Chapter 039 - Sword Inheritance Stone Shattered, An Immortal of the Ages...?
The testing of the Sword Soul! Jiang Yue was once again the center of universal attention.
Ye Tiance supported his beloved disciple, guiding her to stand before the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone.
"This Rank Two Sword Inheritance Stone needs to be driven by the forces of Yin and Yang. So, it requires the combined strength of two individuals. But this Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone can automatically absorb the power of the Four Symbols of Heaven and Earth into the Sword Soul, a single person is sufficient!" Yu Xuanzhou stood on the high platform, reminiscing about the event that had unfolded a few days prior, flooded with emotions.
"So you witnessed Jiang Yue shattering the Sword Inheritance Stone with your own eyes?" the Seventh Sword Venerable, Zhang Jian, inquired with a cold smirk.
"Naturally." Yu Xuanzhou nodded affirmatively.
"Any insights?" Zhang Jian asked, a sarcastic grin laced his face.
"The journey of cultivation, it seems, is fundamentally dictated by innate talent! Those with unrivaled talent, even if they lose several times, have the chance to reclaim their victories one day." Yu Xuanzhou glanced at Yun Xiao and shook his head in a sigh, "On the other hand, those with lesser talent, no matter the effort exerted or the astonishing swordsmanship they display, no matter how many demon bones they consume, they still find themselves relegated to being mere backdrops at this moment!"
"Profound!" Zhang Jian applauded mockingly. Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
"A first in a thousand years, shattering the Sword Inheritance Stone, even a common man has to admit defeat!" Yu Xuanzhou remarked with a laugh.
"It's starting!" As Zhang Jian's words echoed, Jiang Yue leaned one hand on the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone, and with the other, she summoned her Ice Moon Sword Soul. Upon its emergence, a veil of frost and snow engulfed the Sword Inheritance Stone, as if intending to bury it within an icy world.
"Whoa!" Witnessing this scene, the crowd erupted in amazement, fixating on the Sword Soul with eyes filled with envy and admiration.
"A peerless prodigy, destined to stand at the pinnacle, no matter how many times she falls!"
"Don't underestimate a girl in poverty..." Words of such admiration were clearer than ever to Jiang Yue, who had lost her sight.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Her heart pounded furiously. From the moment she left the Cloud Nation, myriad images constantly flashed through her mind, showcasing the grandeur of her path to immortality as a massive tapestry unfolding before her.
The Heavenly Path, the Sword Debate, the Grand Conclave! Three stains of disgraceful blood, like fresh spills, tarnished the tapestry of her Immortal journey. The ghastly sight filled with a fury that threatened to engulf the heavens!
"Lil Yue, test your Sword Soul! Show the world this unmatched pride and let it be known in the annals of the Azure Spirit history!" Ye Tiance's voice reverberated like a mighty bell echoing in her ears.
THUMP THUMP THUMP! The heartbeat of the masses seemed to amalgamate into a powerful drumbeat, bearing down on Jiang Yue. Her spirit and indignation erupted like a volcano from within her.
"Yun Xiao! Open your eyes and witness clearly! I will rise above as an Immortal, while you'll remain a mere mortal! It's only natural that our paths will diverge!" Jiang Yue declared fiercely, burning with a desire to prove her own self-worth. "In the future, commoners like you shall prostrate themselves before me with reverence!"
Jiang Yue could never have dreamed that she would utter these same words to another Yun Xiao. In the past, after speaking these words, she had ordered Ye Guying to slay that mortal with a single sword strike. But today, she was ready to ascend to immortality!
Though Jiang Yue was now blind, she could still precisely target the sword cavities within the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone. At that moment, she realized she had waited for an eternity. She had rehearsed for several days, vividly imagining herself ascending to the clouds when the time finally came.
WHOOSH! The Ice Moon Sword Soul plunged into the cavity!
"It's begun!" A relaxed smile radiated from Jiang Yue's face. She already felt the energy of the Four Symbols—Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger—wrapping around her Sword Soul.
THUMP THUMP THUMP! Her heart raced wildly, anticipating the thunderous applause that was about to come.
"The spotlight... it's on..." Indeed, countless voices chimed in, transforming the entire Conclave Mountain into a furnace of exhilaration, seemingly ready to ignite and burst into roaring flames.
