The Sect Master Jade Token!

Life on Small Bamboo Peak soon returned to normal.

Every morning since learning the Starshatter Sword Art, Ling Feng would fill up a bamboo tube with dewdrops from the stone marrow flower and collect several medicinal herbs. Then he would check on his master, making sure he was taken care of. Afterward he would head into the courtyard and begin practicing his new sword technique and the Chasing Cloud Step. As for the Black Wind Claw, he had already forgotten about that trash skill.

The first day Ling Feng began his sword training, his master gifted him with a sword three feet in length. The blue-edged blade gave off an awe-inspiring ray of cold light and a deeply chilling sword Qi leaked from it. It wasn't quite the rank of a mortal sword, but in the eyes of any ordinary human, it was a rare, precious sword.

Once night arrived, however, Ling Feng would enter into his room and begin cultivating his inner Qi.

But after five days of following the same routine, Ling Feng was beginning to think that maybe his master had truly scared off the disciples of Meteor Peak. No one had come to provoke him since his master had delivered that warning five days prior.

"Master said if I can completely grasp the Starshatter Sword Star Art, essence and all, within the month, that means my perception is excellent!" Standing in the courtyard, Ling Feng sheathed his sword and let out a deep sigh.

Because of his ability to duplicate martial skills, he'd been able to completely display the Starshatter Star Sword Art two days ago. It wasn't until today, however, that he'd been able to release sword Qi from along the sword's edge.

According to his master, this meant that he'd reached the basic stage.

'If martial artists who reached the first stage within a month are considered to be talents, what does that make me – someone who has crossed the first threshold in just five days,' he wondered.

Not to mention, in that same span of time, he had promoted his cultivation base once more, reaching the 4th stage of Coagulating Qi.

Suddenly, Ling Feng's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. After hearing the familiar swish of wine in a bottle gourd, he realized immediately that it was his master.

Ling Feng turned to bow and pay his respects to the great figure, "Master."

"Em," Duanmu Qingshan acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod of his head. Over these last few days, he'd become very satisfied with his disciple's performance.

Quite satisfied indeed!

With no word from him, Ling Feng would practice his martial arts every day, from dusk till dawn, all the while, making sure that he got his daily dose of medicine.

Ling Feng was the kind of disciple any master would be proud to have!

Suddenly, Duanmu Qingshan's brow jumped and his eyes grew wide in surprise.

"You… you broke through?"

Ling Feng scratched the corner of his nose and grumbled, "Yes, I broke through by luck."

"By luck?"

Duanmu Qingshan shook his head and laughed in his heart.

Maybe days before, when Ling Feng had broken through from the Coagulating Qi 1st stage to the 3rd stage, he would have believed that excuse. But now, after using only five days to make another breakthrough, he was sure luck had nothing to do with his disciple's cultivation speed.

The boundary above the 3rd stage of Coagulating Qi was the intermediate stage. It was almost impossible to reach that realm as quickly as his disciple had done. Those with some of the highest aptitudes in the sect required several months, maybe even a year or two to breakthrough. And his disciple possessed a mediocre aptitude. He had confirmed that himself.

Duanmu Qingshan rushed to Ling Feng and grabbed his right hand. Finger on his disciple's pulse, he pushed his true Qi into the youth's body.

"This truly is the 4th stage of Coagulating Qi," Duanmu Qingshan grinned merrily. Then his eyes narrowed with surprise.

Studying Ling Feng's eyes closely, he ventured, "You… has your Starshatter Star Sword Art crossed the threshold?"

"By luck, by luck," Ling Feng replied as droplets of sweat formed across his forehead. The ability of his deva eye made learning martial skills very easy. If his master showed him another sword art right now, he probably would've been able to cross the threshold at that exact same moment.

"Talent!" Duanmu Qingshan said after a long silence.

He remembered when he himself had been revered as a rare kendoist talent after spending only twenty days to cross the threshold of the Starshatter Sword Art.

However, Ling Feng had done it four times faster than him?

"Show me your Starshatter Sword Qi."

There was a note of command in Duanmu Qingshan's voice.

Ling Feng bowed slightly at his master's instruction before unsheathing his sword.

"Zheng!"

Chilling sword light flashed from the blade as if it had gathered the glow of the stars. Ling Feng swung his sword in a downward arc. A wisp of cold light cut through the air. His movement was controlled, precise, and directed. Falling into the next stance, he swept his sword through the air, releasing moon-white Qi. The energy sliced its way between the heavy air and broke off into ten rays of radiant light.

"Bang!"

There was an explosion of dirt and dust. Then the wondrous brilliance vanished to reveal cracks in the ground. When seen together, they seemed to compose the character for star (星)!

"Not only have you crossed the threshold, you have almost reached the level of small achievement."

Duanmu Qingshan sucked air through his teeth. He knew that, this time, he'd picked a treasure. Yang Wei and Li Liang had made a huge mistake in thinking they had sent him a waste. Not only was his disciple not a waste, he was a talent – a monstrous talent!

"Ha!"

Duanmu Qingshan's laughter rumbled through the air.

"Before, I had given you that sword art partially as thanks for treating my internal injury. But now, I truly think you are worthy of being my successor! Even now, I fear your future achievement will exceed my own!"

Ling Feng scratched the side of his head, somewhat embarrassed by his master's praise.

"You overpraise me, Master," he replied, with a modest bow.

"Ahem, boy, my successor shouldn't be so modest! Come with me!"

Before Ling Feng could respond, his master had grabbed his wrist and was pulling him toward his room.

Once in his dwelling, Duanmu Qingshan began rummaging through his chests and cabinets. It was obvious he was searching for something. After several heartbeats passed, he fished out a dusty token from underneath his bed.

"Because you are my disciple, according to rank, you are in the same generation as that of Sect Master Lin Canglang. This means you don't need to kneel to anyone in the inner sect. You can act without restraint! And with this token, you can enter any of the forbidden areas and treasure houses at will!"

When Ling Feng received the token, he noticed an immortal (仙) character written above it. The token itself, however, was made of some unknown material that gave off a chilling aura when he moved it back and forth in his hand.

"What is this?"

"This is the sect master jade token!" Duanmu Qingshan said with a shrug. "After I killed my fellow brother, the previous generation's sect master, I took it from him."

"It is unfortunate, though, that before the previous sect master could take his last breath, he and his disciples – including the current sect master, Lin Canglang, Yang Wei, Li Liang, and several others – were able to display a forbidden great formation, sealing me away in this Small Bamboo Peak."

Ling Feng sucked in a cold breath of air. No wonder his master could only watch as Yang Wei and the other peak lords sent their disciples to humiliate his own.

"Master, since the previous generation's sect master was your fellow brother, why did you kill him?" Ling Feng asked in a hesitant voice a moment later.

'Did the competition for the sect master position cause two brothers to quarrel,' he wondered?

"Kill him? I wanted to do more than just kill him. I wanted to dig up eighteen generations of his family's ancestral graves!" his master said, hatred burning in his eyes. "That old dog poisoned my wife because he wanted her supreme sword scripture and severely injured my only daughter!"

His master's pupils turned blood red as he then asked, "After knowing all that creature has done to me and family, you tell me if I shouldn't have butchered him."

"No, you took the right course of action!" Ling Feng agreed, surprised by the intense and deep-seated hatred his master harbored.

"Ever since I was injured and sealed away in this place, my strength has not advanced one iota. I feel myself slowly weakening. I was beginning to lose all faith that I would ever escape from here…"

Duanmu Qingshan clenched his fists tight.

"But your appearance has made me see hope!"