The Empress of Swords. Her real name is Mei Feng, a globally renowned figure in cultivation history. She was one of the few who reached the pinnacle of cultivation in the mortal realm and later earned the title "Immortal Fairy" for her beauty.
Undoubtedly, she was beautiful. Even Xie Qing, who woke up every morning to the sight of two towering mountains, could attest to that if you catch my drift.
Her portrait hung above his bed, and every morning he woke up to her sight. It's safe to say that she enabled swordsmen to gain the power they possess now. Most sword techniques were inherited thanks to her efforts.
Currently, there is no information about her. According to ancient rumors, dating back to the times before even Xu Mei was born, she ascended to the Higher Realm, presumably where legendary immortals resided.
However, there were no living souls or people with convincing arguments, making it extremely difficult to uncover the whole truth. All that remained was to speculate on the whereabouts of this legendary figure.
"Master, I'm attacking."
Though Xie Qing was surprised by Xu Mei's possession of such powerful cultivation techniques, he could tell it was within the norm. Cultivators like Xu Mei undoubtedly deserved to inherit the legacy of the Empress of Swords, considering their strength.
Thanks to the newly acquired skill, or rather, a quarter of it, Xie Qing could temporarily enhance his attacks.
Ding!
[Your attacks for the next 15 seconds will have +10% strength, +5% chance to inflict {Shock} effect...]
Brushing aside the notification blocking his field of vision, Xie Qing swung his sword following the movements Xu Mei demonstrated during their fight!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Consecutive notifications indicated that Xie Qing had learned new techniques, although they were mere fragments of the real ones. He quickly regained focus on executing the attack.
"Ha-a-ah!"
A sigh escaped his lips as he concentrated on the attack approaching Xu Mei's side. Surprisingly, she didn't bother lifting her sword to parry.
However, not disappointed, Xie Qing hurriedly activated the recently learned skill.
True Yin Technique!
Although this technique caused Yin energy to manifest in his body, which was the primary energy for activation, halfway through its use, he stopped employing this technique.
Ding!
[The "True Yin Technique" has been interrupted... +10% to sword strength, -10% to health level]
Time seemed to freeze. Xie Qing swallowed hard as the sword was just two centimeters away from striking Xu Mei's side, and then, at the last moment...
"You were genuinely surprised," Xu Mei's voice echoed.
Xie Qing widened his eyes as her hand moved at a speed he couldn't perceive, and the wooden sword parried Xie Qing's strike!
Boom!
A sound of explosion echoed as Xie Qing's force, enhanced by sword techniques, clashed with Xu Mei's sword, appearing intact, while Xie Qing's sword showed signs of destruction with each passing second.
Finally...
Crack!
Due to the excessive physical force applied, the wooden sword shattered into pieces, and splinters flew in all directions. One of them narrowly missed Xie Qing's eyes, causing him to sigh.
Looking at his trembling hand, not just trembling but broken, he sighed. He had strained too much, and his body couldn't withstand all the kinetic energy, instantly transferring it to his internal organs. Even now, he felt a slight dizziness.
However, when he thought he had lost, a deep dent appeared on Xu Mei's wooden sword.
"Congratulations. I defended my sword with my Qi, but you managed to break through that defense and deliver a powerful blow. This means you have exceeded my expectations," Xu Mei began speaking in a calm voice, with a hint of excitement. She added, "Moreover, you demonstrated impressive strength. Among Qi Condensation cultivators, there won't be opponents for you if you can maintain this level in the future."
As Xu Mei continued to explain, Xie Qing tried to listen attentively, ignoring the excruciating pain from his broken bones. Only after five minutes did the excited woman notice the problem.
"And this is how you'll reach a high level... Huh?! Y-your hand... Oh my, it's horrifying!" Xu Mei exclaimed in horror.
"This? Just a mosquito bite, don't worry," Xie Qing replied, smiling carefreely.
"Yeah, tell that to the kids. Wait, I'll get some pills now..."
"No need..."
Before Xie Qing could say anything, Xu Mei reached into a pocket, suddenly producing a bottle of pills, then brought it to Xie Qing's mouth, making him swallow.
The effect was instantaneous. His wounds healed, and spiritual energy within him concentrated on restoring the broken bones. In ten seconds, he returned to normal.
"Thank you, Master," Xie Qing said with a smile, though his smile was strained.
