Passing through a forest of ten thousand swords, not a single blade clung to him.
Swords have feelings, but unfortunately, Xu Xian’s heart was not set on them.
He crossed the Spirit Sword Pool.
He stepped onto the long staircase again.
In the Second Sword Domain, the gravity doubled...
Xu Xian’s dantian sank once more, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"Phew!"
Looking up at the sky at the end of the long steps, he strode upward.
Behind him in the Spirit Sword Pool, a million spirit swords lost their luster and fell into a silent, quiet calm, as if they had just suffered a heartbreak...
As time passed.
Xu Xian once again set foot in the Earth Sword Pool. A similar scene unfolded once more. A hundred thousand earth swords were like rain, their auras stronger than those of the spirit swords, and their reaction was also far more fervent. Not only did the blades vibrate, but a noisy clamor of sword cries could also be heard.
"Being too outstanding is also a type of burden."
True to his previous form, Xu Xian passed through the sword pool without taking anything, ascending toward the Triple Sword Heaven.
At the same time.
Somewhere on the long steps leading to the Tianjian Pool, a figure struggled with every step, drenched in sweat. Hearing the commotion in the sword pool below, he suddenly looked back, his eyes full of daze.
"What was that noise?"
However, as Xu Xian departed, the sword pool returned to silence. The man merely wiped the sweat from his forehead and murmured, "It seems I was hallucinating."
He looked at the path ahead again.
The long steps were vast, with no end in sight.
"Can I really not climb any further?"
"I don't believe it. Sister Lin could do it, so can I. I'm not worse than anyone else. I can still climb..."
Gritting his teeth, he took step after step, yet each one felt as if it exhausted all his strength. Though nothing was there, it felt as if he were carrying a massive mountain on his back...
Behind him.
Xu Xian was catching up, gradually drawing closer.
The Triple Sword Heaven had nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps—nearly ten thousand. After climbing just a thousand, Xu Xian began to feel the strain.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
His breathing grew rapid.
But it wasn't all bad news; as he exerted himself more, his digestive system began to work frantically. His stomach, which had felt like it might explode at any moment, started to adjust and feel much more comfortable.
"It really works."
Xu Xian was slightly pleased, and his speed increased rather than decreased.
The reason he was climbing so fast, besides wanting to finish picking a sword and leave early, was primarily to use the energy consumption to digest the food in his stomach—especially that Spirit Ration Pill, which felt like it was about to burst him open.
Soon.
A figure appeared in his line of sight.
That person was also climbing the steps.
However, he wasn't walking; he was crawling. The person was moving upward inch by inch, looking like a caterpillar from a distance.
Xu Xian quickly reached him, paused his footsteps, and looked down.
The latter struggled to lift his head, squeezing out a smile amidst his disheveled state.
Lying on the long steps was a muscular man with bronze skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. Xu Xian hadn't seen this version of him before, but he still tried calling out a name.
"Zhang Yang?"
The man’s throat bobbed as he said in surprise, "Senior brother, you know me?"
Xu Xian scrutinized him from head to toe and couldn't help but gasp.
They say a girl changes eighteen times as she grows up, but it seemed that saying applied to men as well.
Who would have thought?
The fat little boy with the big head and ears from back then had now become a burly, hulking man.
It was ridiculous.
Who would believe it without seeing it with their own eyes?
"Holy... it really is you."
The exhausted Zhang Yang was already a bit dazed, and hearing the other person say this made him even more confused. He stared at the face, thinking hard, but he simply couldn't remember who it was.
"Do we know each other?"
Xu Xian stepped back two steps and sat down right next to Zhang Yang, flashing a grin of white teeth as he laughed. "What... you don't recognize your Brother Xian anymore?"
Zhang Yang was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Xu Xian? Brother Xian?"
"Mm-hm."
Zhang Yang snapped out of his shock, joy appearing on his face as he said weakly:
"Good heavens, it really is you! Brother Xian, how did you change so much? I couldn't even recognize you."
Xu Xian squinted, saying playfully, "Who could have changed more than you?"
Zhang Yang squirmed, taking a long time before he managed to sit up. He panted heavily and gave a foolish laugh. "Don't even mention it. After you had your epiphany at the sword stele, I went to Zhujian Peak. I’ve been smithing every single day, smithing every single day."
As he spoke, he spread his two large palms, revealing the thick calluses on them, and complained, "Look at these calluses. My master is working me to death. He almost killed me several times. It's been miserable!"
If one were to ask which of the Thirteen Halls in the entire Wendao Sect had the highest risk of death, it would undoubtedly be the Sword Suppression Hall.
But if one were to ask which hall was the most bitter and exhausting, if the Forging Hall claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
A group of iron-pumping men were like scavengers; not only was it physically exhausting, but it was said there weren't even any female disciples. A bunch of muscle men spending every day in a perpetual bromance—just thinking about it was hair-raising.
That forging job was truly something even a dog wouldn't do.
However.
It was rumored that the Forging Hall was the only place in the entire Wendao Sect that provided free meals.
Xu Xian comforted him, "Alright, stop complaining. No matter how miserable you are, can you be more miserable than me? I can barely afford to eat."
Zhang Yang didn't believe him.
After all, Xu Xian was the Little Grand-Uncle and the Sect Master’s own junior brother. Everyone on Zhujian Peak envied Xu Xian.
But currently, he didn't have the strength to argue with Xu Xian.
He just gave a silly laugh, nothing more.
"Brother Xian, do you know which step this is?"
Xu Xian said without thinking, "I reckon around two thousand."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang’s face immediately fell. He slumped back onto the long steps and said weakly:
"Brother Xian, go ahead and climb. When I get out, I'll go to Zhijian Peak to see you."
"Not going together?" Xu Xian invited.
Zhang Yang waved his hand, saying feebly, "Climb by yourself. I can't do it anymore. I really can't hold on."
Xu Xian said with disdain, "All that muscle for nothing. Even Qianqian could climb up, and you can't? Aren't you embarrassed?"
Zhang Yang wanted to cry but had no tears.
He had been in here for nearly a month.
He had reached the Earth Sword Pool on the second day, but in the dozens of days since, he had only climbed two thousand steps. There were still over seven thousand steps to go.
Even if he didn't want to accept his fate...
His life wouldn't be able to handle it.
He said bitterly, "It's all fate. I can't take it anymore. Don't worry about me. I'll jump down from here in a bit, pick an earth weapon from the Earth Sword Pool, and leave. I don't want to die here..."
He gave a small smile and didn't forget to boast to Xu Xian, "Besides, I'm a master forger. Once I make something of myself in the future, what kind of sword won't I be able to forge? Haha."
Xu Xian remained silent.
In the current world, even the most legendary forger couldn't create a heaven weapon. Those who could forge a spirit weapon were as rare as phoenix feathers.
It was pure nonsense.
Zhang Yang made it sound easy, but Xu Xian still caught the sense of unwillingess in his eyes.
But...
Some things truly could not be forced.
Looking at Zhang Yang’s state, he really had reached his limit.
Xu Xian looked back at the long steps. Unlike the Spirit Sword Pool and Earth Sword Pool, where one could see the other end just by looking up, the Triple Sword Heaven spanned ten thousand steps. One could not see the end in a single glance.
He thought for a moment, weighing his options before standing up and crouching down. He patted his shoulder and said:
"Come on, crawl on. Big brother will carry you up."
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