Inside the Sword Grave, ten thousand swords hummed in unison.
In the valley, tens of thousands of sharp swords trembled simultaneously, their blades colliding with a crisp ringing.
A vast sword aura gathered in the air, forming a visible spiritual vortex that pressed down on the chest, making it hard to breathe.
Luo Qingchen stood amid it all, feeling a sharp sting across her skin.
She ignored this, her gaze locked tightly on a spot not far ahead.
There, a golden long sword was embedded diagonally in the rubble, its blade flowing with rainbow light, emanating the fluctuations of an Earth-grade spiritual artifact.
‘I’m rich.’
Luo Qingchen rubbed her hands together, her heartbeat quickening.
If she took this sword to the black market, she could get at least a thousand low-grade spirit stones.
She lifted her foot to dash over, when suddenly, in her mind, the Deception Jade Slip erupted with a searing heat.
It felt as if a red-hot coal had branded her soul.
Luo Qingchen winced in pain.
Before she could even curse, the jade slip projected a clear path of light that cut directly through the layers of sword shadows, pointing to a dark corner at the very edge of the valley.
That eager emotion transmitted through the jade slip, urging her to hurry over.
Luo Qingchen stopped in her tracks, forced to watch helplessly as that gleaming golden treasure sword moved further away from her.
‘What a pain. With all the stuff earlier, not arranging anything to do, not giving any rewards—now, when I’m about to get rich, you jump out to stop me.’
She cursed inwardly, gritted her teeth, and reluctantly headed toward the dark corner.
The further she walked toward the edge, the more violent the surrounding abandoned sword aura became.
These sword auras had lost their masters, becoming chaotic, tearing at her protective spiritual energy like blades.
Ling Xiyue followed behind.
Seeing Luo Qingchen give up that high-grade golden sword and instead walk toward a desolate area of discarded swords, she furrowed her brows slightly.
Sword Daoist sat atop the Sword Stele, spinning his wine gourd in his hand, his gaze following along, a hint of amusement curling at the corner of his mouth.
Luo Qingchen reached the end, pushed aside a pile of withered bones and rotten weeds.
Here, there was no treasure light, no spiritual energy—
Only a rusty, broken iron sword.
The hilt was even stained with dried mud from some unknown demon beast, looking like scrap iron thrown into a garbage pile.
‘This is what you wanted me to find?’
Luo Qingchen’s face went black.
She suspected this broken jade slip was malfunctioning.
She crouched down, held her breath, and reached out to grip the sword hilt.
It was cold to the touch, heavy.
The moment her fingertip touched the hilt, the Deception Jade Slip burst with brilliant light, and a massive stream of information flooded into her mind.
[Divine-level Artifact Refining Manual:
‘Hundred Refinements of Artifacts’]!
Then, beneath the rusty layer, a faint trace of ultimate spatial principle fluctuations seeped out—
Something even Sword Daoist had not detected.
Luo Qingchen’s pupils contracted.
‘This is no scrap iron. This is clearly a material surpassing Heaven grade. It’s just that the forging technique was wrong, causing a famous sword to be tarnished and shattered!’
Her heart skipped a beat.
She quickly pulled the broken sword out, gripped it in her hand, and stood up, pretending nothing had happened.
“Senior Sister, I’ve chosen.”
Luo Qingchen carried that crumbling iron sword and swaggered back to the front of the Sword Stele.
Ling Xiyue looked at the broken sword, then at Luo Qingchen, her cold, clear face full of confusion.
“This is the life-bound spirit sword you chose?”
Ling Xiyue couldn’t help but ask, her tone tinged with incomprehension.
“This sword has no spiritual energy, its blade is broken, lacking even basic sharpness. A new disciple’s sword selection is crucial to their cultivation foundation. Why did you choose it?”
Luo Qingchen put on a profound expression, patting the broken sword in her arms.
“Senior Sister, you don’t understand.”
“This is what they call a divine object hiding its brilliance.”
