Borrowing a sword

Chapter 117 The Sentence on the Monument to the Gentlemen
At the foot of Cangling Mountain, the eyes of all the high-ranking members of the Daoist sects were focused on Chu Huaixu.

They were all highly accomplished cultivators with powerful spiritual senses, so they could naturally perceive the sword spirit's emotions.

"Why is it so excited about Xu Ziqing coming up the mountain?"

"Yet when Chu Huaixu, the sword attendant mentioned in the Daoist ancestor's admonition, went up the mountain, it was so angry and so hateful?"

The group of cultivation giants were completely bewildered, finding the whole thing incredibly strange!

Chu Yinyin sent a telepathic message to her fellow disciples, thinking herself quite humorous: "Could it be that Xu Ziqing is the sword attendant? Hahaha!"

No one responded to the telepathic message; they were all focused on using their divine senses to investigate everything that was happening on the mountain.

Only Chu Huaixu's feelings were somewhat complicated.

From the very beginning, it was as if he had been given Xiao Xu's script.

The trajectory of fate seemed to have changed from that moment on.

But at this moment, he seemed to be watching the other person walk towards their destined end.

—The boy still walked towards that evil sword.

A sword that he would likely pay a huge price every time he used it.

"Is this the protagonist of the world?" Chu Huaixu wondered.

At the summit of Cangling Mountain, Xu Ziqing had already reached the sword suspended in mid-air.

The earthquake that was affecting the entire mountain had stopped at that moment.

The bronze sword no longer looked as exciting.

It merely looked down at the boy from above, sizing up this future servant of its own with a supreme air.

The wicked thought it emitted had already invaded Xu Ziqing's mind before he even realized it.

This wicked thought bewitched his mind and stirred his emotions.

At the same time, it can also sense what the boy is thinking and can see his every thought.

Xu Ziqing never expected that she would actually make it all the way to the top of the mountain.

He never expected that this legendary sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor would seem to be calling out to him.

He had heard countless stories about it since he was a child.

He had heard the versions told by the storyteller, and he had also seen them in books.

Today, Xu Ziqing finally saw this sword with his own eyes, the number one sword in the world that all sword learners yearn for!
The boy's first thought was:
"As my senior brother said, she is indeed a bit ugly."

There's no way around it; everyone talks about this sword as if it's some kind of magic, so much so that everyone's expectations are raised very high before they even see it.

Of course, Xiao Xu is an honest kid.

If it weren't for Chu Huaixu's earlier evaluation, he certainly wouldn't have thought the sword was ugly; he would have only thought it was simple and unadorned, embodying the principle of simplicity and ingenuity.
But since his senior brother said it was ugly, the boy would definitely want to see just how ugly it was.
In an instant, the entire Hidden Spirit Mountain began to tremble again.

Every thought of Xu Ziqing was spied on by that wicked thought.

The bronze sword, suspended in mid-air, began to rage!
Its power began to activate those invisible chains, causing Cangling Mountain to tremble continuously, even affecting the entire area beyond the mountain.

The spiritual pressure that had once tormented Chu Huaixu began to emanate from the bronze sword.

The spiritual pressure descended from above, enveloping Xu Ziqing.

He suddenly stumbled, his knees felt incredibly heavy, and he almost fell to his knees!

If it weren't for his incredibly strong physical body, he probably would have already collapsed to his knees.

That's not the most terrifying thing; the most fatal thing is his sea of ​​consciousness.

There was no small black sword in his sea of ​​consciousness.

In addition, since Xu Ziqing was originally following the path of body refinement, if he did not rely on some special means to strengthen his divine sense, the strength of his sea of ​​consciousness would be weaker than that of ordinary cultivators.

Spiritual pressure naturally puts pressure on the sea of ​​consciousness, and his consciousness fell into a brief state of chaos in an instant!
Even with his astonishing pain threshold, he found the splitting headache almost unbearable.

His vision went black, and he fell straight forward, then convulsed and rolled on the ground.

My head feels like it's going to split open!

The boy covered his head with his hands and let out a series of roars.

Xiang Yan and the others at the foot of the mountain immediately couldn't stand it anymore.

Just as they were about to make their move, the terrifying spiritual pressure was withdrawn.

The bronze sword looked down at him from its elevated position, as if it had only just been a minor warning.

If it weren't for having no other choice, it would have even erased Xu Ziqing's consciousness if he dared to offend it!
With his spiritual pressure, he instantly destroyed his sea of ​​consciousness and erased everything!
Chu Huaixu, standing at the foot of the mountain, frowned even more deeply.

