Ningyuan Sword

At the same time.

Liyuan Holy Land.

In the underground Sword Pool, walls were carved into caves and metal was cut into platforms. Countless shimmering Flying Swords patrolled and drifted within the cavern, vaguely forming a strict sword net.

Outside the cave, Qin Lingxue nodded slightly to the young man beside her and instructed in an indifferent tone:

"Qi Yuan, the Sword Pool of our Liyuan Holy Land is just ahead."

"After you enter, the protective talisman on your body can only last for half an hour. In other words, you only have half an hour to choose a Flying Sword."

"If you haven't come out by then, you will be attacked by the Flying Swords in the Sword Pool. With your current cultivation, the probability of survival is slim to none."

"Okay."

The youth nodded, then impatiently strode into the dark and cold Sword Pool.

As soon as he entered, a vast and majestic metallic baleful Qi rushed toward him. Even with the talisman protecting his body, he still felt a stinging pain on his skin, as if countless sharp blades were constantly cutting his muscles and bones.

Facing the terrifying Sword Intent that felt almost tangible, the young man did not even flinch. He followed the faint guidance in his heart and walked straight toward the deepest part of the Sword Pool.

Soon, a green longsword stuck diagonally into the ground appeared before his eyes.

The sword's blade was slender and made of an unknown material; its surface was dull and lacked any complex or fancy inscriptions. It looked completely unexceptional and plain, even worse than a common sword freshly forged in a blacksmith shop.

But when the young man saw this sword, he couldn't help but show a look of wild joy, even trembling all over with excitement.

"Old friend, I've finally found you!"

After taking a deep breath, he stepped forward with an excited expression, grabbed the hilt of the longsword, and whispered in his heart:

"Ningyuan."

Buzz!

In an instant, the originally lifeless green longsword suddenly trembled violently and let out a ringing sound, as if it were extremely excited to see a relative it hadn't seen in years.

At the same time, within this vast and lonely Sword Pool space, thousands of Flying Swords suspended in the void seemed to be suppressed by something. They fell to the ground densely like raindrops, making clinking sounds.

Once the sword is drawn, ten thousand swords submit.

Outside the Sword Pool, the mingshuang sword in Qin Lingxue's hand seemed to sense something. It suddenly let out low hums, and finally, it even unsheathed itself, its blade pointing straight toward the Sword Pool, emitting a strong Battle Intent.

Seeing this sudden change, the Disciples guarding outside the Sword Pool were all astonished. They looked toward the entrance of the Sword Pool in confusion.

What's going on?

Qin Lingxue's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her expression became solemn.

The mingshuang sword is a Spirit Treasure-grade Flying Sword. Anything that can cause it to have such a large reaction is definitely extraordinary!

Could it be... that another peerless divine sword has been born?

At this thought, Qin Lingxue quickly performed sword seals to soothe the restless mingshuang sword. Then, she swiftly took out a protective talisman from her storage bracelet, preparing to go inside to investigate.

However, just then, a familiar figure walked out of the Sword Pool in a swaggering manner.

"Qin Lingxue, this is the Flying Sword I chose in the Sword Pool. According to the rules, I should own it now, right?"

With a faint smile on his face, the youth displayed the green longsword in his hand before everyone.

This time, he was willing to risk exposing his identity to come to Liyuan Holy Land to break off the engagement. His true purpose was to gain the qualification to enter the Sword Pool and retrieve his sword from his previous life.

ningyuan sword, a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure. In his past life, he relied on this sword to traverse ten thousand years, slaughtering all living beings, and was revered as the world's number one Loose Cultivator.

Unfortunately, because of one wrong step, he, who was once infinitely glorious, fell during the final Dao Tribulation before breaking through to the Mahayana Realm, leaving behind endless regrets.

Now, having been reborn through a stroke of luck, he must rise again in the shortest possible time, reclaiming his former glory and status, and even... going a step further!

Just as his thoughts were surging, several Holy Land Disciples nearby had already confirmed the level of this sword and couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Isn't this just a common sword?"

"There was such a big commotion in the Sword Pool just now that I thought this kid had picked up some peerless treasure inside. After all that, it turns out to be just a piece of junk!"

...On the other side, Qin Lingxue looked at the extremely mediocre longsword in the youth's hand with a solemn expression and nodded, saying:

"Yes, this sword belongs to you!"

Liyuan Holy Land is known as the Place Where Swords Rise and has a special partiality toward swords. To the Sword Cultivators within Liyuan Holy Land, a sword is by no means a simple tool for killing, but a comrade and a partner.

