First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2782 – The Pendant of Recommendation

Wang Yuan was carried out of the arena, his face pale.

His wounds were heavy, but not to the point that he couldn’t walk. In truth, he’d been scared out of his wits.

He’d only just cursed at the founder of his sect in front of the experts of thirteen Heavenly Monarch-level factions. When he realized what he’d done, he longed for nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into.

He increasingly loathed Li Muchen. If not for him, how could he possibly have wound up in such a dire, embarrassing situation?

……

Qi Jingzhen took a seat amongst the experts of Blueleaf Sword Court, his expression dark. He didn’t say a word.

He’d already grasped the situation. Sect Leader Shi Huiyan had explained it personally, without leaving anything out or embellishing anything.

But his explanation only made Qi Jingzhen even angrier. This wasn’t the place for it, but had they been anywhere else, he’d have wanted to decapitate Shi Huiyan on the spot!

What a crock of shit!

You disregarded the sect rules and cast out the heaven-defying sword cultivator who overcame the ninth floor of Heart Sword Tower… all to curry favor with the Wang Family?

How stupid and muddleheaded can you be?

Generations of our forebears are spinning in their coffins!

But it was too late. All Qi Jingzhen could do was endure.

He rubbed his forehead, forcefully keeping his fury and murderous intent in check.

At the same time, he tried to comfort himself. He’s an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator. Who knows how much time he’d need to grow before he was ready to shoulder heavy responsibilities?

Who knew how many once dazzling Eternals shone bright like a comet, only for their radiance to dim before they ever became Heavenly Monarchs?

Some died young, while others lost their way and sank into obscurity.

Others met with other kinds of accidents.

Ultimately, only a few became Heavenly Monarchs in the end. Who knew if an Unfettered Realm cultivator like Li Muchen would live to realize his potential? Or if the obstacles along the way would take their toll, leading to him becoming just another face in the crowd?

It was hard to say.

But there was one thing Qi Jingzhen could say for sure. Losing an Unfettered Realm cultivator really wasn’t enough to shake a prominent Eternal orthodoxy’s foundations.

Qi Jingzhen knew that there was a certain logic to Sect Leader Shi Huiyan’s decision. Ultimately, in their eyes, no matter how impressive an Unfettered Realm cultivator was, he meant little compared to an alliance with the Wang Family.

It was as simple as that.

Moreover, Qi Jingzhen now knew that Shi Huiyan and the others hadn’t known that Li Muchen had quietly overcome the ninth floor of Heart Sword Tower.

If they had, they wouldn’t have dared to force him out of the sect.

Although Qi Jingzhen had calmed down, he felt frustrated and dejected.

He’d been waiting for the person who’d become his closed-door disciple for a long, long time. Now he’d appeared, only to slip out of his hands.

Moreover, he’d made a fool of himself in front of the crowd. The Blueleaf Sword Sect was sure to become the laughingstock of the entire Literati Continent.

And Qi Jingzhen’s reputation was surely in shambles, too!

What’s done is done. There’s nothing I can do about it, Qi Jingzhen sighed.

He’d decided to find Li Muchen for a private meeting after the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. Even if he couldn’t fix the situation, he could at least explain himself.

That aside, the way Qi Jingzhen saw it, Li Muchen’s decision to join the Light Beam Sword Pavilion was extremely unwise!

They’d fallen to the point that they barely even qualified as a Heavenly Monarch-level faction again. They’d only hinder Li Muchen’s rise to prominence!

As Qi Jingzhen pondered, one duel after another played out on stage.

Su Yi fought twice more. Both times, he defeated his opponents smoothly and quickly.

He made it into the top thirty without the slightest suspense, earning a spot in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.

Bu Meng grinned.

Qi Jingzhen, meanwhile, had only just suppressed his fury, but the sight brought it all back to the surface. His expression darkened. Li Muchen’s glory should have been the Blueleaf Sword Sect’s!

“Martial Great Uncle, by now, we’re all but certain that Li Muchen was really a spy with malicious intentions!” Patriarch Du Ya transmitted solemnly out of nowhere.

Qi Jingzhen’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you say that?”

Du Ya explained, “When he joined the sect two and a half years ago, there were no problems with his entrance test or background check, or so we thought. Looking back on it now, his cultivation base is suspicious.

“The strength he displayed then wasn’t anything like the heaven-defying performance he’s putting on now. Just two and a half years have passed. He couldn’t possibly have made this much progress.

“There’s only one possible explanation. When he joined the Blueleaf Sword Sect, he deliberately hid his true cultivation base!

“But why would he do something like that? He’s got to be hiding something!”

Qi Jingzhen furrowed his brow. This was his first time hearing that Li Muchen had joined the sect just two years ago.

It really was difficult to understand.

If Li Muchen was so heaven-defying, why hadn’t anyone heard of him before?

With strength like that, no matter where he went, he couldn’t possibly remain unknown!

The thought filled Qi Jingzhen’s heart with solemnity.

“Founder, it seems to me that we can’t leave the boy alive! He’s deeply humiliated the entire sect, and his background is highly suspicious. I even suspect that he’s harbored malicious intentions from the day he first joined us!” said Du Ya, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

“Who recommended him?” asked Qi Jingzhen. “Have you investigated their identity?”

Du Ya explained that there hadn’t been anything overtly suspicious about his test results or background, nor anything particularly noteworthy.

But the more normal he seemed then, the stranger his current power seemed!

