tenth floor
Amidst the lightning and thunder, Chao Du, lying leisurely in a wicker chair within his own sea of consciousness, greeted the "guests":
"You're here?"
The main part of her consciousness sea was a vast wilderness full of blooming flowers, with a crystal clear blue lake in the center. There was a simple wooden house surrounded by flowers on the lakeside, with rattan chairs, swings and stone tables in front of the house, and magnificent mountains and rivers in the distance.
If you look up, you can see a clear sky for miles, and a magnificent pavilion as large as the sun and moon in the clouds.
However, the gentle breeze of the past has now turned into a howling gale.
Asakawa stood up from the wicker chair and strolled towards the lake. Facing the howling wind, she spread her arms wide, letting the wind whip her sleeves and collar. Amidst the deafening thunder, she laughed contentedly: "Now that you're here, don't be in such a hurry to leave!"
The other party cautiously did not answer, but the once colorful and vibrant wilderness suddenly began to wither. Countless blood-red spider lilies sprouted from the soil all around, spreading out rapidly like a carpet, strangling the once lively wilderness.
Even the once sapphire-blue lake water rippled with blood, and a group of enormous monsters could be vaguely seen swimming in the lake, stirring up a bloody storm.
Chao Du was unconcerned about the erosion of Ling Ni's murderous intent. He raised one hand and snapped his fingers crisply in the raging wind.
In an instant, dark clouds rolled and surged, the clear sky disappeared, and thousands of bright lightning bolts rushed out from the dark clouds, rushing towards the wilderness and lake below like sharp arrows. The flowers in the wilderness did not shrink back, but instead seemed to hear the horn of the charge, growing wildly and imprisoning the spider lilies and a group of monsters in the lake—the terrifying lightning was like the nourishment they had long craved.
Chao Du's body and soul were both bathed in the rolling thunder, yet her face remained calm, and the corners of her mouth even slightly turned up:
Ling Ni is cunning and cautious, possesses countless clones, and can teleport at any time, making her impossible to find; one can only wait for her to come to them.
She used her own weakness as bait to lure Ling Ni into the trap. Ling Ni, as expected, was unwilling to miss the precious opportunity and not only came but also gave it his all.
No pain, no gain.
The outcome hinges on this one battle.
Both she and Ling Ni thought so.
Both are in a weakened state; it all comes down to whether the devil is one foot taller or the righteous are ten feet taller.
The power of heavenly thunder contained within the Thousand-Pound Sword swept over her body and soul in an instant. However, for an immortal like her who had undergone countless trials by heavenly thunder, this was merely like a light rain in early spring.
It felt surprisingly comfortable.
But for the Demon Lord Ling Ni, who had never experienced the tempering of heavenly lightning, this was almost like being struck by knives from the sky, knives that were extremely effective against her demonic energy.
Ling Ni did not believe that anyone in the world could become an immortal—indeed, no one in the world Ling Ni lived in had ever become an immortal. However, she naturally could not have imagined that someone could control the power of heavenly lightning.
Chao Du strolled leisurely along the lakeside amidst the fierce thunder and gale.
When the thunder stopped and the dark clouds dispersed, the wilderness was once again a scene of prosperity, the lake returned to its tranquility and azure, and looking up, there was still a clear sky for thousands of miles, with pavilions in the clouds shining like the sun and moon.
She won this round.
Chao Du opened his eyes, his hands and wrists still wrapped with lingering, fine lightning bolts; the "willow branches" from before had disappeared.
The Thousand-Pound Sword had somehow ended up beside her, and another Chao Du beside her asked with a worried look, "Did you win? Are you still yourself?"
Chao Du chuckled at her words: "I am still me, and I won. If it were a true Ling Ni, this level probably wouldn't be enough to kill her. The ninth level is still a bit too easy. But I deliberately didn't kill all of her remnant souls just now, so I have to leave some challenges for those who come after me."
She placed the mighty sword across her lap and looked up at the blood moon in the sky: it began to rotate again, and at the same time began to "fade," the blood-red moonlight gradually turning snow-white and clear, and the long night in Jinxiu City that day finally came to an end.
Asawari reached out to another Asawari: "Here, you can give me the scabbard now."
Another Asakawa, holding the scabbard, hesitated as he looked at the moon in the sky, its blood-red hue fading, and asked uncertainly, "Is this level really over? Or is it just an illusion? You said not to give it to anyone who wants it... How about we wait until the next level starts before returning it to you?"
Asakawa chuckled: "Alright, better to be cautious."
As soon as Chao Du finished speaking, the Thousand-Pound Sword on her lap suddenly floated up, crackling with lightning. As if quite dissatisfied, the scabbard was suddenly flung away, breaking free from the other Chao Du's hand, and flew towards the Thousand-Pound Sword like an arrow.
The black jade sword instantly went into its sheath, then gently landed on Chao Du's lap, lying there quietly, motionless and still, looking somewhat sullen.
Another person asked quietly, "...Is it angry?"
Asawa tapped the scabbard with his fingertip: "Hmm, this time you're really something."
