“Ah Yu, Ah Yu!”
“Sister!”
Her body was being shaken gently, accompanied by an annoying buzzing sound in her ears.
Shi Yu's brows furrowed. She waved her hand as if swatting away mosquitoes, only for her palm to be caught and held gently. “Ah Yu, wake up.”
The familiar voice spoke right beside her ear. Only then did her eyelashes flutter, and she strained to open her heavy eyelids.
Opening her eyes, she saw Qingzhou, Mo Tong, and Ji Yu all gathered around her.
Seeing her awaken, the three smiled in relief and hurriedly helped her up.
Shi Yu sat up and looked around. She found that the pressure in the inner hall had completely vanished. The cultivators who had previously retreated outside had rushed back in to search high and low, but finding nothing of value, curses and frustrated complaints filled the air.
As for those who had stayed inside to undergo Senior White Bones' trial, most were in poor shape with listless expressions, and a few were still unconscious.
Turning her head to look toward the raised platform, she saw Senior White Bones' skeleton still sitting upright on the prayer mat, motionless. The faint glow atop it was gone, leaving only hollow eye sockets that seemed to gaze into the distance.
Beside his hand, the red fox skeleton had also lost its spiritual glow and black energy. Like an ordinary animal's remains, a passing breeze reduced it to dust, scattering it away.
The red fox... Shi Yu's brows knit together. She faintly recalled the scene before she had fallen unconscious, remembering only that the red fox had held her in its embrace, humming a tender tune while slicing open a cut on her chin, attempting to strip away her face.
Touching her chin with her fingers, she found that the skin was completely healed, leaving not a trace of any cut.
What happened after I passed out? Shi Yu wondered to herself. With no one to give her an answer, she could only shake her head.
Seeing that Qingzhou and the other two were fine, she felt a slight wave of relief. She was about to ask how each of them fared when the empty-handed cultivators flew into a rage, shouting angrily, “Who on earth obtained that Nine Nether Sword?!”
“The skeleton's glow has faded and the Nine Nether Sword is gone. It must have found its inheritor!”
“I wonder which fellow Daoist it is. Why not step forward and let us broaden our horizons!”
Instigating and provocative calls rang out one after another.
Shi Yu twitched her lips and muttered under her breath, “Broaden your horizons? More like playing out another classic show of murder and treasure-looting.”
Still, she could not help feeling curious about which talented individual had managed to pass Senior White Bones' trial, comprehending a powerful sword technique from the sword wall and even using it to defeat the phantom shadow condensed by Senior White Bones... Though she knew nothing about the Sword Dao, she was well aware of how difficult such a trial must have been.
For someone to possess such talent in the Sword Dao was truly worthy of admiration.
Unexpectedly, Qingzhou leaned closer and squeezed her palm. When Shi Yu turned to look at him, he mouthed the words without a sound: “It's me.”
Shi Yu froze. A look of joy flashed in her eyes before being instantly concealed.
It was actually Qingzhou who got it! With a cultivation like Senior White Bones', whose divine sense had endured tens of thousands of years of erosion to await an inheritor, the legacy he left behind was not only undeniably powerful, but likely remarkably complete.
For Qingzhou to obtain his inheritance was a monumental opportunity. Once he carefully comprehended it, his strength would surely soar, opening up a grand path forward.
Suppressing her excitement, she kept her expression calm and composed. Looking around at the surrounding cultivators, who were all eyeing one another with scrutiny and suspicion, she mouthed back silently: “Do not expose yourself.”
Having gained nothing after so much effort, those people would definitely not give up easily. Now that they were certain the person who obtained the Nine Nether Sword was among them, there was no way they would let anyone leave without a fight.
While claim to an inheritance depended on one's own capabilities, failing to safeguard such an opportunity could still end in losing everything. If anyone discovered that Qingzhou had obtained the Nine Nether Sword, it would undoubtedly draw siege and conflict.
Shi Yu and the other three had intended to stay hidden among the crowd and quietly slip away when an opportunity arose. Unexpectedly, a thin cultivator holding a gourd-shaped artifact sneered, exchanged glances with several companions, and completely blocked the entrance to the inner hall. “Whoever took the Nine Nether Sword had best hand it over obediently. Otherwise...”
Shi Yu recognized him as one of the people who had previously stayed in the inner hall for Senior White Bones' trial.
His aura surged, emanating a subtle sense of pressure. He likely possessed at least a late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, or perhaps even Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection—just a single step away from the Golden Core Realm. His companions had similar cultivations, forming a formidable and highly threatening force.
Their gazes swept across the crowd, quickly dividing everyone into two groups based on memory. Those who had failed to undergo the trial were directly driven out of the hall, while none of those who had attempted Senior White Bones' sword wall trial were spared, all blocked inside.
Though the crowd grumbled in discontent, no one made a major move to resist.
First, the disparity in strength was far too great, making resistance a thankless task. Second... knowing they hadn't received the inheritance themselves, they were also curious to find out who the lucky person was, many hoping to fish in troubled waters.
Shi Yu's heart sank. She knew that under these circumstances, the crowd would never unite against them. Otherwise, even with their outstanding strength, those few cultivators could hardly withstand so many people combined.
I wonder if these people have the means to test whether Qingzhou has the inheritance on him... Her expression remained unchanged while her mind raced.
Over there, the thin cultivator produced a mirror-shaped artifact. The mirror radiated a soft, serene glow, exuding an ancient and simple aura—clearly a treasure with a long lineage that had been nurtured for generations.
Holding the mirror, he aimed it at the first person. Immediately, a beam of bright orange-yellow light shot from the mirror, enveloping the cultivator within it. A few breaths later, blurry images began to form on the mirror's surface.
The thin cultivator formed a hand seal to cast a spell, and the images gradually became clear. Everyone saw that the scenes displayed were precisely what that cultivator had experienced inside the sword wall stone room over the past three days.
They watched him stand before the sword wall to observe, gesturing along with the intricate sword marks with his fingers, yet yielding no results at all. He scratched his head and grimaced in frustration, ultimately letting out a long sigh, muttering a few curses under his breath, and spending the remaining days in restless irritation.
Once the scene finished flashing, the thin cultivator waved his hand. “Alright, step aside.”
The cultivator who had been enveloped by the mirror's light looked furious that his embarrassing performance had been laid bare for all to see. He opened his mouth to speak, but ended up walking to the side in resentment.
The thin cultivator turned his sharp gaze to the next person. “You, come here.”
His aura surged with a heavy sense of pressure, and with several companions eyeing him like hawks, that person did not dare resist. He could only step forward obediently to let the treasure mirror shine upon him.
Inside the mirror, images re-appeared, showing much the same thing. This second cultivator performed slightly better than the previous one, successfully comprehending a sword art from the sword marks. Regrettably, the sword art lacked sufficient power to defeat Senior White Bones' phantom shadow, so he naturally failed the trial and could not claim the inheritance.
Next came the third person.
“You, come here.”
...
More and more people were subjected to the mirror's light, and it would soon be their turn. Shi Yu tugged lightly on Qingzhou's sleeve, and the two exchanged a glance.
The thin cultivator finally looked toward Shi Yu. “You, come here.”
Rate on N.U.
