"Don’t worry. My Master said he’d handle the negotiations. A Flying Sword that’s already in your hands? There’s no reason to just give it back."
Qi Yue said nonchalantly.
"True Monarch Tang Fei and Master Yann Yuanzai are the two most important people, and neither has said a word. The opinions of others are just them trying to make their presence felt."
"As long as my Master can convince True Monarch Tang and Master Yann, we can just concede a few more conditions if we have to. The point is to secure the Flying Sword first. We can deal with the future later."
Bai Zichen nodded slightly. Qi Yue’s words mirrored his own thoughts.
He had originally come here just for a Tier Three Flying Sword, but now that the Moon Xuan Sword was actually in his hands, it would be foolish to be coy and not fight for it.
’Truly, Heaven’s gifts will turn to curses if refused.’
’Once I reach Core Formation, I’ll use the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo as the target for my Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. And with the full cooperation of the Moon Xuan Sword, which has been hidden away for a hundred years... even if I can’t unleash the full power of a Tier Four Flying Sword, my strength will far surpass that of any Tier Three Flying Sword,’ Bai Zichen thought to himself.
The gains from this trip to the Tianhe Sword Sect had far exceeded his imagination.
Besides the Moon Xuan Sword and the great improvement in his own swordsmanship, another extremely important gain was getting a clue about the mysterious Ancient Secret Realm in Black Mountain.
’It seems the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo’s rank is as high as I expected... Tier Five at the very least. Otherwise, why would the Moon Xuan Sword have such an attitude? Clearly, back when they were in the hands of that Upper Realm Sword Immortal, their statuses were vastly different.’
However, there was one thing he couldn’t understand. The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo was clearly of a much higher rank than the Moon Xuan Sword.
So why was it that one could still maintain its rank as a Tier Four Flying Sword, while the other had fallen to a Tier Three Sword Embryo, and was even on the verge of falling into a permanent slumber?
If several hundred more years had passed, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo’s spirituality might have been completely extinguished, reverting it to an ordinary Tier Three Sword Embryo.
This was also why the moment Bai Zichen arrived, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo had so eagerly acknowledged him as its master, without any hesitation or struggle.
’There are roughly two possibilities. Either the Upper Realm Sword Immortal established the two Secret Realms at vastly different times, or the rules within them are different, causing their Origin Power to deplete at different rates...’
He thought the latter was more likely. Otherwise, a Flying Sword that was at least Tier Five would never have fallen into such a state.
A few days later, a Reception Disciple came to inform him that the Supreme Elder and several True Men were in a meeting in White Head Hall and had summoned him.
"Please lead the way, Junior Brother."
Bai Zichen gave a wry smile. It seemed the news that he had obtained the Moon Xuan Sword had already spread throughout the entire Tianhe Sword Sect.
The young disciple was giving him a strange look, a complex mixture of worship, jealousy, and resentment.
"Greetings, True Monarch Tang. Greetings, Master Yann. Greetings, Dan Yangzi Sect Leader."
This time in White Head Hall, only three members of the Tianhe Sword Sect were present; Master Ge Cang was nowhere to be seen.
Bai Zichen was not surprised by this, but pleased. Master Ge Cang would never abandon him. His absence from White Head Hall indicated that he had already reached a basic agreement with the upper echelons of the Tianhe Sword Sect.
The remaining negotiations had little to do with Master Ge Cang, so he simply didn’t show up.
The Tianhe Sword Sect’s Supreme Elder, Tang Fei, had a legendary history. The moment he joined the Sect, he was hailed as a peerless genius and received immense attention.
His initial performance did not disappoint the praise of being a once-in-a-century talent for the Sword Sect.
He reached Foundation Establishment at the age of maturity, obtained a Tier Three Flying Sword from the Sword Tomb Secret Realm at forty, and achieved Core Formation before he was eighty, becoming one of the Sword Sect’s youngest True Men.
