A Young Man Holds Grand Ambitions, Madam Hua's Sword Qi Blooms, Asking the Sacred Token

A beam of sword light rose from the ground, like a roc soaring upwards, dispelling the spring rain and evening clouds. In the sunlight that poured down afterward, it was like a swift current of light.

Incredibly brilliant, incredibly dazzling, the radiant sword energy gradually blinded the eyes.

Below the mountain, countless people watched in astonishment as the sword light soared into the sky, their hearts pounding like heavy gongs.

The youth held his sword. Though not like a peerless Sword Immortal riding the wind, as he gripped the Ink-Colored Azure Blade, sword energy surged forth, like a meteor tearing through the night sky. It carried the youth, leaving a shimmering trail, straight into the clouds, possessing a uniquely dazzling aura.

"Who is that?"

Someone asked in shock, and then a waterfall of doubt spread through their hearts.

Most cultivators did not recognize this youth who had followed the Lin family's carriage.

A youth whose cultivation level was unfathomable, who carried a tattered bamboo sword and pretended to be a swordsman, was not taken seriously by anyone before. They had only thought he was following the Lin family's carriage to see the world.

The truly renowned figure in the Lin family was Lin Zhuifeng, but the sword did not carry Lin Zhuifeng; it carried an unknown youth.

When An Le was swept up by the sword and soared upwards.

Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin were also incredibly shocked. The two women looked up, their black hair wildly tossed by the hurricane stirred up by the sword. Their eyes were filled with disbelief and... brilliant light.

Watching the youth ascend with his sword, they seemed to realize something.

The most impossible thing had happened, falling upon the youth like a pie from the sky.

Young Master An... had actually caught the eye of the Sixth Mountain Lord who stood atop the green mountain!

The word "fate" was truly wondrous!

Lin Zhuifeng gripped the fire poker and grinned, "Is that Mountain Lord's favor as pure as mine, simply because Young Master An is good-looking?"

Lin Qingyin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle at Lin Zhuifeng's words.

The surrounding dignitaries and nobles, officials and influential families, all wore complex expressions.

Many people could no longer sit still. They lifted the curtains of their carriages, tilted their heads towards the sun, and gazed at the ascending youth who pierced the clouds, watching with curiosity. They also ordered their subordinates to inquire about the youth's information.

The youth was originally unknown, but to receive the Mountain Lord's sword was like ascending to heaven.

Moreover, the youth was related to the Lin family, which made many forces with strained relations with the Lin family feel a sense of alarm, wanting to understand the origin and identity of such a youth.

In the mountains and forests, the mist was cut open from both sides, with sword energy lingering, making it difficult for the misty rain and fog to heal.

Luo Qingchen stood in the mountains, the stinging sensation in his hand leaving him somewhat bewildered.

He felt that it was not his palm that was cut, but his state of mind.

His exceptionally confident state of mind.

The Sixth Mountain Lord... had not chosen him?!

His swordsmanship talent, though not as good as the legendary scholar Li You'an, nor as good as the Jade Guanyin Hua Jiebing, was still commendable. Who among those present could compare to him? Why was he overlooked by the Sixth Mountain Lord?

The feeling of falling from the brink of reaching the pinnacle back to the mortal world made Luo Qingchen so dejected that he almost coughed up blood.

Suddenly, exclamations erupted from the foot of the mountain like thunder.

A sharp beam of sword light rose, piercing the sky and scattering the clouds!

Luo Qingchen's palm was dripping blood. He ignored it and looked up, only to see a youth holding a sword, enveloped in sword light, soaring upwards and crashing into the sea of clouds halfway up the mountain.

This youth... how could Luo Qingchen forget him?!

Despite his cultivation level, he was no match for a youth who had just refined his divine fetus and hadn't even learned a few sword moves!

Before his eyes, the scene of the youth enduring his pressure in the spring rain, his back straight, not bowing his head, reappeared, lingering endlessly. It almost overlapped with the current scene of the youth soaring into the sky, carried by the sword.

