Stepping out of the mountain gates of the Qinglan Sword Sect, Ye Ling did not immediately take to the skies to travel.
Heishui Commandery was ten thousand miles away from the sect. She was currently only at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm, and if she flew the entire way, her spiritual energy would not even last half the distance.
Fortunately, before her departure, she had specifically asked Leng Zhiwei for a common sect sword-controlling technique. Once mastered, flying on a sword would drastically reduce her spiritual energy consumption.
Just after leaving the mountain gates, Ye Ling walked slowly along the road while repeatedly deducing the knacks of the secret technique in her mind, occasionally drawing her sword to test it in the air for a moment.
In just a few short days, she had cultivated this secret technique to Initial Mastery, which was enough to support her long-distance travel.
Even though she had mastered the sword-controlling technique, Ye Ling did not fly through the air the entire way.
She planned to travel mostly on foot, enjoying the scenery of the mountains and rivers along the way.
The cultivation of the sword path could not be separated from experiencing the various aspects of the mortal world. Observing the local customs of different places would be of great benefit to her own foundation and state of mind.
Two days later, Ye Ling finally walked out of the vast, continuous Qinglan Mountain Range and arrived at Qinglan Town at the foot of the mountains.
Almost every permanent resident in the town possessed some martial arts cultivation. More than half of them were related to the Qinglan Sword Sect in some way, and countless rogue cultivators had specifically relocated here out of admiration for the sect's prestigious reputation.
Though called a town, its permanent population exceeded one hundred thousand. The streets were bustling with people, and a continuous stream of pedestrians bustled back and forth.
Disciples wearing the sect's uniform robes could be seen everywhere on the streets.
The colors of the robes for disciples of different ranks were clearly distinguished: outer sect disciples wore white, inner sect disciples wore blue, personal disciples wore red, True Disciples wore gold-patterned brocade robes, and miscellaneous disciples wore grey cloth garments.
However, Ye Ling had never liked flashy clothes and preferred a simple, elegant green robe. Walking among the various uniform robes, she appeared exceptionally fresh and unique.
Ye Ling walked into the most grand tavern in Qinglan Town, but she did not book a private room.
Instead, she walked straight into the bustling, noisy main hall, chose an empty table by the window, and ordered a few dishes and a pot of green tea.
People from all walks of life chatted and mingled in the main hall, creating a constant din of noise, but this was exactly what she wanted.
Being in this place allowed her to easily overhear martial world rumors from all directions, gaining far more insights than she would by secluding herself behind closed doors.
Before long, the conversation of a group of martial artists at a neighboring table drifted clearly into her ears.
An inner sect female disciple raised her teacup and spoke with a hint of admiration in her tone.
“Have you all heard of Fairy Bai Ling from Jingshui Yaotai?”
“Her cultivation has already broken through to the peak Xiantian Realm. A few days ago, a notorious peak Xiantian scoundrel who had been committing crimes on the run ran into her, and within just a few dozen exchanges, he perished directly under her long whip.”
A man at the same table looked shocked upon hearing this. “Fairy Bai Ling has already reached the peak Xiantian Realm?”
“I remember not long ago, our Qinglan Sword Sect's Sword Heroine, Lin Wanqing, also stepped into the peak Xiantian Realm.”
“The talent of these two is simply terrifying. I heard that both of them are not even thirty-five years old!”
Another person chimed in, “The rules of our Qinglan Sword Sect are right there: one must break through to the Xiantian Realm before the age of twenty-five to be eligible for promotion to the inner sect.”
“But after the Xiantian Realm, the difficulty of breaking through each minor stage is far beyond that of the Houtian Realm.”
“It is normal for ordinary cultivators to spend several years or even over a decade just to cross a single minor stage.”
Breakthroughs in the Xiantian Realm were inherently slow. A speed like Ye Ling's, stepping from the early stage to the mid stage after only half a year of closed-door cultivation, was unheard of in the entire Qingyun Kingdom.
Another diner added, “In the cultivation world, anyone under fifty is generally classified as a youth.”
After breaking through to the Xiantian Realm, a cultivator's lifespan increases greatly, so fifty is still very young.
“But these five geniuses are even more ridiculous; all of them are under thirty-five.”
Another person immediately took over the conversation, “It's not just those two who are formidable.”
