World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 129: Lifelong Honorary Elder

Credit where it was due, the multifunctional gloves that Ma Zibin had developed were truly handy. They were perfect for climbing and navigating rocky terrain.

Unfortunately, Wang Sheng's Daoist robe was already in tatters by the time he had reached the Sword Peak, and during his descent, he kept rubbing against the cliff wall nonstop. By the time he finally leaped to the ground, his robe and training attire had been practically ruined.

Revealing that artifact in public was rather inappropriate. Fortunately, Wang Sheng had the foresight to descend from the cliff behind the entrance of the Seventy-Two Swords. On the way down, he had found a secluded spot to remove his Daoist robe and tie it around his waist before heading toward the sword sect's main hall.

Going around the mountain ridge, he came upon a spring-fed pool. The water was crystal clear and quite pleasing to the eye. He gave himself a thorough rinse to wash off the grime, then circulated his true essence to dry his hair. After that, he put on clean clothes.

He had just taken a few steps when he saw a sign.

Water for daily use. Please do not pollute.

Uh...

Confirming that no one was around, he quickly made his exit.

The Shu Sword Sect had stationed disciples to stand guard at the entrance to the Seventy-Two Swords. Nevertheless, Wang Sheng followed the stream down the mountain and somehow managed to perfectly avoid them as he looped around halfway.

Amid towering peaks, the sights of the Shu Mountains unfolded before him, and his thoughts turned to the people in the distance.

He found himself growing contemplative. Just who was Qing Feng Zhenren? The man had stood here all those millennia ago and casually left behind the Seventy-Two Swords.

Wang Sheng had spoken many times with the formation spirit, who was originally a dull sword that Qing Feng Zhenren had wielded for a hundred years. He had only been reborn later as a spirit. The formation spirit knew that Qing Feng Zhenren had established the sword sect at the Shu Mountains to leave behind his Daoist heritage, but he didn't know anything else about the man's actual identity.

Wang Sheng had a vague feeling that the events of the cultivation world a millennium ago were intricately tied to the forefathers who had founded the Daoist heritages.

The past was already long gone, though. Chasing after it now would be fruitless. Besides, the Hua Republic's government likely had access to far more ancient historical records than he did. Rather than guessing blindly here, it would be better to call the mistress and act cute.

From afar, on a mountain shrouded in mist, he caught sight of the Shu Sword Sect's great palace. Several flying swords could be seen streaking across the sky in front of the palace.

With the Seven-Star Footwork, Wang Sheng raced down the mountain path. Before long, he encountered two young disciples practicing sword-controlling techniques in the forest. He stopped in his tracks and walked over to them.

Wang Sheng truly hadn't expected that the first thing he would say upon seeing people again wasn't about any movements from the ancient devil at the Ziyan Temple or how long he had been in seclusion.

Instead, he asked, "Do either of you have a power bank I can borrow?"

The two disciples, a young man and a young woman, were stunned. The male disciple stared at Wang Sheng wide-eyed, while the female gasped.

"Daoist Master Fei Yu! You're out!"

Wang Sheng just smiled and held up his phone. "Got a power bank? I want to send a message and let others know I'm safe."

"Oh, I have one!" the male disciple shouted. He turned and ran to a backpack hanging from a nearby tree.

The female disciple reacted even faster. She whipped out her phone and frantically sent voice messages to group chats.

"Daoist Master Fei Yu is out of seclusion! He's here with me right now! Everyone, get over here!

"Master! Daoist Master Fei Yu is out!

"Hurry, Daoist Master Fei Yu is right here! Mm, mm! He's alive! Bah, I mean, he's perfectly fine! There's not even a scratch on him!"

Wang Sheng was momentarily speechless.

Once his phone was charged, Wang Sheng sent messages to his master, parents, and senior sister to let them know he was safe. A few figures were already soaring through the air on flying swords toward him.

To ride a flying sword through the air, even with the Sword-Controlling Art of the Shu Mountains, one had to at least be at the Illusory Core Realm. Without enough true essence, they'd just fall off, which would be beyond embarrassing.

The first to arrive were a few of the sect's Daoist masters, including Fei Lianzi. The round-faced Daoist had clearly broken into the Illusory Core Realm while Wang Sheng was gone.

Upon seeing Wang Sheng, the Daoist masters immediately descended from their swords and offered a Daoist salute from a distance. Wang Sheng quickly returned the greeting.

Back when he accepted Fei Lianzi's invitation, he did consider the possibility that the sword sect would make his life difficult after he retrieved the Sword-Controlling Art to prevent it from leaking. However, he had long since dismissed the overly narrow thought.

Even if the sword sect didn't care about maintaining its reputation as one of the sacred mountains of the Daoist sects, they would still have to consider his ties to the government, his master's strength, and the mistress's influence.

Moreover, even if a few individuals in the sect believed that Wang Sheng had taken unfair advantage of their request, the vast majority of the Daoist elders and Daoist masters were understanding people. He had accepted the minor risk from the very beginning, and now there was no need to worry.

"Fei Yu!" Fei Lianzi laughed heartily, his round face glowing with joy. "A year and three months! Had you stayed in there any longer, I'd have started digging into the mountain to find you!"

Smiling, Wang Sheng shook his head. He was just about to speak when two more white-haired Daoist elders arrived on flying swords, and he had to bow in greeting again. Before long, he was surrounded by Shu Sword Sect members and was led into the great palace.

