Chapter 90: A Mature Sword Spirit Should Share Its Master's Burdens

Just as everyone was fleeing toward Jianfeng, Zhang Yunlu stood on a slab of rock jutting outward at an angle, gazing at the silver-gray tide in the distance.

After a few minutes, she turned and leapt off the rock.

The numbers were simply too great; even though she had already attained 'Comprehension of Principle,' charging in would likely mean never coming out.

What she had comprehended was the principle of 'risk,' not the principle of 'seeking death.'

She tapped her foot, her figure like a fleeting gleam of light, and shot toward the distance.

And at this moment, beneath Jianfeng—

The broad flatland was finally no longer occupied by Lin Qiuxian alone.

Li Fengping, Jiang Jing, the alchemist from Jishi Valley, the body cultivator from Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect, and Feng Yuan, the sword cultivator among the Three Younglings of the Xiang Jianzong.

Together with Lin Qiuxian, there were six people in total, each separated from the others by at least twenty-five meters.

But soon, Lin Qiuxian, who was closest to Jianfeng, stood up, and the gazes of the other five converged on him.

Lin Qiuxian was unmoved. His eyes swept across the crowd: "Junior brothers, junior sister, two fellow daoists—who among you will come first?"

He calmly invited them to battle.

Because the rules of this trial essentially made cooperation impossible, every person was each other's competitor.

"I'll go first!" the body cultivator from Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect said in a muffled voice.

Then he suddenly leaped, stepping into the twenty-meter range.

But!

The target he chose was not Lin Qiuxian, but rather… Li Fengping.

Li Fengping, wearing a thoroughly dumbfounded expression, entered the combat space together with the body cultivator from Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect.

No way!

If he really had to fight, he wanted to fight that alchemist from Jishi Valley! It wasn't fear, exactly—fighting a body cultivator from Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect was not only physically painful, but a torment on the spirit as well! But regret was already too late.

Just after Li Fengping and the body cultivator from Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect entered the combat space—

The alchemist from Jishi Valley also began to move.

However, he too did not choose Lin Qiuxian, but instead cupped his hands in a bow to Feng Yuan beside him.

"I ask this fellow daoist for instruction."

Feng Yuan laughed freely: "Why not."

The two also entered the combat space.

Jiang Jing: "……"

So it was just her who had no choice, huh?

"I ask Senior Brother Lin for instruction."

In any case, according to the rules, this was something she would have to face sooner or later.

"Mm, I ask Junior Sister for instruction." For Lin Qiuxian, it made little difference who he fought first.

Jiang Jing was about to step forward.

"Aaaagh!"

The sudden scream made her pause mid-step.

Looking back, she saw a charm cultivator from the Hehuan Sect being chased by over a dozen Tongxuan Grass Beasts.

Emm……

As for why one could tell at a glance that this was a charm cultivator from the Hehuan Sect? Because the 'damage' on her clothes was far too distinctive—the places that should have been torn were all intact, while some unimportant spots were torn instead.

That said, she had to admit the charm cultivator ran quite fast; the Tongxuan Grass Beasts behind her had been left behind by a considerable distance.

The charm cultivator from the Hehuan Sect screamed all the way as she ran near Jiang Jing.

Then, right under Lin Qiuxian's nose, the two of them vanished together.

Beneath Jianfeng, only Lin Qiuxian remained for the moment.

"……"

After a few seconds of silence, he drew his long sword.

This was one he had just asked for from Li Fengping; the blade-arms of the Tongxuan Grass Beasts could be used, but they were ultimately no match for a real sword.

He planned to deal with the Tongxuan Grass Beasts first, then wait for the others to come out.

This time he wouldn't be inviting battle like before—whichever one came out, he'd take them on!

The Tongxuan Grass Beasts drew closer and closer; Lin Qiuxian had already prepared to draw his sword.

But when they were still fifty meters from Jianfeng, they suddenly stopped.

They threw their heads back and howled, restlessly waving their arms but no longer advancing a single step, as if what lay ahead was some absolute, untouchable taboo.

Hm? Could it be…

"So that's how it is." Lin Qiuxian returned his sword to its sheath. "Within fifty meters of this mountain is the safe zone."

Having grasped this point, he sat back down, settled into meditation, and began adjusting his condition.

The remaining challengers would only grow stronger from here on; he had to make sure he was always at peak condition.

Seeing that Lin Qiuxian paid them no more attention, and after a bout of howling, the restless Tongxuan Grass Beasts also gave up.

However, they did not leave, but instead began to prowl around the area.

Moreover, they would occasionally flip over the surrounding rocks, seemingly searching for people hiding among them.

Han Yun: "……"

This third round of the trial was far too unfriendly to a steady 'body cultivator' like himself! …………

The area in which one could move was still steadily shrinking.

Apart from the silver-gray tide creeping inward from the edges, the Tongxuan Grass Beasts that had already been wandering the Secret Realm also became an obstacle for many trial-takers heading toward Jianfeng.

High above the Secret Realm.

Two figures appeared soundlessly beneath that crimson moon.

Chi Jiuyu, carrying two paper food bags, peered curiously downward.

After Jiang Yujiu's livestream chat had muted her, she had ordered some food to settle her mood.

But the delivery had only just arrived when she learned her martial uncle was preparing to enter the Secret Realm.

Of course she couldn't miss it, so she had followed along.

"Oh? Only this many people left?"

