Chapter 22: The Protagonist's Power Fantasy (21)

The path behind her vanished the moment she took her first step.

Emerging from the narrow trail, she was met with jagged, grotesque rocks. Lifting her gaze, the young girl saw rolling mountain ridges rising from the swirling clouds. Following the ridge upward, atop a cliff peak that curved like a crescent moon, a long sword—its blade transparent and sharp as a thread of snow—stood solitary, parallel to the scorching sun.

That sword was the Dragon Chant Sword. It was this blade that had been calling to her.

Su Bai withdrew her gaze and surveyed her surroundings. The mountain was filled with sharp, violent sword aura. A narrow path, barely wide enough for two feet, ran along the ridge. The precipices on either side were bottomless, buried deep within the clouds, with only the dark, jagged summits of the lower peaks peeking out. Apart from the sword at the very pinnacle, many other blades were scattered across the mountain. These swords had kept watch for who knows how many years; some bore dried bloodstains, others had tiny chips in their blades, and their hilts were wrapped in long, red silk ribbons that had turned dark brown from years of wind and sun.

A natural-born sword heart can perceive the aura of thousands of swords the moment it enters the Sword Tomb. If Su Bai merely stepped closer to these blades, she didn't even need to reach out and grip the hilt; with a single thought, her mind would harmonize with the sword, allowing her to draw them with ease.

Su Bai took her first step.

A gale of sword wind swept past, barring her way like a mountain. The sword intent was formidable, forming an invisible wall. She could not pass, yet the pressure of this mountain-like wind made it impossible to linger. Su Bai had no choice but to retract her step.

A long sword nearby glowed faintly.

"What's happening?"
"You don't understand. The Dragon Chant Sword is the number one divine sword in the world today. How could it be claimed so easily?"
"The sword wind sweeping across the mountain is the test set by the Dragon Chant Sword."

The young girl clearly realized this. With a thought, that long sword fell into her hand. These divine swords were mostly the life-bound weapons of ancient masters. Later, cultivators of the cultivation world discovered that the Sword Tomb was exceptionally nourishing for blades. Whenever a weaponsmith forged a fine sword, they would cast it into the tomb, using the souls of the ancient divine swords and the blessings of the Heavenly Dao to nurture the sword aura—a process known as "opening the sword."

This sword was named the Dawnlight Sword.

The Dawnlight Sword hummed, its blade vibrating as the sword aura gathered at the tip, manifesting into the image of a young girl in her mid-teens, wearing her hair in two buns. She wore a pink dress with a lotus flower tucked behind her ear, circling Su Bai.

"A natural-born sword heart! It’s a natural-born sword heart!" she cried in delight. "Can you see me?"

Every solitary sword on the mountain had once had a master. Swords that lacked a spirit before arriving here had long since cultivated their own over the vast passage of time. Divine swords possess spirits; having kept a lonely vigil in the tomb for years, they spent their days waiting on these desolate ridges, guarding the final shred of sword intent left by their masters, hoping one day to find someone with whom they could share a meeting of minds.

The coldness in Su Bai's eyes dissipated. "Yes, I can see you."

"Then, can I become your life-bound sword?" the Dawnlight Sword asked, looking at her with anticipation. But then, as if remembering something, she drooped her head in disappointment and muttered, "Ah, I forgot you are the one the Dragon Chant has taken a fancy to."

"But," she thought for a moment, then looked up again, jubilant, "I think I would be honored to work with you."

"The wind on this ridge is not mere wind; it is the sword intent left behind by the masters of these divine swords," the Dawnlight Sword said earnestly. "There are one hundred and eighty-eight swords here. To reach the summit, you must take up each sword and break through each of these one hundred and eighty-eight layers of sword intent."

"So, it seems you can't get the Dragon Chant Sword without a natural-born sword heart."
"The prestige of the world's number one sword is not for nothing."
"Drawing one hundred and eighty-eight swords? That sounds exhausting."

Su Bai nodded. "I understand."

The moment she took up the Dawnlight Sword, a surge of sword intent pierced through, rushing straight toward her soul. Fragments of the sword's former master flooded into Su Bai’s consciousness. It was a young girl dancing with a sword beneath a tree. Dressed in red, with eyes full of life, her sword light was uninhibited and vibrant. Accompanied by clear, sharp cries, the Dawnlight Sword’s aura tore through the void, trailing silver-white light.

A silver sword. A fiery red dress. A willow with drooping green branches and a silent wind. Seen from afar, it was breathtaking.

"I want to dance the most beautiful sword dance in this world," she said, her eyes burning. "And I will become the strongest sword cultivator in this world!"

The master of the Dawnlight Sword, like the sword spirit itself, was full of vibrant, living energy. How, then, should the sword intent of this blade be?

