Chapter 403: The Ownership of the Purple Lightning Sword

"Teacher, is it really happening?" Upon receiving the news, Chen Mobai immediately rushed to Che Yucheng's office in Building No. 1, not forgetting to buy a basket of fruit on the way.

"Originally, there wasn't much hope for this," Che Yucheng said slowly, sipping his tea, as he began to recount the hidden story of the Violet Lightning Sword. "Although our Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments is powerful, the Three Great Academies also have capable individuals among the Immortal Sect's Three Great Halls, so a forceful approach wouldn't work.

"Later, the Five Lightning Academy approached me, hoping to use the influence of our Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments to reclaim this fourth-grade sword. The Five Lightning Academy owns half of the Violet Lightning Sword. Previously, they were blocked by the Academy of Nature and couldn't retrieve the sword from the Academy of Mountains and Seas. This time, their alliance with our academy gave us a legitimate reason to get involved.

"Then, our dean happened to emerge from his seclusion. I mentioned the matter to him, and since he also had an impression of you, he personally sought out Venerable Yunhai from the Academy of Nature. The two venerable masters then met with the Hall Master of the Righteous Law Hall, and that essentially settled the matter."

The ownership of the Violet Lightning Sword involved four major powers: the Immortal Sect's Righteous Law Hall, the Academy of Nature, the Five Lightning Academy, and the Academy of Mountains and Seas, which was safeguarding it.

Furthermore, since Pei Qingshuang had already obtained the Azure Frost Sword, if someone else gained recognition from the Violet Lightning Sword, it might affect her reputation. Therefore, the feelings of her mother, Venerable Taohua, also needed to be considered.

In other words, a total of six major powers needed to be appeased regarding the Violet Lightning Sword.

Fortunately, Chen Mobai was the chief disciple of the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments. He had also restored the academy's glory at the year-end offline sparring exchange last year, performing a great service. Additionally, his teacher, Che Yucheng, helped convey the matter to Venerable Chengxuan. Otherwise, it likely would have been stuck until now.

Although there were six major powers, the final decisions were essentially made by those several Nascent Soul Venerables.

After the Five Lightning Academy approached them, the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments could, on their behalf, claim half ownership of the Violet Lightning Sword from the Academy of Nature.

If anyone else had approached the Academy of Nature about this matter, they would certainly have dragged their feet.

However, Venerable Chengxuan directly sought out Venerable Yunhai.

The two highest-ranking Nascent Soul Venerables reached a consensus on the Violet Lightning Sword's ownership during a single phone call, then went together to have morning tea with the Hall Master of the Righteous Law Hall.

After morning tea, the Hall Master of the Righteous Law Hall personally called the headmaster of the Academy of Mountains and Seas. Even if the headmaster was reluctant, he could only nod in agreement.

Following this, Venerable Chengxuan informed Venerable Taohua about the matter, and she also raised no objections, allowing them to proceed as they wished.

"The Violet Lightning Sword is mine just like that!?" Chen Mobai exclaimed. Before the surprise on his face could fade after hearing Che Yucheng's words, he saw the latter shake his head.

"It's an opportunity for you to gain ownership," Che Yucheng clarified.

"Teacher, what does that mean?" Chen Mobai was confused and immediately refilled Che Yucheng's teacup.

"Given that the Violet Lightning Sword has been without a wielder for over a hundred years, and to prevent it from degrading in grade due to prolonged lack of a master's nurturing, the Immortal Sect, at the request of the Five Lightning Academy and the Academy of Nature, has issued invitations throughout the entire Immortal Sect to find a suitable master for the Violet Lightning Sword."

Che Yucheng's words left Chen Mobai somewhat bewildered.

"Teacher, does that mean if I want to obtain the Violet Lightning Sword, I'll have to compete with everyone in the entire Immortal Sect?"

