Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Chapter 272 – Three Heroes of the Sword Pavilion

Above the Sword Pavilion, the Martial Saint Pavilion and the Sage Pavilion faced each other from a distance.

The Martial Saint Pavilion was the residence of Jiang Zushi, who was renowned as the Martial Saint.

Jiang Zushi, the Martial Saint, was a scholar who caused a great stir in the Sword Pavilion more than thirty years ago. The achievements of the Sword Pavilion today were greatly attributed to him.

The Holy Emperor of Da Qin was also a scholar from the Sword Pavilion. After becoming the legitimate ruler of Da Qin, he governed with diligence and wisdom. Jiang Zushi and Yue Liuxi were both teachers of the Holy Emperor, so Jiang Zushi received great recognition.

He was obsessed with power and conquest, and although he failed in the selection of the Sage of the Sword Pavilion, he gained the reputation of the Martial Saint of Da Qin and stood on equal footing with the Sage of the Sword Pavilion.

After leaving the battlefield, Jiang Zushi remained a teacher in the Sword Pavilion, educating and nurturing students. However, his philosophy differed from that of Yue Liuxi. Jiang Zushi's students were often fierce and rebellious.

At this moment, a divine light soared into the sky above the Martial Saint Pavilion, revealing a magnificent scene of the Heavenly Court. The gods stood tall in the Heavenly Court, exuding a sacred and solemn aura, while the divine light shone down from above.

A celestial god descended along the divine light and entered the Martial Saint Pavilion.

In the Martial Saint Pavilion, a young man stood there with an imposing presence, as if he were the king of the gods among the gods. A divine light shone above his head, and the celestial god that came down from the Heavenly Court entered his body through the divine light above his head.

This was the incarnation of the Martial Saint Pavilion's physical divine ability!

As the celestial god entered the young man's body, his form immediately changed. His physical body grew rapidly, transforming into a giant over ten zhang tall, with eight arms spread out like the celestial god before.

In the palm of the celestial god's hand, which the young man had transformed into, there were eyes growing. These eyes looked up at the Heavenly Court and down at the Netherworld, connecting the heavens and the earth!

The young man activated his divine ability, and divine light shot out from the eyes in his hands, displaying various divine abilities that dazzled the eyes.

At this moment, another celestial god walked out of the Heavenly Court and entered the young man's body through the divine light.

Suddenly, there were crackling sounds coming from within the young man's body. His physical body rapidly changed, and the divine light on his body instantly turned into demonic energy, resembling a demon god!

He grew heads on top of his head and faces on his face.

On top of his head, there was a pagoda-like structure with dozens of heads piled together, facing outward. The number of heads decreased as they went up.

On his face, his central face split open, and a new face grew out from the crack. The original face was divided in half, with one eye, half a nose, and half a mouth, but only one ear.

In the Heavenly Court, the gods gradually sighed in admiration.

In the sky above the Martial Saint Pavilion, the gods continued to descend, and the young man's physical body continued to change, transforming into various forms of gods and demons. With each transformation, he gained the abilities of the corresponding gods and demons.

Suddenly, the magnificent scene of the Heavenly Court abruptly contracted and entered the Martial Saint Pavilion.

One by one, the gods of the Heavenly Court, along with the Heavenly Court itself, were absorbed into the young man's brow, leaving the Heavenly Gate as the last to enter, leaving a seal in the form of a gate on the young man's brow.

Cang Jiuhua, who was standing beside him, revealed a look of envy and bowed, "Congratulations, Teacher, on achieving great success in your divine arts!"

The young man slowly opened his eyes. He appeared to be younger than Yue Liuxi, and standing beside Cang Jiuhua, it was hard to tell who was the teacher and who was the disciple.

He was Jiang Zushi, the Martial Saint of Da Qin.

"Back then, I, along with Liuxi and Shuijing, studied the spiritual and physical realms, hoping to achieve the unity of the Great Qin. The three of us had similar talents and comprehension, and our achievements continued to emerge. We were hailed as the Three Heroes of the Sword Pavilion. Some people jokingly said: 'Jiang and Yue shine like the moon, while Liuxi, Shuijing, and I are as cold as ice.'"

Jiang Zushi calmed his blood and sighed with some regret, saying, "From what you said, Shuijing is now a middle-aged man. I am still young, but he has already aged."

The higher the achievement of the physical body, the easier it was to maintain youth.

Shuijing's peer, Zuo Songyan, was already an old man, while Shuijing could maintain the appearance of a middle-aged man. This was precisely the result of their early research on the spiritual and physical realms together with Jiang Zushi and Yue Liuxi.

