Chapter 104: Sword Bone

Chapter 104: Sword Bone

"We're here."

At the edge of the Endless Ice Plain, a black cloud stretching for hundreds of miles in the sky had absorbed most of the light, and the bone-chilling cold wind howled, causing Chen Qiu and the others' robes to flutter loudly.

The Scholar pointed to a slowly rotating colorful vortex not far away and said softly, "This is the Heritage Realm, and those nine inheritances are within."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly and gazed into the depths of the ice plain. Since he had entered the Endless Ice Plain, the wind direction had not changed. It was as if there was a ferocious beast in the depths, constantly exhaling, and the biting cold wind blew relentlessly from the heart of the plain.

The deeper they ventured, the stronger the wind became.

It was hard to imagine that under such conditions, a Golden Core Peak Sword Cultivator would still force himself to go deeper. Chen Qiu merely stood at the edge of the plain, looking at the pitch-black depths that had absorbed all the light, and he already felt like escaping.

This awe-inspiring might of heaven and earth could instill fear even in a Golden Core Peak cultivator.

"I'll go in and take a look first."

Chen Qiu turned to the Scholar and the others, "You guys go hide in the Little World for now. Oh, Scholar, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I have a gift for you, go and take a look."

After saying this, he waved his sleeve, and the Scholar and the others were naturally sucked into the Little World.

Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes and strode towards the nearby Heritage Realm, braving the freezing wind.

At this moment, inside the Little World, at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion of the Mock Heaven Sect...

The Scholar was staring at the crystal-clear white-green sword bone sitting upright on a short stone pillar, his face visibly excited. "Is this... from Brother Chen Qiu?"

---

Entry Name: Sword Bone

Entry Level: Gray

Entry Effect: Your understanding of sword techniques will be extremely slow, but after your death, anyone who touches your remains will gain a certain degree of insight into the sword techniques they have learned. The specific insight gained depends on the individual's innate talent.

---

Sword Bone:

Touching the remains can increase one's understanding of sword techniques, making it a treasure for sword cultivators.

Or, to be precise, one of the significant reasons why the Mock Heaven Sect became a renowned sword sect was this very treasure of sword cultivation inheritance.

"Hehe."

Fat Dragon, standing beside him, laughed, "Of course it's for you. Besides you, no one else here is a sword cultivator. But when I was looking at the Heavenly Beauty Ranking earlier, the effect of the Celestial Dao First Beauty, Ji Renjian, is extremely compatible with sword cultivation."

"Didn't you also pursue her back then? You were Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator. Didn't you try to win her over?"

"Of course, I tried."

At this moment, the Scholar's entire being was captivated by the sword bone. His eyes were tightly shut, and his tall figure seemed to freeze, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. His slender fingers trembled gently as they caressed the sword bone, and he muttered in a daze.

"Back then, it wasn't just me pursuing Ji Renjian. The Celestial Dao Beauty Effect was enough to drive all sword cultivators in the world to madness."

"I tried too, and I almost succeeded."

"Once, Great Xia sent me and Ji Taiping to pacify the war in the Hundred Nations. Whoever could bring peace would receive the title of 'National Sword Envoy' from the palace. With this title, one could harness a thread of Great Xia's destiny and greatly enhance their understanding of the Sword Dao."

"It so happened that Ji Renjian's distant cousin, Ji Taiping, was traveling alone from the Capital State to other states. I gave up the title of 'National Sword Envoy' and helped Ji Renjian resolve many crises along the way."

"Although we never met, she spoke highly of my Qingfeng to others. Our interactions were quite close. If I had revealed myself then, I might have succeeded."

"Oh?"

Fat Dragon was curious and asked with a puzzled expression, "Then why didn't you reveal yourself at the time? She was the Celestial Dao First Beauty. With that Celestial Dao Effect, you might not have been hunted down by the Zhang Family in the capital, and you might not have fallen in cultivation or been down and out for so long."

The Scholar opened his eyes with a smile, and his face showed a hint of sentiment as he took a step back, gazing at the sword bone before him. "The 'National Sword Envoy' isn't something good. With that thread of Great Xia's destiny, one's strength may increase, but they also become a lapdog of the palace."

"You go wherever the palace tells you to go."

"I wanted to become Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator, but I didn't want to be a First Sword Cultivator at the beck and call of others."

"Back then, like all other sword cultivators, I was obsessed with Ji Renjian, imagining that I could break through the shackles of the Sword Dao with her help and achieve Nascent Soul."