"This is merely an excuse to give you a legitimate reason to compete. Otherwise, only current students and graduates from the Academy of Nature, the Five Lightning Academy, and the Academy of Mountains and Seas would be eligible," Che Yucheng sighed, explaining that this was the condition discussed when the Five Lightning Academy first approached them.

They were willing to give Chen Mobai an opportunity to wield the Violet Lightning Sword, but to silence any future criticism, this opportunity couldn't be exclusively for him.

Even so, the Five Lightning Academy remained the faction most likely to produce the next master of the Violet Lightning Sword.

"The complete blueprints for forging the Violet Lightning Sword are still kept within the Five Lightning Academy. Moreover, Venerable Qingshi's cultivation method, the Great Violet Lightning Art, is the most prevalent within the Five Lightning Academy."

With the sword blueprints and the previous master's cultivation method, the Five Lightning Academy had virtually stacked all the conditions in their favor to acquire the Violet Lightning Sword.

It was precisely for this reason that they dared to approach the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments for cooperation, willing to gamble by allowing everyone a chance to gain ownership of the Violet Lightning Sword.

"Teacher, I'm good at this! Is it going to be a combat competition? I'm not boasting, but among those at the same cultivation level in the entire Immortal Sect, I don't even know what a true opponent looks like..."

"This time, there are no cultivation level restrictions. Everyone, from Nascent Soul to Qi Cultivation, can participate!"

Chen Mobai's confident words were cut short when he heard Che Yucheng's next sentence, causing him to gape and freeze on the spot.

"Isn't that just bullying?!"

After a long moment, Chen Mobai exclaimed exasperatedly. How could he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, compete with old monsters at the Nascent Soul and Golden Core stages?

Even with his numerous third-grade techniques, he could at most withstand a few moves from a Golden Core Master. If it came to a real fight, he certainly wouldn't be an opponent.

What was the point of a competition then? They might as well just give the Violet Lightning Sword to the person with the highest cultivation level.

Chen Mobai felt a little deflated.

"Don't worry," Che Yucheng reassured him, "Nascent Soul Venerables value their reputation; they won't compete with you for the Violet Lightning Sword."

Hearing Che Yucheng's words, Chen Mobai regained a little confidence, but then he slumped again at the thought of potentially facing Golden Core Masters.

"This time, it's not a combat competition. It all depends on what kind of master the Violet Lightning Sword itself wishes to choose."

Seeing Chen Mobai's dejected expression, Che Yucheng finally finished speaking. Chen Mobai's eyes lit up again, and he once more poured tea.

"Teacher, what are the criteria the Violet Lightning Sword uses to select its master?"

"Nobody knows for sure. A fourth-grade sword already possesses a faint spirituality. However, since the Violet Lightning Sword has only had one master, it will definitely use Venerable Qingshi as its standard, which is why the Five Lightning Academy is so confident."

"However, I believe the Violet Lightning Sword is more likely to choose a sword cultivation prodigy than a lightning spell genius," Chen Mobai stated, sharing his own understanding. There were many high-grade magical artifacts in the Immortal Sect. For example, the famous Yuan Yang Sword, a fifth-grade sword, would hinder its master's cultivation. Therefore, Pure Yang Scroll cultivators aspiring to higher realms would not become the master of this supreme flying sword.

Although the Violet Lightning Sword was renowned and a fourth-grade sword, those truly capable of impressing it within the Immortal Sect were few and far between.

First, Qi Cultivation realm practitioners were basically out of the question; the Violet Lightning Sword would not deplete its own essence to support its master's growth.

Unless it was someone with truly explosive sword cultivation talent, such as Chen Mobai, a renowned peerless sword cultivation genius.

However, comparatively, those who had already reached Foundation Establishment or Golden Core were more likely to be favored by the Violet Lightning Sword.

Among them, Golden Core Masters, if willing, had the highest probability of becoming the sword's master. After all, for the Violet Lightning Sword to maintain its grade, or even continue to grow, it could only hope for its master to form a Nascent Soul. Compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators, Golden Core Masters at least held the hope of forming a Nascent Soul.

