Firmament Sword

Xushan once said to the Sect Leader, who was then a Tier Nine Sword King, ”Let me be the Sect Leader, and I’ll give you a chance to enter the Divine Power Realm!”

The Jade Balance Sect Master at the time laughed heartily after hearing this and said, ”Do you think I would believe you?”

Then, Xushan suddenly unleashed his aura. It sent sand and stones flying, and many people couldn’t even stand, scrambling backward.

Although the Jade Balance Sect Master didn’t move, his expression changed. He could tell from Xushan’s aura that this seventeen-year-old youth’s power had already reached the level of a Tier Six Sword King!

Such strength would have been considered that of a peerless genius in any of the great super-sects!

This was to say nothing of the fact that just a year prior, Xushan had been merely a Tier Three Sword Venerable with mediocre talent!

To leap from a Tier Three Sword Venerable to a Tier Six Sword King in just one year... what on earth had happened during that time?

The old Sect Leader dismissed everyone on the spot and summoned Xushan to his private chambers. After a long talk, the old Sect Leader made a decision that shocked the entire sect.

He passed the position of Sect Leader to the seventeen-year-old Xushan, then departed gracefully, his whereabouts unknown.

What the old Sect Leader and Xushan discussed on that bloody day decades ago, and where he went afterward, remains a mystery to this day.

After becoming Sect Leader, Xushan didn’t act recklessly as many had feared. Though young, his methods were extremely effective, and he quickly brought the sect’s upper echelons and elder figures to heel.

He then established a new sect rule: throughout the Jade Balance Sect, no one was permitted to use their power to oppress their own. Whether an Inner Sect Disciple or an Outer Disciple, everyone could reach their full potential. If any oppression was discovered, the perpetrator would not be let off lightly, regardless of their status!

Many whispered that the Sect Leader established this rule because of his own origins. Regardless, the lives of the once-lowly and bullied Outer Disciples finally underwent a massive change with one of their own ascending to the position of Sect Leader.

Over the years, many exceptionally talented disciples had indeed emerged from the Jade Balance Sect’s Outer Sect, gradually becoming the backbone of the sect.

No one dared to look down on the Outer Sect anymore. An incident like the one in the past, where an Inner Sect Elder dared to kill an Outer Elder, was now unthinkable.

Although Xushan had killed many people in his rage back then, it hadn’t tarnished his image too much. The ones who had surrounded and tried to kill him were all disciples of those two elders, and Xushan had long since ”cleaned them up.”

Decades passed. As Xushan grew ever stronger and his position as Sect Leader became more secure, no one dared to bring up the events of the past.

It reached the point where many of the younger generation in the Jade Balance Sect had never even heard of what happened, let alone knew that their seemingly scruffy and simple-minded Sect Leader once had the nickname ”Iron-Blooded Butcher” in his youth.

As Xushan’s own niece, Xu Qing knew this history. She was well aware of the powerful inner world possessed by her uncle, who dressed so casually, even sloppily.

Today, upon seeing Xu Luo, Xu Qing had a strange feeling for some reason: this young man named Xu Luo seemed to have a temperament very similar to her uncle’s!

”Unafraid of authority, kills with a smile... heh, not bad!” Xushan said casually, a faint smile appearing on his calm face as he sat in his chair. ”This young man is quite interesting!”

’Just as I thought!’

Xu Qing thought to herself, ’Even though Uncle is now the esteemed Jade Balance Sect Master, deep down, he can never forget the sight of Grandpa being crushed by the powerful and dying unjustly. He doesn’t resent Xu Luo for daring to challenge authority; on the contrary, he admires him!’

”I’m afraid Elder Xiao and the Sect Leader of Tianquan won’t let him off easily,” Xu Qing said quietly, glancing at her uncle.

”So what?” Xushan looked at Xu Qing with a smile. ”Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to that boy? If so, your uncle will help you out!”

”Uncle!” Xu Qing stomped her foot petulantly. ”How could I possibly like him? I just think this is very unfair to him!”

”Oh, so you don’t like him. In that case, just stay out of it,” Xushan said lazily.

”I didn’t want to get involved, I just feel...”

”You feel it’s unfair?” Xushan glanced at Xu Qing and smiled faintly. ”How can there be so much fairness in this world? Speaking of fairness, back then, I was abducted by two people who were countless times stronger than me and taken to those Ancient Ruins. Others said they just wanted to teach me a harsh lesson, but I knew very well they actually wanted to kill me! Was that fair? I hadn’t provoked them. I had only glanced a few times at a beautiful female disciple in the sect...”

A scornful smile touched the corners of Xushan’s lips, but a flash of sorrow crossed his eyes. ”The three of us disappeared at the same time. Even though our family was the victim, two Inner Sect Elders came knocking at our door. One of them grievously wounded your grandfather, who died full of resentment after being bedridden for months. Was that fair?”

”You’re still young. There are many things you don’t understand, like why I flew into such a rage and went on a killing spree back then...” Xushan let out a long sigh, once again recalling the scene he had witnessed when he returned home all those years ago.

