Volume Two, The Armory Codex Chapter 145: A Discourse on Three Thousand Years

“Master Swordsmith, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am not a grandmaster. I am Liu Xiaoyi, a resident of Sanshan City.”

Though unaware of the other’s background, Liu Xiaoyi quickly bowed, respectfully knocking his head against the elder’s, a comical sight for the two of them.

His father had often taught him to show utmost respect to seniors, regardless of their status. This respect was not only for their age but also for the rich experiences they had endured over the years.

Shangguan Baozi first helped the old man to his feet, then assisted Liu Xiaoyi up as well. She did not understand what was happening but noticed the elder’s figure dimming and quickly asked, “Elder, what is a grandmaster? Since you can even forge the spiritual weapons from the Weapon Spectrum, you must be a grandmaster yourself!”

Lu Ming straightened his stooped back as best he could, turning his face toward them. The forge fire on the swordsmith’s platform still flickered and blazed, yet everything felt unreal.

Whether it was the swordsmith suddenly appearing in the stone chamber, the three swords forged into one, or being bowed to and called a grandmaster—Liu Xiaoyi found it all somewhat absurd.

Upon hearing the question, Lu Ming suddenly realized that, with time passed, these poor juniors no longer understood the meaning of ‘grandmaster.’

“I am no grandmaster. Look at this small hammer; it has accompanied me for hundreds of years without change,” Lu Ming picked up the hammer and set it down again, smiling awkwardly. “The Sword Dao flourished for a thousand years, waned for another thousand, and slumbered for yet another. Seeing a grandmaster’s potential once more stirs old emotions—please forgive me.”

Above the Earth Soul and Heavenly Yang realms, there existed higher, unknown stages. The title of grandmaster was already unfamiliar, and Lu Ming offered no further explanation, his attention still fixed on the newly forged sword.

With trembling hands, Lu Ming caressed the blade’s surface. It was the finest work he had crafted so far. Though the wielder was not yet a grandmaster, he possessed the potential to become one in time.

Liu Xiaoyi did not sheath the sword but watched silently as the swordsmith sighed deeply and lamented over the Green Radiance Sword. Though it combined the yin and yang dual blades, its essence remained unchanged—it was still the Green Radiance Sword.

After a moment, the swordsmith bowed again—this time to the Green Radiance Sword itself—and when he rose, his form had become faint, barely more than a shadow.

Liu Xiaoyi had many questions but could not utter a word, only smiling gently at the elder.

“If you become a grandmaster, please protect our Sword Dao and safeguard our people. I, an old man, thank you in advance,” the swordsmith’s voice lingered in the stone chamber, a subtle sadness weighing upon both their hearts.

Shangguan Baozi could not help but sob softly, feeling a twinge of sorrow. “I’m not trying to cry, just a little sad… Why is this happening?”

Similar scenes unfolded in other stone chambers. Several elders, mistaking the tomb’s owner for a trickster, attacked fiercely—except for Xiahou Ming, who had managed to break through illusions after expending much sword energy. Upon seeing Liu Xiaoyi unharmed, he grew curious.

“It seems what you encountered is much the same as what I did. This tomb must be the ruins of a sect called the Sword Dao. If we press forward, we might encounter more oddities. It’s still not too late to retreat.”

The wall beyond the Sword Testing Hall was likely the mountain gate of the Sword Dao. Once crossed, turning back would be exceedingly difficult.

Holding his head in pain, Elder Huawu sighed, “I won’t go any further. Let’s part ways here and talk again another day.”

His appearance invited ridicule if he continued, so Huashao Qing had no choice but to bid farewell to Liu Xiaoyi with a respectful bow.

Throughout the journey, Ye Gudeng said little but struck the ground with his ancient pine sword. The weapon resembled a heavy wooden cane, denting the floor with each blow, clearly having suffered defeat in the stone chambers as well.

Not even entering the mountain gate but already retreating—such cowardice disgusted Leigong Town. Tightening his belt, he stepped to the front.

“Watch me break this wall and confront these restless spirits!”

Leigong Town raised his black stone sword and smashed the wall at the end with a thunderous crash. Amid the flying rubble, a dazzling sword light burst forth, engulfing the nearest Earth-Shaking Swordman before he could react.

Xiahou Ming was quick to shield Liu Xiaoyi with his left hand, his Clear Wind Sword slashing repeatedly to fend off the rain of sword light.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“The heavens are indifferent, treating all creatures as straw dogs. We, the late generation of the Great Dao, take the sword as our refuge and purpose. The skilled devote their lives to swordsmanship; the spirited share the same root as the sword; the divine unite with the sword spirit. Sword wielders must remember: all living beings under heaven are under our protection, with steadfast hearts and unwavering will until death.”

