“Look at that convergence of Qi! This isn’t just an ordinary Heaven-rank treasure. It might be a Heaven-grade Dao Sword… perhaps even a Divine Sword!”

“Qi surging like dragons, accompanied by rainbows. Once this peerless weapon is born, Junior Uncle Jiang’s strength will skyrocket!”

On Artifact Resonance Peak, thousands of Azure Mystic disciples stared up at the Heaven-grade forging platform with burning anticipation. Though the details were obscured by blinding light, the celestial phenomena alone were enough to send waves of ecstasy through the crowd.

This meant the Junior Uncle’s new sword was extraordinary.

At the summit, the Peak Masters maintaining the grand formation beamed with relief.

“Second Senior Sister has improved immensely. This blade feels even stronger than the previous Dragon Cry Sword!”

“To trigger such phenomena before completion… it is terrifying to imagine its power once finished.”

“This sword is fortunate. Junior Brother is about to walk the world; for it to accompany him as he makes his name is an honor in itself.”

“I just hope there are no accidents this time. What if the Seven Evils Yin Tribulation reappears?”

“Hmph! Master said we were unprepared last time. Today, we are ready. Let the Yin Lightning come; we fear nothing!”

Jiang Xun’s previous Dao Sword had been destroyed in an accident, injuring him and breaking the hearts of many in the sect. For this reforging, Supreme Guan Xuelan had left nothing to chance. She mobilized the sect’s elites to deploy the Star Plate Protective Aura Formation and personally led six Peak Masters—excluding Jiang Xun and the forging Yuchi Chunlei—to establish the Six Harmonies Dao Scripture Formation.

Regardless of whether the tribulation descended, Guan Xuelan would allow no mishaps. She was the Supreme, this was the Azure Mystic Sacred Land, and her will was absolute.

While the disciples chattered excitedly, Nian Zhaoxi stood at the edge of the formation, silent. Her gaze was fixed on the sky, lost in thought.

“Eldest Senior Sister, what are you looking at?” He Mengyun, the Sixth Senior Sister, asked curiously. To her, it was just rainbow light.

Nian Zhaoxi pursed her lips, her eyes tracing the arcs of light. “Don’t you think… those rainbows look like dragons?”

“Dragons?” He Mengyun squinted. “Now that you mention it, they do resemble divine dragons roaming the firmament.”

“Not divine dragons,” Nian Zhaoxi shook her head. “Roaming dragons.”

Roaming Dragons?

He Mengyun paused, realization dawning on her face. “Senior Sister, are you thinking of Gu Xiu again?”

“Gu Xiu was once hailed as the Azure Mystic Sword Immortal. His talent in the Way of the Sword was unrivaled,” Nian Zhaoxi whispered, her voice soft. “He possessed two techniques that were particularly formidable.”

“One was the Startling Swan.”

“The second was the Roaming Dragon.”

He Mengyun looked at the sky, then at her sister, and finally nodded. “The Startling Swan Strike carried a solitary, desperate courage. But the Roaming Dragon Sword… that was like an Immortal’s blade. Truly stunning. He deserved the title.”

Gu Xiu’s dominance in swordsmanship was an undeniable fact of history.

“I remember,” Shi Siling chimed in from the side, nodding. “Gu Xiu created the Roaming Dragon Sword during an epiphany while practicing sword control, combining it with the Startling Swan Strike. When that sword struck, it didn’t carry the crushing momentum of other techniques. Instead, it moved like a dragon through clouds—visible yet intangible, existing yet non-existent.”

“Still as a hidden presence; moving like a startled swan.”

“It made the already unblockable Startling Swan Strike completely unpredictable.”

“Graceful as a startled swan, fluid as a roaming dragon!”

Shi Siling was a powerhouse who viewed most people as weeds unworthy of attention. But when speaking of Gu Xiu’s swordsmanship, she couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. Those two techniques were truly masterpieces.

“What Startling Swan? What Roaming Dragon? All flash, no substance!”

Lu Qingyao, the Fifth Senior Sister, curled her lip in disdain. “And what use are those two techniques of that trash? No one has been able to learn them for years. In my opinion, the strongest is Junior Brother Jiang’s Falling Blossom Sword. Thousands of sword lights blotting out the sky, truth and falsehood indistinguishable… that is true invincibility!”

“More importantly, the Falling Blossom Sword can be mastered by inner sect disciples, strengthening the foundation of Azure Mystic. That is real power!”

Nian Zhaoxi frowned.

Seeing her Eldest Senior Sister’s displeasure, Lu Qingyao shrank her neck, fearing another slap.

