Entering the inner court was like stepping into a different realm altogether.
The air here was thicker, heavy with intent. Not just spiritual energy… but something fiercer, sharper, as if a million invisible blades hovered in the atmosphere.
Swords hummed faintly from a distant cliff.
Mysterious lines glowed beneath every stone tile.
Floating pavilions drifted lazily through the sky, tethered by sword-shaped chains.
Chu Feng scanned the surroundings quietly.
Truly… a grand sect.
But as he walked deeper, he noticed something strange.
A girl practised palm arts, shattering a boulder with her bare hands.
A boy summoned fire dragons, scorching the ground.
A youth meditated with talismans circling him like paper stars.
A burly disciple swung an axe larger than his torso.
Barely a handful even held swords.
Chu Feng frowned slightly.
For a sect called Sword Sect… this feels wrong.
He turned a corner.
Before he could ponder further—
"Oi! Brother Feng!"
"Brother Feng!"
A loud, cheerful voice rang out like a bell dipped in honey.
Jìn Bǎo came waddling over, arms filled with bags that jingled suspiciously.
His grin was so wide his eyes almost vanished.
"You finally made it! I knew my bet on you was right!"
He patted his chest proudly. "Fate brought us together again!"
Chu Feng raised an eyebrow when he heard the jingling.
"…More talismans?"
"Just a few," Jìn Bǎo said seriously. "A man can never be too safe. If not for my stingy old man, I wouldn't be carrying these. I'd put them in a space ring and strut around!"
He was about to continue bragging when he noticed the space ring on Chu Feng's finger.He froze.
His expression twisted into visible pain.
"My poor, fragile heart is broken… even you have a space ring! I must get one, or where will I put my face!?"
Chu Feng shook his head lightly, then gestured to the diverse training around them.
"Jìn Bǎo… tell me something. Why is this place called the Sword Sect when most disciples don't cultivate with swords at all?"
Jìn Bǎo froze mid-waddle.
He inhaled deeply.
Then leaned in like an old storyteller about to reveal a forbidden secret.
"Ah… so you don't know."
Chu Feng remained silent.
Jìn Bǎo lowered his voice to a whisper.
"A long time ago, the Sword Sect was not called the Sword Sect at all."
Chu Feng's brows lifted.
Jìn Bǎo nodded gravely.
"It used to be called the something… Immortal Gate—a massive sect, one of the top sects in the region. They cultivated everything—alchemy, formations, spears, talismans, beasts… everything under the sky."
"And then, what changed?"
"Then…" Jìn Bǎo sighed. "A calamity. No one knows the exact details. Some say it was a demonic invasion. Others say it was an internal traitor. Some even whisper it was Heaven's punishment."
His voice grew solemn.
"But whatever happened… it brought the sect to the brink of extinction. Elders died. Peaks collapsed. Thousands perished."
The entire sect was on the brink of annihilation."
Chu Feng felt the air grow colder.
"Just as the gates were about to fall," Jìn Bǎo continued,
His voice trembled slightly — not from fear, but awe.
"Then… someone appeared."
Chu Feng's eyes sharpened.
"Who?"
"That's the thing." Jìn Bǎo shook his head. "No one ever knew his name. They couldn't even see his face. His aura was too overwhelming. But…"
Jìn Bǎo pointed toward the distant cliffs, where thousands of sword marks mixed with intent shimmered faintly.
"The only thing they remembered… was his sword."
He leaned closer, voice barely audible.
"They said he walked into the battlefield alone.
And with one strike… one…"
He swallowed.
"He ended the chaos."
Silence hung between them.
A breath of wind passed.The distant sword cliffs hummed, as if echoing the tale.
"One strike?" Chu Feng echoed quietly.
Jìn Bǎo nodded.
"What happened after?" Chu Feng asked.
Jìn Bǎo swallowed.
"This is the ridiculous part. Apparently… after slicing apart heaven and earth, the man pulled out a flask and started drinking. Loudly. Laughing. As if he'd merely chopped wood."
Chu Feng blinked.
Jìn Bǎo spread his hands helplessly.
"Even the sword intent he left behind on the Sword Cliffs — they say it's insane. Only sword maniacs dare go there to cultivate. Normal people would have their souls shaken out of their bodies."
He paused.
"After that day, the sect changed its name to Sword Sect, to honour that mysterious man."
"But then," Chu Feng said slowly, "why don't they train only sword cultivators?"
"Because the man never said a word," Jìn Bǎo explained. "He left immediately. No sword manuals. No techniques. No guidance.So the sect only remembers him… and allows disciples to cultivate near the sword marks he left to seek guidance."
Chu Feng nodded, understanding settling in.
But Jìn Bǎo wasn't done.
He glanced around, then whispered:
"And… Brother Feng… don't get mad…
but many people secretly believe…"
He pointed subtly toward a figure drinking lazily atop a faraway roof.
"That your Master… might be that man."
Chu Feng froze.
Jìn Bǎo continued:
"The drinking. The laughter. The sword intent that appears whenever he's annoyed.
The temper.
The laziness.
The absolute monstrous strength.
And how he acts like nothing in the world is worth his effort."
He shivered.
"If your Master is that same sword-wielding lunatic… then… then…"
He gulped, unable to finish the sentence.
Chu Feng looked at Han Long's distant silhouette — leaning back, drinking from a flask, ignoring the world.
Half amused.
Half speechless.
Half… suspicious.
Remembering his insane training…Remembering how easily Han Long moved his father across the sect barriers…
"…It might be him," Chu Feng said quietly, unsure.
Jìn Bǎo grabbed his shoulders in panic.
"Brother Feng! Please! If your Master is really that ancient monster, tell him I know nothing! I'm too young and too rich to die!"
Chu Feng let out a helpless sigh.
"Don't worry. He won't kill you."
He paused.
"Probably."
Jìn Bǎo wailed in despair.
As they continued walking toward the Sword Cliffs, the sword intents there pulsed through the cliffs, as if declaring sovereignty.
Far above, on the roof, Han Long lifted his flask slightly.
Having heard every word Jìn Bǎo said through the drifting wind…A lazy grin spread across his lips.
He took another sip.
And the Sword Cliffs hummed in response.