Sword Qi rush forth, enter a lotus petal, and spin continuously.

The Lotus Sword Qi seemed to contain endless mysteries. Just one look made Xie Yuan feel slightly dizzy.

He shook his head to clear it and came to his senses, suddenly noticing a circle of people around him. Besides the few handyman disciples he was with, there were several strangers.

"...Zhang Mountain, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly stop walking?"

A fellow handyman disciple asked in a low, slightly panicked voice.

"Oh, I just zoned out for a moment."

Xie Yuan said perfunctorily.

'I thought I was lost in thought for just an instant, but it seems some time has passed...'

He looked at the attire of the few white-robed disciples in front of him and saw they were staring at him. A chill went down his spine.

In the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, handyman disciples wore gray robes, while Outer Sect disciples wore white robes with a single cloud pattern on the cuffs and lapels;

Inner Sect Disciples wore white robes with two cloud patterns, and if they were elites who had joined one of the peaks or halls, they would also have their own respective insignia in addition to the two cloud patterns.

The disciples before him all wore white robes with two cloud patterns, and above the patterns was the insignia of a mountain peak piercing the clouds, signifying that they were the core disciples from the Main Peak Hall, of the Sect Leader's own lineage!

These few people all looked very young, yet the impression they gave Xie Yuan was that they were in no way inferior to a senior Outer Sect deacon like Cui Zhi. This meant they were all experts at the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm.

While Xie Yuan was still sizing them up, the handyman disciple next to him grabbed him, pulled him to the side of the corridor, and said anxiously,

"Then stop blocking the Senior Brothers' path!

"Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, our apologies. Zhang Mountain just started working in the Back Hall and doesn't know the rules. Please forgive him."

The disciple bowed deeply, terrified that these high-status elite disciples would hold it against them.

A beautiful female disciple said in a crisp voice,

"Why does this Junior Brother seem so dazed? He blocked our way, so I thought he had something to say, but it turns out he was just spacing out!"

She was about to say more, but the leading Senior Brother glanced at her, and she immediately stuck out her tongue and fell silent.

The leading Senior Brother looked back at Xie Yuan and said,

"Is this your first time here?"

"Replying to Senior Brother, yes."

Xie Yuan replied with a bow, neither servile nor overbearing.

The leader nodded, his eyes fixed on him as he asked,

"Just now, did you sense the Sword Qi from the Sword Peak?"

Before Xie Yuan could respond, the female disciple exclaimed in surprise,

"How is that possible? With his meager cultivation level?"

The other white-robed disciples also looked at each other and shook their heads in disbelief.

Xie Yuan hadn't been sure how best to answer, so seeing their reaction, he replied ambiguously,

"This is my first time near the Sect's restricted grounds. I felt my mind tremble and was in a trance for a moment. I'm not sure if it was Sword Qi."

"Hmph. So you were just overwhelmed."

The female disciple patted her chest as if relieved, causing a wave-like ripple that made the several handyman disciples quickly avert their gazes.

Seeing this, the white-robed disciples just assumed Xie Yuan had been intimidated and was too embarrassed to admit it.

Only the leader stared at Xie Yuan for another couple of moments before saying nothing more and leading his junior brother and sister past him.

The handyman disciples cleared the path and bowed in unison, only straightening up after the group had left.

The leading handyman disciple said to Xie Yuan with a helpless expression,

"Zhang Mountain, do you know who that was just now?"

"I do not. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Xie Yuan asked curiously.

"That was the Sect Leader's Direct Disciple, Senior Brother Qin Zhenyang!" the handyman disciple said in a rapid-fire speech. "He's already at the Qi Blood Third Transformation realm and is ranked twenty-sixth on the Hidden Dragon List! You weren't respectful when you saw him, you stared at them rudely, and on top of that, you blocked their path! If Senior Brother decides to blame you, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

Xie Yuan came to a sudden realization. He had heard of this Sect prodigy. It was said that he was not yet twenty-five years old but was already searching for his own path to becoming a Grandmaster.

He cupped his fists.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother! But from what I saw, Senior Brother Qin seems quite approachable, not like someone with a bad temper."

"What do you know? Even if Senior Brother Qin doesn't blame you, the other Senior Brothers and Sisters are just as high in status. If you displease them, you can just wait to be punished or even be forced to pack your bags and leave the mountain! Zhang Mountain, the Main Peak Hall is frequented by the Sect's elite. You have to be careful working here!"

"Understood! Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother! I'll be careful... This is such a great place, I really don't want to be kicked out."

Xie Yuan's gaze flickered, but he spoke with great earnestness, which finally made his companion's expression soften.

[Black Celestial Book: (86/200)]

Just as he expected, getting closer to the Sword Peak had indeed increased the Black Celestial Book's progress.

'If I stay here for a while, doesn't that mean I could also comprehend a Divine Mysterious Sword Skill?'

'Sea-Suppressing and Tide-Calming, Floating Light and Shadow... they all sound pretty good.'

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