A collective wave of hisses echoed throughout the entire Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land.
All the young disciples standing around the main hall watched, dumbfounded, as the young woman proactively took Ling Tian's hand. Their eyes were filled with intense astonishment.
Junior Sister Xun'er!!
She actually held another man's hand right in front of Senior Brother Yu?!
What does this mean!!!
It means Senior Brother Yu has been full of hot air all along, what else could it mean?
"Jun-Junior Sister!!" Yu Yuntian was equally stunned, staring at the young woman and the delicate hand she had wrapped around Ling Tian's. A indescribable sense of humiliation suddenly ignited within him.
Why?!
Why won't you even let me touch your hair normally, but now you actively hold another man's hand?
Why?
Why can't you just recognize your own shortcomings?
Because you're ugly, that's why. Why even ask.
"What is it, Senior Brother? Is there something else?" Ye Xun'er's pretty face tightened slightly, a note of impatience in her voice.
For the past year,rumors about her and Yu Yuntian had been rampant within the sect.
Moreover,this Great Senior Brother always made a point of acting overly concerned about her in front of others.
If not for the fact that he was the Holy Master's true disciple and the Great Senior Brother of their lineage,even someone with as good a temper as Ye Xun'er would have lost her patience long ago.
"N-No... nothing. However, Junior Brother Ling..." Yu Yuntian glared coldly at Ling Tian, the hatred in the depths of his eyes impossible to fully conceal.
Ling Tian sighed inwardly. It seems I've offended this Great Senior Brother after all.
He could guess that Ye Xun'er taking his hand wasn't due to some brainless,idiotic love at first sight.
Love at first sight existed in this world,but in the mortal realm, it was love for the face and the watch on the wrist.
On the immortal path,it was love for cultivation, talent, background, and status.
After all,by convention, those who cultivated immortality weren't ugly.
Who ever heard of a young master of a Holy Land or the heir of an Ancient Clan being an ugly wretch?
And since Ling Tian hadn't displayed a shred of talent yet,Ye Xun'er's proactiveness could only mean one thing: she was likely using him as a shield.
A flash of killing intent instantly passed through Ling Tian's eyes.
"Senior Brother..."
"I've heard Junior Brother will attempt the Path of Ten Thousand Swords in three days. Let me advise you: that path isn't for just anyone to ascend. Some junior brothers at the Soul Sea Realm were even shredded to pieces by the sword intent emanating from the ten thousand divine swords upon entering the path. You..." Yu Yuntian gave a cold laugh, his implication crystal clear.
A waste like you, with no spiritual power to speak of, attempting the Path? Isn't that just seeking death?
Be sensible, stay away from Junior Sister Xun'er. Wouldn't it be better to crawl back to the Ling Clan and be an idle young master?
Why must you imitate those 'rise from being a waste' stories and challenge the immortal path?
"Heh, thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. Ling Tian will keep it in mind." Ling Tian's face darkened. How could he not hear the sarcasm in Yu Yuntian's words?
Although,with his Sword Dao Principle, drawing his sword now might very well kill this mid Breakthrough Realm Great Senior Brother...
But...
Who knew who stood behind this Great Senior Brother?What was his background?
Ling Tian's approach had always emphasized endurance and caution.Before possessing sufficient strength, he avoided making enemies whenever possible.
If this were Ling Xiao, he would have slapped Yu Yuntian across the face long ago, slapping him so hard he wouldn't recognize his own daddy.
"Hmph! It seems Junior Brother Ling has quite some confidence in himself. Then I'll wait to see just how long you can last on that Path in three days." Yu Yuntian sneered. Fine, since you're seeking death, don't blame me for not warning you.
After he spoke,his figure vanished instantly.
Ye Xun'er, however, frowned, looking at Ling Tian with a hint of guilt.
"Does Senior Sister Xun'er not plan to let go yet?"Ling Tian sighed. He had only just arrived at the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land and had already provoked such trouble.
