Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 20: The Mysterious Black Mist

The four halls of the Sword Palace were each distinct, constructed entirely from white jade, grand and imposing.

Upon seeing Xue Ziyi, Yun Que was the first to offer his respects.

"Do you possess an overflowing spiritual artifact?"

Xue Ziyi motioned for Yun Que to sit and speak.

Overflowing spiritual artifacts were a general term, coming in various forms—gloves, bracelets, rings—but they served only one purpose.

To overflow spiritual energy.

Such artifacts acted as a medium, consuming spirit stones to release spiritual energy externally.

This external energy allowed even martial artists or ordinary people with no cultivation to temporarily activate magical weapons and unleash formidable sword auras.

To wield sword aura required constant contact with the artifact—never letting the hand leave the sword, the overflowing ring always touching the weapon; once separated, the effect ceased instantly. It was impossible to control a flying sword or soar through the air.

Chu Xi from Yanmen Town had brought an overflowing spiritual artifact with him when he entered the Sword Testing Tower.

Yun Que had considered purchasing one; with such an artifact, he would be more confident in passing the tower's test. Unfortunately, they were prohibitively expensive.

Now, as the senior sister questioned him, Yun Que could only nod in acknowledgement.

As a sword servant, he could not harness the thunder power sealed in the Thunder-Sealing Sword; denying it would certainly arouse suspicion.

Xue Ziyi was not surprised.

Many noble families had the means to buy an overflowing spiritual artifact, and Yun Que was a marquis.

"Why is the Thunder-Sealing Sword still here?"

Xue Ziyi noticed the long sword slung behind Yun Que and asked in surprise.

"Perhaps there is more than one bolt of thunder sealed within the sword," Yun Que replied, handing over the sword—the sword soul within had long been extracted.

He expected the senior sister to reclaim the Thunder-Sealing Sword, since he was only a sword servant without spiritual roots and of no use to the Northern Hall.

Xue Ziyi examined the sword for a long time, her willow-shaped brows gradually knitting.

She could not understand why the Thunder-Sealing Sword had not been destroyed after its thunder was released.

"Maybe there are several bolts of thunder sealed inside," Ma Yong suggested.

Xue Ziyi found the reasoning plausible.

"When Master bestowed this sword, he only said that thunder would destroy the sword, but never specified how many bolts of thunder were sealed. Perhaps there is more than one. It seems I misunderstood."

With that, Xue Ziyi handed the Thunder-Sealing Sword back to Yun Que.

Yun Que was surprised and hesitated to take it.

"The rites have been performed; you are always my junior brother. Take it. The sword is yours," Xue Ziyi placed the sword in Yun Que's hands, speaking gravely, "You must have heard of my wager with Qian Yuxiu of the Eastern Hall. I called you here today to tell you—the wager over the Sword Child position is now over. You need not compete for the Sword Child on my or the Northern Hall's behalf. Consider this match lost."

Yun Que said nothing, but Ma Yong beside him grew anxious.

"Yun Que managed to defeat Huan Zhi once—perhaps he could win again in the Sword Child contest!"

"Don't be foolish! If the opponent is not careless, Yun Que stands no chance. No matter how strong a martial artist, he cannot defeat a cultivator," Xue Ziyi shook her head resolutely. "There's more than a month until the Sword Child contest. With the talent of a Thunder spiritual root, advancing a level or two is easy. If he reaches the fourth layer, he'll truly be at the mid-stage of Qi Refining! With Yun Que's abilities, what can he use to contend?"

Ma Yong protested, "But the Sword Stone is the only relic left by Senior Sister's mother!"

Xue Ziyi gave a sorrowful smile. "A wager must be honored."

Then she turned to Yun Que, saying, "This matter has nothing to do with you, junior brother. It was my recklessness that let Qian Yuxiu trick me. You must never challenge that Thunder spiritual root again. If you see him, avoid him. Remember—acting tough is courting death!"

Her advice, though simple, was golden.

This senior sister was thinking of Yun Que, unwilling for her weak junior brother to come to harm.

