Sword Emerges

"Let go of me! The person I'm waiting for isn't you!"

When the voice appeared again, Shen Zhou finally pinpointed it. He looked at the iron sword, eyes lighting up, and said, "It's you talking—you're the Sword Spirit!"

"Since you know it's me, then let go."

The Sword Spirit's voice carried a hint of tsundere, like a little girl who hadn't grown up.

Shen Zhou smiled faintly, a trace of surprise in his tone. "Letting go isn't happening. From now on, you're coming with me."

"Impossible. I'm staying here to wait for my master."

"Isn't your master already dead?"

"He'll reincarnate!"

"Dead and still able to reincarnate—was he that badass?"

"Hmph, what's that supposed to mean? My master was once unmatched, sweeping through his era. A little brat like you wouldn't understand."

"A thousand years have passed. If he could reincarnate, he'd have shown up by now. Or, how about you follow me until he does?"

"No. I'm waiting for my master. I'm not going with you!"

"No room for negotiation?"

"Hmph, absolutely not!"

Seeing that the Sword Spirit was as stubborn as a mule, Shen Zhou decided to play rough.

Without another word, he poured more strength into his grip.

With a loud crack, the pitch-black energy barrier finally gave way and shattered.

Once the power's protection was gone, the large bluestone holding the iron sword crumbled first. Then a brilliant light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the heavens, as if a divine weapon was announcing its return to the world.

But in truth, the Sword Spirit was straining with all her might against Shen Zhou's control, her energy already pushed to its limit.

"Ah, what are you doing? Let me go!"

"Stop struggling. I've already pulled you out—from now on, you're mine."

"Dream on! Even if you get my body with such brute force, you'll never win my heart. I won't guide you in cultivation, hmph!"

"Oh, that's fine. I just want your body. You can store things for me now and then. As for guidance or not, I don't care."

"You..."

Even a Sword Spirit had no answer for Shen Zhou. She could only keep struggling, hoping to break free, but under the absolute power of the 'Trait,' even a Divine King's Weapon had to bow its head.

"Stop moving. If you don't behave, I'll suppress you under a latrine for a thousand years. Even if your master really reincarnates, you'll never see him again!"

"You wouldn't dare..."

The Sword Spirit panicked for a moment, her voice fierce on the surface but weak underneath.

Seeing that the threat worked, Shen Zhou pressed harder. "Not only will I suppress you under a latrine, I'll go take a dump there every day. Even if your master finds you again, he'll be disgusted and abandon you!"

"You... you..."

A vivid image flashed through the Sword Spirit's mind, making her voice tremble with fear. Then she let out a pitiful, aggrieved hmph, and her resistance gradually faded.

In the end, the strange phenomena vanished completely. The light on the blade dimmed, and a sword—slightly longer than average, pitch-black all over, so much so that at first glance it looked like a fire poker—came into Shen Zhou's view.

"Ugly as hell."

Shen Zhou held the Taixuan Sword and gave his critique, unimpressed by its appearance, though the grip felt quite comfortable.

More importantly, the sword's all-black texture told any sharp-eyed observer that while it might be ugly, it was definitely durable—it wouldn't snap after a few swings.

That was what pleased Shen Zhou the most.

"You... hmph!"

The Sword Spirit wanted to explain that she was forged from over a dozen special materials mixed with Ink Dragon Bone, which gave her this color, but remembering her bad blood with Shen Zhou, she held her tongue and just snorted her displeasure.

Shen Zhou didn't mind. Just a little girl—how hard can she be to handle?

This exchange between Shen Zhou and the Sword Spirit seemed long, but in reality, it took only a few breaths.

Ever since the bluestone shattered and the Taixuan Sword emerged, the crowd below had been in a daze.

No one believed Shen Zhou would succeed in pulling the sword, but now the facts slapped them in the face.

Especially after the Taixuan Sword's light dimmed and its edge hid away, it looked to everyone like the sword had acknowledged its master.

In an instant, the crowd erupted.

"Holy shit, the Qin Family's iron sword actually got pulled out? Am I seeing things?"

"This kid is the Qin Family's 'Chosen One'? How is that possible..."

"'The Taixuan Sword emerges, the Qin Family rises again'... Could the Qin Family really be making a comeback?"

In the crowd, the one surnamed Chu stared at the arena, dumbfounded. "That kid actually pulled it out?"

Meanwhile, over a dozen li away at the Qin Family estate.

In a garden, a group of young men and women had gathered, chatting about everything under the sun.

As the conversation flowed, it naturally turned to the major event their family had stirred up in the city—the "Sword-Drawing Bride Selection."

Someone brought it up and couldn't help sighing. "It's been half a month now, and still no one can pull out the ancestor's 'Taixuan Sword.' Does that mean our Qin Family really has no hope of revival?"

At those words, another shook their head. "What does it matter if the sword is pulled or not? Whether the ancestor's 'prophecy' is true or false remains unknown. To be honest, we should blame ourselves—not only have we failed to restore the Qin Family's prestige, but now, for something unverifiable, we have to sacrifice Sister Yue's happiness. That's our greatest shame."

As they spoke, everyone's gaze involuntarily drifted to the garden, to the woman standing alone in a corner.

Looking closely, she was in the bloom of youth, with a flawless figure and a face that could topple cities. Though she stood among a sea of flowers, their beauty couldn't overshadow her radiance.

Yet her demeanor was somewhat cold, exuding an air that kept others at arm's length—even her own family found it hard to get close.

If you find this book enjoyable, to avoid losing it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

This woman was none other than Flying Bird City's "Number One Beauty," the heroine of this sword-drawing bride selection, the Qin Family's phoenix jewel—Qin Mingyue.

