Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The disciple guided Li Yu along the polished white stone pathway as the inner courtyards of the Ascendant Sword Peak opened up before them. The architecture was stark and imposing with tall towers shaped like sword hilts pointing straight toward the clouds. The air hummed with ambient sword Qi generated by thousands of disciples practicing their forms in the surrounding valleys.

Li Yu took in the sights and appreciated the deep dedication these cultivators poured into their chosen path. There was something to be said when someone worked extremely hard on a singular focus and became a master at it that they gave off a different kind of aura. It was hard to describe with words but was immediately apparent when one talked with such a person. The passion and knowledge they had was intoxicating that it pulled you in and made you want to learn more.

Soon they approached a grand pavilion situated near the edge of a steep cliff. Two familiar figures stood waiting at the entrance. Sect Master Ling Wuji wore his pristine white robes adorned with silver clouds and his face held a warm smile. Standing next to him was Elder Huo Zheng. The veteran commander wore a simple grey robe today but his broad shoulders and weathered face still radiated the tough aura of a seasoned warrior.

"Welcome back to our home," Ling Wuji spoke as he stepped forward with his hands clasped together in a respectful greeting. "It brings great joy to our sect to see our Holy Son answer the call. We know you have many responsibilities with your own life so your presence here is highly appreciated by all of us."

"The honor is mine, Sect Master Wuji," Li Yu replied while returning the bow. "You and your sect have stood by me since I have become your Holy Son. I could not ignore the invitation to join your memorial ceremony."

Elder Huo Zheng let out a booming laugh and stepped up to clap Li Yu on the shoulder. The strike was heavy but Li Yu stood firm without shifting his stance. It was also quite out of character for those within the Heavenly Sword Sect but Li Yu thought that his grandfather had rubbed off on him over their time together.

"Look at how much you have grown since the last conference," Huo Zheng grinned broadly. "Your strength feels as solid as a mountain. I see you did not bring that terrifying bone sword out to scare our disciples at the gate this time."

Li Yu chuckled and remembered the chaotic events from their previous encounter. "I decided to leave the scary things tucked away for a peaceful retreat. Speaking of past encounters, my grandfather sends his regards to you. He told me to say hello and he specifically asked me to remind you about a certain jar of thousand year old wine you owe him for saving your life."

Huo Zheng coughed loudly and his face turned slightly red while Ling Wuji let out a rare chuckle.

"That old monster has a memory like a steel trap. Doesn’t he have other things to worry about?" Huo Zheng grumbled while crossing his arms. "Tell him I have the wine sealed away safely. I will drink it with him the next time we share a battlefield. He only dragged me out of that beast horde because he wanted the glory for himself anyway. That man is insufferable."

The slight banter settled into a comfortable rhythm and broke the tension between the three. Not many got to see this side of the two men with Li Yu’s unique status as Holy Son and also as the son of the Worldkeeper granting him such a privilege. Ling Wuji and Huo Zheng treated him with genuine kindness and care. Ling Wuji respected Li Yu for his kind character and the decrees of the ancestors while Huo Zheng felt a strong kinship due to his long history fighting alongside Zhan Tian. It was a welcoming environment that made Li Yu feel at ease despite the imposing surroundings.

"The entire sect participates in this memorial besides forces that stay behind to protect our interests. Those people will head to the realm after everyone gets back." Ling Wuji said while gesturing toward the sprawling crowd of cultivators. "The seniors go to remember the friends they buried. The commanders go to cleanse their minds of the bloodshed they face on the battlefields and the juniors go to understand the weight of the legacy they are inheriting."

"It is an impressive gathering," Li Yu noted while looking over the organized ranks. "I am honored to be a part of this and walk among all of you."

"We want you to travel alongside what we would call our younger generation today," Huo Zheng suggested while pointing toward the sea of white robes in the distance. "While most people of note are much older than you anyways, the elders and the commanders are a bit more set in their ways. They are too stubborn to learn anything new at least in such a short amount of time. But the juniors have bright and more willing minds. They need to spend time with someone who doesn’t walk our path yet was deemed worthy by the temple."

