Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Spirit Sword Peak

Spirit Sword Peak Valley!

In Spirit Sword Peak Valley, a vast plaza had been constructed from neat granite blocks, with a great copper tripod anchoring its center.

The surrounding mountain peaks were straight and treacherous, like ancient swords tens of thousands of feet high.

Strangely, these endless mountain ranges were not covered in ancient woods or pines, but in ancient swords of every imaginable style.

These were, quite literally, Sword Mountains!

From amidst the Sword Mountains, Sword Qi soared into the sky! Any ordinary person who drew near would feel as if ten thousand swords were piercing their body and mind.

If an Array Master were present, they would discover that this continuous chain of Sword Mountains, stretching for hundreds of miles, was actually a terrifying, colossal grand array.

At the center of this peculiar valley, Spirit Sword Peak, sat a great tripod that resembled a massive furnace when viewed from above.

The valley itself was the mouth of the tripod!

Legend had it that Divine Sword Manor, one of the six most mysterious secret grounds of All Stars Academy, was nestled within this endless range of Sword Mountains.

Spirit Sword Peak opened once every ten years.

Each time, only new students were permitted to enter and seek their fortuitous encounters!

This year, the four major academies of All Stars University had tens of thousands of new students. The vast majority of them had already received the news and rushed here to seek their own opportunities.

At this moment, in the center of the Spirit Sword Valley’s plaza, a black copper tripod stood firm. From within the plaza, a giant sword made of black copper thrust up from the ground, soaring thousands of feet into the air.

From a distance, it exuded a heavy pressure.

With this giant sword present, not a single person could step into the plaza.

Someone tried to enter the plaza, but in the next moment, they were sent flying backward, spitting blood.

The area around the plaza was now bustling with a crowd of young powerhouses, their countless fervent gazes fixed on the center of the plaza. This was the Sword Testing Platform.

The crowd was abuzz. Some people’s gazes drifted toward the entrance of the valley, where a powerful young expert was slowly approaching.

Wherever he passed, countless young geniuses parted to make way for him.

Clearly, the newcomer had a formidable presence that commanded respect and fear. He was one of the few top experts of the younger generation.

He was a young powerhouse, tall and slender, with skin the color of ancient bronze. His black hair was styled into countless small braids that fell behind his shoulders. He carried a Qimen Greatsword on his back, and his eyes shone brightly, giving him an incredibly wild aura.

"It’s Tuoba Ye from Vermilion Bird Academy! It’s actually him! The opening of Spirit Sword Peak even drew out a behemoth like him!" someone in the crowd cried out in astonishment, having recognized the youth.

"What, you know him?"

"How could I not? This Tuoba Ye is one of the strongest young geniuses in Vermilion Bird Academy. His cultivation has reached the Martial Arts Ten Heavens! And the most terrifying thing is the sword on his back. It’s said that during the Vermilion Bird trials, he used that very sword to slay a powerful Barbaric Beast that possessed the bloodline of an Ancient Barbarian Beast!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"To think that the opening of Spirit Sword Peak would attract even him!"

"It’s not just Tuoba Ye! Look, there’s Li Qiubai and Yuan Daozhen from Cyan Dragon Academy. Those two are rare Sword Dao experts! Just a month ago, Yuan Daozhen single-handedly defeated more than ten of the most elite Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven experts who had surrounded him! His reputation is truly formidable!"

Just then, another uproar came from the valley entrance as Yuan Daozhen and Li Qiubai of Cyan Dragon Academy appeared together.

"Xuanwu Academy has sent its Sword Dao experts too! It’s the brothers Wan Jiansheng and Wan Guiyi!" A gasp went through the crowd. "It’s really them! Those two are hailed as Xuanwu’s Peerless Duo, second in strength only to Elder Black Tortoise himself. Rumor has it that if they join forces, even the Elders of the four academies might not be their match!"

Following a few more shouts from the crowd, two identical-looking young powerhouses appeared at the valley entrance. Their gazes were as cold and sharp as two peerless divine swords.

"Cyan Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu Academies have all sent their Sword Dao experts. I wonder if White Tiger Academy has any Sword Dao prodigies coming to try their luck this year!"