After returning to Yuanshuo, Shuijing vigorously implemented reforms, changing Yuanshuo from poverty and weakness. However, he had to spend more time and experience in the struggle of the court, which delayed his cultivation and research.

On the other hand, Jiang Zushi and Yue Liuxi did not have these burdens. Moreover, they were in a holy place like the Sword Pavilion, where the new school of thought originated and clashed, benefiting them greatly.

"If Shuijing had stayed, he would be able to maintain his physical body at the peak of youth, just like me now."

Jiang Zushi sighed and shook his head, saying, "It was Yuanshuo that burdened him. But fortunately, Yuanshuo cannot burden him forever. I will lead the great army of Da Qin to unify Yuanshuo. At that time, Shuijing can return to the Sword Pavilion and study the mysteries of the spiritual and physical realms with me."

Cang Jiuhua's gaze fell on the seal on his brow. The seal was extremely delicate and somewhat similar to the Heavenly Gate in Tian Shi Yuan and Gui Shi Yuan.

Jiang Zushi had a feeling in his heart as he looked at him.

Cang Jiuhua dared not look anymore and quickly bowed, "Teacher, the Lord of the Tongtian Pavilion in Yuanshuo has arrived. Su Yun, the Lord of the Su Clan, has broken the trap I set in the Eastern Capital of Yuanshuo. He used the conflict between the New School and the Old School to build momentum for himself. He killed Jingnan Tower first, then Yuan Wujue, and managed to escape unscathed."

He paused and said, "In the Eastern Capital of Yuanshuo, the four great myths have died or been crippled. The court is not ambitious, and officials are only concerned with fame and fortune. However, even in this decadent situation, Su Yun was still able to escape unscathed and even saved Mr. Shuijing. This generation's leader of the Yuanshuo Pavilion is truly extraordinary."

Jiang Zushi walked towards the Martial Saint Pavilion and said calmly, "He does have some wisdom. But as the Overseas Heavenly Pavilion Master, I also possess such wisdom."

Cang Jiuhua followed him, and along the way, they saw that the Martial Saint Pavilion was spacious, with a huge demon god standing in the center.

That demon god was not a sculpture, but a real demon god, suspended in the Martial Saint Pavilion. His aura was extremely terrifying, but he was restrained.

The demon god was covered in disciples from the Sword Pavilion, cutting open his flesh, even opening his skull to examine his physical body!

Jiang Zushi stopped and looked up.

Several lazy disciples saw this and quickly got back to work.

Cang Jiuhua continued, "Su Yun came to our Cloud Capital in the name of the Deputy Historian of the External Supervision Department. I ordered the disciples of the Sword Pavilion to test him and see his progress in cultivation during these days. Yesterday, 106 disciples of the Sword Pavilion and 45 senior brothers and sisters from the 36th Court were all defeated. The strongest among them could only withstand four moves from him. He successively displayed the powers of the True Dragon, Glutton, Xiangliu, and Winged Dragon. His understanding of physicality was astonishing."

The demon god hanging in the Martial Saint Pavilion was still alive, barely breathing. Suddenly, he caught sight of Jiang Zushi and let out a roar, struggling fiercely, causing the chains to violently shake!

The disciples of the Sword Pavilion standing on the demon god's body couldn't maintain their balance. They saw the demon god suddenly pull on the chains, bending down and bringing his head in front of Jiang Zushi. His head was as big as a mountain, with three eyes the size of basins filled with molten lava, staring fiercely at Jiang Zushi!

Jiang Zushi looked up at the demon god, whose head was many times larger than his own, and calmly said, "The people of Yuanshuo propose the theory of understanding the world through physicality, but it is just a name. When it comes to understanding the world through physicality, Da Qin is the orthodox. As the Overseas Heavenly Pavilion Master, I am well-versed in the transformations of the 3,600 gods and demons, far surpassing him."

Cang Jiuhua looked up at the demon god, feeling a sense of awe, and quickly waved his hand, urging the disciples of the Sword Pavilion to tighten the chains.

The chains were spiritual weapons. After they were activated, they tightened again, lifting the demon god.

The demon god struggled in vain, hanging his head down, looking resigned.

The disciples of the Sword Pavilion climbed onto his body, opened his skull, and continued their examination.

Cang Jiuhua withdrew his gaze and said, "The first time I saw Su Yun, he was in the Spirit Realm. Now, three months have passed, and he has already cultivated to the Beginning Movement Realm, advancing bravely."

