A hundred-zhang jade wall stood there, covered in a crisscrossing web of sword marks, some deep, some shallow.
It was impossible to imagine what kind of intense battle could have created such a scene.
The Tianhe Sword Sect had tested it long ago. A full-power strike from a Core Formation True Man wielding a Tier Three Flying Sword could only leave a faint white mark on the jade wall.
And even that mark would vanish after a few breaths.
’If I could move this wall out of here, it would surely be a Supreme Spiritual Material...’
The thought subconsciously crossed Bai Zichen’s mind.
But it was just a passing thought. The Tianhe Sword Sect had controlled the Secret Realm for over three thousand years; they must have already tried every possibility.
He unhurriedly chose a spot, sat down cross-legged, and began to appreciate the Sword Marks on the jade wall.
Regarding the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, he had recently consulted others and borrowed a great deal of information. He was no longer the novice he had been.
There were thirty-six of these hundred-zhang jade walls in total, each with a different set of Sword Marks.
Upon entry, the Secret Realm would allocate a location based on the Sword Light one activated, teleporting them before the jade wall it deemed most suitable.
The mysteries of the Sword Dao one could comprehend naturally differed depending on the Sword Marks on each wall.
The Sword Light attached to the disciples of the Tianhe Sword Sect was cast by their Sect elders.
It was through generations of accumulated knowledge that the Sword Sect had figured out the teleportation patterns—which type of Sword Light would lead to which jade wall.
Therefore, they would cast a specific Sword Light tailored to a disciple’s characteristics, making it impossible for them to be eliminated on the first level.
This was one of the minor advantages the Tianhe Sword Sect disciples had over outside Cultivators.
He focused his gaze, not just looking with his eyes but also touching with his Divine Sense, feeling the Sword Marks left on the jade wall countless years ago.
A boundless Sword Intent pressed down, blanketing everything. Tens of thousands of Sword Lights converged into an ocean, slashing toward his Sea of Consciousness.
Bai Zichen was calm and unafraid. In terms of the resilience of his Sea of Consciousness, he was undoubtedly unique among Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Even an Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator might not surpass him by much.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace rose, pulling all the attacking Sword Lights into its fiery depths for a frantic forging and hammering.
In an instant, more than ninety percent of the weaker Sword Lights were annihilated, leaving only a few dozen powerful ones still rampaging wildly.
The dome above had been pierced with several large holes by the Sword Lights, and the very heavens seemed to shake.
Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense transformed into a dragon, capturing the most dazzling Sword Light.
He saw a Cultivator in simple, ancient attire with a tall hat and wide sash, holding a bright yellow longsword. With a single swing, mountains shattered and rivers flowed backward.
He then enveloped the next most brilliant Sword Light. Inside, a fleeting, graceful figure brandished their sword, causing the weather within a thousand-mile radius to shift.
From a scorching sun to dark, overcast clouds; from a torrential downpour to a gentle drizzle; from rustling autumn winds to a blanket of white snow.
In a short span, it was as if the twenty-four solar terms had passed in their entirety.
By the time he had secured the two Sword Lights, the remaining ones shattered the sky completely and flew beyond the horizon.
Bai Zichen’s vision went black, and he withdrew from the state of comprehending the Sword Marks on the jade wall.
He paid it no mind and immediately began to study and comprehend the two Sword Lights that remained in his Sea of Consciousness.
He had only three days to observe the swords from the jade wall.
If he gained nothing within three days, he would be ’invited’ out of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, losing the chance to enter the second level.
’The first Sword Light was majestic and overwhelming, with no tricks or frills. It simply crushed with power... It looks unskilled, yet it carries the intent of the Creation of Heaven and Earth and the sealing of space. No matter how many transformations or Profound Mysterious Escape Techniques you have, as long as your power is inferior, you must face this sword. There is no escape.’
As someone who possessed the Sword Dao legacies of both the Taibai Sword Sect and the Naihe Sect, no Foundation Establishment Stage disciple from any Sword Sect in the world could compare to Bai Zichen in terms of knowledge and insight.
Of course, he would not see this Sword Light as lacking in variation or being clumsy.
Only Cultivators with years of Combat experience would understand how difficult it was to achieve a state where superior power alone guarantees victory.
Winning through sheer righteousness and power—there is an ultimate beauty in that great simplicity.
The shattering mountains and reversed rivers were all controlled within an extremely precise range, without a single trace of excess power leaking out.
On an adjacent mountain peak, two goats were even leisurely nibbling on grass, seemingly oblivious to the world-remaking aura.
Bai Zichen closed his eyes. The sword-swinging motion of the Ancient Cultivator in the tall hat and wide sash replayed over and over in his Sea of Consciousness.
The image slowed down, then sped up, then slowed down again, completing a full cycle of Reincarnation.
In a place he couldn’t see, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the True Enlightenment Sword Technique, which had receded from view, originally resembled a giant library.
In all the years since he had obtained this legacy, only a couple of rows of bookshelves had disappeared.
But as he integrated and absorbed this world-creating Sword Light, two or three entire rows of shelves in the library formed by the True Enlightenment Sword Technique crumbled, shrinking it by a quarter.
「The next day」
Bai Zichen opened his eyes, an intangible glint of a sword even reflecting in his pupils.
’I’ve already digested one Sword Light, which should be enough to enter the second level of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm... I should use the remaining time to comprehend as much as possible. This is a rare opportunity.’
He could already feel that being before the Sword Marks on the jade wall was equivalent to receiving a True Intent inheritance from a Cultivation Technique.
His comprehension speed was far beyond normal; this single day was likely equivalent to several years of his usual cultivation.
