Chapter 62: 62. Chapter 62

62. Chapter 62

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"I have cast a divination," the Daoist said, stroking his beard. "According to the hexagram, the total number of people participating in this Ascension Ceremony is three thousand and one. Adding the young lady, it makes for an even number."

As he spoke, he took a brass Token from his bosom and handed it to Atian. The latter took it and saw the two characters "Sword Cleansing" engraved on it.

"This Token is the only proof of participation in the Ascension Ceremony. You must keep it safe, young lady."

Proof? What does issuing a Token prove?

Atian's brows furrowed slightly.

For the Beihai Sword Sect, it didn't matter who participated in the Ascension Ceremony; those with aptitude would be kept, and those without would be driven away. There was no need to put effort into identifying people, so the Token was certainly not for them to look at.

Then who was it for?

Three thousand and two, making an even number...

Combining this with what Tan Tianming had said earlier, Atian suddenly had a startling hypothesis about this Ascension Ceremony.

Making an even number, why make an even number? Naturally, to facilitate pairing up for combat.

How to pair up? By using the Token to identify them.

"Immortal Elder Tan, to join the Beihai Sword Sect, must one defeat everyone else?" Atian asked calmly.

"At the very least, you cannot lose." Tan Tianming answered with a smile, effectively tacitly confirming the implication of her words.

"Fine, I understand." She rolled up her sleeves and bent down to tuck up her wide skirt, revealing a pair of delicate embroidered shoes hidden beneath. This was not an outfit suitable for fighting, but compared to her usual lady's attire, the outdoor clothes she was wearing now were sufficiently light.

By the time Atian finished tidying up, she realized that both the Daoist-dressed Tan Tianming and the dejected Zhao Kuo had vanished. Only the fortune-telling stall remained lonely in place. Not only that, the once bustling street had turned into an empty city in an instant.

The endless stream of people had disappeared, replaced by a yellow wind rushing through the streets and alleys with the force of a thunderbolt, rolling toward Atian. The young girl closed her eyes as the rolling yellow sand surged from all directions, swallowing her slender figure. When she opened her eyes again, the surroundings were already a desolate wasteland.

"The sword is the lord of all weapons. Sword Bone, Sword Bone, the sword is the bone, and the bone is the sword. If you want the sword to be unsheathed, there is only one path to take."

Tan Tianming's voice rang out above her head.

"You are all now within the Sword Washing Pool of my Beihai Sword Sect. Whether you hone yourself to seek the unsheathing of your blade, or surrender your Token to seek self-preservation, only those who follow their true heart may leap over the pool and transform into a dragon."

"Disposition, root bone, wisdom, luck... those are things that Dharma Cultivators test and weigh. For a Sword Cultivator, observing their sword is like observing the person."

"If you possess even a trace of awareness as a sword-wielder in your bodies, then, draw your swords!"

As the three words "draw your swords" echoed in the air, the entire space Atian was in changed. The sky overhead became murky and dim, and a stretch of broken walls and ruins appeared on the desolate land. One after another, pillars of light descended from the sky, bringing with them participants who were either bewildered or excited.

Before long, quite a few people were transported into the area where Atian was.

... Twenty... Fifty... One hundred...

She took the opportunity to silently count the pillars of light she could see in her heart. The participants before her had just barely exceeded one hundred. Thinking of the three thousand and two the Daoist had mentioned earlier, this was merely a fraction of the total number.

Clearly, the scope of the Sword Washing Pool was shockingly large, but such are the methods of the Immortals; it would be disappointing if it weren't shocking.

Atian thought for a moment, took out the Token Tan Tianming had given her, and hung it at her waist.

He said participants should follow their true heart. Her true heart was simple: to join the Beihai Sword Sect. Since that was the case, she had to strive to do so.

"Little girl, if I were you, I wouldn't hang that thing out."

A rough male voice came from behind Atian. She turned her head slightly and saw a burly man with a tiger's back and a bear's waist circle around to her front, looking her over with a dismissive gaze.

"Look at how frail you are. You'd better obediently hand over the Token, lest you scratch up that pretty face of yours."

With the appearance of the first bird to stick its head out, quite a few people moved toward Atian without a sound. Clearly, they all regarded her as the primary target. Among these people were many old hands who often participated in the recruitment trials of various Xiuxianmen. Although Tan Tianming's words just now were vague, it did not prevent them from grasping the subtext: "Defeat others and seize their Tokens."

It was unknown whether it was because few women participated in the Ascension Ceremony to begin with, or if they just hadn't been assigned to Atian's area, but among these hundred-plus people, she was actually the only woman. Compared to their brawny peers, everyone's target naturally shifted to her.

"Atian appreciates this big brother's good intentions," the young girl, watched by covetous eyes, covered her mouth and smiled. She raised her right hand into a fist and said softly, "It's just that if I throw this punch, you might die."