Throughout the Holy Land, whether they be Elders or Disciples, every time they go out to travel, they would deliberately collect all kinds of masterless swords and place them in the Sword Pool to be nurtured.

When the Sword Pool was first established, Liyuan Holy Land had announced to the entire Cultivation World, promising that the swords stored in the Sword Pool were not their private property, but belonged to all sword lovers in the world.

Anyone with destiny could enter the Sword Pool to choose a handy Flying Sword. As long as they could gain the Flying Sword's recognition as master, Liyuan Holy Land would never be stingy and withhold it.

Of course, the dignified Liyuan Holy Land was not a place where just anyone could enter. Whether one had "destiny" or not was entirely up to the interpretation of Liyuan Holy Land.

Unless they were certain well-connected people who had received permission, others wouldn't even have the chance to get close to the Sword Pool.

With this rule in place, even if Qin Lingxue could vaguely sense that the longsword Qi Yuan had chosen was not simple, she could not interfere; otherwise, it would only pointlessly tarnish the reputation of Liyuan Holy Land.

Seeing the people of Liyuan Holy Land agree, a trace of success flashed through the youth's eyes, and he said:

"In that case, my transaction with your noble sect is considered complete."

Then, he glanced provocatively at Qin Lingxue and said with a meaningful expression:

"I hope that the next time we meet, you can still maintain this ice-cold appearance."

Having said that, he turned and left triumphantly, completely ignoring the hostile gazes of the Liyuan Holy Land Disciples behind him... Not long after.

In a remote valley outside Yongli City, the young man strolled slowly along the edge of the forest, occasionally browsing the colorful scenery around him as if he were on a pleasant outing.

Suddenly, two Escape lights whistled through the air and stopped in front of the youth in an instant.

Seeing the newcomers, a playful curve appeared at the corner of the young man's mouth, and he said calmly:

"So it's you two. I don't recall leaving anything behind at Liyuan Holy Land. Did you chase me all the way here just to see me off?"

The newcomers were two Outer Sect Disciples of Liyuan Holy Land. Hearing this, the two immediately sneered and said coldly:

"Hmph! Kid, you're right, we are here to see you off. Weren't you very arrogant before? Now, why don't you continue being arrogant for us to see?"

As he spoke, the lead Disciple's face darkened, and he said coldly:

"Junior Brother Wang, no need to waste words with him. While no one is around, let's give this kid a solid beating first. Just remember not to kill him."

"Alright!"

The Disciple beside him grinned. "I've been annoyed by this guy for a long time. He actually dared to insult me. This time, I must make him learn his lesson."

Hearing this, the young man couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment and murmured:

"Liyuan Holy Land truly lives up to its name as a righteous sect. I've already provoked you to your faces, yet you two only think of giving me a beating. With you two being so soft-hearted, I really find it a bit hard to strike..."

"What?"

The two Liyuan Holy Land Disciples were furious upon hearing this. "Still thinking of acting tough at a time like this? Watch us teach you a lesson, you bastard!"

The two let out a loud shout and pounced toward the young man like cannonballs.

They both had Early Stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, so bullying someone at the 8th level of Qi Refining was completely effortless.

Suddenly.

Whoosh!

A blood-colored sword light, swirling with terror and ill-fortune, flashed by. Before the two could understand what had happened, their bodies were evenly split in two and fell to the ground.

Even more bizarrely, until they hit the ground, not a single drop of blood flowed from the corpses of these two Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators; instead, they withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly turning into two sets of skeletal white bones.

At the same time, two thick streams of essence passed through the sword hilt into the young man's body, causing his aura to surge abruptly, instantly reaching the Peak of the 9th level of Qi Refining.

"Whew—"

Feeling the full and thick magic power within his body, the young man slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with bloodlust and greed.

Although this body's Spiritual Root Aptitude was poor to the extreme, its bone structure was extremely special, with potential far exceeding his previous life—it was practically a perfect body tailor-made for the ningyuan sword.

As long as he could kill enough living beings, he would soon be able to return to his Peak!

No!

There's someone else!

At that moment, his face changed drastically, and he retreated desperately regardless of everything.

However, it was all too late.

In the next moment, the young man felt a blur before his eyes as a slender and beautiful palm silently swept through space, pressing lightly against his forehead.

"How can this be?!"

The youth's eyes widened in sheer terror, his expression filled with disbelief.

He realized almost instantly that the other party wanted to search his soul!