As the sun rises in the east and all things revive, the second day officially begins.

Shu Lan and Qin An woke up almost at the same time. Qin An rubbed his sleepy eyes and, with Shu Lan's help, began to wash up.

Shu Lan pulled Qin An to sit in front of the mirror and tied his hair into a neat ponytail. Feeling Shu Lan's hands working on his hair, Qin An's ears subtly turned red. Fortunately, no one saw.

After getting ready, Shu Lan took Qin An and flew on their swords to the place they had agreed upon.

A large platform had already been set up, and many disciples had arrived. Some were preparing to enter the Sword Tomb, while others were simply there to watch the excitement.

Some elders were also ready and stood to one side.

After landing with Qin An, Shu Lan led him to the group of the top ten disciples and stood aside to wait.

Then, more disciples came over one after another.

When the bell rang, it was time to go.

"Is everyone here? It's time to enter the Sword Tomb." The elder in charge of order channeled his spiritual power, spreading his voice to every corner of the mountain, making it clear to everyone's ears.

"Teleportation array, activate!" With that elder's command, the other elders channeled their spiritual energy into the teleportation array beneath their feet. With a flicker, the disciples within the array vanished instantly.

When everyone opened their eyes, they had already arrived at the Sword Tomb.

The sword mound was a steep mountain, entirely black, densely covered with various objects. When one channeled spiritual energy to their eyes, they could clearly see that each object was a sword. Some were incredibly sharp, some were rusty, some were broad and thick, and some were slender and delicate…

Regardless of the type of sword, they were all swords left behind by the sect's ancestors during their lifetimes or after their ascension, and they all contained immense spiritual power. Among them were many Earth-rank and Heaven-rank spiritual swords, and even divine swords.

The entire sword mound is enveloped in a dense array of sword intent, because these swords contain the sword intent possessed by their predecessors before their deaths or ascension. For disciples, being able to comprehend the sword intent within these swords is an immense opportunity.

Sensing the faint sword intent emanating from the Sword Tomb, the disciples were all eager to go in and show off their skills.

Ye Feiyu was also eager to try, but after glancing at the calm Qin An, he quietly suppressed his impatient thoughts.

Shu Lan followed Qin An to the Sword Tomb. Before Qin An entered, she told him what she knew about the Sword Tomb.

"The higher you go, the greater the spiritual pressure you'll experience, and the more sword intent you'll sense," Shu Lan said, ruffling Qin An's hair. "However, the higher you go, the better the quality of the swords."

"Yes, I will definitely bring back a divine sword." Qin An rubbed his head against Shu Lan's hand.

"You don't need to take the divine sword, just do your best. Be careful to protect yourself," Shu Lan earnestly advised Qin An.

"Yes, I understand, Master." Qin An replied verbally, but in his heart he thought, "I will definitely not let Master down."

Several elders followed them to the Sword Tomb, and the elder in charge of order waved his hand to activate the protective formation for entering the Sword Tomb.

"Now, please have the first ten disciples enter the Sword Tomb." As the protective array was activated, the sword intent in the air became even more pronounced. The disciples eagerly stepped into the Sword Tomb.

Ye Feiyu also entered the Sword Tomb at an extremely fast speed.

Qin An glanced back at Shu Lan, and only when Shu Lan nodded and looked at him with affirmation did he smile, turn around and resolutely step into the Sword Tomb.

After the disciples entered the Sword Tomb, the protective array returned to its original state. The elders waited outside, eagerly awaiting good news.

After Qin An and his disciples entered the Sword Tomb, they dispersed.

Qin An walked upwards step by step, his goal clear. Facing the various swords at his feet, Qin An didn't even glance at them, his gaze fixed on the summit.

Qin An had long been determined to obtain the divine sword, so naturally he had to reach the summit.

As Qin An climbed step by step toward the summit, the spiritual pressure exerted on him increased, and more and more sword intent swirled around him.

Qin An's bones creaked under the pressure, the sword intent tore through his clothes and pierced his skin, causing blood to seep out.

As Qin An climbed higher and higher, the pressure increased. His feet sank deep into the soil, leaving deep footprints with every step.

Just as his spine was bent slightly from the pressure and he was about to give up, seeing that he was still some distance from the summit, Qin An was extremely unwilling to give up. He gritted his teeth and decided to continue climbing.

Qin An subconsciously activated the "Spirit Guiding Technique," but unexpectedly, the pressure around him suddenly vanished. The spiritual pressure in the air transformed into wisps of spiritual energy, slowly seeping into Qin An's body. The surrounding sword intent was also partially absorbed. Qin An's pressure instantly lessened.

Qin An then realized just how precious the "Spirit Guiding Technique" that Shu Lan had taught him was, as it could actually convert spiritual pressure and sword intent for his own use. Qin An felt a mix of emotions—bitterness, warmth, gratitude, and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion). His master, his elder brother, had only known him for less than a month, yet he had already imparted such a precious technique to him and given him a warmth he had never experienced before. How could he bear to disappoint him?

With this in mind, Qin An straightened his back and quickened his pace, but his determination remained unwavering.

Nourished by spiritual energy, Qin An's wounds gradually healed, leaving no trace. Only the bloodstains on his clothes served as a reminder that he had been injured.

Qin An's speed increased, and he drew closer and closer to the summit. The spiritual pressure and sword intent in the air no longer posed any threat to him; they had all become nourishment to strengthen his power.

As Qin An advanced, the barrier of his seventh level of Qi Refining also loosened.

Just as Qin An was advancing rapidly, the entire sword mound suddenly shook violently. Qin An stopped and steadied himself.

After the shaking subsided, Qin An remained undisturbed and continued his ascent to the summit.

Just as Qin An was about to reach the peak, he felt something throbbing within his body, a sensation akin to blood rushing rapidly through his veins. It was as if something was about to be awakened.

Qin An felt something calling to him, and he followed the voice in his heart, walking towards the place that was calling him.

Gradually, Qin An arrived at the other end of the peak. There, a dark red sword was stuck in a crevice in the rock, exuding a bloodthirsty aura.

Qin An approached the sword and felt a faint call emanating from it.

Qin An felt the call, reached out, and grasped the sword.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his palm; the sword had pierced his hand and was absorbing his blood.

The moment the sword finished absorbing the blood, it lit up and emitted a buzzing sound, as if it had directly recognized its master.

In an instant, sand and stones flew across the Sword Tomb, and the entire mountain shook.