CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: FENGXIANG PREFECTURE, SINGLE SWORD SECT (SECOND UPDATE)

Single Sword Sect.

Located in the southeastern part of Fengxiang Prefecture’s territory, it occupied three mountain ranges. The sect boasted over five hundred disciples, and at the foot of the mountain, a prosperous small town depended on it.

For Fengxiang Prefecture, Jianghu forces, no matter how powerful, were no match for the Imperial Court.

Within Fengxiang Prefecture, a Brocade Guard Thousand Households was stationed, commanding three Centurions and over a hundred Captains.

The Brocade Guard’s name carried immense weight.

People in Jianghu almost invariably turned pale at its mere mention.

Many years ago, the Brocade Guard had conducted a thorough purge of the Jianghu Sects.

At that time, a Demon Sect known as the Heaven and Earth Great Unity Sect, with tens of thousands of disciples, had been a scourge in Jianghu for a long time.

Before the Heaven and Earth Great Unity Sect, other Jianghu sects seemed as fragile as paper.

No single force could withstand them.

And because of this, the Heaven and Earth Great Unity Sect began to harbor thoughts of rebellion.

Upon learning of this, the Brocade Guard acted swiftly. In just one night, they massacred dozens of the sect’s Elders. Their Sect Leader was also beheaded by the then Tribunal of Inquisition of the Brocade Guard.

After this battle, everyone in Jianghu became extremely wary of the entity known as the Brocade Guard.

There was no other reason.

Simply because they were the Brocade Guard!

Although the Single Sword Sect was a Jianghu Sect, it dared not cause trouble within Fengxiang Prefecture.

For them, staying outside was sufficient; there was no need to wade into the treacherous waters of Fengxiang Prefecture. The waters were too deep to fathom.

The Sect Leader of the Single Sword Sect was Sun Tianhui. He had made a name for himself as Sword Master Tianhui solely through his unique swordsmanship.

If one were to rank the martial arts experts within the Fengxiang Prefecture territories, Sword Master Tianhui would undoubtedly be in the top ten.

However, today, some uninvited guests arrived at the Single Sword Sect.

At the foot of the mountain where the Single Sword Sect was located, a group of players hurried over energetically.

Since it was a newly opened map, the players were very curious, taking photos of the surrounding scenery as mementos.

This batch of players was Cloud Lament, led by Flourishing Flowers.

Currently, the Profound Yellow Sect had three great Halls. Cloud Lament had the most members, with ninety percent of the second batch of players having joined them.

Junlin’s Lingxiao Hall had the fewest members, with only their five.

The last was Celestial Realm, a gathering place for Life Players established by Little Boss.

Their guiding principle was simple.

Any Life Player could join Celestial Realm; all who joined were considered brothers.

The majority of the First Batch of Players had wanted to cooperate with Junlin.

Unfortunately, Junlin had no plans to recruit too many people.

He aimed for a path of quality over quantity. Therefore, players were chosen for their skills, not their numbers; those without significant abilities were definitely not accepted.

Thus, many from the First Batch of Players chose not to join any Hall.

They formed their own teams and followed Flourishing Flowers to the Single Sword Sect’s territory.

Flourishing Flowers led people to cause trouble at the Single Sword Sect, and these players had come hoping to fish in troubled waters and establish a reputation for themselves.

Five hundred Contribution Points were enough to make the players fight desperately.

Learning that nearly a hundred people had suddenly ascended the mountain, Sect Leader Sun Tianhui of the Single Sword Sect was somewhat surprised.

"What’s going on? Didn’t these people present visiting cards?" Sun Tianhui said with a grim expression. "Could it be that rabble from the Thirteen Strongholds?"

The Thirteen Strongholds were another power within Fengxiang Prefecture, a coalition of thirteen bandit strongholds occupying the entire Lianyun Mountain Range.

Typically, under the guise of "acting on Heaven’s behalf," they had become the local tyrants of that region of the Lianyun Mountain Range.

Due to the unique terrain, several Imperial Court suppression campaigns had ended in failure.

