Nostalgia

Qingyang Temple. Qin Sang strolled leisurely, taking unhurried steps. Today was the day of the outer disciples' tournament. Bai Hanqiu was the one presiding over the contest. She and her Dao companion soared side by side in deep devotion, an enviable pair of immortal lovers within Qingyang Temple. The arena was set up beside a great river atop the highest peak of the outer gate. Standing at the mountain summit, one could catch a glimpse of the scenery in the inner gate, a view intended to motivate the outer disciples. From time to time, waves of cheers erupted from the mountaintop. This was the final bout of the tournament, which would decide the ultimate victor. Outer disciples crowded tightly around the arena, cheering on both combatants, and even some male disciples from the inner gate had come out to watch the excitement. On the arena stage stood two figures. On one side was a youth in yellow robes whose appearance and demeanor were utterly ordinary. On the other was a beautiful young woman in fluttering white robes. Her skin was as fair as snow, her air aloof and cool. In her hand she held a spirit sword whose crystalline blade seemed forged from dark ice, as coldly dazzling as she was. Everyone has an eye for beauty. Evidently, the vast majority had come to see the young woman. Their cheers were so loud that they drowned out the roaring current of the great river. A few companions tried to cheer for the youth out of loyalty, but unable to hear their own voices, they simply defected to the other side. "Senior Sister Lu, go!" "Take him down!" "I bet this kid can't last five moves against Junior Sister Lu!" "Three moves at most..." ... The light barrier around the arena did not block sound. Drowned beneath waves of voices, the boy stood alone and helpless, clutching a pitch-black fire poker in his hand, looking at a loss and rather pitiful. Yet the young woman showed no sign of arrogance. Parting her vermilion lips, she said, "Junior Brother Zhang, I didn't expect you to be my final opponent. Please grant me your guidance!" The youth, however, seemed absentminded, his eyes vacant. He appeared stunned by the grand spectacle surrounding the arena. The young woman frowned. Just then, the voice of the outer deacon rang out, announcing the start of the match. Clever as she was, the young woman could tell there was something off about her opponent's gaze. Yet her resolve was firm, and she would not let it sway her; no matter who stood before her, she would give her all! With a flick of her right hand, her spirit sword left her palm and flew into midair. Sword qi surged, and her robes fluttered, holding the spectators outside the ring spellbound as cheers resounded across the outer gate. In contrast, the youth seemed to snap out of a dream, hastily raising the pitch-black fire poker in his hand. Unsurprisingly, this drew a burst of laughter. It was hard to imagine who would forge such an unsightly magic tool, yet the youth had relied on this very tool to cut his way through every challenger and stand in the final match. *Clang!* The spirit sword slashed down mercilessly, turning into a ray of blue sword brilliance. Provoked by the sword ray, the fire poker burst into radiant azure light, soaring skyward in an instant. The azure and blue lights converged and violently collided. A thunderous roar erupted. The two figures blurred as interlacing beams of azure and blue swept toward the edge of the arena, causing the light barrier to tremble repeatedly. The spectators pressed close to the barrier turned pale with fright and recoiled instinctively. Only upon seeing that the barrier held firm did they breathe a sigh of relief, staring in astonishment at the two combatants—no one had expected their opening clash to carry such astonishing power. The young woman was also taken aback. Not only could the opposing fire poker contend with her spirit sword, but it also exerted an odd suction, destabilizing the spiritual power within her and even threatening to make it boil over. Yet the youth's cultivation realm was clearly a tier below hers. She could not afford to lose this fight! Gritting her teeth, she hesitated no longer and immediately channeled a secret technique she had only recently mastered. "Divine Sword Lightning Manipulation Art!" With a sharp cry, her spirit sword let out a long chime. Blue light flared, and it suddenly transformed into a pillar of light, slashing through the air toward the youth with terrifying momentum! "What! Junior Sister Lu has already learned the Divine Sword Lightning Manipulation Art?!" "As expected of a genius!" ... Exclamations broke out from the crowd. The pillar of light fell like a bolt of lightning, its earth-shaking momentum seemingly capable of cleaving the mountain peak in two. Naturally, it did not possess the might of true heavenly thunder, nor was it Sword Qi Thunderclap; it was merely a swordsmanship manual treasured by Qingyang Temple. For someone of her cultivation level to master it was enough to mark her as a genius of the sword. Outside the arena, Bai Hanqiu looked at the young woman with approval, while a deacon beside her watched the youth with tension, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Before the boy, there was no other barrier aside from the fire poker. His face twisted and blood seeped from his seven orifices. Grabbing the fire poker—at whose tip a round crystal faintly glowed with a trace of blood—he charged recklessly into the pillar of light. *Boom!* A thunderous crash shook the air. The arena trembled violently. The blue light and azure light became almost indistinguishable. The onlookers fell silent, watching the stage with bated breath. *Rumble...* Suddenly, the blue light dimmed and flew back. Pale and breathing faintly, her spiritual power nearly exhausted, the young woman barely managed to steady herself. The youth, however, coughed up blood and flew out of the arena like a discarded rag. "Junior Sister Lu won!" After a brief silence, the crowd cheered in excitement. Yet the young woman said nothing, standing blankly on the spot, gazing at the boy in a daze. "Useless!" The deacon shook his head in bitter disappointment, having clearly seen that the boy had flinched at the crucial moment. Bai Hanqiu's expression, however, was not unkind. Just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of an otherworldly figure outside the crowd nodding gently toward her. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she hastily looked closer. Whispering a few instructions to the deacon, Bai Hanqiu ignored the gazes of the disciples and flew into the inner gate as a streak of light. Finding Qin Sang strolling through the mountains, she followed obediently behind him. "Disciple pays respects to Master. Did Master just watch the disciples' match?" "Youth is a time of high spirits. Your master was simply taking the chance to reminisce about days gone by." Qin Sang chuckled softly. In truth, he had encountered too many twists and turns at the start of his cultivation journey, never having had the chance to participate in a sect tournament. Even later when he joined Shaohua Mountain, he had avoided such affairs whenever possible. Seeing that Qin Sang did not reproach her, Bai Hanqiu felt relieved and made small talk: "I don't know where that male disciple found his opportunity, but the magic tool in his hands might have quite a history. Senior Brother Tan said it has the potential to advance into a magic treasure in the future..." "It is a blood-refined demonic tool, but pay it no mind. Magic tools are neither righteous nor evil; it all depends on the wielder's character." Qin Sang nodded nonchalantly; he knew what Bai Hanqiu was worried about. During all his years in secluded cultivation, Bai Hanqiu's cultivation had not advanced much; it seemed she had already given up on the Dao. This was Bai Hanqiu's own choice, and Qin Sang would not interfere. Changing the subject, Qin Sang asked, "Has the Han family moved out of Great Sui?" Bai Hanqiu nodded repeatedly and reported to Qin Sang. Great Sui was the birthplace of Qingyang Temple's rise. Tactful as ever, Jiang Xue had ordered Han Family Fort to relocate, ceding Great Sui and a vast swath of surrounding territory to Qingyang Temple. Knowing what Great Sui meant to Qin Sang, Tan Yi'en had dispatched deacons to oversee the region and designated Mount Chaosheng as a holy land. Bai Hanqiu had become the current head of the Bai family. The Bai family had leaped to become a cultivation clan. Meanwhile, the Qin family remained the imperial clan of Great Sui, enjoying endless wealth and honor, though unfortunately no descendant gifted with cultivation talent had yet appeared among them. Should any descendant possessing spiritual roots be born, they would immediately be brought into Qingyang Temple to cultivate.