Many memories in the log were events that would transpire in the next year or so. Leon decided that as of now the ones which would benefit him were the locations of items their previous owners had yet to find.
'I need to get most of these at least before they are found again.'
Deciding he would reap their benefits before the true owners would gain their possession, Leon searched for the artifacts and items that he must absolutely obtain.
'The sword which has crown chakra engraved on its blade would definitely give me the extra boost I need that I am currently lacking.'
Remembering the sword which the Heavenly Sword Fiend had used to dominate most of the city, Leon decided this was an absolute necessity to include in his arsenal.
As he ran his fingers through his soft black hair, Leon recalled the location the Sword Fiend had found the ancient and powerful artifact at.
'It is quite far from here but I can dedicate the rest of this week to its retrieval if I need to.'
Taking his log and some rations that he packed in a small bag, Leon slung the provisions over his shoulder as he let his family know he would be out the rest of the week due to a class trip.
'Hopefully this doesn't take awfully long, but infiltrating the temple it is housed in will definitely be a challenge...'
Taking a cab to the mountain that housed the temple which belonged to the Shuangdao sect, Leon sorted through the information he had on them.
This sect was one of the most revered sects that originated from the traditional Chinese swordplay, and was known for their dual wielding prowess.
Every disciple must have the base discipline of the sword since it was what the sect was founded upon.
However, as the sect had survived to the modern era through incorporating all types of weapon mastery, most disciples wandered away from the traditional sword after completing its base.
According to his memories, Leon recalled the Sword Fiend had infiltrated the sect as a disciple in order to get closer access to the godly sword he wielded in his prime.
'Since the path towards this treasure has already been displayed to me, this will be a lot easier than charging in blind.'
Thankful for the work having already been done before, Leon became more confident in his success rate.
When the cab finally stopped at the summit of the Long Mountain, Leon stepped out and gazed upwards. The temple of Long was located at its peak that housed the sacred sword that he was intending to steal.
As Leon began his ascent, he remembered the ancient tales that had brought the mountain its fame. In Chinese mythology Long often represented a dragon, and was believed to be a symbol of great strength and luck.
Leon figured the naming of this mountain was in hopes of giving the Shuangdao sect this strength and fortune while they resided and trained on this mountain.
'Hopefully I can receive this luck as well towards my endeavor here...'
Hoping his mission would be successful, he continued to climb until he reached the first gate. The path to the peak of the mountain housed eight immortal gates that he must pass in order to reach the sect.
Leon recalled he would need to pass the trials at each gate in order pass.
Before the modern era the tests these gates would supply were often ridiculous and troubling. However, in order to gain more combat experience, since the current time period had few martial artists when compared to the past, the top eight disciples would live near these gates and challenge martial artists who passed by.
If the martial artists were unable to beat these ranked disciples, they would be unable to approach the next gate or the sect, since they were deemed unworthy.
Of course this was a different story for people who wished to become disciples, but if they were unable to pass any of the gates then they would start from the bottom up in the sect.
'Having to start from the bottom would be very taxing of my time since I only have a week to retrieve this sword. Fortunately, those ranked above the first disciple would have more access to parts of the temple, so I must endure and pass each gate.'
Understanding the tasks that laid before him, Leon trudged forward to the first of the eight immortal gates.
This gate was known as He Xiangu. It was a black gate adorned with long red ribbons that seemed to dance as they drifted in the wind.
When Leon arrived before the gate he noticed a small wooden pole with a bell dangling from its side.
'I assume this is how I contact the eighth disciple.'
After ringing the bell a few moments passed before a young woman appeared at the other side of the gate. This women wore an outfit that was reminiscent of the Han Dynasty's warrior clothing, but was tailored to fit a woman. The tight black dress was accompanied by a red sash and a few ribbons similar to the ones on the gate.
As the beautiful disciple stopped underneath the gate, she curiously peered at the youth in front of her that seemed to be only two years younger than herself.
"Do you wish to become a disciple of the Shuangdao sect?"
Leon recognized the disciple's curiousness and slightly laughed to himself as he did not wish to become a low ranking disciple by giving in at the first trial.
"My wish is to be recognized beyond the first disciple and join the Shuangdao sect."
Finishing his sentence Leon reached behind his back and pulled out a dagger he had received from FallenStar while slowly approaching the disciple.
Sighing, the disciple realized him to be another challenger and revealed three Chinese throwing stars in each of her hands as she removed them from her sleeves.
Engraved on the center of each star was a lotus petal that became a blooming lotus flower as the star spun when thrown.
The dazzling but deadly flowers often caught their opponents off-guard as they captivated their enemies line of sight. This tactic was utilized in order to distract the disciple's foe and create an opening the disciple would use to strike.
Recognizing the purpose of the throwing stars, Leon instantly used Silent Strides to give him a boost in speed and create an after-image that would give the impression that the throwing stars had hit their desired mark.
'It seems he was just another ignorant challenger trying to gain the sects favor.'
Disappointed, the disciple sighed as she watched her lotus stars hit the mark, but was instantly surprised, while forming a cold sweat, she felt the coldness of a dagger appear at her throat.
"Underestimating your opponent often leads to unexpected defeat."
The voice emanated from behind her back as the dagger was withdrawn from her throat.
"I thank you for this enlightenment, but I fear you are still not strong enough to surpass the first disciple."
