Chapter 419: Sword Tower

Two weeks later, Chen Mobai looked at the white stone, which was glowing with five-colored light in his palm, and nodded with satisfaction. With his extraordinary mastery of Sword Light Transformation, after learning the secret and spending some time experimenting, he was naturally able to infuse all five elements of sword qi into a single white stone.

Once he completed it, true to Chen Mobai's character, he immediately sent it to Hao Cao. Of course, he didn't forget to call on Pei Qingshuang, as achieving this was largely thanks to her unreserved teaching.

"Have you considered specializing in the Way of the Sword?" Hao Cao finished examining the white stone infused with five-element sword qi, nodded slightly, and then asked Chen Mobai a question.

"I have always cultivated the Way of the Sword, but besides it, I also don't want to give up talismans and puppets." Chen Mobai knew clearly how he had reached his current sword cultivation level. If he truly specialized in the Way of the Sword, he would likely expose himself quickly, so he gave an answer typical of a genius who wants it all.

"Human energy is limited; only through focus and specialization can one reach the pinnacle." This was Hao Cao's first time encountering such an unparalleled sword cultivation genius like Chen Mobai, so he still wanted to make an effort to see if he could guide him towards the true path of the sword.

"Though that may be true, I haven't yet felt the limits of my energy. Someday in the future, if I find myself struggling, I might just give up the other two and focus solely on the Way of the Sword." Chen Mobai knew that Hao Cao pitied his extraordinary talent, having mastered Sword Light Transformation at the Foundation Establishment stage, so he remained very courteous in his words.

"Alright, you can manage it yourself. However, the major bottlenecks of Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages take a long time to overcome. Given your exceptional talent, it's also reasonable for you to learn and cultivate other immortal arts and skills in addition to the Way of the Sword." Hao Cao himself was a third-tier artifact refiner, a skill he had studied at the Wuqi Daoist Academy. If not for the lack of opportunities to forge fourth-tier sword artifacts in the Immortal Sect over the past century, he might have already obtained his fourth-tier professional certificate.

"Teacher," Pei Qingshuang reminded, "should we go to the Violet Lightning Sword now to test the resonance?" During the preliminary selection phase, this step was handled by the teachers of Shanhai Academy, and Pei Qingshuang was one of them. However, after the white stone containing Ancestor Baiguang's fourteen sword qi appeared, Hao Cao had to personally emerge from seclusion to oversee the matter.

"Follow me." After saying this, Hao Cao waved his sleeve and led them towards the last thousand-zhang stone sword. This was the location of Shanhai Academy's world-renowned Sword Tower. It housed more than half of the Immortal Sect's top-tier flying swords.

The Sword Tower had five floors in total, with each floor categorized by the flying sword's grade. The first floor contained first-tier sword artifacts, numbering in the tens of thousands. However, only one-fifth of these were forged by Shanhai Academy itself. The rest were donated by sword cultivators from various parts of the Immortal Sect after their ascension, who sent their flying swords to the academy, hoping Shanhai Academy could help find suitable inheritors. Due to the overwhelming number of first-tier flying swords, Shanhai Academy had, in the past century, stopped accepting first-tier flying swords from external sources. The first-tier flying swords still remaining in the Sword Tower now were essentially all masterpieces among first-tier artifacts. The topmost fifth floor was where the Sea-Calming Sword was housed. The Violet Lightning Sword was on the fourth floor.

Chen Mobai followed Hao Cao from the bottom floor, ascending the stairs floor by floor. It seemed there was a rule in the Sword Tower that prohibited flying. As he ascended, Chen Mobai also witnessed one bizarrely shaped flying sword after another. The first floor of the Sword Tower was packed. Flying swords hung in rows, from top to bottom, filling the vast space that was over ten meters high. Some were marked, indicating they were already reserved and would soon be taken.

Each month, Shanhai Academy would select more than ten first-tier flying swords and one second-tier flying sword from the Sword Tower to display on their flagship store on the Immortal Sect Network, selling them at very low prices in terms of merit points. To them, helping a flying sword find a suitable master was more meaningful than earning merit points. A first-tier flying sword cost 10,000 merit points, while a second-tier one cost only 100,000. One should know that when Chen Mobai bought Luan Jingsheng's Five Transformations Umbrella, it cost him tens of thousands of merit points. Even the worst flying sword offered by Shanhai Academy's Sword Tower far surpassed the original version of the Five Transformations Umbrella.

"When I was little, I also dreamed of owning a flying sword. Unfortunately, I never managed to secure a spot," Chen Mobai conversed with Pei Qingshuang beside him. As the most fashionable cultivation profession, sword cultivators have always been the most popular in the Immortal Sect. Who wouldn't want to own a flying sword? Chen Mobai's ultimate goal when he saved money was to accumulate 10,000 merit points to snatch a flying sword.