He couldn't help but recall the endless humiliation this evil sword had caused him when he went up the mountain.

Now, the way it torments Xiao Xu has deepened his aversion to this bronze sword.

"Calm down, calm down," Chu Huaixu said, taking deep breaths.

"It's Xiao Xu's cheat code, it's Xiao Xu's cheat code," he kept repeating to himself.

After calming himself down, he looked at the sect leader and the others.

Xiang Yan noticed a hint of worry in Chu Huaixu's eyes as he looked at him.

"He is not seriously injured, but his consciousness has been damaged."

“We will take good care of him. If the sword does anything unusual, we will protect him. You can rest assured,” Xiang Yan replied.

"Thank you, Sect Leader, and thank you, Elders," Chu Huaixu said immediately.

On the large platform atop Cangling Mountain, Xu Ziqing's body was still trembling slightly.

He still held his head in his hands, a stinging sensation still lingering in his mind, and his consciousness had not fully returned.

Fear began to fester in the boy's heart and started to spread endlessly.

Just now, he had a feeling of facing death.

It's as if the opponent's will alone could destroy one's consciousness and obliterate one's soul!
The handsome young man curled up on the ground. As he gradually regained consciousness, he shook his head vigorously.

He opened his eyes, first seeing several double images, then his vision slowly returned.

There's still some tingling in my head, but it's within an acceptable range, just like a regular headache.

He was now covered in dust from rolling around on the ground.

Xu Ziqing's mind gradually cleared.

The amplified inner demons and desires in my heart have subsided somewhat due to the sudden change just now.

The reason is simple: he had just almost died and faced death head-on.

Now all that's left is lingering fear.

In addition, the evil thought that had invaded his consciousness earlier also dissipated.

It was already weak, and when the spiritual pressure stimulated the sea of ​​consciousness, the divine consciousness in the sea of ​​consciousness would naturally struggle, which in turn destroyed this deeply hidden evil thought.

At this moment, the bronze sword could no longer know what Xu Ziqing was thinking.

But it could sense that the boy was afraid of it.

It was very satisfied with this.

"Is it because I just had a very disrespectful thought about it?" Xu Ziqing guessed.

"So, it started punishing me?" he analyzed.

The boy was indeed simple-minded; he held the Dao Ancestor and the sword he left behind in high esteem.

He didn't know it was an evil sword, so he didn't think much of it.

Xiao Xu even stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and respectfully bowed to the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor.

"Xu Ziqing, an outer disciple of the Daoist sect, pays respects to the Dao Ancestor Sword." His simplicity touched Xiang Yan and the others below the mountain.

However, as he bowed in salute, a spiritual pressure emanated from the bronze sword once again.

The evil sword was not satisfied with just that.

Since you are a servant of the sword, you should kneel down.

Xiang Yan, who was at the foot of the mountain, immediately waved his sleeve to block him.

The entire mountain began to tremble again, and the majesty of the bronze sword was offended, causing it to repeatedly attempt to break the seal.

Xu Ziqing, who was bowing, looked bewildered, wondering if she had done something wrong again.

After a while, the earthquake at Cangling Mountain stopped, and the bronze sword began to draw the boy back, trying to make him come over and take it down so that he could officially become the sword servant.

For the bronze sword, this is the most important thing right now.

Xu Ziqing sensed the sword's call and cautiously walked towards the center of the platform.

He was somewhat reserved, but more than that, he was nervous.

He still wonders if he's dreaming.

The legendary number one swordsman in the world actually chose him, who had mediocre talent?
Every story about a sword says the same thing: Whoever obtains it will become the greatest swordsman in the world!

"Can I really do it?" Xu Ziqing fell into deep self-doubt.

But in any case, the boy had no other choice at this moment.

He had reached the summit and there was no turning back.

Burdened with a deep-seated hatred, he yearns for power.

Xu Ziqing knew very well that if he could really take down this sword, then no matter who his enemy was, he would have the power to take revenge!

The images of my family members' deaths resurfaced in my mind.

The boy's steps quickened, faster and faster.

At the foot of Cangling Mountain, the onlookers held their breath.

The way things have developed has exceeded everyone's expectations.

Xiang Yan and the others were even more confused.

"The sword attendant in the Daoist maxim is Chu Huaixu."

"This Xu Ziqing used to be a handyman in Chu Huaixu's courtyard."

"So, Chu Huaixu's former handyman has been chosen by the sword and may become a sword servant?"

Everyone looked at each other, but could only wait and see.

"Where exactly did things go wrong that caused the situation to spiral out of control?"

