57: Chapter 57 The Trial of Three Swords

Three days later, the mountain gate of the Mystic Sword Sect.

A solitary Peak, a thousand zhang high, pierced the clouds. The mountain itself was like a sword, sharp and intimidating. This was the location of the Mystic Sword Sect—Mystic Sword Peak.

On the summit plaza, three thousand Disciples of the Mystic Sword Sect stood in Formation, all dressed in white, all carrying swords. An aura of solemn killing filled the air; it was as if countless Sword Intent were wandering through the space.

At the end of the plaza, three elders sat cross-legged.

In the center was the Mystic Sword Sect's Sect Leader, Sect Master Jian Wuchen, a Middle Stage Golden Core Sword Cultivator with a refined face and eyes like lightning. On the left was the Grand Elder, Jian Wuming, at the Peak of the Early Stage Golden Core. On the right... was an illusory figure, entirely condensed from Sword Qi; it was the spirit of the Sword Tomb.

Ling Hao walked onto the summit alone.

Green robes, empty-handed, his expression calm.

"Young Lord Ling," Sect Master Jian Wuchen opened his eyes, "Thank you for gracing us with your presence."

"No need for courtesies." Ling Hao stood still in the center of the plaza, "Let us begin."

Crisp and direct.

Sect Master Jian Wuchen nodded, wasting no words, and raised a finger.

"First Sword: Mystic Sect Sword Finger."

A pure white Sword Qi shot from his fingertip. At first, it was only an inch long, but three zhang away from his finger, it surged to ten zhang. After ten zhang, it transformed into a hundred-zhang sword light, tearing through the air and striking directly at Ling Hao!

This sword strike had no frills, no variations, only "sharpness" refined to the extreme.

The first form of the Mystic Sword Sect's foundational sword manual, the 《Mystic Sword Scripture》. When cultivated to the extreme, it could sever a mountain with a single finger.

The sword light arrived in an instant, piercing toward Ling Hao's glabella.

Ling Hao did not dodge.

He didn't even raise his hand to block; he simply opened his eyes.

"Eye of Origin."

Deep within his pupils, a pale golden light swirled.

In his eyes, that hundred-zhang sword light was no longer a complete Sword Qi, but an aggregate of countless minute Sword Qi particles. There were gaps between the particles, varying strengths, and a core—

He saw the "flaw."

The most minute, the most hidden, yet truly existing flaw.

Then, he extended his right index finger, pointed lightly at the sword light, and tapped at that "flaw."

"Pop—"

A light sound like a bubble bursting.

The hundred-zhang sword light dissipated. It wasn't defeated; it dissipated naturally, just like a sandcastle with its most critical grain removed, its entire structure collapsing instantly.

Sect Master Jian Wuchen's pupils constricted.

The Mystic Sect Sword Finger he had painstakingly cultivated for two hundred years was broken just like that? And it was broken by a single finger, just a light tap?

"Second Sword." Ling Hao retracted his finger, his tone still calm.

Sect Master Jian Wuchen took a deep breath and looked at the Grand Elder on his left.

The Grand Elder, Jian Wuming, slowly stood up and drew the long sword he carried on his back.

It was an ancient, simple iron sword. The blade was dull and lusterless, yet it exuded a heaviness accumulated through the passage of time.

"Second Sword: No Edge."

The Grand Elder, Jian Wuming, held the sword with both hands and swung it down slowly.

The movement was very slow, so slow that even a three-year-old child could see its trajectory. But the moment this sword was swung, the air in the entire plaza froze.

It wasn't pressure; it was "momentum."

The sword of No Edge valued momentum over sharpness. This sword strike did not contain Sword Qi, but the "Sword Momentum" that the Grand Elder, Jian Wuming, had accumulated over three hundred years—as heavy as a mountain, as deep as an abyss, so heavy it was suffocating.

As the Sword Momentum descended, Ling Hao felt his body sink, as if pressed down by an invisible mountain.

But he smiled.

"Momentum?" He whispered to himself, "Then let us compare whose momentum is stronger."

He took a step forward.

"Battle Will: Ebullition!"

Crimson-gold flames soared into the sky! The Battle Intent condensed into substance, transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall crimson-gold War God phantom that roared at the sky!

