Volume Two: Snow Over the Qin River — Chapter Five: Inheriting the Sword

Feng Qi frowned upon hearing Xue Wuji’s words.

Yang’er was missing?

After a moment of reflection, he felt there shouldn't be any major issues. Setting aside his status as the closed-door disciple of the Dao Ming Temple’s Master, Feng Yang had accompanied him north of the Yufeng Pass several times and was well-versed in how to survive in dangerous environments. Combined with his extensive knowledge of the Daoist canon, he shouldn't be in much trouble.

For Yang’er, the greatest challenge remained the Ten Absolute Meridians.

Since the Master of the Dao Ming Temple had allowed Yang’er to descend the mountain, he surely must have imparted the "Penetrating Wood" technique, or at the very least, something else of value. Thinking of this, he decided to stop dwelling on Feng Yang and focus on the present.

For him, the most pressing matter was the upcoming Inter-Peak Sword Tournament.

The most important aspect of a sword tournament is, naturally, the sword itself.

His "Traceless" sword had long been taken back by Xue Wuji. The piece of scrap metal he was currently using could hardly be called a sword—certainly not a real one. It would likely fall apart shortly after he stepped onto the tournament grounds.

Feng Qi did know of a place to obtain a new sword.

Recalling the records regarding the Sword-Sinking Pool, he felt it would be a troublesome affair. Yet, it would be even more troublesome if he didn't have a sword when the tournament began. And if he were to face Zhou Zihan without a blade, that would be the most troublesome scenario of all. He dared not imagine the consequences if he were to lose the match simply for lack of a proper sword.

As the saying goes, between two evils, choose the lesser.

Feng Qi sighed, rose to his feet, and headed out.

Descending the mountain, he encountered many fellow disciples. It was clear they held grievances against him, though for some reason, they remained silent, revealing their hostility only through their eyes. Since they said nothing, Feng Qi was happy to enjoy the peace.

He had never lost a war of words, but that did not mean he enjoyed them. Moreover, he expected to reside on Traceless Peak for quite some time. Thus, it was better not to contend.

...

Zhou Zihan left Qianren Peak, followed the Luo Ren Creek downstream, and soon arrived before a lake.

The surface of the lake was as smooth as a mirror, without a single ripple, appearing somewhat deathly still. Zhou Zihan looked at the water calmly and muttered to herself, "Why is it not called the Sword-Sinking Lake? It clearly looks nothing like a pool."

No one answered her.

Water does not speak, whether it is in a pool or a lake.

Zhou Zihan shook her head, and suddenly, a crisp sword hum emanated from within her body.

The sound rippled across the lake toward the distance, soon stirring waves that rolled into tiny whitecaps. A sword hum suddenly echoed from within the pool. Then, a second hum sounded from somewhere unknown. A third, a fourth... countless sword hums began to ring out, vying with one another.

Every corner of the Sword-Sinking Pool was filled with the sound of ringing blades.

Water does not speak, but swords do.

From those yearning hums, Zhou Zihan finally understood one thing.

She spoke softly, "I have wronged you all."

There were many disciples near the Sword-Sinking Pool, all of whom were left dumbstruck by the scene.

Mei Hanqing had only intended to take the Fenglei Peak disciples to the Dao Platform for practice. Passing by the Sword-Sinking Pool, he had accidentally discovered Junior Sister Zihan, but he had not expected to witness such a spectacle.

"This... Junior Sister Zihan is too terrifying, isn't she?"

"What happened?" Gu Duxing, standing beside him, asked in confusion. He had only recently entered the Inner Mountain and had never seen the ritual of "succeeding" a sword from the pool; he did not know what this phenomenon caused by Zhou Zihan signified.

"There are countless swords in the Sword-Sinking Pool, buried at the bottom. Their sword intent has long since merged with the water. Ordinary disciples are injured by the intent just by approaching. Thus, the sect has an unwritten rule: only those who have reached the peak of the Hunyuan realm may attempt to succeed a sword here," Mei Hanqing explained with a sigh. "However, most swords in the pool have already served one or two generations of masters. Unless your talent is so exceptional that it satisfies them, they will never acknowledge you."

Gu Duxing finally understood. "Then... this sky-filling chorus of hums means Senior Sister Zihan has been acknowledged by many swords?"

Mei Hanqing was silent for a moment before saying, "It means Junior Sister has been acknowledged by the entire Sword-Sinking Pool."

