In the sky sword sect,
Inner hall,
“We found no clue of the tyrant,” stated an elder. “It seems to have disappeared into thin air.”
“That's unfortunate,” sighed the Sect Master Wen.
It had been a week since the incident. During that time, teams of elders from three sects had been scouting all parts of the second layer. Yet, they found no clue. They believed the tyrant had returned to the deeper layer.
“Furthermore, there seems to be something going on with the barrier,” an Elder added. “Beasts and plants that are only found in deeper layers have been spotted in the outer layers.”
“I guess, I should tell you all something,” spoke the sect master.
Everyone turned their attention toward the sect master, listening intently.
“When we were on scouting, we saw the boundaries between the layers getting ever closer.” Sect master Wen added, “The eternal forest is slowly merging.”
!!!
The hall turned silent.
“Sect Master, What does this indicate?” asked an elder in this silence.
The sect master shook his head. “We don’t know. We can only hope it’s not something bad.”
If the forest merged, as the sect master stated, then the stronger beasts would become more frequent on the outer layer, making the place uninhabitable for humans. They might even need to relocate the entire city. They all understood this much.
The atmosphere in the room became gloomy as each had their own thoughts about the matter.
“Has the Lin kid woken up? What's his condition?” the sect master asked, changing the subject.
Everyone in the hall turned to a seat near the end. Atop the seat, a small wooden monkey sat unmoving.
That seat belonged to the Sixth Elder.
“It’s another one of his sculptures.” the Sect Master sighed.
Seeing the sect master sigh, the room filled with laughter.
“Why is he absent?”
“That’s just him,” said another Elder.
“He missed another important meeting,” An Elder said with a slightly infuriated tone.
“Watch how you speak, Sixth Elder might make a monkey sculpture of you,” Others laughed.
The room became somewhat livid with their banter.
“I’ll go talk to the Sixth Elder myself,” said the sect master.
With that, the meeting concluded, and everyone dispersed.
The Sect Master remained alone in the grand hall.
“I hope the Sixth Elder is truly connected to that person,” Sect Master Wen wondered aloud.
Sect Master Wen still recalled the day Elder Zen arrived at the sect, a year ago.
…
A mysterious figure in a hooded bamboo hat stood at the sect's gate. The hat obscured their face, leaving their identity a mystery.
Standing there, he looked out at the city below. It seemed so small from up high. Two other tall peaks formed a triangle around the city. Beyond them lay a vast forest stretching as far as the eye could see.
“So much has changed…,” the hatted man muttered
He turned around and started walking towards the entrance gate.
“Stop!” a guard near the gate yelled. “Who are you? Show me your sect's token.”
The guard, obviously, recognized almost every disciple and elder of the sect. Seeing a strange person, he asked for confirmation.
“I don't have a sect's token,” the hatted man said, pulling out a green jade. “But this should allow me to enter.”
The guard examined the green jade closely. Carved deeply into its surface was a single word: ZEN.
After examining for a while, the guard shook his head. “I’ve never seen this kind of token.”
“Have I arrived at the wrong place?” the man muttered under his hat. “Although much has passed, this should still be the right place.”
Just as the man in the hat was bothering the guard, loud footsteps from below reached their ears.
A group of disciples was approaching the gate. They all wore blue attire with a sect badge on their waist.
Among them, a strikingly beautiful woman stood at the center. Her attire differed slightly, with dark highlighting around the collars and edges of her dress.
The guard quickly stepped forward and bowed. “Welcome back, young miss.”
The beauty, Lina, glanced at the strange man in the hat out of the corner of her eye.
“What's the matter?” she asked the guard.
“This man has been asking to enter,” the guard explained. “He doesn't have a sect badge or any permit. He showed me a jade and claimed it was his token.”
“A jade token? May I see it?”
The guard handed her the green jade with both hands.
As the girl inspected the jade, her expression briefly changed, but she quickly regained her composure.
Though the others didn't notice, the man in the hat had keenly observed the subtle shift in her expression.
“Please follow me,” she said, leading the way.
With her in the lead, the guard didn't dare to question the man in the hat again and opened the gate.
