Chapter 75

75. Chapter 75

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One knows one's own affairs best; as someone who had also just awakened a Sword Bone, Song Zhicheng was well aware that one enters a restless, combative state after awakening. Otherwise, he wouldn't have impulsively traded another punch with her. But now, far from being restless, even the fighting spirit Bai Tian had shown during their exchange had vanished completely. The way she was meticulously tidying her appearance right now really made her look like a young lady from a sheltered household who never stepped out of her gate.

This girl... is unfathomable.

Atian, having already lowered her sleeves and smoothed her skirt, noticed the bearded man's probing gaze. She straightened her loose long hair and gave him a shy smile.

The bandit who had just been beaten up felt like he was being scattered by the wind.

Fortunately, he didn't have long to feel scattered. After being declared qualified, the losers who had been howling on the ground were taken away one by one by newly appearing streams of light. Just as the two of them were staring at each other, a new voice rang out; this time, it was a female voice:

"The current Ascension Ceremony has concluded. Two have qualified."

Two have qualified?

Song Zhicheng looked at Bai Tian, and Bai Tian looked at Song Zhicheng; for a moment, neither knew what to say.

A total of three thousand and two people participated in this Ascension Ceremony, and now only two had qualified. From now on, whenever they went out, they could brag about having eliminated three thousand weaklings.

Over three thousand people participated in the selection, yet only a tiny fraction could step onto the path of Xiuxian. This was the first time Atian had a real sense of what Zhao Kuo meant by "those with aptitude are one in ten thousand."

Admittedly, perhaps many people, like the original Atian, intended to live an ordinary life and had never thought of fighting for the path of Xiuxian. Furthermore, who among those who came to participate in the Ascension Ceremony lacked confidence in themselves? Yet, even among this group of people with promising futures in Xiuxian, the elimination rate was incredibly cruel.

"My god," Song Zhicheng sat on the ground with a thud, took off his straw sandals, and scratched his feet. "I didn't expect I'd actually hit the jackpot. It's just a pity for my brothers; they'll have to fight for their own futures."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the ways of the world were unpredictable. He had originally thought he was born to be a bandit boss, and now he was going to cultivate immortality. Regardless of how far he could go, it sounded as epic as a storybook.

"Sister from the Bai family, it looks like you and I will be fellow disciples from now on." He looked rough and careless, but he was actually very attentive; he had remembered Bai Tian's name after hearing it only once. "I'm a crude man. If there's anything I do that displeases you, just say it straight!"

Then could you stop scratching your feet?

Years of upbringing as a young lady prevented the words from slipping out. Atian covered the lower half of her face with her sleeve, leaving only her sparkling, rippling eyes exposed, looking truly gentle and lovely.

Perhaps because all the losers had been sent away, the jumping streams of light returned to the two of them, circled them a few times, and finally turned into a ribbon that lay between them.

Atian tentatively reached out to grab one end of the ribbon, and the flexible silk actively wrapped around her wrist. Song Zhicheng put on his shoes and followed suit, reaching out his hand, only to be ruthlessly whipped by the ribbon.

"Hey! Hey! Why is this piece of junk picking on me!" Song Zhicheng yelled in anger, then was tied around the waist by the ribbon and enjoyed a thrilling, heart-pounding swing through the air.

One had to admit, this ribbon's flying technique was much better than Zhao Kuo's Sword Controlling Technique. At least Atian didn't feel any bumps during the smooth ascent. It wasn't until she suddenly broke through the water's surface that she realized this wasn't flying, but surfacing.

The Sword Washing Pool was truly a pool. Streams of pool water flowed quietly around her, yet they were as light as mist, dissipating like clouds and haze the moment they were touched. The massive Broken Sword that pierced through the entire Floating Island was submerged in the crystal-clear water. Only then did Atian notice that its blade was actually moon-white; this seemed to be the color of the Beihai Sword Sect. Unlike her first glimpse outside the Floating Island, despite being so close to it, she didn't feel that oppressive Sword Intent; it was as if it were just a plain and unremarkable ornament.

The ribbon carried the two of them away from the water and threw them directly onto the lakeshore, where a boy was waiting. Seeing the two of them land unsteadily, he then performed a bow in a leisurely manner.

"Senior Brother Song, Senior Sister Bai, this disciple is the Sword Attendant Boy under the Sect Master. By the order of the Sect Master, I have come to welcome you both."

Bai Tian helped the groaning bearded man stand steady and discovered that although the boy was as cute as jade, his expression and demeanor were incredibly dull, and his eyes were like stagnant water, making him look like an inanimate object.

In reality, the Sword Attendant Boy was just a Sword Rack that Duan Xuan had casually enlightened; his true form was indeed an inanimate object without thoughts.

His origin had to start with the Beihai Sword Sect's old rival, the Immortal-Seeking Way.

In myths and legends, wherever immortals reside, there must be auspicious clouds and white cranes. Regarding this, the Immortal-Seeking Way, which always touted itself as the orthodox Daoist sect, put in some effort. Not only did they decorate their mountain gate with swirling clouds and mist, but they also didn't know where they got thousands of immortal cranes, which they enlightened into human form. These White Crane Boys were responsible for all the trivialities of daily life, and in their spare time, they would even turn back into their original forms to dance among the clouds—what a scene of an immortal sect.