“Fairy Bai Ling, Sword Heroine Lin Wanqing, along with three other geniuses, are collectively known as the Five Geniuses of Qingyun.”
“All five are True Disciples of their respective sects, and each has their own unique moniker in the martial world.”
“The four major sects have each produced outstanding talents. Among them, the Qinglan Sword Sect claims two, while the other three sects have one each. Two geniuses from a single sect—as expected of the number one sect!”
“Moreover, the monikers of these five all have their origins, derived either from their cultivated techniques and weapons, or from their usual style of conduct.”
“The foundations of these five are terrifyingly deep. The lowest among them in cultivation is already at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.”
“Fairy Bai Ling and Sword Heroine Lin Wanqing have even gone a step further, both breaking through to the peak Xiantian Realm.”
“At this rate, the remaining three are not far from the peak Xiantian Realm either, and it won't be long before they catch up.”
“What is most rare is that all five are under thirty-five years old. Such age paired with such cultivation is extremely rare in the history of the Qingyun Kingdom.”
Seeing the curiosity on everyone's faces, he simply listed them one by one.
Lin Wanqing, a True Disciple of the First Sword Peak of the Qinglan Sword Sect, monikered 'Sword Heroine', at the peak Xiantian Realm.
She travels all year round, specifically picking dangerous bounties to accept and slaying heinous, desperate criminals.
The green steel sword in her hand is as swift as lightning; once her sword is drawn, blood must be spilled.
People of the martial world gave her the moniker 'Sword Heroine', both out of respect for her superb swordplay and her chivalrous spirit.
Leng Feng, a True Disciple of the Third Sword Peak of the Qinglan Sword Sect, monikered 'Mad Sword', at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.
His sword style is bold and sweeping, attacking like a tempestuous storm. He does not care for feints or flashy moves, relying solely on his fierce sword intent to suppress his opponents.
He never holds back when fighting others. The more he fights, the wilder he becomes, and the wilder he becomes, the stronger he gets, hence earning the name 'Mad Sword'.
Bai Ling, a True Disciple of Jingshui Yaotai, monikered 'Fairy Bai Ling', at the peak Xiantian Realm.
While her cultivation is top-tier, she is even more famous for her appearance than her strength. It is said that nine out of ten people who see her will lose themselves for a moment.
She is universally acknowledged as the number one beauty of the Qingyun Kingdom. However, Bai Ling never prides herself on her looks.
She is decisive and ruthless in battle, leaving no survivors under her long whip. The title of 'Fairy' is merely forced upon her by outsiders.
Su Ningshuang, a True Disciple of Xuanling Pavilion, monikered 'Cold Jade Spear', at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.
She wields her spear with superb mastery. When her spear thrusts, it is like frost covering the ground, her spear intent piercingly cold. Opponents are often suppressed by her spear force before they can even get close.
Her personality is also cold. She is usually taciturn and rarely interacts with the martial world, but she never hesitates when she strikes.
Yan Lie, a True Disciple of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy, monikered 'Blazing Saber', at the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.
The cultivation methods of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy are already known for being fierce and overbearing, and Yan Lie has trained in this path to the absolute limit.
Once his saber is unsheathed, blazing saber qi sweeps in all directions. Ordinary cultivators of the same realm cannot even withstand three of his strikes. No one among the younger generation of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy can surpass him.
These five belong to the four top sects of the Qingyun Kingdom. Each possesses a solid foundation and countless opportunities, standing as the five most dazzling peaks among the younger generation of the entire Qingyun Kingdom!
The surrounding diners gasped in amazement one after another, sighing with emotion at the profound foundation of the Qinglan Sword Sect.
To have two True Disciples ranked among the Five Geniuses at the same time completely overshadowed the other three major sects.
For the five of them to reach such a level before the age of thirty-five, their future prospects could be said to be boundless.
Ye Ling sat quietly to the side, her fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop, silently taking in the entire conversation.
She knew that Lin Wanqing was a top True Disciple of the Qinglan Sword Sect who spent most of her time in closed-door bitter cultivation and rarely showed her face, but she had not expected her to have already broken through to the peak Xiantian Realm.
From this, it could also be seen that the younger generation of the Qingyun Kingdom was truly a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
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