"I’ve heard that White Tiger Academy is packed with Sword Dao elites this year. There are more than ten experts who have reached the Sword Dao Second Realm, Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect. A few have even stepped into the Third Realm, Heavenly Dao Formless. Their leader, Ling Du Xu, is even hailed as the Sword King!"

"It seems this opening of Spirit Sword Peak is truly a rare and grand event!"

"Look! Someone else failed to get on the Sword Testing Platform!" A few gasps suddenly erupted from the crowd as a handsome, elegantly dressed youth in brocade robes was thrown from the plaza.

PFFT!

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his handsome face turning deathly pale.

He struggled to lift his head and glanced at the sky-piercing giant sword in the center of the plaza, his handsome face a mask of resentment and disbelief.

"That looks like Nangong Ling, the legitimate son of Marquis Qingyun’s Family from Changsheng State in the Cloud Water Empire!"

"Nangong Ling? I’ve heard of him. He’s a famous genius in our Cloud Water Empire. He became a disciple of the renowned Sword Dao expert, Venerable Wusheng, and mastered the essence of the Venerable’s No-Life Seven Killings Swordsmanship. He even placed in the top sixteen during the Vermilion Bird Academy trials. And yet he failed too!"

The speaker’s voice was filled with disbelief.

Nangong Ling’s reputation was considerable, and he had extensive connections. He was well-known not only in Vermilion Bird Academy but in the other three academies as well.

Nearby, a young man with a profound aura, cradling a sword, slowly shook his head. "It’s not surprising. Since Spirit Sword Peak opened, the number of people who have successfully passed the Sword Testing Platform can be counted on one hand!"

A burly man with a greatsword on his back chuckled at the words. "Exactly. This Sword Testing Platform isn’t something just any ordinary person can ascend!"

"The countless Spirit Swords on these peaks all possess spirituality. A Martial Artist chooses a sword, but the Spirit Sword also chooses its master. Most Spirit Swords have unyielding temperaments. They would rather conceal their brilliance and remain buried in the Sword Mountains than choose an unworthy master!"

"And this Sword Testing Platform is an extremely crucial step. If you can’t even walk onto the platform, how can you even speak of a Spirit Sword choosing you as its master?"

Two young women standing nearby overheard their conversation, and one of them, a girl in colorful robes, couldn’t help but speak up.

"Greetings, you two gentlemen. My name is Yu Hong. I overheard what you were saying just now. It seems there’s some profound mechanism to this Sword Testing Platform?"

These two young women were none other than the sisters from the Yu Family, who had also come to try their luck.

Yu Hong and Yu Yao.

The sword-cradling youth was initially a little displeased at being interrupted, but his expression softened the moment he saw the two girls’ beauty. He smiled and said, "Ah, so it’s you two ladies. You’re too polite!"

Seeing two pairs of eyes, as clear as autumn waters, fixed on him without blinking, the sword-cradling youth puffed out his chest and did his best to show off. "As for this Sword Testing Platform, there’s no real profound mechanism. It’s called the Sword Testing Platform because it tests a Sword Master’s Sword Dao Cultivation!"

"What is Sword Dao Cultivation?" Yu Yao asked, her lovely eyes glinting as she spoke in a delicate voice.

"Sword Dao Cultivation is a swordsman’s Sword Dao Realm. If your Sword Dao Realm isn’t high enough, you won’t be able to take a single step onto this platform, even if your martial cultivation reaches the heavens!"

"However, if you can step onto the Sword Testing Platform, you’re guaranteed to gain something!" A trace of envy flashed in the sword-cradling youth’s eyes.

"All the Spirit Swords on this mountain have been nurtured by the creation of heaven and earth. Many of them are of superior quality. In terms of quality, many of these Spirit Swords are worthy of being a sect’s or a clan’s World-Suppressing Spiritual Object, to say nothing of the Divine Swords that are of the Divine Weapon Level. Forget everything else—just by gaining the acknowledgment of a single Spirit Sword and having it enter your body, a Sword Master’s strength will increase immensely. It is truly a heaven-sent opportunity and creation!"