Su Bai pondered for a moment. The "ten thousand miles of lotus flowers" was merely a backdrop for the girl. She was not content with the calm of a clear breeze and a bright moon, nor was she confined by the silence of the stars. She wanted to stand beneath the scorching sun, and she wanted to become the scorching sun itself.

Her fingers moved, and the sword rose. In an instant, spiritual energy surged, carving out several beams of sword light. From afar, the silver-white light followed one after another, outlining the shape of budding flowers.

"Suddenly, I think the sword dance is so beautiful!"
"Oh my god, I finally get the streamer's aesthetic! Who understands?"
"Ten miles of sword light! 'Ten miles of lotus flowers' is no exaggeration!"

Water elements infused the sword aura. Su Bai swung out a blade of wind; as it brushed past, lotus flowers bloomed in competition. And within the center of those flowers formed by sword aura, there were hidden layers of sharp, piercing sword intent!

Soft yet not weak, both hard and yielding—that was the true essence of this sword!

Several strands of sword intent gathered at the tip of the Dawnlight Sword. The girl turned her wrist, and the shimmering light condensed at the tip like a scorching sun, unleashed from the sharpest point of the blade.

This move was called: Lotus Reflecting the Sun!

The sword light flared brilliantly, eclipsing the light of the other lonely swords on the mountain, as if ten miles of lotus flowers were competing in the spring breeze, and ten thousand miles of floral colors were reflecting the red of the mountains!

And the first layer of sword intent that had stood before the girl now shattered.

The Dawnlight Sword vibrated with joy in her hand, savoring the lingering resonance of that sword intent. This sword move was exactly the one its master had wanted to unleash!

"…I’m stunned!"
"I was wrong; I shouldn't have said the streamer was unromantic."
"Ahhhhh! I’m going to throw myself at the wall for the streamer!"
"This isn't just full marks for sword intent; it's full marks for reading comprehension too."
"So, the streamer’s empathy points are all invested in swords, right?"

Su Bai took her second step. Having broken the first layer of sword intent, the second followed. Then the third, and the fourth! The further she went, the harder the sword intent was to comprehend, but fire flickered in the girl's eyes. Her shoulders trembled slightly, but the speed of her sword grew faster, the intent more intense, and the sword light brighter.

One hundred and eighty-eight lonely swords. One hundred and eighty-eight layers of sword intent. Through the tempering of this sword intent, with every step she took, her originally stable state of mind was subtly growing.

"Hilarious, it suddenly feels like the streamer is visiting a brothel."
"The Suchao Sword: What else can I do? Just settle for it?"
"Wait, if the streamer reforges a Suchao Sword, isn't that the classic 'white moonlight' substitute trope?"
"Damn, this is getting exciting!"

After ten days of sleepless, tireless effort, Su Bai finally reached the Dragon Chant Sword.

The Holy Venerable had reached the peak of the Great Ascension stage. At that time, the Candle Dragon had emerged, and the Demon and Spirit realms were in chaos. For the sake of all living beings, the Holy Venerable fought the Candle Dragon for months. After exhausting all his spiritual energy, he sacrificed his own divine consciousness to finally seal the Candle Dragon at the intersection of the three realms.

His life-bound divine sword, the Dragon Chant Sword, had fallen onto this Qingmen Mountain at some unknown time. The Dragon Chant Sword was connected to the Holy Venerable’s consciousness. After the Holy Venerable fell, the blade was stained with the blood of the Candle Dragon, and because of his merit in slaying the dragon, the Heavenly Dao bestowed blessings upon the sword. Over the millennium, this area had transformed into a Sword Tomb, attracting countless divine swords that had been displaced after losing their masters.

The Dragon Chant Sword finally revealed its spirit. It appeared as a youth of seventeen or eighteen. He stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a cyan-white martial robe. He was as untainted and ethereal as an ink-colored lotus, though his light brown pupils revealed a sense of worldly weariness that did not match his appearance.

"The Candle Dragon’s seal is loosening, and the Demon and Spirit realms have long been stirring," the Dragon Chant Sword spirit said, looking at her. "After the Holy Venerable fell, I intended to spend the rest of my life in the Sword Tomb. But with the Candle Dragon emerging—if the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? To save the world, I must choose a master."

"A natural-born sword heart, a seeker of the Dao. In just ten days, you’ve broken one hundred and eighty-eight layers of sword intent." The sword spirit’s eyes deepened. He suppressed a flicker of awe and turned away, speaking calmly, "In this world, I don't think there is anyone more suitable than you."

"Just cut your finger and spill your blood on the blade to sign the life-bound contract."

The clouds in the sky were crushing down; even with the scorching sun overhead, the light remained bleak and vast. Hearing this, Su Bai stepped forward, clenched her fingers, and with a gentle exertion, pulled the Dragon Chant Sword from the stubborn rock.

