G. Tolley
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Chapter 445 – Life 117, Age 17, Martial Master 3
🕑 Added 2025-12-01 13:02:09 +0000 UTCEarly in the morning, just as the halo above Chang’an lit up to usher in the start of a new day, JiuLi and YuLong appeared in the middle of the Shi Clan’s fields, a couple of kilometers to the west of the clan’s compound.
After getting his bearings, YuLong gave a firm nod and began walking down the narrow path in front of him. JiuLi, however, lingered. Looking up through the tall stalks of hemp, she stared at Chang’an’s unnatural sky, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
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YuLong placed a mask on his face and fell back, taking on the role of a bodyguard, while JiuLi straightened her back and projected the aura of a seasoned cultivator.
The moment JiuLi and YuLong broke free from the rows of hemp, they were spotted by the sentries atop the walls of the Shi Clan’s compound. This time, however, the sentries didn’t show any signs of hostility. Having already been warned to expect the pair’s arrival, they instead presented their weapons in a salute and signaled for the guards to open the gates.
As the pair entered, the guard captain gave them a martial salute and a deep bow. “Welcome, guests from the Amorphous Blade Sect. The Shi Clan is honored by your presence. Please, allow me to guide you to the Hall of Elders.”
JiuLi gave a slight nod and silently gestured for him to proceed.
A few of the guardsmen, those who hadn’t been present during YuLong’s last visit, appeared unhappy with JiuLi’s dismissive attitude. They didn’t understand that, had I not ordered him to keep his distance, Patriarch Shi ZhenBo would have been down here greeting YuLong personally.
The guard captain knew better, however, so he was exceedingly polite as he led the pair to the audience hall on the top floor of the compound’s central tower.
There, three tables were arranged in the shape of a U. The Patriarch and Grand Elder sat behind the table at the far end of the hall, while the other elders sat behind tables to their right and left. Normally, petitioners would address the Elder Council from the hall’s entrance, but when JiuLi entered, she immediately walked around the left side of the room and took a seat right next to the Patriarch.
A few of the elders narrowed their eyes at the breach of protocol, but not the Patriarch. He stood and gave a deep bow as JiuLi took her seat. His eyes did linger on the masked YuLong, though.
“Greetings, Elders,” said JiuLi, not waiting for the Patriarch to introduce her. “I am Shi JiuLi, the Grand Elder of the Amorphous Blade Sect.”
A few of the men, knowing that JiuLi was just a girl in her early twenties, smirked at this. JiuLi responded to this with a smirk of her own.
“I must confess that this is a somewhat empty title. The Amorphous Blade Sect currently only has five members. Our Sect Master is Suliang Kan, heir to the Liang Branch of Chang’an’s Su Clan. The Dragon Ancestor, Shi YuLong, and the Reverend Elder of Light, Meng LuYao, serve as our sect’s Revered Elders. Finally, the Ancient Ancestor of the Su Clan, Su Fang, is our Supreme Elder. So, as you can see, while I might be our sect’s Grand Elder, I am also its lowliest member.”
Behind JiuLi, YuLong took off his mask, giving the elders a clear view of his face, but remained silent, allowing JiuLi to control the meeting.
“As Patriarch ZhenBo should have already told you, we are here to recruit ten new Disciples who will leave Chang’an and join us in the outside world.” JiuLi looked around the room with a cold gaze, ensuring that all the elders were paying attention. “We are not looking for Young Masters who can’t control themselves, and we do not need geniuses who believe themselves above the law. The Amorphous Blade Sect is in a perilous situation, and all of its members are required to follow a strict set of rules. Failure to do so, even once, could lead to death—for them, our sect, and in the worst case, the entirety of the Shi Clan.”
After pausing a moment to let her words sink in, JiuLi continued, “The Dragon Ancestor and I are not familiar with most members of the Shi Clan, so we do not know who might or might not be able to follow orders. We require your assistance in selecting Disciples who might be suitable to join our sect.”
This said, JiuLi leaned back in her seat, handing control of the meeting over to the Patriarch.
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While the elders settled in for a long discussion about who to recommend for our sect, JiuLi ducked into a side room and changed into a set of simple tan robes. Then, she took the lift to one of the tower’s lower floors, where several dozen women were sitting behind rows of desks, embroidering simple hemp garments with elegant designs.
After searching through this crowd for several minutes, JiuLi walked up to a middle-aged woman who was hunched over her work and gave a deep bow, tears welling in her eyes. “Hello, mother.”
The strain in JiuLi’s voice caused several women to look up from their work. Upon seeing her daughter, JiuLi’s mother practically jumped from her workbench to give her a hug. “Jiu… JiuLi, you’re back! Is your mission already over? How did it go? You look like you’ve lost weight. Have you had enough to eat?”
This caused a bit of a commotion, drawing even more of the women away from their work, so JiuLi’s mother grabbed the sleeve of her daughter’s robe, pulled her down to kneel next to her desk, and looked around at her coworkers, speaking in a hushed tone. “Sorry, sorry.”
“Mom,” said JiuLi, “can we… go somewhere to talk?”
JiuLi’s mother looked up worriedly and scanned the room. “Not right now. Sorry, JiuLi. Tonight. I promise. I need to finish this, or Supervisor Yang won’t let me hear the end of it.”
JiuLi gave a weak nod. “Alright, mom. Tonight.”