"Our childhood dreams were the same," Pei Qingshuang said. "I even saved enough merit points to buy a second-tier flying sword, but I never managed to secure a spot. So, I just came here for university later. Students of Shanhai Academy can receive a free flying sword upon enrollment. I saved that opportunity, and after reaching Foundation Establishment, I received the recognition of the Azure Frost Sword." As Pei Qingshuang spoke, she proudly patted the sword at her waist. Chen Mobai merely smiled without saying anything. He didn't quite approve of her life as a second-generation cultivator. The difficulty she faced in obtaining the Azure Frost Sword was simply not comparable to his own experience.

The second floor of the Sword Tower was also nearly full, with roughly a thousand flying swords, all of which were masterpieces among second-tier artifacts. In a fleeting glance, Chen Mobai saw that the quality of over a dozen flying swords even surpassed that of his Flying Sparrow Hairpin.

Soon, they arrived at the third floor. Chen Mobai's eyes widened, wanting to see how many third-tier flying swords were in the Sword Tower. Unfortunately, third-tier flying swords rarely circulated, and unlike the two floors below, they weren't directly suspended in the air. Instead, they were all sealed within sword cases, scabbards, or sword bags. Chen Mobai counted carefully. There were thirty-seven in total. He wondered if the sword cases and bags actually contained swords, or if they were empty. He asked Pei Qingshuang, who was beside him. She also shook her head, saying that from the third floor upwards, Hao Cao personally handled the storage and nurturing of the swords. Pei Qingshuang had spent a considerable amount of time on the fourth floor previously. When bored, she had considered opening the other sword cases to look inside, but unfortunately, she couldn't open them. Each sword case had a special opening incantation. At that time, she could only open the case for the Azure Frost Sword.

As the two conversed, they finally arrived at the fourth floor. Chen Mobai looked at the four sword cases and two sword bags suspended on the side wall, and couldn't help but feel a slight surprise. There were actually six fourth-tier sword artifacts in the Sword Tower?

"That sword case originally held my Azure Frost Sword; it's empty now," Pei Qingshuang pointed to one of the dark azure sword cases covered in frost patterns and said to Chen Mobai. So that means there are only five fourth-tier sword artifacts here now? However, it's also possible that more than one sword case is empty; perhaps only the Violet Lightning Sword remains.

As Chen Mobai was thinking this, Hao Cao had already walked up to a deep purple sword case. He then formed a sword incantation with both hands, performed a simple seal, and opened the case. A brilliant violet light shone, and a long sword, approximately 1.2 meters in length, appeared before Chen Mobai's eyes. However, what caught his eye the most was a spirit stone next to the Violet Lightning Sword. Streams of pure spiritual energy continuously flowed into the sword, seemingly nourishing it.

He didn't know what grade the spirit stone was, and Chen Mobai dared not rashly extend his divine sense to investigate. But Pei Qingshuang surely knew, so he immediately asked. "This is a top-grade spirit stone subsidized by the Immortal Sect," Pei Qingshuang explained. "One top-grade spirit stone can sustain the Violet Lightning Sword's nourishment for ten years."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai felt greatly reassured and began to appreciate the fourth-tier sword artifact. The sword had a simple design: a round hilt with a cloud-patterned guard, and a long, narrow blade. The blade had eight facets, curving twice along its length. It was straight and upright, unadorned yet possessing a dignified and majestic aura.

Hao Cao placed the white stone next to the Violet Lightning Sword. He then entered a string of code on the screen inside the sword case, and the Violet Lightning Sword flickered.

"Resonance: 25." Chen Mobai looked at the number displayed on the screen, and couldn't help but feel a little intrigued. This was similar to his first experience using the Formless Puppet when he was at the Wuqi Daoist Academy.

"The sword qi in the white stone accounts for half of the resonance," Hao Cao explained. "However, when I initially set it up, ten sword qi was the full score, so your five sword qi corresponds to this 25."

"The remaining 50 is for lightning cultivation, sword techniques, spiritual roots, and so on."

"Extend your hand," Hao Cao instructed, "grasp the hilt as I instruct, and perform your lightning technique..." Hao Cao motioned for Chen Mobai to come over, explaining the various aspects of the resonance system to him. This test was originally meant for the final round, and would only be conducted then. However, the four of them were already internally designated for the final round, so trying it out in advance was not considered a violation.

Under Hao Cao's guidance, Chen Mobai extended both hands and grasped the Violet Lightning Sword in its case. The round hilt still left some space even when held with both hands. However, since it wasn't wrapped with spirit ropes, it felt somewhat cool and smooth to the touch.

*Sizzle!*

As the perfected third-tier Divine Wood Lightning erupted from Chen Mobai's ten fingers, the Violet Lightning Sword seemed to awaken from its slumber, and purple arcs of light flared along its blade. Chen Mobai felt that the Divine Wood Lightning he unleashed was completely absorbed by the Violet Lightning Sword's hilt. But since Hao Cao didn't call for a stop, he didn't dare to cease, and could only secretly activate his Evergreen spiritual power to continuously supply it.

