Li Yun was holding a pile of tattered books in his arms and was tripped by the threshold of Cheng Qian's door. He almost flew out with the tattered books in his arms. But before he could make a sound, someone had already uttered a miserable scream for him - in the room, Cheng Qian was holding a needle and picking the blood blisters on Yan Zhengming's hands one by one.

Cheng Qian was very good at dealing with blood blisters. He poked the needle in, picked it up, and pinched it. He did it in no time at all, without any hesitation. He tortured his delicate head brother to the point of wanting to die: "Be gentle! Cheng Qian, are you born to carry heavy bags? Ah——"

Cheng Qian said indifferently: "No, I might be a pig butcher."

"You are such an unfilial person... Ouch!" Yan Zhengming almost jumped up from his chair. "What bird sword? I will never practice it again!"

Li Yun hurriedly closed the door that he had knocked open to prevent the Fuyao faction from losing the last bit of face.

Young Master Yan... no, Sect Master Yan, this was the first time in his life that he had blisters from being rubbed by the wooden sword. He really suffered a lot, and he called his parents, aunts, and uncles to everyone, not caring at all about losing face in front of his young fellow apprentice.

Han Yuan looked at him in fear from the corner of the wall, and his expression seemed to have cast a shadow on his own swordsmanship.

"I got this from Qinglong Island," Li Yun spread the pile of rags he had dug out on the table, trying to ignore the miserable groaning of the headmaster, and explained, "This is the island record of Qinglong Island. It records some major events that have happened in the major immortal sects over the years, and some of them mention us."

Han Yuan stretched his neck and asked, "And us? What did you say?"

"The earliest record was when Qinglong Island was built. It said that an elder of Fuyao brought two disciples to congratulate on behalf of the headmaster." Li Yun said, "It seems to be very honorable to be the first one mentioned in a list..."

Yan Zhengming gasped and waved his hand half dead to interrupt him, saying: "Don't talk about the glory of your ancestors, just tell me when you ruined your family."

Li Yun buried his head and thought for a while: "I remember it was... Oh, the sixth generation leader of the Fuyao Sect. I don't know why, but after a certain Immortal Market, he suddenly announced that the sect would be streamlined and each person could only accept two disciples. Later, his successor overturned this rule himself and accepted 18 disciples in one go. They fought for the position of leader and almost died. It seems that from then on, each generation was inferior to the previous one."

"Is there anything else?" Yan Zhengming took out the seal of the headmaster from his neck and asked, "Who among you wants to fight for it? Take it quickly. I don't want to suffer here anymore. I want to pack my bags and go home."

No one paid any attention to him.

Li Yun lay on the pile of old papers and continued to search: "I guess it was from that time that the sect rules began to stipulate that disciples should not fight among themselves. Later... Later, it seems that many demon cultivators emerged in the sect, and there were two in the North Sea alone..."

Cheng Qian: “Three.”

Li Yun sighed, "Well, forget it. Those who have gone astray are easy to explain. It's recorded here that there was a senior in our sect who believed in astrology and thought that martial arts and swordsmanship were just trifles. He never taught his disciples anything else in his life. In his generation, the Fuyao Wooden Sword was almost lost. There was also a senior who loved traveling. It is said that when he was in charge of the sect, his last disciple only saw him once in his life... But the one who really made the Fuyao Sect disappear from the eyes of the world was the Grandmaster. It doesn't say what the Grandmaster is like here, but only that he has been in seclusion for many years and doesn't interact with anyone. Every time he goes to the Immortal Market, he sends disciples, that is, the master and... that person."

Li Yun raised his head and said, "Alas, let's not talk about this. In fact, the Fuyao Sect was the leader of the ten famous sects back then."

Yan Zhengming was convinced: "I have heard it. Our sect has a long history. Over the years, it has produced many evil demons and freaks. It is also a famous sect. I think it can survive until now. Who knows which ancestor who died with regrets has blessed us."

Han Yuan asked in a stunned tone, "What should we do? Should we pack our bags and go back home?"

Cheng Qian and Li Yun looked up at him.

Han Yuan cried out aggrievedly: "It wasn't me who said that, it was Senior Brother who said that!"