"When Junior Uncle returns to the Daoist sect, it will be incredibly troublesome for us to explain!" Xiang Yan and the others thought to themselves.

Only Chu Yinyin stared wide-eyed; she was genuinely just watching the drama unfold.

Xu Ziqing walked up to the bronze sword, which was now only an arm's length away.

The innocent boy bowed once again to the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor.

Then, he tentatively raised his right hand, wanting to touch the sword.

The bronze sword was suspended in mid-air; even when he stood on tiptoe, he could barely touch the blade because Xu Ziqing was rather short.
His height was even shorter than Han Shuangjiang, who had long, slender legs.

When the boy's fingers touched the sword, a semi-transparent ripple suddenly spread outwards.

A mysterious aura spread out layer by layer, like ripples.

A gust of air shot into the sky, instantly clearing away the clouds above Cangling Mountain, creating a scene of cloudless skies.

Xu Ziqing felt an indescribable power flowing from the bronze sword into his body.

It passes through the nine orifices and surges toward the spiritual embryo.

Then, it enters the Spirit Embryo Secret Treasury, where it stores and gathers!
Xu Ziqing closed her eyes and felt the changes in her spiritual embryo.

Through internal vision, he saw a small, bluish-black sword appear inside his spiritual embryo!
It couldn't be said that it understood his thoughts, but it seemed to be able to convey his emotions and will.

Xu Ziqing glanced at it and noticed it suddenly shudder, then conveyed boundless rage, just like the bronze sword not long ago!
In an instant, he didn't know why, but he immediately understood.

—This is the sword!
Or rather, it is part of this sword!

The boy looked up at the sword floating in the air and, sure enough, sensed the same aura emanating from it!

One half was inside the bronze sword, and the other half was inside his spiritual embryo.

The sword in the air trembled with rage, as did the sword inside the nascent soul.

This made Xu Ziqing extremely uncomfortable, and some chaos even occurred within her spiritual embryo, posing a risk of damage to the spiritual embryo!
He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

His right hand, which was resting on the sword, was also shaken away by a tremendous force, causing him to fly away like a kite with a broken string!
Xiang Yan and the others at the foot of the mountain dared not make any rash moves.

Because they had already realized that this sword was making him a swordsman!
But why is the bronze sword angry again?
At the mountain peak, Xu Ziqing, who had been thrown out, crashed directly into the Monument to the Gentlemen.

Even with a body refined through physical cultivation, he still suffered considerable injuries.

"It seems to be trying to control me?"

"But for some reason, it seems we can't fully control it?"

The boy could clearly feel that for a moment just now, he felt as if he had lost control of his body.

To be precise, a part of it was lost.

The dark blue-black sword was located inside his third-grade low-level spiritual embryo.

Its will cannot completely crush him! Nor can it completely control him!
Xu Ziqing struggled to his feet from in front of the Monument to the Gentlemen, several of his bones broken, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

After he stood up, his body began to convulse, and he adopted various strange postures and movements.

The dark blue-green sword kept invading! It still didn't give up!

An overwhelming sense of fear began to grow in the boy's heart once again.

Anyone whose body is controlled in this way will instinctively resist.

The two wills then began to entangle and struggle.
A golden circular halo began to appear on the hilt of the bronze sword that was floating in the air.

Within the aperture, mysterious and obscure runes began to appear.

The same scene also occurred in Xu Ziqing's right palm.

A golden halo appeared on his right hand, within which complex runes continuously generated, changed positions, and twisted incessantly.

The boy stood before the stone tablet, feeling an overwhelming sense of pain.

He didn't know how to describe the pain and helplessness he felt at that moment, as well as the deep fear of losing this body!

His pupils were wide open, his eyes were staring straight ahead, and his body was extremely stiff.

What came into view was a sentence inscribed on the Monument to the Gentlemen.

Even though there are so many words on the Gentleman's Stele, these few words stand out so much that they are the first thing you notice when you look at it.

First, because the font sizes of the other characters are all about the same, but these characters are much larger.

Secondly, the characters are written very poorly, crookedly, with large gaps between them. The entire line of characters is written diagonally, and each character is not on a straight line, so they take up a large area of ​​the stone tablet.

The young man couldn't help but recall that his senior brother had told him that he had climbed the mountain twice and had even carved words on the Gentleman's Stele with great flair.

These words struck Xu Ziqing's heart with a powerful impact at this moment!

— "A wise man uses things, but is not used by things."

(P.S.: Second update, both chapters are over 4,000 words long, please vote with monthly tickets!)
(End of this chapter)