Chapter 76: The King Within the Sword
August 18, 2025 Author: Kindergarten’s Top Hand
Chapter 76: The King Within the Sword
At the foot of Hidden Spirit Mountain, Li Chunsong and the others looked up, watching Chu Huaixu ascend with nimble steps.
“The spiritual pressure on the mountain doesn’t seem to affect him much,” Nangong Yue said with a smile, her voice as gentle as the soft breezes of Wuzhong.
“It’s normal. This is just the foothills. Such a slight discomfort is nothing to him,” Li Chunsong replied.
Nangong Yue turned to him, asking, “Senior Brother Six seems particularly concerned about him. Is it because you brought him and Shuangjiang up the mountain, or because he helped you win a bet?”
She teased him playfully. To her surprise, the benevolent betting king was quite candid.
“They were brought up the mountain according to Junior Uncle’s instructions, so that’s certainly part of it. But mainly, it’s because he helped me win once, and I really admire the lad!”
“Junior Sister Nine, you know me, I always lose when I gamble.”
“The last time I won was… many, many years ago.”
As he spoke, Li Chunsong looked at Nangong Yue and smiled. Looking at his smile, Nangong Yue couldn’t help but recall an afternoon from many years ago. Seeing Li Chunsong smile, she felt an inexplicable sadness, remembering someone who was no longer in this world. Ironically, it was this incorrigible gambling addict who patted Nangong Yue’s shoulder with a comforting expression.
Once, this group of them had all been true disciples of the Daoist Sect. While the Daoist Sect had many inner disciples, there were only thirty-three spots for true disciples. The Sect Master and ten elders, each capable of taking three disciples, made up the ranks of the Daoist true disciples. However, cultivation was an act against Heaven’s will, and the Profound Yellow Realm was in turmoil, with demons wreaking havoc, inevitably leading to casualties. Of the thirty-three true disciples from back then, only half remained.
Li Chunsong, the fellow who always lost at gambling, had last won twenty years ago. It was a lively afternoon; all the true disciples of the Daoist Sect had gathered outside the main hall of Ask Dao Peak. Many teachers and elders were alerted and came to watch the spectacle. That year, Junior Uncle was still a defiant middle-aged Sword Cultivator. Even he had made a special trip, a blade of grass in his mouth, sitting in an ancient tree outside the hall, arms crossed over his sword, looking down at the onlookers. All the excitement was for a single bet.
“Senior Brother Six, I know you like me. Let’s roll the dice together. No channeling Spiritual Power, no cheating. We’ll just compare the numbers, relying purely on luck. All fellow disciples and elders are witnesses! If your number is higher than mine, I’ll agree to you!”
The eleventh-ranked female disciple among the true disciples tilted her head back, looking lively and charming. Hearing this, Li Chunsong was so excited he wanted to roar at the sky and began rubbing his hands frantically. He had liked Eleventh Sister for a very, very long time, so long that he himself might have forgotten how many years it had been. The Daoist Sect seemed to lack that air of detachment. Both true disciples and the elders began to egg them on. Even Junior Uncle, sitting in the tree, widened his eyes, spat out the blade of grass in his mouth, and watched intently. According to sect rules, setting up private gambling required a fine in silver, and it was Junior Uncle who loudly offered to pay it. Li Chunsong was dumbfounded and was pushed forward by his fellow disciples. He rubbed his hands like a fly, constantly blowing on them. Alas, how could someone be so inept? With everyone watching and encouraging him, he managed to roll a 2! Dejected, Li Chunsong sat on a stone stool, half his soul lost. Eleventh Sister, on the other hand, casually tossed the dice into the air, and they landed on a 6! Such luck was terrifying. However, before everyone, she openly channeled Spiritual Power, flicked her fingers, and flipped the dice to a 1. She had cheated, and she had cheated openly! What happened to relying on luck? But that day, everyone, including Junior Uncle, said Li Chunsong had won. This was the only time Daoist Brother Six, who always lost at gambling, had won in twenty years, and it was because the opponent had openly cheated, because the woman had let him. Li Chunsong would never forget that day. The woman’s beautiful eyes were lively, the corners of her mouth upturned, and she bowed to him, smiling and saying, “Senior Brother Six is amazing. This junior sister concedes defeat!” Twenty years ago, it was a cloudy day. After the bet, it poured down with heavy rain. Li Chunsong looked up at the sky. In his memory, that day was filled with bright sunshine and clear skies. At this moment, Han Shuangjiang stood by, wondering why the Ninth Elder seemed a bit sad while the Sixth Elder was smiling. One stick of incense was almost finished. She too would soon ascend the mountain. Before she officially began her ascent, she overheard the two elders discussing. “Why is Chu Huaixu walking so slowly, stopping and starting like this? An incense stick has passed, and he still hasn’t reached the area with Spirit Artifacts,” Li Chunsong frowned. The foothills of Hidden Spirit Mountain had a total of 3,333 stone steps. Starting from the 1,111th step, Spirit Artifacts were placed on both sides for selection. Disciples who could not endure the pressure of the spiritual pressure until then would have to return empty-handed. However, Li Chunsong soon seemed to realize something. He winked at Han Shuangjiang beside him, making clicking sounds. “This kid is probably waiting for you on purpose, hmm?” He was matchmaking again. And for some reason, his interest in this matter was particularly