57: Chapter 57 Cui Ping's Legacy: Sword Nurturing Technique

Shen Xingchen stood right there at the summit of Wang Mountain, at the peak of the Divine Dao Heavenly Ladder.

It was as if a beam of light was shining directly upon him.

On the Divine Dao Heavenly Ladder, which was vast enough to hold tens of thousands of people, it seemed as though he was the only one present, bathed in countless envious and awe-struck gazes.

...

In the proctoring room.

All the teachers, directors, and staff members were just like the students on Wang Mountain.

They fell into a momentary silence.

It was not that they had never seen S-rank individuals before.

But they had truly never seen someone like Shen Xingchen, who dominated with an invincible presence, reached the summit with sheer force, and broke records as easily as taking a stroll in a courtyard.

The previous S-rank candidate didn't reach the top like this either!

Having taught for so many years,

they had long known that a person's combat power did not depend solely on the tier of their Talent Divine Ability.

If an A-rank genius possessed exceptional comprehension, it was possible for them to defeat an S-rank.

But now,

that Student Shen was crushing everyone with such ease.

Just how extraordinary must his combat awareness, comprehension, and willpower be?

Principal Chen Lingjun looked extremely excited, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

Their academy... had raised a top scholar!

Secretary Su Rou stared at Shen Xingchen on the screen, a brilliant sparkle in her beautiful eyes, no one knowing what was on her mind.

Director Li Tianshuo finally broke into a bright smile, looking thoroughly delighted.

“It seems Director Li's eye for talent is far superior.”

Someone took the lead in complimenting him.

Others were unwilling to be outdone.

“Indeed, Student Shen truly lives up to your high expectations.”

“Director Li didn't say a word earlier and just watched the exam field. He must have recognized Student Shen's extraordinary nature long ago.”

“That's right! Director Li is a Tier-7 martial artist, how could he be as shallow as us?”

“...”

They took turns showering him with flattery, making it seem as if the protagonist of this exam wasn't Shen Xingchen, but Director Li Tianshuo instead.

Director Li Tianshuo had heard plenty of flattery and was getting a bit tired of it.

He interrupted, “The students this year are all quite good. Of course, Little Shen is indeed the most outstanding. My judgment didn't fail me.”

Director Li Tianshuo was genuinely happy.

He was the earliest to place his bet on Shen Xingchen, and he had even helped the boy's father.

Given the boy's character, he certainly wouldn't disappoint him.

At that moment,

someone exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? How did Shen Xingchen disappear?”

Everyone turned their gazes over.

...

On the ninety-ninth floor of the Divine Dao Heavenly Ladder,

Shen Xingchen's figure abruptly vanished.

Without a single trace, without a single ripple.

“Holy crap, what's going on? Where is he?”

Exclamations of confusion broke out among the students on Wang Mountain.

“Yeah, where did my huge handsome husband run off to?” A female student had already started calling Shen Xingchen her husband.

“Could it be a legacy?”

“What legacy?”

“Senior Sword Saint Cui Ping's legacy, didn't you know?”

“Bro, tell me more!”

“...”

Bai Chenyue looked at the spot where Shen Xingchen had disappeared, his gaze dark and sullen.

That was supposed to be his legacy!

The ponytail girl had originally returned to normal, but upon seeing Shen Xingchen vanish,

her eyes narrowed slightly.

If it was just an S-rank, it wouldn't mean much to her.

But that guy actually obtained Sword Saint Cui Ping's legacy!

Then that... changed things!

...

When Shen Xingchen opened his eyes again,

he found himself at a broken bridge, surrounded by churning seas of clouds.

Thick cloud layers obscured everything beneath the broken bridge, making it seem as if it stood at the edge of the sky.

“You've arrived?”

A deep, mellow voice sounded.

Shen Xingchen turned his head to look.

Standing there was an old man in white martial arts attire, with a lean face and a gentle expression.