Once such a crooked trick was released, it immediately ignited a craze for imitation in the cultivation world. Even the Taixuan Sect, which had always been at odds with them, secretly started raising immortal cranes.

As a stubborn duck that never admitted to being unpopular, the Beihai Sword Sect naturally didn't want to fall behind the latest fashion in the cultivation world. However, the trick of raising immortal cranes wasn't very applicable to them.

Friend, have you ever seen a Sword Cultivator who doesn't control a sword but sits on an immortal crane?

Even if the crane agreed, the sword wouldn't!

But other sects were using immortal cranes as gate boys; if they still had cultivators doing everything themselves, it felt like they were inferior. Thus, after racking his brains, the wise and mighty Sect Master Duan came up with a crooked trick among crooked tricks:

Since there are no immortal cranes, let's just make do with a Sword Rack.

That was how this rigid Sword Attendant Boy came to be. He would only be awakened by Duan Xuan when needed; on ordinary days, he would honestly stay in the Sect Master's room as furniture.

"Our Beihai Sword Sect was founded in the ancient times and has been passed down for nearly ten thousand years," the Sword Attendant Boy said with a straight face. "We currently have one thousand three hundred and six people, including Sect Master Duan Xuan and the various Elders, ranking last among the Four Great Immortal Sects."

Was the last half of that sentence necessary?

Song Zhicheng's expression shifted, and he finally squeezed out, "This child is truly honest."

In fact, the Beihai Sword Sect's ranking was purely due to having fewer people. When the cultivation world was selecting the Four Great Immortal Sects, they couldn't shamelessly let their disciples stuff the ballot box like the Immortal-Seeking Way, Taixuan Sect, and Fahua Temple, which was why they ended up in the last seat.

Ignoring the bearded man's grumbling, the Sword Attendant Boy continued, "From this day forward, you two are disciples of our Beihai Sword Sect. You must abide by the sect's rules and precepts. If you violate them, the Law Enforcement Elder will teach you how to behave."

The tone of this sentence was completely different from the seriousness of the previous one; it sounded more like he was reciting words taught by someone else.

"The Beihai Sword Sect is divided into three levels from top to bottom: Sect Master, Elders, and Disciples. We are different from those mediocre groups like the Immortal-Seeking Way that have a row of Supreme Elders. That position is just for people who reach a certain age and fail to achieve Ascension, yet still want to proudly announce it to the world. It's too embarrassing, so we don't have it."

This was yet another completely different tone.

"Our sect implements a Senior Brother system. The authority of the Senior Brother is equal to that of an Elder. All disciples must unite under the leadership of the Senior Brother and work together to make the Beihai Sword Sect shine. I know this sounds shameful, but as long as you let go of your unnecessary sense of shame, you can become deeply immersed in it and unable to extricate yourselves. Come on, unleash your true nature!"

Having said this, the boy paused, then opened his mouth expressionlessly and made a strange laughing sound: "Hee hee hee."

Clearly, the Beihai Sword Sect had taken a strange turn in the grand matter of following trends, sprinting wildly in an unpredictable direction.

But it was fine; being different was just being different. They were broad-minded anyway.

Atian and Song Zhicheng looked at each other, both seeing the words "dumbfounded" in the other's eyes.

This sect... seems a bit wrong!

Following behind the Sword Attendant Boy and listening to his "tap-tap" footsteps, Atian was unexpectedly somewhat distracted. The scenery before her was so different; whether it was the pavilions and towers amidst the clouds or the Sword Cultivator disciples who occasionally cast curious glances, everything clearly told her—her life had completely changed.

No, it should be said that her life had returned to the right track.

The corners of Atian's mouth curled into a curve, looking like mockery or cold sarcasm. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had returned to a look of curiosity.

In all fairness, the Beihai Sword Sect could fully satisfy any ordinary person's imagination of an immortal sect. Whether it was the Martial Arts Arena floating in mid-air or the towering main hall, they were all wonders not seen in the mortal world. Even she, someone who hadn't yet entered the sect, could feel the awe-inspiring Sword Intent contained within.

It's great, it's truly great.

This is where you should be.

She felt the blood in her entire body flowing rapidly, and every single bone let out a silent cheer. The nature she had suppressed for more than a decade was quietly awakening, secretly letting out its first breath.

This is a bit troublesome.

Atian thought nonchalantly while pressing her chest, but she didn't seem too bothered by it.

The living quarters specifically opened for disciples were located on the southernmost side of the Floating Island. From afar, one could see clusters of yellow houses. They were not arranged in a neat and orderly fashion, but rather crookedly formed a "small mountain," as if someone had randomly piled these houses together after getting drunk.

The Inner Affairs Hall, which distributes daily necessities and assigns living quarters, is located at the foot of the "Small Mountain," and the cultivator in charge has a rather auspicious appearance, especially that round, bulging belly that makes one unable to resist wanting to pat it.

"Oh my, new people have arrived on the island again," the chubby cultivator said, sizing the two of them up with a smile, "I am Guo Huai, the Grand General Manager of this entire island; you may call me Uncle-Master Guo."