No demons in all realms

Chapter 2 Child Prodigy

The crimson glow faded, and twilight descended.

As Xia Lang and his wife carried the baby into Wanjian Manor, all the ancient swords in the manor simultaneously emitted clear and melodious sword sounds.

When the disciples saw the sect leader and his wife carrying a baby back to the sect, they couldn't help but be curious. They all came to the inner courtyard and watched the spectacle through the windows.

One by one, the disciples pressed their ears against the windows, listening intently to what was happening inside.

Xia Lang opened the door and saw that most of the sect disciples were peering out the windows watching the commotion. A nameless anger flared up in his heart. He snorted at the disciples outside and said in a deep voice, "It seems you've all finished your training, and you still have the leisure to meddle in other people's business! I haven't been strict enough with you. Listen up, everyone in the sect! Go to the backyard and get a bucket. Go down the mountain and fill them all with water. Three buckets for female disciples and five buckets for male disciples. I will seal your cultivation during this time. You will have to carry the water by your own strength. If you can't finish carrying all of this, none of you will get any sleep tonight."

"Ah? No?!" In an instant, the entire sect was filled with painful wails. All the disciples had long faces and their excitement at watching the show vanished instantly. Instead, they were all listless, like wilted leaves, and reluctantly left the inner courtyard.

Back in the inner room, seeing Xia Lang so indignant, Jiang Liyan asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you now? Which disciple has offended you this time? Why are you so angry?"

Xia Lang complained, "They're a bunch of mediocre bunch! Every time there's the slightest disturbance, some disciples always come to peek through the windows. I've never punished them for the things that happened before, and they've only gotten worse! Today, when I brought this little kid back, they actually mobilized the entire sect to join in the fun. I never see them being so united normally! But when it comes to gossip like this, they all come running over like little devils."

Jiang Liyan chuckled and spoke eloquently to Xia Lang: "It truly proves the saying: like master, like disciple. Look at their behavior; it's exactly the same as how you spied on them back then."

Bringing up those old stories still made Xia Lang somewhat embarrassed. He walked behind Jiang Liyan, put his arm around her waist, and said gently, "How can that be the same? You're my wife, how can that be called spying?"

Jiang Liyan nodded gently, still somewhat worried about the matter, and asked, "How confident are you in the outcome of Huang Tao's trap? I have a feeling you'll be in danger this time."

Xia Lang, however, confidently reassured me, "Don't worry at all. I wasn't very confident to begin with, but now we've met this lucky star who has brought us mid-grade spirit stones. I plan to go into seclusion to absorb the spirit stones and try to break through to the peak of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. At that time, even if Old Ghost Huang lays a net of heaven and earth, I will be able to easily turn danger into safety."

Jiang Liyan knew that Xia Lang's stubborn nature couldn't be persuaded, so she didn't say anything more and took the baby back to her room to rest.

The next morning, the main hall was filled with disciples of Wanjian Manor. They all had heavy dark circles under their eyes, and their eyes were as red as rabbits'. They looked miserable, clearly the result of not sleeping all night and being overly tired.

Today, Xia Lang did not attend the morning assembly. Instead, Jiang Liyan took charge of the proceedings. Holding a small baby in her arms, she stood on the high platform and said with great authority, "Judging from your current state, you must have suffered quite a bit last night, right? I hope you can learn from this and remember the lesson. Use your time to practice your skills properly and don't meddle in other people's business. Your master has gone into seclusion, and I will be in charge of all affairs of the sect for the next few days."

"Mother, Father punished us too harshly last night. All of you fellow disciples didn't sleep a wink last night and are very tired. How about we let you all rest for a day today?" A childish voice rang out. The speaker was a little girl who was only four or five years old. Clearly, this little girl was the couple's daughter: Xia Xiaoyao.

Jiang Liyan frowned slightly, then replied in an unquestionable tone, "No! Cultivation is not child's play. Only through diligence can you succeed on this path of cultivation."

That's right. Even though Xia Xiaoyao is the sect leader's own daughter, she was not spared from last night's punishment. Normally, the couple would dote on their little daughter, giving her whatever she wanted, whether it was plucking stars from the sky or sending her the moon.

Although he usually spoils her, he still knows what is important when it comes to matters of principle. In Xia Lang's words, the path of cultivation is arduous and long, and there is no room for the slightest slackness. Otherwise, how can one achieve great things in the future?

"One last thing. Judging from how much fun you all had yesterday, I'm sure you're all curious about the origins of this little baby in my hands. His name is Youyang. From now on, he's your junior brother. You must take good care of him. I'll let you in on a secret: he's a martial arts prodigy. Your master values ​​him highly. In the future, you can't let this two-month-old baby surpass you in your cultivation," Jiang Liyan announced to everyone.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked incredulous. How could a two-month-old baby be expected to demonstrate extraordinary cultivation? They all thought to themselves, "Is Master just fooling us?" However, they quickly gathered around to take a look at this so-called cultivation prodigy.

