Chapter 30: The Weight of the Sword

Night fell, dyeing the sky a deep blue, as if it were a massive piece of silk hanging in the infinite cosmos. A bright moon hung high, emitting a soft glow, adding a hint of mystery to the night sky.

The stars, like diamonds, dotted the night sky. Their twinkling light was like a flowing river, giving one a feeling of endless depth. A rich spiritual energy enveloped it all, as if covered by a thin layer of gauze.

Xiu Qingcheng withdrew her gaze from the starry curtain and turned it to the youth just a few steps in front of her.

The young man was bare-chested, tirelessly swinging a simple wooden sword, sweat pouring down like rain.

After a period of body tempering, training, and improved diet, Meng Yingxing had put on a good amount of healthy muscle compared to before. The strength with which his arms swung the longsword had become considerably greater.

The injuries from the battle a few days ago had also mostly healed, no longer requiring the aid of gauze and ointment.

It could be said that as the day of the Divine Weapon Trial gradually approached, Meng Yingxing’s overall condition was improving in every aspect, becoming a bigger, better, and stronger Meng Yingxing—

Except for his cultivation.

Meng Yingxing’s strange constitution was more troublesome than Xiu Qingcheng had imagined. Even with the help of body tempering and the cultivation insights she had passed on to him, his cultivation had not improved much in recent days.

One could only say it had increased, but only by a little.

“Meng Yingxing.”

By the time Xiu Qingcheng spoke, she had already floated in front of him.

Meng Yingxing stopped his movements and looked at Xiu Qingcheng, trying his best to control his heavy breathing.

In the time they had spent together, Meng Yingxing rarely heard Xiu Qingcheng call him by his full name. She usually called him ‘my dear disciple’ when she was happy, or ‘brat’ when she was annoyed.

Meng Yingxing felt that Xiu Qingcheng must have something important to say to him now.

“In the past few days, your swordsmanship has seen some small success… hmm, so-so, I guess. In my opinion, you’ve officially gotten the hang of it,” Xiu Qingcheng wanted to praise Meng Yingxing, but she was afraid he would become arrogant, so her words were contradictory.

“This is also thanks to Master,” Meng Yingxing said.

If Xiu Qingcheng hadn’t been guiding him and sparring with him during this time, he, Meng Yingxing, would still be playing house with his hodgepodge of sword techniques learned from various places.

The Divine Weapon Trial? He couldn’t even dream of it!

“Now, hold me [the Ting Tian Sword].”

After Xiu Qingcheng spoke, the Ting Tian Sword floated in mid-air and spun once, as if inviting Meng Yingxing.

Hearing this, Meng Yingxing was suddenly lost in thought.

Since he obtained the Ting Tian Sword and met Xiu Qingcheng, he had never properly used it, except for that one time with the fat and thin duo.

Even in his recent training, he had been using a small wooden sword he made himself, the only difference being that there was a number one and a number two wooden sword.

The number one wooden sword had been shattered by Meng Yingxing himself earlier, and now he was using a newly made number two.

‘Under the Ting Tian Sword, a thousand blades retreat.’

‘Held horizontally, it can open the distant peaks of the Heavenly Gate; held vertically, it can sever a river with a single slash.’

That was the legend of the Ting Tian Sword he had heard from Xiu Qingcheng’s mouth.

Meng Yingxing had originally thought that his obscure self was not yet worthy of the Ting Tian Sword, not worthy of using it.

But now, Xiu Qingcheng was actively letting him hold it.

Meng Yingxing felt as if he had received some kind of recognition. When he threw aside the wooden sword and slowly reached for the Ting Tian Sword, Meng Yingxing saw that his own hand was trembling.

His hand tightly gripped the Ting Tian Sword.

But thinking about it carefully, his master had never said he couldn’t use the Ting Tian Sword. It was a shackle he had placed on himself.

“Alright, next I will entrust the full weight of the Ting Tian Sword to you. Feel ‘my’ weight.”

Xiu Qingcheng spoke slowly, relinquishing her control over her ‘body’.

