Important Update: New website and chapters at imreallyavillain.ml. (I've recently run into issues with the hosting provider I am using (000webhost - avoid!) so I'm migrating everything yet again. Sigh. Sorry for the inconvenience. Should be up and running in a few days).
The knowledge left behind by the three Immortal Emperors had brought True Martial Saint Sect to unprecedented prosperous times.
But everything in this world has its own laws of development — prosperity never lasts!
For the tens of thousands of years after that, True Martial Saint Sect never had an Immortal Emperor again.
Although it remained a behemoth, it had inevitably fallen since its heyday.
It wasn't until three thousand years ago that a girl came along and broke the ice.
The girl had lived in an ordinary little village somewhere in the land under the reign of the True Martial Saint Sect.
She had lived an ordinary life for fifteen years, until one day, when she witnessed the fight between two powerhouses of the void chakra realm. They had passed through the air above her small village as they fought.
At that moment, the seed to a new world had been planted in her young heart.
She travelled far and wide, filled with admiration, to join True Martial Saint Sect. But she had been eliminated during the aptitude qualification test because of her mediocre spiritual roots.
But the girl wouldn't give up. She had knelt in front of the blue gemstone steps outside the clan’s gate for a full seven days.
Amid the blowing wind, the blazing sun and then the rain beating down on her, she didn’t have a single drop of water nor a bit of food.
Although she was just an ordinary human, she managed to survive the torment.
Her whole being was only vaguely conscious, but she managed to hold on and not pass out. The firmness of her will was moving.
After a while, still within the True Martial Saint Sect, an Outer Sect Elder had looked at her with pity and accepted her as his in-name disciple.
She was like a frog eager to jump out of a deep well, unwilling to stay in a corner.
At first, she was like an ant that could only crawl between the heavens and the earth, crawling and crawling.
Until one day, when that crawling ant suddenly stood up, and people finally realized that this ant had grown to the point where it was on par with the heavens itself.
During her time, there had been too many stunningly talented people.
But in the end, to no one's surprise, a girl with mediocre talent had swept through that age.
"Empress Hong Tian!"
That was the girl's honorific name back then.
Among the many Immortal Emperors of the ten thousand ages, Empress Hong Tian was definitely the most radiant.
Not only did her radiance enshroud the world in her own time, but she even eclipsed the Immortal Emperors after her.
The Immortal Empress had led True Martial Saint Sect to another heyday.
...........
As he recalled the history of the True Martial Saint Sect, Xu Zimo's gaze turned deep. One day, his name, too, would appear amongst the splendor of the vast starry sky.
...........
The Hidden Technique Pavilion was located in the heart of the True Martial Saint Sect. It contained all the merit laws and chakra techniques that the entire sect had collected since its establishment.
One might imagine that this pavilion would have a majestic, imposing atmosphere, but it was the contrary.
Ancient trees covered the sky while spiritual grass covered the ground. Flowers were competing in beauty, while colorful butterflies flitted about. Rare varieties of medicinal chickens marched around, picking insects and fertilizing the spiritual grass.
The eighteen floors of the pavilion stood quietly, as if whispering its story that stretched for tens of thousands of years.
The roof was turquoise, interwoven with pale yellow, with jade tiles and vermilion eaves.
The sides of the eaves were carved with a variety of exotic beasts.
There are eagles spreading their wings, growling cheetahs and lions in the wild.
There was no one guarding the door of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion, but Xu Zimou could feel a subtle, yet palpitating aura.
There were advanced formations arranged around this area to protect against intruders — even individuals at the sacred chakra rank wouldn’t be able to escape easily.
...........
Xu Zimou placed the token through the slot at the door — a Sect Elder guarding the Hidden Technique Pavilion would identify the token and then give their permission.
The light curtain at the main door disappeared, and Xu Zimou walked directly into the pavilion.
At first sight, the layout of the first floor appeared simple, with tens of thousands of bookcases arranged in an orderly fashion.
The chakra and transmission techniques placed in the bookshelves were enveloped by a faint light curtain.
At the very front of each bookshelf was a small sign with the name and purpose of the corresponding technique and its grade.
Xu Zimou didn't stop moving. He directly made his way to the highest floor of the pavilion, the eighteenth floor.
The light on the eighteenth floor appeared slightly dim. There were no bookshelves — only four statues.
It was as if each of these four statues existed in its own place.
Xu Zimou stood in front of them, looking from left to right.
The first statue was of a man with long hair hanging down his shoulders, a majestic body and a gaze as deep as the sea.
It was a man who trod the mountains and rivers with merely his feet and shoulders against the heavens.
The second statue was also of a man, but he gave off an extreme feeling, as if this man had abandoned every last thing to pursue the end!
Lone and arrogant, he carried three strange swords behind him.
The moment one would see the sword, they’d understand that this was a pure swordsman, who had spent his entire life working to reach the peak of the sword path.
"Live by the sword, die by the sword."
The third statue gave off a particularly distant feeling, as if he was close to the eyes yet far, far away.
He walked between reality and emptiness, only to pursue the ultimate meaning of that speed.
The fourth statue was of a woman, her long hair hung loose behind her body, a veil blocking a face whose appearance could cause the downfall of countries.
It was hard to put a finger on her style. At first glance, she would give you the feeling of innocence and liveliness, reminding you of the girl next door, a girl with a ponytail, a girl who reminded you of your first love.
At second glance, she would seem to be a charming seductress, instantly arousing the fire in your heart.
At third glance, she would appear like a warrior goddess who could kill people without blinking, with a strong conviction and unparalleled power.
At fourth glance, she would be an empress above everything. All beings were nothing but ants in front of her, and in front of her power, there was no such thing as prosperity.
Xu Zimou studied the statues of the four Immortal Emperors of the True Martial Saint Sect, his heart solemn.
He didn't intend to cultivate other people's martial arts because in his previous life, he had already traveled his own path, one that belonged solely to him.
However, he had to be mindful of his situation. To keep up appearances, Xu Zimou chose a transmission technique that belonged to Three Swords Immortal Emperor.
He wouldn’t withhold his admiration for an extreme sword dao like that of the Three Swords Immortal Emperor, and moreover, it suited his plans.
Xu Zimou placed his hand on the statue and closed his eyes. He relaxed his mind in an effort to comprehend.
He felt his mind get enveloped in white mist and a wave of memories merge into it.
This was precisely the Three Swords Immortal Emperor's transmission technique — Silent Decree.
Everything started with silence, and everything also ended with silence!
Originating from silence, ending with silence!
After getting the merit law he wanted, Xu Zimou prepared to leave.
Just before he did, however, he glanced towards the corner of the pavilion with deep meaning and with a faint smile he turned to leave.
Note: From what I can see, transmission techniques = merit law? That’s how I’ll keep it for now. Anyways, there isn't a release schedule for now because I'm doing this in my free time. And as someone who knows not even a bit of Chinese, my only goal is to make it readable and less confusing than the machine translation (MTL) — not a high bar, I know — but I think I'm doing an okay job. But please, tell me below in the comments — how am I doing? Anything I can improve?