The scabbard suddenly flashed, as if trying to make an excuse.
Chao Du comforted it, "Alright, alright, you're not angry. You're the most magnanimous sword in the world."
Another Asakawa couldn't help but laugh.
The sword flashed and disappeared into Chao Du's left arm.
"Don't laugh at it, it's easily embarrassed, okay, okay," Chao Du comforted it, then stretched lazily, looked up at the bright moon in the sky that was about to finish its rotation, and saw the lights that were lit up in Jinxiu City.
The city of splendor has returned to its former glory.
"The crimson hue of the moon has completely disappeared. I wonder what kind of test the tenth level will hold?"
The bright moon shone brilliantly, its light reaching its zenith.
Everything around Chaodu suddenly turned black, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Then a small lamp lit up, and Chao Du used its light to look around:
This is an empty stone chamber with a copper lamp, a stone table, two small stone stools, and two people.
The candlelight burned quietly, illuminating the items on the stone table: two wooden swords with their tips facing each other, and two cups of tea placed side by side.
Asaka stood in front of the stone table, and behind the stone table was another version of her.
Chao Du glanced at her left arm: the formation here was trying to suppress her spiritual power and seal the Thousand-Pound Sword. Although it was not impossible to break free from the formation, considering that this might be the trial of the tenth level, she decided to go along with the formation for now.
However, judging from the formation, the only usable weapons in this room are those two simple wooden swords.
She looked up and met the gaze of another version of herself, and was surprised to find that this was not the infatuated version of herself, but a version that was more like herself.
It seems that the tenth floor separated the two of them, and the other Chaodu's consciousness must have been extracted to another space.
Asawa greeted the person opposite him: "Hello, the other me."
The other party remained silent, simply watching Asakawa quietly, seemingly waiting for Asakawa to make a choice.
Asaka reached for something on the table, and the other girl did the same.
Perhaps whatever Asahi chooses, she will choose the same thing.
Chao Du withdrew his hand, examining the wooden sword and teacup, pondering the meaning these two items represented.
A sword may represent battle. But what about tea? It may be in a teacup, but it's not necessarily tea; it could be poison.
It seems safer to use a sword.
But Chao Du always felt that what was placed in the teacup should be tea, not poison: otherwise, was the tenth level testing whether the future sword immortal would accidentally drink poison because of thirst or because he was arrogant and complacent after passing the ninth level?
Asakawa reached for the teacup, and the person opposite him did the same.
Asaka had a better idea of what was going on. She raised her teacup, about to drink, when she suddenly remembered that no one drinks tea standing up.
There happened to be a small stool on each side of the stone table. Chao Du sat down, and the woman opposite him followed suit.
Asahi held up his teacup, watching his counterpart across from him also raise her cup to drink; the two seemed like old friends.
In an instant, Chao Du understood: this test was about how one gets along with oneself.
Throughout the long years, the one who understands you best is yourself, and the one who accompanies you the longest is yourself. You are with yourself all the time, so how can you not be your longtime friend?
The wooden sword and the teacup represent two different ways of being with oneself—one can advance by wielding the sword to conquer oneself, and further, retreat to enjoy a cup of tea with oneself and watch the years pass by.
Chao Du smiled, raised her teacup, and took a sip. The tea was clear and sweet, relieving some of the fatigue from her journey, replenishing her spiritual energy, and even making her soul feel more relaxed. This tea must have been extracted from some precious natural treasures; she wondered what its name was.
Everything about the Waiting Immortal Tower was strictly forbidden to be revealed to outsiders by its designers and those who entered it. Although she later held a very high position and not only had the right to know everything about the Waiting Immortal Tower, but could even modify it, she was too lazy to do so.
Asakawa chatted casually with his longtime "friend" in front of him, saying, "This tea is quite good."
Her voice echoed in the stone chamber, as if another version of herself was responding to her.
She finished her tea, squinted her eyes contentedly, and the person opposite her did the same.
Asahi thought of another Asahi, what would she choose? Asahi silently thought to herself, "I hope she doesn't start thinking about swords right now and insist on choosing one. It's quite difficult for her to beat herself... but it's not impossible."
The light in the stone chamber suddenly brightened, the stone walls disappeared, and Chao Du felt his consciousness return to his body, hearing the anxious call of the Thousand-Pound Sword.
She sat on the stone bench, soothing the sword, when she glanced at the ground and saw a phantom of the Waiting Immortal Tower, about the height of a person, standing there—it should be the passage to the Waiting Immortal Tower, perhaps leading directly to the ninth floor.
At the same time, a transparent array appeared on the left, through which one could see another Chaodu and another version of her.
Another person has already chosen the sword.
…………
Not long ago, on the other side.
Another person, Chao Du, looked at the sword and cup on the table and decisively reached out to take the sword.
Her reasons were sound: First, as an immortal, she had taught herself that one must possess a sword! Their purpose in challenging the Tower of Immortals was to obtain a sword, so how could they not choose one now that they had one?!
Secondly, who knows if there's tea or poison in that teacup? But the sword is a real sword!