The might of Battle Intent versus the might of Sword Momentum!

"BOOM—!!!"

An invisible collision exploded in the air. The shockwave swept across the plaza, forcing the three thousand Disciples to retreat in unison, and those with weaker cultivation even coughed up blood!

The Grand Elder, Jian Wuming's No Edge sword struck the crimson-gold War God phantom, but it was like cutting into an endless sea; the Sword Momentum was devoured and dissolved bit by bit by the Battle Intent.

Three breaths.

The Sword Momentum dissipated completely.

The Grand Elder, Jian Wuming's face turned pale, and he staggered back, only managing to stand steady by leaning on his iron sword.

He had lost. Lost cleanly and decisively.

"Third Sword." Ling Hao looked at the illusory Sword Qi figure.

The spirit of the Sword Tomb slowly stood up.

It had no physical body, only a spiritual body condensed from ten thousand Sword Qi. But the moment it stood up, the entire Sword Peak trembled—not from an earthquake, but from the resonance of countless ancient swords hidden within the mountain!

"Third Sword: Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin."

The spirit of the Sword Tomb raised its hand.

The next moment, the Sword Peak shook, and countless Sword Qi surged from the mountain body into the sky! That was the accumulation of the Mystic Sword Sect over a thousand years, the Sword Intent formed by the swords of past Disciples after their deaths, each containing different insights into the Dao of the sword.

Ten thousand Sword Qi converged in the air, transforming into a thousand-zhang giant sword.

The giant sword was completely transparent, yet it contained a sharpness that was terrifying to the extreme. It was the aggregate of the intent of ten thousand swords, the essence of the Mystic Sword Sect's thousand-year Dao of the sword!

This sword strike had already surpassed the realm of the Golden Core and touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul!

"Young Lord Ling," the voice of the spirit of the Sword Tomb was hollow and ethereal, "Under this sword, life and death are up to heaven."

Ling Hao looked up, gazing at the thousand-zhang giant sword, a hint of seriousness finally appearing in his eyes.

"Now this is interesting."

He closed his eyes.

Not giving up, but—communicating. Communicating with that mass of Chaos Origin within his body. Communicating with the "Origin Deduction" function newly unlocked by the System.

[Detected ultra-high intensity Sword Intent aggregate]

[Parsing...]

[Parsing complete: Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, Grade: Pseudo-Nascent Soul level sword technique]

[Weakness analysis: The Sword Intent inside the aggregate is heterogeneous, with thirty-seven conflict nodes]

[Suggested solution: Simulate the "Chaos Seal" Concept with Chaos Origin, and strike the thirty-seven nodes simultaneously to cause the sword technique to collapse on its own]

In an instant, the deduction was complete.

Ling Hao opened his eyes, raised his hands, and formed an ancient seal in front of his chest.

Not a War Pattern, not Disintegration. It was from the Chaos Origin.

"Origin: Chaos Seal."

The ball of light flew from his hands, meeting the thousand-zhang giant sword.

No collision, no explosion.

The ball of light merged into the giant sword like a droplet falling into the ocean.

"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"...

Inside the giant sword, thirty-seven crisp sounds rang out in succession. That was the sound of thirty-seven conflict nodes being struck and shattered simultaneously.

The thousand-zhang giant sword trembled violently, and countless cracks appeared on its surface. The ten thousand Sword Qi began to lose control, conflicting, colliding, and annihilating each other...

Three breaths later.

The giant sword collapsed, turning into specks of light that dissipated in the wind.

The figure of the spirit of the Sword Tomb dimmed by three parts and bowed slowly toward Ling Hao.

"The third sword... has been received."

The entire plaza was dead silent.

Three thousand Disciples of the Mystic Sword Sect stared blankly at the youth in green robes in the center of the plaza.

Three swords. The Sect Leader's Mystic Sect Sword Finger, the Grand Elder's No Edge momentum, the spirit of the Sword Tomb's Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin... All of them had been received by him, lightly and effortlessly.

Sect Master Jian Wuchen slowly stood up, walked to Ling Hao, and knelt on one knee.

"The Mystic Sword Sect... submits."