The second Sword Light could trigger celestial phenomena—not just one or two, but the evolution of all twenty-four solar terms within a single set of Swordsmanship.
’Then this Sword Light isn’t simply the Sword Intent of a storm, a Thunderbolt, or frost, but the intent of Time itself!’
Bai Zichen felt a jolt of excitement. His own Pill Discussion was related, however slightly, to the Time Path.
He also possessed the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, a Great Divine Technique that directly confronted time and used the Power of Time to slay enemies. It would be absurd to say he wasn’t interested in the Path of Time for his future Great Dao True Intent’s development.
Therefore, anything even remotely related to the Power of Time could capture his full and undivided attention.
’Using Swordsmanship to manifest the changes of the twenty-four solar terms... it seems like one set of Swordsmanship, but it’s actually twenty-four sets fused into one... Terrifying. To think a Sword Cultivator could come up with such a fantastical idea. A pity this Swordsmanship only borrows a sliver of the Power of Time; its involvement isn’t deep, far from the level of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.’
Bai Zichen felt a slight sense of regret, but he still savored the process of comprehending its subtleties.
Although this Sword Light ranked lower than the previous one on this jade wall, its complexity was even greater.
Only when the three days were over had he barely managed to grasp it completely.
A flash of Black Flame passed, and Bai Zichen was teleported to the second level of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm.
’Why does this Black Flame feel so familiar...’
Bai Zichen only had time for that single thought before the world spun and he briefly lost consciousness.
"Wasteful! What a waste of two precious Sword Keys!"
Suo Qian said with disdain, looking at the two outside Cultivators who had been kicked out of the Secret Realm and now lay unconscious on the ground.
According to the rules set by True Monarch Tianhe, disciples of his own Sect would separate a sliver of power from the Secret Realm key to serve as their entry token.
The Sword Key, however, was actually a Tier Three Flying Sword obtained by one of True Monarch Tianhe’s disciples back in the day.
This Odd-Shaped Flying Sword, composed of seventy-two Ancient Bronze Swords, was discovered to be able to protect its user and allow them entry after the dark Jade Pendant opened the Secret Realm. Only then was it broken down into seventy Sword Keys and distributed among several Sword Cultivation Sects.
These Sects would then redistribute them, granting them to Cultivators with exceptional Sword Dao Talent.
As for the recovered Sword Keys, according to True Monarch Tianhe’s rules, they could not be used on their own Sect’s disciples.
Originally, they would be returned to those other Sword Cultivation Sects, but the rules gradually changed. They were now mostly bestowed upon disciples from Cultivation Families or Vassal Sects that were close to the Sword Sect.
The number of Sword Keys truly circulating in the outside world was dwindling.
"Brother Suo, why be angry? Two more Sword Keys have returned. Next time, we can select two true geniuses of the Sword Dao to enter the Secret Realm. Isn’t that a good thing?"
With a wave of his long arm, Tang Yuan summoned a giant golden hand that grabbed the two Cultivators and placed them on an empty patch of ground a hundred zhang away.
"Looks like they’re on the second level now. I hope that foolish disciple of mine is fortunate enough to find a Tier Three Flying Sword... When he reaches Core Formation, I won’t have the family resources to help him forge another one."
Among Suo Qian’s disciples, one was on the list to enter the Sword Tomb Secret Realm this year.
Judging by his expression, it was clear this disciple held a special place in his heart.
...
Bai Zichen opened his eyes to an utterly desolate space.
The ground was littered with countless broken weapons, most just a hilt or a melted lump, their original forms unrecognizable.
’Now I know where the sense of familiarity comes from. Isn’t this extremely similar to that Secret Realm Lu Songx discovered in Black Mountain... I wonder if all Ancient Secret Realms are like this, or if there’s a connection between these two places?’
Bai Zichen noticed several Cultivators lying on the ground not far away, still unconscious.
The difference in the strength of their Divine Sense was likely the cause.
He strode toward the Sword Tomb, a field of countless burial mounds.
The second level of the Sword Tomb Secret Realm was a Land of Absolute Spirit where flight and Magical Power were forbidden. Fortunately, beneath his facade as a Sword Cultivator, he was actually a Body Cultivator.
With a push of his legs, he leaped several zhang into the air and dashed toward the center of the Sword Tomb.
The outer areas had been searched countless times, so the probability of finding a hidden Tier Three Flying Sword was extremely low.
In the limited time of one day, he had to venture as deep into the Sword Tomb as possible.
The fewer Cultivators had set foot in a place, the higher the chance of finding a Tier Three Flying Sword.
Bai Zichen ran for dozens of li in one breath, only stopping when the ground beneath him was covered in a dense spread of sword mounds, leaving almost no room to stand.
’Time to get to work. At this point, it’s not a competition of Sword Dao Talent, but of fate and fortune...’
Two Celestial Xin Swords appeared in Bai Zichen’s hands, and he began to use them as tools to dig up the mounds.
’At least I have one major advantage over the others. With this powerful physical body, I can dig up a few hundred more mounds than they can.’
When the Sword Tomb Secret Realm first opened, Tier Three Flying Swords could be found among the weapons sticking out crookedly from the ground’s surface.
They were very conspicuous—anything with a complete, undamaged blade was a Tier Three Flying Sword.
Later on, such good fortune was no longer possible.
The Tier Three Flying Swords were hidden deeper and deeper, their traces becoming harder and harder to find.
The soil on the surface was as hard as refined iron. Fortunately, thanks to the sharpness of the Celestial Xin Swords and the strength amplification from the second level of his Five Crystal Glaze Body,
digging with the Dual Swords was as easy as cutting tofu. He felt no strain at all.
In half a day’s time, he had already dug up over a hundred mounds of various sizes.