Why do I have so many masters?

Wu Changqing was momentarily stunned, then his old face darkened slightly.

One secret medicine recipe after another floated through his mind.

Hong Luoyu's back chilled, suddenly reminded that the old man was in charge of his meals. With a cough, he floated next to the old man, intending to pat Wu Changqing's shoulder, but lacking arms, he could only lightly bump the old man's shoulder, chuckling dryly:

"You know, Old Wu, just joking, just joking."

"Come on, with the friendship between us, you tell me what you want to know, and I'll tell you everything."

Wu Changqing looked at Hong Luoyu, whose expressions changed faster than the weather, feeling amused and frustrated at the same time. He pointed at him and said, "I'm just curious about how you made the Fish Intestine Sword obey Master Huai Die."

"Famous swords naturally have spirit; though Fish Intestine is a short assassination tool, it is actually a sword of solitary bravery. Master Huai Die is gentle and overthinking by nature, a temperament not compatible with this famous sword. Being able to use it is already his limit, yet now there are signs of him becoming the Sword Master, which truly intrigues me."

Hong Luoyu furrowed his brow and thought for a bit, uncertainly replying:

"Perhaps... reasoning with the famous sword?"

Wu Changqing was slightly stunned.

Hong Luoyu explained: "Here, the rules are set by the surname Ying, naturally making the spirit charm of the famous swords more active, although not like a Divine Weapon, it still has some intelligence."

"Well, I have stayed at Shaolin Temple for a period."

Wu Changqing was enlightened and said:

"It is said that Bodhidharma once preached to a fierce tiger, perhaps it's akin to this method."

Hong Luoyu chuckled dryly and said, "Not as powerful as you say."

Wu Changqing shook his head and praised: "Luoyu, don't underestimate yourself. Bodhidharma is profound in Buddhist Law, able to preach to tigers. You persuaded a famous sword to submit to an incompatible master, though not as great as predecessors, it's commendable."

"By the way, Luoyu, how did you achieve it?"

"Did you imitate Bodhidharma by preaching and speaking doctrine? I recall your understanding of Buddhist scriptures, quite adept indeed."

The old man's words were earnest and sincere.

Hong Luoyu was flattered, squinting almost to a slit, laughing heartily:

"Actually, it's simple. I had the surname Ying temporarily enhance the spirit charm of the Fish Intestine Sword, then shattered dozens of weapons identical to it in front of the Fish Intestine Sword."

"Play a beat and tell it, play a beat and tell it."

"Obey or not, obey or not."

"At first, it was very stubborn, but after shattering ten or so, it complied."

"I figured such hard-headed things should be given strong medicine, so I endured the finger pain and broke about twenty more, then left it amongst the pile of weapons for two or three days, it became much more obedient."

"Haha, nothing much, you praise me like this, comparing to Bodhidharma..."

"How embarrassing..."

Wu Changqing's smile froze.

The monk beside them remained expressionless, opened his eyes, and his right hand lowered into a faint golden hand blade.

...

On the main peak, the scholar in a green robe gently tapped the armrest of the reclining chair with his right hand. The seemingly endless book in his hand had reached the final pages, his consciousness spread out, instantly diffusing into the entire Heaven and Earth.

In the midst of chaos, he vaguely sensed several nodes related to this world; the largest one being Wang Anfeng, followed by the Hu man he saved out of kindheartedness during his time in Fufeng, who belonged to Tuoba Yue's clan.

For a long time, Wang Anfeng almost forgot about this person.

But the latter did not forget his duties, reporting back each month, only the person he met each time was no longer Wang Anfeng, but the scholar with a transformed appearance.

Every task he followed also originated directly from the latter's hand.

However, this time, the scholar's consciousness did not linger here, swiftly sliding over, landing on another node, thus linking two different worlds together, fingers lightly tapping the armrest once or twice, immediately making contact.

.........

Master Huai Die sat cross-legged in the Quiet Room, eyes slightly closed.

The Fish Intestine Sword lay on her knees.

Her entire appearance, compared to before, had undergone significant changes; the former charming attire was thoroughly abandoned, exchanged for light blue clothing, which enhanced her innate beauty with a fresh and elegant feel.

This Quiet Room nestled inside the belly of the deep mountains, its materials imbued with hints of Earth's spirit charm, substantially aiding martial artists in breakthroughs and energy circulation.

The meditation cushion was made from heart-seeking grass core, functioning to dispel inner demons.

This was already core steward-level treatment.

And after taking three bold steps, she had completely separated from the former young master, the latter no longer held great control over her, even now, her status within the entire organization was but a step away from that young master.

This had all occurred within just a few short months.

Her breathing lightly paused, Master Huai Die opened her eyes, and beside her ears, or more directly within her heart, a calm voice rose.

"Return quickly."

The voice dispersed gently, as if it were an illusion.

Even though here was an empty Quiet Room, even though she could see the long-thought-unreachable Heavenly Sect gradually appearing.

Master Huai Die instinctively stood up, bowing towards the empty front with a respectful and complex expression, only upon the dissipation of the voice did other emotions rise.

Admiration, conviction.

Fear.

She had ascended three steps in mere months.

From a mere Sword Servant to a position comparable to a core disciple, or even a higher special identity, in such short time.