Hearing them mention her, Qin Mingyue furrowed her brows slightly, then spoke. "I don't care what the family intends. I, Qin Mingyue, am devoted to martial arts, pursuing only the peak of power. If anyone wants to marry me, they'll have to ask my sword first!"

The young men, hearing her resolute tone, exchanged uneasy glances.

As the atmosphere grew cold, someone tried to smooth things over. "Ah, no need to worry—the sword hasn't been pulled yet, after all. But soon it'll be the end of the month, and we'll have to negotiate with the Xu Family over the share of the 'Fire Crystal' mine north of the city. Last year, we lost seven matches in a row and only got a thirty percent share. Because of that, our family's monthly resource allotment dropped significantly.

I've heard that this year the Xu Family is more ambitious than ever. Xu Baxia has even privately declared that he'll make sure we don't even get thirty percent.

If that really happens, the Qin Family's days will only get harder."

At this, the faces of the Qin Family juniors all darkened.

In the struggle between noble families, strength was paramount.

And strength was built on resources.

Though the Qin Family still stood on the threshold of second-rate clans, the gap between their juniors' strength and that of first-rate families was enormous.

Not to mention anything else—take the family prodigies. Xu Baxia of the Xu Family, still young, had reportedly broken through to the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm in the middle of this year. Few among Flying Bird City's peers could match that.

As for the Qin Family's most outstanding junior, it was Qin Mingyue. Her talent was not lacking, but she had only just broken through to the 'Transformation Yuan Second Realm.'

Though she was still young and had potential, catching up to a prodigy like Xu Baxia would likely take several more years.

But the Qin Family could no longer afford to wait—otherwise, they wouldn't have pinned their hopes on the ancestor's 'Taixuan Sword.'

Just as everyone was weighed down with worry, a family servant came rushing from afar, his expression panicked and his steps unsteady, clearly bearing urgent news.

Seeing this, someone frowned and blocked him. "What's all the rush? What happened?"

The servant hurriedly shouted back, "Young masters and misses, something huge has happened! Someone at the martial hall has successfully drawn the sword!"

"What? What did you say?"

No one could believe it, and they asked again.

The servant had to raise his voice and repeat, "The ancestor's divine weapon, the Taixuan Sword—someone has drawn it!"

This time, everyone heard clearly.

In an instant, their expressions shifted dramatically.

In the garden, Qin Mingyue's body trembled, disbelief flickering in her eyes.

The ancestor's divine weapon had actually been drawn?

At the entrance of the Qin Family Martial Hall.

On the arena.

Shen Zhou had just steadied the Taixuan Sword in his hand, not yet having tested storing it within his body, when over a dozen figures suddenly leaped onto the stage and surrounded him in an instant.

A scar-faced man stepped forward first, his expression vicious. "Kid, this sword is a Divine King's Weapon. How could a brat like you be worthy of it? Hand it over now!"

Another monk intoned a Buddhist chant and advised, "Little benefactor, the Divine King's Weapon is heavy with killing intent. You're too young to control it. Better to let this poor monk keep it safe for you."

On the other side, an ugly old woman clutching a ghost-headed staff blocked Shen Zhou's retreat. She cackled eerily. "Why be so polite with a snot-nosed kid? Hey, boy, hand over the sword now, or this old woman will refine you into a ghost corpse and make you wish you were dead!"

Several other martial artists chimed in, all threatening Shen Zhou to hand over the Taixuan Sword.

Seeing this, Shen Zhou was stunned for a moment, then let out a wry laugh. "You're all shameless as hell. You couldn't pull the sword yourselves, so now you're trying to rob me? You've lived this long, and it's all been wasted on you."

"Boy, you're asking for death!"

Ghost Granny's face twisted with cruelty as she swung her ghost-headed staff down at Shen Zhou.

Woo...

The staff was heavy and fierce, its whistling sound like a ghost's wail, chilling to the bone.

But unluckily for her, Shen Zhou now held the Taixuan Sword and was at his peak. He wanted to test the power of this Divine King's Weapon, so he curled his lips and swept the sword out. "I think you're the one asking for death!"

A pitch-black sword light splashed out like ink, and a surge of overwhelming force crashed into her like a tidal wave.

Crack!

A series of explosions rang out.

The moment their weapons clashed, the old woman screamed. Her ghost-headed staff snapped in two, and she was sent flying off the stage like a sack, blood splattering everywhere.

Instant kill!

Everyone else on the stage froze at the sight.

The old crone was a ghost cultivator, renowned and fearsome on the evil path, with no small amount of skill—yet she was killed in a single exchange. Could that brat really be that strong?

The crowd refused to believe it.

But if it wasn't his own strength, then it could only be...

Their gazes slowly drifted downward, finally settling on the Taixuan Sword in Shen Zhou's hands.

Someone's expression jolted, then twisted into wild glee. "That's right, it's a Divine King's Weapon. I never imagined even a snot-nosed kid could wield such power with it. If I got my hands on it, even if 'Heavenly Firmament' himself stood before me, what could he do?"

The Buddha dropped his pretense too. He stepped forward, face savage, killing intent spilling out. "The Divine King's Weapon belongs to this Buddha. Whoever dares contend for it—dies!"

"Seize it!"

Someone in the crowd shouted first, and in an instant, chaos erupted.

The group on the platform surged forward like sharks scenting blood, eyes red as they lunged at Shen Zhou.

Shen Zhou was slightly taken aback.

These people had mistaken the power of his 'trait' for the might of the Black Sword Strip—truly blinded by greed, with eyes but no vision.

"So be it. Today I'll use these men to test my sword, and see just how strong this Divine King's Weapon can make me!"

Shen Zhou gave his longsword a shake, boldness surging within him. His gaze sharpened, sweeping the world with contempt.