"Infused with the power of thunder, and inlaid with a small thunder-attracting bead three-tenths of the way from the tip—such ingenious design. It truly is a peerless divine sword." She stroked the blade lightly, her eyes brightening. She looked over the Dragon Chant Sword from top to bottom, again and again, not rushing to sign the contract, unable to help but praise it.

Faced with such praise, the Dragon Chant Sword remained unmoved. "Why so much idle talk?"

The young girl smiled slightly. "Perhaps, even if I draw the Dragon Chant Sword, we cannot form a contract."

The Dragon Chant Sword was puzzled. "There are only two with a natural-born sword heart in this Sword Tomb. Your Dao heart is pure and solid, resonating with me. Since you can resonate with the sword soul, why can you not form a contract?"

Su Bai did not answer. She drew the Dragon Chant Sword, cut her finger, and a drop of bright red blood fell onto the blade. A golden contract formation lit up, but the runes only ran halfway before they seemed to encounter some obstacle, suddenly stalling in mid-air.

The Dragon Chant Sword frowned. "Something is obstructing the contract."

"If a shred of the Holy Venerable’s remnant soul still exists in this world, can you truly be considered a masterless divine sword?"

Hearing this, the Dragon Chant Sword’s form shuddered. "The Holy Venerable? The Holy Venerable… Is he still alive?!"

Su Bai was concise. "He is alive."

Being unable to form a contract with the Dragon Chant Sword had originally been just a guess. The 888 system had told her that the Heavenly Dao would do everything in its power to pile resources onto Qin Yang. Therefore, this Dragon Chant Sword, which should have belonged to Qin Yang, would inevitably refuse to form a contract with her.

She just wondered what kind of reasonable excuse the Heavenly Dao had come up with to logically allocate all resources to Qin Yang without a single discrepancy. The only possibility was the Holy Venerable.

The Jade Slip Venerable had once said that although he and the Secret Realm Venerable were both manifestations of the Holy Venerable’s divine thoughts, their identities were very different. The Jade Slip Venerable existed only to pass on the Tianyan Sword Technique; he was merely a vessel for the technique. Because the Holy Venerable was a Great Ascension stage master, his power was too immense, and the vessel for the sword technique had developed its own consciousness over ten thousand years.

The Secret Realm Venerable, located in the Holy Venerable’s Tianyuan cave dwelling, could be called the true remnant of the Holy Venerable’s consciousness in the world. The reason the Secret Realm Venerable insisted that the Jade Slip Venerable take Qin Yang as a disciple was that, since he was bound to Qin Yang’s consciousness, Qin Yang was the only person in the world who could help him reshape his body. The Jade Slip Venerable could not resist the order because, as the vessel for the sword technique, his ownership lay with the Holy Venerable.

Following this logic, there was still a flaw. The Holy Venerable had sacrificed himself for the greater good, so why was he now pushing for Qin Yang to slay the dragon? According to the logic of "the strong rule," if it was for the Heavenly Dao to slay the dragon, shouldn't a competition between her and Qin Yang be exactly what the Holy Venerable wanted to see?

Therefore, this Secret Realm Venerable was not that Holy Venerable. The Holy Venerable who sacrificed himself to protect the world surely possessed a sense of greater righteousness. However, righteousness makes light of life and death, while private desire is stubborn and unyielding. The Secret Realm Venerable must be a shred of the Holy Venerable’s selfish desire left behind.

Hearing that the Holy Venerable still lived, the Dragon Chant Sword felt a surge of joy before replying, "But this… is truly unfair to you."

A natural-born sword heart can resonate with ten thousand swords. Having spent ten thousand years in the Sword Tomb, the Dragon Chant Sword had seen thousands of swords, heard thousands of stories about their masters, and felt different sword intents. Thus, the moment Su Bai stepped into the tomb, it could sense her uniqueness. The strength of this cultivator’s soul was terrifying. Yet, for some reason, she only had the cultivation of the Heart-Moving mid-stage.

Therefore, the Dragon Chant Sword had acted decisively, establishing a connection with Su Bai’s consciousness before any other sword could.

The young girl smiled. The Dragon Chant Sword did not understand why she was smiling. She had unleashed one hundred and eighty-eight layers of sword intent in just ten days, comprehending the sword paths of one hundred and eighty-eight great masters. Her talent for the sword could only be described as monstrous.

Even—the Dragon Chant Sword thought uncertainly—compared to the Holy Venerable, she might not be a whit inferior.

"You think it is unfair to me because there is no sword stronger than you right now," Su Bai said earnestly. "But there will be in the future."

The Dragon Chant Sword frowned, subconsciously refuting, "All the swords in the world are gathered here. Given the current level of weaponsmiths, it will be hard to forge a divine sword that can rival me in the next hundred years."

"Weaponsmiths do not understand swords, nor do they understand what kind of sword I need." She tapped the Dragon Chant Sword’s scabbard, her tone relaxed and smiling. "But only I know what kind of sword I want."

