Diancang Sect
"Diancang's sword is the fastest sword in the world, transcending speech, as swift as lightning."
The Diancang Sect is a sword sect, yet its greatest expert has never been the Sect Leader. They believe swordsmanship is the Heavenly Path, and seek the Way through the sword. Worldly affairs must not weigh them down: once one becomes Sect Leader, one takes on a dusty heart and can no longer walk the broad road.
What they study is Confucianism. The sword is the tool of a Gentleman, and must be wielded with solemn dignity, neither overbearing nor servile, though one may keep a guarded heart. Their pride is jagged as rock; often they will not yield even in death.
Though they sit in Dali, they count themselves among the Six Great Sects of the Central Plains. It is not that they never thought of moving to the Central Plains, but the Tang Clan always blocked them, and the two have fought at least dozens of times, great and small.
Nicknames
Every Diancang Disciple who masters his art and goes Down the Mountain to make his way is granted a nickname by his Beloved Master upon returning home. For instance, "White Rainbow Swordsman" Xu Guanghui, "Morning Sun Swordsman" Sheng Hongnian, and "Cangsong Swordsman" Ye Yunzhou. The Sect Leader Cloud-Watching Wanderer was called "Cloud-Watching Swordsman" in his youth, and Ting Haisheng was "Ting Hai Swordsman".
Among them, Ye Yunzhou is the outstanding figure of contemporary Diancang, stunning the Wulin with his fast sword the moment he debuted. He is modest besides, and well spoken of in the Jianghu, which calls him Diancang's Fastest Swordsman.
The current Sect Leader Cloud-Watching Wanderer and his Junior Brother Ting Haisheng practice the Black and White Twin Swords Combined Strike Technique, known in the Jianghu as the Diancang Twin Venerables. Neither has reached the highest Realm alone, but when the two join forces their strength surges. It is said that even if and Great Hero Long Yuan made peace and joined hands, they would likely be no match.
Taking the Sword as Wife
Every new Disciple must undergo the sword-seeking and sword-cleansing rites. From then on the sword is wife and friend, and one seeks the highest Realm of Unity of Man and Sword. They tend their beloved swords carefully each day, and often use only one sword their whole life.
It is said that where the sword is, the man lives; where the sword is destroyed, the man dies. In truth, plenty of people simply get a new one when the blade chips. Many even make the trip to the Fire Mountain Sword Pavilion to seek a sword.
If the sword is one's wife, then getting a new one amounts to remarrying. And if a man has many swords, does that make him a man with three wives and four concubines?
Killing Kin to Attain Enlightenment
Diancang Swordsmen pursue the Way of the Sword to the edge of madness. They believe that what keeps them from sudden Insight is the world's many ties, which snag the speed of their blade. To fathom Heaven's secrets they will not shrink from cutting the threads of feeling with their swords, and many abandon wife and child.
The most bigoted among them even preach the horrifying heresy of "killing one's kin to attain enlightenment": they scheme to slander their own kin, and only after killing them find peace of mind, then fancy themselves free of care with their Power raised another level.
The Diancang Twin Venerables spent great effort correcting and stopping this. Leading their prized disciples the White Rainbow Swordsman and the Morning Sun Swordsman, together with , they cut off the wrists of all who had killed their kin, expelled them from the sect, and handed them to the authorities. Only then did the heresy finally die out.
Sword Saint of Diancang
The Diancang Sect once produced an astonishing prodigy whom the Jianghu came to revere as the Sword Saint.
Legend says the Sword Saint of the previous dynasty was aloof and proud beyond all. He came from the south to test his sword against the Central Plains, defeated every hero of his age, then withdrew at the height of his fame and retired to the Sword Lodge on Diancang Mountain in Dali. In the Sword Saint's Former Residence are hidden three forms of Sword Intent, which only one of peerless talent and born with a sword in their bones can comprehend.
For fear of damaging the Sword Saint's Former Residence, it is strictly guarded at all times. Only Diancang Disciples who have rendered great service are permitted to enter the Sword Lodge for three days to comprehend martial arts. Whoever can comprehend those three moves the Sword Saint left behind inherits the name of Sword Saint of the age. His standing is higher even than the Diancang Sect Leader's, and the Emperor of Dali himself will break protocol to honor him.
There is precedent for an Emperor of Dali holding the title himself: Xianzong, Duan Heyu, trained in the Diancang Sect as a Youth, and having brought the family's Internal Skill to the highest Realm, was called the Sword Saint of Diancang of his day (see Duan Family of Dali Lineage).
Ye Yunshang was gifted and clever. From only the brief moments she stole in to look as a child, she grasped three Ultimate intents, and may even have a chance to create the .
First Ultimate: The Old Fisherman in the Misty Waves. Good wine is ever hard to come by. Old dreams, let them ride the Yunzhou.
Second Ultimate: Thirty years of floating life chasing fame, in the end, no more than a handful of earth.
Third Ultimate: Time can be traded for wine. The song ends, and sorrow grows; fine prospects are all empty words.
Fourth Ultimate: The soul wanders home, fragrance filling the sleeves; spring birds cry at dawn, do not hold me back.
The Grudge with the Tang Clan
Once upon a time, a Heroic Couple in the Jianghu fell to quarreling. The husband and wife dragged people in to judge the rights of it, and swept the Tang Clan's Senior into the affair. Just then the Diancang Sword Saint passed by, playing the pig to eat the tiger, and insisted on meddling. When he was wronged he overawed the Crowd with his true skill, so that everyone had to listen to him.
The Tang Clan Senior flew into a rage and said, "No matter what, reason comes before all. So what if your martial arts are high? Others may fawn on you, but the Tang Clan will not! We cannot beat you, but we will not listen to you!" With that he took poison and died.
The Tang Clan Sect Leader was enraged when he heard of it, and so drugged him by stealth and destroyed the Sword Saint's martial arts. The result was plain enough: the two sects were bound in deep hatred from then on.
After The Battle of the Supreme Bliss Cult, when the Tang Clan was gravely weakened, the Diancang Sect seized the chance to pick a quarrel and challenged the . In the end the Tang Clan lost, but the Tang Clan Sect Leader defeated the . With the Nangong Family Head mediating, the Sect Leader did not take the Sword Saint's life, only forcing him to seal his sword and retire, in exchange for Diancang's withdrawal.
Manuals
- Diancang Sword Manual
- Meteor Sword Manual
- Cloud Garment Sword Technique
- Same-Boat Sword Manual
- Diancang Staff Technique
Notes
- Those Tang Clan Blue Devils call the Diancang Sect green turtles.
- A female Tang Clan Disciple says a Diancang friend of hers married her sword. Later she shaved her head and became a nun, called herself Flame Egg, and killed the innocent at will.
- When Duan Zhixiu tried to force his way into Zhengxin Hall, the Tang Clan Disciples would not let him in, for fear that with the Sect Leader bedridden he would seize the moment to forcibly take the Sect Leader's Small Sword as his wife.
Gallery
