Ninth-level fairy

"That is the most important secret for restoring the glory of Lingxiao Mountain. No way!"

Xuanji Zhenren directly shook his head in rejection. For the first time in his life, Taoist Xuanzhen was furious, his voice becoming louder:

"Then what should we do? This time when we went out to seize the flower, there were heavy casualties. The elders and priests who were the backbone of the entire sword sect were all killed. Can the two of you and me stop the entire Longyuan Sword Sect?"

"And my three thousand sect disciples, the Clear Stream Thirteen Sword Formation!"

Master Xuanji said loudly, not showing any weakness at all.

Li Qingshuang was feeling uneasy. It was the first time he saw his master and uncle arguing.

"Those three thousand disciples are a bunch of trash. The rules of our ancestors are wrong. After a hundred years of raising them, they haven't produced a single talented seventh-level sword cultivator. They are all a bunch of trash who can't even break through to the fifth level!"

Xuanzhen's face flushed and she cursed excitedly.

"How dare you!" Xuanji Zhenren shouted angrily.

There was silence for a long while. There was no sound in the Cangjian Pavilion. Even the sound of a needle falling could be heard.

Xuan Zhen suppressed his emotions and said slowly, "Brother, honestly speaking, our sect's rules are not suitable for selecting talents!"

Master Xuanji remained silent, but he was obviously a little relieved.

Xuan Zhen continued, "While this bloodline power is certainly useful, there are many outer disciples with exceptional talent who have been barred from the sect by this rule, leaving with resentment. Normally, the elders offer their support and promote their own people, and I have nothing to say. But when it comes to going to the battlefield, I, an old man, will have to shoulder the responsibility myself."

He was so excited that he swallowed his saliva and continued:

"This trip down the mountain to seize the immortal spirit is an example. If there were sword cultivators at the fifth or sixth realm among the young people, there would be no need for those old fellows to come out of the mountains, exhausting their blood vessels and dying tragically... Hundreds of years ago, we were also a sword sect that was on par with the Longyuan Sword Sect, and cultivators at the sixth and seventh realms emerged one after another..."

Xuanji Zhenren suddenly said:

"Are you still feeling sorry for that outer disciple from back then?"

"Yes, I am speaking up for him. With his talent from the Qingling Pagoda, he broke through two realms in a single year, but was burdened by these rules and left Lingxiao Mountain with hatred. If he were still here, he would have already broken through to the peak of the sixth realm and entered the seventh realm. Alas... what a pity... these corrupt and old-fashioned elders have harmed him and the future of our Lingxiao Sword Sect..."

Xuanji Zhenren was silent for a while before asking:

"This time when you came down the mountain, you took the initiative to promote that outer disciple named Du Fang without my consent. Are you afraid of repeating the same mistake?"

"Not entirely. The person we encountered during the flower-grabbing expedition was a formidable opponent. He was definitely at the Ninth Realm. The Sixth Realm Dragon Abyss Elder, before he could even draw his sword, turned into a cloud of blood. With the power of the Broken Mirror, I formed a sect-protecting sword formation. With the support of twelve Fifth Realm sword cultivators, I unleashed the most powerful blow of my life..."

"and then?"

"He didn't draw his sword, but used the backlash of the sword formation to shock twelve fifth-level elders to death. I survived not because of my high realm, but because Du Fang begged him to let me go."

Xuanji Zhenren was moved and asked, "Is that Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator related to Du Fang?"

"Yes, call him Brother Mo!"

Taoist Xuanzhen continued, "So I think this person is the key figure in my Lingxiao's rise!"

"Have you seen him before? What's his talent like?"

"Qingling Tower, he also broke through two realms in one year, just like the genius back then."

Master Xuanji was silent and didn't speak for a long time.

Over the years, Lingxiao has indeed been declining. Two hundred years ago, although there were less than a hundred disciples, there were as many sword cultivators who could reach the sixth and seventh realms as ants. There was even an unparalleled genius, Changqingzi, who reached the eighth realm and whose strength was comparable to that of the founder of the sect, Lingxiaozi.

