Chapter 176: Sword Grotto

I don't like cultivation, I don't really cultivate?

At twenty years old, hardly cultivating, yet I'm in the Post Golden Core Realm!!!

Even among the major sects, this would be the existence of a super-genius plus a thousand-year monster.

Heng Xian fell silent for a while: "I suspect you're showing off, but I have no evidence."

Mo Qibai laughed loudly: "We're brothers, how would I pretend with you? Wait for my news."

Saying that, he walked toward the Valley Master in the midst of the crowd.

The Valley Master had already chosen the person by then.

The valley has over four thousand people total; of those aged roughly twelve to twenty, only eight or nine hundred are of eligible age, but only a hundred have the qualifications to enter.

Among them are A Su, Ma Yong, A Shui, and others that Heng Xian knows.

Mo Qibai whispered a few words to the Valley Master; the Valley Master hesitated slightly, then nodded and agreed.

Mo Qibai pushed through the crowd and came back, smiling: "I fooled the Valley Master, saying you can't cultivate, so it won't affect their comprehension; I'm just helping me go in to survey the cavern, so I can create a protective gate mechanism for the cavern!"

Heng Xian nodded: "Thank you!"

"No thanks!" Mo Qibai looked at him in surprise, "My cultivation shouldn't be lower than yours, right? But I've never been able to see through your cultivation; what protective secret treasure do you have?"

These past few days, Heng Xian really hasn't talked cultivation with him; how does this Heavenly Hexagram thing work? He coughed: "I just have some minor secret treasures, can't compare to big brother!"

"Still pretty low-key." Mo Qibai looked toward the hundred boys and girls already lined up not far away, "Go on, we're about to set off; I'll await your good news—if you gain insight, remember to share it with me!"

"No problem!" Heng Xian walked toward A Su and his group.

With a shout from the old woman beside the Valley Master, one hundred and one people, led by the four Elders Su A, rushed straight to the valley's southwest.

The valley spans over ten li; aside from the residential area, it's just medicine fields, spirit beast pens, etc.; we reached the destination in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks.

That is a cavern surrounded by a pond.

Within forty or fifty meters around, there is no weeds or plants; even the pond is utterly still.

The aura is very strange.

Outside the cavern, various seals and defensive formations are laid out, layer upon layer.

Elder Su A said: "This is our Peach Orchard Valley's sacred Sword Grotto, guarded by our ancestors for countless years!"

He is the source of power for our Peach Spring Valley people; you must enter, be cautious, and strive to comprehend more techniques and abilities!

"Yes!" The crowd replied in unison.

"Good!" The four elders joined forces, pressing a heavy plank onto the pond, like a makeshift bridge for passage.

"Go!" Elder Su A waved his hand.

One hundred boys and girls entered in single file.

Heng Xian quietly followed at the rear.

Not long after, everyone had entered the cavern.

At the instant Heng Xian entered, he clearly felt a strong sword qi rush toward him.

This sword qi not only bears a fierce killing intent, but also an awe-inspiring shock and complex thought beyond words.

Not only him, over a hundred youths who entered felt it, and they involuntarily sat down cross-legged.

Heng Xian followed suit and sat down; after a slight adjustment, he felt it was tolerable, not too hard to bear, and he lifted his gaze to look inside.

He saw that the cavern was very deep, its end invisible at a glance; on the floor and walls grew many sword-shaped spirit stones, slowly gathered and condensed by the swirling sword qi, in clusters and sheets, emitting a faint blue glow, quite beautiful.

It's hard to imagine that this is the remnant of swordsmanship from 270,000 years ago—just a single sword strike by one person back then—yet after so long, the sword qi still exists!

Just how profound must the cultivator have been who wielded that sword back then???

Holy shit! I can't even imagine it!

"What terrifying sword qi!" someone said, teeth chattering.

Ma Yong laughed: "This is already my third time coming; each time I feel this, but after a while I adapt a bit and can walk further in."