Atian's tone was not high, and the volume was not loud, but this sentence, which shocked everyone present, not only reached the ears of the person involved but was also heard clearly by those outside the magic array.

"Good! That's the spirit!"

Someone slammed the table and jumped up, rushing to the Water Mirror to cheer for the girl who had made such a bold declaration.

"Right, right, right! Give him a punch! Kick him in the crotch! Kick! Use more force!"

Seeing the exciting part, this person even stepped onto the grand armchair, wishing they were the one in the Sword Washing Pool, leaving the rest of the sect members in the room with black lines on their faces.

"Ahem," the person in the lead couldn't watch anymore and coughed a few times feignedly. "Junior Sister Luo... Junior Sister Luo!"

"What is it! Can't you see I'm in the middle of the excitement!" The person called "Junior Sister Luo" turned her head impatiently. Seeing the speaker, she was immediately frightened into sitting back on the chair properly, lowering her head to address him, "Grandmaster Senior Brother."

Seeing that the most difficult troublemaker was no longer acting up, the Grandmaster of the Beihai Sword Sect pretended not to see her stealing glances at the Water Mirror, cleared his throat, and said to the others in the room, "This is an unexpected joy."

"That is why I gave her the Token," Tan Tianming was still dressed as a Daoist, his two little mustaches twitching with his movements. "That little girl is also extraordinary. Her root bone is already formed. Even with the naked eye, this poor Daoist can also... Ouch!"

As soon as this "poor Daoist" came out, he was elbowed by another Elder beside him. The Daoist swallowed his exclamation after the painful blow and grinned, making amends, "Oh my, I've been talking too much from fortune-telling these past few days. I stopped cultivating the Dao long ago; I only cultivate the Sword, only the Sword, hehehe."

Naturally, no one was willing to pay him any mind.

"Isn't this a good thing?" Junior Sister Luo said indifferently.

"She has a Sword Bone, so wouldn't the requirements for the Bai boy be fulfilled logically? Why not assign her to my sect?"

"What if it's a Talisman Soul or a Demonic Thought?" The Elder sitting on the other side of Junior Sister Luo poured cold water on the idea.

Once these words were spoken, everyone in the room frowned. According to the key agreements of the major Xiuxianmen, once a seedling of another Dao Lineage is discovered, they must share the information. That was how Tan Tianming had been sent over by the Taixuan Sect.

"Didn't Senior Brother Tan see her in person?" A chubby Elder tried to smooth things over. "Why not let him share his thoughts?"

Tan Tianming, who had been named, stroked his beard. "In my opinion, it is indeed a Sword Bone. However, the baleful aura is too strong, and I cannot see clearly. It does indeed have a bit of the feeling of a Demonic Thought."

"Then isn't that a Demonic Sword?" The Elder who had raised the objection earlier clicked his tongue in wonder. "Our Beihai Sword Sect has never produced a Demonic Sword! Can we also earn a Demon Sect title to show off in the future?"

"Demon Sect?" Everyone looked at each other.

"... Junior Brother Li, I'm afraid your skin is itching." Junior Sister Luo, whose mood had been ruined, cast a sinister glance at him.

Junior Brother Li, having provoked public anger, immediately sat up straight, eyes fixed on his nose and heart.

Finally, it was the Grandmaster Duan Xuan who gave everyone a sense of reassurance. "The Three Thousand Great Daos all lead to the same destination. Since she cultivates the Sword, she is one of our own."

Atian was naturally unaware that her subsequent Fate had been decided in these few words. She was trying to find a way to deal with the formidable enemy before her.

Yes, a formidable enemy.

Amidst a field of fallen and injured people, only one man with a thick beard stood panting, and at this moment, he was looking at the spirited Bai Tian with eyes mixed with disbelief and dread.

"Again!" a crisp voice rang out from the young girl's mouth.

Again?! I feel like my body has been completely hollowed out!

The bearded man wailed in his heart.

He was originally a mountain bandit from the Qixia Kingdom, possessing a body of steel and iron and infinite strength since he was small, and usually, swords could not easily injure him; relying on this, he had owned a mountain stronghold of his own, but later, after being guided by an expert, he learned that his innate gift was actually a manifestation of possessing a Sword Bone, which was why he left the stronghold, wanting to come to the Beihai Sword Sect to try his luck.

Who would have known, he didn't encounter luck, but instead encountered a malevolent star.

A painful, numbing sensation traveled from the spot where he had just traded punches with Bai Tian; even though he knew the wise choice was to hand over his Token like the others, a stubborn streak in his heart made him unable to show weakness no matter what.

"Again!" the young girl's voice sounded; she was no longer as neat as she had been at the start, but those eyes were terrifyingly bright, showing not a hint of fatigue.

"Is this person a monster?"