Great Sword Mountain
The night passed quietly.
When Stephen opened his eyes, faint golden light was already spilling through the window.
Dawn.
He stretched his arms and felt a pleasant warmth spread through his body. The fatigue from the previous day had completely vanished. A full night of cultivation had restored his qi and left his mind clearer than before.
He quickly dressed and headed downstairs.
When he reached the lobby, he saw Elsa already waiting.
She stood near the entrance with her sword in hand, her posture straight and composed as always.
Stephen gave a small nod in greeting. She acknowledged him with a glance but said nothing.
A few minutes later, Wilson descended the stairs with a lazy yawn, followed by the elder.
Once everyone had gathered, they stepped outside.
Without wasting any time, the elder summoned his flying sword once more. The massive blade expanded beneath their feet, and soon the four of them were soaring through the skies again, continuing their journey toward Great Sword Mountain.
Nearly a month passed in travel.
On the final day, the flying sword broke through a vast sea of clouds.
The landscape beneath them slowly revealed itself.
Stephen's eyes widened slightly.
Stretching out below them was an enormous valley filled with lush greenery. Mountain ranges surrounded the region, their peaks rising high into the clouds. The land seemed endless, like a world hidden within the mountains.
Flying beasts glided through the air in the distance.
Some of them even passed close to the sword.
Yet none showed the slightest hint of hostility.
No killing intent.
No aggression.
It was as if they had instinctively recognized that they were entering the territory of something far more powerful.
Occasional roars echoed from the forests far below.
After several minutes of flight, the sword suddenly trembled slightly.
Stephen felt it immediately.
They had just passed through something invisible.
A faint ripple moved across the air.
The hexagonal gem embedded in the sword's hilt briefly glowed with a dim emerald light before returning to normal.
Stephen was curious, but Wilson and Elsa remained completely calm, as though nothing unusual had happened.
Clearly, this was normal for them.
Moments later—
A breathtaking sight appeared ahead.
Nine colossal mountains towered before them, each rising more than ten thousand meters into the sky.
But the most astonishing part was their shape.
Each mountain had been cleanly cut across the middle, leaving a massive flat platform carved into the rock.
The platforms were connected like stepping stones across the sky.
And at the center of them all—
A gigantic stone sword stood embedded deep into the earth.
It was unimaginably massive, like a monument left behind by an ancient god.
Thick black chains wrapped around the sword's blade and hilt. Each chain was as wide as an adult's waist and stretched outward toward the nine surrounding mountains, anchoring the sword in place.
The chains swayed slightly in the wind.
The sight alone was enough to make one's heart tremble.
The flying sword descended toward the first mountain platform and landed smoothly on a large plaza made from Earthen Core Alloy, a rare metal capable of withstanding tremendous force.
As they stepped off the sword, a middle-aged man in long grey robes approached them.
He bowed respectfully toward the elder.
The elder merely waved his hand.
The enormous flying sword instantly shrank and flew back into his palm before disappearing into his sleeve.
Without another word, he turned and left.
The middle-aged man then turned to the three of them.
"My name is Thomas Taylor," he said calmly. "You may address me as Mr. Taylor."
He gestured for them to follow.
"Come with me."
Stephen, Wilson, and Elsa walked behind him as he began leading them deeper into the mountain platform.
More young cultivators gradually gathered along the path.
Soon, nearly a hundred new students had assembled behind him.
As they walked, Mr. Taylor began speaking.
"First of all, welcome to Great Sword Mountain."
His voice carried easily across the crowd.
"As our name suggests, we specialize in the path of the sword. Within the Southern Continent, our sect possesses one of the most complete sword inheritances in existence."
A hint of pride flickered in his tone.
"However, unlike many other sects, we do not hold elaborate ceremonies when recruiting disciples."
He continued walking calmly.
"There are only two requirements to join us."
"First, you must be fifteen years old or younger."
"Second, your cultivation must be at least the mid-stage of the Apprentice Realm."
Many of the students nodded quietly.
"These conditions allow you to enter a three-year probationary period."
During this time, Mr. Taylor explained, new disciples had only one responsibility.
Cultivation.
They would not be assigned tasks.
They would not be forced to take missions.
All resources needed for their cultivation would be provided by the sect.
When he reached this point, Mr. Taylor suddenly stopped walking.
He turned around.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Do you want to know what the catch is?"
Almost everyone nodded.
Even Wilson and Elsa looked slightly curious.
The benefits sounded almost too generous to be real.
The disciples of Great Sword Mountain were famously secretive. They rarely appeared in the outside world, but whenever they did, each one was known to be a powerful expert who had slain countless beasts within the rifts and on the battlefield.
Mr. Taylor continued calmly.
"The catch is simple."
"You must reach the King Realm within those three years."
Silence fell over the crowd.
Someone from the group raised a hand nervously.
"But sir… reaching the King Realm isn't easy. Asking us to do it in only three years is—"
Mr. Taylor's smile widened slightly.
It was the kind of smile that wasn't really a smile.
"Did you think this sect was a charity?"
His voice remained calm, but his words carried a sharp edge.
"The resources you will receive here rival more than half of what our inner disciples obtain."
"That amounts to roughly half a million merit points per month."
He paused for emphasis.
"That is a total of eighteen million merit points invested in each new student over three years."
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.
"And we recruit nearly one million students every year."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"Tell me, young man… is it unreasonable for us to expect results in return for such an investment?"
The student immediately fell silent.
Mr. Taylor's expression turned slightly sinister.
"Of course, if you succeed and reach the King Realm within three years, you will be promoted to become an Inner Disciple of Great Sword Mountain."
"But if you fail…"
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"You will be demoted to Labor Disciples."
"From that moment onward, you will work for the sect. Taking tasks and performing duties until the resources spent on you are fully repaid."
The tension in the crowd thickened instantly.
Some faces turned pale.
Others looked conflicted.
Mr. Taylor added casually,
"Those of you from first-rate or second-rate clans may also ask your families to repay the debt on your behalf. If the eighteen million merit points are returned, you will be free to leave."
Many students visibly winced.
Even for powerful clans, that amount was enormous.
No family would cripple their finances simply to rescue a single failed disciple.
Which meant that for most of them—
Failure meant becoming a laborer of the sect.
Mr. Taylor cleared his throat and waved his hand.
"Well then."
He gestured forward.
"These are your dormitories."
The students lifted their heads.
What they saw made even those from powerful families feel uneasy.
Before them stood a vast residential complex, stretching across the mountain platform.
Rows upon rows of tall buildings lined wide streets shaded by trees.
It looked less like a dormitory and more like a small city.
"You will stay here for the next three years," Mr. Taylor explained.
"Two students per room."
"When you enter your room, open the first drawer beside your bed. Inside, you will find a booklet containing the rules of the sect."
His voice turned serious.
"Memorize them carefully."
"Great Sword Mountain enforces its rules strictly."
"Anyone who violates them will be punished swiftly."
With that said, he dismissed the group and left.
The students slowly began entering the dormitory buildings.
A new life within Great Sword Mountain had begun.