Chapter 1031: True Martial Sword Academy

Emperor Xuan and Qin Mu entered the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace. The Emperor summoned a turtle-backed deity, took out a divine whip, and ordered, "Crown Prince Youming was too talkative, costing me ninety-nine Five Thunder Gourds. Take my divine whip and give him ninety-nine lashes."

The turtle-backed deity took the divine whip with both hands, turned, and departed.

Qin Mu hesitated for a moment but did not intercede for Crown Prince Youming.

Dragon Qilin and Yan'er exchanged glances. Yan'er whispered, "Why didn't Young Master plead for Crown Prince Youming? After all, he gave us directions and has a good temper. Now, instead, he's getting ninety-nine lashes."

Dragon Qilin quietly said, "The Cult Master's words carry little weight..."

Qin Mu glared at him, and Dragon Qilin immediately fell silent.

Ahead stood a stone statue, which bore some resemblance to Emperor Kaihuang, Qin Ye.

Qin Mu walked closer and examined it. It was indeed a statue of Emperor Kaihuang, but much younger. The statue exuded youthful vigor, unlike Kaihuang's current mature and composed demeanor.

"Emperor Kaihuang had a good relationship with us in the Northern Celestial Sphere," Emperor Xuan said. "In the early days of the Kaihuang Era, before the Kaihuang Heavenly Court was established, he once visited here. The area around this statue was originally a sword academy, which he founded, named the True Martial Sword Academy. He established the academy here and taught disciples. Many young talents from our Northern Celestial Sphere became his disciples and learned swordsmanship from him. I also exchanged ideas with him here and learned his sword dao, while he sought my advice on formations. Now, nearly forty thousand years later, there are still many sword masters in our Northern Celestial Sphere who are known as the True Martial Sword Sect."

He led Qin Mu around, and Qin Mu indeed saw many foundation stones of the True Martial Sword Academy. The academy was quite large, suggesting that thousands of Black Tortoise disciples had studied here in the past.

"However, after the Kaihuang Era ended, the Heavenly Court ordered the dismantling of the True Martial Sword Academy; only this statue was preserved," Emperor Xuan said. "If the disciples of the True Martial Sword Academy were to hear of your arrival, they would surely be overjoyed. Qin Ye also brought two girls and a woodcutter. One was named Di Yiyue, another Yan Yunxi, and the woodcutter, Wen Tiange, who was very polite. Di Yiyue studied the Great Dao of the Black Tortoise with me, Yan Yunxi practiced formations with me, and the woodcutter learned numerology from me. They were all exceptionally intelligent, and their later achievements surpassed mine. I also learned much from them."

"So Grandmaster Zi Xi and Teacher Qiaofu also came here?" Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "Did Emperor Kaihuang ever go to the Eastern Celestial Sphere?"

"Naturally, he did," Emperor Xuan replied. "Back then, Qin Ye also established an academy in the Eastern Celestial Sphere called the True Dragon Dao Academy, which was also very famous. It is said that a true dragon named Qing Huang, formed from the dragon vein of the Kaihuang Nation, followed him in cultivation at that time."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment. He hadn't seen any traces left by Emperor Kaihuang in the Eastern Celestial Sphere, presumably because Emperor East had completely erased them. From this, one could also discern the differing approaches of Emperor East and Emperor Xuan. Emperor East was arrogant and self-willed, with a stronger desire for control; if he couldn't control something, he would erase all its traces. Emperor Xuan, on the other hand, was more sentimental. Even after Emperor Kaihuang's downfall and the end of the Kaihuang Era, he preserved Emperor Kaihuang's statue, and many disciples in the Northern Celestial Sphere continued to practice swordsmanship.

In that era, Emperor Kaihuang pushed the post-celestial Great Dao of Swordsmanship to its limit, which was a reform. Besides swordsmanship, the Great Dao of Formations, the Great Dao of Forging, the Great Dao of Blades, and many other Great Daos were also post-celestial Great Daos, all of which developed and flourished during the Kaihuang Era. It can be said that the Kaihuang Era was a period of explosive growth for post-celestial Great Daos, which gradually began to rival the pre-celestial Great Daos! Emperor Xuan was proficient in formations and numerology, which showed that he was not averse to post-celestial Great Daos, but due to his innate limitations, he could not fully develop these two post-celestial Great Daos to their peak.

They continued forward. Qin Mu saw more traces left by Emperor Kaihuang. There was a sword-discussion platform, a sword-washing pool, a Heavenly and Earthly Chessboard left by Yan Yunxi, and the Black Tortoise Scripture Wall left by Di Yiyue.

"Emperor Kaihuang had such a good relationship with Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu," Qin Mu asked, "So why did they lend the Northern Emperor's divine weapon to destroy the Kaihuang Era?"

