NOVPUBDeep within the Sword Palace.
Bai Ruoxi sat on a soft cushion, her eyes closed, her ample bosom straining against the fabric of her palace dress. The curtains partially concealed her, creating an alluring silhouette.
To an outsider, it would seem she was simply meditating, but in reality, she was receiving the 108 Glowing Blades of the Sword Palace’s inheritance from the Sword Palace Master.
Every half hour, one of the golden blades surrounding the Sword Palace would transform into golden Spiritual Energy and enter Bai Ruoxi’s chest.
This was the Sword Palace’s legacy.
…
Once all 108 Glowing Blades had transformed into Spiritual Energy and entered Bai Ruoxi’s chest, the Sword Palace’s inheritance was complete.
“You seem restless. Are you thinking about him?” a voice suddenly echoed in Bai Ruoxi’s mind.
Bai Ruoxi slowly opened her eyes. Before her stood a woman who resembled her in appearance but exuded a more mature and alluring aura.
The Sword Palace Master, or rather, Bai Ruoxi’s other consciousness.
Bai Ruoxi nodded slightly. “Wouldn’t this be too much for my dear… Not just me, but Lingxuan and Qian’er also like him. If we ask him to do this…”
She had naturally heard the conversation between the Sword Palace Master and Mu Zhi’an. Although she wanted to have him all to herself… asking him to break things off with the others made her feel guilty.
Besides, it would also cause him a lot of trouble.
The Sword Palace Master, with a faint smile, observed Bai Ruoxi, then slowly shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about this. I will handle it and ensure he stays with us.”
Bai Ruoxi was kind and innocent, but too naive. If those cunning women outside discovered the special nature of the Innate Celestial Furnace, they would undoubtedly try to monopolize it for themselves.
And Mu Zhi’an, a young man full of vigor, how could he resist such temptation?
She couldn’t allow him to have ambiguous relationships with other women.
“Focus on receiving the inheritance. I will take care of this,” the Sword Palace Master assured her.
Bai Ruoxi hesitated. “What are you planning to do…?”
The Sword Palace Master didn’t answer directly, a playful smile curving her lips. “I have my plans.”
She needed to slumber within the ‘scabbard’ for a while. Having access to the Innate Celestial Furnace during this time would allow Bai Ruoxi to reach the Nascent Soul Realm faster, thus awakening her from her slumber sooner.
But if she let him return to the Two Polarities Sect… she wouldn’t be able to be with the Innate Celestial Furnace every day.
After all, based on Bai Ruoxi’s memories, Mu Zhi’an had quite a few admirers.
However, if they kept him in the Sword Palace… there wouldn’t be so much trouble.
The Sword Palace Master’s eyes narrowed as she looked towards a certain direction within the palace, her gaze seemingly penetrating through countless walls, landing upon the young man in the hall.
Then, as if sensing something, she instinctively turned her head.
Someone else was also observing him secretly…?
Her eyes flickered as she gazed towards the Two Polarities Sect. Within her vision, the figure of a young woman in a purple dress appeared.
As if sensing her gaze, Ye Lingxuan slowly opened her star-like purple eyes and turned to the puppet beside her.
“What happened?” she asked softly.
The ‘Reincarnated Empress’ explained everything that had just transpired, from secretly observing and protecting Mu Zhi’an to being discovered by the Sword Palace Master.
“What should we do next? Continue watching him?” the puppet asked.
Ye Lingxuan turned to the puppet and smiled brightly.
“Continue watching… If anyone tries to do anything, use this to bring Brother Mu back.”
The Desolate Time Lock peeked out from her sleeve, seemingly eager to act.
…
Time passed silently, and three days flew by.
During these days, Lin Keyu and the others explored the Sword Palace, discovering Spirit Mines in several locations. After infusing them with Spirit Stones, they unlocked the formations and obtained various special medicinal herbs.
Although it was costly, the disciples from the Primordial Clans didn’t mind.
After all, the medicinal herbs and pill formulas within the Sword Palace were priceless and couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones outside.
“As expected of scions of Primordial Clans. They’re truly wealthy, carrying over a million Spirit Stones with them.”
Mu Zhi’an examined the special Spirit Stones in his hand, sighing with admiration.
A pile of various special Spirit Stones had accumulated before the formation. Some were emerald green, others a vibrant red. These were all rare and valuable stones.
Among them, Mu Zhi’an even spotted a translucent Spirit Stone with a golden thread running through it, emitting a faint, shimmering glow.