Just when everyone thought he was about to soar to the heavens, Tang Fei traveled to the Central Domain, only to be defeated by the Saint Heir of another Great Sword Dao Sect.
His Lifebound Flying Sword was shattered, his Golden Core cracked, and he was nearly crippled.
But even under such circumstances, Tang Fei lay low for thirty years, then unexpectedly reformed his Golden Core and cultivated his Supreme Profound Sword Scripture realm to become the first among his peers.
With this, he took first place in the inheritance trial for the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword and was chosen by the Tier Four Flying Sword.
After cultivating all the way to Core Formation Perfection, he had another great battle with the same Saint Heir who had nearly crippled him all those years ago.
In that battle, the two fought to a draw.
After they both reached the Nascent Soul realm, they fought no fewer than several dozen times. They traded wins and losses, but neither could ever truly defeat the other.
That Saint Heir was now Xiangg Ji, a Supreme Elder of the Life-Killing Sword Sect.
But based on appearance alone, anyone seeing Tang Fei for the first time would never connect him with the First Sword Cultivator of the Northern Domain.
He was hunched over, his hair gray and disheveled. A deep sword scar ran from the corner of his forehead to the corner of his mouth—a gift from Xiangg Ji all those years ago.
To remember this grudge, Tang Fei chose not to remove the scar when he had the chance to reconstruct his physical body after reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
As for the Tianhe Sword Sect’s leader, Dan Yangzi, he was a portly cultivator with a kind and amiable expression.
However, his status in the Sect was comparable to Gu Xisheng’s in the old Qingfeng Sect, wielding the power of a sect leader in charge of general affairs.
It appeared as though the Sect Leader had the final say on all matters, big and small, throughout the entire Sect. But when it came to truly important issues, his right to speak was no different from that of an ordinary Elder.
This was especially true in a sect like the Tianhe Sword Sect, which followed an elite path and had fewer disciples than many Core Formation Level Sects, making the position of Sect Leader an even more leisurely one.
"Nephew Bai, there’s no need for such formalities. We have discussed your matter for several rounds and have come up with two solutions."
Dan Yangzi beamed, looking like a neighborly uncle, without a hint of a Sword Cultivator’s aura.
In fact, among all the Core Formation True Men in the Tianhe Sword Sect, Dan Yangzi had the worst Sword Dao Realm. Even his most effective techniques didn’t involve Flying Swords.
He was truly an anomaly in the Tianhe Sword Sect.
"Fellow Daoist Ge has heard them and finds them acceptable, with no objections. The specific choice is entirely up to you. He said that he will have no issue with whatever you choose. That’s why he decided not to come today, so as not to interfere with your thoughts."
"The Tianhe Sword Sect is a Holy Land in the hearts of the Northern Domain’s Sword Cultivators. Even from the far northern border of the Liang Country, I have long admired its great name. I have also always admired the magnanimity of True Monarch Tianhe. I trust that the solutions offered by you seniors will not be too difficult for me."
Bai Zichen began by offering a round of flattery.
"The first option is to invite Nephew Bai to join our Tianhe Sword Sect. Both the Celestial River Technique and the Supreme Profound Sword Scripture are Cultivation Techniques most suited for Sword Cultivators. With your aptitude, switching Cultivation Techniques would only take a few years."
Dan Yangzi was unfazed and directly stated the first option.
"Furthermore, Nephew Bai, with your Sword Dao Talent, it would be a terrible waste for you not to join a Sword Cultivation Sect. Junior Martial Uncle Tang has already agreed that as long as you come..."
"That won’t be necessary. Please tell me the second option, Dan Yangzi Sect Leader."
Bai Zichen interrupted him directly and spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"You don’t want to keep listening to the terms our Sect can offer you?"
Dan Yangzi asked curiously.
"It would be the status of a core disciple, access to all of the Sword Sect’s scriptures, and providing me with the Cultivation Resources I’ll need going forward. Going a step further, you might even promise me a Nascent Soul Pill."
