Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 22 Ten Thousand Swords
"I have passed on the Heavenly Secret Seal to you in its entirety. You must diligently cultivate it and not be lazy. Do not let down your master's painstaking efforts."

Dao Xuan Zhenren looked slightly tired. The Heavenly Secret Seal was different from other Taoist arts. As a rare technique that Qingye Ancestor had comprehended over a hundred years, its profundity far surpassed the famous sword techniques of Qingyun Sect.

Because in the past, the heads of each lineage only needed to master the method of activating the Heavenly Secret Seal, and did not need to master the method of arranging the Heavenly Secret Seal, which was much easier.

Even with Dao Xuan Zhenren's profound cultivation, I feel deeply exhausted after imparting the Dao to Zhang Xiaofan today.

"Thank you, Master Uncle. I will definitely cultivate every day to rectify my mind and live up to the expectations of Master and Master Uncle."

Zhang Xiaofan rose and bowed respectfully to Dao Xuan Zhenren, speaking in a deep voice.

Dao Xuan Zhenren didn't say much, but simply waved his hand and sat cross-legged on the futon to regulate his breathing. Zhang Xiaofan didn't disturb him, but simply bowed again and quietly retreated to the side.

Standing inside the ancestral hall, with a faint scent of sandalwood wafting into his nostrils, Zhang Xiaofan felt a sense of peace. Even the Fenji sword behind him seemed to have lost its ferocious aura, quietly accompanying the young man like an inseparable companion.

Before the ancestral tablet, Zhang Xiaofan lit a few more incense sticks and then slowly walked out.

Walking from the deep ancestral hall to the bright sunlight, Zhang Xiaofan didn't feel much heat. Turning around, he saw Big Yellow and Little Gray huddled together under the eaves of the ancestral hall, dozing off, and Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but smile.

Little Grey, afraid of the sun, hid itself under the eaves, while Big Yellow had most of its body under the sun but didn't feel hot at all, letting Little Grey reach out and rummage through its fur, as if it were helping it get rid of fleas.

Just as Zhang Xiaofan was about to speak, to call out to Xiao Hui and Da Huang and take them back to Dazhu Peak, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head slightly to look.

Unbeknownst to anyone, under the eaves stood a hunched old man with a withered face, his large, dry hands holding a broom. He stood there quietly, without a sound, like a ghost.

The sunlight reflected off the ground fell into those deep, lifeless eyes, like two incense sticks about to burn out. The eerie embers gave the old man, who looked like a withered corpse, a touch of life.

After a moment of surprise, Zhang Xiaofan, who had already guessed the identity of the old man in front of him, quickly clasped his hands and bowed to Wan Jianyi, saying...

"Disciple Zhang Xiaofan greets Senior Uncle."

"Huh? You know me?"

Zhang Xiaofan's bow made Wan Jianyi's eyes shine a little brighter, and his bent waist straightened up slightly, like a withered vine being forcibly pulled.

Faced with Wan Jianyi's questioning, Zhang Xiaofan's eyes were calm yet respectful. He slowly shook his head and replied in a deep voice.

"This disciple does not know my senior master."

"Then why do you call me 'Master Uncle'?"

Wan Jianyi lowered his eyelids slightly, completely concealing the faint light in his eyes. He gently gripped the broom in his hands, bent his body, and resembled a withered vine falling back to the ground.

After saying that, Wan Jianyi slowly turned around, not caring about Zhang Xiaofan's answer. Like a soulless corpse, he was about to walk into the Ancestral Hall.

"This place is a sacred site of Qingyun, where the spirit tablets of our Qingyun ancestors are enshrined. The fact that you are able to guard this place shows that you must be a highly respected elder in the sect. Therefore, I humbly address you as 'Master Uncle'. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me."

Zhang Xiaofan offered a soft explanation, and seeing that Wan Jianyi did not turn around, he stepped into the Ancestral Hall, bowed once more to Wan Jianyi's back, and was about to leave with Xiao Hui and Da Huang.

Wan Jianyi stepped across the threshold and stood at the gate, his eyes, reflecting the candlelight, fixed on the memorial tablets before him. Suddenly, he spoke, "Is Tian Buyi your master?"

"Yes, Master Uncle, it is indeed my master!"

Zhang Xiaofan stopped in his tracks, turned around and looked at the figure at the gate of the ancestral hall. In the shadows, it seemed to be a spirit tablet carved from a piece of withered wood, standing alongside many other ancestral spirit tablets.

"Hey, that short, fat guy got lucky and managed to find a genius like you to teach him."

Wan Jianyi chuckled strangely, and then, as if remembering something, his lips twitched slightly, revealing more tree-like lines on his face, which resembled the bark of a withered tree, as if a dead tree had sprouted new buds.

"Uncle-Master, you flatter me. My current level of cultivation is all thanks to my master's guidance. It is my great fortune to be able to become his disciple."

Zhang Xiaofan's words were sincere. Although Tian Buyi had a rather strange temper, he treated him very well, and his fellow disciples regarded him as family.

To everyone's surprise, Wan Jian chuckled and snorted upon hearing this.

"With that blockhead of his? You'd be more inclined to believe your master's wife than that short, fat guy taught him. With that pig-headed guy, he can't teach even the best disciple. His best guidance is to ignore him."

However, for some reason, when talking about Zhang Xiaofan's master's wife, Wan Jianyi's eyes lit up, but his face showed more bitterness.

"However, that short, fat man was quite generous, actually passing on the Ink Snow Sword to you."

Zhang Xiaofan was at a loss for words. Wan Jianyi kept calling him a short, fat man and a pig-headed man. He wanted to say something in defense of Tian Buyi, but he didn't know how to speak.

Even if he didn't know Wan Jianyi's identity or his relationship with Tian Buyi, he couldn't say much to this person in front of him, who was a senior member of the sect and seemed to be very familiar with his master.

"Will you come to Tongtian Peak again tomorrow?"

Seeing that Zhang Xiaofan remained silent, Wan Jianyi did not speak ill of Tian Buyi again. It is not the behavior of a righteous gentleman to speak ill of others behind their backs. He had only just recalled the past and couldn't help himself.

"Reporting to my senior master, starting tomorrow, I will be cleaning the path behind the mountain so that disciples can go to the ancestral hall to pay their respects."

Practicing swordsmanship on the back mountain of Dazhu Peak every day is a form of cultivation, as is repairing roads on Tongtian Peak. One can also freely test sword moves. Moreover, Zhang Xiaofan also needs to cultivate the Heavenly Secret Seal, which naturally cannot be done on the back mountain of Dazhu Peak.

"Sweep this mountain path? With your considerable cultivation, why should you do such a trivial matter? Aren't there any disciples on Tongtian Peak?"

Wan Jianyi's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of dissatisfaction seemed to appear on his withered face as he looked at the Taoist in front of him, but the Taoist remained calm and unmoved.

"Reporting to my senior uncle, there are many senior brothers on Tongtian Peak, and they are all exceptionally talented. However, in my opinion, pruning branches and clearing paths, chopping wood and cooking are all forms of cultivation, just like practicing Taoism and swordsmanship. But I am dull-witted and unable to comprehend the profound principles of Taoism. If there is anything I have said that is incorrect, please enlighten me, senior uncle."

Looking up at the Taoist priest's calm expression, Wan Jianyi sighed softly and said quietly.

"It's getting late, let's go back."

(End of this chapter)