Chapter 90: 90. Chapter 90

90. Chapter 90

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"This old man cast a divination," the Daoist stroked his beard, "According to the hexagram, there are a total of three thousand and one people participating in this Ascension Ceremony. Adding you, young lady, it makes 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 stay, and those without would be driven away. There was no need to put much thought 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 conjecture about this Ascension Ceremony.

Making an even number, what is the point of making an even number? Naturally, it is to facilitate pairing up for combat.

How to pair up? By using the Token to identify each other.

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

"At the very least, one cannot lose." Tan Tianming answered with a smile, which counted as 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 underneath. This was not an outfit suitable for fighting, but compared to her usual maiden 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 alone in place. Not only that, the bustling street market had also turned into an empty city in an instant.

The endless stream of people had disappeared, replaced by a yellow wind weaving through the streets and alleys. With the force of a thunderbolt, it rolled toward Atian. The young girl closed her eyes as the rolling yellow sand surged in 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 my Beihai Sword Sect's Sword Washing Pool. Whether you hone yourselves to seek the unsheathing, or hand over your Token to seek self-preservation, only those who follow their true heart can 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 have even a shred of self-awareness as a Sword Cultivator within you, then, draw your sword!"

As the words "draw your sword" echoed in the air, the entire space where Atian was located changed. The sky overhead became murky and dim, and a stretch of broken walls and ruins appeared on the desolate earth. 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 only just exceeded one hundred. Thinking of the three thousand and two the Daoist had mentioned earlier, this was barely a fraction of the total number.

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

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

He said that 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 work hard to do it.

"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 an indifferent gaze.

"Look at how scrawny 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 also moved toward Atian without a sound. Clearly, they all regarded her as the primary target. Among these people were no shortage of old hands who often participated in various Xiuxianmen disciple recruitment trials. Although Tan Tianming had been vague just now, it didn't stop them from grasping the subtext: "Defeat others and seize their Token."

It was unknown whether it was because there were few women participating in the Ascension Ceremony to begin with, or because they hadn't been assigned to the area Atian was in, but among these hundred-plus people, she was actually the only woman. Compared to the brawny members of the same sex, everyone's target naturally shifted to her.

"Atian accepts this big brother's good intentions," the young girl, who was being eyed covetously, covered her mouth and smiled. She raised her right hand into a fist and said gently, "It's just that if I land 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 also allowed those outside the magic array to hear it clearly.

"Good! That's the spirit!"

A person slammed the table and jumped up, crowding in front of the Water Mirror to cheer for the girl who had made such a bold statement.

"Yes, yes, yes! Give him a punch! Kick him in the crotch! Kick! Use more strength!"

Seeing the exciting part, this person even stepped onto the grand armchair, wishing that the person in the Sword Washing Pool was themself, leaving the rest of the fellow sect members in the room speechless.

"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 them, "Grandmaster Senior Brother."

Seeing that the most difficult troublemaker was no longer causing chaos, the Grandmaster of the Beihai Sword Sect pretended not to see the other party 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 small 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... Oh!"

As soon as he said "this poor Daoist," he was given an elbow by another Elder beside him. The Daoist, having suffered a painful blow, swallowed his exclamation and smiled, making amends, "Oh my, I've been fortune-telling for people these past few days and let it slip. This old man stopped cultivating the Dao long ago, I only cultivate the Sword, only cultivate 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 agreement between the major Xiuxianmen, once a seed of another Dao Lineage was discovered, they had to 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, but the baleful aura is too strong. I cannot see it clearly, and 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 hasn't produced a Demonic Sword yet! In the future, can we also earn a Demon Sect title to show off?"

"Demon Sect?" Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

"... 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, who had provoked public anger, immediately sat up straight, eyes fixed on his nose and nose on his heart.

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

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

Yes, a formidable enemy.

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

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

Again?! I feel like my body has already been 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 immense strength since he was small, such that ordinary Swords could not easily harm him; relying on this, he had owned a mountain stronghold of his own, but later, after receiving guidance from an expert, he learned that his innate talent was actually a manifestation of possessing a Sword Bone, which was why he left the stronghold to try his luck at the Beihai Sword Sect.

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

A numbing pain spread 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.

"Again!" the young girl's voice sounded; she was no longer as tidy as she had been at the start, yet those eyes were frighteningly bright, showing not the slightest hint of fatigue.

"Is this person a monster?"

The bearded man gritted his teeth, ultimately unable to convince himself to give up, and summoning a burst of strength from within his body, he charged toward Bai Tian.

"Boom!"

The two traded another punch.

The pain of bones shattering radiated from the point of contact, and he could not help but let out a roar, bracing his feet firmly against the ground, using all his strength to withstand the attack from the young girl.

"Snap!"