Yun Que felt warmth in his heart and agreed outwardly.

Dusk was approaching, dark clouds gathering on the horizon and casting shadows in the grand hall.

Yun Que sensed a faint chill rising beneath his feet.

The sensitivity of his sword meridian allowed him to detect even the slightest change.

Looking down, he saw a dim layer of black mist appearing on the hall floor!

"Go back. Whatever needs to be discussed, do it tomorrow," Xue Ziyi said quickly. Ma Yong's expression changed as he hurriedly pulled Yun Que out and closed the door tightly.

Inside, all was still—a dead silence.

After walking some distance, Yun Que asked, "Senior Brother Ma, there seemed to be a strange aura in the hall just now."

He avoided mentioning the black mist, instead using the vaguer term "aura."

"Huh? Really? I didn't notice. Maybe it was Senior Sister's aura. Lately, she's been training so fiercely that sometimes her sword energy spills out uncontrollably," Ma Yong replied, clearly evasive. Yun Que pressed no further.

The quiet Northern Hall was not as simple as it seemed; there must be secrets lurking.

When Yun Que returned to his quarters, night had fully fallen.

As usual, he planned to absorb sword energy to stabilize his sword meridian.

He needed to do this every day; otherwise his sword meridian would become unstable, like a beast starving past its limit, ready to turn on itself without sustenance.

The sword meridian not only gave Yun Que a powerful foundation, but also brought great risk—benefits and dangers in equal measure.

He circulated his cultivation technique and sensed that his sword meridian was unusually stable tonight.

"What's going on?"

Puzzled, he began to suspect the cause.

Could it be that my sword meridian can absorb and devour other people's sword energy?

His initial surprise turned to delight.

He had only exchanged blows with Huan Zhi during the day, taking a direct strike that carried thunderous sword energy, and now his sword meridian was stable.

"In that case, if others attack me with sword energy, it's as good as helping me cultivate! This... is wonderful!"

Yun Que punched the air in excitement, but quickly calmed himself.

Cultivating with others' sword energy wouldn't be so simple, or his late uncle would have told him, not kept it secret.

Thinking about his own physique, Yun Que realized the key.

"Huan Zhi's attack—most of the thunder and sword energy was blocked by my inner armor, but a small portion entered my body and was absorbed by the sword meridian. It's like a deadly toxin filtered layer by layer until it becomes drinkable water."

"The reason others can't utilize foreign sword energy is because their bodies are too fragile. If my body was strong enough, I could absorb external sword energy!"

"In future, I must seek ways to strengthen myself. I've heard that body-refining arts can temper the flesh. I wonder if the Sword Palace has such methods."

Having deduced the truth, Yun Que looked forward to life in the Sword Palace even more.

...

Sword Palace, Eastern Hall.

Toothless Huan Zhi knelt in the spacious hall, his eyes lowered, filled with hatred.

"Master, please avenge your disciple!"

Gu Shaoyang sat in a large chair, sipping hot tea with indifference.

"Lost to a sword servant, you really brought glory to the Eastern Hall."

"But Master—"

Huan Zhi was about to argue, but upon seeing the elder's cold glance, he fell silent, not daring to speak.

The only sound in the hall was the faint clinking of tea, quiet and oppressive.

After a quarter hour, Gu Shaoyang set down his empty cup.

"The Sword Palace has its own rules. Even if I enter the Dueling Arena, I must abide by them. Your grudge is yours to settle."

With that, a gray-black porcelain bottle landed in Huan Zhi's hand.

Seeing the bottle, Huan Zhi could not contain his joy, as if a drunkard had found fine wine; he bowed repeatedly in thanks.

"If you can't kill your enemy in one blow, don't act rashly."

"Yes, Master! In a month's Sword Child contest, I will have my revenge!"

Huan Zhi lowered his head further, performed a grand salute, and withdrew from the hall.

Gu Shaoyang poured himself another cup of tea and sipped leisurely.

This Eastern Hall elder seemed not to value his rare Thunder spiritual root disciple as much as one might expect.