The Dragon Chant Sword was startled. Only then did he look seriously at the young girl standing on the ten-thousand-foot cliff. Her phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, her hands behind her back. The wind, formed by sword intent, ruffled her hair, looking remarkably unrestrained and elegant.

Not bound by the secular world. Not trapped by fame and fortune. Not resentful of the Heavenly Dao. The Dragon Chant Sword suddenly wanted to know what kind of Dao she followed. Joyous Zen? The Bright Mirror Terrace? Prajna Buddhism? Or perhaps—the rumored Heartless Dao?

"If you want to forge a sword, there is a sword embryo in this tomb that is perfect for you." The Dragon Chant Sword turned, looking toward the deepest part of the swirling clouds. "When the Heavenly Dao bestowed its blessings, there was a piece of 'Frost-Condensed Ice' that had been gestating for ten thousand years at the summit of Qingmen Mountain. Later, due to the raging sword aura, the snow melted, and this ice was polished by ten thousand years of sword aura. With the protection of the Heavenly Dao, it is stronger than the hardest spiritual ore."

"Since you have a water spirit root, this Frost-Condensed Ice is perfect for you. However, it is guarded by a Three-Headed Flood Dragon that has reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage."

The Dragon Chant Sword stared at her steadily. Ten thousand years of Frost-Condensed Ice were precious, but whether a Heart-Moving mid-stage cultivator could defeat a Nascent Soul peak Three-Headed Flood Dragon and survive to retrieve it was another matter entirely. He expected to see a flash of fear on her face, but her eyes lit up. Ignoring the "Nascent Soul peak" part entirely, she asked, "Where is it?"

Seeing Su Bai’s determined expression, the Dragon Chant Sword’s mind stirred, and he added, "You still lack a good sword."

"Although the Solitary Wild Goose Sword is a Heaven-grade weapon, compared to the swords in this tomb or the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, it is not enough."

"Are you recommending yourself?" The young girl caught the underlying meaning in the Dragon Chant Sword's words and raised an eyebrow.

The Dragon Chant Sword remained calm. "Consider it compensation."

***

After ten full days, Qin Yang reached the foot of the highest mountain in the Sword Tomb. This was the main peak of Qingmen Mountain, and half of its massive body was buried in the clouds. According to the Holy Venerable’s reminder in his jade pendant, the Dragon Chant Sword was at the summit.

Qin Yang invoked the sword-flying technique to head toward the top. The higher he went, the more he realized that the wind sweeping across the mountain was actually layer upon layer of sharp, unstoppable sword intent. These gales were fierce. Qin Yang was already at the Heart-Moving Great Circle stage; while these winds could not harm his body, every breeze that swept past interrogated his soul.

Qin Yang gathered his focus, following the Holy Venerable’s instructions to accept and perceive the trajectory of these sword intents as they moved through his consciousness, while carefully controlling his spiritual energy to avoid the sword winds. However, before he had reached even half the way, the Holy Venerable’s expression changed. "Terrible! The Dragon Chant Sword is heading southeast!"

There were no anomalies on the mountain, and the Holy Venerable could still sense the presence of the Dragon Chant Sword, meaning it had not yet chosen a master. What reason could have made the Dragon Chant Sword leave the main peak of Qingmen Mountain?

***

The Frost-Condensed Ice was located at a lake in the northeast of the Sword Tomb. This place had originally been vast ice and snow, but because the northwest wind from the main peak blew toward the southeast, the raging sword aura from the main peak had carved into this snowfield, eventually melting it into water, turning it into a vast lake.

The Frost-Condensed Ice sat in the center of the lake. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon was an ice-water dual-element beast; the ice could help it cultivate at three times the speed. Thus, it had long ago staked out this lake as its territory to claim the ice for itself. This lake had become known as the Flood Dragon Lake.

Su Bai stood on a pile of rocks not far away. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon was currently coiled around a piece of ice-blue ice in the center of the lake. The lake was constantly ravaged by sword aura; only the area around the Frost-Condensed Ice was cold enough to turn water into ice.

"What do you plan to do?" the Dragon Chant Sword spirit asked, floating in the air. "This flood dragon has stayed by the Frost-Condensed Ice for thousands of years; it is not a common Nascent Soul peak beast."

"Heart-Moving mid-stage versus Nascent Soul peak—that is two entire major realms!"

Su Bai stood on a protruding rock, sword in hand, surveying the Three-Headed Flood Dragon from head to tail. She nodded. "You are right."

She pondered for a moment, seriously considering her chances of winning without using her accumulated points to unlock the attack power panel, and whether it was the right time to reach the Golden Core stage.

The Golden Core is a watershed in the path of cultivation. Before forming a Golden Core, the speed of a cultivator's progress depends on the purity of their spirit root. After forming a Golden Core, if one can form a "Flawless Golden Core," the speed of cultivation is no longer shackled by spirit root purity, but depends on the perfection of the core itself.

