Under the gaze of the crowd with their varied emotions, two clusters of light suddenly flared within the skull of the senior's white bones, as if he had opened his eyes.
A majestic momentum swept forth with immense force, causing everyone to cry out in alarm as their bodies swayed. None dared to look directly at the white bones any longer, hastily bowing their heads in respect.
The white-boned senior spoke slowly, “You greedy and unprincipled fools are unworthy to receive my legacy. Be gone at once.”
Along with that majestic voice, a violent gust swept through. The cultivators who had attacked their companions groaned in pain, their bodies flying backward out of the inner hall against their will, unable to take even a single step forward again.
The remaining cultivators—who had either been too busy defending themselves or had held back—remained inside the hall. Seeing this, they were secretly delighted: With fewer formidable rivals, our chances of obtaining the legacy just grew!
After all, the senior had explicitly uttered the words: “receive my legacy.”
Shi Yu's chest heaved slightly, feeling a stir of excitement herself.
A legacy from an ancient mighty figure—whether cultivation techniques, magic treasures, or other items—would yield immense rewards if one were fortunate enough to obtain even a fraction of it.
At that moment, the luminous sheen on the white bones grew brighter and brighter, nearly illuminating the entire inner hall like broad daylight. The senior's pressure intensified alongside it, making everyone feel as though they were trapped under a massive stone roller, unable to move.
Behind the white bones, a phantom figure gradually condensed within the luminous light. It was a handsome man of extraordinary bearing, clad in a white robe with a jade crown upon his head and a longsword in hand—a remnant strand of divine sense left behind by the senior's living self.
Everyone hastily bowed in unison. “Greetings, Senior!”
His gaze swept over the crowd before he let out a deeply emotional sigh: “Peach blossoms fade as fair faces age, yet mountains and rivers endure forever; where lies the end of worldly samsara, as fleeting clouds scatter over thousands of miles…”
The senior's voice was cold and distant, sounding as if it echoed from thousands of years ago, sending a jolt through everyone's heart.
He made no mention of his name, nor did he intend to recount his life story to posterity. After reciting the verses, he fell silent for a long time, gazing at the tiny ball of red fox bones beside his hand. Strands of complex emotion flickered in his eyes, revealing profound tenderness and yearning.
No one dared to utter a sound, merely remaining bowed in quiet anticipation.
Only after a long while did the senior speak again: “In this life, this venerable one lived with honor and integrity, failing no one under heaven save two—one my beloved, the other my master.”
With that, he extended a finger, sending a streak of white light flying from his fingertip toward a corner of the inner hall.
Following his line of sight, the crowd watched as the white light struck a stone wall. A cave opening instantly appeared in the wall, revealing what was inside.
Inside rested a sword, entirely deep blue, its body forged like profound iron and its tip glowing like cold stars—extraordinary at a single glance.
At the sight of it, everyone's eyes lit up, their hearts stirring. This weapon was undoubtedly an ancient divine weapon of unknown power. Obtaining it would unquestionably boost one's strength exponentially—it might even provide the opportunity to break through a bottleneck!
Had the senior's pressure not been deterring them, several people would likely have succumbed to their surging desires and charged forward to fight for it long ago.
Gazing at the sword with a look of reminiscence, the senior continued, “My master painstakingly taught me everything he had, yet I failed to pass down my sect's legacy. For this, my heart bears guilt.”
“That you have arrived here today may be deemed the will of Heaven.”
“This sword was my natal magic treasure in life, named Nine Nether, an Innate Spiritual Treasure of infinite power. It can slay demons and fiends, shatter the void, connect with the Qi of heaven and earth, and reduce all things to ash. Within its hilt lies my sect's inheritance. If you juniors wish to claim it, compete by your own abilities!”
With a wave of his wide sleeve, the surrounding scenery in the inner hall instantly distorted and shifted.
A distant, ethereal chanting echoed vaguely through the air.
“Leaning on the railing to gaze at the vast sea, turning back to behold the changing lands; the Divine Continent of old has transformed, fickle and ever-shifting is the mortal realm…”
“…is the mortal realm…”
When Shi Yu's vision stabilized, she found herself standing inside a stone room with no one by her side.
“Qingzhou?”
No one answered.
Guessing that the senior had used a divine ability to isolate everyone for the legacy trial, she did not panic, instead surveying her surroundings.
Inside the stone room, the four walls were airtight and covered in dense, crisscrossing marks. Shi Yu stepped forward and lightly brushed her fingers against them, only to feel a sharp, stinging pain.
She pulled her hand back to find her fingertip cut, a bead of blood oozing out. With a look of surprise, she murmured softly, “These... are all sword marks.”
The senior's natal magic treasure was the Nine Nether Sword, so he was undoubtedly a sword cultivator. Naturally, the legacy trial he set up had to be related to swords.
Sure enough, as soon as the thought crossed Shi Yu's mind, the senior's voice resonated around her: “Visualize the sword wall. Within a limit of three days, comprehend at least one sword technique and use it to defeat my residual phantom. The victor will receive my legacy.”
Hearing this, Shi Yu could not help clicking her tongue. The sword marks on the four walls were chaotic and intricate; comprehending a sword technique from them was no easy feat. Furthermore, even if one succeeded, they still had to defeat the senior's residual phantom with it—meaning the technique could not be sloppy or half-baked, but had to be sufficiently powerful.
She wanted to give it a try, but unfortunately, she had never studied the Sword Dao before and was practically clueless about it. When trying to visualize the four sword walls, she struggled to focus her mind, feeling only dizzy and unable to grasp the essentials.
After trying for half a day to no avail, Shi Yu shook her head slightly. “It seems this place is not where my opportunity lies.”
After putting in so much effort, failing to obtain an opportunity in the secret vault was disappointing, but the feeling quickly dissipated without truly affecting her. After all, on the path of cultivation, her own opportunities would be awaiting her elsewhere.
However, since these four sword walls originated from antiquity, they were certainly extraordinary. Though she did not cultivate sword arts and could not glimpse their wonders, it would be nice to make rubbings to take back for Mo Tong and Ji Yu to study. With this thought, Shi Yu tried to take a shadow-recording stone out of the Fate-Tapping Bell, only to discover that she could open neither the Fate-Tapping Bell nor any of her storage bags.
It was likely due to the divine ability the senior had invoked.
Shi Yu shook her head helplessly and muttered, “Hopefully, Qingzhou can gain something from this.”
Since the trial would last for three days and she knew she had no chance, she stopped wasting time, sitting cross-legged in the center of the stone room to meditate and cultivate.
Just like that, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the final day, while Shi Yu was quietly cultivating, she suddenly heard a woman's clear, seductive laugh beside her ear. She snapped her eyes open to see an exquisitely charming and gorgeously glamorous woman leaning half-reclined to the side. Wearing a sheer red gown that left half a silky shoulder exposed, she was looking at her with a faint, knowing smile.
It was the master of the secret realm! Shi Yu's pupils shrank, alarm bells instantly ringing loud in her heart.
Rate on N.U.
