123: Desolate Xingjian Peak

“Is this enough?”

Lu Yuchen’s voice was calm, as calm as a handful of snow in the dog days of summer, yet it clearly drilled into the ears of everyone in the Lichen Sword Sect square.

This voice formed an extreme contrast with the brilliant divine miracle of ten thousand swords suspended above the sky.

“Gulp.”

Someone, though it was unclear who, swallowed with difficulty.

Immediately after, it was as if a chain reaction began.

“Gulp.”

“Gulp, gulp…”

The sounds of swallowing, one after another, resounded throughout the entire venue.

All eyes refocused on the instigator.

The young man who was lying lazily in an armchair, merely waving his sleeve.

Shock!

Unparalleled shock.

The Sect Master of Lichen Sword Sect, Li Tian, looked at Lu Yuchen, his lips trembling, but his heart was incomparably excited.

The other ten Peak Revered Masters beside him looked at Lu Yuchen with ashen faces, their eyes filled with awe and fear.

Ten thousand swords submitting!

What kind of cultivation and understanding of the Dao was this?

Martial Emperor?

Martial Venerable?

No!

Could it be Martial Saint!

“Senior… Senior…”

Sect Master Li Tian forcibly suppressed the fear and curiosity in his heart, lowering his posture to the absolute minimum.

“It is this Junior who was ignorant and offended Senior! I beg Senior… to forgive me!”

With his bow, the ten Peak Revered Masters behind him, who usually held their heads high, dared not remain standing, and they all bowed together in unison.

“We, greet Senior!”

As for the Loose Cultivators who came to watch the excitement in the square, and the spies sent by other Schools, they were already scared out of their wits, not even daring to lift their heads.

Lu Yuchen stretched, his bones cracking with a series of “crackle, crackle” sounds.

He glanced at Li Tian and said, “Since that’s the case, then the position of Star Sword Peak Peak Revered Master…”

“It must be you!” Li Tian nodded frantically like a pecking chick, “From today onwards, you will be the Peak Revered Master of my Lichen Sword Sect’s Twelfth Peak, Star Sword Peak! Within the Sect, your status will be equal to mine!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

Those Disciples of the Lichen Sword Sect who had originally harbored doubts and felt that Lu Yuchen’s origins were unclear, now had no trace of discontent.

Are you kidding? Such a god-like figure is more than qualified to be a Peak Revered Master.

“Welcome, Peak Revered Master!”

Someone, though it was unclear who, was the first to react and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Immediately after, congratulatory shouts, like a mountain tsunami, resounded through the sky!

“Welcome, Peak Revered Master!”

“We greet the Peak Revered Master of Star Sword Peak!”

Those Disciples from various peaks who had previously been sarcastic towards Li Huowang now changed their expressions faster than flipping a book, their faces filled with fawning smiles, almost rushing forward to cling to his leg.

“Peak Revered Master! Do you still accept Disciples? How do you find my aptitude?”

“Peak Revered Master! This Disciple is willing to lead your horse and hold your stirrup, only begging to be accepted under your tutelage and listen to your teachings.”

Lu Yuchen, however, had no interest in even glancing at these flies.

He swept his gaze across the entire venue, secretly using the Observation Technique.

Red, orange, yellow… Occasionally a few green ones, which were considered to have good talent.

But in his eyes, they were all Mortals.

Not a single one was impressive.

“We’ll talk about it another day.”

Lu Yuchen waved his hand, directly refusing.

Then, he lazily spoke to Li Huowang, who was already dumbfounded beside him.

“Little Li, let’s go, let’s go check out our own mountain.”

“Ah? Oh! Alright, Revered Master!” Li Huowang only then woke up as if from a dream, quickly stepped forward, lifted the armchair, and trotted after Lu Yuchen.

Under the gaze of countless respectful and envious eyes, the Revered Master and Disciple swayed leisurely towards Star Sword Peak.

…

Star Sword Peak.

Among the twelve peaks of Lichen Sword Sect, it was the most remote, and also the most… desolate one.

