Chapter 275: Chapter 274: Breaking Through the Barrier
"The old man with the goat beard you mentioned is currently with the Guan family," Elder Rong reported after hearing from his subordinates.
"The Guan family?"
Although Shi Xiaole had suspected it, he was still somewhat surprised to hear this answer, namely, that the Guan family’s ambitions were so limited.
"Someone saw this man employing the Willow Leaf Thirteen Styles, suggesting that he’s from the Green Willow Villa. Guan Fei’s mother is the sister of the Villa Master of the Green Willow Villa," Elder Rong added.
In other words, the attack on Shi Xiaole may not have been the decision made by the Guan family, but rather, by some individuals acting on their own accord.
"Many thanks to Elder Rong and Brother Chou for this occasion."
Knowing the situation, Shi Xiaole did not act recklessly.
Green Willow Villa is a top-tier force in the martial world. With his current strength, it would be unwise to hard-headedly confront them. However, if the old man with the goat beard dared to isolate himself, Shi Xiaole would not hesitate to kill him.
At this moment, Chou Wuji chuckled, "Brother Shi, I heard you are heading back to the fifth floor; it’s a bit of a hassle to go by the stone steps again. Let’s just use the shortcut."
"Is that possible?"
The shortcut was usually only for descending, not ascending. This mechanism was part of the Array System, an area in which Shi Xiaole was not well-versed. He had initially planned to assess the situation and, if safe, take the stone steps back up.
Taking advantage of the deserted surroundings, Chou Wuji wandered around the location of the shortcut, occasionally touching the ground, the walls, and even the air. Moments later, a flicker of light appeared, and the shortcut revealed itself.
"Let’s go."
Chou Wuji was the first to enter.
Upon seeing this, Shi Xiaole and Elder Rong immediately followed him, and the three of them vanished into thin air.
The fifth floor was deserted as before.
From the time Shi Xiaole descended the shortcut and killed someone, to his return, less than one ’2-hour period’ had passed. The young boy with the wooden crown was drenched in sweat and had only made it to the fourth staircase.
Involuntarily, Elder Rong gave Shi Xiaole another deep glance.
Talent and willpower are not absolute indicators. But having both talents in the same person would be horrifying. The young boy with the wooden crown was such a person, and so was Shi Xiaole.
"I’ll have to ask you two to excuse me now."
Once again, facing the stone tablet at the entrance, Shi Xiaole found his heart was much calmer and no longer experiencing piercing pain.
"Go ahead, Brother Shi. I wish you success towards reaching where you want to," Chou Wuji saluted with his fist.
After Shi Xiaole had walked into the passageway and disappeared for a while, Chou Wuji asked, "Elder Rong, do you think Brother Shi will succeed?"
"If you had asked me earlier, I wouldn’t have been optimistic about his chances. But now, alas, this young man often defies expectations. I am not qualified to make any predictions," Elder Rong replied.
"Not qualified?"
Chou Wuji laughed coldly.
Forcing Elder Rong to admit that he is not qualified to judge was a testament to how much Shi Xiaole had impacted him. Of course, Chou Wuji himself was no exception.
"I see the array system on the stone steps is very unstable; sooner or later, it will be destroyed by combined efforts of array experts from various sects. We should go down first to avoid unnecessary trouble."
...
On the third floor, several black-robed men, their faces masked, stood by a lump of pulped flesh, their expressions full of terror.
Thud.
The leader of the group smashed the head of the putty-like figure with one palm, his voice grim, "The one who incapacitated Qiu An is at least in the seven-layered stage of the Xuan Qi realm and is also a swordsman."
"Should we investigate further?"
"How? Besides, all sects are moving upwards. The array on the third floor has been broken, and there’s a risk we might be spotted if we go up. Our priority should be to return to the sect."
As the black-robed figures conversed, their faces simultaneously turned pale.
