The morning mist still clung to the mountains, curling around the peaks like silken scarves. The bronze bell tolled, each strike resonating through the Falling Sword Sect with authority tempered by history.
Dong... Dong... Dong....
"The Council of Elders is convened!" a herald shouted, voice echoing against stone walls.
For the first time in decades, every major elder gathered in the Heavenly Sword Pavilion once abandoned, now alive with anticipation. Rows of elders filled the hall: Elder Su Qinglan, calm and radiant; Elder Zhou, frowning and skeptical; Elder Yuan, hands still stained from forging; and several lesser elders, recently returned from seclusion, glancing nervously at each other.
At the top seat sat Sect Master Liang Feng, composed in azure robes embroidered with lightning-threaded swords, his eyes deep and unreadable. Beside him stood Grand Elder Wu, hands folded behind his back, a faint smile curling beneath his white beard.
"Disciple Shen Liang," Liang Feng's voice carried through the hall, firm yet expectant, "step forward."
Shen Liang strode in with casual confidence, broom in hand, robe plain but spotless. Behind him, Zhao Fei carried the scroll of Sword Courtyard reports, fidgeting with excitement.
Dozens of eyes swept over him—some curious, some clearly doubting.
"Are we really holding a council over a janitor?" Elder Zhou muttered under his breath. "He may have skill… but sweeping is not sword cultivation. A sect of blades, not brooms!"
A few elders snickered, nodding in agreement.
Su Qinglan's calm gaze met his. "And yet, Elder Zhou… his disciples resonate with sword intent even the Inner Hall struggles to replicate. Perhaps we've forgotten the essence of the sword itself."
Grand Elder Wu chuckled softly. "Old habits die hard. Let the demonstration speak."
Liang Feng raised a hand. "Shen Liang, the elders have heard the rumors—the broom that channels sword qi, the sweeping rhythm that trains disciples. I will see this technique myself, here, within the Heavenly Pavilion."
Shen Liang bowed lightly. "Yes, Sect Master."
The System flickered in his mind.
[Main Quest Progress: Stage 3 – Restore the Sect's Honor Across the Empire (3/10 → 4/10)][Special Event: Council Demonstration Initiated][Rewards: Cultivation XP + Skill Evolution Chance]
He stood at the center of the marble floor, broom upright like a sword. A hush fell over the hall.
Swish… swish… swish…
The movements started like ordinary sweeping, but each sweep carried discipline, precision, and rhythm. Dust lifted, curling like golden mist, and faint arcs of sword aura shimmered around the broom tips.
"Is it… just sweeping?" a junior elder whispered.
Shen Liang smirked. "If it looks like sweeping, that's because your expectations were low. Observe."
He combined motions seamlessly, spinning, dipping, and sweeping in perfect rhythm. Slowly, the broom began to hum faintly, the aura intensifying, cutting invisible lines through the air.
Shh!
A delicate blade of qi extended from the broom, transparent yet lethal, slicing a stone block left in the corner. The crowd gasped.
[Skill Activated: Sweeping Sword Technique Lv.3 → Lv.4][Skill Fusion Detected: Sword Tempering + Resonance Array → Foundation Flow Technique (Unique)]
Shen Liang's expression remained calm. "A sword without discipline is wild. A sect without discipline is hollow. If sweeping can forge discipline… then sweeping is cultivation."
Even Elder Zhou's lips tightened, unable to argue.
Grand Elder Wu clapped lightly. "Reminds me of the First Patriarch… the man who said, 'The true sword begins in humility.'"
Su Qinglan smiled. "Humility… apparently begins with a broom."
The System pulsed.
[Skill Unlocked: Foundation Flow Technique (Unique)]
[Cultivation XP +650][Breakthrough: Foundation Realm – Mid Stage → Solid Mid Stage]
[Hidden Class Progress: Sword Laborer of Heaven 93% → 96%][Heavenly Broom upgraded → Mid Spirit Tool]
Golden light glimmered along Shen Liang's broom; faint spiritual runes etched themselves into the wood.
Sect Master Liang Feng finally rose, voice steady but tinged with rare approval. "From today, Shen Liang's Foundation Flow Technique shall be registered under the Falling Sword Sect's core manuals. Any disciple mastering this rhythm may now be recognized as an Inner Sect disciple."
He turned to the elders. "Any objections?"
Silence. Even doubters bowed.
Liang Feng's gaze softened as he looked at Shen Liang. "You've swept more than floors, Shen Liang. You've swept away complacency."
Shen Liang bowed. "It is my honor, Sect Master."
The System shimmered again.
[Main Quest Update: Rebuild the Falling Sword Sect – Stage 3 Progress 4/10 → 5/10][Sect Morale +10%, Inner Sect Reputation +15%][Hidden Title Progress: Sword Laborer of Heaven – 96% → 98%][New Passive Obtained: Flow of Discipline – Converts repetitive action into steady qi refinement]
Outside, the Sword Courtyard resonated with the newly awakened rhythm. Even the ancestral swords in the tomb quivered faintly, as if acknowledging the revival of the sect's spirit.
Far beyond the horizon, imperial observers would soon take notice. The Falling Sword Sect's emblem, once faded and ignored, was beginning to shine again.
Zhao Fei whispered as they walked out: "Master… do you think the elders really understand what you did?"
Shen Liang grinned, twirling his broom. "They may not… but that's fine. Sometimes, it's better to sweep the world awake before explaining it."
The disciples giggled, the elders nodded silently, and the Falling Sword Sect took another solid step toward its legendary rebirth.