Volume 2: Tian Nan ? Xuan Qing Chapter 26: Renowned Throughout the World, a Hundred Years of Ups and Downs

  Lin Ruo Chi solemnly took over the first long sword, a long hum, "swish" sound, a beam of light, the first long sword had been out of its scabbard pointing to the sky, in the midst of flashing clarity, dragon's hum and tremolo were endless.

  And on the sword, the two large seal characters "Chen Jian" were also clearly visible to everyone.

  Lin Ruo Chi's face was stern, and he spoke word by word to the seven disciples kneeling in front of him, Chen Jian: "Chen Jian, do you still remember the 72 door rules of the Diancang Sect?"

  "Master's teachings, every word is in our hearts, we dare not forget at any moment!"

  Lin Ruo Chi nodded, slowly drew out the long sword and handed it to Chen Jian, saying: "En, very good! Since our sect's founder established the mountain and founded the sect, we have taken it upon ourselves to uphold chivalry and justice, driving out the alien Manchu invaders and reporting to Heaven. Today I grant you this sword, hoping that you will always remember the 72 rules of our sect in your heart!"

  The grand hall fell silent once again, and everyone saw a sacred expression on Lin Ruopu's face, so they all became solemn.

  "The ancestors of the Diancang school are above, and Chen Jian Ding, a seventh-generation disciple, remembered the rules of the Diancang school at that moment, taking his shibo, shifu, and shishu as examples. If there is any betrayal or mistake in the future, it will be like this!" As soon as Chen Jian received the sword, his heart was stirred, and he made a clear oath without stopping. Then, with a flick of his wrist, everyone saw a flash of sword light, and with a "whooshing" sound, a strand of black hair on Chen Jian's left ear fell off."

  The body hair, received from parents, Diancang disciples use their hair to replace themselves, substitute for dripping blood, and complete the grand ceremony of granting swords, which is the door rule passed down by Diancang for hundreds of years.

  Jian had been friends with Diancang for decades and knew the origins of Diancang's sect. Years ago, their ancestors joined forces with the greatest heroic couple in Central Plains to fight for the people when the Mongols invaded Dali and took advantage of the weakness of the Song Dynasty. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, the heroic couple sacrificed themselves for the country, and Central Plains fell into the hands of foreign invaders. Many heroes lost their lives, and those who survived either hid in the mountains or wandered around the world.

  The Moon Ancestor was covered in scars, carrying the world's most powerful swordsmanship. He bid farewell to his friends and wandered the world alone, originally thinking he would drift aimlessly and live a life of solitude. However, upon arriving at the Tian Nan Cangshan Erhai, he unexpectedly lingered and returned repeatedly. Thus, he no longer considered roaming as his home, but instead built the Xuanqing Temple on the Malong Peak to cultivate, gather disciples, teach arts, and pass down the Diancang lineage. Over a hundred years have passed, and it has been transmitted to the seventh generation. The Diancang generations of disciples are all heroic and chivalrous, ranking first in Tian Nan, and their reputation shakes the world.

  Diancang Sect's internal power, swordsmanship and lightness skills are all authentic Xuanmen traditions, ranking alongside Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Kunlun, Huashan and Kongtong as the world's seven major sects, admired by people for hundreds of years!

  On the other side, Yun Dao's heart was also not calm. He thought to himself: "For over a hundred years, the Diancang Sect has been famous not only for its martial arts but also for its strict rules. Among the 107 great disciples of seven generations, it is admirable that not one has betrayed the sect. Each and every one of them are loyal and chivalrous heroes. This is partly due to the strict rules of Diancang Sect. The sincerity with which Diancang disciples adhere to their rules can be said to surpass even Wudang!"

  As Gu Baiyun watched his junior brother receive the sword, he appeared calm on the surface but was actually filled with emotions. He thought: "In the past few decades, our school has been through two major battles between good and evil, which have greatly injured our foundation. Especially thirty years ago, our previous master Tianpeng's defeat at the hands of the Ten Great Elders of the Devil Sect on Mount Emei was a devastating blow. He suffered severe injuries in that battle and passed away a few years later. The sixth generation's most outstanding fourth disciple, Lin Ruoqi, took over as the new master and led our school's most elite disciples to victory against the Devil Sect eighteen years ago at Wushan Mountain. Although we suffered heavy casualties, we also dealt significant damage to the Devil Sect. With the help of Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Qingcheng, and Huashan schools, we managed to repel the Devil Sect back to their base on Donghai Xiantian Shengdie Island. However, our school's losses were truly too severe! Fortunately, this generation of disciples has grown up again!"