Chi Jiuyu's realm hadn't been suppressed. Sweeping her divine sense across, she immediately counted the remaining trial-takers.

Thirty-seven people.

"Huh? There's actually someone hiding over there." She looked toward Han Yun's position. "These old six from the Taishang Dao Sect really are sneaky enough."

"Little Yunlu's performance isn't bad, though."

She commented as she sat down cross-legged just like that.

A cyan-gold longsword flew out and hovered before Chi Jiuyu. She set the two paper food bags down on the sword's blade.

Then, she took out a golden-fried chicken drumstick from the food bag and bit into it with a crunch.

Hmm~ The cyan-gold longsword let out a slightly aggrieved sword-cry.

"No way, how could I mistreat you? You're my most important partner." Chi Jiuyu said earnestly. "But as a mature sword spirit, you should not only help your master in battle, but also share your master's burdens in daily life. Wouldn't you say so?"

Her natal sword's spirituality wasn't all that high to begin with. Talked into it like this, it immediately hesitated and let out a rather uncertain sword-cry.

Hmm~?

Is it really like that?

"Of course it is!"

……This girl is actually PUA-ing her own natal sword's sword spirit? Smack! Chi Jiuyu suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of her head.

"Who is it?!"

She whipped her head around, but behind her, apart from that crimson moon, there was nothing at all.

Could it be…

"Martial Uncle?"

"You're overthinking it. If I wanted to hit you, I definitely wouldn't do it sneakily." Xu Xing said lightly.

Chi Jiuyu faltered. Now that he mentioned it, it did sound reasonable.

Then who could it be?

She muttered something, then continued gnawing on her chicken drumstick as she watched the trial-takers below.

As she gnawed, she seemed to remember something.

She turned her head back, a little stiffly, to look at that bright, luminous crimson moon.

This seemed to be… a sword-nurturing Secret Realm, wasn't it?

So could it possibly be…

Gulp!

Chi Jiuyu quickly scooted closer to Xu Xing, then looked up and asked.

"Martial Uncle, by the way, I've never seen your sword. What's your sword's name?"

So she's finally realized.

"Moon Shadow."

"Hmm?"

"My sword is named 【Moon Shadow】."

"Huh? Why would you give it a name like that?"

The moment those words left her mouth, Chi Jiuyu felt a chill creeping down her back, as if some terrifying existence were staring fixedly at her, making her feel as though sitting on a bed of needles.

No, that's not it!

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your name, I'm just purely curious! Really!

You've got to believe me!

"Because…"

Why had he given it such a name back then?

Xu Xing still remembered this matter very clearly.

"At that time, I hoped I could be like this name — able to change something."

This was an aspiration only he himself understood.

【Moon Shadow】? Which of these two characters has anything to do with change?

Chi Jiuyu's face was blank with confusion.

But she could feel that, after her martial uncle spoke those words, like spring breeze melting ice, that chilly sensation on her back vanished completely.

Phew~ She carefully turned her head to look. That crimson moon hung quietly in the air, ripples spreading across its surface in rings.

What martial uncle says really works! …………

Meanwhile, near Jianfeng.

Lin Qiu Xian's eyes snapped open as he looked in one direction.

It wasn't that the combatants had decided a victor.

He saw a figure wreathed in purple lightning burst out from a pile of rubble, then swiftly enter the safe zone near Jianfeng.

Under the search of over a dozen Tongxuan Grass Demons, Han Yun ultimately couldn't stay hidden.

Retreating was impossible too — that would be even more dangerous — so the only option was to charge in.

Seeing Lin Qiu Xian not far away, Han Yun's expression stiffened for a moment, but he still cupped his hands in a salute.

"Yang Sen of the Supreme Dao Sect, greetings, fellow Daoist."

So he was a fellow Daoist from the Supreme Dao Sect — no wonder he hadn't been able to detect where he was hiding.

"Lin Qiu Xian of the Xiang Jianzong, greetings, fellow Daoist."

The two of them each performed a courtesy.

Then Lin Qiu Xian drew his long sword at once: "Fellow Daoist, please instruct me."

Having said that, he paid no heed to whether Han Yun had agreed, and walked straight toward him.

Han Yun was startled at the sight.

Oh no, fellow Daoist, we've only just formally met — couldn't we chat a bit first? If not, this poor Daoist here even brought some tea leaves; shall we sit down together and taste them? — but with every step Lin Qiu Xian advanced, Han Yun retreated one step.

One advancing, one retreating, the two of them ended up chasing each other around the Jianfeng.

And surprisingly, as a law cultivator, Han Yun's Yu Shen Fa was unimaginably fast — for the moment, Lin Qiu Xian actually couldn't catch up.

Just as the two of them were chasing each other.

Zhang Yunlu had also rushed to the vicinity, and seeing this scene she couldn't help but pause for a moment.

What on earth are they doing? Because both of them were moving very fast, and they were chasing each other around the Jianfeng, at first glance it really was impossible to tell who was chasing and who was fleeing.

Forget it.

She didn't think too much about it, and walked straight forward, raising her hand to slay with one sword a Tongxuan Grass Monster that had pounced over, then entered the safe zone as well.

Han Yun happened to flee to this side at that moment, and didn't even have time to dodge.

Their gazes met — one surprised, one calm.

But in the next instant, the two of them vanished together.

Lin Qiu Xian: "……"

How did he get cut off again?!

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(End of this chapter)