Jiang Yue released her grip! She spread her arms wide, facing the sky, a smile unfurling on her lips. It's time for the cheers, she thought. She braced herself for a tidal wave of adoration! Moon or Planet? She was anxious to find out!
"Let the cheers ring out!" She tensed every muscle in her body. A moment passed. Then another.
Why isn't there any sound...?
Does the Sword Soul test usually take this long...?
Another moment went by. And yet another.
Why aren't there any cheers?
In the blink of an eye, six breaths had elapsed. Suddenly, Jiang Yue's heart turned icy cold. She couldn't see! The profound silence felt like an army of ghosts advancing towards her in the darkness.
"Master, are the results not out yet?" Jiang Yue quivered inwardly, attempting to lighten the mood with a jest to Ye Tiance beside her.
"Test it again!" Ye Tiance's voice seemed like a severed kite, drifting further and further away.
"Test it again? Did I place it in the wrong spot? I'm so silly! Hehe..." Jiang Yue stuck her tongue out playfully, once again grasping the Ice Moon Sword Soul. But her hand, the one holding the sword, was trembling. Trembling wildly! It could even be described as convulsing!
She couldn't even reach the expected Upper Comet grade that Ye Guying anticipated.
"The Sword Soul that shattered the Sword Inheritance Stone..." As Jiang Yue wallowed in her despair, reminiscing about that fateful day, Suddenly, the image of the young man in white, who had measured his Sword Soul with her, crashed into her mind.
"Uh?" An overwhelming surge of emotion led to Jiang Yue spitting out another mouthful of blood.
"Yun... Yun Xiao!" Her wretched scream shifted the entire focus of those present on the Conclave Mountain towards the blood-robed youth. This included all the Sword Cultivators on the First Sword Peak whose faces were ashen. And a furiously blushing, almost liver-colored, Ye Tiance! With a sudden turn, they fixed their gaze piercingly upon Yun Xiao, their hearts suddenly thrown into a tumultuous sea of shock and bewilderment.
In the midst of the Sword Pavilion's members... Yun Xiao observed Jiang Yue’s self-imposed destruction, his gaze steady and undisturbed, embodying the truth of his earlier words. As the saying goes, "Pride goeth before destruction!"
The higher one soared, the harder the fall. And Jiang Yue's descent this time was far more tragic than even Yun Xiao had anticipated, especially given her pathetic Lower Comet grade Sword Soul.
Tragic? No, this is nothing but the repayment of a debt you owe me. You and Ye Guying still have a hefty debt to repay for the deaths of countless citizens of the Cloud Nation. Yun Xiao's heart was as cold as an icy wasteland.
Would he sympathize with her just because she had met a tragic end? Then who would spare a thought for him, who was killed with a single sword stroke? Or the countless commoners who had been bitten to death by the venomous serpants?
Was it really tragic? Yun Xiao felt that it was far from enough. The real truth was yet to come.
"I’ve got it!" Suddenly, a burly middle-aged man atop the platform bellowed. Without hesitation, he leaped down, rushing towards Yun Xiao. It was Yu Xuanzhou, from the Seventh Sword Peak.
"Yun Xiao, do you remember me? I spoke up for you during the Sword Soul assessment at the Sword Inheritance Platform!" Yu Xuanzhou said, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.
"I remember," Yun Xiao nodded.
But he also remembered how Yu Xuanzhou had advised him against choosing the Seventh Sword Peak, and the disgusting look on Yu Xuanzhou’s face as he stood beside the Seventh Sword Venerable who had supported Ye Tiance in activating the Sword Sealing Formation.
"Good that you remember." Yu Xuanzhou walked beside Yun Xiao, clapped him on the shoulder, and then addressed the crowd, "Jiang Yue only possesses a Lower Comet grade Sword Soul, but somehow shattered the Rank Two Stone Sword Inheritance Stone. I'm sure you all find that perplexing, right? As one of the elders who oversaw the Heavenly Path Trial that day, allow me to unveil the truth to you all!"
"The truth?" For a moment, every eye was set ablaze, intently focused on Yun Xiao, hearts pounding wildly anew.