Understanding all this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on his scalp. Although he had confidence in himself, facing the sword cultivation elites of the entire Immortal Sect, and even Golden Core Sword Cultivators, he truly had no absolute certainty of victory.

"The academy can only help you this far," Che Yucheng said with a teasing tone. "Next, you'll have to rely on yourself to impress the Violet Lightning Sword. Didn't you say it suited you well? And your talent in sword cultivation is acknowledged by Zuo Gong. Your chances of becoming its master are very high."

Che Yucheng chuckled. If Chen Mobai hadn't displayed his extraordinary realm of sword light manifestation, which he and Zuo Gong recognized as possessing the sword cultivation talent of Ancestor Baiguang, astonishing even Venerable Chengxuan, this matter wouldn't have been so smooth.

However, these words only made Chen Mobai more nervous. Didn't he know the truth about his own sword cultivation? It was all thanks to empowerment; it was superficial!

"Teacher, which Golden Core Masters are interested in the Violet Lightning Sword?"

After calming himself, Chen Mobai asked the most crucial question. After all, his spiritual root value was now close to that of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, making him a true genius, so there was still hope for him to wield the Violet Lightning Sword. At the Foundation Establishment realm, he had virtually no opponents; he could easily sweep through. Within the Immortal Sect, only those who had formed a Golden Core caused him concern.

"From the Academy of Mountains and Seas, there's Ruan Zixiu, who just formed his Golden Core ten years ago. He had previously wanted our artifact forging department at the Daoist Academy of Martial Instruments to help him forge a natal flying sword, and he had almost collected all the materials. Now that he has a chance to obtain the Violet Lightning Sword, he certainly won't miss it.

"Then there's Huo Xiqing from the Five Lightning Academy, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. He has cultivated the Great Violet Lightning Art to a very high level. If he can obtain the Violet Lightning Sword, he might be able to use its essence to break through to the late Golden Core stage, or even form a Nascent Soul. He was the one who initially approached me and strongly pushed for this matter.

"The Academy of Nature will likely also send a Golden Core cultivator, but I haven't received confirmation yet. Other academies and daoist institutions will probably join the fun, but the greatest threats are Ruan Zixiu and Huo Xiqing."

The former is a true Golden Core Sword Cultivator, while the latter cultivates the Great Violet Lightning Art, which shares the same origin as Venerable Qingshi's.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai felt his future dim.

However, since things had progressed this far, he definitely needed to strive for it with all his might.

"When will it begin?"

"It'll probably be next year. Because, nominally, anyone in the Immortal Sect who meets the conditions can participate. When the Three Great Academies jointly issue the announcement at the end of the year, the entrance to the Academy of Mountains and Seas will likely be packed with people queuing. However, as a seeded participant, you only need to show up on the final day."

Unless the Violet Lightning Sword encounters a once-in-ten-thousand-years peerless sword cultivation genius midway, the final day will see Chen Mobai, Ruan Zixiu, Huo Xiqing, and others vying for the ultimate opportunity to wield this fourth-grade sword.

"That's good, then it won't waste too much time."

Chen Mobai was a very busy person now. His businesses in the Immortal Sect and the Heavenly River Realm were just starting to develop, requiring constant attention. He didn't have much time to queue and wait.

"Keep an eye on this matter yourself; don't forget it when the time comes."

Che Yucheng waved his hand. After thanking him again, Chen Mobai bade farewell and left.

In any case, achieving this outcome had taken considerable effort from Che Yucheng; his teacher had been exceptionally good to him.

After leaving, Chen Mobai first checked online. However, concerning the Violet Lightning Sword, the several Nascent Soul Venerables had only reached a consensus two days prior, so it would take some time for the subordinates to set things in motion.

Chen Mobai had, in effect, received an early internal tip.

After leaving Building No. 1, Chen Mobai naturally headed to the student council.

"President, you're finally here." Seeing his arrival, Zhuang Jialan breathed a sigh of relief and brought over a stack of accumulated documents.

