Chapter 25: Among the Thousand Blades

Yu Xiu’s faint smile made many of the Cangling Peak disciples blush.

“Head Senior Sister is so beautiful…”

“Just like the rumors say—pretty and gentle!”

“Why isn’t Head Senior Sister from our peak? I wish I could see her every day!”

“What are you daydreaming about? How many female cultivators do we even have on our peak?”

“The last time Head Senior Sister came to Cangling Peak, it was to find our Head Senior Brother. I wonder what she’s here for this time?”

As Yu Xiu made her way to the entrance of the Sword Pavilion and successfully met up with Jiang Hanxing, the discussions among the surrounding Cangling Peak disciples grew even more animated.

“Oh my god, she really is here to find Head Senior Brother again!”

“Head Senior Brother and Head Senior Sister look like a perfect couple!”

“One is as beautiful as a spring breeze and a flowering crabapple, the other as handsome as the moon and a pine tree—they’re a match made in heaven!”

“Even their titles sound compatible—Head Senior Brother, Head Senior Sister!”

“It would be amazing if Head Senior Brother could marry Head Senior Sister into our peak!”

Though the voices weren’t deliberately loud, there were simply too many people whispering at once. With one person saying this and another that, it was impossible not to hear.

Jiang Hanxing had always been straightforward and efficient. After giving Yu Xiu a polite nod in greeting, he didn’t say a single unnecessary word and walked directly into the gates of the Sword Pavilion. Yu Xiu followed closely behind.

Even after entering the Sword Pavilion, with her keen hearing, Yu Xiu could still hear every word spoken by the disciples outside.

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

No wonder so many players in her past life said the NPCs from Cangling Peak and Xuanji Peak were especially fond of teasing. The two peaks with officially promoted capturable characters were full of wingmen, always trying to match the player with the main characters.

Most of the time, when Yu Xiu came to Cangling Peak, it was indeed to find Jiang Hanxing. When she was younger, the ordinary disciples here were just that—ordinary. But after she turned sixteen, which marked the official start of the “Five Elements Immortal Domain” plot, the disciples of Cangling Peak had become especially eager to tease her and Jiang Hanxing.

If she hadn’t cultivated the Path of Emotionlessness and had no intention of pursuing Jiang Hanxing, those disciples might have joined forces to play matchmaker with all their might.

Fortunately, Bu Xiwei had already left. If that Demon Lord had seen this scene, Yu Xiu could just imagine how puffed-up and furious that little bird dumpling would have been.

“…”

Her steps paused for a moment.

Why… did she think of Bu Xiwei so naturally at such a minor moment?

It was almost as if… Bu Xiwei had already carved out a space in her mind.

Sensing Yu Xiu’s sudden stillness behind him, Jiang Hanxing glanced back with a puzzled expression.

…First time in the Sword Pavilion? Unfamiliar with the terrain and tripped?

Yu Xiu quickly resumed walking, her steps as steady as ever, as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Hanxing gave her suō-colored embroidered shoes a brief look. After confirming that they weren’t caught on anything, he turned and led the way toward the stairs leading to the seventh floor of the Sword Pavilion.

On the surface, Yu Xiu remained calm, but her mind kept returning to thoughts of Bu Xiwei.

For the Demon Lord to destroy Peize so decisively, there must have been a special reason. But Yu Xiu couldn’t yet discern what it was.

She would only find the answer when she saw Bu Xiwei again.

***

Access to each floor of the Sword Pavilion required someone with the appropriate authority to unlock it with their divine sense.

Jiang Hanxing unlocked the entrance to the seventh floor for Yu Xiu and didn’t follow her in, instead waiting at the door while she browsed.

To return, the floors would also need to be reopened in reverse order. Without Jiang Hanxing’s presence, Yu Xiu could be trapped inside.

Thanks to his connection, the Sword Pavilion’s gatekeeping elder didn’t even charge her the usual entrance fee and allowed her to proceed for free.

Yu Xiu had previously learned that admission to the Cangling Peak Sword Pavilion cost nine hundred spirit stones—a considerable sum. As a personal disciple of a Peak Master, her monthly stipend was only one hundred spirit stones. She would have to save for nearly a year, spending nothing else, to afford it.

Outer disciples in the Qi Refinement stage received only one spirit stone per month, while inner disciples of the same stage received five.

Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, the distinction between inner and outer disciples disappeared. Depending on their peak and master, their stipends ranged from ten to thirty spirit stones a month.

At the Golden Core stage, one became an elder of the sect and entered a separate stipend system entirely.

So for an ordinary disciple, collecting enough spirit stones for a single visit to the Sword Pavilion could take years of savings and countless completed sect missions.

That also meant even the lowest-tier spiritual sword on the first floor was far from ordinary in the cultivation world.

To be collected by the number one immortal sect was a sign of quality in itself.

Yu Xiu didn’t believe she couldn’t afford the entrance fee. But saving that sum could instead help her gather better refining materials for her next natal sword spirit more quickly.

Given the seventh-floor access and the waived fee, this visit was a considerable favor from Jiang Hanxing. Yu Xiu didn’t keep repeating her thanks, but she etched the kindness into her heart.

As she stepped onto the seventh floor, Yu Xiu was instantly enveloped by overwhelming waves of sword intent.

Countless sword energies surged toward her. The space stretched far beyond what the eye could see, densely packed with swords. Surrounded by such mighty presences, Yu Xiu felt like a mere drop of water in a vast ocean.

On this level, every sword possessed a soul and awareness. Unlike the floors below, where most were refined weapons or relics of past cultivators, these swords had already awakened—each one had its own will and consciousness.

This was a different level altogether from the initial-stage sword spirits Yu Xiu had dealt with when refining her previous natal sword. Those only had rudimentary awareness, barely able to convey emotion or weak communication.

Here, however, the moment Yu Xiu stepped in, dozens of sword spirits took notice of her.

It was as though hundreds of eyes suddenly opened, studying her carefully.

As she ventured deeper into the floor, some of the sword spirits actively began testing her, sending out threads of sword qi to assess her suitability as a master.

Voices—genderless and ancient—began to echo in the space around her:
“This girl has dual metal and fire spiritual roots… What an excellent seedling for sword cultivation!”

“She bears traces of a former natal sword spirit. Hmm… so her previous sword has perished.”

“Hoh! Only seventeen years of age and already at the peak of Foundation Establishment? Even those with heavenly-grade roots rarely reach that!”

“Her dantian is full and pure, with no flaws—clearly someone who cultivates with discipline and care.”

“Let me look again… She has great talent in the Sword Dao. If nurtured properly, her future is boundless!”

For a moment, Yu Xiu felt like she was still outside, listening to the disciples gossip.

Were all Cangling Peak’s sword spirits like this? It really did seem like a peak-wide tradition to tease.

Clearly, many of the sword spirits were impressed with her.

Several swords began to stir, floating toward her of their own accord, trying to offer themselves.

Yu Xiu quickly cupped her fists, bowed respectfully to all directions, and spoke clearly:
“Many thanks for your generous regard, senior sword spirits. This junior is deeply grateful.”

Every sword here had been preserved for over a thousand years. It was only right to call them “senior.”

She then continued in a calm, clear voice:
“However, there is something I must make clear. I am not here today to seek a new natal sword spirit. I hope that among you, there is one who would be willing to become my secondary sword.”

As soon as these words fell, the previously lively Sword Pavilion fell completely silent.