Turning around to re-evaluate the man that brought her defeat, the disciple could only be left to speculate the spot the young man had once stood.
'He is strong but I'm afraid he will be snuffed out like most young talents due to their arrogance...'
With that departing thought, the disciple could only stare farther up the path while hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious young man once more.
When Leon finally arrived at the second gate, a disciple, who he couldn't decipher the gender of, was already waiting for him.
'I guess word travels fast even around here.'
Seeing his challenger approach his gate the burly disciple revealed an excited grin.
"It seems you've already defeated the eighth gate, but I'm sorry to inform you that I am not as easily beaten."
Leon rolled his eyes as heard the common phrase uttered before someone's ass was handed to them, and continued to proceed to the gate.
Seeing his opponent disregard his previous statement, the seventh disciple's grin widened even more at the prospect of a formidable opponent, and decided to see whether defeating the eighth gate was due to strength or luck.
"I am the proud gatekeeper of the Lan Caihe Gate and would like you to entertain an idea of mine."
Hearing this statement, Leon finally answered the disciple.
"And what would this idea that you have be?"
Seeing the youth had finally given him his attention, the seventh disciple smiled as he continued.
"It would be an honor if we could fight using only our bodies, since I have a disliking for weapons."
After listening to the proposal Leon sighed as he realized the mindset of his opponent.
'Ah, so he's one of those...'
Realizing his opponent had an ideology carried by only a few martial artists that it couldn't even be considered a minority view, Leon recognized his passion.
'Some martial artists believe that utilizing weapons to bring forth their strength is considered to be impure, due to supplementing one's strength from a piece of steel or iron instead of from within. Although I disregard this view myself, I can understand his thinking.'
Agreeing to the disciples proposition, Leon placed his dagger on a rock next to the gate before assuming a fighting stance.
Noticing the young man had agreed to his proposition, the disciple smiled again.
"Yes, the only true weapon a martial artist can rely on is their own body. Through intense training I have forged my body to become my blade!"
Laughing, the crazy disciple rapidly descended to Leon's location and began throwing a rapid succession of high kicks, while spinning his body and jumping into the air as if he were a crane.
Every time one of the disciple's feet touched the ground, he would propel himself back in the air to throw another kick with the other leg, before landing and repeating the process again.
Seeing this complex form of attack, Leon slowly observed the odd form of kicks, and speculated the power and stability in the disciple's attacks was derived from the leg that would become planted on the ground.
'His momentum and balance is achieved through the leg he plants before delivering his chain of attacks.'
Finally comprehending his opponent's method of attack, Leon targeted the leg that brought his foe's stability in order to break his balance.
Avoiding the incoming kick above his head, Leon slid on the ground with his leg outstretched, predicting the place his opponent's foot would land after observing his multiple attacks.
Caught by surprise, the seventh disciple fell forward on his face as he felt a foot being struck down onto his back.
Coughing and spitting out his meal from earlier, the disciple wiped his mouth and began thrusting his fists towards Leon's hazy figure.
Seeing his opponent still refused defeat, Leon caught the incoming fist like the flow of water as he fluidly grasped the disciple's right arm.
He held the rest of the disciple's body back with his right arm being lodged under the disciple's arm and his chest.
Leon quickly turned his body and forced an opposite momentum with his right arm. While still holding the disciple's wrist with his left hand, Leon dislocated his opponent's shoulder and swept out his legs.
The disciple groaned in pain as he groveled around on the ground while Leon went to retrieve his dagger he left on the nearby rock, and continued his journey to the next gate.
Along the path to the next gate Leon discovered an old man resting on a lower branch of a great tree overlooking a small pond.
Intrigued, Leon approached the old man with a straw hat and observed the small bamboo rod he had propped against his leg.
Suddenly, the bamboo rod began to shake and the old man quickly grasped the stick while gracefully flicking the tip of the rod. A large black and white colored koi fish emerged from the water and was guided by the flick of the rod, through the air, into a woven basket.
As Leon began to approach the odd man by appearing from the rock he had been spying from behind, he immediately felt a sense of danger.
Shocked by a sudden impact close to his right shoulder, Leon peered behind him at the rock he had recently approached from, and noticed the bamboo rod he had just been looking at halfway impaled through the rock.
Nervousness began to eat away Leon's mind as he flicked his gaze back to the old man, but was startled to see him standing a few steps in front of him.
Without saying a word the short old man looked the youth up and down before walking past him to retrieve the stick he had just thrown. Pulling the stick out of the rock effortlessly, the man sighed and returned to his fishing spot.
'Did I just almost die again! To a bamboo stick?'
Still confused by the display of power the old man had shown, Leon decided to give the man an offering for disturbing his peace. Reaching into his bag Leon took out a half from the loaf of bread he had brought with him amongst his other rations.
Approaching the old man once again, but more cautiously, Leon knelt besides the branch and put the half loaf of bread on top of the woven basket before turning around proceeding back towards the path to the gates.
However, Leon was halted by a raspy yet soothing voice emanating from behind him.
"Your meridians and energy flow are all screwed up kid. I've never seen anyone still alive with the condition your body is in."
Confused by the man's statement, since Leon had never learned to regulate flow of internal energy properly, he turned his gaze back to the old man once more before questioning him.
"What?"