World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 457: The Bronze Box

It was just the finger before. Now, the box is showing signs of an anomaly, too?

At noon the next day, Qing Yanzi summoned most of their members to the great palace, including the cook and servants. The only exceptions were the three new disciples, who hadn't formally joined yet, and Chi Wen, who had gone down the mountain to order clothing for them.

Wang Sheng received the bronze box from his master, closed his eyes, and concentrated. After more than ten minutes, he opened them again. "There's definitely a trace of fluctuation."

A clear sword cry echoed as Spiritless flew out of the Qiankun Ring on its own and landed in Wang Sheng's hand. The three-inch-tall Yaoyun stood on his shoulder, her gaze fixed on the box. It was Chun Yangzi's relic. After the finger, the box itself was now acting strangely. It was impossible not to speculate.

Qing Yanzi couldn't hide the spark of joy in his eyes. "I thought about this all night, but could our forefather still be alive? This box has never reacted like this before. Our forefather sent it back to Earth with perfect precision, which in itself is enough evidence that it's not just any other artifact. Perhaps there's some form of connection between him and this box."

Mu Wanxuan thought about it briefly. "I'll try."

She quickly formed hand signs, then tapped the center of her own forehead with a sword finger. Wang Sheng, Qing Yanzi, Xi Lian, and Jingyun looked at her.

After several quiet minutes, Mu Wanxuan exhaled softly and shook her head. "Doesn't work."

"You just tried to use the Soul-Tracing Seal, a technique only Golden Immortals or higher can use," Yaoyun said gently. "Your cultivation is still far too shallow to use it properly. The spells you saw on the Platform of Immortal Dreams should not be used lightly. Otherwise, you could end up falling into qi deviation."

Embarrassed, Mu Wanxuan simply smiled and nodded.

Wang Sheng attempted to channel a small stream of Pure Yang Enchanted Power into the bronze box. The lid slowly opened, revealing the same finger and thin sheet of paper inside. When he took them out and examined them again, he learned that the Dao Rhythm was actually emanating from the box itself.

"Master, is it possible that we just never noticed that the box has always had this function?"

"Unlikely," Qing Yanzi replied. "Over the years, I've examined this object at least a thousand times. This is the first time I've found anything out of the ordinary."

Everyone fell into uneasy silence. Yaoyun landed on the box and carefully examined it.

After some time, she remarked, "It's such a profound restriction that I doubt it's Chun Yangzi's work. As far as I know, his skill in artifact crafting never reached this level. The aura it emits right now definitely belongs to him, though."

"Little Sheng," Qing Yanzi called. "Why not invite Buddhist Master Huai Jing over to study this matter with us?"

Wang Sheng froze. What does this have to do with Huai Jing?

Since it was an order from his master, he had no choice but to comply. He called Huai Jing, found out he was in the middle of a game, and invited him to come over for tea and to discuss something important.

Watching his second disciple summon the reincarnation of an arhat so casually made Qing Yanzi look as though he wanted to say something. However, Xiaomiao clasped her hands together and softly pleaded, "Please."

All he could do was chuckle.

Yaoyun stared at the finger again.

"This aura feels familiar," she murmured. "Why can't I remember who it originally belonged to?"

Instead of dwelling on it, Yaoyun just continued studying the runes on the bronze box. The Heavenly Court just had far too many immortals at its peak.

More than ten minutes later, Huai Jing hastily arrived on his purple-golden alms bowl. Wang Sheng had already informed the off-heritage sect members guarding the gate, allowing the monk to enter the great palace without issue.

Huai Jing, who was equally puzzled, ended up looking troubled, much like the fox, the spirit, and the five people who were already in the palace. At the very least, though, he managed to clear up the timeline.

"According to the old monks of our Buddhist sect, the Heavenly Court's first counterattack began when they broke out from the Realm of Exiled Immortals and found a hundred-race coalition waiting for them. The battle was catastrophic. The Heavenly Court won, as I'm sure you remember, Your Highness. After all, you fought in it."

Still engrossed in the box's inner restrictions, Yaoyun gave a quiet "Mm."

Huai Jing added, "To divert the enemy's attention and secure a retreat, the Heavenly Court's army withdrew swiftly from the Realm of Exiled Immortals and sealed its entrance. Emperor Ziwei led the surviving immortals in a war across the endless stars for tens of thousands of years, establishing a new force out there. Scattered immortals of the Heavenly Court began gathering again across the starry sky and the Immortal Realm.

"This caught the enemy completely off guard. Busy dividing territories and quarreling among themselves, the races that had destroyed the Heavenly Court failed to regroup in time. But once they realized that the surviving Heavenly Court members posed a renewed threat, they once again united and sent their strongest to trap Emperor Ziwei and his followers in a desperate situation.

"That was when Senior Chun Yangzi sent this bronze box back to warn his disciples and descendants never to speak of the Heavenly Court again, lest they make enemies of the world."

Xiaomiao blinked. "Buddhist Master, can you tell us something we don't already know?"

Huai Jing smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid that's all I know. We have no idea how the Heavenly Court's final battle ended. I can think of two reasons why this box has reacted, though: First, Chun Yangzi might still be alive and trying to send us a message or reclaim something from within. Second, Chun Yangzi has perished, and the box is reacting to some other event."

