Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Sword Seizing Conference
Seeing that Lu Sangjiu was unaware, Li Qiancheng explained it to her in detail.
The Sword Seizing Conference was a competition established by the Gold and Silver Gate, open to all Cultivators. It was held once every ten years and had been going on for a millennium.
Each conference was held in Muxian Town, at the foot of the Gold and Silver Gate’s mountain. It was divided into two tracks, Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, with the top three from each track—a total of six winners—ultimately being chosen.
The first-place winner of each track would earn a chance to have a top-grade magic treasure forged by the Gold and Silver Gate.
Although you had to provide the materials yourself, the opportunity to have a master smith from the Gold and Silver Gate forge a top-grade magic treasure was incredibly rare, so everyone in the Cultivation World would still flock to it.
In addition, all six winners could enter the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb. Each person would be given one hour to search for a sword that shared a bond with them.
As long as you had the ability to pull one out, you could take it with you, regardless of its quality.
Everyone knew that the Immortal Artifact, the Muxian Sword, was located within the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb. Legend had it that the tomb itself formed after a Great Power left the Muxian Sword there, causing tens of thousands of swords to gather in homage.
Even the name Muxian Town was derived from the Muxian Sword.
The Gold and Silver Gate had declared that if a fated person could pull out the Muxian Sword, they were free to take it. The Gold and Silver Gate would not stand in their way.
It was precisely because of this promise that the Sword Seizing Conference shot to fame. Who wouldn’t want to go inside and try their luck? What if they were the fated one?
From then on, the Sword Seizing Conference became a major event in the Cultivation World. Besides the lavish rewards, the winners could also make a name for themselves across the land.
After listening to Li Qiancheng’s explanation, Lu Sangjiu finally understood. "So that’s how it is."
In the past, she hadn’t cared much about the affairs of Cultivators, and a competition limited to the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stages would never have caught her attention, so she truly didn’t know about it.
Now, hearing Li Qiancheng’s explanation, she didn’t care much about the other rewards, but the chance to enter the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb piqued her interest.
After all, her domination map was inside the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb.
Moreover, in the book, the Muxian Sword was obtained by Ye Zhiyao.
But Ye Zhiyao hadn’t obtained the Muxian Sword by participating in the Sword Seizing Conference. Otherwise, Lu Sangjiu wouldn’t have been so completely clueless about the event.
In the original story, Ye Zhiyao was in the Nascent Soul Stage when she saved a powerful elder from the Gold and Silver Gate, which earned her the opportunity to enter the Sword Tomb and claim the Muxian Sword.
However, this "life-saving grace" was actually just an "opportunity" meticulously orchestrated for her by one of Ye Zhiyao’s men.
Of course, Ye Zhiyao knew nothing about this. She just needed to radiate her "kind and righteous" Light; her men were there to handle the dirty work.
Lu Sangjiu mulled it over. ’Rather than competing with Ye Zhiyao to save someone later on, I might as well use this chance to enter the Sword Tomb legitimately.’
’Even if I’m not fated to get the Muxian Sword, I can at least get my domination map back. A Demon Artifact’s power is no worse than an Immortal Artifact’s.’
Besides, in the original story, after leaving the Qingyu Secret Realm, Ye Zhiyao spent a long time developing her romantic plotline with the male lead, focusing mainly on falling in love.
The next major opportunity wouldn’t come for another year. In terms of time, it was more than enough for Lu Sangjiu to make a trip to the Gold and Silver Gate.
Thinking of this, Lu Sangjiu made her decision.
"It does sound like a rare opportunity. I also need to start preparing to forge my Lifebound Magical Treasure, so I’ll have to visit the Gold and Silver Gate sooner or later. I might as well go and try my luck!"
Plus, she still had the voucher for a Mid-grade Treasure forging given to her by the Sect Leader. This trip would be the perfect time to use it and boost her strength a little.
Hearing Lu Sangjiu say this, Luo Linlang immediately declared, "I’ll go with Little Junior Sister! I’ll protect her!"
