novelraw Chapter 130 - 129: Lifebound Spirit Sword
Chapter 130 - 129: Lifebound Spirit Sword
The next day, Qing Yueqiu slowly opened her eyes.
A hint of confusion first flickered in her crimson eyes. She seemed to be wondering why she had woken up in her master's chambers.
Soon, the memories of last night came rushing back like a tide. Qing Yueqiu's beautiful eyes widened, and she thought, 'This is bad.'
'I actually fell asleep while cultivating!'
'And… why do I feel like my Cultivation hasn't progressed at all? Last night, under the stimulation of Master's Sword Qi on my acupoints, I clearly absorbed a lot of Spiritual Qi!'
As the young woman was feeling lost, the sound of approaching footsteps drew her attention. Qing Yueqiu looked up to see Pei Yuhang walking into the room, holding a set of clean, dry bedding.
"Master…"
"Yueqiu, you're awake. Last night, your body had a strong rejection response to my special training, so you passed out…"
Pei Yuhang told Qing Yueqiu the excuse he had prepared last night. After hearing it, the light in Qing Yueqiu's crimson eyes dimmed.
"So… is my junior sister really the only one suited for your special training?"
"Yueqiu, there's no need to be discouraged. Everyone has their own destiny and fortune."
"But Master, I'm so lost. What exactly do I have to do to cross the threshold into the Nascent Soul Realm? You told me I need to achieve Forgetfulness, but how am I supposed to forget?"
Qing Yueqiu looked up, her ruby-like eyes shimmering with unshed tears, full of grievance.
In a daze, Pei Yuhang seemed to see the little beggar who had pleaded with him on that snowy night, and his conscience, which had just told a lie, twinged.
Unable to restrain himself, he reached out and gently placed his palm on the back of Qing Yueqiu's head, pulling her forehead tightly against his chest.
"Yueqiu… If you can't forget, then don't."
"It doesn't matter if you can't break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. As long as I'm here to stand in front of you, it'll be fine. Who says a disciple has to be successful?"
"…"
Qing Yueqiu didn't reply. Perhaps she didn't agree with her master's words. After all, with so many wicked women around her master, how could she possibly hide behind him? She had to become even stronger than her master, strong enough to shelter him under her own protection.
But right now, she was just so tired.
So, she closed her eyes, breathing in the pleasant scent from her master's body and savoring this long-lost closeness, as if she had returned to a safe harbor for her soul.
…
…
In the blink of an eye, another three days had passed.
Pei Yuhang finally arrived at his destination for this trip: one of the most brutal battlefields of the great war between the Righteous and Demonic Daos decades ago—Tree Sea Dragon Island.
The entire island was a hundred li wide, and the average height of the trees in its giant forest was a hundred zhang. When the wind blew, the whole forest would surge like a green ocean wave, which was the origin of "Tree Sea" in the island's name.
As for the origin of the word "Dragon"—legend had it that this island was formed from the living corpse of a True Dragon.
However, back when the great war between the Righteous and Demonic Daos took place here, even though the Cultivators from both sides fought so brutally that they shattered a third of the island, no True Dragon bones were ever discovered beneath it. It seemed the legend was just a legend, not to be taken seriously.
However, as someone who had personally experienced that great war, looking down upon this verdant island once more, he now had other thoughts.
He clearly remembered that nearly eighty percent of the island had been turned into scorched earth by the relentless bombardment of the Cultivators' Magic.
Now, less than a sixty-year cycle had passed, yet it had become lush and green once more.
The growth speed of the trees on this island was absurdly fast.
Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that someone later used Divine Techniques and Magic Arts to restore the island's ecosystem.
"Master, am I supposed to find the Sword Embryo for my Lifebound Spirit Sword on this island?"
Yu Xiaoyan asked in a clear voice.
"Yes. This island hides countless Divine Weapons from Cultivators. Even a sword belonging to a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator might be hidden in this vast sea of trees. If you can find one and refine it into a Sword Embryo for your Lifebound Spirit Sword, it would absolutely be a great stroke of fortune."
"But Master, the Tree Sea is so huge. Looking for a single sword in there is like finding a needle in a haystack. How am I supposed to search? Don't tell me it's all up to fate; that's too abstract."
Pei Yuhang chuckled. "Cultivation emphasizes destiny, but without human effort and action, it's impossible to seize even the opportunities you are fated to encounter."
With that, Pei Yuhang drew the Silent Sword and pointed it toward the Tree Sea below.
"The stronger a Sword Cultivator's Cultivation is, the stronger their Commanding Power over swords. I will summon all the Broken Swords in this entire Tree Sea. Any sword that even the Silent Sword cannot move is bound to be no ordinary item.
"When the time comes, I will take you to personally inspect those swords that couldn't be summoned. You will rely on your intuition to choose one among them to be the Sword Embryo for your Lifebound Spirit Sword."
"Is that how Grandmaster helped you pick your sword back then, Master?"
Qing Yueqiu suddenly asked, her curiosity piqued.
Pei Yuhang nodded.
"When my master took me to choose a sword, we went to an ancient battlefield from the end of the Divine Desolate Era.
"Ten thousand years ago, there was a race called the Asura Race. Their population was small, but they had long lifespans and powerful bloodlines. Every member of the Asura Race could reach the power of a Demigod upon adulthood. During the great war of the Ten Thousand Races to overthrow the rule of the Innate Divine Spirits, the Asura Race's contribution was no less than that of the Human Race. In fact, on the main front against the Innate Divine Spirits, the Asura Race was the primary force.
"But because of this, after the rule of the Innate Divine Spirits ended, the Asura Race grew arrogant from their achievements and became dissatisfied with the Human Race occupying a greater share of the Celestial Dao's fortune. So, they launched a war against the Human Race… until the end of the Divine Desolate Era, when the Asura Race was utterly defeated and completely wiped out by the Human Race.
"The Sword Embryo that became the Silent Sword came from the ruins of the Asura Race's royal court… I originally thought that a sword with such an extraordinary origin, one that hadn't completely decayed over a vast stretch of time, would give birth to a powerful Innate Sword Spirit.
"Unfortunately, even when I was about to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm, the Silent Sword showed no signs of life. Left with no choice, I took pity on a fox and let it move in. Looking back now, I really regret it. I should have waited another ten years."
BZZZT—
Agitated Sword Qi emanated from the Silent Sword, expressing the dissatisfaction of the Sword Spirit within.
[Pei Yuhang, are you looking for a fight?! To think you're looking down on me again!]
Seeing that the Sword Spirit Bai Jingjing was about to start a fight with her master, Qing Yueqiu instantly regretted bringing up the topic. She quickly tried to soothe Bai Jingjing and calm her down.
Bai Jingjing snorted coldly and said to Pei Yuhang, "If it weren't for your disciples' sake today, I would never let you off!"
Pei Yuhang silently held out his palm, and Yang Fire condensed in it.
"If you don't want to get beaten until you're 'leaking' all over the blade in front of Qing Yueqiu, you'd better shrink back into the sword right now."
Bai Jingjing was furious, but also terrified that Pei Yuhang would actually make her reveal such an unsightly side in front of her one and only little fangirl (as she saw it), Qing Yueqiu. In the end, she could only curse him under her breath and dejectedly retreat back into the Silent Sword.