Chapter Forty-Three: The Young Man's Ambition, Lady Hua's Blossoming Sword Qi and the Inquiry into the Sacred Decree

A sword light suddenly rose from the ground, like a great roc soaring upward, dispersing spring rain and evening clouds. In the sunlight pouring down behind it, it flashed as swift as lightning. Brilliant beyond compare, dazzling in its splendor, the radiance of the sword almost blinded the eyes.

At the foot of the mountain, countless onlookers stared in astonishment at the sword light shooting into the sky, their hearts struck as if by heavy bells. The youth held his sword—not soaring through the heavens like a legendary sword immortal, yet as he gripped the ink-black blade, sword energy surged forth, tearing through the night sky like a meteor, carrying the youth past its fiery tail straight into the clouds, exuding a remarkable, eye-catching aura.

“Who is that?” someone cried out in shock, and a waterfall of questions flooded their minds. Most cultivators did not recognize this youth who had arrived with the Lin family’s carriage. A youth whose cultivation was inscrutable, bearing a worn bamboo sword and affecting the manner of a swordsman, had previously been dismissed as merely following the Lin family to witness the spectacle. The true renown in the Lin household belonged to Lin Chasing Wind, but it was not she who was taken up by the sword—it was an unknown youth.

As An Le was swept upward by the sword, rising like the wind, Lin Chasing Wind and Lin Qingyin were also deeply shaken. The two women gazed upward, their dark hair whipped wildly by the sword’s tempest, eyes filled with disbelief—and a radiant admiration. Watching the youth ascend with the sword, they seemed to realize something. The most improbable event had fallen upon the youth like a windfall.

Young Master An… had caught the eye of the Sixth Mountain Lord standing atop the green hills!

Fate, indeed, was wondrous beyond words.

Lin Chasing Wind gripped her fire poker and grinned, “Perhaps the Mountain Lord’s favor is as pure as mine, drawn by Young Master An’s handsome face?”

Lin Qingyin, hearing this, covered her mouth and laughed softly.

Around them, the dignitaries and nobles wore complex expressions. Many could no longer sit still, parting the curtains of their carriages to gaze upward at the youth ascending to the heavens, curiosity burning, and ordering their attendants to inquire about his identity. The youth, once obscure, now possessing the Mountain Lord’s sword, was as if he had ascended to the heavens. Furthermore, his connection to the Lin family made many factions wary, eager to uncover his origins.

In the mountain woods, mist was cleaved apart by sword energy, preventing the clouds and rain from closing again. Luo Qingchen stood among the trees, the sting in his palm leaving him dazed. He felt as though it was not only his hand that had been cut, but his spirit—his once unwavering confidence. The Sixth Mountain Lord… had not chosen him!

His sword talent, though not as legendary as Li You’an, nor as peerless as Hua Jie Bing, was still notable. Who among those present could rival him? Why had he been overlooked by the Sixth Mountain Lord? That sense of nearly reaching the pinnacle only to be cast down to the dust left Luo Qingchen so despondent he nearly coughed blood.

Suddenly, a thunderous cry erupted at the mountain’s base. A sword light blazed fiercely, piercing the sky and dispersing the clouds!

Blood dripped from Luo Qingchen’s palm, but he ignored his wound, gazing upward to see a youth wielding a sword, wrapped in its light, soaring into the clouds. This youth—how could Luo Qingchen forget?! Despite his own cultivation, he was surpassed by a boy who had only just begun to refine his spirit, barely knowing a few sword forms.

He recalled the scene of the youth standing tall in the spring rain, bearing his pressure, spine straight and unbowed, and now, as the youth soared skyward, the images overlapped in his mind. It was as if two heavy hammers struck his heart.

Spring wind swept through the woods, shaking peach blossoms from the trees lining the path; though it was autumn, the air felt sharp and cold, and Luo Qingchen shivered involuntarily. He felt—for the first time—that his dao heart might truly be clouded by this youth.

“Why? By what right?!” Luo Qingchen protested, silver sword energy rising around him as he ascended through the woods. Yet, halfway there, he glimpsed within the sea of clouds a familiar ink bamboo painting—white clouds for paper, sword energy as ink, rendered onto the sky. In that moment, his mind thundered with fury.

He understood. The reason the Sixth Mountain Lord suddenly opened the mountain—was that the guardian had long since chosen his candidate. The selection was merely a grand carriage built for the youth to enter the sacred mountain in full honor.

Luo Qingchen looked at his wounded hand, then smiled bitterly in defeat.

Who, by virtue of fortune, is lifted to the heavens.

An Le felt his vision blur, entering the sea of clouds, swimming freely as if a fish leaping in boundless waters. He saw the ink bamboo painting spanning heaven and earth, and gasped in awe. With clouds as the canvas and sword energy as ink, the grandeur was breathtaking!