Another man gripped his sword, feeling a strange sense of security and excitement. But when he looked up, he found that the man opposite him had also gripped his sword, and it seemed that a great battle was inevitable.
She couldn't help but glance at the teacup: Did choosing a teacup mean the two of them would share a cup of tea? It couldn't be that simple!
In any case, since we're going to fight now, let's fight!
Another woman, Chao Du, hadn't fought with a sword for several years, and her initial swing was a bit rusty. However, after a few exchanges, she gradually regained some of the feeling she had back then.
Fortunately, her opponent's swordsmanship was at the same level, and for a time the two were so bad that it was difficult to determine a winner, with neither gaining the upper hand.
Another person on the platform suddenly felt like laughing: This was probably the worst challenger the tenth floor had ever seen...
As the fight went on, the other Asawa didn't lose, but he couldn't win either, and his stamina was running low.
She tentatively stopped her attack, and the other side stopped as well. She sat down on the spot, and the other side did the same.
While recovering her strength, she pondered how to defeat her opponent, whose skill level was the same as hers. In other words, how could she improve her swordsmanship in a short period of time?
"Swordsmanship..." The moment he thought of those two words, the other Chaodu recalled the other self's sword energy, as light as a peach blossom, and the sword momentum as vast as rolling thunder.
She closed her eyes and sat in meditation, trying to glean some understanding of sword intent from what she had just seen and heard.
Lightness and heaviness, spirit and momentum...
After an unknown amount of time, she opened her eyes, her gaze much clearer than before.
She not only grasped some of the immortals' sword intent—though not much—but she was already quite satisfied to have comprehended some within the limited time.
More importantly, she also recalled the feeling of complete concentration and unity between man and sword when she practiced swordsmanship back then.
“Come on, let’s try again.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead, picked up her sword and stood up, as did the other version of herself.
The two wooden swords clashed again. One of them moved noticeably faster than the other, and its swordsmanship was just as strong, vaguely resembling the way Chao Du used a sword.
Gradually, the other Chaodu gained the upper hand, and her swordsmanship became more and more skillful, increasingly resembling her peak cultivation level. Her sword strikes were swift and effortless, so exhilarating! So free!
With complete concentration and a clear mind, she unleashed a swift and powerful sword strike, instantly snapping the wooden sword in the hand of the other woman opposite her.
The entire stone chamber suddenly became bright, as if the long night had ended and the morning sun had risen.
'Is it dawn?' Another Chaodu was momentarily dazed.
A round of applause rang out, and the other Asaka suddenly came to her senses, only to find that it was her from another world clapping. There was an empty teacup on the stone table next to her, while the two wooden swords on the stone table remained untouched.
Another Asakawa's expression immediately became complicated: "...You can choose a teacup in this level?!"
Asakawa nodded and smiled, "Sure, but choosing a sword is also a good idea. Being able to beat yourself is already impressive. By the way, drink that cup of tea; it's a good thing."
Another Chaodu was somewhat amused and exasperated. He picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp, then exclaimed in surprise, "What nourishing tea! It has at least replenished the spiritual energy I've cultivated for a hundred years!"
Chao Du nodded and pointed to the phantom of the Immortal Tower: "We've won, we can leave now, but are you sure you don't want the swords in the ninth floor of the Sword Hidden Tower? They're all divine weapons hidden here, everyone in the cultivation world knows that, and countless people dream of owning them."
The other Chao Du shook his head firmly, then revealed a gentle, shy smile: "I only want the Langyue Sword."
“…Alright then.” Chao Du pinched the bridge of his nose and said helplessly, “Then we’ll go into the tower and not choose a sword, and come out directly. This is probably the first time in the Tower of Waiting for Immortals.”
"Hehe." The other Asakawa smiled sheepishly.
The two stepped into the illusory image of the Tower of Waiting for Immortals. In the next instant, the surrounding environment changed, and countless purple-gold stars were scattered all around.
Some of the stars gathered in front of the two of them to form a large "nine", which must be the ninth floor of the Hidden Sword Tower.
Behind the two was a golden circle, through which the surrounding mountains of the Waiting Immortal Tower could be seen, which should be the exit of the Waiting Immortal Tower.
Suddenly, with the sound of swords ringing out, some light and bright, others deep and resonant, one after another divine weapons emerged from the purple-gold stars and flew to Chao Du's front, instantly forming a row.
Then they all drew their swords and displayed their unique weapons. For a moment, the light of these divine weapons shone brighter than the countless purple and gold stars in the sky!
Another asakawa exclaimed in surprise: "This is...they want to recognize a master?"
Chao Du nodded: "The divine weapons that can be stored on the ninth floor of the Waiting Immortal Tower are quite intelligent. Before people choose their swords, the swords choose their people first. If they don't want to recognize a master, they probably won't even show themselves, hmm?"
Suddenly, the Thousand-Pound Sword appeared on Chao Du's left arm.
The longsword automatically unsheathed, its black jade blade flashing with dazzling white lightning, hovering horizontally in front of Chao Du, imposingly separating him from these divine weapons.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com