The weight of the Ting Tian Sword sank into his hand bit by bit. Meng Yingxing took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Meng Yingxing felt an inexplicable heat surge from the point of contact between the hilt and his hand.

This was… the weight of the Ting Tian Sword.

It was… the weight of his master.

If Xiu Qingcheng knew what Meng Yingxing was thinking right now, she would definitely say something like: “How dare he.”

“Just as there are no two identical people in the world, the weight and performance of every sword are also different. Even for standard-issue swords, there will be subtle differences.”

“When you use different swords to perform the same sword technique, your mastery of the technique and the power you unleash will be affected.”

“Now that your ‘Four Swords of Cloud’s Arrival’ is at a preliminary stage of completion, in the upcoming Divine Weapon Trial, I will fight alongside you.”

Just as Xiu Qingcheng said, a sword is just a sword. The ability to decide life and death and make all choices depends entirely on the person wielding the sword.

Only when Meng Yingxing became stronger, and his compatibility with the Ting Tian Sword increased, could he unleash its greatest power.

“Let’s practice together some more while there are still two days left.”

Meng Yingxing nodded forcefully, lowered his stance, and began to perform the Four Swords of Cloud’s Arrival with the Ting Tian Sword.

“Master… if I’m at a disadvantage during the Divine Weapon Trial, will you intervene?” Meng Yingxing asked as he swung the Ting Tian Sword, conversing with Xiu Qingcheng.

“No. That is your own battle, and no outsider should interfere. Don’t underestimate yourself; you are very strong now.”

In order to appear righteous and magnanimous, Xiu Qingcheng answered Meng Yingxing without a second thought.

“…Master, can you feel it when I swing the sword?”

“Yes.”

“Then isn’t it like I’m grabbing you and swinging you around everywhere? Won’t you feel very dizzy?”

“No—”

A red tic-tac-toe symbol appeared above Xiu Qingcheng’s head. “Don’t let your imagination run wild! Focus on your swordsmanship!”

‘Seriously, children of Meng Yingxing’s age just love to let their minds wander.’ Xiu Qingcheng thought.

‘No way, no way, is someone really curious about what it feels like to be swung around as a sword?’

Xiu Qingcheng could only say that it was nothing special. She could just see the scenery in front of her changing. There were no unpleasant sensations like carsickness, seasickness, or motion sickness.

It was like riding a roller coaster at an amusement park with the cheapest VR equipment.

After a while, Meng Yingxing, being a good disciple who did whatever his master told him to do, immediately stopped all his movements when Xiu Qingcheng told him to stop cultivating.

He released his hand and watched Xiu Qingcheng float above his head.

From this angle, Meng Yingxing could clearly see the complex patterns on the body of the Ting Tian Sword, like a totem from an ancient era.

Intricate and exquisite, as if recounting an epic.

However… were these patterns on Master’s body before? A strange thought arose in Meng Yingxing’s mind.

“You’ve adapted quite well,” the Ting Tian Sword swayed back and forth slightly, indicating Xiu Qingcheng’s satisfaction with Meng Yingxing’s state.

She looked down at Meng Yingxing’s face from above but could only see one of his eyes. The other eye and half of his face were completely obscured by his hair, which looked like it hadn’t been cared for in a long time.

Only then did Xiu Qingcheng remember that she had said she would help Meng Yingxing cut off this bothersome hair, a suggestion he had refused.

And at first, it was fine not to notice his hair, but now that she had… Xiu Qingcheng felt an uncomfortable sensation, like something was crawling and scratching inside her heart!

Meng Yingxing was just about to return Xiu Qingcheng’s compliment when, in the next second, he felt a cold light flash before his face!

He subconsciously dodged, only to see the Ting Tian Sword fly past him without warning, as if to take his head!

Meng Yingxing was terrified, “Master, what are you doing!?”

Could it be that his most beloved master was fast-forwarding to the scene of executing a rebellious disciple!? That’s way too much fast-forwarding!

Xiu Qingcheng turned back and shouted at Meng Yingxing:

“My dear disciple, let your master help you slice off this hair!”