I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

The sound of a massive stone gate suddenly opening in the distance interrupted Song Yao's thoughts.

A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from within the gate, spreading out like a tide, carrying with it the chill that had accumulated deep within the mountain's interior over the years.

The second senior sister spoke coldly: "Two hours from now, regardless of whether you have formed a pact with the sword or not, you must come out and not linger."

The disciples were invigorated and rushed in, afraid that if they were a step too slow, someone would snatch the opportunity away.

Song Yao lagged behind, sighing, "It's so good to be young."

The moment I stepped through the gate, everything suddenly went dark.

The passageway was deep and dark, with swords densely embedded in the stone walls on both sides, stretching from the ground to the horizon.

An extremely abundant spiritual energy surged towards Song Yao in an instant, threatening to engulf her.

Song Yao had no choice but to calm her mind, suppress her spiritual power, and control the speed of absorption.

Perhaps because of her perfect mastery of swordsmanship, the spiritual energy here was particularly close to her.

Of course, the swords here are too.

As she approached, the surrounding swords began to tremble uncontrollably, emitting a buzzing sound from time to time.

The swords outside weren't worth much, so Song Yao didn't rush to choose one and went inside.

After walking for a short while, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A huge grotto appeared before us, its dome so high it seemed to stretch to the horizon, and the surrounding stone walls were covered with swords.

The sword light shone brightly, illuminating the entire grotto in an uncertain, ethereal light.

On the high platform in the center of the grotto, several disciples were lining up, placing their palms on the sword-testing stone one by one.

The testing stone glows faintly; if a sword spirit takes a liking to it, a sword will automatically fly from the stone wall.

Song Yao originally wanted to walk further in, but when she caught sight of the people queuing out of the corner of her eye, she stopped in her tracks.

Jiang Jinming, Ran Cheng Yue, and several other Heavenly-level disciples who entered the sect together are waiting.

She suddenly remembered something.

Cheng Yue.

She had always felt the name was familiar, but she hadn't really paid attention to it before.

Seeing this scene, I suddenly remembered that in the book the system gave me, this girl seemed to be a fish in Jiang Jin's fishpond.

It was at this very place, when Jiang Jin placed his hand on the Sword Testing Stone, that the divine sword deep within the Sword Tomb broke its seal and recognized him as its master. Not only the divine sword, but almost all the sword spirits within the Sword Tomb were summoned and given a choice.

He then turned around and gave his sword to Cheng Yue.

Song Yao couldn't quite remember what exactly happened, but from then on, the girl's affection for Jiang Jin skyrocketed, she secretly fell in love with him, and in the end, she even seemed to have lost her life for Jiang Jin.

Song Yao withdrew her gaze, feeling nothing in her heart.

The plot is the plot, it has nothing to do with her.

Who Jiang Jin chooses to seduce, who he gives a sword to, and how much of a show he wants to make are all his business.

Whether other people are love-struck or will die, it has absolutely nothing to do with her.

All she wanted was to quietly pick a sword, sell it, and live the life she desired.

only......

She remembered that Cheng Yue was a proud and clear-headed person, so how could she be so obsessed with a sword?

Song Yao stopped in place as if possessed, and then began to eat the steamed bun.

Yes.

The steamed buns will spoil if you don't finish them.

Their Baicaofeng cannot afford such waste.

After taking only a couple of bites, Jiang Jin walked up to the sword-drawing platform.

He was dressed in a white robe today. He was tall and slender with a handsome face. He walked up the stone platform with unhurried steps and a graceful posture, which attracted many disciples to take a second look.

He stood before the sword-testing stone, raised his hand, and slowly pressed his palm against the stone surface.

Before we even touched it, a startled cry came from behind: "Lin Mu!"

Startled, he turned his head sharply and saw Cheng Yue take a water bottle out of her bag and rush towards the corner of the stone wall where the boy, who was choking and whose eyes had rolled back, was standing.

After gulping down two mouthfuls of water, Song Yao finally caught her breath. Through her teary eyes, she looked up and saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes silently watching her from the sword-drawing platform.

Jiang Jin's eyes still held a hint of hatred.

Song Yao: "......"

She really didn't mean it.

Who knew steamed buns could be so dry?

A dignified sword cultivator at the Great Perfection level was almost killed twice by Momo today; she herself would lose face if she told others.

The atmosphere on the stone platform was completely disrupted by this interruption.

Several Heavenly-level disciples withdrew their gazes and looked at Jiang Jin, their tone somewhat ingratiating: "Junior Brother Jiang, no one has received a response from the sword spirit yet, we can only rely on you."

"With your talent of a Heaven-level max-grade gold spiritual root, you will surely be able to summon a divine sword."

"Yes, yes, give it a try!"

"..."

After a few words of flattery, Jiang Jin's expression improved somewhat.

He glanced at Song Yao not far away before raising his hand and placing his palm on the stone surface amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd.

The stone surface is cool to the touch and smooth to the touch.

however--

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Nothing happened.

The testing stone sat quietly on the high platform, without the slightest ripple.

The entire grotto was so quiet it was as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Song Yao: "?"

Why is it a little different from what's written in the book?

Shouldn't it be a simultaneous attack of ten thousand swords?

Jiang Jin's hand was still on the stone platform, and the gentle curve of his lips froze.

The disciples who had been flattering him just moments before exchanged glances, their expectant expressions gradually fading, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.

Someone couldn't help but mutter under their breath, "What's going on?"

"I don't know, could it be broken?"

"Those senior brothers and sisters from earlier were not summoned either."

Jiang Jin's fingers tightened slightly, then relaxed, and he slowly removed his hand, his voice calm: "It seems my opportunity doesn't lie here, it's alright."

Seeing this, Mingran stepped forward and walked straight to the sword-testing stone. She placed her palm on it and poured her spiritual energy into it: "Let me give it a try."

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

It remained calm.

Several teenagers stepped forward one after another, but received no response.

A senior disciple who had joined the sect a few years earlier approached, frowned, and examined the sword for a long time before his expression turned slightly grave: "I heard that in the past, at least half of them could obtain their natal sword through the testing stone when they entered the Sword Tomb. Could it be that something really went wrong?"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

They've never had a problem in centuries, and yet they're the ones who run into it—it's incredibly unlucky.

Jiang Jin comforted him, "Don't waste time. Let's go in and see if we can find a suitable sword to form a bond."

"Yes, time is running out. Take your pick; you never know, the quality might be better."

Song Yao stood in the corner, brushing the crumbs off her hands, inwardly accusing the system: "The plots you gave me are all wrong! Publishing pirated books will bring me bad luck for life!"

Unfortunately, the system disappeared after settling the task, so it naturally couldn't respond to her now.

She shook her head and followed Cheng Yue, preparing to walk deeper into the area.

Just as I lifted my foot—

"Junior Sister Lin."

In the distance, Mingran suddenly called out to her, her eyes filled with a hint of hostility. "The Ninth Elder values ​​you so much, saying that you have exceptional talent and are born to be a sword cultivator. It's not surprising that none of us have succeeded, but you are different."

"Wouldn't it be a shame if you didn't give it a try?"

This was said politely, even with a hint of flattery.

But anyone with eyes could see what she meant, and even a group of Heavenly-level disciples around her looked on with anticipation.