"Eeya..." The little child was surrounded by more than thirty disciples from the entire sect, and was obviously a little uncomfortable, so he protested by letting out two cries.

"Wow, you're saying this baby is only two months old? Master's wife, are you sure you're not lying to us?" The disciples were clearly shocked. Other people's two-month-old babies only eat and cry, but this baby is already babbling and learning to speak. It's just too far-fetched.

Jiang Liyan chuckled: "Otherwise what? When have I ever lied to you? This little kid is naturally intelligent and has subjective judgment. The reason he's making noise is probably because so many of you are surrounding him, making him feel uncomfortable."

Many of the male disciples were speechless, their mouths practically forming an "O" shape. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious!

The female disciple, however, had no other concerns and directly pinched the baby's face, causing the baby to protest with "Eee-yah, ee-yah!"

……

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. The little boy has grown up quite a bit, his big, star-like eyes have become even more beautiful and bright, and he has grown into a handsome and adorable young man. Although he is only 3 years old, he is naturally intelligent and has already learned to walk, talk, and even practice martial arts.

"Hey, junior brother, why are you still meditating here? Today the sect is testing spiritual power, and all disciples have to go. Don't be late!" a disciple called out to the little boy.

Upon hearing this, the little child, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, quickly ended his meditation, stood up, and exclaimed in a childish voice, "Oh dear, I completely forgot about something so important! Thank you for reminding me, Senior Brother Yun. I'll set off now."

As he spoke, he took out a flying sword. His tender little hands were diligently forming hand seals, using the spiritual power within his body to control the flying sword. Because he was too weak, his hand seal movements were always crooked and awkward, causing the flying sword to float up slowly and shakily.

Suddenly, a bright red light shone, and with a "whoosh—!", the flying sword carried the little baby away into the distance.

"Phew... I'm so tired... My spiritual energy is so depleted!" The little boy arrived at the Spirit Testing Square in the blink of an eye. He sat down on the ground with a thud, panting heavily. The red light on the back of his hand quickly dimmed and disappeared.

Sword flight is generally only taught to disciples when they reach the eighth stage of the Bone Building Realm, because sword flight requires a large amount of spiritual power, and only those who are close to the Core Formation Realm can fully master this skill.

Upon seeing the little child, the surrounding senior students all gathered around.

A stunningly beautiful female disciple stepped forward, pinched the little boy's cheek, and said with a grin, "Junior Brother's face is getting softer and softer, so cute! I wonder how Junior Brother will make a name for himself at this Spirit Testing Conference? Tell me about it first."

The little boy didn't make a fuss as the beautiful senior sister pinched his cheeks, because he was used to the female disciples of the sect pinching his face as soon as they came up.

He would sometimes complain about himself, saying that he was particularly annoyed by the female disciples because of his good looks. This made his fellow disciples grimace and wish they could beat this "arrogant madman" to vent their anger.

The little boy teased his senior sister in a childish voice, "Senior Sister Luo Luo, do you like me? That's why you keep pinching my cheeks. You can't do that! I'm still young, only a little over 3 years old, while you're already an 18-year-old girl. I don't want to be labeled as a 'young cow eating old grass.' Besides, even by the time I grow up, you'll be a young woman. Hmm... But considering how beautiful you are, it's not unacceptable, it's just that the age gap is really too big." As he spoke, he rubbed his chin and shook his head.

Chen Luoluo giggled at the little boy's childish words. She calmly retorted, "Seeing how intelligent my junior brother is at only 3 years old, I guess I'm not at a disadvantage. So, I'll grant your wish and wait for you to grow up and marry me, how about that?"

The little boy quickly waved his hands and shook his head, clearly terrified by these startling words: "Senior Sister Luo Luo, I was just joking! No way! I'm not getting married. Anyone who gets married is just a doorman, and not only do they get no good food, they have to do everything according to a woman's wishes. I don't want to be that kind of lowly man, spineless and shameful." After saying that, he didn't forget to give the senior brothers who were dating a disdainful look, his little eyes seeming to say, "I look down on you."

These words caused the entire sect to burst into laughter. The senior brothers who had been mocked were very unhappy and were discussing putting a sack over this arrogant little disciple and giving him a good beating.

"Silence!" A majestic voice echoed throughout the square, and the speaker was clearly Xia Lang, the sect leader of Wanjian Manor.

After the little farce ended, everyone stopped their noisy discussions and listened attentively as Xia Lang announced the rules of the spirit-testing ceremony.

