Martial Cultivator

Infatuation Daoist Temple, a visitor had arrived today.

The daoist who was the Temple Master had been waiting early at the foot of the mountain. Only when the middle-aged man, carrying a peachwood sword, appeared in his line of sight did the Temple Master smile and begin walking forward.

Among all the cultivators in the world, there was probably no one who could make the Temple Master go to such lengths to welcome them.

"Sect Master went to Sword Qi Mountain, then to Deercry Monastery. I originally thought you would head to the academy, but unexpectedly, Sect Master came to Infatuation Daoist Temple."

The Temple Master looked at the leader of this world's sword path, a smile on his face.

Recently, the movements of the Sword Sect's Sect Master had stirred the world. Almost everyone knew what the Sword Sect's Sect Master was up to.

Those who were observant and conscientious were likely speculating that the Sword Sect's Sect Master was following the path of the one sword formed from all the Daos of the world. Since he had obtained the Dao Ancestor's sword artifact and met the old monk of Deercry Monastery, the next step would logically be to visit the academy.

But no one had expected him to appear at the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master looked at the daoist before him. With a thought, the Dao Ancestor's sword artifact, Genesis, instantly swept through the air and landed in front of the Temple Master.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master spoke indifferently, "The academy holds no benefit for my Sword Dao, whether I go or not makes little difference."

The Temple Master took the Dao Ancestor's sword artifact, feeling the lingering sword intent on the blade, and smiled. "Sect Master is quite generous, but I'm afraid no one in my temple will be able to comprehend Sect Master's Sword Dao."

The Dao Ancestor's sword artifact had been with the Sword Sect's Sect Master for so long, it naturally became tainted with the Sword Sect's Sect Master's sword intent. He could have erased it, but chose not to, it was naturally a gesture of reciprocal goodwill.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps one day, a great genius who dual-cultivates in Dao and Sword may appear in your temple. If they reach the end of Nepenthe, they might be able to battle me."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master seemed unconcerned that others might learn his Sword Dao, or even whether the person who learned his Sword Dao was a disciple of the Sword Sect or not.

This was both his pride as the leader of the sword path and his arrogance.

But for someone like him, such arrogance was only to be expected.

The Temple Master smiled. "It’s likely that for the next few hundred years, no one will emerge as a Sword Dao genius like the Sect Master."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master shook his head. "That academy dean's final disciple is a woman. It's said she has nine lifeblood flying swords, and she is highly likely to become the future leader of Sword Dao."

The Temple Master slightly furrowed his brows. "Has Sect Master met her? You have such a high opinion of her?"

"On the trip to the demon territories, I saw her from afar. That woman's Dao heart is pure, it's probably far purer than your so-called Twin Pillars of Daoism."

The Temple Master raised his eyebrows. "Sect Master, this penniless daoist cannot agree with such a statement."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master replied indifferently, "If we're only comparing women, the one in your temple doesn't measure up to her. As for Yun Jianyue, what's his current realm?" 𝘳

"Just one step away from Nepenthe."

The Temple Master was rather proud. A young genius like Yun Jianyue was rare across the entire cultivation world. Having him in the Infatuation Daoist Temple was naturally a source of great pride.

"It seems the Infatuation Daoist Temple will soon have a young daoist sage. If nothing unexpected occurs, the Infatuation Daoist Temple will still remain the leader of Daoism for the next century."

Compared to the Infatuation Daoist Temple, the Sword Sect indeed fell short in many respects, even though both were leaders of their sects.

"The owner of Wild Grass stepped into Nepenthe a while back and became a genuine sword immortal. It seems Sect Master now has a successor, congratulations."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master remained silent. Yu Xiyi, who had confined himself for years, had finally broken through his inner demons. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the Sword Sect. However...

The Sword Sect's Sect Master set aside his thoughts and said calmly, "Now that I've returned the sword, I shall take my leave."

The Temple Master asked, "When does Sect Master plan to act?"

The Sword Sect's Sect Master replied, "When the time comes, I will naturally appear.

The Temple Master cupped his hands. "Then we shall await the Sect Master's arrival in due time."

……

……

Divine Capital, Imperial City.

It was nearing midnight.

Aside from the eunuchs and palace maids on duty, the rest had long retired to their quarters. Great Liang was different from the previous dynasty. After the fall of the previous Qi Dynasty, not only were the eunuchs and palace maids of the former dynasty taken in, but many harsh regulations were also abolished. The previous Qi Dynasty showed no leniency to its eunuchs and palace maids. Most eunuchs barely had six hours of rest each day, and few lived to leave the palace in old age. Many died young, literally worked to death.

When the Great Liang was established, the founding emperor was mindful of the hardships endured by palace staff, reducing the number of positions significantly. Eunuchs began working in shifts, with each post shared by four or five people. As a result, both eunuchs and palace maids not only enjoyed ten to twelve hours of rest daily, and also had a day off every two or three days.

Such benevolence naturally earned the gratitude of the attendants.

While the temperaments of the past emperors of Great Liang varied, the treatment of eunuchs and palace maids in the Great Liang's imperial palace greatly improved compared to the previous Qi Dynasty.

Under the reign of the current Emperor, with the Empress overseeing the harem, the rules became even more lenient. Over the past decade, there had been almost no one who got executed within the inner palace. The gravest punishment was merely expulsion from the palace.

It was precisely because of this kindness that when the Empress passed away, the mourning cries within the Imperial City had been so genuine.

With the Empress gone and His Majesty without other consorts, the person truly in charge of the inner palace now was none other than Li Heng, the head of the eunuchs.

Li Heng had served by the Emperor's side since the latter was still a vassal prince. When the emperor ascended the throne and took residence in the imperial palace, Li Heng naturally became the new head of the eunuchs.

Though the start had been somewhat rocky, with his skillful means, Li Heng quickly managed to stabilize the various eunuchs in the inner palace without too much effort.

Tonight, His Majesty the Emperor had retired early. With no pressing matters, Li Heng also returned to his quarters and went to bed. However, after falling asleep, he woke up around midnight.

After some thought, this chief eunuch took a lantern and left his residence, heading toward a particular spot in the palace.

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