"Offer your body to the sword?!"
Yun Zimo and Liu Qing were both startled.
According to Lin Xiuya, when he cast aside everything in his mind and immersed himself completely in the sword, all his sword moves and Dou Techniques vanished. A figure practiced the most basic sword moves—thrusting, lifting, sweeping, drawing back... over and over again.
A voice seemed to be telling him something, but he couldn't make out a single word. The figure suddenly vanished, leaving behind only that indescribable long sword.
The voice still hadn't stopped, though he could never understand it. Almost against his will, he picked up the sword and kept practicing the basics until he forgot everything—even himself. Endless swordlight crisscrossed in his mind, finally converging into a single sword.
Clear Ripple surged forth, and he rode the wind through the heavens. Lin Xiuya moved through the world with the carefree grace of a breeze.
Just as Lin Xiuya was immersed in boundless freedom, a towering mountain appeared before him. Countless figures struggled up its slopes: humans, magical beasts, Snake-People, and creatures of countless other races. They pressed onward without knowing what lay ahead, yet without regret.
Whoever reached the mountain's peak could become an immortal!
For reasons he couldn't explain, Lin Xiuya found himself at the foot of the mountain. Step by step, he began climbing toward the peak.
Spring passed and autumn came; time slipped by. Lin Xiuya had no idea how long he had been climbing. The road ahead stretched endlessly, and the way back had vanished. His once-firm resolve grew hazy, and he no longer knew what he had set out to do. He only knew that he had to reach the peak.
His fellow climbers all turned to white bones, but he didn't waver. Then a sword's ring suddenly