”Every time I ask you... you never say,” Xu Qing pouted, muttering in dissatisfaction.

”Since we’re on the subject, I’ll tell you about it. It’s time you knew some things,” Xushan said.

”Back when your grandfather clashed with those two Inner Sect Elders, my older brother... your father, was there. Your brother was there as well...”

”My brother? I... When did I have a brother? Why did no one ever tell me?” Xu Qing’s expression changed instantly.

”Haven’t you ever thought the age gap between your father and mother is especially large?” Xushan glanced at his niece with a bitter smile. ”You’ve been exceptionally talented since childhood. With all the resources I invested in you, your strength grew rapidly. You’ve focused solely on cultivation all these years, so I didn’t think it was necessary to tell you about the past so soon.”

”Uncle, you have to tell me. How could I have a brother? Where is he now?” Xu Qing walked up to Xushan, her eyes already misting over. In her heart, she already had a guess.

”Sigh... When it happened, one of the elders charged forward to kill your grandfather. It was your brother who rushed up to block the blow. Your brother was only two years younger than me, but his talent was far better than mine. He was already a Tier Seven Sword Venerable at the time—a fourteen-year-old Tier Seven Sword Venerable... If he were alive today, he’d probably be just as strong as me, if not stronger,” Xushan sighed.

Looking at Xu Qing, who stood there stunned, he continued, ”Your brother was too young back then. He couldn’t block the elder’s heavy blow and was tragically killed on the spot. Your grandfather and father were enraged, but your grandfather was faster; he charged forward and began a fierce battle with the elder. Your father, meanwhile, desperately tried to save your brother, carrying him as he rushed out...”

”And then...?” Xu Qing asked, her voice trembling slightly.

”Later, your brother couldn’t be saved, and your grandfather was gravely wounded. Your father wanted to fight to the death, but his strength was far too lacking, and he didn’t have the influence of those two Inner Sect Elders. He could only swallow his pride and bear the humiliation. Your father’s previous wife—because of your brother’s death and being unable to get revenge—was completely devastated. Before I returned, my sister-in-law had already committed suicide...”

Tears welled in Xushan’s clear eyes. ”My sister-in-law was always so good to me. My own mother passed away early, and my sister-in-law was like a mother to me and your brother... If I could choose, I would rather not be this damn Jade Balance Sect Master. I would only wish for my family to be safe. But... there is no fairness in this world, and there are no ’what ifs’. That’s why I went on a killing spree when I returned!”

Tears streamed down Xu Qing’s face. She had thought she knew everything that had happened back then, but now she understood she knew nothing at all. To protect her and keep her from being affected, her uncle had hidden the truth from her for seventeen years!

”Afterward, your father didn’t want to remarry. It was I who persuaded him, telling him he needed to leave an heir for the Xu Family. My own life was set on this path—chasing the highest realm of the Martial Dao. I would never marry or have children. So, later on, your father married your mother, and then... you were born.”

Xushan sighed softly as he looked at Xu Qing. ”Your father has also been dead for several years now, and your mother was widowed at a young age. In a way, I bear some responsibility for that.”

”There was so much hidden behind it all... and I was so naive, thinking the past wasn’t that complicated. I even once thought that what you did back then, Uncle, was a bit excessive... Now I see how foolish I was!” Xu Qing said through her tears.

Xushan stood up and patted Xu Qing’s shoulder. ”That’s why, although I admire that audacious boy from Merak, I will not intervene to help him, nor will I stop Elder Xiao from taking revenge on him. This is the path he has chosen for himself. There is no fairness in the world. All fairness must be fought for by oneself!”

Xu Qing nodded, looking at her uncle through blurry, tear-filled eyes. ”Uncle, are all of our enemies from back then dead?”

Xushan smiled faintly and looked at Xu Qing. ”What do you think?”

Xu Qing gritted her teeth. ”I hate that I wasn’t born in that era! If I had been, I would have killed our enemies with my own hands!”

”Don’t let this affect your state of mind. Be a good daughter to your mother and focus on increasing your strength! The future of the Jade Balance Sect will be in your hands,” Xushan said.

”What? Me...? How could I?” It was the first time Xu Qing had heard her uncle say he would groom her to be the Jade Balance Sect Master, and she was at a complete loss. ”I can’t do it!”

”Why can’t you? When I was seventeen, I became the supreme Jade Balance Sect Master in the eyes of the world. No one helped me back then. Now you have me, so why can’t you do it?”

Without giving Xu Qing a chance to think it over, Xushan continued, ”There’s no need to discuss this further. It’s settled. This time, in the Ancient Ruins, you must be careful. The danger won’t just come from the ruins themselves, but perhaps also from those around you!”

Although Xu Qing was inexperienced, she wasn’t foolish. She understood the meaning behind her uncle’s words and said, ”I’ll be careful!”

”Good. Go on, now. The Ancient Ruins are fraught with peril, but they also hold many opportunities! If you can seize just one, you can soar to new heights!” Xushan’s clear, pure gaze grew profound.