Acknowledged by the entire pool?

Gu Duxing exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't that mean Senior Sister could obtain a Celestial-grade flying sword?"

Mei Hanqing shook his head. "So far, only four Celestial swords have ever emerged from the Sword-Sinking Pool. The 'Asking Dao' sword is with the Sect Master, the 'Heaven-Slaying' sword is with the Sword Ancestor, and the 'Autumn Water' sword went to the Immortal Realm with the Old Emperor."

"What about the last one?" Gu Duxing asked.

Mei Hanqing thought for a moment and said, "The 'Long Sky' sword... I don't know its whereabouts either."

Feng Qi, standing not far behind them, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He thought the name "Long Sky" sounded familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "The Long Sky sword... is that not the life-bound spirit sword of the Pavilion Master of the Weeping Blood Pavilion?"

Many people had been drawn by the anomaly at the pool; hearing this, they could not help but exchange glances.

Mei Hanqing glared at Feng Qi and shouted sternly, "Blasphemy! How could a Celestial sword of our Snow Cloud Sect end up in a filthy place like the Weeping Blood Pavilion? Which peak are you from? How dare you attempt to disturb the Daoist hearts of Snow Cloud disciples?"

Feng Qi deeply disliked Mei Hanqing's attitude and had no intention of sparing him any face. He frowned and said, "Perhaps it is blasphemy, or perhaps it is ignorance."

He paused, then added, "And if a mere statement like that is enough to disturb your Daoist hearts, then your hearts are not worth keeping."

The crowd grew restless, and some looked at Feng Qi with sympathy. It had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to Mei Hanqing in such a manner. He was, after all, the second-in-command of Fenglei Peak.

Someone whispered something into Mei Hanqing's ear.

Mei Hanqing looked at Feng Qi, his face expressionless. "Having become the Sword Child of Traceless Peak, you feel you have something to rely on?"

Feng Qi said earnestly, "I do have something to rely on, but it is not because of my status."

"It seems you think I cannot discipline you?" Mei Hanqing said coldly.

"You really cannot discipline him."

The crowd parted as Mou Linhan stepped forward. He looked at Mei Hanqing with a calm gaze. "In the Snow Cloud Sect, the status of a Sword Child is second only to the Peak Masters. Although Junior Brother Mei is the second disciple of Fenglei Peak, he still has no authority to discipline the Sword Child of my Traceless Peak."

Mei Hanqing frowned. "You believe what he said?"

Mou Linhan shook his head. "Snow Cloud is the leader of the world's righteous path, and the Weeping Blood Pavilion is the head of the six great evil sects. It is impossible for a treasure of Snow Cloud to have fallen into the hands of an evil cult."

He glanced at Feng Qi and added, "But my Master says that Junior Brother is well-read and his knowledge is far beyond what we possess. So, just because I do not believe it does not mean it is not a fact."

Mei Hanqing took a deep breath, looked deeply at Mou Linhan, and turned to leave.

"Mou Linhan, in five days at the Inter-Peak Sword Tournament, you will see whether Fenglei Peak has the qualifications to discipline a Traceless Sword Child."

Mou Linhan paid no mind to the threat and looked at Feng Qi.

"Well done. How could the Sword Child of my Traceless Peak be bullied by others?"

Feng Qi shrugged. "If he had been even slightly polite, I wouldn't have bothered to retort."

Mou Linhan smiled. "You retorted, so you retorted. If anything happens, Senior Brother will cover for you."

Feng Qi looked at Mou Linhan and said earnestly, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Mou Linhan waved his hand dismissively. "By the way, are you preparing to succeed a sword now?"

Feng Qi nodded. "If I don't, it will certainly be troublesome during the tournament."

Mou Linhan glanced at Zhou Zihan, who was amidst the chorus of sword hums, and asked, "Do you have confidence? Or should we come back later?"

Feng Qi laughed. "It makes no difference how long I wait. She has the Formless Sword Body and has an inherent advantage in succeeding a sword. Even if I am not her equal, I won't embarrass myself too much."

As they spoke, a snow-white sword flew out of the pool and hovered steadily in front of Zhou Zihan.

Zhou Zihan wore a look of satisfaction and reached out to grasp the hilt.

Mou Linhan was silent for a moment, then said to Feng Qi, "Junior Brother... why don't we come back tomorrow?"

