Outside the carriage window, the beautiful scenery of the Clear Abyss Mountain Range streamed past.
"I can call myself a swordsman now, too."
"From Great Achievement to Transcendent Mastery."
"Eighty years..."
Little Li's excitement at seeing a worthy challenge had ebbed by half, and he was starting to wonder whether the cost had been too high.
All told, he had spent more than a hundred years' worth of martial insight on swordsmanship.
If Ice Block hadn't taught him step by step, it would have taken even longer.
It was a bit like buying a top-of-the-line computer with two months' wages in his previous life, only to leave it gathering dust because he had no time to play.
Well, not quite.
Transcendent Mastery swordsmanship was definitely far more powerful than smashing things with his fists.
"I should still have enough martial insight for now."
"I've got a hundred and ten years left, so I won't be helpless if I get a new martial art."
Li Mo ran the numbers briefly, then stopped dwelling on it.
"When we enter Divine Blade Cave, you can take a look at that Crimson Firmament Sword."
Ying Bing took a small sip of tea.
"Sure."
Li Mo readily agreed.
In fact, he really had planned to try that Crimson Firmament Sword.
It wasn't that he held a grudge and wanted to play out some thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river revenge drama after getting beaten up by a sword.
Crimson Firmament was fire-aligned. Paired with the Fire Heart Lotus-Birth Technique, its power would be multiplied, making it an excellent fit for him.
That boost might not be very noticeable in the Blood-Qi Realm, but once he reached the Inner Breath Realm, it would be plain as day.
Just then,
the sound of metal being hammered had already begun to drift in through the window.
When they stepped down from the carriage, they saw a throng gathered in front of Divine Blade Cave.
The moment Ying Bing got out, even the crowd's chatter quieted considerably, and all kinds of wary, awestruck gazes turned toward her.
The sheer pressure of Ice Block.
Now, she was not only the sect master's personal disciple, but also the sect's future.
Not just among her peers—throughout the history of Clear Abyss Sect, she was a dazzling one of a kind.
"Brother Li!"
"Junior Brother Li!"
Two people in the crowd called out to him at the same time, then stared at each other in surprise.
Murong Xiao and Xiao Qin glanced at one another and gave each other a slight nod.
They had both done well in the sect trial and had crossed paths before.
"Brother Li, you actually took first place. That's just like you."
Murong Xiao praised him.
"I was shocked when I heard, too."
Xiao Qin's aura was much stronger than before.
After passing the trial, he had returned to the inner sect.
What surprised him was that Junior Brother Li's aura was now clearly stronger than his own.
And he had been rebuilding his cultivation after dispersing his power, with a teacher helping him along.
Junior Brother Li's progress was truly astonishing.
"Junior Brother Li, what sort of weapon are you planning to pick today?"
"My swordsmanship has improved a little lately."
"Then a famous-grade weapon shouldn't be a problem for you."
"That just shows how little Brother Xiao knows Brother Li..."
They exchanged pleasantries for a while.
Most of what they talked about was how things had been going lately.
Murong Xiao had made his first breakthroughs in body tempering, meeting Elder Han He's expectations. He could now start learning the forging methods passed down through Divine Weapon Peak's line.
Xiao Qin had not only returned to the inner sect, but had also caught the eye of an elder, who might take him on as a personal disciple in the future.
Everyone had a bright future ahead of them.
Seeing the people he had invested in thriving, Little Li couldn't help feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Clang, clang, clang—
Suddenly, a gong sounded at the entrance to Divine Blade Cave.
The inner-sect steward guarding the entrance stepped out.
"Time!"
Every year, Divine Blade Cave briefly settled into a calm, only to erupt more violently afterward.
Disciples whose cultivation realms were still low usually chose that moment to enter the cave and select a weapon.
The disciples instinctively moved aside to open a path.
Ying Bing lowered her eyes and walked into Divine Blade Cave.
Yet she had barely reached the middle of the first level when she stopped and gently raised her pale hand.
Just as everyone was wondering what was going on,
Zheng—
A sword rang out, and more than a dozen white ribbons of light flew through the air, stopping before Ying Bing for her to choose from.
Every one of them was a famous-grade sword.
"Emmmmm..."
How to put it?
Watching her was like seeing someone with a cat-magnet personality walk into a cat café.
Li Mo wasn't all that surprised.
He was calm, but everyone else was anything but. Exclamations rang out all around them.
"Famous-grade weapons! They're all famous-grade weapons!"
"No way! Getting a famous-grade weapon to acknowledge you is one thing, but they all flew down from the third level and let her choose?"
"Aren't famous-grade weapons supposed to be sentient and aloof? Most won't even give ordinary people a glance. Why are they all flocking to her today?"
"That's terrifying..."
"Wait, look! What's that?"
As people cried out in astonishment,
two more streaks of light, one blue and one white, shot over. The other famous-grade swords along their path all moved aside.
One radiated heat that seemed to empty the air; the other was cold as frost.
