At the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain, the gazes of the Dao Gate higher-ups all gathered upon Chu Huaixu.
They were all major cultivators, with powerful divine sense, and could naturally perceive the emotions of the sword spirit.
"Xu Ziqing ascended the mountain, and it was actually so excited？"
"Yet when Chu Huaixu, the so-called Sword Attendant mentioned by Dao Ancestor, ascended the mountain, it was instead so furious, so full of hatred？"
The faces of the cultivation powerhouses were all filled with resentment, finding the situation truly bizarre!
Chu Yinyin secretly sent a voice transmission to the senior brothers and sisters, thinking herself humorous: "Could it be that this Xu Ziqing is actually the Sword Attendant? Hahaha！"
No one responded to this transmission. They were only carefully probing with their divine sense, investigating everything happening upon the mountain.
Only Chu Huaixu’s mood was somewhat complicated.
From the very beginning, it was as though he had taken up Little Xu’s script.
The trajectory of fate seemed to have shifted.But at this very moment, it was as if he was watching the other walk toward a predestined end.
一一That youth still walked toward that Evil Sword.
A sword that every time it was wielded, could demand a heavy price.
"So this is the World Protagonist？"Chu Huaixu thought.
At the peak of Hidden Spirit Mountain, Xu Ziqing had already reached the sword suspended in midair.
The tremors of the entire mountain had ceased by now.
The Bronze Sword no longer appeared so excited.
It merely floated above the youth, gazing upon him with a lofty posture, as if appraising its future servant.
That wisp of evil intent it released had already invaded Xu Ziqing’s Sea of Consciousness without his awareness.
That evil intent bewitched his mind, stirred his emotions.
At the same time, it could sense the youth’s thoughts, peering into his every notion.
Xu Ziqing had never thought he would actually walk all the way to the mountain’s summit.
Even less had he thought that this sword, said to have been left behind by Dao Ancestor, would seem to be calling to him.
Since childhood, he had heard countless tales of it.
He had listened to the versions told by storytellers, and had seen it recorded in books.
Today, Xu Ziqing finally saw it with his own eyes—this sword that all who studied the sword longed for, the number one sword beneath the heavens!
And the very first thought in the youth’s mind was:
"Truly, just as Senior Brother said—it’s a bit ugly."
There was no helping it. The sword had been described as divine beyond compare, so that everyone’s expectations soared sky-high before seeing it.
Of course, Little Xu was an honest child.
Had it not been for Chu Huaixu’s earlier remark, he would surely not have thought it ugly. Instead, he would have believed it to embody simplicity, the great Dao in plainness, supreme skill appearing clumsy....
But since Senior Brother had called it ugly, the youth naturally wished to see—just how ugly it truly was....：
In an instant, Hidden Spirit Mountain once more began to quake.
Every thought of Xu Ziqing’s was spied upon by that wisp of evil intent—thus, the Bronze Sword suspended in the air erupted in anger!
Its power stirred the countless invisible chains, shaking Hidden Spirit Mountain unceasingly, the tremors spreading even to the entire Mountains Beyond Mountains region.
That oppressive spiritual pressure which had once tormented Chu Huaixu now spread forth from the Bronze Sword.
Descending from above, the spiritual pressure enveloped Xu Ziqing.
Suddenly, his legs grew unbearably heavy, almost forcing him to kneel outright!
If not for his incomparably strong body, he would already have collapsed.
Yet this was not the most terrifying thing—the most fatal threat lay within his Sea of Consciousness.
For within Xu Ziqing’s Sea of Consciousness, there was no small black sword.
Moreover, since Xu Ziqing cultivated the path of Body Training, unless he used certain special means to temper his divine sense, the strength of his Sea of Consciousness was weaker than that of ordinary cultivators.
The spiritual pressure bore down upon it, and his consciousness instantly plunged into momentary chaos!
The splitting headache was so severe that even with his astonishing pain threshold, he could barely endure.
Darkness swallowed his eyes as he collapsed forward, rolling on the ground in convulsions.
