Evening.
Lin Zhao, along with Fu Zhi and Chu Yu, arrived at Zhang Luobai's home. Fu Zhi and Chu Yu carried gifts. Upon entering, Lin Zhao expressed his desire to take Zhang Luobai as a disciple. From then on, Zhang Luobai would reside at the Mountain Peak Villa, attending Hexiang Academy during the day and practicing swordplay at the villa in the evening. However, he could return home whenever he wished, as it was nearby.
Upon seeing their son chosen by the legendary Mountain Master, Zhang Luobai's parents were overjoyed. The simple father almost knelt, but Lin Zhao quickly supported him. After leaving some gifts, Lin Zhao departed with Zhang Luobai. Lin Zhao didn't directly give Zhang Luobai's family a sum of money, deeming it potentially detrimental. Instead, he gave a few instructions to Mu Zha, mentioning that Zhang Luobai's father, being a carpenter, could be drafted into the army for work and paid a good wage.
Nightfall.
This was Zhang Luobai's first night at the Mountain Peak Villa. Fu Zhi selected his living quarters and then led him to the Natural Abode. Meanwhile, Lin Zhao sat by the lotus pond, using his flying sword, Haoran, to shave a piece of wood.
"Master," Zhang Luobai called out softly.
"Hmm, hold on," Lin Zhao replied with a smile, continuing his work. Soon, a wooden sword, remarkably similar to the Dragon Slaying Sword, was crafted. It was made from the branch of an eleventh-realm water ash tree spirit and carved with the flying sword Haoran, making it far from ordinary. It was exceptionally resilient, capable of breaking even a regular iron sword in a clash.
"Master… is this for me?" Zhang Luobai asked.
"Yes," Lin Zhao said. "You're just beginning to learn the sword, so use this wooden sword. Don't be overly ambitious. When your realm improves, I will take you to Sword Mountain to choose a sword of your own."
"Yes, thank you, Master!" The boy's smile was radiant. Finally, he would have his own sword. Even if it was a wooden one, it was given by his master, making it undoubtedly the finest wooden sword in the world.
After carving the wooden sword, Lin Zhao inscribed the characters "Liu Cheng" near the hilt, signifying that the sword was made from water ash. This also held a personal sentiment for him, as after so many years, he deeply missed his good friend Zhang Liucheng. Although Zhang Luobai was Zhang Liucheng's reincarnation, he lacked his past life's memories.
"Done," Lin Zhao said, handing the wooden sword over.
Zhang Luobai immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Disciple thanks Master for the sword!" He was meticulous and earnest.
Beside them, Fu Zhi and Chu Yu chuckled softly. Lin Zhao took a deep breath. It was time to teach Zhang Luobai swordplay, but he himself, despite being a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, knew no sword techniques, only how to slash wildly. How could he teach? Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Zhang Luobai, from today onwards, Fu Zhi will teach you sword moves, how to nurture sword intent, and so on. I will correct anything that is amiss."
"Ah?!" Zhang Luobai was taken aback. "Master isn't teaching me directly? If Lord Fu Zhi teaches me…"
"What is it!?" Fu Zhi flicked his forehead. "Am I, a dignified twelfth-realm Sword Immortal, not qualified to teach you?"
"Not at all." Zhang Luobai winced from the pain and smiled. "It's just… I still want to learn the sword from Master…"
"Don't rush," Lin Zhao said. "Learning from Fu Zhi is the same. What I teach you isn't just sword techniques, but the martial virtue in the Way of the Sword. Understand?"
"Understood!" Zhang Luobai stood up straight.
Fu Zhi smiled, not thinking Lin Zhao was being evasive at all. Instead, she felt his words were perfectly reasonable. Her Master was Lin Baiyi of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, a paragon of martial virtue, so what could be wrong?
Naturally, Lin Zhao was the one feeling truly guilty. How could he teach? Teach Zhang Luobai Sword Energy Cage, Sword Energy Collision, Ascending Dragon Slash, Sword Break? It didn't seem right. It was better for Fu Zhi to teach.
…
The next morning.
Lin Zhao was drinking porridge in the Natural Abode, contemplating practicing martial arts on the mountain later. He was making progress in his martial artist realm, with a progress bar appearing. After each set of punches, his boxing intent, boxing aura, and true qi would become more concentrated, advancing the progress bar. Perhaps when the bar was full, he would reach the second realm of a martial artist.
Therefore, he now had absolute motivation to practice diligently and catch up on what he had missed. After all, his ultimate dream was to be a thirteenth-realm sword cultivator plus a Rebirth realm martial artist. He wouldn't aim for the fourteenth realm; few could achieve that in the human world. Thirteenth realm was sufficient. If he could achieve a Ascending realm sword cultivator plus a Rebirth realm martial artist in this life, it would be worth it.
"My Lord," Chu Yu, dressed in a short tunic and looking energetic, stood outside.
"What is it?" Lin Zhao tilted his head and smiled. "Come in for a bowl of porridge?"
"No, I've already had breakfast," Chu Yu replied with a smile. "My Lord, I have a request."
"Speak." Lin Zhao smiled. "Chu Yu, why are you being so hesitant today? It's not like you."
Chu Yu smiled and said, "My Lord, I've taken a liking to a promising martial artist candidate at the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, so I wanted to ask you if I could take another disciple."
"Of course!" Lin Zhao stopped drinking his porridge and stood up, walking to Chu Yu. "Whose child is so lucky to be favored by our Chu Yu? Come, I'll go with you to meet them."
Chu Yu smiled. "She's actually a student at Hexiang Academy. Her name is Zhuang Yirong, and her father is a thousand-man commander in the Snow Region army. I'm a bit worried, as Zhuang Yirong's family is quite well-off. If her parents only want her to learn embroidery and needlework, wouldn't I be asking too much?"