Yet this painting also subtly resonated within An Le; he seemed to understand. No wonder the sword had flown straight to him—he had someone above, opening the way for him. He recalled the elder at the ancestral temple promising to take him somewhere in three days; now, everything made sense.

The Sixth Mountain Lord knew of his ink bamboo painting—perhaps the elder had spoken to him?

An Le, floating in midair with his sword, gazed into the distance and saw a leisure pavilion halfway up the towering sword peak. A man in blue robes stood within, beside a pinewood sword case, looking out at him.

Their eyes met.

The ink-black sword in An Le’s hand trembled gently; he immediately understood that this was the Sixth Mountain Lord of legend, whose sword case contained all the world’s swords.

An Le bowed deeply with sword in hand, his salute reaching the sea of clouds.

The middle-aged man’s lips twitched into a stiff smile, nodding slightly, his eyes shining. His hand pressed upon the sword case, sensing the swords within vibrate, all seemingly drawn to the youth above the clouds.

That youth—born with a deep affinity for the sword, as if made for it. An uncarved jade sword embryo!

If, upon seeing the youth’s ink bamboo painting and sensing his backbone and sword energy, the man had been moved to accept him as the mountain’s guardian, then now, as the swords within the case quivered and rejoiced, he realized he might have found a true treasure.

“Excellent!” The man’s stiff smile softened, and he spoke. Just two words, yet the warmth of his affection for An Le was unmistakable.

The guardian was akin to a disciple to the Mountain Lord, and thus the man rarely showed emotion, but now he was moved.

“Would you be willing to join my Sixth Mountain?”

Clouds surged, ink bamboo rustled.

The man stood in the pavilion amid the spring rain, gazing at the sword-bearing youth, and asked sincerely.

The youth, standing upon the sword energy in the clouds, faced the invitation. His smile faded, but he did not immediately agree; instead, he fell into solemn contemplation.

The guardian—an identity for which countless cultivators in Lin’an City would go mad—was now before An Le, within easy reach. If he nodded, he could enter the sacred mountain and become its guardian, soaring to new heights.

But to become the guardian also meant losing the chance to become Mountain Lord.

Though he had only just begun his cultivation, witnessing the Sixth Mountain Lord command the world with a single word, An Le was filled with longing. Waves a thousand feet tall crossing rivers, bamboo stalks bending by the thousands—such grandeur stirred his heart.

A youth carries bold ambition, and his time will come. With a tiger in his heart and aspirations that reach the clouds, An Le thought: his future would not end with becoming guardian.

To many, he might seem ungrateful, but he truly did not wish to stop here.

After deliberating for a long time, An Le exhaled, raised the ink-black sword, and bowed deeply, extending his salute toward the pavilion.

“Mountain Lord, I am afraid my ambitions lie elsewhere. My apologies—I am sure you will find a better guardian.”

Heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only the gentle sounds of spring wind and rain.

For a long moment.

The man in blue in the pavilion suddenly laughed, understanding the youth’s resolve, his eyes full of appreciation.

At the foot of the mountain, the crowd had been surging for a long time; most cultivators had already learned of the Sixth Mountain Lord’s choice for guardian. The Lin family had produced a guardian—whether or not the youth was truly of the Lin clan, he had stepped from their carriage in plain view, and so was marked with their name.

Many gazed at the Lin family carriage with envy, surprise, and complex emotions, as if a storm had swept through.

Suddenly, those watching the carriage were stunned.

From behind the curtain emerged a slender, jade-white hand.

A graceful and noble figure stepped out.

Her skin flawless as jade, her embroidered gown shimmering like clouds.

The Jade Guanyin of the heart and sword—Lin family’s Hua Jie Bing!

As she stepped from the carriage, her brows arched lightly, as if she had heard some delightful news, a smile on her lips.

In the next moment, a formidable spiritual force swept over the gathering, weighing heavily upon the hearts of all cultivators present.

With a flick of her slender fingers, a sword light flashed forth, carrying her delicate form straight into the blue sky, entering the sea of clouds, stepping lightly as on lotus petals, and appearing beside the bowing youth.

Fragrant and radiant, the youth was momentarily startled, turning to see Madam Hua.

She gazed at him, her eyes full of admiration.

“Very good.”

“Young Master An, do you remember the gift of a painting I once promised you?”

“Today, I shall fulfill it.”

As her words fell, Madam Hua, smiling warmly, looked to the Sixth Mountain Lord in the pavilion.

She twirled a lotus flower; behind her, sword energy bloomed.

“Sixth Mountain Lord, Jie Bing asks to accompany An Le as his protector, and requests a Little Saint Token.”