Ling Wuji nodded in agreement. "They are the future of our sect and they will benefit greatly from interacting with you during this retreat. I am sure you will have much to gain from them as well. Please follow me."

The Sect Master led Li Yu down the steps of the pavilion and walked toward the section of the plaza where the youngest and most promising talents were gathered. The group consisted of around fifty disciples standing in immaculate rows. They carried unadorned straight swords at their waists and their posture was incredibly stiff but they all looked natural standing there. They looked more like statues carved from ice than living people but gave the impression that they would look awkward if they were more relaxed.

Standing at the very front was a young man with sharp features and piercing eyes. He radiated a fierce sword intent that marked him as the top genius of their current generation.

"This is Feng Tianyi," Ling Wuji introduced the young man. "He is our lead disciple for the younger cohort during this gathering."

Feng Tianyi stepped forward and bowed at an exact ninety degree angle to the sect leader or at least Li Yu thought it was to the sect leader. His movements were precise and calculated without a single wasted motion. Everything was perfectly measured and his aura was incredibly sharp.

"Greetings, Holy Son," Feng Tianyi spoke with a voice devoid of emotion. "It is our honor to walk the path of the ancestors by your side. We will ensure your needs are met and your stay is comfortable during this time."

The rest of the disciples followed his lead and bowed in unison while repeating the formal greeting and it was at this moment that Li Yu realized they were bowing to him. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a blade as he didn’t know how to respond to this sudden gesture. They treated Li Yu like a sacred relic placed on a pedestal rather than a fellow cultivator of a much younger age or an outsider. It was clear they also did not know how to act around someone who held such a high title but did not practice their specific orthodox arts.

'They are so stiff it looks like their bones are made of forged steel,' Li Yu thought as he observed the rigid disciples. His thoughts came back to him and this gesture was simply too much for him. 'I need to get them to relax or this entire week is going to feel too stifling.'

Li Yu let out a smile and decided to break the ice immediately. He stepped closer to the disciples and waved his hand in a casual dismissive gesture.

"There is no need for all of this formality," Li Yu said with an easygoing expression. "We are going on this journey together to honor the past. I am not an ancestor waiting to punish you for breathing too loudly. You can relax your shoulders and treat me as one of your own."

The disciples blinked in surprise and a few of them exchanged uncertain glances. Feng Tianyi slowly straightened his posture but he kept his hands formally clasped in front of him.

"We must uphold the dignity of the sect," Feng Tianyi replied seriously. "You hold the highest honor our founders can bestow. To treat you casually would be a breach of our core tenets and show a lack of discipline."

"Your core tenets should also value a clear and unburdened mind," Li Yu countered smoothly while drawing upon the lectures he had heard during the previous sword conference. "A rigid mind creates a weak sword. If you spend the entire week bowing and treating me like an elder, then neither of us will get any rest. Tell me, Feng Tianyi, what do you do for fun when you are not swinging a sword?"

The top genius looked genuinely confused by the question as it wasn’t something he even thought about. He furrowed his brow and thought hard before answering.

"I meditate on the forms of the sword," Feng Tianyi answered earnestly. "I polish my blade and I study the ancient texts regarding sword intent."

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Li Yu laughed out loud and the sound echoed brightly across the plaza. The genuine amusement in his voice seemed to chip away at the awkward tension holding the group together.

"That sounds like more work," Li Yu joked while shaking his head but that answer made him understand these people here better. "Do any of you eat good food? Do you go fishing in the streams or play any games?"

A young female disciple standing behind Feng Tianyi raised her hand slightly after a long moment of awkwardness. The sect leader and Huo Zheng continued to say nothing and let them play this out. Her name was Lin Xue and she offered a hesitant voice. "I enjoy watching the clouds shift over the eastern peaks at times. Sometimes they look like different types of sword strikes."

Li Yu chuckled again and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it seems we have a lot of work to do this week. By the time this is over, I am going to make sure all of you know how to enjoy a proper meal without thinking about swords. When it comes to slacking off and enjoying oneself, I have a renown reputation as you all probably saw at the last sword conference."

