Volume Two, Weapon Codex Chapter 143: The Sword-Testing Stone of Western Hill

Originally, there was no such place as Xiling. It was a geographic name, yet not quite a geographic name. In the flat expanse southwest of Earthmound City, where several large-scale wars had been fought since ancient times, countless nameless corpses were buried.

These mass graves had arrogantly occupied the land for generations. Over time, later generations established the Xiling Cemetery here. A tomb-keeper had accidentally discovered that at the edge of the cemetery, beside a drainage ditch beneath an ancient locust tree, the dilapidated and long-neglected ditch had collapsed to reveal a bottomless abyss of an entrance.

After inviting several knowledgeable geomancers from the vicinity to inspect the site, they surprisingly found an extraordinary grand tomb buried beneath. On the very day excavation began, dark clouds gathered ominously and sword Qi pierced the heavens. Rumor had it that this sword Qi injured more than a dozen workers participating in the dig.

Taking this as an opportunity, renowned swordsmen from the Great Desolation gathered together, hoping to breach the tomb and reap some benefits.

There were no formal swordsmen sects in the Great Desolation; those who assembled were entirely rogue cultivators. Colossi like the Langya Sword Mountain were utterly nonexistent in a Great Desolation ravaged by the flames of war.

The lack of unity among the people of the Great Desolation was a lingering problem of a millennium. Each faction guarded its own territory with private armies, major sects hoarded treasures and occupied blessed lands, and friction and conflicts were constant. Disciples frequently lost their lives to these feuds.

Xiahou Ming, the Breeze Swordsman, had originally hoped to use this opportunity to unite the swordsmen of the Great Desolation into a single rope, preparing to wage a decisive war against Hangu Pass. Yet, as matters stood, even he could barely protect himself. The enemies he had offended over the years were all present today, not a single one missing.

A sharp-faced, skinny tall man, carrying a slender bamboo sword identical to his own, stood arms crossed by Xiahou Ming’s side, muttering despondently into his ear, "Old Xia, only the two of us brothers came today, but there are three on the opposing side. Do we stand a chance?"

There were nine people present in total, and none of them were weaker than Xiahou Ming. The Great Desolation was divided into northern and southern factions, their sword techniques distinguished by the north's sharpness and agility versus the south's overwhelming force. The Breeze Swordsman belonged to the northern school, emphasizing fluid elegance.

The three opponents, either seated or standing, were all southern-school swordsmen who relied on brute strength. The four juniors they brought along were carefully selected rising stars.

Xiahou Ming looked up, seeing that it was still early, and sat down cross-legged, speaking unhurriedly, "Why are your juniors trying to probe again? If it could be opened, it should have been opened seven days ago."

Before the entrance of the Swordsman Tomb stood a pitch-black sword-testing stone, covered in sword scars of varying depths left presumably a millennium ago. No residual sword Qi lingered within those scars.

The skinny tall man slapped his thigh and instructed his junior, "You go think of something and strike a couple of swords!"

"No matter how I strike the sword-testing stone, it doesn't budge, and it's quite springy." The junior wore a look of utter distress. His vital energy had yet to recover, and over these past few days, virtually all his true Qi had been contributed to the sword-testing stone.

No matter how they slashed, the sword-testing stone stood immovable. The five grand swordsmen had launched joint assaults many times, yet they could only cause the stone to shudder without ever shifting its position.

Could it be that the swordsmen of a millennium ago possessed heaven-defying skills? Even a tiny sword-testing stone could not be shaken by peak Earth Realm martial artists?

Hua Shaoqing sat opposite them, an iron sword resting across his knees. He had accompanied the elders of the Three Flowers Valley, and the short-tempered elder had already chased away several successive batches of curious onlookers lingering in the vicinity.

Suddenly, the old man’s eyebrows twitched. With a slap to the scabbard at his waist, the Plum Blossom Great Sword flew out from half the scabbard and swept horizontally across the dense forest behind him.