A resonant voice echoed like a great bell, penetrating the stone chamber as the debris fell. Poor Leigong Town, before he could comprehend what had happened, turned to ash. His black stone sword shattered into four fragments, lying alone on the ground.

Two other juniors also spilled their blood, pierced by sword light, collapsing without rising.

Zhu Changqing charged forward, bamboo sword raised against the onslaught.

“Where do these monsters come from to harm my juniors? Die!”

Once the light before him faded, Zhu’s bamboo sword was blocked by an iron sword wielded not by a living person but by a stone statue.

The stone statue wielded the iron sword with agile limbs, engaging Zhu in fierce combat. The chilling truth was that thousands of such stone figures sat on stone cushions within the circular debate arena, listening to the speaker atop the dais.

The breached wall was at the far edge of this arena. The stone statue fighting Zhu was seated at the very end.

“Who are you? How dare you trespass the Sword Dao! Die!”

Hearing the statue speak, Xiahou Ming shuddered and hastily intervened, separating the two.

“It’s a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!”

At that moment, the speaker atop the dais opened his previously closed eyes and cast his gaze upon them. Xiahou Ming’s hair stood on end, a chill running through him.

A Heavenly Yang realm! Even higher!

His heart pounded wildly, fearing this figure could end his life effortlessly. Though he had encountered Heavenly Yang realm masters before, none compared to this speaker.

“We are swordsmen from the vast wilderness, passing through this place by chance. We meant no disrespect and seek only a way out,” Xiahou Ming explained, attempting to retreat but found the Sword Testing Hall had vanished into the night, replaced by a solid stone wall behind them.

No way to escape! Even the carefree Clear Wind Swordmen felt sweat bead on their brows. After decades, they had fallen into a true predicament.

This was a tomb—how could there be talking stone statues?

The speaker smiled calmly upon hearing their words.

“Li Yi, Li Shan, set out some cushions for the guests. Clear a path; let them come forward.”

To everyone’s surprise, the speaker showed no anger. His eyes shone with wisdom. When he looked at Liu Xiaoyi, he exclaimed softly, retrieving a book from his robe and searching carefully.

“That’s it, that’s it. When the Sword Dao faces calamity, a young hero will appear—that must be you.”

Liu Xiaoyi was puzzled, but Xiahou Ming gestured insistently, so he braved the question.

“Elder, we are scattered cultivators from a remote land, unfamiliar with the Sword Dao. We apologize for our rash intrusion.”

The speaker’s smile deepened, his tone gentle.

“The Sword Dao has endured three thousand years, though some decline remains, still enough to intimidate the faint-hearted. But it fades with each passing day. Your cultivation may be poor, but your understanding of the sword is pure—truly astonishing.”

The group’s faces grew bitter. Zhu Changqing shrank his neck, unwilling to meet the speaker’s gaze. The stone statue he fought was the weakest of the thousands. As they moved along the path they cleared, the sword intent grew stronger nearer the speaker.

“You met Lu Ming, didn’t you?” the speaker suddenly asked. “Only his hands could forge a sword rivaling a grandmaster’s…”

Before he finished, Liu Xiaoyi obediently presented the brand-new Green Radiance Sword.

The speaker’s face paled in shock as he carefully examined it.

“Not rivaling—but a grandmaster’s sword. Has the Sword Dao suffered great disaster? Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

The book fluttered open to its last page, stating that two thousand years after the Sword Dao’s closure due to calamity, a grandmaster would come to reopen the mountain gate.

“Friends, what year is it now according to the founder’s calendar?”

“One hundred and three thousand five hundred and twenty-eight years.”

The last date in the book matched this, exactly two thousand years after the closure. The speaker’s expression darkened. Through the blade’s reflection, he saw his own graying face.

Returning the sword to Liu Xiaoyi, he clasped the book and wept aloud. His cries moved the surrounding stone statues, which also shed tears.

“Once thriving, our Sword Dao has come to this! I regret ignoring counsel and shutting the mountain gate! Alas! Now, who will protect our people?”

His words shook the entire tomb. Stones rained from above, while Liu Xiaoyi and the others heard insects buzzing around their ears. The sheer force of his speech left them dizzy.

“All disciples, heed the order! Gather my sword intent, grasp the sword in his hand, and reopen the mountain gate!”

The speaker formed a sword-shaped hand seal, unleashing unparalleled sword intent that burst through his crown chakra into the air. Thousands of stone statues imitated him, radiating brilliant light from their crown chakras.

Liu Xiaoyi looked up to see a massive rectangular lock pattern, over a hundred feet long, spanning the tomb’s ceiling and sealing the entire mausoleum.