"The Lord of Qinglong Island just summoned me to meet him and invited us to stay on the island for a while," Yan Zhengming leaned against a table and announced slowly, "He said that after the Immortal Market, the great powers on the island will open a lecture hall, and he has reserved a place for us."

Li Yun asked uneasily, "How long is a period of time? Aren't we going back to Fuyao Mountain?"

"It's hard to say," Yan Zhengming said sarcastically, "Master Tang looked like she had been begging for food for 20 to 30 years. They also said she had just been traveling for a while."

Li Yun bit his nails involuntarily and said, "But I heard that the island owner has not been involved in worldly affairs for many years. Why did he suddenly come out to keep us here?"

Yan Zhengming said: "I don't know, but it is said that he used to have a friendship with Master."

For so many years, Yan Zhengming had been raised in the mountains and unknown to the world. All the advice his master gave him before he set out had fallen on deaf ears. Now that he had rashly arrived at Qinglong Island, he basically didn't understand anything and didn't dare to ask too many questions. He had to think about all sorts of things all the time and was exhausted after a while.

"Copper coin," Yan Zhengming raised his foot and kicked Cheng Qian, "Put down your broken carving knife, look up, and say something."

Cheng Qian was interrupted by him, the true energy in his hand was lost, and the talisman was destroyed.

He very economically used an ordinary knife to scrape off the scratches on it, and said calmly, "What?"

Ever since he escaped from Wangyou Valley with Shuikeng, Cheng Qian seemed to have nothing else in his eyes. All he did all day long was practice swordplay and martial arts. No matter when someone came to find him, he would always hold one of the wooden sword and carving knife in his hand.

Because of this, Yan Zhengming tried to stop him several times but failed, and almost had a quarrel with him, but unfortunately he didn't take it seriously.

Only then did Yan Zhengming realize how helpless his master was when he dealt with them.

Cheng Qian cleaned up the sawdust and said calmly, "What is there about us that is worth remembering? Is it the beauty of our head brother? You should stop being so sentimental."

This harsh and cold remark made his fellow apprentices feel ashamed and effectively ended this short meeting. Li Yun and Yan Zhengming looked at each other helplessly, not knowing what to do with these three fellow apprentices.

After all, none of them had seen their master’s soul fly away with their own eyes.

Yan Zhengming winked at Li Yun, who understood and led Han Yuan away.

Yan Zhengming stayed alone in Cheng Qian's room. He casually pulled out a book about the recent history of Fuyao Sect and began to read it silently. Neither of them paid attention to the other until it was dark. Xue Qing came in with a food box and looked at Yan Zhengming in surprise, who still refused to leave: "Young... Sect Leader."

"Tell them to send my stuff over here," Yan Zhengming said calmly, ignoring Cheng Qian's expression of "why haven't you left yet?", "I'll stay here for the next few days."

Cheng Qian's nonchalant expression began to crack.

Yan Zhengming didn't even look at him, and said to Xue Qing, "I'm afraid he might get into trouble, so I'll stay here to watch over him for a few days."

Cheng Qian seemed full before he even ate. After a long while, he managed to utter, "Brother, you worry too much. I am quite open-minded."

"I have the final say on this." Yan Zhengming briefly refuted his words, and at the same time stood up and stretched his hands and feet. Under Cheng Qian's doomed gaze, he was ready to give him a big beating.

It seemed as if he had already figured out the secret to becoming the head of a sect - when he was practicing with sword skills, he would make a fuss about quitting and packing up his luggage, and only when he was acting tyrannically would he remember the head of sect seal.

"By the way, call a few people over," Yan Zhengming said, "and have them sweep the floor. Can't you see there are hairs all over the floor? Also, bring in my incense burner and have Xiaoyue prepare the incense."

Before Cheng Qian could even utter a word, Yan Zhengming had already completed the entire process of usurping the throne. He then lifted Cheng Qian up by the back of his head, threw him next to the dining table, and ordered, "Get ready to eat."

Cheng Qian silently reached out to touch the chopsticks, but before he could touch them, Yan Zhengming slapped him away.