In her past life, Su Bai had also possessed a mutated Heaven-Thunder spirit root. She had undergone eighty-one heavenly lightning strikes to form a ten-percent flawless Golden Core, and her cultivation speed had been incredibly fast, with her control of elements not limited to just lightning.

To form a ten-percent flawless Golden Core, the timing is crucial. Su Bai’s soul strength far exceeded her Heart-Moving mid-stage cultivation, and her speed should have been unparalleled. She had opened one hundred and eighty-eight external dantians to store spiritual energy, waiting for the perfect moment of "heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony" to form the core.

And it just so happened that the one hundred and eighty-eight layers of sword intent had polished her sword heart, and by coincidence, had raised her consciousness to the next level. The spiritual energy stored in those one hundred and eighty-eight external dantians was about to burst.

"Since this Heart-Moving mid-stage cultivation is too low, then let’s just form the Golden Core right now!" the young girl said calmly after a moment of thought.

The Dragon Chant Sword: "!?"

He asked with great confusion, "What are you talking about?" How could a young person today be so arrogant?

"Forming the Golden Core," the young girl said, standing tall and natural. "If I can't beat it, I'll just form the core."

Looking at Su Bai’s perfectly normal expression, for a moment, the Dragon Chant Sword couldn't help but wonder if he was truly old. Or perhaps he had spent too long in the mountains, which was why he had let out that uncharacteristic exclamation of surprise earlier.

"Is it me who’s crazy, or is the streamer crazy? Isn't she only at the Heart-Moving mid-stage? How can she jump to Golden Core all of a sudden?"
"She opened those external dantians—was it just to suppress her cultivation?"
"But isn't it too risky to form the core here? The Three-Headed Flood Dragon is ice-element, and the streamer is water-element. Forming the core will inevitably draw the flood dragon over!"
"And she hasn't prepared for the lightning tribulation, nor does she have anyone to guard her. She’s just going to form the core like that?"

"Dragon Chant, are you ready?" Su Bai looked at the Dragon Chant Sword.

Although the Dragon Chant Sword didn't understand what she wanted to do, the world is always very tolerant of geniuses, and the Dragon Chant Sword was no exception. He nodded. "I am ready."

Su Bai closed her eyes, focusing her mind and guiding the spiritual energy from the one hundred and eighty-eight external dantians to flow through her meridians one by one. Then, she released her consciousness to communicate with the spiritual energy in the air.

Having the consciousness of a Great Ascension stage master, and having formed a core once before, she had experienced countless breakthroughs. This time, she handled it more easily than ever. Su Bai used her consciousness to slowly connect the myriad strands of internal spiritual energy with the external spiritual energy.

The moment the last thread connected, the spiritual energy around her surged, clashing with the sword wind blowing from the main peak. At the same time, her realm rose at a terrifying speed.

Heart-Moving mid-stage.
Heart-Moving peak.
Heart-Moving Great Circle!

The air was empty, yet under the pressure of the clashing spiritual energy and sword wind, cyan electric sparks flickered. The air was rubbed and compressed repeatedly, eventually emitting a thunderous explosion. Even against the sword intent that had raged in the tomb for ten thousand years, she did not fall behind.

Disciples searching for swords in the tomb heard the explosions and couldn't help but look up toward the southeast repeatedly.

"Did a fight break out somewhere?"
"Don't worry—there are beasts in the tomb, but as long as we don't provoke them, it's fine."
"Stop looking, stop looking! If the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat will suffer. Let's hurry and find our swords!"

Her realm stopped at the Heart-Moving Great Circle. Su Bai stood up, took the Dragon Chant Sword, and stepped on the wind.

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon was also attracted by the commotion. It opened its emerald eyes, and its sharp pupils reflected the figure racing directly toward it. The rich water-element aura was the sign of a Heavenly Water spirit root cultivator breaking through.

Stupid! Did she think that merely breaking through two realms would allow her to steal the Frost-Condensed Ice? She was just a stepping stone on its path to becoming a dragon!

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon’s eyes glinted. Its massive snake tail slapped the water, creating splashes three fathoms high. Then, its head, covered in light blue scales, dove into the water, creating waves every ten meters.

On the other side, the Dragon Chant Sword’s light flared. Her movements were so fast that the naked eye could only see a silver-white shimmering stream of light. Giant waves crashed on the shore. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon leaped out of the water, opening its maw to unleash three pillars of water, each as thick as a tree, rushing toward Su Bai.

Compared to water pillars thick enough for ten people to embrace, the girl holding the sword looked tiny. Her fingers moved slightly, and spiritual energy was injected into the Dragon Chant Sword, which hummed clearly. The tip condensed a bright silver light, and the sword intent flowed, pushing out wave after wave with the girl’s movements.

