The Origin of "Seven Swords Ascend Mount Tianshan"

Servants of the Tianshan Sect delivered lunch to the courtyard where Wang Yu was staying, and Fang Shaobai joined their table. "Who is Xin Yilong?" Wang Yu asked. "Xin Yilong is the Eldest Senior Brother of the Tianshan Sect's new generation, and also a Xiantian expert," Fang Shaobai replied. Wang Yu bared his teeth. "Just how many Xiantian experts does the Tianshan Sect have?" Fang Shaobai counted on his fingers. "The Sword Fiend, Senior Ling, and Senior Gu—those three go without saying. Senior Ling is an authentic Xiantian Grandmaster, while whether Senior Gu has reached Grandmaster, I'm not sure. Nor do I know whether Senior Sword Fiend has reached Great Grandmaster. "In Senior Yang's generation, besides him there is also Senior Feng Rigan, who is likewise a Xiantian expert. Both once roamed the Central Plains with their swords and earned the title of the Tianshan Twin Eagles. As for whether there are other low-profile figures who never wandered the Jianghu, I wouldn't know. "As for the new generation, so far only Xin Yilong has broken through to Xiantian before thirty years of age. Counting it like this, the Tianshan Sect has six Xiantian experts on the surface." Wang Yu: "..." A mere Tianshan Sect, which was not even counted among the Seven Great Sword Sects, possessed six Xiantian experts. Meanwhile, the entire expanse of the Anxi Circuit had only three Xiantian experts, and not a single Grandmaster among them. The contrast was simply overwhelming. Li Yunxiu shook her head and explained to Wang Yu, "Setting aside the unaffiliated wanderers roaming the Jianghu, the Xiantian experts who hold sway across the world are generally concentrated in ancient, renowned sects with deep lineages. They aren't distributed by region." "Besides, the Tianshan Sect cannot be judged by conventional wisdom," Fang Shaobai quipped. "After all, Senior Sword Fiend is still around. He alone can uphold a great sword sect. Even if all of us in the Taihua Sect attacked him together, we might not win." The reason the Seven Great Sword Sects were the Seven Great Sword Sects, aside from having numerous formidable experts, was their long heritage, vast numbers of disciples, and deeply entrenched local ties—things no ordinary sect could compare with. Even if the sect masters of the Seven Great Sword Sects had not attained the Grandmaster realm, relying on their sects' legacies and foundations, they were at least among the foremost of Xiantian experts. Otherwise, they could never maintain the dignity and face of the Seven Great Sword Sects. Compared to such foundations and lineages, the Tianshan Sect was still somewhat lacking. At the very least, Yang Weiming had not shown Grandmaster potential, and there was still a gap between him and the leaders of other sects. Of course, in the martial arts world, martial prowess was everything. Because of Ye Tianlin's presence, the name of the Tianshan Sect resounded across the land. Over recent decades, its prominence had not lagged behind the Seven Great Sword Sects in the slightest, and its reputation for overbearing conduct was known throughout the Northwest, yet no one dared question it. Only over the past twenty years or so, as fewer and fewer elders remained who had witnessed the Sword Fiend's methods, with Tianshan disciples rarely setting foot in the Central Plains, and the emergence of the Sword Saint Liu Suifeng among the Seven Great Sword Sects, did the Tianshan Sect's momentum gradually wane. Even so, it was still regarded as the foremost sword sect beneath the Seven Great Sword Sects—far stronger than the Nanhai Sect, at least. Yet though the Tianshan Sect's fame had waned, no one within the Seven Great Sword Sects dared look down upon it. The reason was simple: of the seven sect masters' swords seized back then, six had yet to be reclaimed! At this point, Fang Shaobai recounted past events and the origin of the decennial "Seven Swords Ascend Mount Tianshan." Back then, when Ye Tianlin had just turned twenty, he had already attained the Xiantian realm. His swordsmanship was fierce and overbearing, earning him immense renown throughout the Jianghu. At that time, the Seven Great Sword Sects were at the peak of their prosperity. Several of their chief disciples were indignant that Ye Tianlin's reputation eclipsed their own, so they collectively challenged him to a duel. And then they were all defeated. Not only were they defeated, but they were also defeated in utterly humiliating fashion. Four of them resorted to lethal strikes during the duel, only to be ruthlessly slain