"Yes, the truth is—" Yu Xuanzhou pointed towards Yun Xiao, his eyes filled with admiration, "The one who stood beside Jiang Yue at the Sword Inheritance Stone that day was none other than Yun Xiao!"
"What?!" The Conclave Mountain echoed with shock.
Yun Xiao had continuously dominated in the Sword Debate and the Grand Conclave, earning the awe and respect of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect. His only perceived flaw was the supposedly poor quality of his Sword Soul. But now, Yu Xuanzhou's declaration left everyone breathless...
"Haven't any of you ever doubted it? While Yun Xiao is indeed amazingly talented in swordsmanship and possesses a powerful Sword Aura, it would be impossible for him to be so formidable with just a Lower Meteor grade Sword Soul, right?
"That's why I'm one hundred percent certain that the one who shattered the Sword Inheritance Stone, the true prodigious talent, is none other than Yun Xiao, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion standing right here beside me!
"As for the validity of my claim, why don't we have my brother Yun Xiao test his Sword Soul and reveal the truth?" Yu Xuanzhou’s voice boomed, reverberating like a clap of thunder, stirring the hearts of the silent audience, electrifying the previously somber atmosphere.
Sword Aura, talent in swordsmanship, and now potentially a supreme Sword Soul? This was the hallmark of a perfect sword prodigy!
"After all, someone indeed shattered the Sword Inheritance Stone, right?" Yu Xuanzhou thundered, his voice echoing throughout the hushed vicinity, leaving a lingering resonance that promised the revelation of a stunning truth. "So, once he takes the test, all the suspense will be lifted..."
The Sword Cultivators, with parched lips and rigid expressions, watched the young man stained in blood, their hearts surging like tumultuous seas.
"Yun Xiao, I must apologize for my behavior that day. I truly didn't recognize the greatness before me. Your Sword Soul is certainly not an ordinary one!" Yu Xuanzhou turned around, his eyes twinkling with excitement, a hearty laugh escaping him.
"Oh, is that so?" the corner of Yun Xiao's mouth curved upwards. Despite the smile gracing his face, there was an icy coldness lurking in the depths of his gaze. But to have this sort of man rushing over to grovel at his feet, it clearly illustrated that he had successfully subdued Ye Tiance and his entourage.
"Yun Xiao, step onto the Sword Inheritance Stone!" Yu Xuanzhou urged. Many people echoed the sentiment, their voices tinged with fervor.
"Silence!" Ye Tiance stood defiantly before the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone, his eyes brimming with murderous intent as he fixed them sternly on Yun Xiao. "This Sword Inheritance Stone was brought here by Elder Fan from the Sea of Swords, and is not open for testing by the common riff-raff!"
"Scared, are we? You're just afraid that my Junior Brother Yun's Sword Soul will be too high, drawing the attention of the powerful figures from the Sea of Swords!" Zhao Xuanran's voice pierced through the air, cold and merciless, stripping away at Ye Tiance's fa?ade.
Ye Tiance's complexion turned an ugly shade of pale green. The cultivators from the First Sword Peak gathered firmly beside the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone, making it abundantly clear that they had no intention of allowing Yun Xiao to proceed.
BOOM! Just then, a figure with a powerful presence, a golden-haired elder, descended amidst the gathered crowd. BUZZ! His aura forced everyone to involuntarily take a step or two back. It was none other than Elder Fan!
The crowd remembered vividly that Elder Fan had broken the Sword Sealing Formation with a single stroke, showcasing unparalleled strength as he rescued Jiang Yue. Now, he was making his move for the first time, but what was his intention?
"He couldn't possibly be planning to assist Ye Tiance in eliminating Yun Xiao, could he..." A chill ran down the spines of many.
The Conclave Mountain once again plunged into eerie silence.
"Elder Fan!" Ye Tiance greeted with a bow, uttering respectfully, "Ye Guying—" Before he could finish, Elder Fan raised a hand to halt him, then turned towards Yun Xiao.
With a sudden warm smile gracing his face, Elder Fan spoke, "Yun Xiao, my young friend., Would you be interested in letting this old man personally guide you in testing your Sword Soul?"
Upon hearing this proposal, both Ye Tiance and Yao Manxue felt as if they had been struck by thunder, their faces mirroring the shock that reverberated in their hearts.