"This old servant greets the Sword Champion."
Inside the True Martial Great Emperor's Martial Armory.
Xu Taiping's Primordial Spirit had left his body. As soon as his vision returned, he saw a short, stooped old man standing before him with a broad smile, bowing to him.
Though Xu Taiping warily took a step back, he still returned the old man's bow and said:
"I am Xu Taiping of the Azure Profound Sect. I came to this treasury with the Sword Champion Token bestowed by the Great Emperor. May I ask your name, Elder?"
The old man waved his hands repeatedly in alarm. "You do this old man too great an honor, Sword Champion."
Then he began explaining to Xu Taiping:
"I was originally an old turtle in the Nine-Bend River. Fortunately, the Great Emperor enlightened me, and I gained a little intelligence."
At this point, the old man turned around, revealing his half-human, half-demon body and the turtle shell on his back.
Then he continued explaining:
"Later, once the wars had been quelled, the Great Emperor ordered all five divisions of the Zhenwu Army to remove their armor so that Martial Fortune could be dispersed back to everyone under heaven. He sealed all their armor and weapons here, along with the treasures and weapons seized during the campaigns."
"Only each successive True Martial Sword Champion is permitted to enter and select a weapon."
"As for me, the Great Emperor bestowed upon me the name Changqing and personally appointed me keeper of this Martial Armory."
As he said this, a clear trace of pride appeared on the old man's face.
Having learned the old man's origins, Xu Taiping immediately bowed to him again with great respect:
"Xu Taiping of Qingxuan greets Elder Changqing!"
The old man chuckled at this.
"Sword Champion,