At the same time, along the line between Su Bai and the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, waves rose abruptly from the lake. The water pillars spat out by the dragon crashed heavily against the waves. If one didn't work, she sent a second. If the second was shattered, there was a third!

This was the first level of the Water Cloud Technique taught to her by Elder Yaoguang—"Watching the Sea Tide!"

Watching the Sea Tide condensed water quickly. Coupled with her Heavenly Water spirit root aptitude, raising monstrous waves was almost a matter of a single thought. Though this attack was the Three-Headed Flood Dragon’s weakest move, seeing this cultivator actually withstand a blow from a Nascent Soul peak beast made it furious.

"This ignorant sword cultivator!"

It flicked its tail, and water curtains rose from all four sides of the lake, intending to bury Su Bai in the monstrous tide. She unleashed "Frost Chills Fourteen Prefectures," the tide instantly froze, and the girl broke through the ice, the tip of her sword pointing directly at the rightmost head of the Three-Headed Flood Dragon.

The Dragon Chant Sword was indeed the number one divine sword; it embodied the phrase "invincible." Ice-blue blood sprayed out. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon couldn't dodge in time and let out a mournful howl, revealing a bloodstain on its right head that reached the bone.

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon was enraged. Its scales changed from light blue to deep blue. At the same time, its aura soared, and the water elements in the air gathered toward it spontaneously. Ten thousand ice spikes pointed at Su Bai.

Su Bai relied only on sword intent to condense ice. She needed water first to have ice. The startup time was long, and the consumption of spiritual energy doubled. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon was ice-water dual-element; condensing ice only required a thought, consuming less energy and time. It roared and charged toward the girl along with the ten thousand ice spikes.

Under the dense assault of the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, even Su Bai, who had been at ease, gradually felt the pressure. She was only at the Heart-Moving Great Circle; to withstand a blow from a Nascent Soul peak, she had to consume more spiritual energy and use more consciousness to gather energy than the dragon. Even with one hundred and eighty-eight external dantians, she couldn't afford such wasteful consumption.

"The streamer is finally at a disadvantage for the first time."
"Save me, save me! Streamer, use your cheats, otherwise you won't survive!"
"Compared to the Three-Headed Flood Dragon, the fight with Qin Yang was just child's play."

The girl’s hair was loose, her clothes torn and bloodstained, and her face was marked by ice spikes, but her movements remained as crisp and clean as at the start. On the surface, she was retreating, but the Dragon Chant Sword could clearly feel that every bit of spiritual energy she injected was perfectly timed to block the dragon's most lethal attacks. What was she calculating?

Without knowing when, the sky darkened, and damp water vapor condensed in the air. Every so often, explosions sounded from the southeast of the Sword Tomb, and faint pillars of water and ice spikes could be seen. The disciples were terrified and didn't dare to look, keeping their heads down to find their swords, hoping to finish and leave this place of trouble quickly.

It was said that while there were beasts in the tomb, they were restrained by the sword intent of the ancient masters and usually didn't bother the cultivators who came every thirty years. Since the tomb opened only once every thirty years, everyone was too busy finding their life-bound swords to provoke beasts and bring trouble upon themselves. So, could it be that two beasts were fighting over territory?

Just as their hearts were pounding and they were praying for the beasts to stop, they suddenly saw a vast expanse of purple-black thunderclouds gathering in the southeast, blotting out the sunlight. The thunderclouds rolled and roared, crackling with violet-blue electric sparks. Accompanied by the rich spiritual energy waves sweeping like heat, the crowd stood stunned for a moment, finally realizing:

"Holy crap! Which brother is undergoing the tribulation?"
"I've lived long enough to see someone undergo the lightning tribulation in the Sword Tomb!"
"And it's a Golden Core tribulation! Who can tell me why a Golden Core tribulation causes such a commotion?"
"Not searching for swords, but choosing to break through here? This brother is awesome!"
"Why is the thundercloud heading southeast? Isn't that where the beasts were fighting?"
"This operation is too bold; I don't understand, I really don't!"

Qin Yang, who was racing toward the southeast, also looked up at the sky.

"Someone is forming a Golden Core in the southeast." The Holy Venerable, while sensing the aura of the Dragon Chant Sword, pondered, "For some reason, the Dragon Chant Sword’s aura is extremely unstable, as if…" Someone had already established a connection with its consciousness. Who could it be? The Holy Venerable frowned, lost in thought.

After the true Holy Venerable fell, his divine consciousness was exhausted sealing the Candle Dragon. What remained in the jade pendant was just a shred of his remnant consciousness. However, as long as the Dragon Chant Sword did not choose a master, this remnant consciousness could still vaguely perceive its existence. Now, the Dragon Chant Sword’s aura was intermittent, as if it had established a connection with someone else, yet it didn't seem to have chosen a new master.

With a deafening thunderclap, torrential rain began to fall like beans.