The Longyuan Sword Sect at that time was not even as powerful as the Lingxiao Sect during its heyday.

But two hundred years have passed.

Although the number of disciples increased by dozens of times, the level of swordsmanship continued to decline.

Master Xuanji knew in his heart that what his junior brother said was actually right, but as long as those elders and priests were still alive, how could the ancestral rules be changed?

Now is indeed an opportunity. As long as he can avoid this disaster and give Lingxiao twenty years to develop, he will surely be able to recreate the glory of that time.

There are many cultivators in the sixth and seventh realms.

Xuan Ji sighed: "Junior brother, I am old, it is time to step down and let the wise man take over!"

Upon hearing his words, Taoist Xuanzhen hurriedly knelt on the ground, choking with sobs, "Brother, you are in your prime and have decades left to live. Why are you saying you want to abdicate? As the headmaster of Lingxiao Sect, I have absolutely no desire for the position. When Master passed away, I swore that I would assist you throughout my life, carry forward Lingxiao Sect and restore its glory."

"Get up! This is indeed an opportunity. The elders have sacrificed their lives. After the enemy is defeated, the ancestral rules should be changed!"

Taoist Xuanzhen was so excited that his whole body trembled, "Thank you... Thank you, Master Brother!"

"It's time to change the way we divide blood power into purple, white, gold and blue talents. Even the Longyuan Sword Sect, the last of the seven great sword sects in Jiuzhou, disdains to use this talent classification method..."

The headmaster suddenly coughed:

"After we defeat the enemy this time, you will be fully responsible for this matter. However, right now, the Longyuan Sword Sect is coming aggressively, and I'm afraid this stage will be difficult to overcome."

Master Xuanji had a worried look on his face, his brows furrowed, and there was a silent sigh in his voice.

"Although we were wrong back then, there's still time to make amends. We're in dire straits right now. I mean to open the Sword Gate and avoid this disaster."

"As long as the green mountains are there, there's no fear of running out of firewood. Moreover, we have the Fairy Flower in our hands! The power of that fairy flower can control the power of the Nine Continents!"

Taoist Xuanzhen became more and more excited as he spoke, his face flushed red as blood, and continued:

"With the Immortal Flower, in time, the Lingxiao Sword Sect will surely sweep across the Nine Continents, dominate the four plains, and become the most powerful sword sect in the Qingxuan Continent!"

Lin Xiu and Li Qingshuang's blood boiled after hearing these words, but Xuanji Zhenren remained calm, "That's a matter for the future. This hurdle is a bit difficult!"

Taoist Xuanzhen was suddenly stunned: "That...that Sword Gate..."

"Yes, it's not that the Sword Gate can't be opened, but to open it, not only does it require the bloody sacrifice of the disciples' lives, but once it's opened, no one knows what mysterious things are inside."

"Didn't our ancestors teach us that?"

"I have!"

"What are you talking about?" Xuanzhen looked very serious.

"Under the Sword Gate, there's a huge tomb that once belonged to an ancient human emperor. This secret has only been known to the headmaster. I've always been reluctant to open the Sword Gate. Even if it were, ordinary disciples wouldn't necessarily be able to enter!"

'Tomb of the Human Emperor'

Everyone was stunned when they heard these four words.

It was the first time that Xuanzhen heard that there would be a large tomb under Lingxiao Mountain, and it was the tomb of the ancient human emperor. He had been a disciple for more than sixty years, and this was the first time he heard his senior brother tell him this secret.

Xuan Ji looked at everyone's doubts and explained:

"This is our Lingxiao's greatest secret. Back then, our ancestor, Lingxiaozi, discovered the Human Emperor's Tomb here, settled down, and founded the Lingxiao Sect. Our ancestor, Lingxiaozi, a supremely powerful being of the Ninth Realm, suffered severe injuries after entering the tomb. He later established the Sword Gate to prevent our disciples from entering again."