Chapter 264: Transcendent Qing

Besides the moniker, Qing received an armband.

It was a blue armband with the character ‘長’ (Leader) written on it, signifying the rank of a team leader within the Heavenly Martial Team.

The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly wasn't just a social gathering for the next generation of leaders in the Orthodox Murim; it was also a formally organized combat unit under the Murim Alliance.

Thus, the rising generation of the Orthodox Murim were assigned to either the Heavenly Martial Team or the Earth Dragon Team, reserve combat units under the Murim Alliance.

Officially, these two units were equal in status and operated independently.

However, those among the rising generation with exceptional skills or backing from the Nine Great Sects, Ten Great Clans, or equivalent factions were assigned to the Heavenly Martial Team. The rest, the dregs, were relegated to the Earth Dragon Team.

According to the Murim Alliance's explanation, however, the division was absolutely not based on status or background. It was merely based on the perceived need for additional instruction.

Young martial artists who already possessed their own established martial arts systems and didn't require external teaching were placed in the Heavenly Martial Team.

In contrast, the Earth Dragon Team offered access to the Murim Alliance's advanced martial arts and personalized guidance from experts.

Of course, that was the official stance.

Perhaps that was the initial intention.

But the young, immature—in other words, thoughtless—martial artists rarely saw it that way.

The members of the Heavenly Martial Team actually considered themselves akin to hostages held by the Murim Alliance against the Nine Great Sects and Ten Great Clans, finding their activities extremely bothersome.

Their prevailing opinion was to skip any Heavenly Martial Team event if at all possible.

Conversely, members of the Earth Dragon Team were desperate to build their skills and reputation to somehow get into the Heavenly Martial Team. Rumor had it that whenever a mission came down, Earth Dragon Team members would trip over each other volunteering for it.

Despite the supposed glory of the Heavenly Martial Team, Qing wasn't exactly thrilled.

A combat unit? Sure, they called it the fancy Heavenly Martial Team, but wasn't it just the military?

And as a military-service-completed beautiful girl, she knew that combat units were always given cool names.

It fostered a sense of belonging and maintained morale.

But no matter how good the wrapping, the military was still the military. She absolutely refused to enlist twice.

“Master, do I really have to join this Heavenly Martial Team or whatever it's called?” Qing asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s not as serious a group as you think, disciple," Ximen Surin replied. "Why would the Murim Alliance dare to order around the children of prestigious families? Unless utter chaos breaks out across the entire martial world, you won’t be forced into any missions.”

Just look at the members of the Half-Sword Twin Saber Society—both Peng Daesan and Namgung Shinjae belonged to the Heavenly Martial Team. Heirs of the Five Great Clans were well-represented there.

Therefore, if they were assigned a dangerous mission and got injured, the Murim Alliance wouldn't be able to handle the backlash.

So, the "missions" that came down were usually along the lines of: "Someone is going somewhere, please escort (accompany) them," or "Someone is holding a banquet over there, please attend and leave the Murim Alliance's name in the guest book."

It was less about missions and more about assisting the esteemed young masters and ladies on their journeys through the martial world.

“Hmm. Still…” Qing hesitated.

“But disciple, you’ve already won the Hidden Dragon Tournament. You should understand, if only for the sake of the Murim Alliance’s reputation.”

Truthfully, a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect wouldn't typically have the caliber to join the Heavenly Martial Team.

The Divine Maiden Sect was treated as a mysterious sect composed solely of women, famous only in name. If asked to demonstrate their martial arts, hardly anyone would know them.

Even now, the Divine Maiden Sect could hardly be called a recognized Murim faction.

The recognition belonged to Ximen Surin personally, not the Divine Maiden Sect.

However, if another peerless expert emerged following the Zenith Among Women, the situation would change.

Prestigious sects are defined by continuous strength. People would realize, "Ah, the Divine Maiden Sect must have something," and a new prestigious sect would be born.

“So, I hope you’ll help, disciple. Though if you truly dislike it, I can’t force you,” Ximen Surin said gently.

“Help? It’s my duty as your disciple. Of course, I’ll just…”

Qing immediately changed her tune.

Besides, if I’m wandering around looking at the Absolute Sword Wall and traveling the Jianghu, how will they even know where I am to give me work?

Ximen Surin didn’t bother hiding her pleased expression. How could such a kind and gentle disciple have rolled into her life? It seemed the blessings of three lifetimes were all converging in her later years.

Lately, she had been diligently meeting with the old folks of the Orthodox Faction whom she usually avoided, just because seeing their envious faces was so exhilarating.

Qing, too, wasn't terribly averse to the idea, though she felt a bit iffy about it.

So she added, “Besides, as you said, Master, unless some major chaos erupts in the martial world, there won’t be any mandatory summons.”

So Qing said.

Just as the Orthodox Murim had the Murim Alliance, the Unorthodox Faction world also had its own coalition.

Its name: The Grand Alliance of the Stalwarts of the Unorthodox Path of the Martial World under Heaven!

