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.
"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!
CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER! The sword chamber was large, but try as she might, Jiang Yue couldn't find the courage to place her Sword Soul into the sanctum. Her face, once brimming with dreams and anticipation, was now a ghastly white canvas of despair.
Out of nowhere, a hand, firm and somewhat brusque, clamped onto hers, yanking her forward with little ceremony. The Ice Moon Sword Soul finally found its way back into the sword chamber, summoning the elemental powers of heaven and earth once again.
"I... I want to... make a name..." Jiang Yue's heart hammered wildly, her lush lips quivering with an amalgam of fear and hope.
The world held its breath with her, five excruciating moments ticking by, leaving nothing but an oppressive silence in their wake. She could contain herself no longer as tears, thick and crimson, cascaded down, a tragic waterfall staining her alabaster cheeks.
Blind and bewildered, she felt as though an unyielding darkness engulfed her, spirits in the billions swooping down to swallow her whole.
"Master... if... if I only achieve a lower Moon ranking, it's... it's not the end of the world, right? I can still strive to be better," her voice trembled, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Test it again!!!" A voice, primal and racked with agony, exploded beside her, piercing the silence like a blade through flesh. It was her master's voice, so distorted by raw anger, frustration, desperation, and brutality that it hardly seemed human.
Why was he acting so distraught, so out of character? This was the man who maintained an icy demeanor even when his little brother, Ye Tianzhao, was killed, even when his son Ye Tianyuan fell in battle. Why was he throwing a hysterical fit in front of a crowd, as if his honor had been stripped and trampled upon mercilessly?
Why? Before she could fathom an answer, she found herself roughly dragged once more, her hand almost entirely engulfed by the sanctum.
"Master... Master..." The words barely escaped Jiang Yue as she clung to the man's robes, her breath coming in shallow, desperate gasps, as though she were drowning in an endless abyss, the insurmountable pressure stifling every attempt to breathe.
"What is the quality of my Sword Soul?" she sobbed, tears flowing unbidden now. A cry, desolate and raw, escaped her, echoing through the solemn air. All she wished for was a glimpse, a mere moment to witness the truth. Yet, it felt like fate conspired against her, a cruel puppeteer hiding the truth just beyond her reach, feeding her nothing but a relentless diet of anxiety and terror.
With a sudden, ruthless force, she was torn away from the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone, the cold ground greeting her with a harsh slap. A sob, lost and hollow, echoed through the once sacred ground, the sound of dreams shattering into a million irretrievable pieces.
Jiang Yue could feel it, the man who had violently taken hold of her was tearing at his own seams, perhaps even more frayed than she was. But why? An eerie silence enveloped the surroundings.
It wasn't until she crumpled to the ground that a buzzing hum broke through, stirring a tempestuous uproar among the crowd. But this was no celebration; it was a chorus of disbelief echoing through the crowd.
From every direction, voices thundered, unyielding in their harsh verdict—"Lower Comet grade!"
Those words struck her like a quartet of swords, each piercing through her head, throat, heart, and chest right there on the spot.
A Lower Comet grade Sword Soul! Not even Mid, let alone High! A rank even with Wang Feng, just a notch above Cai Maomao, yet falling short when compared to Yao Zijin or Ye Tianyuan.
"I...I must have heard wrong..." Jiang Yue whispered, a tremulous note in her voice as she tried to lift herself from the ground.
"Lower Comet grade!" The crowd's fervent repetition of the damning judgment knocked her down once more, each syllable bearing down on her like a relentless wave.
Each person enunciated those words with a force that seemed almost savage. A Lower Comet grade might have been a commendable accomplishment under different circumstances. It was indeed a mark of a talent on the path of the sword, a promising future beckoning as a disciple of the Sword Venerable.
But not here, not now! It didn't merit Jiang Yue's current standing, high above the clouds. It didn't warrant the Divine Sea Pill, nor the sacrifice of a hundred and nineteen senior disciples. It certainly wasn't worthy of a figure like Elder Fan personally delivering a Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone from the Sea of Swords, and even delaying the reveal to him specifically for greater impact'.
THUD THUD THUD!! Those shocked exclamations struck her relentlessly, pinning her to the ground, bloodied and battered.
"No! This can't be! I…I shattered the Sword Inheritance Stone! How could I be Lower Comet grade? I'm a peerless immortal prodigy!" Jiang Yue railed, scrambling to her feet and screaming at the crowd in desolation. Alas, she could see no one.
Countless Sword Cultivators gazed at her now crumbling, despairing figure, falling into a heavy silence, sighing in collective disdain.
As Jiang Yue's halo faded, she plummeted from her pedestal high above the heavens, crashing heavily to the mortal ground, her face marred and bleeding. She had transformed from a revered Immortal prodigy into the butt of a cruel joke at the Azure Spirit Sword Sect.
Would this event be recorded in the annals of history? Indeed, as a joke cruel enough to etch into the scrolls of time.
Those sighs reverberating through the crowd, mirrored the profound scorn the Sword Cultivators held for her recent actions, a scathing judgment that bore no appeal.
"Master!" Jiang Yue could sense his aura around her. Crying and howling, she scrabbled and rolled over to where Ye Tiance stood, clutching desperately at the hem of his sword robe.
"Get lost!" With a fierce kick, Ye Tiance sent her flying a few meters away.
"Ugh…" Jiang Yue crashed to the ground, a cloak of dirt adorning her, she gasped in the biting air.
"Is this... the path of an Immortal…?" She lay face down, kissing the cold earth, a stream of blood escaping her lips. Around her, the crowd jeered non-stop. That kick from Ye Tiance had landed squarely on her abdomen, nearly ruining her Dantian, a pain that lingered, a cruel reminder of her fall from grace.
Jiang Yue remained blinded, unable to see, and in this pitch-black world, the weight of despair bore down on her even more fiercely. She curled up on the muddy ground, resembling a boiled shrimp, as tears mingled with blood streamed unchecked.
She knew everyone remained silent, a captive audience to her miserable state… And this scene would be etched in their memories for a lifetime. A Comet grade Sword Soul of the lowest quality!
Had the Sword Inheritance Stone not shattered, Jiang Yue could have been a respected disciple of a Sword Venerable, soaring freely through the skies. But now! Being thrown up and then slammed back down, everything had changed.
She had cost Ye Tiance decades of prestige, utterly destroyed with a single act of rage. His uncontrollable fury revealed a mind as twisted and torn as Jiang Yue's.
Jiang Yue had descended into despair. "Senior Brother Ye, Senior Brother Ye, save me, please save me..." With a raspy voice, she called out that name, her throat stinging from the onslaught of grit and sand.
Sadly, the person she called was not in Azure Spirit. Even if he had been there, would he have rescued her from this mire now? She was just Lower Comet grade, another mere Wang Feng!
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 façade.
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.
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