on the spot by Ye Tianlin. The other three had held back, so Ye Tianlin spared their lives, merely leaving them severely wounded. Even so, a deep feud was forged between Ye Tianlin and the Seven Great Sword Sects. Although the sects knew their own disciples were at fault first, and duels were inherently matters of life and death, having four chief disciples die at Ye Tianlin's hands meant the Seven Great Sword Sects had completely lost face. In their eyes, Ye Tianlin's martial arts were high enough that there had been no need to kill them. Thus, relations between Ye Tianlin and the Seven Great Sword Sects quickly escalated from verbal sparring and martial exchanges to mutual slander and mortal enmity. Elders from two of the sects even declared they would seek Ye Tianlin out for trouble. Ye Tianlin was hardly good-tempered either. A bunch of juniors throwing their weight around relying on their elders' prestige, and the seniors behaving without an ounce of dignity or virtue—you want to come find me? I'll find you first! And so, within three months, Ye Tianlin fought his way through the Seven Great Sword Sects, calling out each sect master by name to challenge them. Only then did the masters of the Seven Great Sword Sects realize he had not merely attained Xiantian, but was only a half-step away from Grandmaster. Furthermore, endowed with extraordinary talent, fighting above his level against Grandmasters posed no problem for him at all. What was more, after defeating two sect masters, Ye Tianlin broke through to Grandmaster as well, completely steamrolling the remaining five sects. In every challenge, Ye Tianlin staked his life against the opposing sect master's personal sword. The seven sect masters had no choice but to accept, and upon losing, they could only hand over their swords—and even had to thank Ye Tianlin for sparing their lives. In this way, the personal swords of the Seven Great Sword Sects' masters fell into Ye Tianlin's hands, but their grievances were also settled once and for all. After that campaign, Ye Tianlin lingered in the Central Plains for a time, preparing to establish a sect of his own. But feeling that the famous mountains and great rivers of the Central Plains were already occupied by various powers, he rode west beyond the Yumen Pass and established his footing at Mount Tianshan. Not long after, Ye Tianlin penned a letter and had it delivered to the Seven Great Sword Sects. Every ten years, disciples under thirty from the seven sects were invited to Mount Tianshan to exchange pointers and compete with swords. There was no need to challenge above their tier—as long as they could defeat a Tianshan disciple of their own generation, the sect master's sword would be returned. However, the Seven Great Sword Sects cared about their dignity. After their feud with Ye Tianlin was settled, they had made strenuous efforts to reform their internal discipline. Upon receiving the letter, they not only agreed, but voluntarily raised the difficulty: the disciples ascending the mountain not only had to defeat peers of their own generation, but also had to triumph over a senior of the Tianshan Sect's previous generation before earning the right to reclaim their sword! Because of Ye Tianlin's presence, the Seven Great Sword Sects were clearly prepared to go decades without reclaiming their swords. Over sixty years, six batches of disciples had ascended the mountain. Aside from thirty years ago, when the freshly emergent Liu Suifeng defeated Ling Feiyun, the other six sects had yet to take back their respective sect masters' swords. Strictly speaking, Liu Suifeng had not taken his sect's sword back either. Instead, he declared that when all seven sects proved victorious, they would retrieve the swords together. Li Yunxiu clapped her hands in praise. "Senior Ye had farsighted vision, and the seniors of the seven sects possessed broad minds. Yunxiu is truly impressed!" Whether Ye Tianlin had seized the seven sect masters' swords out of a momentary fit of righteous fury or through long-term calculation, his letter after founding his sect on Mount Tianshan was a stroke of genius. The Tianshan Sect was situated far beyond the frontier. If they did not set foot in the Central Plains, there were practically no decent adversaries nearby, making it all too easy for Tianshan disciples to grow arrogant and complacent. While Ye Tianlin was still around, matters were manageable, but once he passed away, the Tianshan Sect would swiftly deteriorate into a second- or third-rate sect. That was certainly not what Ye Tianlin wanted. And so, Ye Tianlin erected