Gu Changqing stared at those white-robed cultivators with a slight look of wonder on his face.
This scene felt too dreamlike to him. He had never imagined that one day he could enter a sect and receive instruction.
The elder noticed Gu Changqing’s expression and said calmly, “These are disciples of my Sword Sect, and also my disciples.”
“However, they are only registered by name and you are the only personal disciple I have. The sword dao I cultivate is harsh—after half a life roaming the world, you’re the only one I see as someone of actual value.”
“Under Tianji Sect there are nine sub-sects. As for which nine, you need not know. The Sword Sect is one of them, responsible for guarding the mountain.”
Having said that.
The elder waved his hand. The disciples practicing swordplay in the distance all flew over to this realm.
They landed at the foot of the steps and bowed deeply. “Greetings, Master.”
The elder nodded calmly, pointed at Gu Changqing and said, “This person is my personal disciple taken during my travels in the mortal world, so he is also your senior brother. Aren’t you going to pay respects?”
In the courtyard, the cultivators were stunned.
Everyone knew their master had exceptional standards. No matter how dazzling a prodigy was, none of them had managed to gain his approval.
But none of them expected that he would now accept a personal disciple.
“This person is young and poorly dressed, looking like a beggar—how could the master take him as our senior brother?”
“Yeah, look at him—where’s the elegance of a sword cultivator? Holding a firewood axe no less! Isn’t he just a wood-chopping kid the master picked up from the mountains?”
The cultivators whispered and jeered without end.
Still, faced with their master’s words, they dared not disobey and perfunctorily bowed, “Greetings, senior brother.”
Having tasted the world’s hardships since childhood, Gu Changqing naturally paid no mind to those voices and returned the bow faintly.
“You may go,” the elder dismissed them.
He looked at Gu Changqing, “You needn’t heed those words. Strength commands respect in this world. When you have enough strength, you will make them shut up.”
“Every year, the Sword Sect holds a contest of sword doctrines. I give you ten years. If you still cannot overpower your peers by then, our master-disciple bond will be over.”
The elder then led Gu Changqing into a pavilion.
Pointing to the ancient books on the shelves, he said, “These are the sword techniques I created in my youth, and some insights into the sword dao.”
“Ordinary disciples may not enter this place, but you may browse freely within.”
“However, I must warn you: no matter how good others’ sword techniques and insights are, they cannot match your own insight. Only when you perceive your own sword dao will it truly fit you.”
“A sword cultivator cultivates the invincible sword heart. Clinging to another’s techniques will only bind you. If you wish to become an unparalleled sword master, you must walk your own path.”
“I can guide your sword dao journey to help you avoid detours, but many paths must be explored by you alone.”
Gu Changqing listened carefully to the elder’s teachings.
He understood that these words were invaluable experience and would help him greatly.
“Enough for now. No matter how much I say you cannot fully grasp it now, anyway. First follow the basic techniques and bring your sword dao to the entry level. If you have questions, come ask your master.”
With that, the elder left, leaving Gu Changqing in the pavilion.
Gu Changqing stared at the dazzling array of manuals, his eyes burning slightly.
His heart thumped rapidly.
That dead heart of his was, at this moment, completely revived.
The blood vengeance for his parents, the sister he must protect, and the oath made when parting with Jiang Minghuang gave him ten thousand reasons to grow stronger.
“Minghuang, one day you and I will meet at the absolute peak.”
Gu Changqing drew a deep breath.
He bowed deeply in the direction the elder departed, “Changqing thanks Master.”
Outside the window, the elder heard the sounds from the pavilion, paused, glanced toward it, and the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
That smile was full of meaning.
…
In the days that followed, Gu Changqing began reading the ancient books day and night.
He was not eager to rush into cultivation.
As his master said, a sword cultivator cultivates his own path.
He wanted, at the moment he entered the sword dao, to firmly establish his path and lay a solid foundation for his sword heart.
Months passed. Gu Changqing read every book in the pavilion.
Whether they were insights or techniques, they were all deeply imprinted in his mind.
But he did not rush to achieve results or mechanically mimic the methods described just to break through the sword dao’s realms.
Instead, he chose to remain calm and contemplate his own path.
He puzzled over it in the pavilion for three days. During those three days he neither ate, drank, nor slept.
Until the fourth day.
Gu Changqing gazed at his axe and suddenly achieved clarity.
“People say one should follow the Heavenly Dao by going with your fortunes. Resist and you will meet misfortune. The Heavenly Dao covers all beings and decides their fates.”
“But there is too much injustice in this world—if heaven decides one dies, one must die; if heaven calls for someone’s ruin, it cannot be avoided!”
“As a sword cultivator I must resist destiny—use the sword in my hand to cut down injustice, use the weapon I have to right wrongs. Even if the world stands against me, even if heaven and earth abandon me, I will slay any who stand in my way with a single sword!”
“If death comes, so be it!”