Stepping Up to Draw the Sword

Meanwhile, the sword-drawing attempts on the platform continued.

The middle-aged man was now giving it everything he had. Vital force swirled around him, his blood and qi surged, and the veins in his neck bulged as thick as tree roots, yet he still couldn't budge the iron sword in the slightest.

After holding out for a little longer, the man finally let out a heavy gasp and shook his head. "I give up."

A chorus of jeers rose from below.

"Get down. You've got no business coming up here to embarrass yourself with skills like that. What a fool."

"Exactly. This platform has been here for nearly half a month. So many gifted heroes and powerful family heads have come to try their hand, and not one of them succeeded. I say no one can pull that sword out."

"Why do you think the Qin Family went to all this trouble? They're not just messing with people, are they?"

Just then, a young man appeared in the crowd. He wore blue brocade robes and held a white paper fan. Adorned with gold and jade, he had an extraordinary bearing and seemed to come from a distinguished background.

Hearing everyone's confusion, the young man stepped forward, fanning himself as he joined the discussion. "Ah, there's something you don't know. The Qin Family's sword has quite a history. They say it was the weapon of Qin Taixuan, the Qin Family's ancestor from a thousand years ago, known as the 'White-robed Divine King.' Some say that when the Qin Family first found the sword, they received a prophecy: 'When the Taixuan Sword emerges, the Qin Family will rise again.'

"In other words, whoever can draw this sword will be the one to restore the Qin Family's former glory.

"If that's true, how could the sword be drawn so easily?"

The crowd suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. Can't even the Qin Family draw it themselves?"

The young man smiled with easy confidence and continued, "This is a matter of destiny. Being part of the Qin Family has nothing to do with it. The Qin Family has been declining for years, and its position is unstable. They're about to lose even their place among the second-rate families. They have no other choice, so they've had to pin their hopes on the 'Taixuan Sword.'

"Otherwise, do you think they'd offer up Flying Bird City's 'greatest beauty' and do everything in their power to help whoever draws the sword reach the pinnacle of martial arts?

"Heh... Nothing in life comes that easily.

"In the end, it's all for the Qin Family!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

They hadn't imagined that there could be so much behind a simple attempt to draw a sword.

Shen Zhou glanced at the young man, curious. "Who are you? How do you know so much?"

The young man smiled mysteriously. "My surname is Chu. Like you, I'm just here to watch the fun. As for where I got my information, this young master has his own sources."

Watching Chu show off, Shen Zhou's face filled with disdain. He snorted and asked, "Since you know so much, do you know what's so special about the 'Taixuan Sword'? Why does the Qin Family think drawing it will bring them back to prominence?"

Young Master Chu smiled. "You must have just arrived in Flying Bird City. This is no secret here. Ever since the Qin Family set up this platform, people have speculated that the 'Taixuan Sword' is a Divine King's Weapon. It must have already given birth to a Sword Spirit. Not only can the sword itself merge into a cultivator's body, it might even contain its own storage space. The countless treasures, pills, and cultivation resources collected by the Divine King could still be inside.

"Besides, if a sword has a spirit, then whoever draws it is sure to receive the Sword Spirit's guidance and inherit the 'Divine King Inheritance.'

"With all that, could it really not revitalize a small family like the Qin Family?"

Shen Zhou hadn't cared about any so-called 'Divine King's Weapon.' He'd only been standing there out of curiosity, to watch the fun. But when he heard Chu say that the sword could store things, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Chu's arm, no longer caring that he found him irritating, and asked, "Wait... did you just say the sword can store things and be taken into a cultivator's body?"

Shen Zhou's sudden excitement startled Young Master Chu. He leaned back warily. "Y-yes. What are you going to do?"

Shen Zhou pressed him for an answer. "Then is the sword tough enough? It won't snap the moment I put some force into it, will it?"

Young Master Chu found the question bizarre, but answered anyway. "It's definitely tough enough. It's a Divine King's Weapon. Calling it indestructible wouldn't be an exaggeration. How could it possibly break?"

"That's just what I need!"

Shen Zhou released him with delight, then whipped around to stare at the platform, his eyes blazing.

He'd already mastered the knack of using a sword, and even his wooden sword could withstand his abuse. But if he could get an indestructible Divine Weapon for free, why wouldn't he?

More importantly, the sword could store things and be taken into a martial artist's body. It was practically made for him!

Finally free, Young Master Chu hurriedly straightened his clothes. Hearing what Shen Zhou had said, he couldn't help laughing. "Just what you need? Little brother, never mind where you got that confidence. Consider the sword itself: countless aristocratic families, martial arts powerhouses, gifted heroes, and prodigies have failed to draw it. Do you really think you can?

"If you can't draw it, how can it possibly be 'just what you need'?"

The young man shook his head, all but telling him to get lost.

Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. "Just because other people can't draw it, that doesn't mean I can't. Keep your eyes wide open and watch. Then you can decide whether this sword and I are a good match."