"This made my heart extremely conflicted."

"I couldn't bring myself to use someone else to satisfy my own desires. It goes against my Sword Dao principles."

"My Sword Dao principle is to eradicate all injustices and bring peace to the world."

"As I continued to escort her, my heart became more and more conflicted. In the final crucial moment, I gave up. I still wanted to achieve Nascent Soul on my own, not through the help of a woman."

At this point, the Scholar suddenly scanned his surroundings. After a long silence, he said hoarsely, "The above statements are what my brain tells me, but the truth is not so."

"I was indeed preparing to go to the Hundred Nations, although I didn't plan to pacify the war. But I remember there was a sword cultivation genius from the Hundred Nations, and I wanted to spar with him."

"However, something strange happened, and I changed my route without going to the Hundred Nations. On my way back to Great Xia, I happened to meet Ji Renjian."

"Wait a minute—" Fat Dragon's eyebrows knitted together, "I'm a little confused. Are you saying someone secretly influenced you and changed your itinerary? You were Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator. What kind of illusion could interfere with you?"

". . ."

The Scholar remained silent for a while longer, as if waiting for something. After a moment, he continued, "The Celestial Dao Beauty is a product of the Celestial Path's favor. Anyone who dares to imprison, coerce, or use force to make Ji Renjian offer her body will incur the Celestial Path's disgust.

"The feedback from the Heavenly Dao's aversion is swift."

"In the past, when someone tried it, Heavenly Thunder would immediately descend."

"However, on the journey from Capital State, Ji Renjian encountered many petty villains, but not a single bolt of Heavenly Thunder fell. Once, I even waited for a moment, and those villains had already stripped Ji Renjian of her outer garment, yet still, no Heavenly Thunder came."

"In the end, I took action."

"Do you know what this means?"

Fat Dragon looked at the scholar's brother with a blank expression, wanting to exchange glances with him, but the scholar's brother stood quietly beside him as if he hadn't heard a word.

"Hmm," Fat Dragon thought hard for a long time before tentatively asking, "Does this mean you replaced the Heavenly Thunder?"

"No."

The scholar shook his head. "The Heavenly Dao has no self-awareness. The absence of Heavenly Thunder means that those villains didn't have impure desires in their hearts. They were just giving their lives to create a heroic rescue opportunity for me."

"At the time, I didn't think so much. It was only later, when I was being chased, that I realized many things."

"One of them was this matter."

"Someone planted a heart gu in me. That person arranged for me to coincidentally meet Ji Renjian and used the lives of many pawns to deepen the karmic connection between Ji Renjian and me."

"Attempting to have Ji Renjian and me become Dao companions."

"No, wait a bit longer!"

Fat Dragon took a deep breath, supporting his chin with one hand and pacing in circles three times before looking at the scholar with a serious expression. "You mean there's someone who used the lives of many pawns as a cost, just to help you win the beauty's heart?"

"All the benefits are for you?"

"What's his motive?"

"He's aiming for Nascent Soul cultivation or, to put it another way, he wants to break out of this prison."

The scholar extended his arm, feeling the sword intent in the inscriptions on the stone pillar. He gently caressed the inscriptions, sensing the tingling sensation, and said softly, "I dare not speak his name, but I can tell you who he is."

"He is the current Great Xia's National Master."

"A terrifying man."

"He tried to bestow Ji Renjian upon me, creating an unparalleled sword cultivator in the world. Then, he wanted to use me to break out of Great Xia's prison, but at the last moment, my true nature was too resistant to such an act."

"The National Master then shifted his attention to Ji Taiping."

"I've been paying attention to Ji Taiping these years, and his progress has been rapid. He has entered the state of unity between the sword and the user, a state that all sword cultivators yearn for. The last time in Mountain Opening City, I sensed the lingering sword intent, which was extremely volatile, like a volcano beneath the ice."

"This is a sign of forcibly enhancing one's cultivation through external means."

".

Fat Dragon, hearing this secret for the first time, opened his mouth in disbelief. "Is the National Master that terrifying? Is Great Xia's top sword cultivator also his pawn?"

"Yes."

The scholar suddenly laughed. "I've met him once. He's a young man, but for some reason, his pupils are turbid. His words, actions, and methods don't seem like those of a young person."

"By coincidence, I learned one of the entries in his Entry Scroll."

"A white entry, full of fabrications and lies."

"The more people he deceives and the higher the cultivation level of those deceived, the more he can enhance his own cultivation."