Lu Sangjiu replied, "Second Senior Sister, if you just want to join in on the fun, just say so. You don’t have to use me as an excuse."
Li Qiancheng nodded. "I have to go back and watch over Master. I made some gains in the Yu Zhao Secret Realm and am showing signs of breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, so I need to go into seclusion."
"We wouldn’t be at ease with you going alone, so it’s perfect to have Lin Lang go with you."
A look of pleasant surprise crossed Lu Sangjiu’s face. "Third Senior Brother is about to break through? That’s wonderful!"
Luo Linlang gave her a wicked grin. "So, from now on, you’ll be the only one in our sect still in the Foundation Establishment Stage. When do you plan on breaking through to Golden Core?"
Li Qiancheng laughed. "Little Junior Sister reached the Late-stage Foundation Establishment less than half a year after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. That’s already incredibly fast."
"Breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core isn’t that easy. Don’t put too much pressure on her."
Lu Sangjiu nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! I’m just an unremarkable person with Dual Spiritual Roots. Don’t have such high expectations for me!"
She wanted to break through to the Golden Core Stage too, but with her Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation, while Spiritual Energy was easy to come by, Demonic Qi was another matter.
She had already used up almost all the Demon Essence Stones she’d gotten from the Secret Realm, and what was left wasn’t nearly enough for her to break through to the Golden Core Stage.
In the current Cultivation World, Demon Essence Stones were extremely hard to find, and her current strength wasn’t enough to risk an adventure in the Western Demon Realm. So, breaking through to the Golden Core Stage seemed like a distant prospect for now.
But there was one benefit to Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation: her strength already far exceeded that of an ordinary cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
If she ever had to fight for her life, as long as her opponent wasn’t a powerhouse at the Nascent Soul Stage or above, her power was more than enough.
And so, the matter was settled. Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang informed the Sect Leader and left the Seven Emotions Sect’s group ahead of schedule.
The journey to the Gold and Silver Gate was long. The two of them had originally planned to grit their teeth and spend a hefty sum to use a Teleportation Array.
But when they inquired in the city, they found that the price, which was normally at most one hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones to get to Muxian Town, had now skyrocketed to three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones!
The reason... was, of course, that everyone knew the Sword Seizing Conference was about to begin, and everyone was heading to Muxian Town. The price for the Teleportation Array had naturally soared with the demand.
Although Lu Sangjiu had made a small fortune recently, she still felt the sting.
So she discussed it with Luo Linlang, and they figured that since there was still over a month until the Sword Seizing Conference officially began, they could make it just in time if they used Sword Flight.
’Best to save what we can!’
The two traveled by Sword Flight, and on the fifth day, they came across a small Immortal Boat on their path.
From a distance, a male cultivator on the Immortal Boat called out to them enthusiastically, "Greetings, you two Immortals! Are you heading to Muxian Town?"
Although they didn’t know his intentions, Luo Linlang replied out of politeness, "We are. Is there something you need?"
Hearing this, the male cultivator’s tone became even more enthusiastic. "What a coincidence! We’re also heading to Muxian Town. Would you two Immortals like to catch a ride on our boat?"
Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang immediately exchanged a glance, each seeing the doubt in the other’s eyes... ’Is there really such a good deal?’
After a moment’s thought, Lu Sangjiu asked tentatively, "How many Spirit Stones would it cost?"
"Heh heh, you’re a sharp one, Immortal! Don’t worry, we don’t ask for much. Just twenty Mid-grade Spirit Stones per person. It’s much more economical than the Teleportation Array!"
Only twenty stones. It was indeed a much better deal.
But not knowing the man’s origins, they didn’t dare to board the boat so easily.
The man seemed to sense their hesitation. Without being asked, he took out a waist token and showed it to them.
"No need to worry, Immortals. We are disciples of the Gold and Silver Gate. We wouldn’t dare engage in robbery or plunder. Please board with peace of mind. We guarantee you’ll arrive safely in Muxian Town!"
