387: Chapter 387 A Show of Force

After finishing his tampering, he quickly stowed the Jade Slip and vanished into the night in a flash. The night breeze blew, swirling a few withered leaves behind the rock before they settled again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Early the next morning, a thin mist still drifted through the valley as several people stood upon the teleportation Formation.

Sunlight slanted through the eastern peaks, casting long shadows across the valley. Dew still clung to the leaves in the Spirit Plant Garden, shimmering with fine glints of light. Chu Lan yawned, clearly having slept poorly last night; Lin Yue, however, was in high spirits and even cracked a few jokes with Lin Jingyu.

Su Ning stood in the center of the Formation, her hands forming seals. Streaks of silver light surged from her palms, pouring into the Formation patterns on the ground like flowing water. The patterns lit up one by one, from the outermost ring to the inner hexagram, and then to the runes at every node, all becoming brilliant under the infusion of silver light.

Just as the teleportation was about to activate, Su Ning's brow suddenly furrowed.

"Wait a moment." She stopped her hand seals, crouched down, and pressed her palm against the Formation patterns on the ground, closing her eyes to sense them.

"What's wrong?" Gao Feng asked.

Su Ning didn't answer immediately. Instead, she let her spiritual sense spread along the Formation patterns, carefully sensing the flow of every bit of spiritual energy. After a long while, she opened her eyes, a trace of solemnity flashing through them: "The Formation patterns have been tampered with."

Everyone's expressions tightened. Chu Lan's mouth dropped open in surprise, Tian Xin gripped the Talisman in her hand, and Lin Yue frowned.

"The changes are very subtle; you wouldn't notice them unless you looked closely. The technique is very professional, showing quite deep attainment in spatial Formations." Su Ning's fingers traced over several lines as silver spiritual energy overflowed from her fingertips, repairing the altered patterns one by one. "The teleportation coordinates would have drifted by about a hundred miles. The person who did this didn't destroy the core structure of the Formation; they only fine-tuned the spatial positioning nodes to deviate the landing point from the original location. No one would have been hurt or encountered danger, it would have just wasted some time and physical energy."

Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned toward the distant direction of the Wuxiang Sect.

Gao Feng didn't say the name, but everyone had the answer in their hearts.

"Can it be fixed?" he asked.

"It's already fixed," Su Ning said, standing up. "Are we still teleporting?"

"Teleport," Gao Feng said without hesitation. "A hundred-mile deviation is no big deal. I don't want those people to think such petty tricks can scare us off."

Su Ning nodded and formed the seals again. The silver light grew more and more intense, enveloping the group. When the silver light reached its peak, she said solemnly, "Teleport!"

Boom—

The figures of the group disappeared into the light.

When the silver light dissipated, the group was standing on a desolate Gobi desert.

As far as the eye could see were vast stretches of gravel and sparse shrubs, with the occasional drought-resistant weed stubbornly poking its head out from the cracks in the rocks. The parched earth was crisscrossed with gullies, without a trace of moisture to be found. A few stone mountains were vaguely visible in the distance, their outlines distorted by the heat waves. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the sunlight beat down directly without any obstruction, baking the ground until it was scorching hot.

"Pah!" Lin Yue spat out the sand that had accidentally flown into his mouth. "Where is this? Why would the Heavenly Sword Sect be built in such a godforsaken place?"

Su Ning took out the silver positioning Jade Slip from her sleeve and ran her finger across its surface; a silver cursor pointed toward the northwest. She closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them and said, "The Heavenly Sword Sect's mountain gate is that way, about a hundred and twenty miles away in a straight line. With the hundred-mile deviation plus the original distance, it is indeed a hundred and twenty miles."

"Let's go." Gao Feng took the first step.

No one complained anymore. The group formed a line and walked toward the northwest. There were no roads on the Gobi desert; it was filled with broken rocks and sharp pebbles, making for difficult walking. Lin Yue walked in front, using his longsword—which he hadn't yet put back into his Storage Pouch—to push aside the thorns blocking the way; Lin Jingyu followed, alert to any potential dangers in the surroundings; Gao Feng was in the middle, his gaze occasionally scanning the terrain; Luo Li and Yao Guang walked side by side, whispering about something; Chu Lan followed behind, occasionally complaining about the rough path; Tian Xin walked beside her in silence; Su Ning brought up the rear, recording the spatial coordinates along the way in her Jade Slip.

An hour later, trees finally appeared in the distance. These were no ordinary trees, but the 'Iron Pines' unique to the vicinity of the Heavenly Sword Sect's mountain gate. Their trunks were as hard as iron, their needles were evergreen throughout the year, and the fresh scent of resin they emitted had the effect of calming the mind. As the vegetation grew denser, the ground gradually changed from gravel to soil, the Gobi became hills, and the hills became low mountains. The air grew fresher, and the temperature dropped considerably.

After walking for more than another hour and passing through a dense forest, the mountain gate of the Heavenly Sword Sect finally appeared before their eyes.

Two stone peaks over a hundred zhang high stood facing each other like two giant gates, framing a wide bluestone road. The rock walls of the peaks were covered in vines, but the vines could not hide the ancient sword scars carved upon them—those scars were left by generations of experts from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Each one contained a different Sword Intent; some were sharp, some steady, some elegant, converging to form an invisible pressure.

On both sides of the bluestone road, a massive stone sword stele was erected every ten zhang. Carved upon the steles were the names and sword dao insights of generations of Heavenly Sword Sect experts. Some sword steles were already broken and the characters blurred, but the residual Sword Intent within them was still clearly discernible. Occasionally, a streak or two of Sword Intent would leak from a stele, turning into a sharp edge that made one's spine chill.