Feng Qi looked at the sword in Zhou Zihan's hand with curiosity and asked without looking back, "Why?"

Mou Linhan spoke with difficulty, "That sword... is a Heaven-grade flying sword."

Feng Qi asked, "Isn't your sword also a Heaven-grade flying sword? What is so strange about that?"

Mou Linhan continued, "That sword is the sword of the Ancestor of the Chasing Moon Peak."

Feng Qi was puzzled. "Isn't the Ancestor of the Chasing Moon Peak still alive and well? Why would his sword be sunk in the pool?"

Mou Linhan thought that this question was indeed hard to answer, and it involved people and events from a long time ago. Had his Master not let it slip while drunk, he would likely not have known either. Perhaps even his Master did not know that he knew this secret.

Seeing that Mou Linhan did not answer, Feng Qi did not press the matter, though the curiosity in his eyes grew even stronger.

Before Mou Linhan could stop him, Feng Qi ran to the edge of the Sword-Sinking Pool. At that moment, the sword hums had just ceased.

He glanced at Zhou Zihan, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "Well done!"

Zhou Zihan ignored him.

Feng Qi was not embarrassed and asked, "What is the name of that sword?"

Zhou Zihan said, "Asking Moon. The Asking Moon sword."

Feng Qi thought that it was truly a sword used by the Ancestor of Chasing Moon Peak; the name alone sounded very feminine.

Zhou Zihan remained expressionless and asked, "What are you here for?"

Feng Qi replied, "Isn't that a stupid question?"

Zhou Zihan froze, then flicked her sleeves and walked away.

Feng Qi clicked his tongue and praised, "As expected of the Formless Sword Body. Just standing by the pool, I can feel the hidden, chilling sharpness beneath the water."

As he spoke, his clothes were already shredded by countless cuts.

Yet he did not care, simply looking calmly at the pool.

"I do not believe you will kill me."

"I have never heard of a disciple dying in the Sword-Sinking Pool."

"I am entering the lake to take a sword. I will not seek it out actively. If any brother here feels a connection with me, please enter my hand."

After saying these three sentences, Feng Qi closed his eyes, spread his arms, and fell straight into the water.

*Splash.*

Outside the pool, countless disciples widened their eyes, too shocked to speak.

Zhou Zihan had not even taken two steps when she heard the sound of someone falling into the water behind her. She paused, thinking, *No way.*

Turning her head, she could see ripples spreading on the surface; Feng Qi was nowhere to be seen.

It was actually true.

This guy was a madman.

Mou Linhan thought, *This is what you call not embarrassing yourself? This is humiliating!*

He hurried to the edge of the pool.

The Sword-Sinking Pool was calm and still, without a single wrinkle.

Sword intent surged toward him.

He was impatient and waved his hand; a sharp aura flew from his palm, instantly shredding the probing sword intent.

Mou Linhan called out twice, but seeing no response, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to enter the water.

Zhou Zihan was quick and grabbed him. "It's too late."

Mou Linhan was anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. "Then what should we do now?"

Zhou Zihan was silent for a moment. "We can only hope he has great fortune."

...

...

Feng Qi sank all the way to the bottom of the lake. During his descent, several rays of sword light circled him, clearly wanting to follow him, but for some reason, none landed in his hand.

His Yuan Mansion emitted a faint glow. Perhaps because the Sword-Sinking Pool was so unique, even he did not notice it.

A green shadow shot out from within, forcing all the sword light around Feng Qi to retreat, before slowly resting in his hand.

It was a sword.

The moment he realized a sword was in his hand, Feng Qi opened his eyes and slowly raised the blade before him.

He had not yet entered the Heart-Conscious Realm and could not use his sword sense to communicate with the blade, but he had his own way of asking the questions he wanted answered.

Yuan energy slowly dispersed from his body, pushing the water away.

Feng Qi stroked the blade with his palm and asked softly, "What... is your name?"

His voice was not loud, but the sword in his hand trembled slightly.

*Blood-Shedding... Green Frost.* It was as if someone were whispering in his ear.

Flying swords have spirits, but few can communicate actively. It was exceptionally rare for a sword to transmit its name before even recognizing a master.

He froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He stored the Green Frost sword in his Yuan Mansion and began to climb up along the pool wall.

After he left, a faint, lingering sigh echoed from the bottom of the pool.