He looked at Xu Mei, who seemed to have experienced immense relief seeing his bones return to their normal state.
Xie Qing thought, "Do all women have a spatial item there?"
***
After the injury, Xu Mei didn't allow Xie Qing to continue training, so she sent him to rest. With nothing else to do, he wandered around the sect. In the meantime, he decided to complete some tasks.
The Task Pavilion today was as lively as ever. He was greeted as usual...
"Disciple White! I heard you went on a mission. What if your handsome face got injured?"
"Aaah... sister, don't remind me! I can't bear it..."
He grimaced, feeling that these girls complicated everything. Why should they care about the condition of his face? And who was he in their eyes? A phone screen without a protective film? Why should he be so easily scratched?
To his great relief, the elders forced the disciples to step aside and not crowd in one place.
"Thank you, Elder. You saved me," Xie Qing said with relief.
"Hmph..."
However, to his great surprise, the elder just snorted, turned on his heel, and walked away to his post. Xie Qing raised an eyebrow.
Not that he was unfamiliar with such an attitude towards himself. Although some elders were friendly, most of them, mostly men, didn't like Xie Qing and once even wanted to expel him from the sect.
But he was beaten by Xu Mei, and then she robbed him. They had no choice but to keep quiet and not provoke the youth further.
But this didn't free Xie Qing from being disliked. So, he could only shake his head at their idiotic behavior.
Approaching the task registration counter, he handed over his token and took out a little bag given for missions involving collecting various things.
"So... as indicated. I collected some herbs, and ended up with twenty jing," Xie Qing said and asked, "Will I be paid extra for this?"
"Well, we don't know if the client will agree. So, let's do it this way: I'll reward you for the basic completion of the mission, and when we receive a response from the client, I'll pass you the remaining Contribution Points. Does that suit you?"
Behind the registration counter was a friendly girl who explained all the intricacies of the process with a sweet smile. Of course, for a few extra Contribution Points, Xie Qing wouldn't start a scandal, so he nodded.
"May I have your disciple token?" the girl asked.
"Of course. Here."
Xie Qing took out his disciple token, clearly showing his status as an outer disciple. The girl at the registration counter glanced at the token and sighed, looking away. She thought.
"If he were at least an inner disciple, I would have asked my family to recruit him... but alas! In this world, talent is more important than beauty."
In the eyes of others, Xie Qing was a beautiful decoration that could be placed somewhere in the corner of the room just for appearance.
However, they didn't know the insane story that this person would leave behind.
***
A piercing sound of an explosion echoed on the training ground.
Boom!
The disciples on the training ground were stunned when they saw two disciples attacking Xie Qing, who was calmly waiting his turn.
They used a smoke screen that hindered seeing Xie Qing's condition.
When one of the disciples used a sword attack to dispel the smoke, they were greatly shocked by the scene that unfolded.
Xie Qing stood in the center, while one of the disciples lay on the ground, his neck twisted at an impossible angle, his life energy undetectable... he was dead!
On the other hand, the surviving disciple was not in a good condition... Xie Qing held him by the throat.
"How amazing. Who would have thought that someone would attack me in broad daylight?" said Xie Qing, and each of the disciples shivered, feeling a chill running down their spine. Ignoring the others, he continued, narrowing his eyes, "You must give me a good reason to spare your life. Sect laws do not apply in self-preservation, so don't hope for that."
"K-kh... I won't tell you anything!"
The disciple seemed to refuse to speak. Xie Qing suddenly smiled and released the disciple's throat, who fell to the ground in surprise. He fell in such a way that his back was turned to Xie Qing, and he could only see the crowd staring at him. The attacker's face darkened.
"Darn! I couldn't kill that bastard, and I also revealed my face... I'm in big trouble now!" thought the disciple, frowning, and then he smirked, "Well, this brat Xie Qing is an idiot. He thinks that by sparing my life, he can get me to confess! Alright then, I'll make him target other people to complicate his life..."
The disciple looked at the crowd and saw that their gazes were filled with shock. While he was thinking about the reason for their surprise...
"Since you don't want to talk, you can die peacefully."
Xie Qing's cold voice was the last thing he heard before his neck was severed.
Before dying thoroughly, he saw Xie Qing's cold face holding a bloodied sword.
Boom!
The head rolled on the floor. Everyone stood in shock.