The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 218 - 30 Sword God Lake

Chapter 218: Chapter 30 Sword God Lake

After concluding the deal with Xie Lang, Qing Yu ordered the Azure Dragon Association to temporarily withdraw to Northern Zhou and lay low for a while before resurfacing.

Despite all her calculations, she had never anticipated that Emperor Daqian would be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, wanting Xie Lang dead.

Although it was unexpected that Young Man Fu would be so foolish as to appear right after Qing Yu killed someone, allowing Qing Yu to pin the blame for killing Xie Lang on him and exonerate the Azure Dragon Association,

other people were unaware of the details, but the Emperor knew. Who knew when the Emperor would remember the Azure Dragon Association and send someone to eliminate future threats?

It was still better to be cautious.

However, from this, it could also be seen that the identity of the Shadow King was no ordinary high-ranking court official. Daring to make the Emperor suffer a setback, the Shadow King likely truly was a prince.

Moreover, combining the previous actions of the Shadow King, his aspirations were probably set on that supreme position. Such turmoil was indeed not something the current Qing Yu could involve herself in.

Thus, as soon as the matter concluded, Qing Yu promptly put it out of her mind and, regardless of the consequences, went to Hong Province to seek out Gongye Baiduan, the former swordsmith of Sword God Lake.

Gongye Baiduan’s name was not well known in worldly society nowadays. Qing Yu also had never known of such a Sword Casting Master, but merely the fact that he had once been a swordsmith at Sword God Lake spoke volumes of his skill.

Legend has it that a thousand years ago, three supreme masters of Sword Dao discussed swords on an island in the middle of a lake and vied to reach the pinnacle of Sword Dao.

Their victory or defeat was unknown to the world; all that was known was that after that sword discussion, the three submerged their swords in the lake and established a sect on that island.

Because the three submerged their swords in the lake, forging a connection through it, this sect was named "Sword Lake."

In the years that followed, Sword Lake produced many outstanding disciples, and nine hundred years ago, a peerless swordsmanship genius emerged, challenging the world and being revered as the Sword God.

Following that Sword God, "Sword Lake" then became known as "Sword God Lake" and became a sacred Sword Tao site revered by swordsmen all over the world. The "Sword Lake Sword Discussion" held every ten years became a rare grand event at that time.

In the Sword Lake Sword Discussion, the victor could emulate the original three Sword Dao masters by submerging their personal sword in the lake to compete with other famous swords already in the lake. The Sword Master could merge mind and spirit with their sword, feeling the Sword Intent left by other swords’ owners in the lake and refining their own skills.

Because of this tradition of submerging swords, this originally ordinary lake became the famous Sword Immersion Lake. For countless swordsmen, sinking their swords into Sword Immersion Lake to duel with previous victors and to be revered by people all over the world was the goal of their lifetime.

A swordsman from such a revered Sword Tao Holy Land was naturally of high caliber, or rather, the swordsmiths of Sword God Lake were among the rare grandmasters in the world.

As for why Gongye Baiduan was said to have once been a swordsmith of Sword God Lake, it was not because he had been expelled by Sword God Lake, but rather, because Sword God Lake no longer existed.

One hundred and fifty years ago, the last Master of Sword God Lake had two exceptional disciples. Then came the all too common story—two equally talented disciples vying for the position of the next Master of Sword God Lake.

To determine the next Master, the incumbent proposed a simple idea: strength would prevail, and the two would duel, with the winner being king.

This idea was agreed upon by both sides, and thus a duel to determine the next Master of Sword God Lake commenced under their master’s observation.

The two fought day and night, and ultimately a winner was decided. However, this victor was not favored by their master because his Sword Dao was extremely domineering, overpowering others with force, with little artistry.

Another disciple was completely different, grand and imposing, fully displaying the majesty of the supreme Sword Dao transmitted by the Sword God Lake.

Eventually, their master abandoned the victor and chose the loser as his successor. This loser, in fact, also had another identity, he was the biological son of the last Master of the Sword God Lake. Therefore, the decision of the Master of the Sword God Lake was also highly criticized by later generations.

Unexpectedly, the decision turned the loser into a winner, while the winner, unwilling to accept his master’s duplicity, left the sect and disappeared without a trace.

If it had ended there, this unknown duel would also have concluded, known only to the three involved.

However, Qing Yu came to know of this because there was more to come.

During the once-in-a-decade event of the Sword Lake Convention, the now Ascended to God defeated would formally inherit the position of Master of the Sword God Lake, becoming the universally respected leader of the Sword Dao.

However, just as he was about to assume his position, the victor from that year arrived.

By then, he had forsaken swords for swords, his domineering Sword Dao, coupled with a sword called the "Domineering Blade of All Weapons," complemented each other even more impressively.

He fought alone against both the Master of the Sword God Lake and the next Master of the Sword God Lake, firmly gaining the upper hand. Within a few moves, his sword broke and a man fell; he killed the defeated of that year with a single slash.

The last Master of the Sword God Lake, wanting to avenge his beloved son, used a unique secret technique in sync with the swords beneath the Sword Immersion Lake to strike at his former disciple.

And well, as everyone probably knows, if the last Master of Sword God Lake had won, he wouldn’t have been the last.

Dozens of swords, formerly carried by peak swordsmen, shattered under the blade, and the Sword Lake Convention ceased to exist.

Sword God Lake split into three factions: Yu Jian Manor, Buried Sword Peak, and Sword Palace, now the three major Sword Tao Holy Lands in worldly society.

The man who forsook the sword for the blade was known as "Nangong Jian," now the second on the Heavenly List – "Sword God" Nangong Duanjian.

As for those who followed the three factions of Sword God Lake, there were naturally those who left on their own, among them Gongye Baiduan.

From the information given by Meng Yunfei, it appeared that Gongye Baiduan lived only for swordmaking, and unwilling to be used by the three factions who were fighting over the inheritance of Sword God Lake to the death, he left to live in seclusion atop Hong Province’s Sky Melting Mountain.

However, without an extraordinary power like Sword God Lake to gather materials for him, Gongye Baiduan found himself a skilled craftsman without the necessary ingredients, like an expert cook without rice.

At that moment, a sponsor appeared; he provided Gongye Baiduan with materials, and in return, Gongye Baiduan had to craft a weapon for him every three years. That sponsor was Shadow King.

And this time, Qing Yu had received an opportunity that came once every three years.

The materials consumed within three years by a sword casting master like Gongye Baiduan were beyond ordinary imagination. Yet such a costly opportunity to commission a sword was given by Shadow King to Qing Yu, representing a substantial investment.

It was for this reason that Qing Yu dared to stroll about aimlessly after attacking Xie Lang, instead of fearing that Shadow King might kill him to silence him like he did with Young Man Fu.

After several days of travel, Qing Yu arrived at the secluded residence of Gongye Baiduan at the base of an active volcano in Sky Melting Mountain, Hong Province.

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