At the entrance of the mountain gate, eight Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples dressed in green sword robes stood with longswords hanging from their waists, their eyes warily sizing up this group of visitors from afar.

Gao Feng led the team to the front of the mountain gate and cupped his hands in greeting: "Gao Feng of the Wuxiang Sect, by order of our Sect Master, has come to the Heavenly Sword Sect for an exchange of skills. This is our Sect Master's letter of recommendation and the Profound Heaven Token."

He presented a letter and that golden Profound Heaven Token with both hands.

The leading gate-keeping Disciple took the letter and token, glanced at them casually, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He was a young man at the Early Stage of the first level of the Golden Core, with a handsome face that nevertheless carried an arrogance unbefitting his age.

"Wuxiang Sect?" He tossed the letter back into Gao Feng's hands, his tone lazy. "My Heavenly Sword Sect has had no exchange with the Wuxiang Sect for a hundred years. Without sincerity, why don't we see any old acquaintances coming to meet us?"

"This Junior is not clear on the Sect's past affairs. I am merely following orders; I ask that Senior Brother please report our arrival."

"Report?" The Disciple sneered, his hand pressing on his sword hilt. "The Sect Master has ordered that if people from the Wuxiang Sect want to enter the mountain gate, they must first pass my test. You can send one person to fight; if you win, we will naturally let you pass. If you lose... please go back."

The seven gate-keeping Disciples behind him laughed in agreement.

Lin Jingyu pressed his hand to his sword hilt but was stopped by Gao Feng.

"I'll do it." A cool, clear voice rang out.

Situ Lan stepped out from the group. She was wearing green martial attire with a slender spirit sword at her waist; her face was cold and elegant, with a heroic spirit between her brows. She stood before the eight gate-keeping Disciples, her gaze calm.

"Senior Brother Zhao Lingyun, long time no see."

Zhao Lingyun was stunned. He sized up Situ Lan for a few moments, the arrogance on his face gradually freezing: "Situ Lan? Why are you here? Weren't you expelled from the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

"I wasn't expelled; I left on my own," Situ Lan said indifferently. "You didn't recognize my sword dao, so there was no point in me staying. Now, I follow Senior Brother Gao Feng in my cultivation."

Zhao Lingyun gave a cold laugh, a flash of disdain in his eyes. "So you've joined the Wuxiang Sect. Situ Lan, if the Grandmaster knew you had become a lapdog of the Wuxiang Sect, he wouldn't be able to keep his coffin lid down."

"Say what you will." Situ Lan drew her spirit sword, the tip pointing to the ground. "Didn't you want to fight? Then let's begin."

Zhao Lingyun snorted coldly and unsheathed his sword!

His sword was very fast. He pushed the Lingyun Sword Art to its limit, his longsword turning into countless silver shadows that enveloped Situ Lan. Every strike carried a sharp Sword Intent, and every strike sought to leave a wound on her body.

Situ Lan continuously dodged, parried, and retreated. There wasn't a hint of panic in her steps, no lag in her sword, and her breathing remained steady.

After thirty rounds, Zhao Lingyun's offensive began to slow. The Lingyun Sword Art consumed a massive amount of energy, and with his cultivation at the Early Stage of the first level of the Golden Core, he simply couldn't maintain such a high-intensity attack for long. A slight stagnation appeared in his movements—

It was in that very instant.

Situ Lan's sword moved. That silver light was so fast its trajectory was almost invisible, like a bolt of lightning drilling through that tiny opening!

Clang!

The tip of the sword pressed against Zhao Lingyun's throat an inch away, stopping steadily.

Zhao Lingyun froze.

"I yield." Situ Lan withdrew her sword, cupped her hands in greeting, and turned back to the group.

Zhao Lingyun's face was ashen as he gritted his teeth: "...Go in."

The gate-keeping Disciples cleared the path.

After entering the bluestone road, Situ Lan whispered to Gao Feng, "There are two factions within the Heavenly Sword Sect. One advocates for open exchange, led by Jian Wuwei; the other holds fast to tradition, represented by several Grand Elders. Zhao Lingyun belongs to the conservative faction; they will surely make things difficult for us again."

Gao Feng nodded and walked forward with steady steps.

In the distance, the main peak of the Heavenly Sword Sect pierced the clouds, with palace pavilions built along the mountain appearing magnificent. This Holy Land of the sword dao, which had stood for over ten thousand years, clearly wouldn't accept outsiders easily. And the goal of Gao Feng's trip had only just begun.

Passing through the mountain gate, the end of the bluestone road was a massive plaza. In the very center of the plaza, a green boulder over three zhang high stood quietly. The surface of the boulder was as smooth as a mirror, yet fine cracks were vaguely visible—those were not cracks in the stone, but marks left by ancient Sword Intent.

This was the first trial of the Heavenly Sword Sect—the sword heart stone.

The person in charge of the assessment was an Elder surnamed Li from the Inner Sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect, at the sixth level of the Golden Core, with a lean face and a gentle gaze. He stood by the sword heart stone, holding a yellowed ledger in his hand. Seeing Gao Feng's group approach, he nodded slightly.

"Guests from the Wuxiang Sect?" Elder Li's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a relaxing warmth. "The Sect Master has already given instructions. The first trial: the sword heart stone."

He turned and pointed to the massive boulder. "Sealed within this stone is a streak of Sword Intent left by our Sect's ancestor. You need to sit quietly before the stone, sense that Sword Intent with your mind, and use your will to break through its suppression, lasting for the duration of one stick of incense. Those who pass may enter the next trial."