After leaving Capitalview City, Evan Lin couldn't be bothered to take a car. He bought a map from a shop, marked a few spots on it, picked a direction, and just started walking.
Along the way, he strolled through city streets and trekked across mountains and forests. Evan's mood stayed calm and steady, nothing could ruffle him—if anything, he was just enjoying the leisure.
He kept walking for five days straight.
"Medicine King Valley is hidden deep in the mountains, Miracle Hand Sect is hidden deep in the mountains, and even the Southriver Sword Sect is tucked away in the mountains. These little sects sure love making themselves out to be a big deal."
Evan yawned, crunching dry twigs underfoot as he looked ahead. What he saw was a stretch of towering, rugged mountains, peaks rolling on and on, looking even more imposing up close.
And when he looked further ahead, in the far distance, he could make out a sharp, straight peak—its ridges gathered together, shaped exactly like a longsword stabbing into the clouds. Even from so far away, it gave off a fierce, cutting vibe.
"If I'm not mistaken, that over there should be Heavenly Sword Mountain."
Evan glanced at his map and double-checked his location.
The spot marked on the Southriver Sword Sect's war post was also this so-called Heavenly Sword Mountain.
"Last time I broke the Southriver Sword Sect's Misty Rain Sword at the Moore family, then forced Nathan Lin, their disciple, to abandon his sword and kneel at the Su family. And on top of that, I burned their so-called Bonesword Master in the Miracle Hand Sect. Guess you could say me and the Southriver Sword Sect have quite the connection."
Evan Lin shook his head, no longer hesitating, and strode forward quickly.
......
At the foot of Heavenly Sword Mountain, the ground ahead was damp and muddy. The whole forest was covered with heaps of rotting branches and leaves, and beneath the fallen leaves, countless sludge and marshes had accumulated.
At the base of the mountain, a group of more than twenty people stood before the muck, frowning deeply.
"Didn’t the Southriver Sword Sect say they’d recruit ahead of time this year? Anyone with an invitation could come and try their luck—see if they could earn a Southriver Sword. If you do, you get a shot at joining the Southriver Sword Sect and learning sword arts. But all we see now is swamp. We can’t even get up Heavenly Sword Mountain!"
A young man around eighteen, dressed in flashy clothes, looked at the marsh ahead, frowning repeatedly, his face full of discontent.
"Brother He, maybe they want us to figure out our own way across? Heavenly Sword Mountain is right there—once we get past this swamp, we’re basically there." Another boy beside him chuckled. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with an honest look.
"Find our own way? How are we supposed to get through this? It stinks! It’s disgusting!" A pretty girl, about sixteen or seventeen, wearing jean shorts and a plain white hoodie, sounded a bit angry.
"Everyone, calm down. It’s not time yet. When the moment comes, this swamp will turn solid and walkable. This is just the first barrier of our Sword Sect."
Someone spoke calmly from up in a tree.
Hearing the voice, everyone below looked up and saw a man leaning against the trunk, a Southriver Sword strapped to his back, his face resolute.
His gaze swept over the young men and women below, a trace of sigh in his eyes.
In the past, the Southriver Sword Sect always had strict limits on the number of recruits.
Outsiders only know that within the Southriver Sword Sect, there are five swords: Southriver, Misty Rain, Insight, Epiphany, and the last and strongest—Broken Red-Dust Sword.
But what they don’t know is that all these swords were left by the ancestors of the Southriver Sword Sect. Even with the Sect’s current abilities, they can’t forge swords like these anymore.
That’s why the Southriver Sword Sect has a cap on how many disciples it can take.
Each year, they only take a handful, to keep the age distribution balanced from top to bottom, so the Sect doesn’t run into a generation gap.
But now, things are different.
The Southriver Sword Sect had been peaceful for years, but last time, when they sent their genius Yu Jinglong and young prodigy Zack Zhao to the Moore family’s martial arts tournament, both were defeated, and the Misty Rain Sword was broken.
The loss to the Southriver Sword Sect was incalculable, plunging the Sect into an unprecedented crisis.
After much debate, they finally decided to recruit widely, taking in disciples as fast as possible to boost their strength and guard against potential threats.
The more than twenty people below were just part of this round of testing. Most were kids from different provinces and places—some were talented civilians discovered by the Southriver Sword Sect, others were rich kids from powerful families.
All kinds of backgrounds, but once you set foot in the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground and step onto the sword-tomb earth, none of that matters. Only those with enough talent to earn a Southriver Sword have a real shot at joining the Southriver Sword Sect.
Hearing the man’s words, the rich kids finally quieted down a little.
"Brother He, I heard your brother’s dating someone? Who is it? Spill a little! You have no idea, my sisters have been in a bad mood for days since they heard, and they’ve been making my life miserable." The boy from earlier sighed, looking helpless.
He looked at the impatient young man in front of him—He Yunxiao, from Oceanport. His brother He Zhongshan had always been a star in their circle, winning hearts everywhere, and news of his sudden romance had left all the girls restless.
"Who else could it be? Fang Qiujie’s daughter, of course. Fang Qiujie’s been dying to cozy up to our He family, and my brother can’t go against my dad’s wishes, so he’s just playing along." He Yunxiao snorted. "But when you get back, tell your sisters not to be so upset. Nothing’s set in stone yet."
"You might not believe it, but my brother actually likes Fang Qiujie’s daughter. Problem is, she’s got no interest in him. All these days, she’s never agreed to anything, and it’s driving my brother nuts. Honestly, I don’t know if she’s super scheming or just clueless. If she ends up with my brother, that’s a blessing she’s earned over hundreds of lifetimes!"
"Seriously? Didn’t they say the engagement was set?" A girl nearby blinked in surprise. "That rumor’s everywhere in our circle."
"And that girl—what’s she like? I wanted to meet her last time, but didn’t get the chance. She doesn’t seem interested in hanging out with any of us."
He Yunxiao shook his head. "They were supposed to get engaged this year, but she flat-out refused, so it’s been delayed for over a year. Maybe in another year and a half. As for what she’s like—wild personality, great figure, decent looks."