The Five Mountains Sword Sects—an alliance of Songshan, Huashan, Hengshan, Taishan, and Hengshan sects—united to counter the Sun Moon Sect's influence. Zuo Lengchan, the domineering Songshan Sect leader, rose as its head. Yet, in his mind, the alliance was a single sect under his command, with other factions as mere vassals. This arrogance defined Songshan's actions, treating peers with disdain.
At Liu Zhengfeng's Jinpen Retirement Conference in Hengshan City, Songshan Sect arrived, brandishing the Five Mountains banner. They demanded Liu Zhengfeng halt his retirement, sparking inevitable tension. Their overbearing demeanor provoked even Master Ding Xian, the Hengshan Sect's venerable leader, to speak out in measured reproach.
But Songshan played a devastating card. "Liu Zhengfeng, retiring due to weariness of martial world strife is your choice, and Songshan won't interfere," declared Ding Mian, the Tower-holding Hand, his voice booming. "But befriending the Sun Moon Sect while retiring? That we cannot permit. Bring him forward!"
Songshan disciples dragged forth a bloodied, battered figure—Qu Yang, elder of the Sun Moon Sect. "This man was captured near Hengshan City," Ding Mian continued, fixing Liu Zhengfeng with a stern gaze. "We know you've secretly allied with him, and he awaited your retirement at the mountain's base. Is this true?"
"Brother Qu, I've brought this calamity upon you," Liu Zhengfeng sighed, his face heavy with guilt as he beheld Qu Yang's wounds.
"Brother Liu, you shouldn't have admitted it," Qu Yang replied, his voice a mix of relief and despair. "Whether you confess or not, my fate is sealed. Save yourself."
"Brother Qu, your plight stems from me. To fear death now would shame our bond," Liu Zhengfeng said resolutely.
"Since you admit to colluding with the Sun Moon Sect, calling this traitor 'brother,' Songshan's accusations stand proven," Ding Mian bellowed, seizing the moment.
The other Five Mountains sects watched, torn. Songshan's spectacle aimed to crush Liu Zhengfeng, but his ties to the Sun Moon Sect left allies like Ding Xian powerless. She opened her mouth, then sighed, resigned. Colluding with the "Demon Sect" was a self-inflicted wound.
"Liu Zhengfeng conspires with the Sun Moon Sect, harboring wicked ambitions," Ding Mian proclaimed, waving a hand. "As Five Mountains leaders, Songshan decrees his death to uphold justice." Songshan disciples drew their swords, steel glinting with intent.
"Wait!" a clear voice rang out, drawing every eye. A young man, barely 20, stepped forward, a sword at his waist, clad in a black robe. It was Alex.
"Him?" Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang murmured, startled. A Sun Moon Sect disciple, daring to appear amid righteous sects?
"Who are you?" Ding Mian demanded, scrutinizing Alex. "Your attire isn't Five Mountains. How dare you meddle in our affairs?"
"I've no right to interfere with your sect's business. Kill Liu Zhengfeng if you wish—it's nothing to me," Alex said, waving dismissively. His tone shifted, sharp and firm. "But Qu Yang is a Sun Moon Sect elder. His death at your hands would shame us. You cannot take his life."
"A Demon Sect cur, seeking death!" a Songshan disciple spat, recognizing no renown in Alex. True to Five Mountains doctrine—slay Sun Moon Sect members on sight—he drew his sword and lunged, blade aimed at Alex's chest.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Alex flicked his fingers, unleashing a dozen black blood needles. They danced through the air, some streaking straight, others tracing arcs, a few even curving behind the Songshan disciple. The swarm enveloped him, each needle's path converging on its target.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The disciple reacted swiftly, his long sword flashing to deflect several needles with metallic clinks. But four or five pierced his defenses, sinking into his flesh. With a anguished scream, he crumpled to the ground, writhing.
