CHAPTER 519: CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND SIX: LOST DIGNITY AND BACKBONE_2

Every Sword Sect Disciple representing the Sword Sect at the Buckle Immortal Gate event was a genius, each convinced that their future held boundless prospects.

Finally, a Sword Sect Disciple mustered his courage, raised his head, and retorted to Su Bei, "Elder Su! I am not trash! The reason I didn’t act was that I was considering the harmonious relations between the sects. I didn’t want to escalate the situation..."

Su Bei looked at him indifferently as Sword Qi surged around him, pressing down on the disciple in an instant. The disciple grunted, still looking at Su Bei with stubborn defiance in his eyes.

With a wave of his hand, Su Bei sent the disciple sprawling to the ground, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying from his lips.

Witnessing this, Dan Wuque was shocked and quickly stepped in front of Su Bei, speaking anxiously, "Senior Brother... what are you doing? This is a Sword Sect Disciple! How can you harm them?"

Su Bei brushed Dan Wuque aside without acknowledging her intervention. He approached the disciple lying on the ground and, looking down at him haughtily, said coldly, "Considering the harmonious relations between the sects? You considered it, but did the Wuhua Palace consider it? If bandits killed your father, would you just stand by and cite ’maintaining a harmonious relationship with the bandits’ as your reason?"

"..."

The disciple’s face instantly turned aghast, and he coughed up blood, unable to utter a word. His eyes held a dark, unreadable expression; he bit his lip firmly, his face showing defiance as he said intermittently, "The Great Elder... when we left the Sword Sect... repeatedly admonished us... not to stir up trouble. The Sword Sect isn’t what it used to be; when encountering issues, it’s best to endure if possible... Have we erred by strictly adhering to the rules of the Sword Sect?"

"..."

Su Bei ignored this disciple, instead turning to look at the others and said calmly, "Do the rest of you share his sentiments?"

The other Sword Sect Disciples looked at each other, nodded, and then shook their heads.

Su Bei let out a cold laugh. With a gesture, the longswords at their waists instantly floated up to his side.

For a sword cultivator, the sword symbolizes their dignity, and Su Bei’s action was nothing short of completely trampling their honor.

"Elder Su, you..."

"Fifth Elder, what is the meaning of this?"

"..."

One by one, the Sword Sect Disciples’ faces turned crimson, their fists clenched tightly, looking defiantly at Su Bei.

"Please return our swords, Fifth Elder!"

"..."

Xiao Ruoching watched the unfolding scene in a daze. She tugged at Mo Li’s sleeve beside her, but receiving no response, she turned to find Mo Li gazing intently at the events before her.

Her Master’s demeanor had changed once again; she couldn’t quite tell if she preferred his former self or his current one, but ultimately, she liked him all the same.

Su Bei stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the numerous longswords floating around him with calm eyes.

He retracted his aura and exhaled a heavy breath.

Wenren Pingxin was undoubtedly excellent. However, Su Bei knew her personality wasn’t suited to lead the Sword Sect. She was more adept at preserving the status quo, but she had lost the essential sharpness a true sword-wielder should possess.

After a moment of silence, Su Bei finally said lightly, "The Sword Sect is in decline. Within Snow State, it is, of course, the grandest sect. Yet, today’s Sword Sect cannot compare to other major sects. To put it simply, it’s a case of ’our ancestors were once illustrious.’"

His gaze then met those of all the Sword Sect Disciples; everyone he looked at lowered their head, remaining silent.

"However, some dignities cannot be abandoned. It’s easy to let go of such standing, but picking it up again is incredibly hard."

Su Bei’s slender index finger wiped the edge of the Qingping Sword. He looked at Dan Wuque, and then at Xiao Ruoching and Mo Li, saying tranquilly, "Wuque, you listen too."

"A sect is valued for its core, not its surface. As long as the Sword Sect maintains its stature, it will be like a tiger that perishes but whose bones remain intact. Regardless of what anyone says, it was once the leader amongst the Ten Great Sects. Everyone in the world must regard our Sword Sect highly."

"As long as the people of the Sword Sect endure, when the day comes for the Sect to rise again, the Sword Sect will still be that Underworld Sword Sect which looks down upon all under heaven. It will not become like the upstart Wuhua Palace."

"This is the foundation carved into the very bones of our Sword Sect."

The Sword Sect disciples couldn’t help but lift their heads, looking at Su Bei, their fists clenched tightly.

"But if one day we ourselves abandon this framework, lose our backbone, then after much time has passed and memories fade, when people speak of the Sword Sect, there will no longer be tales of Sword Cultivators achieving Broken Sword River with a single stroke, or felling souls in Inverted Heaven with a single slash."

"They won’t remember how our ancestor Shangguan Bilie once walked peerless in the world. Today, a mere parvenu like Wuhua Palace can look down on us. In the future, even the most inferior sects will despise us."

"Perhaps by abandoning our airs, we could live more comfortably. But then, the legacy our Sword Sect has built over ten thousand years, the reputation of successive Sect Masters, and the fame of those eight hundred Sword Immortals interred across the lands would all be squandered."

"Is this the Sword Sect you want to see?"

The Sword Sect disciples fell silent, their eyes constantly shifting, filled with shades of gloom.

After Su Bei had said all this, his expression was complex.

In his memory, he had witnessed the rise and fall of that nation. Even in its times of profound weakness, it had always maintained its final shred of dignity. Did these disciples not understand the simple truth that swallowing their pride, perhaps like some who readily seek favor from a powerful neighbor, would make life easier? The path to revitalization is arduous, yet dignity was never cast aside for a moment. So it is with nations, and so it is with sects.

Su Bei heaved a long sigh and turned, looking at the slowly setting sun.

The dim yellow light spilled onto his clothes, onto his white robe stained with blood and embroidered with begonias.

Then he turned back, looked at the Sword Sect disciples, and said softly, "You ask if there’s anything wrong with following the rules?"

"That’s right, there is nothing wrong with following the rules. In the Sect, those who do not follow the rules are trash; they are worthless."

The Sword Sect disciple on the ground remained silent, merely lifting his head, his eyes filled with desolation.

Su Bei walked forward and extended his hand.

The disciple hesitated for a moment before placing his large hand in Su Bei’s palm.

Su Bei smiled warmly at him and pulled him up. Then, looking at the other Sword Sect disciples, he said, "But what this Elder wants to teach you today is this:"

"Those who do not follow the rules are trash, are worthless."

"However, those who do not cherish their fellow disciples are even less than worthless!"

"..."

Everyone looked at Su Bei in stunned silence; Xiao Ruoching also trembled violently.

She felt as if she were transported back to that afternoon in the woods, when her Master, patting her head, had launched a sword strike toward the heavens.

The eyes of the Sword Sect disciples all shimmered with unshed tears. One of them, overcome with emotion, began to sob.

It was clear they felt shame and remorse for their earlier actions.

"Sorry..."

"It won’t happen again."

Su Bei smiled and waved his hand. One by one, the longswords flew back, slotting neatly into his Sword Box. He turned around and said calmly, "Your dignity and backbone, this Elder will take them for now."

"Until the day you feel you have the confidence to reclaim them, the courage to wield them once more."

"Come find me."

"I will return to you the backbone and dignity that you lost..."

...

The Sword Maiden ran anxiously towards the Sword Sect’s residence.

Her only thought was to find Eighth Uncle as quickly as possible so he could help the Sword Sect disciples.

In her haste and anxiety, she accidentally bumped into someone.

She quickly got up and bowed deeply to the person: