Ye Xianyu was gone for an entire day. Returning to the expectant gazes of the crowd, she merely shook her head. Another wave of sighs rippled through the surroundings.
They waited for several more days.
Two people arrived from the foot of the mountain: an old man and a youth, master and disciple.
"Master, this pill is too big. I really can't eat any more."
"Eat it! Even if you can't, shove it in! Once you're inside, you won't have anything to eat."
"Uh... alright then."
"My disciple, remember this: secure an earth weapon, and strive for a heaven weapon. Ten years ago, you were the slowest of your group to reach foundation establishment. This time, even if you have to crawl, you must crawl your way to the Earth Sword Pool. Win some honor for us, otherwise your master won't have the face to show himself anywhere."
"Master, I will definitely work hard."
"Mhm, let's go..."
Whispering and muttering to each other, the master and disciple climbed to the summit. However, the sight before them caused both to freeze in their tracks.
Countless pairs of eyes were staring at them.
The old man's face turned green with fright. Looking around, he only recognized five or six people out of the hundred or so present, but the pressure emanating from the others was far beyond his own.
If not for the majestic Sky Gate towering there, he would have thought he had wandered into the wrong place.
The disciple gulped down the pill in his mouth and said weakly, "Master, how about we just go back?"
His master, who usually valued face above all else, agreed without a second thought. "That works."
Just as the two were about to turn and descend the mountain, they were called to a halt by Ye Xianyu.
Terrified and startled, the two hurried over to pay their respects to the Sect Master.
Ye Xianyu looked at the young man and asked, "What is your name?"
The young man replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Sect Master, this disciple is named Yang Wei."
Ye Xianyu said, "A fine name. You wish to enter the Sword Mound to claim a sword?"
The young man glanced at his master and nodded blankly. "Yes."
Ye Xianyu gave a kind smile and waved a hand behind her. The Pavilion Elders instinctively parted to create a path. Ye Xianyu also stepped aside and said, "Go on."
The young man looked nervously at his master.
His master hissed under his breath, "What are you looking at me for? The Sect Master told you to go, so go! Don't embarrass our sect."
Summoning his courage, the young man walked through the crowd. It was an indescribable feeling.
Ye Xianyu followed closely behind. As he neared the Sword Gate, she suddenly gave him a strange request.
"Yang Wei."
"This disciple is here."
"If you manage to climb to the Immortal Sword Pool and see someone there, could you pass on a message for me? Tell him to come out quickly. Would that be alright?"
The disciple was stunned.
He stood there like a fool.
Ye Xianyu tilted her head. "You can't do it?"
Yang Wei said, "Sect Master, I will try my best."
Ye Xianyu nodded with satisfaction. "Good, I have high hopes for you. Go."
Yang Wei bowed with cupped hands and strode into the Sword Gate.
Deep within the Sword Mound, gazing up at the stone steps above him and recalling the scenes he had just experienced—and the request from the beautiful Sect Master—he gritted his teeth. "I'm giving it my all!"
Outside the Sword Gate.
The Pavilion Elders looked at each other, thinking the Sect Master had surely gone mad to have such a thought. How could the Immortal Sword Pool be reached just by saying so?
Li Qingshan, in particular, let out a long sigh. "Master, you really must be quite ill."
Ye Xianyu pursed her lips. "What else can I do? I'm just treating a dead horse as if it were alive."
"Is there truly nothing my Martial Uncles can do?"
Ye Xianyu looked miserable. "Please, this is the Sword Mound. What could they possibly do?"
The entire world seemed shrouded in worry.
Only Yang Wei's master was overcome with excitement.
At the thought of his disciple receiving the Sect Master's favor, his heart could not settle for a long time.
'This kid is really winning some face for me!'
Meanwhile.
On the seemingly endless stone steps of the Fifth Sword Heaven.
A figure was inching upward bit by bit. Every single step seemed to require every ounce of strength he possessed.
It was Xu Xian.
However, at this moment, he had long lost his former handsome appearance. Instead, he was shrouded in an air of weary age, his every feature telling a story of wretchedness and hardship.