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon had a complex expression, extending its scarlet snake tongue to lick a drop of rainwater. This cultivator was cunning; she had actually saved this move for now, choosing to undergo the tribulation at this exact moment! Did she really think that with a mere Golden Core lightning tribulation, it wouldn't be able to do anything to her?

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon sneered. A cultivator undergoing tribulation is at their most vulnerable. A slight mistake could lead to failing to form the core, a massive drop in realm, and the birth of inner demons. And now, with no one to guard her, did she really think she could form this core in front of it?

Water flowed and gathered from the lake surface. In an instant, a water dragon identical to the Three-Headed Flood Dragon formed. On the other side, ice drilled out from the bottom of the lake, sprouting like bamboo shoots to form another ice dragon! This was the dragon’s ultimate technique—the Clone Technique. Each clone contained a shred of the Three-Headed Flood Dragon's consciousness, and its strength was no less than the original!

"My god! Three Three-Headed Flood Dragons!"
"After fighting for so long, it can still use water and ice to form clones?"
"After all, the streamer was only at the Heart-Moving Great Circle… no, now she’s forming the core…"

At this moment, with a thunderous boom, lightning echoed through the sky. The first heavenly thunder struck down.

The girl opened her eyes abruptly, her clear phoenix eyes containing endless storms. She held the Dragon Chant Sword, gathered spiritual energy at the tip, and leaped up to meet the thunder head-on.

The Dragon Chant Sword belonged to the thunder element. The heavenly thunder flowed into the tip, filling the blade with massive energy. Su Bai released her consciousness to guide the spiritual energy and then countered by injecting spiritual energy into the sword. Since she had possessed a Heaven-Thunder spirit root in her past life and had tempered the Suchao Sword with lightning tribulations several times, she naturally knew how to control the thunder element and when to use the tribulation to temper the sword.

Only, this time, she wasn't tempering the sword. She was tempering the dragon!

The Dragon Chant Sword had a thunder-attracting bead embedded at its tip. Through this bead, Su Bai could call upon the thunder elements in the air by utilizing her spiritual energy. The natural-born sword heart allowed her to cooperate with the Dragon Chant Sword at will. Since the Dragon Chant Sword was thunder-attuned, it was the perfect medium for a non-thunder-element cultivator to channel heavenly thunder into their body.

The most difficult part was how to tame the thunder. Unlike the gentleness of water elements, thunder elements are violent, perverse, and disobedient. A cultivator used to water elements would struggle to control the crashing, rebellious thunder element, let alone heavenly thunder. But quite coincidentally, the element Su Bai was most familiar with in her past life was thunder.

The thunder element flowed into Su Bai’s dantian, seeing a deep blue flame jumping there—her Heavenly Water spirit root. The heavenly thunder was accustomed to being arrogant; suddenly seeing the spirit root raised in the cultivator’s dantian, it grew vicious, baring its claws to pounce on that ice-blue flame.

But at that moment, the ice-blue flame suddenly surged several times its original two-inch height. The heavenly thunder was startled by the sudden madness of the water spirit root. Just as it was about to impulsively charge over to teach that stubborn ice-blue flame a lesson, a gale suddenly whipped out from nowhere, knocking the heavenly thunder flat on the ground.

*Snap!*

The heavenly thunder climbed up angrily, its purple and white flames crackling and popping. Just as it was about to erupt, it suddenly sensed a consciousness so powerful—completely unlike one belonging to a cultivator at this stage—watching it from afar. The cyan-purple flame, originally burning fiercely, paused for a moment and then obediently burst into a beautiful firework.

It was a "qwq" shaped firework.

Heavenly Thunder: ? Who told it what kind of monster was inside? How could a Heart-Moving Great Circle cultivator’s shell contain the consciousness of a Great Ascension stage master? Is this a trap to lure the dog in and kill it?

The Ice Flood Dragon spat ice spikes to block Su Bai’s movement, the Water Flood Dragon coordinated with the Ice Flood to spit out a series of water-based spells, and the Three-Headed Flood Dragon hid in the dark, using its incredibly hard body to ambush her. Amidst the frost and the sky-filling water curtains, the girl holding the sword was the silver-white light cutting through it all.

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon clearly felt her shift from active offense to passive defense. It contained contempt in its eyes. A Golden Core lightning tribulation—did she think she could just undergo it whenever she wanted?

On the lake, gales rolled up waves, the sky was dim, and the lake water turned pitch black. High above, purple-black currents darted through the thick, dark clouds. Heaven was above, water below; for a moment, it was impossible to tell which was the lake and which was the firmament.

The seventh thunder. The eighth thunder.

Cyan electric light surged on the Dragon Chant Sword. The girl, who had been stepping through the air on ice spikes, paused.

The ninth thunder descended from the clouds like a ten-thousand-pound tripod with a deafening boom. The Three-Headed Flood Dragon seized the opportunity to gather spiritual energy, waiting for the thunder to dissipate so it could strike. The water vapor in the air all condensed into tiny arrows; though small, they were countless.