It was like two heavy hammers striking his heart fiercely.

The spring breeze blew through the mountains and forests, scattering peach blossoms from the peach trees lining the mountain path. Although it was early autumn, it felt like the killing intent of autumn, making Luo Qingchen feel a sudden chill. His body involuntarily swayed.

He felt that this time... his Dao heart might truly be clouded by this youth.

"Why? On what basis?!"

Luo Qingchen was unconvinced. Silver sword energy surged around him, rising from the mountains and forests into the sky. However, halfway up, he glimpsed the familiar ink bamboo painting within the sea of clouds, drawn with white clouds as Xuan paper and sword energy as ink...

At this moment, it was as if thunder struck Luo Qingchen's mind, igniting roaring lightning!

He understood.

The reason the Sixth Mountain Lord had suddenly opened the mountain...

The Mountain Guardian already had a chosen candidate.

The so-called selection was merely a sedan chair built for the youth, a sedan chair that could openly enter the Sacred Mountain!

Luo Qingchen looked at his hand, which had been cut open.

Suddenly, he gave a lonely, bitter smile.

Who, with the power of the moment, lifts one to the blue sky.

An Le felt a blur before his eyes and entered the sea of clouds. He roamed freely within the sea of clouds, unrestrained, like a fish leaping into the boundless sea. Seeing the ink bamboo painting of heaven and earth, he gasped in admiration. Using the sea of clouds as Xuan paper and sword energy as ink to create a painting was truly magnificent!

However, this ink bamboo painting subtly plucked a sensitive chord in An Le's mind, as if he understood something.

No wonder the sword artifact came straight for him; it turned out he was taking a shortcut because he had connections.

Recalling that the old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple had said he would take him somewhere in three days, everything now connected, and he suddenly understood.

The Sixth Mountain Lord knew about his ink bamboo painting; perhaps… the old man from the Imperial Ancestral Temple had put in a good word for him?

An Le held the sword, his body floating in mid-air. Gazing into the distance, he saw a leisurely pavilion halfway up the majestic sword peak.

A middle-aged man in green stood in the pavilion, a Pine Wood Sword Box at his side, looking towards him.

An Le's gaze met his.

The ink-colored sword artifact in his hand trembled slightly. An Le immediately understood that the man was the Sixth Mountain Lord, rumored to hide all the world's swords within a single sword box!

An Le held the sword, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply towards the sea of clouds.

The middle-aged man's lips twitched stiffly into a smile, and he nodded slightly, his eyes filled with a brilliant light. He placed his palm on the sword box, feeling the swords within clang and surge as if drawn to the young man in the sea of clouds.

This young man… was born with an extraordinary affinity for the sword, as if made for it.

He was a natural, uncarved jade sword embryo!

If seeing the young man's ink bamboo painting, feeling his backbone and sword energy, had made the middle-aged man's heart stir and decide to take him as a Mountain Guardian, then seeing the young man now, with the trembling and exultation of his old companions in the sword box, made the middle-aged man realize he might have found a treasure!

"Excellent!"

The middle-aged man's stiff smile softened a bit as he spoke.

With just two words, one could hear his fondness for An Le.

For a Mountain Lord, a Mountain Guardian was more akin to a disciple to a master, which was why the middle-aged man rarely showed such emotion.

"Are you willing to join my Sixth Mountain?"

The sea of clouds churned, and the ink bamboo rustled.

The man stood in the half-mountain pavilion, facing the falling spring rain, looking at the sword-wielding youth, and asked sincerely.

The young man's sword energy guided him to stand in the clouds. Facing the middle-aged man's invitation, the smile on his face faded, but he did not immediately agree. Instead, he fell into solemn contemplation.

The position of Mountain Guardian, a status that countless cultivators in Lin'an Prefecture yearned for, was now laid out before An Le, within his grasp.

