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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nJing Jiu came to the foot of the mountain peak during the night while no one was around, undiscovered by the Yunxing Peak caretakers .

nThere was a map formation in the small building that displayed the positions of the sword cards, only showing the sword card of Zhao Layue, which deep in the remote ends of the clouds.

nThe sword card belonging to Jing Jiu was resting in the corner of his manor cave.

nA few monkeys were jumping back and forth on the cliff walls outside the manor cave.

nJing Jiu walked on the Sword Peak.

nThere were no trees atop Sword Peak, where the rocks between the cliffs exuded the fearful will of swords; it was hard for other plants to grow here except weeds.

nNot one animal could be sighted; it barren and dead as far as the eyes can see.

nIt was a very difficult deed to walk among the peaks for a regular inner sect disciple; even those who had successfully obtained sword still felt jittery whenever they recalled their experience on the Sword Peak; but the Sword Peak was the same as anywhere else to Jing Jiu; there was nothing special about it.

nHe walked between the peaks and cliffs with great ease and at a high speed, almost as if he were on flat ground, though not as fast as flying.

nNo matter how steep the cliff walls were, he didn’t use his hands to climb, though he could always get on the cliffs regardless.

nSoon enough, he came to the middle part of the Sword Peak, by the edge of the clouds.

nIf someone was looking up from the bottom of the peak, he would be seen as a dark dot in the midst of rugged rocks.

nAny inner sect disciple who could climb to the edge of the clouds for the first attempt would have accomplished an outstanding feat.

nThose disciples who could walk into the clouds were very rare.

nJing Jiu walked into them.

n…

n…

nYunxing Peak was the place where the clouds were forever moving.

nThe thick clouds were wet and moist, constantly rolling up and down, back and forth, blocking all the sun’s rays, bringing darkness everywhere.

nIt was here that most of wills of the sword could be found, the more terrifying ones, and it would be impossible for the regular disciples to withstand the forceful wills of swords for even a brief moment.

nThese wills of swords and darkness had no effect on Jing Jiu; actually, he didn’t have to hide his body, so the speed of his upward travels became faster, like a streak of smoke, and he could stride one hundred yards at a time, with two ears moving in different directions with the wind, listening to the earthly and heavenly sounds to make sure he wasn’t going to encounter any danger.

nJing Jiu came to a standstill after traveling for a long time.

nThe distance from here to the top of the peak shouldn’t have been too far. Lin Wuzhi’s judgment was right; the Senior Master of Shiyue Peak had indeed demonstrated his last pride, inspired by Jing Jiu before his passing, and placed his sword at an extremely high elevation, surpassing his own limit.

nJing Jiu could feel the volume of the wills of swords decreasing, but the dreadful atmosphere exuding from a few hundred swords was getting worse, and in this case, the sword should be somewhere much higher; he jumped upward.

nBoth his feet landed on the ground, silence everywhere.

nThe thick clouds gradually dispersed.

nJing Jiu saw a pair of eyes.

nThe eyes were so beautiful, the white parts of the eyes like mercury, black pupils looking as though they were painted on.

nFor any regular person, suddenly seeing a pair of eyes amid clouds would be extremely scary.

nLikewise, the owner of that pair of eyes would be scared as well.

nBut Jing Jiu and the owner of those eyes were not regular people.

nThus there was no screaming, only silence.

nThey could only see each other’s eyes, which meant their faces were very close to each other.

n“Sorry, I didn’t know someone was here,” Jing Jiu said.

nA chunk of his hair swung over the eyes, initiated by his breathing, like a willow branch dipping into the water while swinging.

nJing Jiu stepped back and saw the face of the other person.

nIt was a pretty face; not as good-looking as his own, though it could be said that the eyes and eyebrows were like that from a painting.

nYet, the eyebrows on this young girl were a bit short, really dark, and her hair was short…very short.

nThe dust was visible on her face and hair, giving her a dirty appearance, as if having not been washed for a long time.

nIn the middle of the cliff existed a cave, half the size of a man.

nThe young girl sat there with legs crossed, as if she were a stone statue.

nJing Jiu remembered who she was.

nAt the Green Mountain Sect, only one person stayed all year long on the peak, practicing the Tempered Will of the Sword, who was Zhao Layue.

n“Who are you?” asked Zhao Layue.

nHer voice sounded very pleasant, as clean as the sound of a whizzing sword, the end of the tone lifting upward slightly, as like a sword bent by the spring water in autumn bounced back.

n“Jing Jiu.”

n“It seems I have heard of you,” said Zhao Layue after some thought.

n“I have also heard of you,” said Jing Jiu.

nZhao Layue tilted her head, looking at Jing Jiu, suddenly saying, “You are not as good looking as the rumors say.”

n“The rumors are probably exaggerated.”

nJing Jiu nodded to her, left the cliff, and moved upward to higher elevation.

nZhao Layue didn’t pay much attention to him, closed her eyes without much thinking, and continued feeling and experiencing the surrounding will of swords.

nIf you let your will follow nature and use nature for its own sake, then nature will benefit you.

nHer breathing pulsated with the will of sword, gradually calming down, became slower and slower, till no breathing was perceived for long periods of time.

nHer heartbeat became slower amid the roaring sounds of wind and chaotic wills of sword among the cliffs, and was barely audible.

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n…

nJing Jiu came around to a cliff wall on the west side of the Sword Peak.

nHe was still thinking of Zhao Layue.

nHe wasn’t sure if the reason he became familiar with the name was because he heard so many times before or because of something else; it seemed he had heard of the name even earlier.

nHe felt he had seen the eyes, both the distinctive white and dark parts.

nAs somebody who was the most favored disciple of all the sects and masters and would become a shining star after the Inherited Sword Competition Zhao Layue was believed by all to possess aggressive and self-confident emotion in her eyes.

nBut what Jing Jiu saw in her eyes wasn’t that simple; it seemed as if she were hiding something, and he sensed a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.

nBut it had nothing to do with him.

nLooking around, he was sure that the sword he was looking for must be here somewhere, and he activated his mental power to spread out the Piercing Discernment.

nWithin the range of his Piercing Discernment, about one thousand yards and even further than that, the swords hidden in the deep parts of the peak were responding.

nThe rocks on the peak shifted slightly, as if being blown by the gentle wind, and some rocks started to fall down.

nMany rays of light from the wills of swords rushed to get out of their hidden places, but as they met his Piercing Discernment, they returned to the midst of cliffs and dared not come out again.

nThey acted like the rabbits sensing the danger.

nAnybody would find it funny to witness this scene.

nBut nobody could clearly see what was transpiring within the clouds of Sword Peak.

nUnless you were inside them.

nSitting among the cliff walls on the east side of the Sword Peak, Zhao Layue opened her eyes and felt the wills of swords changing a little, and wondered what happened.

n…On the other side of the peak…

n“You are not worth my ownership,” Jing Jiu told the swords retreating from him.

n“Really, you are not worth being my sword,” he told them again after a pause.

nAt last he said, “But I don’t mind.”

nThe swords in the peak kept silent.

n“I am not going to stay solely in the mountains anymore like before.”

nJing Jiu understood what these swords meant, and said after some thoughts, “This time, I’m going to go out and have a look.”

nThe swords all rushed to the fore in excitement.

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