Chapter Three: I Will Keep Your Secret Safe
“Ah?” The young girl’s eyes widened. “I thought you were the unparalleled prodigy of the Sword Sect…”
Lin Fei shook his head. “I have no connection with the Sword Sect nowadays.”
“But I saw you by the lake…”
“There were too many people gathering there. I don’t like that.”
Xia Yi nodded thoughtfully. “Lin Fei, are you confident you’ll pass the assessment?”
The girl carefully sensed him and found that he showed no trace of spiritual energy—just like an ordinary person.
Lin Fei said nothing; the question was meaningless to him.
...
“Hm? Just arriving for the test now?”
By the small pavilion near the lake, Di Yuan, about to call it a day, glanced over and saw the late-arriving youth standing before the jade stone. A flicker of displeasure sparked in his heart.
It was already late. All the boys and girls taking the assessment had received their results and dispersed, yet he had waited here until nightfall.
“It took too much time, so I went elsewhere to look around first.”
“???”
Hearing this excuse, Di Yuan’s anger surged.
This was the only chance to enter the Sword Sect. Every other youth was waiting respectfully and devoutly, fearing they might miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Even he, in his own day, had spent the entire day here full of anxiety and anticipation.
But this tardy youth acted so nonchalantly, speaking with such disrespect—it was infuriating.
Yet when Di Yuan saw the little girl beside the youth, his expression softened. “Is this your friend?”
Xia Yi nodded decisively.
“Hmm.”
Suppressing his discontent, Di Yuan instructed the youth, “Place your hand on the jade stone and sense carefully.”
He was eager to see what kind of talent could make this youth so brazen and unrestrained.
A swordsman’s heart was divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow. If this reckless youth hadn’t even reached the Mystery level, would he still maintain such pride?
Lin Fei neither knew nor cared about Di Yuan’s thoughts; he simply stepped toward the jade stone.
Xia Yi’s eyes shone with anticipation, curious about the youth’s true talent.
---
The black-clad youth’s hand hovered halfway, then suddenly stalled. His brows furrowed slightly, as if troubled, his eyes filled with uncertain complexity.
Seeing this, Di Yuan’s disdain deepened. He was convinced this arrogant youth was nothing but a braggart playboy.
A sword cultivator who dared not even stretch out his hand? How could he ever lift a sword?
After a brief hesitation, Lin Fei stepped forward, placed both hands on the jade stone under the watchful eyes of the two behind him.
A clear, crisp sword chime rang out over the pond, and the jade stone burst forth with a dazzling purple light.
This was the second time today such purple light had appeared.
The little girl laughed happily, revealing two adorable little tiger teeth.
Di Yuan was stunned, disbelief etched across his face.
Undoubtedly, it was an Earth-level Sword Heart!
Normally, that wouldn’t be surprising—several Earth-level Sword Hearts had appeared in recent days.
But that sword chime was extraordinary.
He recalled the sect’s teachings: the sword chime meant the Sword Heart was perfectly lucid—this was the mark of a natural-born swordsman, with a limitless future.
Even someone like Xia Yi, with a Heaven-level Sword Heart, had never produced a sword chime.
This youth’s path with the sword could not be simply judged by his Sword Heart level.
The test ended; Lin Fei exhaled softly and turned to leave the jade stone.
“Hmph, that’s not your true talent!”
Xia Yi hurried after him, snorting with a look that said, “I see right through you.”
Lin Fei smiled faintly but said nothing.
The jade stone test for talent was outdated and flawed.
As far as Lin Fei knew, many renowned great sword cultivators didn’t have exceptionally strong Sword Hearts.
The development of swordsmanship was not solely determined by the Sword Heart. Relying solely on the jade stone’s test results could easily overlook true sword prodigies.
What truly caused him hesitation before the test was that the jade stone could not withstand sword intent above the four levels.
In other words, it could not endure his sword intent.
If he poured all his sword intent into it, it would undoubtedly be destroyed.
---
Beyond the four levels of Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow, there was another realm: the Innate Sword Embryo.
...
The Sword Sect consisted of thirteen peaks.
The Horizon Peak lay a thousand meters east of the sect’s inner gate.
The mountain was lush with vegetation and abundant spiritual energy. The most beautiful spot was a vast bamboo grove, said to have been planted by the sect’s founding patriarch. This place was simply called Bamboo Forest.
In front of the Bamboo Forest was the heart of Horizon Peak, where scattered small courtyards nestled, each with a lawn of fresh green grass and a pleasant environment.
By tradition, new disciples resided here before breaking through the Qi Refining stage, diligently cultivating until their breakthrough, when they could request their swords and leave.
“After the assessment ends in three days, the sect will provide unified training for all new disciples here.”
Di Yuan tossed down two cultivation manuals required for new entrants and began tediously lecturing on the sect’s many rules.
“If you have any questions, you can come find me.”
Before leaving, Di Yuan kindly addressed Xia Yi but didn’t glance at Lin Fei once.
Watching Di Yuan’s retreat, the girl whispered, “He doesn’t seem to like you.”
“Normal. I’ve never been one to win favor,” Lin Fei said, turning to examine his quarters.
“That’s not true—I don’t dislike you at all,” Xia Yi said sincerely, blinking her bright eyes.
Lin Fei glanced at her coolly. “Your secret is safe with me.”
At his words, the girl blushed fiercely, turning her head forty-five degrees toward the horizon, pretending not to have heard.
The room was simply furnished: a wooden plank bed, a bamboo chair, a tea set, and a wooden table with a fruit plate filled with spiritual fruits—nothing else.
Lin Fei tidied the room briefly, brewed a pot of tea, and sat quietly in the bamboo chair, lost in thought.
The cultivation manual, treasured by new disciples, lay tossed in a corner, untouched. He had no intention of reading it now or perhaps ever.
Since awakening from slumber, Lin Fei had come seeking the sword.
Once he found it, he planned to find some others as well.
Though time flowed on and the sword might remain intact, whether those former companions still walked the mortal world was uncertain.