The great sword severed five maple trees at the waist before being blocked by another heavy sword. With a clang, the Plum Blossom Great Sword rebounded into his palm. The Three Flowers Valley elder glared fiercely and roared, "Who goes there? State your name!"

"I told you to hold your breath, but you just wouldn't listen!" From behind the broken tree stumps, a tall man and a thin man jumped out one after the other. Recognizing them as acquaintances, Hua Shaoqing hurriedly blocked his elder, saying, "They are acquaintances of mine, Cai Wu and Ma Shan."

Ten days had passed since their parting at Wangtianting. That blue-eyed Heaven-Swallowing Python had completely overturned the spiritual lake. In his panic, Cai Wu had jammed his heavy sword into the crevices of the rock by the lake, barely escaping with his life. Once the dust settled and he sought to recover, he could only dig Ma Shan out from beneath a pile of dirt.

After conferring, the two decided to try their luck in Xiling. Liu Xiaoyi would surely come if he received the invitation; even if he failed to arrive, they might still glean useful information from Hua Shaoqing.

Cai Wu had just clashed with the Plum Blossom Great Sword, and his blood was still surging violently, making his speech disjointed. "B-Brother Hua, trust you have been well? Have you seen my Boss Liu?"

Hua Shaoqing felt a secret wave of astonishment. Though this reckless fellow lacked high cultivation, being able to extricate himself from such a perilous scene meant he possessed some survival tricks of his own. Liu Xiaoyi truly had quite a few extraordinary people around him.

He concealed his thoughts, maintaining a normal expression as he replied, "I have also been searching for Brother Liu's whereabouts these past few days. That Heaven-Swallowing Python was truly terrifying; given his cultivation, I fear he is in more danger than danger allows."

Among the five grand swordsmen present, only Xiahou Ming had brought no entourage. Presumably, that spot had been reserved for Liu Xiaoyi. As the ten-day deadline passed and Liu Xiaoyi failed to show, Hua Shaoqing felt a twinge of gloom.

How many brilliantly talented young heroes perished midway before they could ever grow up?

Hua Wu, the elder of the Three Flowers Valley, spoke in a muffled voice, "Old Swordsman Xiahou, looking at the time, it's almost right. The formation is currently short of one person. What do you suggest we do?"

The sword formation they employed needed to be executed when the metal Qi of the Five Elements was at its densest. The formation required ten people, but currently, there were only nine. Even if activated, its power would be greatly diminished.

Xiahou Ming felt somewhat depressed. Before coming, he had heard about the incident at Wangtianting, where that blue-eyed Heaven-Swallowing Python had fought a mysterious puppet, flattening half of Earthmound City.

Zhu Changqing, the skinny tall man who had accompanied Xiahou Ming, spoke briskly, "Isn't there a reckless fellow over there? He looks like a passable swordsman. Why not let him fill a corner?"

Pointing at Cai Wu, the latter was ignorantly assigned to the edge of the sword formation, driving his door-sized great sword into the soil.

Ten swordsmen occupied ten corners. The inner five-pointed star array consisted of the five grand swordsmen, while the outer ring included Hua Shaoqing, Cai Wu, and others. All of them plunged their long swords into the earth. The entire sword formation was controlled by Xiahou Ming. The breeze sword emitted unprecedentedly surging sword Qi. As Xiahou Ming gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, a fissure cracked open beneath his feet.

The breeze sword felt as though it were being pulled out of thick mud. Veins bulged on Xiahou Ming’s forehead as he seemed to strain immensely. The sword Qi of the ten individuals converged into one, and Xiahou Ming let out a roar, "Open!"

The sword-testing stone finally showed a change, its color dimming slightly. Before it could recover, a second strike fell immediately. Xiahou Ming slashed ten times in succession, and the sword-testing stone transformed from pitch-black to ash-gray.

"Still no good. Its absorption limit is too high; we can't do it."

The sword formation drained the true Qi of all ten individuals dry. With no sword Qi landing on the sword-testing stone, its color gradually restored itself shortly after, leaving Xiahou Ming crestfallen.