Looking closely, the old man's skin emanated a soft, divine light, making him resemble a divine envoy walking among mortals.

The moment the old man appeared,

Shen Xingchen felt a heavy sense of pressure.

It was not done intentionally by the old man, but simply a natural result of the vast gap in their standing.

“Are you that...?” Shen Xingchen asked.

“Yes, I am Sword Saint Cui Ping.”

The old man spoke calmly,

as if introducing an ordinary person.

His deep eyes looked at Shen Xingchen, as though capable of seeing through his very soul.

“To be more precise, I am a wisp of Sword Saint Cui Ping's remnant soul,” the old man said.

Shen Xingchen was shocked in his heart.

Just how powerful of an expert must one be to leave behind a wisp of a remnant soul that wouldn't dissipate even after hundreds of years?

Moreover, how did the old man in front of him look anything like a remnant soul?

If one met him on the roadside, they would definitely think he was just a normal old man.

The old man walked toward the edge of the broken bridge and said, “Young man, will you chat with this old man for a bit?”

Shen Xingchen voiced his agreement and followed.

“What year is it outside now?” The old man looked into the distance.

“Huaxia Calendar, Year 3849.”

“So I have already been dead for over three hundred years...”

“...” Shen Xingchen remained silent.

“Has that 'Emperor' of the Demon Race awakened?”

Shen Xingchen showed a puzzled expression. “This junior does not know.”

In his understanding, the Demon Race only had seven King-tier beings, and he had never heard of an Emperor-tier.

The old man saw through Shen Xingchen's confusion.

With a wave of his large hand,

a water screen appeared at the edge of the broken bridge, reflecting a world within it.

Shen Xingchen was thoroughly awed by such earth-shattering methods.

“350 years ago, a red meteor crashed into Earth's North Pole...”

As the old man explained,

synchronized images appeared on the water screen.

“That meteor was the origin of the Demon Race, as well as their sole Emperor.”

“The Emperor's awakening corrupted everything around it, creating the Demon Race as it exists today.”

“They pushed southward all the way, occupying the Siberian region in the eastern part of Tsarist Russia...”

Scenes flashed by bit by bit.

Shen Xingchen viewed the entire process as if he were personally present back then.

“So the Demon Race originated from beyond the heavens!”

None of this was in the textbooks.

The image flashed again.

This time, it showed a human town.

There, a human was engaged in a fierce battle with a giant, mountain-sized serpent.

The serpent's body blotted out the sky and sun, while the human was as tiny as a speck of dust.

Yet when that human unleashed his sword qi, he was actually evenly matched against the giant serpent.

A single sweep of his sword changed the color of mountains and overturned rivers!

In the final scene,

sword qi, sword intent, and sword techniques as heavy as mountains converged into a massive longsword, rivaling the giant serpent in power.

As the two forces collided, the image came to an end.

“Was that you?” Shen Xingchen asked, deeply stirred.

Such a scene made his previous actions look like mere playing house in comparison.

The old man did not answer Shen Xingchen, but simply asked, “You came to accept the legacy, didn't you?”

Shen Xingchen nodded. “At the top of Wang Mountain, I passed the trial of the Divine Dao Heavenly Ladder!”

“Wang Mountain?” the old man asked.

Shen Xingchen nodded again. “The very mountain that legend says you transformed into.”

“Even as a King-tier, a human merely mobilizes more of heaven and earth's spiritual energy. How could one transform into a mountain?”

The old man chuckled. “That mountain was likely transformed from the Tuitian Demon Snake, wouldn't you say?”

Shen Xingchen was shocked at first, but then found it logical.

So that was how it was.

“Since you have reached this place, you will naturally receive what you desire.”

The old man casually tapped Shen Xingchen's glabella.

A slender stream of light flowed from the old man's finger into Shen Xingchen.

“My legacy is no martial skill, but a lineage's cultivation method.”

“I call it... Heart Blood Nurturing Heart Sword!”