The first day after the ancient bell rang on Zhujian Peak...
Everyone was calm.
The second day.
Everyone remained as unruffled as an old well.
The third day.
Everyone was bored to death.
They didn't find it strange. They figured that since Xu Xian could reach the Immortal Sword Pool within two days, it was impossible for him not to challenge the Divine Sword Pool atop the Fifth Sword Heaven.
However...
The Divine Sword Pool was suspended high in the sky. Climbing up to it was harder than ascending to the heavens.
No one in history had ever reached it, and the records never explicitly stated how many steps there were.
But based on the previous four Sword Heavens, it wasn't hard to guess—there should be a million sword steps.
It was fine to try.
But among those present, no one actually believed Xu Xian could truly climb to the top.
That was the Fifth Sword Domain.
The Fourth Sword Heaven was equivalent to climbing steps with ten thousand jin on one's back.
The Fifth Sword Heaven was naturally even more extreme.
Ye Xianyu said that when she climbed the Fifth Sword Heaven back then, she had only reached the thousandth step before she felt her body bearing a weight of nearly twenty thousand jin.
That was already the limit of physical endurance for the foundation establishment stage.
And one must not forget.
That gravity increased continuously, and it was a climb up steps.
When these senior brothers sat together to discuss the Dao, they had once boldly speculated.
If one wished to reach the Divine Sword Pool...
In the end, one would likely need to endure over a hundred thousand jin of gravity.
Carrying a hundred thousand jin of weight while climbing a million stone steps.
This was simply not something humanly possible. Even if an Ancient Sacred Body were alive today, or even the cubs of primordial beasts, it would be absolutely impossible at the foundation establishment stage.
Xu Xian was special.
He had achieved an epiphany at the sword stele first, reached foundation establishment in ten months second, and possessed a one-in-a-ten-thousand sword spirit root.
He was draped in a thousand halos, yet even that was not enough to support him setting foot in the Divine Sword Pool.
They speculated.
In at most a month, Xu Xian would realize the difficulty and retreat, choosing an immortal sword to exit with.
The wait was long.
A month's time.
It was a cycle of thirty sunrises and sunsets. For ordinary people, it wasn't long but wasn't short either; however, for those waiting here, it was merely the flick of a finger.
There are nine realms of cultivation.
Entering foundation establishment allows one to live for two hundred years.
Core formation grants five hundred years.
Nascent soul grants a thousand years.
This was why people spoke of 'Nascent Soul old beasts.'
Continuing upward...
Lifespan stacked.
When one successfully achieved tribulation transcendence, their lifespan could reach a terrifying ten thousand years.
Some old beasts in the mortal world could even use certain means to extend their lives further.
Among those present here...
Aside from Wen Qingxue.
Everyone’s realm was at the seventh realm or above. A month’s time was nothing more than a passing moment, a flick of a finger, naturally not worth mentioning.
However, as time passed...
They gradually began to grow uneasy.
Another half-month passed.
The Sword Gate remained motionless.
Another month passed.
There was still no movement from the Sword Gate at all.
It wasn't until the time approached two months that the Pavilion Elders began to get restless. At times they paced, looking up at the Sky Gate; at times they lowered their heads, performing divination. Unease and worry began to sprout in their hearts...
"It's been two months. Why hasn't he come out yet?"
"Nothing happened, did it?"
"Shut your crow's beak!"
Even Li Qingshan couldn't sit still, occasionally asking Ye Xianyu if something had really gone wrong.
Ye Xianyu only said calmly, "Don't worry. Wait a bit longer, just a bit longer..."
But they waited.
And it was a whole month again.
It was springtime.
The earth thawed and all things began anew, yet Xu Xian had still not returned. No one knew what was happening inside the Sword Pavilion, nor did anyone know what Xu Xian was doing or why he was so late in returning.
The speculation and discussion in everyone's hearts grew even more intense, and their worry intensified along with it...
Many Pavilion Elders could no longer sit still.
They did not hesitate to consume their origin to perform divination under the stars and moon, seeking to glimpse the secrets of heaven to determine life or death.