"Go, it seems you won’t be able to escape," a voice said as the side passages were blocked by dozens of people, all-powerful experts from the top sects. As it turns out, after Shi Xiaole had revealed the involvement of the Sky Evil Sect, Elder Rong had secretly informed all the top sects who immediately sent people to ambush in the vicinity.
Kill."
Without any hesitation, the disciples of Sky Evil Sect, under their leader’s lead, fearlessly charged towards the high-ranked martial experts of the Righteous Path.
After a fierce battle, both sides suffered casualties, but the majority, the Righteous Path, emerged victorious.
Unfortunately, these Sky Evil Sect disciples were ruthless. Despite knowing they were outmatched, they chose to either poison themselves or explode themselves rather than surrender, preventing their opponents from extracting more information.
"Logically speaking, with the emergence of the Heavenly Treasure Ruins, it’s impossible for the Sky Evil Sect to only send this many people. Something doesn’t feel right."
"With so many powerful martial artists from the Righteous Path gathered, how dare the Sky Evil Sect pluck feathers from a tiger’s mouth? Perhaps they are waiting outside the ruins, ready to seize the treasure through assassination."
"Hmm, that is indeed something we need to guard against."
The leaders of several top-tier sects exchanged opinions before they quickly led their people to the fourth floor.
The treasure-snatching battle was practically over, with most of the major sects getting a share of the spoils. Now a few array experts were gathering at the stone steps on the fourth floor, intending to work together to break the array and explore the fifth floor together.
At the stone steps leading to the fifth floor,
Gazing into the distance, members from the three biggest gangs, four greatest families, eight major sects, and even some well-known Martial Artists in the Spiritual-Passage Realm, were all present. As for martial artists of the Xuan Qi Realm, unfortunately, unless they were from the largest forces, they weren’t qualified to stand here.
Looking at the steps, the sight of the young boy with the wooden crown almost reaching the fifth floor, complicated everyone’s feelings.
"Did you see that, my young master’s talent far exceeds all of you. In terms of willpower, he’s not someone you can compare with."
The black-clad old servant’s gaze swept around with his lips curling in a cold smirk.
"You..."
The elder leaders were fine, but the younger ones were annoyed upon hearing his words. Yet, the truth spoke louder than words, and they had no counterargument.
"With all due respect, elder, how can you be sure that no one else got there before your young master?"
From the crowd, Chou Wuji stepped forward, clad in blue clothes with a cloth scarf, his face adorned with two dimples. He looked quite refined.
"This humble one didn’t notice anyone."
The black-clad old servant expressed his contempt.
He had encountered too many people like this, pretending not to be defeated until the bitter end. The idea that a place like Qingxue State could produce someone better than his young master was laughable in his eyes.
"I’m after the lineage of your Heavenly Treasure Sword Marquis, hahaha..."
A burst of laughter broke through the silence. On the stone steps, the wan-faced young man funny lifted his leg to stride forward, before he disappeared into the Array System.
In two and a half two-hour periods, he had reached the fifth floor.
The scene fell into a deadly quiet, leaving a hollow feeling in many people’s hearts.
Why wasn’t it the outstanding youth from Qingxue State who ascended to the fifth floor, but an outsider from Great Cold State instead?
"The young master has had a unique understanding of swordsmanship since he was a child. Although this humble one doesn’t know what lies on the fifth floor, I believe the trial of the Heavenly Treasure Sword Marquis will not deter him. Once he acquires the sword technique lineage, his abilities will surely reach a new height."
The black-clad old servant let out a hearty laugh, feeling extremely happy for his young master.
"Master Lu, how is it going?"
Irritated by the black-clad old servant’s arrogance, the leader of the Green Willow Villa asked a man in yellow. He was a well-known Array System expert in Qingxue State.
"Through our research, we have found that this array, after hundreds of years of wear and tear, has three flaws. It won’t be long before we can break it."
Master Lu and the other men responded.