In the end, it was the Brocade Guard Thousand Households from Fengxiang Prefecture who stepped forward. After issuing a warning, the people from the Thirteen Strongholds finally quieted down.

"Sect Leader, they’re not bandits from the Thirteen Strongholds. It’s a completely unfamiliar group," the reporting disciple hurriedly said. "Moreover, as they ascended the mountain, they were shouting things like, ’Profound Yellow Sect is Number One in the World!’"

Profound Yellow Sect? When did such a sect appear within the Fengxiang Prefecture territory?

Beside Sun Tianhui, a scholar in a green robe fanned himself with a feather fan and said with a smile, "The Profound Yellow Sect is located on a mountain outside Liang City. It’s a Jianghu force from Liang City."

Liang City? Just a vassal town of Fengxiang Prefecture. And a sect from such a minor city dares to send people to cause trouble at our Single Sword Sect?

"Brother Zhuge, what do you make of this?" Sun Tianhui asked with a slight frown.

"I just received news that the Profound Yellow Sect has become the sole power in Liang City. It seems they plan to establish a foothold in Fengxiang Prefecture’s territory," the young scholar named Zhuge explained. "This Profound Yellow Sect excels at winning with fewer numbers, so their Sect Leader must be formidable. Our Single Sword Sect has some renown, but we mustn’t be overly arrogant. We must be wary of such small sects."

The reason Sun Tianhui had been able to expand the Single Sword Sect to become renowned throughout Fengxiang Prefecture was because of the help from this scholar named Zhuge.

Zhuge Yuanlang! He should have achieved the rank of Zhuangyuan, the highest imperial examination honor. However, due to corrupt officials in the Imperial Court and his lack of sufficient silver for bribes, he was ultimately forced to wander the Jianghu. There, he befriended Sun Tianhui and joined his cause.

Sun Tianhui managed external affairs while Zhuge Yuanlang handled internal matters. Together, their partnership made all the forces in Fengxiang Prefecture very wary of them.

"Then, shall we go meet them? We can’t neglect propriety," Sun Tianhui frowned and said. "Did their Sect Leader come?"

The reporting disciple hurriedly shook his head. He didn’t know who the Sect Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect was, so he couldn’t be sure.

"Rumor has it that the Sect Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect is reclusive, seldom leaving the sect gates, and is a very mysterious and low-profile individual," Zhuge Yuanlang shook his head. "Arriving with such fanfare contradicts the rumors. I expect their Sect Leader hasn’t come."

They hadn’t presented a visiting card. Their Sect Leader hadn’t even come personally. Were they looking down on our Single Sword Sect?

"Hmph, such airs! Are they sending a group of disciples here to flaunt their might before me?" Sun Tianhui’s expression darkened.

Even those boorish chieftains from the Thirteen Strongholds always had one of their leaders accompany them on visits. This Profound Yellow Sect just sends a group of disciples? What nerve!

Zhuge Yuanlang had discerned Sun Tianhui’s unspoken thoughts. People in the Jianghu all valued their reputation. Their Sect Leader hadn’t come, so why should he, the Sect Leader of the Single Sword Sect, personally welcome a group of mere disciples? It was against all reason!

"Old Sun, there’s no need for you to meet them. I’ll handle this," Zhuge Yuanlang then said.

"Alright. Just teach them a lesson, but don’t cause any fatalities," Sun Tianhui nodded. "After all, they’re from a small place and haven’t seen much of the world. Our Single Sword Sect shouldn’t be seen as bullying them."

"Don’t worry, I know how to handle it appropriately." Zhuge Yuanlang nodded with a smile, then stood up and walked outside.

Meanwhile, the Single Sword Sect disciples who received the news gathered in the courtyard on the Mountain Peak.

"Has anyone heard of this Jianghu force, the Profound Yellow Sect?"

"Never heard of them. But these disciples don’t look simple; every one of them is an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, and their leader is a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist."

"What’s there to fear? Our Senior Sister is also a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist! Second Senior Brother has the greatest talent, but unfortunately, he’s not in the sect right now. I bet he’s already a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist by now, right?"

"But they have dozens of Eighth-Grade Martial Artists. How many do we have at that level?"

"..."