"Such a person sits in the position of Great Xia's National Master."

"Many times, I've wondered if His Majesty is still lucid. Currently, within Great Xia, how many people and matters can be trusted? No one can judge."

After suddenly receiving this information, Fat Dragon's brain froze for a moment before he muttered, "Why didn't you tell me these things when Chen Qiu was here?"

"Because of the Sword Bone."

The scholar calmly caressed the inscriptions on the short stone pillar, which were filled with sword intent. "These memories were sealed in the deepest part of my Divine Mind Sea using sword intent when I faked my death. Later, when my cultivation declined, I couldn't access these memories."

"The sword intent contained in these inscriptions broke through the shackles I had set up."

Fat Dragon looked at the inscriptions that the scholar was slowly caressing on the short stone pillar. He suddenly remembered that when they passed this level, Chen Qiu had told him that someone had touched the inscriptions and was injured by the residual sword intent, causing blood to splatter.

Yet, the scholar had been caressing the inscriptions for a long time without any injury.

"So, what will you do now?" Fat Dragon frowned and looked at the scholar. "The National Master might think you're dead, but now you've reappeared in Great Xia. Won't he find you again?"

"No problem."

The scholar shook his head. "He only wants an unparalleled sword cultivator. Now that I'm a cripple, I'm definitely not as good as Ji Taiping. Ji Taiping is the strongest sword cultivator in his eyes now."

At this moment—

Chen Qiu stepped into the colorful vortex and appeared in a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

This Secret Realm wasn't very large. It had a platform similar to a sect's plaza, with a huge Trigram Array carved on the ground.

The Trigram Array was divided into nine palaces: Heaven Palace, Water Palace, Mountain Palace, Thunder Palace, Center Palace, Wind Palace, Fire Palace, Earth Palace, and Joy Palace.

These nine palaces corresponded to nine different cultivator types.

Alchemy Cultivators, Talisman Cultivators, Formation Cultivators, Alchemy Cultivators, Artifact Cultivators, Evil Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, Body Cultivators, and Sword Cultivators.

The nine palaces were located in different directions. As Chen Qiu stepped into the Trigram Array, eight of the palaces instantly dimmed and lost their color, leaving only the palace representing Alchemy Cultivators with a faint milky white glow.

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he scanned the surroundings. Outside the Trigram Platform was a thick, impenetrable layer of chaotic energy. The ground was divided into nine squares, each with a white vortex at the end.

At this moment, the other eight vortices had stopped spinning and dimmed.

Only the vortex symbolizing Alchemy Cultivators was still slowly rotating.

Chen Qiu didn't linger.

He drew a long sword from his embrace, narrowing his eyes and cautiously walking towards the white vortex representing Alchemy Cultivators. He then stepped into it.

A blinding flash of light followed.

He suddenly appeared in the vast ocean, standing effortlessly on the surface as if the seawater beneath his feet had turned into a viscous liquid. There was no light, only a faint moonbeam.

The dark sea resembled a ferocious beast with a gaping maw, its aura intimidating.

No islands were in sight.

Only the starry sky above.

At that moment, a hoarse and ethereal voice echoed in his ears.

"To obtain the Law Cultivation heritage, you must pass through five trials."

"The trial-taker is at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the difficulty of the trials will adjust accordingly to the cultivator's level."

"The first trial: Crossing the Sea."

"From this moment on, you will be unable to absorb Life Energy, and each action will consume your own Spirit Energy. You must reach an island before your Spirit Energy is depleted."

Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings, but his naked eye couldn't spot any islands, nor was there any map to guide him to the nearest one. This meant that if he took a wrong step, he would have to backtrack and cover much more distance.

Currently, he didn't possess any movement techniques.

His speed wasn't particularly fast.

Although his abundant Spirit Energy could sustain him for a long time, without a movement technique, his progress was still limited.

This trial tested one's internal Spirit Energy, challenging them to find an island before it was depleted.

After a quick assessment of his surroundings, Chen Qiu didn't hesitate. He immediately exited the Heritage Realm and led Scholar and the others to the nearest Fat City.

There, he purchased a 'Shrink Earth Technique' produced in the Celestial Path Secret Realm.

Then, he returned to the Heritage Realm.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded in satisfaction, "This will be much easier now."

Entry Name: Step-by-Step Advance

Entry Level: Gray

Entry Effect: Upon learning the 'Shrink Earth Technique', when you activate this movement technique, the distance covered will be increased fivefold. It consumes Life Energy from the environment and none of your own, but you will have no control over the direction or landing point, which will be entirely random.