the Seven Great Sword Sects of the Central Plains as a formidable, giant-like external threat for the young disciples of the Tianshan Sect! If they did not want the symbol of their founder's victory to be reclaimed by their original owners, they had to cultivate diligently and face the challenges of the Seven Great Sword Sects' chief disciples every ten years. Once they weathered such challenges, they would never succumb to arrogance or complacency again, and their future martial path would be much smoother. The outcome indeed unfolded as Ye Tianlin foresaw. For sixty years, the Tianshan disciples tempered their internal energy and sword arts in the harsh, frigid frontier. Aside from the heaven-defying Liu Suifeng, they had never lost a single time. Of course, this was also related to the seven sects voluntarily raising the difficulty. Because the Seven Great Sword Sects had also discerned Ye Tianlin's intentions, in order to spur their own disciples to learn from shame and press forward with courage, they cooperated by establishing the rule requiring a challenge against a senior of the previous generation, solely to extend the timeframe of these contests. Thus, this decennial event of "Seven Swords Ascend Mount Tianshan" had now reached its seventh iteration. Wang Yu smacked his lips. "It feels like unless the Tianshan Sect declines, or someone like Liu Suifeng emerges from the Seven Great Sword Sects, challenging above their tier to reclaim the sect masters' swords really is exceedingly difficult!" Leaving aside Ling Feiyun, who had attained Xiantian Grandmaster long ago, even looking at Yang Weiming, who was hosting them—though he was merely in the Xiantian realm, the disparity between different Xiantian experts was sometimes greater than the gap between Xiantian and Houtian. Yao Changgeng and Qianqian were both in the Xiantian realm, yet he hadn't even had the chance to flee from Qianqian's hands. Yang Weiming was plainly among the very best of Xiantian experts. A single display of his Frost-Soaring Jin had easily dispersed Wang Yu's ice-fire internal energy; he was not a bit weaker than Qianqian. Fang Shaobai's eyes shone brightly. "Only when it is difficult is there a challenge!" Fang Shaobai had always been hailed as the one among the Seven Great Sword Sects most likely to catch up to Liu Suifeng. This sword trial on Mount Tianshan was his great examination. If he could not even defeat Yang Weiming, how could he compare to the Sword Saint? Wang Yu could not help asking, "Are you confident, Brother Fang?" "Of course not," Fang Shaobai laughed, yet his eyes held neither apprehension nor worry, only free-spirited exhilaration. Wang Yu nodded. "Good. Let's drink!" There was no concern, no consolation, and no encouragement. Instead, Fang Shaobai's eyes gleamed with brilliant spirit. "Brother Zhao truly understands me. Let's drink!" The two clinked cups and drained them in one gulp. "Fine wine of grapes in luminous cups, about to drink, the pipa urges on horseback. Mock me not if I lie drunk on the battlefield, since ancient times, how many return from war!" Wang Yu chanted in a resonant cadence. "Magnificent poem!" Fang Shaobai tapped the table in praise. Starlight danced in Li Yunxiu's eyes, her chest rising and falling in two deep breaths. She picked up the wine flagon and filled both their cups once more. Fang Shaobai smiled. "It seems drinking grape wine truly calls for luminous cups." Wang Yu nodded. "When is your sword duel? When I have free time, I'll take a stroll down the mountain to see if I can buy a pair of luminous cups. After your duel, we can admire the moon and drink to our hearts' content." Before Fang Shaobai could reply, Qianqian offered a faint smile, turned to rummage through the bundle she had brought along, and brought over two emerald-green luminous cups carved with brocade carps. Wang Yu stared at the two cups fashioned from azure-tinted colored glaze, utterly speechless. "You actually brought such things while traveling away from home?" "Hehe," Qianqian giggled. "I just happened to bring two. Originally, I wanted to drink with Brother Yu while admiring the boundless desert and star-filled sky. Sadly, there was no time along the way, so it's perfect for you two to drink your grape wine from luminous cups." Li Yunxiu said faintly, "You only brought two cups?" Qianqian raised her chin and arched an eyebrow. "Naturally!" Wang Yu immediately took the cups and filled them both for himself and Fang Shaobai. "Drink, drink!" Fang Shaobai also nodded repeatedly, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "Drink, drink!"