NOVEL WEB Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Sword Grinding Cave
Baibi City, Li Family Estate.
In the back yard.
"Madam."
Butler Xu of the Li Family Estate bowed respectfully.
He didn't know why the lady had suddenly summoned him.
Madam Ren Rong waved off the maids and fixed her gaze on Butler Xu.
Butler Xu felt very uneasy being watched and bowed even lower.
Compared to the Master, Madam was much more difficult to serve.
"Tell me the truth, Butler Xu, how much in banknotes did you deliver to the Eldest Young Master last time you went to Divine Sword Sect?"
Madam Ren Rong said with a grave voice.
Master Li Donglin had gone to the provincial city, and the vast Li Family Estate was now under her control.
She had quietly checked the accounts and discovered a significant expenditure not long ago.
"Madam, this...."
Butler Xu felt a tingling scalp because the Master had told him not to reveal it.
"What's so difficult to say?"
Madam Ren Rong said sternly.
"Six thousand taels."
Unable to withstand the pressure, Butler Xu could only spit it out.
If he offended the Madam, he feared his days as a butler were numbered.
He had a deep understanding of Madam's severity.
"Six thousand taels? Humph, does he not plan to live a proper life anymore?"
Madam Ren Rong's face changed drastically.
That Li Qian, having joined Divine Sword Sect for cultivation, who knows how much more investment will be needed?
The entire Li Family's foundations might be drained.
"Li Donglin, you are truly biased..."
Ren Rong clenched her teeth in hatred.
She didn't believe that Li Qian's becoming a disciple of Divine Sword Sect was a recent discovery by Li Donglin... It might be that Li Donglin purposefully sent Li Qian to Divine Sword Sect.
Otherwise, how could a worthless, uneducated vagrant who ran away from home for more than three years without a word suddenly become an Official Disciple of Divine Sword Sect?
If Li Donglin had set his heart on fully supporting Li Qian's martial training, he could entirely deplete the Li Family's wealth.
By the time her son, Li Kun, needed to be prepared after passing his examinations, she feared there wouldn't be any money left.
Wouldn't all the calculations she made over these years be in vain?
Once Li Qian made any achievements, he would certainly overshadow her son. Given Li Qian's hatred towards her, he would surely seek revenge, even venting his anger on her son.
Butler Xu kept his head down, pretending he heard nothing.
Within the vast Li Family Estate, probably no one except the Master was unaware of Madam's intentions.
....
After noontime.
After finishing his cultivation, Li Qian was preparing to make lunch.
Suddenly, a figure entered the bell tower.
Li Qian was surprised to see that it was his master, Zhou Buping.
"Master, why have you come?"
He was quite surprised.
This was Master Zhou Buping's first visit to the bell tower.
"I came to see how you are living up here on the mountain."
Zhou Buping said with a gentle smile.
He had watched from the beginning to the end as Li Qian practiced the Heartless Sword Technique after ringing the bell.
"Master, I'm living quite well."
Li Qian said.
Then he moved a stool over for Zhou Buping to sit down.
"Indeed, not bad at all. Martial Arts Cultivation is essentially a tedious process, and your ability to endure solitude, even to enjoy the tranquility solitude brings, shows that you have found your own path in martial arts."
Zhou Buping chuckled lightly.
Observing one's practice of martial arts reveals their heart.
He had gained a deeper understanding of the disciple he had taken in midway through the journey.
This is the disciple he had been searching for decades.
He had been guarding Yanmen Valley for decades, and for servant disciples to join the inner gate, they all ultimately had to pass his assessment... The actual purpose was just one—to choose a disciple.
After sitting down, Zhou Buping continued, "I have another matter for this visit. At the beginning of next month, there will be a selection for a True Inheritor within the sect, and there's only one spot. Not only have you comprehended the secret manual, but you have also entered the threshold of Sword Intent, so I have already signed you up. I believe that there is a good chance for you to secure this True Inheritor spot... However, I don't wish for you to compete for this inheritance."
