During this period, what exactly happened to make him so desperate that he even lost the courage to keep living?
While thinking about this, Meng Ying’s voice suddenly rang out: “When did this sword appear?”
Everyone turned their gaze forward.
At the very top of the Sword Mound, a long sword was embedded. Perhaps everyone’s attention had been on the surrounding cave walls and Zheng Qing earlier, or maybe the sword looked different before and now, causing it to go unnoticed. Regardless, this sword’s sudden appearance immediately captured everyone’s attention.
It was a very dazzling long sword.
The blade was a beautiful silver-white. Most long swords used by cultivators had sharp, cold sword qi, but this sword’s entire body gleamed with a gentle light. It was like a pearl encased in a clam shell, subtle and enchanting. It had no scabbard; only a small frost flower was carved on the hilt, probably made of white crystal, exquisitely crafted and lifelike.
On top of the Sword Mound, this sword was slanted, with the other swords lying beneath it. It stood there nonchalantly, like a willful little girl, innocent and carefree.
It truly fit the word ‘Wuyou’
1.
Almost immediately, Zanxing thought that this sword must be the Wuyou Sword forged by the swordsmith Chai Sang.
She was not the only one who thought so. Meng Ying gently spoke, “This is the Wuyou Sword.”
“How do you know?” Mu Cengxiao glanced at her.
Meng Ying tightened her grip on her Moon Soul sword: “I am a sword cultivator, so I can sense it. This sword… is a top-grade spiritual weapon.”
Among the group, Zanxing used a staff, Gu Baiying used a spear, Tian Fangfang had Qianyang Axe, Mu Cengxiao wielded the God-Slaying Blade
Blade from now on">2, and Men Dong had no spiritual weapon, only Meng Ying used a sword. Sword cultivators had the most acute sense of their weapons, so they could naturally sense it immediately.
“It seems that the disciples of the Huanyang Sect didn’t draw this sword, so the Wuyou Sword hasn’t acknowledged them as its master, which is why it remains here,” Tian Fangfang said with surprise, “I was saying, it’s too cheap to just take away a top-grade spiritual weapon.”
“Should we try to draw this sword now?” Men Dong asked cautiously.
Mimi made a soft call and anxiously flicked its tail.
“It’s best not to,” Gu Baiying said, frowning at the silver long sword, “I have a feeling that something is off with this sword.”
However, Meng Ying, who usually did not speak much, surprisingly contradicted this time. She said, “Martial Uncle, I want to take this sword.”
“Don’t you already have a top-grade spiritual weapon?” Mu Cengxiao looked at her in surprise, “You already have a life-bound spiritual weapon. Even if you draw this sword, you cannot make it your life-bound weapon.”
A cultivator can only have one life-bound spiritual weapon. Gu Baiying’s life-bound weapon was the Xiu Gu Spear, Meng Ying’s was the Moon Soul Sword; neither could have a second life-bound weapon.
“I know, but the Moon Soul Sword does not have a sword spirit. If what Zheng Qing wrote is true, the Wuyou Sword has a sword spirit. Even if it can’t be my life-bound weapon, I still want this sword,” Meng Ying turned to Gu Baiying and insisted, “Martial Uncle, let me give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I will let go immediately.”
A sword with a sword spirit is akin to having its own intelligence and will choose a suitable master. If Meng Ying did not gain the Wuyou Sword’s acknowledgment, she wouldn’t be able to draw it out. On the other hand, if the Wuyou Sword agreed to recognize Meng Ying as its master, she would be able to pull it out effortlessly.
It seemed that Zheng Qing and his fellow disciples did not gain the sword spirit’s acknowledgment.
“Martial Uncle, let me try,” Meng Ying insisted once again.
“Martial Uncle, just let her give it a try,” Mu Cengxiao hesitated for a moment and then spoke up for Meng Ying, “When it comes to taming a sword spirit, it’s just a matter of success or failure, and there’s no known danger involved. Since Senior Sister is a sword cultivator, she naturally wouldn’t want to miss out on this divine sword. On the entire Duzhou Continent, such divine swords are few and far between. If she misses this chance, she might regret it for the rest of her life.”
Meng Ying glanced at Mu Cengxiao but said nothing.
“Let Senior Sister Meng try,” Tian Fangfang chimed in, “Opportunities in cultivation are rare. It may seem like just a sword, but who knows what kind of fortune might be missed? Drawing the sword is unlikely to cause harm, right?”
Zanxing watched as they continued to persuade, and finding it hard to object, remained silent along with Mimi. There was some truth to their reasoning; sometimes, missing an opportunity could alter future prospects significantly, and it could have a lifelong impact.
Meng Ying rarely made requests and was being groomed as a future leader among the younger generation of the Taiyan Sect. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Baiying nodded and added, “If anything seems wrong, let go immediately.”
Meng Ying’s eyes brightened with a hint of joy as she said, “Thank you, Martial Uncle!” She then turned and walked toward the Sword Mound.
Gu Baiying held a lighting talisman aloft, and the bright light filled the entire cave, making the Sword Mound appear even more imposing.
Meng Ying tightened her grip on the Moon Soul Sword, lightly touched her toes, and flew toward the Sword Mound.
Zanxing involuntarily swallowed.
The Xiao Yuan Pearl had calmed down after its earlier agitation, but for some reason, Zanxing’s unease did not dissipate. She stared intently at Meng Ying’s actions, afraid that something might go wrong.
Meng Ying had already reached the top of the Sword Mound, just a step away from the Wuyou Sword.
The beauty in white, with her hem slightly fluttering as she moved, appeared like a goddess under the lamplight. The silver-white long sword before her, gentle and elegant, seemed to be tailor-made for her.
Without hesitation, Meng Ying reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword.
Zanxing was so tense that she almost stopped breathing.
There was no anomaly; under the illumination of the lighting talisman, everything remained calm. Meng Ying took a deep breath, circulated her qi, and slowly lifted the long sword.
One inch, two inches, three inches.
The long sword was slowly drawn from the Sword Mound, like a buried treasure gradually seeing the light of day again. In that instant, its brilliance was dazzling.
“The Wuyou Sword… has been drawn.”
It had acknowledged Meng Ying as its master.
Zanxing’s heart finally settled, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Just moments ago, she had been so tense she could barely breathe, but now, seeing Meng Ying safely draw the divine sword, she felt greatly comforted, thinking she had been worrying over nothing. Indeed, she had never heard of any danger from drawing a sword.
She was so focused on watching Meng Ying that she didn’t notice Mimi wandering around her feet. Accidentally stepping on Mimi’s tail, she nearly stumbled, but managed to catch herself on the cave wall to avoid falling. As she steadied herself against the wall, her fingers brushed over some uneven spots. Unlike the marks left by spiritual weapons, these seemed to be writing.
Zanxing paused, leaned in closer, and saw a crooked line of words carved in an unnoticed corner of the cave wall:
Wuyou means carefree or worry-free
I had used sword instead of blade till now, which is a mistake on my part. I shall use God-Slaying Blade from now on