Su Zhuyi swung her sword to block. The sword shadow crashed into her Qingfeng Sword with a clang. The massive impact made her slip, nearly flying off the narrow sword path. At the same time, Su Zhuyi felt as if her shoes had worn through, or perhaps they had never existed at all. Now her bare feet stepped on the sword path, and when she slipped, it felt like flesh was scraped from the soles of her feet, causing her to furrow her brow in pain as she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out.
Looking down, the sword path beneath her feet had become literal flying swords, cold light flashing, their snow-bright gleam sharper than frost and snow, particularly dazzling. Blood flowed from her feet onto the sword blades, dripping down step by step.
Like red plum blossoms beaten by cold wind, falling scattered across snowy ground.
…
“Su Zhuyi, she…?” The sect master and three elders all saw that something was wrong and felt very anxious.
Among the hundred cultivators under a hundred years old, the one with the highest cultivation was Su Zhuyi at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
Originally, Yunxiao Sect also had Hua Yining, whose cultivation was comparable to hers, but Hua Yining failed her Golden Core tribulation. Not only did her cultivation not advance, but it also retreated. Fortunately, her father was a high-level alchemist, and after three months of care, her cultivation realm stabilized, though it had fallen back to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.
With the highest cultivation, as Luo Ying’s disciple, her sword dao talent must also be high. Could Gujian Sect gain one more spirit sword, or even an immortal sword, this time? They had placed all their hopes on Su Zhuyi. Watching her climb up had not disappointed them, but now, clearly, something unexpected had happened…
That red-robed woman stood barefoot on sword blades, fresh blood dripping from her feet, flowing down the sword steps all the way, winding into a river of blood on the sword path, also like a red silk ribbon extending from beneath the red-robed woman’s feet, spreading out with an enchanting beauty.
“Regardless of whether sword cultivators have integrity, this sword path certainly has integrity.” Yi Lian teased a golden sparrow on his shoulder. “The sword path compares swords. Even without high talent, as long as one’s heart moves forward, they can climb step by step slowly upward. With a pilgrim’s attitude, even if they don’t reach the summit in the end, persisting for three days will still allow entry into the Sword Tomb.”
“The current situation shows Su Zhuyi lost her integrity on the sword path.” He spent years away from home, finding spirit beasts more pleasing than people. Usually appearing gentle and sunny like a handsome young man, he was the strictest when problems arose. Originally having quite a good impression of Su Zhuyi, seeing her tormented on the sword path made Yi Lian’s expression somewhat displeased. This meant this disciple had desecrated the sword path.
The sect master’s expression was grave as he remained silent.
Elder Hu glared at Yi Lian. “Nonsense! Have faith in our sect’s disciples. That’s Luo Ying’s disciple!”
“You’re just too protective,” Yi Lian said, looking at him.
“You’re just too rigid,” Elder Hu replied. “You’re jumping to conclusions before understanding the situation clearly.”
“I can see clearly.” Yi Lian stopped teasing the golden sparrow, raised his head to look at the sword path again, and said firmly.
“Just you? You can only clearly see what spirit beasts are thinking.”
The two were about to continue bickering when Elder Qiuxia, beside them, stopped them. Their conversation was transmitted through voice transmission, but the next moment, a sword cultivator from the nearby Hanhai Sword Sect suddenly spoke to a fellow disciple beside him: “I thought that female disciple from Gujian Sect would be the strongest opponent this time. Who would have thought… didn’t expect…”
He pointed and laughed, “Zhuzhu is now only ten steps from Sword Mountain’s peak, trailing only behind those two from Yunxiao Sect. We can secure third place and compete for second.” As for Qin Chuan, with his excellent Triple Yang Convergence constitution, they were self-aware and never thought they could defeat him.
“Yes, after Zhuzhu lost the first competition, her sword heart became more determined. Her temperament is most suitable for sword cultivation,” the middle-aged female cultivator beside him also said.
“Congratulations on taking such a good disciple.”
Their conversation reached the ears of Gujian Sect disciples, sounding wrong no matter how they heard it. But now everyone’s hearts were focused on Su Zhuyi, with no mind to argue with them. One disciple squeezed to the front, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted: “Little Junior Sister, if your feet hurt, don’t walk anymore!” With so much blood flowing, it was heartbreaking to watch.
As soon as he finished shouting, an elder beside him severely reprimanded him and gave his head a hard thump, making him suck in cold air in pain before shrinking back.
Su Zhuyi stood on the sword, her feet feeling like they stepped on flames or stood on a nail board.
The sword shadows formed a violent wind, blowing against her face and body. The wind was like swords, scraping her face painfully. Her dress wasn’t some high-level magical treasure, just beautiful, and now the red dress had been scraped with many fine cuts by the sword shadows, small but dense cuts. The sword shadows became wind, the wind broke red flowers. Su Zhuyi’s hair flew about as she had to turn her face aside, her clothes fluttering. If not for the blood pooling at her feet, she seemed about to ride the wind away.
“Wasn’t it said that if you can’t go up, you’d be dried in the sun for three days like salted fish on the sword path?”
“Now these sword shadows want to flip her over and make her roll down the sword path!”
She stubbornly had to stand firm.
Su Zhuyi gripped the sword in her left hand tightly. Her right hand’s five fingers formed claws, gripping the stone wall. Now her fingers were also covered in blood, with blood pooled in her palm like holding a piece of bloodstone jade.