"Master, why is that?"
Li Qian was surprised.
He was asked to participate in the selection for the True Inheritor yet was advised not to contend for the spot.
"The spot for True Inheritor is good, but you have a better option."
Zhou Buping shook his head and said, "Didn't I tell you before about Perfect Innate?"
Li Qian nodded.
"To achieve Perfect Innate, besides Inner Qi Perfection and understanding Martial Intent, one must also possess a perfect physical body. And to cultivate a perfect body, one must practice the Vajra No-leak Skill... The Heartless Sword Technique you practice was comprehended by your own Grand Ancestor from a mural within the Sword Grinding Cave during the True Inheritor selection. However, your Grand Ancestor once said that the Heartless Sword Technique he comprehended was incomplete, still flawed—it lacked the Vajra No-leak Skill."
Zhou Buping began to explain.
"Master, are you suggesting that I should find that mural within the Sword Grinding Cave and comprehend the Vajra No-leak Skill from it to perfect the Heartless Sword Technique?"
Li Qian said.
"Exactly. As long as you can understand the Vajra No-leak Skill of the Heartless Sword Technique, the mere True Inheritor spot really doesn't count for much."
Zhou Buping nodded affirmatively.
"What if I cannot comprehend it?"
Li Qian asked.
"If even you cannot comprehend it, I fear that the Heartless Sword Technique may never be perfected."
Zhou Buping sighed, "To perfect the Heartless Sword Technique, our lineage... starting from your Grand Ancestor, has persisted for six generations. Without achieving Perfect Innate, our potential reach is limited."
"Master, are you saying there's no Vajra No-leak Skill in the Divine Sword Sect?"
Li Qian asked in confusion.
"My disciple, what do you think the Vajra No-leak Skill is? Perfect Innate is not such an easy achievement. Since the founding of our Divine Sword Sect, it is said that only the founding progenitor has ever cultivated it—and that's just a legend... so, our Divine Sword Sect doesn't have any Vajra No-leak Skill at all."
Zhou Buping chuckled softly.
"Does that mean the mural in the Sword Grinding Cave wasn't left by our Divine Sword Sect's ancestors?"
Li Qian curiously asked.
"Of course not. It was only discovered by our founding progenitor during his travels, and then he established the Divine Sword Sect here. As for who left the Sword Grinding Cave behind, that remains unknown."
Zhou Buping shook his head.
"Master, what exactly is the fight for this True Inheritor spot all about?"
Li Qian asked again.
"This involves the legacy of the sword seeds of our Divine Sword Sect. There are twelve sword seed legacies in total, which correspond to the fixed Twelve True Inheritors. They actually also correspond to the seven main peaks and the Five Directions Sword Envoys of our Divine Sword Sect."
Zhou Buping explained.
"Seven main peaks, the disciple can understand, but what are these Five Directions Sword Envoys?"
Li Qian was very surprised because he had never heard of the Five Directions Sword Envoys.
"These are unique to our Divine Sword Sect... Later, when your level of contact is higher, you will naturally come to know."
Zhou Buping smiled and did not elaborate further.
"Master, if I don't become a True Inheritor, doesn't that mean I can't enter the Sword Tomb?"
Li Qian remembered something else.
"You don't need to worry about that. When you truly want to enter, I have a way to get you in."
Zhou Buping said.
Li Qian was then reassured.
By the rules, only True Inheritors can enter the Sword Tomb, yet last time, didn't the sect allow all Official Disciples to enter once?
This meant the rule... wasn't fixed, and it could be broken in key moments.
Compared to the True Inheritor spot, he found the idea of Perfect Innate more attractive.
"I wonder if using the sound of the Chen Bell, whether I could possibly comprehend the Vajra No-leak Skill from the mural in the Sword Grinding Cave?"
He started to look forward to it with anticipation.
....