Drawing the Sword

Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

One after another, Holy White Lotuses bloomed without pause.

Amid the flowers, a sharp glint emerged.

Everyone looked closely and saw that it was a treasured sword, with a young woman standing upon it.

She wore a pale purple-blue ancient-style gown, with a layer of sheer white gauze over it. Immortal Qi swirled around her, making her incomparably beautiful.

A pale purple-gray sash lightly cinched her waist, accentuating her graceful figure, exquisite curves, and elegant air of nobility to the fullest.

Surrounded by White Immortal Light, the young woman radiated a hazy beauty beyond words. Everyone's heart itched to see her true face.

Whoosh!

The young woman vanished into the sky.

Boom!

After a deafening crash, everyone looked toward the sound and saw that the young woman had landed in a relatively open area.

Looking down, they could see the treasured sword from before embedded in the ground, which was now cracked.

"I remember the Path of the Ascension Avenue is paved with Venerable Tier Stone Material. Even cultivators in the Venerable Realm shouldn't be able to damage it so easily!"

"Exactly. So who is this woman?"

Shātu Demon Sage Zhu Ding was speechless. He hadn't expected these people to be so ignorant.

Still, cultivators with Emperor Tier cultivation weren't people this crowd could come into contact with.

"Master, what's this woman's background?" Xiao Ting asked curiously.

This disciple's got a clever head on his shoulders!

Zhu Ding explained with a beaming smile, "She is the Lotus Sword Emperor, whose name resounds throughout the world."

At once, everyone present gaped.

"The Lotus Sword Emperor? Could she be the one ranked tenth on the Great Emperor Ranking and fifth on the Empress Ranking?"

In response to this astonished exclamation, Zhu Ding confirmed, "That's right!"

Then he turned toward Dongfang Xuetong and pointed at Xiao Ting. "Lotus Sword Emperor, what took you so long? I grew impatient waiting, so I took on a disciple with decent aptitude."

Dongfang Xuetong glanced over and saw Xiao Ting. She immediately understood why Zhu Ding had said that.

He was staking his claim in advance!

But she had a clear goal this time: the disciple she took had to be someone capable of drawing her sword.

Aptitude could be considered after the sword was drawn.

"Anyone who can draw this sword by the end of today may become my Direct Disciple."

Her cold, melodious voice rang out.

Quite a few people were entranced, unable to pull themselves away.

But even more began to entertain wild fantasies.

Becoming the Lotus Sword Emperor's Direct Disciple meant not only a smooth path of cultivation ahead, but also an immensely powerful backing.

Most importantly, with a beauty like her, just looking at her every day would brighten anyone's mood.

Soon, the first person stepped forward.

It was none other than Liu Chang, who had been teased earlier.

Liu Chang walked step by step toward the treasured sword, her heart brimming with excitement.

As long as she drew this sword, she would become a Great Emperor's disciple.

In the future, no one in Xuanzhou City, the Southern Wilderness Domain, or even the entire world would be able to threaten her or the Liu Family.

Her jade-white hands trembled slightly, but at last she gripped the hilt firmly.

Then she took a deep breath, gathered all her strength, and pulled upward.

Yet the treasured sword didn't budge. Instead, Liu Chang's delicate face had turned completely red.

Boom!

A visible shock wave burst outward.

It knocked Liu Chang's hands away and left them numb!

Even so, Liu Chang immediately reached out with both hands, trying to draw the sword again.

But an invisible force stopped her.

"Each person gets only one chance. Understood?"

The cold, domineering voice made Liu Chang's delicate body tremble. She could feel an immense pressure and a murderous gaze fixed upon her.

Liu Chang could only turn and leave, unwilling to accept the outcome.

Half an hour passed, and still nobody had managed to draw the treasured sword.

So far, five of the eight Young Clan Leaders of Xuanzhou City's Eight Great Families had tried.

Of the three remaining, one was Lin Shan, who had already taken a master, and another was Xiao Yao.

And the last one...

"The Ye Family Young Clan Leader, Ye Feng, is here!"

The shout interrupted Xiao Yao's thoughts.

As far as he knew, Ye Feng had the best aptitude and cultivation talent among the current generation of Young Clan Leaders of the Eight Great Families.

Shātu Demon Sage Zhu Ding glanced over. Ye Feng wore white finery, his tall frame straight and lean, his whole body radiating an unparalleled domineering aura.

Saint Tier Cultivation Aptitude?