  It is precisely because of this that for over a decade, Dian Cang has been safely hidden in the south, not making a show of himself in the martial world, yet his reputation still exists. Even the current leaders of Shaolin, Wudang and Emei are all full of praise for Dian Cang!

  And the various generations of disciples, before the grand ceremony of granting swords, could only use black willow wood as wooden swords for practice, a strict rule that is unparalleled in the Jianghu!

  Although Lin Meng'er is the daughter of the sect leader, she has been practicing swordplay with Lian Wanrou for over a decade, adhering to the sect's rules and never daring to use the sharp sword in Lian Wanrou's hand. This reveals a glimpse of her character!

  On that day, Lin Meng'er, who was ten years old at the time, coquettishly said to Lin Ruochi: "Daddy, my fellow disciples and I always find it easy to drop this wooden sword. Can we ask Uncle Lian to make swords for us first?"

  Lin Ruo Chi usually doted on Lin Ming Er, but upon hearing this, he let out a loud shout and said to Liu Chen Fei, who was teaching the senior disciples martial arts beside him: "Fifth Younger Brother, take note! If Ming Er dares to utter such disobedient words again, Article 13 of the Sect Rules will be enforced!"

  Lin Meng'er never dared to wield a sword again after that, and only practiced with wooden swords with Chu Jiu. The other disciples of Diancang also didn't dare, because the 13th rule of the Diancang Sect clearly stated that anyone who did so would be punished with thirty heavy blows!

  In the great hall, Chen Jian's sword rose and fell, but among the crowd, a commotion arose. One was amazed at how quickly and accurately Chen Jian cut his hair with this sword move, showing that Diancang's disciple's martial arts were not weak. The Diancang Sword Technique truly lived up to its reputation.

  Everyone in the dark couldn't help but secretly praise: "Shen Mang Mountain Villa" really lives up to its reputation for forging swords. This sword, with a gentle hum, seems to only have a faint and pure light, the sword body is almost unremarkable, yet it can cut hair with a single swipe, it's actually that sharp.

  At that time, Lin Ruochi's seven disciples Chen Jian, six disciples Lu Lun, five disciples Sun Hui Guang, four disciples Hu Xing, three disciples Qian Ren, and Gu Baiyun's three disciples Luo Tian were all in the Su Ran Zhuangzhong, one after another, completing their swordsmanship.

  Master of the Vast Sky, Flowing Clouds Daoist saw a group of disciples each with spirits soaring high, eyes firm and resolute, and swordsmanship precise. Not only did they exchange smiles, but also secretly praised in their hearts!

  He Zhuo burst out laughing and loudly said: "What a fine young man, worthy of being the great disciple of the Diancang Sect who appears once every twenty years!"

  The three members of the Cangshan Sect remained silent and only observed the crowd of senior disciples from the Diancang Sect.

  Jian Zeng had gone to take another look at the remaining Shen Que, Lu Shao Hang, Lian Tian and Yun Yuan, and felt that these four people were truly exceptional in terms of their physique and bone structure.

  There's no doubt these four are the top among the ten great disciples, everyone thought.

  However, Liuyun Dao Ren, Master Changkong was confused in his heart. Who was the young man with a rather thin body behind those four great disciples?

  Why can I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the four most outstanding great disciples of the Diancang Sect?

  On the ninth day, I saw many senior brothers rejoicing at obtaining the sharp sword. Although each of them suppressed their joyful expressions, they were all excited and thrilled, with shining eyes. After getting the sword, they immediately stood up and left, leaving only Shen Que, Lu Shao Hang, Yun Yuan, Lian Tian, and four other great senior brothers still kneeling on the ground along with myself.

  He didn't know what "Shifu" and "Dashi Fu" meant, so he thought: "Dashi Fu, Shifu is so wise, of course he won't forget me, it's just..."

  He hadn't heard his master speak for a long time, so he couldn't help but slightly raise his head and look towards his master and great master.

  At that time, Lin Ruo Chi was also looking at Chu Jiu. As he pondered, he saw his little disciple, who had been raised by him since childhood and whom he hadn't carefully looked at for a long time, lift his head up, and couldn't help but gaze at Chu Jiu carefully.

  He saw that the other ten big disciples were all wearing new clothes, adding to their elegance. Only Chū Jiǔ was still wearing a plain white robe, although it was clean, but it could be seen that it was not formal attire. This was still last year's New Year's Eve, Liu Chenfei's wife, Chū Jiǔ's fifth master Li Lin had made it. Now Chū Jiǔ has grown up for a year, and the length of the clothes is already quite different.

