Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 56 News of Wiping the Sword
"..."

Song Yan was somewhat speechless.

Actually, the price is extremely cheap, but are you going to force me to buy it even if I don't want to?
He had noticed the girl earlier, because most female cultivators in the cultivation world are fair-skinned and beautiful.

This freckled girl naturally stood out.

Medical books call this "a face with dark spots," and in some remote and uncivilized places, people with this face are considered unlucky and ominous.

"Hey! Xiao Ju, what are you doing?"

The other female cultivators of "Flawless" quickly ran out. One stopped the girl, while the others apologized to Song Yan.

"Excuse me, senior brother, she's a bit strange..."

Don't stoop to her level.

Song Yan nodded and glanced at her. The girl had a stubborn expression on her face, as if she was enduring something.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked away.

Actually, Song Yan was already somewhat tempted by the price of three-patterned spirit stones, but the sewing of the Daoist robe was dispensable to him at the moment.

If there is a real need, it's not too late to order a custom-made one.

"..."

As he passed by an alleyway in the market, he seemed to remember something.

"That Leisure Pavilion... seems to be located here."

Relying on his memory, he arrived at the attic where he had bartered with Ke Huai and the others last time.

The gatekeeper asked, "Are you here to relax and have some tea, or would you like to reserve a private room for a meeting?"

"...Let's sit and have some tea."

"Alright, two spirit stones to enter."

Two spirit stones?!
Song Yan's first reaction was that it was a bit expensive!

But then I thought about it.

If they were to offer spirit fruits or tea as a gift, it wouldn't be a bad deal, especially since the environment here was elegant and clean. So he paid with spirit stones on the spot.

A dish of spiritual fruit, a pot of spiritual tea.

At this moment, the cultivators in the main hall were dissatisfied, while Song Yan sat alone at a table, carefully perusing the ancient book in his hand.

"Ancient sword cultivators often carried sword gourds or sword boxes, which were containers specifically for nurturing their natal flying swords..."

Sword gourds are a rare sight in the cultivation world these days.

However, some sword boxes still remain, though they are not usually used to actually hold flying swords; they are only collected by some cultivators who like to collect antiques.

After all, there is no difference between taking the flying sword magic weapon from the Qiankun Bag and taking it from the sword box or sword gourd instead; it even sounds a bit redundant.

The ancient sword-cultivation tradition has been lost, and now sword cases and gourds have become mere decorations.

According to the ancient sword legends, sword cultivators were not uncommon in the past, and sword boxes and sword gourds had many ingenious uses, but what those uses were remains unknown.

That era has long been submerged in the river of history.

"..."

Song Yan suddenly sighed softly.

Since obtaining the Yin-Yang Pearl, he has read a great deal of information and books about ancient sword cultivators.

But a sense of unease inevitably settled in my heart...

All because the introductions I've seen always say how powerful sword cultivators are.

What about "one sword can break all laws," what about "overcoming the strong with the weak, and defeating enemies of higher levels"...

If the sword-cultivation school was truly so powerful, why did it suddenly disappear?

The simple statement "what goes up must come down" could not put Song Yan at ease.

"What happened..."

unknown.

"Sword cultivators are not all righteous people who slay demons and monsters..."

Ok?
Song Yan's eyes narrowed as he continued flipping through the pages.

"In ancient times, pure sword cultivators were single-mindedly devoted to the word 'sword,' which naturally formed an undisputed consensus in the cultivation world..."

"Sword cultivators are mostly stubborn and obstinate individuals."

"Among them, there are countless people who have gone astray by taking shortcuts and who have ignored the advice of their relatives, friends and fellow practitioners."

"Once a sword cultivator's Dao heart is disturbed by demonic thoughts, then he will fall into evil ways, and no one can save him."

"The Evil Sword is a special flying sword formed when a sword cultivator falls into the demonic path and his natal flying sword is corrupted by the demonization of his Dao heart and sword intent."

"The vast majority of evil swords will gradually become dull after the sword cultivator dies."

