Chapter 557: Forest of Swords (I)

Chapter 557: Forest of Swords (I)

The next day, the three hundred and thirty-three sword cultivators who qualified to enter the Forest of Swords gathered in the now silent arena. They were only joined by the sect masters from their respective sects, the hosts from the Eastern Sword Alliance, and the honored guests from other powers.

The morning was cold and dark. A thick fog had rolled in from the neighboring mountains during the night and refused to dissipate. If not for the aura of the twenty-five or so Spirit Lords that had gathered, the whole arena as well as the entrance to the forest would have been under a heavy, shadowy blanket.

Each sect stood around in its small huddle, waiting for the right time. The biggest group was the Tower of Swords with over forty disciples. Their dominance as the best sword cultivators of the subcontinent was undisputed. The next biggest groups belonged to the Four Greats; the Mount Yun Sect, the Mount Xiong Sect, the Mount Huang Sect, and the Mount Tai Sect. They each had over twenty people and together, they formed an even bigger faction of close to one hundred.

After these big names were the third-rate sects with less than twenty disciples. They included the Legendary Fighter League, the Xiao Immortal Clan, Skycloud Temple, Myriad Castle, the New Horizon Sect, and the Virtuous Sword Villa. Chen Wentian's Ten Thousand Flower Valley could not be considered a part of this category because he had only brought nine disciples yet all of them managed to qualify.

Bringing up the rear were small sects with only one, two, or a handful of disciples. Nobody paid them much attention but they were proud nonetheless to have made it. These immortals were very old and the disciples beside them represented their last hope, the final legacy they would leave in this world before they passed.

Woosh!

There was a sudden surge of spiritual energy that was filled with the profoundness of the sword. Everyone looked ahead in awe as a shining circle of light appeared and slowly expanded in size.

"It's opening!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah!"

Immortal Green Destiny Yang Kaitian stepped forward and faced the crowd to address them, "On behalf of the Eastern Sword Alliance and the Convocation of Swords, I welcome everyone to the secret realm known as the Forest of Swords. The entrance is opening and will be fully opened shortly in a few minutes. It will remain open for two weeks but only three hundred and thirty-three people at the mortal realms are allowed to enter. If you leave, it won't allow you back in.

"Inside, there are countless dangers but also tremendous rewards in the form of sword truths. As you all know, these sword truths grow randomly on the trees and appear as ordinary branches. They are the crystallization of a supreme cultivator's way of the sword, their understanding, knowledge, sword intent, sword spirit... You'll be able to sense them if are close enough but so can the indigenous beasts. Thus, each branch of sword truth is usually guarded by ferocious spirit beasts or deadly traps.

"I will remind you all that you will be on your own. This is a very dangerous place and you may end up seriously injured or even lose your life. Your masters won't be able to protect you and in case anything happens, it will be your own fault. That said, if anyone wants to give up, you may simply leave."

He stopped and looked around.

"Yes."

He let her go and hugged Zhou Ziyun, "Watch out for tricks from the other sects."

"I know." She replied.

He then embraced Wu Qianyu lovingly, feeling her soft body melt into his. "Love you, be safe."

"I will and I love you too." She replied softly.

He went around and hugged the rest of his disciples in turn. He couldn't bear to part with them, even for two weeks. But he knew he couldn't shelter them forever. This was a good opportunity to see them face a strange environment and unknown dangers. He wouldn't intervene unless he absolutely had to.

The entrance to the Forest of Swords fully opened to more than five meters across. The gathered sword cultivators streamed in one group at a time. Chen Wentian looked on wistfully as his disciples finally disappeared into that circle of light.

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