Along the way, disciples were puzzled to see her escorting a stranger.
Who was she? What was her identity?
Everyone in the sect knew.
She was one of the core disciples and the daughter of the current sect master.
Seeing her escorting someone was new and surprising to the disciples' eyes.
After a while, the two reached a secluded peak.
No guards were present, and no disciple dared to intrude on this peak without permission.
A small, tidy courtyard with a sturdy wooden building, resembling a temple, lay ahead.
The two entered the building.
As they entered, a peculiar scent of incense greeted their nostrils. In the center of the room stood a tall figure, almost reaching the ceiling—a statue of a woman. Nearby, a person dressed in red robes sat.
“Father,” she called softly.
The person in red robes stopped his meditation and turned around.
“Lina! My little demon,” he exclaimed, leaping up from his seat and rushing towards her with open arms.
She stepped aside, and her father stumbled and fell to the floor, covered by his own robe.
The sect master, Wen, stood. His long white beard covered his entire chin and flowed down to his chest.
“You've safely returned from the mission. Are you hurt? Has anyone mistreated you?” he asked continuously.
“I'm fine,” she reassured him.
“Strange, what brings you here?” her father asked.
“I thought you should meet this person,” she said, gesturing beside her.
The Sect Master turned to see a strange man in a bamboo hat standing beside her. He had not noticed anyone standing there the whole time. It was as if he were invisible, without any presence.
He only saw after his daughter introduced him.
Meanwhile, the man in the hat had been staring at the tall statue since he entered the building.
The Sect Master noticed and proudly said, “She is the founder of our sect, Sword Sage LI.”
“I see.”
Lina handed her father the jade the man in the hat had given her.
Upon examining the jade, the Sect Master's wrinkled face frowned.
Although she had seen something resembling the token, she wasn’t sure, so she brought the hatted man to meet her father. But she hadn’t expected such a reaction from her father, the sect master.
“I want to speak with this guest alone,” her father solemnly said.
Understanding it was a serious matter, she left the two alone in the temple.
“Can I ask the honored name of this sir?” asked the sect master bowing respectfully.
“You can call me Zen,” replied the man in the hat.
“Honored Zen, may I inquire where you obtained this token?”
“Oh, you recognize this token,” Zen continued. “If I said 'I forged it,' would you believe me?”
“Your jest...” the Sect Master could only smile wryly.
“Let's just say someone gave it to me.”
“Then this person is...”
Changing the subject, Zen asked, “If you're aware of the existence of this token, then you should also know what it's for.”
The sect master barely uttered, “Yes, of course.”
As the current sect master, he held knowledge of many secrets unknown to others. Among them was the existence of the jade token.
Their ancient records stated, “Whoever bears a jade token with that symbol is to be treated with utmost respect.” Their founder the sword sage Li left these words.
This meant that whoever held this token could demand anything from the sect, even the position of the sect master itself. However, there were no records indicating this person's identity or arrival time.
After many generations, the jade token suddenly appeared before him. The sect master was stunned by the sudden arrival of this person bearing the jade token. He did not know how to react properly.
“Worry not; I'm not here to demand anything absurd. Once I'm done with something, I'll leave,” Zen assured.
Wiping the sweat from his wrinkled forehead, the sect master said. “Honored Zen, tell me if there's anything I can help with.”
Zen lowered his chin in contemplation.
“For now, I wish to enter the hidden inventory. There are a few things I want to pick,” he added. “And remove 'honored' when talking, you make me seem like an old man.”
“Enter the hidden inventory!?”
“Is it not possible?”
“Of course, it's not a problem,” the sect master continued. “I was just surprised Hono-sir Zen knows about the hidden inventory.”
Apart from the main treasury, there was a second treasury known only to the sect masters—the hidden inventory.
“Please follow me.”
The two exited the temple through the back door.
Following the small pathway, circling the peak, they spiraled downward toward the bottom of the peak.
On the way, Zen asked, “Don't you have a thought of disposing of me, a stranger, so you won't have to comply with my demands?”
“Why would you even ask that sir Zen?” the sect master asked with a wry laugh.
“Well, that's how it usually goes,” replied Zen.
