Asking the heart, "What is seeking the sword?"

A sword is the other half of a sword cultivator's life.

The Sword Graveyard is no ordinary burial ground for blades; it is the final resting place for the Li Clan and all the sword cultivators who have fallen across the world.

Therefore, every sword within the Sword Graveyard carries the Sword Intent, obsessions, and even the lingering souls of its former master.

Nourished over long periods, they can even give birth to maddened Sword Spirits.

These are not mere spiritual entities, but remnant souls imbued with intense obsession.

They actively attack the living, dragging them into illusions to reenact the final battle of their masters. Those with weak wills sink into them, their spirits dissipating.

They then proceed to seize the physical body.

Though dangerous, it is also an excellent place to gain enlightenment in the way of the sword.

The group arrived before the barrier of the Sword Graveyard.

Qin Wangchuan stood at the edge of the barrier, his pupils suddenly constricting.

Before him stood a towering Sword Mountain, constructed from tens of millions of ancient blades. Rusted, jagged edges intertwined, casting a dark, blood-red glow in the twilight.

The entire mountain resembled a "mountain of corpses" piled high, desperately clawing toward the Heavenly Sword descending from the firmament. It was deeply shocking.

It felt as if these were not inanimate objects, but person after person.

From the center of the peak extended a narrow, winding path barely wide enough for one person to pass. The densely packed blades on either side trembled from time to time, emitting a hair-raising hum.

"This path is called the Path of Questioning the Heart."

As Li Qingluan helped Qin Wangchuan adjust his clothes, she explained, "Every ten steps, you must answer a question posed by our predecessors."

"This determines how far you can go and where you can gain enlightenment."

With a light flick of her fingertip, a snow-white, lustrous jade bead and a jade slip glowing with cyan light appeared in Qin Wangchuan's palm.

"Listen well." Li Qingluan's voice dropped very low, her tone uncharacteristically stern.

"This bead is called the Soul-Stabilizing Bead. Keep it under your tongue; it will stabilize your spirit and ward off all evil."

"But you must only use it after you have finished walking the Path of Questioning the Heart."

Having said that, her fingertip brushed the cyan jade slip. A blood-red pattern faintly emerged on its surface, appearing to be connected to her own aura.

"If you encounter danger—" Li Qingluan's voice suddenly paused, "break it, and I will surely come to save you."

The two white-haired elders had already formed seals ahead, and the sword qi parted like a tidal wave to both sides, revealing a deep, dark passage.

Qin Wangchuan nodded, just about to step inside.

Li Qingluan suddenly grabbed his sleeve, leaning in close to whisper amidst the cacophony of ringing swords:

"Opportunities are secondary, your life is what matters. Be careful..."

After Li Qingluan finished her final words, those cold, frost-like eyes remained fixed on him, a clear sense of worry surging in their depths.

Qin Wangchuan's lips curled slightly.

The smile was faint, yet inexplicably reassuring.

"Mn, I'll keep that in mind."

His voice was unhurried, like a stream flowing slowly through the mountains, carrying a calming power.

After speaking, he gently patted the back of her hand to signal that she should be at ease.

As he turned and stepped into the Sword Tomb, his silhouette was as straight as a pine, and every step he took was steady and firm.

The passage closed slowly behind him, and Qin Wangchuan's figure was instantly swallowed by the surging sword qi.

Li Qingluan stood where she was, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the back of her hand where he had touched her; the warmth of his palm seemed to linger there still.

Inside the Sword Tomb, the sound of Qin Wangchuan's footsteps echoed through the deep, dim passage.

The ancient swords embedded in the rock walls on both sides suddenly trembled in unison, emitting a piercing hum.

On the rusted blades, dark red blood-light flickered, as if countless eyes were peering out from the darkness.

"Who goes there?"

A voice that could not be distinguished as male or female suddenly came from all directions.

Qin Wangchuan did not stop his pace. The Immortal Bone within his body suddenly ignited, and wisps of pale golden immortal light flowed out from his Meridians, forming a hazy halo around him.

His gaze was like a torch, his voice as steady as a collapsing mountain:

"Of the Qin Clan, Qin Wangchuan."

As soon as his words fell, several green lamps suddenly lit up in the passage ahead, as if inviting him to proceed.

Ten steps later, the ancient swords on both sides suddenly let out a shrill screech. On the rusted blades, the dark red blood-rust peeled off on its own, coalescing in the air into four ferocious blood-red characters:

"Why do you seek the sword?"

