thefictionvixens Chapter 50: The Six Major Sects
Chapter 50: The Six Major Sects
As the Sword Appraisal Competition draws ever closer, more and more extraordinary guests are arriving in Suzhou.
Compared to the population of Suzhou, these few people are but a drop in the ocean.
But if the energy it contains were to erupt, it could be enough to overturn the city.
Sheng Wansong and An Lan were walking down the street when they passed by an old bald man and several young bald men.
Sheng Wansong pointed at the backs of the bald men and said, "An'an, you can't beat any of these bald men."
These bald men were the abbot of Shaolin Temple and his true disciples, who had come to participate in the sword-tasting competition.
An Lan's candied hawthorn no longer tasted good, especially when she noticed that one of the bald boys was only a few years older than her.
Sheng Wansong patted her head and laughed, "He can be replaced."
An Lan possesses exceptional talent, and the cultivation techniques she practices transcend the limits of the world.
However, the total time spent on cultivation was less than three months.
These monks practiced the highest level of martial arts in this world, and they trained diligently from a young age, never stopping despite wind and rain.
It will take some time to bridge the gap.
Katsumoto Matsumoto had only said it casually, but Anlan held a grudge and couldn't enjoy shopping. She was only thinking about going home to cultivate herself so as not to embarrass her master.
Anlan is still young and doesn't understand the principle that haste makes waste.
Seeing her so conflicted, Sheng Wansong took her home and continued shopping himself.
Yes, home.
Living in Linjiabao all the time wasn't good either. Not only was he constantly harassed by Lin Xian'er, but he also had to endure his uncle's resentful gaze.
Sheng Wansong pawned the valuables he had picked up on Wohu Mountain and used them to buy a property in Suzhou.
When buying the house, the real estate agent gave him a discount when he heard the name Sheng Wansong.
His actions in wiping out Wohu Mountain had already earned him considerable prestige in Suzhou.
Suzhou is the capital of a province, and its name will surely spread throughout the province and the country over time.
This is the difference between platforms.
Doing the same thing in different places can yield drastically different results.
Dawangzhai is a much tougher thorn in the side than Wohushan, but Sheng Wansong has yet to hear of the righteous deeds of his two "adopted sisters".
As they walked, a broken bowl was suddenly thrust in front of Sheng Wansong.
"Sir, could you give me a chicken?"
Sheng Wansong glanced sideways and saw the old beggar from Chu Xiang City looking at him with a half-smile.
"Are you representing the Beggars' Sect at the Sword Appraisal Tournament?"
"What are you saying, sir? This old beggar doesn't understand."
The old beggar avoided answering, continuing to shake the broken bowl in his hand, "Give me some food."
Sheng Wansong withdrew his gaze and strode away.
Seeing this, the old beggar slung the broken bowl over his shoulder and followed behind Sheng Wansong. "Why are you so stingy, kid? I heard you've taken over both Dawangzhai and Wohushan strongholds and have a fortune of thousands."
"Fang is much more generous than you."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Wansong asked, "Then why don't you take him as your disciple?"
"Tsk tsk," the beggar shook his head, "He's too naive; he's not suited for the martial arts world."
"Besides, his talent for martial arts is only average; he can't compare to you."
Judging from these words, the old man had clearly considered it and had already given Fang a simple bone reading, but the result was not satisfactory.
"A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. I will try my best to return all the money in the mountain stronghold to its rightful owner."
The old man pursed his lips. "You're quite the moralist, huh?"
Sheng Wansong walked to the inn and sat down, and the old beggar sat opposite him without hesitation.
Even up close, there was still no sour smell; this old beggar was actually quite particular about cleanliness.
The waiter hurried over, glanced at the old beggar, and without saying a word, cheerfully placed two plates of peanuts on his plate.
"Young Master Sheng, this is a gift from the innkeeper. What would you like to eat today?"
"Bring out all your signature dishes."
Alright~
The waiter shouted and ran downstairs.
The old beggar chuckled slyly, "You're one of those people who's all bark and no bite."
"Old beggar, I won't eat your food for nothing. I'll tell you about the opponents you'll face at the sword-tasting competition."
Sheng Wansong didn't care who his opponent was. Even if it wasn't a young man, but the leader of one of the six major sects, he was confident of victory.
But it's not bad for killing time; you can treat it like browsing forums.
Sheng Wansong picked up a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and said calmly, "Tell me about it."
"This Sword Appraisal Tournament has issued a total of seventeen invitations. Wudang and Shaolin each received three, and the other four major sects, excluding the Famous Sword Manor itself, each received two, for a total of twelve. If you want to win the championship, your biggest rivals are among these twelve people."
The six major sects of the martial arts world, namely...
Wudang, Shaolin, Beggars' Sect, Six Doors, Divine Eagle Sect, Famous Sword Manor.
Wudang and Shaolin are the leading sects, while the Beggars' Sect is the largest sect in terms of numbers. The Six Doors are the government's gatekeeper for monitoring the martial arts world, while the Famous Sword Manor focuses on blacksmithing and doesn't concern itself with worldly affairs.
The Divine Eagle Sect is an assassin sect.
The reason it is ranked among the six major sects is because it only kills the unjust and never kills the good.
But in the world of martial arts, who can truly distinguish between righteousness and injustice?
"Among the true disciples of the Wudang Sect, Mo Xuan won the championship in the last Sword Appraisal Competition and earned the reputation of Gentleman Sword. According to the rules, he is not allowed to participate in this competition."
"The remaining two true disciples are Yuwen Lie and Mo Xie. You have already met them when you were in Chu Xiang, so I will not go into details."
"There is one more contestant, who should be from the Yuan generation."
The old beggar slowly began to speak, recounting the participants from each faction and their respective martial arts specialties.
When the Beggars' Sect was mentioned, a table of delicious dishes was served.
Originally, Sheng Wansong planned to have the waiter serve the dishes to the next table so he could eat there and leave the old beggar at this table to watch him eat.
Seeing that his explanation was indeed detailed, I abandoned the idea of abandoning him after I had served my purpose.
"If it's the Beggars' Sect, the participants should be those two lads, Li Yuanxing and Hou Jiu."
"Li Yuanxing is cunning, but his martial arts skills are negligible."
"Hou Jiu is still too inexperienced; he can't possibly be a match for you, kid."
When the Beggars' Sect was mentioned, the old beggar smacked his lips, sucked on a chicken bone, and gave a scathing review without any mercy.
"Is it alright for you to claim that this is the true essence of your gang's teachings?"
The old beggar didn't care at all, tossed away the chicken bone in his hand, and said, "I left the Beggars' Guild a long time ago."
"It's a pity that Xiao Yanzi was framed and expelled from the Beggars' Sect, otherwise even if Mo Xuan returned, he would not be a match for her."
"Little Swallow?"
The old beggar chuckled.
"He is a true disciple of the Beggars' Sect, an excellent successor who should have taken over the position of sect leader. He has mastered the essence of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, his palm technique is superb, and his internal strength cultivation has reached the level of a top master in the martial arts world."
"Unfortunately, he's now one of the ten most notorious villains in Evil Valley~"
The old beggar spoke lightly, and Sheng Wansong couldn't help but laugh, "Then your Beggar Clan has truly produced an outstanding talent for the Valley of Villains."
"Tsk tsk, who can argue with that?"