Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

An immediate hush followed the announcement. Li Guanqi rose to his feet, gazing at the rubble around him with complicated emotions. The once-grand mountain gates had been reduced to rubble. The plaza of Heavenly Sword Peak lay in ruins, and half the mountain peak had collapsed. But compared to the lives that had been lost, none of that mattered.

The disciples walked in silence, their gazes lowered to the blood-soaked stone tiles. One by one, they changed into black robes and made their way to the back of the sect grounds. Everyone laid to rest there was a hero of the Daxia Sword Sect.

Before long, the disciples reached the sect’s graveyard. A dense crowd in black robes filled nearly the entire mountain. Yet, not a single person took to the sky. They all stood on the ground, solemn and unmoving.

Lu Kangnian slowly stepped to the front, pale as paper but visibly recovered. He gazed at the new tombstones with great sorrow. He was even a little unfamiliar with the names on some of them.

He led the disciples in a silent prayer. After bowing three times, he quietly placed incense sticks before the graves.

Qin Xian cried out, “Swords to your chests! A moment of silence!”

Clang! Whoosh!

Even the proud clang of the steel blades sounded muted in this moment. Each disciple drew their sword and held it flat against their chest, heads bowed in silence.

Boom!

After a long time, Lu Kangnian lifted his head. His voice rang out, sharp and clear. “Attention, all disciples! The Purple Sun Pavilion thinks they can bully us with impunity. How could we let them do as they please? In two hours, we strike! We started this war. Now, we’ll finish it and crush them completely. Perhaps we will lose. Maybe some of us will die. But today, we’ll show the people of the Northern Territory the indomitable spirit of the Daxia Sword Sect!“Before dawn, our banner shall rise from the rubble of the Purple Sun Pavilion!”

His soul-shaking words were amplified by vital force. The disciples’ grief began to transform into anger, and they looked up with great determination.

Li Guanqi stepped forward, his heart now ablaze with resolve. “I will forge the sect’s name with my blood and bones! I shall kill all enemies with my sword in hand! As the warfare cleanses our souls, our fates will be bound to the Daxia Sword Sect. When we look back on this day, we shall rise. To glory!”

His cry echoed far and wide, and the fire in his heart spread like wildfire through the crowd.

The events of the day had transformed them all. The walls that once divided the peaks had crumbled. They stood now as one, willing to cover for each other. The disciples were like family. They might have argued before, but when outsiders came, they would fight as one.

Li Guanqi’s single voice grew into a storm of passion. A storm of voices followed, shouting in unison. In that moment, the spirit of the sect awakened in every disciple’s heart.

Lu Kangnian had made his choice. Before the sun rose, they would strike. He was ready to lay down his life.

He scanned the crowd with his sharp gaze and asked, “Do you all know why I made this decision? We already won today. We beat back the Purple Sun Pavilion—a faction the outside world believes is far stronger than us. So why risk more lives?”

A hush fell over the disciples, though the same question lingered in many of their minds.

Lu Kangnian continued, “When I first woke up, Elder Ling asked me the same thing. He asked me why I wanted to do this. My answer? That beating the Purple Sun Pavilion back is not enough! It’s not satisfying! It’s not painful enough for them!

“I want to hurt them! I want to crush them! I want to cripple them! I want our flag planted in their ruins! Tell me! Can we do it or not?!”

A thunderous cry from the disciples shook the skies. “We can!”

Lu Kangnian waved, and tens of thousands of jade slips appeared above his head.

Li Guanqi, standing near the front, stared in confusion. He didn’t understand why Sect Master Lu Kangnian had summoned so many slips, but the elders beside him grew visibly moved.

Li Nanting looked up at the jade slips in the sky and said, “These slips belong to disciples who’ve left the sect in the past hundred years. The sect doesn’t contact those who have been gone for longer. But now that we’re in crisis, we can call them home. This is an unwritten sect rule, but it has been quietly passed down for more than five thousand years!”

Boom!

A mighty aura swept across the sky, and a rare majesty lit up Lu Kangnian’s face. His eyes gleamed brightly as he declared, “As the thirty-eighth sect master, I am commanding all disciples in the outside world to return to the sect!”

After a short pause, he cried out, “We shall flatten! The! Purple! Sun! Pavilion!”

Boom!

A surge of vital force burst from his hand and struck the slips. For a moment, they hovered silently in the air, dull and quiet.

The seconds passed by—one, then two… then three…

Suddenly, a jade slip burst into bright light, and a steady voice echoed through the air. “Disciple of Heavenly Metal Peak, Ji Hua, reporting for duty. My sword is ready for the Purple Sun Pavilion!”

Then, one by one, the other dull jade slips started to light up.

“Travelling disciple of Heavenly Wood Peak, Duan Chunqiu, reporting for duty. I’ll return at once!”

“Daxia Sword Sect disciple, Lu Jiyao, on my way!”

“Disciple Zong Hui returning now!”

“Disciple of Heavenly Lightning Peak, Ding Yang, reporting for duty. My sword is ready!”

More and more voices rang. Some of the jade slips remained unlit, but everyone knew that it was not because they did not want to answer the sect’s calls. Perhaps… they could not.

Everyone watched as tears pooled in their eyes.

Li Nanting turned to look at Li Guanqi and the others and said, “Do you understand now? This is why we tell you to safeguard your identity jade slip. It’s not only so the sect can call for you. If you’re ever in danger, the sect will come for you too.”

Lu Kangnian’s eyes reddened. Slowly, he lowered his hand and gathered the jade slips.

Then, he yelled, “Bring out the Eight Divine Bows!”