Sword Sect Trial

On the official road from Sky Feather City to the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, Chu Mo rode a mottled horse, letting the autumn wind whip yellow sand against his face. A recommendation letter specially approved by the family head rested in his robes, yet the broken sword at his waist concerned him even more—the runes on its blade had grown increasingly active since yesterday's Autumn Trial, often emitting a low hum in the dead of night.

"Brother Chu Mo!" A crisp call came from behind him. Chu Mo turned to see Yun Che galloping toward him on a chestnut horse. The wind had tousled the hair at her temples, but could not conceal the heroic spirit in her eyes.

"Why are you here?" Chu Mo reined in his horse and watched Yun Che leap down. She pulled an oil-paper parcel from her robes. Inside were still-steaming Osmanthus Cakes. "Those people from the Ye family said the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect trial was dangerous. I... I was worried."

Warmth filled Chu Mo's heart. He accepted an Osmanthus Cake and took a bite, and its familiar sweet fragrance instantly spread through his mouth. In his memories, whenever he had been bullied by the Ye family's younger generation as a child, Yun Che would sneak pastries from the kitchen to cheer him up. "Don't worry. I have this sword." He patted the broken sword. Chaos Aura swirled around its hilt, grinding several nearby fallen leaves into powder.

The two rode side by side as the official road gradually became shrouded in mist. The faint clash of metal carried from ahead. After they rounded the mountain path, an enormous bronze gate floating above the sea of clouds came into view. The four words "Soaring Cloud Sword Sect" flashed across its lintel with razor-sharp sword intent.

"Stop right there!" Two Outer Sect Disciples clad in blue-gray martial attire blocked their way. One of them swept his gaze over the broken sword at Chu Mo's waist, his pupils shrinking slightly. "New disciples must pass three trials before entering the sect. The first trial—"

Before he could finish, a black shadow suddenly dove from the clouds. It was a giant eagle wreathed in ghostly blue flames. The Sword Qi coiled around its talons plowed ravines three zhang deep into the ground.

"It's a Fire Feather Eagle!" Yun Che's face turned pale. This Third-Tier Spirit Beast had a violent temperament; even ordinary Core Formation Realm cultivators found it difficult to contend with.

Yet Chu Mo remained calm. The broken sword traced a half-arc through his palm. The instant Chaos Sword Qi collided with the ghostly blue flames, the Fire Feather Eagle let out a mournful cry. The flames on its wings began to flow backward, surging along the sword tip into the broken sword.

"Th-this is devouring!" The watching Outer Sect Disciples cried out in shock. They had never seen such a bizarre sword path. That broken sword seemed like a bottomless black hole, capable of absorbing even a spirit beast's natal flames.

The Fire Feather Eagle struggled to flee, but Chu Mo darted forward. The broken sword became a streak of light and pierced its brow. With a shriek, the giant eagle crashed to the ground. Its corpse rapidly withered under the erosion of Chaos Sword Qi, until only a charred skeleton remained.

"The second trial, passed." The elder overseeing the examination swallowed hard and directly skipped the second trial he had prepared. Anyone who could so easily dispatch a Third-Tier Spirit Beast was likely far beyond the Bone Forging Realm.

Just then, a figure slowly descended from the clouds. He wore a moon-white robe, and the jade flute at his waist glowed with a gentle luster. He was Xiao Yichen, the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect's Inner Sect Prodigy. He glanced at the Fire Feather Eagle's corpse beneath Chu Mo's feet, a faintly amused curve lifting his lips. "A Chaos Sword Body? Interesting."

Chu Mo's grip on his sword tightened slightly. He had seen this name in the memories within the Sword Tomb. Xiao Yichen was one of the culprits who had joined in hunting down and killing his mother, Chu Muxue.

"The third trial will be personally assessed by me." Xiao Yichen raised a hand and held the jade flute to his lips. Melodious flute music rang out, and Chu Mo suddenly felt the space around him begin to twist. Countless ferocious beasts condensed from Sword Qi emerged from the void.

"Be careful, it's the Sound Sword Domain!" Yun Che warned anxiously. She could sense that those Sword Qi beasts contained power at least equal to the Core Formation Realm.

Yet Chu Mo closed his eyes. The broken sword deep within his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled violently. When the first Sword Qi White Tiger lunged at him, he swung his sword fiercely. The instant the Chaos Runes lit up, all the beasts abruptly changed direction and charged toward Xiao Yichen.

"How is that possible?!" Xiao Yichen's expression changed drastically. In his haste, he put away the jade flute, and a folding fan flew from his sleeve. The landscape painted across the fan suddenly came alive, transforming into a barrier that blocked the Sword Qi beasts.

Chu Mo seized the chance to close in, his broken sword aimed straight at Xiao Yichen's throat. Xiao Yichen twisted aside, but the landscape on his folding fan suddenly became tens of thousands of ink-black swords that descended like a rainstorm.

"Primordial Sword Art, Third Form—Shatter Void!"

Chaos Sword Qi surged forth like a tidal wave. The ink swords shattered the moment they came into contact with it. Xiao Yichen staggered back ten steps, his robe split open across the chest by Sword Qi, revealing a faint streak of blood.

The entire scene fell silent. No one dared believe that a youth who had only just arrived could gain the upper hand against the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect's Inner Sect Prodigy.

"Good!" The elder in charge of the assessment was the first to applaud. "From this day onward, Chu Mo and Yun Che are officially Outer Sect Disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect!"

After nightfall, Chu Mo lay in a crude bamboo hut, the broken sword resting flat beside his pillow. From his battle with Xiao Yichen during the day, he could sense that the sword body had absorbed a great amount of Sword Qi Laws and was now undergoing a subtle evolution.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door. Chu Mo opened it and found Yun Che standing outside with a quilt in her arms, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I... I was afraid you'd catch cold."

Chu Mo accepted the quilt, his fingertips accidentally brushing Yun Che's wrist. In that instant, both of them felt the power within their bodies resonate—Chaos Sword Qi and the Heaven Suppressing Bloodline blended together as seamlessly as water and milk.

"Brother Chu Mo, have you ever thought..." Yun Che lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. "Perhaps our bloodlines really are connected somehow?"

Chu Mo fell silent for a moment, then took half a shattered jade pendant from his robes. Under the moonlight, the fragment and the jade pendant at Yun Che's waist glimmered once more. The two rays of light intertwined in the air, unexpectedly forming a complete sword shadow.

"Once I uncover the truth behind my mother's death, once I become the strongest sword cultivator in all the worlds," Chu Mo said softly, "then I'll take you to find the answer."

Yun Che looked up, her eyes filled with resolve. "I'll go with you."

At the same time, in a secret chamber deep within the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, Xiao Yichen wiped the bloodstains from his folding fan, an eerie smile curling across his lips. In the bronze mirror before him was the image of Third Elder Ye Minghe being imprisoned. "The Chaos Sword Body... it would make excellent nourishment."

On the other side of the bronze mirror, the Blood Demon Sect's sect master toyed with a blood-colored jade slip. The runes on it were exactly the same as those on the one Song Li carried. He gazed southward, greed flashing in his eyes. "Chaos Sword Body, Heaven Suppressing Bloodline... Interesting. Truly too interesting."

The mountain wind howled as Chu Mo gripped the broken sword and looked toward the night sky. He knew that the true challenge had only just begun. The Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, the Blood Demon Sect, those enemies lurking in the shadows... and that blurred figure from his memories were all waiting for him to uncover the truth. And the broken sword in his hand would cut through every obstacle until he stood above all the worlds.