Ye Zhaozhao, long accustomed to reaping benefits without effort, knew little about things that required true understanding. At this moment, she couldn't help but show a bewildered expression.
"Contaminated by turbid air? What does that mean?"
Seeing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, Ye Zhaozhao quickly added, her tone aggrieved, "Is it… Senior Sister Li? She must have done something to Long Yan, right?"
But this time, even the ever-submissive Chang Le'an remained silent.
Ye Zhaozhao froze, a sudden bad premonition tightening in her chest.
Turbid air!
What on earth did that mean?
Lingxu Zhenren was silent for a while before finally speaking. "Swords have spirits, and thus give birth to sword spirits. Our sect's Sword Pavilion possesses a unique spirit-nourishing effect, ensuring that any sword embryo nurtured within it will eventually produce a spirit. However, not all sword spirits are equal. The strong possess immense potential. Once they meet the right master, they can soar to the ninth heaven."
He paused, his tone dropping. "But weak sword spirits… some cannot be awakened at all, some possess very limited potential, and some…"
Lingxu Zhenren's eyes grew heavy. "Some are born polluted by foul air, imperfect from the start."
As Ye Zhaozhao listened, her pupils shrank sharply.
What did Master mean by that?
Inside the sword spirit space, Long Yan trembled violently. Without waiting for Ye Zhaozhao to summon him, he forcibly broke free, appearing before them in an unstable, half-illusory form.
His voice shook. "Born contaminated by turbid energy? No! That's impossible! Everyone knows I'm a peerless sword spirit. Since awakening, I've grown at an extraordinary pace! Even Li Shuang admitted that without me, she wouldn't have achieved what she has today!"
He sounded desperate.
How could he be contaminated?
Sword spirits tainted by turbid energy were considered the lowest of the low.
Most could never awaken. Even the rare few who did were tormented day and night by the very corruption they carried, barely capable of maintaining form. They were useless among the useless—unable to transform the intangible into the real, let alone awaken properly.
Yet he, Long Yan, was the most envied sword spirit in the sect. Long Yin was the blade every disciple dreamed of wielding.
How could he be trash?
"Master, what does this mean? Can the turbid energy be dispelled? Will Long Yan never recover?" Ye Zhaozhao's voice cracked with panic.
Lingxu Zhenren replied slowly, "The corruption is rooted in his very being. He was born tainted, and the contamination runs deep. By all logic, he should never have awakened. I do not know what method Li Shuang used, nor how she managed to suppress the foul energy for so many years—so effectively that even I failed to notice."
His gaze hardened, a chill entering his tone. "But in the end, Long Yan… is nothing more than a useless sword spirit."
Lingxu Zhenren sighed in mixed awe and pity. His eldest disciple had unwittingly nurtured a spirit destined for failure. If Long Yan had remained with Li Shuang, perhaps the corruption would never have erupted. But he had broken his bond with her and chosen Ye Zhaozhao instead. She knew nothing of suppression techniques, and this time, his provocation had allowed the foul energy to erupt unchecked.
Without Li Shuang… who else could save him?
A flicker of disbelief clouded Long Yan's eyes. His form flickered, half-real, half-illusory.
"Impossible… impossible! What turbid energy? What useless spirit? Li Shuang clearly said I was the most talented sword spirit she had ever met! She said I could be her best partner!"
And he had believed her.
So much so that he even thought she was unworthy of him.
But now—Master Lingxu himself had branded him as useless. And given Lingxu's current hatred of Li Shuang, he had no reason to praise her. If even he acknowledged it, then there was only one possibility…
This was the truth.
He, Long Yan, was nothing but trash.
His body grew ever more transparent, though he no longer even felt the pain of fading away. Lost in despair, he muttered again and again, "This is impossible…"
Shen Yue finally broke the silence with a sigh. "Senior Sister Li truly is a peerless genius. Only she could nurture such a spirit to this level. Even contaminated, she kept his corruption hidden all these years. No one else could have done it."
The realization sent chills through the group. How much effort had Li Shuang silently spent to sustain him?
No one dared imagine.
Ye Zhaozhao bit her lip, her heart twisting with hatred.
Damn it!
Did Li Shuang do this on purpose? Why hadn't she warned her that Long Yan was tainted? Had she deliberately given him away just to see her humiliated?
A useless spirit! Not only worthless, but one that blocked her from cultivating her own natal sword!
Damn her. Damn her!
This wretched Li Shuang truly deserved to die.
Forcing a look of worry onto her face, Ye Zhaozhao asked, "Master, what should we do? Long Yan is fading fast—he'll soon lose his form entirely."
Lingxu Zhenren's expression remained calm. "No one else can dispel the foul energy. But as his master, perhaps you can. Spiritual energy refined into sword energy may cut through the corruption. Too much will damage him, too little will be useless. Only the right balance will work."
Ye Zhaozhao paled.
Sword energy refined from spiritual essence…
That was something only true sword cultivators could accomplish. She hadn't even taken the first step down that path.
"Junior Sister, try it now," Sheng Yuan urged.
"Try first," Shen Yue echoed.
Ye Zhaozhao's mind spun. Quickly, she put on a pitiful expression and said, "I want to save Long Yan, I do! But Master said the balance is delicate. With his current unstable state, if I misstep, the consequences will be disastrous. When it comes to purging turbid energy… who could be better than Senior Sister Li? Besides, Long Yan was injured because of her. Shouldn't she be the one to help?"