"Hiss! What a fearsome hidden weapon!" The crowd at the Jinpen Retirement Conference gasped, awestruck. Such intricate needleplay was unseen in the martial world. Even Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng, who'd witnessed Alex's skill before, marveled anew.
"Black blood needles? Truly a Sun Moon Sect fiend," Ding Mian sneered, masking his shock. "Only your ilk would dabble in such dishonorable hidden weapons." Unwilling to lose face, he dismissed the technique, assuming Alex's close-combat skills were lacking.
With a powerful kick, Ding Mian unsheathed his sword and charged, blade gleaming. As the Tower-holding Hand, one of Songshan's Thirteen Guardians, his mastery ranked among the martial world's elite. His strike carried formidable weight.
"You scorn hidden weapons as beneath you?" Alex said coolly. "Then let's see how the Five Mountains Sword Sects, famed for swordsmanship, judge my blade."
Unfazed, Alex drew his fine steel sword and hurled it at Ding Mian, infused with over 200 kilograms of force—a projectile of raw power.
Ding!
Ding Mian parried, knocking Alex's sword aside. The force surprised him, but he smirked inwardly. A thrown sword? Hardly swordsmanship.
"Watch out!" Songshan disciples cried in alarm.
Ding Mian's instincts flared. Spinning, he glimpsed a sword's glint hurtling toward him. He raised his blade to block, but too late. A searing pain erupted as his sword hand was severed, falling to the ground in a spray of blood. He staggered, nearly fainting, a scream tearing from his throat.
With a flick of Alex's finger, the blade that maimed Ding Mian soared back, a trace of crimson on its tip. It hovered beside him, circling slowly with an almost sentient grace.
The Jinpen Retirement Conference fell deathly silent. Even Ding Mian, clutching his stump, forgot his agony, eyes wide with disbelief. Every gaze fixed on the sword orbiting Alex, its eerie dance defying comprehension.
"Controlling the sword with Qi? The legendary art of the martial world?" Yue Buqun, the Gentleman Sword, rasped, his usual poise shattered by astonishment.
The Jinpen Retirement Conference drew not only the Five Mountains Sword Sects but also the Qingcheng Sect, a prominent righteous faction outside the alliance. Today, the martial world's luminaries converged in Hengshan City. Alex, a lone Sun Moon Sect disciple, dared infiltrate this gathering and brazenly declare his allegiance.
Initially, the crowd pegged him as a brash novice, new to the martial world's perils. But his display of skill left them stunned, shattering their assumptions.
Killing a Songshan disciple with his black blood needles was impressive, but felling Ding Mian—the Tower-holding Hand, one of Songshan's Thirteen Guardians and Zuo Lengchan's junior brother—was staggering. A first-class master, Ding Mian rivaled Five Mountains sect leaders, yet Alex severed his hand in a single move.
"Controlling the sword with Qi?" Yue Buqun, the Gentleman Sword, repeated hoarsely, his eyes locked on the blade orbiting Alex, its slow dance a mesmerizing enigma. His words voiced the crowd's disbelief.
"How can it be? The fabled art of sword control exists?" Yu Canghai, Qingcheng Sect's leader, gaped, his gaze fixed on the sword circling Alex like a living creature, its fluid motion defying reason.
"A peerless master," whispered Lin Pingzhi, the hunchbacked beggar lurking in the shadows. His eyes burned with fervor as he watched Alex. To apprentice under such a figure could secure his vengeance against Yu Canghai.
Alex, his sword hovering beside him, surveyed the righteous masters, a quiet relief settling within. His display had cowed them. Had they swarmed, his only escape would've been to soar away on his blade.
"Does anyone else wish to test my sword control?" Alex called, his voice steady, sweeping the crowd. "If not, I'm taking Qu Yang."
The Five Mountains disciples exchanged wary glances, but none spoke. Ding Mian's fate—his hand severed, blood pooling—loomed fresh. None believed their skills surpassed his.