"When it becomes unbearable, sit down to adapt a bit, then continue walking inward; repeat the process. Anyway, we have five days, everyone brought dry rations, so go as far as you can, carefully experience the strange thoughts within the sword qi—understand?"

"Understood." The crowd laughed.

A Shui then asked: "Brother Ma Yong, how far can you go at most?"

Ma Yong proudly said: "It depends on who; like me, at Condensing Qi Fifth Layer, my limit is one hundred thirty-seven steps!"

A Shui asked A Su: "A Su sis, I heard you've also come three times!"

A Su felt a bit embarrassed: "I only have Condensing Qi Fourth Layer cultivation; my limit is one hundred thirty-two steps!"

Ma Yong said: "We're already quite strong; back in the day, those brothers and sisters at Condensing Qi Ninth Layer only managed one hundred sixty to seventy steps!"

A Shui asked again: "Then how many steps remain farther in?"

Ma Yong scratched his head: "Maybe over three hundred steps in total?"

"Have the Valley Master and elders reached the end?" someone asked.

A Su said: "The Valley Master Grandfather at most went out two hundred eighty-seven steps, Crane Granny went out two hundred eighty-nine steps; they said there are at most fifty steps left ahead before the end!"

"Wow! They're really strong!" the boys and girls exclaimed.

Ma Yong shook his head: "Reaching the end isn't impressive; going down is what's impressive!"

"Go down?" a group of boys and girls were curious.

A Su pointed ahead: "Starting at the hundredth step, there will be a fissure, said to be a sword scar; below it's very deep, the sword qi so thick it makes one suffocate!"

"Huh?" the boys and girls looked at each other.

A Su then rose: "We can go on…… huh?"

Suddenly he saw Heng Xian behind him, startled: "Murong De, why are you also here?"

It seemed he had just noticed.

Everyone else also looked over.

Ma Yong frowned: "Hey kid, what are you doing over here?"

Heng Xian rubbed his nose: "Um, I'm here to help the master with his errands!"

A Su looked him up and down: "You have no cultivation, how did you endure it?"

Heng Xian said solemnly: "I thought of the master's entrustment; to accept someone's trust and be loyal to their affairs, even if you cannot endure it, you must endure—this is the rule!"

A Su was deeply moved, thought for a moment, took off his own coat and without further ado draped it over Heng Xian: "This is a spiritual garment imbued with spiritual energy; wearing it will ward off some sword qi, and if you can grasp something from it, that's even better!"

"Okay, thanks!" Heng Xian nodded.

Su Su smiled: "No need to thank."

Ma Yong, standing aside, looked this way and that, his jealousy flared, he stomped his foot hard: "Kill kill kill..."

"Kill what?" A Su frowned.

Ma Yong panted: "I haven't killed anything; I'm already impatient to go in and comprehend the sword technique and spells!"

A Su pursed his lips: "Then go on!"

"Let's go then!" Ma Yong led a dozen or so people with slightly higher cultivation levels, marching angrily inside.

"Then I'm going in too; those who can't block the sword qi shouldn't go too far in, especially Murong De!" A Su smiled and walked in with a group of girls.

Ma Yong walked a stretch, the more he thought the more annoyed he became, he couldn't help but look back at Heng Xian: "I've already walked over twenty steps, dare you come? Hahaha, some are born outstanding, some are born weaklings."

Heng Xian smiled, didn't speak, this guy's flirting skills are too immature, for such a big guy he's still quite jealous.

Seeing him ignore him, Ma Yong got even more fired up, leading a group onward, he walked another twenty-odd steps before stopping: "I've walked another twenty-odd steps, Murong De, I am an existence you cannot look up to!"

A Su was furious: "You've got a problem!"

"You're actually protecting him?" Ma Yong was furious, competing like that, he stood up and walked another twenty steps, now about sixty steps total, sweat dripping, he glared back: "Murong De, I've taken sixty-four steps, huh, are you jealous?"

"I'm jealous of a hammer!" Heng Xian said lightly.

"Haha, you're furious and flustered!" Ma Yong was delighted.

(End of chapter)