“Disciple Li Qingran from Peak Ten Thousand Swords seeks an audience!”
Before the tightly shut doors of the scripture hall, Li Qingran bowed respectfully.
Drawing from the previous experience at the ancestral hall, even though this scripture hall was more dilapidated than the ancestral hall, she did not dare to underestimate it. Or perhaps, could it be that the older and more dilapidated parts of the Sword Pavilion were actually shrouded in mystery?
“The Peak Ten Thousand Swords? It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a disciple from there.”
“Come in.”
The wooden door of the scripture hall crashed to the ground with a loud creak, and an elderly voice came from inside.
Li Qingran glanced at the fallen wooden door in silence before stepping up the stairs and entering the scripture hall.
Since she was already within the Sword Pavilion, she would have to gradually get used to these peculiar places.
So what if the door opens downwards? As long as it opens, it’s fine.
The scripture hall was dimly lit, but an old man with white hair stood out prominently.
He stood in front of the main hall, dressed in a deep green robe. His shadow stretched into the darkness behind him. His hair was tied into a ponytail at the back, his eyes were narrow and sharp like those of an eagle, one eye covered by an eyepatch, while the other had a very small pupil, with most of the eye being white. Coupled with his sunken eye sockets and aged face, he always gave off a fierce and sinister aura.
Li Qingran bowed again and noticed that the old man’s waist wasn’t carrying a sword, but rather a withered branch.
“Old man Jiong Yuanmo, I am the Elder guarding the scripture hall. I do not teach on the square, so you may call me Elder Jiong.”
“Elder Jiong.”
“Hmm.” Elder Jiong Yuanmo folded his hands behind his back and nodded. “Since you are in the scripture hall, you must abide by its rules. You can freely enter and exit the first and second floors, but starting from the third floor, you need to pass the test of the sword heart. Only then can you proceed. If you cannot find a suitable technique, you can ask me for a recommendation, but each person only has one such opportunity.”
Without hesitation, Li Qingran spoke to Elder Jiong Yuanmo:
“Elder Jiong, disciple seeks a medicinal formula for detoxification. Ideally, it should be able to neutralize any kind of poison. Do you have any recommendations?”
Elder Jiong Yuanmo raised his eyebrows and his expression turned serious.
“You came to the Sword Pavilion’s scripture hall for a medicinal formula?
Are you going to waste that precious recommendation opportunity for this?”
Despite the piercing gaze, Li Qingran steeled herself and said, “Yes, disciple wishes to heal my master’s poisoning…”
“Your master isn’t part of the Sword Pavilion? Who is he?”
“My master was once the Sword Pavilion’s former Grand Elder.”
“What?!” Elder Jiong Yuanmo’s voice involuntarily rose several octaves.
Li Qingran responded honestly, “I have already confirmed with the Sect Leader. My master was once the first generation Peak Master of the Peak Ten Thousand Swords, named Chen Huaian. He left the Sword Pavilion many years ago for wandering, and even the Sect Leader has ambiguous memories about him, although his name was indeed found on the memorial tablets in the ancestral hall.”
“I see. Could it be the person who inscribed words on the stone tablet of the Peak Ten Thousand Swords?”
“That’s correct.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Jiong Yuanmo’s displeasure eased somewhat.
He was initially unhappy because he suspected that this disciple might be manipulated by someone with ulterior motives.
After all, the scripture hall of the Sword Pavilion was indeed one of the places with the most ancient scriptures and texts in the Cangyun Realm, aside from the sacred lands.
Furthermore, the scripture hall was open to all Sword Pavilion disciples. Even if this disciple had another master outside, as long as they passed the assessment, they could learn the techniques within the scripture hall. Even if they later left the Sword Pavilion, they wouldn’t be pursued.
Such incidents had occurred in the past.
Other sects would send disciples to the Sword Pavilion’s scripture hall to steal knowledge, then leave under some pretext.