"This year's Spirit Testing Ceremony is different from the past. This time, the sect's eight great spirit swords will be unveiled. They will choose a successor to follow based on your cultivation talent. You must seize this opportunity. These eight spirit swords are the sect's treasures. They are all top-quality spiritual artifacts, only one step away from the immortal artifacts of the Heavenly Realm. Whoever is fortunate enough to obtain the spirit sword's inheritance will surely have a smooth and successful cultivation journey in the future."

"Now, let the eldest brother lead the way, and everyone will take turns to have their spirits tested according to the order in which they entered the sect."

"yes!"

"Yun Feng, age 21, cultivation level: late Core Formation Realm..." With a whoosh! A spirit sword flew out and landed directly in front of Yun Feng. "The third spirit sword, Heavenly Words, has chosen its successor..."

As the next few disciples took the stage, many more spirit swords flew out.

"Jiang Jun, age 21, cultivation level: early stage of Core Formation..."

"Zhou Xiaotong, age 21, cultivation level: Bone Building Realm, ninth stage..."

"Zhang Lin, age 19, cultivation level: early stage of Core Formation... Selected successor for the Seventh Spirit Sword, Nine Bridges..."

"Chen Luoluo, age 18, cultivation level late Core Formation stage... The First Spirit Sword has chosen its successor..."

The entire audience was in an uproar. This sect had only produced the top five disciples, yet three of them had already become inheritors of the spirit swords. Moreover, the number one spirit sword of the Ten Thousand Swords Manor had already emerged. Such a scene was truly awe-inspiring.

"He Shen, age 17, cultivation level mid-stage Core Formation Realm... The second spirit sword, Spirit Slaying, has chosen its successor..."

This disciple of He Shen, along with Chen Luoluo, is known as the two most talented individuals in Wanjian Manor. Their realm and cultivation performance are also extremely extraordinary. The disciples in the sect even call the two a match made in heaven. Now that they have obtained the first and second ranked spirit swords respectively, they are even more of a perfect match.

No one after that received any inheritance of the spirit sword, until the twenty-sixth person:

"Lu Yi, age 13, cultivation level 6 of the Bone Building Realm... The Fourth Spirit Sword cannot select a successor..."

"Lu Ping, age 13, cultivation level 6 of the Bone Building Realm... the chosen successor of the Fifth Spirit Sword, Formless..."

"Liu Ya, age 12, cultivation level Bone Building Realm Stage 3... chosen as the successor of the Eighth Spirit Sword, Earthly Absolute..."

Since entering the sect, the Lu brothers have worked diligently and strived for excellence, spending their days practicing swordsmanship and cultivating. Liu Ya is the same; having lost both parents at a young age due to an enemy, his determination to seek revenge has made him work harder than ordinary people. Their efforts are evident to all, so to everyone, there is nothing wrong with these three receiving the spiritual sword inheritance.

Several more disciples passed by, but the final inheritor of the spirit sword still hadn't appeared.

"Xia Xiaoyao, age 6, cultivation level 8 of the Solidification Realm. The sixth spiritual sword, Dream-Creating, has chosen its successor..."

Everyone had watched this sect leader's daughter grow up, and they all adored her. She had been involved in cultivation since childhood, and her talent for cultivation was exceptional. At the age of 6, she had reached the eighth level of the Solidification Realm, an achievement that would make her a genius among geniuses for most people.

People divide the path of cultivation into several realms: solidification, bone building, core formation, qi transformation, primordial nourishment, tribulation transcendence... and then comes the realm of immortals. The specific realms above the immortal realm can only be known by those who ascend to the celestial realm.

"Now, please invite the last disciple, Youyang, to come up on stage for the spirit test."

Hearing someone calling his name, the little boy ran towards the stage. He was less than 1 meter tall, and he quickly weaved through the crowded people, so much so that Xia Lang couldn't even see where the little boy was.

The little boy ran onto the spirit-testing platform. Since he had no prior experience with spirit-testing, he started playing with the spirit-testing stones as soon as he got on the platform.

Jiang Liyan reminded him, "Child, place your hand on the spirit-testing stone, feel the spiritual energy in the stone with your heart, and then input your spiritual power into your body."

The little child nodded upon hearing Jiang Liyan's reminder, "Thank you, godmother." Then, she gently placed her hand above the spirit-testing stone, closed her eyes, and channeled spiritual energy into the stone.

At this moment, the fellow disciples below the stage held their breath, quietly waiting for the spirit-testing stone to announce the little boy's cultivation level. They all wanted to see just how far this naturally gifted prodigy had grown.

As the little child continuously channeled spiritual energy, the red light on the field intensified, faintly carrying a scorching heat.

"Youyang, age 1, cultivation level: Bone Building Realm, Stage 6..."