prynovel Chapter 18 Undercurrents
Chapter 18 Undercurrents
The news of the outer sect disciple's murder circulated within the Qingyun Sect for three days before being overshadowed by another major event—the annual Sword Tomb Trial was about to begin.
The Sword Tomb is the foundation of the Qingyun Sect. Three thousand seven hundred years ago, the founding patriarch attained enlightenment here, cleaving through the void with a single sword strike, leaving behind this valley filled with ancient swords. Every sword in the valley has had its master, and every sword is imbued with the sword intent of generations of great sword cultivators. The density of sword intent and the abundance of sword spirits are unparalleled in the entire Eastern Wilderness. Every year during the trials, inner disciples have the opportunity to enter the Sword Tomb to seek their own sword path opportunities. Some enter empty-handed and emerge with an ancient sword that has recognized its master; some sit in meditation within the Sword Tomb for seven days, achieving sudden enlightenment and breaking through three realms in a single day; others suffer qi deviation within the Sword Tomb, being devoured by the residual sword intent within the ancient swords, their meridians severed.
Opportunities and risks are always two sides of the same coin.
When the list of participants for this year's trials was announced, the training ground was surrounded by three concentric circles of people. Ling Chen's name was prominently listed—it was rare in the history of the Qingyun Sect for a newcomer to participate in the Sword Tomb Trials after only half a month of joining the inner sect.
"I knew it!" Xiao Lie squeezed next to him, pointing to his own name on the list. "Me too. Perfect, let's be teammates for once."
"Trials can be conducted in teams?"
"Sure, but there's no rule that we have to help each other. Once we're in the Sword Tomb, everyone has to rely on their own abilities. Teaming up is more about—" Xiao Lie glanced at the several senior brothers with unfriendly expressions beside him and lowered his voice, "to prevent someone from stabbing you in the back while you're comprehending the ancient sword."
Ling Chen followed his gaze. Several disciples ranked in the top twenty of the inner sect were gathered together, talking in hushed tones. One of them, a young man with a gloomy expression, was speaking when he suddenly glanced at Ling Chen. His gaze was indifferent; he merely glanced at him before looking away.
But that glance made Ling Chen feel an inexplicable unease. It wasn't murderous intent, nor hostility, but rather a feeling of being scrutinized and valued. Like checking the freshness of a piece of meat at the market.
"That man is called Liu Yuan, the third in the inner sect, late stage of the Condensation Realm." Xiao Lie lowered his voice, his tone unusually apprehensive. "He didn't enter the forbidden area last year, not because he wasn't strong enough, but because the elders' council didn't approve it. It's said that it was because he almost crippled a fellow disciple in the Sword Tomb, and Elder Jianxuan personally dragged him out afterwards. Be careful of him, the way he looks at people is different from others."
"How are they different?"
"Normal people judge others by their faces. He judges people by their dantian." Xiao Lie pointed to his own dantian, "like he's looking for a spot to strike."
Ling Chen kept the name in mind without saying anything more.
-
Three days before the trial, Jian Xuan called Ling Chen to the Transmission Hall alone.
This time there were no pleasantries or preambles; we got straight to the point as soon as we entered.
"I have a task for you. It's not mandatory; you can refuse."
For the first time, Ling Chen saw hesitation on Jian Xuan's face. This head of the Transmission Hall, who had remained unfazed even when saying "there are demonic cultivators within the sect," was now carefully considering his words.
"Deep within the Sword Tomb lies a sword called 'Severing Thoughts.' This sword has slumbered within the Sword Tomb for three thousand years, never recognizing a master. Every generation of disciples who enters the Sword Tomb has tried to draw it, but none have succeeded. Some say it is a useless sword, others say it is waiting for a specific master. But there is a record in the sect's ancient texts—the Sword of Severing Thoughts is the personal sword of the sword attendant under the Heavenly Venerable."
Ling Chen remained silent for a long time, then looked up and asked, "Did Elder Jianxuan find the ancient book himself, or did Su Qingyuan tell you about it before she left?"
Jian Xuan didn't answer directly, only saying, "The Sword Servant's legacy is in the Sword Tomb. Others go into the Sword Tomb to find a sword, but you're not just going to find a sword. You need to find the legacy left by the Sword Servant within the seven days of the trial and then bring it out."
"What if we can't bring it out?"
"The Sword Servant's inheritance must be triggered by a specific person. If you fail to trigger it, no one will know you were there. But once it is successfully triggered, the entire Sword Tomb will sense it. At that time, the Sect Master will appear, and your identity—" Jian Xuan looked into his eyes, "will no longer be a secret of an inner disciple. Once exposed, all the pressure from the Demon Lord will fall on you."
Ling Chen went back and thought about it all night. The next morning, he knocked on Jian Xuan's door: "I'll go."
Jian Xuan looked at him for a long time before handing him a small, prepared storage bag: "Time inside the Sword Tomb is different from outside. One day outside might be three days inside. This bag contains seven days' worth of fasting pills and a few emergency pills. Don't practice swordsmanship for the next two days before the trial. Meditate and nourish your spirit to get yourself into the best possible condition."
Ling Chen took the storage bag, thanked him, and stopped at the door.
"Elder Jianxuan, when did you begin to believe that I am the reincarnation of a Celestial Venerable?"
Jian Xuan was silent for a moment: "It's not belief. It's confirmation. On your very first day in the sect, I had someone bring your spiritual root test file to my desk. You were born without any spiritual root, yet you were able to cultivate to the Qi Gathering Realm and even defeat a Qi Gathering Peak cultivator. Either you've used heaven-defying pills to achieve this, or—you possess the Myriad Dao Returning to the Void Diagram within you. Only a Heavenly Venerable can wield this diagram. Since you can wield it, regardless of how much you know, you are a Heavenly Venerable."
When Ling Chen left the Transmission Hall, it was still dark. Morning mist lingered in the valley, and two figures could be vaguely seen sparring on the Sword Stele Square, the wind from their swords parting and then closing in again. He walked through the morning mist, returned to the courtyard, and began his final deep meditation before setting off.
Within his dantian, a vortex of chaotic spiritual energy slowly rotated. The Myriad Paths Returning to Nothingness Diagram floated above it, and the gap in the second seal had more than doubled in size compared to half a month ago. He could feel the vast and boundless power behind the seal slowly awakening—unhurried and unperturbed, yet unstoppable.
"Boy, the Sword Servant's sword isn't so easy to draw," Elder Mo's voice rang out. "I've only seen the Sword of Severing Thoughts once. When you forged it in your previous life ten thousand years ago, there were no inscriptions on its blade. When the Sword Servant asked why, you said—the best sword isn't for killing, but for severing obsessions. Including the Sword Servant's own obsessions."
"What kind of obsession?"
Elder Mo was silent for a moment: "The relationship between her and you in your past life is not something I should recount. When you enter the Sword Tomb and see Duan Nian, it will tell you everything for her."
Ling Chen didn't ask any more questions. He closed his eyes and focused his mind deep into his dantian. The Sword Tomb Trial, the Sword Servant Inheritance, the Severing Thought Sword—the answers to these mysteries would all be revealed within seven days. And those enemies lurking in the shadows would certainly not let this opportunity to fish in troubled waters slip by.
The calm before the storm is the most suffocating.