"Senior Brother, how is it? Is it auspicious or calamitous?"
"I can't see clearly."
"What do you mean? How can you not see clearly?"
"There is a seal on the Little Grand-Uncle left by the sword stele. Our arts of divination and astromancy cannot glimpse a single shred of him."
"Just tell me, is he still alive?"
The Pavilion Elder famous for star-reading and fate-calculation finally shook his head helplessly, saying bitterly, "I don't know! I can't deduce it!"
A group of people immediately sighed and groaned, beating their chests and stamping their feet.
"Sigh, how did it come to this?"
"I'm afraid he's met with more ill than good."
"It's been three months. Even if he didn't climb the Divine Sword Pool, he should have come out by now."
"Could it be that the heavens want to sever our Wendao Sect's thousand-year luck?"
"Don't be too pessimistic, everyone. Perhaps there's still a turn for the better."
Those who despaired were many, while the optimists were few.
After all.
The matter was too abnormal.
Not coming out for three months.
This had never happened in the history of the Wendao Sect. Previously, the longest anyone had stayed was two months at most.
They had all gone to the Sword Mound to fetch swords.
So they all knew very well the situation inside. In there, one could not rely on the physical body to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nor could one rely on food to replenish energy.
Even with the boost from Spirit Ration Pills...
An ordinary foundation establishment cultivator could at most hold out for two months. And that was under normal circumstances, let alone in the Sword Mound where one needed to endure the ravages of gravity at all times.
And climbing the heavenly steps consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Holding out for two months was already the limit.
Holding out for three months could be called a miracle.
But now, three months had passed and Xu Xian still hadn't come out. They were truly worried about whether something accidental had happened to him inside.
Although...
Looking back from ancient times to the present, not a single person had ever lost their life because of the Sword Mound.
But cultivators always believed in one truth: in all things, there are no absolutes.
Just because something hadn't happened before didn't mean it wouldn't happen in the future, or that it wouldn't happen now. They could only pray that it was a false alarm and that Xu Xian would come out quickly.
Li Qingshan was so anxious he paced back and forth before the gate all day.
He was the one who brought the boy back.
If something really happened, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Wen Qingxue was also very anxious, but she still tried to comfort Li Qingshan, saying, "Peak Master, don't worry too much. Little Grand-Uncle eats a lot, so he might be able to stay longer than others."
This sort of reasoning had zero persuasive power.
But as things stood...
Li Qingshan could only pin his hopes on it.
He hoped Xu Xian was an exception, different from ordinary people—though he was already different from ordinary people to begin with.
"Sigh—let's hope so."
Ye Xianyu saw everything, her expression remaining as calm as always. However, the entire Wendao Sect knew that when the Sect Master became serious, it meant the matter was very grave...
Another half-month passed just like that...
Still no movement.
"Sect Master, think of something. We can't keep waiting like this!"
"Yes, Sect Master, do something..."
Ye Xianyu was helpless. If she had a way, would she be waiting around? This was the Sword Mound; the laws inside were far stronger than the laws of the mortal world in Fanzhou. Forget about her—even if an immortal came, they shouldn't dream of opening it or interfering with what was happening inside.
But they were right; she had to do something.
Xu Xian.
He was the child who had achieved an epiphany from the sword stele.
Furthermore, in just a single year, he had shown a sharpness far exceeding ordinary people. To say he was exceptionally gifted and destined for greatness was no exaggeration.
Although she usually let him roam free...
That was only a method of education, to let him become independent earlier, to understand the many states of life, so that he could better lead the entire Wendao Sect in the future.
It was no exaggeration to say.
As long as Xu Xian retrieved an immortal sword and returned safely...
The thousand-year luck of the Wendao Sect would be tied to him.
If he died young...
It would be a catastrophic loss for the Wendao Sect.
At the very least, Ye Xianyu could not accept it.
She looked at Li Qingshan and said hoarsely, "You continue to keep watch. I am going to the Ancestral Peak..."
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