After receiving the voice transmission, Xiang Yan and the others all showed astonished expressions, then swiftly flew toward Hidden Spirit Mountain.
Recently, the Dao Gate upper echelons had been mobilizing far too frequently. Even they felt a little unaccustomed to it.
But thinking carefully, nearly every time it was related to Chu Huaixu!
Ever since he joined the sect, it seemed no one had had a moment of peace...
One figure after another landed at the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain.
Chu Huaixu began bowing to each of them in turn.
“Why have the Sect Master and the Elders all come?” he faintly speculated in his heart.
To cause such a stir—it must be because of that sword!
“What kind of tricks is this Bronze Sword playing again?”
“They say ugly people cause more trouble. Seems like swords are the same.” He silently grumbled.Meanwhile, Xiang Yan and the others were even more confused than Chu Huaixu.
“What’s going on? Clearly this kid is the one mentioned in the Dao Ancestor’s prophecy to retrieve the sword. So why, when he brought a junior brother up the mountain today, did it also stir the sword?”
“And why is the sword suppressing the other spiritual artifacts?”
“So domineering—what’s the purpose?”
Everyone looked at each other, baffled.
The last time Chu Huaixu ascended the mountain, things had already spiraled completely out of control. Forget retrieving the sword—it was like he’d made an enemy of it.
Clearly a【Sword Attendant】, yet he engraved that kind of message onto the Gentleman Tablet.
“What’s this? Does the sword truly hate him that much? Even now that he’s brought someone else up the mountain, it has to act out and keep him from gaining a treasure?” The flighty-minded Chu Yinyin was actually thinking such thoughts.
The Evil Sword truly lived up to its name!
The Dao Gate high elders began sending voice transmissions to each other, discussing the matter.
Chu Huaixu stood by silently, unable to hear any of it.
Chu Yinyin, unable to keep a secret, directly voiced her suspicions.
“No way,” Li Chunsong mused after thinking for a moment.
Just because it failed to tame Chu Huaixu, it’s going to keep sabotaging him?
However, this Benevolent Gambling King did remember the youth named Xu Ziqing.
Back then, young Xu became an enrolled disciple only because of the Sixth Elder’s approval.
Thinking it over, he relayed this information to the Sect Master and the others.
“You’re saying this kid who took the charred-black wooden token used to be a servant in Chu Huaixu’s courtyard?” Xiang Yan looked slightly surprised.
“Yes, it seems he had a soft spot for talent back then, and I even scolded him a bit for it,” Li Chunsong admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.
Everyone looked at each other again, then couldn’t help turning to gaze at Chu Huaixu in unison.
This young man couldn’t hear their conversation and had no idea why they were suddenly looking at him, so he just smiled politely at the assembled high elders.
In the end, it was again Sect Master Xiang Yan who made the decision:
“Let’s continue to observe. Let’s see just what that sword intends.”
“If this child ends up leaving the mountain empty-handed, then make an exception and give him that jade pendant.”
“After all, it’s the sword on the mountain that disrupted the rules of Hidden Spirit Mountain. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
Enforcement Elder Lu Pan considered this for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
With both the Sect Master and the Enforcement Elder having spoken, the others also nodded one after another.
Only then did everyone stop transmitting messages and walked over to Chu Huaixu’s side.
The bald Sect Master smiled and said, “Chu Huaixu, you need not worry. There have indeed been some disturbances on the mountain. If that child is affected, we’ll give him that jade pendant.”
“But you must remember, this matter cannot be spoken of to outsiders,” he warned.
“Yes, this disciple understands.” Chu Huaixu, seeing the villain-level grin on the Sect Master’s face, quickly agreed.
He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart—at least this meant that little Xu wouldn’t walk away with nothing.
Thinking of this, he also felt a bit speechless. Why did he really feel like some doting old father?
Everyone looked toward the summit area of Hidden Spirit Mountain. Xiang Yan continued:
“We might as well continue watching together.”
Chu Huaixu found it amusing. It felt like several max-level accounts had barged into Xu Ziqing’s livestream room.
The graceful youth atop the mountain had already begun his climb once more.
His sense of defeat only deepened.
“Xu Ziqing, oh Xu Ziqing, you were just standing there hesitating... how laughable.”
“Well, now it’s clear. The sword has chosen not to pick you.” He muttered to himself.