It was almost the end of the semester, and many things needed to be arranged in advance, especially the year-end opening of the artifact-containing orbs and next year's class schedules, which were top priorities.

"Where's that kid Zhongli Tianyu?" As Chen Mobai reviewed the documents, he suddenly remembered the successor he had designated. He planned to step down at the end of the year, so why was he still so busy?

"He complained about too many mundane tasks and ran off after working for half a year," Zhuang Jialan replied.

Hearing Zhuang Jialan's words, Chen Mobai was so furious that he snapped the pen in his hand.

"Where is that kid now? How can he lack such perseverance if he wishes to achieve the Great Dao..."

"It seems he's in the depths of the Myriad Treasure Cave, cultivating with Senior Sister Bian."

Zhuang Jialan's words left Chen Mobai utterly confused. When did those two become so close?

After finishing the accumulated student council work, Chen Mobai was about to head to the depths of the Myriad Treasure Cave to find Zhongli Tianyu, intending to earnestly persuade him to return and take over.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the student council.

"Why is she here?" Chen Mobai stood by the window, watching Meng Huanger, who had just walked in, and couldn't help but ask Zhuang Jialan behind him.

"Senior Sister Meng accumulated a hundred credits and exchanged them for an artifact fragment. She wants to open an ancient zither-type magical artifact, so she came to our student council to consult the Myriad Treasure Map. She's been coming frequently over the past year."

Zhuang Jialan, who had replaced the graduating Hua Zijing as secretary, was becoming increasingly competent and knew even such minor details.

"Why didn't she ask me?" As soon as Chen Mobai said this, he suddenly remembered that Meng Huanger seemed to have sent him a text message at the end of last year. However, at the time, he was busy taking the Enlightenment Tea and had temporarily put it out of his mind.

Later, due to too many other matters, he had simply forgotten about it.

"It was my oversight. Jialan, please invite Senior Sister Meng up. No, never mind, I'll go greet her myself."

Chen Mobai felt a slight pang of guilt for having somewhat neglected Meng Huanger. He temporarily set aside the matter of bringing Zhongli Tianyu back and went downstairs to speak with his long-unseen senior sister.

"I didn't expect a busy person like you to still remember me," Meng Huanger teased playfully as Chen Mobai greeted her.

"Not at all, not at all," Chen Mobai politely apologized. "Whenever I return to the academy, after going home, I always look up at your residence. But I was truly afraid of bothering you, so I didn't dare to contact you actively. Meeting Senior Sister here today, so unexpectedly, has truly filled my heart with joy."

Upon hearing this, Meng Huanger's lips curved slightly, as if she had given a faint smile. She was already exceptionally beautiful, and now a faint blush spread across her face. Coupled with her charming eyes and creamy, snow-white skin, she was truly stunning.

"Senior Sister, have you found any artifact-containing orbs that caught your eye? I'm quite skilled in appraising treasures; I can help you take a look."

As Chen Mobai spoke, he invited Meng Huanger to sit in his office. She nodded demurely.

Zhuang Jialan and Lu Tiansuan, who managed the Myriad Treasure Map, exchanged glances. Remembering their president's reputation, Zhuang Jialan also recalled seeing Chen Mobai and Qing Nu together at the Jumang Academy. After the two ascended the stairs, she whispered to Lu Tiansuan.

"Don't spread this around," she cautioned. "Although the president's reputation in romantic matters isn't the best, as his subordinates, we should cover for him if we can."

"Am I the kind of person who gossips?!" Lu Tiansuan retorted, nodding and promising he absolutely wouldn't reveal anything.

Completely unaware that his image in the minds of his subordinates had now been definitively shaped, Chen Mobai led Meng Huanger to a pair of small sofas by his office window. After she sat down, he personally brewed her a pot of tea.

"Senior Sister, please have a taste," he offered. "This is a specialty I brought from Jumang Academy. I heard it's good for women's skin and can refresh and rejuvenate the complexion."