Heart to heart
It turns out that from the day Yun Qian was found at the foot of Cangmin Mountain, the reason why the divination that originally pointed to annihilation was able to turn the tide and see a glimmer of hope was actually obtained at the cost of her own fate.
No wonder... no wonder when she was suffering from heavenly tribulation and unconscious, he spent seven whole days divining, and every time it was a death sentence.
The will of Heaven had already laid down the cruelest omen from the very beginning.
The silver mask blocked all outside observation, yet it couldn't conceal the deep sorrow that flashed across the eyes beneath. If the lives of the master and his disciples could truly save Cangmin Mountain from its predetermined path of destruction, would the price... be too bad?
Yun Qian didn't fully understand the weight and understanding behind Bai Yan's words, "So that's how it is." But she thought that since her master could see through the secrets of heaven and foresee worldly affairs, he must have his reasons.
All she needs to do is follow her heart, which is to do everything in her power to protect everyone in Cangmin Mountain.
The future is still long.
Just as Baichuan said, she wanted to become stronger, strong enough to protect all those she wanted to protect.
"Let's go." Bai Yan's voice broke the silence, as he concealed all his emotions behind his cold mask. "To the Treasure Pavilion."
Yun Qian nodded, raised her hand, and drew a pure spiritual talisman in the air. It landed on her body, instantly cleansing the chill emanating from the forbidden area and the melted snow on her shoulders. Her elegant dress was restored to its original condition, fluttering lightly in the wind. She slightly circulated her inner energy, and the slight redness in her eyes quickly faded.
In a short while, she composed herself and returned to her calm and reliable senior sister demeanor, heading towards the treasure pavilion with Bai Yan.
The Treasure Pavilion is the essence of Cangmin Mountain, containing countless divine weapons and artifacts that have withstood the test of time. These artifacts possess their own sentience and will choose their own masters. According to the sect's rules, after entering the Dao, disciples can enter to try their luck and find their own destined magical weapon.
When Bai Yan and Yun Qian arrived, Bai Chuan, Bai Ji, and Qin Wu had been waiting outside the building for a long time.
Young people grow up unexpectedly. In the past, when they saw each other every day, they didn't notice, but after a month apart, Yun Qian suddenly realized that her three junior brothers had grown much taller, and the immaturity between their brows had faded, replaced by the uprightness of young men.
"Senior Sister!" Bai Ji, with the sharpest eyes, was the first to spot her, and a smile immediately bloomed on his face as he quickly went to greet her.
Bai Chuan followed closely behind, his gaze sweeping over her with concern, his tone filled with worry: "Senior Sister, is your health... alright?"
Qin Wu was the most calm and composed. He was not yet familiar with Yun Qian, so he simply observed the proper etiquette, nodded slightly, and said in a clear voice, "Greetings, Senior Sister."
Surrounded by the three people, Yun Qian was a little overwhelmed and could only nod repeatedly: "Okay, all is well, everything is fine."
Bai Ji moved closer to Yun Qian, opening his mouth as if to ask something, but was calmly interrupted by Bai Yan.
"The time has come, go in." Bai Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice calm and even, yet carrying an unquestionable tone.
"Yes, Master." The four of them put aside their thoughts and replied in unison.
The Treasure Pavilion is a self-contained world, constructed from countless profound arrays, and divided into nine levels. Each level houses divine artifacts of different grades and characteristics. The moment a cultivator steps into this pavilion, they will be teleported by the array to the corresponding level based on their own aptitude, talent, and even temperament, where they will be examined and selected by the divine artifacts.
As Yun Qian and the other three stepped through the ancient threshold of the treasure pavilion, the power of the array separated them and sent them to different spaces amidst the shifting light and shadow.
Yun Qian felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, as if she had instantly crossed some kind of boundary. When her vision returned, she found herself in a strange, completely enclosed space with no doors or windows.
She didn't know which floor she was on. The place was empty and silent, except for a sword floating in the center.
It was a long sword that was entirely black, with a simple and even somewhat clumsy design. It had no fancy decorations and its blade seemed to absorb all light. It was filled with an inescapable and chilling aura of killing intent, and it floated quietly in mid-air like a sleeping evil spirit.
The treasure pavilion contains countless divine artifacts. The original book once focused on describing the scene of Qin Wuzhe's sword: "Among dozens of dazzling and sacred divine artifacts, he chose the seemingly broken and ancient divine sword. The moment he grasped the hilt, he resonated with the sword and instantly advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage."
Qin Wu was exceptionally talented, with numerous divine artifacts vying to recognize him as their master... Could it be that he was so unattractive that he only attracted this one? Yun Qian was not one to judge artifacts by their appearance, but the sword before her was truly... rather unremarkable, and even faintly exuded an ominous aura.
