Age of Heroes

The sound of the waves could be heard lapping around the shores. The sound of the birds. The smell of the ocean. 

In a cave, a young man, with messy hair and droplets of blood on his clothes, staining his expensive attire, but the normally fussy man did not complained about such things as he heaved a breath of relief considering today events.

To hear the sound of the waves, to smell the ocean again, to feel the wind blowing against his face, who would have thought such thing could be missed?

He is alive. Tang Jiexiu is alive! He said it inwardly. 

Once again, luck is on his side. Who would have thought, even now, Xiyun keep saving him? Once he returns back to Ming he needs to repay her…again.

Tang Jiexiu is leaning on the cave walls while rubbing some ointment on his back. A few sounds of muffled aching could be heard inside the cave.

He looked at the direction and sees five of his men also rubbing the same ointment. 

It is the Ointment of Healing from Tangmen, reputed to heal external injuries and could also lessen the pain of internal injuries.

He could hear his men talking to one another asking each other to endure the pain. Not too far away from him pair of cold eyes staring at him like a beast staring at a prey.

Sitting on a rock, the man with the white hair looks exactly like the stories of hermits with great power, living in seclusion.

'You're done?' The man said coldly.

Tang Jiexiu nodded.

'Then tell me about my disciple.' Tang Jiexiu nodded again but at the same time he could not help but feeling awe at this expert.

He did hear stories from Xiyun about her revered master but he thought she was exaggerating.

From her way telling the stories, her teacher is dragon among men, leaping to the skies in one leap, with a flip of his hand, the heaven and Earth will turn.

The reverence for her teacher is undoubtedly strong. This is his thoughts when hearing Xiyun passionately talking about her teacher.

She also mentions that her teacher did not teach her too many techniques instead preferring her to learn and experience things in the world so that she would gain her own enlightenment of the martial arts.

But she did say that the skills that her teacher imparted her with were a manual of great importance, learning it, one is destined to become a master in internal energy.

And even the swordsmanship technique of Xiyun is only one tier below Brother Dugu swordsmanship. 

With nine stances, Sword Demon dominates Jianghu! With one leap, Celestial Fairy charge through the skies, one technique to rule all! When the Demon and Fairy joins hand, who would dare contend! 

This is one of the sayings in Jianghu after the events at Huashan. Xiyun claims there is no woman on Ming that could contend with her in terms of internal energy.

On this count, Tang Jiexiu had to agree. There are not many women in Jianghu that possess the terrifying power of internal energy other than Xiyun.

Considering not many women in Ming enter Jianghu, she was a rarity. Ming has a strict code in human relationship.

The Five Cardinal relationship and the Three Obedience and Four Virtues. 

The Three Obedience is women have to obey her father as a daughter, her husband as a wife, and her son in widowhood.

The Four Virtues is morality, proper speech, modest manner and appearance, and diligence.

Xiyun was born in Human Continent and while the North is mainly had people of Eastian descent most of them is more integrated with the culture of the people in the human Continent. 

When Jiexiu tell her the strict codes of Ming she said while scoffing

'My father is dead, I will have no husband and as such I will have no son.'

Saying this she laughs thinking of herself as genius. Then he asked.

'Then what about the four virtues?' and she shut up. 

The reason was because in morality, she is immoral. Stealing and looting from the defeated and the dead, she was more grave robber then a great expert.

Talking about proper speech, she curses all the time. 

Modest manner? When did Mu Xiyun is ever modest? 

Her bragging skills could turn an ant into a heavenly Emperor, she could make an anthill turn into a mountain, could make even the most shameless person drop down their head in inferiority.

Diligent? 

She likes to take a shortcut more than being diligent. And most of the time, her being diligent means something terrible is about to happen. 

Robbing the Murong household, burning the Kongtong Sect headquarters to ashes, few days before all of this big events happen she was unusually diligent.

In conclusion, she was not the kind of woman Ming Continent could tolerate. But it was these qualities that make Jiexiu fell in love with this mischievous fairy.

But one thing plagues his mind. How did she become so proficient in internal energy?

But looking at her teacher, he could finally understand. 

Even though the man did not do anything, even a slight of killing intent emits boundless aura of tyrannical internal energy.

'What are you dazing around for? Come on. Tell me.' He said and Jiexiu snap back and began telling all he knows about Mu Xiyun.

He tell Arial that he doesn't know Xiyun circumstances when she arrives at Ming Continent but he knows what happens a few years after that.

'How did she arrive at Ming continent?' Arial asked. 

Arial knows about the massacre at Xiantian Manor but what he didn't know what happens after that and the matter of Xiantian manor is resolved since Xiyun said she will be the one paying the people that did her wrong a visit.

'Truthfully, senior I don't know. I met her the second year she was at Ming. She was travelling with Dugu Qiubai. 

'Dugu Qiubai? HAHAHA' Arial laughed.

'Loner who seeks defeat?'

'Senior can speak Han?' Jiexiu said, shocked.

'I dabble. Continue' Arial said.

'Anyway, they participated in the Huashan Competition.' 

'Huashan Competition?' Arial asked again, intrigued.

'Huashan Competition is the competition where the top martial artist will fight each other on the top of Huashan Mountain to gain the title the strongest in Wulin.'

'Houh' Arial creased his eyes bows. 

'So did she win? '

'She win some, lose some but her performance is eye-catching and her internal energy during that time was almost comparable to some of the old sect leader making her very interesting and a talents that needs to be nurtured.'

Arial smile hearing this. Of course she would have great internal energy. 

Look at him! 

Practicing the internal energy cultivation by Levitia since birth, is there anyone in this world is his equal in internal energy? 

With one palm attack infused with his internal energy he could shake mountains.

'Then?' Arial asked.

'Then Dugu Qiubai enters the stage.' And saying this Jiexiu look afar like he is seeing the momentous event all over again.

'His prowess and the philosophical level in his swordplay almost reach perfection.' Jiexiu said, his word was full of respect.

'He can use his swordplay in endless variations, sequence or patterns. He counters weapons, counters bare hand attack and even counters internal energy with only his thin and long sword. His fights gains tractions and it is clear to anyone that this dark horse could be the new winner of the Huashan Competition. Undefeatable East Ying Zheng gritted his teeth in jealousy and envy enter unannounced, jumping to the stage during brother Dugu battle with Violent Storm Gu Feng. Undefeatable East Ying Zheng and Brother Dugu battle on top of the Huashan in a battle that shook the mountains. Hundreds of attacks traded, blade light filled the mountains, hills were cut, bloods shed. Their battle was destined to not be forgotten. Then Raging Cloud Bai Yun enters to help Undefeatable East. Mu Xiyun calling out injustice, enters like a flying fairy, her prowess revealed, her moves was like water, her attacks was like fire, when she stand still she was like the mountain ,when she moves she was like the wind. Carefree and unrestrained, drifting through the clouds, laughing at all the heroes. The pair of Demon and Fairy shook the Wulin, defeating the great experts, their prowess acknowledged, the strongest in Wulin, Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, Celestial Fairy Mu Xiyun!'

He ended his colorful narrations with a forceful shout like a spectator of a great battle seeing the climax of the tournament.