Bai Zichen chuckled as he spoke. What had once happened to Master Ge Cang was now happening to him in a different setting.
"Someone has asked me this question before you."
"My answer then is the same as my answer now, without the slightest change... ’My nature is self-sufficient; I seek nothing from the outside.’"
Dan Yangzi’s expression faltered slightly. He gave Bai Zichen a deep look and continued, "Very well. The second solution is to ask Nephew Bai to make a Dao Heart Oath. In the future, if the Tianhe Sword Sect is in trouble, you must help three times. If you pass away before reaching the Nascent Soul realm, you must arrange for someone to return the Moon Xuan Sword to our Sect before your death."
"If you violate this agreement, you will be plagued by Heart Demons, your cultivation will regress... and after death, you will fall into Boundless Hell with no hope of reincarnation."
After hearing Dan Yangzi’s second solution, Bai Zichen did not reply immediately, but fell silent.
It wasn’t that the conditions were too harsh, but that they were too generous.
This solution was a gamble that Bai Zichen would one day reach the Nascent Soul realm, and that he would keep his promise to return the Moon Xuan Sword.
The Tianhe Sword Sect’s expectation of him could only be that of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
If he were just a Core Formation True Man, even if he helped three hundred times and lived at the foot of Sword Mountain, ready to be summoned at a moment’s notice, it still wouldn’t be worth one or two-tenths of the Moon Xuan Sword’s value.
To propose such a solution meant that the Tianhe Sword Sect’s confidence in Bai Zichen was comparable to his own.
Their expectation was Nascent Soul at a minimum, with the hope of him reaching Divinity Transformation.
Bai Zichen himself was fully confident in every step before Divinity Transformation because he knew about his Mysterious Holy Body.
But the upper echelons of the Tianhe Sword Sect didn’t know the inside story.
This baffling confidence left him completely puzzled.
"What’s wrong, Nephew Bai? Are you wavering? Thinking of giving up the second option and choosing the first, to become the new core of our Sect?"
Dan Yangzi joked when he saw Bai Zichen remaining silent.
"Please don’t tease me, Dan Yangzi Sect Leader. I choose the second option..."
Bai Zichen thought to himself, ’This means that if I don’t reach Nascent Soul, I get to use the Moon Xuan Sword for free for several hundred years. I doubt the Tianhe Sword Sect would ever ask a mere Core Formation True Man for help.’
’And if I do reach Nascent Soul, then I’ve exchanged the promise of helping three times for a Tier Four Moon Xuan Sword.’
"I believe that you seniors will not regret the terms you’ve offered today."
"You are very good. My judgment may be wrong... but it’s impossible for the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword, the Xing Yao Sword, and the Moon Xuan Sword—three Tier Four swords—to all be wrong at the same time."
Tang Fei suddenly sat up from his reclining chair, his voice hoarse and hollow.
It was said that this was because Xiangg Ji had destroyed his vocal cords and severed the tendons in his hands and feet, leaving many lasting effects.
"Although the emotion coming from the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword was very faint, I could sense it clearly. It was a feeling of extreme joy and delight. It’s very likely that if you truly stood before the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword and called out to it, you could actually summon it away."
"Nephew Yann’s Xing Yao Sword should have felt something similar."
"That’s right. The impulse was strongest when I saw him here the other day. The Xing Yao Sword nearly flew out on its own."
Yann Yuanzai admitted it openly, without any attempt to hide it.
"It’s much better today. I can finally control it."
His relationship with the Xing Yao Sword had always been more of a partnership. His control over it could be described as willing in spirit but weak in practice, mostly letting it fly free.
When something unexpected happened, the Xing Yao Sword was also the quickest to waver.
"Such Sword Dao Talent, to make a Tier Four Flying Sword bow its head with just a distant glance... In my entire life, I, this old man, have not only never seen such a thing in the Cultivation Realm, I have never even read about it in the ancient records!"
True Monarch Tang Fei grew slightly agitated and stood up abruptly.