Chapter 80: The King’s Scorn
August 18, 2025 Author: Kindergarten Leader
Chapter 80: The King’s Scorn
Inside the great hall, everyone turned pale with shock.
However, the scene before them was both unexpected and, in a way, understandable.
If Chu Huaixu had shown no resistance whatsoever and had been completely suppressed, it would have seemed unreasonable.
They had observed him for so long; they understood his disposition to a certain extent.
Alas.
“Sigh!” Nangong Yue was the first to show a hint of pity, sighing for a long time.
Elder of Law Enforcement, Lu Pan, spoke, “Such terrifying spiritual pressure would instantly kill ordinary low-level Cultivators!”
Li Chunsong’s eyes flickered with worry upon hearing this.
“I hope nothing goes wrong.”
He held Chu Huaixu in high regard; he truly admired the young man.
Furthermore, the Daoist Sect emphasized karmic affinity.
Although he had gone down the mountain to pick him up on Junior Uncle’s orders, he was the one who brought him back.
“Everyone, please remain calm,” Xiang Yan raised his hand, gesturing for them to calm down.
He continued, “When we were in the Purple Bamboo Forest, we all entered his Divine Sense. You and I know very well how special the small sword within his Divine Sense is.”
“Even Junior Sister was repelled from his Divine Sense by that small black sword when she wasn’t on guard.”
“You all know clearly that the sword has been sealed on the mountain for a thousand years.”
“The Dao Ancestor set so many restrictions for him; it needs a Sword Attendant.”
“Therefore, its goal is only to tame Chu Huaixu, not to kill him.”
Everyone nodded upon hearing this.
All they could do now was wait and see.
Meanwhile, in the inner sect, the Purple Bamboo Forest.
The slender Daoist Nun, clad in a daoist robe, still sat high on a large rock, facing the stone wall.
At this moment, a faint, dark light flowed through the wooden hairpin nestled in her raven-black hair.
Shen Man seemed to sense something as well, raising her head vaguely and looking in the direction of Hidden Spirit Mountain.
“You… you felt it too?” she murmured, still stammering, conversing with her wooden hairpin.
That was her sword, a wooden sword.
This sword bore a name that suited her perfectly.
Many Spirit Artifacts in the Daoist Sect were named after poetic phrases, a tradition of sorts.
It was called [A Slow and Sentimental Sound].
Hidden Spirit Mountain, the tenth to last stone step.
Chu Huaixu’s physical body, strengthened by both the Sword Refining Art and the Dao Canon, was struggling to bear the immense pressure.
As for his Divine Sense, it was even more chaotic.
Fortunately, the [Heart Sword] had awakened its Spiritual Embryo Divine Ability and reached the highest realm of the Sword Dao, Clarity of Sword Heart.
It was like the divine needle of the sea in Chu Huaixu’s Divine Sense.
Without its persistent support, this Divine Sense would have likely completely disintegrated!
A severely damaged Divine Sense could lead to prolonged unconsciousness at best, or instant death at worst.
Chu Huaixu could feel that the Heart Sword was still in a sickly state, but its usual lazy aura had completely vanished.
He knew perfectly well that the Heart Sword’s lethargic state and poor condition were purely due to his low cultivation level and his low-grade Spiritual Embryo.
As he continuosly broke through and acquired more Spiritual Embryo Attributes, its condition should improve.
“After all, at the very beginning, it looked like it was barely hanging on by a thread, as if it was being kept alive by sheer force.”
“It’s slightly better now compared to back then.”
But that lazy demeanor was clearly the sword’s own issue.
Its current state was quite fitting for a word that somewhat disrupted the atmosphere – indomitable despite disability.
The black sword in his Divine Sense had now completely locked horns with this spiritual pressure!
Chu Huaixu and the sword shared a mutual connection; one person and one sword influenced each other.
When he was angry, it was angry too.
When it had fighting spirit, so did he!
Now, it seemed they had a clear division of labor.
Chu Huaixu was responsible for the physical body, while the sword was responsible for the Divine Sense.
The realm of Clarity of Sword Heart spread outwards, and all the ownerless swords on the entire mountain began to tremble wildly!
At this moment, Han Shuangjiang had only reached the mountainside.
She had never seen so many Magic Treasures and Spirit Artifacts and was naturally filled with curiosity. Her ascent was very slow.
She looked up with a shocked expression, vaguely suspecting that all the swords on the mountain were emitting sword cries!
When gods fight, mortals suffer.
The clash between the sword on the mountaintop and the Heart Sword directly affected all the spiritual swords on the mountain.
They trembled, they prostrated, they feared this conflict.
“It must be related to Chu Huaixu again,” the “big ice block” thought.
A sense of worry inexplicably arose in her heart.
She no longer paid attention to the myriad of Spirit Artifacts around her.
Han Shuangjiang began to quicken her pace up the mountain.
“You dead fox, I hope you’ll be alright,” the girl prayed in her heart.
Under the pervasive spiritual pressure, Chu Huaixu arduously lifted his right foot, only to be forced to lower it again by the suppression.
He repeated this several times before finally placing his right foot on the next stone step.
His face contorted in a grimace, yet he still held his head high.
Although his entire body was trembling subconsciously, his back did not bend even slightly.
In Chu Huaixu’s childhood, he had grown up in a domestic violence environment, subjected to such scolding and beatings. Even so, as he grew up, he dared to fight back.
To put it humorously: I even dare to hit my own father, who do you think you are!
His body began to exert force again, and he agonizingly lifted his left foot, ascending another step.