The thunder’s momentum weakened. The Ice Flood Dragon roared, seizing the moment to pounce toward the figure in the lightning. The Water Flood Dragon dove into the water, preparing to strike from below.

"I don't dare to look anymore! Brothers, I hope the stream is still here in a few minutes."
"This is even more exciting than the fighting scenes in the boy-frequency novels!"
"The streamer's bones are truly hard. Wouldn't it be better to spend money to unlock the attack power panel now? Why struggle here?"

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon had been sure of victory, but then a sudden change occurred. The heavenly thunder had already extinguished. The Ice Flood was above, the Water Flood below. Amidst the dragon’s massive body and the screen of frost, her tiny figure was almost completely obscured.

The Three-Headed Flood Dragon’s pupils contracted.

A lightning bolt no less powerful than the heavenly thunder was unleashed from the girl’s sword tip, carrying ten-tenths of its power. The Ice Flood Dragon let out a fearful howl; the sound stopped halfway as the tip of the Dragon Chant Sword, trailing cyan-white lightning, sliced through the Ice Flood Dragon’s thick neck as easily as cutting vegetables.

The sword wind did not stop. Second sword, third sword.

Thunder flowed on the tip of the Dragon Chant Sword. Wherever the blade went, sword intent arose, piercing the body of the Ice Flood Dragon and running through the head of the Water Flood Dragon with broad, bold strokes.

Qin Yang finally arrived, watching the commotion in the center of the lake from the shore. The one causing such a stir in the lake was actually an acquaintance! The girl who had been at the Heart-Moving mid-stage when they parted—after only ten days, had she reached the Golden Core stage?

Qin Yang’s shock hadn't faded when he heard the Holy Venerable mutter in disbelief, "The first form of the Tianyan God-Slaying Sword… she has already learned it?"

Qin Yang was stunned, only then noticing the cyan-purple electric light condensed in the dim sky, with sword intent flowing within and thunder roaring alongside. Its momentum was open and bold, rising and falling—it was exactly "Breaking the Clouds"! Qin Yang had taken less than a year to learn the first form of the Tianyan God-Slaying Sword and had been called a genius by the Holy Venerable. But she had only been learning the Tianyan Sword Technique for a month!

"But, Holy Venerable, isn't she a water-element spirit root?" Qin Yang was aghast, muttering, "Can water spirit roots use the Tianyan Sword Technique?" When the Secret Realm Venerable chose Qin Yang as the successor, it was because he was a rare Heaven-Thunder spirit root, and "Breaking the Clouds" was best suited for thunder elements.

"Using the Dragon Chant Sword to draw heavenly thunder into her body and making it her own—eighty-one thunder tribulations. She is trying to temper a ten-percent flawless Golden Core!" The Holy Venerable’s voice revealed deep shock. "She truly dares to think and dares to act."

"A ten-percent flawless Golden Core?!" Qin Yang’s face showed an incredible expression. "Is that how you form a ten-percent flawless Golden Core?" When forming a core, attracting a lightning tribulation and fighting a Nascent Soul peak Three-Headed Flood Dragon—this was clearly throwing her life away!

"That’s right," the Holy Venerable said solemnly. "Ordinary cultivators think they need to find a safe location and have a master guard them, ignoring the importance of the timing of forming the core. If a pill cultivator realizes the Dao while refining pills, the 'pill intent' of their Golden Core will be the Pill Dao. If someone has a peaceful mind during the breakthrough, their path of cultivation will be less prone to inner demons."

"And looking at her, she actually intends to form the core through battle!" Core intent nurtured through battle will be endless and growing.

The heavy, dark clouds blotted out the sun, the sound of thunder was deafening, and deep purple lightning rolled in the dark clouds like a dragon. The thunderclouds gathered in the Sword Tomb also caught the attention of the elders.

"Which disciple is forming a core in the Sword Tomb?"
"Forming a core in the Sword Tomb is too much of a waste of this sword-searching opportunity! And if no one guards her, forming a core so rashly and attracting the beasts of the tomb is a huge problem!"
"Twentieth, twenty-first…" Elder You counted the heavenly thunders, becoming more and more alarmed. "This person wants to form a ten-percent flawless Golden Core!?"
"Is this commotion not caused by that thunder-spirit-root Heart-Moving Great Circle disciple of yours?" Elder You counted all the disciples who were one step away from the Golden Core in the tomb, feeling that it wouldn't truly be the mess created by that thunder spirit root from the Wuji Sect, right?

The Supreme Elder frowned, not saying a word. Forming a core in the Sword Tomb without a guardian—even if she truly had the strength to form a ten-percent flawless Golden Core, could she really survive this tribulation? If she missed the best time to choose a sword because of this, would she develop inner demons?