"Beyond Dongfang Bubai, the Sun Moon Sect harbors another peerless master," many whispered inwardly. Alex faced the righteous alliance alone, his confidence unshaken, a testament to his formidable power.
"This youth is Sun Moon Sect scum. If he grows unchecked, he'll rival Dongfang Bubai!" Lu Bai, the Crane Hand of Songshan Sect, roared, shock and fury in his voice. "He dares come alone—forget Jianghu honor! Together, we can—"
Clang!
Before Lu Bai finished, his sword leaped from its scabbard, unbidden. Under the crowd's stunned gazes, Alex extended his palm toward Lu Bai. The elder's own blade pressed against his neck, its edge glinting with menace.
The spectacle deepened the crowd's dread. Many instinctively clutched their swords, fearing their blades might betray them. Controlling the sword with Qi—not only mastering one's own weapon but commanding others'? Such a technique was terrifying; a moment's lapse could mean death by one's own steel.
"What were you saying?" Alex asked, his gaze piercing Lu Bai, the hovering sword steady at the elder's throat.
Cold sweat traced Lu Bai's cheek. Words failed him, his life hanging on the blade's whim. He'd never imagined such a predicament.
"Master Alex," Yue Buqun interjected, stepping forward with measured grace. "As you say, Qu Yang is Sun Moon Sect, and your sect should handle him. Our Five Mountains Sword Sect has its own matters today, so we won't detain you."
"Had you said so sooner, I'd have spared the effort," Alex replied, glancing across the silent crowd. No one challenged Yue Buqun's words. Nodding, he grasped the bloodied Qu Yang and strode toward the exit.
His retort drew wry grimaces from the onlookers. Had they known his prowess, none would've opposed him. The crowd parted like a tide, eyes tracking Alex's departure, yet none dared act. His sword orbited him, a vigilant guardian, its eerie dance chilling hearts.
In the throng, Lin Pingzhi hesitated, then gritted his teeth and darted after Alex.
"Alex," Qu Yang rasped, his wounds sapping his strength. "When I last saw you under Elder Tong, you were unremarkable. Now, wielding this peerless sword control, you've stormed the Five Mountains alone and left unscathed. Your name will shake the Jianghu." Facing death, he spoke freely, awe in his voice.
Alex offered a faint smile, silent. His display wasn't merely to fulfill Dongfang Bubai's task but to cement his legend in the martial world. Fame could ease his pursuit of the Zixia Magic Skill, Yijin Jing, or Dugu Nine Swords.
Footsteps echoed behind. Lin Pingzhi, still disguised as a hunchbacked beggar, rushed forward and dropped to his knees before Alex with a thud. Without a word, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead reddening with each strike.
"Hold on, speak first," Alex said, guessing the youth's intent.
"Master Alex, forgive my deception," Lin Pingzhi blurted, voice trembling. "You were right—I am Lin Pingzhi. I beg your mercy, take me as your disciple. Grant me the strength to avenge my blood feud, and I'll serve you as ox or horse, without regret!" He kowtowed again, blood seeping from his broken forehead.
Alex sighed, gazing at the desperate youth. In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Lin Pingzhi's tale was tragic. A kind-hearted heir, he never oppressed the weak, once drawing his sword against Qingcheng Sect to save a peasant girl. Yet calamity shattered his family, leaving him broken. Joining Huashan Sect, he faced betrayal—Yue Buqun coveted the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, twisting Lin Pingzhi into a ruthless shadow of himself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lin Pingzhi kowtowed relentlessly, pleading, "Have mercy, Master, have mercy…"
"Enough," Alex said after a pause, his voice soft. "Follow me. If the chance arises, I'll teach you a technique."
"Thank you, Master!" Lin Pingzhi cried, joy flooding his face.
With Lin Pingzhi in tow, Alex rejoined his twenty disciples at Hengshan's base and led the group back to Blackwood Cliff. As they departed, tales of the Jinpen Retirement Conference swept the Jianghu like wildfire, and Alex's name echoed through the martial world.