Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

They entered the great hall, a spacious place filled with some very fancy furniture, all of which were made from a light brown wood, there was a slight sheen on them, glistening as the sun hit their surfaces. A number of windows and large entrances allowed for a lot of sunlight to enter, brightening the interior.

Wen Jing walked up to the center, a small bell sat on a table there and she grabbed it, ringing the little bell for second or two before setting it down.

Not long after, several experts entered the hall, taking their respective seats, however the one at the front was empty. Most likely, the Sect Master was busy with their own tasks.

"Ah, how nice to see you again, Hua Kui", one of them said, an old woman who smiled kindly at her spoke first. Her body was slightly bent over and she supported herself with a cane made of dark jade. She wore white robes and had a thick brown cape that looked quite warm.

"Hmph, what did you do this time girl?" another one asked, a fierce looking man with golden hair. It was very unkempt and his clothes were simple, he seemed more like a violent killer than anything.

The others merely watched and waited, listening as Wen Jing began explaining the whole situation.

"Even if you are a genius of our sect, you are too rash! Go repent by tending to the 62nd Garden for four months!" the golden haired man swiftly handing down the punishment.

Hearing her punishment, Hua Kui immediately argued his decision, calling it unfair and too cruel for something so trivial. But the old woman silenced her.

"Trivial?" she said, "What is so trivial about trying to kill someone? You refused to listen to his reasons nor did you think of the consequences! He had already apologized and accepted that it was his fault, yet you were the one that took it too far."

"What consequences?" Hua Kui asked, "Is he not some lowly cultivator? What sort of consequences would I give for killing a pervert like him?"

"Silly girl, look at his robes. If you had looked carefully, you would recognize him as an elder of the Eternal Blade Sect. We are in friendly relations with them, attacking one of their elders would cause our reputation to falter. What if they came asking for compensation? Asking for you? You would have implicated the entire sect because of your actions."

Hua Kui had gone silent from the old woman's reasoning, realizing her faults.

At this point, Wen Jing gave a final push, bringing up Ming Yue.

"You know that girl next to him?" she mentioned, "If I did not stop you in time, you would not be standing here let alone able to receive punishment from the Disciplinary Elder."

Hua Kui was surprised, perhaps feeling a little fearful, a genius like her would have died? Then, was Ming Yue a monster?

"Fine, I accept the punishment" she said, leaving the hall silently.

With that, there was Elder Fei, Ming Yue and the five elders of Clear Spring Mountain within the hall.

The old woman spoke first, "Please forgive that girl, she has yet to gain experience of the world."

The golden haired man's expression softened, speaking with a much more polite tone, "Please stay at the mountains for a day or two, at least to rest, before continuing your journey. That is the very least we can do for you."

Elder Fei gave a small bow, "Thank you for this opportunity, I've always wanted to see Clear Spring Mountain for my own eyes. I am called Fei Yun and as you've guessed, I am an elder of the Eternal Blade Sect. This young one here is Ming Yue, she does not speak much so please do not mind her."

Ming Yue gave a polite bow.

"Hmm, Wen Jing said that you could've killed Hua Kui, I see that this is true", this time one of the other elders spoke, a fairly young looking woman with her hair tied in a rather complicated braid, somewhat resembling a flower. She had a cheerful and happy expression but her eyes had a strange blankness to them. Her clothes were a mix of white and purple in the patterns of clouds.

"Unfortunately, your body is not suited for our school of training", she continued, pointing out one or two peculiarities about Ming Yue.

"Just based on your countenance, you are much more adept in killing than you let off."

This much was true, Ming Yue's offensive power was quite high although her ability to take a hit was less than average. She focused on killing blows more than anything, to kill with one strike was her goal. But she could not focus on one technique for the rest of her life, that narrow-mindedness would eventually lead to a dead end. She needed to explore other ideas and concepts. Hence, traveling and experiencing the world would yield the best results.

Ming Yue nodded, confirming the young woman's comment.

"Would you like to duel some of our disciples?" she asked.

A question that stunned everyone.

"Wait, wait, wait", the golden haired man spoke out, "VIce Sect Leader, why do you want to do this? This is much too reckless for both sides!"

The old woman followed his words, asking if she was being a bit too rash. After all, to request their own guest to fight was a bit unreasonable.

"Of course, she is not going to fight every disciple, only a couple would suffice. Everyone else can watch. As for why, well, they need to learn. With our illustrious reputation, disciples like Hua Kui have become shortsighted and arrogant. They must understand that the world is not as easy as they think it is, just because they have a strong backing does not mean they can get away with everything. Besides, this girl seems like she has wanted to duel as well, don't you", the vice leader stated, looking at Ming Yue.

She nodded in response.

"I have been only begun traveling recently and I had come into contact with some of your disciples at the Bloody Plains, and so I learned of your sect. I have wanted to experience the many fighting styles that the world has to offer, Clear Spring Mountain is one of those destinations" she replied truthfully.

The vice leader smiled, "Perfect! As for the rest of you, the sect leader had also wished for something like this, so I am acting on her orders."

"What? Has the sect leader finished her closed-door training?" the golden-haired man questioned, everyone else had looks of anticipation.

"She is nearing it", the vice leader answered, "Soon, she will attempt to reach the Sky Realm. A catastrophe will come and we must be prepared for that, this is also why she wanted this to happen. We will need as much power as possible to survive such a thing."

A catastrophe, that was the first time Ming Yue had heard of such a thing.

But what did this mean? What would happen when this catastrophe came?

"Leave it, it would not happen so soon. Now then, Ming Yue right? Would you like to duel some of our students?" the vice leader asked.

She did not hesitate in accepting, causing the vice leader to have a good impression of her, cool headed and decisive.

"Well then, it will take place tomorrow and we will choose your opponents. Until then, you and Brother Fei here can explore the sect. If you would like to purchase anything from the medicine hall or the weapons hall, we do allow exchanges with outsiders. This also goes for the technique hall but as I have said before, none of techniques would suit you. Wen Jing here will lead you to your quarters.. I look forward to tomorrow."