JiuLi’s mother bobbed her head. “Good. Good. And, don’t forget to tell Supervisor Liu you’re back. We’re about to get a new wave of youths. You need to secure your spot on the weaving floor before it’s too late.”
After hesitating for a brief second, JiuLi lowered her head. “Alright, mother. I’ll… I’ll do that.”
JiuLi’s mother patted her on the head. “Good girl. Now, hurry along. You don’t want to make Supervisor Yang angry, do you?”
Lowering her head, JiuLi stood and headed back to the lift. When the doors opened, she was greeted by the sight of Supervisor Yang, who had just returned from the Hall of Elders.
Upon seeing a young woman idling away near the lift, the Supervisor’s face twisted in anger, but the moment he realized who he was looking at, he blanched. “Greetings, Grand Elder JiuLi.”
JiuLi waved a dismissive hand. “None of that. Not here. Return to your work.”
The Supervisor quickly bobbed his head. “Yes, of course. Of course, Grand— Of course, Miss.”
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Usually, the Shi Clan held their awakening ceremonies in one of their compound’s expansive courtyards. This year, however, the Second Elder led the group of twenty-four youths to a small room in the basement of the compound’s central tower.
As each person entered, I pulled them outside, into the basement of our villa in the Broken Spear Outpost. This was a bit of a risk, but I felt that it was a risk worth taking. After all, if one of these youths were to receive a powerful blessing, it could be a game-changer.
As each youth appeared, they looked around in shock at the sudden change of scenery.
Kan was seated on a platform directly in front of them, backlit by our sect’s spirit fire. JiuLi, YuLong, Meng LuYao, and I sat off to his left. The Shi Clan’s Patriarch and Grand Elder sat to his right. After the Second Elder arranged the youths in a four-by-six grid and ordered them to kneel on the stone floor, JiuLi stood and walked to the front of the platform.
“I am JiuLi, the Grand Elder of the Amorphous Blade Sect. At the request of your Patriarch, I have agreed to perform your blessing ceremony. Relax and clear your mind of distractions. Concentrate only on who you are and who you wish to become.”
The youths looked around, confused, but upon seeing their Patriarch’s heavy glare, they faced forward and shut their eyes.
“Take a moment to focus on your desires,” said JiuLi. “What do you wish to accomplish? What new powers do you need to accomplish this? Whisper your thoughts aloud. Speak them so that the world may hear them.”
This wasn’t normally done during a blessing ceremony, but the Earthly Dao had never seen any of these kids before, so how would it know what kind of blessings to give them? Best to give it something to work with, right?
As the youths silently muttered their desires, JiuLi pulled on her qi and sent it out into the crowd, weaving it through each of the children’s bodies. As she did, a few of them sat up a little straighter, and a few of them opened their eyes in disbelief, staring at JiuLi like she was a creature out of legends.
Off to my side, Meng LuYao gestured to two of the boys and three of the girls.
“No one had anything better than low-level elemental talents when they entered,” she whispered. “Those five now have rather powerful guandao talents.”
I nodded, making a note of this. Unfortunately, though, one of the girls hadn’t made the elder’s list. She was both greedy and arrogant—a combination that would only lead to trouble.
After several minutes of silent meditation, the group of children stirred to wakefulness, and JiuLi looked down at them, a small smile crossing her face.
“Congratulations. The Shi Clan’s Second Elder will take you to a room where you can meditate on the blessings that you have been given. He will also provide you with information regarding the Amorphous Blade Sect. While you reflect on your blessings, consider whether you would be interested in joining our sect. If you are, let him know when you go to have your affinities tested.”
JiuLi cupped her fists and bowed her head. “Good luck. I hope to see several of you again soon.”
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In the end, sixteen of the twenty-four Disciples requested to join our sect. Of those, four didn’t have suitable personalities, leaving us with twelve. Then, after checking everyone’s blessings, talents, and affinities, we narrowed this group down to ten. In the future, once we were more established, we could consider recruiting those who had been passed over, but at the moment, we only had twenty-five slots for Premier Disciples, so we needed to focus on nurturing those with the most potential.
Once this was settled, JiuLi spent the evening with her mother and explained that her mission wasn’t over—she had just come back for a visit. Then, she and YuLong led the group of our ten new sectmates out of the Shi Clan’s compound and into the fields beyond.
As soon as everyone was hidden from the clan’s sentries, I pulled them out of my inner world and into the courtyard of our villa.
The ten youths were once again shocked by their sudden teleportation, but I just smiled at them and pointed over to a rack of weapons.
“Welcome to the Amorphous Blade Sect. Pick up a guandao. It’s time for Elder YuLong to see what you’re made of.”
Comments
Meir Banon
Tftc
EmmaLeia
"The Dragon Ancestor, Su YuLong" isn't YuLong a Shi? Awesome story, I can't wait to see where this goes
Chris M
Fun stuff. I'm excited for the next chapters. I doubt anyone got anything overly powerful but the fun comes in apply something simple well.
Michael Ferguson
What about that girl in the plane of wood?
Michael Ferguson
Exiting! New faces! Thanks for the chapter!
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! Hope things are going well for you:-)
ExcitableSpren
Good chapter!
UnevenCornet341
TFTC
Kurt Nighfind
Welcome back!! Cheers for the chapter 😀