After about a quarter of an hour, Chen Mobai felt that more than half of the spiritual power in his dantian and qi sea had been consumed. He thought that continuing like this would expose his perfected Evergreen spiritual power at the Foundation Establishment stage. After a moment of thought, he decided it was better to be prudent. He opened his mouth and signaled to Hao Cao beside him that his spiritual power was about to run out.

"Mm, that'll do." Upon hearing this, Hao Cao severed Chen Mobai's connection with the Violet Lightning Sword.

"Don't you need to test my sword cultivation realm?" Chen Mobai meditated for a while, pretending to have recovered. Seeing Hao Cao begin to close the Violet Lightning Sword's case, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"The sword qi in the white stone can estimate your sword cultivation realm," Hao Cao explained. "However, the crucial part is the final round: communication with the Violet Lightning Sword's spirituality. At that time, within your Sea of Consciousness, your spiritual root talent and the extent of your sword cultivation will be clearly perceived by the Violet Lightning Sword. So, there's no need for it this time."

Before Hao Cao closed the sword case, he motioned for Chen Mobai to look at the number on the screen.

Resonance: 33.

This score had already surpassed Ruan Zixiu, a Core Formation sword cultivator from Shanhai Academy. However, Hao Cao's expression remained calm, as if he wasn't surprised at all.

"Your talent in lightning cultivation is also exceptional," Hao Cao explained. "It's a pity that the Divine Wood Lightning's attribute differs from the Violet Cloud Divine Lightning, which is why it only added 8."

After Hao Cao explained the resonance issue to Chen Mobai, he led them towards the fifth floor. Pei Qingshuang had previously mentioned that Chen Mobai wanted to pay respects to the Sea-Calming Sword. Such a request Hao Cao would certainly grant.

The entire fifth floor was empty. Only in the very center was a rectangular jade stone, almost two meters long. The jade was slightly transparent, and one could faintly discern a sealed azure-blue long sword within.

"Is this... a spirit stone!?" Chen Mobai followed Hao Cao to the rectangular jade stone and asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. He was very familiar with spirit stones, but this one gave off no spiritual energy at all, appearing just like an ordinary jade stone. However, in the Immortal Sect, to nourish high-grade magical artifacts, ordinary spiritual charging equipment was completely insufficient. They almost always used spirit stones directly.

"Yes, this is a supreme-grade spirit stone from the Immortal Sect," Hao Cao confirmed, "repurposed into the Sea-Calming Sword's nurturing case. But it can only sustain it for sixty years." Upon hearing "supreme-grade spirit stone," Chen Mobai's eyes widened. One must know that even the entire Eastern Barren Lands couldn't produce a single supreme-grade spirit stone. He hadn't expected the Immortal Sect to possess such profound reserves. The approximate price of one supreme-grade spirit stone, when converted to the Immortal Sect's merit points, was 10 billion. And this was only enough to sustain the Sea-Calming Sword for sixty years. No wonder Gongye Zhixu had to invest the Primal Yang Sword for the expansion of the Minor Scarlet Heaven. The Pure Yang Academy dared not say a word. Because without the Immortal Sect's subsidies, their academy alone simply couldn't afford to maintain a fifth-tier, top-grade flying sword!

After Chen Mobai paid his respects to the Sea-Calming Sword, he left the Sword Tower with a strange feeling. He had originally thought that by establishing a puppet factory, he was already quite wealthy. But now, it seemed he was still a bit poor. He wondered if offering the Violet Lightning Sword ten times the spiritual stone treatment could entice this fourth-tier sword artifact to his side.

Just as Chen Mobai was considering whether to increase the offer to twenty times, someone suddenly came to visit him.

"Yan Feng?" Seeing the person outside the door, Chen Mobai's expression showed surprise. His former formidable rival from the entrance examination in Danxia City had now also successfully established his foundation. Among his peers, he could be considered impressive, but compared to Chen Mobai, he was rather ordinary.

"I heard that you, the chief disciple of Wuqi Daoist Academy, have arrived," Yan Feng greeted Chen Mobai politely. He seemed to have completely shed the resentment he felt after losing to Chen Mobai in the entrance examination. His gaze and demeanor now revealed reverence. "Since we're from the same hometown, I thought I'd come to pay a visit and see if you need me to show you around Shanhai Academy or Baishi Dongtian."

"Thank you," Chen Mobai replied, "but Senior Sister Pei has already shown me around."

"Teacher Pei Qingshuang?" Yan Feng said. "Only a heaven-blessed prodigy like you could be matched with her."

Chen Mobai felt a bit strange upon hearing that sentence. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" Chen Mobai asked. "What do you mean, 'matched with her'?"