Chapter 57

Jiang Yu secretly observed her expression and sighed, "Yeah, I'm just a nobody, yet even I'm being gossiped about."

We need to keep the line break? The line ends with a quote open? Actually the line ends with a quote open and then continues on next line? The Chinese lines have line breaks inside quotes? The given lines have line breaks within the quoted speech? Actually each line is a separate sentence, but the quote may continue across lines? Let's examine:

Jiang Yu secretly observed her expression and sighed, "Yeah, I'm just a nobody, yet even I'm being gossiped about."

And today, several who reached the top of the Ascension Stairs, such as Martial Uncle Deng and Martial Uncle Ren, along with a few Foundation Establishment seniors from the Falling Moon Sect and the Returning Origin Sect, jointly obtained the beautiful tale of entering the Sword Pavilion to wash their swords, without causing any ripples.

Ye Lian's heart skipped a beat; the martial uncle was only fifth, so why did Jiang Yu place that person first in her remarks?

Ah, perhaps because you are at the Qi Refining stage, you are more likely to become a topic of discussion?

We didn't even go to the market; we only heard a couple of people say a sentence or two, which can't be taken as reliable.

Jiang Yu, how are your injuries? I still have a bottle of top-grade bone-setting ointment here; take it and use it. As she spoke, Ye Lian had already taken out a box of ointment.

Jiang Yu understood her intention to see guests off, so she said nothing more and bade farewell, leaving.

Only Ye Lian remained, holding the green medicine box and sighing, 'After all, we cannot be companions on the same path.'

Jiang Yu was unaware of her thoughts; as soon as she returned to her room, she activated all restrictions and flashed into the space, asking, 'If I enter the Sword Pool, can you help me get closer to a high-grade spirit sword?'

Huh? You originally said just pick a suitable one.

Even a higher-grade acquired spirit treasure, you cannot drive it now. Jiang Tu expressed surprise at her change of mind.

Jiang Yu nodded and shook her head, 'I seem to have fallen into Xue Miao's trap; she couldn't possibly not know that many people are watching the Ascension Stairs, could she?'

Yet she still struck me and injured me, which is highly unreasonable.

Moreover, she likely obtained the news of the Sword Pool quota from our side, then created an opportunity and deliberately spread it in the market.

Jiang Tu suddenly realized, 'Eh, this sounds a bit like the incident shortly after you received a gift of thanks from the Taiyi Sect, which was spread all over the sect market.'

It feels like a rather clichéd approach.

Jiang Yu fully agreed, 'A method doesn't fear being old; as long as it works, it's fine.'

Once the reputation spreads, who knows how many dangers of murder and treasure robbery will be attracted when traveling outside.

Look, she only ambushed me once, expecting me to retaliate, so she could naturally take revenge.

And Deng Yuanwu of the Red Dragon Valley definitely had a hand in it.

The Ye family, truly a lingering evil; if Elder Ye hadn't been in seclusion for years without forming a Nascent Soul, they would be even more arrogant. She found these matters vexing, draining her energy, yet whenever things came to a head, she could not learn to simply endure and retreat.

Actually, if you feel that picking a sword now is a strain, you might as well just leave.

Wait until your cultivation is higher to choose, and you might be able to pick a better one. Jiang Tu put forward a feasible suggestion.

Jiang Yu actually considered it for a moment, but no; if there had been no rumors beforehand, it would have been fine, but now, without obtaining a sword yet bearing a reputation abroad, she would still be targeted.

Given the same outcome, she would be better off choosing a sword; 'If I happen to obtain a spirit-treasure-grade sword, I will publicly turn it over to the sect.'

Exchange for some transmission jade talismans and the like, which are magic treasures for escaping one's life. When unable to win, a tactical retreat is not disgraceful.

She and Jiang Tu discussed briefly, then began practicing the invisibility function of the dragon pearl, lest the spirit beast be unable to enter the Sword Pool.

Meanwhile, Xia Bing was before the two True Persons leading the team, requesting to go down the mountain into the market to investigate.

However, True Person San and True Person Zhuang did not allow her to investigate, saying only that they would send someone themselves.

Xia Bing, return to your room to rest and recuperate; we will seek Daoist Yun Jin, hoping to let you enter the Sword Pool tomorrow as much as possible.

Yet the two of them did not expect that, upon mentioning it to True Person Yun Jin, the other party would actually schedule the time for tonight, acting with great swiftness.

At night, Jiang Yu was summoned by Xia Bing; Ye Lian, who lived in the same courtyard, received a message from Martial Uncle Deng Yuanwu asking whether she knew Jiang Yu's whereabouts.