And he even had the Primordial Sacred Body?

This...

Zhu Ding was utterly stunned!

The Primordial Sacred Body was the strongest bloodline at the Saint tier.

Moreover, once it completed its transformation, the Primordial Sacred Body could advance to the Primordial Emperor Body, which also held a pivotal position among Emperor Tier bloodlines.

That meant Ye Feng could contend with Wang Teng.

How had the Lotus Sword Emperor gotten so lucky?

Zhu Ding wanted to sabotage things, but he was powerless to do so.

If only he'd known, he would have killed Ye Feng outright!

Dongfang Xuetong's narrowed eyes opened a fraction. She clearly hadn't expected Xuanzhou City to have such a talent.

Ye Feng walked straight up to the treasured sword. His star-bright eyes narrowed beneath his sword-like brows as his large hand gripped the hilt. He shouted, "Rise!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sword and the ground vibrated with a series of ringing sounds.

Seeing this, Xiao Yao panicked. My master in the Emperor Tier is going to be taken by someone else!

[Ding! Host, I'm not even panicking. What are you panicking for?]

"Like you know anything. With all this commotion, are you saying Ye Feng can't pull it out?" Xiao Yao said.

[Ding! What good is all that commotion? Ever heard of 'all smoke, no damage'?]

"You even know about 'all smoke, no damage'?"

Xiao Yao was speechless.

Then he thought about it: if even the system wasn't worried, what the hell was he panicking for?

He calmed down, becoming utterly composed.

Three minutes later, the treasured sword still hadn't budged. Ye Feng's eyes were bulging, and he was putting every last ounce of strength into it.

"Enough!" Dongfang Xuetong snapped.

She had realized that Ye Feng simply couldn't draw the treasured sword.

Ye Feng's hands were knocked away. His eyes filled with disbelief, he insisted, "Great Emperor, give me one more chance. This time, I'll definitely draw the sword."

"I said each person gets only one chance."

Faced with those words, cold as death, Ye Feng could only wave his hand and walk away dejectedly.

Seeing this, Zhu Ding breathed a sigh of relief.

He had truly feared that Ye Feng might draw the sword.

At the same time, an idea came to him: take Ye Feng as his disciple.

But not now. Doing so would offend the Lotus Sword Emperor.

"If even Ye Feng can't draw the sword, then who else can?"

"Exactly! Looks like no one will become the Lotus Sword Emperor's Direct Disciple!"

Seeing that nobody was stepping forward, Xiao Ting immediately teased, "Brother Xiao Yao, didn't you come here to find a master? Why not give it a try? It's not like you've got anything to lose."

Xiao Ting wouldn't have said that before, but now that he had a Demon Sage for a master, he had the confidence to mock Xiao Yao.

[Ding! Damn it! How dare he mock the host like that.]

[Ding! System quest issued: Draw the treasured sword! Reward upon completion: 100,000 Low-grade spirit stones.]

Xiao Yao felt a warmth in his heart.

He didn't answer. Instead, he walked straight toward the sword.

"Huh!"

"Is Xiao Yao going to try drawing the sword?"

"Could he really be trying to become her disciple?"

"With his cultivation aptitude at no tier, and having yet to even begin cultivating, what right does he have to try drawing the sword?"

As he walked, he could feel the contempt and ridicule in everyone's eyes.

Dongfang Xuetong watched Xiao Yao. She saw that his expression was calm, his gaze resolute, and he remained unmoved by everything around him.

What a steadfast spirit!

If he could embark on the path of cultivation, his future prospects would be limitless.

Whoosh!

Without any flashy effects, Xiao Yao gave the treasured sword a gentle tug, and it came free.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You completed the quest to draw the treasured sword and received 100,000 Low-grade spirit stones.]

Dongfang Xuetong blinked again and again. She hadn't expected things to turn out like this at all.

Everyone around them wore frozen expressions, finding it utterly unbelievable.

When Zhu Ding saw this, he was overjoyed. He even cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Lotus Sword Emperor, on gaining a beloved disciple."

Dongfang Xuetong came back to her senses. She knew Zhu Ding's words were meant to corner her, forcing her to take Xiao Yao as her disciple.

But she hadn't planned to refuse. She simply couldn't understand how he had drawn the sword so effortlessly.

By her reckoning, anyone capable of drawing the sword had to possess Emperor Tier Cultivation Aptitude.

So this young man must have something special about him.

"If you're willing to take me as your master, call me Master now!"