"Wash your hands." Yan Zhengming frowned.

The Taoist boy did not go out, and Cheng Qian could not get angry in front of them at his eldest senior brother who had just become the head of the sect. He could only glare at him for a moment, dipped his hand in the basin of water viciously, and touched the tea bowl on the side.

...and was slapped away by Yan Zhengming.

Yan Zhengming: "You drink tea before you eat a single bite of food. What kind of bad habit is this?"

Cheng Qian: “…”

He had a feeling that this day would not end well.

"First cold and then hot, how can you eat hot and cold dishes alternately?"

"The food isn't finished yet, who told you to serve the cakes?"

"What? You use the same bowl for eating and drinking soup?"

"What the hell, this eggplant is not peeled! Is an unpeeled eggplant for human consumption?"

Cheng Qian finally couldn't bear it anymore, put down his chopsticks, stood up and left.

Yan Zhengming asked in confusion: "Where are you going?"

"I'm depressed and can't eat," Cheng Qian said, "I'm going to practice swordplay in the backyard."

Cheng Qian practiced swordplay for two hours each morning and evening, rain or shine, and he never cut corners.

But that day he suddenly felt that two hours were not enough and wanted to practice outside all night.

When he was exhausted and had no choice but to go back, he found that his room had been turned into a spider cave by his senior brother.

The great demon sitting in the Pansi Cave refused to let him in: "Go wash up, are you planning to lie down and sleep right after you're all sweaty?"

Cheng Qian's expression told Yan Zhengming that he seemed to think so and often did so, so Master Yan turned around and called Xue Qing in without saying a word: "Change the sheets for me!"

As soon as Xueqing left, Cheng Qian yelled at him, "Can't you just go back to your own place?"

Yan Zhengming said, "No, look at what a freak you are now. I have to watch you these few days - do you practice swordplay until this late every day?"

A vein on Cheng Qian's forehead throbbed, and he ignored his question: "I won't sleep with you!"

"Do you think I want to sleep with you?" Yan Zhengming said angrily, "The cutting board is softer than your bed!"

Cheng Qian turned and left: "Okay, I'll go to the kitchen and sleep on the cutting board, Master Brother, please do as you please."

Yan Zhengming roared at the bewildered Taoist children outside the door: "Catch him for me!"

Cheng Qian treated others - even the Taoist children he brought from Fuyao Mountain - with a somewhat distant and polite attitude. Of course, he would not start a big fight with a group of Taoist children who were inexplicably hurt, so he had to let Yan Zhengming succeed.

The quilt brought from the land of gentleness choked Cheng Qian so much that he sneezed four times in a row, and tears came down. Yan Zhengming threw him a handkerchief with a look of disgust and frowned, "Is there something wrong with your nose?"

Cheng Qian pinched his handkerchief between two fingers, stretched out his arm and threw it far away, then took out a book about spells and taboos: "I think there is something wrong with your brain."

Yan Zhengming pushed him face down into the quilt and snatched the spell book: "Go to sleep."

Cheng Qian: “Give it to me!”

The two of them were arguing so hard that they couldn't even feel sleepy anymore.

A good copy of "Taboo of Talismans" was nearly torn in half. Finally, Cheng Qian let go of the book out of love for his sect's classics. Yan Zhengming took the opportunity to throw the book aside and turned off the light.

Cheng Qian gritted his teeth in the dark, crawled into the quilt and covered his head, so that he wouldn't be bothered by it.

The victorious Yan Zhengming put his hands behind his head, but his pride disappeared quickly. Cheng Qian ignored him, so he lay flat on the bed, staring at the bed curtains in a daze.

After a long time, he suddenly spoke in silence: "Now I know what it means to be on thin ice and on the edge of an abyss."

Cheng Qian huddled in his quilt without saying a word. Perhaps at this moment, Yan Zhengming was the annoying "abyss" to him.

Yan Zhengming was silent for a while, and continued to speak to himself: "There is a lecture hall behind the Immortal City. Many casual cultivators will take this opportunity to come here for further study. Second Junior Brother and Fourth Junior Brother haven't even entered the door of drawing Qi into the body, so I want to stay and at least lay a foundation... We can't just go back to Fuyao Mountain without roots and bases."