How would she know? She bluntly replied with the two characters 'don't know'.

Deng Yuanwu hesitated for a moment, then messaged Xue Miao: 'Well, they have already entered the Sword Pool ahead of time.'

'Let them enter; only if she can keep the sword is it truly hers.' Xue Miao didn't care about all that; anyway, she had publicized the little girl, already attracting considerable attention.

After all, some things don't require getting one's own hands dirty.

Hmph, a little girl without any sect affiliation has repeatedly made me suffer silent losses; I originally wanted to throw her down to vent my anger.

She actually dared to drag me down the steps; if I don't take the opportunity to give her a lesson, she will become even more oblivious to how high the heavens are.

Jiang Yu was unaware that those two had contacted each other; at this moment she leapt from her flying sword, following the senior instructors and the two elders of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, standing before the mountain hollow.

Then they saw True Person Yun Jin flick out a sword light, whooshing through the thick fog before their eyes; in no time, a path split open in the midst of the mist.

Several people filed in one after another; shortly they arrived before a stone gate embedded in the mountain, where a seventh-rank demon beast stood guard alongside a white-bearded old man.

True Person Yun Jin and another Golden Core cultivator presented their tokens, addressing him as Senior Uncle; the old man gave them a light glance, and Jiang Yu's hairs stood on end, her heartbeat skipping.

He was a Paramount Grand Cultivator like Sui Lv Zhenjun.

His voice seemed both near and far as it exploded around them: 'Sword selectors, present your token to enter; spirit beasts stay behind.'

Xia Bing lightly touched Jiang Yu, gesturing for her to jointly present the small sword-shaped wooden token with him.

After the old man verified it, the demon beast opened the stone gate, but behind it was merely a teleportation array.

True Person San instructed: 'Do not rush, do not be impatient.'

While Jiang Tu was bored in the space, Jiang Yu had already followed the two martial uncles onto the teleportation platform.

In less than a moment, they found themselves in an open-air ring valley; under the glittering stars, myriad spirit swords were planted in the ground.

One circle after another, they formed a large Eight Trigrams sword formation.

Having only glanced a few times, a massive spiritual pressure suddenly bore down on them; the three almost got pressed to the ground, but just as they straightened up, whoosh whoosh whoosh, three spirit swords shot forward automatically.

Jiang Yu instinctively reached to block with her own sword sheath.

'Don't move, just circulate spiritual power to protect the body,' Xia Bing reminded in a timely manner.

Those three swords flew past their bodies, clinking, and embedded themselves in the ground behind them; she began to walk along the passageway into the sword formation.

Tao Wenche also said before entering the formation: 'Keep a zhang behind us; if you truly can't move, don't force it.'

Jiang Yu followed the instruction; with each step forward, she felt the spiritual pressure increase by a layer, heavier than the Ascension Stairs before the mountain gate.

The only difference is that here spiritual power and divine sense are not sealed, allowing her to sound-transmit with Jiang Tu at any time.

But her mind was wholly focused on resisting the pressure and stepping forward, leaving no spare energy to talk with Jiang Tu.

Before she could walk a hundred steps, the spiritual pressure ahead suddenly vanished, and the two martial uncles simultaneously said: 'Footwork.'

Upon hearing it, she activated the Seven Stars Step, whooshing past another hundred steps; the spiritual pressure descended again, followed by sword qi whirling above their heads, and the protective light shields around several people shattered on impact, then reformed and shattered again.

Jiang Yu simply abandoned her body-protecting spiritual light, and Jiang Tu quietly extended the dragon pearl's defense in front of her.

She sent a voice transmission: "Ten breaths are enough." Then she ran forward at full speed; perhaps her Seven Star Steps were too fast, and she actually ran ahead of the two martial uncles.

Tao Wen Che was greatly surprised, but Xia Bing loudly reminded, "Keep walking toward the middle, walk as far as you can."

Jiang Yu nodded in response; after Jiang Tu withdrew his defense, she took only a dozen steps but could no longer move.

When she decisively stopped, white spiritual light fell on her and the spiritual swords in the two rows ahead and behind, and the surrounding spiritual pressure suddenly vanished.

Xia Bing also stopped likewise, "These two rows of swords, pick any one you like."

Jiang Yu released her divine sense perception and ran around in a circle; although there were no spiritual treasure level ones, she quickly found two high-grade spiritual swords.

After comparing, as she stepped forward to draw it, that sword suddenly swooped into the ground, not giving it to her.

Jiang Tu: "The sword has awakened spiritual awareness, grab it!"