At that moment, two figures emerged from the winding mountain path. Seeing them, Xiahou Ming rejoiced, "Little friend! You've finally come!"

On second thought, everyone's true Qi was exhausted. Having missed today's opportunity, the next time they sought a time of abundant metal Qi would be half a month away at the earliest.

Hua Wu felt rather irritated, muttering inwardly, "This junior has no sense of time at all. Failing to crack the sword-testing stone, how much of our time has he wasted!"

In truth, Liu Xiaoyi had already arrived at the scene when the sword formation was taking shape, watching everything clearly from the side. The color change of the sword-testing stone was not dependent on the sheer power of the sword Qi; with every strike, the speed of the color change was uniform.

This left him feeling puzzled. Could it be that this swordsman had also practiced the 'Zhe' Incantation?

"Senior Xiahou, senior friends, this junior was truly delayed on the road by the Shangguan family's pursuit, which is why I've arrived somewhat late," Liu Xiaoyi offered an explanation, lest the gazes of these grand swordsmen consume him alive. He then turned back to Xiahou Ming and said, "Senior Xiahou, please watch me crack this sword-testing stone to make amends for my fault."

Knowing that Liu Xiaoyi was wanted by the Shangguan family, Hua Wu had initially held him in slightly higher regard, but upon hearing such boastful words, he said in a deep voice, "You've seen it yourself. The sword formation we formed couldn't crack it. Is it something you can break just because you say so?"

Liu Xiaoyi drew the Green Radiance Sword. During its period of nourishment within the scabbard, the blade had grown increasingly verdant, instantly making the eyes of the five grand swordsmen light up at the sight of it alone.

Xiahou Ming couldn't help sighing, "Not seen for a few days, the little friend's abilities have grown once more. Extraordinary!"

"I'm afraid it's all show and no substance—standing too high might just break your waist in the wind!" a southern-school grand swordsman sneered.

As Liu Xiaoyi gripped the hilt, his ears were filled solely with the ringing of the sword, shutting out all other sounds. He poured himself entirely into the blade without a single distraction, swinging and striking the sword-testing stone with a plain, unadorned motion just as he had swung his sword for the very first time ten years ago. Not even a shred of sword Qi spilled over.

The color of the sword-testing stone shifted slightly. Immediately after, Liu Xiaoyi raised his sword and brought it down again, and the stone's color grew a shade paler.

The maple forest behind him rustled in the breeze as time ticked by. The expressions of the onlookers shifted along with the setting sun. Liu Xiaoyi resembled an aged swordsmith, slowly grinding away at the sword-testing stone.

At this moment, Liu Xiaoyi was completely immersed in the rise and fall of the Green Radiance Sword. The longsword contained profound sword intent, its restrained sword Qi carefully controlled, leaving a faint mark upon the surface of the stone with every strike.

Having initially mastered the 'Zhe' Incantation, Liu Xiaoyi was astonished to find that his control over his body had reached an unprecedented degree of precision. Every muscle and bone could be accurately mobilized by a single thought. The boundless endurance represented by the 'Zhe' Incantation was unleashed right at this moment, applied directly to the sword-testing stone.

Unable to decipher the intricacies, Cai Wu anxiously asked Ma Shan beside him, "Old Ma, do you think Boss Liu's feather-light tapping is going to be of any use? It's been a full hour and the entrance still hasn't opened."

Possessing sharp eyes, Ma Shan could clearly perceive the changes in the sword-testing stone. Though he didn't know how to wield a sword, it didn't prevent him from seeing the truth. He explained, "Calling you a reckless brute is spot on. The color of that sword-testing stone is already nearly identical to when the sword formation ended. If he keeps persisting, it will definitely open."

Just watching from the sidelines made the crowd feel somewhat fatigued. They had no idea how many times the Green Radiance Sword had struck, knowing only that when the sunset glow painted half the sky, the young hero brandished his longsword and cleaved the massive white boulder cleanly in two!