  At the beginning of the ninth hour, his eyes were bright and deep, calm and peaceful, yet sparkling with spirit. Lin Ruofeng was slightly startled, looking at Master Brother, Gu Baiyun also looked back at him, Master Brother's eyes had three parts surprise, seven parts joy far beyond his own.

  The two naturally understood that if they were to know the internal force contained in this momentum, it would not be under Shen Que and Lu Shaoxing, the great disciples of the current generation. The cultivation of "Cang Yang Xuan Qing Qi" has been invisible for four years, and Chujiu is likely to have reached the final realm of "Yunqi Boundary", at least above the fifth layer, but how can this be imagined?

  Lin Ruo Chi thought to herself, "The power of the Dian Cang sword technique relies on one's inner strength. The higher the inner strength, the stronger the sword technique will be. It seems that this little disciple's mastery of the 19th Road of Dian Cang Sword Technique has far surpassed his abilities back then."

  Gu Baiyun was also surprised in her heart: "When Shidi accepted Chujiu as a disciple that year, he asserted that Chujiu's bones and muscles were exceptionally good, a blessing from the heavens. Who would have thought that in the first eight years, Chujiu's martial arts skills and internal strength progressed so mediocre? I didn't expect that these four years, Chujiu... has actually undergone a transformation?"

  He was delighted in his heart: "After all, my junior brother's vision is one step higher. At the age of 19, he can already have such achievements, and it is indeed a blessing for the Jianghu!"

  Then he and Lin Ruoqi exchanged a smile, and both of them had already made up their minds.

  Lin Ruochi then bowed to the four directions, stood up and said: "Fellow martial artists, seniors and brothers, thank you for coming from afar to our mountain. The five disciples behind me, Shen Que, Lu Shao Hang, Yun Yuan, Lian Tian, Chu Jiu, are the first of my seven generations of disciples in Mount Cangyan. In the future, when they travel the world, please take care of them!"

  He spoke while gesturing with his hands, one by one pointing at the five people kneeling on the ground and introducing them to everyone.

  Before he finished speaking, in the midst of silence, everyone was extremely shocked and couldn't help but whisper to each other, with many being utterly astonished.

  Lian Heng and Cheng Man were also surprised, and together with Gong Sun Li, they went to see the initial nine without prior agreement. However, after seeing them, they all felt that they were ordinary and didn't take it to heart!

  Cheng Man asked in a low voice: "Heng Shixiong, Gongsun Shidi, what kind of medicine is Lin Ruopu selling in this gourd? I don't understand!"

  Gongsun Li also whispered: "I think, it's probably just him pretending to be mysterious!"

  Most of the guests had already inquired about the names and rankings of the ten disciples of Diancang before coming to the mountain, and even their martial arts, swordsmanship, or personalities were all investigated.

  Today, however, another great disciple suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he was just an inconspicuous young boy. How could this be believable? Moreover, everyone knew that the selection of disciples by Master Baiyun was extremely strict, especially since only the greatest disciple could inherit the sword, a rule that was even more stringent than the already rigorous standards of the Wudang sect. How could one not be astonished?

  Among the most surprised and happiest were Lin Meng'er and Lian Wanrou. Today was Lin Meng'er's 16th birthday, and she was already excited. Seeing her father mention her First Junior Brother and Four Senior Brothers together made her even more thrilled. At first, she was stunned with her mouth agape, unable to close it for a moment. Then, she excitedly grabbed Lian Wanrou's hand and laughed as they exclaimed: "Little Wanrou sister, guess why Father said that?"

  Lian Wanrou smiled and said: "How would I know what your father is thinking? If you ask me, it must be that your father is speaking like this because of your face!"

  Ye Lanmo heard this and laughed, saying: "Don't spout nonsense! From a young age, Chu Jiu was raised by Lin brother, their feelings are like those of father and son. It's certain that Lin brother saw that Chu Jiu's martial arts skills are not bad, that's why he said so. Besides, your uncle Gu didn't object, naturally there is reason to it!"

  Lian Ruo nodded and said: "Not bad, not bad. Judging from his facial features on the ninth day of the lunar month, he is not a mediocre person. Lin Zhangmen and Bai Yun naturally know this!"

  Ye Lan silently listened to her husband's words, and in her heart, she was even more loving and affectionate towards Chu Jiu. She had heard Lian Wanrou mention this young man many times, and over the past decade or so, she had also met Chu Jiu several times at Mount Xiangong with "Shen Mang Mountain Villa", leaving a very good impression!

  She had a new long shirt in her bundle, which was made for the ninth day of the lunar month when she was at "Shenmang Mountain Villa". It just so happened that it was still in the main hall and hadn't been sent out yet. The couple looked at each other with a smile on their faces.