This was an Entry Scroll he had found in the City Lord's Storage Ring during his previous visit to the Wantianfang Market.

He had just forgotten to buy the 'Shrink Earth Technique' produced in the Celestial Path Secret Realm.

The Celestial Path Secret Realm's products guarantee mastery upon learning.

This entry didn't have many advantages; the only benefit was that it didn't consume the user's Spirit Energy, relying solely on Life Energy from the environment. With a long enough timeline, one could eventually land on an island, despite the randomness.

"Swoosh!"

Chen Qiu activated the Shrink Earth Technique, taking a tentative step forward. Instantly, the surrounding scenery flashed by twelve times in rapid succession. When he stopped, he looked back, and he was already a hundred zhang away from his original position.

This technique could be combined with Double and Tenfold Spellcasting!

One use resulted in eleven additional free uses.

Chen Qiu sighed, slightly exasperated. The randomness of the landing point was a bit too much. He had just teleported from three chi above the sea's surface, and with twelve consecutive teleports, this technique would require caution in combat.

The randomness was too strong.

However, it was perfect for this situation.

Moreover, the best part was that it didn't consume any Spirit Energy.

"Continue!"

Half an hour later, Chen Qiu, soaked from head to toe, stood on the sea's surface. He retrieved a teapot from his Storage Ring and took a sip, unsure of how many times he had teleported to the seabed. So far, he hadn't spotted a single island.

More importantly—

He had completely lost his sense of direction.

He couldn't even be sure if he had moved away from the starting point or how far he had traveled.

"Continue!"

Chen Qiu muttered, determined to keep teleporting.

Logically, as long as there was an island in this sea area and his Shrink Earth Technique didn't consume his Spirit Energy, he would eventually reach an island if he kept trying.

One hour later—

"Damn!"

Chen Qiu scanned his surroundings and couldn't help but curse under his breath. The place was eerily quiet, devoid of any life forms. It was as if he were the only being left in the entire world.

Moreover, his connection to the Little World was cut off here.

He couldn't even chat with Fat Dragon and the others to pass the time.

"Continue!"

Three hours later—

Chen Qiu's expression remained unchanged as he looked around. He was now highly skeptical about the existence of any islands in this vast sea. He felt like he had been deceived.

Furthermore, he suspected that there might not be any islands on the sea's surface.

Perhaps the islands were underwater.

But when he tried to dive using his Spirit Energy, he encountered a powerful resistance, several times stronger than the buoyancy of ordinary seawater, preventing him from going too deep.

"Never mind, continue."

Nine hours later—

"Finally here!!!"

A glimmer of joy flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes as he spotted a distinct island not far from the sea's surface. He stopped using the Shrink Earth Technique and instead relied on his Spirit Energy to run towards the distant island across the sea's surface. As the saying goes, a horse will run towards the mountain until it drops dead.

Although it looked close, it took him several incense sticks' worth of time to finally step onto the sandy beach.

Sitting on the beach was an old man with silver hair, leisurely fishing with a rod. Next to him, a tattered black flag was planted in the sand, embroidered with two lines of crooked white thread.

"I dare not predict all, fearing the wrath of heaven and earth."

"I dare not speak all, fearing chaos in the world."

"What are you doing here?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

Chen Qiu stared at the familiar old man in disbelief, and the old man seemed equally stunned, gaping at Chen Qiu as if he had seen a ghost.

This old man was none other than the fortune-teller he had met a few times before, who had warned him about the numerous vengeful spirits within him.

"It's not that..."

The old man's throat moved slightly, his face filled with disbelief and astonishment. He took several deep breaths before dropping his fishing rod and walking towards Chen Qiu. He examined him up and down, his voice trembling, "Never mind why I'm here. You tell me, why the hell are you here?

"Me?"

Chen Qiu pointed at himself, "I'm here to take the trial and obtain the Law Cultivator heritage."

"Why are you here, old sir? Is this your true identity?"

"Can't I take a shortcut or something?"

"Go through your mother's shortcut!"

The old man stared at Chen Qiu as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide with anger. "Are you out of your mind?"

"You're here to take the Law Cultivator trial, but you're on my Formation Cultivator territory. What are you doing here?!"

"The first trial for the Law Cultivator is on an island deep in the ocean. Didn't you do any research before coming here?"

"You just barged in?"