When Sect Master Li Tian personally led Lu Yuchen and Li Huowang to this place, even though Lu Yuchen had already prepared himself mentally, the corner of his eye couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

What the hell, this is called a “Peak”?

This was clearly a desolate graveyard where not even birds would shit!

As far as the eye could see, weeds grew rampant, and jagged rocks protruded everywhere.

Along the mountain path, there were only withered vines and ancient trees, not even a decent set of steps.

Halfway up the mountain, there was indeed a passable palace, but that palace was also in disrepair from age, with peeling walls and spiderwebs everywhere, exuding an indescribable sense of decay and desolation.

“Cough, cough.”

Sect Master Li Tian, seeing Lu Yuchen’s somewhat strange expression, also blushed and coughed twice before explaining, “Senior, this Star Sword Peak has been abandoned for decades since the disappearance of my Sect’s previous Peak Revered Master… Within the Sect, we truly couldn’t spare the extra manpower and resources to repair it, so…”

“So it ended up looking like this?” Lu Yuchen curled his lips.

He wasn’t complaining.

He just felt that this Lichen Sword Sect was truly in a miserable state.

Just then, an old and hunched figure, holding a tattered broom, was laboriously sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the palace.

It was an old man, looking about seventy or eighty years old, dressed in a faded servant’s uniform, his aura weak, indeed only a Martial Artist who couldn’t even be considered an Acquired Martial Artist.

When he saw Sect Master Li Tian and the others, a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy old eyes, and then he put down his broom and was about to step forward to salute.

“No need for formalities.” Li Tian waved his hand and introduced him to Lu Yuchen, “Senior, his name is Uncle Chen, he is an ordinary Disciple of our Sect. Decades ago, as soon as he entered the School, he was assigned to this Star Sword Peak to be responsible for cleaning and guarding. He has been here for decades.”

“Since the disappearance of the previous Peak Revered Master, only he has been left on Star Sword Peak.”

Lu Yuchen looked at the old man upon hearing this.

One person, guarding a desolate mountain for decades?

This kind of perseverance was indeed rare.

He swept his Observation Technique over him.

Name: Uncle Chen

Luck Rank: Grey (Mortal limit, not long for this world)

Lu Yuchen shook his head slightly and withdrew his gaze.

In the end, he was just a Mortal.

Li Tian gave a few more instructions, saying that all the resources needed for Star Sword Peak could be collected from the Sect’s Internal Affairs Hall, and then he took his leave.

The vast Star Sword Peak was truly left with only Lu Yuchen, Li Huowang, and the old man named Uncle Chen.

“Revered Master, are we… are we going to live here from now on?” Li Huowang looked at the dilapidated scene before him, his face crestfallen.

“What? Do you have an opinion?” Lu Yuchen glanced at him.

“No! No opinion!” Li Huowang shuddered, instantly shaking his head like a rattle drum, “This Disciple thinks this place is great! Quiet! Elegant! It’s clearly a good place for self-cultivation and nurturing one’s nature!”

…

Four days passed in a flash.

These four days, the entire Lichen Sword Sect and even several surrounding Schools were stirred up by Lu Yuchen’s arrival.

A supreme existence, suspected to be a Martial Saint, had joined the Lichen Sword Sect and became the new owner of Star Sword Peak!

This news was no less than a major earthquake.

Countless people desperately tried to visit Star Sword Peak, hoping to meet this legendary “Senior expert,” but without exception, they were all blocked at the foot of the mountain.

And Li Huowang, by virtue of his identity as the “Personal Disciple of the Star Sword Peak Peak Revered Master,” officially became one of the twelve true Disciples of the Lichen Sword Sect.

On this day.

Sect Master Li Tian visited again.

“Peak Revered Master Lu.”

“Three days from now will be our Lichen Sword Sect’s once-a-decade Disciple acceptance ceremony.”

“I wonder… if Peak Revered Master Lu’s Star Sword Peak is interested in participating?”