A short while later...
Three figures appeared one after another at the bridgehead, stepping onto Sword Inquiry Peak.
All eyes snapped over.
Xu Xian and the other two, who had been chatting and laughing, stiffened, as if facing a great enemy.
Xu Xian lowered his voice and said, "Not good... there's killing intent."
Lin Qianqian and Zhang Yang, one to his left and one to his right, instinctively shielded Xu Xian between them.
The new and old disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect watched them, their gazes meaningful, and their murmurs grew louder.
"Look, here they come."
"Is that Xu Xian in the middle?"
"Yes, he's the sword spirit root."
"He certainly looks like a scoundrel."
Li Qingshan's gaze seemed capable of killing. Seeing the three of them hesitate at the bridgehead, he said with restrained anger:
"Aren't you going to hurry over?"
The three snapped back to reality, jogged forward, and pretended as if nothing had happened, joining the waiting line.
"Brother, excuse us, thank you!"
Li Qingshan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, releasing a long stream of turbid qi. His brows relaxed, and he turned to step through the mountain gate. "Come in, everyone."
The majestic mountain gate stood ten zhang tall, imposing and grand.
Beyond the gate was Wendao Square, and between the two stood a sword stele.
It was entirely black.
Steeped in the marks of time.
Large characters were carved on the sword stele, and a remnant chess game lay arranged at its base.
Everyone followed Li Qingshan through the mountain gate, their gazes first drawn to the vast square, then falling upon the sword stele.
Li Qingshan led the group to a stop before the sword stele. He turned around, one hand behind his back, the other held before his chest, and slowly began to speak:
"Starting today, you are all disciples of my Wendao Sword Sect. As for the rules of the Wendao Sword Sect, once you've formally become a disciple, someone in your respective peaks and halls will inform you. I won't bore you with the details here."
"This stele behind me."
"Is called the sword stele."
"It was left by our Wendao Sword Sect's ancestor, the Sword Ancestor. The Ancestor decreed that all who enter my Wendao Sword Sect must gaze upon this stele. You have passed the third trial, Sword Inquiry; you only need to place your palm on this stele to obtain a wisp of sword aura, which will be branded into your dantian. In the future, once you have learned sword control, you will no longer need to cross the Longevity Bridge to enter or exit the mountain gate; you can simply fly across One Sword Gorge."
"However... don't celebrate too soon. The path of cultivation is long and arduous, not something achieved overnight. To learn sword control and ride the wind, you must at least break through to the foundation establishment stage. Body refining and qi refining are the two hurdles you must overcome next."
At this point, he deliberately paused, his tone hardening, his gaze fixed directly on Xu Xian, and continued:
"Although you are all exceptional talents, one in ten thousand, born with extraordinary gifts, do not become arrogant. You must be grounded, moving forward step by step, never slackening. Don't be like some people, slow and lazy, who are late now and make everyone wait. On your future path of cultivation, if you start late or move slowly, no one will wait for you then."
The gazes of those around them once again converged on Xu Xian and the other two.
Lin Qianqian lowered her head.
Zhang Yang merely gave a foolish, simple-minded grin.
Anyone with sense could tell that he was deliberately calling out the three of them.
Only Xu Xian remained unconcerned, his eyes calm and undisturbed, as if he hadn't heard a word. His thick skin was truly extraordinary; he even looked back at the crowd and said:
"Why are you staring at me? Haven't you ever seen a handsome man?"
This inevitably drew a round of boos.
Li Qingshan raised a long eyebrow and said, "If there are no other questions, step forward one by one and touch the stele. Then, go over there to report. For the Seven Peaks and Thirteen Halls, simply go to the corresponding location for whichever you wish to join, and the elders will guide you."
Just then, a disciple with a square-jawed face raised his hand and asked:
"Immortal, I have a question."
"Speak."
"May I ask, is the chess game before the sword stele the remnant game left by the Sword Ancestor back then?"
Li Qingshan glanced sideways at the remnant game beneath the sword stele, and nodded, "It is."