Hidden Spirit Mountain’s torment on one’s mental state was indeed far worse than the pressure from its spiritual force.
The youth didn’t know it was the Bronze Sword on the summit playing tricks; he thought that his own moment of hesitation had caused him to miss his opportunity.
He stared blankly at the jade pendant for a few moments, then could only continue climbing.
It wasn’t until his figure disappeared into the clouds and mist that the jade pendant atop the stone platform trembled ever so slightly again.
As if filled with reluctant regret—yet forced to yield beneath some oppressive tyranny.
Xu Ziqing continued climbing upward, gradually beginning to sense an invisible pull.
It was hard to describe, but he could feel that the pull was coming from above.
Some force was bewitching him!
Yes, bewitching!
Because every top-grade spiritual artifact he encountered afterward showed no reaction at all, as if they didn’t even deem him worthy of notice.
Almost at the summit now, little Xu grew increasingly nervous, increasingly tormented.
The psychological pressure was overwhelming.
“If I return empty-handed, won’t I betray my senior brother’s hopes?”
“Besides, he’s done so much for me. Just refining spiritual pills every day has already made him look a little haggard.”
“With his usual cultivation speed, he should’ve broken through by now. But for my sake, his progress has stalled.”
When others treat you well, for someone with a conscience, it becomes both pressure and motivation.
To him, Chu Huaixu was salvation—but also someone he dared not disappoint.
If he really descended the mountain like this, Xu Ziqing wouldn’t even have the courage to face him!
On top of that, he started recalling the tragic deaths of his family.
Since that day, he had entered hell, living only for revenge!
He wanted to grow strong—strong enough to kill his enemies no matter who they were!
For cultivators, a supreme life-bound spiritual artifact was something that benefited them for life.
Xu Ziqing understood clearly that Hidden Spirit Mountain was his best chance.
If he missed this, he truly had no idea how else he could ever obtain a top-grade or even a supreme-grade spiritual artifact!
Under the pull of that invisible force, the images of his family’s deaths swirled endlessly in the boy’s mind.
His birth parents, lying in pools of blood, their bodies mutilated—
His grandmother, who should’ve been enjoying her twilight years, had a gaping hole in her forehead, pierced by who-knows-what!
His little sister had only been six years old, with her cute double buns.
Xu Ziqing had promised her that after attending a friendly sword match at a friend’s house, he’d bring back a candied hawthorn for her.
But when he returned home, the blood on his sister was redder than the hawthorn in his hand!
Such an adorable little girl—yet she had been cleaved in two!
Step by step, Xu Ziqing continued climbing. His eyes were gradually turning bloodshot, his body trembling uncontrollably.
His fists clenched tightly, fingernails digging into flesh.
His eyes filled with blood-red veins, tears streaming down nonstop.
With every spiritual artifact he passed—seeing them unmoved—his heart crumbled a little more.
Each was like the birth of a heart demon!
At the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain, the Dao Gate’s major cultivators could sense this surge of demonic aura.
As an Evil Sword, it naturally had the power to bewitch the heart.
Only, it was currently sealed by the Dao Ancestor, so its effect was actually quite limited.
As long as one’s will was firm enough, it could be resisted.
The concern was that this young disciple might already harbor heart demons!
Xiang Yan turned to Chu Huaixu and asked:
“This outer sect disciple—does he have some sort of deep obsession in his heart?”
Chu Huaixu hesitated for a few seconds, then chose to tell the truth—
Because he, too, had sensed that something wasn’t right, and was deeply worried about little Xu.
“There is. His entire family was killed by demonic cultivators.”
“No wonder.” Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood the reason behind it.
The problem ultimately lay within himself!
However, what confused them was—why would the Bronze Sword atop the mountain be pulling at his mind?
“Could it be toying with him?” Chu Yinyin wondered, her thoughts still wildly erratic.
The group watched intently, waiting for an answer.
On Hidden Spirit Mountain, as the heart demon continued to grow, Xu Ziqing’s desire for power was being amplified!
He grew increasingly desperate to be recognized by a spiritual artifact, more and more eager to descend the mountain with one in hand.
At this point, he no longer clung to the idea of acquiring a spirit sword.
“Anything will do!”
“Anything at all!!!”
Xu Ziqing knew exactly how many stone steps there were on Hidden Spirit Mountain.
