Do You Know How to Use a Sword

One hundred years.

Chen Xia still looked like a youth, still had no cultivation, and still preferred solitude.

Unlike before, he now talked to himself and actively conversed with others, no longer appearing so dull.

Some cultivators said Chen Xia had grown up.

But taking a hundred years to grow into this state, it was hard to say if it truly counted as growing up.

He had also become the only disciple without any cultivation, even inferior to newly admitted disciples.

If not for Zhou Jia's influence, he likely would have been expelled from the Cloud-top Sword Sect long ago.

However, the Cloud-top Sword Sect wasn't faring much better these days. Once renowned for its combat prowess among sword cultivation sects, it now ranked at the bottom among all major sects, losing in every inter-sect competition.

The new generation had no prodigies, and even the older cultivators couldn't defeat other sects' elders. They were suppressed in every aspect.

More infuriatingly, they had to defer to others and pay tribute to the largest sect each year.

Yet the Cloud-top Sword Sect couldn't refuse, as they were simply too weak. To preserve the sect, they could only swallow their pride and agree.

Some elders felt this wasn't befitting of sword cultivators, who should be decisive in killing and proudly arrogant.

The supreme elders nodded, agreeing that was indeed the way of sword cultivators, but the Cloud-top Sword Sect no longer had true sword cultivators.

They were all just fake sword cultivators, controlled by others and living in a daze.

An elder suggested, "Doesn't Zhou Jia have a powerful background? Is there any chance she could support our Cloud-top Sword Sect?"

"I've had that thought before, but Zhou Jia seems to maintain a subtle distance from the Cloud-top Sword Sect. Moreover, I'm not entirely clear about her background. I only saw a black-robed figure beside her once, and just a single glance from them made my soul tremble," replied the supreme elder.

The elder frowned, pondered for a moment, then asked, "Doesn't Zhou Jia really like that useless person she brought back? Is there any possibility..."

"I advise you not to entertain such devious thoughts. No matter how useless Chen Xia is, he's a disciple of our Cloud-top Sword Sect now. How could you scheme against our own disciple?!" the supreme elder roared angrily, slamming the table.

"Although our Cloud-top Sword Sect may not have true sword cultivators now, we must maintain the integrity of sword cultivators. Don't bring shame to our ancestors!"

With that, the matter was dropped.

Chen Xia continued his own cultivation, though he never cultivated supernatural abilities or spiritual power. He just thought about things.

Every time he recalled something, he would gain many insights.

Zhou Jia seemed to have become busy during this time, rarely coming to see him and leaving no news.

Chen Xia naturally wasn't worried. He would go out for walks daily now, recapturing some of the feeling from his time in the Blue Sky Sword Sea.

He became quite familiar with some junior disciples, chatting with them often.

Mainly because Chen Xia didn't put on airs, never using his senior brother title, and never talking about cultivation. He just chatted about everyday matters.

Initially, the junior disciples enjoyed talking with him, but gradually, as this batch of juniors became senior disciples themselves, most of them would turn around and call Chen Xia useless.

Chen Xia didn't mind, because he would chat with the new junior disciples.

As long as he changed his conversation partners quickly, there was no sadness, only love.

He had truly figured it out.

The Cloud-top Sword Sect was unstable these days. Because they hadn't paid tribute for the past two years, other sects got wind of it and came to cause trouble at the Cloud-top Sword Sect's gate.

The troublemaking cultivators didn't enter, they just waited at the gate and beat up any junior disciples from the Cloud-top Sword Sect they caught.

If an elder appeared, they would claim it was just a conflict between juniors, and how could the older generation interfere?

If an elder insisted on intervening, then the opposing sect's elders would have no choice but to step in as well.

This way, they could justifiably defeat the Cloud-top Sword Sect.

To avoid this situation, the Cloud-top Sword Sect kept swallowing their pride and instructed their disciples to be patient and not act rashly.

But how could young cultivators, especially sword cultivators, endure others' provocations?

"Are you sword cultivators only good at hiding like turtles? Haha, how embarrassing! If I were you, I'd rather break my flying sword and quit cultivation on the spot!"

"A bunch of turtle sword cultivators, why bother practicing the sword? Go home and play in the mud!"

Five cultivators were shouting taunts at the gate.

Inside were a group of Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples, gritting their teeth as they watched the five cultivators outside.

These five came from three different sects, with three of them considered prodigies. Not yet three hundred years old, they had already reached the early Nascent Soul stage, with the potential to touch the threshold of the Mountain-moving Realm in their lifetime.

Because they were such prodigies, the Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples didn't dare to act.

But the five were cursing too viciously, even involving parents and descendants.

One disciple could no longer endure. He charged forward with his sword, a Golden Core cultivator suddenly attacking with a fierce flying sword.

Yet it seemed to have no effect. He was slapped down by one of the Nascent Soul prodigies, his head smashed into the ground, his flying sword falling down the mountain.

The Nascent Soul prodigy stepped on the sword cultivator's head, sneering as he asked,

"Any other trash want to try?"

The other disciples naturally couldn't hold back. With a great shout, they attacked en masse.

But a group of ants would always be just ants.

The Nascent Soul prodigy beat them down one by one. In just a quarter of an hour, the battle was over, leaving only a few disciples inside the gate who didn't dare to fight.

"I've long heard that Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples are all useless. Now that I've seen it, it's indeed true. Haha!" The Nascent Soul prodigy laughed loudly. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he spotted a figure swaying towards the gate.

"Who's that?" he asked curiously.

His companion looked closely and immediately laughed, "Haha, it's Chen Xia, the most useless among these useless Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples!"

He had clearly heard of Chen Xia's reputation.

The Nascent Soul prodigy couldn't help but laugh too. To be ranked the most useless among this group of useless people, how garbage must he be? He couldn't resist cursing,

"Get lost! I can't be bothered to beat up trash like you."

The Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples didn't want to see Chen Xia either. They had already been mocked, and Chen Xia's presence would only bring more ridicule to the Cloud-top Sword Sect.

But Chen Xia didn't retreat. He glanced around briefly, then asked,

"Do you know how to use a sword?"

"Huh?" The Nascent Soul prodigy was confused, not understanding what this person was saying.

The Cloud-top Sword Sect disciples felt Chen Xia was being utterly absurd.

Before they could say anything more,

Chen Xia stepped forward, leaping as he neared the gate.

He jumped towards the outside.

His foot touched the ground.

Several flying swords instantly rose, hovering around him.

The sword energy roared!