Emperor Xuan said, "It was the general trend, and there was nothing we could do. My thought at the time was that if the Kaihuang Era could last for three hundred thousand years like the Supreme Emperor Era, and the post-celestial Great Daos could imprint themselves upon the void, then the gods of the Kaihuang Era would evolve from post-celestial to pre-celestial beings, becoming new ancient gods. In this way, they could contend with the Heavenly Court."

Qin Mu was greatly shaken. The ancient gods of that era cultivated the Kaihuang Era; their original purpose was to create a new generation of ancient gods!

"By then, Kaihuang's interests would be aligned with ours, the ancient gods," Emperor Xuan continued. "Once they became new ancient gods, we could unite and eradicate the Heavenly Court. At that point, Kaihuang would be the new Heavenly Emperor of the ancient gods. Even if there weren't three hundred thousand years, giving the Kaihuang Era one hundred thousand years would have been enough for them to become independent, divide the world with the Heavenly Court, and deter them from harming the ancient gods. But we never imagined that the Heavenly Court would only grant them twenty thousand years. Under such overwhelming circumstances, we had no choice but to compromise. Without compromise, it would have been a dead end."

He walked towards the Jasper Terrace, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly, whispering, "Only twenty thousand years... As for Eternal Peace, heh heh, eight hundred years..."

Qin Mu followed him, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Emperor Xuan, forgive me for asking, but it seems your relationship with Emperor Wu is not very harmonious. Why is that?"

"You noticed that too?" Emperor Xuan sighed. "Emperor Wu and I were originally divine beings born in the Celestial River, each governing a section of it, independent of each other. Later, as more ancient gods were born, our strength was slightly weaker than the formidable ones like the Azure Dragon and the Empress, but when we joined forces, our combined strength was slightly greater than theirs."

He led Qin Mu past the Jade Pond, where it was evident that the Jade Pond of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace had also been split in two. The Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace was much smaller than the Heavenly Court. Further ahead was the God-Slaying Platform.

Qin Mu's expression became strange. This God-Slaying Platform had also been neatly cut in half. Even the two intertwined God-Slaying Profound Blades on the platform had been separated, with only a single crimson malevolent aura remaining.

Emperor Xuan said, "We joined forces partly for self-preservation and partly for our individual statuses. That's why others called us the Northern Emperor Xuanwu. But later, we discovered our temperaments clashed. We had minor quarrels every three days and major fights every five, making life unbearable. Furthermore, since we, the Northern Emperor Xuanwu, were the strongest among the Four Emperors, some people tried to sow discord. Life became increasingly difficult, so when the Dragon Han Era underwent its division, we simply decided to split up as well." He chuckled, "At that time, that hussy even clamored to cut our child in half, fifty-fifty! Fortunately, Crown Prince Youming made a mistake at the time and was suppressed, otherwise he would have truly been cut in half."

Qin Mu's expression was strange. These two were truly stubborn individuals, wanting to even cut their own child in half to divide him.

"Later, the males came under my jurisdiction, and the females under hers," Emperor Xuan said. "Over time, this Northern Celestial Sphere became what it is today. That hussy won't bow to me, and I won't bow to her. We've been separating and reuniting over the years, and we've grown accustomed to it."

On the God-Slaying Platform, many young people were tempering their divine swords using the crimson malevolent aura. These young disciples of the Xuan Nation moved through the blade light of the God-Slaying Profound Blade, a highly perilous task, but they could use the God-Slaying Profound Blade to hone their swordsmanship. The divine swords they refined were not sword pellets; instead, they each carried a large gourd on their backs, which contained Celestial River sword qi. When the gourd's mouth opened, sword qi like a vast Celestial River would surge out, ever-changing and combined with formations. Coupled with Di Yiyue's Black Tortoise Scripture, their magical power was mighty and exceptionally formidable!

Qin Mu stood by the edge of the God-Slaying Platform, stopping to observe. Using gourds as sword scabbards was a unique feature of the Northern Celestial Sphere. Furthermore, the combination of swordsmanship and formations, along with Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu's unique Great Daos, made it truly distinctive in his eyes.

"What does Heavenly Venerate Mu think?" Emperor Xuan asked.

Qin Mu nodded and said, "The sword dao of the Northern Celestial Sphere indeed has its unique aspects. However, like the swordsmanship of the Kaihuang Era, it is outdated."

"I thought so too," Emperor Xuan smiled. "We ancient gods are most sensitive to changes in the dao of heaven and earth. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace reformed it, creating three fundamental sword styles, advancing the stagnant sword dao of the Kaihuang Era by three steps. Heavenly Venerate Mu's reforms led to the creation of two fundamental sword styles, pushing it forward by another two steps. Not long ago, I felt the sword dao's imprint deepening and strengthening, and someone else created another fundamental sword style. With that move, the power of swordsmanship became almost comparable to a pre-celestial Great Dao. Therefore, the sword dao of our Northern Celestial Sphere is inferior to that of Eternal Peace."