"As time goes by, the Dao heart, sword intent, and demonic thoughts will all dissipate."

Song Yan seemed to be deep in thought, his fingertips lightly brushing over the next line of text.

"However, some evil swords are not actually corrupted by their natal flying swords; they are merely trapped within the sword body by demonic thoughts, which then manipulate the sword body..."

"..."

"call……"

He took a deep breath. Song Yan spent about half an hour reading through the entire book of Ancient Sword Tales.

It's actually quite complicated...

Could a flying sword be a "demon in one's heart"?

"..."

After closing the book, Song Yan finally had time to gently put the cup lid down.

I smelled the aroma of the tea in the cup and took a sip.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and the tea was no longer scalding hot when it entered the mouth; it warmed the stomach as it flowed down.

Immediately, a cool sensation rose from my stomach.

A refreshing coolness washed over him, and the slight weariness he had felt while reading vanished without a trace.

"This spiritual tea is truly wondrous..."

"Although it cannot increase spiritual awareness, it seems to relieve fatigue to some extent."

Taking advantage of the coolness, Song Yan's thoughts wandered, and he began to consider and sort out his next move.

Now that I have embarked on the path of ancient sword cultivators, there is no doubt that I should focus on improving the grade of my sword seed and comprehending and refining my Dao heart and sword intent.

In seven months, it will be the day I promised to meet Rong Xiaofeng and Wu Huaguo.

"Even if there are no spiritual treasures in that cultivator's cave, this matter should still be put on the agenda..."

As Song Yan pondered to himself, the number of cultivators in the hall of Xianxin Tower gradually increased.

The noise started to pick up.

I checked the time; it was almost evening.

Most of the monks who had set up stalls or bartered in the market had already finished up.

The night market isn't open on any specific day, so there's no point in lingering any longer.

Why don't we go have some tea?

Song Yan ate two spiritual fruits, and a wisp of cool spiritual energy rose in his stomach.

"Five-patterned spirit stones, not a bad deal!"

Just as he was about to get up and return to his cave, he overheard several disciples of the Dongyuan Sect chatting nearby.

"Senior Brother Zheng, I feel like lately there are quite a few inner sect senior brothers and sisters I've never met before..."

"Judging by the time, the sect's sword-testing competition should be starting soon."

"Oh……"

“Some senior students travel around for years, and it is quite normal for them to be away for five or six years at a time.”

The person who spoke appeared to be an inner disciple, and was already quite old.

"About a year and a half in advance, the disciples in charge of the sect will send spirit pigeons to their senior brothers and sisters who are traveling abroad. If they are able to return in time, they will come back to participate in this grand event."

"I see."

Song Yan did know about this.

Whether in the Cultivation Hall or the Outer Sect Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, it seems that everyone in the sect has been discussing this matter lately.

The reason is simple: for some reason, the rewards for next year's Sword-Testing Tournament are exceptionally amazing.

According to experienced senior disciples in the sect, in previous years it was just a formality to promote new disciples.

This time is quite different, seemingly to welcome a grand event being held in the Central Region, hence the extremely generous rewards.

Almost all the disciples who were traveling abroad and received messages from spirit pigeons rushed back.

"I wonder if there are any supreme spiritual items among the rewards of the Sword-Touching Gathering..."

It's fair to say that Song Yan could easily imagine the difficulty of winning the reward under such circumstances, but...

How will you know if you don't try?

Song Yan returned by the same route, passing through Tianyi without incident.

There was no one in front of the store at this moment. The freckled girl sat on the ground in front of the store, hugging her knees with her arms, her face buried deep in them.

"..."

A neatly folded but old and tattered Taoist robe was placed in front of the girl.

Three spirit stones were placed on top.

"?"

The girl raised her head, and Song Yan's gaze remained calm.

"I want a Taoist robe, exactly the same."

The Taoist robe was badly damaged in the previous battle at Jiran Valley, and after much thought, I realized I really needed a new one.

But you can't force someone to buy it...

This is Song Yan's freedom.

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(End of this chapter)