“Junior Sister, you are mistaken,” Shi Siling corrected calmly. “Gu Xiu’s techniques were brilliant. No one learned them because few in the sect have comprehended Sword Intent, and none have comprehended the same Sword Intent as Gu Xiu.”

“However, the manuals he left behind provide new insights every time they are read. If one studies them with a calm heart, their understanding of the sword will inevitably rise.”

“It is true no one can execute the Startling Swan or Roaming Dragon, but they can forge their own paths based on them. To a large extent, our sect’s current sword prowess is thanks to his legacy.”

“You talk him up so much,” Lu Qingyao muttered, unconvinced. “Is he better than Junior Brother’s Falling Blossom Sword?”

Shi Siling fell silent.

She couldn’t compare them. Gu Xiu was dead. His techniques were lost to time. Since no one could execute them, they couldn’t be measured against the Falling Blossom Sword.

However, she added a reminder. “If I recall correctly, Jiang Xun only comprehended the Falling Blossom Sword after studying the Startling Swan and Roaming Dragon manuals. You could say Gu Xiu’s legacy enlightened him.”

“Pah! What enlightenment?” Lu Qingyao spat, her face full of scorn. “Fourth Senior Sister, you give that dead man too much credit. An old relic from five hundred years ago… it was Junior Brother’s blessing just to glance at it. Does that trash deserve credit for Junior Brother’s genius? Is he worthy?”

Shi Siling shook her head, disengaging from the argument. She looked at the intensifying rainbow light on the forging platform and murmured to herself.

“Whether the Startling Swan and Roaming Dragon are stronger, or the Falling Blossom is superior… it is destined that no one can verify it. However, once this Divine Sword is finished, the title of Azure Mystic Sword Immortal…”

“I’m afraid it will truly change hands.”

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Falling Rain Valley.

The atmosphere among the Azure Mystic delegation was one of suffocating dread.

“He is too strong. This is far beyond our expectations. We wanted Senior Sister Niu to block the first round, but we’ve lost every single spot!”

“I didn’t even see his sword! How did he do it? What kind of sword technique is that terrifying?”

“What do we do? If he keeps winning, our plan to seize all 250 spots will fail completely!”

The Azure Mystic disciples, previously arrogant and assured, now looked ashen. They had come to dominate, confident in their superior status. But Niu Xifang—a powerhouse expected to secure an easy win—had been defeated instantly without even using a single technique.

They had lost an entire round of quotas. Their grand plan was teetering on the edge of collapse.

“Who goes next?”

“Zhou Mingyu, you go?”

“I can’t! I can’t see through his sword. Let Tang Tianhao go!”

“No, absolutely not. I have no confidence. If I lose, we miss another round. Then what?”

The so-called prodigies of the Sacred Land were now shirking responsibility, passing the buck like hot potatoes. That single, ghostly sword strike had shattered their confidence. No one dared to step onto that stage.

“I will go!”

Finally, Bian Yifei, the leader of the delegation, stepped forward.

The disciples’ eyes lit up instantly.

“Senior Brother Bian! With him taking action, success is assured!”

“Exactly! That merchant’s swordsmanship is strange, but Senior Brother Bian is extraordinary. He received personal guidance from Junior Master Uncle Jiang and has completely mastered the Falling Blossom Sword!”

“That Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion fellow is tricky, but against the Falling Blossom Sword, he will definitely fall!”

Facing their praise, Bian Yifei’s face showed no joy.

According to the plan, he was supposed to be the third champion to emerge, sweeping the later rounds. But plans had crumbled faster than sand castles. This ‘Feng Bugui’ had terrified everyone with a single strike. Even when it was Azure Mystic’s turn, his juniors were cowering.

If word got out, where would Azure Mystic’s face be?

A bunch of trash!

Cursing internally, Bian Yifei summoned his flying sword and flew straight onto the arena.

The moment he landed, every eye in the valley focused on him.

Bian Yifei was widely recognized as one of the strongest cultivators present. While the weaker disciples had fed quotas to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, the true elites of the Five Sects and Three Clans had been observing from the sidelines.

Now that Bian Yifei had stepped up, perhaps the true strength of the mysterious defender would be revealed. At the very least, Bian Yifei could wear him down.

Every sect had their own calculations. Bian Yifei knew this, but he had no choice. He couldn’t wait any longer.

Standing on the arena, Bian Yifei stared fixedly at the masked figure of Gu Xiu.

“I didn’t expect the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to hide an expert like you. A surprise, indeed.”

Bian Yifei drew his sword, his aura rising sharply.

“However, meeting me is your misfortune.”

“Because next, I will use my strongest technique—a supreme art personally taught to me by Junior Master Uncle Jiang.”

He pointed his blade at Gu Xiu, his voice dripping with arrogant certainty.

“The Falling Blossom Sword!”