"It feels like my head... my head is splitting open！"
The youth clutched his head, howling in agony.
At the foot of the mountain, Xiang Yan and the others could no longer bear it.
Just as they prepared to act, that dreadful spiritual pressure was suddenly withdrawn.
The Bronze Sword stood aloof, as if it had only given him a light admonition.
If not for lack of choice, it might well have erased his consciousness outright the moment he dared offend it!
With spiritual pressure alone, it could have instantly shattered his Sea of Consciousness, wiping everything away!
At the mountain’s base, Chu Huaixu’s frown grew deeper.
Once again he recalled the endless humiliation this Evil Sword had brought him when he had ascended the mountain.
Now, seeing it torment Little Xu in such a way, his loathing toward the Bronze Sword deepened further.
"Calm down, calm down."Chu Huaixu took deep breaths.
"It is Little Xu’s cheat, it is Little Xu’s cheat......"he repeated in his heart.
Only after adjusting himself did he look toward the Sect Master and others.
Xiang Yan met Chu Huaixu’s gaze—the young man’s eyes carried a trace of worry.
"He is not gravely harmed, only that his Sea of Consciousness has suffered some damage."
"We will look after him. If this sword shows any further movement, we shall protect him. Rest assured."Xiang Yan replied.
"Thank you, Sect Master, thank you, Elders."Chu Huaixu said at once.
On the great platform atop Hidden Spirit Mountain, Xu Ziqing’s body was still trembling faintly.
He still clutched his head, with a stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness, his awareness not yet fully restored.
Fear sprouted within the youth’s heart and spread without end.
Just moments ago, he had felt the presence of death.
As though the mere will of the other could shatter his Sea of Consciousness, annihilate his soul!
The delicate youth curled upon the ground. As his consciousness gradually recovered, he shook his head vigorously.
Opening his eyes, he first saw double, then slowly regained clear vision.
The stabbing in his head lingered, but was now tolerable, no more than an ordinary headache.
From rolling on the ground, his body was covered in dust.
Xu Ziqing’s thoughts grew clearer.
The magnified Heart Demon and desires in his mind had also eased somewhat from the sudden ordeal.
The reason was simple—he had nearly died, had stared directly into death.
Now only lingering fear remained.
Moreover, that wisp of evil intent which had invaded his Sea of Consciousness had dissipated.
It was weak to begin with, and as the spiritual pressure shocked his Sea of Consciousness, his divine sense naturally resisted, destroying the deeply hidden wisp of evil intent along with it.
At this moment, the Bronze Sword could no longer discern Xu Ziqing’s thoughts.
But it could feel that the youth feared it.
And it was very satisfied with that.
"Was it because I harbored a disrespectful thought toward it just now？"Xu Ziqing wondered.
"So it punished me？"he reasoned thus.
The youth’s mind was indeed simple. Toward Dao Ancestor and the sword he left behind, he carried only reverence.
Unaware it was an Evil Sword, he thought no further.
Little Xu even rose, brushed the dust from himself, and respectfully bowed toward the sword left behind by Dao Ancestor.
"Outer Sect disciple Xu Ziqing, pays respects to Dao Ancestor’s sword."
His sincerity moved even Xiang Yan and the others at the mountain’s base, if only slightly.
Yet, as he bent to bow, another wave of spiritual pressure burst forth from the Bronze Sword.
The Evil Sword was not content with this.
Since he was its servant, then he ought to kneel.
At once Xiang Yan swept his sleeve, blocking it.
The entire mountain trembled again—the Bronze Sword’s majesty offended, it rammed the seal again and again.
Xu Ziqing, still bowing, wore a bewildered expression, thinking he must have erred once more.
After a while, Hidden Spirit Mountain finally stopped shaking. The Bronze Sword once again began pulling at the youth, urging him to come forward and take it down, to officially become the Sword Attendant.
To the Bronze Sword, this was the most pressing matter at the moment.
Xu Ziqing felt the sword’s call and carefully walked toward the center of the platform.
He was somewhat reserved, but more than that, nervous.
Even now, he still doubted whether this was just a dream.