As long as he nodded, he could enter the Sacred Mountain, become a Mountain Guardian, and soar to the heavens.

Suddenly, An Le's mind stirred, and he looked down towards the sea of clouds.

Below the mountain foothills.

The clamor had been surging for a long time. Most cultivators seemed to have already learned about the Sixth Mountain Lord's choice for the Mountain Guardian.

The Lin family had produced a Mountain Guardian. Regardless of whether the young man was truly from the Lin family, his emergence from the Lin family's carriage, witnessed by all, could not be faked. Naturally, the label of the Lin family was attached to him.

Many gazes swept towards the Lin family's carriage, filled with envy, complexity, and surprise. Various emotions surged like a storm.

Suddenly, the gazes of those focused on the carriage froze.

Because a slender, white hand, as pure as jade, extended from the carriage's curtain.

A graceful and elegant figure emerged.

Her jade-like skin was flawless, her embroidered skirt and flowing robes seemed to steam with clouds and mist.

The Jade Guanyin of the Heart Sword, Hua Jiebing of the Lin family!

As the woman stepped out of the carriage, her delicate eyebrows unfurled. As if recalling a pleasant memory, her red lips curved into a smile.

The next moment, a powerful surge of divine sense, like an overturning mountain, pressed down, making the hearts of the cultivators present feel heavy.

The woman's delicate hand flicked a finger, and a streak of sword light shot out, carrying her slender form straight into the blue sky. She merged into the sea of clouds, stepping gracefully, and appeared beside the bowing youth.

A faint fragrance wafted towards him. An Le was slightly taken aback. He turned his head and saw Madam Hua.

Madam Hua bowed to the Mountain Lord, then looked at An Le and said with a light smile, "There were some things left unsaid in the carriage. Although becoming a Mountain Guardian means entering the Sacred Mountain, it also means losing the opportunity to converse with the Sacred Master in the Sacred Mountain, and the qualifications to become a Mountain Lord and open a mountain gate."

"I can help you secure an opportunity. Whether to become a Mountain Guardian or to continue your arduous journey, attempting the slim hope of opening a mountain gate on the Sacred Mountain, the choice is yours."

At the half-mountain pavilion, the Sixth Mountain Lord's expression remained unchanged, and he did not interject.

An Le once again fell into thought.

Becoming a Mountain Guardian also meant forfeiting the qualification to become a Mountain Lord.

Although the young man's cultivation had just begun, seeing the Sixth Mountain Lord's mere mention of opening a mountain gate could stir the world today.

A thousand feet of waves crashing across the river, ten thousand bamboo stalks leaning into the wind!

Such presence, such influence, made him yearn for it.

The young man carried youthful vigor, his fierce spirit would manifest in due time.

A fierce tiger hidden in his heart, his ambition could soar to the clouds. An Le had a thought: his future would certainly not stop at being a Mountain Guardian.

Perhaps to many, An Le seemed unappreciative, but he truly did not wish to stop here.

He pondered for a long time.

An Le exhaled, grasped the Ink-Colored Azure Blade with both hands, formed a deep bow, and slowly extended it towards the half-mountain pavilion.

"Madam Hua, Mountain Lord, An Le is willing to try the difficult path. Perhaps one day, I can open a sect on the Sacred Mountain."

Heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only the gentle caress of spring wind and rain and the young man's ambitious words.

After a while.

A figure in green within the half-mountain pavilion suddenly burst into laughter. Looking at the young man, she understood his ambition, her eyes filled with admiration.

Madam Hua also smiled with satisfaction.

"Young Master An, do you still remember the painting I promised you as a gift?"

"I will give it to you today."

As her words fell, Madam Hua, with a face full of spring breeze and smiles, looked towards the Sixth Mountain Lord in the half-mountain pavilion.

Her fingers twirled a lotus, and sword energy bloomed behind her.

"Sixth Mountain Lord, Jiebing requests a Minor Sacred Token in An Le's name, for protecting the Dao."

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