Moreover,these Holy Land disciples didn't hesitate in the slightest when it came to mocking and looking down on him.
Back in the Ling Clan,even though he knew everyone despised him, they at least kept their discussions private.
But now...
For the first time,Ling Tian actually felt that his own humble, miserable home was more comfortable.
"Ah!! Sorry, Junior Brother Ling, I..." Ye Xun'er's face flushed red. She quickly released Ling Tian's hand, her delicate fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, a far cry from the cold pride she had shown moments before in front of Yu Yuntian.
"Junior Brother...I intentionally wanted to make it clear to Senior Brother Yu that there's no possibility between us. I didn't mean to make things difficult for you, it's just... it's just..."
Just convenient timing.
Ling Tian gave Ye Xun'er a meaningful glance. The trace of resentment he had felt towards her initially dissipated considerably under her flustered, guilty gaze.
Looking at it this way, this Ye Xun'er doesn't seem to be a 'tea girl'.She might genuinely detest that Yu Yuntian.
"It's fine, Senior Sister."
"Hehe,Junior Brother, you're so well-behaved. Come on, let your senior sister show you around our Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land properly. Also, the Path isn't as terrifying as Senior Brother Yu made it sound. Back then, I walked it when I was at the peak Xuan Qing realm and ultimately received the summons of this Evil-Slaying Sword." Ye Xun'er waved her hand, and a cyan ancient sword materialized in her grasp.
Instantly, a terrifying spiritual wind swept through heaven and earth.
From deep within the mountain range,the sound of sword chimes shot towards the heavens.
"Hmm?What a fearsome ancient sword!" Ling Tian's eyes narrowed. He instinctively wanted to reach out and grasp the hilt, but he restrained himself in the end.
"A Dao Artifact!And a High Grade Dao Artifact at that. This must be one of the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land's heritage treasures."
"Hehe,right, Junior Brother Ling? So, the Path isn't about having low cultivation; it's about whether you have a connection with the swords." Ye Xun'er spoke with the air of a seasoned expert, but her expression suddenly turned serious.
"However,Junior Brother, there's one sword on the Path you'd better not touch..."
"Oh?Which one?" Ling Tian's interest was immediately piqued. A sword one shouldn't touch was either utterly useless or a peerless divine weapon.
"The ancient sword,God-Slayer!"
"Hmm?God-Slayer?" Ling Tian's eyes narrowed. He felt a wave of ferocious aura assault his senses, yet a faint smile inexplicably touched his lips.
A sword with a name like that is clearly no ordinary object.
God-Slayer?
"Correct. It's said this sword was left behind by the founding ancestor of our Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land when he ascended. Legend says the sword didn't originally have this name. It was because when the founding ancestor shattered the void to ascend to the immortal realm, he encountered obstruction from an immortal. Enraged, the ancestor... slew an immortal with a single stroke of this sword. Only then was it designated as the heritage Dao Artifact of our Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land, enshrined at the end of the Path, and revered as God-Slayer." Ye Xun'er's pretty face was grave. She looked deeply at Ling Tian and suddenly let out a soft sigh.
"But this sword is stained with immortal blood and carries its own Karma.All the past predecessors of the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Land who became entangled with this sword ultimately either became demons, enemies of the world, or... became slaves to the sword, their bodies dead and their Dao erased."
"So terrifying? Immortal blood?" The light in Ling Tian's eyes grew even brighter. What a treasure.
He possessed the Sword Vein Divine Body;he naturally didn't believe a sword could control a person.
If one was controlled,it could only mean their Sword Heart was unstable.
Although he couldn't cultivate spiritual power,he was confident his Sword Heart was unique in this world.
For no other reason than because the flawless Sword Heart he had forged was tempered through seven years of endurance and hundreds of thousands of repetitions of the tedious act of drawing his sword.
This ancient God-Slaying Sword... he was determined to obtain it!