Chapter 972: Chapter 52: Sword Saint Transmits His Skills
Xi Wen and the others only then noticed the enormous creature in the corner. With their abilities, they should have sensed the presence of Sheng Xie long ago, but because of the words of the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang, their hearts were filled with sorrow and their spirits could not concentrate, which is why they had not discovered it until now. Xi Wen, choking up, said, "Master, what, what is this?"
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang smiled faintly and said, "I was also surprised when this little thing appeared. It might be the last dragon on the continent. It is Ah Dai’s friend, and also a friend of the Tian Gang Sword Sect."
A dragon? How astonishing is that term! It was a species from a millennium ago, but now Xi Wen and the others were not in the mood to delve into the origins of Sheng Xie, as their minds were focused on the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang.
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang said, "This dragon’s name is Sheng Xie. Don’t reveal this secret lightly to your fellow disciples. In the future, when it has grown up, it will definitely become a great help to Ah Dai. Now, you may go."
For the first time, the seven people, Xi Wen included, disobeyed the command of the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang. They knelt on the ground, silent, with their heads bowed, silently shedding tears, their hearts filled with desolation. Although they said nothing, the Sword Saint clearly understood his disciples’ attachment to him.
The Sword Saint casually took Owen’s Tian Gang Sword and smiled, "Life and death, reunions and separations, what is there that cannot be seen through? Owen, Master is coming to see you." He brought his hands together and then suddenly split them apart; a gentle energy enveloped the bodies of the seven disciples, Xi Wen included, and cast them out of the cave. He also used True Qi to seal the entrance to the cave, preventing the people from entering again.
Once outside of the cave, Zhou Wen was the first to burst into tears, the man in his sixties crying like a child. Among these second-generation disciples of the Tian Gang Sword Sect, none felt less sorrow than Zhou Wen. They remained kneeling, silently in that posture, their hearts reaching the absolute depths of grief.
Two hours later, their grief had slightly subsided, and Xi Wen was the first to kowtow nine times to the cave and slowly stood up. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Fellow disciples, let’s return. We must carry out the commands of our master." Persuaded by Xi Wen, each of the second-generation disciples kowtowed nine times before slowly standing up. They had arrived in calm spirits, but they were filled with sadness as they left.
When Xi Wen and the others returned to the Tian Gang Sword Sect, Ah Dai had just finished cutting all the snake skins. The great expenditure of energy caused the small silver figure inside him to lose its glow, and his powers were nearly depleted. Rapid transformation was extremely energy-consuming, and even having reached the eighth realm of Rapid Decisions, Ah Dai could not withstand it. He was sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. Lu Ping slowly transferred his power into Ah Dai, aiding in his recovery.
Yuan Ping was also busy. She had successfully made the light armor for brothers Yan Shi and Yan Li, and Lu. Yan Shi and Yan Li, wearing the Giant Spirit Snake Skin-made armor, were exceptionally excited. Yuan Ping’s superb skills had made the armor very well-fitted; it felt light and soft, very comfortable to wear. Since she was a girl and could not change her clothes in front of everyone, she held her full armor, smiling beautifully, clearly happy. Everyone was immensely impressed with Ah Dai’s power; without his Rapid Transformation, splitting those snake skins would have been difficult.
The door opened, and Xi Wen walked in. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were slightly red. He said to Ah Dai, "Hurry back to the cave. Your great-grandmaster is calling for you."
With Lu Wen’s help, Ah Dai had recovered some strength and quickly stood up, saying, "Great-grand-uncle, then I’ll go back first." After speaking, he quickly left the room.
Yuan Ping, keen-minded, naturally noticed something was wrong with Xi Wen. She came up to ask, "Sect Leader, what’s wrong with you? Did something happen at the Sword Saint’s side?"
A jolt went through Xi Wen’s heart, remembering the instructions of the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang. He quickly reined in his grief and said indifferently, "I’m fine. You go ahead." After speaking, he turned and left.
Ah Dai left the Sword Sect and headed straight for the back mountain, very fatigued from the excessive consumption of True Qi and eager to meditate and recuperate.
Back in the cave, Ah Dai floated onto the rock and sat down cross-legged, saying to the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang, "Great-grandmaster, I’ve returned."
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang, with his eyes closed, said, "What have you been doing in the Sword Sect for your True Qi to be so greatly consumed?"
Ah Dai scratched his head and recounted everything that had happened in the Sword Sect. After hearing his narrative, the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang smiled faintly and said, "They really know how to use you." He opened his eyes, and his pupils flickered with a faint light as he looked at Ah Dai. Ah Dai’s naive and honest face looked very tired. "You first meditate. With your current power, twenty-seven cycles should be enough to restore your power. When you’ve regained your power, I have something to tell you."
"Oh," Ah Dai agreed, his mind filled with questions as he began to cultivate the remaining energy in his body. The silver figure in his Dantian emitted a thread of True Qi, slowly circulating through his meridians. With each cycle, the figure grew brighter, and Ah Dai’s power gradually recovered. Besides the faint snoring of Sheng Xie, there was no other sound in the cave.
......
Six months had passed, and the Pope stood in the Temple of Light, looking at Xuan Yue basking in the sacred holy light, his heart filled with excitement. It had been six months, and Xuan Yue’s Divine Baptism had not yet ended. It was known that the longer the Divine Baptism lasted, the better the effects obtained. When he had become Pope, his own Divine Baptism had only taken three months, but Xuan Yue’s showed no signs of completion even after six months.