It is clearly a well-known sect with a history, but they want to learn some trivial skills in other people's lecture hall like a rootless cultivator.

"I have already promised the island owner, but I have no intention of relying on Qinglong Island." Yan Zhengming paused, and added, as if he didn't know who he was trying to convince, "Really not."

Cheng Qian had poked his head out from under the quilt at some point, looking at him quietly with his face tilted to the side.

Cheng Qian's face had not yet fully grown, but he had already become thinner, leaving only a pair of eyes. The gaze in them was as firm as a rock, but his appearance was still as clear and immature as a child's.

"What was I doing when I was his age?"

Yan Zhengming thought about it. He looked at Cheng Qian, feeling soft and uncomfortable. He couldn't help but blurt out, "Ten years, at most ten years, and then we'll go back."

But he regretted it as soon as he said it. Yan Zhengming turned his head away painfully, no longer looking at Cheng Qian, and quickly said, "I was just saying it casually. It would be best if I can go back, but if I can't, forget it. Don't believe me too much."

...Well, if he is reliable, even a sow can climb a tree.

Sometimes, a person or a small group of people may experience the collapse of the world, but time will not stop for anyone, and everything in the world is still in a hurry.

When several young men from the Fuyao Sect were anxiously looking for a way out, the Immortal Market on Qinglong Island began as scheduled.

The so-called "Immortal Market" on Qinglong Island is a big market held once every ten years. A long street of more than ten miles is specially opened on the island, where elixirs, spells, magic weapons, secret manuals, etc. can be traded. The major sects will bring the new generation of disciples to make friends with people of the same path. Some disciples can even travel together after the end of the Immortal Market when they are old enough to travel alone.

Apart from these, the most anticipated event is the "Qinglong Examination" which is eagerly awaited by all the cultivators in the world.

The lecture hall of Qinglong Island is the most coveted place for all independent practitioners without any sect or school. Countless independent practitioners or mortals who have not been admitted into a famous sect and want to try their luck will come here, hoping to receive guidance from a famous teacher and embark on the orthodox path of practice.

Those who excel will be accepted by Qinglong Island. Even if they cannot be formally enrolled in Qinglong Island, they can still get started by practicing in the lecture hall for a few years. Once they have a skill, they can travel around the world to look for opportunities.

Of course, the lecture hall cannot accommodate so many people. After layers of screening, only one or two out of a hundred can finally enter the lecture hall.

For the Fuyao Sect, it seems that the island owner personally opened a back door for them, otherwise they might not be able to pass the Qinglong Examination.

When Xian City just opened, at Han Yuan's instigation, several people went to see the excitement.

Xianshi Street is very interesting, with many mortals mingling there. At first glance, it is almost impossible to tell which are the cultivators and which are the mortals. However, when it comes to communication or transactions, the two are clearly distinguished - Yan Zhengming soon discovered that only mortals use gold and silver, while cultivators usually require barter.

Even if Yan Zhengming and his men had tens of thousands of taels of silver in their pockets, they could only buy mortal goods on the streets of Xianshi, and could not even think of buying cultivators' magic weapons.

The Qinglong Examination is held on the Qinglong Terrace at the end of Xianshi.

The "Qinglong Terrace" only occupies an area of ​​30 to 40 meters square, but I don't know what secret method was used. When I walked up to it, I realized that it was infinitely large, and it could even contain mountains, rivers, and seas, etc. Tang Wanqiu and other monks stood in a circle around the Qinglong Terrace, probably to maintain order in the examination.

Individual cultivators who are proud of their accomplishments can go up and compete with others in the ring, while those who have never entered the door can choose an illusion to enter into a trial, which will examine their character, determination, qualifications, etc.

To be fair, everyone can watch from the sidelines.

When Yan Zhengming and his companions finally found a seat in a teahouse near Qinglongtai, they happened to see two monks fighting, one using a knife and the other using a sword. Unlike the battle with the great demon they encountered at sea, this level of competition allowed them to see every move of the two monks.