Another disciple named Zhou Ming cracked a small smile. "We only eat the nutritional pills provided by the logistics pavilion. They sustain the body so we do not have to waste time cooking or cleaning. That frees up more time for thoughts on the sword."

"That is a tragedy," Li Yu gasped with mock horror. "Good food nourishes the soul just as much as ambient Qi. No, it nourishes it much more! I brought plenty of fresh ingredients with me. I will cook a meal for all of you tonight and prove that taking a break is good for your cultivation and sword intent."

The disciples offered small and hesitant smiles in return. The Holy Son was known as an easy going person and they are seeing it first hand. However, the issue was that they didn’t know how to handle such an easy going person. He was approachable and carried a warm energy that contrasted sharply with their own cold discipline which actually made them more hesitant. The fact that he was the Holy Son and was telling them this though, they had no choice but to listen to him and do their best. They began to loosen their stiff postures just a fraction as they realized he was easy to talk to.

Ling Wuji and Huo Zheng watched the interaction with approving nods before moving to address the wider assembly. It was clear they had their own ideas about this but it looks like it was more or less heading in a direction they had wanted. The Sect Master's voice soon echoed across the plaza to signal the start of the journey.

"The spatial arrays are ready," Ling Wuji announced. "Let us make our way there and begin the pilgrimage."

The vast crowd began to move in orderly columns. The elders took the lead while the commanders followed close behind. Li Yu walked comfortably among the junior disciples near the rear of the procession. He did not isolate himself at the front with the Sect Master and he did not demand space from the youth. He initiated small conversations as they moved and asked them about their daily lives as he was trying to crack into their circle.

He learned that their schedules were brutally strict but that they enjoyed it. They woke up before dawn to practice forms and spent their afternoons circulating Qi to refine their sword intent. They viewed every action in life through the lens of their martial path in one way or another. Li Yu shared stories of his own travels and described the rich flavors of beast meat seasoned with rare herbs he had found in the mortal realms.

The disciples listened with some interest but many of them tried to relate it back to their sword techniques. For example Li Yu’s cooking story became how to utilize fire sword techniques to defeat a demonic beast. They were isolated from the wider world for most of their lives and they rarely mingled with outsiders. Even though Li Yu held their most revered title, he was still an outsider in many ways. He did not carry a blade on his back, use sword techniques and his aura did not carry the sharp edge they were so accustomed to sensing from one another.

This created a unique dynamic as they walked toward the array chambers. The juniors were doing their best to open up to him and answered his questions with a somewhat less robotic stiffness. They realized he was easy to get along with even though he was quite different from them. The aura and natural charm that he had lulled them in and made them feel much more comfortable as they slowly not distance themselves from him. They walked close by and engaged in the conversation.

At the same time, they did not embrace him as an immediate brother either. There was a noticeable cultural gap between them. When the disciples spoke to each other they used complex terminology related to sword techniques and discussed their cultivation bottlenecks. Li Yu could not contribute to those specific topics since his path was fundamentally different. He controlled flying weapons with his Qi and soul rather than wielding a physical blade with orthodox forms. He used them as projectiles rather than knowing any sword techniques.

They respected him immensely due to his title and his cultivation but they did not truly understand him yet. They viewed him as a mystery but a mystery that they surprisingly wanted to get to know better. He was a person who earned the ultimate acknowledgment from their founders without ever walking their specific road. The distance between them was not born of malice or suspicion but simply a lack of shared or similar experiences. Everyone was also curious as to why he exiled from the Li Clan, another powerhouse of sword users.

"Do you truly not practice any foundational sword forms? You are a Li at heart after all." Feng Tianyi asked with genuine curiosity as they navigated a wide flight of stone stairs leading underground. "When you summon your flying weapons, how do you dictate the angle of the strike without knowing the proper techniques?"