Blood began to drip from Chu Huaixu’s palms, his fingernails digging into his flesh.
Thanks to the self-healing ability reinforced by the Dao Canon, the wounds were recovering at a visible rate.
Chu Huaixu clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he continued his ascent.
Every step he took was slow.
In fact, every step was unsteady.
Yet, the vigor, the hysteria boiling in his heart, was gradually erupting.
Chu Huaixu could sense the power of that sword.
After all, it had been sealed on the mountain, yet it could still exert such terrifying spiritual pressure from a distance!
If it weren’t for these layers of restrictions, how terrifying would it be?
However, its attitude was extremely clear.
This spiritual pressure was descending from above, originating from higher up.
If Chu Huaixu’s physical body could not withstand it, he would either collapse or kneel!
This might be what that sword desired!
Fortunately, this was likely its limit under the heavy restrictions.
The spiritual pressure did not increase with each successive step.
It only made every movement Chu Huaixu made incredibly difficult.
Moreover, the longer this situation persisted, the worse his condition would become, and the more he would suffer.
Towards the end, even his orifices began to bleed.
The blood trickling down made his entire face appear more ferocious, his features more distorted.
This scene made the high-ranking officials of the Daoist Sect in the great hall tense up as well.
“It feels a bit much,” Nangong Yue couldn’t help but say, feeling that the sword on the mountaintop was being too overbearing.
Li Chunsong’s eyes showed even deeper concern.
This “dead gambler” was barely considering the bet anymore.
“Sect Master, this…” Zhao Shuqi, with his half-closed eyes, hesitated to speak.
Xiang Yan sighed, “According to the sect rules, Hidden Spirit Mountain is a test for disciples, and no one can interfere.”
At this moment, it was the Elder of Law Enforcement, Lu Pan, who let out a cold snort.
“I really like this child, Chu Huaixu.”
“If he were truly in mortal danger, I would intervene!”
“At that time, I will go to the Court of Justice to accept my punishment!”
Sect Master Xiang Yan looked at Lu Pan with surprise, then smiled wryly, “Senior Disciple Brother, I didn’t mean it that way either; you’ve misunderstood.”
Now, all of them felt a sense of wavering.
On one hand, there were the Dao Ancestor’s pronouncements, concerning a great tribulation of heaven and earth, concerning the sword that would save the world.
On the other hand, there was an outstanding disciple of the Daoist Sect, with a promising future.
These high-ranking officials of the Daoist Sect shared one consensus: they had to at least preserve Chu Huaixu’s life, regardless of the outcome!
Just as everyone was intently probing the situation with their Divine Senses, Chu Huaixu on the mountain went mad, first letting out a roar, then bursting into wild laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
Even though blood was trickling from the corners of his mouth, he laughed so freely.
Because everything was as he had expected, system prompts began to echo in his ears.
“[Ding! Detected, you have triggered the passive quest – Sword Spirit’s Spiritual Pressure.]”
Passive quests are not actively claimed by players; they arise from circumstances.
It was the same when he was cornered by the Police Office, and the same when Liu Chengqi retaliated.
These types of quests were triggered passively.
However, there was an underlying logic, and players could subtly guide them.
Chu Huaixu had merely harbored a slight expectation in his heart, unsure if the system would generate a quest.
To his surprise, it had actually appeared.
It was a pity that his current state was too poor; he couldn’t afford to be distracted, or he would fail.
At this moment, his mind was growing increasingly muddled, and he didn’t have the time to check the quest interface or the mission details.
However, those were not important.
Because he became even more energized, and his goal became clearer.
He walked upwards step by step, arduously.
A mere ten stone steps felt more difficult than ascending to heaven.
The spiritual sword in his Divine Sense was struggling to hold on, and his mental world was filled with endless, piercing pain.
He forced himself not to pass out.
His physical body trembled, even spasming.
Yet, his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the path ahead, his spine still held straight.
Since a person IS a sword, one should know:
— A sword NEVER bends, even if it breaks!
This man, who had first practiced the Sword Refining Art and then cultivated the Dao Canon, began to roar with all his might in a hoarse voice, releasing his pent-up emotions.
“It doesn’t hurt!”
“It doesn’t hurt!!”
“It doesn’t hurt!!!”
His hysterical cries echoed across Hidden Spirit Mountain, but in the great hall of the Daoist Sect, there was silence. Everyone was stunned by his madness.
The third to last step, the second to last step, the final step!
It took Chu Huaixu a very, very long time to reach the summit.
The peak of Hidden Spirit Mountain was a flat expanse.
It was so flat, as if it had been shaved flat with a single sword stroke.
This stroke came from the Dao Ancestor.
In the four cardinal directions of the summit stood tall stone pillars, inscribed with one obscure rune after another.
Whenever there was any abnormality with the sword, these runes would come alive, they would move!
And they would emit a faint golden light.
At this moment, as the sword radiated spiritual pressure, these runes “came alive.”
Besides these, there was almost nothing else on the vast flat ground, only a stone platform in the center, and a stone tablet beside it.
The stone tablet bore the words “Gentleman,” and below it were numerous small characters filled in by many people, densely packed.
On the stone platform lay a sword sheath. Hanging from the sheath was a black bead, with a black tassel tied below the bead.
The sword left by the Dao Ancestor was suspended in mid-air.
At this moment, it loomed over Chu Huaixu from a high vantage point.
There was an undisguised scorn and endless aversion in its gaze!
(End of Chapter)