high today. Even Nangong Yue, upon hearing this, smiled at Han Shuangjiang, as if returning to that afternoon. The coldness on the ice-cold face instantly vanished, and under the gaze of the elders, she couldn’t help but lower her head slightly, her face flushing. “I… how would I know why he’s walking so slowly!” she thought to herself. She never understood what that sly fox was thinking all day. Finally, Nangong Yue collected her smile and gestured, “Alright, Shuangjiang, you can ascend now.” “Yes,” Han Shuangjiang replied and stepped onto the stone steps. As she reached the first step, she paused for a moment. She experienced what spiritual pressure was. The pressure on the physical body was secondary; it mainly came from the mental realm, bringing pressure to the sea of consciousness. But fortunately, this discomfort was very mild for her. The ice-cold one, showing no expression, began to ascend rapidly. “Perhaps if I walk faster, I can actually catch up to him?” she thought. Seeing Han Shuangjiang begin her ascent, the incorrigible gambler immediately began rubbing his hands. “Junior Sister Nine, let’s go! Let’s hurry to the main hall!” Nangong Yue sighed in exasperation, knowing that this Senior Brother Six was likely going to clamor for another bet. The two of them flew through the air, heading towards the grand hall of Ask Dao Peak. The Sect Master, Xiang Yan, and others were already waiting for them in the hall. Meanwhile, Chu Huaixu had already reached over nine hundred steps. “I recall a post saying that the spiritual pressure on the stone steps of Hidden Spirit Mountain increases every time you ascend 111 steps.” Therefore, he had been walking and stopping along the way, carefully observing. An incense stick had passed, and he still hadn’t reached the area where the Spirit Artifacts were placed. “How strange, why don’t I feel anything at all?” Chu Huaixu wondered. He didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. He even felt refreshed standing on this mountain! “It feels great, a comfort that’s hard to describe. It’s like after staying in a heavily polluted city for a long time, suddenly going to a place with clear waters and lush mountains.” “It’s not like the air is sweet, but I feel mentally refreshed and invigorated!” Chu Huaixu knew that spiritual pressure would bring pressure to both the physical body and the sea of consciousness, with the pressure mainly concentrated in the latter. Disciples ascending Hidden Spirit Mountain only had the cultivation of the First Realm, and with his physical strength, he wouldn’t claim to be unprecedented, but he was definitely among the best. It was inevitable that his body would not experience any discomfort. Therefore, he calmed himself and began to observe his sea of consciousness. The small black sword in his sea of consciousness still looked weak. As his cultivation progressed, the condition of this small black sword had improved, but it still appeared lifeless, with very subtle changes. “But it seems a bit more spirited than usual?” Chu Huaixu thought. He was connected to the small black sword, and even the slightest change was noticeable to him. “【The sword cuts the flesh, the heart cuts the soul.】” “Perhaps it is also because of it that this spiritual pressure targeting the sea of consciousness does not pose any threat to me,” he vaguely found an answer in his heart. “After all, its status is actually very high, already possessing Clarity of Sword Heart.” With this thought, he stopped scrutinizing it further and decided not to walk and stop anymore. Chu Huaixu quickened his pace, ascending the mountain at an extremely fast speed. In any case, he had no intention of looking at the Spirit Artifacts in the foothills. “The ice-cold one must have started ascending too?” “Hmph, I need to walk faster!” “Ice-cold one, you’ll be eating my dust!” Chu Huaixu laughed heartily and began to sprint up the mountain. The wind blew his black robe, making it flutter. The faster he ran, the better he felt, as if the stronger the spiritual pressure, the more excited he became. Soon, Chu Huaixu reached the 1,111th stone step in one go. From here onwards, all the way up, Spirit Artifacts were placed haphazardly by the steps, without any discernible pattern. According to his original plan, he would simply rush up the mountain path. He had no intention of acquiring the Spirit Artifacts placed here, too lazy to waste time. But his steps still halted. Chu Huaixu stood on the 1,111th stone step, gazing upwards. Hidden Spirit Mountain was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, allowing one to see only about ten meters ahead; further up, it became increasingly hazy. At this moment, he was somewhat lost in thought. Because right next to the steps in front of him, there was a sword. This sword was nothing special, looking similar to an ordinary Qingfeng sword. A few steps further up, there was another sword, a short sword. In the thick fog, where he could vaguely see, the outlines of more swords seemed to appear and disappear. All these swords were trembling! Chu Huaixu’s senses had been enhanced; his hearing far surpassed that of an ordinary First Realm cultivator. He listened carefully, and from the unseen fog above, there were continuous trembling sounds, numbering in the hundreds! The reason for this was simply a gentle tremor from the small black sword within his sea of consciousness—just like that, it caused all the spirit swords in the entire area to tremble! And they continued to tremble without stopping. It was like a king seated on the throne of swords. Although it was listless, although it looked weak, as long as it cast a lazy glance downwards, everything that was prostrating itself would tremble in fear. (PS: Third update, ten thousand words! Requesting monthly votes!) (End of this chapter)