"Emperor Kaihuang created the Twentieth Sword Form," Qin Mu said. "His sword dao is too powerful; I even used his swordsmanship to thoroughly beat Emperor East's reincarnated body. He has now re-emerged."

Emperor Xuan's heart trembled slightly, and he asked, "Has Carefree Village, after lurking for twenty thousand years, accumulated enough strength to contend with the Heavenly Court?"

Qin Mu shook his head and sneered. "They haven't accumulated any strength, yet they consider themselves comparable to the Heavenly Court. If the sword dao of the Northern Celestial Sphere wishes to progress, Emperor Xuan can send some people to Eternal Peace. Eternal Peace has continued the academy and palace system of the Kaihuang Era, and there, the sword masters of the Northern Celestial Sphere can make further advancements."

Emperor Xuan hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, the Xuan Nation deities on the God-Slaying Platform retracted their Celestial River sword qi and swiftly landed, all looking towards Qin Mu.

A man said, "If you want us to study in Eternal Peace, Heavenly Venerate Mu must first prove that Eternal Peace's swordsmanship can indeed surpass our Northern Celestial Sphere's True Martial Swordsmanship!"

Emperor Xuan smiled and said, "It's just childish bluster, Heavenly Venerate, please don't take offense."

Qin Mu laughed heartily and ascended the God-Slaying Platform. The God-Slaying Profound Blade struck towards him, but he severed it with a single sword stroke. The Profound Blade, being forged from malevolent aura, reformed itself after being broken and continued its assault. Qin Mu raised his sword and swung. With a swish, the God-Slaying Profound Blade was astonishingly sliced into thirty-three or four pieces, unable to reconnect.

"What splendid swordsmanship!" The deities of the True Martial Sword Academy below the platform cheered and said, "It's just Emperor Kaihuang's swordsmanship! It has nothing to do with your Eternal Peace!"

Qin Mu sheathed his sword. The God-Slaying Profound Blade reassembled itself and continued to strike at him. Qin Mu pointed a finger, and the sword in his hand transformed into the 'Drilling Sword Form,' piercing and shattering the Profound Blade!

The Profound Blade reformed again. Qin Mu then twirled his fingertips, and the sword light transformed into the 'Entwining Sword Form,' almost obliterating the God-Slaying Profound Blade! The God-Slaying Profound Blade barely managed to reassemble itself. Qin Mu's sword move then transformed into the 'Roaming Sword Form,' moving parallel to the God-Slaying Profound Blade. No matter how this divine blade, capable of slaying gods and demons, shifted and changed, it could never touch Qin Mu in the slightest.

Qin Mu then transformed into the 'Eighteenth Sword Form,' and the God-Slaying Profound Blade was sliced into myriad pieces, utterly powerless. When the God-Slaying Profound Blade reformed again, Qin Mu unleashed the 'Nineteenth Sword Form,' and with a single stroke, this crimson malevolent aura was astonishingly annihilated in front of everyone, vanishing into nothingness.

The deities of the True Martial Sword Academy paled significantly, all turning to Emperor Xuan with pleading expressions.

Emperor Xuan's expression was indecisive, shifting between dark and light. He hesitated.

Qin Mu sheathed his sword and descended, saying, "The God-Slaying Platform of Emperor Xuan contains a blade dao that is truly too rudimentary, far inferior to Eternal Peace. If Emperor Xuan were to refine the God-Slaying Platform again and invite a grandmaster of the blade dao from Eternal Peace, I would not be able to break the God-Slaying Profound Blade so easily."

Emperor Xuan gritted his teeth, shaking his head and saying, "I cannot make that decision. I was mistaken about Emperor Kaihuang once. If I am mistaken again, the Northern Celestial Sphere might face utter destruction! I cannot gamble with your lives; I can no longer afford to take such risks..."

A deity from the sword academy knelt on one knee, raising his clasped hands above his head, and said, "To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening would be enough. Having embarked on the path of the sword in this life, we cannot turn back. We can only continue along this path, to see the highest peak and climb it. We humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"

Emperor Xuan remained silent.

The other deities of the True Martial Sword Academy also knelt and cried out loudly, "We humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"

Emperor Xuan suddenly made up his mind and said, "You may go. However, for the safety of the Northern Celestial Sphere, I must expel you from my clan; you will no longer be my descendants! Are you willing to accept that?"

The sword gods of the True Martial Sword Academy exchanged glances, showing some hesitation.

Qin Mu stood there, with his hands clasped behind his back. Dragon Qilin and Yan'er noticed his hands behind his back were trembling slightly. He had been rather overconfident in obliterating the God-Slaying Profound Blade with basic sword forms just now, and the muscles in his arms were almost shattered from the impact.

Qin Mu, maintaining his composure, said leisurely, "Emperor Kaihuang has currently gone to Eternal Peace. Since you are Emperor Kaihuang's disciples, if you hurry now, you might still be able to meet him."

"We are willing!" the sword gods of the True Martial Sword Academy said in unison.