Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"What? What do you mean? I'm a disciple of the Eternal Blade Sect!"

Rou'er took out a small jade medallion with the character for "Eternal" on it. She showed it to the guards who looked and then opened the way. 

"Since you have the medallion, you may pass however, we cannot allow this guest of yours to enter."

They gestured towards Ming Yue who half-expected this to happen. The disappearance of Elder Fei must had put the sect on high alert. It was especially so for the identity of the masked figure who took him, a criminal responsible for the destruction of numerous small sects. It was without a doubt that the Eternal Blade Sect could be their next target.

With that said, they could not allow any mysterious stranger to waltz into the sect.

"My name is Ming Yue. I am an acquaintance Elder Fei and I just wanted to speak to Fei Xian for a little. Is there no way for me to enter?"

As she introduced herself, the two guards looked somewhat surprised but they did not let her pass. 

"It does not matter who you are, we cannot let any strangers in. We apologize but this is under Elder Jia's order."

"I see."

Ming Yue found it bit strange and now she wasn't too sure as to what to do now. She had wanted to ask Fei Xian and possibly their Sect Leader about Elder Fei's disappearance. 

"What are you doing? Just storm the sect! Those two guards are only at the 8th level of the Human Realm. Just go in, ask and get out."

Within her mind, Xue Yue's disdainful words seemed to make the situation sound simple. Ming Yue did have the strength to force her way through the sect. If anything, she could just fly over the walls and bypass their defenses. 

However, she did not want to be disrespectful especially to the sect of Elder Fei. 

"Is there an issue? Who is at the gates?"

Walking down the road from behind, a figure appeared, a young man dressed in light green robes with a sword by his side and a basket on his back. Following him were several others, mostly female disciples, dressed similarly, carrying baskets filled with herbs picked from the outdoors. 

"Senior brother Fei Xian, you've returned from your trip!"

The guards stood upright, showing their respect to him.

"Yes, I'm back and these two are..."

Fei Xian looked at the backs of Rou'er and Ming Yue. While he recognized the former, the latter seemed somewhat familiar to him and it took a few seconds before it came to him.

"Hm? Is that you, Ming Yue?" He asked.

She turned around finding Fei Xian among his juniors. Like her, he had grown as well, getting taller and taking on a more mature appearance. His face was similar, only having a sharper jaw and calm eyes. Compared to when they last met, he had experienced much more in the continent. 

"Fei Xian, it's good to see you again. I wanted to talk about Uncle Fei but it seems that the sect is not taking visitors."

His eyes sort of widened in surprise as he looked towards the guards.

"When was this? Why was I not informed? I've only been gone for three days", he spoke with a certain firmness and authority. 

"It is under the orders of Elder Mian, senior brother. He gave it out a day after you left for your training."

The guards answered truthfully, not wanting to anger him.

"Hmph, Ming Yue is not only my benefactor but also my uncle's benefactor. She will be entering the sect with me."

Fei Xian stepped forward, standing in front of the two guards. His aura slowly rose, pressuring the two Human Realm cultivators. 

"Yes senior brother!"

The guards bowed and opened the the way for them all, to which they passed. 

"Thank you Brother Fei!" 

Rou'er walked up to Fei Xian, who smiled and greeted the two warmly. 

"Come one, let's go in."

He moved forward, retracting his aura as he led them into the Eternal Blade Sect. 

Entering, Ming Yue looked around, studying the Eternal Blade Sect. Built with a dark mahogany wood and beautifully carved, each building was simple yet elegant for each piece of them fit perfectly with each other. Even if the earth rumbled and thundered or storms shattered the land, this sect would not fall. It seemed to fit with the meaning of "eternal", forever standing and everlasting. 

Surrounding the sect were multiple fields and dueling rings to practice one's skills. Each one had multiple disciples, most of whom seemed to be practicing one technique, though each one seemd to have their own version of it. 

She glanced at them, admiring the stance and studying it. With her understanding of sword techniques, she could see that the crux of the technique was the position that all of the disciples took. Their legs were spread apart and their sword pointed forward, a very basic stance. From there, they struck, attacking in a number of ways. 

Rou'er saw her interest in the stance and began to explain cheerfully. 

"That's the Eonic Stance, a technique that everyone has to learn regardless of what they sort of attribute they focus on. Elder Fei said that the technique has limitless potential and could be improved for eons to come. Every year, we all write down our understanding of the technique and it is then used to make the stance even stronger. But it's confusing because even though, it is called a "technique", there are so many ways to use it."

Fei Xian then spoke, adding on to her explanation. 

"Yes, it is the prized technique of the Eternal Blade Sect. Although it begins from one stance, the technique focuses on numerous things from control to timing. There is a lot of complexity to the technique as the stance is a set of over a hundred moves that are chained one by one. To improve the technique is to improve one of the hundred moves or switch them out with something new and different."

He then turned around and looked towards the disciples he had taken outside. 

"You may all disperse, I'll being seeing you in the Medicinal Hall. Next time, we'll be going over how to properly cultivate and maintain a rank 1 medicinal garden. Rou'er, you should go and practice as well. Ming Yue and I need to discuss a few things."

"Aw, okay, I'll see you later, Brother Fei, Ming Yue!" 

Rou'er ran off with her sword, entering one of the halls. 

"Follow me."

Fei Xian then led her to his abode, a small, modest hut equipped with a garden and a courtyard. He opened the door, revealing a simple place with a few books and other pieces of furniture. Off to the side were some gardening tools and pots filled with saplings. 

"I apologize for no thaving better accomadations. I decided to focus on medicine making and herbal cultivation, hence, I settled for this."

"No, this is perfectly fine. I quite like this place."

"Hah, that's good."

Fei Xian pulled out a seat for her as well as one for himself. Sitting down, he looked at her calmly and spoke. 

"I know that you're here to ask me about Uncle Fei and to that, I do not know anything. Nor do any of the elders in the sect, not even the sect leader could find any news of him."

He spoke earnestly and with truth, Ming Yue could tell from his tone. Still, it was somewhat disappointing to hear it. Her only other lead was to head for the Merciless Storm Peak and search for any clues of the masked figure. 

"I see. Then, Rou'er spoke to me about some trip for experiential training but there doesn't seem to be any information about it. Do you know anything about that?"

Fei Xian furrowed his brows, thinking of a way to explain. 

"This....this is a little strange."