A female disciple brought him tea, and a male disciple who was about the same size as him brought out a freshly made Daoist robe that he had been reluctant to wear himself.

An elder gently asked about Wang Sheng's injuries, and several Daoist elders eagerly urged the disciples to bring out the gifts that they had prepared for him as thanks. It was clear that the entire Shu Sword Sect genuinely appreciated him. Not one person even asked what benefits he had obtained within the Seventy-Two Swords.

Once the disciples had withdrawn and only the elders and a dozen or so Daoist masters remained, Wang Sheng finally got the chance to speak.

"Inside, I encountered the formation spirit of the Seventy-Two Swords, who was originally Qing Feng Zhenren's personal sword. That senior gave me guidance."

The hall immediately fell into pindrop silence.

Wang Sheng added, "He can only appear within the Seventy-Two Swords, and he revealed himself to stop me from taking the Sword-Controlling Art. I ask that you all remember this. In the future, if any of your sect's disciples qualify to challenge the formation, let them try it. As long as their aptitude is exceptional and they don't give up easily, the formation spirit will naturally offer them guidance."

"I also ask all seniors not to worry. I did not try to learn the Shu Sword Techniques on the seventh and eighth floors of the trial."

This was Wang Sheng's way of making sure that the formation spirit would not be too lonely.

"Fei Yu, there's no need to speak so formally," said a Daoist elder with a smile. "All three branches of our sword sect, totaling six hundred and seventy-two members, have unanimously agreed to give you a gift. Fei Lianzi, present it to Fei Yu."

"Yes, Martial Uncle," Fei Lianzi responded, then drew a brocade box from his sleeve and offered it to Wang Sheng.

"Open it and have a look. The design was decided after a discussion among the sect."

Wang Sheng opened the brocade box, revealing a palm-sized white jade pendant. The jade was flawlessly translucent, with the words "Wang Fei Yu" engraved on the front. The moment it touched his hand, a refreshing aura seeped into his palm, calming his mind.

This was no ordinary jade. It had the effect of clearing the heart and mind.

Turning the jade pendant over, the words "Shu Sword Sect" were written in bold, flowing script, exuding a sharp sword intent. Beneath that was a smaller line of characters.

Lifelong Honorary Elder.

Wang Sheng was momentarily stunned and immediately tried to decline. Such a title was too much for someone from his generation, especially since he more or less carried some governmental background.

The few chests of thank-you gifts nearby were already quite generous. They were filled with alchemy pills and precious sword refining materials, which were clearly valuable cultivation resources for the Sword Sect.

Fei Lianzi said, "Fei Yu, please accept it. This is merely a token of our sword sect's gratitude."

Wang Sheng glanced at the thank-you gifts beside him, then accepted the jade token. He turned to the elders and offered a Daoist salute. "I humbly accept this token, seniors. From this day on, consider me half a member of the Shu Sword Sect. Should it ever face difficulty, send a word, and I will come no matter where I am in the world."

The elders all smiled and nodded, then continued discussing with Wang Sheng about the formation spirit within the Seventy-Two Swords. freeweɓnovel-cøm

Their conversation lasted until evening.

Wang Sheng decided to rest for just one more night at the Shu Sword Sect, then return to their sect's small courtyard on the Wudang Mountains at dawn the next day. Otherwise, the Daoist masters and elders might not be able to focus on cultivation, worried that they weren't treating him well enough.

Besides, among the thank-you gifts were many pills to aid cultivation. Although none were as effective as Meridian-Tempering Pills, they made up for it in quantity.

When it came to alchemy pills, Wang Sheng was actually quite cautious. He wouldn't take them recklessly just to increase his cultivation realm. He only consumed pills that could help expand his meridians or purify his true essence.

Pills that enhanced comprehension were more like poison. Though they could bring rapid, short-term improvement, they hindered a cultivator's ability to comprehend their own Dao in the long term. It simply wasn't worth it.

The next morning, Wang Sheng carried two heavy suitcases filled with the sect's gifts. Donning a brand-new, light-blue Daoist robe, he bid farewell to the elders in the main palace. Several dozen second-generation sect members then escorted him to the Daoist temple gates.

On the square before the Daoist temple, beside the two massive stone pillars, over a hundred disciples stood in neat formation once again.

"Raise swords!"

"Ha!"

With a collective shout, the disciples performed a complete set of Shu Sword Techniques in perfect unison. After ten moves, they each threw their longswords into the air and formed sword hand signs. A hundred flying swords hovered in the air, creating a spectacular sight.

"There's no need to see me off."

"Take care, Fei Yu!"

"Elder Fei Yu, come and enter seclusion with us when you're free!"

Wang Sheng cupped his fists repeatedly in farewell. After persuading the crowd to let him proceed alone, he carried his suitcases past the gathering of disciples. At the edge of the mountain path, he turned once more and bowed to all the sect members and disciples. He then turned back and made his way down the mountain.

Fei Lianzi was already waiting a short distance ahead with Li Gufeng and Zi Ling.

As Wang Sheng walked further down the mountain road, he heard another shout from in front of the Daoist temple.

"Withdraw swords!"

At the peak of Mount Dajian, the Shu Sword Sect's sect master, who had deliberately avoided meeting Wang Sheng, stood with his hands behind his back. He chuckled softly, watching Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi gradually disappear among the mountain ridges.

"Riding the clouds in pursuit of the moon, a clear wind brushes the mountain mists. Rising upon the sword, one can soar to the heavens. Who says the Shu Dao is hard?"

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