Aurora Crystal!
This was a special Spirit Stone only found in the Forbidden Zone. Someone had once tried to trade it for Bai Ruoxi’s Nirvana Silk, but Mu Zhi’an had snatched the silk away.
“This person must have an extraordinary background to possess Aurora Crystals…” Mu Zhi’an thought, impressed.
Most cultivators wouldn’t trade such special Spirit Stones. Instead, they would craft them into necklaces and gift them to their loved ones.
And here were three Aurora Crystals, large enough to create six identical necklaces.
Mu Zhi’an picked out the three Aurora Crystals, then, after a moment of thought, he selected a few other special Spirit Stones suitable for crafting necklaces.
It’s been a while since I’ve given the girls gifts. I should show them some affection.
“Including the thirteen Spirit Mines Mengrou wasted, this has been a bountiful harvest…” Mu Zhi’an thought, glancing at his tall and beautiful maid.
He had asked Wei Mengrou to cut open thirteen Spirit Mines, but every single one had been empty…
Even when he chose the Spirit Mines himself and had her cut them open, there was nothing inside.
It seemed his maid wasn’t cut out for this kind of game.
Sensing his gaze, Wei Mengrou glanced at him coldly. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing… I was just thinking that your luck seems to be quite bad, Mengrou,” Mu Zhi’an chuckled.
Wei Mengrou turned away, only showing him her beautiful profile. “It’s just a coincidence,” she muttered, her voice lacking conviction.
She couldn’t help but lower her gaze, feeling a mix of disappointment and insecurity.
Thirteen empty Spirit Mines in a row… Even a fool could tell that the problem wasn’t with the rocks, but with her luck.
“Don’t worry, Mengrou. Even if you have no Spirit Stones, I’ll still take care of you,” Mu Zhi’an said, trying to comfort her.
Wei Mengrou glanced at him disdainfully, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “With the Spirit Stones you’re leeching off others?”
“So you’re saying I can use my own Spirit Stones?” Mu Zhi’an caught her slip of the tongue.
Wei Mengrou: “…”
After a moment of silence, she gave him another disdainful look and scoffed. “Always playing with words.”
“How many Spirit Stones have you collected this time?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Roughly over three million?” Mu Zhi’an said with a smile.
Even he was surprised by the amount. Although he knew the Primordial Clans were wealthy, he hadn’t expected them to spend so many Spirit Stones on these Spirit Mines.
“It seems the allure of a first-grade cultivation technique is truly powerful. They’re willing to pay any price,” Mu Zhi’an sighed.
Unfortunately for them, the first-grade technique wasn’t hidden within the Spirit Mines.
Even if they found it, no one would be able to learn it.
The technique was created by the Sword Palace Master, and the first requirement for learning it was to control all 108 Glowing Blades.
This requirement alone eliminated 99% of cultivators.
Of course, Mu Zhi’an wasn’t a heartless businessman. He wasn’t going to scam these talented cultivators out of all their Spirit Stones. Apart from the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herbs, he had left some treasures within the Spirit Mines.
These opportunities were originally meant for these cultivators. He had simply acted as a middleman, collecting their Spirit Stones after ‘processing’ the opportunities.
“Over three million Spirit Stones… If I use them for cultivation, I could probably reach the fourth-grade Core Formation Realm in a short time,” Mu Zhi’an said, impressed, as he stored the special Spirit Stones in his storage ring.
However, after storing about a million Spirit Stones, he encountered a new problem.
…His storage ring was full.
“Mengrou, can I borrow your storage ring?” he asked.
However, Wei Mengrou shook her head. “Mine is also full.”
Storage rings were ranked from ninth-grade to first-grade. The higher the grade, the more items they could store.
A first-grade storage ring could even store a person.
Mu Zhi’an’s Eight Chaos Dream Scroll had a similar function, but if he stored special Spirit Stones within it, they would be immediately absorbed, as the scroll could evolve.
It could evolve by either dual cultivating with fairies or other Holy Maidens, or by ‘feeding’ it Spirit Stones.
However, evolving it once required an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones, so Mu Zhi’an wasn’t considering that option for now.
“To think I would be stumped by a small storage ring…”
Mu Zhi’an pondered for a moment.
In the end, he decided to ‘feed’ the remaining special Spirit Stones that he couldn’t store to the Eight Chaos Dream Scroll.
Then, he continued to patiently ‘fish’, watching the special Spirit Stones slowly accumulate within the formation, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Another half day passed, and the rate at which the special Spirit Stones appeared within his modified formation slowed down considerably.