The handwriting was as sharp as if carved by knives and axes, carrying a fierce, questioning intent.

He did not stop his pace: "To hold the universe in my palm."

The moment the four words left his lips, the blood-red characters exploded, transforming into a sky full of blood mist.

At twenty steps, viscous beads of blood suddenly seeped from the cracks between the blue bricks on the floor. Each drop glimmered with a chilling light, winding and pooling together on the ground until they finally coalesced into four sharp, blood-red characters:

"Have you ever betrayed another?"

The handwriting was twisted like a viper flicking its tongue, carrying an aggressive and overbearing aura.

"I have not betrayed my own heart."

He stepped over the blood-red characters, his footprints igniting with pale golden flames.

At thirty steps, the rock ceiling above vibrated violently. Countless shards of stone peeled away, colliding and grinding against each other in mid-air, sparking blinding flashes of fire before finally piecing themselves together into three sharp, stone-carved characters:

"Do you fear death?"

Every character was angular and distinct, as if they were about to pierce through the void.

"I fear dying without the Dao."

He looked up, staring directly at the stone characters, his gaze like lightning.

The stone characters shattered in response, the powder pulverized by Sword Intent before it could even hit the ground.

At forty steps, the entire corridor suddenly groaned under an unbearable weight, tilting a full forty-five degrees.

Blades on both sides carved frantically into the rock walls. Amidst the flying stone dust, the four large characters "How sharp is your sword?" rushed toward him, carrying a fierce Sword Intent; every stroke was like a sword unsheathed.

"It can Sever the Star River."

His voice was not loud, yet it caused the tilting corridor to freeze before slowly returning to its original position.

The characters on the rock walls cracked inch by inch, finally turning into dust.

At fifty steps, all the ancient swords suddenly let out a mournful cry and simultaneously suspended themselves upside down.

Countless sword tassels writhed and tangled like living creatures, twisting in mid-air into the hideous characters: "In heaven and earth, who is supreme?" Within the strokes, countless faces screaming in agony were vaguely visible.

"On the path of cultivation, everyone can be supreme."

Before his voice had even faded, half of the suspended ancient swords emitted a crisp snapping sound. As the sword bodies returned to their places, those twisted faces dissipated along with them.

At sixty steps, the ground suddenly split open with countless fissures. Ink-black mist gushed out, churning and twisting in mid-air until it finally condensed into the four eerie characters: "Do you believe in the will of Heaven?"

Each character constantly shifted its form, at times like a wailing ghost, at others like a grinning demon.

"My will is the will of Heaven."

He took a step forward, and the hideous faces within the Black Mist shrieked in unison, scattering as if struck by heavenly thunder.

At seventy steps, the air ahead suddenly rippled, and a water mirror emerged from thin air.

As the mirror surface rippled, the four characters "How to define love" emerged like swimming fish. Each character was crystal clear, yet they radiated a bone-chilling cold, as if they sought to freeze one's very soul.

"Neither indebted nor owed."

He stared directly at the characters in the mirror, his expression calm and composed.

The water mirror shattered in response. Countless ice crystals evaporated before they could even touch the ground, leaving only a long, lingering sigh echoing through the corridor.

Qin Wangchuan continued forward, unaware of what was to come.

Outside the Sword Tomb, seven days had passed in the blink of an eye.

"He still hasn't come out?" Li Qingluan stood at the entrance. There was no sign of Qin Wangchuan here, only the morning breeze stirring the fallen leaves scattered across the ground.

Several disciples on duty exchanged glances.

According to past precedent, those with mediocre talent would be forced back by the overwhelming Sword Intent within a day or two.

Those with a bit of natural endowment might last four or five days.

As for lasting six or seven days—looking back through history, only peerless geniuses like Li Qingluan had ever managed such a feat.

Could it be that this Young Master of the Qin Clan possessed such aptitude for the sword as well?

"Could something have gone wrong?" A female disciple had just spoken when she was glared into silence by an elder deacon.

"Perhaps he has gained some insight. Let us wait a little longer."

The morning bell tolled in the distance, startling a flock of crows.

Ten days later, Sword Tomb Guard Hall.

"He still hasn't come out?" The tea lid in the Guard Elder's hand scraped against the rim of his cup, producing a harsh, grating sound. "This Young Master of the Qin Clan is certainly a troublemaker. If something happens to him while he's in our Li Clan's territory, it will be a disaster."

"Report this to the other elders immediately."

"And go to the Sword Tomb!"