The Emei Sect âone of the Nine Great Schools, representing the orthodox martial sects of the Nine Heavens.
Situated in Sichuan, it stood apart from other sects in that it was composed exclusively of female martial artists.
Why was that? I wasnât sure.
Frankly, I didnât care enough to find out.
From what I did know, it wasnât always this way.
After the Blood Demon War, the sect began exiling male disciples and restructuring itself with only female practitioners.
People often wondered how such a sect could retain its status among the Nine Great Schools while being exclusively female, but such speculation was meaningless to me.
Once Qi enters the body, gender ceases to matter.
From the perspective of martial artists, the distinction between men and women was irrelevant.
Power was defined by cultivation, not biology.
Itâs those idiots who hesitate because sheâs a woman that are the real problem.
That kind of thinking might apply to ordinary people, but for martial artists, it was meaningless.
Hesitating or getting distracted by a pretty face? Thatâs how you end up with your throat slit.
During the demonic invasion of Sichuan, the Emei Sect had been particularly troublesome for this reason.
It wasnât that their strength or strategies were overwhelming, but rather, the invadersâdrunk on lustâcreated problems for themselves.
The nuns of the Emei Sect, despite their monastic nature, often grew their hair out, keeping it short or shoulder-length.
This appearance led some of the invaders, beast-like creatures that they were, to commit unspeakable acts.
At least I kept the Black Flame Brigade in check.
Those caught behaving that way were burned alive, so there were no issues in my brigade.
Unfortunately, the Ghost Blade Unit and the Green Flying Flag Unit werenât as disciplined.
It wasnât until I crushed the Sword Demon and ripped out the intestines of one of the culprits in the Green Flying Flag Unit that things finally calmed down.
Still, it had nearly jeopardized the conquest of Sichuan.
Anyway.
For now, I needed to focus on the woman in front of me.
Her hair was cut to shoulder length, and a deep scar ran across her cheek. She looked to be in her thirties.
I have no idea who she is.
She wasnât a famous martial artistânot based on her appearance, at least.
I locked eyes with her, examining her scarred face.
"Whatâs this about?"
â...Urghâ¦â
I tightened my grip on her throat, and she let out a strangled groan.
I had already disrupted her Qi flow and sealed her movements.
Her cultivation level? At most, she was at the Zhengjing stage.
Using my free hand, I examined her body.
ââ¦!!â
Her expression twisted in humiliation, but I ignored it.
From the musculature, sheâs an assassin.
Her well-developed physique marked her as one, though the calluses on her hands suggested she was also skilled in palm techniques.
An assassin with a martial artistâs palm techniquesâan unusual combination.
âCurious. Why would a nun of the Emei Sect be skulking around like this?â