Chapter 473 - First Sword

Opening the doors soon after changing his clothes, Wang Ling felt refreshed.

"How was your seclusion, Young Master?"

"Not too bad, I can feel already touch the barrier of Immortal Nirvana Realm. I'm just waiting for the right moment to face the Heavenly Tribulations." Wang Ling stated and exited the VIP room and into the roof where the others were waiting.

"You haven't crossed the Mortal Realms? Sad." Yuan Ming stated before minding her own business. 

On the roof they overlooked the entirety of the City and on it was the branch owner of the Dark Sword Restaurant and Inn, bowing to Sun Wu and his companions, "We hope to have you with us again, honorable Sun Wu."

"If I get the chance." Sun Wu stated and then the twins called upon white mist to cover the eyes of the people below and hopping to the Dark Sword Inn where they changed clothes before descending from the building. 

Now, Wang Ling only half a demonic mask covering the lower half of his face. Passing the onlookers, their group slipped pass everyone's detection as they left for the central regions of the Origin Lands.

"So, are they already in this world?"

"I do not know, but soon, they will be… they better be." Chang Ping did not tolerate her peopled dallying with her orders. The Sword God disliked not being on the time the most.

===

Outside the Origin World, a young man with long black hair calmly observed the long line of Cosmic Sailers desiring to enter the Holy Land of Celestial Spirit Realm.

He was a protector of the Cosmic Road, a new recruit of the Seventh Floor tasked in overseeing the Celestial Spirit Realm. His name was Xu Zhang, an Elven genius who reached Seizing Star Realm at the ripe age of 973.

To everyone's surprised, however, this Xu Zhang decided to join the Sword Tower after cultivating his sword for a century. Many berated him, but he strived to become a protector of the week, thus, his decision to fight on the frontlines.

Being a blacksmith was honorable, but not the path he wanted.

Many doubted his path, but now he had climbed through the Six Floors of Heaven and Hell. He had casted off the Horns of D.e.s.i.r.es and gained the Haloed Wings of Equinox. He was an official expert from the Seventh Floor.

Xu Zhang was also friendly; he would approach his seniors asking them for tips and instructions. The one he received most likely was from Alta, the one he replaced.

"Senior Alta, I heard you and your group encountered some dangerous group a few weeks back. Was it true that it was a group related to the First Sword?" 

"Sadly, yes and I acted so haughtily in front of them while bearing the mask of the Tower… for me to forget control my arrogance." Alta sighed remembering the intent that washed over him, "…I now understand that those monsters exist beyond monsters. Xu Zhang, if you want to live, try not to act highly in front of others, especially if they seem insignificant. You may not know that they are a hidden master."

"I understand, Senior Alta. Goodluck with your seclusion, I hope you dissolve the doubt in your heart soon enough." Xu Zhang wished the dejected Alta the best of luck.

Xu Zhang streaked through the emptiness of the Cosmic Road, green light illuminated the expanding darkness and then, his attention was tightly gripped by a figure casually unevenly hovering through the Cosmic Road. An old man with Golden Robes flying through the Cosmos with nothing but a sword as his foothold and a jug of wine as his companion.

Slumped and unkempt, the old man reeked of booze. The strong scent could be smelled for hundreds of meters away. It was a strong smell, and by how he was acting, it was rather known that this old man had been drinking for days. 

No one knew how long he had been drinking, however, one could tell that he was an expert, despite his swerving control of the flying sword. Xu Zhang took a deep breathe seeing how the old man was cutting through the line, ignoring the rules and regulations of the Realm's Cosmic Road.

"Honorable Elder, greetings." Xu Zhang greeted the old as he approached. 

"Hmmm? What is it young Sword? How can… this… old man… help you?" the old man said with sloshy words yet still drinking from his jug of alcohol.

"Sir, it is simply that you are violating the rules and regulation set upon every World. For you to bypass the line without the necessary doc.u.ment nor the needed items, you could be detained." Xu Zhang respectively explained.

"Oh! Is that so!" albeit slightly, the old man woke up from his drunken stupor, "A moment, I have something here that should allow me… to… pass… the line… hmm? Where is the letter she sent me?"

