The Little Book Spirit sat on the youth's shoulder, head drooping, raising a hand to adjust its book-like little hat. "My master," it said listlessly, "I've said it eight hundred times already."
Xu Xian furrowed his brows, looking very troubled.
Despite being the master of the Sword Mound, he was burdened by numerous restrictions, which caused him great agony.
His cultivation was too low.
Consequently, he could not withstand the power of this Sword Mound and could only take a single sword.
The Sword Mound was now like a mountain of gold placed before him. It was his, yet he needed sufficient cultivation and a higher realm to fully unlock it.
If you called it unreasonable, the system’s logic was indeed well-founded and left no room for fault-finding.
If you called it reasonable?
Xu Xian still had his own thoughts on the matter.
"Fine, one sword it is. It'll all be mine sooner or later anyway."
He waved his hand and began to deliberate again among the swords in the pool before him.
The Immortal Sword Pool was different from the other three pools.
The swords in the Immortal Sword Pool were all immortal swords—swords with status and standing.
Thus, every immortal sword was thrust into a sword pedestal, and every single one had its own scabbard.
There were one hundred pedestals in total, arranged in neat rows.
Each pedestal was approximately one zhang square and half the height of a man. The front of each pedestal bore inscriptions in the same script found at the Sword Gate, clearly from the same source.
Xu Xian could read them.
Above was the sword's name.
Below was its serial number.
One through one hundred.
Among them were eighty-six swords; fourteen pedestals were empty—specifically the tenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, thirty-sixth, forty-ninth, fifty-third, fifty-seventh, sixty-sixth, eighty-eighth, ninetieth, ninety-third, and ninety-fourth...
On the empty pedestals, because the immortal swords had been taken, there were neither swords nor names, only the serial numbers remained.
Sweeping his gaze around, Xu Xian couldn't help but wonder which stone pedestal the Demon-Slaying Sword he had seen that day came from.
'Since the pedestals have serial numbers, does it count as a ranking...'
His gaze fell upon the very first sword at the head of the row.
Netherworld Heavy Sword.
The sword was massive, its body exceptionally wide and entirely pitch-black without any ornamentation. Heavy and ponderous, it was a heavy sword in every sense of the word. Unlike the other swords that were brilliant and lifelike, this heavy sword looked clumsy and even a bit ugly.
Yet its simple and unadorned appearance could not hide its sharpness.
It was only the name that made Xu Xian hesitate.
He approached the sword and looked up at it. The heavy sword hummed, giving a powerful response.
Xu Xian muttered, "It's just this name. It sounds a bit like a demonic sword."
The book spirit on his shoulder, sensing its master's worry, spoke up. "I forgot to tell you, Master. Except for the serial numbers which remain unchanged, the names of the swords in the Immortal Sword Pool can be changed. The name you see now was given by its previous master, or perhaps the name bestowed by its creator at birth. When it chooses a new master, the name can be redefined. One day, when the master dies and the sword returns to be resealed on its pedestal, its new name will naturally be carved upon it."
Xu Xian came to a sudden realization. This also explained why the fourteen stone pedestals only showed serial numbers and no sword names.
"Oh... I get it now."
"Then it's you."
Xu Xian no longer hesitated. He leaped onto the pedestal and gripped the hilt with one hand. The heavy sword responded again, vibrating with a hum.
At that moment.
A startling light flashed in the depths of Xu Xian's eyes, and countless images flickered through his mind.
He saw a giant sword cleaving through the netherworld, piercing the heavens, shattering stars, breaking moons, and emerging after overturning rivers and seas.
"When the Netherworld Heavy Sword’s cold light appears, a single strike across the sky settles the realm."
With a sudden pull, the heavy sword was drawn from its scabbard. It slashed across the air and cleaved through the void, its sharp winds whistling as sword intent surged through the surroundings.
Xu Xian landed back on the pedestal and plunged the heavy sword into the ground. Pulling his thoughts back, he pursed his lips and said, "What a great heavy sword. Domineering. From this day forward, you shall be called..."
"Wait!"
The heavy sword quivered, sending ripples through space as it responded to Xu Xian.
