: The Abandoned Child in Green Robes, A Journey to Yanyu Mountain

The Great Cheng Dynasty has been destroyed for three years.

The Great Cheng Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years, was once a glorious era when the Xuanqi National Preceptor Zhang Qixian entered the world with a pair of Burning Fortune Golden Lin. They pacified the Mugu in the northern desert, swept away the heroes of the Central Plains, and created a prosperous era of unification of the four seas.

But no one could have predicted that this empire, gained through the cursed beasts, would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of "prosperity inevitably leads to destruction"—the day the dynasty reached its zenith would be the beginning of the cursed beasts' backlash!

It collapsed in an instant, and vanished into thin air!

The new emperor, Chengtian, murdered the national advisor and the poisonous Qilin, believing he had broken the curse on the nation's fate. However, seven years later, the commander of the Xuanying Guard, Zhanbei Jiangqi Qilin, forced him to abdicate. In the end, he was burned and torn apart by the Qilin in the coronation hall, and all the civil and military officials were reduced to ashes.

In the Central Plains, warlords carved up the land, each claiming their own territory, and war raged on without a single day of peace.

The mighty, tiger-like Qilin had already transformed into a crimson rainbow and rushed back into the depths of Yanyu Mountain.

Yanyu Mountain, a mountain range that once held the essence of the nation's destiny, has thus become a world-renowned forbidden area.

For the past three years, everyone has been saying that whoever obtains the Qilin will rule the world.

But everyone remembers that none of those who tried to control the Qilin—Zhang Qixian, Cheng Tiansi, and Zhan Beijiang—had a good end; they were all burned to ashes.

Those blinded by lust for power will never back down.

Even though those who entered the mountain over the past three years have either died or gone mad, countless sect disciples still flock to venture inside.

The Heavenly Palace Sect, the one officially designated by the Great Cheng Emperor as the Sword Sect that dispels curses and a leader in the martial arts world, is no exception.

Today, another group of new disciples from various sects have gathered at the foot of Yanyu Mountain.

Before the towering and steep Yanyu Mountain canyon, jagged rocks lay scattered about, a chilling wind howled past carrying withered leaves, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and decay…

Hundreds of disciples in blue robes stood there, their faces pale, their legs trembling, and they dared not even lift their heads.

Before them stood three disciples in red robes and jade belts, their expressions arrogant, as if they were looking at a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

"Listen up, all of you."

The leading red-robed disciple was Zhao Jinghong, a direct descendant of the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion, one of the eight great sword pavilions of the Heavenly Palace Sect. He glanced at the blue-robed disciples below the stage, his tone full of impatience and contempt:

"Your mission upon entering Yanyu Mountain is to scout ahead. Whatever ferocious beasts or restrictions lie ahead, find them all."

"You're incredibly lucky to have come back alive! If you'd died inside, your lives would be worthless!"

The audience was deathly silent; no one dared to speak.

In chaotic times, having a place to stay is already difficult enough, let alone being in a top sect like the Heavenly Palace Sect. Even being a lowly disciple in blue robes is a hundred times better than starving to death or being caught in the crossfire of war.

Disciples of the Tianque Sect are divided into three classes.

Red-clad, a direct descendant of the Eight Great Sword Pavilions, a prodigy, and the future of the sect.

The yellow-robed disciple, who has been a member of the sect for less than three years, is awaiting examination and still has a chance for advancement.

Qingyi refers to disciples who have been in the sect for more than three years but have not yet been accepted by the eight major sword pavilions.

In the eyes of the sect, they were not disciples, but merely discarded pawns in this chaotic world.

For the past three years, the annual training missions sent to Yanyu Mountain have been ostensibly to find opportunities for the disciples in green robes, but in reality, they have been sending them to their deaths to pave a safe path for the disciples in red robes.

No matter how many disciples in blue robes die, the sect won't even flinch.

"What? Are you all mute?" Zhao Jinghong raised an eyebrow, his longsword drawn half an inch from its sheath. The chilling sword intent made the crowd below gasp for breath. "Anyone who dares not go will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from their sect right now!"

Just as everyone lowered their heads and fell silent, a casual voice suddenly rang out from the back of the line.

"May I ask, senior brother, when do we depart?"

The crowd gasped and turned to look.

There was a boy leaning against a stone pillar, wearing a straw hat, with an ordinary Flowing Cloud Iron Sword hanging at his waist, a blade of grass between his teeth, his hands on his hips, looking in the direction of Yanyu Mountain, his eyes shining.

His name is Xiao Yunsheng. He has been a disciple in the sect for three years and is still a disciple in blue robes.

She was also the only blue-robed disciple in the entire Tianque Sect to voluntarily sign up to join Yanyu Mountain.

Zhao Jinghong was also taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and looked Xiao Yunsheng up and down as if he were a fool: "You're in a hurry, aren't you? Or do you really think you have the ability to obtain this opportunity?"

Xiao Yunsheng removed the grass from his mouth, smiled, and spoke in a casual tone, yet with a firmness that no one else possessed:

"That's hard to say. I've always been lucky since I was little. Maybe I'll be the one who survives!"

His refusal to enter the Eight Great Sword Pavilions for three years was not due to a lack of talent, but rather a deliberate concealment of his abilities.

Three years ago, his father, Xiao Jingchen, was also a disciple of the Tianque Sect in blue robes. After entering Yanyu Mountain, he never returned!

Not long after receiving the notice of death from the Tianque Sect, his mother passed away. Before her death, she repeatedly told him, "Yun Sheng, live well and avoid the curse of this chaotic world..."

But Xiao Yunsheng could not forget that many years ago, he had visited the Tianque Sect with his mother. He had overheard his father sighing, "The abandoned son in blue, died with a curse on his back! My son is so intelligent, he will surely be able to escape the curse of this chaotic world..."

After three years in the sect, he finally understood what it meant to be a discarded disciple in blue robes, and he also understood the despair and helplessness behind his father's sigh.

In the Tianque Sect, the eight sword pavilions control all the sect's secrets. Once you enter a pavilion, your whereabouts will be locked by the higher-ups. Only by becoming an insignificant pawn in blue robes can he use the guise of training to enter Yanyu Mountain and find out the truth behind his father's disappearance.

He never intended to search for any Qilin, nor did he seek any special opportunity.

All he wanted to know was what curse these successive generations of abandoned youths in blue robes were carrying? What had his father experienced in Yanyu Mountain?

For the past three years, he had practiced swordsmanship with all his might, mastering the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, the first-level sword technique of the Heavenly Palace Sect, to its ultimate level, all in preparation for this opportunity to enter the mountain.

"Fine, you've got guts!" Zhao Jinghong sneered, waving his hand. "Since you're so eager to die, then you'll walk at the very front of the line."

Xiao Yunsheng did not refute, but simply put the grass back in his mouth, raised his eyes to look at the towering main peak of Yanyu Mountain, the sharp light in his eyes was more scorching than the blazing sun.

Half an hour later, the team set off.

Over a hundred disciples in green robes, escorted by three disciples in red robes, entered the canyon of Yanyu Mountain.

On both sides of the canyon, sheer cliffs rise thousands of feet, blocking out the sky and sending out chilly winds, making it seem like a ghostly realm.

Everyone held their breath, gripped their swords tightly, and followed cautiously behind, their steps unsteady, afraid of disturbing the ferocious beast lurking in the shadows.

Only Xiao Yunsheng walked at the very front of the group, his steps calm and composed, as if he had not stepped into a deadly place, but had returned to where he was meant to be.

He knew that from the moment he stepped into this canyon, there was no turning back...