"How did you manage to cross the Forbidden Sea and reach my Formation Continent territory? You're quite the runner, huh? Come here and tell me how you did it; I'm genuinely curious!"

"I thought I saw a ghost when I saw someone here without anyone taking the trial. I was sure of it!"

". . ."

". . ."

Chen Qiu's face turned peculiar, and he fell silent. He turned to look at the deep blue sea behind him. He had guessed that the island might be underwater, but after trying and failing to dive, he had given up.

"Then..."

He glanced around tentatively, "This should still count as an island, right?"

"After all, the condition for passing the first trial is to reach any island. It didn't say it had to be the one deep in the ocean, right?"

". . ."

The old man's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and he waved his hand dismissively. He picked up his fishing rod and sat back in his original spot, "Don't ask me, I don't know. I'm not in charge of the Law Cultivator heritage anyway."

Chen Qiu ran after him, straightened the flag that had been blown crooked by the sea breeze, and then blinked, "Um, senior..."

"Do you have any other information to share?"

"No."

The old man glared at Chen Qiu and interrupted, "And don't take out any roasted chicken or rabbit. In recent years, I've met more and more strange people. They keep pulling out roasted chicken from their pockets and offering it to me."

"It's like a roasted chicken is all it takes for them to open up to me."

"At least give me some Spirit Stones; then, I won't say anything. But roasted chicken? I've lived for so long; what kind of chicken haven't I eaten?"

"Here."

Chen Qiu's expression turned serious, and he took out a storage ring containing two thousand Spirit Stones from his pocket and handed it over, "I just want to express my gratitude for the advice you gave me at the Tian Fang Market. Otherwise, I might have been filled with resentment by now."

"Hehe."

The old man let out a cold laugh and casually took the storage ring, slipping it into his pocket, "You don't seem like someone who listens to advice. Aren't you still carrying a Golden Core Vengeful Spirit?"

"Senior, you're joking. It's just that young people have hot tempers. The vengeful spirit helps cool them down, or else it gets too hot."

"Forget it."

The old man shook his head, "Your cultivation has improved, and a Golden Core Vengeful Spirit can't kill you now. But I won't say more; it's pointless. I can't tell you anything."

"And you don't need to worry; you've definitely passed the first trial."

"But you'll have to wait."

"Wait for what?"

The old man glared at Chen Qiu again, "Wait for the qualified person to tell you that you've passed the trial. Then, he'll cross the Forbidden Sea to announce your success and take you back. But with his frail body, I doubt he can make it across the sea."

"The last time he came to see me was thirty years ago."

"Thanks to you, I'll be able to see that old man one last time before I die."

Chen Qiu and the old man chatted on the beach for an hour.

The old man was quite talkative and enjoyed conversing, but he held back many times, wanting to boast about his past but stopping himself. So, Chen Qiu could only hear his sighs without hearing any stories.

Midway through, Chen Qiu asked a few questions about their location.

"Is the Forbidden Sea and Formation Continent in a Little World, somewhere in Great Xia, or outside of it?"

The old man shook his head and still didn't answer. He just sighed.

"Sigh, back in the day, I was a hot-headed youth like you."

The old man sat on the beach, his face filled with emotion as he gazed into the depths of the Forbidden Sea, "I was a genius in my youth, with strong natural talent in the Formation Dao. But I didn't like Formation Cultivation; I preferred Divination Cultivation."

"However, my stubborn old master insisted that I cultivate the Formation Dao and even goaded me, saying I would never pass the Formation Cultivator heritage trial."

"I was young and headstrong, so I passed all the trials and arrived before my master. When I saw his cunning smile, I realized I had been tricked."

"Later..."

"Well, it's been like this ever since."

"Even the oldest master will eventually die one day."

Chen Qiu, sitting beside him, turned the roasted chicken on the grill and asked cautiously, "Hasn't the heritage in the Heritage Realm been unclaimed for a long time?"

Fortunately, Fat Dragon liked to roast meat, and his storage ring was never short of such things.

The old man claimed he didn't like people giving him roasted chicken, but he didn't stop eating, taking a bite of the chicken and a sip of wine, looking quite content.

"Hey."

The old man wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, not caring about his image, and sighed, "You're asking the right questions, but I can't tell you. But I know what you're thinking. You don't need to worry about being trapped here after obtaining the Law Cultivator heritage."

"Moreover, this isn't a trap."

"It's a place that allows you to survive even when your life is almost over. Ordinary people don't have the qualifications to stay here."

"You certainly don't have the qualifications."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end