This meant that the disciples from the Primordial Clans had nearly exhausted their Spirit Stones.
It seems it’s time to wrap things up and send them on their way… Mu Zhi’an thought, looking at the dazzling array of special Spirit Stones.
As he expected, after spending more than three days exploring the Sword Palace, the cultivators had almost depleted their Spirit Stones. However, they were satisfied with their harvest.
Although they hadn’t found any first-grade cultivation techniques, they had obtained some of the Sword Palace’s medicinal herbs, and some had even found second-grade techniques.
Overall, it wasn’t a loss.
However, three cultivators had died during this exploration, and the two from the Qianyuan Sect had been trapped by Mu Zhi’an, seemingly with some kind of magical artifact…
If this news got out, it would definitely cause a commotion.
After all, Qian Chen was a highly valued genius within the Qianyuan Sect, and his cousin was also from a prominent faction in the Eastern Realm.
Of course, this had nothing to do with them.
Another day passed.
Sensing a dangerous aura emanating from the Sword Palace, the cultivators remembered the Sword Palace Master’s words and left with their spoils.
Lin Keyu followed them, pretending to leave as well. However, after watching them depart, she turned back, intending to find Mu Zhi’an.
Suddenly, Ye Yu’s voice came from behind her. “Miss Lin, do you need me to escort you back?” he asked with a gentle smile.
“I noticed you’ve used up quite a bit of Spiritual Energy these past few days. It might not be safe for you to travel alone.”
Lin Keyu looked at him in surprise, wondering how he knew about her condition.
Due to her previous injuries, she wasn’t feeling well. If it weren’t for the Returning Essence Pill, she would probably be unconscious by now.
However, she still shook her head politely and refused. “Thank you for your concern, Young Master Ye, but it’s unnecessary. The Sword Palace isn’t too far from the Xuanyin Temple, and I’m used to traveling alone.”
Ye Yu frowned, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
It would be difficult to find another opportunity to approach a beauty like Lin Keyu… Moreover, rumors claimed that the Xuanyin Body could greatly benefit dual cultivation partners.
But she was the Xuanyin Temple Sect Master’s beloved daughter. No matter how dissatisfied he felt, he couldn’t press further. He cupped his fists and flew away on his sword.
Although he had lost nearly 500,000 Spirit Stones, it wasn’t a complete loss… He had at least obtained two sixth-grade medicinal herbs.
Thinking about his own gains and then about Mu Zhi’an, who had vanished after drawing the Bronze Ancient Sword, a sense of satisfaction filled Ye Yu’s heart.
Back in that mysterious hall, Mu Zhi’an’s Spiritual Energy had fluctuated wildly after drawing the sword. He must have lost consciousness afterwards.
Everyone else had obtained treasures from the Sword Palace, but Mu Zhi’an had come for nothing… If the Sword Palace disappeared, he might even disappear along with it.
This thought brought a smile to Ye Yu’s face as he clutched the sixth-grade medicinal herbs in his hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He would use these herbs to refine pills that could accelerate his cultivation, preparing himself for the Ascension Ceremony!
…
Meanwhile, after watching everyone leave, Lin Keyu’s eyes flickered as she turned to re-enter the Sword Palace.
However, as soon as she turned, she saw the young man who had saved her walking towards her.
He handed her an ordinary storage ring and smiled. “Miss Lin, these are the special Spirit Stones you spent on the Spirit Mines. Count them and make sure the amount is correct.”
His previous aloofness had vanished. Lin Keyu smiled brightly. “There’s no need to count. I trust you, Young Master.”
Mu Zhi’an pondered for a moment. “I’ll escort you back.”
“Or do you prefer to travel alone?” he asked, a playful glint in his eyes, clearly having overheard her conversation with Ye Yu.
Lin Keyu was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant. She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, her gesture surprisingly playful.
As they chatted, they unknowingly left the Sword Palace and flew towards the Xuanyin Temple.
“By the way, I still don’t know your name, Young Master,” Lin Keyu suddenly said.
The situation had been urgent when she was being pursued, so she hadn’t had the chance to ask his name. She had only remembered it now.
However, there weren’t many disciples in the Two Polarities Sect who could suppress two Core Formation cultivators at the third-grade Core Formation Realm…
As she pondered, she suddenly heard a familiar name.
She froze and looked at the young man beside her.
“Mu Zhi’an…?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
