Borrowed Sword

Chapter 295 : I Have a Sword

Chapter 295: I Have a Sword

With the appearance of Ming Xuanji, the atmosphere at the scene became somewhat off.

Jiang Zhi looked at him with icy eyes. Even on the territory of this Old State Preceptor, he did not conceal his killing intent in the slightest.

What struck Chu Huaixu as even more absurd was this: although Ming Xuanji was now standing midair, putting on quite the imposing posture, exuding the bearing of a dignified State Preceptor—

he just so happened to be hovering directly above the Imperial Capital, right at the boundary line, without stepping even a bit outside the area of the Imperial Capital!

“Earlier, Jiang Zhi said that this old dog carries the Fate of the Nation, and has fused himself into the Imperial Capital Grand Formation. Even a Ninth Realm cultivator cannot harm him in the Imperial Capital.”

This was, in fact, a rather terrifying matter.

Because Ming Xuanji had never refined a Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin, and thus did not possess Origin Power within his body.

And Chu Huaixu already knew that once cultivators grew powerful, whether or not they possessed Origin Power created a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

A Ninth Realm killing an ordinary Eighth Realm was like child’s play.

Although Jiang Zhi had dropped in realm, his strength was still far beyond that of a typical Eighth Realm.

And at this moment, Ming Xuanji was effectively standing just inside the line of a 【Safe Zone】.

He said he had been waiting for a long time, yet Jiang Zhi remained suspended in the air without moving—and this Old State Preceptor had no intention of stepping forward to greet him.

—In short, he simply would not cross the line.

One had to know, this was the territory of his Moon Country!

The Imperial Capital was even more a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers gathered.

Yet even under such circumstances, he did not dare to fly past this line.

“Who knows whether Ming Xuanji is just overly cautious… or whether, in his eyes, Jiang Zhi is simply too insane?”

Chu Huaixu leaned toward the latter.

After all, someone willing to pay a great price to窥探天机, to exhaust his lifespan just to set things right, hardly aligned with being overly cautious.

He felt that this scene revealed only one thing:

“Ming Xuanji believes that if he dares cross the line, Jiang Zhi would absolutely dare to kill him!”

To publicly slay the State Preceptor within the Imperial Capital of Moon Country?

For some reason, Chu Huaixu also felt that this little old man might truly be capable of such a thing.

At this moment, the atmosphere had clearly become tense.

Instead, Cheng Yuyan stepped forward, flying between the two, attempting to smooth things over.

“Old Ming, why did you come personally?” he said with a smile.

After speaking, he made a gesture of invitation toward Jiang Zhi.

“Senior Jiang, please.”

“You probably haven’t been to the Imperial Capital of Moon Country for a long time. How about I show you around?” he asked.

Jiang Zhi looked at Ming Xuanji and said, “It has indeed been a long time. The last time I came was seven years ago. I even helped your royal family eliminate a prince with ill intentions along the way.”

Bringing up old matters made the atmosphere instantly even more rigid.

Chu Huaixu almost laughed at the side.

This Martial Granduncle of his… really was like this.

Even when given a way out, he simply would not take it!

Not only did he refuse, he even escalated things further.

But this also made Chu Huaixu realize:

“Have I underestimated Jiang Zhi’s strength?”

He was acting a bit too fearless.

This Dao Gate Little Martial Uncle, dressed in spotless white robes, slowly drifted forward, then stopped in front of Ming Xuanji.

“Old blind man.” He stared at Ming Xuanji’s hollow eyes.

“I’ll say this one last time. Don’t set your sights on my Fifth Senior Brother, and don’t set your sights on Chu Huaixu either.”

“I’ve spent all these years nurturing this sword.”

“It can be used to kill them.”

“And it can also be used to cut you down.”

“Impudent!”

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

The two Major Cultivators of Moon Country responsible for identity inspection could not help but shout, rebuking Jiang Zhi.

If they allowed this Dao Gate Little Martial Uncle to continue, it would damage national prestige!

Yet Jiang Zhi did not even turn his head to look at them.

A mere Sixth Realm—laughable.

In the Dao Gate, when he spoke of serious matters, they would not even have the资格 to listen; they would be blocked outside the restriction.

He simply stared at Ming Xuanji. Seeing that the old blind man’s expression did not change in the slightest, he suddenly smiled.

“I almost forgot—you, old blind man, don’t cherish your life.”