"Is something the matter, Elder?"

"No, it is just that, I seem to be missing the letter I need to pass this place."

"Oh, is that so, then that is too bad. Bad do not worry, I have my Jade right… here… oh right, I lost it all those years ago." The old drunk looked at Xu Zhang, he was silent, "If you could just let me through, I'll—"

"Please just fall in line, Elder." Xu Zhang said while escorting the old drunk.

For the next few hours, the old drunk would try his best to wheeze through the line. But every time he would be stopped by Xu Zhang. The old man in the end just gazed up as it was too much of a hassle, and Xu Zhang dared not believe the old drunk was giving up.

"Elder, I have watched you drink from that jug for the last two days, how come I can still hear liquor coming from it. You even drink from it in big gulps."

"It's connected to a lake of liquor." The old drunk said before taking a gulp of wine.

"So elder has no intention of telling me?" Xu Zhang was disappointed.

The old drunk placed the jug to his side and observed Xu Zhang's disposition, "Your mask is white, a member of the White Sword Battalion."

"Why does the Elder ask?"

"Just curious, after all, the White Sword Battalion is known for their attacking capabilities. Why is someone like you here? Is it not the job of the Pink and Green Masks to defend?"

"Well… don't tell this to anyone, but you see, my father is actually someone who has connections to the Sword Tower. He vehemently opposed my decision to become a member of the Sword Tower, and now here I am, despite passing to become a White Masks Sword."

In the Sword Tower, there were six Mask Colors.

White — meaning frontline attackers who faces the Abyssal Demons.

Pink and Green — they protect Cosmic Roads, Words, and people, they were protectors.

Red — those sent to do the dirty job of the Tower. 

Xu Zhang belonged to the White Masks, he was meant to be on the frontlines protecting the Universe from the Abyssal Invasions, but he was here, stuck patrolling a World, away from the battlefield.

The old man laughed, "Do you hate your father for putting you here then?"

"Hmmm? No, I understand his decisions. Besides, just because I am away from the battlefield does not mean I am not able to protect the people. If I can provide safety by sifting through the troublemakers, then I am happy to oblige, I will have my chance in the future."

Xu Zhang answered without saying much.

The drunk old man tried to resist at first, but soon enough he kept his quiet, "You're a good seed, young man." He abruptly said.

"Thank you for the compliments, Honorable Elder, now, if you would please just stop eking away from the line." Xu Zhang looked judgingly to the old man who was still trying to slip pass the line.

Xu Zhang watched over him until the time the old drunk reached the front of the line three days after the old man's arrival.

He finally reached the front and at the same time just as the old man was allowed to open a space tear on the world, his jug wouldn't flow out with liquor.

"Finally finished your drinking, Elder?"

"Hmmm? This wasn't supposed to dry up so fast." The old man peered through the hole of his liquor jug, "Well, I'll check up on it later."

The old drunk just sighed dejectedly and then swung his arm tearing the space of the Realm apart, "I will see you later, keep up the good work Young Sword." 

"Yes, see you later, Elder." Xu Zhang bowed to the weird Elder.

The Elder was just about to pass the spatial tear, when he remembered something and tossed a single piece of white jade to Xu Zhang, "Young Sword, I like you, if you want to escape guard duty just present that to any Branch Head of a Tower in any Inner World, you should be able to gain access to the battlefield if you do so."

The old drunk finally entered the spatial tear. Xu Zhang stayed there for a few second before returning to his post. He kept the piece of white jade away, not know how it would affect his life soon enough.

"Ah! So something was clogging it up!" The old drunk said as he appeared in front of the Origin Land, he was still trying to see what happened to his goddamn liquor bottle, thankfully, he found the source of his problem.

The hole of the liquor jug enlarged, and then the old man sticked his hands inside the jug, taking out a golden masked that was stuck at the entrance of his liquor, "…So that's where it was… if I had lost this, that ancient hag would have had my neck… I'm, late, she'll have my neck either way then."

The old man sighed, as he held onto the gold mask with the character of one, etched on its forehead, "Well, at least I found a disciple candidate in this whole debacle."