His face was gaunt.
His hair was a mess.
His back was hunched.
His lips were cracked.
His eyes were vacant.
Like a walking corpse, he continued to climb upward.
He lifted his gaze.
Through a blurred haze, he finally saw the end of the stone steps. Above a sea of clouds, a brilliant, multicolored radiance shimmered.
There.
That was the summit of the Fifth Sword Heaven.
The location of the legendary God Sword Pool.
He had seen it.
"Just a little more... just a little bit more."
In his ear, the little book spirit’s cheers continued unabated.
'Master, keep going! Only three hundred more steps to the top!'
Upon hearing 'three hundred steps,' Xu Xian felt only numbness.
A million steps. A million stone steps! He had been climbing for four months.
Starting with twenty thousand pounds on his back, he was now carrying a staggering hundred thousand pounds.
It had long since exceeded the load his body could bear.
Every bone in his body had long been broken and shattered, only to be healed over and over again by the nourishment of the sword embryo left by the sword stele.
Fracture, shatter.
Then heal again.
With every cycle, he endured a suffocating pain that made him black out multiple times.
But the moment he lost consciousness, he would immediately be jolted awake by the agony.
That kind of torture was a sin against life itself.
At every moment, it felt as if he were being fried in a vat of oil or electrocuted in a power box—wishing for life but unable to live, wishing for death but unable to die.
Most importantly, he remained conscious throughout it all.
He was enduring the pain while 'enjoying' its benefits.
He had entertained the thought of jumping off countless times, returning to the Immortal Sword Pool, picking one of the eighty-six immortal swords, and simply leaving.
Why did he have to suffer like this?
But he had persevered.
In the beginning, he had only managed two thousand steps. Back then, he knew this path would be difficult and full of hardship. He thought that obtaining an immortal sword would be enough and there was no need to push himself further, so he planned to give up.
But then, the little book spirit appeared.
It said to Xu Xian: 'Didn't you always ask me when you could cultivate the Heavenly White Jade Capital? Didn't you always ask me why you couldn't cultivate the Heavenly White Jade Capital? The answer is right here in this Sword Mound.'
It said that the sword stele and the Sword Mound were one and the same.
To cultivate the Heavenly White Jade Capital, one had to obtain the recognition of not only the sword stele but also the Sword Mound.
It said that once he climbed to the top, he could begin cultivating the Heavenly White Jade Capital upon leaving, casting the sword tower within his body.
It also said that with the protection of the sword embryo within the sword stele, as long as Xu Xian persisted, he would definitely reach the top. It would just involve a little bit of pain.
When he heard that, Xu Xian had only cursed, saying he’d been conned and that four years of his youth had gone down the drain. He’d said only a fool would believe it would be a 'little' bit of pain.
But the book spirit was right about one thing.
Since he was already here, why not try?
If he suffered a bit and made it to the top, he would achieve fame and success. If he quit now, everything would be for naught, and those four years truly would have been wasted.
So, he had gritted his teeth and began to climb.
For nothing else but to ensure those four years were not spent in vain.
However, as he climbed, he began to regret it again. It wasn't just hard; it hurt. It really, really hurt. It was the kind of pain that made one pray for the sweet release of death.
He wanted to give up again.
The book spirit persuaded him once more.
'If you give up now, all the suffering you've endured will be for nothing.'
Xu Xian thought about it and realized it was true, so he gritted his teeth and pushed on.
And so it went: giving up, struggling, continuing; giving up, struggling, continuing...
In a repetitive cycle.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the more he felt he was losing out. He toughed it out. By now, the little book spirit didn't even bother persuading him anymore. Looking at the God Sword Pool so close at hand, Xu Xian couldn't even summon the thought of giving up.
Giving up now would be like being one person away from completing a referral link to withdraw cash; having the prize right in sight made stopping now more painful than anything.
He gritted his teeth, enduring, forcing his way through...
He let out a low growl in response, "Don't worry. Today, even if I die, I'm going to die up there!"
Rate on N.U.