With that, Shen Zhou strode confidently toward the platform, pushing through the crowd.

"He's actually going up?"

Young Master Chu was stunned, then laughed. "I don't know whether to call him a newborn calf that doesn't fear the tiger or someone who doesn't know how high the heavens are. Well, let's see what kind of commotion he causes."

Chu adjusted his clothes, settling in to enjoy the show.

The Three Little Ones, meanwhile, had been bewildered from beginning to end.

Seeing Shen Zhou push toward the platform, San Mazi hurriedly asked A Dai, "What's going on? What's Boss Zhou planning to do?"

A Dai looked just as shocked. "He must have his eye on the sword up there."

San Mazi asked, "Huh? Didn't he say he didn't need a sword? Besides, so many people failed to draw it. Does Boss Zhou think he can?"

A Dai shook his head. "I don't know either. Let's wait and see."

Xi Mei clenched her little fists and said with blind faith, "Brother Zhou can do it!"

Amid the hubbub, one would-be sword-drawer after another took the platform, all of them meeting the same fate: failure.

But the first few attempts had revealed something. There didn't seem to be any rules for drawing the sword.

There were no restrictions on identity, background, age, or even gender. Anyone interested could step up and try.

"That's convenient."

Shen Zhou had now reached the side of the platform. He looked up and saw quite a few people waiting to draw the sword—even a line had formed. Fortunately, each attempt was brief. Once someone had tried a few times and realized there was no hope, they stepped down on their own without dragging things out.

As the line dwindled, Shen Zhou's turn soon came.

From the platform, he looked down at the sea of people packed below.

The Qin Family had held the contest for half a month. Though it was nowhere near as exciting as it had been at the start, plenty of people still enjoyed watching the spectacle.

Anyone who stepped up to draw the sword was sure to be discussed, laughed at, and mocked by the crowd below. It had become a favorite pastime.

Shen Zhou was no exception.

"Hey... look, some kid's here."

"He hasn't even grown a hair on his chin, and he's already thinking about women?"

"These youngsters don't want to work hard at such a young age anymore. Society's really going downhill."

"Even the young masters from the Five Great Families can't do it. This kid doesn't stand a chance!"

The Qin Family servant in charge of the platform sized people up and treated them accordingly. Seeing that Shen Zhou was young, he impatiently urged him on. "Hurry up, people are waiting. Don't dawdle and waste everyone's time."

Shen Zhou was focused entirely on the Greenstone Iron Sword, so he paid no heed to the jeers from below or the disdain beside him. Once on the platform, he went straight to the sword, his eyes full of anticipation. "I'm 'Sword Invincible,' and it's 'Destiny Chosen.' Now let's see which is stronger: my 'cheat' or its 'destiny'!"

After speaking, Shen Zhou reached the Greenstone Iron Sword. He extended his hand and gripped the hilt.

The Entry activated, and power surged through him.

The iron sword seemed to sense something. It trembled faintly, then released a force that pushed him away.

"Huh? Could this sword really have a Sword Spirit?"

Shen Zhou sensed it and grew even more excited. He tightened his grip on the hilt and began to pull.

The iron sword had a spirit, and its resistance grew stronger. Holding on to it felt like trying to lift a mountain.

Shen Zhou's fighting spirit soared. He gave a low shout in his heart. Entry, turn up the power!

The Entry's power suddenly intensified. A terrifying wave of vital force burst out of Shen Zhou's body, forming a yellow-black aura around him. The bluestone beneath his feet cracked into two deep pits, revealing the domineering strength he now wielded.

But the iron sword had a temper of its own. A dark, mysterious light immediately flared along its blade, forming a barrier that enveloped the entire slab of bluestone.

Szzzz...

The two auras crashed into each other, shaking and humming. The energy they unleashed made the entire platform buckle, spiderweb cracks splitting across it.

"Look! What's happening up there?"

"The Qin Family Iron Sword is reacting already? That's never happened before."

"Could that kid be the one chosen by the Qin Family Iron Sword? How is that possible?"

Below the platform, the crowd had been mocking Shen Zhou. But the moment the iron sword burst with dark, mysterious light, their voices died away, replaced by gasps of amazement and disbelief.

None of it had anything to do with Shen Zhou. His entire focus was on the iron sword.

As its resistance grew stronger, Shen Zhou's excitement grew with it. Unable to hold back, he shouted, "Entry, don't chicken out! Show me your limits. Turn up the power!"

At his words, the yellow-black aura on the platform surged in strength and expanded until it covered the entire platform.

By comparison, the iron sword's aura now seemed as tiny as a baby, utterly insignificant beside Shen Zhou's.

Crack, crack, crack...

After holding out for a while longer, the dark barrier finally began to buckle under the pressure, showing signs of collapse.

Just then, a young girl's soft, sweet voice suddenly rang out in Shen Zhou's mind, sounding slightly anxious. "Let go! You're not the one I've been waiting for..."

Shen Zhou froze. "Hm? Who's talking?"