About a quarter of an hour later, with three crisp sounds, the aura of the Array System on the stone steps dissipated. The crowd immediately rushed up and swiftly reached the fifth floor.
"What a strong Sword Intent!"
Just approaching the stone monument, Xiao Yutong couldn’t help exclaiming aloud.
A lot of well-known swordsman, including Guan Fei, Xue Changqing, and Yue Tianlin, stared at the words on the stone monument, as if the understanding of their own swordsmanship had somehow been enlightened, it felt almost like a pilgrimage.
For most swordsmen, the Sword Marquis on the Wind Dust List is as revered as a mentor.
Since ancient times, there has been a convention in the martial world that only those who have reached the perfection of the Sword Heart Realm have the qualification to be called Sword Marquis.
But Sword Heart perfection is extremely rare, even those who can fully master the Sword Heart are one in a million, a pitifully low percentage. The Martial World of Qingxue State has not seen a Sword Marquis for decades.
According to legends, a Sword Marquis has initially mastered the essence of swordsmanship. Hence, even the most common of sword moves would become tremendously powerful and surpass other swordsmen when wielded by him.
This kind of person, of course, deserves the admiration of ordinary swordsmen.
From this perspective, some who called Shi Xiaole the ’Little Sword Marquis’ were likely killing him with praise. After all, no matter how impressive you are, you can’t guarantee a hundred percent success in becoming a Sword Marquis.
"There’s a strong mechanism inside the stone monument. Do not touch it, or it will trigger a chain reaction,"
After observing for a long time, a mechanism master from the Mechanism Pavilion reminded everyone to prevent anyone from recklessly triggering it.
Whizz. Whizz.
Figures kept flashing in view as many swordsmen passed the stone monument and entered the channel.
This place was clearly the ultimate test set by the Heavenly Treasure Sword Marquis. Everyone wanted to witness the Marquis’s skill firsthand. Some even harbored the hope that they might just happen to be suited for it."
...
The passage was lengthy, with a stone chamber appearing every thirty meters.
The walls of the stone chamber were engraved with ten sets of swordsmanship styles. Each time Shi Xiaole entered, a Sound Recording Stone would set a time limit for Shi Xiaole to learn these ten sets of sword techniques.
In the first stone chamber, all ten sets of sword techniques were of inferior quality. The time limit was one two-hour period, and he must practice all of them to the Transformation Phase.
This requirement alone was enough to discourage 95 out of 100 swordsmen.
Luckily, Shi Xiaole had high comprehension skills, and after two enhancements, his abilities had reached a non-human level. He completed the task with ease.
The tip of the sword darted across the wall ten times, and under the automatic sensing of the Array System, the stone door opened.
In the next stone chamber, ten sets of sword techniques had become mid-grade. The time limit was again one two-hour period, and the level of Spirit Integration was required.
It took him half that time, but Shi Xiaole managed to finish.
In the third stone chamber, the sword techniques were reduced to three, but they had upgraded to a superior-grade. The time limit remained, and the level of Spirit Integration was again required.
Upon reaching this point, even Shi Xiaole had to commit himself entirely. His concentration was so intense that beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.
Just as the hourglass was about to run out, the three sword lights lit up one after the other, neatly touching the stone door.
The next passage appeared with a small sound.
Phew!
Shi Xiaole took a long breath out. His head was throbbing slightly, and he could see numerous illusions of sword techniques in front of his eyes. These were the symptoms of excessive mental exertion.
After taking a considerable time to adjust himself, Shi Xiaole walked towards the next stone chamber. At this point, giving up was out of the question. No matter how exhausted, he had to carry on.
He was intrigued to see if he could indeed live up to the expectation of Heavenly Treasure Sword Marquis.
In the fourth stone chamber, to Shi Xiaole’s surprise, it was not the sword techniques that awaited him, but ten iron puppets wielding long swords. Without giving him any chance to prepare, they attacked simultaneously, each puppet displaying a unique sword technique.