She stared intently at it, her mind filled with doubts.
Why does this sword look... so lifeless, yet so ferocious?
This pitch-black body that completely devours light, could it be a deadly weapon left behind by some fallen great demon?
However, strangely, the black sword seemed to possess some kind of magic. Once Yun Qian's gaze fell upon it, she was as if stuck in an invisible spider web, unable to look away.
Her mind went blank for a moment, her consciousness seemed to become blurred, and her body was involuntarily drawn by an invisible force, step by step, toward the floating black sword.
Until the icy fingertips touched the equally icy hilt of the sword.
"hiss!"
A scalding, stinging sensation suddenly shot through the point of contact—not from actual temperature, but from a warning that struck straight to the soul! Yun Qian snapped back to reality, as if doused with cold water. She instantly withdrew her hand, staggered back several steps, and stared intently at the black sword with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.
A sword, capable of bewitching people?!
The black sword seemed to react to her struggle; its pitch-black blade trembled very slightly and emitted a barely audible hum, as if it were annoyed that this mortal could resist its temptation.
Throughout the millennia, no one has ever remained sober and willingly retreated in the face of its silent call.
Yun Qian was horrified, and a sense of helplessness welled up within her. How come she always encountered these "surprises" that weren't even mentioned in the original book? This strange black sword wasn't even in the script!
She dared not approach rashly any further, but merely stared at it from a distance, fully on guard. However, after a long standoff, the black sword, apart from its initial tremor, showed no further unusual movement.
As time passed, Yun Qian gradually felt exhausted from the intense mental strain. She simply ignored it, sat down on the ground, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. She was already quite adept at using that half-wooden sword; whether it was a divine weapon or not was not essential to her.
Moreover, considering his unlucky constitution that easily triggers heavenly tribulations, even if he obtained a divine artifact, he might one day be reduced to ashes by heavenly lightning. It would be better not to take it and leave it to the truly destined person.
Seeing that she really had no interest in him and even began to close her eyes to rest, the black sword trembled even more violently!
Buzz—!
The sound of the sword's cry became clearer and more rapid! Then, something even more astonishing happened.
The shape of the black sword began to change drastically, sometimes large, sometimes small, flickering unpredictably! After several transformations, it suddenly shrank, turning into a thin, hair-like streak of black light about three inches long!
Silently, like a venomous snake in the dark, it suddenly accelerated and shot straight at Yunqianmianmen!
Yun Qian sensed the killing intent and suddenly opened her eyes, but it was too late to completely dodge!
The thin, black sword, as slender as a pen, grazed her delicate neck, leaving a faint but real bloodstain!
Oh no! I was too careless!
Alarm bells rang in Yun Qian's mind. The small black sword was hovering just inches away from her, a drop of bright red blood slowly sliding down its thin blade.
A divine artifact...recognizing a master?
Before she could think any further, an immense energy, imbued with an ancient and desolate aura, suddenly erupted from the small sword, like a river bursting its banks, forcefully surging into her dantian!
"Hmm!"
The moment the two forces merged, Yun Qian felt a strong numbness and swelling throughout her meridians, as if some independent entity was forcefully intruding into the depths of her consciousness!
She immediately calmed her mind, closed her eyes and focused inward, fully guiding and accepting this sudden, immense power. Strangely, as the black sword energy continued to flow in, her cultivation, which had been hovering unstable in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm, was stabilized as if by an invisible hand, gradually settling down.
Upon introspection, within the sea of consciousness, a miniature black sword had already taken shape and floated silently.
Yun Qian let out a long sigh, her feelings a jumble of emotions. What was this? Being forced to acknowledge a sword as its master?
She opened her eyes helplessly, only to find that the small, solid black sword had not merged into her body or disappeared as expected, but was still hovering in front of her.
If the sword had eyes, it would probably be "looking into her eyes" right now.
"Why are you still here?" Yun Qian couldn't help but ask. Normally, after a divine artifact recognizes its master, shouldn't it hide in the master's sea of consciousness and only appear when summoned?
Upon hearing this, the slender sword vibrated slightly, emitting a faint hum. Then, it circled behind Yun Qian's head and gently flicked the ordinary wooden hairpin in her hair with its seemingly delicate yet incredibly hard blade.
"Clatter." The wooden hairpin fell to the ground.
The small black sword brazenly inserted itself into her hair, replacing the wooden hairpin.
Yun Qian: "..."
She clearly sensed that after successfully "kicking off" her old hairpin, the black sword that had forcibly recognized her as its master transmitted an even more obvious... annoyance through that mysterious mental connection.
What exactly is the strange nature of this magical artifact?
Is she... forced to connect with a sword on a spiritual level?
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