"From now on, wherever Young Lord Ling's sword points, the three thousand Sword Cultivators of the Mystic Sword Sect will follow, even unto death."

Behind him, the Grand Elder, the spirit of the Sword Tomb, and the three thousand Disciples all knelt in unison.

Their voices sounded like sword chimes, resounding through the clouds:

"We will follow, even unto death!"

Ling Hao looked at them and nodded slowly.

"Remember your words today."

He turned and walked down the Sword Peak.

Behind him was the submissive Mystic Sword Sect. Before him was the entire Qingyun and the surrounding three thousand li, all within his grasp.

In the main hall of the Ling Family, Ling Hao sat in the main seat—not the Family Head's seat, but a newly set "Young Lord's Seat," positioned equally with the Family Head.

The hall was full of people. All core members of the Ling Family were present, without exception.

Everyone's face carried excitement, reverence, and a hint of fanaticism.

The Wang Family had been destroyed, the Nangong Family had submitted, the Heavenly Dao Palace's Qingyun City stronghold had been uprooted, and the three major Sects had submitted. The Ling Family had truly reached the pinnacle of Qingyun City!

Ling Hao spoke, his voice spreading throughout the hall, "The Ling Family will establish an 'Origin Hall'. All Ling Family Disciples, whether direct or collateral, whether they have a Spiritual Root or not, may enter the hall to Cultivate."

"I will pass down the 'Origin Dao' cultivation method."

"I will help you condense the 'Origin Seed'."

"I will lead you onto a path that has never been walked before,"

"A path that does not require a Spiritual Root, yet can lead directly to the Great Dao!"

There was a moment of silence in the hall. Then, a roar like a landslide and tsunami:

"We are willing to follow the Young Lord!"

This was just the beginning. Qingyun City was too small. His goal was this world, that high-and-mighty Heavenly Dao, that so-called... Heavenly Fate.

That night, in Ling Hao's study.

The System light screen appeared before Ling Hao's eyes:

[System Notification]

[Task "Unify Qingyun and surrounding forces" completion: 100%]

[Reward obtained: Unlocked new System function "Origin Deduction" (can deduce Cultivation Techniques, Formations, Medicinal Pills, etc.), Summon Ancient War Spirit remnants (3 times), 5000 Origin Points]

[Unfinished task: Explore the first ancient battlefield remnant (Qingyun Mountain Range · Valley of Buried Weapons), please complete it as soon as possible]

[New task published: Establish the Origin Hall within one month]

[Task reward: Distributed based on exploration progress]

[Host current status]

[Ling Hao: War God Physique Second Layer]

[Mastered abilities: Disintegration Dao Pattern (Complete version), unlimited uses, Origin of War, Eye of Origin, True Meaning of Returning to Ruins (Embryonic form), War God Art (First Layer), War God Totem (Elementary), Origin Deduction]

[Battle Will: Ebullition: Can be activated twice daily, lasting for one hundred breaths]

[Origin Points: 6400]

Boundless power surged within his body—the War God Physique Second Layer. The crimson-gold War Patterns became deeper, as if branded deep within his flesh and blood, every heartbeat driving the resonance of Battle Intent.

More importantly, "Origin Deduction."

Ling Hao moved his mind and pulled up the System interface.

[Origin Deduction: Can deduce Cultivation Techniques, Formations, Medicinal Pills, Talismans, etc. The success rate and quality of the deduction depend on the Host's depth of understanding in that field]

[Current available deduction directions: War God Physique advanced Cultivation Technique, combination usage of Disintegration Dao Pattern, Origin Hall foundational Legacy System...]

Good stuff.

With this function, he could tailor a complete Legacy System for the Ling Family, allowing the Dao of Origin to truly take root in Qingyun City.

And this summoning of the Ancient War Spirit remnants—this was a means of self-preservation.

Qingyun City was settled, the three major Sects had submitted. Next, it was time to pursue stronger power and a wider sky.

He pushed open the study door and walked into the courtyard.

The night sky was clear, the galaxy brilliant.

Ling Hao stood alone in the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky.

War God Physique Second Layer, Origin Deduction, the trip to the Valley of Buried Weapons...

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

And the story of Qingyun City, at this moment, had only just begun its true prologue.