The Nameless Sword Venerable

The two of them walked for over half an hour before finally reaching the deepest part of the cave.

Ahead of them was a bare stone wall. The surroundings consisted of nothing but dirt and rocks; not even a single blade of grass grew there.

Su Ye looked around. “Junior Sister, there's no way forward.”

“It should be here,” Xue Mingzhao said, already beginning to tap on the wall. “Let's search separately. Call me if you find anything unusual.”

The two of them searched the area for a long while. They tapped on the walls and poked at the ground, but they didn't find any mechanisms or hidden compartments.

The place was completely barren, and the surrounding stone walls were so smooth they could reflect images like mirrors. It didn't look like a place where an ancient inheritance would be hidden at all.

Xue Mingzhao grumbled in her heart. “Could it be that this ancient inheritance is picky about people? Does it refuse to show itself unless the female lead is here?”

Su Ye wiped the dust from his face and couldn't help but ask, “Junior Sister, what exactly are we looking for? If we keep searching like this, we might as well dig three feet into the ground.”

A sudden spark of inspiration struck Xue Mingzhao, and she abruptly stood up. “Senior Brother, you're right—we really do need to dig three feet into the ground!”

The two of them swung their scabbards and began digging into the ground with vigor. For a moment, loose stones and dirt flew in all directions.

A moment later, Xue Mingzhao climbed out of the pit, her face covered in dirt, looking as though she had just rolled around in a mud puddle. “No, if we dig any deeper, we'll hit groundwater.”

The two of them sat down against the stone wall. Xue Mingzhao stared at the overly smooth wall in front of them, and the more she looked at it, the more suspicious it seemed. “Senior Brother, look at this wall. It's clearly been polished by hand. A natural stone wall couldn't possibly be this flat. The person who lived here couldn't have left absolutely no trace, right?”

Su Ye panted, scanning the tiny space. “This tiny place can barely fit two people standing. Who would live here? It seems more like a passage.”

Xue Mingzhao slapped her forehead. “Of course!”

She stared at the exceptionally smooth stone wall. “Then there's another possibility—this person didn't live on this side of the wall, but on the other side. This wall is sealed off.”

She stood up immediately. She couldn't delay any longer; the female lead would be arriving soon.

She had to try again.

The two of them took ten steps back. Su Ye channeled his spiritual energy, and a pale blue, translucent protective barrier expanded around them, shielding them securely in the center.

Xue Mingzhao retrieved a mid-grade Exploding Talisman given to her by Martial Uncle Wen from her storage ring, infused it with spiritual energy, and flicked her wrist.

Boom!

The wall was blasted open, and loose stones came cascading down.

Behind the opening, a deep, dark passage was revealed.

The two of them exchanged a glance and grinned.

Xue Mingzhao patted the dust off her hands and squeezed inside first.

Su Ye followed closely behind, his Wind-Breaking Sword gripped tightly in his hand to guard her from behind.

On the other side, just as Shen Chaoyue stepped into the cave, she heard a muffled explosion from deep inside, and the ground beneath her feet trembled slightly.

Her heart tightened inexplicably, as if something of immense importance was slipping through her fingers.

Yun Yanchen felt her fingers tighten on his shoulder. He turned his head and asked, “What's wrong?”

Shen Chaoyue shook her head, her gaze locked onto the darkness deep within the cave. Her voice tightened involuntarily. “Senior Brother, let's go faster. My intuition is definitely correct—it's just ahead. Hearing that sound just now... it seems there's someone else.”

A flash of gravity crossed Yun Yanchen's eyes. He picked up his pace, yet his tone remained reassuringly firm. “Don't worry, Junior Sister. Whatever you want, I will definitely get it for you.”

At the end of the passage was a stone chamber several times wider than the corridor itself. It was about three meters high, and standing inside, neither of them felt any sense of confinement.

The spiritual energy of the moonlit stones embedded in the walls had long since been depleted. Only a few still emitted a faint, ghostly glow, barely illuminating a small area in the center of the stone chamber.

Right in the center was a polished cloud soul jade platform, upon which sat a skeleton—or rather, calling it a skeleton was no longer quite accurate.

Time had worn the bones down almost completely. Only a few fragments of grayish-white bone remained in a meditative posture; the rest had long since turned to dust, merging with the jade platform beneath.

Not even a shred of clothing remained. Only a few faint, wispy traces of spiritual light lingered between the bone joints, proving that this person's cultivation level had been extraordinarily high during their lifetime.

Su Ye quieted his breathing and whispered, “It looks like they passed away in meditation.”

“Your guess is correct, young friend.”

A voice suddenly rang out beside their ears. Su Ye let out a yelp and leaped straight up, nearly hitting the ceiling. He frantically drew his Wind-Breaking Sword to shield himself, his voice cracking. “A ghost!”

A translucent phantom slowly emerged above the remains. It was an elderly man with white hair and a white beard. Though his features were blurry, his expression was serene, and he was observing the two of them with great interest.

His gaze paused for a brief moment on Su Ye, who had nearly jumped to the ceiling, a playful smile playing at the corners of his mouth, before turning to the calm Xue Mingzhao beside him.

This young girl had remained completely unfazed from the moment she entered the cave to when he startled her. Her composure was uncharacteristic of a junior in the Qi Condensation realm, which surprised him.

He focused his senses to inspect her spiritual root, and a flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes.

A supreme-grade fire spiritual root, and her spiritual energy was far purer than that of ordinary supreme-grade roots.

“A supreme-grade fire spiritual root, and such a stable temperament...” The phantom stroked his beard and muttered, looking more and more satisfied.

He then floated over to Xue Mingzhao, his tone filled with affection and anticipation. “Little girl, are you willing to take me as your master? I am the Nameless Sword Venerable. Ten thousand years ago, I attained the Dao through the sword, only a single step away from ascension. Though my body has perished and my Dao has vanished, my sword inheritance remains. Are you willing to inherit my legacy and ascend to the upper realm with my sword in hand?”

Upon hearing the name “Nameless Sword Venerable,” Su Ye's eyes widened.

He had heard this name back when he was on the Qingyun Continent—ten thousand years ago, this man had swept across the three continents with his Budu Sword. Unaffiliated with any sect or school, he traveled alone and lived a carefree life, widely acclaimed as the “number one figure of the Sword Dao.”

Legend had it that he had long since ascended to the immortal realm. Who would have thought he had actually passed away in meditation here in the depths of this mystic realm?

If his junior sister obtained this inheritance, let alone the Yunque Heavenly Capital, she would be able to walk tall across the entire Tianyan Continent.

Just as he was secretly rejoicing for his junior sister, he heard Xue Mingzhao speak.

“Thank you for your high regard, Senior,” Xue Mingzhao bowed respectfully, her tone sincere but straightforward. “However, I do not know how to use a sword, nor does my ambition lie in the Sword Dao.”

“My senior brother's swordsmanship is ten thousand times better than mine, and his resolve is far firmer. If Senior wishes to find someone to inherit your legacy, my senior brother is much more suitable than I am.”