“Do you have the ‘Pendant of Recommendation’ he brought when he joined the sect?” asked Qi Jingzhen.

When orthodoxies recruited new members, all newcomers had to meet extremely exacting requirements and pass difficult tests.

They were even more cautious when someone who’d already achieved Eternity tried to join them.

But it was different when a would-be disciple had one of the sect’s Pendants of Recommendation.

The pendants were tokens given to those the Blueleaf Sword Sect trusted deeply.

If there was a problem with Li Muchen, one look at his Pendant of Recommendation would reveal who’d given it to him.

“The sect leader has it,” said Du Ya.

Shi Huiyan took a jade pendant out of his sleeves and handed it to Qi Jingzhen. “This was given to me by a Mr. Wu Lou. He said he knew you. I’ve already sent someone to investigate, and it seems like everything is in order.”

Qi Jingzhen took the pendant and furrowed his brow. Suddenly, something occurred to him.

But before he could pursue that line of thought, Lu Xuanwu walked over and clasped his fist in greeting. “Founder, Li Muchen might be strong, but I’m sure I can defeat him!”

This was the greatest Unfettered Realm Sword cultivator in the Blueleaf Sword Sect. Confidence was written all over his face.

Qi Jingzhen glanced at him, then said, “Have you challenged Heart Sword Tower?”

Du Ya laughed. “Founder, you don’t know this yet, but three years ago, Lu Xuanwu made it to the sixth floor. He’s only the third disciple to get that far in the past one hundred thousand years! He’s now the unquestioned top Unfettered Realm expert in the sect!”

His gaze was full of admiration.

Lu Xuanwu said nothing, but his back straightened, and his eyes shone with pride. The founder’s right here. This is the perfect opportunity to show off!

They say the founder still has yet to accept a closed-door disciple. Were I fortunate enough to draw his eye, I’d ascend to the heavens in a single bound!

“The sixth floor, huh?” Qi Jingzhen had a complicated look on his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to disillusion the proud young man standing before him. He said warmly, “That’s really quite something. Still, I urge you to be careful when you fight Li Muchen. Better yet…”

But then, he trailed off. He was afraid of destroying Lu Xuanwu’s will to fight, but he also didn’t want him to underestimate his opponent.

Qi Jingzhen wasn’t quite sure how to navigate this.

The way Lu Xuanwu saw it, the founder was looking out for him. His spirits rose, and he smiled.

“Please rest assured, founder!” said Lu Xuanwu. He then walked onto the stage.

His next opponent would be Li Muchen!

Qi Jingzhen watched him climb proudly onto the stage. The corners of his lips twitched, and his brow furrowed. You seriously think I was trying to encourage you, huh? I’m just afraid you’ll get crushed!

But Qi Jingzhen couldn’t say that out loud.

Du Ya, Shi Huiyan, and the other higher-ups didn’t know that Li Muchen had overcome the ninth floor of Heart Sword Tower.

When they saw Lu Xuanwu take the stage, their spirits soared. All of them were eager.

Wang Yuan’s defeat had been far too brutal. It would be just wonderful if Lu Xuanwu managed to teach that traitor Li Muchen a lesson! It would also prove that the Blueleaf Sword Sect had no shortage of capable disciples!

Only Qi Jingzhen’s expression was dark, and indeed, Lu Xuanwu lost, just as he expected.

Within ten snaps of the fingers, he took three slashes.

The first sent him flying backward.

The second shook his heart and soul, forcing him to unleash the supreme divine ability of the Dao of the Sword he kept in reserve in a bid to turn the tides.

But it was to no avail. Li Muchen’s third strike sent Lu Xuanwu flying out of the arena, his skin torn, flesh pulped, and whole body burnt black. He foamed at the mouth, then toppled over unconscious.

The crowd was in uproar. Startled cries arose on all sides.

Only the experts of Blueleaf Sword Sect were stunned. Their eyes widened, and their jaws hung slack. They just sat there, as unmoving as wooden chickens, unable to even speak.

Qi Jingzhen felt as if his heart were about to explode from sheer frustration. You just beat your chest and assured us that Li Muchen would lose beneath your sword! That’s all you’ve got?

Your skills are so meager, yet you’re the best Unfettered Realm cultivator our sect has to offer? How shameful!!

But then, Qi Jingzhen recalled the thought he had earlier.

Yes, it was Mister Wu Lou who’d given Li Muchen his Pendant of Recommendation.

However, Qi Jingzhen had originally given the pendant to a certain unparalleled Heavenly Monarch he saw as his fellow Daoist. The Heavenly Monarch in question didn’t need it, so they tossed it to Mister Wu Lou and told him to look after it in their stead.

The thought made Qi Jingzhen break out in cold sweats.

Because that unparalleled Heavenly Monarch was none other than the master of White Sparrow Tower!

A man famed for his interest in building his mound of corpses, and who killed like it was nothing.

Even Qi Jingzhen could only take on the role of junior in front of that famed expert, and he dared not show him even the slightest disrespect.

Don’t tell me that Li Muchen is one of Lian Luo’s juniors? That’s got to be it. There’s no faking that Pendant of Recommendation, and Mister Wu Lou absolutely wouldn’t dare to just give it away without explicit permission.

The thought that his sect had declared Li Muchen a traitor and kicked him out filled him with fury once more. There was no longer any suppressing his accumulated anger and frustration, and he coughed up blood on the spot.

Worse, he almost toppled over backward, chair and all.

You damned fools! You could have gotten me in a world of trouble just now!!