Wang Sheng smiled. "That sounds reasonable and thorough, but not exactly helpful."

"Wait," Xiaomiao said, deep in thought. "Buddhist Master Huai Jing might have mentioned a key factor."

Before she could elaborate, Huai Jing deftly pulled a few sheets of white paper and a pen from his sleeve. He handed them to her.

Xiaomiao thanked him and began drawing boxes on the page.

Wang Sheng blinked, glancing from one person to another, then at his little sister, who was scribbling furiously. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

What is going on?

Smack!

Xiaomiao slammed the pen onto the table, her eyes lighting up as she looked at her brother.

"By analyzing variables, we can easily narrow it down to two possibilities. Should I go straight to how we verify them?"

In a serious tone, Qing Yanzi answered, "Mm. Go ahead, Xiaomiao."

Xiaomiao pointed at Chun Yangzi's stone statue. "Brother, burn incense over there, bow your head, and pray sincerely. You have to do it with genuine devotion and deep reverence for the forefather."

Frowning, Wang Sheng stared blankly at her. "Stop fooling around."

Xiaomiao pouted. "Hmm... I should've explained first. Let's start by assuming the anomaly in the box is connected to Forefather Chun Yangzi. That is to say, we assume he's alive. Sect Master said the box started behaving strangely last night. It could just be a pure coincidence, but that possibility isn't worth discussing since it doesn't lead anywhere.

"Let's review what happened yesterday instead. First, many Daoist masters arrived to watch the ceremony. Second, we established the sect. Third, we used the illusion array that my master set up. Fourth, we accepted new disciples. Of these events, the founding ceremony, specifically the offering we made to the statue, is the only one directly connected to Forefather Chun Yangzi."

Struggling to follow his sister's logic, Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "Aren't there other factors?"

"If you think about it carefully, you'll realize it's really just those four." Xiaomiao stood up and pointed at the statue. "And the only part that involves Forefather Chun Yangzi is the one where you, Sect Master, and Senior Sister burned incense and kowtowed to his statue.

"The Cultivation Research Institute discovered years ago that incense offerings affect my master. The widespread use of the Divine Position Diagram and the seasonal rituals of worship helped her spirit recover."

Yaoyun flew out of the bronze box and nodded in agreement.

Xiaomiao added, "Extending that logic will lead us to the second possibility: through the incense offerings here, Forefather Chun Yangzi sensed the existence of this box or the mystical channel that transmits incense power connected to it. Maybe the items inside hold great importance to him, and he wants to reclaim them or warn us to seal them away.

"The simplest way to verify this is to increase the incense offerings and check if we can use it to contact Forefather Chun Yangzi. If communication is established, we'd have essentially confirmed that he's still alive."

Wang Sheng's frown deepened as he recalled his first encounter with Yaoyun. When Mu Wanxuan prayed before the Divine Position Diagram, a wisp of incense power stirred and awakened the slumbering Yaoyun. Wang Sheng remembered distinctly sensing it back then.

That experience made his sister's reasoning seem sound and worth trying.

Wang Sheng stood up and headed deeper into the palace. He then lit three sticks of incense and bowed before their forefather's statue.

"That's not enough," Xiaomiao said. "We have to make more attempts."

"Little Xuan, come with me," Qing Yanzi solemnly instructed.

Though still unsure about what was happening, Mu Wanxuan stood up. She offered incense and bowed as well. Soon after, Xi Lian and Jingyun followed her. Even the off-heritage sect members in the building were instructed to join.

Curling smoke gradually filled the great palace as Wang Sheng and Qing Yanzi concentrated on sensing any changes in the box. The Pure Yang Dao Rhythm on it became slightly more distinct, though it faded soon after.

Qing Yanzi joyfully exclaimed, "It's exactly the same as last night! Our forefather is alive!"

Yaoyun landed gently on the box. She quietly examined it before gazing at Wang Sheng, her starry eyes trembling slightly.

Qing Yanzi quickly asked, "Xiaomiao, what should we do next?"

"That depends on you, Sect Master," Xiaomiao replied softly. "My master once told me that the immortal finger inside is likely the only thing that Forefather Chun Yangzi's beloved left behind. Even in a desperate situation, he remembered to send this finger back along with the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art, his extraordinary legacy.

"If Forefather Chun Yangzi hasn't fallen, then he probably wishes for this finger to return to him. Maybe making more offerings will allow him to find a way to retrieve the box, just as he had once sent it here."

Qing Yanzi froze for a moment, then fell deep into thought.

Wang Sheng noticed that the incense he had lit was almost burned out. He lit three more sticks, returned, and sensed again. The Pure Yang Dao Rhythm had indeed grown slightly stronger.

Its mystery was truly unfathomable, yet fascinating.

However, Xiaomiao's intellect surprised Wang Sheng the most. He ruffled his little sister's short hair. "Not bad, Xiaomiao. Your years of studying didn't go to waste. Maybe you should start learning some advanced math next."

Xiaomiao's mouth twitched. She loudly fake-cried before rushing to hug her senior sister.

Finding someone to hide behind that quickly was an art in itself.