The Little Book Spirit was somewhat dumbfounded.
"Wait?"
Xu Xian said mischievously, "Sounds good, doesn't it?"
The Little Book Spirit said against its better judgment, "It sounds... (not!) great!"
Xu Xian didn't care. It was just a name, after all—merely a title. If it could have some unexpected effects, that would naturally be for the best.
With a flick of his sleeve, he said, "Wait, return."
The heavy sword pulled itself from the ground and slid back into its scabbard, turning into a streak of cold light that vanished into his sleeve.
Ordinary people taking a sword would naturally have to carry it out on their shoulders.
Xu Xian was different.
He was the new master of the Sword Mound; he was entitled to a few privileges.
"Let's go, it's time to head back."
Returning with his sword, high-spirited, Xu Xian first jumped down to the Tianjian Pool, then to the Earth Sword Pool, then to the Spirit Sword Pool, returning to the place where he had first entered.
The only difference was that the path he had come from, which had been empty, now featured a void gate standing wide open.
Xu Xian did not hesitate and stepped inside.
With a blur before his eyes, he saw the Sword Gate once again right in front of him. However, his entire being felt as if it had been hollowed out. He instantly went limp, and an unprecedented sense of hunger surged from his stomach.
He walked out bit by bit, hunched over, leaning against the wall with a green glint of starvation in his eyes and a raspy voice.
He had leaned against the wall to enter.
Now he leaned against the wall to leave.
"This is going to be the death of me..."
Outside the Sword Gate at this moment, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The stars were gradually fading, and dawn was about to break. The mountains and wilds were silent; even the morning birds were too startled to chirp.
The square before the Sword Gate was packed with people.
Some stood on treetops, some sat cross-legged on the stone slabs, some leaned against trees, and others stood straight as ramrods, yet all remained silent with their eyes closed.
In the area closest to the Sword Gate, five figures stood before Ye Xianyu. Each of them radiated a terrifying pressure, their auras so strong they actually managed to suppress Ye Xianyu's own.
Those were the five ancestors of the Ancestral Peak.
The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth direct disciples of the Sword Ancestor.
It was precisely because of their presence that none of the Pavilion Elders or elders present dared to speak loudly.
Everyone in the Wendao Sword Sect knew that the five ancestors lived in seclusion on the Ancestral Peak and never concerned themselves with the affairs of the mountain, let alone appeared before others simultaneously.
Yet within the short span of five years, they had appeared twice in succession.
The first time, they were only heard but not seen, appearing because of Xu Xian.
This time, they were seen but not heard, also appearing because of Xu Xian.
All because yesterday at noon, a five-colored glow had been glimpsed above the Sky Gate, looking like celestial light descending to the mortal realm.
White, green, and blue were common, and even gold had been recorded.
But a five-colored glow...
That had never appeared before.
Even though the entire process lasted only a fleeting moment, it was still captured by the people of the Wendao Sword Sect who had been closely monitoring the matter.
In the time it took for the crowd to be struck with bewilderment, the five ancestors had appeared one after another before the Sword Gate.
They had stood there until now without saying a word.
Even the old man responsible for guarding the Sword Mound had left the Ancient Bell Pavilion and come before the Sword Gate.
A five-colored glow.
Unprecedented since ancient times.
If one had to point to a possibility, it was that someone had ascended to the legendary Divine Sword Pool.
That was the Divine Sword Pool.
A million more sword steps above the Immortal Sword Pool.
But even with such a guess, they dared not confirm it. Furthermore, the guardian did not know if the ancient bell should be struck. Unable to make a decision, he could only come here to wait with everyone else.
The others were the same.
The one who had ascended to the Divine Sword Pool could only be Xu Xian. Four months had passed—four whole months. Just as they were all beginning to wonder if something had happened to him, the movement at the Sword Gate caused their numb hearts to hang in suspense once more.
Waiting.
Another day and night of waiting.
Suddenly.
Ripples fluctuated across the Sword Gate. Everyone stiffened, their gazes burning with intensity. Even the five ancestors felt their hearts leap into their throats at this moment.
Ye Xianyu couldn't help but take two steps forward. "Senior Brother, there's movement."
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