To Li Mo, they were both old acquaintances.
Crimson Firmament, Heavenly Frost.
Everyone felt as if their breathing had stopped.
They wouldn't even dare dream of something like this.
Even the disciples of Divine Weapon Peak felt their teeth ache. Many had been in the sect for years, yet these two Mystic Artifact swords, forged by the founding ancestor of Divine Weapon Peak, had remained mere rumors to them. They had never even seen them.
How did she recognize them?
Of the Mystic Artifacts still kept at Divine Weapon Peak, only two were swords!
"Heavenly Frost."
Ying Bing reached out and grasped the white, flood-dragon-like sword.
It was the same familiar feeling.
Heavenly Frost Sword trembled lightly, seemingly overjoyed.
Then Ying Bing stopped looking at the other swords, hugged her sword, and walked out.
As she passed Li Mo, she gave him a slight nod, a little encouragement.
Li Mo: "...That was way too quick."
When he looked again, Crimson Firmament Sword had already disappeared.
Well, it seemed he'd have to take the ordinary route and face Crimson Firmament Sword's test.
"Brother Li, I believe in you. You can definitely earn an Mystic Artifact's recognition, too."
Murong Xiao patted his shoulder.
"Yeah."
Xiao Qin nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go."
Li Mo smiled and set off.
Oh, right.
At the bottom of Divine Blade Cave, there was still a hammer calling out to him. He could still feel that summons today.
Come to think of it, if he could only take one weapon, should he choose the hammer or the sword?
Li Mo hesitated for just three and one-third seconds before choosing the hammer.
As if! That was the father of all Mystic Artifacts.
Of course,
even if he wanted it and could lift it, Elder Han He might not agree.
That hammer was Divine Weapon Peak's lifeblood...
"I'll take a look first."
As Li Mo pondered,
the three of them had already descended together to the third level of Divine Blade Cave.
"My master said that to judge a weapon's quality, you have to look at its materials, forging methods, and control of the heat..."
Following Xuelai's knowledge as a forging master, Murong Xiao began examining them one by one.
Xiao Qin's gaze also passed over the famous-grade weapons one after another.
At that moment, the voice of Thousand Forms Martial Venerable sounded in his mind again:
"That girl named Ying Bing really does have great fortune on her side, just as I said."
"Do you mean she earned a Mystic Artifact's recognition, Master?"
Xiao Qin asked casually.
"Being her weapon would be a blessing for that Mystic Artifact."
Thousand Forms Martial Venerable was amused by his disciple's narrow perspective. He sighed.
"What I meant was the legacy she received."
"The legacy? Are you talking about the rosy light from a few days ago?"
Xiao Qin was quite curious about that, too.
A few days ago, rosy light had filled the skies, and the sect had been abuzz with speculation.
One rumor was that Ying Bing, the sect master's personal disciple, had obtained some extremely powerful legacy.
Judging by what he saw now, that had to be true.
His master had never been wrong so far.
"Mm. I once saw it mentioned in an ancient text of the Avian Clan."
The aged voice did not deny it.
"Then that legacy must be incredible?"
"Incredible doesn't begin to describe it."
A hint of reminiscence crept into Thousand Forms Martial Venerable's voice.
"The Nine-Colored Primal Phoenix has nine souls, each with limitless mysteries. Anyone who obtains even one can roam freely across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
"If she gathers them all, and adds that girl's Ten Absolutes Physique, she'll have a chance to reach that legendary realm..."
"The legendary realm?"
Xiao Qin was completely baffled, then shook his head.
"I still think Junior Brother Li is no slouch. His future achievements definitely won't be any less than Junior Sister Ying Bing's."
"You little rascal... How about a wager?"
Thousand Forms Martial Venerable laughed in spite of himself.
His disciple was good in every way, except for his stubborn streak.
Cultivating martial arts required perseverance, but too much stubbornness wasn't good either. It made one a frog in a well, unable to see beyond one's own little world.
"Sure, Master. What's the wager?"
"At the sect tournament, if your Junior Brother Li can take ten moves from that girl, I lose. I'll give you a great gift then. If I win... we'll figure that out later."
Thousand Forms Martial Venerable spoke with interest, not seeming to think for a moment that he might lose.
Xiao Qin readily accepted.
Then, guided by his master, he began choosing a weapon.
Little Li knew nothing about this.
If he had, he would definitely have asked, "Old Xiao, where on earth did you get that absurd confidence in me?"
He had already reached the fourth level.
He looked earnestly at the Crimson Firmament Sword and bowed.
Vmmm—
Just like last time, the Crimson Firmament Sword began to tremble gently.
Of course, it trembled at a much lower frequency than when it had flown to Ying Bing's side.
It seemed to think Li Mo wasn't quite as irresistible.
"Hmph, hmph."
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west!"
Li Mo muttered to himself, a little flame called the desire to win sparking in his eyes.
Today, he had to win it over, no matter what!
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