He had been counting them as he climbed.
This made him realize that he had fewer than five hundred steps left on his ascent!
“The number of spiritual artifacts in the summit region has drastically decreased.”
“My chances are running out.” A sense of despair began to rise in him.
The blood-red-eyed youth was caught in endless regret.
“Why didn’t I take what I could get while it lasted?”
“Why didn’t I just grab that jade pendant?”
“Xu Ziqing, oh Xu Ziqing, are you getting arrogant again? Has everything you’ve gone through still not taught you anything?”
“All the minor achievements you’ve made—every last one of them is thanks to your senior brother!”
As he continued upward, it felt like a war between heaven and man was waging in his heart.
Soon, through a patch of dense fog, he vaguely saw another stone platform, and could just barely make out a blade resting atop it.
Unfortunately, reality was always so cruel.
Soon, he reached the end of the stone steps.
Beyond this point lay the summit of Hidden Spirit Mountain.
The youth turned to look back at the stone steps he had climbed.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him. The mountain wind howled, and he swayed, on the verge of collapse.
Ahead of him stood only the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor.
The youth had once dreamed grand dreams.
But now, with that sword truly within reach, the thought in his heart was: “Are you even worthy?”
Xu Ziqing looked up at the sky with a defeated expression. The taut string in his heart snapped all at once.
The Evil Sword atop the summit continued to manipulate his mind.
It was like a devil whispering in his soul.
It kept pushing Xu Ziqing—right to the edge of the cliff.
Then, it let him plunge into a helpless abyss.
Images began to flash repeatedly in Xu Ziqing’s mind.
Scenes of Chu Huaixu treating him kindly, memories of his family from the past...
And once again, the scene of his family being slaughtered reappeared, along with the disappointed gaze he imagined his senior brother would have...
The heart demon kept growing, expanding.
Those scenes played again and again in his mind, hammering away at his will.
The rules of Hidden Spirit Mountain were that one could only ascend, never retreat.
Though the youth had no path back, he stood frozen in place, growing more tormented with each passing moment.
The brokenness in him was on the verge of overflowing.
At the foot of the mountain, Chu Huaixu frowned deeply at the scene.
“Little Xu’s current state... is very problematic!” He was visibly anxious.
He immediately turned to ask the surrounding cultivators, “Sect Master, Elders, little Xu... ahem, Xu Ziqing—he’s not in danger, is he? Could he suffer Qi Deviation or develop lasting damage?”
Li Chunsong waved a hand and replied first, “You of all people should know just how tightly that sword atop the mountain is sealed. Otherwise, would you still be bouncing around alive?”
“What power it can exert is already minimal. Its greatest display was the spiritual pressure it unleashed on you before.”
“As for Xu Ziqing being in this state now—it’s purely because of his own deep obsessions. This is something he must overcome on his path of cultivation.”
“Either he conquers the heart demon, or he avenges his family—only then will his mind be at peace.”
“Yes, he’s being bewitched—but that force isn’t actually strong.”
“Once he descends the mountain, just have him take a few calming spiritual pills. You don’t need to worry too much.” Li Chunsong explained.
Only then did Chu Huaixu ease his worries.
He looked up the mountain and muttered, “So... this is all truly fated?”
“He’s made it to the top of the steps. And in the end, he still has to face that sword?”
As he was thinking this, Xu Ziqing suddenly moved.
Having hung his head all this time, he abruptly looked up.
Because, as he sank into despair, a pull came from the summit of Hidden Spirit Mountain.
A faint force was guiding him.
Or rather... calling to him?
It wanted him to approach.
Xu Ziqing knew full well what lay at the summit of Hidden Spirit Mountain.
At your moment of deepest despair, the strongest artifact in the world calls out to you—wants you to walk up and grasp it! Grasp the number one sword under heaven!
Human desire could be infinitely amplified!
The entire Hidden Spirit Mountain began to tremble slightly.
But it was different from the earlier quake.
That time, the sword had been enraged.
Now, the sword was... excited!
A thousand years—an entire thousand years it had been sealed on the mountain.
And finally, it had awaited the one destined for it.
The Bronze Sword hovered high above, pulling at the entire mountain, causing the tremors to grow more intense.
It remained high and aloof, looking down on all.
With a proud, peerless posture, it waited for the youth to approach—to become its...
Sword Attendant!