"Come in."
A door slid open before Peng Lingxi could announce her presence. She didn't know why her master wanted to see her but he sounded more anxious than usual.
She walked in and quickly bowed as was her habit.
Immortal Desolate Sword Peng Yuefeng looked over at his disciple before looking back over the balcony at a slumbering Everblade City. The sect master of the Tower of Swords gripped the wooden railing, his fingers digging into the surface which could not resist his immortal strength. It was the night before the start of the convocation. All sects and participants were eagerly awaiting the sunrise, awaiting an opportunity to enter the Forest of Swords to improve their sword Dao by leaps and bounds.
Peng Lingxi heard him mutter something softly, not at her but at the sky. She bit her lips for a moment but decided to say something.
"Master, how was your meeting with Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian?" She said and then held her breath, trying to sense his reaction and guess how many extra training sessions she would receive as punishment for speaking out of turn.
The immortal didn't turn around but said angrily, "He was stubborn as a pig, like always. He thinks he owns this subcontinent just by stumbling into a few disciples, ridiculous!"
He huffed and slapped the railing in frustration, "And he even had the audacity to try and call off our bet! He said it didn't matter to him. Nonsense! Did he really think I would accept that?"
Peng Lingxi resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes. Her master was even worse, stubborn as a cow. He never took no for an answer and he hated losing face. In her eyes, this bet was completely unnecessary and only served to drive the two sects apart. She desperately wanted to see Chen Wentian again and talk to him. How could she that if the two sects really became enemies?
"Master, if this goes on, it will only build more resentment. Is there a need for this? You were never like this with Glacier Palace and Divine Blazing Mountain when they were still our considered rivals. Why can't we accept Immortal Chen's offer? It seems reasonable."
"It's not!" Peng Yuefeng snapped.
Peng Lingxi jumped in fright and quickly fell to her knees, apologizing for her mistake.
Peng Yuefeng huffed again and turned around, "Get up."
He strode past her and paced around the room for a while before speaking again, "Xiling, you are my best disciple. I have always given you preferential treatment due to your talent. Yet because of your age, I have not told you some of the things that I have told your senior brothers. I usually wait until a disciple becomes a senior disciple before I entrust them certain secrets of the sect."
He stopped before her and studied his most prized disciple, the one that had the most potential he had ever seen in his life.
"This Convocation of Swords is special and I will tell you why…"
Peng Yuefeng explained that the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent had been blessed by a mysterious expert, a powerful swordmaster whose cultivation realm couldn't be fathomed. That person was surnamed Dugu and he left behind several legacies to aid the cultivators of the subcontinent in the ways of the sword.
Nobody knew why he did this. Some speculated that the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent was this birthplace. Others felt that there was some other special attribute about the land that drew him here later in life. Whatever the reason, he was long gone now but the things he left behind continued to influence matters for hundreds of years.
"I'll get to the point. Do you remember Dugu's Cavern? It is one of his legacies. You also know of my sword, the Desolate Sword." Peng Yuefeng unclasped the oversized hunk of black metal on his back and swung it around. "It is also a legacy of senior Dugu which I managed to obtain in my youth."
Peng Lingxi knew about Dugu's Cavern. She had gone there several times to test her ability. She never knew why it was called that. She also couldn't have imagined that it was connected to her master's sword which was famous throughout the continent.
"Could it be… that the Forest of Swords is also a legacy of senior Dugu?" She wondered out loud.
"Correct but that's not all. In the far northwest, there is an ancient ruin. Hidden within that murderous place was another legacy of Dugu, one that that Chen Wentian managed to obtain."
Peng Lingxi gasped, "Really?"
"Mmm. It is known as Dugu's 10th Sword, a supremely powerful sword Dao, one which he has even taught to his disciples. Make no mistake, Wu Qianyu is surely cultivating that sword Dao. There is no other way she could have risen so ridiculously quickly." Peng Yuefeng sighed heavily and sat down in a nearby chair, "We can't let Wu Qianyu obtain the true legacy of the Forest of Swords. I can't lose to Chen Wentian again. These legacies of Dugu, the consensus theory is that if one obtained all of them, then something special will happen. Perhaps it will lead them to a much more powerful legacy of Dugu. Perhaps it might even lead someone to senior Dugu himself! Maybe he would be willing to part with some supreme sword truth!"
His eyes glinted with almost crazed intensity.
The sight made Peng Lingxi shiver but she still tried to argue, "But… but they are here because we invited them? I even delivered the invitation letter!"
Her master waved her off impatiently, "No us. The invitation came from the Eastern Sword Alliance. I didn't want Ten Thousand Flower Valley here but I was voted down. Tch… those jealous idiots. They don't want the Tower of Swords to obtain the secret of the forest. They are even willing to go risk inviting that bandit into our midst."
Peng Lingxi perked up, suddenly reminded of both Chen Wentian and that strange Immortal Sword Bandit Lin Huzhong.
"Bandit? Is there some sort of connection between Immortal Chen and that Immortal Sword Bandit Lin Huzhong?" She asked eagerly.
Peng Yuefeng laughed. His face relaxed for the first time as if he had just heard a funny joke.
"Nonsense. I was just calling Chen Wentian a bandit since he stole Dugu's 10th Sword from me. I was this close to obtaining it but he somehow managed to sneak past me. To this day, I don't know how he managed to do it."
"Oh…" Peng Lingxi deflated.
Her master didn't fail to catch her reaction and frowned, "Are you still thinking about that fat bandit? Heavens! I really don't understand what you see him. Ridiculous... We'll talk about this when we get back to the sect!"
"I'm sorry." She quickly muttered, trying to hide her face.
She wasn't thinking about Lin Huzhong but Chen Wentian instead but she wasn't about to admit that.
"Whatever. Let's get back to the point. You can leave. Clear your mind of stray thoughts and focus on the convocation tomorrow and Forest of Swords."
"Yes, master!" Peng Lingxi bowed and left the room.
Peng Yuefeng watched her retreating figure and then fell into contemplation.
After a while, he looked up and sent off several strands of spiritual messages. He didn't have to wait long for a tall, middle-aged man to enter.
"Master."
"Mmm," Peng Yuefeng nodded as his eyes landed on his most senior disciple, "Shuya."
"Yes, master!"
"You were right. Peng Xiling… no, Peng Lingxi… She still has a soft heart. Her talent is undeniable but she is unsuited for certain tasks. I thought that these years of tough training could change her. But it seems that a woman will always be a woman." Peng Yuefeng sighed heavily, "Shuya, I will still have to rely on you."
"Master, you can entrust me with anything!" Peng Shuya replied.
"The issue of Wu Qianyu, I'll leave it to you. Gather the other disciples once you all are within the Forest of Swords and take her out." Peng Yuefeng said and handed over a glossy piece of steel, "Take this sect master's crest and command the disciples however you see fit. You will be in charge."
"Yes!" Peng Shuya gripped the crest, his hand shaking slightly.
"If you can, don't involve Lingxi in your plans. Let her be her carefree self."
"I understand your intentions completely. I will handle everything."
"Good. Failure is not an option."
"Yes, master!"
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