Or the Sado Alliance, for short.

It was an incredibly grandiose name, typical of the Unorthodox Faction scoundrels who tended to obsess over outward appearances.

Orthodox martial artists sneered, wondering what ‘Path’ (道) those Unorthodox Faction bastards followed, simply calling them the Sapa Alliance (Unorthodox Faction Alliance), which also rolled off the tongue a bit easier.

In any case, the current leader of the Sado Alliance was a man named Bu Anpyeong. His moniker was Heaven-Defying Lord, and he was known to be ranked third among the Ten Great Masters under Heaven.

However, Bu Anpyeong didn't acknowledge this ranking.

Because he had always been the Greatest Under Heaven.

Unlike the Orthodox Murim, in the Unorthodox Faction world, one had to thoroughly conceal their true strength.

Because stabbing someone in the back at the first opportunity was considered a virtue among those Unorthodox Faction scoundrels.

If news spread that someone died from betrayal, the culture was such that they'd mock the victim as an idiot ('Heh heh, what an idiot for getting caught') and instead criticize the fool who upheld the principle of good faith and sincerity.

In such a ruthless environment, revealing one's full strength was practically inviting a knife to the back.

Thus, around the time rumors began circulating that Venerable Monk Muhak had entered the middle stage of the Profound Realm, Bu Anpyeong had already reached the late stage long before.

Of course, concealing strength, albeit to a different degree, was common practice in the Orthodox Murim as well. If the Orthodox concealed about ten percent, the Unorthodox Faction needed to conceal about fifty percent.

So, when the news broke that Venerable Monk Muhak had broken through to the middle stage Profound Realm, it was probably more accurate to assume he had already been eyeing the next realm for some time.

Regardless, these days, Pacheongun Bu Anpyeong found his appetite stimulated every single day.

Good news kept flying in daily, after all.

“Alliance Leader.”

“Oh? What is it?” Bu Anpyeong asked. “Did some place collapse again?”

“The Dragon Gate Sword Sect, Yeongdeok Sect, and Lianzhou Daoist Temple, sir.”

“Kekek! They say you can wipe your nose without using your hands. Aren't those Blood Cult bastards surprisingly helpful?” Bu Anpyeong chuckled.

“But, will this be alright? They are Blood Cult members, after all,” the subordinate worried.

“So what? Do we have any contact with the Blood Cult? Did we secretly communicate with them?”

“It’s like the saying, when the lips are gone, the teeth— Argh!!!”

Thwack! With a soft sound, the subordinate delivering the report was suddenly sent tumbling, screaming wildly.

“Didn’t I tell you not to use fancy characters?” Bu Anpyeong snapped. “Can’t you just speak plainly? Why are you so desperate to show off that you’ve swallowed some ink? You think I haven’t?”

Bu Anpyeong, as his respectable name suggests, hailed from a family of Confucian scholars.

Having inherited the blood of such upright scholars only to become the boss of thugs… well, there wasn’t really a dramatic backstory.

It was simply because his humble family background prevented him from ever obtaining a government post, filling him with resentment towards the world, and unfortunately, he happened to possess world-class talent in martial arts.

Imagine a late bloomer who started with third-rate martial arts only after his Qi and blood had already settled, reaching the pinnacle of the Unorthodox Faction through self-study without even a proper teacher. How formidable must he be?

If he had entered service in the Imperial Palace early on, perhaps a Celestial Martial Emperor from the Palace—or maybe a Celestial Martial Great General, given his origins—would have emerged. A superman possessing the integrity of a scholar, the knowledge of an academic, and the might of a warrior, all in one.

However, even if someone from the Imperial Palace knew this and experienced the miracle of regressing through time, there would have been no way to penetrate the holy trinity of blood ties, regional ties, and school ties. Thus, he was destined to have no connection with government service from the start.

(The Strategy Guide Master might have a slightly different opinion.)

“Gasp! That was an incredibly powerful attack! The greatness of the Sado Alliance Leader grows ever stronger!”

Bu Anpyeong had merely flicked his finger wind lightly. The subordinate rolling on the ground was pure, exaggerated flattery.

“You rascal. This is why I can’t hate you,” Bu Anpyeong said, mollified. “So, what about that saying, ‘when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold’?”

Sunmangchihan. It meant that without lips, the teeth become cold, signifying the importance of lips. Without lips, not only would the teeth be cold, but one would also look like a hideous monster.

“Seeing the Orthodox Faction dogs collapse right now is enjoyable, but what if the Blood Cult bastards start rampaging in earnest later—” the subordinate began.

“So what?” Bu Anpyeong interrupted. “The Orthodox Faction dogs are under attack, should we go and save them? Why should we get involved when those two are fighting in the first place?”

It all started with the catastrophe at the Jin Manor of Guangzhou.

Of course, since the clan leader and all the experts were away enjoying themselves, it was just an empty house, merely losing its foundation. Still, they would never be able to regain their former influence in Guangzhou.