Although Sect Leader Su Qinian wasn’t bothered by this, he was!
Especially when these disciples wanted to use the valuable recommendation slots to find techniques tailored for them.
But after finding something, they would leave the sect.
This was simply disgusting!
Upon learning that Li Qingran’s master was once the Grand Elder of the Sword Pavilion, Elder Jiong Yuanmo’s expression became solemn and respectful.
He didn’t doubt Li Qingran’s words. Who would dare lie with the Sect Leader as a cover?
Moreover, his eyes weren’t old yet! He could tell instantly if a disciple was lying.
At this moment, in Elder Jiong Yuanmo’s eyes, Li Qingran had transformed from a thief to a filial disciple.
“Wait here, let me think.”
Elder Jiong Yuanmo sat back down on the cushion in the main hall, closed his eyes, and meditated.
Li Qingran stood quietly by the wall, not moving around or looking around.
In a moment, the entire scripture hall trembled violently. Li Qingran saw a strong wind blowing outside, leaves swirling in front of the door, countless disordered scroll shadows appearing around Elder Jiong Yuanmo. Then, a pale golden figure resembling Elder Jiong Yuanmo floated out from his head, the scrolls following suit, dancing around the golden figure.
“Yang Shen exiting the body?” Li Qingran blinked, muttering to herself.
This Elder Jiong was indeed a master.
One needed to reach the Transformation Stage to achieve Yang Shen exiting the body.
It was said that after leaving the physical body, the Yang Shen possessed great divine abilities, capable of perceiving everything in a single thought.
At this moment, Elder Jiong was using the Yang Shen exiting the body to view and search through all the secret techniques and scriptures within the scripture hall.
However, not just any Transformation Stage cultivator could achieve this.
Reaching the Transformation Stage was merely the threshold.
Those who could stably exit their bodies and freely control them were invariably the old monsters of various sects.
After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the unusual phenomena within the scripture hall gradually subsided, and the wind outside slowly calmed.
Elder Jiong Yuanmo opened his eyes, a hint of fatigue flickering in his depths.
This was the first time he searched for a medicinal formula, which was far more complex than searching for information on the Sword Canon.
“Old man Jiong Yuanmo checked thirty-three thousand seven hundred and sixty scrolls within the scripture hall and found something you might need on the fifth floor.”
Elder Jiong Yuanmo stood up, leading Li Qingran upstairs to the light screen on the fifth floor.
“That scroll is titled ‘Danxin Annotation,’ which records a formula that might neutralize various poisons. However, the rules of the scripture hall cannot be broken. To take that scroll, you need to pass the test of the sword heart on the fifth floor.”
Seeing Li Qingran purse her lips, he thought she was nervous.
He comforted her, “As long as your sword heart is firm and your path clear, passing this sword heart test won’t be difficult. Go ahead.”
Before he finished speaking, Li Qingran had already walked in with her plain string.
Elder Jiong Yuanmo folded his hands behind his back and shook his head.
He estimated he’d have to wait a few more hours.
The sword heart test was truly illusory. Inside, one would fight against their own mirror image at the same cultivation level. Only a stronger sword heart could pass. Generally, disciples would first suffer until they questioned their existence before beginning to contemplate their true path.
This Li Qingran seemed clever, probably taking around two hours.
Just as this thought formed,
There was a ‘crack.’
Elder Jiong Yuanmo stared dumbfounded as Li Qingran emerged from the shattered light screen, her fair face serene, stepping into the fifth floor.
“So soon?!” He was secretly astonished.
He quickly connected with the array of the sword heart test, carefully investigating. His expression turned somewhat odd.
“I never expected this young lady’s heart to be solely devoted to her master, with an unshakeable sword heart, instantly defeating the mirror image… killing gods and buddhas alike…” He laughed helplessly, shaking his head.
“But hasn’t this young lady considered that her master is a Grand Elder, and their ages differ by at least a few hundred years…”