She suddenly released her hand gripping the stone wall, moved the sword to her right hand, recalled the second level of Tianxuan Nine Swords she had read twice, and let her hand follow her heart’s movement, executing the sword technique of Tianxuan Nine Swords’ second level. This was her first time using this move, but she made no mistakes. The Qingfeng Sword in her hand became a cold light, cutting through the fierce wind, seeming to tear open a gap in the wind itself. At the same time, she endured the pressure of those sword shadows and stepped up one step.
Two bloody footprints fell on the new sword path, like two red flowers painted there.
My ambition is not in the sword dao.
But I must step onto the sword path.
I cannot be pushed down.
Su Zhuyi gazed ahead, her eyes flashing with dazzling light, as if two flames were lit in her pupils.
I don’t love swords.
She stepped forward again. But I once loved a man who loved swords.
Not until he died did I understand my own heart, and only then did I dare leave a place for a dead man in my heart.
He’s gone, replaced by someone else, so I must obtain his most beloved sword.
This way, his most beloved woman and most beloved sword would be together.
Su Zhuyi grinned. She lifted her foot with difficulty. When her foot rose, blood dripped like a blood thread, but she gritted her teeth and continued stepping onto another sword path step. The moment her foot landed, Sword Mountain seemed to tremble slightly, then a long roar like a dragon’s cry rang out as a cold light fell from Sword Mountain’s peak, stabbing toward Su Zhuyi.
The sect master, who had remained silent, finally couldn’t hold back and cursed, “What is this damn girl thinking about while standing on the sword path? She’s angered Sword Mountain!”
“Could it be she thinks sword cultivation is useless, that sword cultivation can’t compare to other cultivation paths?” Even Elder Hu didn’t know what to say. He was the most protective elder in the Gujian Sect, but this Su Zhuyi seemed too rebellious.
That was the sacred land in the hearts of all sword cultivators in the world, yet she didn’t wholeheartedly seek the sword on the sword path, instead angering Sword Mountain?
After cursing, the sect master sighed and transmitted his voice: “Zhuyi, come down.”
It seemed that when she competed without using a sword, it wasn’t because her enemies weren’t worthy of her drawing her sword, but because she didn’t like swords and wasn’t good with them. Come to think of it, in just ten years since joining the sect, she had cultivated so many techniques to extremely high levels—where would she have time to practice swords? Now stepping onto Sword Mountain’s sword path, her disregard for the sword dao was exposed, angering Sword Mountain’s myriad sword spirits. Though it was regrettable, the disciple’s safety was more important. Duan Linshu didn’t want Su Zhuyi to come to harm, so he wanted to call her down.
Although the Gujian Sect was a sword cultivation sect, if someone truly didn’t like it, they couldn’t force it.
…
“Zhuyi, come down.”
Su Zhuyi heard the sect master’s voice.
The sword shadows were like wind, and the howling wind seemed to carry countless voices: “You don’t belong here. Go down.”
The snow-bright sword tip stabbed toward her heart. The sword intent was like shocking waves, wanting to completely submerge her, strike her to the seabed, and push her down the mountain. She couldn’t even lift her hands, had no way to use the Qingfeng Sword to resist, and absolutely no way to resist. Her Tianxuan Nine Swords only had the second level; she had no sword intent of her own, and simply couldn’t contend with this sword. Yet if she moved, if she stepped aside, she could only… go down…
But she wanted to obtain the Songfeng Sword.
Wanted it.
In that moment, obtaining the Songfeng Sword became her greatest obsession, stronger even than her final wish in her previous life to become the supreme of the demonic path and dominate the world. So her feet seemed to grow roots, and she didn’t move.
She didn’t even know why she didn’t move, and was also shocked that she didn’t move. Her body and soul seemed no longer synchronized with reason. Su Zhuyi, who had always only thought with her brain and was always rational, also had a moment when she moved because of her heart.
She raised her hand with extreme difficulty, drew her sword, planning to make a final struggle.
Just then, the Zhuxin Curse at her chest grew slightly warm, and a jade-green sword light flew out from before her, meeting that snow-bright sword light.
Songfeng Sword intent.
Heavy snow presses the green pine, the green pine stands straight and firm.
At this moment, that snow-bright sword light on Sword Mountain was like vast white snow, while the Songfeng Sword intent was a green pine standing proud in the snow. The Songfeng Sword’s intent made the Qingfeng Sword she thrust forward tremble slightly. The Songfeng Sword intent opened a path ahead while her Qingfeng Sword followed closely behind, seeming to split the sword shadows before her left and right with one sword, as if a clear breeze brushed the soles of her feet, allowing her to move forward along the path carved out by the Songfeng Sword intent.
The sword shadows were like a vast sea, and the Songfeng Sword intent was the sword that split the sea. Originally, there were still a hundred steps of sword path stairs before her, but now those stairs seemed to become a flat road surface. The sword shadows were compressed to both sides, with the middle being the path opened by the Songfeng Sword’s intent.
Su Zhuyi instinctively circulated her spiritual energy, touched her toes lightly, and leaped out gracefully. She didn’t go up step by step, but flew up directly.
Soon, Su Zhuyi overtook Hua Yining.
She didn’t call Hua Yining a waste.
She only turned back and smiled sweetly at the moment she passed Hua Yining.
For Hua Yining, what stimulated her spirit wasn’t being cursed at, but someone running faster than her on the sword path, and more importantly, being more beautiful than her…
She turned back with a slight smile, her brow carrying an aura of looking down upon the world, adding heroic spirit to that gorgeous face. She was truly magnificently beautiful, dazzlingly beautiful.
One sword came from the west—a flying immortal from beyond the heavens.