Since then, all the Orthodox Faction groups in the Yangzhou and Jiao regions, the southeastern part of the Central Plains, had been suffering mysterious attacks, turning into piles of ashes one by one, day after day.

Though the attacks were called mysterious, anyone could see it was the Blood Cult’s handiwork.

Sightings of Jiangshi, corpses with missing hearts likely the work of the Flesh-Eating Demon, and even claims of hearing the mad laughter of the Sky-Gazing Demon Lord.

The Blood Cult bastards were taking an ambiguous stance—not explicitly claiming responsibility, but not exactly trying to hide the evidence either—carrying out their attacks in this halfway manner.

“But, if the Blood Cult truly rises up, won’t it lead to disaster?” the subordinate asked.

“Ha. You little brat. Acting like you’ve swallowed all the ink,” Bu Anpyeong scoffed. “That ‘lips gone, teeth cold’ thing isn’t for us to say. It’s what those Murim Alliance bastards say. If the Blood Cult shows its true colors, they’ll be the ones needing our help anyway. Just because we’re acting stubborn and annoying now, do you think they’d stab us first and choose mutual destruction?”

In truth, when the Blood Cult emerged, the Unorthodox Faction members could simply hunker down and protect their own territories.

But the Murim Alliance, burdened by the pretext of safeguarding the peace of the Central Plains, could never just sit back and defend only their own domains.

“So, tell our families to keep holding feasts. Tell them to pick up everything the Blood Cult leaves behind after they sweep through. This time, the Sado Alliance will rule Yangzhou and the Jiao region.”

While chaos erupted in one corner of the Central Plains, communication across the vast land relied solely on human couriers in the primitive Central Plains.

It would take a long time for the news to spread.

Just look at the Bloodshed on the Yangtze.

After the Demonic Cannibal’s death, it took a month for the protest regarding Un Yeonyeong to reach the Murim Alliance, another month to dispatch an investigation team, a month for them to return and compile their findings, another month to reach the Un Clan, and yet another month to investigate and produce results.

Even though it was treated as an urgent matter and couriers were dispatched quickly, it still took five months.

Therefore, it would still be a while before the unsettling events unfolding in that remote corner of the Central Plains became known.

The news would likely only surface after the Murim Conference ended, people slowly returned home, found only ashes where their homes once stood, and then journeyed back to the Murim Alliance seeking help.

Thus, with only the final event of the Murim Conference—the closing ceremony—remaining, the atmosphere in Kaifeng Prefecture was chaotically festive, lingering in the afterglow of the celebration.

And there was one person who was simply excited.

“Hmm. Isn’t this restaurant a bit dark?” Qing mused aloud.

Peng Daesan ground his teeth audibly.

“Please, can’t you just knock it off?” he pleaded.

“There, there. I’ll turn on the lights for you,” Qing said brightly. “Look. Ta-da.”

Qing infused her Blue Sword with Sword Force.

The biggest difference between Sword Energy and Sword Force might be the emission of light.

Truthfully, from a commoner's perspective, both were sharp, and the names Sword Energy and Sword Force sounded similar.

However, Sword Energy merely glowed faintly like luminescent paint, while Sword Force provided a faint, starlight-like light source to its surroundings.

But starlight was still just starlight.

What help could a single streak of starlight, useless even at night, be in broad daylight?

It simply meant the Blue Sword evolved, or rather, was enhanced, into a super-duper sparkly-shiny Blue Sword.

“It’s Plus One Blue Sword. Ahh, so bright,” Qing declared. “Eating in a gloomy place just won’t do. With just one Sword Force, you don’t even need a lantern. Even on a dark night path, this one thing makes you feel safe.”

“Using Sword Force instead of a torch… I’ve lived a long time, but that’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Peng Daesan muttered.

“What are you talking about?” Qing retorted. “It means if some weirdo attacks me at night, I can finish them with one shot. With Sword Force, you can cut right through their weapon, you know? Not like those guys who only use Sword Energy.”

“Keuk.”

“Kuh.”

Peng Daesan and Namgung Shinjae simultaneously let out sounds of frustration. Qing’s expression became even more triumphant.

“Especially Sword Acquaintance needs to try harder,” Qing continued, poking fun. “At this rate, you won’t be a Sword Acquaintance but a Sword Disciple or Sword Servant. Sword Peak isn’t enough, so hurry up and become Sword Transcendent.”

“…Just call me Sword Brother,” Namgung Shinjae mumbled.

He was suffering severe humiliation for having suggested the term Sword Acquaintance in the first place.

He was the one who had made the unnecessary vow, unprompted by anyone, to reach the pinnacle solely through swordsmanship. It was a source of worry for the Namgung Clan Leader.

But, in this very moment, he genuinely felt the world was so dirty and nasty that, screw swordsmanship, he needed to raise his realm quickly. That was his thought.

<Enjoy reading at Celestial Pavilion>