Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

The surrounding menial disciples all whipped their heads around, staring at Xie Yuan in surprise.

This was the second time Senior Brother Qin had recently come to the Menial Disciples’ Courtyard. He might not have come even once in the previous few years, yet he had now come twice in a row—both times looking for Zhang Mountain?

Why would the dignified direct disciple of the Sect Leader, the chief disciple himself, be looking for Zhang Mountain?

Many were filled with doubt. Those who knew of his "diligence," including the menial disciples from the woodshed and the Back Hall, couldn’t help but wonder if he had truly caught the eye of the higher-ups. Had even Senior Brother Qin taken a liking to him?

In an instant, the disciples were overcome with envy and jealousy. Some even cried out in their hearts that this couldn’t be real—he must have gotten into trouble...

The menial disciples’ expressions revealed a full spectrum of human emotions, but none of them knew that Xie Yuan’s heart had tightened. He would have preferred Qin Zhenyang not come looking for him at all.

’Coming over at this time... could he have discovered something?’

His mind raced, countless thoughts flashing through it in an instant, but his expression remained respectful as he answered:

"Yes, Senior Brother Qin!"

Xie Yuan followed Qin Zhenyang out of the Menial Disciples’ Courtyard to a secluded spot under a tree outside.

Qin Zhenyang looked at Xie Yuan, sizing him up, and asked quietly:

"Junior Brother Zhang, you didn’t go to the Back Hall today, nor to the Flower Valley Guesthouse, is that right?"

Xie Yuan was startled. He had expected Qin Zhenyang to probe him, but not so directly!

’What should I do? Am I exposed? Should I make up an excuse?’

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Qin Zhenyang sighed softly and said in a low voice:

"Junior Brother Zhang, the Sect has been overwhelmed lately. This is not a good time to be slacking off. The Outer Sect stewards all speak highly of you. We’ve been short-staffed these past few days, and I came looking for you today because I wanted to put you in charge of the four guesthouses on East Half Mountain—Valley, Pine Wind, Red Rock, and Cloud Sea. I needed you to get them in order, but today, you..."

He shook his head and said calmly:

"The steward said you’ve never made a mistake like this before. It must be because everyone has been too busy lately. Everyone has their lazy moments, myself included. We’ll let it go this time, but don’t let it happen again."

"Therefore, I’m still entrusting these four guesthouses to you. You must have them properly prepared before the sword debate. Junior Brother Zhang, the stewards all praise you, and I trust that with your thoroughness, you can get it done, can’t you?"

Xie Yuan froze for a moment, then put on an expression of both shame and excitement. He was a flawless picture of it.

"Yes, Senior Brother Qin! I will definitely not disappoint you again!"

A slight smile appeared on Qin Zhenyang’s face. He patted Xie Yuan on the shoulder and walked away.

Xie Yuan respectfully watched Qin Zhenyang leave, his expression unchanging.

Only after Qin Zhenyang had disappeared from sight did he turn back, his face resolute, his fists clenched, looking full of drive.

’This Senior Brother of mine... I’ve long heard he’s a hands-on person who manages every last detail, a great help to the elders—but to this extent? Last time, he came specifically to ask about me. The commotion from my breakthrough at the Flower Valley Guesthouse must have made him suspicious. I need to be even more low-key from now on. If things get really bad, I’ll just have to slip away...’

Xie Yuan didn’t know if Qin Zhenyang was watching him from somewhere, but he was already on high alert, warning himself not to get complacent just because the Celestial Concealment Skill could deceive a Grandmaster.

There were countless experts here, and plenty of situations that the Celestial Concealment Skill couldn’t handle.

「Upstream, amidst the courtyards where the Outer Sect disciples lived.」

Qin Zhenyang stood beside a courtyard, silently looking down at the Menial Disciples’ Courtyard below like a statue.

Looking at the perfectly normal expression on Xie Yuan’s face, he thought to himself:

’This junior brother... is worth keeping an eye on.’

He retracted his gaze, took out a small notebook, and put a checkmark next to a line of text. Looking at the list of unresolved matters below, he sighed softly, shook his head, and walked to a nearby disciple’s courtyard to assign more tasks.

The touch of autumn was in the air. Down below, the lands of Yunzhou still held the lingering warmth of summer, causing people to marvel at the ferocity of the "autumn tiger," but on Cloud Mountain, the autumn wind had already begun to blow.

In the golden autumn of the ninth month, the entire cultivation world of Yunzhou, and indeed the entire Great Li Dynasty, had turned its gaze toward this beautiful mountain peak, adorned with red maple leaves.