“I would never be able to face my ancestors if I did such a treacherous act.”
“I see, you haven't forgotten your founder's teachings.”
Reaching the bottom, the surroundings appeared to be a simple forest with trees and vegetation. There was nothing out of the ordinary. However, upon careful inspection, one would realize this was no ordinary forest.
At the bottom, there was a cave—not too wide nor small, just enough to fit a person.
This simple-looking cave held the foundation of the entire sect. Even if the sect faced catastrophe, as long as the things inside the cave remained, the sect could rise again.
Giving a glance at the forest behind, Zen followed the Sect Master inside.
Inside the cave, a rigid metal door blocked the path. The Sect Master pulled out a small circular key and gently pressed it against the wall.
The ground beneath them trembled, and the heavy metal door moved, emitting a loud scraping noise.
A bright light flooded into their vision as soon as the door opened halfway.
Without waiting, they entered.
Although the path leading here was small and narrow, the hidden room was enormous and circular. In the room, huge piles of scrolls, manuals, and records lay on each desk, while many different weapons hung on the walls.
The weapons were arranged decoratively in a single line circling horizontally around the room.
“These are our collection from generation to generation,” remarked the Sect Master.
The Sect Master approached the wall, standing tall with his chest raised and chin up. He gazed intently at the weapons hung on the walls.
“These are the weapons used by previous generations' sect masters,” he stated, his voice clear and firm.
As the Sect Master looked at those weapons, a sense of pride overwhelmed him. Each consecutive generation of sect masters commanded honor; their names resounded worldwide. They held their swords high, the unsheathing of their blades shaking the world.
However, after many generations of prosperity, the sect experienced a sudden decline. They could no longer maintain their once high and mighty position. Now, they stood as just another sect.
“Which generation of sect master are you?”
“I'm the nineteenth-generation sect master.”
“I see. Much has passed.”
In the middle of the circular room stood a giant green transparent rock, its luminous glow brightening up the room. Greenish water surrounded the giant rock, forming a small pond.
“Spiritual liquid…”
“This stone is one of the fortunate discoveries made by our founder,” he said, staring at the sword marks. “These sword marks were left behind by our founder. As for the details why, there is no record.”
“I see.”
There were countless sword marks around the rock. Some were deep, some shallow, but every sword mark seemed to target the center, the heart of the transparent green rock, where deeply carved words lay.
‘Zen’
This rock resembled the small jade token.
The Sect Master continued introducing the weapons and their owners individually. After listening to a few introductions, Zen approached the middle, where a small throne was placed.
On the throne, a sword lay in its eternal slumber.
“This belongs to Founder,” The Sect Master continued. “It is said the founder was taught sword arts by an immortal.”
“An immortal huh…Do you believe such beings exist?” suddenly asked Zen.
Before the sect master could answer, Zen went near the table laid in front of the throne.
On top of the table were various treasures and equipment, each with its name and description.
They exuded unique auras, marking them as priceless treasures collected and gifted to the founder over time.
However, he displayed no reaction to these precious treasures before him. He merely cast a glance before redirecting his attention to another section of the treasure piles.
The Sect Master picked up a small cup from the pile. “These are unranked treasures and those with low values,” he remarked. “This is a cup used by the founder. As you see, the cup in itself has no value, but we just kept it here as a keepsake.”
“I see.” Zen then began searching through the pile of treasure until he came across a peculiar object.
“Found it.”
He pulled out a palm-sized circular disk from the pile, adorned with a carved pattern of five stars around its edge.
The Sect Master began to open the records to check for any treasures of similar shape. However, Zen interrupted him, saying, “Don't bother. You won’t find anything on this treasure.”
This particular treasure belonged to the first-generation sect master, the progenitor himself. Despite its significance, there were no records detailing its purpose or use. It remained among the unranked treasures in the inventory.
With that, they exited the hidden inventory. Later that day, Zen assumed the role of the Sixth Elder.
From that day onward, rumors about the new Elder began to circulate within the sect. Disciples and other workers gossiped about him, speculating on his identity.
Many even began to suggest that he might be an illegitimate descendant of the sword sage.