The disciple said, a little excitedly, "Jianghu rumors say that this sword stele holds an unparalleled opportunity. When the Sword Ancestor erected the stele, he deliberately left this remnant game, allowing anyone in the world to attempt to solve it. Whoever can solve this remnant game will claim the stele's opportunity. I wonder, is this rumor true or false?"
Upon hearing this.
A group of new disciples had sparkling eyes, full of curiosity.
Many of them had heard this rumor, and Lin Qianqian was one of them.
However, the surrounding Wendao Sword Sect disciples who were watching showed gleeful amusement, as if watching a good show, or rather, a group of fools.
Li Qingshan mused for a moment, then countered, "Do you know how to play chess?"
The disciple humbly replied, "I know a little."
Li Qingshan subconsciously nodded, his voice calm and unwavering, "This matter is not false, however..." He stopped mid-sentence, ultimately refraining from speaking further.
Silence followed.
Leaving everyone bewildered.
The disciple asked again, "Then, may I try?"
Li Qingshan saw the expectation in everyone's eyes and said gently:
"Please do."
"Thank you!"
Granted permission by the Immortal, a group of young men and women swarmed towards the stone stele.
Some touched the stele, gaining a wisp of sword aura within their dantian.
Others gathered before the remnant game, craning their necks and standing on tiptoe.
Some knitted their brows in thought.
Others stared intently.
Discussions erupted accordingly...
"Can it be solved?"
"Don't rush, let me examine it more carefully."
Disciples from various regions muttered, suppressing their voices, occasionally letting out sneers.
Li Qingshan stood to the side, watching the new disciples passionately discuss the remnant chess game, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
"Heh..."
This game is unsolvable.
If it could be solved.
After ten thousand years, why would no one have solved it yet?
From afar, a group of elders looked over, not in a hurry at all. Instead, they watched everything with jovial smiles, their interest piqued. As they chatted and laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes resembled a thousand overlapping mountains.
"Heh heh, youth truly is wonderful. Daring to dream and act, ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth."
"It's nothing new. Every year, there are always a few ambitious children who think highly of themselves, believing they can solve this remnant game. Once they understand, they'll settle down."
"This is quite good too; it just so happens to temper these children's sharp edges, which is beneficial for their cultivation..."
One of the elders murmured, puzzled:
"What do you think the Sword Ancestor was thinking back then, leaving this game? Could there truly be a solution?"
Another elder waved his hand, "Oh, please. Even if the Chess Sage crawled out of his coffin, he wouldn't be able to solve it. I think the Sword Ancestor, that old man, left this remnant game precisely to temper the mental fortitude of future generations."
The others all expressed agreement.
Over ten thousand years of human prosperity and decline, an unsolvable remnant game—this was an undeniable truth.
Everyone knew it.
However, compared to the remnant game, Xu Xian seemed more interested in the characters carved on the stone stele.
He gazed up at the tall stele, nudging Zhang Yang beside him with his elbow, and asked:
"Fatty, what's written on this thing?"
Zhang Yang also craned his neck to look at the stele. (If he had one, that is.)
"You don't know?"
Xu Xian said nonchalantly, "I can't read."
Zhang Yang's eyes widened as he stared at Xu Xian, his face full of disbelief.
"My goodness, Brother Xian, you can't read!"
Xu Xian was speechless...
"Well, tell me!"
Zhang Yang opened his mouth, then looked away, back at the stele, and stated matter-of-factly, "I can't read either."
Xu Xian's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Damn it, are you messing with me?"
"If you can't read, why were you shouting so loudly?"
Zhang Yang felt guilty, his gaze darting away.
Lin Qianqian returned after touching the stele, stepping between the two and asking, "What are you two looking at?"
The two exchanged a look, then their gazes simultaneously landed on Lin Qianqian.
They asked in unison, "What's written on the stele?"
Lin Qianqian said, surprised, "You don't know?"
"We can't read," they both said.
Lin Qianqian's mouth dropped open. "My goodness, you two can't read!"
Xu Xian: '...'
Zhang Yang: '...'
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