In two days, the Pavilion Master of the East Lake Sword Storage Pavilion, one of the four major sects, would personally lead over a hundred elders and disciples to the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect for a sword debate.

Countless busybodies from the martial world had poured into Yunzhou, crammed into Cloud Mountain County, and overwhelmed Cloud Mountain Town. It had gotten so crowded that even Xie Yuan had to pay extra just to keep the room where he stored his things.

The arrival of so many Martial Artists gave the Yunzhou government a major headache. After all, wherever people from the martial world went, chaos followed.

Fortunately, the Great Li government was very powerful. The Six Gates, which specialized in the affairs of the martial world, and even the Spring Rain Building were formidable forces. Moreover, Cloud Mountain County was the territory of Prince Cloud Mountain, a Martial Arts Grandmaster. They had long been prepared, dispatching many people to maintain order around Cloud Mountain. The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect also sent disciples to assist, preventing any major disasters.

However, while there were no major disasters, chaos was inevitable. In recent days, martial arts competitions and revenge killings occurred daily at the foot of Cloud Mountain. Many smaller sects and large martial arts schools hoped to use the opportunity to make a name for themselves or settle old scores. Numerous fighting arenas, gambling dens, and brothels had sprung up below the mountain. Cloud Mountain Town was livelier than ever, even surpassing Yunzhou Prefecture’s capital city.

The gathering of people from the martial world was like a carnival. But they all knew who the main acts were. Although the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect had closed its doors to visitors recently, barring outsiders from ascending Cloud Mountain, people still gathered here. They all wanted to be the first to know the result of this sword debate, an event that would influence the landscape of the Martial Dao across the world.

The Sword Sect had declined spectators, but some people were still able to obtain invitations. Aside from representatives of major sects on friendly terms with either the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect or the Sword Storage Pavilion, local figures like Yunzhou’s Prince Cloud Mountain and, of course, Situ Qin were qualified to ascend the mountain.

Thus, two days before the event, Situ Qin once again visited the Flower Valley Guesthouse.

"Master Xie, how did you get so busy? Aren’t you the steward of this guesthouse? You’re never around."

Situ Qin complained. She had wanted to chat with Xie Yuan about the grand event, but he had been completely unavailable for the past two days. He had only just now managed to find some free time to have tea with her.

Xie Yuan sighed.

"I got a promotion. Now I have to manage several guesthouses on this half of the mountain. With great power comes great responsibility..."

"Tch, listen to you bragging!"

Situ Qin pouted, then broke into a brilliant smile.

"You’re finally free now, right?"

"Yeah. I discovered I don’t have to do everything myself; I can just order a few menial disciples to go clean. The moment I say it’s Senior Brother Qin’s arrangement, they work harder than anyone. Tsk, I’ve gotten so used to being a beast of burden that I’ve forgotten how to order people around."

Xie Yuan shook his head, grabbed a pastry from Situ Qin’s food box, popped it into his mouth, and began chewing happily.

"Hey, that was the last one! My favorite! Couldn’t you have eaten one of the others?"

Situ Qin’s eyes widened, her exquisitely beautiful little face a picture of anger and frustration. With her snow-white skin, peach-blossom cheeks, and wide, beautiful eyes, she was utterly captivating.

Xie Yuan laughed casually.

"Oh, I didn’t do it on purpose..."

"You did it on purpose!"

Situ Qin glared at him, her cheeks puffed out in a pout. She was long used to his strange remarks.

She huffed softly and didn’t press the issue, instead picking up another type of pastry. As she popped it into her fragrant mouth, her eyes crinkled into crescents.

After eating the pastry, Situ Qin dabbed her mouth with a silk handkerchief and asked excitedly:

"So, the grand event is about to start. Are you excited?"

"Excited? I’m even a little nervous. The thought of my Sect’s disciples going on stage for such a momentous sword debate makes my hands tremble."

Xie Yuan picked up another pastry and said with a touch of indolence:

"But then I remember I’m a menial disciple and don’t have to go on stage, and suddenly I’m not nervous anymore."

Situ Qin giggled and couldn’t help but give him a light smack.

"It seems you don’t have a shred of honor for your Sect, do you?"

"I’m just a floor-sweeper. What do the great affairs of the Sect have to do with my thirty-coin monthly stipend?"

Xie Yuan chuckled, then became a little more serious.

"But to be honest, in the few months I’ve been on this mountain, I’ve found the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect to be a really nice place. The people are good, the mountain is good, and it’s comfortable staying here. I hope they win this time."

"It will be difficult."

Situ Qin shook her head.