"That's unlikely," Lin Zhao smiled. "Let's go, we'll take a look at the academy."
"Alright!" Lin Zhao ascended on his sword, while Chu Yu, with her hands behind her back, flew with the wind, easily keeping pace. At this moment, Chu Yu's cultivation and combat power were considerable: eleventh-realm martial artist plus eighth-realm sword cultivator. In fact, she had privately sparred with Mu Zha a few days prior. With Chu Yu's current strength, Mu Zha had no chance of winning. In Tang Guangjun's words, Mu Zha might not even be able to withstand one of Chu Yu's punches.
Hexiang Academy.
By the window of a classroom, a young female student in a pretty dress was diligently reading. It was the disciple Chu Yu had chosen, named Zhuang Yirong. Chu Yu looked at Zhuang Yirong with a hopeful gaze. Lin Zhao understood that the death of Chu Yu's previous disciple, Wang Yue, had left some inner demons. If she didn't take on a new disciple, she might never fully recover. Therefore, Lin Zhao strongly supported and facilitated this matter. After all, the Mountain Peak Villa was meant to branch out; it should have a legacy.
"What does My Lord think?" Chu Yu asked with a smile.
"Excellent, excellent," Lin Zhao said, clapping his hands. "I like her too!"
"Good, then that's settled," Chu Yu said. "I've already spoken with Zhuang Yirong, and she wishes to learn martial arts from me. The next step is to ask her father if he agrees."
"Isn't that simple?" Lin Zhao said. "Send word to the army and ask."
"Yes, My Lord!"
…
That evening, a thousand-man commander from the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, with lanterns and decorations, happily brought his wife and daughter, Zhuang Yirong, to the Mountain Peak Villa. He personally handed his precious daughter over to Chu Yu. The battle-hardened thousand-man commander respectfully looked at Lin Zhao and Chu Yu and said, "From now on, my Yirong is entrusted to Marshal Lin and Lord Chu Yu!"
"Rest assured," Chu Yu smiled and nodded. "If she works hard enough, she has a great chance of reaching the upper five realms of martial arts."
The thousand-man commander was delighted. "Yes, thank you!" His wife brought several boxes from the carriage, filled with Zhuang Yirong's clothing, bedding, and other necessities. The entire family spared no effort in raising this daughter.
Zhuang Yirong lived with Chu Yu. The master lived on the second floor, and the disciple on the first.
At night, under the bright moon, Zhang Luobai, holding the wooden sword "Liu Cheng," arrived below Chu Yu's small building. He pointed the blade and shouted, "Hey! Zhuang Yirong, dare you join me on the mountain? I'll practice sword, you practice boxing!"
Zhuang Yirong, Zhang Luobai's classmate, was accustomed to his boisterous nature. She gently tapped her fists in front of her chest, having just learned the 'Battlefield Boxing Stance' from her master. With a raised eyebrow, she replied, "Let's go, who's afraid?!"
Thus, one practicing boxing stances and the other sword stances, they ascended the mountain. On the mountainside, Lin Zhao, Fu Zhi, and Chu Yu watched with smiles. Suddenly, a sword light descended from the sky, transforming into a stunningly beautiful young girl in a white dress. Everyone was momentarily stunned. The young swordswoman pointed her blade and said, "If you know what's good for you, call me Senior Disciple Sister!"
It was Tong Yu. In the Mountain Peak Villa, Tong Yu was indeed the Senior Disciple Sister. After all, she was the earliest among the younger generation. Although her master was Lin Wanhua, she belonged to the Mountain Peak Villa. Furthermore, Tong Yu's realm was high; at only nine years old, she was already a mid-five-realm sword cultivator. Zhang Luobai's expression changed. This Senior Disciple Sister was incredibly powerful. Forget calling her Senior Disciple Sister, calling her great-aunt would be appropriate. A true man knows when to bend. So, he rubbed his hands and said with a smile, "Senior Disciple Sister, as a new junior disciple, do you have a meeting gift?"
"Meeting gift?" Tong Yu was taken aback for a moment, then glared. "No! All of you, go up the mountain to practice boxing and swordplay! Anyone who slacks off, Senior Disciple Sister will show no mercy!"
"Alright!" Zhang Luobai went up the mountain with his sword.
Zhuang Yirong looked helpless, then smiled at Tong Yu. "Senior Disciple Sister, let's go." The three of them ascended the mountain together.
Lin Zhao turned and returned to the Natural Abode to practice boxing.
…
Winter Spring Valley.
Under the starlight, two sword cultivators, Leng Yan and Lu Guiyi, sat on a flat stone in Winter Spring Valley, planning their future. Lu Guiyi took out a sword manual from her embrace and placed it between them. "Junior Sister, this is a sword manual I found some years ago, called the Winter Snow Sword Art. It's decent and can be practiced. Let's consider it the foundational art of our sect, how about it?"
"Okay, I'll listen to Senior Sister."
"What about the sect leader position?" Lu Guiyi asked. "How about… we take turns? You be the sect leader for a month, and I'll be the sect leader for a month?"
Leng Yan couldn't help but chuckle. "No need. Senior Sister's realm is higher, you should be the leader. I'm content being a deputy sect leader."
"Fine." Lu Guiyi placed several golden coins from wild cultivators on the stone. "The next step is to hire craftsmen from human cities to repair our sword sect's palaces!"
Leng Yan beamed. "Mm, good~~~"
The Winter Spring Sword Sect, everything awaits rebuilding!
At this moment, Leng Yan finally felt the joy of playing.