The Green Hat

Chu Jingchen was seething with anger inside, but with the sect master and the seven sword leaders present, he had no choice but to comply.

After all, Gu Qingfeng was indeed his martial uncle, and the Sword Sect emphasized respect for teachers and upholding traditions.

"Martial Uncle Gu."

"Aiya, good nephew. Since this is our first meeting, as your martial uncle, I simply must give you a welcoming gift." With that, Gu Qingfeng flipped his palm, and a finely crafted green hat appeared in his hand.

He had retrieved it from his palm world—essentially his personal garden, where he could take anything he desired.

Though green hats weren’t common, in a world so vast, there were bound to be a few.

Chu Jingchen stared at the bright green hat in Gu Qingfeng’s hand and the man’s smiling face, sensing that this wasn’t something good.

Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with it. As far as he could tell, aside from its unusual color, it was just an ordinary hat worn by common folk, devoid of any mystical properties.

"Come, dear nephew, let your martial uncle put it on you."

Gu Qingfeng grinned as he moved to place the green hat on Chu Jingchen’s head.

Chu Jingchen subtly stepped back, avoiding the gesture.

"Thank you for your kindness, Martial Uncle, but I don’t usually wear hats."

"Ah, dear nephew, you don’t understand. Though this green hat may lack any trace of divine energy, it’s no ordinary hat. It bestows the blessing of fortune. Once you wear it, no matter what hardships you face, you’ll endure them.

As the old saying goes: If you want life to go smoothly, you must wear a touch of green on your head. Once you’ve worn a green hat, what obstacle could possibly stop you?

This green hat carries my heartfelt wishes for you. Come now, be good and put it on."

Chu Jingchen stared at the so-called fortune-bestowing green hat, feeling an inexplicable resistance growing stronger within him. He refused again.

Gu Qingfeng’s expression darkened. He turned to Dugu Wei and said, "Old Wei, look at how you’ve managed your disciples. Don’t they know the principle that what an elder bestows cannot be refused?"

"Ahem..." Dugu Wei coughed awkwardly, his face flushing slightly. As the sect master, he was used to being the highest authority in the Sword Sect—only the Grand Elders ranked above him.

But now, Gu Qingfeng was calling him "Old Wei" and openly reprimanding him. It was embarrassing.

Yet, he didn’t dare retaliate. Gu Qingfeng was an Imperial Son, equal in status to him—if not slightly higher.

Moreover, in recent days, Gu Qingfeng had repeatedly helped disciples overcome their inner demon tribulations, earning great merit. Offending him was out of the question.

After all, who wouldn’t want to stay on good terms with a future Heavenly Emperor—especially one who could help others transcend tribulations?

Thus, under Gu Qingfeng’s domineering pressure, Dugu Wei had no choice but to yield.

"Jingchen, your martial uncle is giving you a gift. Accept it at once!"

A shadow passed over Chu Jingchen’s eyes, but with the sect master’s order, he had no choice. Reluctantly, he allowed Gu Qingfeng to place the green hat on his head.

Gu Qingfeng was finally satisfied. He admired Chu Jingchen with a pleased expression and praised, "Fits perfectly. Nephew Chu, you were born to wear a green hat."

Chu Jingchen’s lips twitched. For some reason, he felt Gu Qingfeng wasn’t genuinely complimenting him.

The other six sword leaders watched the absurd scene unfold, their hearts roiling with shock.

What astonished them wasn’t the green hat—but Dugu Wei’s attitude toward Gu Qingfeng. Was this the same aloof Sword God they knew?

He didn’t even react to being called "Old Wei"?

Their estimation of Gu Qingfeng rose another level. This little martial uncle was not to be trifled with.

Dugu Wei then introduced the remaining sword leaders. Having witnessed Chu Jingchen’s ordeal, they were extremely respectful, addressing Gu Qingfeng as "Martial Uncle" without hesitation.

Gu Qingfeng took the opportunity to memorize them all:

- Wanren Sword Leader, Chu Jingchen – Heaven’s Third Realm.

- Qingshuang Sword Leader, Nangong Xue – Ordinary Heaven Realm.

- Fengxie Sword Leader, Sword Maniac – Ordinary Heaven Realm.

- Dizang Sword Leader, Zhang Wuji – Heaven’s First Realm.

- Fengxue Sword Leader, Long Yangping – Heaven’s First Realm.

- Pixie Sword Leader, Lin Runzhi – Heaven’s Second Realm.

Once introductions were done, Dugu Wei got straight to business:

"As the Seven Sword Leaders, you must have heard of the Seven Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation. Its power is immense—legend says that when the seven swords unite, none in the world can rival them.

Of course, given your current strength, you won’t be able to unleash the formation’s full might.

But even so, once you master it, no one in the Heaven Realm will be your match!

The sects of the Green Wood Domain are advancing aggressively. We need your strength.

Here are the formation diagrams—one for each of you. Time is short, so begin practicing immediately."

After distributing the diagrams, Dugu Wei sent them to Starfell Peak to train. Since the formation required coordination, they needed to develop synergy.

---

### Starfell Peak

The peak was named Starfell because it was the highest in the Sword Sect—Dugu Wei’s personal cultivation retreat.

At night, standing atop the peak, one could almost touch the stars, as if they had fallen from the sky.

Gu Qingfeng and the others arrived at a vast training ground halfway up the mountain to practice the Seven Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation.

At the moment, they were studying the formation diagrams.

Gu Qingfeng skimmed through them and found the formation quite profound—its difficulty was high.

But that was for others. For him, it was child’s play. The Seven Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation was derived from the Sealing Heaven Forbidden Array, which he had already mastered.

To him, grasping this formation was effortless.

The true strength of the Seven Swords Immortal-Slaying Formation didn’t lie solely in the formation itself—it relied heavily on the Seven Swords.

In other words, even if outsiders learned the formation, without the seven swords, its power would be greatly diminished.

Each of the seven swords was a top-grade sacred weapon, specially forged as a matching set. When combined through the formation, their power rivaled that of a Supreme Sacred Weapon.

Just as Divine Weapons were surpassed by Peerless Divine Weapons, Supreme Sacred Weapons stood above top-grade sacred weapons.

And above Supreme Sacred Weapons? Imperial Weapons.

In essence, Supreme Sacred Weapons were second only to Imperial Weapons—a testament to their might.

But Gu Qingfeng wasn’t particularly interested. After witnessing the Emperor Demon Sword, nothing else could compare.

Having already mastered the formation, he glanced at the others still struggling to decipher the diagrams.

He had no intention of wasting time here. He’d rather spend it cultivating with Ling Fei'er.

So he announced, "Nephews, your martial uncle has urgent matters to attend to. I’ll leave you to your training."

The others snapped out of their deep contemplation, stunned by Gu Qingfeng’s abrupt departure.

They never expected him to be this casual—ditching the sect master’s orders right after receiving them?

Was he really just… not going to practice the formation?