"The people from the Sword Storage Pavilion are already on their way, and the roster is no secret. Looking at their lineup, aside from the necessary forces left to guard their sect, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’ve come out in full force. It seems they’re taking this very seriously."

"Is that so? Who are the famous ones?"

Xie Yuan asked with great interest.

Situ Qin teased him.

"With your level of knowledge, you probably wouldn’t know them even if I told you."

Xie Yuan didn’t mind and smiled.

"Then I’ll have to trouble Miss Qin to introduce them, and then I’ll know, won’t I?"

"You certainly know how to sweet-talk. In that case, I suppose I can grace you with an explanation."

Situ Qin took a sip of tea and cleared her throat theatrically.

"AHEM. Ahem. Let’s start with the first one: the Pavilion Master of the Sword Storage Pavilion, fifth on the Flying Dragon List, Wei Dong, the ’Sea-covering Sword’. His ’Sea-Suppressing and Tide-Calming Sword Technique’ has reached the pinnacle of mastery. It’s no empty boast that the sea itself calms when he draws his sword. It’s said that not only is his swordsmanship supreme, but his cultivation has also reached the Transformation Realm, placing him just one step away from the Grandmaster Realm. That’s why he’s ranked fifth on the Flying Dragon List."

Xie Yuan nodded. He had at least heard of this top-tier expert’s name.

"Next are the elders of the Sword Storage Pavilion. Two are coming, both Grandmasters. One of them is Song Qingping, the ’Autumn Water Divine Sword,’ ranked thirty-second on the Flying Dragon List. I don’t need to say much about his cultivation level; his rank on the Flying Dragon List is proof enough. But the main reason he’s so famous is that he’s handsome, roguish, and free-spirited. There are countless anecdotes about him, and many male and female Martial Artists throughout the world see him as an idol."

Situ Qin smiled.

"For example, Nun Jingchen of Brightheart Nunnery was once one of the greatest beauties in the martial world when she was a laywoman. She had countless suitors, but in the end, she joined the nunnery because of him. Now she’s even a Flying Dragon List Master... Hehe, I’ll tell you those stories some other time."

Brightheart Nunnery, like the Sword Storage Pavilion, was one of the four major sects. As Nun Jingchen was a Flying Dragon List Master from the nunnery, Xie Yuan had naturally heard her name. However, he had no idea about this past history and felt he had learned something new.

"Below the Grandmaster level, the Sword Storage Pavilion is also sending quite a few people. He Jin, their chief disciple and seventh on the Hidden Dragon List, is naturally coming. He will definitely face off against your senior brother. The two chief disciples fighting for their Sects’ honor, both heroes of the Hidden Dragon List, will naturally be a much-talked-about battle. It’s just that Qin Zhenyang is only ranked twenty-sixth, a significant gap from He Jin. His chances of victory are slim."

"Besides He Jin, there’s another person named Huang Hao, ranked sixty-eighth on the Hidden Dragon List. He entered the list not long after breaking through to the Qi Blood Second Transformation, so his strength cannot be underestimated."

Xie Yuan nodded silently. The format for the competition had already been decided in advance. Swordsmen strove for simplicity, so the rules weren’t complicated.

The two Sect Leaders would definitely have a match. This was the very reason Wei Dong had initiated the sword debate in the first place; he wanted to know just how far Li Xingtuo’s breakthrough had taken him.

Below the Sect Leaders, a Grandmaster elder would also serve as a representative to compete on behalf of the Sect’s upper echelons.

Below the Grandmaster Realm was the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm. An elite disciple would be chosen from each transformation level. For the third transformation, it went without saying that the two chief disciples would be pitted against each other. But for the Second Transformation, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect was in a tight spot. They didn’t have any disciples on the Hidden Dragon List at the Qi Blood Second Transformation.

As for the Qi Blood First Transformation, their chosen disciple was even more obscure—famous within the Sect, but barely known outside of it.

Below the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, several more matches were set for the External Training disciples, both to assess the new disciples’ talent and to warm up the crowd.

Looking at it this way, Xie Yuan felt that aside from the relatively close strength of the two Sect Leaders, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect seemed to be at a complete disadvantage in every other matchup.

Not counting the External Training matches, he thought of one matchup Situ Qin hadn’t mentioned and asked curiously:

"What about the Qi Blood First Transformation? Who will they be sending?"

Situ Qin took a sip of tea to wet her throat, then said unhurriedly:

"Most likely that kid, Yao Tianchuan."

"Yao Tianchuan?"

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Xie Yuan, but he couldn’t quite place it.

But seeing the look on Situ Qin’s face, he had a flash of insight and asked:

"A disciple from the Yao family of Jinling?"