Chapter 24 It Is More Powerful Than All of You

An intangible aura rippled from Lin Fei's body, expanding outward in a perfect circle. A clear, resonant whistle echoed from the depths of the mountain.

Lin Fei stepped forward. Just as he had on the single-plank bridge before the Sea of Swords at Beiyou Mountain, he moved with neither hesitation nor fear, despite the void beneath his feet. His soles landed firmly upon the blade of a long sword.

A roar surged through the air; his inner sea churned, and he whistled through the firmament. In an instant, the young man’s silhouette vanished.

...

On Sword Burial Mountain of the Sword Sect, Lin Fei began his journey to find an ancient sword in a manner that seemed almost impossible. His figure became like a shooting star streaking across the horizon, fleeting and transient, leaving behind only the echoes of sword hums that reverberated through the mountains, long and unending.

Fang Zhenghua walked at the very front of the group, having already neared the mountain's midsection. Zhao Xiuyuan followed closely behind, but ahead of Fang Zhenghua, there was only one person and one beast—the lively and spirited Xia Yi with her fox cub, Xiaobai.

For some reason, the young girl with the ponytail loved to loiter a few steps ahead of Fang Zhenghua. With her hands clasped behind her back, she affected a posture of seasoned maturity, turning back from time to time to look at him with a kind, gratified smile, much like that of an elder, as if imitating someone of great prestige.

The higher the mountain path climbed, the more precipitous it became, with some sections requiring hands and feet to navigate. Fang Zhenghua panted heavily, his eyes burning with an intense fervor, his gaze locked firmly upon the summit. In the Sword Pool at the peak of Sword Burial Mountain lay nearly a thousand true precious swords; only there could one hope to find an ancient sword of the highest order, one imbued with a sword spirit.

"Hurry up and keep up!" Xia Yi urged from ahead, her voice laced with playfulness.

Fang Zhenghua pulled himself from his thoughts and rolled his eyes helplessly at the vibrant young girl. Among his peers, there were few he truly admired, but Xia Yi was undoubtedly one of them; both her age and her talent commanded his respect.

The ponytail girl looked at Fang Zhenghua and sighed with affected maturity: "You're so weak, how are you worthy of being Lin Fei's disciple?"

Fang Zhenghua’s eyes went round, and he retorted: "When did I ever say I wanted to be his disciple!"

The girl puffed out her chest, looking entirely justified: "Lin Fei is so incredible, it’s only natural you should be his disciple."

"What kind of logic is that?!" Fang Zhenghua felt both exasperated and amused. Just as he was about to argue further, he was interrupted by a sudden, deafening boom.

"Bang!"

A sharp, urgent sound of air being torn apart rang out. A black shadow flashed across the sky just over ten meters above them, instantly vanishing into the higher clouds. The cold wind from the cliffside lashed out, the intense turbulence making it nearly impossible for the two to keep their eyes open.

Xiaobai looked up at the sky and let out a series of excited yips. Xia Yi was filled with pleasant surprise, shouting Lin Fei’s name at the top of her lungs and waving her hands at the sky.

"Is that him?" Fang Zhenghua stood dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief. Yet, as he watched the black dot in the clouds grow smaller, he was forced to accept the reality. The black attire was simply too conspicuous—always so clean, even polished to a dark sheen.

A sense of inexplicable frustration welled up in the young man's heart. To fly by sword, to traverse thousands of miles in a single thought, and to soar freely between heaven and earth—this was the state every young man and woman in the world dreamed of. He had yearned for this for years, and though he was only a sword away, he had never imagined someone else could have traveled so far, leaving him trailing so far behind.

Xia Yi hopped over to Fang Zhenghua’s side, jumped up to pat his shoulder, and said with a very thoughtful tone: "Don't feel discouraged. It's perfectly normal not to compare to Lin Fei; after all, you aren't me."

Fang Zhenghua looked at the girl's fresh, youthful face and felt even more aggrieved. Recalling her shocking true age, he felt utterly heartbroken: "I can't train in this sword art anymore!"

...

Lin Fei arrived on his sword and landed steadily upon the summit. In the centuries-long history of the Sword Sect, he was likely the first initiate to reach the top so rapidly.

There was no mistaking fog here, only heavy clouds circling the peak. Those spiritual ancient swords flickered in and out of view within the clouds, possessing a hazy, ethereal beauty, brimming with sword intent.

Lin Fei stepped onto the solid ground of the summit and gave a light wave of his hand. The long sword beneath his feet spiraled upward with agility, then dove from the peak, disappearing into the sea of clouds. He stood in the center of the summit, scanned the surrounding sea of clouds, and spoke: "I have come here to find a sword."

The surroundings were deathly silent; there was no response.

"Have you ever seen a sword like this?" Lin Fei pondered for a moment before continuing: "A sword far more powerful than any of you."

"A sword far more powerful than any of you."

The young man's voice echoed across the summit, calm and detached, as if stating an indisputable fact.

A light breeze stirred, and the surrounding sword intent began to surge restlessly. The clouds slowly dissipated, revealing the true forms of those ancient swords. Atop the peak, the three most esteemed ancient swords emanated dazzling radiance. On their blades, a young boy in azure, an elder with long hair, and a burly, bare-chested man appeared—the three sword spirits manifested, their gazes fixed squarely on Lin Fei with clear displeasure.

Ancient swords are sentient and naturally possess a proud temperament. Hearing Lin Fei’s blunt comparison, they were naturally offended. The sword intent on the summit intensified several times over in an instant, and all that pressure converged upon the uninvited youth.

Lin Fei did not release his own origin sword qi. Facing this pressure, he simply said faintly: "My apologies, I seem to have forgotten how to communicate with you all."

He continued to explain: "I meant no insult."

Lin Fei thought for a moment and added: "I only meant to express that that sword is more powerful than any of you."

...

The young man’s expression was exceptionally earnest, yet the more earnest he was, the more his words sounded like mockery. Clearly, when it came to communicating with sword spirits, Lin Fei was indeed somewhat obtuse. He self-deprecatingly thought of himself as unlikeable, but he hadn't expected that even the swords would take an aversion to him.

The ancient swords in the sky collectively emitted a heart-stopping sword intent; that intent almost materialized, pressing heavily upon Lin Fei’s heart. Any ordinary disciple of the Mortal Realm would likely have fainted under this pressure long ago.

But Lin Fei was no ordinary disciple. He shook his head gently and said: "You are not the Wood God; why are you so petty?"

Suddenly, a massive boom, like a thunderclap on flat ground, exploded across the summit. The swords could finally endure no more and responded to Lin Fei’s rudeness. The sword qi in the air seemed enraged, transforming into silvery-white tornadoes that roared wantonly across the peak. These tornadoes carried destructive power, heading straight for Lin Fei.

Had an ordinary disciple encountered such an attack, they would have faced certain doom, left without even bones remaining. However, at that critical moment, a powerful momentum suddenly intervened. The unstoppable tornadoes lost their ferocity in mid-air and eventually dissipated into nothingness.

A golden light descended from the sky—the radiance emitted by the Qiankun Ancient Sword—which easily obliterated the tornadoes. The three sword spirits, now in human form, looked up at the sky, their faces etched with shock and disbelief. Ever since they had existed in the Sword Burial Mountain, this was the first time they had seen the Qiankun proactively protect someone.