Jiang Zushi walked outside, indifferent. "The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Pavilion can also achieve this, and even advance faster in cultivation."

Cang Jiuhua said, "Su Yun fought against 106 disciples of the Sword Pavilion and didn't suffer any injuries."

Jiang Zushi stopped and turned his head to look at him, puzzled. "He only used four moves and defeated 106 disciples of the Sword Pavilion without any injuries?"

Cang Jiuhua nodded.

"Not a single injury, that's a bit strange."

Jiang Zushi pondered and said, "Even if it were me, it would be difficult to avoid injuries when facing 106 disciples of the Sword Pavilion. My physical body can sustain continuous battles, but personal wisdom has its limits. The knowledge of the disciples of the Sword Pavilion is diverse, and it is inevitable to be injured when fighting against them at the same realm. He didn't suffer any injuries, which is not something Qiu Shuijing or Yue Liuxi can achieve. He must have another inheritance..."

Cang Jiuhua dared not speak.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Zushi smiled and said, "The old ghosts of Yuanshuo are indeed formidable. They have created such a character despite the decline of the Yuanshuo Dao and magical powers. His ability to remain uninjured should come from the ancient saint's lost art of Yuanshuo. But to surpass the Pavilion Master, hehe..."

Cang Jiuhua's gaze flickered. "Su Yun is currently in the Saint's Pavilion, having a pleasant conversation with the Pavilion Master of the Moon Pavilion."

Jiang Zushi walked towards the Martial Saint Pavilion, coldly sneering. "Qiu Shuijing left the Sword Pavilion too early. If he had stayed a few more years, I would have been worried. But he has been away from the Sword Pavilion for so long that his Great Unity Art has long been outdated! What is there to worry about?"

Cang Jiuhua said regretfully, "It's a pity about the Pavilion Master..."

"No need to mention him!"

Jiang Zushi raised his hand to stop him from speaking and said calmly, "Liuxi has the innocence of a scholar, but you and I cannot afford to be so naive. Sooner or later, he will suffer greatly! Does the Pavilion Master know that Su Yun has come to the Cloud Capital?"

Cang Jiuhua bowed and said, "The Pavilion Master already knows. According to the time, he should have already arrived in the Cloud Capital."Jiang Zushi's eyes twitched slightly, he said in a low voice, "Jiuhua, I want you to probe Su Yun's abilities again, to test the limits of his potential."

Cang Jiuhua felt a slight tremor in his heart, knowing that Jiang Zushi's confidence in the overseas Tongtian Pavilion Master had wavered, so he bowed and agreed.

In the Sword Pavilion, there were many towers and pavilions, each academy was built within these structures.

In the Saint's Pavilion, considering that Su Yun didn't get paid for his work in the Sword Pavilion, Yue Liuxi, the Saint of the Sword Pavilion, reluctantly agreed to give Su Yun a monthly salary of a hundred Qinghong coins.

This was a high number, but it was not higher than the other teachers in the Sword Pavilion.

All the teachers in the Sword Pavilion had similar salaries, of course, those with outstanding abilities had higher salaries.

The philosophy of the Great Qin was that knowledge had value, so those who imparted knowledge were extremely important.

A scholar who had served in the Sword Pavilion for ten years could basically save enough money to refine his own spiritual weapon.

It was precisely because of this that talented people would stay and teach in the Sword Pavilion.

The Sword Pavilion gathered these talented people, which was why it could maintain its prosperity for decades and stay at the forefront of divine arts.

"Do you know about the Pan Sheep Rebellion?" Yue Liuxi asked.

Su Yun nodded, "I've heard a little about it, but I don't know the details."

"The Pan Sheep Rebellion is the origin of the heavenly courts of our overseas countries."

Yue Liuxi felt something in his heart, looked out the window, then withdrew his gaze and continued, "This is a long story, you should learn more about it when you have the chance. During the dark age of the Pan Sheep Rebellion, the countries survived because they respected the heavenly court. They suppressed the Pan Sheep Demon God with the power of the heavenly court and turned the Pan Sheep into their chariot. The emergence of new learning also started at that time."

Su Yun followed his gaze and looked out, seeing the Martial Saint Pavilion in the distance, where Cang Jiuhua and a young man were standing outside.

"Since then, the techniques of the gods of the heavenly court began to originate, with as many as three hundred and sixty kinds, until thirty-five years ago, the techniques of the gods of the heavenly court began to slowly evolve into a unified technique."

Yue Liuxi's voice came, "The person who unified these techniques was Jiang Zushi, the Martial Saint of our Great Qin."

———There will be two chapters tonight.