The legendary Number One Sword in the world—had it actually chosen him, someone with such mediocre talent?
Every story about the sword had always said this: whoever obtained it would become the future Number One Sword Cultivator!
"I… really can do this?" Xu Ziqing fell into deep self-doubt.
But no matter what, at this moment, the youth had no other choice.
He had already climbed all the way to the mountain peak, with no path of retreat left.
Bearing a blood-deep vendetta, he longed for power.
Xu Ziqing knew very clearly that if he could truly take down this sword, then no matter who his enemies were, he would have the strength to take revenge!
The sight of his family’s tragic deaths once again surfaced in his mind.
His footsteps grew faster and faster.
At the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain, the onlookers all held their breaths.
Xu Ziqing felt an indescribable force being transmitted from the Bronze Sword into his body.
It passed through his Nine Apertures and surged toward his Spirit Embryo.
Then, it entered the Spirit Embryo Secret Store, gathering and accumulating there!
Xu Ziqing closed his eyes, sensing the changes within his Spirit Embryo.
Through inner vision, he saw that inside his Spirit Embryo, there appeared a small dark bluish-black sword!
It was not exactly in harmony with him, but it seemed able to transmit emotions and will.
Xu Ziqing merely looked at it once, and it suddenly shuddered, transmitting boundless fury—exactly the same as the Bronze Sword from earlier!
In that instant, he somehow understood.
It was the sword!
Or rather, it was part of the sword!
The youth raised his head toward the sword floating in the air, and sure enough, he sensed the same aura from it.
Half of the sword was in the Bronze Sword, the other half inside his Spirit Embryo.
The sword in the air trembled with rage, and so did the sword inside his Spirit Embryo.
This made Xu Ziqing unbearably distressed—his Spirit Embryo even became somewhat chaotic, at risk of damage!
He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The right hand resting on the sword was violently flung away by an immense force, and his whole body was blasted back like a kite with its string cut!
At the mountain’s foot, Xiang Yan and the others dared not act rashly.
Because they had already understood—this sword was trying to make him the Sword Attendant!
But why, then, was the Bronze Sword enraged?
At the mountain peak, Xu Ziqing, flung back, slammed into the Gentleman’s Monument.
Even with a Body Training physique, he was still gravely injured.
"It seems like it’s trying… to control me?"
"But for some reason, it can’t fully take hold?"
The youth could clearly feel that just now, for an instant, he had lost control of his body.
To be precise, he had lost part of it.
The dark bluish-black small sword was inside his third-grade Lower-grade Spirit Embryo.
Its will could not completely crush his! It could not fully dominate him!
Xu Ziqing struggled up from before the Gentleman’s Monument, several bones broken, blood still spilling from the corner of his lips.
After standing, his body began to convulse, twisting into strange poses and movements.
The dark bluish-black small sword invaded again and again, refusing to give up!
Fear surged once more in his heart.
Anyone whose body was being controlled in such a way would instinctively resist.
The two wills tangled and clashed…
On the hilt of the Bronze Sword floating in the air, a golden circular halo appeared.
Within the halo, profound and obscure runes began to emerge one after another.
The same scene occurred in Xu Ziqing’s right palm.
A golden halo also appeared there, filled with complex runes that constantly shifted positions and twisted.
Standing before the stone stele, the youth was in unbearable agony.
He had no words to describe the pain, the helplessness, and the fear of losing control of his own body.
His pupils were dilated wide, eyes fixed straight ahead, his body rigid.
And in his vision was a line of words carved into the Gentleman’s Monument.
Though the monument had many inscriptions, these words stood out most clearly, catching the eye immediately.
First, because all the other characters were about the same size, while these were much larger.
Second, because they were written so poorly—crooked, unevenly spaced, the line slanting wildly across the stone, taking up a huge section.
The youth recalled his Senior Brother once telling him that he had climbed the mountain twice and flamboyantly carved words into the Gentleman’s Monument.
These very words now fiercely struck Xu Ziqing’s heart!
"【The gentleman makes use of things, not become a thing’s tool】."