“But you should know, once this sword of mine is unleashed, your single life is not enough to stop it.”

Hearing this, Ming Xuanji’s brows furrowed slightly.

After a few breaths, he let out a soft sigh.

“Jiang Zhi, Jiang Zhi… you are still as stubborn and self-willed as ever.”

“The karma upon Zhong Ming is not something you can bear.”

“I have said all I can.”

“Yuyan, since Fellow Daoist Jiang does not wish for me to be present, I’ll trouble you to take them to the Academy,” Ming Xuanji said, turning to Cheng Yuyan.

But before leaving, the old blind man slowly turned his head again.

Those hollow eyes faced toward Chu Huaixu and the others seated on the Giant Hawk.

He first “looked” at Xu Ziqing, his gaze pausing briefly on the massive Sword Case.

Then, he “looked” at Han Shuangjiang.

Finally, his gaze settled on Chu Huaixu.

“You should not have come on this trip. If you leave now, there is still time,” the Old State Preceptor said slowly to Chu Huaixu.

Jiang Zhi turned his head, his gaze settling on his grand-disciple.

Then he saw—

—Chu Huaixu roll his eyes.

I skip through videos when I watch them—do you think I have the patience to listen to your nonsense?

“Are you sick or something?” he muttered inwardly.

Either speak clearly and explain the stakes, or don’t speak at all.

What’s with all this cryptic nonsense?

Ming Xuanji, however, did not mind. With a wave of his old hand, a blood-colored crystal necklace appeared and floated toward Chu Huaixu.

“Within seven days, you may choose any time to use this item to enter the Imperial Pool.”

“When entering the Imperial Pool, you must not wear any clothing—but you must wear this item.”

After speaking, the Old State Preceptor turned into a streak of light and vanished.

He did not even ask Chu Huaixu whether he would choose the Imperial Pool or the Imperial Mausoleum.

This nearly triggered the rebellious streak of the Dead Fox.

“Maybe I should just go to the Imperial Mausoleum instead?”

Chu Huaixu turned to look at Jiang Zhi and Cheng Yuyan. Only after seeing them nod slightly did he store away the blood-colored crystal necklace.

This object was quite strange. It looked as though it had been formed from coagulated blood.

Its shape was irregular.

After holding it, it was not cold like ordinary crystal—instead, it felt somewhat warm.

Niu Yuanshan watched Chu Huaixu’s back. As a member of 【The Organization】, he had truly taken the Old State Preceptor’s words to heart.

“Will Chu Huaixu encounter danger on this trip to Moon Country?” Old Niu wondered.

Members of 【The Organization】 had always believed: if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal.

Yet in his heart, he faintly felt worry—for Huo Dingyi, that traitor.

Niu Yuanshan lowered his head, looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar grand Imperial Capital.

For a moment, his feelings were indescribably complex.

Strangely, Mu Bingjiu did not feel much joy or nostalgia.

Instead, a trace of unease arose within him.

As one of the Four Great Sects of the Eastern Continent, the Dao Gate received VIP treatment. The Academy had already prepared upper rooms for them to reside in.

After bringing them there, Cheng Yuyan took his leave.

Before leaving, the Number One Rogue Cultivator said to Chu Huaixu, “Little Friend Chu, I look forward to your performance in the Grand Competition.”

After the Dao Gate group settled into the Academy, with the competition approaching, everyone was busy cultivating in seclusion under the supervision of their elders. Even those familiar with each other did not interact much.

Late at night, when all was quiet, Chu Huaixu sat on a meditation cushion and slowly closed his eyes.

At present, including what remained before, he had a total of over 1.3 million Experience Points on his Character Panel.

With the competition approaching and his impending entry into the mysterious Imperial Pool, he felt it best to further increase his strength first.

Although Chu Huaixu was generally calm, as a traitor to his country, being in the Imperial Capital still left him somewhat uneasy.

“But these 1.3 million Experience Points don’t need to be used to raise my character level.”

“After all, entering the Imperial Pool is equivalent to soaking in a medicinal bath.”

“During that process, the Experience Points gained will likely be Cultivation Method Experience, not Free Experience—usable only to raise cultivation realm.”

He began to plan.

“There’s no need to upgrade techniques for now either. The other Mystic-rank Techniques don’t offer much benefit even if upgraded.”

Chu Huaixu turned his gaze toward the progress bar of his Sword Heart.