This sounded simple, but upon closer thought, it was quite shocking.
No matter how basic the Azure Sword Art was, it was still the foundation upon which the Azure Sword Sect was built.
For a cultivation method like this, even formal disciples needed three to five years of hands-on instruction from their master just to grasp the basics.
Yet Jiang Qingshan learned it merely by watching others practice their swordsmanship?
What kind of terrifying talent was this?
Seeing Gu Chengyin's astonishment, Jiang Jianli smiled bitterly. "It's absurd, isn't it?"
"But that is the truth. When the previous sect master discovered this, he felt my father had a solid foundation and made a special exception, allowing him to cultivate the Azure Sword Art."
"As a result, he cultivated all the way to the Golden Core realm."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Even Lin Qingyan revealed a hint of surprise.
From a lowly servant to a sect master, from a mortal to a Golden Core cultivator.
No matter how you looked at it, this was the exact template of a protagonist.
But then, Jiang Jianli's tone turned somewhat sour and sorrowful.
"Although my father is in the Golden Core realm, he never really received an education."
Jiang Jianli's voice lowered, carrying a trace of helplessness.
"He worked as a servant since childhood. He never attended school, never read the classics or history, and couldn't even recognize all the written characters."
"After he became the sect master, all the sect's affairs were handled by the elders. My father was mainly used to..."
"...keep up appearances."
Gu Chengyin nodded slightly.
This development was not surprising.
Although Jiang Qingshan was a Golden Core cultivator, he used to be just a servant after all.
He had little education, limited worldly experience, and a soft personality.
It was purely because his cultivation talent was too good—absurdly good.
And since he was the sect's only Golden Core cultivator, the position of the Azure Sword Sect's master had to be his.
Even if he later started to study, read, and improve himself, he had long been reduced to a figurehead by the other elders.
Just like Luo Zhao, who held the status and authority of the Crown Princess in name only.
But was tightly restricted by the veterans using set after set of rules.
Jiang Jianli continued, "Later, when I revealed my cultivation talent, those people began to deliberately suppress me."
Her tone was very flat, so flat it sounded as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.
Yet beneath that flatness, something was clearly hidden.
"I was young and arrogant back then, fighting with the other disciples every day."
"Which led to being punished every day."
"And so, my cultivation resources became fewer and fewer."
Hearing this, Gu Chengyin finally understood.
No wonder Jiang Jianli, as the only daughter of the sect master, had no resources to use.
It wasn't that they wouldn't give them to her; it was that they didn't dare to.
How could those elders, who had made Jiang Qingshan a mere figurehead, allow his daughter to grow powerful?
What if she succeeded in her cultivation? What if she became a second Jiang Qingshan?
Wouldn't the situation they had painstakingly maintained all these years be completely ruined?
That was why they had to suppress Jiang Jianli, restrict her, and keep her stuck in the Foundation Establishment realm forever, so she could never threaten them.
Even if Jiang Qingshan wanted to protect Jiang Jianli, he was helpless against the sect rules.
Because he was a puppet sect master, the slightest display of favoritism...
...would cause even greater disputes and put Jiang Jianli in even more danger.
Gu Chengyin looked at Jiang Jianli, but her face showed no dissatisfaction; instead, a trace of tenderness flashed across it.
"Although my father is somewhat weak-willed, he has always been very good to me."
"I was ignorant back then, and in a fit of anger, I left the Azure Sword Sect."
"But also because of that..."
Jiang Jianli paused, the tenderness in her eyes deepening.
"...I was able to meet Yuanyuan."
Yuanyuan.
Shangguan Yuan.
Gu Chengyin looked at Jiang Jianli and suddenly understood.
He understood why she was so gentle when mentioning Jiang Qingshan.
He understood why she could be so calm when talking about her past of being suppressed.
Because she no longer cared.
The grievances she suffered those years, the resources that were withheld from her, the experiences of being suppressed.
After meeting Shangguan Yuan, none of it mattered anymore.
Shangguan Yuan gave her respect, gave her care, and gave her a warmth she had never experienced before.
So now, when Jiang Jianli mentioned the Azure Sword Sect and those elders,
when she mentioned her experiences from those years, she could be as calm as still water.
Because this was not her home.
Her home was in the Divine Capital.
In the Shangguan Manor.
In the place where Shangguan Yuan was.
Gu Chengyin fell silent for a moment before asking softly, "So, you have no attachments to the Azure Sword Sect?"
Jiang Jianli's gaze became somewhat complex.
"It's not that I have absolutely no attachments. After all, this is where I grew up."
"Although I suffered a lot of grievances those years, I am familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here."
"Moreover, my father is still here."
Gu Chengyin understood.
It wasn't that Jiang Jianli had no feelings for the Azure Sword Sect.
It was just that these feelings were more about her concern for her father and nostalgia for her old home, rather than a desire for the position of sect master.
Gu Chengyin thought for a moment and asked again, "Then do you want to be the sect master?"
Jiang Jianli froze.
She looked at Gu Chengyin, as if trying to read something from his face.
But Gu Chengyin just looked at her quietly, his gaze open and candid.
Jiang Jianli remained silent for a long time before finally shaking her head.
"No."
"I don't want to be any sect master. I just want to stay by Yuanyuan's side, watch over Yun'er, and protect our home."
"I don't want to meddle in the affairs of the Azure Sword Sect."
Gu Chengyin nodded and didn't speak.
Jiang Jianli, however, suddenly laughed:
"You brat, why are you asking this?"
"Could it be that you want me to be a puppet sect master to help you control the Azure Sword Sect?"
Gu Chengyin blinked, looking completely innocent. "Madam, you are mistaken. Am I that kind of person?"
Jiang Jianli sneered. "You aren't that kind of person? Then who was it just now that pinned the entire Azure Sword Sect to the ground?"
Gu Chengyin coughed lightly, looking a bit sheepish.
Looking at his expression, Jiang Jianli suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
When this guy was scheming against people, he was as shrewd as a fox.
But when exposed, he would put on this innocent look.
Truly...
Jiang Jianli shook her head, put away her smile, and said seriously, "What exactly do you want? Just say it straight, don't beat around the bush with me."
Gu Chengyin looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke:
"Madam, you are Yunying's mother. I respect you, and I trust you."
"So I will speak frankly. Please do not take offense."
"I want the Azure Sword Sect."
"I want every single person in the Azure Sword Sect to be my, Gu Chengyin's, person."
Listening to this, Jiang Jianli did not speak, nor did her face show the slightest hint of surprise.
Gu Chengyin continued, "After this inspection tour is over and we return to the Divine Capital, I have many things to do."
"Therefore, I need manpower, I need power, and I need a trustworthy backing."
"The Azure Sword Sect is very suitable."
Jiang Jianli remained silent for a long time, finally sighing as she said:
"You brat, your ambition is truly vast."
Gu Chengyin smiled faintly. "Madam overpraises me."
Jiang Jianli rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help asking:
"Then what do you plan to do? Force my father to abdicate directly? Or suppress those elders?"
Gu Chengyin replied, "Yes, and no."
"But before that, I would first like to ask Madam to convey my intentions to your esteemed father."
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