“True terror often exists in the most inconspicuous form.”
“Once I go back and repair it, this thing will definitely be able to slice Xuanzhou Continent in half with one swing.”
Luo Qingchen boasted to the heavens, her main point being that the future held promise.
Sword Daoist ignored her nonsense.
He suddenly took a big gulp of wine, jumped down from the Sword Stele, and in one step appeared before Luo Qingchen.
His deep, abyss-like eyes fixed firmly on Luo Qingchen.
The amusement on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a grave expression.
“A divine object hiding its brilliance?”
Sword Daoist snorted coldly, his voice hoarse.
“You, little girl, are quite audacious.”
He paused, his tone turning icy.
“There’s a curse aura on you. You’ve hidden it quite well. If this old man hadn’t been close, I might really have been fooled.”
Boom!
Luo Qingchen felt her mind explode with a buzz.
Curse!
This was her greatest secret, concerning the destruction of the entire Thief Heaven Sect.
Even Wangyou Zhenren only thought she was clever, never detecting this aura.
This handsome old man saw through it at a glance?
Luo Qingchen’s hairs stood on end.
Her hand subconsciously moved toward the Five Elements Blade in the jade slip, and her feet secretly began circulating Walking on Snow Without Trace, ready to flee at any moment.
If this old man wanted to kill her, she had no power to resist.
“Senior, I…”
“No need to be nervous.”
Sword Daoist waved his hand.
The killing intent in his eyes dissipated, revealing a trace of weariness.
He tilted his head and downed a large gulp of wine, his voice low.
“I am merely a pure sword cultivator. This kind of curse entangled with cause and effect—I cannot dissolve it, nor do I wish to become involved.”
“Those little thoughts of yours—in my eyes, just like that broken sword, they can’t be hidden.”
Luo Qingchen stood stiffly on the spot, cold sweat soaking her back.
Sword Daoist sighed, then suddenly pressed his fingers together like a sword.
He moved extremely fast.
A sharp, unparalleled green sword aura instantly crossed space, sinking into Luo Qingchen’s right arm.
Luo Qingchen felt a burning sensation in her right arm.
Looking down, she saw a hidden sword mark appear on the inside of her wrist, overlaying the red threads of the curse mark.
“This is my sword intent seal.”
Sword Daoist withdrew his fingers, his expression returning to laziness.
“This seal can hinder the prying and positioning of those with ill intent.”
“As for whether you live or die in the future, that depends on your own fortune.”
Luo Qingchen was stunned.
She looked at the sword mark on her wrist, feeling that cold yet domineering sword aura, and the mercenary cunning in her heart instantly dissipated.
‘This old man… was actually helping me?’
She put away all her frivolous grin, her expression solemn, and bowed deeply to Sword Daoist.
This was the first time since her transmigration that she had felt such pure and powerful protection in the cultivation world.
“Thank you, Senior.”
Luo Qingchen’s voice was sincere.
Sword Daoist didn’t look at her anymore.
He turned and sat back on the Sword Stele, picking up his wine gourd again.
“Get lost.”
“And remember to introduce me to that ‘hair salon.’ I’m really curious about this organization.”
Luo Qingchen’s head buzzed.
‘Where am I supposed to find a hair salon for you?’
She hurriedly pulled Ling Xiyue and quickly left the Sword Grave.
The two walked out of the light curtain, the sunlight outside shining on them.
Ling Xiyue turned her head to look at her, a hint of concern in her eyes.
“Junior Sister, just now with Uncle…”
“It’s nothing.”
Luo Qingchen interrupted her, the trademark business smile returning to her lips.
“Let’s go. Back to Wuyou Peak.”
“I’m going to start making money.”
She raised her hand and touched the sword mark on her wrist, her gaze resolute.
Since this old man had given her concealment, she would have to live even better in this cultivation world.
Wasn’t it just a curse?
As long as she had enough money and enough strength, this little curse would be no big deal.