"I rely on speed and intent rather than a specific stance but its underlying base is a sword formation" Li Yu answered honestly while keeping his tone conversational. "If I need a weapon to pierce a target, I direct my Qi to drive the point forward. I do not worry about the exact angle because I am not holding the weapon physically. The weapon becomes an extension of my thoughts rather than an extension of my arm. I just send it out to strike and keep it rather simple. I overwhelm them with quantity, quality and overwhelming force."

Feng Tianyi pondered the answer and nodded slowly. "That requires a staggering amount of Qi and soul strength to maintain precision. It is a very different philosophy from ours and many of us would strain to maintain such things for a long time. We believe the physical form guides the soul toward enlightenment. If the body moves perfectly, then the mind will follow."

"Both paths have their merits," Li Yu smiled and offered a diplomatic response. "That is why we have gatherings like this. We can learn from the differences and broaden our horizons. There are so many different sword techniques because there are many paths even on the path of the sword."

The stone stairs eventually opened up into a sprawling cavern carved directly into the heart of the mountain. Glowing crystals embedded in the high ceiling provided a soft blue light. The center of the cavern was dominated by a colossal spatial array constructed from silver metal and carved jade. Complex runes pulsed with dormant energy across the wide platform.

Thousands of cultivators began filing onto the array. The elders stood near the center while the commanders formed a protective ring around them. It became clear to Li Yu very quickly that everyone understood where they should be standing. Li Yu stepped onto the silver platform alongside Feng Tianyi and the other juniors near the outer edge.

Several high ranking array masters stood near the control pillars and they bowed respectfully as the Sect Master took his position.

"The coordinates for the Realm of the Whispering Blades are locked," the lead array master reported. "We are ready to initiate the transfer for the entire assembly at your command."

Ling Wuji turned to face the gathered crowd and his expression turned solemn as the murmurs died down. The memorial ceremony was an important event for their faction.

"We travel to the sacred ground to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us," Ling Wuji spoke with a voice that echoed through the cavern. "This is a time for reflection and respect. Leave your worldly grievances behind. Open your minds to the lingering intent of the ancestors and seek enlightenment in the tranquility of the realm."

The disciples bowed and their expressions returned to a state of serious devotion. Li Yu offered a polite nod to show his own respect for their traditions and watched on to understand this sect further.

"Activate the array," Ling Wuji instructed.

The array masters channeled their power into the control pillars and a deafening hum filled the cavern. A brilliant pillar of silver light erupted from the runes and swallowed the entire assembly. The physical world dissolved into a chaotic swirl of spatial energy. Li Yu felt the familiar sensation of crossing vast distances as the protective barrier of the array shielded them from the tearing forces of the void.

The transition lasted for several moments before the silver light faded away. The crushing pressure of the spatial tunnel vanished and was immediately replaced by a gentle and refreshing breeze.

Li Yu stepped off the platform and took a deep breath. The air here was incredibly pure and carried the scent of blooming wildflowers mixed with fresh water. He looked around and saw a stunningly beautiful landscape, reminding him of Dragon Core in its pureness but it definitely wasn’t Dragon Core. Rolling hills covered in vibrant green grass stretched out toward a series of majestic mountains in the distance. Crystal clear streams flowed through the valleys and the sky above was a flawless shade of azure blue.

It did not look like a harsh training ground or a desolate battlefield like Li Yu thought it might have been. It looked like a hidden paradise untouched by the chaos of the Myriad Realms. The thousands of cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect stood in quiet silence as they absorbed the peaceful atmosphere.

"Welcome to the Realm of the Whispering Blades," Ling Wuji said softly as he stepped down from the array platform. "This realm was cleared of all threats by our founder. It was designed to be a sanctuary where our descendants could find peace and focus on the essence of their path."

The junior disciples looked out over the pristine landscape with confusion in their eyes. They breathed in the tranquil energy and seemed to relax their tense shoulders just a bit more. Li Yu smiled as he took in the scenery and felt the gentle wind against his face.

He was looking forward to this even more now. He hoped to use this time to solidify his own mental state and perhaps build a genuine connection with these dedicated swordsmen. Perhaps through understanding them better, he would be able to form a better connection with the Li Clan once his exile was removed. The week ahead held a lot of promise.