Wind and Snow Temple

Overview

The Wind and Snow Temple (风雪庙) is one of the two great Military School (兵家) ancestral mountains located in the Baoping Continent, sharing this prestigious status with Zhenwu Mountain (真武山). Despite its military roots, the sect is famous for its distinct, almost romantic ethos. Its cultivators often behave like wandering knights (游侠), traveling the continent with peerless martial skills and an unfettered disposition.

Unlike Zhenwu Mountain, which frequently embeds its cultivators in secular courts and military commands to influence worldly dynasties, the Wind and Snow Temple prefers to remain aloof from mortal politics. Its disciples are known to travel to ancient battlefields to hone their skills or barge into other sects uninvited to exchange pointers. They fight not to kill or seek fame, but purely to test their dao and sword arts, making them a highly respected, if somewhat eccentric, powerhouse in the cultivation world.

Culture and Teachings

The Wind and Snow Temple operates with a relatively loose and free-spirited internal structure, divided into six distinct branches (六脉) that sometimes bicker but fiercely protect their collective honor.

The temple's approach to conflict is famously straightforward. If a disciple is wronged or challenged, the sect responds with overwhelming but measured force. A defining characteristic of the sect's wandering disciples is their tendency to engage in fierce duels without resorting to lethal force unless necessary. Even when they decisively defeat opponents, they rarely broadcast the victory, saving their rivals from public humiliation and thereby earning a peculiar mix of fear and goodwill across the continent.

Mountain Peaks and Branches

The Wind and Snow Temple is composed of six distinct branches, each occupying different peaks and possessing unique lineages and responsibilities:

• Shenxiantai (神仙台): The most scenic and spiritually potent peak in the sect. Despite its high status, its lineage has historically been sparse, often passing down through a single heir for generations. It is currently represented by the Great Sword Immortal Wei Jin (魏晋). The peak is home to a ten-thousand-year-old pine tree named Changqing (长情), whose bark is a priceless spiritual medicine.
• Lushui Tan (绿水潭): The former branch of Ruan Qiong (阮邛) before he left to found the Dragon Springs Sword Sect. It maintains a deep, amicable connection with Ruan Qiong's new lineage.
• Dani Gou (大鲵沟): Overseen by the Qin clan ancestor (秦氏老祖). This branch maintains close diplomatic ties with other major Baoping Continent sects, such as the Changchun Palace.
• Wenqing Peak (文清峰): Another prominent branch, whose disciples occasionally perform duties like gathering spiritual snow to brew Hansu Wine (寒酥酒).

History and Notable Events

The Damo Mountain Villa Incident

Hundreds of years ago, a newly ascended sword immortal from the Damo Mountain Villa (大墨山庄) in the Shuifu Dynasty demanded a custom sword from Ruan Qiong. Because Ruan Qiong insisted on finishing a prior commitment to a junior from Wenqing Peak first, the arrogant sword immortal took offense and attacked him. Ruan Qiong, then only at the ninth tier, fought back fiercely.

In retaliation for this insult, the Wind and Snow Temple imprisoned the Damo sword immortal for fifty years. Furthermore, representatives from all six branches took turns visiting the Damo Mountain Villa to issue challenges, thoroughly dismantling the villa's prestige and reducing the once-dominant sect to a second-rate power.

Neutral Ground for Blood Feuds

Due to its broad network and neutral stance, the Wind and Snow Temple has historically served as an impartial battleground for other sects. The most famous example occurred at Shenxiantai, where the bitter, three-hundred-year blood feud between Zhengyang Mountain and Fenglei Garden culminated in a decisive death match between their top ancestors.

The Dragon Slaying Cliff

When the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven fell and the Dragon Slaying Cliff (斩龙台) was divided, the Wind and Snow Temple received a significant portion. Unlike Ruan Qiong, who hoarded his share for forging, the Temple rapidly depleted their allocation. However, this apparent waste was highly lucrative, as the sect managed to extract a lost ancient sword art from the stone, allowing their earth-immortal sword cultivators to bridge major bottlenecks and directly point toward the Yu Pu Realm.

Key Figures

• The Child-like Ancestor (风雪庙老祖): A supreme sword immortal and ancestor of the sect who appears as a young child. He rarely descends the mountain but possesses unfathomable cultivation, acting as the ultimate guardian of the sect's legacy.
• Wei Jin (魏晋): The sole heir of Shenxiantai and the foremost sword immortal of the Baoping Continent. He frequently travels with a donkey and a wine gourd, ultimately reaching the Immortal Realm and earning massive continent-wide prestige by fighting at the Sword Qi Great Wall and challenging Heavenly Lord Xie Shi.
• Ruan Qiong (阮邛): A former disciple of Lushui Tan who achieved Saint status in the Military School. He is the continent's greatest sword smith and eventually departed amicably to establish the Dragon Springs Sword Sect.
• Qin Clan Ancestor (秦氏老祖): The talkative and highly connected ancestor of Dani Gou, known for his somewhat gossipy nature and deep ties with other Baoping Continent elites.

References

• 剑来2：忽为远行客，第八章 — 粉墨登场: Supports the sect's status as a Military School ancestral mountain alongside Zhenwu Mountain, highlighting their wandering knight ethos and reluctance to kill in casual spars.
• 剑来2：忽为远行客，第十章 — 小庙: Details the six branches including Shenxiantai, Lushui Tan, Dani Gou, and Wenqing Peak, as well as the Damo Mountain Villa incident where the sect united to protect Ruan Qiong's honor.
• 剑来5：山水有相逢，第六章 — 道高一尺: Details Shenxiantai acting as the neutral, heavily respected battleground for the death match between Zhengyang Mountain and Fenglei Garden.
• 剑来24：新酒等旧人，第二章 — 一些个典故: Describes Wei Jin's solitary nature at Shenxiantai, the ancient pine Changqing, and the interactions between the child-like ancestor and the Qin clan ancestor of Dani Gou.
• 剑来31：观礼正阳山，第五章 — 刻舟求剑: Mentions Fengxue Temple inheriting a portion of the Dragon Slaying Cliff and successfully acquiring a lost ancient sword art from it.