The swordsman's sword moves were very fancy and light, and he must have some kung fu skills, but they were too fancy and frivolous, a bit like "clumsy but clever". After the two of them exchanged two or three hundred moves, the swordsman, who had been keeping a low profile all this time, suddenly seized on a flaw in his opponent, and at the risk of getting his arm stabbed, he forced his thick-backed knife straight into the swordsman's sword moves, and with a snap and a pull, knocked the swordsman's sword away with a "clang".

A circle of people cheered loudly.

Han Yuan said to Yan Zhengming enviously: "Big Brother, when can we change to real swords?"

Yan Zhengming stared at the stage intently and said casually, "Wait until you don't hit your feet with the wooden sword."

Cheng Qian smiled and said to Han Yuan: "Master said that the sword of my sect is different from other swords. It will take a few years to be effective."

After saying this, he thought of the wooden sword in his master's hand that was like a magic needle that stabilized the sea in the storm, and couldn't help but add: "Besides, as long as the sword intention is there, the wooden sword is not necessarily inferior to the iron sword..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Yun suddenly pulled him back and warned him in a low voice: "Xiao Qian, stop talking nonsense!"

Cheng Qian was stunned and looked up, only to see a dark-complexioned man sitting next to him looking at him coldly.

Cheng Qian was very confused. When he made eye contact with him, the man stood up, looked down at Cheng Qian, and said, "A wooden sword is not necessarily inferior to an iron sword. From what I heard from this young man, I guess he has a deep understanding of the way of the sword."

At this time, the defeated swordsman came down from the Qinglong Terrace, walked directly to the side of the black-faced man, and called out, "Brother."

Cheng Qian immediately understood what was going on. He thought to himself, this is really strange. Is it the toilet that is to blame for not being able to defecate?

Obviously, Han Yuan and he were in perfect sync on this point. The little beggar couldn't bear to see others bullying his junior brother, so he immediately stepped forward, with a lot of dirty talk from a street urchin on his lips.

But before he could spit, Li Yun quickly grabbed him and said, "Don't make trouble!"

Yan Zhengming stretched out his hand to stop the reluctant Cheng Qian behind him, and lazily bowed to him and said, "The kid is just talking nonsense, and it was him who said that the coal briquettes are white. Brother, just smile and I'll go in."

Talking about coal briquettes in front of black charcoal... Li Yun felt exhausted again after hearing this. He knew that the eldest senior brother's original intention was really to calm things down, but when these words came out of his mouth, he didn't know why, it just sounded like a provocation or adding fuel to the fire.

Born with a face that likes to be slapped - what kind of special talent is this?

The black-faced man's face turned even darker. His eliminated brother whispered in his ear for a while, and then the black-faced man's eyes fell on the wooden sword in Cheng Qian's hand.

Then, he sneered and said, "What? The 'Fu Yao' sect? I haven't heard of it. I think it's better not to enter this lecture hall. Any cat or dog can get in through the connections of gossip girls. The Qinglong Island's examination is just a reputation-seeking trick to deceive you fools who don't know the inside story!"

Tang Wanqiu, who was guarding the Qinglong Terrace, had obviously heard it, and her face suddenly became ugly, but she didn't dare to leave her post without permission, so she could only stare at this side fiercely, her eyes like knives, slashing at the black-faced man and the people of Fuyao Sect. She probably wanted to kick out the black-faced man who dared to speak rudely on Qinglong Island and these little guys who got in through nepotism from the Immortal City.

Yan Zhengming was not moved at all and thought to himself, "Anyway, he was scolding Qinglong Island, what does it have to do with me?"

So he sneered and was about to leave.

Cheng Qian was not as heartless as him. He had already seen Tang Wanqiu's expression.

Even though Heitan spoke rudely to Qinglong Island, it was their Fuyao faction that provoked him. The island owner's repeated summons had already caused dissatisfaction. If he really left as if nothing had happened, I'm afraid their lives on the island would not be easy in the future.

Yan Zhengming: "Xiao Qian, let's go."

Cheng Qian turned a deaf ear to him, and slowly ran his finger over the edge of the wooden sword. He stood where he was and said slowly, "Oh? So, this brother whose sword was broken by someone else... must be very talented?"